Dear Hank Williams Full of Surprises

I found this gem while looking over the new fiction table at my favorite Hilliard branch of the Columbus Metro Library and was drawn by the author, Kimberly Willis Holt.  I like her style...A LOT!  Dear Hank Williams didn't disappoint.

Set in post World War II Louisiana, Tate begins writing letters to Hank Williams who she listens to on the radio every week.  He performs as part of Louisiana Hayride, a music show much like the Grand Ole Opry only on a much smaller scale.  She falls in love with his sound and, as part of a class project, she takes him as her pen pal instead of a student in Japan.

Through her unanswered letters we learn the story of Tate, and her absent mother and father.  She is in the custody of her great Aunt Patty Cake and sometimes her Uncle Jolly when he is not out with his latest girlfriend or drowning his sorrows at the local watering hole.

Tate spends a lot of time with her little brother, Frog, pretending to be spies, practicing her singing or playing hide and seek.  Frog seems to be a scared of a lot of things, and disappears mysteriously at unusual times.

The story moves quickly and filled with surprises and turns that frankly, I didn't see coming.  I love the down home language and Kimberly Willis Holt's descriptions of a simple time in a small town in Louisiana.  I can't wait for my 4th any 5th graders to read this book so we can talk about everything that happens.  I'm definitely adding it to my tops of 2015 reading list.

Echo is Beautifully Written

I got my hands on an ARC of Echo by Pamela Munoz Ryan and finished it over two weekends on a bus to Boston, what a beautifully written story of three characters facing great odds.

By starting the book with the legend of the magical harmonica, Munoz draws the reader in immediately creating an eagerness for finding out where this story is going.  Using a harmonica as a vehicle for the story gives the story a twist not found in any others that I can think of which only adds to the appeal.  Everyone has played a harmonica, so the story has instant appeal.

The three characters cross a span of 18 years, from the beginnings of Nazi Germany through depression era Pennsylvania ending in WW II California.  Fredrich, the first to come in contact with the magical harmonica, is a target for Hitler's storm troopers because of some special gifts and an unfortunate birthmark.  The Mike and Frankie are brothers who end up in an institution during the Great Depression because there is no where else for them to go.  Ivy is a young Hispanic girl living in California who must deal with racism in the schools and try to understand why Japanese Americans are being sent to Internment Camps.

The stories of these characters are told with language that is so wonderfully written, that the reader can't help but be drawn into their lives.  The author uses words that create an empathy for the characters and a sense of wonder about how people could have acted as they did during these incredible historic times.

The book is over 500 pages so it will take some stamina for readers, but the reading level is such that I will recommend it for my good 4th and all of my 5th graders.  This book easily is in my top 5 for 2015 and will absolutely be a Newbery contender.

Summer Reading Begins on the Bus

I just returned from my second trip to Boston and after a good night's sleep, I'm ready to begin my summer for real!  I haven't really felt like I was on summer break yet because the Monday after we finished, I started meeting with the 120 students I would be taking to Beantown over two weekends.  Both weekends went well and the kids and chaperones all came home tired, a sign of a successful trip!

The first weekend I took 79 students, two bus loads for the first time ever.  Unfortunately rained everyday but Sunday but the kids didn't allow it to dampen their spirits and toured like champs, never complaining and always engaged in the learning.  The second weekend included 43 kids and the weather couldn't have been better, mid 70s and sunny every day.  So even with the tale of two weekends, they couldn't have been more different weather wise, there is always a LOOOOOONG bus ride involved, which allows for lots of reading.

On the first weekend, I took Revolution by Deborah Wiles.  It's the long awaited follow up to Countdown in her 60s trilogy.  I love what she does with this book and when you consider what is included in each volume, it's understandable why so much time passed between titles.  They are truly a multi disciplinary study of important events that helped shape the 60s.  Countdown was a look at the events surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis and Revolution is a study of Freedom Summer in Mississippi.

Revolution is the story of Sunny Fairchild and her newly blended family which includes a step mother, Annabelle, who she doesn't like and a step brother, Gillette, who she is very close to.  They live in Greenwood, Mississippi, a hot bed of the civil rights movement and equal voting rights for the African Americans living there. 

Sunny is torn, she sees both sides of the argument, but has been raised in a culture that really clouds her vision and makes it hard for her to accept that things are changing.  She just wants everybody to stay the same so that her life can stay the same.  After the Civil Rights Act is passed she wants to swim in the public pool, but it closes to keep the black kids from enjoying it too, she wants to go to the movie theater where her Uncle Parnell works, but her father says it's not safe when African American kids start going there too.  Everything is changing and she is not happy.

When her step-mother begins to work for the rights of all, holding meetings in their house of like minded women, and Sunny's life is turned upside down.  Through a series of interactions with the college students working for voting rights, she calls them "the invaders", Sunny begins to really see that there are two sides to every argument, and change isn't bad when so many benefit from it. 

As always, Deborah Wiles creates characters and situations that draw readers in and keep them there.  Between chapters of fiction, she gives the reader biographies of people who played important roles in the movement.  Some of them I was familiar with and some it was the first I had heard of them.  She includes pictures and poetry and song from the events in Mississippi.  She includes primary documents put out by both sides, the Civil Rights workers and the KKK, which are very disturbing.

I really like the book and learned many things that I didn't know about the events in Mississippi.  It's a high level book and I will put it in the library but only recommend it to my mature readers.  It will take a really good student to get through this one, and is probably more suited to middle and high school, but for the rare student who gets it, this is an important read.

I Want to Visit Tupelo Landing

A couple of years ago, I wrote about Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage.  I loved it and all of the characters living in Tupelo Landing, North Carolina.  I couldn't wait for the follow up book, The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing.  I wasn't disappointed, it made me want to plan a trip to Tupelo Landing.

I want to stop in at the cafe to see what classic Hollywood star Miss Lana is today.  I want to sit at the counter with Mayor Little and eat one of The Colonel's delicious plates of pancakes or whatever the special of the day is.

I want to sit close enough to the Azelea Ladies to hear what the current gossip is and then go sit on Grandmother Miss Lacy's porch, eat cookies, drink lemonade and hear her take on the stories.

I want to visit the school and share teaching strategies with Miss Retzyl.  She certainly has her hands full with the class of rising sixth graders, I'm pretty sure I could learn a thing or two from her!

I want to go hang out in Lavendar's garage while he works on his car.  I don't have single mechanical bone in me, but I do like to watch an artist at work.

I want to take a walk past Red's house.  I'll be sure to keep a safe distance, but I want to see if I can smell his moonshine still, if he has one.

After all of that, I'll spend a day with the Deperado Detective Agency looking for ghosts at The Inn.  I'm pretty sure Mo, Dale and I will find one and when we do, I have some questions.  I want to know the history of The Inn and the town around it.  I already know a lot about the people, thanks to author Sheila Turnage.  She is a master of character creation, so good that I really feel like the good folks of Tupelo Landing are real and I really could plan a vacation there to meet all of them

She takes a haunted turn in this amazing follow up to Three Times Lucky.  Kids are going to love the story and the ghosts and it will appeal to a much larger audience.  I'm recommending it to my good 3rd grade readers and up. 

A Review Before Spring Break: Cynthia Lord's Half a Chance

Our daughter Meredith has been student teaching in Florida since January, so tomorrow afternoon, the Lovely Mrs. Prosser and I will board a plane bound for Orlando.  She's had a great experience, and has learned she loves living in the sunshine and not the snow which made her decision to apply for jobs in the Sarasota area a pretty easy one.  Hopefully something will work out for her, she's very good at what she does and the student teaching experience has reignited her passion for teaching, the job I believe she was born to do.

Before leaving I wanted to finish   When Cynthia visited Bailey a year or so ago, she shared the beginnings of this book.  She told us about a photo scavenger hunt contest that a character named Lucy wants to enter.  The problem is that her father, a famous nature photographer, is the judge and she isn't sure it would be ethical.  Cynthia Lord's new book, Half a Chance.

Just after moving to a lake in New Hampshire, Lucy's dad leaves to do some work in Arizona leaving her to collect the package containing all of the entrants for the contest.  She meets the family next door and gets involve in the loon patrol, keeping track of the loons nesting on the lake.  She becomes especially close to Nate Bailey and the two of them begin work on the scavenger hunt together as they become friends.

Lucy learns that the Bailey family has summered on the lake for years, and Nate's grandma Lilah has always been there, spending the whole summer and hosting the family visits throughout the summer.  This summer, however, is different.  Grandma Lilah is having some memory difficulty that seems to be getting worse and causing the family alarm.  They decide they will all spend the whole summer at the lake with Grandma Lilah so she can have one last memorable summer.  Mostly its good, but occasionally Grandma Lilah lapses into a panic or depression because she can't do all of the things she is used to doing on the lake.  Nate, Lucy and the Bailey family do all they can to make the summer seem as normal as possible, trying to make sure Grandma has a summer to remember.

Again Cynthia Lord handles an issue facing many families in a sensitive, delicate and honest way.  When she visited Bailey I don't remember hearing that this book would deal with aging and dementia, but it does.  Half a Chance is a touching book and the ending is perfect.   For many of us it may hit close to home and will be a great read for 4th and 5th graders.

Snicker of Magic is an AMAZING Book Fair Find

We just closed out our second Scholastic Book Fair for the year, and as always, I discovered a wonderful surprise on the shelves.  Actually, I can't take credit for it, it was Lauren, a 5th grade super reader and Newbery Club member.  She brought A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd to the counter to purchase because it reminded her of books by another of her favorite authors, Wendy Mass.  I read the back and some reviews on line and decided it was a must read for me too.  I wasn't disappointed!

Felicity Juniper Pickle, her sister Frannie and their mom don't stay in one place too long.  Their mother has the urge to roam.  She paints murals for towns and this allows her to travel a lot.  Felicity doesn't enjoy the life style and longs for a home.  The story begins with them returning to Midnight Gulch, TN, the town where Mom grew up.  It's the home of Aunt Cleo who gives them a place to stay.  That's where the magic of this book begins.

Midnight Gulch used to be magical, people could make themselves disappear, bake secrets into pies and sing down the rain.  Now, though, the magic seems to be missing, or at least not so powerful, there is just a snicker of magic left.  Felicity believes that if she can solve the mystery of what happened to the magic, her mom will want to stay and their traveling days will be over.  With the help of her friend Jonah, they begin investigating the mystery.  Using Jonah's knowledge of the town history and the people who live there and Felicity's power to see and collect words, Natalie Lloyd weaves a wonderful tale.

The characters all wind around each other, just like in any small town, everyone knows everyone else's business and everyone is related to someone in the town.  The story just keeps weaving in and out with twists and surprises in each chapter.  Natalie Lloyd's creative use of language and detail is simply amazing.  I found myself wanting to highlight lines and phrases because of the artistic beauty of the words she put together.  In addition to the words she chooses, Natalie Lloyd's characters form one of the best book casts I've read in a long time.  Her characters came to life for me, and as I read it, I heard their voices in my head, just like when I find a great read aloud picture book.  Natalie Lloyd is an artist who puts her reader right in the middle of Midnight Gulch, TN with the mountains surrounding them.

I'm recommending A Snicker of Magic to all of my 4th and 5th graders and to any teacher who is looking for a great class read aloud, or just a book to enjoy for themselves.  I love this book!

Gordon Korman's The Hypnotists is Action Packed

Frequent visitors to Literate Lives know that I'm a big Gordon Korman fan, in fact, if there was a Gordon Korman fan club I'd be a card carrying member with the secret decoder ring and knowledge of a secret handshake, that's how big a fan I am!  I have liked everything he has written and I know when it has his name on it, kids are going to love it too.  His latest, The Hypnotists, is no exception, it gets you from the start and mesmerizes to the end.  It also leaves you wanting more, which I'm sure we'll get because that's how Gordon rolls.


Jax Opus seems to be just a normal 12 year old middle schooler, dealing with the usual middle schooler issues.  There is one small difference, people are drawn to him and want to do whatever will make him happy.  Oh yeah, and his eyes, his eyes which seem to change colors depending on his mood.  Two events lead Jax to start believing he might have some special ability.  The first is during a basketball game when the best player in the league seemingly does whatever Jax suggest he do.  The second comes during a school field trip when he controls a hypnotist on stage.

Turns out the hypnotist has connections to a man named Elias Mako and the next thing the Opus family knows, Jax is being recruited for a special school for special kids with special abilities.  Turns out, Jax is "mind bender" meaning he has the ability to enter another person's mind and control their actions without them knowing it.  As it turns out he comes from a long line of super mind benders on both sides so he is like a super mind bender.

All of this leads to trouble, with a villain who wants to use the power for evil world domination and the troop of misfit mind benders called the Sandman Guild who are trying really hard not to take advantage of their special gift.  Classic evil versus bad, but trying really hard to be good, stuff.  I loved it!

As usual, Gordon Korman writes in a style that is very kid friendly.  The kid characters in his books are all regular kids with a bit of twist, but the twist is done so that even that is believable.  The adventure and action keep you on the edge of the seat and just when you think you have it figured out...you don't.  I'll be recommending this to all of my 4th and 5th graders and some better 3rd grade readers.  It's just good fun!

Middle School Transition Can Be Tough

It's no secret that moving from the safe confines of elementary school to the mean streets of middle school can be a difficult and even scary transition.  I'm always on the lookout for books that use this theme so the fifth graders in the Bailey Bubble can have a look at what is on the other side of elementary.  Hopefully by reading them they learn that it's not as bad as they imagine, but that it won't be easy either.  33 Minutes Until Morgan Sturtz Kicks My Butt by Todd Hasak-Lowy is a good one for my collection!

People change as they get older and friends grow apart.  Sometimes it's just a gradual parting of the ways and sometimes, as in the case of Sam Lewis and Morgan Sturtz, it's a more drastic event.  Sam and Morgan are best friends all through elementary.  They are inseparable, always together, and they make a great team.  When a new kid, Chris, moves to town trouble starts.   Chris is pretty much unsupervised and has everything a kid could want.  Morgan and Chris start spending a lot of time together, and Morgan begins to change.  As is the case with middle school, some boys grow and others wait a while.  Morgan grows and becomes the football star, Sam doesn't and becomes the mathlete star.

Eventually there is a time when they just don't see eye to eye, and instead of just going their own way, words are exchanged, and a note is passed accidentally with Sam mocking Morgan's lack of math ability.  The threat is made and the clock is started.  Each chapter is a time of day with a countdown to the butt-kicking.  Typical middle school hyjinx occurs, with food fights, popular kids and bullies.

In the end, the fight does take place and the boys are brought to the principal's office and that may be the real strength of this book.  Instead of wrapping it all up in a nice Brady Bunch ending, Todd Hasak-Lowy offers up alternative endings.  The reader isn't really sure which it is but they are all possible and realistic.  It's up to the reader to figure out which fits for them, great discussion starters.

The author does a wonderful job of describing middle school, it's personalities, teachers, atmosphere and students.  I'll be recommending this a fun informative summer read for my fifth graders.

Summer of the Gypsy Moths is a Wonderful Read

I have always been a fan of Sara Pennypacker, especially her Clementine books.  She just has a way with creating characters that I think really connect with her readers.  So I was excited to find out that she had written a book for older readers, middle grades, called Summer of the Gypsy Moths.  I was even more excited when I found it on the new shelf at my local library.

Two twelve year old girls find themselves staying with an elderly foster parent near Cape Cod.  Both come from tragic backgrounds.  Stella never knew her father and her mother was incapable of taking care of her.  Angel's mother was killed in a car accident and her father drowned at sea.  Stella's Great Aunt Louise takes them both in even though they come from very different backgrounds and don't get along at all.

When Aunt Louise dies of a heart attack while the girls are at school, they have a choice to make.  Call the police and both get sent to yet another foster home, or learn to handle the summer vacation cottages on their own and stay independent.  They choose the second and go to some pretty drastic actions to keep the death of Louise a secret.

The owner of the Linger Longer vacation cottages, George, comes around and teaches the girls what it takes to change the cabins over for the next round of visitors.  The girls tell George that Louise has fallen and hurt her ankle and wouldn't be able to help for a while so the girls handle it all.

Angel works harder than she ever has, learning survival skills she has never had so she can earn enough money to get to New York to live with her aunt, a recent immigrant.  Stella follows her collection of Hints From Heloise articles and keeps the Linger Longer cabins running smoothly.  She dreams of her mother coming to live in Cape Cod and together the two of them taking over the care of the cottages from Louise.

The girls learn to live and work together and then become the closest of friends.  Each learns from the other how to do things they never thought they could.  Throughout the story the girls worry about the secret in the pumpkin patch and in a way grow even closer to it.

It will take a pretty strong middle grade reader to understand this book, but when we kick off this year's version of the Bailey Newbery Club, Summer of the Gypsy Moths will be one of the title I put on the reading list.

Andrew Clements New Book is Better Than About Average

I like to have a list of "go to" authors in the library.  Authors I know that write great stories, usually short, and always easy to relate to.  Authors like Barbara O'Connor, James Preller, Gordon Korman and Andrew Clements just to name a few.  I know I can always count on authors like these when I recommend their books to kids who are having trouble finding something to read.

One of those "go to" authors has a new book out and just like the others, I know kids are going to like it.  Andrew Clements new book, About Average is about Jordan Johnston a sixth grade girl who was hoping this would be her year to stand out at something.  However, it's in the last week of school, and she still isn't the most athletic, the most talented musician, or even the tallest or shortest.  She's just Jordan, plain and average like the character in one of her favorite books, Sarah Plain and Tall.  To make matters worse she is the victim of a bully. 

Andrew Clements has a way of writing about kids that is completely accurate and true.  In About Average he does it again.  Jordan struggles with how to handle Marlea the bully.  She has learned all of the right things to do, tell an adult, talk to the guidance counselor, walk away, everything we teach kids to do with a bully, but, like most kids, she doesn't believe any of them will work and feels they will probably make things worse for her.

The relationships between Jordan and her friends and teachers are so realistically written that I know a lot of kids will see them in this story.  The end has some pretty dramatic changes that hopefully most kids won't have to go through, but the message that you need to be ready in case of anything is loud and clear.  I'll be recommending this book to all of my students grades 3 through 5 as I do all Andrew Clements books.

The Hop Made a Good Read for My Second Bus Trip

On Monday I finished my second student trip to Boston.  I have to admit that doing two trips in a span of about 3 weeks was tiring, but it's nice to have them done with my whole summer ahead of me.  Well almost, Steven and I will be flying to Dallas on Friday for 5 days of playing volleyball in the Junior Nationals.  Anyway, the 14 hour bus ride gives me plenty of time to read and this time I chose the book The Hop by Sharelle Byars Moranville.

There's a lot going on in this book, a grandma with cancer, two parents who are busy with work, a young girl who wonders if her parents have time with her, and urban sprawl taking over a woods and wetlands.  The thing is, as I read it, even though I knew there was a lot going on, I never felt overwhelmed by so many plot lines, they all blended together so well that I think kids will enjoy it too.

The author goes back and forth between a toad named Tad and a girl named Taylor.  Both have similar things going on in their lives.  Tad discovers something special about himself when he wakes from his winter sleep.  He's not really comfortable with it and he tries to hide it from his little toad friends who live in Toadville-by-Tumbledown.  When he reveals the fact that he had dreams during his winter sleep to the Seer, a wise old toad who also dreams, Tad is identified as the toad to save Toadville-by-Tumbledown from The Rumbler.  When the earthmoving equipment known as The Rumbler shows up to destroy Toadville-by-Tumbledown, Tad sets out on a quest to find Reno and kiss the queen.

Taylor is a young girl who enjoys spending time with her grandma, Eva.  Eva lives in the country and plants gardens of flowers and vegetables.  Taylor adores her and her country place with the pond and the tumbledown shed.  Taylor and Eva spend so much time together because Taylor's parents are busy being successful.  They are tied up in meetings and on phone calls and answering texts so Taylor and Eva spend time planting and roaming the countryside.  It is revealed that Eva has cancer and isn't able to do as much as she once was due to the chemo treatments.  We also learn that for one week every summer, Taylor's parents go to Reno for the Old Time Rock and Roll Fest.  It turns out that they play in an oldies band and Taylor has never taken an interest in it, she prefers to spend that week with Eva every summer.  As the earthmoving equipment moves in to destroy the forest and pond by Eva's house, Taylor wants to protest and save the trees, but her parents and grandma inform her that this year she will be going to Reno because Evas will be in the hospital unable to care for her.

The two stories come together in Reno.  Even though I predicted what would happen in the end, Sharelle Byars Moranville does a wonderful job of keeping the reader in the story.  I wanted to keep reading to see how she was going get us to the end.  Part magic, part social awareness, part fairy tale, part family love, The Hop by Sharelle Byars Moranville will be enjoyed by readers 3rd and up and would make a great read aloud with cliff hangers and predictions and imagination.  I liked it.

3 for 3 on 2012 Titles

If the rest of the 2012 books I read are anything like the first three of the year, it's going to be a banner year for kids' books! My first 3 reads were The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, Wonder by R.J. Palacio and The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.

I was made aware of The One and Only Ivan when Michael Grant visited Bailey and told us his wife was working on another free verse book about a gorilla and an elephant. At the time I was a bit confused by the concept, but when it showed up on the book fair shelves in February I had to read it. I wasn't disappointed. Told in free verse through the eyes of a shopping mall gorilla, The One and Only Ivan is one of those books you love immediately. Ivan's voice is so strong and human that the reader can't help but feel sorry for him and his situation. Ivan has dreams of seeing the outside world that he has watched on the TV in his cage and heard of from his friend Stella the retired circus elephant. When a new baby elephant, Ruby, is introduced to his mall world, Ivan makes a promise he must keep. Amazing!

My second read was Wonder by R.J. Palacio which came recommended by...well...EVERYBODY! As much as this one has been written about I really don't need to give any sort of summary, but just like Ivan, it will make you sad and happy with every turn of the page. Auggie is such a strong character facing adversity each time he leaves his home that the reader can't help but cheer for him most of the time. However, R.J. Palacio makes him human by giving him flaws. There were times when Auggie felt sorry for himself, deservedly so, but I still got frustrated and thought, "Come on Auggie, you're better than that!" The different perspectives of Auggie make for a read that made my opinions of the people around Auggie change with each chapter. If I was still in the classroom this would be my first read aloud of the year. The discussions about accepting people for who they are, regardless of their shortcomings would be so valuable to setting the tone that it would be time well spent.


Finally, I read The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis. I'm a huge fan of Bud Not Buddy, one of my favorite Newbery winners so I had to read this one. Curtis takes a minor character, Deza Malone, a smart young lady growing up in Great Depression Michigan and develops her and her family by telling of their survival. Deza is proud of her intelligence and doesn't want anything to get in the way of her education. Her parents and older brother are proud of her too and know that she is capable of great things. However, the Great Depression had a way of getting in the way of dreams and the Malone family is no exception to this rule. Out of work, Mr. Malone sees the only way to make things better is for him to leave the family and look for work. Due to a traumatic experience on a fishing trip, his judgement isn't very clear and the family is left in worse circumstances than before and Deza must put her plans on hold. As always, Christopher Paul Curtis mixes humor, compassion and wonderful characters to tell an engaging story.

All three stories have strong main characters that require the reader to cheer them on and hope for the best all the time knowing that things will get tough before they get better. Any of these will make excellent Grand Discussion books for next year but I'm afraid to commit because I can't wait to see what else 2012 will have to offer!

Floors by Patrick Carman

I'll be honest, I haven't read a lot of Patrick Carman's books, but I know people love his work. I was fortunate enough to hear him speak at a SLJ Leadership Conference a couple of years ago, and was extremely impressed. I've been fascinated with his blending of written stories and web based features, I just haven't gotten around to reading any of his books, until now!

At our book fair in October, I saw a new book called Floors on the shelf and the back intrigued me. I recommended it to several kids who I thought it would appeal to, and reserved my copy at the local branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Hilliard. When I picked it up I couldn't wait to start reading and once I started I couldn't put it down.

Leo Fillmore and his father Clarence work and live in the Whippet Hotel the most unusual hotel on Earth. It occupies a large piece of land in Manhattan that would bring a fortune to the owner, Merganzer Whippet. The problem is no one has seen or heard from Merganzer in a long time. Leo misses his eccentric friend but keeping the Whippet up and running is a full time job for he and his father. On one of his daily service calls he discovers a mysterious box that leads him to a room he wasn't even aware existed which leads him to another box and so on until he collects 4 boxes in all and all is revealed.

On his quest he is introduced to a new best friend, the son of another Whippet employee is serving as doorman and interacts with a colorful cast of characters including a cranky hotel manager named Ms. Sparks who sports larger than life bee hive hair do, Mr. Phipps the Gardner who shapes the shrubbery into various animals especially ducks, Mr. Whippet's favorite animal.

Leo encounters puzzles to solve, mysterious notes to decipher and the flock of ducks that live on the roof and must be walked each day. The story of loyalty, friendship and a boy solving some difficult challenges reminded me of Charlie and Chocolate Factory and the Gollywhopper Games, two of my favorites.

I can't wait to get this into the hands of my 3rd - 5th graders and hear how they like the Whippet Hotel adventure. The good news is that it is the first in a series and it has the feel of a very popular series, and as with his other books it includes a cool interactive web site here.