Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft (Volume 1) by Joe Hill (Story) and Gabriel Rodriguez (Art)

To steal a line from the novel, you enter the story during the end chapters not the beginning. The beginning for us is the tragic scene of Locke family losing their father. For reasons that we are not aware of, two teenagers instigate a brutal crime against the Locke family. After this tragedy, the survivors Nina, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode Locke retreat to Keyhouse in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. Life is not easy for the Lockes, but they try to make the best of it. Not long after they move in, strange things start to happen in the house. Could there be more to it than just creaks and groans?

From the beginning, it is obvious there is more to the story than we are being made aware of. Part of the fun is trying to discover the secrets of Keyhouse. Joe Hill has created a hauntingly tragic world in Locke & Key. The continuing mystery keeps you wanting to turn the pages for more.

Gabriel Rodriguez complements Hill with vibrant and often gory scenes. Once you open the book, you are instantly transported into the world of Lovecraft. The visuals are not for the faint of heart, but really convey what Hill is trying to get across. Together Hill and Rodriguez have spun a fantastic tale that I can’t wait to get more.

Locke & Key (Volumes 1 and 2) have been nominated by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) for their Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2010 list. To see other great novels on this list, check it out here. Due to the content, I would recommend this title to older teens (ages 16 and older).

You can find Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill (Story) and Gabriel Rodriguez (Art) on the VBPL Catalog. If you like this book you may want to check out Hill's other books on the VBPL Catalog 20th Century Ghosts, Heart Shaped Box, Horns, and Locke & Key: Head Games.

Fruits Basket (Volumes 1 through 23) by Natsuki Takaya (Story and Art)

Tohru Honda is an orphaned 16 year old high school student. She has had a hard life, but doesn't let it get her down. Due to various circumstances, she ends up living with her classmate Yuki Sohma and his two cousins, Kyo and Shigure. What she doesn't realize is that the Sohmas have a secret... when they are distressed or hugged by a person of the opposite sex, they transform into one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac!

It doesn't take long for Tohru to discover their secret. She is allowed to stay at the Sohma home and eventually meets the rest of the family members who are cursed by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru share many adventures and hardships along the way but grow closer and become their own version of family.

It is not difficult to understand why Fruits Basket is so popular. Natsuki Takaya has created a believable fantasy world full of vibrant characters. As you follow Tohru through her interactions with the Sohma family, it feels like you are growing with them and sharing in their adventures. Everything is not so sweet in this fairy tale. There is a dark side to this tale that shows how there are many layers to life. It also shows you how resilient people can be and how to overcome pain and obstacles in life. You can go from laughing out loud on one page to running for a box of kleenex to dry your tears on the next.

The artwork is fun and very emotional. Even with a few panels, Takaya makes the emotions fly off the page. I also enjoy the backgrounds of each panel. You could easily miss something if you read too quickly. My only wish is that all of the pages would be in vibrant color, although it is not needed with Takaya's style.

Natsuki Takaya received a Kodansha Manga Award for shojo manga in 2001 for Fruits Basket. More recently, she was nominated in The Female Cartoonists and Comic Book Writer's Hall of Fame category in the 2009 Lulu Awards.

A companion to this shojo manga is the anime based off of the series. This is one way to see the images leap from the pages to the small (or large) screen. The anime only covers a portion of the manga series and leaves you wanting more. If you enjoy the manga, then you will love the anime.

You can find Fruits Basket manga and anime by Natsuki Takaya on the VBPL Catalog. If you enjoyed Fruits Basket and want to read other series by Takaya, check out Phantom Dream and Tsubasa: Those with Wings.

Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

I know baseball season is over and this is the second baseball book review this week--but maybe Keeping Score will help fans and other readers endure the long months till spring training, the time of year Maggie-o finds hardest. Yes, “Maggie-o,” because Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees is her dad’s favorite player. Growing up in 1950s Brooklyn, Maggie is a die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Each of New York City’s three teams needs its loyal backers—especially the Dodgers!

Ten-year-old Maggie could play baseball like her brother if she wanted; a women’s league even played during World War II. What she prefers, though, is picturing the plays and learning the stats as she listens to the games on the radio, often with the guys at the fire station. The newest firefighter is Jim Maine. Though Jim is a Giants fan, a beautiful friendship begins when Maggie sees him scoring a game himself, and he finds out she can follow his complicated records. Before long, Maggie is making enhancements to the scoring codes, and completed scoring notebooks stack up in her closet. Then Jim gets called up to serve in the Army in Korea. So Maggie writes him letters sharing baseball news. When Jim stops answering, she keeps writing for a long time, but wonders whether he is not receiving the letters, he’s upset with her, or . . . something worse. Both before and after Jim returns home, Maggie hopes, then fears, and even wonders if praying for the Giants as well as for Jim might help.

Though Keeping Score is not long or hard, it’s a rich read. Maggie’s score sheets and maps of Korea help us understand the details and the depth of her commitments. Over three baseball seasons, we get to know Maggie’s best friend, family, and firefighter buddies as she sorts through how to act on the challenges before her, with their support or on her own. Maggie is not one to sit and wait to see what happens. Non-baseball-fan that I am, I’ve learned from Maggie in Keeping Score and Ryan in The Comeback Season (see yesterday’s review) that dealing with baseball or life is really about moving forward in hope.

Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park has written several youth and teen historical novels, available at Virginia Beach Public Libraries, dealing with Korean culture as well as American. The movie A League of Their Own introduces women’s baseball of the World War II era. For tweens and others, Dan Gutman’s Baseball Card Adventure series revisits real-life baseball stars’ stories in Jackie & Me, Shoeless Joe & Me, and Mickey & Me. The recent award-winning picture book Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg features a child and his deaf father.

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

The Comeback Season was recommended by a baseball fan who said I’d like it. That made me curious, since I’m not into baseball. High school freshman Ryan Walsh, on the other hand, is definitely into her hometown team, the Chicago Cubs. We meet her on opening day 100 years after the Cubs last won a World Series and, more important, exactly five years after the death of Ryan’s father. Alone in her grief, Ryan skips school for the game; she needs to be there as she and her dad so often were, figuring out what they would give up if the Cubs won. This is going to be an eventful year for Ryan and for the team, but—as usual with the Cubs—we can only hope this will be their comeback season.

Ryan takes the ‘L’ train to Wrigley Field accompanied only by memories of her dad and belief in her team. Once there, she runs into Nick, a sophomore she’s never spoken to, and sharing their loyalty to the Cubs comes quite naturally. Her dad prepared her well for analyzing the players, the plays, the prospects, and the disappointments. Besides, this way she doesn’t have to talk about her mom and stepfather’s expected baby, the friends she doesn’t have anymore, or anything else but baseball. She never wants to talk about her dad with anyone besides her mom, for fear that memories spoken will become inert memorials. She still doesn’t even know how to think about his absence, though she does it all the time. As the season progresses, Ryan’s friendship with Nick develops bumpily, so she can’t help feeling that he’s holding something back, too.

A reader who “gets” baseball might get immersed in The Comeback Season more quickly than I did—or maybe not, since the plot mimics life, never following a straight line, as Ryan is occupied now by where to sit in the lunchroom, now by cleaning up the TV room where she watched Cubs games with her dad, now by looking at the night sky with Nick. Either way, after a while we are fully in the current, though we can’t see around the next bend any more than Ryan can. In her first novel, Jennifer E. Smith explores themes of loss, friendship, and change in fresh ways that definitely do not turn life lessons or baseball parallels into clichés. As Chicago yearns for the Cubs to win, and finally Ryan longs to connect again, there are no easy outs or easy wins here. Just hope.

The teen novel The Comeback Season is a new entry in the long-standing sports genre. For classics in which baseball holds the key to the real thing, check out the movies Bang the Drum Slowly and Field of Dreams, which is based on the book Shoeless Joe. I will also be watching for more from Jennifer E. Smith, who has the potential to be . . . outstanding in her field.

My Chincoteague Pony by Susan Jeffers and Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, ill. Wesley Dennis

Do girls and boys still dream of ponies and horses? I lived and almost breathed horses--reading stories, collecting figurines, and drawing pictures, without a hope of ever having a horse. For those who have ever loved horses in real life or imagination, here are two books based on true stories--a new one and a classic that hasn't lost its power. Susan Jeffers, author and illustrator of the picture book My Chincoteague Pony, was inspired at the age of seven by Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague. Ms. Jeffers even includes a letter from Ms. Henry in My Chincoteague Pony, bringing everything full circle.

Misty of Chincoteague, the 1947 story of Paul and Maureen Beebe, is as dramatic as the annual round-up and running of the wild ponies from Assateague to Chincoteague Islands, not far from Virginia Beach. The brief but vivid backstory of a Spanish galleon carrying ponies to the New World conveys to elementary and middle school readers the fear and excitement of the ponies as they are tossed in the ocean, then on the shore to fend for themselves. Next, we meet the twentieth-century brother and sister who do live and breathe ponies and can hardly wait to capture and purchase one of their own. Now that Paul is old enough to ride on Pony Penning Day, dreams grow into plans, negotiations with Grandpa and Grandma Beebe, work and more work to earn enough money for the mysterious mare called the Phantom. But getting a pony is only the beginning of a new chapter. We ride with Maureen and Paul through hopes and disappointments, adventures, lessons, and surprises, finding that there are some things we can change, but some areas where nature prevails.

A good story for younger lovers of stories and horses, My Chincoteague Pony is updated and simplified, but reflects many elements of its predecessor. The living history, the wildness of the grown ponies, the appeal of the foals—all populate the imagination of Julie, who works as hard as Paul and Maureen to get her own pony, only to come up short. But when an unexpected event and the kindness of strangers intervene to make Julie’s dream come true, she finds out not only that persistence pays off, but that joy can be multiplied by passing it on.


Each book resonates with its own time and place, as well as its audience. The very different illustrations fully complement each story. Illustrator Wesley Dennis’ wild ponies as well as Maureen and Paul’s exploits are beautifully rendered in black and white, while Susan Jeffers’ work brings her picture book to life, from the sparkly cover of My Chincoteague Pony to Julie’s joy in the end. Marguerite Henry’s references to a pony whickering “at the sound of Man’s voice,” Grandpa’s dialect and bristly ears, and the seemingly small amount of money earned for an afternoon of hard work help make Misty of Chincoteague the finest sort of historical novel. We can discuss differences between our world and that of the book, but we also grasp instinctively the timeless experiences of nature and human nature, emotions and relationships--including the ups and downs of a brother and sister together.

In addition to these wonderful reads, you can also find in the VBPL catalog other favorite horse stories, from Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion and Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, to the present-day Pony Pals and Thoroughbred series. Nonfiction brings dreams to life with photographs and facts. Check out The Chincoteague Pony by Charlotte Wilcox and many other nonfiction books written for children about horses of various kinds. There’s also the homegrown Chessy: The Story of a Police Horse in Virginia Beach who may have had his own dreams.

How Many Cats? by Lauren Thompson, Illus. Robin Eley

How Many Cats? challenges the 8-and-under crowd to count the felines as they sneak in and out of the house. Children can see how many cats are at the party on each successive page, counting up to 20 and down again. Early multiplication concepts are even introduced as the cats depart in groups, and those left “leapfrog across the room, two by two” or prowl around “in two troops of three.” Another time through, readers and listeners might search the pages for pieces in the trail of destruction left behind!

Robin Eley’s rich, clear, true-to-life paintings of the animals and the settings make us feel right at home as the cats strew yarn all over (a warning at the front of the book reminds readers that it is not safe for real cats to be left unsupervised with yarn). The many details will delight little ones as the cats explore the bookshelves, climb in drawers, cavort with each other, and play on everything in sight. Those who know cats will recognize hundreds of realistic cat poses and moves as well as a few fanciful ones that just add to the fun.
The rhyming yet conversational text by Lauren Thompson counts and tracks the action without dominating the experience of the pictures. There are tons of delightful opportunities for developing all the early literacy skills.

• Vocabulary is enriched as the cats slink, slip, scamper and jive, spree, and flounce from “How many cats / are here to play? / Zero, zilch. / None today” to “overflowing”.
• The bold print for the number words will help with awareness of print generally.
• To reinforce letter knowledge, can you find the numbers that start with F or S—and hear the difference? Even by pointing to the striped cats or the white cats, and talking about similarities and differences, little ones can get an early start on learning to tell one letter from another, believe it or not!
• Rhyme is great for hearing and playing with the smaller sounds in words, which will come in handy for reading and syllabication later on. The ten-dollar term for that is phonological awareness.
• Building narrative skills is easy when there is so much to notice, describe, count, and talk about.
• And it’s all fun, so motivation to seek out and enjoy books and print will come naturally.

A very different story for cat lovers is Kevin Henkes’ Kitten’s First Full Moon. When you’re ready for a bigger cat-counting challenge, try Cats, Cats, Cats by Lesléa Newman, a rhyming tale of cats ruling the house with the blessing of old Mrs. Brown. The Virginia Beach Public Library staff can easily find counting books that suit you. How many counting books? Well, if you do a Power Search in the catalog for “counting” and limit the audience to “picture book level” you’ll come up with 555 items!

One City Two Brothers by Chris Smith, Illustrations by Aurelia Fronty

The city is Jerusalem before it became a site holy to three religions. This picture book tells a folk tale passed down by both Palestinian Arabs and Jews. The simple fable of two brothers, attributed to wise King Solomon, leads two arguing brothers to reconcile and share. Bright, clear paintings, childlike but nuanced, show the settings of the story and the fable within, as well as conveying the feelings of the brothers.

One City, Two Brothers is perfect for the holidays of any religion, or any time. Children of all ages will follow the plot, anticipating the next step, enjoying the repetition and the surprise. Though the outline is very direct, Chris Smith enriches the telling with dialogue and description. Aurelia Fronty’s art perfectly complements the text, with background colors and borders that amplify the changing days, nights, and seasons. This is a marvelous book for developing narrative skills, an important early literacy factor, since preschoolers will be able to tell it over again through the illustrations. Older children will be inspired by the messages of sharing and of the fabled founding of Jerusalem. In a six-paragraph afterword, the author explains on an elementary level the history both of this story and of Jerusalem. He shares some of the spiritual history of the Holy City as well, pointing out that Jerusalem in the present day could use a bit of Solomon’s wisdom.

Look in the VBPL catalog for One City, Two Brothers. Your library staff can also point you to storybooks and nonfiction, movies and music CDs for a variety of holidays, as well as folktales from a multitude of cultures. One of my favorites is Something from Nothing: Adapted from a Jewish Folktale, by Phoebe Gilman; be sure to watch what the mice are doing down under the house!