Incarceron

I know. I usually use this blog to review books for really little kids. But Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher is the kind of book that you buy for yourself and keep it around until your kids are old enough to read for themselves. 

Its a YA fantasy about a seventeen year old boy, Finn, who is trapped in a living, breathing, ever-watching prison.  The prison was created 150 years ago to contain all the unwanted members of society forever.  Finn is convinced that, unlike the other prisoners there, he wasn't born inside the prison, and he wants to escape.  This review explains the plot really well. 

Catherine Fisher describes this bizarre world in such a clear and vivid way.  Quinn and I both devoured it and are ready to check out all of Fisher's books. 

The Times named it the Children's Book of the Year.

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I am going! by Mo Willems

Gerald the gets a little distressed when Piggy announces that he's going.

It reminds me of Calvin's routine when I drop him off a preschool.

After a fair amount of drama, we realize that Piggy is just getting a little lunch, so it shows the difference between going away permanently and just stepping out for a minute.

Pigs Make Me Sneeze, by Mo Willems

We have read Mo Willems' pigeon books until they fell apart, so I decided to buy Pigs Make Me Sneeze.  The elephant has a cold and he thinks that his piggy friend is making him sneeze, and starts to worry that they won't be able to be friends anymore.

I like kids' books where one of the characters makes a mistake and has to go through all kinds of emotional angst before they realize that they were wrong. I mean, how can you get any perspective on how how much you like being around your friends unless you think you're allergic to them?