Cam Jansen

Yesterday I picked up a dozen or so used books at a thrift store. Before I put my twins to bed, I dumped them on the floor and they eagerly rummaged through the pile to choose which ones they would claim for their own. Among them were three Newbery books and three Cam Jansen's. Surprisingly, neither of the twins picked any of these books.

Wyatt is an animal lover so I wasn't shocked when he chose White Fangby Jack London (the dumbed down version--the Young Collector's Illustrated Classics.) Garrett chose Crash, by Jerry Spinelli which shocked me a bit because he loves mysteries and he's reading Cam Jansen at school in his SFA group--Success For All. (SFA is a program that tests and then catagorizes students according to their reading level. My twins have been testing poorly since 1st grade--consistantly below grade level--which bewilders me because even though they're not crazy about reading, they seem to decode the words quite well).

I've never read any of the Cam Jansen series by David Adler so I chose one and stretched out on my stomach across the floor. The twins made use of me as their pillow and we all cracked open our books and began reading. Garrett was immediately intimidated by the super small words on the pages of his book so it wasn't long before he traded for a Cam Jansen. The books are a quick read at approximately 60 pages per book, with illustrations. I was nearly finished when I said, "Garrett, how come you read these books at school?" Without hesitation he said "Cause I suck at reading."

Hmmmm. Not exactly the way you want your kid to feel about the books he's asked to read at school.

"Do you like Cam Jansen books?" I asked. "No, they're boring," he replied.

Hmmmm.

I don't always trust my children when they say a book is boring. Sometimes a book may be boring because they don't understand it, or because they are impatient and want to get to the point right away. Other times they just don't give it a chance. But sometimes a book may be boring because . . . it's boring.

After reading three Cam Jansen's last night, I think the latter may be the case. The Cam Jansen series is a cute idea and has been in circulation for 28 years, so there's obviously an appeal. A 10 year old girl has a photographic memory which helps her solve mysteries. But the mysteries I read didn't feel very mysterious, and the reader doesn't really get to help solve them. I kept trying to figure out why the book is so bogged down with extraneous (yawn) details--a lot of time standing in line to buy food. I thought the details might be clues worth paying attention to in order to solve the mystery, but there is no payoff for remembering what animal shape was stamped on Cam's hand when she entered the amusement park, or why the lady in line to buy popcorn was wearing a pink jogging suit. I suspect Adler is trying to help readers learn how to muddle through details to figure out which ones will help solve the case, but this is a risky method, which may likely confuse readers and turn them off. Details must move the story along as well as provide information. I found this series to be tedious.

It may however work well for beginning readers who are learning to decode words and are less concerned about story. (Not sure I totally agree with what I just said, but there must be a place for Cam Jansen somewhere out there beyond my book shelf). I just don't see it as a stimulating option for a 4th grader, even one who scores below grade level on the GATES reading test.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Unhinging hilarity. A laugh-out loud novel. Should keep the readers in stiches. These are all bits of reviews on the back of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. An excellent choice for reluctant readers, it says. (So, if my boys didn't like it does that mean they're not reluctant readers anymore?)

I pinned my summer reading hopes on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Garrett enthusiastically picked it out at the school book fair and, after seeing it was the #1 New York Times Bestseller, I didn't protest. In fact I was excited. There was a buzz about it--my friends were talking, boys were reading, it was flying off the shelves, and when I went back to the book fair the next day to buy book II in the series, it was already sold out. This was golden.

Each night I would hand it to Garrett as he was getting into bed, but instead he'd reach for Weirdos from Another Planet, a collection of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. I brought it on our family vacation, anxious for our boys to have something fun to read on the plane or during the down time. Whenever I pulled it out, Garrett would say, Did you bring my Calvin and Hobbes?

We've been back in school for a month and it's still unopened next to Garrett's bed, so last night I decided to read it for myself.

SIGH! I almost cracked a smile on page 44, but the rest just made me cranky. That's not a good sign. So this morning I cornered Garrett and Wyatt about it. They were quiet, evasive, passive.

OUT WITH IT! I finally commanded.

That book's not even funny. Wyatt finally said. Everyone thinks it's so funny, but it's just dumb.

Garrett hung his head, I didn't like it, Mom. Sorry. I thought it was boring.

I think I'm changing my views about reluctant readers. They need stimulation!

(And if a book has glowing reviews plastered across the back cover . . . be skeptical!)

Hatchet

In Gary Paulsen’s Newberry Honor book, Hatchet, he shows—as opposed to tells--exactly what survival is like as he leads the reader through thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson’s mental and physical struggle for survival after his plane goes down in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.

Hatchet is one of the few, if not only, books that appears on practically every recommended reading list for boys, so I had to find out if this book is worth all the fuss. It definitely is! This realistic fiction is absolutely everything it’s cracked up to be. The book begins with the main, and pretty much only, character, Brian, in a single engine plane on his way to spend summer vacation with his father. Brian’s parents are recently divorced and he harbors a secret about why they split which sets up the internal struggle reflective of the physical struggle he’ll endure after his pilot has a heart attack and dies in mid-flight. Brian’s one saving grace comes ironically from his mother—the target for his bitterness--who gives him a hatchet as a going-away present. The hatchet is what allows Brian to survive.

For the observant reader, the hatchet and all of Brian’s harsh encounters with nature are metaphors for what Paulsen calls “the art of survival,” whether it be “getting through heavy traffic, facing an illness, or living in a rough neighborhood." Paulsen says, “The tools for survival are in all of us, just waiting to be used.” In Hatchet the reader gets to watch as Brian figures out how to dig deep and use those tools.

Paulsen crafts every detail with such painstaking patience that you feel as if you are right inside Brian’s world, the world of nature which is right under our noses and yet as unfamiliar to most of us as outer space. But Brian’s mind is as much the setting as the wilderness, and Paulsen's writing style--short, choppy, incomplete sentences--makes you feel like you're right inside his mind as he works through his challenges. Overall, the novel is crafted so carefully, you not only see it, but hear it, smell it, taste it and feel it all.

One of the greatest achievements of Hatchet is Paulsen’s ability to completely engage readers with a bare-bone plot and a one-man show. There are no glittery gimmicks or over-the-top antics. In fact, when you turn the last page and close the book, I guarantee you’ll miss Brian and his simple, but far from easy, existence in the woods. Luckily, there are several sequals to this novel. Brian's Winter, Brian's River and The Return. (Brian's winter is especially interesting because it continues the story of Hatchet as if the ending never happened).

This book is ultimately about making mistakes, rebuilding, growing, changing and healing. It is the kind of material I want shaping the minds and hearts of my boys.

The Kid Who Ran for President

Twelve-year-old Judson Moon is running for President of the YOU-nited states of America. This is no joke. His friend and eventual campaign manager, Lane Brainard comes up with the idea and works out all the angles. In typical Dan Gutman style, the campaign is a delightful journey for the reader. The thing about Gutman is that he somehow always makes even the most far-fetched idea seem like it really could happen. He is slick so don’t be fooled by his clever wit and quick laughs because if your kid reads this book he'll be learning a lot about the political system of America without even realizing it.

Franny K. Stein

The Franny K. Stein series by Jim Benton, consisting of 6 books, is a fun read for all elementary school age kids. It appeals to both male and females, as well as reluctant readers and book lovers alike. Zach picked the first one up at a school book fair when he was 8-9 yrs old and we've been Franny fans ever since. Even though the vocabulary was advanced for my boys, it hasn't deterred my boys from ploughing through each book and waiting anxiously for the next one to hit the shelves.

Franny's conflict is that she's a girl. A girl living in a bright and cheery pink house with lovely purple shutters on Daffodil Street. The trouble is there is nothing bright or cheery or lovely about Franny. She's a little girl mad scientist with a spooky, creepy bedroom/laboratory, complete with bats, snakes and spiders, where she builds and creates all kinds of crazy-clever concoctions like zero-gravity dog food and cannibalistic broccoli.

At the beginning of the series Franny is completely misunderstood at her new school. None of the other kids can understand why a girl wouldn't want to play with pretty dolls and eat peanut butter sandwiches. With the help of her new teacher, Miss Shelly, (gotta love that) Franny thinks of an experiment to try to fit in, which results in a totally transformed Franny, a sweet Franny with adorable shoes and cute hair. Thank goodness, in the end, after a whole lot of catastrophe, Franny learns to be herself.

Besides the smart, witty story line there are two things I love about this series: First, the spunky illustrations, also created by Benton, serve as the punch lines to the jokes. They finish Benton's sentences with a smirk. Second, there is a subtle (never heavy handed) moral to each story. Benton knows how to give ordinary conflicts and lessons an extrordinary twist.

If you can't tell, I highly recommend this series.

For more information, check out this link:

http://www.jimbenton.com/franlab.html

My Weird School

As usual, Dan Gutman does not disappoint. I'm a fan of everything he writes, but the My Weird School series is particulary delighful, especially for 8-9 year olds. The wacky teachers at Ella Mentry school are presented through the eyes of a off-beat second grader who wants to be a pro football player, or dirt bike racer because they don’t have to know how to read or write. He thinks school is dumb and boring and all the important things you need to know, like which breakfast cereal tastes best and which shampoo leaves your hair shiniest, you can learn from T.V. The zany principal and teachers will leave you giggling, if not laughing out loud. Gutman capitalizes on the exaggerated gullibility of childhood, making it so fun to eavesdrop on A.J. and his friends as they try to make sense of their world. A world of misperceptions, myths and mystery. A world where the adults are often aware they are being misunderstood, but play along anyway.

One thing I love about Dan Gutman is that he never entertains the reader for the sake of entertainment. In ironic fashion, this series is infused with the joy of learning--the excitement of science, music, art, and even P.E. But it is subtle enough that your kids won’t even know they're learning.

This series is a must-read!

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley is anything but flat. (Gee, I wonder if that line's ever been said before?) I admit I was pleasantly surprised, as I tend to approach series books with a skeptical eye. But once you get used to Jeff Brown's understated style, there's something charming, almost cozy and comfortable about the read.

Stanley's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop, are endearing as they deal with absurd situations in polite, deadpan style. In the first book, when they find out their son, Stanley has been flattened by a bulletin board, Mrs. Lambchop suggests they have breakfast and then see what their family doctor has to say about it. The doctor suggests they keep an eye on the "young fellow" and takes his measurements to have his clothes altered. Once Stanley gets used to being flat he enjoys it. In fact he does all kinds of useful things that round people can't do, including travelig to see his relatives via an extra large envelope. His little brother, Arthur, even becomes envious and tries to flatten himself with piles of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Eventually Stanley gets tired of being flat and in a touching scene between he and his brother, Arthur helps Stanley round out again.

This series will make you smile and warm your heart.

I enjoy the Flat Stanley series. The conflicts are subtle. The adventures are creative. The relationships are sweet. And the illustrations by Scott Nash are exceptional. I definitely recommend this series.

The Time Warp Trio

Because Jon Scieszka's, The Stinky Cheese Man was so clever, I didn't hesitate to pick up book No. 1, Knights of the Kitchen Table, of his The Time Warp Trio series. On the back cover one review promises that the "tongue-in-cheek humor makes for laugh-out-loud reading." That's a hefty promise, and unfortunately The Time Warp Trio doesn't deliver.

Not that it's completely dull, though it's pretty close, but laugh-out-loud? Weird School, by Dan Gutman, that's laugh-out-loud. Time Warp isn't much more than snicker-n-smirk reading. The basic premise is anything but fresh. Three friends, Fred, Joe and Sam, travel back in time when a magic book is opened to a picture of a medieval knight (let me guess, each page of the book will whisk them away to a new adventure--viola, you've got yourself a stock series).

It appears Fred, Joe and Sam, are almost as bored as I am when they suddenly find themselves in a medieval adventure being charged by a black knight (maybe because they've read Magic Treehouse too).

I will say, though it's a been-there-done-that series idea, I do like Schieszka's premise. He brings together classic characters from King Arthur, to Merlin to Smaug the dragon. Older readers like me will even recognize famous lines from The Holy Grail and The Princess Bride. Unfortunately these characters have been dumbed down considerably. They are far too easily outsmarted by the likes of 3 pre-teen boys and reading about them is like eating the carboard cereal box for breakfast rather than the cereal itself.

There was a clever plot twist at the climax, involving a confrontation between a dragon, a giant and Sam, but overall, the writing is simply lazy. Rather than showing us what's going on, Scieszka often cops out by writing things like "It was too disgusting to describe," "I won't even describe it because it would ruin your appetitie for a week," or "he answered in a way too rude to describe." A few more careful revisions could have made a mediocre tale, magical.

This series won't boost your child's brain cells, but if they're into dragons, knights and time travel they may tolerate this read.

Black Lagoon Adventures

On his website, Mike Thaler is referred to as "America's Riddle King." After reading his Black Lagoon Adventure series I suspect this is a self-appointed title because, although his books clearly revolve around word play, "Riddle King of America" is a a bit of a stretch.

In the spirit of The Dumb Bunnies or Ameilia Bedelia, Black Lagoon Adventures relys partly on situation comedy, but mostly on puns, double entendres, rhymes and alliteration to get a laugh. Sometimes it worked and made me crack a half-hearted smile, but mostly, for me, it fell flat. For instance, in book #3, The Class Election, the main character, Hubie, campaigns for class president with the slogan, "Don't be a Booby, vote for Hubie." (Keep in mind I am an English teacher, and probably more critical than the average 7+ year old).

I will give Thayer credit for his energetic approach to humor--he does try to be clever and create a dynamic plot--but much of the word play made me go, huh? The off-beat illustrations by Jared Lee lend strength to the series and are integral to the jokes, but even they don't always put the punch in punch-line.

Overall, it's not a horrible series. It's kinda cute and kinda witty, so I guess I'll kinda recommend it.

Geronimo Stilton

Geronimo Stilton is pretty stilted despite its novelty. The book’s strength lies in the creative and colorful splash of fonts, making some words jump off the page at you. While the fonts are fun, they are sometimes hard to decode for young readers. I’ll admit the aesthetics of it attracted me and my 9 year old twins to the series. They wanted to buy several of the books, but we settled on one: It’s Halloween You Fraidy Mouse. The twins and I curled up together on the couch—one on each side of me—and we began to read. Within 10 minutes one twin jumped up and said “I’m gonna go out and play, Mom.” Five minutes later the other twin was zzzzzonked.

Published by Scholastic, the book appears to have no author, other than the fictional Geronimo Stilton, who is also the narrator and main character. Unfortunately the story, characterization and dialogue are overshadowed by the fun fonts and cheesey cheese cracks. Geronimo is an annoying bachelor mouse who publishes his own newspaper, The Rodent’s Gazette. He’s a ‘fraidy mouse who obsesses about food and hates snakes, spiders and getting dirty. Riding on planes, trains, boats, and walking too fast make him sick. He crumples like a used “Cheesey Chew Wrapper,” over the slightest fright. In It’s Halloween, You Fraidy Mouse, the female characters are flat and tiresome, either bossing the males around or doting on/stalking them. The humor in this series is lazy and relies heavily on corny mouse-isms, and not-so-clever word-plays like famouse and fabumouse.

This book is definitely a thumbs down for me. I won’t waste my time reading any more Geronimo Stilton!