LitBit Speaks

Black Cat—black from the tips of his ears to the tip of his tail—only ever goes out in the day. But White Cat—white from her whiskers to her four furry paws—only ever goes out at night. He picks daisies, while she gazes at the stars. When they both feel the urge to explore a world beyond their own, Black Cat and White Cat go on a journey of discovery and meet for the very first time. This book is brief, as so this review will be as well. That does not, however, mean that the book won't bring about a good amount of discussion in storytimes or other similar situations. Though the cover is conveniently a light shade of grey, allowing for both black and white to show up in slight contrast, the rest of the book is rendered in just black and white colours, allowing each cat to show up in total contrast to the opposing colour (or lack thereof, depending on how you define black and white in the colour spectrum.) The black cat exists in the day (white) and the white cat exists at n...

Pax was only a kit when his family was killed, and “his boy” Peter rescued him from abandonment and certain death. Now the war front approaches, and when Peter’s father enlists, Peter has to move in with his grandpa. Far worse than being forced to leave home is the fact that Pax can’t go. Peter listens to his stern father—as he usually does—and throws Pax’s favorite toy soldier into the woods. When the fox runs to retrieve it, Peter and his dad get back in the car and leave him there—alone. But before Peter makes it through even one night under his grandfather’s roof, regret and duty spur him to action; he packs for a trek to get his best friend back and sneaks into the night. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their independent struggles to return to one another against all odds. Told from the alternating viewpoints of Peter and Pax. While I can't, unfortunately, comment on Klassen's illustrations due to the final art being not included in the Advance Reader's Ed...

Sadie is a little girl with a big imagination. She has been a girl who lived under the sea and a boy raised by wolves. She has had adventures in wonderland and visited the world of fairytales. She whispers to the dresses in her closet and talks to birds in the treetops. She has wings that take her anywhere she wants to go, but that always bring her home again. She likes to make things -- boats out of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything Sadie likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all. For Sadie, the world is so full of wonderful possibilities ... This is Sadie, and this is her story. I know this is a bit cliche, but This Is Sadie  is about the power of imagination, and the ways in which children can turn the very ordinary into the very extraordinary. The book follows Sadie through some of her adventures and gives readers a glimpse into Sadie's desires. Oh the colours! So many gorgeous colours! Some pages take full adva...

Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band. We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group. We didn't mean to hold hostage a member of The Ruperts, I swear. At least, I didn't. We are fans. Okay, superfans who spend all of our free time tweeting about the boys and updating our fan tumblrs. But so what, that's what you do when you love a group so much it hurts. How did it get this far? Who knows. I mean midterms are coming up. I really do not have time to go to hell. My tagline:  fandom can be a killer hobby This book is fucked up! I mean, really fucked up! I loved it! Moldav...

After defeating the forces of evil in Eldritch Manor, Willa must rebuild the manor — and her family. Can Willa rally her supernatural friends to defeat an invasion from beyond? After battling and defeating the forces of darkness, Willa is looking forward to a little well-earned peace and quiet. Unfortunately, her recent adventures have given birth to new problems, not the least of which is the task of rebuilding Eldritch Manor, a retirement home for supernatural beings, from the ground up. And no one is behaving themselves: Mab’s fairies have declared war on the dwarf construction crew, Willa’s Mom and Belle are feuding, Baz is running amok, Horace is living in the woods, the phoenix squawks all night long, and there’s never a dragon around when you need one.  To be perfectly honest, Willa is starting to think the forces of darkness were easier to handle than her family and friends — until those forces start to rise again! Although it will likely benefit younger reade...

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life. On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything. Jeff Garvin is a wonderful new voice in YA fiction. His debut novel...

This post is mostly pictures, but pictures of what are sure to be incredibly entertaining children's picturebooks coming out in 2016. Any others you're looking forward to? Let me know!

Henry Denton doesn’t know why the aliens chose to abduct him when he was thirteen, and he doesn’t know why they continue to steal him from his bed and take him aboard their ship. He doesn’t know why the world is going to end or why the aliens have offered him the opportunity to avert the impending disaster by pressing a big red button. But they have. And they’ve only given him 144 days to make up his mind. Since the suicide of his boyfriend, Jesse, Henry has been adrift. He’s become estranged from his best friend, started hooking up with his sworn enemy, and his family is oblivious to everything that’s going on around them. As far as Henry is concerned, a world without Jesse is a world he isn’t sure is worth saving. Until he meets Diego Vega, an artist with a secret past who forces Henry to question his beliefs, his place in the universe, and whether any of it really matters. But before Henry can save the world, he’s got to figure out how to save himself, and the aliens haven’t g...

Hello Followers: Today I want to take a moment to apologize for my absence over the last month. As the year comes to a close and Christmas seasons rears its glittery head, I once again realize that I may possibly have ended up saying "yes" to a few too many things this year. Once I finish grading papers mid-month, and have recovered from dental surgery, I will do my best to get back on track! Part of the problem this year has been that I am unable to review any Printz-eligible titles, which sort of takes away a HUGE portion of what I have been reading. Once I am finished with my Printzly duties (Get it? I made a pun!) I will try to get back to my weekly or twice-weekly reviews. In the meantime, I leave with a few fun photos from my latest trip to NCTE/ALAN. It was a really fun trip, and reminded me of how amazing the YA/Children's literature community can be! The beautiful and talented Jenni Holm Eliot Schrefer! Jennifer Niven, Adam Silvera, and Printz W...

An epic adventure that will change the way you look at Shakespeare forever.  In this dark tale, the bard’s most famous heroes embark upon a journey to discover a long-lost soul. Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Romeo and Puck search for a reclusive wizard who may have the ability to assist them in their battle against the evil forces led by the villains Richard III, Lady Macbeth and Iago. That reclusive wizard? William Shakespeare. A combination of “Fables”, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “Lord of the Rings”, Kill Shakespeare offers a remixed re-envisioning of the greatest characters of all-time, featuring action, romance, comedy, lust, drama and bloody violence. it is an adventure of shakespearean proportions. This is a brilliantly dark and unique reimagining of the worlds within Shakespeare's plays, featuring familiar characters as you've never seen them before! I had the pleasure of meeting one of the creators (Andy Belanger) a number of years back ...

When a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods, she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time. Now, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it's all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day! Ben Hatke is a fantastic illustrator, storyteller, and speaker (and he's pretty darn adorable, too!) Perhaps best known for Zita the Spacegirl, Hatke has constructed a beautiful and heartwarming story of friendship between a young girl and a newly awoken robot. The colour palate is rich and warm, even in night time scenes. Perhaps what I love most is the development of the little girl, who goes from being a bit of a loner, to becoming confident in herself by acting as a sort of parental figure or educator for the little robot. I also love that she is mechanically inclined and, well, not white! As the little...

Little Red Riding Hood straps on her ice skates in this fractured fairy tale! A figure skating enthusiast, Little Red has worn her skates right out and must win a pairs competition to earn new ones. But who will be her partner? The Dish is already dancing with the Spoon, and Hansel is spinning Gretel like sugar. You won’t believe what big eyes, sharp teeth, and long snout her partner has…all the better to spin her with! This is a really fun take on the Little Red Riding Hood story with the inclusion of a variety of nursery rhymes and other fairy tale allusions. The illustrations are beautiful, full of colour and character, cartoonish but giving a sense of liveliness. In some ways, the illustrations are reminiscent of Dexter's Lab and other related children's cartoons. There are anthropomorphized animals, and other adorable human characters. This is a really fun read-aloud for the whole family, whether young or old. I Highly Recommend  this book for your winter readi...

This. Book. Is. Gorgeous! A little boy takes a boat made of newspaper out for a rainy-day adventure. The boy and his boat dance in the downpour and play in the puddles, but when the boy sends his boat floating down a gutter stream, it quickly gets away from him. So of course the little boy goes on the hunt for his beloved boat, and when the rain lets up, he finds himself on a new adventure altogether. If there is one thing I love in a picture book (though not the only  thing) it's clean lines and spare use of colour, and this book uses both to tell a story about playing in the rain that is both emotionally poignant and uplifting. This tale reminds readers that childhood, as much as we associate it with play and care-free attitudes, is just as full of tragedies that we, as adults, sometimes consider inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but which affect children to a great degree. The use of yellow is a key element of the illustrations, boldly filling in the...

In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention.  Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter.  "Written" by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people, and small gestures. Lawson and Smith's book is gorgeous. I can't even fully describe how it makes me feel. This beautiful story "written" by JonAarno Lawson--I say "written" because this is, after all, a completely wordless picture book--and illustrated by Syndey Smith reminds readers (both adult and child alike) to slow down and "smell the roses." While there are components of little red riding hood sewn into the overall narrative--the little girl is the most obvious character in the story due to he...

Lights. Camera. Action! Arthur Bean’s life has taken a turn for the adventurous — two girlfriends to deal with, and a blockbuster film to co-write, produce and direct. How crazy can one school year get? Arthur and Robbie have called a truce now that the writing contest and school play are over…but plans go astray when Arthur’s new girlfriend Anila gets jealous of his friendship with Kennedy. And then there’s that little problem of the movie camera Arthur and Robbie borrowed to film their upcoming blockbuster movie. As Arthur’s life goes off the rails all over again, laughs for the reader are right on track. Emails, doodles, texts, newspaper articles, AV Club rules (which Arthur and Robbie usually break) give the story the same engaging look as A Year in the Life of a (Total and Complete) Genius. This is the sequel to Stacey Matson's first novel, A Year in the Life of a Total and Complete Genius (you can read my review of it here ). Arthur continues to be self-absorbed, and ...