ISBN 10: 0061953423 / ISBN 13: 9780061953422
Category: Young Adult Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Keywords: Realistic Fiction, Illegal Immigration, Gangs
A promise.
Quinceañera.
A promise that we would be together on my fifteenth birthday...
Instead, Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while living in poverty—waiting for her father's return and a better day.
When the letters and money stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Now, Nora must find the strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her precious quinceañera.
4 Comments on Illegal - Review, last added: 3/19/2011
After a week off to spend with my lovely family, Picture Book Saturday is back! Enjoy the goodies from this week folks!
Though not out until November, The Steel Pan Man of Harlem, written and illustrated by Colin Bootman, is a must have for your order cards this fall.
A fabulous retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Bootman takes the famous story and plops it town into the Harlem Renaissance, complete with rats, an instrument playing magic man, and a no-good mayor out to get something for nothing.
I love when authors retell famous stories, as it gives a whole new spin on something very familiar from childhood. With this particular story, readers get the beauty and magic of the Harlem Renaissance mixed with a bit of mystery and magic of the Steel Pan Man.
The illustrations are beautiful and the author's note at the end of the story is a very nice personal touch. Great to have on library and home shelves. Awesome for a project on fairy tales or as a backdrop for a unit on the Harlem Renaissance.
The Steel Pan Man of Harlem
Colin Bootman
32 pages
Picture Book
Carolrhoda Books
9780822590262
November 2009
If you're wishing for a wonderfully old fashioned treat, Pennies for Elephants, written and illustrated by Lita Judge, is the perfect title for your family. Even the cover has an old-timey look and with a simple, yet sweet, story based on true events inside the pages, it's a great one to share with the family.
The children of Boston take up a fund to raise $6,000 to purchase three trained elephants for their zoo. The kids contribute every penny they earn, from 2 cents to over a dollar, eventually convincing the entire town to get involved in the drive. $6,000 is a whole lot of money in 1914, but all the children work together and manage to reach their goal.
With a great inspirational message, Pennies for Elephants is one to share with your young toddlers up to middle schoolers. Use during a unit on life in America during the early 20th century!
Pennies for Elephants
Lita Judge
40 pages
Picture Book
Hyperion
9781423113904
June 2009
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My super silly choice for this week is written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett, the collaborators on my all time FAVORITE children's book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. In their latest piece of work, The Marshmallow Incident, food takes front and center once again, with equally silly results.
The town of Left and Right is separated right down the middle by a yellow dotted line, thoughy why, nobody knows. When an unlucky citizen crosses the line one day, the guard is instructed to take action....with marshmallows! 50,000 boxes of marshmallows in fact! What follows is incredibly silly, overly ridiculous, and a whole bunch of fun.
I love Ron Barrett's simple drawings that certainly illustrate the story, but without taking away from the silliness of the story. The Marshmallow Incident will make for a great read aloud, as well all need a little "ridiculous" in our lives sometimes!
The Marshmallow Incident
Judi Barrett
40 pages
Picture Book
Scholastic Press
9780545046534
August 2009
Finally, from one of my favorite publishing companies, Sylvan Dell, we have Moose and Magpie, written by Bettina Restrepo and illustrated by Sherry Rogers. I love the unique blend of fact and fiction that they effortlessly put out in each book they publish.
In this one, we have Moose and Magpie, two friends that love to be silly. Magpie is always telling Moose jokes, which though silly, elicit a fact about either moose or magpies at the bottom of the page. Your kiddos aren't only getting a cute story about the friendship between two species, but they're getting to learn on every single page.
The last few pages of the book include different activities to help young ones continue learning about the moose and the magpie, as well as more fun facts, and a "Moose Life Cycle" page. Another hit for Sylvan Dell!
Moose and Magpie
Bettina Restrepo
32 pages
Picture Book
Sylvan Dell
9781607180425
June 2009
All books were review copies from the publishers. Thanks to you all :)
To learn more about any of these books, click on the book covers above to link to Amazon.
Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for the National Writing for Children Center
Title: Moose and Magpie
Written by: Bettina Restrepo
Illustrated by: Sherry Rogers
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (June 10, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1607180421
ISBN-13: 978-1607180425
Moose and Magpie is one of the new books in the Sylvan Dell Fall 2009 line-up, and young readers will be double-served by this witty anthropomorphic tale by Bettina Restrepo as they learn fascinating facts about moose while also having their funny bones tickled. Mrs. Restrepo uses a clever play on words to create jokes and riddles within the text that are sure to garner a few giggles throughout the book. Educational material with a humorous twist—definitely a win-win choice for this age group!
Readers will discover all sorts of interesting information as they follow Moose, Magpie, and several of their friends on their adventures and activities through the seasons of one year and find out what changes happen during that time. For example:
How do moose antlers grow and why do they fall off? Then what happens to the antlers?
What is a girl moose called? A boy?
What is a moose’s bell?
What does a moose eat?
How is a moose’s hair different from the hair of other animals?
Does a moose migrate?
Is a moose a good swimmer?
How does a moose get a mate?
Of course, since Magpie is Moose’s joke-telling sidekick, we also learn more about magpies as well—and why the two animals get along so well. Do you know the reason? It’s a good one!
Sherry Rogers has done an outstanding job on the illustrations as well, and children will enjoy perusing all the hilarious and whimsical pictures on the full color two-page spreads. The illustrations of the “literally interpreted” antics of the raccoon, beaver, and skunk are wonderful!
I also like how the publisher has added in ‘fact boxes’ on certain pages to highlight pertinent facts throughout the story. And as always, the ‘For Creative Minds’ section at the back of the book is excellent, as well as helpful for parents and teachers. Included are: Is It For Real: Moose and Birds, What Do Moose Eat?, Moose Antlers, Moose Life Cycle, Match The Moose Body Part to Its Adaptation, and Moose Fun Facts. You can also find more activities and free online resources and support for Magpie and Moose, as well as other titles, at www.sylvandell.com.
About the Author: Bettina Restrepo lives with her family in Texas, and this is her first picture book. However, her writing has appeared in Highlights for Children, Nature Friend, and Boys’ Life magazine. Restrepo loves nature and traveling.
About the Illustrator: Sherry Rogers lives with her family in Northern California. She spent twelve years as a corporate graphic designer and artist before becoming a freelance illustrator. She has also illustrated several other books for Sylvan Dell.
Visit Amy at amyoquinn.com or www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.
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Check-in: Between yesterday and today, I finished the current revision of my first novel. Yay! Now I just need to find some beta readers for it. But my next writing goal is back onto novel number 2, which I’ll be hitting hard to still keep my goal of finishing by the end of September.
Today, I invited Bettina Restrepo to guest blog. Bettina’s debut book, a picture book called Moose and Magpie, was launched recently, and it’s really cute. She did some great innovative things with it, blending a fun story with factual tidbits. Check it out when you get a chance.
As I always find it fascinating to hear about authors’ stories of perservance to publication, I asked Bettina to give us hers. So, without further ado, here’s Bettina:
I believe writing is art and publishing is business and the two mix like oil and water.
My publication path involved writing for magazines, beginning a novel in 2002 (then submitting it about 15 times when it wasn’t ready), being involved with great critique groups, attending as many conferences and classes as possible and reading voraciously.
It also involved life. I needed to grow. I needed patience. When I first entered this vocation, I wanted everything NOW and TODAY. I wasn’t ready and thank goodness it didn’t happen.
I landed an agent. Mr. Wrong. I got rejected everywhere. I wrote a second novel. Mr. Wrong stopped talking to me, so I fired him. I dove into depression. I wrote more magazine articles. I rewrote novel number one. I went to TLA and make a joke to a publisher about a moose and wrote a picture book.
They said yes. I nearly pee’d my pants, but I got to work. I didn’t want this to be my only book. I wanted to finish my novel. I needed a website. I needed to build a school program. I needed to figure out how to market a book.
These things took almost two years. TWO YEARS!!!!
MOOSE and MAGPIE was born.
I hit the ground running. In the mean time, I landed the agent. Ms. Lioness-of-Gold. She asked me the best questions, I revised. I signed. We sold – to Harper Collins. We’re now revising my second novel, with the third in the works.
With complete confidence. I have a new sense of purpose in the writing world. My moose gave me a push to get things in motion that I had been working on for years.
It took me years to figure this out because I come from a business background where we described things in QUARTERS, and NOW, and TODAY. Here are a few ideas I think are handy.
Tips about publishing:
- The average wait time from acceptance of manuscript to publication is about 3 years.
- 98% of manuscripts in the slush pile won’t get more than 3 minutes of look time.[1]
- Many publishing houses will not answer your mail or your phone calls. (it’s not that they don’t like you.)
- You need an agent to get the best deal.
- It’s harder to get an agent than to get a deal.
- Yes, you need connections and to go to conferences. But, the work must speak for itself.
- Re-read #6. It’s not about the personality.
- Learn that time has no relevance until you get your editorial letter (about a million years from now). Then, everything needs to be done YESTERDAY.
- Treat your business and your art as two separate entities. Spend carefully. Cultivate wisely.
- Keep working and revising. You never know when you hit pay dirt.
Moose and Magpie, Sylvan Dell Publishing, debuted this summer. You can reach Bettina at [email protected]
[1] From the accurate methodology of drunken editors in very loud bars being asked this question over ten years. I value my objectivity and mathematical prowess.
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Bettina Restrepo's Illegal has a windswept but urban cover, which is an intriguing combination, I think. The book is about a girl whose father crossed the boarder from Mexico to the US three years ago. They've stopped hearing from him, so she and her mother make the hard decision to follow him into Texas and try to find him.
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It's neat that you had a personal connection with the book! Illegal sounds really interesting--it's awesome that despite its small page count it still packs a punch!
Thanks for the review! :)
:-)
Thanks for the chance to win!!
I follow under Michele Luker
jmluker (at) winco.net
Sounds like a lovely story. It is loosely reminiscent to me of...oh, what was it called?...Into the Beautiful North. The immigration issue is such a complex issue.
nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com