Book Talk: Bigger Than a Breadbox

Laurel Snyder's most recent publication, Bigger Than a Breadbox, did not disappoint.  I have this book loaded on our library's nooks for our student book club.  Since we started with our teacher book club in the month of October, I invited the teacher readers to read Laurel's books if they finished The Graveyard Book before the month was over.  One teacher, in particular, came to me after reading Penny Dreadful to gush over Laurel's writing style, describing it as "so smooth"!  I couldn't agree more.  She was excited to download Bigger Than a Breadbox and get started with reading it as soon as possible.  Likewise, I think our students will enjoy this book as well as the others available by Laurel Snyder.

This book deals, predominantly, with the main character and her experiences during her parents' painful and traumatic separation.  Semi-autobiographical, Laurel's writing conveys the emotion this turbulent time embodies.  The bread box itself is a magical element...or is it?  Decide for yourself when you check out Bigger Than a Breadbox.

Penny Dreadful Book References

Throughout Penny Dreadful, there are many references to different books and Penny sees similarities (and differences) between herself in the character.  She often muses how things would happen IF this were a book.

Anne of Green Gables
"She had just finished Reading the very last Anne of Green Gables book, and she was depressed at the thought of what to do next."

A Little Princess
"One day, inspired by a book called The Little Princess, Penelope asked her mother to invite Jane (or Olivia, if Jane was busy; it didn't much matter) over to spend the night.

The Penderwicks
"After standing in her room examining her bookcase for inspiration and pondering the problem at hand, Penelope struck upon a book - The Penderwicks - and a solution.  The Greyson needed a vacation!

Little Women
"She sat in her covers and inhaled deeply the dusty perfume of dried flowers, lavender maybe.  It was nice, like something out of Little Women."

Ramona
"Penny was taken aback.  She didn't know about dibs, though she was almost sure she'd read about it in a book.  Maybe it had been a Ramona book?"

Bridge to Terabithia
"But looks could be deceiving.  Maybe Duncan was like an upsetting book with an ordinary, happy cover.  Maybe he was Bridge to Terabithia."

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
"It made Penny feel very, very good, though it seemed a funny thing to be happy about - not at all like something that would happen in a book.  Unless maybe the book was Mrs. Piggle Wiggle."

Ballet Shoes
"Delia had said that they each had a job to do, but besides running a lemonade stand, or becoming a dancer in a pantomime like the three sisters from Ballet Shoes, Penny couldn't think of any way for a kid her age to make money."

The Whippoorwillows reminded me of Pippie Longstocking, which did not get a mention.

And finally, from Penny Dreadful: "A door will only open for one who turns the knob."

Dreadfully AWESOME

When I read the title, Penny Dreadful, I thought perhaps something dreadful would happen, or perhaps, that the character Penny was, in fact, dreadful. I was pleasantly surprised that nothing dreadful (at least in my opinion) happened, though there were plot twists and turns that weren't altogether happy either. And the character, Penelope Grey, or Penny, is awesome, with a great deal of growth as a character throughout the story. She finds her "inner resourcefulness" and Sheri ds a friend, or two, or three, or four. And she finds out how to be happy. Her parents, too, are well drawn characters who flip expectations on their head. I noticed in Laurel Snyder's other books that she makes reference to elements of a good story and this book isno different. Often, characters make reference to something sounding like it belonged in a book. Penny makes reference to many of the books she has read. I'm hoping to compile a post with all those books, but as I didn't have post it's with me and read ever so quickly, it was hard to mark those occurrences, so I will just have to go back through to find them again. Darn. But, for example, and this is quite early in the book, so I don't think I'm giving too much away here: "This sorry state of affairs was only made more awful by the fact that Penelope had read enough books (they were just about the only thing that Penelope did not find boring) to know that bored little girls who live in mansions are usually spoiled.". So, that's where Penny starts: bored, spoiled, lonely, and sad. But where she ends up, both mentally and physically, is very different.

In addition to the excellent writing, I enjoyed the accompanying cover art and interior illustrations created by Abigail Halpin. They reflected the life and transformation of the story and the extension of a family to include friends and neighbors.

Check out Penny Dreadful today, if not sooner, as well as Laurel Snyder's other novels and picture books. Once I receive Bigger Than a Breadbox in the mail, you can expect to hear about it shortly thereafter.

Oh, wait...I never explained the title Penny Dreadful. I love when I learn something new or something I've never heard before and this is an instance of that. "Tney're, like, the very first comic books. Cheap old action stories. Chock-full of excitement and mystery. Thrills on every page, though not exactly what you'd call great literature."

Endorsements

So far, so good. I read the back cover of Penny Dreadful and this is what it said:

"I wanted to climb inside this book and pull it over my head!".
-Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal -winning author of When You Reach Me

"Penny Dreadful is Perfectly Delightful!"
- Jennifer L. Holm, two-time Newbery Honor-winning author of Penny From Heaven and Our Only May Amelia

Only two of my favoritest authors in the world endorsing the work of one of my new favorites. Hooked before I've cracked a page.

Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains

On the heels of "Any Which Wall" which was a somewhat drawn out read for me, through no fault of the book or author, but rather my nagging personal life, I picked up another book. Y Laurel Snyder, "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains.". As I sometimes/always do, I studied the cover. And I thought, "eh.". The cover art didn't speak to me, didn't draw me in, but I had made a commitment to read each of Laurel Snyder's books, saving Penny Dreadful for last, since that cover art did appeal to me. And, not actually last, as a Random House rep did contact me today to get the shippingnaddress for Bigger Than a Breadbox which will technically be last. So, all this to say that you really should not judge a book by its cover, or even the description. When I read the inside jacket flap, I decided this book may find the main character having an adventure similar to the one we read about in The Phantom Tollbooth. And there were some similarities, but this book stands out on it's own. Now, I am a relatively fast reader, but even this was faster than normal. I finished "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains" in two days, without breaking a sweat. Actually that last part is not at all true. I DID break a sweat. I brought the book with me to the gym and read while using the elliptical machine and the treadmill and stayed on longer than I normally might have because I did. not. want. to. put. it. down. So look at that, this book is good for your health too! Once again, Laurel Snyder uses her voice as an author to speak directly to the reader in asides and even defines tricky words when warranted in plain terms. She also incorporates her knack for poetry as she includes verse for the main character, Lucy, who often breaks out in song. Lucy is a strong character, supported by her best friend Wynston (who happens to be a prince, though that's not really his fault). The two find their own individual and joint adventures up and (as the title suggests) down the Scratchy Mountains.

My favorite quote can be found on page 106:
"I've never bben here before, if that's what you mean. But I'm not sure that not having been someplace is quite the same as not belonging."

Keep this in mind as we welcome new students to our schools this fall.

Any Which Wall

In preparation for the Skype visit we won from Laurel Snyder, I'm planning to read several of her books, including the soon to be released "Bigger Than A Breadbox", "Penny Dreadful", and "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountain.". The first I had to read was "Any Which Wall.". As I was also helping my sister to prepare for her wedding, I had some difficulty giving this selection the sustained attention that it deserves, but I did finish. I like the way the chapters were organized around each character's individual wish and adventure. I also love any time an author speaks directly to a reader as Laurel Snyder does in this story. When Roy, Susan, Emma, and Henry find the wall, they have to figure out (a) that it is magic, and (b) its magic rules. Through their travels, they do just that and meet many characters both ordinary (or common) and extraordinary. One of those characters ties it all together from the beginning to the end: Merlin. That's right, Merlin. Merlin had a lot of great lines in "Any Which Wall" and I don't think that, taken out of context, they give too much away, so...here are a few:

"That's very dangerous," said Merlin, shaking his head from side to side, "not thinking."

"You can't expect to be other than you are," said the wizard, "It's a lot of work to pretend....people have to remain who they are. They can change the way they look, their outsides, maybe, but the essence of who they are never changes.... "

"It is everywhere, magic," said Merlin, "Always, and in the commonest places. Only most people don't know what they're looking for."

Laurel Snyder uses an interesting tactic of peeking into the future chapters through an action of the characters seeing a glimpse of their own futures which pertains, in the end, to each of their wall wishes. This keeps the reader predicting and discovering right along with the characters.

I enjoy Laurel Snyder's writing style and am excited to explore her other novels. "Any Which Wall" is a good next step for students who have enjoyed The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne or the baseball card adventure series by Dan Gutman.

Keepin' Kosher

Our school library serves a diverse population of students, and I do my best to find books that speak to our students. I think I have found just that in Baxter, The Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher by Laurel Snyder. After earning a spot in Ms. Snyder's 100 Schools in 100 Days Skype project, I'm doing my best to devour everything she has written to prepapre myself and was delighted to find Baxter in this way. Many of our students enjoy celebrating Shabbat each Friday evening with their families and I'm sure those that don't will be delighted to think that, like Baxter, they might be invited as well. I invite you to check out Baxter and Laurel Snyder's other great books. I'll be posting about others in the weeks to come.