Blog Makeover

My blog got a makeover! This calls for a makeover montage... cue the music! 

Picture my blog preening in front of a three-way mirror, trying on crazy wigs, spinning around in flowy ballgowns, and tripping in ridiculously high heels as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" plays in the background...

Image courtesy of lucyfrench123

Okay, okay-- you get the idea. Check out my awesome new blog header and color scheme!

I decided that after having kept up this blog for over a year, it was time to fancy things up around here. So I asked my good friend Elle Cardenas, an extremely talented artist and illustrator, to design a blog header for me.

She was wonderful about asking the right questions to find out what I had in mind, and worked with me to come up with a concept that reflects who I am and what I'm about. Thank you, E.! I absolutely love the way the blog header design turned out.

Visit Elle at Digital-Heat.com and please take a moment to drop a comment here and tell her what a fantastic job she did on my blog header.

Waiting On Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. My choice this week:

Grave Mercy, by Robin LeFevers

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Release date: April 3, 2012

Publisher's description: 

Escaping from the brutality of an arranged marriage, seventeen-year-old Ismae finds sanctuary at the convent of St. Mortain. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. She will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death—yet in order to claim her new life, she must be willing to take the lives of others. But how can she deliver Death's vengeance against a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I really only need to know two things about this book: it has nuns as trained assassins for the god of death and is set in medieval France. Just... YES. Also, I have to admit, I'm kind of a sucker for that whole "I was sent to kill you, but I love you!" trope. As if that wasn't enough, everyone who's read an advance copy seems to rave about it! It sounds like it really stands out from the crowd.

And the sad thing is, I actually had the chance to read this book from NetGalley-- but the file wouldn't load on my iPhone, so I ended up having to let it expire unread. Then, months later, the publisher made it available on NetGalley again for a brief 48 hour period, but I missed it! I know, I know... play the world's tiniest violin for me, please.

It's okay, though-- I'll rally. The publishing date will be here before I know it, after all! I'm definitely ordering a copy for my library, and can't wait to get my hands on it.

Watch the book trailer and read an excerpt at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's official Grave Mercy site.

The Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Can you believe it's been a year? This milestone weighs on my mind because, as I've blogged about previously, I have a personal relationship with Japan. I lived and worked for a year in a small Japanese city as part of the JET Program after I graduated from college. Although I only spent one year there, it's an experience that changed my life and I made memories that I will treasure forever.

Visiting an enthusiastic elementary school class.
How cute is this mob of kids?!

Hanging out after class with some of my students at a junior high school.
These girls were always so cheerful and eager to ask me questions about my life in the United States.

I was invited to participate in this school's culture festival, and played the role of a queen in their school play. My costume was provided by the students, tiara and all! The kids decided to cast against traditional gender roles, so the boy next to me in the beautiful white dress played my daughter, the princess.

Because of my familiarity with the Japanese culture and language, I often review Japan-related material for School Library Journal. Here are a few of the titles I've been privileged to review-- I recommend them as a way to introduce Japan to young readers.

Art and Life in Rural Japan: Toho Village Through the Eyes of its Youth, edited by Cyrus Rolbin

I've mentioned this one before, but it bears repeating: this is an absolutely wonderful book. It's a rare glimpse at a small Japanese village, which is, sadly, a vanishing breed. The photographs and text that make up this book were created by the young people of Toho village as they tell their own story.

Because this book is from a small publisher, it may not be on many people's radar. I highly recommend requesting that your librarian purchase it to ensure that your library carries a copy. In fact, Next Generation Press wants to make it easier for you to recommend this book for purchase at your library! See their library campaign for details.


The Friendship Doll, by Kirby Larson
This lovely book by a Newbery Honor winning author takes place mostly in the United States, but it will pique readers' interest in Japan because it's the fictionalized account of one of the 58 Japanese dolls sent to the United States in 1927, and how she works in the life of five children over the decades.

Larson did a great deal of research to write this story, and she expertly brings to life a little-known piece of history about Japan sending dolls to the United States as a gesture of goodwill. After so many years, sadly, some of the dolls have gone missing. Be sure to visit Kirby Larson's blog for an incredible story about how her book was the catalyst in the rediscovery of one of the lost dolls!


Japanese Nursery Rhymes, by Danielle Wright
Traditional songs and rhymes from Japan are introduced with brightly colored illustrations and an accompanying music CD. This very sweet book is especially perfect for mothers and caregivers to share with young babies and toddlers, or librarians seeking to increase multicultural content in their storytimes. Text is in English and Japanese.


All About Japan, by Willamarie Moore
All aspects of Japanese culture, from arts to food, are celebrated in this lively collection of stories, information, crafts, and activities. Two fictionalized narrators- one child from the city and one from the countryside- describe their daily lives, making it easy for a young reader in the United States to identify with children in far-away country.


Circus Day in Japan, by Eleanor Coerr
A delightful picture book by the author famous for writing Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, this story follows a brother and sister who travel by train from the countryside to the city to spend an exciting day at the circus. This reprint of one of Coerr's lesser-known works is full of mid-century charm, and the bilingual text makes it an appealing choice for Japanese-American families.

In addition to books, a young reader interested in Japan may also enjoy the beautifully designed iPad app, Chasing Fireflies: A Haiku Collection. Read my review on School Library Journal's Touch and Go blog.


One year after the earthquake and tsunami, Japan has made an amazing amount of progress in rebuilding. Thanks to Google Street View, you can travel virtually through the affected areas as they were before the disaster and as they appear after recovery efforts: Japan: Before and After the Earthquake and Tsunami

The Atlantic has an incredible gallery of photographs taken during and just after tsunami and the same locations now: Japan Earthquake: Before and After

A happy update on one of the iconic photographs that emerged last year: After the Tsunami, Yuko Sugimoto's Reunion With Her Son

Despite the encouraging progress, help and support for Japan are still needed. It can be challenging to find organizations that are still actively involved in the relief efforts, but Global Giving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund looks like a good choice.

You may also consider purchasing a copy of Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction, a collection of short stories about Japan, written for teens. From the anthology's website:

"Proceeds from the sales of Tomo will go to organizations that assist teens in the quake and tsunami hit areas. Tomo, which means friend in Japanese, aims to bring Japan stories to young adult readers worldwide, and in so doing, help support teens in Tohoku."

And finally, consider visiting Japan. Tourism is down, and visitors are very much welcome. It's a fantastic, vibrant place to visit, with so much to see and do.

Once my kids are a little bit older, I can't wait to visit Japan again-- and until then, I'll introduce them to Japan through books.

Book Review: Goddess Interrupted, by Aimée Carter

 
Carter, Aimée. Goddess Interrupted. 304 p. Harlequin Teen. 2012. Paperback $9.99. ISBN 9780373210459. 

In keeping with my goal to read more sequels this year, I was eager to read this follow-up to The Goddess Test. I found Carter's debut novel to be a likable spin on Greek mythology, and really came to care about the main characters, Kate and Henry. As a refresher, Kate is a mortal girl who ends up agreeing to undergo a series of tests to become the wife of Henry, who is actually Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. 

Goddess Interrupted is an engaging read, but I found it to be a little less cohesive than the first volume. I admit that this may be a result of the way I read it-- on my phone, while nursing my little one. So I read it in brief, ten-minute chunks here and there over the course of about a week. This reading method works fine for some books, and other books... not so much. The plot is action-packed and there are a lot of characters to keep track of, and I suspect if I would have had a different experience with this book if I'd been able to sit down and just inhale it.

As it is, though, I feel this is definitely a worthy sequel. If you like the first volume, you'll like this one. Carter effectively creates tension in the romance between Kate and Henry, and plot twist of Kate having to interact with Persephone is intriguing, since Persephone's character was entirely "off screen" in volume one-- yet so very significant to the story. I liked that Kate had find a way to come to terms with her.

The chance to spend more time with characters I enjoy and a very suspenseful cliffhanger ending guarantee that I will pick up the third volume and see how Kate and Henry's story will wrap up.

On another note, I like the cover to Goddess Interrupted-- it coordinates nicely with the cover of The Goddess Test, but the girl pictured looks stronger. She's standing upright, hooray! The first volume's cover was almost flirting with "dead girl cover" territory. What do you think?


Goddess Interrupted hits bookstores everywhere on March 27. ARC for review provided by Harlequin Teen via NetGalley. Don't miss our podcast interview with Aimée Carter on Authors are ROCKSTARS! 

Audiobook Review: The Mighty Miss Malone, by Christopher Paul Curtis

 
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone. 2012. Listening Library. Audiobook $44.00. ISBN 9780307968227.

Is it too much to say that Deza Malone is the most memorable young girl in children’s literature since Anne of Green Gables? Would I be going too far to suggest that we just put a gold sticker on this book right now?

I mean, honestly. This book is SO. GOOD.

In this story of a young girl and her family weathering hard times during the Great Depression, Christopher Paul Curtis returns to a character from his Newbery Medal winning title, Bud, Not Buddy.

So, first things first: does this story stand on its own if you haven’t read Bud, Not Buddy?

Well, I have something to confess. I read Bud, Not Buddy several years ago. Like, we're talking library school, pre-kids-- it was a whole different life. And while I remember loving it,  I confess that I did not remember how and where Deza came into Bud's story. Like, at all. I’m so ashamed. But my faulty memory serves you well, dear reader, because I can say with absolute confidence that, YES, you can jump into this one without having read the previous volume.

Having looked it up, I was amused to note that the interaction between Deza and Bud differs significantly  between the two books-- each character tells their own version of their meeting, and I LOVE that Curtis sets them both up as slightly unreliable narrators. That suits the almost "tall tale" tone of these books just perfectly.

So back to the excellence of The Mighty Miss Malone...

I experienced this book on CD, and let me tell you, I cried in the car on the way to work listening to it. Not once, not twice, but THREE times! Seriously, you would think I would have learned after the first time to stop listening on my commute, but I couldn’t help it.

This is a powerful story with exhilarating highs and devastating lows-- I sometimes found myself laughing and crying at the same time. And other times, just crying. In particular, the aftermath of a certain boxing match and what it meant to Deza, her family, and her whole community absolutely wrecked me.

I came to love the characters in this book to the point that they became almost real to me-- as if this weren't historical fiction, but a biography. Deza herself is a delightfully flawed character who changes and grows as she experiences more than her fair share of challenges. The adult characters in the book, especially Deza's mother, are well-rounded and fully developed in their own right. I found myself wanting to know what would become of Deza and her family beyond the scope of this book. Basically, I want Christopher Paul Curtis to write Deza's entire life, because I need to know what happens to her.

And I would want to have Bahni Turpin narrate the whole thing. As wonderful as Curtis' writing already is, her performance as the audiobook narrator really brings this story to life. She has an incredible range, doing a masterful job with women, men, and children's voices alike. Notably, when one character goes through a physical change after an accident, Turpin maintains the recognizable voice she had created for the character, but manages the distinct difference caused by his new circumstances. And her character voice for Deza's "second brain" made me laugh every time. I am floored by Turpin's talent.

I was struck by the way this story begins with "Once upon a time," and ends with a hopeful yet ambiguous ending. The reader is left with a sense of optimism, but there's no easy "happily ever after" here. This is a story about poverty, and though it's historical fiction, the youth of today will relate as we all struggle with the current economy.

The Mighty Miss Malone is already one of my favorite reads of 2012. I want my children to read it when they're older, and I want Christopher Paul Curtis to win a Newbery for it. If he does, I want to be at the banquet to see him speak. And I'll probably cry through the whole thing.