Mmm ... Donuts ....

The Donut Chef

by Bob Staake

I have a confession to make. I'm one of those people who like to children's books to have a lesson embedded in the story. It doesn't have to be overly preachy or obvious or thought-provoking, but just something to make you think, if only a little bit. Even if kids can't always comprehend big meaning and implications, they get the gist of these things.

Now that you know about my lofty ideals (well, one of them), you will understand why I was quite happy to stumble upon The Donut Chef, which is a nod to the overly competitive marketplace of outlandish food items that Americans are so accustomed to.

Summary

One day, a charmingly round donut chef notices a busy street corner that he thinks would be the perfect spot for a donut shop. He cleans up the kitchen, whips together some flour, sugar and lard and begins selling his donuts to happy folks of every age (presumably he leased the space before all this, but that isn’t mentioned ...). His donuts are a huge hit, and it's not long before news of his success spreads and a competing donut shop opens up RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

The donut chef suddenly finds himself battling for customers by making unlimited quantities of artful and outlandish donuts in order to compete with his fancy neighbor. Cherry-frosted lemon bar, peanut-brickle buttermilk, gooey cocoa-mocha silk - nothing is too crazy for these donut chefs! But soon, the customers get bored. The donuts don’t even resemble donuts anymore, what with all the crazy flavors, colors and shapes the chefs have baked! But it isn't until one day when a little girl makes a request for a simple glazed donut that the donut chef realizes the beautiful appeal of a classic. He revamps his shop - Amazing Glazed: Simply Glazed Donuts -, and gains back his loyal customers.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Yes, although you might need a snack after you finish! I'm not always a fan of rhyming verse in picture books, but Staake did a great job with this whimsical tale. The art is hilarious (the donut chef is a round and jovial man who looks slightly like the Michelan man, and the customers are a charming array of shapes and colors), and the subtle message is a great one in our modern food world where crazy options abound. Definitely recommended ... and some munchies close at hand!

Love and Sex at 17

Forever: A Novel

by Judy Blume

Continuing with my plan to tackle some of the Judy Blume books I missed out on when I was younger, I decided that my third book by this lovely author would be the one I continually see on lists of challenged or banned books. Forever is Blume's story of teenage love (and sex!), and I decided it was high time I found out what all the fuss was about.

Summary

Forever opens at a New Year's Eve party, where high school seniors Katherine and Michael meet through mutual friends. Kathy has dated before, but never very seriously, and she has not had sex. When she and Michael get together, something is different. She is curious about him in ways she hasn't been about other guys, and she feels comfortable with him. She knows she wants her first time to be with someone she loves, and those feelings seem to be surfacing now.

What follows is the teenage love affair of Kathy and Michael, and their seemingly unrelenting desire for one another. As always, Blume is frank and honest in her descriptions of their words and deeds - nothing raunchy or terribly naughty, just straight-forward and true to life. While Kathy and Michael explore their feelings and desires for one another, Kathy learns about her friends sexual experiences as well, which provide a great example of some of the possible outcomes of choosing to have sex.

Though Kathy and Michael promise each other that their love is forever, as they finish their high school careers and begin to look toward the future, Kathy realizes that her feelings can change.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

I did indeed stay up to find out if Kathy and Michael's love would last forever, and I found myself reliving my own high school relationships as I made my way through the book. Some of the slang terms are slightly dated, as it was written in 1975, but the feelings, questions, and emotions are timeless. As always, Blume does a fantastic job representing the inner workings of the teenage brain, and I appreciated that she provided a range of situations and useful information regarding the pleasures, responsibilities, and consequences that come with the decision to have sex.

Regarding the appropriate audience for this book, I would wholeheartedly recommend this for ages 16 and up. Maybe 15. I do not believe the content is offensive or inappropriate, and it is in fact informative and thought-provoking, which is what teenagers need in order to figure out all the confusions of growing up. As I was reading it, I found myself wishing someone had given it to me to read in high school! Here's hoping that teenage girls keep on discovering this classic!

Fourth Grade was Weird for Me, Too

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

by Judy Blume

Don’t ask me how it happened, but somehow I managed to get through childhood without reading a single Judy Blume book. Seriously. It wasn’t until last year when I was getting ready to start library school that I finally got around to reading Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret. I’d like to attribute this strange occurrence to the fact that I would always read above my grade level. I was the kid who read The Pelican Brief in sixth grade.

Whatever the case may be, I’ve decided to start making my way through Blume’s works, because she is lovely. Superfudge has always caught my eye (awesome title, how can you not be curious?), so I decided I had better start with its predecessor, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

Summary

Peter Hatcher seems to have a pretty good life. He lives in New York City, has his own room, and has a pet turtle named Dribble. The only thing not-so-great about Peter’s life is his little brother, Fudge. Fudge thinks he’s just the greatest thing ever, and a lot of the time, other people think so, too. No matter how much trouble he makes, how stubbornly he behaves, or goofy he looks (we’re talking self-inflicted haircuts and missing teeth here!), Fudge just always seems to get the attention.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing captures a series of events in Peter’s life, all of which involve some sort of mishap with Fudge. However, despite the frustration that he often feels with his younger brother, Peter is wise enough to realize that Fudge will not always be this way, and that even though he may be a magnet for attention and affection right now, there are things he doesn’t know that Peter himself has already figured out.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Anyone with a younger sibling who has caused trouble in his or her life will definitely want to stay up for this book. I enjoyed reading about Peter’s daily struggles with Fudge, and I appreciated his realizations and decisions that helped him deal with his frustrations. Fudge’s behavior is hilarious, and I laughed out loud at several of the situations he got himself into. Blume is a great writer - she can really bring characters to life and paint a relatable scene for her reader. A great read for any youngster (or 20-something who might have missed out on it the first time around!).

Sit! Stay! Read!

Chowder

by Peter Brown

When it comes to children’s books, only animal lovers need apply. Or so it seems if one is to browse the shelves of picture books at the local library or bookstore. Animals of all kinds are great protagonists for children’s stories, and when I saw the cover of Chowder I knew I had to meet him.

Summary

Chowder is a handsome bulldog who lives with the Wubbingtons. Unlike other dogs, Chowder seems to have a taste for more stimulating activities - reading the newspaper, smelling the flowers, listening to music. He even uses the toilet. However, his human-esque qualities set him apart from other animals. In fact, he has been told by other dogs that he belongs in a zoo. Poor Chowder is a bit lonely, really.

When Chowder notices a billboard for a petting zoo at the local superstore, he thinks this might be just the place to find some friends. He eagerly devises a way to get the Wubbingtons to the store. Upon his arrival, the zoo animals roll a ball to Chowder, who kicks it so hard it lands in a tree. Before he can so much as apologize, Chowder is swept up by his owners and taken into the store to shop (he usually likes to do these kinds of activities, after all). But Chowder is distressed by the lost ball, and decides he has to get it back to the animals - maybe then they’ll play with him. What ensues is a minor drama that ends in happy friendship.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

As a person with a weakness for dogs who have squashed faces, wrinkled faces, or underbites, I was immediately intrigued by this book. The illustrations were my favorite part. Chowder portrays many emotions so clearly, and I completely loved seeing him laying in a shopping cart, smelling a flower, and dancing to music. I love that Chowder didn’t try to change in order to make friends, and that he found ones who were accepting of his differences. I definitely recommend staying up late with this clever guy!

The Lure of Immortality

Series Review

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel, incorporating The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, and The Necromancer

by Michael Scott

I also wanted to title this post, “Why the heck haven’t more people heard of this series, it’s amazing and everyone should read it!!” because I am baffled that there aren’t more people who are aware of it. Especially considering the fact that these books continually rank on the New York Times bestseller list.

Moving on.

It is so hard to summarize the plot in this series because it is so chock full of details and interesting tidbits, but I’ll do my best.

Summary

Do you know about Nicolas Flamel? I, perhaps like most people, first learned about him from Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or, Harry Potter and the Alchemist’s Stone for those readers in the UK). Nicolas Flamel (who was a real person, by the way, but I’ll be discussing the literary figure from here out) is the only known maker of the sorcerer’s/alchemist’s stone, which allows the creator to make the elixir of life and turn any metal into solid gold. That much is similar between the two books, but get all thoughts of the Nicolas Flamel in HP out of your head now, because we are about to dive into a completely different character and story line.

In Michael Scott’s first book of the series, The Alchemyst, we meet Nicolas Flamel, introduced as Nick Fleming, in modern-day San Francisco. He runs a bookstore with his wife, Perenelle, introduced as Perry. He has a young employee, Josh, whose twin 15-year-old sister, Sophie, works at a coffee shop across the street. On the day we meet these four, Sophie notices some odd-looking men entering the bookstore from her vantage point at the coffee shop. Across the street, Josh is processing a new shipment of books in the basement, and as he climbs the stairs into the store, he comes across Nick in battle with the well-dressed man Sophie had been watching. The two are calmly but swiftly fighting each other, throwing what look like balls of light back and forth. The air reeks of sulfur and mint. The man, whom Nick refers to as Dee, steals a book that Nick has been holding and heads for the door. Josh lunges at Dee, and manages to rip two pages out of the book before Dee flees the scene.

I hope you don’t feel like I spoiled anything yet. This all happens in the first few pages.

It turns out that the book Dee stole is the Codex, an ancient tome that holds the secrets of the world, including instructions on how to make the sorcerer’s stone. Nicolas and Perry have been keeping this book safe for centuries, because, in the wrong hands, it could be deadly. Josh and Sophie are quickly drawn into Nick and Perry’s world, and learn that nothing in their lives is as it seemed. There is magic, immortality, legend and myth all around, and the twins are a fated part of the drama and adventure that is about to ensue.

What follows this insanely informative beginning is a whirlwind adventure so magnificent and imaginative I cannot even begin to do it justice. As of this writing, I have read the four books listed above (The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, and The Necromancer). There is a fifth book coming, The Warlock, but it won't be out until next year.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Do I even have to tell you that I lost sleep in my eagerness to read these books? They are like a sophisticated version of the Percy Jackson series. There are numerous references to classical and even ancient literature, history, myth, and legend. The story is smart and thought-provoking, yet not so much that it will evade younger readers. Part of me is frustrated that it is taking Scott so long to wrap it all up. I want to know what happens! However, none of the books have felt unnecessary. The characters are so well-developed, and the story is enmeshed with so many mesmerizing details that I find myself turning page after page after page, although I will admit to throwing down The Necromancer in frustration when I learned that things hadn’t been resolved by the end it.

Go out and get these books. You won’t be sorry.