New Buy: Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

4/13/2012 – Welcome to the world of Steampunk Literature for young adults! This anthology of stories by fourteen authors, including the likes of Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices), Garth Nix (Sabriel, Mister Monday), and Delia Sherman (Changeling). These are steampunk genre stories based everywhere in the world and time EXCEPT Victorian London.

When I saw this book, I almost leaped on it. I love steampunk literature, I’ve taught it to 8th graders, I love the fantasy of the genre, the creativity of it.

Rules for Virgins by Amy Tan

OK, I have to get this out of the way first: I DIDN’T KNOW THAT AMY TAN WROTE “SAGWA: THE CHINESE SIAMESE CAT”! I LOVED THAT SHOW! ^_^ OK, now that that’s taken care of.

Rules for Virgins is the first piece from Amy Tan in quite six years. A short story at only 43 pages, Rules of Virgins is narrated by experienced courtesan Magic Gourd, ass he instructs her virginal student Violet in the ways of a 1912 Shanghai courtesan and the magical, complicated world she is coming to inhabit. Magic Gourd’s instructions are full of color, guileful descriptions, and tragic memories of her own time as a courtesan.

The descriptions of the clothing, scenery, stories, and behaviors are of the same quality and beauty that I have come to expect from Amy Tan, and this story was just like a drink of cool water on a hot day – extremely refreshing, though short it may be. Thank you, Amy, for another beautiful few moments.

I will note that I would not recommend this book to readers younger than high school, as some of the innuendo is quite blatantly sexual.

The Man in the Moon by William Joyce

As the forerunning book in the new Guardians of Childhood series, The Man in the Moon practically leapt off the bookshelf at Target and into my heart. Admittedly, what caught me first as the books stunning cover. Those of you who know me personally know that I have a deep, abiding love for storybooks and this one only serves to fuel it and whet my appetite for future additions to the Guardians of Childhood series.

This book tells the story of MiM, the Man in the Moon, his parents, and their amazing flying moon-ship. The illustrations are lusciously colorful, the story beautiful and engaging. This is a story that I would recommend for any child and I am hoping that it will be one that my students know by heart someday.

New Favorite: Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

If you’ve never read The Arrival, Shaun Tan’s wordless, wonderful tale of separation and family reunion, then do yourself a favor and pick it up. However, what I discovered yesterday is Tan’s newest book called Tales from Outer Suburbia. This book is a richly illustrated collection of stories ranging from a water buffalo that occupies a vacant lot to a mysterious porpoise that shows up on someone’s front lawn one morning. These stories are glowingly written and beautifully illustrated.

My favorite story so far is “Distant Rain”. I always wondered what happened to all my poems and stories that I never showed anyone. Again, do yourself a favor and pick up this fun book. Great out-loud reading, too. ^_^