I’ve just finished reading a great children’s book, Nathan Fox Dangerous Times by L. Brittney. The book is about a 14-year-old actor in Elizabethan times who is asked to become a young spy. He is friends with a young Will Shakespeare in the early part of the book and the story includes little nods to his plays with Nathan becoming caught up in the tragic story of Othello.
Dangerous Times (published by Macmillan) is the first in a planned series (the second Traitor’s Gold is also available) and has been shortlisted for the 2008 Branford Boase Award.
I enjoyed the part where Nathan is trained up best of all and it looks like that will continue in the sequel.
Nathan Fox is also the second children’s book I have read in the last few weeks to have been written by a woman who uses her initials (the other being M.G. Harris)
Of course J.K Rowling is the most famous example. I read ages ago that Joanne Rowling was told boys wouldn’t read a book if it was written by a female and that was why she was told to use J.K. If true that’s a real shame and I wonder if that still applies after her phenomenal success besides you often only have to look inside the cover to see from the short biography or photo that the author is a woman. Do boys really judge a book from its cover?
So how would I feel about being S.M Humphreys rather than Susan Humphreys? I think the Susan version looks friendlier and there’s not much difference in length. What do you think?
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By: Susan Humphrey,
on 7/2/2008
Blog: Writer's Block (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 16585, 15707, 13579, 16573, 16576, 16574, 16580, 16571, 16578, 16584, 3836, 16582, 12305, 15903, Add a tag
By: Jill,
on 2/26/2008
Blog: The Well-Read Child (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: nicoletta ceccoli, the girl in the castle inside the museum, Schwartz and Wade, kate bernheimer, Schwartz and Wade, kate bernheimer, the girl in the castle inside the museum, nicoletta ceccoli, Add a tag
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (February 12, 2008)
This is a picture book unlike any book I've ever read. The premise is that there is a girl who lives in a castle inside a museum. The castle is encased in a glass globe, and when children come to the musem, they press their noses against the glass globe and get a glimpse of the girl in the castle. When the children leave at night, she gets lonely even though she is surrounded by beautiful things. At night she dreams of children her own size visiting her, and "sometimes the girl in the castle even dreams about you." Her solution for overcoming her loneliness is to hang a picture of you, the reader, on the wall beside her bed. The last line of the book, "Do you see her? She sees you." EEEK!
Jen Robinson sums it up the best when she says the book is "deliciously creepy." I really like it because it is different, and has an ethereal, dream-like aura that takes me to another world. Nicoletta Ceccoli's soft clay model, acrylic, and digital media illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, and in fact, they are the most beautiful illustrations I've seen in a picture book yet. They, along with the story, will captivate the reader.
Kate Bernheimer has hit a home run with her first children's book, and I will definitely look for more from her in future. I think many kids will love it, but I would be wary of reading it to smaller kids who may be a little frightened at the thought of the girl watching them. However, some kids totally eat stuff like this up, so I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not it's the right choice for your child.
Other Blog Reviews:
Jen Robinson's Book Page
Book Buds KidLit Reviews
Blog: Welcome to my Tweendom (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: summer reading, family, Friendship, pets, summer reading, Schwartz and Wade, Schwartz and Wade, Add a tag
I have been in love with this cover since I first laid eyes on it at a Random House preview so, so, so long ago. Now I am kicking myself for taking so darn long to read it!
Moxy Maxwell is a dreamer. Moxy Maxwell is a planner. Moxy Maxwell is a list maker. Moxy Maxwell is a book carrier. She has had Stuart Little with her all summer long. She has simply been waiting for some "in between" time. You know...that time after something ends and the next thing begins? The perfect time for reading. Moxy's mother points out that she has never seen Moxy with any in between time. She is a busy girl.
But time has run out.
With one day left to read Stuart Little under the threat of consequences (the word itself is terrifying to Moxy). The fact that her twin brother Mark had read the book on the first day of summer vacation is no help. Can Moxy with the help of her lists, plans and neighbor Sam, finally make it through the book in time to get to her water ballet recital?
Peggy Gifford has written a perfect book describing a certain type of reluctant reader. Moxy is perfectly capable of reading, she just has better things to do. Her character is aptly named, the short chapters have hilarious titles themselves, and before I knew it, Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little was shifted over to my read pile. The photos added the perfect touch to making the Maxwell family come alive. MMDNLSL will be hitting my Summer Reading List this year!
By: Jill,
on 1/12/2008
Blog: The Well-Read Child (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: karen katz, princess baby, Schwartz and Wade, random house children's books, Add a tag
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random House Children’s Books (January 8, 2008)
In Karen Katz’s newly-released picture book, a little baby is frustrated because no one will call her by her real name. “Please don’t call me Little Lamb, and never ever Sweet Gumdrop. Please call me by my real name,” she pleads. But what is her real name? Let’s see…she has a shiny crown, a fancy dress, and sparkly shoes, and everyone in her stuffed-animal kingdom is happy. Can you guess?
With Karen Katz’s typical vibrant illustrations and round-faced cherubic characters, Princess Baby is a cute book that makes a great read aloud, especially if you have your own little princess. Kids will probably get a kick out of all the nicknames, and I’m sure some nicknames will sound very familiar. They’ll also have fun guessing her name as they go through the clues she gives us. As I was reading though, I couldn’t help thinking that Princess Baby sure was a little spoiled, but then again, aren’t all princesses?
Check out this link at Random House Kids for fun discussion questions and printable activities, including a printout where your little princess can make her very own crown!
Karen Katz has another Princess Baby book planned for 2009.
It is definitely captivating. I'm glad that you liked it.