Briar’s Journal (June 15 to June 30, 2011)

Dream Entry*

December 19, 2007

I’m in the library’s lobby, only it looks and smells more like a movie theater lobby. Movie posters cover the walls. The titles are unfamiliar to me. At the bottom of each one, in letters bigger than the title, are the words: “Based on the popular book!” My nose picks up the scent of buttery popcorn.

Bigfoot is standing at the ticket booth. He tells me to take my place behind the concession stand. I was headed there already. A duck in a bow tie and cummerbund opens the front doors. A crowd files in. After they get their tickets, they come my way. It’s all my friends plus the three beagle puppies that keep popping up in my dreams.

Beverly steps up to the counter. At first I don’t see her because she’s invisible halfway down from the top of her head. I just see what appears to be a plastic sphere on a chain floating in midair. Beverly’s demanding voice draws my attention.

“I’ll have the large bucket,” she says. “No butter.”

I start to scoop popcorn into a large container, but she stops me.

“Not popcorn. Those,” she say, tapping the glass case. I don’t see her tapping because of her half-invisibility, but I hear it.

I look into the case. Between the purple licorice and chocolate covered anchovies are stacks of brand new books. I ask her why she’s taking books into the theater.

“Everybody knows, the book is usually better than the movie. Hurry it up. I don’t want to miss the previews.”

So I give her a large bucket of books with no butter.

“It’s too dark in there to read,” I tell her.

“I’ve got my book light,” she says. The plastic sphere swings closer to me. Inside is a lightning bug.

The rest of my friends order buckets of books, too—some with butter, some without. Bigfoot closes the ticket booth and has me scoop an extra large bucket of books with extra butter for him. The duck orders a small and follows Bigfoot into the theater.

In BIGFOOT’s bucket:

SHARKS & BOYS by Kristen Tracy

[YOUNG ADULT]

Hyperion-Disney

June 28, 2011

BEYOND LUCKY by Sarah Aronson

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Dial-Penguin

June 30, 2011

In MORZANT’s bucket:

CHARLIE AND KIWI: AN EVOLUTIONARY ADVENTURE

by The New York Hall of Science and Fablevision,

illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

[PICTURE BOOK]

June 28, 2011

In PENNY’s bucket:

HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey

[YOUNG ADULT]

Walker

June 21, 2011

UNCOMMON CRIMINALS by Ally Carter

[YOUNG ADULT—SECOND IN THE HEIST SOCIETY SERIES]

Hyperion-Disney

June 21, 2011

VICIOUS LITTLE DARLINGS by Katherine Easer

[YOUNG ADULT]

Bloomsbury USA

June 21, 2011

SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY by Kate Messner,

illustrated by Andy Rash

[PICTURE BOOK]

Chronicle

June 22, 2011

In the DUCK’s bucket:

BREATH OF ANGEL by Karyn Henley

[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE

ANGELAEON CIRCLE TRILOGY]

WaterBrook Multnomah-Random House

June 21, 2011

In NORMAN’s bucket:

THE BOY AT THE END OF THE WORLD

by Greg van Eekhout

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Bloomsbury USA

June 21, 2011

MISSING ON SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN by Elise Broach, with illustrations by Antonio Javier Caparo

[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN TRILOGY]

Henry Holt

June 21, 2011

THE SCHOOL FOR THE INSANELY GIFTED by Dan Elish

[MIDDLE GRADE]

HarperCollins

June 21, 2011

In BEVERLY’s bucket:

THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES by Paul Dowswell

[YOUNG ADULT]

Bloomsbury USA

June 21, 2011

ME & JACK by Danette Haworth

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Walker

June 21, 2011

In OLIVER’s bucket:

MINE by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Patrice Barton

[PICTURE BOOK]

Knopf-Random House

June 14, 2011

In LENNY’s bucket:

THE GREAT RACE by Kevin O’Malley

[PICTURE BOOK]

Walker

June 21, 2011

ALONG A LONG ROAD by Frank Viva

[PICTURE BOOK]

Little, Brown-Hachette

June 28, 2011

BOY WONDERS by Calef Brown

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

June 28, 2011

In VIOLET’s bucket:

OH, HARRY! by Maxine Kumin, illustrated by Barry Moser

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

June 21, 2011

PRUDENCE WANTS A PET by Cathleen Daly,

illustrated by Stephen Michael King

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

June 21, 2011

* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.

QUEEN OF THE FALLS (Picture Book)

by Chris Van Allsburg

Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011

Tuesdays with Morzant:

A Book Review by Morzant the Alien

Zulko, humans. Those of you who have kept abreast of my studies of Earth literature know that I frequently experience difficulty in determining which stories are based in reality and which are an imaginative author’s invention. For example, I once thought a certain novel about zombies was a work of non-fiction. Bigfoot set me straight in that case, declaring that zombies, unlike sea creatures and telepathic puppies, do not exist on this planet; however, I often find that my limited knowledge of Earth, its inhabitants, and its customs leaves me ill-equipped to differentiate between fact and fiction. This poses a significant problem in that many of my Earth friends, particularly Norman the Half-Invisible Turtle, delight in testing my gullibility. Taking those factors into account, I was understandably skeptical when Norman claimed that QUEEN OF THE FALLS is a work of non-fiction.

QUEEN OF THE FALLS is about a human woman in her sixth decade of life who decides to encase herself in a wooden barrel and launch herself over the Niagara Falls, a fearsome torrent of continuously plummeting water located on Earth’s North American continent. Distrusting Norman has become almost a reflexive behavior for me, but were the most trustworthy librarian to have handed me this book directly from its perch on a shelf in the non-fiction section, I would have been every bit as doubtful as to this book’s non-fiction classification. Risking one’s life to perform a dangerous stunt for the sole purpose of gaining celebrity and wealth defies logic. One cannot enjoy either celebrity or wealth when one is dead, at least as far as current scientific knowledge suggests.

The author’s skill in writing this book is as remarkable to me as is the subject matter. Despite my misgivings towards the act of riding a barrel over the Niagara Falls, the author made me understand what motivated Annie Edson Taylor to attempt such an act. In fact, so skillful is the author in his use of not only words, but of illustrations, that I found myself cheering on Annie Edson Taylor as she struggled to achieve her absurd and perilous goal. I grew anxious as the moment of her attempt approached and I was as tense as the spectators to the actual event must have been.

Long ago Bigfoot branded Penny C. Monster a “blurter-outer” for her tendency to give away the endings of books and movies to those who have yet to experience them. I’ve come to recognize that “blurter-outer” is a title with negative connotations. I don’t wish to receive similar ridicule, nor do I want to diminish your enjoyment of this book by revealing the fate of this unusual, determined woman. I’ll leave you to discover that on your own.

It occurs to me now that perhaps my initial reaction in doubting the veracity of this story isn’t merely a product of my ignorance of Earth intricacies; perhaps Earth readers will be as stunned as I was to learn that, while there may be no such creatures as zombies, there indeed existed a woman who rode in a barrel over the Niagara Falls. Earth readers may also be as surprised as I was to learn in the author’s addendum that Annie Edson Taylor may have been the first, but she was not the last.

Good-bye for now, humans.

Notes Regarding Future Studies into Earth Literature:

• The author of this book is also its illustrator—explore possible external influences that may contribute to a creative writer’s illustrative abilities such as significant early exposure to pencil shavings/grape jam/acid rain/cat dander/igneous rocks/periwinkle-colored crayons.

Briar’s Journal (June 1 to June 14, 2011)

Dream Entry*

October 8, 2005

I chase a peacock into Morzant’s lab. The peacock joins Mortimer, Bigfoot, and a cricket at the back of the lab to play poker.

Morzant is in another part of the lab, by a pond.

“Over here, Patch,” he says.

It should seem strange to me that he’s calling me “Patch” and that there’s a pond in the lab’s floor, but it doesn’t.

As I join him, he holds an eye dropper over the pond. The pond is full of plump tadpoles.

“This is an accelerant I developed. Observe.”

He squeezes three drops into the water. One is purple, one is blue, and one is green even though they all came from the same dropper. The tadpoles swim towards the drops. Morzant begins to counts down.

“Five, four, three, two, sock, pickle!”

At pickle, the tadpoles start to change.

“It’s happening. Watch how their tails diminish in size.”

He’s right. The tails become thinner and duplicate. Then the tadpoles open their mouths wide. Their mouths fold backwards. At first it looks like they’re eating their own many flappy tails. Then the closing mouths start to look like book covers closing on pages.

“They’re turning into books,” I say.

“Just as I knew they would,” Morzant says. “Not that I’m a book, mind you. Because I am not a book.”

Soon the books are hopping out of the lab pond.

“Time to collect them,” Morzant says.

We maneuver large shoe boxes in front of the books. When they jump inside, we quickly slap on the lids. We poke holes in the top so the books can breathe. Then I use markers to write our friends’ names on the boxes.

In BIGFOOT’s shoebox:

SLICE: JUICY MOMENTS FROM MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE

by Steven Herrick

[YOUNG ADULT]

Random House

June 1, 2011

STUPID FAST by Geoff Herbach

[YOUNG ADULT]

Sourcebooks Fire-Sourcebooks

June 1, 2011

ANYA’S GHOST by Vera Brosgol

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

ASTRONAUT ACADEMY: ZERO GRAVITY

by Dave Roman

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

DON’T STOP NOW by Julie Halpern

[YOUNG ADULT]

Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan

June 7, 2011

LEVEL UP by Gene Luen Yang,

illustrated by Thien Pham

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

HOW I STOLE JOHNNY DEPP’S ALIEN GIRLFRIEND

by Gary Ghislain

[YOUNG ADULT]

Chronicle

June 8, 2011

WHAT WE KEEP IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WILL STAY

by Amanda Cockrell

[YOUNG ADULT]

Flux-Llewellyn

June 8, 2011

THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE by Kathyrn Erskine

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Philomel-Penguin

June 9, 2011

NEVER SIT DOWN IN A HOOPSKIRT AND OTHER THINGS

I LEARNED IN SOUTHERN BELLE HELL

by Crickett Rumley

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

June 14, 2011

In MORZANT’s shoebox:

THE DEAD: AN ENEMY NOVEL by Charlie Higson

[YOUNG ADULT]

Hyperion-Disney

June 14, 2011

In PENNY’s shoebox:

ASHES, ASHES by Jo Treggiari

[YOUNG ADULT]

Scholastic Press-Scholastic, Inc.

June 1, 2011

FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick

[YOUNG ADULT]

Little, Brown-Hachette

June 7, 2011

THE MISSING HEIR by Tracy Barrett

[MIDDLE GRADE—FOURTH IN THE

SHERLOCK FILES SERIES]

Henry Holt

June 7, 2011

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

by Ransom Riggs

[YOUNG ADULT]

Quirk

June 7, 2011

POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

[YOUNG ADULT]

Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster

June 7, 2011

HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

June 14, 2011

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

[YOUNG ADULT]

Dutton-Penguin

June 14, 2011

YOU’LL LIKE IT HERE (EVERYBODY DOES)

by Ruth White

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Delacorte-Random House

June 14, 2011

In NORMAN’s shoebox:

THE EMPIRE OF GUT AND BONE by M.T. Anderson

[MIDDLE GRADE—THIRD IN THE GAME OF

SUNKEN PLACES SERIES]

Scholastic Press-Scholastic, Inc.

June 1, 2011

SHARK WARS by E. J. Altbacker

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Razorbill-Penguin

June 14, 2011

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J. by Erica S. Perl

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Knopf-Random House

June 14, 2011

In BEVERLY’s shoebox:

WAR AND WATERMELON by Rich Wallace

[YOUNG ADULT]

Viking-Penguin

June 9, 2011

THE CROSSING by Donna Jo Napoli,

illustrated by Jim Madsen

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

June 14, 2011

In OLIVER’s shoebox:

JONATHAN AND THE BIG BLUE BOAT

by Philip C. Stead

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

WHAT IS YOUR DOG DOING? by Marilyn Singer,

illustrated by Kathleen Habbley

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

June 7, 2011

WHO’S THERE? by Carole Schaefer,

illustrated by Pierr Morgan

[PICTURE BOOK]

Viking-Penguin

June 9, 2011

ON THE SEESAW BRIDGE by Yuichi Kimura,

illustrated by Kowshiro Hate

[PICTURE BOOK]

Vertical

June 14, 2011

In LENNY’s shoebox:

GILBERT GOLDFISH WANTS A PET

by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Bob Shea

[PICTURE BOOK]

Dial-Penguin

June 9, 2011

FARMYARD BEAT by Lindsey Craig,

illustrated by Marc Brown

[PICTURE BOOK]

Knopf-Random House

June 14, 2011

In VIOLET’s shoebox:

HOGWASH! by Karma Wilson,

illustrated by Jim McMullan

[PICTURE BOOK]

Little, Brown-Hachette

June 7, 2011

SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM? by Mo Willems

[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK]

Hyperion-Disney

June 14, 2011

* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.