Wackiest White House Pets
by Kathryn Gibbs Davis
Published 2004 by Scholastic Press

Library Binding, English. ISBN: 0439443733

Find this book in our catalog.

Jacket Notes:

White House pets come in every size, shape, and species. What are some of the pets that belong to the world's most powerful men and their families? John Quincy Adams' alligator liked to slither across the White House steps and was fond of chasing the guests! Thomas Jefferson took walks around the garden with his pet grizzly bears! James Buchannan received a herd of elephants from the King of Siam! William Howard Taft, who was fond of creamy fresh milk, kept a milk cow in the kitchen! With comical anecdotes and hilarious illustrations, here is a side-splitting look at American history.

11/01/2004 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 -Davis has chosen 15 presidents, briefly summarizing their terms of office and highlighting the unusual animals they kept, as well as the quirky behavior of both the creatures and their owners. While some of the pet facts are mildly entertaining, the book is replete with sweeping generalizations that are often unfounded or misleading. For example: "Jefferson was a true democrat.--¦ [he] not only believed in equal rights for people, he believed in equal rights for animals, too." Jefferson as a slaveholder is ignored. President Buchanan "was too old and cautious to make hard decisions." The relationship drawn between age and decision- making is ridiculous. "World War I was a time of plots and spies under every bed." Will the intended audience recognize the hyperbole here or take it literally? A section presenting some information about the other presidents is included, but with the same difficulties in terms of generalizations. Johnson's watercolor illustrations are amusing, but cannot compensate for the problems with the text. For a humorous, eclectic, but more accurate peek at the presidency, stay with Judith St. George's So You Want to Be President? (Philomel, 2000).-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Whales on Stilts: M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales
by M. T. Anderson
Published 2005 by Harcourt

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0152053409

Find this book in our catalog.

Jacket Notes:

Now available in paperback--the first installment of a riotous and weird new series introducing three intrepid kids who must foil a madman's plan to unleash an army of stilt-walking, laser-beaming, thoroughly angry whales upon the world. Illustrations.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/16/2005

An intrepid trio must defeat an insidious plan to use whales (equipped with metal stilts and laser-beam eyes) in a takeover of the state capital--and then the world!--in this highly wacky novel. Anderson (The Serpent Came to Gloucester, reviewed above) sets a comic tone from the start: "On Career Day Lily visited her dad's work and discovered he worked for a mad scientist who wanted to rule the earth through destruction and desolation." Lily's father, like all the adults in the novel, is blissfully unconcerned about the ludicrous events going on around him (e.g., his boss, Larry, wears a grain sack over his head and extends a blue, rubbery hand when he meets Lily). Her father dismisses the heroine's fears when Larry pronounces that he plans to literally "take over the world" ("Honey, sometimes adults use irony. They don't really mean what they say"). Introspective, shy Lily then turns to her two more brazen friends, each the subject of a successful children's book series (the book's humor is very self-referential--for instance, awkward Harcourt writers follow them around asking for details of their exploits). Armed with an array of adjectives, non-sequiturs, bizarre asides, irrelevant footnotes and running gags, Anderson sends up decades of children's book series, and creates a hysterical tale of his own. Cyrus's meticulously rendered black-and-white illustrations riff on comic books and '50s-era advertisements, escalating the humor factor in this highly accessible volume. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)

05/01/2005 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 4-6 -A story written with the author's tongue shoved firmly into his cheek. Lily Gefelty's father works for a mad scientist who wears a sack over his head. When she overhears him say that he wants to take over the world, her oblivious father assures her, "Honey, sometimes adults use irony. They don't really mean what they say." Nonetheless, the 12-year-old calls on her two best friends, Katie Mulligan, the star of the "Horror Hollow" novels (think "Goosebumps"), and Jasper Dash, also known as the Boy Technonaut (think "Tom Swift"), to investigate. The trio soon learns that Larry does indeed plan to conquer the world using mind-controlled whales on stilts with laser-beam eyes. No adult will believe them, so it's up to the kids to save the Earth. Readers who have graduated from Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) or who know their Lemony Snickets (HarperCollins), should love this first title in a new series. It's full of witty pokes at other series novels and Jasper's nutty inventions.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library

Babymouse Queen of the World!
by Jennifer L. Holm
Published 2005 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Library Binding, English. ISBN: 0375932291

Find this book in our catalog.

Jacket Notes:

It's the same thing every day for Babymouse. Where is the glamour? The excitement? The adventure? Nothing ever changes, until . . . Babymouse hears about Felicia Furrypaws's exclusive slumber party. Will Babymouse get invited? Will her best friend, Wilson, forgive her if she misses their monster movie marathon?

03/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 2-5 -Several things are clear about Babymouse, as evidenced from the cover art-she-s adorable and she loves pink. Luckily, as further pages reveal, she is also smart, spunky, and a tad sarcastic. InOur Hero , Babymouse must face her greatest fear-dodgeball. Felicia Furrypaws has the quickest throw in school and targets a certain mouse. Babymouse must also tackle her second fear, math. InQueen , she tries everything she can think of to get an invitation to Felicia Furrypaws-s slumber party. Meanwhile, she avoids her mouse-eating locker, dreams of being a queen (whose idea of luxury is a plateful of books), and solves a mystery. Finally, handing over her homework results in the coveted invitation, but the party doesn-t turn out as she had hoped. In both books, the hilarious black-and-white illustrations are splashed with pink. Babymouse has a distinct voice and is a real charmer.-Sadie Mattox, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865
by Joyce Hansen
Published 1997 by Scholastic

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0590849131

Find this book in our catalog.

Jacket Notes:

In this latest addition to the Dear America series, Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Joyce Hansen presents the inspiring story of Patsy, a freed girl who becomes a great teacher.

11/01/1997 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 5-8--Set in the days following the Civil War, this novel, written in diary format, traces the thoughts, feeling, and events in the life of 12-year-old Patsy. Like many of the other freed slaves, Patsy remains at Davis Hall plantation to work for her former master for wages. As a joke, she had been given a blank book by Mrs. Davis's niece. Patsy, however, has secretly learned to read and write and now this diary serves as companion as she questions what freedom means, comments on the former slaves as they leave the plantation, wonders what will become of her (a disabled orphan), and writes of her hope to be a teacher. Hansen describes a time not often covered and, in doing so, increases understanding of the Reconstruction period. She never loses sight of the story, however, delivering enough suspense to keep her plot moving. An epilogue, historical note, reproductions of photos, words and music to "Free at Last," a gingerbread recipe, and maps round out the book.--Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI