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
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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
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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
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