ReaderKidZ Review - Ode to Halloween

It's hard to believe fall is knocking on our door again and Halloween is around the corner. Trick or Treat!

We're shopping for pumpkins. Are you?

Kids carving pumpkins in 2012

Brainstorming costume ideas. What will we be this year?

2011's costumes with the family

Baking pumpkin chocolate cupcakes, thanks for inspiring us author Cory Putman Oakes (get recipe HERE)!

And naturally, reading scary and sweet books! Today, I highlight two new books to hit library and bookstore shelves and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!  Just hop on over to ReaderKidZ and read my review "Ode to Halloween!".

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

ReaderKidZ Review - Prisoner 88

Over at ReaderKidZ it's Historical Fiction month, and I couldn't be happier than to review Leah Pileggi's debut novel Prisoner 88 (Charlesbridge, 2013) for their many readers! To read the review click HERE.

Prisoner 88 is one of those novels that will get under your skin. You'll feel for Jake and his predicament. The ten-year-old is in jail for killing a man. For killing a man who was trying to harm his father. It's a great example of cause and effect. How life can turn on a dime. How one decision can change your life. One minute your life is flowing in one direction, and in another it's overflowing its banks and taking you into uncharted territory. Pileggi peers deep inside her protagonist and peels back the layers for us. Jake's courage, hope, and unfailing resolve to see the good in people, to make the most of his situation, and to carve a new path for his future are nothing short of inspirational. Prisoner 88 is unputdownable and unforgettable.

Make sure you check out Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald (Bloomsbury, 2013) too. It's about a young Jewish girl surviving World War II in France. Click HERE to read an interview with the author.

Check in at ReaderKidZ throughout the month of October for many more great books, resources, reviews, interviews, and activities surrounding the theme of Historical Fiction!

ReaderKidZ Review - The Cart That Carried Martin

Today, I'm really excited because the interview with my buddy Don Tate is live at ReaderKidZ, and he's shared his views and emotions with young readers about illustrating his latest book The Cart That Carried Martin written by Eve Bunting (Charlesbridge, 2013). Click HERE to read the interview.

I'm also participating in Nonfiction Monday. Check out Sally's Bookshelf to read reviews on the latest nonfiction books by kidlit bloggers. Sally is reviewing Best Foot Forward by Ingo Arndt (Holiday House, 2013) and she'll host rounding up many more titles worth checking out before this Monday is through.

The Cart That Carried Martin written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Don Tate (Charlesbridge, 2013). For ages 6-9.

Jacket Flap:

"The cart was old. Nobody wanted it.

There was a faded wooden cart outside Cook's Antiques and Stuff. The store was closed, so two men borrowed it and painted it green. They hitched it to Belle and Ada, the mules chosen to pull it through the streets of Atlanta from the Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College.

It seemed like an ordinary car pulled by ordinary mules. But it wasn't. The cart carried greatness. It carried the body of Martin Luther King Jr. on the day of his funeral."

Bunting and Tate's collaboration bring us the story about the “humble cart that, not so long ago, carried greatness.” It is a poignant tale that pays tribute to the late reverend and how the American people honored Dr. King. Bunting's words are poetically chosen and rich with emotion and Tate's illustrations create light on a very dark day. Young readers will discover the depth of how Martin Luther King Jr. touched the souls of thousands as they turn the pages in The Cart That Carried Martin and the story behind the borrowed cart.

Texas Book Festival 2013 Children's and Young Adult Lineup Revealed

Today is more than just a hump day. Today, the Texas Book Festival revealed their children's and young adult author and illustrator lineup for the two day event on October 26 & 27, 2013. I've got goose bumps trailing up and down my arm as many local Austin SCBWI and Texas authors and illustrators are confirmed.

The full author list, including all genres, can be found by clicking HERE.

Congrats to some of my friends who are featured this year!

Illustrator Don Tate featuring picture book Hope's Gift written by Kelly Starling Lyons (Putnam Juvenille, 2012).

Author Liz Scanlon featuring picture book Happy Birthday, Bunny! illustrated by Stephanie Graegin (Beach Lane Books, 2013)

New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith featuring her latest YA novel Feral Nights (Candelwick, 2013).

P.J. Hoover featuring her debut YA novel Solstice (Tor Teen, 2013).

Brian Yansky featuring his latest YA novel Homicidal Aliens & Other Disappointments (Candelwick, 2013)

Amy Rose Capetta and her debut YA novel Entangled (Hougton Miflin, 2013).

As of press time, here is the list of children's and young adult authors and illustrators provided by the 2013 Texas Book Festival. 

Children’s – Young Adult

Jon Agee, Little Santa

Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan

Mac Barnett and Jon Scieszka, Battle Bunny

John Bemelmans Marciano, Madeline and the Old House in Paris

Sophie Blackall, Ivy & Bean

Monica Brown, Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash

Clark Burbidge, The Prodigals: Giants in the Land

Amy Rose Capetta, Entangled

Alexandra Coutts, Tumble & Fall

Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat

Caprice Crane, Confessions of a Hater

Matt de la Pena, The Living

Tracy Deebs, Doomed

Kristina Ellis, Confessions of a Scholarship Winner: The Secrets That Helped Me Win $500,000 in Free Money for College-How You Can Too!

Brian Floca, Locomotive

Gayle Forman, Just One Year

Kami Garcia, Unbreakable

Xavier Garza, Maximillian and the Bingo Rematch

Adam Gidwitz, The Grimm Conclusion

Marcia Goldman, Lola Goes to Work: A Nine-to-Five Therapy Dog

Karen Harrington, Sure Signs of Crazy

Edward Hemingway, Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship  

P.J. Hoover, Solstice

Kate Hosford, Infinity and Me

Gordon Korman, The Hypnotist: Book 1

Jessica Khoury, Origin

Claire Legrand, The Year of Shadows

Cynthia Leitich Smith, Feral Nights

Diana Lopez, Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel

Bennett Madison, September Girls

Yuyi Morales, Niño Wrestles the World

Herman Parish, Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book #1: Amelia Bedelia Means Business

Joanna Philbin, Rules of Summer

Aprilynne Pike, Earthbound

James Preller, Scary Tales: Good Night Zombie

Chris Raschka, Daisy Gets Lost

Adam Rex, Moonday

Adam Rubin, Secret Pizza Party

Sergio Ruzzier, Bear and Bee

Leila Sales, This Song Will Save Your Life

Liz Scanlon, Happy Birthday, Bunny!

Bob Shea, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great

Steve Sheinkin, The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery

Neal Shusterman, UnSouled

Lemony Snicket, “When Did You See her Last?” (All the Wrong Questions)

Bob Staake, Bluebird

R.L. Stine, A Midsummer Night’s Scream

Elizabeth Suneby, Razia’s Ray of Hope: One Girl’s Dream of an Education

James Swanson, The President Has Been Shot: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

Don Tate (illustrator), Hope’s Gift

Heather Terrell, Relic: The Books of Eva

Duncan Tonatiuh, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale

Jude Watson, The 39 Clues: Unstoppable: Nowhere to Run

Brian Yansky, Homicidal Aliens & Other Disappointments

Gabrielle Zevin, Birthright: In the Age of Love and Chocolate

What a lineup for Texas families to enjoy with their children. Way to go, 2013 Texas Book Festival!

ReaderKidZ Review - Books to Celebrate Back-to-School

It's Thursday and we're almost knocking on the door of Labor Day weekend! As promised, I've reviewed several books to celebrate back-to-school over at ReaderKidZ today and I hope you'll stop by and check them out. Click HERE.

Rufus Goes to School by Kim Griswell, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
(Charlesbridge, 2013)

And don't stop there! ReaderKidZ is geared to fostering a love of reading in the ages K-5 so don't be shy, go ahead and explore the website. You're sure to find new favorites and timeless classics. Haven't you already fallen in love with the pig above and his curlicue tail!

If you're not too busy, drop me a line at ReaderKidZ or comment on my blog and let me know what you think of the recommendations.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Picture Book Review: The Cat with Seven Names

It's August. The end of summer is on its way but you wouldn't know it from the radiating heat here in Texas. Still it's time to get ready for back-to-school. New shoes. New supplies. New books to uncover.

I'm kicking off the last lazy days of summer with The Cat with Seven Names by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Christine Davenier (Charlesbridge, Aug 2013). It's just the kind of book you want to curl up and read when the clouds roll in and cover the plains. I love the watercolor illustrations splashed across the pages in sunburst yellows, sky-blues, and autumn reds and the mellow hues of springtime sprinkled in. Turns out illustrator Davenier lives in my favorite city Paris, France and close to where my agent Erzsi Deak resides, too.

Johnston introduces us to a stray cat who romps through an urban neighborhood making new friends. Every neighbor has a name for the rogue tomcat and almost everyone feeds the full figured male except the homeless man who can't feed himself. Tacos, tuna fish, Big Mac's. Oh, my! Of course, like every good picture book, Johnston saves the best for last when she brings the community together to save the cat and back into the hands of his rightful owner. It's a good thing our hero had nine lives and even better that's he's introduced the neighborhood to new friends. It turns out the homeless man and the old man have a war in common and the senor, mom, daughter, and librarian love books. Who doesn't, right?

The Cat with Seven Names is perfect for all you readers who adore furry friends and those who just want to be entertained with an endearing tail. I mean, tale. For ages 5+.

Also you might want to check out my upcoming post at ReaderKidZ on August, 29th, 2013 for some new back-to-school book reviews. There's going to be something there for everyone!

Happy reading!

Book Review - Poison by Bridget Zinn

I don't normally blog about young adult literature on my blog NOT because I don't love reading it but because I write for  younger readers who read picture books, chapter books, early readers and middle grade novels. But every once in awhile a book comes along that I feel is a cross-over to those upper elementary readers and a book that is done so well that it just has to be mentioned and that book happens to be debut author Bridget Zinn's Poison (Hyperion, 2013).

Bridget was a librarian, author, and lover of good books and she died far too early at the age of 33 from colon cancer and never got to see youth enjoying her book. But her family, friends, publisher and agent have worked hard to make sure that her dream of being an author and sharing stories didn't die too and released Poison this past spring. To learn more about Bridget and how you can spread the word about her debut YA novel visit her website here:

I must confess I'm not a huge lover of fantasy but I LOVE a good story filled with mischief, mayhem, romance, good vs. evil, and mystery and Poison delivered all of that and then some. So go ahead and read the jacket flap below and meet me on the other side of these paragraphs.

Jacket flap:

“Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly skilled potions master, is the only one who knows that her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she is the only one who can save it. With no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the King’s Army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute piglet, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?”

Don't you want to run out to your nearest library or book store and grab a copy? I recently had an author friend nominate this book for me for the William C. Morris debut YA award because I feel it's classic, timeless, storytelling at its best!

Bridget Zinn has created a host of diverse and eclectic characters and a world of mystery, romance and intrigue in the Kingdom of Mohr. With page-turning suspense, readers are caught up with Kyra’s struggle to do what’s right and wrestling with the moral dilemma of taking a life to save the lives of many. To make matters worse, the person she must murder is near and dear to her heart, a confident and friend. The only real friend she’s ever known.  Her inner conflict is fraught with additional complexities when she learns a truth about herself that thrusts her into a world of evil and consorting with criminal masterminds. Will this secret destroy her or will it make her stronger? She must learn to trust her instincts and believe in herself and at the same time, open her heart and trust the one man she can never have. Or can she? 

Strong themes of loyalty, friendship, good vs evil, trust and believing in yourself are well-developed and the main character’s growth over the course of the novel is satisfying and authentic. Zinn’s debut is fantastical with rich characters and a fast-moving plot.  Antagonists are well-defined and Zinn carries us to the end of the novel by trying to figure out who is really behind the sinister plot to destroy the kingdom of Mohr.  Language and description paint exquisite scenes and this YA is also appropriate for upper elementary ages who are eager to read beyond their reading level.  Zinn shows readers you don’t need sex and racy language to tell a great YA story. 

Here's a wonderful article written by Alexis Burgling in Publishers's Weekly Promoting a Late Author's Debut Novel: "Poison" by Bridget Zinn and New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith has a guest post by Bridget's friend and critique partner E. M. Kokie, click here to read it.

Happy summer reading friends!