How to use this Page

ENDS IN 2 DAYS! $50 Gift Certificate Holiday Giveaway Enter here:   Mudpuppy Holiday Giveaway  . The Knights Before Christmas Written by Joan Holub Illustrated by Scott Magoon Henry Holt & Co.      9/08/2015 978-0-8050-9932-4 32 pages      Ages 4—8 “’Twas December 24th, and three brave (but somewhat clueless) knights were just settling …

Add a Comment

Kerfuffle Series: Aldo Zelnick Comic Novels Written by Karla Oceanak Illustrated by Kendra Spanjer Bailiwick Press      9/15/2015 978-1-934649-53-4 160 pages     Age 8—12 . “HEAR YE, HEAR YE!” “The Dana Elementary 5th grade Medieval Faire approacheth! We get to dress like knights and kings and damsels, plus play games, drink from gold …

Add a Comment

Representing a broad span of empires, cultures and religions during the sixteenth century, the Bruni and Bruti families exemplify a snapshot of Albania at a time when European and Ottoman histories collided. Only a small piece of the greater story, Noel Malcolm uses the Bruni and Bruti families to paint a panoramic landscape of history that covers the Venetian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Papacy, Malta, north Africa, Spain, southern France, Poland and the Holy Roman Empire.

The post Agents of Empire: Who were the Bruni and Bruti families? appeared first on OUPblog.

Add a Comment

. There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight Written by Penny Parker Klostermann Illustrated by Ben Mantle Random House Children’s Books      8/04/2015 978- 0-385-39080-4 .                        .40 pages     Age 3—7 “A knight, a steed, a squire, a cook, a lady, a castle, [and …

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Learn more about the author at www.otiskaybooks.com.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

Add a Comment

. Young Knights of the Round Table, Book 1: The King’s Ransom  by Cheryl Carpinello Muse It Up Publishing 2012 Ariana Ebook Cover Finalist 5 Stars Back Cover:  At Pembroke Castle in medieval Wales eleven-year-old Prince Gavin, thirteen-year-old orphan Philip, and fifteen-year-old blacksmith’s apprentice Bryan, brought together in friendship by the one they call The …

Add a Comment

. . . . Cheryl is the author of three children’s books. Her latest is King’s Ransom, reviewed here on Friday, January 25, 2013.  Cheryl is a retired teacher, with passion for working with kids, especially with their writing skills.  Her Medieval Writing Workshops are held for local elementary and middle grade students and girls …

Add a Comment

5 Stars

Mark Simon Smith

Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook: A Somewhat Silly Story

Queen Gobbledeegook has gone missing and it is up to Sir Nathan, the Hero of Mariskatania, to find her. Along the way he meets all sorts of odd folks, including pixies and wizards and a hulking creature named Mazy that likes to knit. The land of Mariskatania is a colorful one, filled with bright Jubb Jubb Trees and fuzzy, blue Hobnobber Squirrels who spend all their time looking for a snack guaranteed to poison them.

The sub-heading, A Somewhat Silly Story, is by no means false advertising  Mark Simon Smith has crafted a clever tale that produces laughter, groans, and everything in between.  Silly it is. The creatures he has invented include Tinker Toads, MechaMonkeys, Licorice Lambs, and Hobnobber Squirrels, to name a few. Each has interesting and sometimes hilarious traits.

Silly does not stop with the weird, strange, and often nice creatures he comes into contact with while on his quest to find the missing queen. Sir Nathan takes off riding his trusty steed Tupolev, a talking horse.

“You want me to climb a tree?” asked Tupolev in a shocked voice.

“Why would you think I am any good at . . . oh, right.

I forgot I’m a squirrel now. Sorry.”

I enjoy silly movies with slapstick in them . I equally enjoy clever, creative, and silly books like Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook: A Somewhat Silly Story.  I think this is a good book for reluctant readers.  The story is easy to follow, fun to read, and will brighten the spirits of anyone who reads it.

There are illustrations scattered throughout the book. These black and white line drawings are a great compliment to the story. If you have never seen a MechaMonkey, Pixie Sisters, or a giant Warlock’s Assistant, Derek Gebler’s art will help you imagine the unimaginable. His illustrations are clean, clear representations of the author’s unique brain.

Unfortunately, there are not enough of these wonderful illustrations in the book. I would have liked to see one at the beginning of each chapter, if only to help me visualize what is going on his the author’s brain when creating his characters.

Sir Nathan is one of those books that sparks the imagination. Many books are clever, others are creative, and some are fun. Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook is all three.

For those that like to read chapter books, one chapter at a time, as the nightly bedtime story, this book will have your kids mesmerized, wanting to know more. Their dreams will be pleasant, not nightmarish, since even the evil creatures have a good side. Girls will like this book as equally as boys will.   When your child has devoured the book, and willing to part with it, sit down and read one of the better new children’s authors debuting in 2012.

Book 2: Sir Nathan and the Troublesome Task: Another Somewhat Silly Story is now available in paperback!

Sir Nathan and the Quest for Queen Gobbledeegook: A Somewhat Silly Story

Author/Illustrator: Mark Simon Smith  website   FB  blog
Illustrator: Derek K. Gebler   website
Publisher Platform: CreateSpace
Release Date: March 9, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4700-5906-4
Number of Pages:  223
Ages:  8 to 12
....................

Filed under: 5stars, Debut Author, Favorites, Library Donated Books, Middle Grade Tagged: creepy creatures, fantasy series, humor, knights, middle grade books, mysterious lands, queens, quests, series-book one, steeds

Add a Comment

It's been a while since I've done a picture book roundup. Here are three - one funny, one fun, one sweet.  Enjoy!

• The funny one

See a preview at the publisher's site

Vere, Ed. 2012. Bedtime for Monsters. New York: Henry Holt.

Do you ever WONDER if somewhere, not too far away, there might be ... MONSTERS?

This book may be reminiscent of  "Going on a Bear Hunt," but you won't be going anywhere; a monster may be coming to hunt you!

And as he crosses the gloopy, schloopy swamp
GLOOP GLOOP SCHLOOP
do you think he's imagining just HOW GOOD
you'll taste all covered in ketchup?

Bright and fresh and silly!  I love it.

• The fun one

Baker, Keith. 2012. 1-2-3 Peas. New York: Beach Lane.

A follow-up to the popular LMNO Peas, I like this one even better. The digitally rendered and definitely adorable peas count their way to 100 in rhyming fashion.

Eleven to nineteen - skip, skip, skip!
Twenty peas cutting - snip, snip, snip!

While it can be read quickly for fun, it's worth savoring to find and enjoy each delightfully quirky pea (can you find the one singing in the shower?) and note the great details.  How do peas travel when in a rush?  In a Spea-dy Bus, of course.

More peas, please!

• The sweet one

Kraegel, Kenneth. 2012. King Arthur's Very Great Grandson. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

I want swordplay! A struggle! A battle to the uttermost, and if you will not have ado with me, tell me who will!

So says brave and diminutive Henry, who sets off for adventure astride his trusty donkey, Knuckles. He encounters a Dragon, a Cyclops, a Griffin, and a Leviathan. They are no match for him at swordplay, but at chess? Perhaps.  Simple pen and watercolor illustrations are a bright and cheery mix of naive and cartoon styles of painting; pairing perfectly with this story of five utterly guileless characters destined to become friends. Enchanting!





I just noticed that each of these was illustrated by the author, or authored by the illustrator.  Whichever way you slice it, great talent.

Add a Comment

Gah!  Now that is what a knight is supposed to look like!  I’m not sure that he should contemplate entering a battle dressed like that, but, yum, he looks hot posing with that sword.  Immortal Hope by Claire Ashgrove will be in stores in January.

 

Add a Comment

(Advance Reader Copy provided by the publisher and signed in New Orleans by the young, very friendly, and tall Jonathan Auxier. Some lucky young reader will be the recipient of this great new book!)

A sightless, orphan boy under the control of a heartless man, the Dickensian Peter Nimble uses his remarkable senses to survive, becoming as unseen as he is sightless - a master of thievery, lock picking, diversion, filching, clipping and pilfering.  It is a mean and demeaning life until the day he steals an elaborately guarded, locked and fortified box containing three sets of eyes - eyes which catapult him into a strange and fantastic journey to the spaces that have heretofore been left blank upon the maps of the world.  His destiny is a quest for the Vanished Kingdom. To accomplish his mission, he has only his new companion, the part feline/part equine/part human Sir Tode (a most miserably enchanted knight), an unfinished riddle, his burgle-sack, and of course, the Fantastic Eyes.

The language of Peter Nimble is the straightforward language of action and adventure, which is not to say that this book is simple or unsophisticated. In fact, the plot has many twists with depth equal to the cruel mines of the Vanished Kingdom. There is some obvious foreshadowing, but this may be a planned device, offering the reader a sense of accomplishment while following this exciting adventure as it changes perspective when new characters enter and expand the story.

As Peter Nimble is blind, the reader depends upon the narrator and good Sir Tode to set the visual scene. Peter's view of the world is colored, so to speak, by his other senses.  He tells the time of day by the "feel" of the sun or moon.  He can "smell the dew percolating up from the ground."  He can judge the size of a chamber or hall by the echo of voices or machinery. But he cannot do it all alone, and enlists the help of the loyal Sir Tode, a fish, thieves, a raven, and "the Princess," in a fierce battle to aid the author of the riddle,

Kings aplenty, princes few,
The ravens scattered and seas withdrew.
Only a stranger may bring relief,
But darkness will reign, unless he's --

For ages 10 and up, readers of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes can expect some violence and even death (no quest is without danger!), but Peter and his allies are up to the challenge, and when they falter, they are reminded,

There are times when Justice demands from us more than we would give.

A satisfying and captivating debut novel that certainly leaves open the possibility of future adventures. (Read more about that in this BookPage interview with author, Jonathan Auxier.) A treat for fans of action, adventure, magic and fantasy!

(I love the cover art!)
True story: I have never encountered the word sternutation before reading Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. After looking it up, I shared my discovery with my family that evening only to have my son tell me that he, too, had learned the word sternutation that day - from a Snapple cap!  A strange coincidence to be sure!

O

Add a Comment

A big thanks to all of you who visited my blog during the blog tour for THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN. You are friends, colleagues, other writers, and fans.

Using a random number generator #44 was selected to win the prize–and Carol has been notified. So if you have not heard from me . . . I’m sorry, that means you did not win the book. However, copies are available at all your favorite book outlets and in an electronic version. Also, THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN will be out in paperback next summer.

Hugs, to all!

Happy Reading.

 

Shutta

 

Add a Comment

 

Today is THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN’s birth-(launch)-day! It is now available in stores. It is published by Knopf, with black and white line illustrations by Lee Wildish. THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN is an adventure story of a small knight and a large dragon.

This book seemed to pour out of me. I was stuck in the middle of a much longer book with a more complicated plot when, suddenly, I knew I had a different and very important story to tell that was short, simple, and pure. That story became THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN.

I do hope you get a chance to read it; especially in these times of so much misunderstanding in the world . . . for this book is really a book about peace. It is also humorous and full of adventure. That is good. A work of fiction is primarily meant to entertain. But if a book about peace can entertain as well as demonstrate how to get along with others different from ourselves . . . that is wonderful! And I am happy about it.

Peace

Shutta

Add a Comment

Following up on my 'Nay!' post a while back; above is how the final 'Knights & Castles' cover illustration turned out - before the title and accompanying text was added. This is pretty low res but it will give you the general idea.

I enjoyed this one. There was an amazing amount of historical research that went into it - even if it doesn't look that way! The brief was as thick as I've ever received. The knights had to have particular colours, tunics, swords, helmets, armor. The castle had to be a Welsh 12th century castle. The horses couldn't have funny bendy legs (as previously mentioned). I even had historical illos of the boats in the distance. Not a waterskier in sight! There was a good deal to consider. As a consequence, my linework was quite a bit more laboured than usual - not as free and lose as I would have preferred but in the end it was a fun job. Apparently, this will be at Frankfurt bookfair next week. Maybe a book to come...

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

When I saw The Ultimate Book Of Knowledge: Everything You Need To Know on the shelf I immediately knew my niece would love it.  This encyclopedia specially written for young students is full of pictures and answers to questions about our world.  In honor of it being Friday and of my niece’s love for all things royal I am excerpting the section on Knights and Castles below.  I only wish I had access to the images which truly bring this section to life!

Knights were noblemen who fought on horseback. In medieval Europe it was a great honor to be a knight.

Knights served the king. In return, he gave them land. Many knights lived in castles - strong buildings that could withstand attack. Other knights served lords who lived in castles.

Knightly equipment
Each knight paid for his own weapon and warhorse. The steel armor protected the knight from head to toe. Knights carried a sword, a shield and sometimes a long, heave lance. Knights became less important on the battlefield after the invention of guns.

Heraldry
Each knight wore a ‘coat of arms’ a design on his shield. This meant he could be recognized easily in battle.

The background color of the shield was called its field. The field was split up into divisions or it had a picture or shape, called a charge.

Jousting tournaments
Jousting was a sport for knights. The tournament was a mock battle that allowed knights to show off their fighting skills.

Fast Facts
- Sieges - where enemy troops surrounded a castle - could go on for months.
- Captured knights were usually held hostage. Ransoms could be huge!
- In the 1400s, powerful cannons were developed that could break through castle walls.

Knightly behavior
Knights followed a set of rules. A knight had to be brace but kind to the weak (especially women), strong but polite, determined but honest.

Early castles
Motte-and-baily castles were built all over western Europe from the 900s. They had a wooden tower (the keep) built on a high mound (the motte) with a fenced area (the bailey) at the foot of the mound.

Walls of stone
From the 1100s, castles were rebuilt in stone. The tops of the walls were called battlements. Defenders could fire arrows through slits in the battlements. Castles also had a drawbridge that could be raised at the first sign of attack.

The crusades
The crusades were eight wars that were fought after the pope asked Christian soldiers to drive Muslims from the lands mentioned in the Bible. Kings, knights and many ordinary people took part. When the crusades ended, all of the Holy Land was in Muslim hands.

Add a Comment

Here are a few interior illustrations from chapters in the book "Forts" that I'm currently working on. Nothing amazing, just simple black and white drawings to go over the chapter titles. I'll put up a few more in the coming weeks.

Steve

Add a Comment

All she ever wanted was to be a knight. And it was that dream, that spurred the changing and the strengthening of a realm, the discovery of talent and of magic, the birth and the heart of many, the legend and the inspiration for all.

On the outside, Page Alan of Trebond is simply a boy with wicked purple eyes and wild twist of flame red hair, the same as any other knight-in-training at the royal palace. But deeper, Page Alan is not all he seems.

Alan is Alanna, the girl with a love for archery and fencing, a passion for riding and a drive that pushes her to open closed doors and to chase her desires, to dance with rogues and laugh with princes, to see and do and truly be. Disguised as her twin brother, she sneaks off to become a palace page, a knight in training. Alanna stays true to her task to become a knight, binding and concealing her budding womanhood, struggling with the force of her magical Gift, the touch that the Gods have placed upon her, and all of the trials and tribulations that come from being a simultaneous girl and boy.

She faces bullies, falls in love, experiences duels, battles, and murderous mages, befriends all from the King of Thieves to the Crown Prince of Tortall, all in hope of earning her shield as a knight.

My gosh. I love this book.

Ever since I was a tiny little mite of evilness and awesome, I have completely, toadally, muhahahably adorified the Alanna series. She's a girl who defies all social boundaries and constraints to follow her aspirations, and she's inspiring to characters in her book and to readers alike. She reminds me of Frankie from the Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks (by E. Lockhart—check out Avery Trelaine's brilliant review right here), who does sort of the same thing. Both books explore the issues of a woman and a girl in a society that subtly, even unintentionally restrains or underestimates them.

Another thing to be loved about these books, is the fact that at the end of the series, the characters don't simply disappear. They appear later on as guest stars of principle characters in later series that focus on others. You find out how each person's life progresses, who they marry, what children they have, what battles they've won, and you follow their maturing and their aging, in a way that seems as though you really know them.

Alanna is especially cool, because there is a series about her daughter, a series about her husband, a series about a girl who loves and idolizes her, and in every single Tortall story, she is present as a celebrated legend. By the way, Tortall is the country in which Alanna lives.

So. The series as a whole, receives a wickedly ineffable, empyreal, prodigious review, along with a whopping five out of five evil daggers.




Weeping with admiration for strong women around the world,

Your newbie cousin,
Briar

Add a Comment

by Gerald Morris illustrations by Aaron Renier Houghton Mifflin 2008 It's been way too long since I read me some Arthurian legend. And while I should probably go back and remind myself of everything I've forgotten from T.H. White's The Once and Future King, or perhaps Roger Lance Green's King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (with it's spiffy new Puffin Classics edition), it was more

Add a Comment