Weekend Reviews (I-II)

It's the last weekend of summer in Smalltown. Kid1 and Kid2 go back on Thursday, and I'm back on Friday. I'm very much a summer person--I've been on an academic schedule for most of my life. But it's not just the time off--time spent reading what I want to read. I like the sun, the heat, the long days, the grubby snake-handling children, the cicadas, the fireflies, the water--all of it. Heck, after ten years in the Midwest, I don't even mind the humidity anymore.

One thing Autumn does promise, however, are good books. So let's get to the roundup!

It's children's book weekend in the New York Times. Here's what's on deck this month:

• John Schwartz reviews Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution, by Moying Li
• Sherie Posesorski considers Guo Yue's Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing and finds it offers "many pleasures."
• Donna Freitas praises E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
• Julie Just reviews new titles for this week's "Bookshelf." Books reviewed include Imaginary Menagerie (a poetry book I liked very much) and Breaking Dawn.

Karen MacPherson recommends five new books for Middle Grade readers in The Detroit News.

Amanda Craig presents a science fiction for children and teens roundup in the Times. Not to be missed.

Angelo, by David Macaulay, is the Times Children's Book of the Week, reviewed by Nicolette Jones.

It's children's book weekend in the Independent. I think this is a bianual event, so don't miss it! Here's what's in store:

• Leo and Benjy Taylor are back. They're an editor or writer's sons at the Independent and must be in their teens now. This time they're recommending books for boys.
• Another "young" reviewer, Poppy Fraser, recommends books for girls.
• Nicola Smyth reviews new picture books.
• And Amanda Craig shows up in the Independent, reviewing the best in children's audiobooks.

Um, this is not really a review, but Leonard Sax weighs in on the whole Breaking Dawn question in The Washington Post. I have to say that I find his conclusions rather icky. What do you think?

Not-a-Review (and not even about children's books), but I really like Chris Bohjalian's piece for The Washington Post about obsessing over his Amazon customer reviews.

Children are reviewing books this week in the Chicago Tribune.

Well, not a very busy weekend...but a good one. Enjoy!