Paws Books 2015

There are always so many awesome book lists that come out every year, along with awards and other forms of recognition for books. I wanted to create a list of books that I thought were really incredible, my favorite for the year. These books get the "Paws" sticker just for fun.

The first is Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison. This is my favorite picture book of 2015 and easily now one of my most favorite picture books. I loved it so much I bought a copy for myself, to share with anyone who will make time. Jane is a little dog whose family make up part of a circus. They all have special talents, and although Jane tries to find something she excels at, she is not very successful. The owner of the circus,  however, sees many beautiful qualities in Jane: she is loyal, a good friend, hard working. She is a good dog, and that is enough. This book always brings tears to my eyes and makes my heart knot up.

The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau. Everything about this book, from the language to the cover and layout, is magical. Please view  my full review at School Library Journal.

The Finishing School Series by Gail Carriger. This series finished up last year with Manners & Mutiny, and it is one of my most favorites. An alternate Victorian London, steampunk technology, spy academies, a quirky protagonist named Sophronia and her lovable mechanimal Bumbersnoot, and wit and cleverness are all part of this series. Highly recommended, especially for those who have read the Enola Holmes series and the Incorrigible Children series and loved them.

   

I am constantly looking for graphic novels my nieces would love, and these two are some of my absolute favorite from last year. Baba Yaga's Assistant is full of life and folklore, with beautiful artwork by Emily Carroll, who released Through the Woods in 2014. This graphic novel is perfect for fans of folklore and legends. Roller Girl, winner of the 2016 Newbery Honor, is bright and colorful and full of life. Astrid navigates the beginning of her life in roller derby as well as middle school, she finds herself growing apart from her best friend. A very fast and interesting read which (hopefully) will have a sequel! 

Another great 2015 graphic novel is Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm which, like Roller Girl, deals with problems children and teen face with humor and strength.

If I was choosing books for awards, these would definitely receive a Paws label.

Zombie in the Library

The man wears dark sunglasses.

Adam recognizes him. It is the same man from his mother's favorite movie.

It is the Librarian.

- Return to the Library of Doom: Zombie in the Library, Michael Dahl and Bradford Kendall

The File on Fraulein Berg

There is a book fair that I go to every year that is always so much fun; I really really love it - and I have found some of my most favorite books there - all books have something in them as my sister says, they are all something. In elementary school, when I began to go to this book fair, I found a book called The File on Fraulein Berg by Joan Lingard. Here is an excerpt from the author's web site:

1944, Belfast. World War 11 drags on and Kate, Harriet and Sally are a little bored. They long for something exciting to happen. They read spy stories and imagine themselves performing deeds of great daring.

Their heads are so full of anti-German propaganda that, when Fraulein Berg, a real live German, arrives at their school, it doesn't take them long to decide that their new teacher must be a spy. The girls now have a mission. To watch her. Follow her. Track down her every secret. Prove that she is the enemy.

But there is something that they do not know about this woman and The File on Fraulein Berg reveals a very different story - one that will haunt Kate for the rest of her life.

One thing is sure - this book has most definitely haunted me, just as the events in it must haunt the main character, Kate. The book's secret - what is revealed towards the end, is heartbreaking, heart shattering. This is a beautifully written book, the tone is nice and calming, but there is also an element of sadness; I always picture the skies gray and dull, the days slow, just as the girls see them. I cringe whenever they follow Fraulein, when they see her and when they spy on her. I remember playing many spy games when I was young, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why I cringe. I have never met anyone who has read this book, but I love it and highly recommend it. I was very lucky to have found that book that day at the book fair and to have chosen it. It still sits on my bookshelf.

Boris | God Went to Beauty School

For my Juvenile Literature course last year, I had the pleasure of reading numerous books that did not feel like assigned reading at all. One of those books, Boris, by Cynthia Rylant, poetically tells the story of her gray cat Boris who has a lot of love and a lot of personality. The story is told from Cynthia's perspective and not only describes Boris and his way of life, but also life in general. Take, for example, this passage:

And then last cage,
last cage,
there you were, Boris.
With your gray sister.
And you stood up
and stretched
and purred
and promised, promised
you would be good
if I took her, too,
because she had
kept you alive
all those days and days and days.
Three months in a cage,
Boris, with your sister,
living in the moment
with only your memories
of leaves and rooftops
and warm brown mice.
I promise, you said,
and I believed you,
and I took home
two cats - one more
than I wanted, and
a boy at that -
but you promised,
and I knew.

There is actually another paragraph that I really loved in Boris, but sadly I don't have the book with me at the moment, so I'll have to update this post when I either check it out of the library again or buy it. Boris is an extremely beautiful book into the personality of a cat, into love, and into life, and I highly recommend it. It is beautiful to read this book and to laugh with it.

Well, imagine my surprise when I found another poetry book by Cynthia Rylant at the library - and shelved in the wrong place, with the poetry, but catalogued as a juvenile fiction book? That misplaced book was very lucky for me. The night I found it I spent it reading God Went to Beauty School and I loved it just as much as I loved Boris. I found something in that book that held the answer to a question that I (and probably many people) have had. See if you know what it is, from this excerpt:

GOD GOT A DOG
He never meant to.
He liked dogs, He'd
liked them ever since He was a kid,
but He didn't think
He had time for a dog now.
He was always working
and dogs needed so much attention.
God didn't know if He
could take being needed
by one more thing.
But He saw this dog
out by the tracks
and it was hungry
and cold
and lonely
and God realized
He'd made that dog
somehow,
somehow He was responsible
though He knew logically
that He had only set the
world on its course.
He couldn't be blamed
for everything.
But He saw this dog
and He felt bad
so He took it on home
and named it Ernie
and now God
has somebody
keeping His feet warm at night.

I especially loved this part because, well, I love dogs. There are so many insightful verses in this book, and it is truly uplifting, heartwarming, and enjoyable (and very funny too - Cynthia Rylant has a very good way of inserting funny parts into her writing). If you can, I really recommend you check these books out of your library. They won't take too long to read, but in the end, you will want to reread them and prolong the reading experience with these books, I'm sure.