Bro-Jitsu

Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown
by Daniel H. Wilson

Bloomsbury USA
ISBN: 978-1599902791

**This review has been provided by 14-year-old guest blogger Kyle, since we peaceful chicks would never ever EVER participate in violent shenanigans against our beloved siblings. (Heh heh.)

What is it?
A complete guide to mastering the art of sibling torture.

What do we love about it?
The variety of funny detailed moves to establish dominance in the household, such as "The Terminator" and the "Chicken Wing." Also, Daniel H. Wilson completely nails the mentality of the love-hate relationships between warring siblings. Adult readers will enjoy
reminiscing about the epic Bro-Jitsu Wars of their childhood. Check out this sneak peek on youtube.

What does it remind us of?
About five minutes ago when I put my little brother in a headlock.

What is it perfect for?
Any kid who wants to get a one-up on their siblings. Or any parent who wants to know how their youngest child ends up with so many bruises.

What do we say about it?
Bro-Jitsu is a kickbutt book with funny moves anyone can enjoy!

In the Coop with Dr. Cuthbert Soup

In the Coop with Dr. Cuthbert Soup

One of our very favorite books this year is A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup. It's the hilarious story of inventor Ethan Cheeseman and his three "smart, polite, and relatively odor-free" children. The family is on the run from thugs from various government agencies as well as some other nefarious mean guys and gals. These baddies are after a time travel invention the family hopes will help them bring back Mrs. Cheeseman who quite inconveniently kicked the bucket. Okay, so that's the plot, but it's completely unimportant. What is important is how fantastically funny this novel is. So read it already!!!

We'd like to welcome Dr. Cuthbert Soup to the Coop. And yes, we love how that rhymes!

http://www.awholenotherbook.com/

Any bio info you'd like to share?

I have a Ph.D. in unsolicited advice from Southwestern North Dakota State University and I am the founder, president and vice-president of the National Center for Unsolicited Advice.

I live with my dog, Kevin, and my two pet snails, Gooey and Squishy, who just finished first and second in this year’s Iron Snail competition.

First act as Dictator for Life?

Serious jail time for supermarket express lane violators.

What kids lit character would you like to vote off the island?

Wait a minute here. Is this a set up? If I vote for the “wrong” one, will wingnuts call me a communist and throw bricks through my windows?

Kids lit character with whom you would you share your last twinkie?

As long as Augustus Gloop is around I don’t believe I’d have much choice in the matter and I don’t think it would be considered sharing.

What TV family would you like to be adopted by?

I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already been adopted by the Partridge Family, who needed a trombone player for their upcoming reunion tour. Little do they know the only song I can play is “Ta daaaa!”

Worst job in the universe?

I have had some of worst jobs in the universe, including working as a smoke detector at the mall. And I still suffer from severe knuckle damage from my two-year stint selling hearing aids door to door.

Dream job for a day?

Product tester at an inflatable bouncy castle factory.

Marx Brothers or Three Stooges?

Three Stooges and only because in Spanish they are Tres Estupidos, which I think you will find, is muy fun to say.

Clown V. Mime Deathmatch. Pick your winner.

If you’d ever been kicked in the groin by one of those giant clown shoes you wouldn’t have to ask.

Funniest dead person you'd like to meet?

I generally find dead people to be rather dull and unfunny, though to their credit, most are excellent listeners. That said, I would love to meet the late great Mel Blanc.

Best use for a book shaped object? (You know, one of those things sold as books but which should never ever have been published.)

Anyone with a three-legged couch knows the answer to this question. Also, when hurled from second story windows, they act as an excellent deterrent to solicitors.

Links to online interviews or other bio info...

Author’s Revealed interview with Becky Anderson can be found at - http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1132198045158

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

A Three Silly Chicks' Pick

The Secret Science Alliance
and the Copycat Crook

by Eleanor Davis

Bloomsbury USA

ISBN: 9781599901428

What is it?

A graphic novel about three science nerds who come together to get their geek on in the world's coolest clubhouse while pursuing villains in their spare time!

What we love about it?

The detailed diagrams, maps and invention specs made us swoon!

What does it remind us of?

The love child of Albert Einstein and Velma from Scooby Doo.

What is it perfect for?

Sharing with tween-age brainiacs, comic book fans, and anyone who appreciates a fun, fast-paced adventure.

What do we say about it?

When does the next installment come out? Give us more SSA!

100% Pure Fake

Hey Chickadees and Chicadont's!

We're trying something new here at the Coop. A category of reviews we call Three Silly Chicks' Picks. It's all the same nutritious goodness of our usual reviews but organized by the most important questions we can think of. (Next to What's for breakfast? What's for lunch? and What's for dinner?) Our goal is to make our reviews even more useful to you fast-paced teachers, librarians, parents, and grandparents. Enjoy!!!


A Three Silly Chicks' Pick:

100% Pure Fake
By Lyn Thomas

Photos by Cheryl Powers
Illustrations by Boris Zaytsev
Kids Can Press
ISBN: 978-1-55453-290-2

What is it?
An easy-to follow guide to creating fake brains, snot, moles, puke & other wonderfully disgusting stuff.

What do we love about it?

The way the pictures of fake puke trigger our gag response. Yep, Folks, these are seriously sweet special effects.

What does it remind us of?
Halloween, B-movies, and our favorite uncles who know ALL the right sound effects and exactly when to use them.

What is it perfect for?
Any self-respecting fourth grader who is worth his (or her) weight in whoopie cushions.

What do we think?
100% Pure Fake is grody, gooey goodness!

Tumtum and Nutmeg

Tumtum & Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall
Written by Emily Bearn, illustrated by Nick Price
Little, Brown and Company

While we hold chickens near and dear to our hearts, we also have a special fondness for mice. Okay, not real mice that scamper around our feet and make nests in our basements and leave droppings in our silverware drawers. No, not those mice. Storybook mice, like Stuart Little and Despereaux. We like our mice dressed up in little suits and drinking tea, and we just wish that the ones leaving droppings in our silverware drawer would at least leave us cute handwritten notes or perhaps a pair of tiny hand stitched gloves, or something.

We suspect that many children have the same fondness for storybook mice that we do, or else why would mice books be so darned popular? And this particular book, with its British tone, old-fashioned pen and ink drawings, and high adventure is bound to be one of the more popular ones. Poor Tumtum and Nutmeg are quiet mice, and yet they never get a moment of peace in this funny middle-grade novel. They are either battling spinster aunts, fighting pirate rats or freeing wild gerbils. And while the two main characters are endearing, the real star of the show is General Marchmouse, a foolish, impetuous chap who spends most of his time in his underwear. We love, especially, the scene in which his army of mice, dressed in fluorescent orange, battle against the evil, mouse-fearing Aunt Ivy. It was one of the funniest scenes we've read in quite a while.

This is a book to be shared with a classroom of children one chapter at a time. Fans of The Poppy series by Avi and The Redwall series by Brian Jacques will gobble up this series, too. Fast-paced and funny, this book has it all!

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum!
by Andy Stanton
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0061152405

Mr. Gum really is a bad man. He's slimy and gross and mean to children. But there's this little fairy who whacks him on the head with a frying pan whenever he neglects his garden. As a result, Mr. Gum's garden is the "prettiest, greeniest, floweriest, gardeniest garden in the whole of Lamonic Bibber." Lamonic Bibber is a town. (This book takes place in England, you see, where pan-whacking fairies and strange town names are the norm.) Anyhoo, enter Jake, "a massive whopper of a dog," who wreaks havoc on Mr. Gum's garden with a conga line of moles in party hats. Needless to say, Mr. Gum is not pleased. In fact, he is mightily bruised from the enormous pan-whacking that ensues. So our scowling villain decides to do away with Jake in a most heinous, hideous way. Fortunately, along comes Polly, a "girl worth liking," who's determined to foil Mr. Gum's plan even if she has to team up with a questionable old hero named Friday O'Leary.

And you know what? We think we'll just stop here and let you read it for yourself. You really should. It's a whopper and a half. And then pass it on to any kid you know who enjoys books by Bruce Hale, Jim Benton, or Jon Scieszka. Or any a kid you know who needs a laugh. Or any adult, for that matter. Wafflemongers especially.

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love
By Patricia Martin
Schwartz & Wade Books
ISBN 13: 978-0-375-84016-6

There are many things in this world that make our fluffy yellow hearts sing. Bean dip and salsa. Dancing the Cha-Cha. Malted milk eggs with that speckled candy coating. And characters. True blue characters.

We love characters who are complete from the moment we meet them. Characters who make us feel as if we have been dropped down into their life in progress and who make us glad to be there.

Such a character is Miss Lulu Atlantis. We meet Lulu on the day her mother comes home from the hospital with her baby brother. It’s the same day Lulu decides to run away. Wouldn’t you? All that racket from her mom singing lullabies to the baby. And those horrible loud snuffly noises the baby makes when he’s sleeping. It’s more than a girl can take!

What Lulu needs is true blue love. But where to find it?

Luckily, Lulu has a true blue friend to help on her quest. Harry, the top-hat-clad spider accompanies her on her adventures, dispensing advice (which is usually ignored) and worrying about the dietary habits of some of Lulu’s other friends like Yogurt Skunk. Skunks eat spiders, don’t they?

Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love is a gentle, satisfying, funny read which leaves us feeling as if we have a new true blue friend of our own.

Tap Dancing on the Roof

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems)
by Linda Sue Park
illustrated by Istvan Banyai
Clarion Books
ISBN 978-0618234837
www.lindasuepark.com

Yes, yes, we know we're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but it's tough to gaze upon the whimsical dust jacket of Tap Dancing on the Roof without feeling hopefully giddy about the pages inside. Happily for us and you and children of all ages, the poems within more than live up to the promise of that little red-dressed girl and her very large scissors.

As explained in the Author's Note (a gold mine of information and tips for readers, writers, and teachers alike), sijo is a form of Korean poetry with a fixed number of stressed syllables and a surprise joke or twist at the end. Poem after poem, Linda Sue Park serves up witty observations about everything from long division to bedtime snacks, with plenty of unexpected surprises along the way. Istvan Banyai's playful illustrations -- rendered mostly in gray tones with dashes of color here and there -- wisely complement the poems without ever overwhelming the text. It's the book equivalent of a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top. Perfect!

Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet

The Adventures of Commander Zack Proton and the Wrong Planet
Written by Brian Anderson
Illustrated by Doug Holgate
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1-4169-1366-5
www.ZackProton.com

Leapin' Leptons! Commander Zack Proton is back in a third installment of this illustrated chapter book series featuring a bumbling Inspector Clouseau-type space hero and his brainy primate sidekick, Omega Chimp. Interspersed with comic strips, top-ten lists, quizzes, instructional manuals, and tips for young space heroes, these easy-to-read books provide a smorgasbord of slapstick humor with a side of banana peels.

In book three, Commander Zack, Omega Chimp, and their FE-203 robot, "Effie," are detained on their mission to find Zack's missing spaceship, the Risky Rascal, by a disappearing planet, 16 million smelly pigs, and a bad drycleaning incident. But not to worry! In a classic comedy of errors, our space heroes once again save the day and restore peace to the galaxy in a wacky, freshly-scented finale. Introduce this series to your favorite comic book-loving 7 to 10 year-olds, then point them to the "Fun Stuff" at www.ZackProton.com, including printable coloring pages, a Zack proton ad-lib story, and an alien transmission for fans to decode.

Just Grace

Just Grace
Written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper
Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 0618646426

We love feisty characters. We love feisty female characters. But what we really love are feisty, female, funny characters, and nine year-old Just Grace is just that.

Blessed with "empathy superpowers," Grace cooks up a creative solution to help out her neighbor, Mrs. Luther, the strange and scary big kid teacher who lives next door. But when Grace's plan backfires, she's forced to team up with her least favorite person in the whole world, Sammy Stringer. Sammy is the kind of boy who enjoys lion poop and who manages to get every piece of food stuck in his teeth. (There's one in every class!) The two third-graders arm themselves with oven mitts and go on a quest to find Mrs. Luther's cat Crinkles. In the end, we see that Grace has changed her mind about the poop-loving Sammy Stringer when she wonders, "Maybe he's got magnetic teeth. Maybe that's why food gets stuck there." (We would like to nominate those two lines for Best Last Lines Award, if there is such an award, which there should be.)

Parents and teachers will love the subtle lesson about empathy and kindness. Kids will love the strong, funny voice and quirky illustrations. We happen to love the illustration of the squirrel in running shoes. There's something for everyone here!

Moxy Maxwell Does NOT Love Suart Little

Moxy Maxwell Does NOT Love Stuart Little
by Peggy Gifford
Schwarts & Wade Books
Random House Children's Books
ISBN: 927-0-375-83105-3

Moxy Maxwell is a perfectly named kid. The only thing this soon-to-be fourth grader has more of than moxy is ideas. She's full of them. Mostly ideas on how to avoid reading STUART LITTLE. Unfortunately, STUART LITTLE Is required summer reading and summer is almost over. It's not that Moxy has anything against convertible-driving mice. Or reading. Moxy LOVES reading. But she hates being told WHAT to read.

Moxy has tried all summer to read the book. Really she has! She has taken it everywhere: In the car, in the hammock, under her spilled glass of lemonade, into the swimming pool. Can Moxy help it that more important things pop up every time she opens that darned book? Who will plant the new peach orchard in her yard if she doesn't do it? Who will invent the automatic hammock stopper if not Moxy? And really folks, rooms don't clean themselves! MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE STUART LITTLE is a great, fun read full of charm and humor told in simple, spunky language and documented by photographs taken by Moxy's twin brother (AKA Valorie Fisher). We love Moxy Maxwell and can't wait to hear more from her in the future!

Clementine

Clementine
By Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN 0786838825

Clementine's week started out fine. On Monday she had exactly enough bananas for every mouthful of cereal AND she was excused from Journal Writing. Two lucky signs for sure! But when her best friend Margaret experiences severe hair problems, Clementine takes it upon herself to fix them, which is not an easy task with those plastic art scissors. As soon as the art teacher sees Margaret's hair she goes all historical, and then Margaret goes all historical, and Clementine winds up in the principal's office for the umpteenth time that month. So begins Clementine's catastrophic week, filled with ceiling snakes and Pigeon Wars and a bazillion trips to the principal's office.

This young chapter book should be tucked into every third grader's backpack. Pennypacker has created a thoroughly believable, quirky character with a unique voice and a fresh take on life. Clementine is a giggle-filled masterpiece stuffed with love, humor, pointy things and cats named Mascara. Move over, Junie B, Eloise, and Ramona. Clementine is in town, and we couldn't be happier!

The Squampkin Patch

THE SQUAMPKIN PATCH: A Nasselrogt Adventure
by JT Petty
Illustrated by David Michael Friend
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Ages 9-14.
ISBN: 1-4169-0274-0
http://www.pettyofficial.com

When Milton and Chloe are slightly orphaned by a tragic tanning bed accident, they end up in Urchin House Orphanage where they must eat brown goo and make zippers. Like all good literary orphans, they run away. They take refuge in a house abandoned by a missing confectioner whose obsession to create the perfect Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip cookie led him to grow a dangerous squash-pumpkin hybrid. The squampkin. Following clues in the baker's journal, the kids unravel the details of his frightening disappearance and begin to understand the growing danger around them. The orange, walking, clawing, hissing danger of the SQUAMPKINS!!!!!

Petty brings together a cast of odd figures, a generous sprinkling of smart puns and clever wordplay, and a delightfully absurd plot to create a book that is serious about being funny, but never takes itself too seriously. Best of all, The Squampkin Patch is funny and suspenseful (even a bit grim near the end). And you thought only zucchini could be scary! Best suited for readers 9 and up.

My Haunted House

My Haunted House
Written by Angie Sage
Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Katherine Tegen Books
ISBN: 0060774819

Not only does Araminta Spookie have a name to die for, but she lives in the best old house ever. Unfortunately, her Aunt Tabby’s getting tired of doing all the housework and maintenance while Uncle Drac does nothing but sleep all day. When Aunt Tabby puts the house up for sale, Araminta hatches a ghoulicious plan to keep realtors and buyers running scared from Spookie House.

My Haunted House is the first in this early middle grade series, featuring a fun Addams Family-esque cast of characters perfectly rendered by illustrator Jimmy Pickering. Share this book with readers who like their goosebumps served with a cauldron of laughs!