LitBit Speaks

Clara is taking the bus to her grandma's house by herself for the first time. To her delight, the other riders – an assortment of animal characters – are friendly, fascinating and funny. There is plenty to see on this adventure, with lots of satisfying details in the illustrations (including the changing headlines on a newspaper, which sometimes hint at what's to come), proving that it really is the journey that counts. (First published in France as  L'autobus. ) Though the story itself is simple, there is much to find throughout the book in terms of allusions to other older, beloved fairy tales and stories. One of the most obvious examples is the Little Red Riding Hood  parallel, with Clara taking a basket and her little red sweater on the bus to visit her grandma. Of course, she also runs into a wolf on the bus, though the wolf is a child in this story, and becomes Clara's friend for a portion of the journey. She also encounters a bear, a pickpocketing fox, ...

Ballet Cat and Sparkles the Pony are trying to decide what to play today. Nothing that Sparkles suggests--making crafts, playing checkers, and selling lemonade--goes well with the leaping, spinning, and twirling that Ballet Cat likes to do. When Sparkles's leaps, spins, and twirls seem halfhearted, Ballet Cat asks him what's wrong. Sparkles doesn't want to say. He has a secret that Ballet Cat won't want to hear. What Sparkles doesn't know is that Ballet Cat has a secret of her own, a totally secret secret. Once their secrets are shared, will their friendship end, or be stronger than ever? I am in love. Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great  seemed like it would be impossible to beat, and I don't know that it has been. But it has most definitely been matched in many ways with this new book by Bob Shea. Ballet Cat  features a cat and a pony, and the two friends are trying to figure out what to do. The pony doesn't know how to share hi...

I recently had the privilege of meeting Mac and Jory at the American Library Association in Chicago this year (2015), and was inducted into the International Order of Disorder (so cool!!). I can only assume they were their own inspiration(s) for the two pranksters in The Terrible Two . It would make a lot  of sense! In any case, before I get too far off track about Mac and Jory's shenanigans, here's my review of The Terrible Two!  (Oooh, that rhymed!) Miles Murphy is not happy to be moving to Yawnee Valley, a sleepy town that’s famous for one thing and one thing only: cows. In his old school, everyone knew him as the town’s best prankster, but Miles quickly discovers that Yawnee Valley already has a prankster, and a great one. If Miles is going to take the title from this mystery kid, he is going to have to raise his game. It’s prankster against prankster in an epic war of trickery, until the two finally decide to join forces and pull off the biggest prank ever seen: ...

Today's review comes to you from Keith Reynolds. Keith has previously reviewed for this blog. He lives and works in Vancouver, BC, and can be reached online via Twitter (@slothra). And now, here is his review of Anything Could Happen ...                                                                                                                      I made the mistake of not listening the titular track of this novel when I was writing this review, until my second attempt. In fact, I think I may have done myself a disservice by not having a dedicated playlist to the afternoon it took me to read through it. Tretch lives in a very small town where everybody's in everybody else's bus...

This is a story of a boy who loves his dog. And a dog who worships his boy. (Which can lead to misunderstandings.) Meet Sid. He's an ordinary kid. He's far from perfect. But to Murphy, Sid's faithful dog, Sid is the whole world. Murphy thinks Sid is the absolute best, and that he's in charge of everything. Sid loves Murphy right back, but he can't help but wonder what Murphy would think if he realized the truth: Sid's just a kid, and Murphy's just a dog, and neither one can control the world. Though deceptively simple at first glance, Weingarten has written a story for children that dares to tread into the realm of existentialism and the possibility of a divine being. Sid and Murphy's relationship is used to mirror humanity's search for meaning in the world and beyond. The book starts of as a simple story of love between a boy and his dog, but eventually Sid begins to wonder: If he's not as powerful and omnipotent as Murphy thinks he is...

When seventeen-year old high school newspaper editor Jake Powell, fresh from Alabama, lands in New York City to attend Columbia University's prestigious summer journalism program, it's a dream come true. But his father, a fundamentalist Christian preacher, smells trouble. And his father is rarely wrong. Jake navigates new and unfamiliar ways "up North." Starting with his feelings for a handsome Jewish classmate named Sam. What Jake could keep hidden back home is now pushed to the surface in the Big Apple. Standing by his side are a gorgeous brunette with a Park Avenue attitude and the designer bags to match, a high school friend who has watched Jake grow up and isn't sure she's ready to let him go, and an outrageously flamboyant aunt whose determined to help Jake finds the courage to accept love and avoid the pain that she has experienced. The Good: This book is important. The subject of religion and especially conservative Christianity is incredibly...

Please, nobody judge this blog post. First of al, I am beyond sleep deprived, and secondly, I am writing this review on an airplane at 35,000 feet. Needless to say, I wish I was in a better frame of mind, but I am rapidly falling behind on my reviews, so let us move on and talk about Nicholas Oldland's Walk on the Wild Side ! One day, a bear, a moose and a beaver go for a walk in the mountains. To make the hike more exciting, they decide to race to the top. But soon the friends fall into deep trouble. Who will give up their chance for glory to save the day? I think one can get a pretty good feel of the impending adventure from the cover page. Illustrated in a naive childish form, Oldland captures readers immediately in child-like mindset. One of the really intriguing bits about this book, is the fact that there are no outlines on the characters or landscape, and yet the solid colours keep the beaver, bear, and moose from bleeding into the background. It's quite a fun sty...

Rodeo Red and her hound dog Rusty are happier than two buttons on a new shirt 'til Side Swiping Slim shows up. Red's sure anyone who hollers that much'll be hauled to the edge of town and told to skedaddle, but her parents are smitten. When Slim sets his eye on Rusty, Red'd better figure out a way to save her best friend in all the world. Can she bargain with a varmint? This beautiful book presents a brief snapshot of life for Rodeo Red. Red is a cowgirl. She spends time with her hound dog, Rusty. The narrative uses some good ol’ colloquial cowboy dialect, which keeps the story light and fun. Rodeo’s lovin’ life, until a new varmint shows up in the house (a baby), and the attention that Red used to enjoy, is no longer exclusively hers. Red’s exaggerated language makes for hilarious juxtaposition throughout the book, bringing out lots of laughs and humorous moments of disconnect between word and image. And speaking of image, it’s impossible to read this book wit...

Today's post comes from the delightfully talented Keith Reynolds. Keith lives in Vancouver, BC, and has kindly taken the opportunity to review this book since I cannot. Follow him on Twitter (@slothra)! So without further ado, I give you Keith's review of More Happy Than Not . The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto -- miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. But Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor or how his friends aren't always there for him. Like after his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough.   Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn't mind Aaron's obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn't m...

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Sherlock Holmes meets a world of the supernatural with this stunning novel by William Ritter. Jackaby centres on a young girl who has moved away from her family and moved to the United States in search of work and adventure, and she finds both within days of coming ashore. Answering an ad for an investigative assistant, Abigail Rook meets Mr. R. F. Jackaby, and her perception of the world around her is irrevocably changed. Shortly after meeting Mr. Jackaby, Abigail tags along on a visit to an apartment in which a murder has taken place. The body, though, seems to be lacking a lot of blood. With very few clues to help them out, Abigail and Jackaby begin to unravel a most nefarious mystery which just might bring them closer to their own demise than they might like. “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only se...

How to be a SUPER AWESOME NINJA: Rule #1. You must always work alone. Rule #2. You must be super sneaky, especially in the most dangerous of situations. Rule #3. A super awesome ninja must: possess incredible strength, achieve invisibility, master the skill of climbing, gain the ability to fly…. Cute, action-packed, and a great story about friendship, Jennifer Gray Olson's Ninja Bunny  will find a good range of readers, from young to old. The colours and illustration style are bold and will capture the interest of young audiences, especially those with a keen eye. Much of the charm of Ninja Bunny  comes from the disconnect between text and image, often leading to moments of humor and examinations of strength, size, and perspective. I like this book a lot, and found myself having a great time reading it multiple times in one day. While Ninja Bunny wants to be on his own and desires to be stealthy and unique, he slowly realizes the effects of this isolation and the wa...

Since we're on the topic of ghost stories this week, I figured this was a solid addition to the genre. While this is a much more complex and serious novel than The Elevator Ghost , I think the two are each delightfully eerie! In 1960s Toronto, two girls retreat to their attics to escape the loneliness and isolation of their lives. Polly lives in a house bursting at the seams with people, while Rose is often left alone by her busy parents. Polly is a down-to-earth dreamer with a wild imagination and an obsession with ghosts; Rose is a quiet, ethereal waif with a sharp tongue.     Despite their differences, both girls spend their days feeling invisible and seek solace in books and the cozy confines of their respective attics. But soon they discover they aren't alone--they're actually neighbors, sharing a wall. Polly is ecstatic to learn that Rose can actually see and talk to ghosts. Maybe she will finally see one too! But is there more to Rose than it seems? Why doe...

When Carolina Giddle moves into the Blatchford Arms, no one knows what to make of her sequin-sprinkled sneakers and her trinket-crusted car. But the parents are happy there’s a new babysitter around, and Carolina seems to have an uncanny ability to calm the most rambunctious child with her ghostly stories. Armed with unusual snacks, candles to set the mood, and her trusty sidekick — a tarantula named Chiquita — Carolina entertains the children with some good old-fashioned storytelling and, at the end, a great Halloween party.  Holy terror Angelo Bellini discovers that no one can throw a tantrum like a double-crossed pirate. Timid Hubert and Hetty Croop become inspired by the story of a boy who finds the perfect weapon for overcoming his fear of the dark. And Dwight and Dwayne Fergus, two would-be Freddy Kruegers, finally meet their match in Carolina's story of the footless skeleton. As for Carolina, it turns out she has a timeworn connection to the Blatchford Arms, and to the...

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm WAAAY behind on reviewing this title. But now that I've had a chance to get to some books that I want  to read as opposed to those that I have  to read, I had the chance to read this gorgeous book! In case you haven't heard about it everywhere (it just won this little award called the Newbery!), here's a synopsis, courtesy of the interwebz: "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.   Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart...