The Gift of Books: Savvy by Ingrid Law

When my kids were younger, I wrote several children's and young adult book reviews on the now defunct Epinions web site. Since the holiday season is upon us, I thought I would republish some of these older reviews on this blog as a way to highlight some great gift ideas for the young readers on your list.

The following review of Savvy by Ingrid Law was originally published on Epinions in May 2009 under my user name "gliondar" ("Joy" in Irish). Note that at the time of writing, there was no sequel, but now there is a companion book available about Mibs' cousin Ledge and his particular 'savvy,' called Scumble. A third book in the series, Switch, is scheduled for release in Fall 2015.

A Savvy Coming of Age Story
May 27, 2009
Review by gliondar 
Rated a Very Helpful Review

Pros: Creative, humorous, touching story that uses the unusual to elucidate the ordinary
Cons: There isn't a sequel available yet.
The Bottom Line: This is a quirky, quick read that is creative, humorous and poignant. Law uses the extraordinary to elucidate the ordinary and believably explores complex issues.

Turning thirteen can be awkward for anyone, but for members of the Beaumont family, it can be downright dangerous. As her own thirteenth birthday approaches, Mississippi Beaumont (called "Mibs" by family and friends) anticipates a most peculiar rite of passage with a mixture of excitement and dread. In addition to eccentric names, Mibs, her siblings, and her mother's side of the family all share a secret--they all develop extraordinary abilities, called "savvies," on their thirteenth birthdays (though on rare occasions some family members develop a savvy when younger). Mibs's eldest brother, Rocket, creates his own electricity. Fish, another brother, can influence weather, particularly in the presence of water. On his thirteenth birthday, he inadvertantly caused a hurricane, which caused the family to move to a remote area between Nebraska and Kansas that they alternately call "Nebransas" or "Kansaka." Mibs's mother is practically perfect--she excels at whatever she does. Mibs's late grandmother could collect radio waves from the air and store them in jars to be enjoyed for years to come the way other grandmothers might capture the season's harvest in jams and sauces.

While the idea of developing a special power has a mysterious appeal, there are complications that need to be dealt with. Rocket and Fish can cause mayhem with their savvies if their mood isn't under control. Adolescence for the Beaumonts involves not only the typical growing pains, but learning to control whatever power one might develop, as well as dealing with the isolation necessary to protect outsiders from harm and themselves from prying eyes. Once a savvy emerges, a Beaumont child leaves public school for homeschool, where their mother can safely teach them reading, writing, 'rithmetic, and reeling in (or "scumbling") their savvy. Mibs doesn't really mind this notion, since kids at school tend to see her as a freak, the meaner ones making fun of her and creating rude versions of her name.

If this all weren't enough to cause Mibs stress, a car accident occurs just two days before Mibs's birthday and her beloved father is hospitalized in a coma. Mibs's mother and Rocket need to travel to Salina, Kansas, where her father is hospitalized (Rocket has to go because he can make the old car run). Fear for Mr. Beaumont's well-being eclipses Mibs's big day. Fish, Mibs, and their younger siblings, Samson and Gypsy are left at home with Grandpa Bomba (who can move mountains).

Miss Rosemary, the well-meaning but uptight preacher's wife inserts herself into the situation, showing up to cook and clean and care for the kids while their parents are away. She brings along her two kids, Bobbi, a teenager with a crush on Rocket who uses sarcasm and disdain to mask her own insecurities, and Will Junior (whose name perplexes Mibs--the preacher isn't named "Will"), a genuinely friendly and understanding boy who clearly has an interest in Mibs. The presence of these outsiders is problematic, since no one can anticipate what Mibs's savvy will be and how or when it will manifest itself. The situation is made worse when Miss Rosemary learns about Mibs's birthday and takes it upon herself to plan a big birthday party at the church, despite the family's objections, using her "connections" to wrangle parishoners and Mibs's classmates into showing up.

In the midst of her anguish over her father, Mibs practices wishful thinking. On the morning of her birthday she convinces herself that her savvy is the ability to wake things up, after her baby sister wakes up early and Samson's turtle (that everyone thought was dead) comes out of hibernation. With such a power, Mibs believes she could save her father and help him emerge from his coma, if only she could get to him. An avenue to Salina seems to present itself in the form of a bible delivery bus driven by a kind but browbeaten deliveryman named Lester. Mibs notices the company's name and the location of its headquarters (Salina, Kansas) on the side of the bus and decides she will stow away aboard so she can sneak away from Miss Rosemary and get her ailing father. However, Fish, Bobbi, and Will Junior catch her and when they all dive on board the bus to avoid being caught by Miss Rosemary, they all end up going along for the ride when the bus takes off. Samson ends up coming along too, since it is his habit to hide in quiet places, and he had been hiding on the bus when this happened.

Lester soon discovers their presence, but being meek, kindhearted, and somewhat dimwitted, he is easily convinced that they have a legitimate purpose and aren't sneaking away from anyone and allows them to come along. However, he isn't headed directly back to Salina and insists on completing a few deliveries first. Along the way, Mibs slowly comes to realize the surprising true nature of her savvy while Fish tries to control his own as they approach a body of water and Bobbi and Will Junior puzzle over and try to come to grips with what makes the Beaumonts different from everyone else. Mibs also has to deal with the attraction between herself and Will Junior, avoiding the authorities who are all on the lookout for the missing kids, Lester's conniving girlfriend, and Lill, a kind but troubled waitress who Lester stops to help when he sees her broken down on the side of the road.

This story is a wild ride, quite literally, and the quest to Salina forms a wonderful metaphor for the passage of Mibs from childhood to adulthood. There's never a dull moment in this story, but amazingly it never seems rushed, and while the situations are certainly unlikely, they manage to seem somehow plausible. The author, Ingrid Law, genuinely impressed me with her ability to portray the complexities of adolescence, the struggles of dealing with the potential loss of a loved one, learning to be comfortable with yourself (no matter what your age) and coming to terms with abilities that make one necessarily an outsider in a humorous, poignant, and believable way. I really enjoyed this book, and by the end I felt like the Beaumonts were my own eccentric family members and had come to appreciate the strengths and flaws of all the motley characters. I appreciated the less than perfect nature of the ending because it was more realistic and I liked the indication that there could be a sequel. If Law writes more stories about the Beaumonts, I will be eager to read them.

If you appreciate stories that teach you something about everyday human experience by focusing your view through the lens of the extraordinary, you'll enjoy this book.

Recommend this product? Yes

A New Chapter & the Harper Collins Gift Guide

Hello All. It's been a horribly long time since I've written. Life is crazier than I can describe, and not really in a good way. I'm facing a divorce and dealing with separation from my husband. We've only been married for a couple years, but have been together as a couple for over nine years, and in addition to my own heartbreak (I'm not the one who wants to end things), I'm trying to ensure that my children have stability and feel safe and loved throughout this ordeal.

Part of moving on and trying to stay positive for me is going to involve becoming more active in my writing again. And since this blog is devoted to things I share with my kids, it's all the more appropriate that I turn to it as I enter a new chapter of my life with the Light and Seal in tow.

Today is Black Friday, and frankly I hate shopping on normal days, let alone days when the whole world seems to be willing to kill each other to obtain a good deal. I do, however, enjoy looking at online catalogs and gift guides and am starting to consider what I can do for my kids' Christmas within a limited budget.

I get the HarperCollins newsletter, and today was pleased to spend some time browsing through their Holiday Gift Guide for children's books. You can browse inside the books, which is always fun. I can't believe I'm so far behind in reading the books in the Septimus Heap series. Goodness. Have a look, and start thinking about the new adventures your children can have in the pages of books as they enter a new year.

Gifts for a Blueberry Girl

It's been quite a year for Neil Gaiman. I'm a fan, and really loved Coraline the first time I read it. I didn't read it to my kids first time around because I thought it would be a bit too scary, but my girl has grown up a bit since then. She was intrigued by the movie trailers and I decided I would read the book to her before allowing her to see the movie--I'm always afraid the movie won't be as good as the book (and alas, I'm often right). So we recently finished that, and she really enjoyed it. I know because whenever she enjoys a book or show, she runs around the house pretending to be a main character; she occasionally pretends to be Coraline now (I wonder if this makes her little brother the black cat?).

The Graveyard Book, his intriguing sounding novel about a young boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his parents are killed, is definitely on my always growing "to read" list and recently won the prestigous Newbery Medal.

Given that Gaiman gravitates toward the creepy, fantastic and otherwise odd, it is perhaps surprising to some that he wrote Blueberry Girl, a lovely picture book that presents what an expectant parent might wish for a baby girl. But Gaiman is a father himself, and the poem which provided the impetus for this book was written for his friend Tori Amos when she was expecting her daughter. I read a nice article about this book today, which in turn introduced me to a wonderful animated trailer for the book produced by HaperCollins for YouTube. Charles Vess's magical illustrations come to life as the text is read by Gaiman himself. If you can watch this without wanting to get a copy to share with your kids or to give to an expectant mother you know, then I'm not sure what's wrong with you; it's enchanting.



Incidentally, HarperCollins is conducting a Blueberry Girl sweepstakes, which you can enter for the chance to win a free copy of the book. There will be 25 winners--let's hope you and I are among them!

The Roads to Hell and Lead-Free Toys are Paved with Good Intentions

As a mom and someone who cares about the environment, I'm all for lead-free toys. I've previously posted about using the lead check tool from HealthyToys.org, and added their widget to this blog. I've followed this issue as part of my day job and lamented with other parents across the country every time there are more toy recalls because of lead levels. But my heart is just sick because of the unintentional consequences of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) as it is currently written. Though the law was certainly intended to protect children from lead poisoning and to require problem manufacturers to test materials before selling them, it is having an impact on small businesses, particularly those that produce handmade toys, as well as booksellers, libraries and charities.

The CPSIA does not simply cover toys, but rather "children's products"--this is a broad term, and includes things like books, child care items (like cloth diapers, for example) and clothing. Basically, children's products are "any consumer product designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger" (Wikipedia article on CPSIA). The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Guidance on the CPSIA for Small Businesses, Resellers, Crafters and Charities states the following: "The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is a sweeping new law that impacts a broad spectrum of our economy. From manufacturers of toys to the kids that play with them, everyone is affected in some way -- even those who make and donate products to hospitals and charities. There are new rules to be understood and adopted for everyone from the largest global manufacturer to the crafter working in the family workshop to the mom-and-pop shop on the corner. Indeed, all children’s products including toys, books, child care articles and clothing are covered in different ways by this law, and there are different rules for different products."

The basic idea is that any manufacturer of children's products must test their materials to make sure they meet safe lead levels. Sounds simple and like good common sense, right? As is often the case, what sounds good on paper is revealed to be more complex and troublesome in practice. Consider the crafter who makes handmade toys and sells them online and at craft fairs. While we as consumers, and the crafter herself, would all agree that we would like to make sure the materials used to produce the crafter's items are at safe levels for lead content, how is the crafter working from her home supposed to afford the testing and documentation required, which would be the same required of a large factory making similar toys? What if the crafter is reasonably sure her materials are lead free, but must still prove that they are with expensive testing? Ultimately, the crafter might decide that such testing is simply not within her capability and thus that she should cease making handmade toys altogether. One might say this would be a small price to pay to ensure the safety of children's products, but do we really want to see a shift away from locally produced, handmade items to more factory produced, assembly line items, especially given the current economy and the fact that many small businesses are struggling to stay afloat period? Putting small businesses and work-at-home-moms out of business is not what anyone involved in the creation and passing of the CPSIA intended, but it may well be the consequence in many instances.

I was dismayed earlier while catching up on some of the blogs I follow, that even booksellers and libraries may end up being adversely affected by this law. Consider this post from Scribbler over on Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves. This woman sells vintage children's books on Etsy.com. The result of the law will be that her Etsy store becomes limited to selling books printed between 1985 and 1989, since Etsy only allows the sale of books 20 years or older (by their definition of "vintage"). In the exemptions to the CPSIA available on guidance web site linked to above, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that "until the Commission issues final rules in these areas, certain materials can be used in making products or be sold as children's products without risk of sanction or penalties by the Commission provided the manufacturer, distributor or seller does not have actual knowledge that the products have more than the acceptable lead limit. The Commission generally will not prosecute someone for making, selling or distributing items in these categories (see Table B) even if it turns out that such an item actually contains more than 600 ppm lead." "Table B" includes "Children's books printed after 1985 that are conventionally printed and intended to be read, as opposed to used for play." Ok, cool, though I don't quite understand the distinction between books intended to be "read" or "used for play" (book frisbee, anyone?). What about books printed before 1985, including lots of classics that may be sitting in used book stores, regular book stores, thrift stores, libraries, and sold by vintage book dealers, such as the aforementioned Scribbler? Apparently such books can be sold as collectibles, as long as they're not really intended for use by children. So does that mean, as Scribbler wonders aloud on her blog, that books printed before 1985 sitting in the children's departments of libraries may need to be tested in order to continue to be used by children? Facing such expense, might many small municipal libraries choose to detroy such books rather than go through the process necessary to keep them? Scribbler writes: "So it seems smaller, independent booksellers who know the value of these books are boxing their pre-85 product and holding on to them in storage until this madness blows over. Other larger thrift store chains like Goodwill are pulling the books and just dumping them in the garbage. I am sick about the whole thing...I won't even go into how this will effect libraries, but just imagine your neighborhood library... over half of its children's section disappearing overnight... all of its out-of-print titles, vanishing into the dumpster out back." The potential impact on availability of books for kids, not to mention the environmental impact of detroying inventories---sigh. My head really hurts.

I could write on and on about potential problems with the implementation of this law and how it might adversely affect book sellers, crafters and small businesses, but you don't want to read the longest post known to man (it may be too late for that), and frankly, I'm still trying to learn about this law--I'm no expert when it comes to exactly what this law will require and what the CPSC is doing to deal with potential problems. Off the cuff, I hope that some sort of financial assistance is made available to small businesses for testing, although given the current state of the world, I have no idea where such money might come from--the government has bigger fish to bail out right now. I'm worried about how the law will affect books most particularly; I love books, and old books especially. Newly printed copies of books just don't have the same magical quality sometimes, and some books went out of print before 1985 that are still worth reading!

Am I glad the government is trying to enforce stricter safety standards for children's products? Absolutely. Am I confused as heck about all the different requirements, exemptions and hoops to jump through? Oh yeah. Am I worried that many small businesses and crafters will need to go out of business or change their focus because of this law? Yes. Do I have a solution for how to provide safe toys without causing all these problems? Right now, no. Do I want to stay apprised of how this drama unfolds and how these issues are dealt with? Yes, and I want you to be able to as well. So, here are some links to related resources that you may want to check out:

• CPSC guidance on this law, as discussed above. Note that you can sign up to get email updates related to this law. I did.
• CPSIA-Central. An online forum to discuss the law, its impacts, and ways to bring about change.
• Wikipedia article on this law.
• The Handmade Toy Alliance web pages on this law, potential concerns, and possible solutions.
• American Library Association (ALA) CPSIA reference page
• ALA page with links to their letter to Congress and their view that CPSIA does not apply to libraries (geez, I hope they're right!)
• Etsy forum on CPSIA
• Toy Industry Association CPSIA Resource Page

Whimsical Witches

Halloween is only a few days away, and there are more great Halloween-themed books than I could hope to write about before then. I wanted to highlight a few cute, non-scary witch stories that I've come across over the last couple of years which I hope you'll have time to share with your children or students as you get in the mood for Friday.

This year, my kids enjoyed reading A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss. In this story we learn that witches fear humans (apparently for the purposes of this story, witches aren't simply humans with magical powers). This is because of the ways in which humans are different from them (aren't perceived differences the basis of most fears and stereotypes?). The most frightening difference about humans is that they aren't green-skinned, as witches are in this book. But one brave little witch thinks that humans might not be that bad and decides to visit them during Halloween. Unfortunately, she gets confused when she thinks she hears them say something about "tricking a tree" as they go from house to house. In an attempt to show them she knows how to "trick a tree" by flying around it quickly on her broom, she gets dizzy and crashes, resulting in her meeting a human girl dressed as a witch. This little brave human is impressed by the witch's flying ability and tells her she always wanted to fly. The two girls are able to see past their differences, and the book ends with the witch taking her new human friend for a ride on her broom. The use of speech balloons and the cute illustrations full of funny little details add to the appeal of this book (I especially like the witch's orange cat who reminds me a bit of one of our cats). The message is that you can't judge others based upon their appearance and that you shouldn't simply accept prejudice that others teach you. (Hoodwinked, mentioned in my previous post, is another cute witch tale with a message about looking beyond appearances.)

While we're on the subjects of looking beyond appearances and witch/non-witch relations, Mark Kimball Moulton's Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies must be mentioned as another example of a non-scary Halloween picture book in which a person's value is recognized despite outward differences. Moulton's rhyming text tells the story of Miss Fiona, a witch reported to be over 400 years old, who lives in a scary old house near a graveyard. Despite this and the fact that locals clearly believe in her magical abilities, she is a treasured member of the community due to her Halloween tradition of baking pumpkin pies to share with trick-or-treating children. At midnight on Halloween, children gather at Fiona's house for a party. She serves pie and cider, tells ghost stories and even sends home extra pie with the kids for their parents. Clearly she is kind and trusted by her neighbors despite her obvious differences from them. "I must admit, Fiona's kooky, with her warts and pale green skin;/but who cares how kooky someone looks/when there's goodness deep within!" Karen Hillard Crouch's folksy illustrations have an antique effect that adds to the warmth of the story. (Read a more complete review of this book here.)

Recently, the Light (my daughter; see "What's in a name?" in the sidebar) was given a copy of The Little Red Hen, and I was reminded of sharing The Little Green Witch with her last year around Halloween. Barbara Barbieri McGrath reframes the classic tale for Halloween, substituting a little green witch for the red hen. In this version, the lazy comrades who won't share the work but want to share the results are a ghost, bat and gremlin, and rather than growing wheat and making bread, the witch grows a pumpkin and makes a pie. Martha G. Alexander's soft illustrations make these potentially spooky characters downright adorable. (Read a more complete review of this book here.)

Finally, while the above books are all picture books, I wanted to include what has become one of my absolute favorite first chapter books for Halloween--Vivian Vande Velde's Witch's Wishes. When I checked this book out of the local library last year to read to my daughter, I had never read any of Vande Velde's work. I was so delighted by it that I have since read several of her books meant for older kids and adults and become a real fan of her writing. This is a really funny story which lends itself well to being read aloud. The story is about a clumsy, forgetful and somewhat impulsive witch on her way to a Halloween party for which she is on the refreshments committee. She's running late and needs to stop by a grocery store to pick up some ingredients for mulled cider, so she ignores a rule about witches waiting for a certain amount of time after dark to fly (in order to avoid being observed). She narrowly avoids a collision with a traffic report helicopter and crashes behind the market, where she is observed falling from the sky by a little girl trick-or-treating with her brother. Instead of being scared, the little girl shows genuine concern for the witch's welfare. To show her thanks, the witch casts a spell that will allow the girl's fake magic wand (she's dressed as a fairy princess) to do real magic in the form of granting wishes for remainder of the evening, despite the protests of her sentient broom (a great character with a smart mouth--or handle, I suppose). This well-meaning but not well thought out gesture results in chaos, because every time the little girl says "I wish this or that," the thought comes true. As we all know, anyone, especially a child, may wish a lot of things impulsively, sometimes in anger, that that person doesn't really want to come true. Imagine what might happen if every wish, no matter how small or large, came true. Eventually the witch realizes her mistake and tries to set things right, only to run into further complications. I think kids will relate to the characters and situations in this book and find the story hilarious and suspenseful. (See a more detailed review of this book here.)

As always, if you have other suggestions for great non-scary witch books to share with kids or remember some good examples from your childhood, I'd love to hear about them in the comments section.