Kidliterate

YOURS TRULY, LUCY B. PARKER (Book One): GIRL VS SUPERSTAR by Robin Palmer

The school year is almost over. Summer is coming. Kids are going to reluctantly troop into the shop to buy their assigned summer reading, and most of them will be looking for something to counteract it. Something...lighter. More fun. Less...assign-y. Less...mandatory. And just in time, along comes Miss Lucy B. Parker. Charming, flawed, sympathetic main character? Check. Lighthearted writing that nevertheless has some substance behind it? Check. Squeaky clean without feeling babyish? Check. Available in paperback? Check. Lucy B. Parker sends emails to tv host Dr. Maude (presumably a Dr. Phil-esque advice giver) about the trials and travails of her sixth grade life, and the emails are scattered throughout the tale of same. As if it wasn't hard enough starting sixth grade without her two BFFs, who friend-dumped her - on the phone - from the mall - right before school started! - her mother is now dating the father of the most famous young actress/singer on the planet (think Miley Cyrus early in the Hannah Montana years). Lucy's been going through one embarrassing time after another and now she's facing life as the far less attractive, appealing and talented stepsister of the most famous girl on the planet. How much worse can her life get? This novel is charming as all get out and a complete no-brainer handsell. I'm predicting it will be a summer bestseller for me.  Over the last couple of years I have very much enjoyed selling Robin Palmer's fairy-tale based contemporary YA novels, which I have happily been selling to tweens due to their lack of very older content. Now it's lovely to see Ms. Palmer turning her hand to novels truly aimed at the tween market, which just seems to be exploding. I love having books that I can hand to anyone without a second thought - reader, mom, grandmother, aunt, birthday gift giver. I love having paperback original series. I love tweeniness. I can't wait for Lucy's next adventure!

THE DOLL SHOP DOWNSTAIRS by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Grandmothers, mothers, teachers at all girls' schools, listen up. (Well, librarians and other teachers listen up too.) Here's that sweet little book that comes along once or twice a year and works its way into the hearts of its readers. That book that spreads itself out like the coziest of handknit blankets and wraps itself around you while you read it. That book that you open in front of a roomful of girls (or in front of your daughter, or granddaughter, or the little girl you babysit) and when you are done with the chapter you are reading, they beg you to read just a little more. Sophie (11), Anna (9) and Trudie (7) live with their parents in an apartment on the Lower East Side in New York City. They live above the family business, Breittlemann's Doll Repair. Bisque and china dolls are very expensive, so the girls don't have any of their own, but they are allowed to play with the dolls that are waiting to be repaired by their papa. There are three dolls that have been waiting longer than most, unclaimed, and the girls have come to think of the dolls as "theirs." Anna is our narrator, and her story is tinged with the unique frustrations and tribulations of the middle child: I listen to their footsteps as they go, but I don't follow them right away. I want to be alone down here for a little bit. Sometimes it's hard being a middle sister, and I just need to be by myself. Sophie is smart and pretty and good at so many things; Trudie (her real name is Gertrude, though we never call her that) is little and cute and cries to get her way. I'm just the one sort of stuffed in between--at nine I'm not old enough to do some things, like light the kitchen stove, but too old to do others, like snuggle in Mama and Papa's bed on a cold morning. Despite her feelings, though, and the family's relative poverty, theirs is a happy life. It is a loving family, and the girls love what their parents do, so they are happy to chip in with shop chores. School is also a source of happiness, as is their friendly Jewish neighborhood.  And, of course, the time they are allotted to play with "their" special dolls is treasured. Anna often tells her private troubles to Bernadette Louise (the name she has given to "her" doll). The year passes, and is told in charming fashion. On August 2nd, however, everything changes: Germany declares war on Russia. Although the war has not yet touched the United States, it begins to immediately affect Anna's family: the parts that Papa uses to fix the dolls come from Germany. Because Germany has declared war on Russia, the US has stopped trading with them. No more doll parts. No doll parts, no work for the doll repair shop. The family comes up with some creative ways to survive the war, and Anna and her sisters grow through the experience. "Their" special dolls play an important part in both their growth and the story, as McDonough brings us beautifully to a satisfying and hopeful ending. The reader gets a very nice portrayal of the 1930's Lower East Side and the experience of being Jewish at that time, in that neighborhood. It's not as big a part of the story  as it is in ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY, but it's done in a very matter of fact way that I always appreciate. There's a lovely family relationship here, and the sibling rivalries, troubles and joys ring true. Most of all, we see Anna learn to be resourceful in some completely normal ways, which is refreshing. She's not super gifted - she's not a prodigy - but she's clever and creative in a way that comes from love for her family and a true desire to contribute in a difficult time. She's an excellent example for children without being obnoxious about it. I think this book will have a long life. (I also think it will sell better in paperback - this is one of those books that I wish had simultaneous hard and softcover print runs. Especially in this economy, it can be hard to get parents to spring for a $14.99 hardcover that's 116 pages long.)

HERE ' S HOW I SEE IT - HERE ' S HOW IT IS by Heather Henson

I loved this book, and I think it's mostly been missed. I am fairly sure it hasn't been reviewed on any other blog, and I haven't seen it talked about anywhere.  It's one of those quiet little books that often slips through the cracks - just the kind of book that an independent bookseller will take to heart and put out into the world.  So I'm taking it to heart and putting it out into the world, and I hope some of you will pick it up. Junebug is almost thirteen, and she spends every summer at the Blue Moon Playhouse, a summer stock theatre that her parents own. Her dad is the director (and sometimes the star), her mother designs costumes, and her sister is stepping into her first major role. And Junebug? She's been just about every sort of backstage worker there is, and is longing to tread the boards herself. Even more than that, however, she's longing for her family to return to normal. Her mother's moved out of their house and back in her mother's house, three miles away on the other side of the farm where Blue Moon sits. Her parents let them choose where they would spend the summer. Stella and Junebug, both theatre-mad, chose to stay at the Playhouse, while their brother, Beck, always more interested in farming than acting, went with their mother. Junebug's father has cast himself in the leading role in every play and seems to be eyeing up one of the leading ladies. Stella's moved into her role as a teenager fully and no longer seems interested in spending any time with her younger sister or doing her share of the chores they are supposed to split. And to top it all off, Junebug's father agreed to take on an intern - a weird boy named Trace with a stutter - and has given Junebug the task of "showing him the ropes." He seems to be an endless resource of theatrical knowledge, which Junebug considers mostly useless and annoying, and privately nicknames him Thespis. Her father makes things even worse when he suggests giving Junebug's properties job to Trace for one of the plays, leaving Junebug with...nothing. Her mother's left, her father hardly talks to her, her sister ignores her, her brother's elsewhere, the Playhouse has smaller audiences than ever, and the new intern takes over the last part of her summer that was going well. Junebug's familiar, comfortable world seems to be collapsing, and she doesn't like it one bit. It will take a lot of changes for Junebug to begin to recognize her world again. Henson navigates those changes, Junebug's varying moods, and the dynamics of a family in trouble deftly. The book is written partially in a clever manner that never feels contrived. Several times in each chapter, passages like this appear: HERE'S HOW I SEE IT: The curtain falls for the night on my huge Broadway hit. Flowers rain down on my head. Friends gather in my dressing room after the show to congratulate me. Fans wait for me outside the stage door. "Ms. Cantrell, you were magnificent tonight!" "Ms. Cantrell, you are an inspiration!" I try to sign as many autographs as possible before my agent hurries me to my waiting car. "Ms. Cantrell must rest now," she says to the crowd. "You must understand. The play is so very demanding." My driver takes me home to my hip downtown loft. There are flowers everywhere, from my countless admirers. There are close friends everywhere - actors, directors, artists - and we sit up all night long, talking about life and art and theater. HERE'S HOW IT IS: The house is dark and empty. And so I go through every room. "Lights up!" I command in a Coleman voice, flipping switches, illuminating every dark space. I hate the dark. In the kitchen I search the fridge and cabinets, hungry as any MARINER alone on a storm-tossed sea, but (alas, alack) the shelves are bare, except for some old milk and moldy cheese and an inch of peanut butter. When I began reading, I feared that this stylistic choice might quickly get on my nerves. I was relieved to find out it was just the opposite. Junebug is unhappy for a lot of this book, and also does a decent job of making some of the people around her unhappy. The book could have been pretty depressing. However, she has a real flair for the dramatic (a combination of her background, of course, and of being almost thirteen) so her literary histrionics often lighten the mood considerably. Henson also has Junebug introduce each new character in a fun, theatrical way: RAY MONDELLO, character actor; round and jolly; a "hail-fellow-well-met" (that's Shakespeare for "cool dude"). COLEMAN, one name only; a light in the dark, Dad calls her, because she was named for a lamp, but also because she's like a lighthouse on a stormy sea; as Stage Manager, she is the one who keeps everything running smoothly during the show. I'm a big fan of books set in the theatre. I was in the majority of the school shows from 5th grade on, and during the summer between my junior and senior years, a new summer theatre for young people started up. I attended for two years before becoming first an assistant director and then a director, and when the theatre became year-round, I performed many, many roles there, both onstage and off. Henson gets the theatre stuff dead-on right, which is no surprise - she spent a great many of her childhood summers at a summer stock theatre. You definitely get a full picture of what the experience is like, in a very accessible way. Highly recommended. Order the book from an independent bookstore!

OWLY by Andy Runton

Oh, Owly, how I love you. I was sent some review copies of OWLY graphic novels, and I am only too happy to sing their praises here. I can't believe I never have before. See, Owly (and his best friend, Wormy) and I are old friends now. I have an Owly shirt. I have a stuffed Owly (with stuffed Wormy on his head). And, thanks to the review copies, I now know there are more books than the two I had, and got to read them as well as revisit the first couple. OWLY is a wordless graphic novel series that I would shelve in my elementary books if I had to be pinned down on a place, but obviously soft hearts of all ages will love it if I am sitting here telling you that I do (and I am closer to 40 than I'd like to discuss). It's the story of Owly, a little owl, and his best friend Wormy, and their adventures in their forest home.  (I'm going to completely spoil the first novella for you, so you can see what sort of stories they are, but this isn't HARRY POTTER - knowing the plot isn't going to ruin your enjoyment.) When we first meet Owly in THE WAY HOME, he is looking for a friend. He startles some birds into spilling their bowl of seeds and flying away, and with a sigh, he refills the bowl for them. When they don't return, he goes to investigate a sound he hears. Finding some fireflies in a jar, he releases them, but they too fly away. Then a hard rainstorm begins, and he finds a little worm clinging to some grass in the middle of a puddle, unable to swim to safety. Owly takes him home, tucks him into bed, and nurses him back to health. When Wormy (for it is he) wakes up, he is first afraid of Owly, but quickly taken in by the owl's kindness. Owly wants Wormy to stay with him, but Wormy explains that he was separated from his family by the storm. Owly consults a map so he can take Wormy home. With the eventual help of the fireflies Owly set free early on, they find Wormy's family. Owly wins them over despite their initial fear, and after sharing a hearty meal, sadly sets off for home alone. But soon he hears a familiar voice, and turns to see Wormy behind him, all of his possessions tied up in a sack on a stick. Wormy's parents are waving goodbye, giving their son their blessing to strike out on his own. Owly helps Wormy up to sit on his head, and the friends (and now roommates) head for home together. Runton's expressive art gives life to not only Owly and Wormy and their friends, but also to their thoughts and dialogue through the use of clever rebus-like thought and dialogue bubbles. If Owly thinks Wormy would be happy if he went outside, for instance, you'll get one bubble on one side of Owly's head with a picture of an open door, an arrow pointing outside, and an exclamation point; on the other side of his head will be a bubble containing a picture of a happy little sun, an equal sign, and a picture of Wormy with a big smile on his face.  The only words that appear in these novels are sound words (like SPLASH if someone steps in a puddle) and words on anything that Owly & Co. might be reading, like books or letters. You don't need words to follow the stories, and you don't need words to fall in love with the characters. Owly is, for lack of a better description, darn cute. I mean, really, really darn cute. Wormy might be even cuter. The birds are cute. The bunnies are cute. It's ALL cute, but not in a rot your teeth kind of way. Owly is a true friend to those he knows - loyal and loving, encouraging and warm. He's the kind of character you want your kids to fall in love with. Along the way, you'll fall in love with him too. I can't wait to curl up with Molly and an Owly book, piecing the story together by looking at this art that I love, listening to her tell me what Owly and Wormy are doing next. Even though I'll have figured it out first, it'll be even sweeter sharing it with her. Share Owly with someone you love, or with anyone who could use a simple, lovely friendship series. Order OWLY from an independent bookstore! (Link goes to book 1.)

AWESOME Noel Streatfeild news!

I am going to be able to sell SKATING SHOES! La la la la la la! In my head, I am dancing around the room and singing! Marry me, Random House - you've just made my whole week. I can't wait for this fall! (Psst: MOVIE SHOES next, okay? Please?)

MUCH ADO ABOUT ANNE (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, Book Two) by Heather Vogel Frederick

It's a good time, book-wise, to be a tween. I read the galley of THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB within the first few days after it arrived in our shop. I remember that the Simon galleys arrived late that season and we had less than a week to evaluate them for initial purchase. As soon as I started TMDBC I knew it would be perfect for us, and it was. We sold...oh, a bajillion copies. We book talked it at schools. We featured it at book fairs. We sold it to girls, their mothers, their grandmothers, their aunts. We urged people to read it together. I don't think there was a tween girl who walked into our shop who left without a copy. (Except there must have been, because then we sold a bajillion of the paperback.) I was a little wary when I heard a sequel was coming out, as I often am. I DID NOT WANT there to be a sequel to THE PENDERWICKS. (Until I read it, and then, oh yes, I wanted it.) Sometimes I just want a story to end. I want the characters to stay the ages they are. I don't want the sequels to outgrow the girls. (And I'm a little afraid of that happening here; in this new book the girls are now in 7th grade, and if they're in 8th grade in the next book...well, then it really needs to end there. Please? Don't age the series any further than that. Please? Don't de-tween it!) My copy of this book arrived in the mail yesterday. I thought about waiting, as I often do with sequels, in favor of a newer series...but curiosity got the better of me, and I cracked it open this morning. And finished it this evening. It was really nice to be with Jess, Emma, Cassidy and Megan again. As I stated before, in this book the girls are now in 7th grade and, of course, things are changing for them. Boys are becoming more interesting - to everyone but Cassidy, who sees them as nothing more than hockey and baseball teammates and doesn't understand her friends' growing fascination with the opposite sex. She also doesn't understand her mother's fascination with the opposite sex - her father's only been gone a couple of years; how can her tall, beautiful, ex-model mother be thinking of replacing him with a short bald accountant? Megan's fascination with clothes and ambition to become a designer is only growing, something her three friends don't really understand. Who DOES understand is her former BFF Becca Chadwick - but snobby, snotty, loudmouthed, popular Becca is loathed by Emma, Jess, and Cassidy. (For good reason, a lot of the time, Megan has to admit - but it's hard to let a best friend go forever.) Jess's parents finally break down and tell her that they may have to sell their beloved Half Moon Farm. And Emma? Emma's begun to realize that her baby fat isn't going to come off by itself, and that silent crushes can never be anything but crushes. In the middle of all this turmoil, their mothers reconvene the Mother-Daughter Book Club they started last year. This year, however, the unthinkable happens: Becca Chadwick and her mother are invited to take part. How can Jess, Emma and Cassidy enjoy this place of refuge when their enemy is now in their midst, mocking not only the club itself but this year's book selection, Anne of Green Gables? How can Megan be friends with her book buddies and her old BFF without alienating anyone? Can the farm be saved? Will Cassidy's mom marry the bald accountant? Oh, the delicious, nuanced drama. Frederick never lets her characters descend into hysteria. She obviously remembers what it was like to be a middle-school girl, because she's drawn four very distinct ones here (five if you count Becca). I always knew who was talking without looking at the chapter headings. I love that they're not incredibly similar - several of these friendships were initially forced on them in the first novel, when their mothers (always close) decided that the book club would be the Best. Idea. Ever. The girls aren't incredibly similar, and neither are their mothers, but they're friends anyway, seeing enough in one another to bond over and appreciating what they can learn from their differences. The friendships aren't perfect, though, because middle-school girls aren't perfect. Frederick doesn't make the mistake of painting rosy pictures of girls skipping hand in hand, off to save the day for one another. They fight and they snap and they hurt and they gossip and they screw up and they apologize awkwardly and they misunderstand, just like everyone does. But at the end of the day, they are a haven for one another, and it's that simple fact that had me closing this worthy sequel with a smile on my face. Purchase at Powell's or find your local independent bookstore.

LOOKING AHEAD: Tell Me Who by Jessica Wollman

Oh, aimed-at-tweens books featuring tween characters doing tweeny-age-appropriate things, how I do love you. Sixth-grader Molly is really not happy about things. Her dad is going to get married again (her mother passed away years ago) to a woman Molly and her best friend Tanna call The Claw. The Claw has changed her basketball-loving, Chinese food-ordering, hanging-around-the-house, don't-ever-call-me-Mitch-my-name-is-Mitchell father into an organized activity- attending gourmand Mitch. The Claw has no idea how to act around kids (she treats Molly like she's six) and doesn't seem to particularly like them, either. Molly was already having enough difficulty adjusting to the difference between fifth and sixth grade: co-ed lunches, switching classes every period, and the fact that she was apparently supposed to now be throwing herself at boys were all giving her some trouble. Add into that the Frizz (her problem hair) and her complete ineptitude in P.E. class and you can see that the last thing Molly needed was to hear Mitch and the Claw singing the Wedding March. The Claw takes over most of the house for wedding plans, and Molly and Tanna's daily afterschool hanging-out session is banished to the basement - where the Claw has "helpfully" set up an arts and crafts station that would be more at home in a preschool than with two sixth-graders. Out of frustration they begin digging around in the antiques that the Claw stores down there, and they make a bonanza of a discovery: a machine that accurately predicts who a person will marry. Molly is horrified by what the machine predicts for her own future, but is more concerned when it confirms that the Claw will be her stepmother. What happens when she tries to change the results (and when the word gets out around school about the machine) makes for some truly excellent reading. I could hand this book to anyone. There are never enough books like this. I enjoyed Wollman's previous book Switched but I hope she sticks to tweens now because tweens need her. There are some serious issues in this book but it never becomes depressing; there's a lot of lighthearted moments in this book but it never becomes fluff. I know my former bookstore is going to sell this like mad. As soon as this book is published in January I am buying it for my cousin's 11 1/2 year old daughter. She is going to love it. Preorder at Powell's or find your local independent bookstore.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes by Marlane Kennedy

This is a sweetie pie of a book. A nice book, as I like to say. A book you can hand to a grandmother or a mother or an aunt or the kid themselves and simply say I think you will really like this. There's always enough room in the world for another nice book, and I'm glad this one is here. Charlotte does not like dogs, but somehow she has ended up caring for Beauregard, the massive Saint Bernard her father has brought home. Her father brings a lot of stuff home that he abandons - hobbies and the like - but Charlotte isn't usually stuck taking care of those things when her father loses interest. But just like always, after a few weeks, her dad has lost all interest in the dog - he forgets to feed him, and never walks him, and never visits him. Begrudgingly Charlotte has begun to do all of these things. But she doesn't want to, so she plans to get rid of Beauregard. First she tries to give him to Grace, the new girl at school, but that doesn't work. So then she takes him to the shelter and says that she found him. Score! They take him in. That works for awhile, until her dad calls the police to track the dog down and discovers that he's at the shelter. Despite her dad's disinterest, he goes and gets the dog anyway. Charlotte hopes that this means her dad will take renewed interest in Beauregard, thereby freeing her up from her unwanted duties - but of course this doesn't happen. Charlotte's right back where she started, scheming to free up her time. However, as she continues to try to figure out how to get rid of the dog, something strange starts to happen to her. Could she actually become a dog person? And if she does, what is the best thing for Beauregard? I love the family in this book - the dad that continually brings piles of crap into the house; the mom with postpartum depression who really needs the dad to help more instead of bringing more crap into the house; the funny toddler brother and the enterint-the-eyerolling-stage teenage sister; and Charlotte herself, sarcastic and pouty and loving and generous. There's also a great subplot where Charlotte helps take care of an elderly shut-in for some extra money; this subplot really fleshes out Charlotte's character and introduces us to her friends in more depth. I'm not really a dog lover, but this book made me think I could be. Publisher: Harper Pub date: March 2009

TRAGICALLY GONE: Movie Shoes by Noel Streatfield

If I go more than a day without posting here, you can be pretty sure it's because I am reading very bad galleys. I have, in fact, been reading some dreadfully bad galleys, galleys of books whose upcoming publishing I don't understand, but I don't want to necessarily say that here because do I need to rain on an author's parade? I haven't yet decided that. So for now, no raining. Just no posting about upcoming books. Thus, I have invented a new category: books I love fiercely that are out of print. Books whose out-of-printness I do not understand. The first on the list: MOVIE SHOES by Noel Streatfield, originally published in the UK as THE PAINTED GARDEN. It was a toss-up between this and SKATING SHOES (UK title: WHITE BOOTS) but in the end MOVIE SHOES won. This is inspired by the fact that PARTY SHOES, the only Shoes book I do not own, is back in print. PARTY SHOES is near-impossible to find used at a decent price. I know - I've been looking for years. I am very happy that soon I will own PARTY SHOES, but honestly, if I were going to bring a Shoes book back into print, it would not be PARTY. (It wouldn't be DANCING SHOES, either, which is also in print - it's a fine book but not as good as MOVIE and SKATING.) Anyway. MOVIE SHOES! Love love love love. Rachel, Tim and Jane Winter live in London with their mother, their father (who was in an accident and is out of work and ill as a result) and their nurse, Peaseblossom (not her real name). Mr. Winter really needs to go somewhere warm for the winter, and has an aunt in California, but the family can't afford to go - until Peaseblossom's aunt conveniently dies and leaves her exactly the amount of money they need to go (ah, children's books!). This is very disappointing to the children - Rachel is at Madame Fidolia's Academy For Dancing and Stage Training and has just been picked for her first professional dancing role; Tim (a talented pianist) has just been offered the chance to play for a famous musician; and Jane will have to leave behind her beloved dog. But off to California they go anyway. Rachel and Tim are much nicer about it than Jane, who it must be said is more than a bit of a sourpuss. They arrive in California to live with weird, grumpy Aunt Cora, and Mr. Winter starts to feel better. Things improve for Rachel and Tim almost immediately - Mme. Fidolia's arranged for Rachel to take lessons from her famous student, Posy Fossil (from BALLET SHOES), and Tim finds a bit of a job playing the piano in a drugstore for the lunch customers. Jane is more miserable than ever, and finds herself walking miserably along the beach one day where she finds a dog tied up on a lead. She angrily confronts the dog's owner, who turns out to be a movie director. And Jane turns out to be exactly the kind of personality he wants to play Mary in a movie of THE SECRET GARDEN, despite her never having acted before. The story of how the movie is made (and what happens to the rest of the family while it's going on) is at turns hilarious, moving, dramatic and fun. The differing personalities of the three siblings remind the reader of Pauline, Petrova and Posy, but the view into the world of movies, dance and classical music make this a very different book. I really have no idea why this book is out of print and wish fervently that Random House would rectify that straight away.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts

(I'm reading spring books now for my old bookstore, so a lot of the upcoming entries will be for books that aren't coming out for a looooooooong while.) 12 year old Libby Ryan comes from beef stock - her family owns a cattle farm in Nowhere, Indiana, breeding and raising cows for the beef market. Libby's brother used to show prize steers at the county fair, and now that he's off to college it's up to Libby to step up and try to win the Grand Champion ribbon her brother never managed to capture. When the contest is over, however, the animal will be sold, and Libby doesn't know if she can bear to see him go. To make it even worse, her mother has talked her into entering the Beef Princess pageant. Her closest competition in both contests? The obnoxiously named (and obnoxiously behaving) Precious, Lil, and Ohma Darling, scourges of the middle school and pageant winners for the last several years. Can Libby and her best friend, Carol Ann, stand up to the terrible trio at last? Will Libby bring home the prize her family covets? And how will she say goodbye to the steer that she has, against her father's advice, treated like a beloved pet? This first novel is a funny, lovely portrayal of how one girl finds her footing as she navigates the the waters of a world that's changing as she's growing older. LOVE this book. It's great for the girls who loved THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB. There is always room for another nice book for middle grade girls, and this one is not only nice but well plotted, well written, and funny. The voice sounds like a 12 year old girl and Libby and Carol Ann's friendship is one that girls will wish they had (or, perhaps, it will make them feel lucky for having one like it). There really isn't anything to dislike about this book - the family relationships are solid but flawed in a believable way; none of the characters speak in a way that's too old for them; the humor is wry and age-appropriate. And no inappropriate content whatsoever. (If I had to pick something to dislike, it's the font on the cover - I hate the font. But I love the picture.) Publisher: Random House Pub date: April 14, 2009