Mock Printz: Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox

Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox

ISBN 0374318549

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007

Laura Hame is the last in a long line of Dreamers. She was first introduced in the book, Dreamhunters. She, with assistance from her family, continues her quest to discover the truth about the Place, a separate, barren piece of earth containing powerful influential dreams, where only but a few people have the ability to dissolve into. In this alternative world, dreams have replaced technology and a whole different society has formed. Dreams are used to punish criminals, dreams are used to provide contentment and stop people from thinking, and ultimately, dreams are used to wield power. Laura, like any true hero, figures out the mystery of the Place and in turn heals the world. Even though this book is second in a series, I think it can stand on its own. The fantasy is highly imaginative with excellent characterizations. There is plenty of drama and adventure with girls being the risk takers. It left quite an impression on me and it was disappointing to finish the book.

Reviewd by Susan R., Rutherford Library

Mock Printz: Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Title: Shark Girl
Author: Kelly Bingham
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN: 9780763632076
Starred review in: PW

While swimming at the beach one day, aspiring professional artist Jane is attacked by a shark. Although she is able to escape with her life, thanks to her brother, she loses her right arm above the elbow. As she lies in the hospital, the sympathy cards and letters pour in, but she doesn't want any of them. She wants the man who sold his home video of her attack to the news to suffer. She wants her life back. While in the hospital, she meets another amputee, Justin (age 9), who has only one request for her: He wants her to draw a picture for him. To Jane, that's an impossible request. Her drawing arm is gone, and drawing a computer, to her, is NOT art.

When Jane returns to school in the fall, things are different between her and her friends. Her best friend Rachel is as loyal and caring as ever, but it seems like their other friend Angela can do nothing but criticize Jane about the way she looks. And does swimming hottie Max really like Jane for who she is, or does he just feel sorry for her?

Like many novels in verse, this is a quick read with moments of brilliance. Interspersed with the poems are some of the letters Jane receives while she recovers and receives therapy in the hospital. It's an excellent readalike for fans of Sonya Sones and Ellen Hopkins, with depth, despair, and an eventual turn towards a mental and physical recovery. Is it Printz-worthy? I don't think so. But it is a worthy buy for many libraries and a solid read.

Reviewed by Carlie W., BCCLS

Mock Newbery: Way Down Deep

Title:  Way Down Deep
Author: Ruth White
ISBN:  0374382514
Publisher: New York : Farrar Straus Giroux,2007
Starred review in: PW April 2007

"God is in that place where sleep takes us. Way down deep inside, where all the
answers lie."

Annotation In the West Virginia town of Way Down Deep in the 1950s, a foundling
called Ruby June is happily living with Miss Arbutus at the local boarding house
when suddenly, after the arrival of a family of outsiders, the mystery of Ruby's
past begins to unravel.

Appalachian fable with themes of sleep and dreams, reads like a fairytale. Opening
the book to find a map and cast of characters as long as your arm, this might
intimidate rather than inform. A sweet, charming dream of a book. A place where the
goodness of people is the rule for conduct. Who wouldn't want to live here?

Review by: Beth J., CLTR

Mock Newbery: Remembering Mrs. Rossi

Title: Remembering Mrs Rossi
Author: Amy Hest
Publisher: Cambridge, MA : Candlewick Press,2007
ISBN: 0763621633


Without being overly maudlin, Amy Hest manages to explore a child's grief. Third
grader Annie and her father settle into their motherless life. Set in NYC.
Sympathetic teacher Misss Meadows. Bewildered father. Former students of her mother
write a touching eulogy book and present it Annie and her father. The students book
is presented as a conclusion. A fine introduction to the quiet grief that hopefully
none of the readers will ever experience. Was it too quiet, was it bibliotherapy?

Review by:  Beth J., CLTR

Mock Newbery: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Title: The Invention of HUGO CABRET
Author:  Brian Selznick
Publisher: New York : Scholastic Press,2007
ISBN: 0439813786


Imagine a combination of "Griffin and Sabine" and "The Thief Lord". Abandoned
(orphaned) child in a Parisian train station, theives out of necessistiy and keeps
the clocks running so as not to have his uncles's disappeatrance noticed. This
tender book is a combination of art that unfolds in cinematic fashion, echoing
(presaging) the events in the text. An automaton in need of repair holds the clue to
characters pasts and their futures. Skillful blending of text and art brings an
added dimension to the storytelling. While the book works on more than one level, is
this the finest of literature or an author's fancy?

Review by:  Beth J., CLTR

Mock Newbery: A Friendship for Today

Title:  A Friendship for Today
Author:  McKissack, Patricia C
Publisher:  New York : Scholastic Press,2007
ISBN:  043966098X
Starred review:  PW 1/8/07

Based on the author's real life experience, this novel of intergration in the 1950's 
skillfully layers storylines. Rosemary is the only black student in her fifth grade
class. Her best friend JJ contracts polio, her parents marriage is dissolving and she
changes schools. Rosemary's family and community lend her the strength and dignity
to face these challenges. Rosemary starts an unlikely friendship with Grace, one the
whiteDead End kids, who used to make her life miserable.  Rosemary and Grace team
up to counter prejudice. Tolerance is the theme in and out of the classroom.

Review by: Beth J., CLTR

MocK Newbery: On the Wings of Heroes by Peck

The first title I finished for the Mock Newbery is On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck (Specifics at the end). Note I said finished and not the first started. I'm still attempting to slog my way through Corydon and the fall of Atlantis.

When I started Wings, I had a bit of trouble getting into the book, but I was soon drawn into Peck's characters and I kept thinking just a few more pages until I find out...xyz. Of course by the time I answered that question or plot point there was something else I wanted to know so I was strung along to the end mostly in one sitting. The plot wasn't terrifically original or new, but the characters felt real and the narrator's voice rang true, though slightly old for the age in the book, excusable since it's told looking back on the events. I liked the book, but don't feel that there was anything groundbreaking about it. The ending was a lose/lose situation for Peck....if the brother dies, then it's cliche and old; if the brother comes home alive from war, then it's too neat and idyllic. I'm not going to say which happens....just that I don't think there is a way he could have made everyone happy with any ending. Personally, I have mixed feeling about the end and wish that a few of the episodes in the book got a bit more attention (like the Chicago gangsters & fake gas books or even a bit of explaining about rationing and war stamps).


Starred review in: Kirkus 01/01/07
Peck, Richard
On the Wings of Heroes
Fiction 10+
9780803730816