You know that book that just grabs you right away? That even when you aren’t reading it, said book tickles at your thoughts and demands that you go back to it as soon as possible? That is exactly how it felt to read the young adult book Just One Day by Gayle Forman. It’s one of those books that perfect for the weather we are having now because it is engrossing.

Just out of high school, Allyson parents have given her a summer trip in Europe equipped with a clutchy tour guide/guardian. The entire trip, the rest of her cohorts have been having a ball, but Allyson just never seems to get into the fun. That is until the last day of the trip and a accidental run in with Willem, the laid-back gorgeous Dutch actor who invites her to a “guerrilla Shakespeare” production of Twelfth Night. When the night ends, Allyson feels as though that is the end of their story, but fate isn’t finished. The two find each other in the breakfast car the next morning on the train and decide to take fate’s nudging to heart: They jump the next train to Paris and spend just one day in the city of love. Of course, you already know what happens: they fall in love.

But that is where this story stops being predictable and begins its journey through Allyson internal journey to who she is and who she could be. After their day in Paris, Allyson wakes up alone. Willem has left without a hint of a goodbye. I can’t really tell you more because, well, then I would have told you the whole book, but I will say, this book kept me guessing and hoping for these two characters to find their way back to each other. It is such a fun ride. And better yet, the companion novel, Just One Year, will be out this year and tell Willem’s story.

Inspired in part by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, William Joyce’s The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is an illustrated foray into a world where books with good stories fly and reading a book is as much a physical adventure as a mental one.

If you had a chance to see the Academy Award Winning short film of the same title, then this book is going to seem familiar.  This poignant story of the physical book is relevant to any book lover in this age of e-book.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore-2011 from Antoni de la Torre on Vimeo.

On one of my first days working at Lemuria this summer, Emily handed me a copy of WONDER by RJ Palacio and asked if I would read it and tell her what I thought. A novel about a fifth grade boy with a severely deformed face beginning school for the first time looked potentially interesting; however, it was soon lost in my massive ‘to be read’ pile.

A month or so ago, a trusted writer friend posted on her Facebook page that everyone should ‘drop everything and read it now,’ so I mentally noted to bump it up in priority. But when my eleven year-old sister informed me it was ‘the best book she had ever read,’ I gave in, picked it up, and started reading. I knew after just a few pages that I had a truly special book in my hands. When I finished it the other night at 1 AM, tears were rolling down my face in, let’s just say, not insignificant quantity.

I’ve tried and tried to find a quick tagline to sell this amazing book, but on the surface, it sounds too simple to be exciting: this boy with a very strange and even frightening face goes to school. Predictable reactions ensue, and things happen.

But the magic of this book is in the writing, it’s in the voices of the people who fill it. Each character, major or minor, is vividly drawn and wholly believable. Human, flawed (some more than others), honest, hilarious, and reflective—one thing I loved about this book was the rapid shifts from one perspective to another. Though at first we meet main character August, we soon hear the story told just as fascinatingly from his new friends at school, his sister, even his sister’s friends.

The story’s overriding theme of Kindness is a dangerous one—how, oh how, can one write a book for kids about “being kind” that doesn’t make your teeth hurt from the saccharine? Yet Palacio has done it, I promise you. And she does it by not ignoring the ugly parts; neither August’s reality nor the imperfect actions of even those who love him most. This, in the end, gives the story just enough ambiguity to make it sing.

There is some buzz in the children’s lit blog world that this book is a frontrunner for the 2013 Newbery Medal, and I would be downright shocked if it weren’t at least given an Honor. It is rare indeed to find a novel such as this one that is both ‘important’ AND entertaining—for both kids AND adults.

Even if your child is a reluctant, Wimpy Kid type of reader; please put this book in their hands. It is so important, especially in this age of disconnectedness and online bullying, as kids become more and more distanced from each other, to give them an opportunity to explore what it really feels like to be different. Fourth through eighth grade students are making choices, conscious or not, about what kind of person they are going to be. This book will make them laugh out loud and maybe even cry, and it will also raise their consciousness as they make tough decisions in their social lives at school, decisions that call on them to be braver than they’ll ever have to be as adults.

Short, snappy chapters, plenty of jokes, authentic kid voices (avoiding the dreaded ‘grown-up trying to sound like a kid’ doom that haunts so many might-have-been-great books), and social tension to make you suck in your breath and clench your fists (maybe especially for us grown-ups who had buried those memories deep, deep down) will keep the pages turning—and when the kids are done, I hope you’ll pick it up and read it for yourself.

It’s well worth it. It’s truly a Wonder.

by Mandy

I stumbled across this un-published blog Simon wrote in March, and wanted to share it today. We are all missing Simon, and here is a chance for us to hear his voice again. -Adie

Dear Listener,

Sometimes people are vain.  With the advancement of our culture’s attachment to search engines, boredom is likely to draw one into searching their own name.  Googling yourself has become common practice.  Much to this effect, I was sitting at a store computer one August afternoon when I decided to see what sort of books were existence that bore my first name.  When discovering a children’s picture book called Simon’s Book, I swiftly put in a special order for myself.  Just the other day, after forgetting about my vain order from the fall, Simon’s Book came in.  It became clear after thirty seconds of looking at the book that it was something I have missed out on my entire life.

The story follows “a young boy [who] stops drawing and goes to sleep, leaving his creation – Simon – stranded on the drawing pad with a huge, yet friendly, monster!  Doodles come to monstrous life as a wild chase through the pages ensues, with Simon aided by his trusty drawing pens.” We eventually come to realize the boy’s imagination is writing the book that we are watching play out.  A tale within a tale, the abstract nature of the story doesn’t stray far from the beautiful, sometimes challenging artwork.  This is a great book to share with a child you hope will understand or appreciate a higher concept of art that may not be seen much elsewhere.

The pens come to help.

Simon gets chased by the monster.

But the monster was nice (and sleepy).

To go along with the abstraction, here is the video for Fever Dreams from Nurses 2011 album Dracula.

by Simon