Piper Reed, the Great Gypsy: Review Haiku

Spunky Navy brat
tries to teach her dog new tricks
while waiting for Dad.

Piper Reed, the Great Gypsy by Kimberly Willis Holt. Holt, 2008, 152 pages.

The Tale of Despereaux, graphic novel: Review Haiku

I didn't remember
D being so . . . uncute.
Still, decent rehash.

The Tale of Despereaux (movie tie-in graphic novel), adapted by Matt Smith and David Tilton. Candlewick, 2008, 128 pages.

Dying to Meet You: Review Haiku

Epistolary
sisters go gothic. Stock
characters, breezy read.

Dying to Meet You (43 Old Cemetery Road #1) by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise. Harcourt/HMH, 2009, 158 pages.

Aya: Review Haiku

Gutsy teenage soap
opera in 1970s
Ivory Coast.

Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie. Drawn & Quarterly, 2007, 96 pages.

Shameless plug!

I heart Etsy with the heart of a thousand hearts, and recently spent a bunch of birthday money on things I don't really need but nonetheless adore, including this purse and this necklace.

I also bought three pendants from HomeStudio, whose shop is full of Super Awesome pendants made from Scrabble tiles. They are smallish (1" square) and well made, and I lurve them.

I bought these, so you can't have them:



but there are many more in their shop. I may just keeping buying these to have a different one every day of the month.

Full disclosure: I may get a small kick-back in the form of a free gift* by plugging this Etsy site. On the other hand, since my readership is so teeny-weeny, I may not. No matter -- I still lurve the stuff.

*As opposed to those gifts that cost money.

Dating Jesus: Review Haiku

Starts strong, turns predictable,
finishes with a
Christ-haunted whimper.

Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl by Susan Campbell. Beacon, 2009, 215 pages.

Is It Still Cheating If I Don't Get Caught? Review Haiku

Wants to have it both
ways? "Trust your conscience, but here's
what to do/not do."

Is It Still Cheating If I Don't Get Caught? by Bruce Weinstein (The Ethics Guy (R)). Flash Point/Roaring Brook, 2009, 160 pages.

Nation: Review Haiku

Survival, religion,
colonialism,
and Galactica.*

Nation by Terry Pratchett. Harper, 2008, 367 pages.

* What? Just me?

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam: Review Haiku

Magician, acrobat,
unknown grandfather. Filmmaker
seeks and finds.

The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam: An Illustrated Memoir by Ann Marie Fleming. Riverhead, 2007, 170 pages.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon: Review Haiku

A brand-new classic
with dreamy art, lessons learned.

Why change your fortune?

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Little Brown, 2009, 288 pages.

Stuart's Cape and Stuart Goes to School: Review Haiku

Before Clementine,
there was Stuart. More magic
realism; same fun.

Stuart's Cape by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Martin Matje. Orchard, 2002, 64 pages.

Stuart Goes to School, Orchard, 2003, 55 pages.

The President's Daughter: Review Haiku

Love Meg, love story --

but STOP PUTTING COMMAS
AFTER "BUT"! Jebum Cripes.

The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White. Feiwel & Friends, 2008 (reprint), 297 pages.

Adventures in Cartooning: Review Haiku

Perfect for your budding
artist or (ahem) your
favorite editor.

Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost. The Center for Cartoon Studies. First Second, 2009, 112 pages.