Mimi

Mimi

by John Newman

Mimi lost her mother in a bicycle accident five months ago, and her family is having a hard time dealing with the death. Mimi’s father is very depressed and sits around the house looking old and tired. Her sister Sally is wearing black clothes, hanging out with other goth friends, and has a terrible secret that she won’t tell anyone. Her brother Connor plays the drums all the time he is home. Mimi feels terribly lonely in her grief, and so she reads her sister’s diary and watches television to feel better. Mimi calls her house the sad house, and she enjoys going to the other houses of her family members after school each day. She also enjoys the little treats that she gets at the other houses, because her father always burns the pizzas that he cooks every night. Mimi also doesn’t have a bed time, and she doesn’t do her homework unless her Aunt B. makes her. Then Mimi reads in the diary that Sally knows she is reading it. Mimi really wanted to know Sally’s secret, but she decides to stop reading the diary. Mimi is not sure of what to do with her family, but she does know that she wants things to get better. Then one day, the teachers tell their father what has been going on at school, the dentist tells their grandparents that they have not been brushing regularly, and Mrs. Lemon at the store tells their father what Sally’s secret is. Sally decides to run away. Will the family be able to find Sally? What did she do that she thinks was terrible enough to run away? Will everything work out okay for this grieving family?

This book covers a very hard topic that will be very hard for some readers. It is something that no one ever wants to face, but this family has to face it and come through it together. The main theme of the book is coping, which the family does not do very well in the beginning. However, little by little, they start working to bring things closer to the way it was before their loss. This book is about a family in England, so the slang may be a little confusing.

Some New Books for December

Clifford Cares

By Norman Bridwell

Clifford the Big Red Dog is back in this little board book, and Emily Elizabeth shares with us all of the things that Clifford cares about. Clifford cares about his family, and he helps them cross the street safely. Clifford cares about his neighbors by helping them paint their house. Clifford is good at getting the really high spots. Clifford cares about other animals, and he helps Emily Elizabeth feed the birds and squirrels at the park. He also makes sure that other dogs have bones, cats have some milk, and even that little mice get some nice cheese. Do you think everyone appreciates the way that Clifford cares about them? Who are some of the people and animals that you care about?

M.O.M. (Mom Operating Manual)

by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Laura Cornell

Have you ever had trouble understanding how your mom does everything that she does in a day? Have you ever wondered how to take really good care of your mother? Then this book will be lots of help for you. In the introduction, the authors tell you all about different kinds of mothers and the things that they do in a day. The next section in the book is on the Daily Care and Maintenance that your mom needs, such as sleep, nutrition, exercise, and water (or SNEW for short). You can learn all about how much of these your mom needs. The next section of the book is on grooming, such as bathing, hair, and clothing. There are also some special notes on transportation with your mother. The last section of the book is about troubleshooting (when your mother malfunctions). Some minor malfunctions include heavy sighing, groaning, or snapping. There are also some helpful hints on how to handle a malfunctioning mom. The one thing that you will get from this book is lots of laughter. Make sure to share it with your mom for a laugh.

I Want My Hat Back

by Job Klassen

A bear realizes that he has lost his hat, and he wants to find it. First, the bear asks the fox if he has seen his hat, but the fox has not. The bear thanks the fox and moves on. Next, the bear asks a frog if he has seen his hat, but the frog has not. The bear thanks the frog and continues on. Next, the bear asks a rabbit with a red hat on his head if he has seen his hat. The rabbit says he has not and tells the bear that he would not steal a hat. The bear thanks the rabbit and continues on. Then the bear meets a turtle and asks if the turtle has seen the hat. The turtle tells the bear that he has been trying to climb the rock and has not seen anything. The bear helps the turtle onto the rock and continues on. The next animal he asks about his hat is the snake. The snake says that he say a blue hat, but the bear’s hat is not blue. After asking one more animal about his hat, the bear lies down and worries what he will do without his hat. A deer walks up and asks bear what is wrong. Then he asks the bear what his hat looked like? Will telling the deer help the bear remember where he had seen his hat? What does the bear tell the squirrel when the squirrel comes looking for the rabbit?

Happy Pig Day!

by Mo Willems

Piggie is so happy to share with Gerald that it is Happy Pig Day. Piggie tells Gerald that on Happy Pig Day, you have a pig party, sing pig songs, dance pig dances, eat pig food, play pig games, and say “Oinky! Oink! Oink!” Gerald tells Piggie that he did not know about Happy Pig Day, and then Piggie’s friends arrive to celebrate with her. Gerald sees that Piggie is having a lot of fun with her friends, and he starts to feel left out. After Gerald leaves, Piggie goes to look for him. Why is Gerald sad about Happy Pig Day? Will Piggie help Gerald be happier with Happy Pig Day? Will everyone have a chance to have fun on Happy Pig Day?