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The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon is rich with promise. The pages of this beautiful book are thick and creamy. Gannon, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, illustrates The Doldrums with characters and a palette that are ethereal, eccentric and inviting. The hero of The Doldrums, which will be followed by a sequel, is Archer B. Helmsley, one of the thousands of children born every day who

Next week I am giving a book talk for a Parent's Group and it got me thinking - again - about books for sensitive readers. During my decades as a bookseller and the years since I started making personalized booklists, I realized that children reading well above their grade levels are often sensitive to the darker aspects of the fantasy genre which, in the years since the publication of Harry

Alice Hoffman is the author of many books for adults, a few of which have been made into movies, and a handful of books for young readers. Her newest book, Nightbird, brings magical realism, a genre mastered by Gabriel García Márquez, to middle grade readers in a way that is compelling and appropriate. Magical realism, which presents magical or unreal elements in an otherwise mundane setting

Castle Hangnail is the special treat that we get from Ursula Vernon that comes between the ending of her fantastic  Dragonbreath series and the start of her eagerly anticipated new series, Hamster Princess, featuring Harriet, a an extraordinary princess who excels at checkers and fractions, despite the curse that a wicked fairy god mouse cast, leaving her looking toward a Sleeping

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones with perfect illustrations by Katie Kath! First, it is an epistolary novel, one of my favorite kinds of books. Next, in Sophie Brown, Jones has created an ethnic character who speaks matter-of-factly about being discriminated against because of the color of her skin. I am always thrilled to find

The Explorer series, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, just keeps getting better. Mystery boxes then lost islands provided the themes of the graphic shorts in he first two books. Now, with hidden doors setting the theme for the third book in the series, imaginations soar even higher, if possible. As always, Kibuishi kicks off the book with a short of his own. "Asteria Crane" will remind you of his

I did not want to like The Princess in Black by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. I am tired of princesses and equally tired of princess backlash. I am weary from trying to excavate and explain the potential of a princess in a plot (see my review of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett) and I am wary of mash-ups that have the air of a Disney enterprise. However, I

ODDFELLOW'S ORPHANAGE  is now in paperback! With her first book for children, Oddfellow's Orphanage, Emily Winfield Martin combines her many talents and uncommon vision to create a book that I would have adored as a child. Martin's first book, The Black Apple's Paper Doll Primer, caught my eye one day last year while I was shelving in the craft section and I was entranced. Martin doesn't

<!-- START INTERCHANGE - THE KINGDOM OF WRENLY BOOK 1 THE LOST STONE -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s);} <!-- END INTERCHANGE --> The Kingdom of Wrenly by Jordan Quinn, illustrated by Robert Mc Phillips, is a new series that is a great addition to the new field

<!-- START INTERCHANGE - THE NOTEBOOK OF DOOM CHOMP OF THE MAN EATING VEGETABLES -->if(!window.igic__){window.igic__={};var d=document;var s=d.createElement("script");s.src="http://iangilman.com/interchange/js/widget.js";d.body.appendChild(s);} <!-- END INTERCHANGE --> The Notebook of Doom by Troy Cummings is part of a new line of books (seven series and counting) from Scholastic 

First reviewed in 2009, RL La Fevers's Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist series is the PERFECT next step for readers ready to move on from Magic Tree House! Rich with mythological creatures, adventure and airplanes, this series is wonderfully written and illustrated. And, all 4 books are in paperback! Before I start slinging superlatives, I need to thank RL La Fevers, author of the equally

First reviewed on 9/6/10, the Tashi books came into our lives at just the right time. My youngest was on the verge of learning to read and these books were the perfect in every way - length, difficulty, excellent stories and superb illustrations. We were all hooked! My husband and I ended up reading all 16 books out loud to our son, whowent on to read them on his own.  The Tashi Series

This trilogy of books by the inimitable Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, master world builders, are among the first reviews I posted when I began this blog in August of 2008. Besides the fact that I adore these books and think of them often, I am thrilled to call them to your attention (again) because these books recently served as a bridge between the chapter books and graphic novels my 8 year

Stealing Magic : A 68 Rooms Adventure is now in paperback!  And Book 3, The Pirate's Coin is out! The magic (and miniatures) continue to abound in Marianne Malone's newest Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure, Stealing Magic, again with wonderful illustrations by Greg Call. The excitement of finding Mr Bell's missing photographs and the gala opening night for the exhibition of his long lost

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is out in paperback and The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle is out now! The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is a book that has caused me to do some serious thinking about what makes a book worth reading, the (sometimes unfortunate and unhelpful) perspective an adult reader can bring to children's literature and the value

This year in celebration of National Poetry Month, I want to celebrate by featuring books written in verse instead of books of poetry. I can't think of a better way to start this off than with Robert Paul Weston's marvel, Zorgamazoo. Written entirely in quatrains and couplets, Zorgamazoo screams to be read out loud, although is just as entertaining read on one's own. But, before I share the

Part One: In Which I Reminisce About What The Wind in the Willows Means to Me (Scroll down for my review of Inga Moore's adaptation of this classic) (Scroll to the very bottom for a peek at Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly, author of   The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate!) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, published in 1908. I have wanted to review this book since I

After reading/listening to How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell I can't tell you HOW MUCH I wish I had gotten around to reading this book, published in 2003, BEFORE the movie came out. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. I paid to see it in the theater with my kids and it was breathtaking and heart stopping and even funny. But is it SO DIFFERENT from the book!! I was shocked at how

Liesl & Po is now in paperback!  Not sure which cover I like better... Lauren Oliver has made quite a name for herself with her two young adult novels, Before I Fall and Delirium, a book I love almost as much Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, which is high praise. I was intrigued to learn that Oliver had written middle grade novel, especially after

The Fog Mound trilogy by Susan Schade and Jon Buller, bills itself as part graphic novel part heroic fantasy, and an adventure like no other! And it is all true! I LOVE this book! A week of reading books with squirrels as main characters - realistic squirrels, cartoonish squirrels, villainous quasi-medieval squirrels - has lead me here to Travels of Thelonious (published in

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies is now in paperback!! Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by Dan Santat (author and illustrator images at left - you can't tell, but Andrea's eyes are all swirly and hypnotized, and, yes, that fanged bunny is Dan)is a comic book-horror show mash up, a little bit like if Goosebumps, Mystery Science Theater and Captain Underpants got

On June 12, 2008, a few months before I started this blog, I read an article by Penelope Green titled Mystery on Fifth Avenue in the Home & Garden section of the New York Times. I was so entranced by the story of Maureen Sherry who, before moving into an "enormous '20s-era co-op with Central Park views (once part of a triplex built for the philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post), gutted

I first reviewed Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat in 2008 and it has stuck with me ever since. Jonell created a winning character in Emmy and a very unique cast of characters in her magical rodents.  Now Jonell (this time with artistic help from the amazing Brandon Dorman) is sharing her curious rodents with a younger group of readers. Don't miss her fantastic new chapter book series,