The 9 Lives of Alexander Baddenfield

The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfieldby John Bemelmans Marciano

139 pages telling delightfully evil tale of a boy who gets everything he wants – or does he?

The 9 LIVES of Alexander Baddenfield is funny.  For all time the Baddenfields have been bad and the Winterbottoms have served them, trying to keep them safe and trying to steer them in a better direction.  It hasn’t worked well the Baddenfields have always been greedy and evil.  From the first Boddenveld of Holland who created the 1637 tulip debacle to Pieter Boddenveld in New Amsterdam (now New York) who made mass profit selling the land he had purchased for about $24 in beads to Rolf Baddenfeld of Virginia colony who invented the cigarette and Weems Baddenfield who cut down the cherry tree and blackmailed his playmate, George into taking the fall for it.  Right from the start the Baddenfields had been bad.  They had been able to make a fortune, but never to enjoy it.  Each one had died young.  26 was an old age for a Baddenfield, and Alexander, only remaining Baddenfield, wanted to change that. At 12 his only friend was his cat, Shaddenfrood and looking at his cat, Alexander wondered, “If a cat could have nine lives, why couldn’t he?”

Once Alexander had that idea, nothing could stand in his way.  He went to all the doctors.  He went to all the scientists.  He went to the Head Executive Vice President for Baddenfield Pharmaceuticals (BaddPharm for short) to get what he wanted.  The researchers there didn’t seem to have any ideas either.

When Alexander could take no more, he held up a hand and said, “Enough!  If you think you can confuse and bore me into going away, you’re wrong.  Is it too much to ask for you to solve one little problem?  Is it going to be the think tank for all of you?”  Normally, a think tank is a gathering of top minds; at BaddPharm, it was a literal steel tank that employees were locked into.  “And no one gets out until someone give me something that helps!”

“How about Dr. Graft?”

The name cracked the silence of the room like a put of potato chips in a library.  Everyone turned to look at who had said it, a low-level intern in the fungus department.  “Oh,” said the man sheepishly and shrank down in his chair.

But Dr. Graft is just the person Alexander needs.  He gets his transplant, but without a change in his reckless, selfish ways will that been enough?  You’ll have to read The 9 LIVES of Alexander Baddenfield to find out.

Choosing read alouds…

I am looking for new chapter read alouds for the beginning of the year.  I am searching for a book we can read in a week.  I am looking for a book that will remind my newly minted third graders of the joys of reading and of what they can do.  I know some of them have read off and on over the summer and some of them have not.

I grew up in a lake town.  All winter long we skated and went sledding.  When May came, we waited for the ice to go out.  We waited for the first few warm days and then we’d ride to the town wharf for the first icy plunge.  I remember standing there toes curled over the edge, arm arched above my head readying myself for the first deep dive – a little question niggling at the back of my mind, “after all the days, all these months, will I remember how…” Push.  Splash.  Gasp.  Yes!  I am looking for the perfect book to dive in together.  We’ll go deep and swim back to the surface with the exhilarated feeling of our new reading year begun.

The books should be fun, full adventure, conjure questions and beg us to explore. They should be new to most, if not all, of the readers in our class. And they should open the door to the world of reading for all.

8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel [Divided By] 1 Dog = ChaosSo far I am considering 8 Class Pets +1 Squirrel÷1Dog=CHAOS by Vivian Vande Velde.  In it Twitch, the squirrel, lives outside a school.  He begins the story by explaining how much fun he has on the jungle gyms people leave in their yards for him often centered around a snack bar.  While he’s telling about this new “spinney disc” he loses track of time.  He stays out too late and gets chased away by a swooping owl.  To escape the owl, Twitch unfortunately scampers across a dog’s nose.  The dog takes up the chase.  Twitch is desperate to escape he runs into the first place he finds – the open door of the neighboring school.  The dog runs in too, just as the custodian puts the ladder away, shuts the door and leaves for the night.  Twitch and the dog are locked in and the chase is still on.  The classroom pets of the schoolrooms where the action is taking place, tells how the chase is progressing in each chapter – there are eight.  It’s really great fun – and both nothing you and imagine, and everything you can predict at the same time.  The class will be laughing and shaking their heads in surprise as we reach the end.  That’s why I think that might be a good choice.

 

Emily's FortuneEmily’s Fortune by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds might also be a good choice.  In it Emily, age eight, suddenly finds herself alone save for her turtle Rufus.  Emily’s mother had worked for wealthy, Miss Luella Nash.  Unfortunately, an untimely carriage accident had left her an orphan.  Her neighbors, Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim and Mrs. Fire had tried to help.   Emily had an aunt by marriage – her father’s sister in-law and she had an uncle – her mother’s brother.  Emily didn’t know either of them well, but her memory of Aunt Hilda’ was warm and kind, while her memory of Uncle Victor frightful and fearsome.   The neighbor ladies had asked questions, offered advice and in the end had suggested that she go to live with her Aunt Hilda in Redbud.  To get there Emily would have to go on a train to Trumpet Junction and from there catch a stage coach the rest of the way.  She would be alone – could she do it?  Just that would be hard enough, but that is not all Emily has to deal with.  She has to keep out of the clutches of Catchum Child- Catching Services.  She has to hide from those who would like to kidnap her and from her fierce uncle who has recently become interested in what she can do for him.  This book is suspenseful with just the right amount of surprising twists to keep the story moving.  The characters are interesting – the kind of people you’d like to spend time with and the writing is fun.  You’ll read right up to the end before you discover “what in blinkin’ bloomers Emily is going to do.”

Marty McGuire

White Fur FlyingFrom there I could choose Marty McGuire or White Fur Flying and then I bet we’ll be ready to sink our teeth into a more complex read aloud that really gets us thinking – The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, The Vengekeep Prophecies, The Golden Door…  What would you suggest?  What read aloud do you remember most?

M is For Mama’s Boy

NERDS: Book Two: M Is for Mama's Boyby Michael Buckley

If you could have your weakness upgraded and turned into a super power, what strength do you think you would have?

I came to the NERDS series just as the fourth had been published.  I have a hard time with name calling even if it’s supposed to be funny.  I know – snap judgments are not usually accurate – but I passed these books by in the bookstore with just a glance.  Then Ellie started reading them.  “Read from here to here,” she’d say.  “It’s funny.”  She was right.  It was.  While she was enjoying books one, two and three, talk of The Sisters Grimm series was filling our classroom.  That’s when I noticed they had the same author.  I loved his writing in the Sisters Grimm books.  “Okay,” I thought.  “Time to give this a chance.  It’s obviously not what you thought.”

I read the first as summer vacation started and just finished M is for Mama’s Boy, the second this week.  The third and fourth are sitting in one of my to-be-read piles.  I’ll get to them soon.  The NERDS are school-aged secret agents who save the world.  Selected for the team because of their unique qualities, these perceived weaknesses have been highlighted and upgraded with nanotechnology to create super skills.  Together the team has the resources and abilities to save the world from every and any super villain.  The villain in this case is Simon.  He has reappeared with squirrel squadron to do his bidding – along with one Goon.

When the robberies begin happening there is no sense of urgency.  Just another bad guy to be stopped, but Albert Nesbitt notices something odd.  He spends his time locked in the basement of his mother’s house watching TV, building computers, reading graphic novels and dreaming of becoming a super hero.  Albert dreams of doing good in the world and of becoming Captain Justice.  Somehow his dream is twisted around and he becomes entangled with Simon, the evil genius bent on humiliating the NERDS and taking over the world by controlling every computer on Earth.

In disabling Earth’s computers, Simon also disables the super power upgrades of the NERDS.  That’s especially challenging for Duncan, a.k.a. Gluestick.  Always a thoughtful, kind person, Duncan isn’t sure he has any worth without his special powers or his gadgets and gizmos.  Duncan loses confidence.  He’s sure he can’t do anything.  He can’t fit in even when he is trying to be “normal.”  But, he realizes he also can’t sit around and see his family threatened or let his friends face life-threatening danger alone.  Can “ordinary “save the world?  Maybe.  You’ll have to read M is for Mama’s Boy to find out.

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage

Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage (Clover Twig, #1)by Kaye Umansky

about 250 pages of magical gadgets, interesting characters and exciting adventures for middle grade readers and everyone who appreciates good friends

Clover Twig is sensible.  She is dependable, thoughtful and unflappable – important qualities if you are going to work for a witch.  That is what Clover, the eldest daughter of the Twig family, does in Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage.  She answers  Mrs. Eckles ad, and though she does not seem to fit all the qualifications (she doesn’t look all that strong), she is hired.  From that day on Clover lives and works at the magical cottage six days a week.  Clover is unfazed by the oddities around her.  She has a cottage to clean, food to purchase in town and meals to prepare.  She has eggs to collect, gates to grease and a yard to tend.  Wilf, the delivery boy from the town and Neville, the large, rather smelly, ugly cat become her friends and companions

Clover settles into life at the cottage easily.  She gets used to the strange things going on around her and she learns there are witches who use magic for good and witches who use magic for ill.  Mrs. Eckles is an ethical witch.  She uses her magic when necessary and she accepts her responsibility for keeping the magic content.  She cares for the cottage and makes sure it’s pleased with its place.  Her sister, Mesmeranza, is just the opposite sort of witch.  She wants everything and she wants it all for herself no matter what or who is hurt.  In fact she doesn’t care about that at all, she just wants everything.

When Mrs. Eckles plans to go to the May Fayre and leave the cottage in Clover’s care, Mezmeranza launches her plan.  It has one flaw – Mezmeranza doesn’t know about Clover.  She thinks Wilf is going to be at the cottage so she has misdirected her energies there.  Clover Twig is undisturbed by the unusual happenings surrounding the magical things she finds herself confronted with.  She isn’t scared or cowed  and Mesmeranza doesn’t expect that.  Clover is a force to be reckoned with – even if much happens by accident – which sends Mesmeranza into a fury.

You’ll smile at the outrageous shoes, allergies and antics that surround those who live at Castle Coldiron.  You’ll appreciate how those from the Magical Cottage takes things in stride and are satisfied by who they are and what they do – flaws and all.  Clover Twig is a great friend, loving sister and loyal employee, plus she knows what is right and just.  It all works out in the end but it takes a lot of effort, ingenuity and cleaning.

Mesmeranza doesn’t get her way and she is not happy!  She has a new plan and this time it is directed straight at Clover.  Read Clover Clover Twig and the Perilous PathTwig and the Perilous Path to see how the second tale unfolds.  Magic is challenging but those who are true at heart come through unscathed in the end.

The Best of Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl had so many great books! I will share a few of his that I liked so much that I have read so many times. Boy and Going Solo I have already reviewed, but the ones that I’m going to review are shorter reads and are just as great.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

5 Golden Tickets are released into 5 Wonka candy bars all around the world. After 4 tickets our found, Charlie’s parents, struggling to ‘make end’s meat’, give him a chocolate bar and as expected, no ticket. But by some miraculous stroke of luck, Charlie gets a golden ticket. The spectacular adventure that awaits him is far more than anything that he could have imagined. But meeting Mr. Wonka himself is one of the unimaginable adventures in itself. This has two movie takes on it and again, is one of Roald Dahl’s Ultimate Classics.

The Magic Finger

The Greggs are a normal family. They live in their normal house, go about their daily activities. The dad and his sons hunt. But this makes their eight year old neighbor very cross. And being cross is the thing that activates her ‘magic finger.’ Her magic finger punishes people for the things that make her cross. For example, the magic finger turned her teacher into a cat because the teacher called her stupid. And now the magic finger has done something horrendous to the Greggs, without the girl being able to control it. This is a quick read, but so not underestimate this book at all.

The Enormous Crocodile

The Enormous Crocodile is a VERY ENORMOUS CROCODILE! And he wants to dine on some “sweet, juicy” children. But all of his animal friends try to talk him out of committing this “dastardly deed”. The jungle animals cannot convince him not to do it, but they are not giving up. Read The Enormous Crocodile to find out what happens.

Click here to access the Official Roald Dahl Website.

To view other Roald Dahl Book Reviews, go to the “Book Review List” page (link found about book picture at top of screen) and find his books.

Dead End in Norvelt

 

Dead End in Norvelt

352 pages for middle grade readers and beyond

Summer has finally come, but nothing is going as Jack had planned. His vacation freedom is quickly lost when he is grounded “grounded for life” for accidentally discharging the rifle his father brought home as a souvenir of WWII.  The blast from the gun caused his elderly neighbor to drop her hearing aid into the toilet and so the only thing he will be allowed to do is to help her.  At first helping Miss Volker seems like torture – after all he has to be there at 5:30 am -, but he quickly realizes it might be the only way he will survive the summer. Miss Volker cannot write because of her arthritic hands, but she is the author of the town’s obituaries and the keeper of the town’s history and someone must tell the story.  Jack becomes her scribe.  He doesn’t think there’ll be much to do, but soon it becomes apparent that all is not as it should be.  Not only are the original residents dying off at an alarming rate, but the town of Norvelt itself, may be nearing its end.

History, obituaries, nose-bleeds, Hell’s Angels, Eleanor Roosevelt, Girl Scout cookies and a homemade airplane combine to create a laugh-out-loud story that will make you think and wonder.  It has a serious side too.  How do promises get made and twisted?  What is the importance of history and how do we know and understand it?  How do communities work?  Can you every really be alone and disconnected?

Jack Gantos has combined truth and fiction to present you with an interesting view of small town life in the early 1960’s – an time of change.  It is interesting to me to come to the end of Dead End in Norvelt and realize that my life has now become historical fiction.  All three of the books selected by the Newbery committee this year are set in the time when communism was on our mind as the evil opposite of democracy.  It has been interesting for me to read and wonder at how that mystique was created and to wonder what is being created now.  Vietnam was the war of my youth.  Afghanistan is the war now.  What things change, and what things stay the same?

Fake Mustache

Fake Mustacheby Tom Angleberger

196 pages of laugh-out-loud fun

You know from the cover, the subtitle (or, how Jodie O’Rodeo and her wonder horse (and some nerdy kid) saved the U.S. presidential election from a mad genius criminal mastermind), the end pages and the title page that this book will make you snicker – at least.

Lenny Junior (the nerdy kid) begins his story with a warning. “Don’t ever buy a fake mustache as Sven’s Fair Price Store.”  He goes on to explain that is an awesome place for fake noses or thumbs or fake laughter machines, but not mustaches.  They are TOO good because they’re made from real Belgian mustache hair (apparently men grow their mustaches for a year before cutting them off to sell to the Heidelberg Novelty Company) and being real hair are expensive.  “But they’re worth it…if you really want a good fake mustache – which you don’t!  It’ll only lead to trouble.  That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

Just after Lenny Junior and his only friend, Casper, go to Sven’s strange things happen in Hairsprinkle.  There are bank robberies, corporate takeovers and fixed elections.  Lenny knows Casper is the culprit.  The bank security camera clearly show that the ringleader is dressed as a “man-about-town” and is sporting a spectacular handlebar mustache.  Those at the exact two things Casper spent his birthday money on the day before.  Lenny tries to get help and because of this he is named the “Evil One” and becomes most wanted while Casper’s (newly elected Mayor, Fako Mustacho) evil takeover plans unfold.

Fortunately for Lenny Junior it is Halloween so being in disguise is acceptable and by some twist of trolley car fate, Lenny meets the real live person he is dressed up as, Jodie O’Rodeo.  She seems genuinely nice and both soon realize the future of Hairsprinkle, in fact the world, is in their hands.  With only booger shooting nasal guns, electric shock gum and the ultra-sticky-stretchy grabber hand along with their wits they must work together to save the world.  Can they stop Fako Mustacho before it is too late?

You’ll have to smile your way to the ending to find out.  Really, who doesn’t love a good “slappy hand?”

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies AgainChitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

212 pages of car adventuring fun

In 1967 one of my favorite Christmas presents was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Flemming.  I loved the Potts.  I loved the whistling sweets.  I thought Joe the Monster and his gang were terribly wonderful crooks.  And of course, I loved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with “her first two CHITTY sneezes and the two soft BANGS, the bangs ran on and into each other so as to make a delicious purring rumble.”   I thought her amazing dashboard with knobs that glow and flash urgently as the need arose had just the perfect balance of efficiency and irreverence.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – a magical car with a mind of it’s own.  I loved everything about that book – right down to the secret recipe at the end!

Next came the movie.  What a major disappointment!  The car wasn’t even the right color.  To me, it was silly, dull and boring.  Frank Cottrell Boyce had a totally different experience.  He saw the movie first and loved it.  Then he read the book.  He writes that this was the first time he knew that “films and books  – even when they’re telling the same story – each had a different kind of enchantment.”

Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again does indeed have its own kind of enchantment.  It takes the best pieces from the original, mixes them together with new ideas and creates a wholly unique story that has the Tooting family traveling the world, escaping the clutches of greedy crooks (Man Mountain Fink’s son from the original gang) and learning all about their amazingly wonderful Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.   Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is part of the family now and is teaching the Tootings to pay attention to each other, listen carefully and have trust in the power of family.

What a terrifically satisfying sequel!

Happy 101!!

 We are celebrating our 101st post on Kid’s Books 101 by sharing our first 101 books! Look closely at the picture and you’ll see some familiar titles.

Choose your favorite books, and start reading! 🙂 We look forward to sharing our next 101 titles! Let us know what you think and/or share a favorite title of your own. There can never be enough great books!

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If you would like to explore the number 101, here are some books for fun!

101 Doodle Definitions101 Things to Do with Bacon101 Ways to Become a Superhero . . . Or an Evil Genius

And a book especially for Mrs. Eaves…

101 Things to Do Before You're Old and Boring

(She says “It’s not too late yet”)

I don’t know…maybe you should read it.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny – Detectives Extraordinaire

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny – Detectives ExtraordinaireMr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!

translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath is laugh out loud funny from beginning to end.

As in all the Polly Horvath books I have read there is a uniquely functioning dysfunctional family situation.  In this case Madeline is more an adult than her parents.  She takes care of everything for them because they don’t seem to see the need for her traditional wishes to go to school, have friends or fit in.  They get kidnapped and it is up to Madeline to find them.  She knows she’ll have to because they don’t know how to do anything for themselves.  She does this with the help of rabbits.  She is able to talk to them because she is a one-of-a-kind person, “a Rabbit Whisperer.”  They are detectives and work to make sure she has what all children need – someone to take care of them.    Through many hilarious twists and turns they outsmart the foxes, break the code (sort of) and wear retro-purple sequin disco platforms in the process.

My favorite lines are, “I’ve often heard animals speak.  Plants too.  It’s all a matter of noticing, isn’t it?  The richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe.”

So true – what do you notice?  What do you believe?  Enjoy reading while you wait for Everything on a Waffle‘s sequel to come out next fall.  Books by Polly Horvath are fun!