Review #106: Fablehaven

From time to time we'll break from our regular group review format and check in with the kiddos One-on-One to see what they've been reading on their own.  Today we hear from Isaac!

Dad:  What have you been reading dude?
Isaac (age 12):  The Fablehaven series.  By Brandon Mull.
Dad:  You are flying through them.
Isaac:  I usually get through each book in a day or two.
Dad:  You've been wanting to read these forever.  How are you liking them?
Isaac:  They are great.  I like the action and the adventure.
Dad: Do tell...
Isaac:  These kids named Seth and Kendra go to their grandpa's house.  At first they are bored.  But then they find out that their grandpa works on a preserve for magical creatures.
Dad:  Are they new made-up creatures, or are they creatures from mythology?
Isaac:  Mostly creatures from mythology, but there are a few new things.  Like nipsies.  Those are kind of like brownies, but they are the size of flies.  There are goblins and hobgoblins - which are very different from each other.  There are giants that are 30 feet high and eat yaks.  There are centaurs which are really cool, but they are kind of stuck-up.  There are a lot of dryads - water dryads, tree dryads, everything dryads.  There's a dragon that is really awesome.
Dad:  It sounds like a lot of the same creatures as in the Spiderwick books.
Isaac:  It's a lot like Spiderwick.  You even need special abilities to see the creatures.
Dad:  Really?
Isaac:  The creatures are always invisible to people, which is what helps them stay preserved.  They are invisible unless you have this special milk from a giant 30 foot cow.
Dad:  Yikes.  Milk?
Isaac:  Or if you have walrus butter.
Dad:  Walrus?  Butter?
Isaac:  Yeah.
Dad:  Does it feel like the series copies Spiderwick?
Isaac:  No.  It has a different storyline.  The "invisible" part is the only thing that's really the same.
Dad:  So, why do you like books with fantasy creatures so much?
Isaac:  It's good inspiration for stuff I make.  I love the creatures.  I like the designs.  It gives me ideas for stories and pictures and for building little creatures.
Dad:  Could Brandon Mull tell the same kind of stories using all zoo animals instead?
Isaac:  It wouldn't be as good.  Stories with zoo animals would have to be more realistic.  But with made up creatures, anything can happen.  A dragon can breathe fire.
Dad:  You could get away with featuring a talking polar bear, but it probably wouldn't breathe fire.  With real creatures, to some degree you're stuck with things that make sense according to science.
Isaac:  But you can do anything with fantasy creatures.
Dad:  No limitations.
Isaac:  Like, there are these balls that live in caves.  Little yellow fluffy pompom things that float around in caves, hundreds of them.  They explode into gasses and disintegrate people.
Dad:  Now, are these things a mix of good creatures and bad creatures?  Or are they all neutral like animals?
Isaac:  There technically aren't good creatures and bad creatures.  But they might seem that way to people.  Like... a bear or a man-eating lion or a killer bee.  A bear would attack you if you got to close to its cubs.  People don't like some animals because they will attack you or bother you, but they are not "evil."
Dad:  But there are some bad guys in the books, right?
Isaac:  Some characters are pure evil.  But the books don't make them too freaky... not like wet-your-pants-freaky.
Dad:  What kind of creatures are those?
Isaac:  Werewolves and vampires and a genie who is evil.  Under the house they have a jail for all the bad creatures - creatures that have been transformed purposefully for the point of evil.  There are these goblins who run the jail.  And they made this stuff called glop that they feed everyone.  Glop is a mixture of any junk they can find.
Dad:  Now, you haven't finished the series yet.  You are taking a little break?
Isaac:  Yeah, I'm on book 4.  But there are a couple other books I want to read, so I'm taking a break.
Dad:  What are you reading now?
Isaac:  "This Present Darkness."  Our youth pastor told us about it.
Dad:  I read that when I was right around your age.  I was probably a year or two older.
Isaac:  Did you like it?
Dad:  Oh yeah.  Quite a lot.  But, back to Fablehaven...  I'm wondering, would girls like these books as much as boys?
Isaac:  Girls would like them too.  Especially the first book.  Because there are fairies, and the main character is a girl.
Dad:  How about me?
Isaac:  Oh yeah, you would really like them.  You would love Fablehaven.

goblin jailer serving glop, by Isaac

Author: Brandon Mull
Published 2006-2010: Shadow Mountain
Like them?  Here they are

Review #104: The Complete Peanuts

From time to time we'll break from our regular group review format and check in with the kiddos One-on-One to see what they've been reading on their own.  Today we hear from Gracie!

Dad:  Hello Gracie.
Gracie (age 11):  Hi Daddy.
Dad:  What have you been reading?
Gracie:  Peanuts!  The Complete Peanuts collection.  With good ol' Charlie Brown.
Dad:  The complete collection!  Do you know how long that comic strip ran?
Gracie:  Forever.  Ha ha ha!
Dad:  Where are we finding these books?
Gracie:  You are getting them for me from the library.
Dad:  We are so lucky that our library has been collecting these.  They're really expensive books, and we'd probably never see them otherwise.  How many volumes have you read?
Gracie:  All 15 books that they have so far.
Dad:  The publisher is working their way through the series, and so far they've released all the comics from 1950 through 1980.  That's 31 years worth!  That's over 11,000 individual episodes!
Gracie:  Ho ho ho hah!  My goal is to read all of the Peanuts comics ever made.  That's my dream.
Dad:  So, would you consider yourself a Charlie Brown expert with 11,000 episodes under your belt?
Gracie:  Oh yeah.  You could ask me anything.
Dad:  Tell us how the strip was different at the beginning than it turned out later on.
Gracie:  Well, a few characters were deleted, and a ton of new ones were added.  Violet, Patty, and Shermy went away.  Also, at the beginning Snoopy just ate and slept and didn't think at all.  It was two or three books before he started having thought bubbles.  Now he likes to play tennis and go to Woodstock's New Year's parties.
Dad:  Lots of new characters get introduced as babies, don't they?
Gracie:  Lucy was a little baby.  Schroeder was a baby.  Linus was a baby.  Sally was a baby.  When Sally was born, Charlie Brown ran out of the house... "Guys! I'm a father!  No wait - my dad is a father!  Again!"
Dad:  Do you have a favorite character?
Gracie:  Lucy.  Because Baby Lucy was just like Baby Me.  But now she's the bossy person who has to have her way all the time.
Dad:  A great role model...
Gracie:  Then there's Linus who has a blanket and sucks his thumb.  He's babyish, but he's really, really smart.  And he always quotes from the Bible.
Dad:  Who else?
Gracie:  Charlie Brown!  He's the one who thinks, "Life is going bad... I'm an awful person... Nothing good ever happens to me..."
Dad:  Would you be friends with him?
Gracie:  I would.  I love him.  My love for him goes to the ceiling of a skyscraper.  But nothing good ever happens to him ever.  Once he won a race -- that's probably the only thing he's ever won.  And the prize was 5 free haircuts...
Dad:  Ha!
Gracie:  He's only got a twist of hair in front.  And he's like, "Five free haircuts?  I don't have much hair to cut!  And even if I did... my dad is a barber!"
Dad:  Poor Charlie Brown.
Gracie:  Yeah, nothing good ever happens to him.  He's always getting teased for his perfectly round head.
Dad:  Tell me about Snoopy.
Gracie:  Snoopy!  He's the dog, and he doesn't know Charlie Brown's name.  He's always like, "Who? You mean that round headed kid that feeds me..."
Dad:  Ha ha -- I read the one when Charlie Brown comes back from the hospital...
Gracie:  Yeah!  And he's like, "Snoopy!  I'm finally here!  I missed you so bad that whole time!  I'm so glad to see you again!"  Then after he leaves, Snoopy thinks, "Now I remember... He's that round headed kid that used to feed me."
Dad:  Poor, poor Charlie Brown.
Gracie:  Snoopy has a lot of identities: Joe Cool, Joe Sporty, Joe Astronaut, World War I Flying Ace...  He's got thousands of disguises.
Dad:  Out of all 11,000 comics you've read, do you have a favorite?  Or is it too hard to pick one?
Gracie:  Well, I have a favorite book.
Dad:  Oh?  Which one?
Gracie:  Actually, it's one where all these bad things happen.  Charlie Brown gets hit by a car.  And he almost got fired from being a crossing guard.  Then Linus and Lucy move away.  And Woodstock has to fly South so Snoopy might not see him again ever.
Dad:  Goodness, why so many sad things?
Gracie:  Apparently a lot of bad things were going on in the author's life.  Schulz. 
Something Schulz.
Dad:  Charles.
Gracie:  Yeah.  A lot of bad things were going on in his life, so he expressed them in his drawings.
Dad:  Why did you like that book so much if so many awful things happened?
Gracie:  I don't know.  Because every time the terrible things ended, he'd have one of the funniest comics in history.
Dad:  Now... "Charles."  Charles Schulz...  Charlie Brown...  Do you think it's significant that they have the same name?
Gracie:  Maybe things didn't go well in his life.  Or maybe he was bald.  Or maybe Charles Schulz had a round head.
Dad:  These were made a long time ago -- some of them 60 years ago.  Why do you think you dig something so old?  Does it say something about you?  Or does it say something about the timelessness of these comics?
Gracie:  I live for the classics.
Dad:  Do you think other kids would like them too, or do you think you're an oddball?
Gracie:  Out of my friends, half of them don't even know who Charlie Brown is.  They know Snoopy and Woodstock.  But I had to explain Charlie Brown.
Dad:  Poor Charlie Brown.
Gracie:  But my friends would love them too if they could read the books.
Dad:  Is this your favorite comic?  Do you know any other comic strips?
Gracie:  This is the order of my favorite comic strips: I like the "Peanuts" comics, "Little Nemo in Slumberland," and "Calvin and Hobbes."
Dad:  I think you have good taste.  Now, are you going to try to draw a new Peanuts episode for your Fan Art this week?
Gracie:  No, I'm afraid I might come up with an idea, and not realize it is actually one that I've already read.  And plus, Charles Schulz doesn't want anyone else making his comic.
Dad:  Tell everybody about your birthday party last week...
Gracie:  The theme was Charlie Brown!  We decorated things like Charlie Brown.  I drew faces on balloons.  Isaac decorated with streamers that were zigzags like on Charlie Brown's shirt.  And we had Charlie Brown games that I made up, like "Pin the Frown on Charlie Brown."  And you made a Snoopy cake.
Dad:  Do you want to say anything to the people compiling these books?  Because that's a BIG undertaking for the publisher... committing to every Peanuts comic ever made, coming out with another volume every few months.
Gracie:  I don't know how many people read these books... but one girl LOVES them.  Thank you for making these!
Dad:  Real quick... What are you reading in the meantime while you wait for them to release the next volume?
Gracie:  I'm reading the books you got me for my birthday.  "Year of the Dog" and "Year of the Rat" by Grace Lin.  They're good.
Dad:  Thanks for the one-on-one chat, Gracie!  I love you!
Gracie:  And I love Charlie Brown!
Dad:  What?  Thanks a lot...
Gracie:  Ha ha ha!
Dad:  You make me feel like poor ol' Charlie Brown.
Gracie:  Hee hee hee!
Dad:  I'm certainly never going to kick a football that you're holding.
Gracie:  Ha ha!  I love Charlie Brown AND you!

the Peanuts gang, by Gracie

Author/Illustrator: Charles Schulz
Comics Published: 1950-2000
Books Published, 2004-present: Fantagraphics Books
Like them?  Here they are

Review #93: Bone

When Isaac, Grace, Lily, and I recorded our very first Bookie Woogie review, Elijah was only 2 years old.  Over the years he's started joining in... slowly... more and more... bit by little bit.  I think he's participated in around 15 reviews so far.  And now that he's five years old, his contributions have started becoming more substantial.

Recently I decided that here on the blog we'll diverge from our group reviews from time to time for some One on One conversations with the kids about books.  And today Elijah gets his own moment in the spotlight!

Dad:  So tell us Elijah... What books did you and Dad just finish reading together?  We read them special, just you and I.
Elijah (age 5):  Bone.
Dad:  Yep, by Jeff Smith.  And how would you describe these books?
Elijah:  I don't know which they are out of these two things... chapter books or comic books.
Dad:  It's kind of a mix of the two.  Nowadays they would call them "graphic novels."  That just means a really long comic book that is divided into chapters.  So you are right - they are a bit of both.
Elijah:  But it isn't the longest story in the world.  There are other books that are way longer than Bone.
Dad:  So, what is a Bone?  Are these like the bones in your body?
Elijah:  They are a different kind of Bone.  Bones are like people, only they are white and they have really big noses.
Dad:  Who is the hero of the books?
Elijah:  Fone Bone.  He never wears clothes.
Dad:  And who are the Bone Cousins?
Elijah:  Phoney Bone is the one with a star on his shirt.  And Smiley Bone has a jacket.  Smiley also has a big nose, and his head is longer than the others.  I think I'm the goodest at drawing Smiley Bone.
Dad:  What kind of adventures do the Bones have?
Elijah:  They explore.  Like climbing high, high mountains.  And exploring woods and stuff like that.  Sometimes they stick together, but they always keep getting spread apart.
Dad:  They do, don't they!  And when they split up, it's always in different combinations.  So what happens in the stories?
Elijah:  There are these Rat Creatures.  They are trying to catch the Bone people.  Because they are hungry.  To the Rat Creatures, the Bones look yummy.  But to us, the Bones just look cool.
Dad:  So Rat Creatures are the bad guys.
Elijah:  Except for one.  His name is Bartleby.  He isn't mean -- he's a good Rat Creature.  He's a young, young Rat Creature.  He's on the Bones' side.
Dad:  So, we've got Bone guys and Rat Creatures.  Is that it?
Elijah:  No, no.  There's an old lady - her name is Grandma Ben.  She is super strong with cows.
Dad:  She can lift cows.
Elijah:  And she's faster than cows.  Stuff like that.  And she has a girl named Thorn.  And Fone Bone is in loooooooove with Thorn.  He writes secret love letters, but he never tells her.
Dad:  So there are some human characters too.
Elijah:  Oh - and there is one more character.  Her name is Briar.  And they call her "The Hooded One."
Dad:  You loved it every time she took her hood off...
Elijah:  No.  I hated it.  She freaks me out with her face.
Dad:  So what else happens in the books?
Elijah:  There are a lot of big wars.  All the bad guys and the good guys -- everybody in the whole world of Bone -- they are all attacking.
Dad:  That's the main storyline, right.  There is a big war coming.  The Rat Creatures are on one side, and the good humans are on the other side.
Elijah:  And also the dragon.  You know... the dragon with the fluffies on his ears.
Dad:  How would you describe these stories?  Funny?  Or exciting?  Or scary?
Elijah:  Cool.
Dad:  Cool?
Elijah:  Yeah.  They are just cool.  Mostly I always said, "Can we read it now?  Can we read it now?  Can we read it now?"  I never wanted to stop.
Dad:  Why did you like them so much?
Elijah:  I liked them because they are exciting.  I don't know my favorite part, but they are fun and exciting.  There were tons and tons and tons of scary parts.  But not too scary.
Dad:  So who would like these books?
Elijah:  My friend Nathan would like them.  And boys in my classes at church.  Some boys.  But for some boys, it would freak them out.  But it wouldn't freak Nathan out.  For Nathan, he would think it was really cool.
Dad:  You and I had read these together, just the two of us for our special reading time.  But the other kids in our family are reading them too.
Elijah:  Everyone is reading them.  Except for Mom.  And Maggie.  Because Maggie is not old enough to read.
Dad:  How old is Maggie?
Elijah:  Three months.
Dad:  She doesn't do much reading.
Elijah:  Yeah.
Dad:  So, what was your favorite part?
Elijah:  I liked it all.
Dad:  Was there a funniest part?
Elijah:  When Bartleby said his first words.
Dad:  We didn't expect him to talk, did we...
Elijah:  It was a surprise.
Dad:  I was reading along, and I didn't know he was going to talk -- I was just as surprised as you -- and I had to quick make up a voice on the spot.
Elijah:  I think it was the same as Ted's voice.  Ted is a little leaf monster.  Bartleby sounded really high and squeaky!
Dad:  And we cracked up.  He's just a baby rat creature.
Elijah:  When he grows up, he'll probably sound like the other rat creatures.
Dad:  Thanks for reading these books with me.  Do you remember any other books we've read together, just you and I?
Elijah:  The first book before Bone was called "James and the Giant Peach."
Dad:  You do remember!  I wondered if you would -- that was a while ago.
Elijah:  Nobody read it except just you and me.
Dad:  It's fun to read with just Dad and one kid sometimes.  Which story did you like better?
Elijah:  I don't know...  I like them the same.  Well, "James and the Giant Peach" is much longer than a Bone book.  But not with all of the books of Bone put together.  All of them put together is WAY longer.
Dad:  Tell us how many Bone books make up the whole story.
Elijah:  Nine!  And we read all nine.
Dad:  Thanks for reading these books with me.  I love you, Bud.
Elijah:  I love you too.  Now can we read Bone?  Let's go read.  Now.

all pictures by Elijah:

dragon with the fluffies on his ears

Bartleby

Phoney Bone

Smiley Bone

Author/Illustrator: Jeff Smith
Originally serialized 1997-2004
Collections published, 2004-2009: Scholastic
Like them?  Here they are

Review #91: Clementine

We tend to focus our family group reviews mostly on picture books -- it's easy to pile everyone up on the couch and read three or four of them together in a single sitting.  But the kids do plenty of reading on their own as well.  So I've decided that from time to time we'll check in with the kids individually to see what books they've been enjoying for their own pleasure reading.  These will be books that I haven't read with them, so I will be learning about the stories right along with all of you!  Today Lily is going to share a book she recently finished:

Dad:  Alright, Lily.  Time for our One-On-One Bookie Woogie review!  Go ahead and tell me about your book.
Lily (age 8):  Well, it's called "Clementine."
Dad:  Do you remember who the author is?
Lily:  It is written by Sara Pennypacker.  And pictures by Marla Frazee.  The book is hilarious.
Dad:  What kind of girl is Clementine?
Lily:  She is a wild idea'ed person.  She's creative.  She's crazy.  She's a trouble maker.  And she memorizes shoes.  They live in the basement, so out the window they see all the feet.  And Clementine memorized every shoe of every person.
Dad:  Tell me about some of her wild ideas.
Lily:  I will tell you a few funny things.  And naughty things.
Dad:  Naughty?
Lily:  Naughty.  She tries to do good things -- to help people and to make them feel better.  But sometimes the things she does turn out to be bad.
Dad:  Gottcha.
Lily:  Yeah.  So, Clementine was doing art class with her friend.  I don't remember her name - it is hard to remember.  Margaret.  Margaret got some glue in her hair.
Dad:  Hmmm.
Lily:  I don't know how she got glue on the top of her head.  But sometimes I don't even know how I get frosting on my forehead... so...
Dad:  Things just happen sometimes.  You are messy too, huh?
Lily:  Margaret tired to cut the glue off.  But she cut some of her hair instead.  Then Margaret decided she wanted short hair like Clementine, so Clementine started cutting her hair for her.  She cut Margaret's hair... her beautiful hair.  Then the principle came in and saw them.
Dad:  Uh-oh.
Lily:  So she got in trouble.  Really big trouble.  Then they went to Clementine's house.  And they got out markers, and they colored Margaret's hair orange.  She wanted hair like Clementine.  They wanted to match.
Dad:  This is the same friend?
Lily:  Yes.
Dad:  Oh dear.  I'm surprised their parents still let them play together.
Lily:  So the next thing -- Clementine cut her own hair.  Margaret had been sad, so Clementine cut her own hair to make her feel better.  It was already short, but she cut her hair even shorter.  Then Clementine told Margaret that she could color her hair any color she wanted.
Dad:  Why?
Lily:  Because Clementine had colored Margaret's orange.  So Margaret colored Clementine's hair.  Bright green!
Dad:  Do any of your friends remind you of Clementine?
Lily:  Hmmm.  No.
Dad:  Who does remind you of Clementine?
Lily:  Me.
Dad:  I know!
Lily:  Tee hee hee!
Dad:  The way you are describing her sounds exactly like the kind of trouble you've gotten into in the past.
Lily:  When I was three I cut my hair.
Dad:  Yep.  You were hiding behind the chair in the living room, cutting your hair, and stuffing it into Mom's shoe.
Lily:  Hah ha ha!  Yeah.  I even cut my bangs too.
Dad:  Right down to the nub.
Lily:  It was NOT a good haircut.  I couldn't reach the back, so there was a strip of hair in the back that was long.  So it went around -- short, short, short, long.  But actually my hair was even.  Except for the long part.
Dad:  Yeah, evenly too-short everywhere!
Lily:  Okay... Now I'm moving to another thing.  Let's stop talking about this!
Dad:  Instead of talking about naughty Lily, you want to go back to talking about naughty Clementine again?
Lily:  Yeah.
Dad:  Well, tell me about illustrations in the book.
Lily:  They are black and white and really good.  They are detailed and cartoony at the same time, which I really like.  The pictures helped the story a lot.  I want to show you a funny part...  (starts flipping through the book)
Dad:  Oh dear.  I just saw a picture of her short hair.  That is very short isn't it.
Lily:  I know.  (Flipping, flipping)  That picture.
Dad:  So that's your favorite?
Lily:  Yeah.  She's yelling, and one eye is smaller and one eye is bigger.  It's my favorite because of her expression.
Dad:  So why do you think it's fun to read about Clementine's troubles?
Lily:  It would be kind of boring to read about a good girl just walking around her house.  But it is cool and funny to read about a mischief maker.  You can learn about all the things you shouldn't do.
Dad:  And who would like a book like this?
Lily:  Eight year olds.  Like me.  And people who have good imaginations.
Dad:  Thanks for telling me about your book, Lily!
Lily:  You are welcome.

Clementine's hair: orange, cut, green, & under a hat; by Lily

Author: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator: Marla Frazee
Published , 2006: Hyperion
Like it?  Here it is

Review #71: The Cobble Street Cousins

A special treat this week!  For a year and a half we've reviewed books that we read together as a family.  But the kids are all voracious readers on their own as well.  So I thought I'd chat with them one-on-one to find out about the books they are reading for their own pleasure.  These are books I personally know nothing about, so I'm learning too!  Here's the schedule for the week:

Monday:  Isaac with the "Percy Jackson" series
Yesterday:  Gracie with the "Just Grace" series
Today:  Lily with the "Cobble Street Cousins" series

So let's hear from Lily...


Dad:  Alright, we need to find out what Lily is reading right now.
Lily (age 7):  I'm reading The Cobble Street Cousins.
Dad:  Who are the Cobble Street cousins?
Lily:  There is one girl named Lily.
Dad:  Just like you?
Lily:  Yes!
Dad:  Oh my lands.  Gracie reviewed a series about a girl named Grace, and you are reviewing a series with a girl named Lily!
Lily:  Hee hee hee!
Dad:  Who are the other cousins?
Lily:  There's Rose and Tess.
Dad:  And what do they do?
Lily:  The cousins make a whole bunch of stuff.  They make cookies.  They sell cookies.  And they make a dollhouse out of cardboard and scraps.  They have to get the little teeny furniture.  And they make little paper dolls of the people in their family.
Dad:  Wow, that sounds like the kind of stuff you guys like to do!
Lily:  Yeah.  But we don't sell cookies.
Dad:  Right.  But you guys like making stuff.  Don't the cousins also make a newspaper?
Lily:  Uhhhhh...
Dad:  Maybe that's in a book you haven't gotten to yet.  I think I remember that from when Gracie read the series.
Lily:  I'm still on book number two.
Dad:  They sound like creative, crafty kids.
Lily:  They live at their aunt's house.  In the attic.  And they put up blankets like forts for their rooms in the attic.  It's cool.
Dad:  And I know you are learning some big words.  What word did you ask me about the other day?  "Botanist"?
Lily:  You said it was a plant guy that studies plants.
Dad:  And now you know a big word.
Lily:  Botanist.
Dad:  Do you like reading books that help you learn new words, or would you rather read books where you already know all the words.
Lily:  I just like reading books.  Any books.  I just read books that seem interesting.
Dad:  And what is one reason you like these "Cobble Street Cousin" books?
Lily:  They give you all these different ideas of stuff to do.  Like, if you are old enough to sell cookies, you could do that.  And they have little adventures.  Realistic ones.
Dad:  So it's not like the cousins are flying to the moon.  They are adventures that you could even have.
Lily:  Yeah, selling cookies or making dollhouses.  And catching birds.
Dad:  Woah, they catch birds?
Lily:  This old lady had a parrot that flew away, so they had to catch him!  And Rose said, "He's on the turkey!"
Dad:  On the turkey?
Lily:  I mean, "He's on the chicken!"
Dad:  A parrot was sitting on top of a chicken?
Lily:  You know those little chickens that tell "north"...
Dad:  Ahhhh... a weather vane?
Lily:  Yeah.
Dad:  Thanks for telling me about these stories Lily!  It makes me want to read them.
Lily:  Yeah.
Dad:  We should tell people that these are written by Cynthia Rylant.
Lily:  Do you know her?
Dad:  No, I've never met her, but I know about her.  We have lots and lots of her picture books.  "The Cobble Street Cousins" books are chapter books, but they do have pictures too.  How would you describe the pictures?
Lily:  Like... old timey.  And realisticyness.
Dad:  Realistic-y?
Lily:  Ness.
Dad:  Realistic-y-ness?
Lily:  Because they are realisticynesses.
Dad:  Realistic-y-ness-es?  Oh my lands, this word is getting longer and longer!
Lily:  Hee hee hee ha ha hahh!
Dad:  The pictures are by Wendy Anderson Halperin.
Lily:  I love her drawings.  They are cool.
Dad:  Now, I did meet her once.
Lily:  Aaaaaaaah!  I'm flabbergasted.
Dad:  Did you see what she wrote in this one?  "To Lily..."
Lily: (Gasp!)
Dad:  Oh, you haven't gotten to that book in the series yet!  You didn't know?
Lily:  What?
Dad:  You girls each have one signed to you.
Lily:  I have a new favorite book!  It is signed "To Lily."

Lily, Tess, and Rosie, by Lily

Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Wendy Anderson Halperin
Book 1: "In Aunt Lucy's Kitchen" published, 2000: Aladdin
Like it?  Find it

Review #70: Just Grace

A special treat this week!  For a year and a half we've reviewed books that we read together as a family.  But the kids are all voracious readers on their own as well.  So I thought I'd chat with them one-on-one to find out about the books they are reading for their own pleasure.  These are books I personally know nothing about, so I'm learning too!  Here's the schedule for the week:

Yesterday: Isaac with the "Percy Jackson" series
Today: Gracie with the "Just Grace" series
Tomorrow: Lily with the "Cobble Street Cousins" series

Now, take it away Gracie!


Dad:  Hello Gracie.
Gracie (age 9):  Hi.
Dad:  Do you know why you are the only one here Bookie Woogie-ing?
Gracie:  It's just me today.
Dad:  Just you?  Just Grace?!
Gracie:  Yeah!!!
Dad:  And what book are we going to discus?
Gracie:  "Just Grace."
Dad:  I know it's just you.  But what book are we going to look at?
Gracie:  "Just Grace!"  The book is called "Just Grace!"
Dad:  Oh.... okay.
Gracie:  HA ha ha!  You know that.
Dad:  Why do you love these books?  Is it because your name is Grace?
Gracie:  I like them because the books are funny.
Dad:  So it's coincidence?  If the series was called "Just Hildegard," you would have still read them?
Gracie:  Hildegard is an awesome name.
Dad:  What does the "Just" in "Just Grace" mean?
Gracie:  She is in school with three other Graces.  There is Gracie, Grace W, Grace L, and Just Grace.  When she signs her papers she has to write "Just Grace" above them.
Dad:  I see.
Gracie:  This is how it started: At the beginning of the school year, the teachers said, "We can't have four Graces, we won't know who is who."  So they said, "your new name is Grace W for--" ...I don't remember what her last name was.  Grace Weebsnopper or whatever.
Dad:  Weebsnopper?
Gracie:  "And Grace... uh... Lowwee - you will be Grace L."  So Just Grace is thinking, if everyone else has a new name, maybe I can be Grace with no initial.  So she says, "Teacher, since everyone else's name isn't Grace anymore, can I be just Grace?"  So the teacher calls her Just Grace.  But I'm thinking the teacher really knew what she meant.
Dad:  So it was just a joke.
Gracie:  But kids loved that -- "Just Grace!  Just Grace!"
Dad:  Ah, kids, kids, kids...
Gracie:  You shouldn't blame kids about teasing.  You are the biggest teaser ever!
Dad:  Who me?
Gracie:  Yes you!  You tease about everything!
Dad:  Dad's are good at teasing.  So, what are the stories about?  Is there anything special about the main character?
Gracie:  She has empathy powers.
Dad:  Woah!  What does that mean?  What is "empathy."
Gracie:  I have no idea.  All I know is that she calls them "empathy powers."  And when somebody feels bad, she automatically has to do something to make them feel better.
Dad:  Then, I think you do know what empathy is.  "Empathy" means if someone feels a certain way, you feel it along with them.
Gracie:  I have empathy powers too.
Dad:  Does she use her powers for good or for evil?
Gracie:  How can you use "feeling bad for someone" for evil?
Dad:  Yeah, you're right.
Gracie:  Anyone out there with empathy powers who wants to destroy the world... sorry.  You are going to have to find something else to do.
Dad:  So give me an example of one time when Just Grace had empathy powers.
Gracie:  Once her best friend Mimi got this big triple ice cream cone, and Grace got a strawberry fudge one...
Dad:  Is this in the first book or a different one?
Gracie:  This isn't in any of the books.
Dad:  What???
Gracie:  I'm making it up.
Dad:  Pbbbbbb...
Gracie:  Ha ha ha ha ha!
Dad:  Okay.  So you are writing further adventures?
Gracie:  Oops... No...
Dad:  You are just trying to create an example.
Gracie:  Mm-hm.  So, if somebody gets a big fudge ice cream cone, and they spill it, you feel so bad for them that you give them yours.
Dad:  Is there anything else to say about the characters?
Gracie:  Just Grace loves to draw.  Whenever she feels sad or bad or mad or even happy, she goes up to her room, draws a comic, and then she feels, "Okiedoke, okay I'm fine..."
Dad:  Is that where you get that?  Sometimes when you are mad, you draw a picture about what happened.
Gracie:  I draw a picture of what just happened and then it calms me down.  But I started that before I read these books.
Dad:  So you are just like "Just Grace."  Same name.  Same powers.  Same drawing.  Maybe that could be the next book in the series... "Just Like Grace."
Gracie:  She's just a normal girl with empathy powers.
Dad:  Do you have to read the books in order?
Gracie:  I haven't been reading them in order at all.  It doesn't matter.
Dad:  Does the series feel complete?
Gracie:  The author needs to write more.  Please.
Dad:  Do you who the author is?
Gracie:  Fashion Kitty!!!
Dad:  Yep - it's the same lady who wrote the Fashion Kitty books.
Gracie:  I love them.
Dad:  Her name is Charise Mericle Harper.
Gracie:  She rocks.
Dad:  Is there anything similar between the Fashion Kitty graphic novels and the Just Grace chapter books?
Gracie:  The style of the pictures looks the same.  They have really squishy oval eyes.
Dad:  Well, thanks for telling us about these book!  I have one more question for you.  What are you currently reading?
Gracie:  Inkspell.  I'm on chapter 11.
Dad:  We all read Inkheart together.  Then you liked it so much that you decided to read the sequel on your own.  You know, you're just like Isaac - you are leaving me behind!  You are leaving me in the dust!
Gracie:  Ha ha ha!

four Graces, by Gracie

Author/Illustrator: Charise Mericle Harper
Book 1: "Just Grace" published, 2007: Houghton Mifflin
Like it?  Find it

Review #69: Percy Jackson & the Olympians

A special treat this week!  For a year and a half we've reviewed books that we read together as a family.  But the kids are all voracious readers on their own as well.  So I thought I'd chat with them one-on-one to find out about the books they are reading for their own pleasure.  These are books I personally know nothing about, so I'm learning too!  We invite you to check back later this week as well to hear from each of the kids.  Here's the schedule:

Today: Isaac with the "Percy Jackson" series
Tomorrow: Gracie with the "Just Grace" series
Wednesday: Lily with the "Cobble Street Cousins" series

And now, heeeeeeere's Isaac!


Dad:  Hello Isaac.
Isaac (age 11):  Hi.
Dad:  What books are we going to discuss?
Isaac:  Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Dad:  By Rick Riordan.  Did you like them?
Isaac:  Yes.  Tons.  I loved the action and adventure of them.  They are based on all the Greek myths.  Like, Zeus and the Big Three, and the 12 other gods...
Dad:  Who are "the Big Three"?
Isaac:  The Big Three are the greatest ones -- Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
Dad:  Are they good guys, or bad guys, or a mix?
Isaac:  Zeus is the highest of the three, so he has the most authority.  He is really solemn.  Poseidon is really kind.  And Hades just really doesn't care that much.  He's angry at all the other gods.
Dad:  And who is Percy Jackson.
Isaac:  He's the main character through the whole series.  He's the son of Poseidon.
Dad:  I gather from the covers that he's got some special powers?
Isaac:  All the people who are half-gods have powers.  He can use water.  I guess you could call him a water-bender.  He can make huge tidal waves.  He can breathe underwater.  And if he wants, he can make himself never get wet.
Dad:  Go, go, gadget umbrella!
Isaac:  No, he does not have a giant robotic umbrella arm come out of his head.
Dad:  Is there one storyline that goes through the series, or is each a self-contained story?
Isaac:  Kind of both.  There are different adventures, but they tie into each other.  Especially the last two books.  They definitely go together.
Dad:  What storyline ties them together?
Isaac:  Kronos is trying to come back and take over.
Dad:  Kronos is the father of the Big Three if I remember my Greek mythology right...
Isaac:  Yeah, he is the Titan.  Percy has to stop the monsters because Kronos is trying to take over.  In myths, the gods have to send people to fight for them.  Not just in these books, but in real myths.  So Percy and his friends have to fight, because the gods can't do it by themselves.  But the gods would never admit that.
Dad:  Did you have a favorite book in the series?
Isaac:  The last book was really good.  It had a ton of action in it.  But I was really mad that one person died.  I was so mad.  And then you find something out that made me even madder -- the thing he died for was just a decoy, so he didn't die for any purpose.  It made me really mad.
Dad:  You really got into these books.  Now, why did you love them so much?
Isaac:  I'm not sure.  The first one was hard to get through...
Dad:  Yeah, you started it before you were a big reader.  It was a daunting task to finish that whole big book.
Isaac:  I almost stopped three times.
Dad:  But what happened when you finished it?
Isaac:  It was just so good I wanted to read the next one.
Dad:  And then you started reading them day and night!  Every time you finished one, you couldn't wait to get the next.
Isaac:  These are the books that got me into reading.  Now I read tons of 300 page books.
Dad:  You are a reading machine.  But tell us -- what happened when you finished the final Percy Jackson book.  Was life wonderful and cheery?
Isaac:  Uh, not really.  They are such good books -- so awesome.  But there were no other books like them.  No other books that good.
Dad:  As long as there are additional books in a favorite series, it's a safe bet you'll like them.  But when you're done, every other book you try is a roll of the dice...
Isaac:  You have to go searching, but you could never find another one just like them.
Dad:  You were such a good reader after finishing the series, I thought -- Yea! We have a house full of books! Go at 'em!  I gave you book after book after book.  But you always said, "It's not the same...  It's never going to be the same...  I'll never find a book as good as these..."  For a few weeks, you were such a sad little puppy.
Isaac:  I tried though.
Dad:  You tried a lot.  You began book after book.  And finally you found one that stuck.  And now you are a voracious reader again.  What was the book that finally broke the spell and set you back on the reading path?
Isaac:  "Leepike Ridge" was the book I finally found.  N.D. Wilson wrote it.  That was really good as well.  It had lots of adventure.
Dad:  And now you devour books like crazy again.  And I'm amazed.  But I'm actually kind of sad.  You are reading all these books that I've always wanted to read.  Up until recently, we've always read books together.  And now you are having all these adventures without me!  I'm jealous.  But you are a reader.  I guess that's how it's supposed to be...
Isaac:  Yeah.
Dad:  Now, I want to ask you about "The Shadow Thieves" from the Cronus series.  I specifically hunted that book down for you because I knew it was supposed to be similar to Percy.  I think the first books in both series came out right around the same time.
Isaac:  It's pretty much the exact same thing as Percy Jackson.
Dad:  I knew they were both based on mythology but set in modern times.  Did you like it?
Isaac:  At first it was extremely hard to get into.  The first half was really hard to get through.  It didn't really have any action.  It was just talking.  The book goes slower.
Dad:  But you finished it.  And it was a huge book.
Isaac:  Yeah, I did finish it finally.
Dad:  There are more books in that series.  Would you read those?
Isaac:  Someday.  I liked the first one.  At the end.
Dad:  Aww... so it took until the very end before you liked it!
Isaac:  Yeah.
Dad:  Do you ever think you'll read through the Percy Jackson books a second time?
Isaac:  I'd like to read through them again.  But I already have so many other books I want to read now.  It may take a while.
Dad:  And what are you reading at the moment?
Isaac:  100 Cupboards.  That is also really good.  Also by N.D. Wilson.
Dad:  Well this has been fun!  I've enjoyed talking with you one-on-one for Bookie Woogie!
Isaac:  Yeah!  It's really nice.
Dad:  We'll have to do it more often.  You don't have to divvy up time with other kids.
Isaac:  Yeah, I get to talk as much as I want.
Dad:  Thanks for sharing your favorite books with us, Isaac!
Isaac:  You are welcome.

Percy Jackson, by Isaac

Author: Rick Riordan
Book 1: "The Lightning Thief" published, 2005: Hyperion
Like it?  Find it