THE WASHINGTON POST • BOOK WORLD • SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2010


10 FICTION REVIEW BY MARY QUATTLEBAUM


Best-selling authors try books for the younger set


Candace Bushnell not only crosses over to young adult fic- tion but travels back to the early 1980s in The Carrie Diaries (Balzar + Bray, $18.99; ages 14 and up) to chronicle the senior year of Connecticut small-town girl Carrie Bradshaw. Yes, that Carrie Bradshaw, of Bushnell’s bestselling “Sex and the City.” In this YA prequel, Carrie finds her life complicated by a heart-thrumming bad boy, a fickle friend and her own news- paper column, but these developments leave her ready to em- brace the Manhattan of Bushnell’s adult books. Teens and adults looking for a light summer read will enjoy Carrie’s witty reflections on high school and “The Big Love.”


Mega-seller John Grisham swelled the ranks of crossover writers last month with his first middle-grade novel, Theo- dore Boone: Kid Lawyer (Dutton, $16.99; ages 8-12). The only child of two attorneys, Theo, 13, loves courtrooms, “where law- yers battled like gladiators and judges ruled like kings.” Unfor- tunately, a belabored story set-up and melodramatic whodun- it mar this effort. Even young readers curious about legal mat- ters may be put off by Theo’s priggish tendency to advise peers and teachers rather than converse in a friendlier style.


PICTURE BOOKS REVIEW BY KRISTI JEMTEGAARD


A is for Awesome S


chools out! Summer’s here! But now’s not the time to forget your ABCs. Who knew the al- phabet could have so many dif- ferent personalities or be so


much fun? In LMNO Peas (Beach Lane, $16.99;


ages 3-6), Keith Baker unleashes those round green symbols of similarity from their pods and reveals their impish indi- viduality. “We’re gardeners, gigglers, giv- ers and takers. / We’re hikers, inventors, and investigators.” The rollicking rhyme continues apace as the little spheroids, in all kinds of get-ups, cavort atop, in- side and underneath oversized capital letters. One intrepid green sleuth, for example, dons a deerstalker cap and trench coat as he treks, magnifying glass in hand, around and around the base of a giant H, circles the I and wanders off the page in search of clues. After one reading of this jolly romp, expect to hear choruses of “Pass the peas, please!”


Planning a trip to the country? Take along a copy of Arthur Geisert’s latest of- fering, Country Road ABC (Houghton Mifflin, $17; ages 5-8). The subtitle is “An Illustrated Journey Through America’s Farmland,” and that’s exactly what it is, in alphabetical order naturally. Bucolic describes Geisert’s serene panoramas, each of which features a road passing by fields, farmhouses and barns. However, no gentlemanly gloss or nostalgic glow covers the muck and the mud, the rust- ed-out cars, the low-flying crop dusters, and the quicksand that sometimes lies beneath the corn field. These are all


working farms. Careful eyes will some- times spot a vehicle moving from one page to the next: A blue pickup with an oversized object in the bed turns down a side road and, on the following page, re- appears beside a big red tractor with a flat rear tire. Expect some standard words — M is for milking, P is for pigs— as well as surprises — I is for inoculate, V is for volunteer fire department. Like a leisurely drive down a tree-lined lane, this homage to a still vibrant part of our country invites repeated visits.


Maybe crowds, junk food and heart- stopping rides are more your style. Dip into A Fabulous Fair Alphabet, by Deb- ra Frasier (Beach Lane, $16.99; ages 4-7), for a sneak peek: no tickets necessary. The author is something of a side-show aficionado, as well as a photo junkie. Having taken thousands of pictures of midway signs, she chose a few hundred to assemble into this alphabet-photo collage, a tribute to that most American of institutions: the country fair. The let- ters depict not only the hurly burly — F is for Ferris wheel, R is for roller coaster —but also the food — L is for large lem- onade, C is for cotton candy — and the exhibits — Q is for quilts, J is for judging. In addition to the single word, every page is also arrayed with extra letters (A has over 80, X over 100) to study and en- joy. And what is Z for? Why Zucchini, of course, and also for zzzzzzz . . . at the end of a very busy day.


bookworld@washpost.com


Kristi Jemtegaard is a library manager for Arlington County.


A more auspicious debut is How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) (Amulet, $16.95; ages 8-12), in which the ti- tle character’s slightly sarcastic voice rings tween-true. Angry about his parents’ divorce, Nicky, 11, turns for comfort to the shelter dog brought home by his overwhelmed mom. But why is the highly trained Reggie so fearful? Tracking down the dog’s previous owner leads to offbeat characters, lies and dan- ger. Art Corriveau follows up a first novel for adults with this fine, fresh mystery that is believable as a kid’s experience.


Nuanced characterizations and lyrical writing distinguish


Beth Kephart’s oeuvre, including this third YA novel, The Heart Is Not a Size (HarperTeen, $16.99; ages 12 and up). Re- liable Georgia and her artistic friend Riley volunteer through a GoodWorks building project to help a Mexican village. Being away from their privileged American homes, though, brings out secret issues: Georgia’s panic attacks and Riley’s eating disorder. How Georgia learns to help herself and Riley goes to the heart of this sensitive exploration of self-acceptance, friendship and teen-galvanized social change.


Rick Riordan catapulted from Edgar-winning detective fic- tion to international renown with his tween series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” His new series, “The Kane Chronicles,” swaps the bickering, boisterous Greek pantheon for the equally intriguing gods of ancient Egypt. The Red Pyramid (Disney Hyperion, $17.99; ages 9-12) begins with a literal bang in the British Museum. Kane siblings Carter, 14, and Sadie, 12, watch in horror as explosive forces imprison their Egyptologist father in a golden coffin. The two are soon on the run from London to Cairo to Washington, D.C., trying to piece together clues to aid Dad’s rescue. The pace never flags as the narrative cuts between cautious Carter and intrep- id Sadie. Riordan knows what kids like and delivers it well, in- cluding action-packed scenes involving a key obelisk, the Washington Monument.


bookworld@washpost.com Mary Quattlebaum is a children’s author and writing teacher.


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