Red Palms

If you liked Forever by Judy Blume, and The Cay by Theodore Taylor, you will absolutely LOVE Red Palms by Cara Haycak. I did!

Haycak, Cara. Red Palms. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. Print.

Blume, Judy. Forever: A Novel. Scarsdale, N.Y: Bradbury Press, 1975. Print

Taylor, Theodore. The Cay. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1969. Print.

Here's what the critics had to say about Cara Haycak's unique coming of age story set in an exotic island off the coast of Ecuador:

"Readers will be enchanted by the exotic, magical qualities of this coming-of-age story. Unique and beautifully written." --Kirkus Reviews.

"Haycak serves up a rich literary stew, like a chef who throws all her ingredients into the pot at once." --Voice of Youth Advocates.

"Haycak writes a captivating, insightful story, and the vividly evoked setting, cultural specifics, and strong characterizations distinguish this inventive, ambitious effort from a talented new author." --Gillian Engberg, Booklist.

By the way, Cara the Author is really fun. I had the pleasure of sitting next to the author at my friend Dib Ziade's 50th birthday party. Cara named a character in Red Palms after Señor Ziade!

Three great books about courageous girls

Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet, the Spy. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.

Kathleen T. Hornig wrote a fascinating (and brave!) essay about the impact Louise Fitzhugh's classic novel had on her life, On Spies and Purple Socks. Kathleen also wrote From Cover to Cover which is the definitive book on reviewing children's literature. I follow her excellent guidelines when I write reviews for School Library Journal, but I'm a bit lazy in my blog entries.

Blume, Judy. Are You There God?: It's Me, Margaret. New York: Dell, 1970.

Growing up isn't easy, but then neither is being a grown-up. (It's an endless battle of the hormones. Once the cramps go away, in march the hot flashes. I don't even want to know what's going to happen a decade from now.) If you want a laugh, read Chelsea Handler's memoir Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.

Dahl, Roald, and Quentin Blake. Matilda. New York, N.Y: Viking Kestrel, 1988.

The movie is pretty good, but the book is AWESOME! (See what I mean about being lazy?)

More city stories

Here are a few more great books about life in the Big City:

Christmas in New York by Chuck Fischer

Fischer, Chuck. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.

City Chicken by Arthur Dorros and Henry Cole

Dorros, Arthur, and Henry Cole. City Chicken. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy, and Roy Doty. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Dutton, 1972.

Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon

Varon, Sara. Chicken and Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006.

Abuela by Arthur Dorros and Elisa Kleven

Dorros, Arthur, Elisa Kleven, and Sandra Marulanda Dorros. Abuela. New York: Puffin Unicorn, 1997.

And speaking of big cities . . .

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline. New York: Viking Press, 1967.

Free Man in Paris is one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs. Check out this video:

Joni's got Jaco Pastorius*, Pat Metheny, and Lyle Mays up there with her. Talk about an all-star band!

Mitchell, Joni. Shadows and Light. Los Angeles, Calif: Asylum, 2003.

Here's the original, studio version from Court and Spark:

Mitchell, Joni. Court and Spark. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: Asylum, 1980.

*Did you know that Jaco Pastorius was from Broward County? Next time you're in Florida, be sure to visit Jaco Pastorius Memorial Park in Oakland Park.

Is there anybody out there?

Blume, Judy. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Bradbury Press, 1970.

Handler, Chelsea. Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.
New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2008.

Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is one of the most frequently challenged books of all time. I read it about 10 times when I was a kid. It's a story about a young girl who is obsessed with getting her first period. She also worries a lot about religion because her father's side of the family is Jewish and her mother's a Christian. It's a really good book, but it was already a bit dated by the time I read it in 1975. I never really understood why they were always talking about belts. (I didn't really get Blume's Then Again, Maybe I Won't, either. I thought the kid was a little too old to be wetting the bed, and why the heck were his pants always getting tight?)

Chelsea Handler's latest book is way more risqué than anything Judy Blume ever wrote. These reviews of Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea really say it all:

"Chelsea Handler writes like Judy Blume, if Judy Blume were into vodka, Ecstasy, and sleeping with midgets and nineteen-year-olds."-- Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author of In Her Shoes


"Ms. Handler's style is a friendlier, more workaday version of the haughty self-abasement practiced by Sarah Silverman, leavened by the everywoman spirit of Kathy Griffin."--New York Times

ps. For more information about censorship and the freedom to read, please visit ala.org.

pps. I agree with the New York Times about Sarah Silverman--she comes across as being a bit snotty. It drives me nuts that my husband thinks she's so hot.

ppps. He also thinks Sarah Palin is hot.

pppps. I love him anyway.

City Kids

New York City is a great place for a family vacation. You can tour the NBC studios, ride a double-decker bus, see mummies and knights in shining armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, eat cannoli in Little Italy and taro cakes in Chinatown, catch a space show at the American Museum of Natural History, and for the best view in town--hitch a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

No matter what, you absolutely, positively must experience the bright lights of Times Square at night. (Don't worry. The peep shows have been replaced by Disney and M&M's.)

Picture Books:
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber
Peppe the Lamplighter by Elise Bartone and Ted Lewin
The Man Who Walked Across the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
Chapter books:
The Teddy Bear Habit by James Lincoln Collier
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Cracker books

I really love the band, Cracker. Back in the early nineties, a nice guy made me a great mix tape that included the hit single, Teen Angst. I've been hooked ever since.

Here are three books that have the same titles as some of my favorite Cracker songs.

Forever by Judy Blume
This detailed story about a young woman's first sexual relationship is one of the most controversial young adult novels of all time. Back in sixth grade, I begged my mother to let me check out the book, but she wouldn't allow it. I had to smuggle a borrowed copy into the house. I read the worn out paperback about twenty times in a row before passing it along to a classmate.


Mr. Wrong: Real-Life Stories About the Men We Used to Love edited by Harriet Brown
Since I really respect guys, I didn't like this book at all. It's just plain to rude to complain about exes.



Teen Angst? Naaah . . . A Quasi-autobiography by Ned Vizzini
This teenage memoir is extremely well-written, but it's a bit too wholesome for my taste. I like my memoirs good and gritty. If I want to read about a grade-obsessed, goody-goody teenager with excellent taste in music, I'll go back and reread my high school diaries.


ps. If you like reading, and you like Cracker, you will love the Hickman/LeRoy Songbook. It's the smartest site in all of Myspace.