"I can't rave enough about it. Amazing. I loved it!" ~Jocelyn

Mary O'Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can't let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary's street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny's own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlett, who embark on a road trip to the past. Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out.

Jocelyn says:
"Mary O'Hara is 12 years, 4 months old- and looking forward to being a teen.
 
Mary is a cheeky girl more often than not- but calls it being honest.
 
Mary lives in Dublin with her parents and 2 older brothers.
 
Mary's best friend moved away yesterday.
 
Mary wants to be a world-famous chef.

But none of those facts matter when Granny Emer is in the hospital, dying.  Mary very much loves her Granny.
 
You know who else loves Granny?
 
Well, Mary's mammy Scarlett does, of course- and also her great grandmother Tansey. Yes, Granny Emer's own mother, who died when Emer was just 3 years old. Tansey returns in ghost form to comfort Emer, and reassure her that dying is nothing to be frightened of. To do that she reveals herself to Mary first. This amazing foursome shares an evening of love, tears and laughter that will never be forgotten.
 
A loving book about strong family ties, with greyhounds woven in and out throughout.  I can't rave enough about it.  Just fantastic. I loved it!"

Jocelyn Has Two Thumbs Up For Appelt's Latest Book

Meet Bingo and J’miah, raccoon brothers on a mission to save Sugar Man Swamp in this tale from Newbery Honoree Kathi Appelt.

Raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The opportunity to serve the Sugar Man—the massive creature who delights in delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp—is an honor, and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts.

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it.

And help is surely needed, because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on the march, headed straight toward them all.

The Scouts are ready. All they have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to wake that fellow up in a decade or four…

Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt presents a story of care and conservation, funny as all get out and ripe for reading aloud.

Jocelyn says:

"Set in Sugar Man Swamp, somewhere in the wilds of Texas,  this story is told from such varied perspectives as- but not limited to- Bingo and J'miah—2 clever raccoons who take their job as Scouts very seriously—along with a kind radio DJ, a gigantic rattlesnake named Gertrude, pirates, countless alligators of course (this IS about a swamp, after all), as well as the Sugar Man himself.

12 year old Chap Brayburn and his mother call the Swamp home-and they love it  as much as his grandfather did, as much for the huge variety of wildlife as the special canebrake sugar used in his mother's special pies. His grandfather swore he even saw an Ivory Billed Woodpecker deep in swamp back in '49. Now his grandfather is gone, how can they protect this paradise from a greedy land developer?  It turns out there are even more threats to their idyllic life—an extremely ambitious woman alligator wrestler and 17 wild feral hogs also pose threats to the ancient Sugar Man Swamp.

Just selling more fried sugar pies doesn't seem to be the answer!

Enjoy Appelt's playful imagination as the solution unfolds.

Told in a down home, folksy style Appelt weaves her story- starting back in 1949- and back even further, to the beginning of the swamp itself. Seemingly random facts emerge seamlessly—we learn about the classic DeSoto, the Polaroid Land camera, the modern stretch Hummer—what is not included in this story you just don't need to know.

This reminds me of Carl Hiaasen's eco-adventures for mid-grades. Both enlist the reader in the fight against mindless development of our wild lands, though this is more fanciful, I must say (if not a tad silly—in a good way, though).

2 thumbs up—a good read for all who are willing to follow where Appelt leads."

  

Barrie Shares Two of Her Favorites

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday. With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when author Catherynne M. Valente first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

Barrie says:

"This is the first book in my new favorite series. They are a perfect combination of all the classic fairy tales with its own twist. September's life goes from boredom in Nebraska to marvelous adventures in Fairyland. While she learns, the reader learns, which may come in hand one day since anyone can go to Fairyland."

 

When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the twelve-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her: She knows that other humans exist because of an item she treasures—a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, “WondLa.”

Breathtaking two-color illustrations throughout display another dimension of the tale, and readers with webcams can also view Augmented Reality that reveals additional information about Eva Nine’s world. Tony DiTerlizzi honors traditional children’s literature in this totally original space-age adventure—one that is as complex as an alien planet, but as simple as a child’s wish for a place to belong.

Barrie says:
"A unique book and beautifully illustrated. Eva Nine was raised by a robot. Underground. When she finally has a chance to go above ground, she finds herself in a foreign world, unlike the one she had been taught was above her home. What happened to all of the other humans? This book is impossible to put down until you have finished it."