Apostrophes, Commas, Misspellings, Oh My!

The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage WIthout Apostrophes!

by Lynne Truss

illustrated by Bonnie Timmons

Any of you grammar nerds out there (stand up! don’t be shy!) should recognize the name of this author. Lynne Truss wrote Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, a wonderfully entertaining book about grammar, spelling, and all things editing that I immediately adored. I had no idea she had written a kid-friendly grammar book, but luckily my mom found this and sent it my way!

Summary

Writing is hard. All those contractions and different spellings of words that sound EXACTLY the same when you say them. It, its, it’s. Where, were, we’re. One misplaced or omitted apostrophe and you’ve changed the whole meaning of your sentence. Luckily, we have a clever, grammar-loving author to help us out.

The Girl’s Like Spaghetti is a hilarious illustrated book that shows how a simple grammatical error can cause quite a bit of confusion. Take the title as an example: “The Girl’s Like Spaghetti.” Umm, I’ve never met a girl who resembles spaghetti. I have met a girl who likes spaghetti though. Ha! So clever! Miss Truss also throws in some of those tricky apostrophes that go after an “s.” I can’t tell you how many battles I have fought over the proper way to write Texas in the plural. Texas’s, Texas’ ... it’s enough to make anyone go mad. The last pages of the book break down each of the examples, and explain the various plural and singular possessives that are used.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Heck yeah! This is a quick and entertaining read, and the illustrations drive the grammar home perfectly. Don’t be fooled: this is not a boring, “let’s learn how to use apostrophes and write properly” kind of book. It is a great balance of entertaining and educational material, and I think readers of all ages can learn something from it!

Recommended for any age!

Sweet and Spicy

Gingerbread

by Rachel Cohn

Last month, I fell hard for Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, coauthored by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. I learned from the book jacket that it was the third book the pair wrote together, the first being Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist. A little more research pointed me to a few titles that Cohn had authored independently, one of which was Gingerbread, which I actually owned but had never read.

Summary

As a love child born to a woman having an affair with a married man, the only time Cyd Charisse has met her father was when she was 5-years old and got to have lunch with him at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He gave her a doll and some gingerbread, a treat which inspired the name for her doll.

Cyd’s troubled beginning in life seems to have set the tone for her later years. When Gingerbread readers first meet her, Cyd has just been kicked out of boarding school and has returned to her home in San Francisco where she lives with her mother and stepfather. Her uber-controlling mother is driving her up the wall, and once she realizes that her boyfriend isn’t as sure about her as she is about him, Cyd is ready for a change. In a rather fortuitous act of timing, her father (the real one!) has recently asked if she could come visit him in New York for a bit. Her mother relents, and Cyd finds herself off to a city she has only thus far dreamed about inhabiting. What follows is less of a quest for distraction and play time, and more of a journey of self-discovery and understanding about herself and the people in Cyd’s life.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Gingerbread was a pleasant surprise for me. I didn’t think I would like it at first (Cyd is quite tough, and for some reason her initial attitude grated on my nerves), but I was quickly won over. Cyd can be tough to like - she is defiant, rebellious, and totally honest - but under her tough exterior, she is caring and smart, and just wants a little love and respect, as well as some understanding about her rather screwy life. Definitely a book worth staying up for.

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Oh, Bull!

The Story of Ferdinand

by Munro Leaf

illustrated by Robert Lawson

There are some books that I am happy to read over and over again, simply because the story or characters make me smile every time. The Story of Ferdinand is one of those books, and I have to admit that I've had days where I pull it off the shelf at the library simply to lose myself in its lovely simplicity for a few moments.

Summary

Ferdinand is not your typical bull. While the other bulls in his pasture like to run and jump and butt heads, Ferdinand is content to sit quietly under his favorite tree and smell the flowers. One day, a group of matadors come to check out the bulls and choose one for the big bullfight that's coming up in Madrid. An unfortunate incident involving a bee results in Ferdinand being carted off to Madrid, where he finds himself being cheered (and feared!) by all the excited citizens at the bullfight. However, when Ferdinand makes his entrance in the ring, he happily plops down to enjoy the scent of the flowers that all the women have in their hair for the occasion. His sweet nature gets him carted right back to his pasture, where he is free to be his sweet, peaceful self.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Ferdinand is absolutely worth staying up for! The Story of Ferdinand is one of those books that just makes me smile, and I'm happy to read it anytime. The illustrations are fantastic - simple black and white drawings, but very expressive, and detailed enough to hold your eye. Ferdinand himself is a wonderful character, and a perfect example of how appearances don't indicate everything about someone.

Recommended for any age.

Please Feed the Monkeys

Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater

by Matthew Amster-Burton

I’m going to break the rules here to tell you about a book that isn’t for kids but is about them. More specifically, it’s about feeding them, and doing so without stocking your pantry with jarred baby foods or other scary processed items.

This is a nonfiction, memoir-ish book ... I think this is a first for Up Past Bedtime!

Summary

In the opening pages of Hungry Monkey, Seattle-based food writer Matthew Amster-Burton openly admits that one of his first thoughts when he learned of his wife’s pregnancy was concern about future years of bland/boring/repetitive foods that would invade his kitchen. But one day, after his daughter had been in the world for a few months, Amster-Burton was leaving a donut shop and a bit of his chocolate donut fell right onto baby Iris’ head - only to be quickly snatched into her open mouth. Nothing bad happened. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it. While he doesn’t begin feeding her everything he enjoys right at that moment, Amster-Burton began to wonder if maybe his fears were misplaced and that the many warnings about feeding solid foods to youngsters were a little over-the-top.

After this amusing introduction, Hungry Monkey dives into the first few years of baby Iris’ foray into food, beginning with milk and quickly expanding to things like Veggie Booty, sushi, and duck. Amster-Burton is eager and inventive in his quest to introduce his daughter to the foods he loves, and he finds great joy in sharing her first tastes with her.

While she is an adventurous eater, Iris also displays the typical qualities of a developing palate. She starts out trying everything and anything that hits her plate, but around age 2 she begins to reject foods she once loved, opting instead for an endless repetition of typical kid-friendly foods such as hot dogs, pizza, or rice. All the while, Amster-Burton gives her opportunities to try new things, and brings her into the kitchen to cook with him. He includes recipes that Iris herself ate and enjoyed, and even gives tips on what steps can be completed by “little fingers.”

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Whether you have a hungry monkey of your own or not, this book is definitely worth your time. Amster-Burton is hilarious, and his ideas and methods for introducing Iris to different foods are great. Where many books about how to feed young or picky eaters rely on sneaking healthy ingredients into loved dishes (beets in chocolate cake, anyone?), Amster-Burton recognizes the intelligence of discerning young palates and instead relies on patience, variety, participation and gentle encouragement.

Recommended for anyone with their own hungry monkey, or those with an interest in food and the feeding of kiddos.

To Put You in the Holiday Spirit ...

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Do you remember a few years ago when the movie Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist came out? Well, it was based on a book of the same name by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cohn and Levithan have now written three books together, and Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is the third story these clever authors have dreamed up for us.

Summary

Dash and Lily are New York City teens who have found themselves on their own for Christmas. Dash (a decidedly non-Christmasy type) is quite happy with his situation. He has told each parent he would be staying with the other for the holiday, thus ensuring each went out of town, leaving him free to do his own thing and avoid the various merriment of the season. Lily, however (who LOVES Christmas to the point of wearing reindeer-adorned skirts and forming neighborhood caroling groups), is feeling a bit abandoned. Her parents are taking a long-overdue honeymoon, leaving her at home with her brother, who is really too busy with his boyfriend to spend time with Lily during her favorite holiday. However, in an effort to spice up Lily's somewhat plain life, her brother and his boyfriend help her devise a little game that will (hopefully) help her meet a guy.

A red moleskine notebook is left on a shelf at the Strand, and inside it are clues for a dare. The instructions are clever, so not just any average book browser would be up for the challenge. When Dash finds the notebook, he is immediately intrigued. The notebook's owner is obviously on his level, and he can't help but begin following the clues, thus taking the bait and beginning what becomes a citywide game of adventures and encounters with various people in each teen’s life. Not only does the notebook continue to lead Dash and Lily to each new destination in the game, it becomes a place where they get to know each other. Questions, memories and observations allow the two to try to piece together what the other is like, and also help them realize some of their own dreams and limitations.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

YES. I absolutely loved this book. It was smart, snarky, fun, whimsical and completely enjoyable from start to finish. While the obvious question that hangs over the reader’s head is “when will they meet?” the time that Dash and Lily spend getting to know each other through the notebook is completely enjoyable. While there was a certain amount of happenstance involved, I appreciated that Cohn and Levithan gave their characters some control over their own destinies. All the New York moments were wonderful as well, and I found myself happily remembering my past trips to the Empire State while I read about Dash and Lily’s adventures. This book is a must anytime of year, but it is especially perfect with the Christmas season upon us.

Recommended for ages 14 and up.