The Adventures of Nanny Piggins: Review Haiku

If Mary Poppins
were a pig. And shorter.
And completely insane.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by R. A. Spratt. Little Brown, 2010, 239 pages.

The Fabled [Fourth/Fifth] Graders of Aesop Elementary: Review Haiku

Punny collection
of life lessons without a
trace of "good-for-you."

The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary by Candace Fleming. Schwartz + Wade, 2007, 186 pages.

The Fabled Fifth Graders of Aesop Elementary by Candace Fleming. Schwartz + Wade, 2010, 170 pages.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: Review Haiku

Not so much "funny ha-ha"

as "funny WTF?"

Nerdy goodness.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris. Little Brown, 2010, 176 pages.

Matchless: Review Haiku

The saddest fairy

tale in the whole wide world
gets a new life. Lovely.

Matchless by Gregory Maguire. Morrow, 2009, 112 pages.

Note: Yes, I KNOW it's not Christmas anymore. Shut UP.

Invisible Inkling: Review Haiku

Bullies come in all
shapes, sizes, and levels of

visibility.

Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Harry Bliss. Balzer + Bray, 2011, 144 pages.

Bless This Mouse: Review Haiku

A mousey Moses
leads her people out of danger

and into grace.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry. HMH, 2011, 192 pages.

(Note: Now comes that post-convention time when I braggadociously review ARCs I picked up and read that aren't even out yet. Sorry.)

How Did You Get This Number: Review Haiku

Billed as a female
Sedaris; essays are fine
but just smile-worthy.

How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley. Riverhead, 2010, 274 pages.

We the Children: Review Haiku

Premise has promise,

but pretty weak opener:

way too unfinished.

We the Children (Keepers of the School #1) by Andrew Clements. Atheneum, 2010, 160 pages.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: Review Haiku

Never thought I'd want
to kiss Nellie Oleson on the mouth,

but this RAWKED.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim. It Books, 2010, 320 pages.

Watch This Space . . .

. . . for ALA awards news, live(ish) from San Diego. Or follow me on Twitter: @emilyreads.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus: Review Haiku

Picture-book royalty
give us a Veruca Salt
for our times. Sweet.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith. Atheneum, 2010, 128 pages.

Blast from the Past: Review Haiku

Even on old-timey-
village field trips, mean girls

are total bitches.

Blast from the Past (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #6) by Meg Cabot. Scholastic, 2010, 240 pages.

Bad Science: Review Haiku

Everything you know
is wrong. But don't fret -- everything

you know is wrong.

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre. Faber & Faber, 2010, 304 pages.