chrisholliman

Children's Librarian

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  • Lucky: Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke

    It’s the summer of ’61 and Louis May has a lot of new things in his life.  His parents have recently divorced and he and his dad have moved in with his stepmom and stepbrother in White Plains, New York.  It’s an uncomfortable arrangement and Louis constantly feels that he’s getting overlooked.  Baseball is the center of Louis’s life and things start to look up when he is hired on as a batboy at Yankee Stadium.

    It is the summer of the homerun race between Maris and Mantle, and Louis is right in the thick of it.  But being a batboy and rubbing elbows with famous ballplayers doesn’t make all of your problems go away at home, as Louis will learn quickly.

    I enjoyed this book, but, if you’re not a baseball fan, I would not recommend it.  The plot turns a little too easily on the unbelievable event of being hired as a batboy by the Yankees.  Even worse is a cameo by Bob Dylan later in the book.  I recommend to baseball fans ages 9 to 11.

  • All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

    Mr. Collins has taught math at an urban middle school in Cleveland, Ohio for the past twenty years.  Frustrated with his students’ lack of interest in the subject matter, he offers them a challenge:  build the biggest tetrahedron structure in the world and make it into the record books.  For those who don’t know what a tetrahedron is (and I had no idea), it is a geometric solid with four faces, each of  which is an equilateral triangle.  The structure that Mr. Collins’ math class intends to build will comprise 16, 384 individual tetrahedrons.

    To achieve their goal, they agree to form a math club and meet after school each day to fold and glue the tetrahedrons.  Each student, however, has a life outside of school that presents challenges.  Sharice is on her 5th foster home and is a victim of neglect.  James Harris III lives with his older brother and his thuggish friends that threaten to destroy the tetrahedron.  Marcel works each afternoon at a bar-b-que joint owned by his father who cannot see the value of the math club.

    The book is written from a first person point of view and each chapter is presented from a different character’s perspective.  Readers will find themselves emotionally invested in each character and hoping that each one of them overcomes their respective obstacles.

    I loved All of the Above for its underlying message of hope and perseverance.  Shelley Pearsall seems to be saying that we all must build our communities with the people and materials that we have at hand.  I would recommend to ages 9 to 14.  Themes include math, poverty, urban schools, father-son relationships, inner city, community building

  • Ways to Live Forever

    If you’re looking for a book to make you cry, this is it.  Eleven year old Sam has leukemia, so he stays home everyday with his teacher Ms. Willis and his friend Felix, who also has cancer.  Sam likes to list facts about himself, such as he has always wanted to go up a down elevator or take a ride on an airship.

    With these lists, Sam seems to be able to hold his world together against his disease, but this stability is tested when Felix develops an infection and is rushed to the hospital.  He passes away a few days later and in the following weeks, Sam’s health also deteriorates.  Sam’s parents struggle to grant him some final wishes, including taking a ride on an airship.

    The final pages are extraordinarily touching.  I’d recommend to ages 9 to 13.  Themes include perseverance in the face of death and family bonding in a time of trial.

  • A Wrinkle In Time

        Beginning with those famous words “it was a dark and stormy night,” A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’engle remains as readable as when it was first published in 1962.  A Newberry Medal winner, it mixes science fiction, fantasy, philosophy and religion in an interstellar adventure that will appeal to both children and adults.

    Plot:  Meg Murry’s father has been missing for over a year and it weighs heavily on her family.  She, her genius younger brother Charles Wallace, and friend Calvin O’keefe find themselves visited by three strange women.  Cloaked in rags and white robes, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit “tesser” the three children across the universe to a planet that is being consumed by a dark force.  Known only as IT, this power seeks to dominate societies into a collective conformity.  Meg and her companions must avoid the tempation of being sucked in by IT while rescuing Mr. Murry.

    I love this book because it celebrates the triumph of love, creativity and intellectualism over the forces of darkness.  A wonderful read for children ages 8 to 13.

  • About this Blog

    As a children’s librarian, it is part of my job to read as much children’s literature as I can.  This blog will be a place where I post my thoughts and reviews of what I read.  I will be focusing on juvenile fiction chapter books, but I will also throw in some picture books that catch my attention as well as the occasional young adult selection.  The phrase “Tesser Well” is borrowed from Madeline L’engle’s magnificent A Wrinke In Time.  “Tesser” means to travel and I hope that you will join me on this journey through many wonderful books.  I firmly believe that emphasizing the importance of reading to children ensures a better future for us all.  Keep reading!