Greetings From Somewhere Else A Novel by Monica McInerney. Ballentine Books, 2009. 448 pages

A very light weight, chick lit novel about Lainey Byrne, type A career girl with lots of family problems and responsibilities who suddenly finds herself forced to leave everything behind to run a bed and breakfast in Ireland in order to meet the terms of a dead aunt's will so her father can inherit the land and sell it to pay for his much needed medical treatments. How's that for a family guilt trip? Lainey-- dutiful daughter that she is-- is totally selfless and, being the only one the family can count on, gives up everything, her career, her home, her love, in order to make this thing work.
The story is weak and predicable and , as noted by a previous LT early reviewer, the supporting characters are undeveloped types more than well thought out characters in their own right. I did not care for Lainey nor for her ridiculous predicament and i doubt anyone else will either. Sorry-- this one is not for me and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Pitch Black by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton. Cinco Punto Press, 2008.

Stunning vignette/memoir of Landowne's chance encounter with a homeless artist on the NYC subway that led to her learning his story and publishing it. Details the story of how his troubled youth led him through the system-- social services to shelters to living in the subway tunnels under NYC. Powerful, raw, frightening, moving and even hopeful--the work is full of detail and simplicity. The artist is also the subject. The black and white illustrations really complement the story, while the endpapers leading us into the dark tunnels are stunning. The 11 by 6 size of the work is reminiscent of a subway car. A dark, true tale, Pitch Black is sure to spark classroom and book club conversations. Well, well done and highly recommended.

Sammy's Mommy Has Cancer by Sherry Kohlenberg. Magination Press, NY. 1993,

A simple but straight-forward account of daily life for Sammy and his family after his mom is diagnosed with breast cancer-- the fear and sadness of the diagnosis, the age-appropriate explanation of cancer and chemotherapy, the reality of hair loss and other side effects, the joys of shrinking tumors and of maintaining family life while living with the disease. Kohlenberg, a breast cancer survivor, states her goal was to write a book to help parents help their children and she succeeds brilliantly with this realistic but positive and very well crafted work. Crow's illustrations enhance the text, lending a warm and comforting feel. Includes a (now dated) list of cancer related resources, as well as additional questions and activities to help children deal with a cancer diagnosis. Bibliotherapy at its best.

Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew by Ursula Vernon. Harcourt Children's Books (2008), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 144 p

Poor Nurk-- a small, cautious shrew who aches to live up to the legend of his fearless, warrior grandmother, Surka, and yearns for an adventure of his own, first needs to overcome his timid and practical nature. An mysterious letter for help-- along with the discovery of his grandmother's rather cryptic journal, start Nurk off on his first adventure where he meets creatures real (if you call talking dragonfly kings real) and fantastical. A wonderfully clever and engaging first work by Vernon--who is also the illustrator-- i initially thought it was a British import-- a gentle (sort of) old fashioned feel, reminding me of Le Guinn's Catwings and Dahl and Avi and Jacques. Nurk himself is familiar and sympathetic-- both nervous and brave, and while the adventure concludes as we would (hope) expect, the story is clever and endearing and very well written. Vernon pulls us in and we really care what happens to our hero. Watch for a sequel. This is great high quality fiction for middle elementary kids - so sure to please that i chose it to be the first intallment in our summer BookWorms ReadALoud Book Club. I'll let you know how the kids react. Highly Recommended.

The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso. Collins/Harper Collins, 2004. 218 pages.

Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S Brannen. Putnam Juvenile (2008), Hardcover, 32 pages

Little Chloe adores her Uncle Bobby, but when Uncle Bobby falls in love with Jaime and begins to plan the wedding, Chloe is angry and jealous and very afraid that Uncle Bobby will no longer love her. In the end, Chloe is reassured that Uncle Bobby will always love her and in Jaime, she will now have TWO loving uncles. Plus, she gets to be flower girl! A gentle and loving yet realistic look at the complex feelings and emotions children may experience when a loved one gets married. The guinea pig characters are sweetly gentle and appealing, and while it is clear that Uncles Bobby and Jaime are gay, this is not the issue, making this an especially good choice for school units on feelings and families and celebrations. Highly Recommended.

The Rough Guide to Men's Health 1 (Rough Guide Reference) by Lloyd Bradley. DK Rough Guides, 2008. 384 pages..

The Rough Guide to Men's Health is great for what it is--an easy to read, quick read reference-ish guide to men's health issues for men who may not read about their health in general. it is stylish with a pleasant and easy to read lay out-- it is clever and fun, with some humorous photos and captions, and it is filled with good, general health education and advice for men who are young or young at heart. WARNING: I did find an error right away-- spaghetti bolognaise is listed as high calorie and fettucine alfredo as low-er? This-- from my vast experience -- is NOT TRUE-- an editing error i am certain--and while there may be other errors-- nothing else jumped out at me. A good DK type guide, it is filled with references for additional information-- books, websites, magazines and organizations. it should be popular with young men and the women who love them. i ordered a copy for our adult collection.