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  • Tag: genre: children

    • Top Ten Tuesday: REWIND! Childhood Favorites

      Posted at 8:30 am by Laura, on February 25, 2014

      Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Tuesday REWIND! Pick a Previous Topic. I’ve chosen “Childhood Favorites” for today!

      top ten tuesday

      I’m not sure where to start my childhood favorites (do I go all the way back to picture books?) but I can definitely say it will end with Jane Eyre at age 14. That was probably my defining coming-of-age/adulthood book.

      814677

      1. American Girl: Molly — She was WWII, which we hadn’t covered yet in 3rd grade, and she had glasses, which I predicted I’d need sooner or later because my parents are practically blind.

      2. Dear America: Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie by Kristiana Gregory — Not sure what it was about this book, but I was definitely in a pioneer/wild west phase at some point. Might be due to the amount of devotion Mom had to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

      3. Sugar Snow by Laura Ingalls Wilder — The original books were good…but man, the illustrator for the picture books was phenomenal!

      129553

      4. Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley — One whole summer I devoured the pre-Laura and post-Laura books. This was my favorite, set in Scotland!

      5. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans — I don’t know if it was a favorite when I was younger, but now when I see it I feel all nostalgic for the stories.

      6. Harry Potter series — Nana said I couldn’t have Thanksgiving mashed potatoes till I read the first chapter of the first book. I didn’t have mashed potatoes because I was too busy trying to finish the book.

      3633302

      7. Mr. Lincoln’s Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick — I distinctly remember the author visiting my school. Not that I didn’t think authors were real people, but it definitely blew my little 6-year-old mind that an author would actually visit the readers and sign their books.

      8. American Girl: Kit — She was from Cincinnati (where Mom grew up), lived during the Great Depression, and she was the first American Girl to have short hair. That was revolutionary then! I even went to the children’s museum in Cincinnati with Nana to meet Valerie Tripp (also the author of the Molly books).

      402013

      9. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging — I was intrigued by the very English title, and entirely amused by the strange story. Georgia’s life was just so outrageously different from mine.

      10. Jane Eyre — And the birth of my Victorian England literary love began.

      What were some of your childhood favorites?

      Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 2 Comments | Tagged books, genre: children, top ten tuesday
    • December Book Haul

      Posted at 1:56 pm by Laura, on December 21, 2013

      December is when I buy and receive the largest amount of books. I have an employee holiday discount at the bookstore, the other students in the graduate program take part in the Secret Santa Book Swap party, and friends and family know books are the best Christmas gift for a hoarder/collector/reader. Although Christmas has not arrived, I’ve decided to share the piles received already. Quite a lot of books!

      all 1 copy

      Adult and Young Adult Collection (Some of these are gifts and will be mentioned later in the post.)

      Starting second from the left: The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston — I’ve waited a year for this to come out in paperback. Morgana is a silent young woman who is sent to live with a widower in the far hills in Wales. Her strangeness is the talk of the village, and soon a darker power threatens to turn the village against Morgana and her powers.

      Center: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke — A recommendation from Charles Finch (author of Victorian mystery series and future fiction publication The Last Enchantments) after I told him my all-time favorite type of book would probably be a mixture of The Night Circus meets Harry Potter meets Jane Eyre meets Dickens. Basically Victorian magic. He said I needed to drop everything and read this book — so I bought it!

      Blythewood by Carol Goodman — Every time I passed the Young Adult department, this book stared me down. It was like that with C.J. Redwine’s Defiance. So I began to give it some attention — turn-of-the-century New York with magic and factory girls and insanity. Loved it already. The first three chapters were read and enjoyed, so once again, my money went back to my job.

      The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson — The sequel to The Name of the Star, even more mad and witty than the last! Clearly I’m almost finished, that’s why there are bookmarks and tabs within the pages.

      Skip to the last book: Dark Witch by Nora Roberts — My first Nora Roberts. Something about the Irish setting, the historical fiction sections mixed with the present day, the magic, all spoke to me. I asked some friends if they’d ever read Roberts, and they claim she’s phenomenal, really brings you into the story. We shall see!

      all 2 copy

      Children’s Books and Miscellany 

      A Very Fuddles Christmas by Frans Vischer — An adorable story about a fat, curious cat who wants nothing more than to be pampered at Christmas, but the family is too busy cooking food and cookies, decorating trees, and playing in the snow. This is a signed edition, as the author visited our store!

      The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg — How have I not purchased this book for myself before now? My parents have a tattered copy back home; my brother and I loved it to pieces. This is the 25th anniversary edition, and it came with an audiobook CD of Liam Neeson reading it. Sounds of clinking mugs of chocolate, sleigh bells, children and crowds’ voices, and the train rattling and chugging along can be heard in the background. A very atmospheric listening! I found myself shouting, “No! Not the hole!” when the boy loses his bell.

      The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by P.J. Lynch — This is my third copy of the beloved classic. The illustrations are to die for, and truly makes this reading feel like a wonderful children’s classic.

      The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo — Unfortunately I never read this as a child! I’ve always wanted to, though, and now seems like the perfect opportunity.

      penguin copy

      On Black Friday, Penguin had a great discount on their hardcover cloth bound classics that I couldn’t resist. I was able to make the hoarder/collector in me extremely happy by adding to my Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights collection.

      book swap copy

      Secret Santa Book Swap Party

      Finally, for the Secret Santa Book Swap party, my dear friend and Secret Santa gave me these three books: Stella Bain by Anita Shreve (WWI story about an American nurse having lost her memory, who is taken in by an English family), A Book Lover’s Diary (a place to list and organize everything and anything related to books!), and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (I’ve wanted to read this ever since I was introduced to Marillier’s work, and my friend loves this book to pieces).

      What are some of the books you’ve purchased or received this December?

      Posted in books, Update Post | 3 Comments | Tagged book haul, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: young adult, goodreads
    • Book Reviews: “Tea Rex” and “I Want My Mommy!”

      Posted at 7:29 pm by Laura, on May 12, 2013

      These are children’s books that I spotted at work and couldn’t help but pick up, read, and then recommend to customers. And when that happens, it’s worth putting up a review and then qualify them in my yearly challenge.

      Tea Rex by Molly Idle 15768811

      Publisher: Viking Juvenile
      Publishing Date: April 2013
      Genre: children’s, picture book
      ISBN: 9780670014309
      Goodreads: 4.10
      Rating: ★★★★

      Some tea parties are for grown-ups.
      Some are for girls.
      But this tea party is for a very special guest.
      And it is important to follow some rules . . .
      like providing comfortable chairs,
      and good conversation,
      and yummy food.
      But sometimes that is not enough for special guests,
      especially when their manners are more Cretaceous than gracious . . .

      Averaging five words per page, this book is remarkable. The illustrations tell the story even more than the words, and those illustrations are fantastic. You see how large Rex is — so big Rex’s full body cannot fit on the page — and how frustrated the hostess becomes. Tea and flying crumpets and torn lace and everything, it’s all so humorously beautiful. The manners written in the book almost appear to be the exact opposite in the illustrations. For example: “good conversation” has a picture of the hostess jabbering away, making one guest doze off and the other sneaking another cup of tea. It’s cute, children are bound to love it.

      16291620I Want My Mommy! by Tracey Corderoy 

      Publisher: Tiger Tales
      Publishing Date: February 2013
      Genre: children’s, picture books
      ISBN: 9781589251304
      Goodreads: 3.61
      Rating: 
      ★★★★

      It’s Arthur’s first day apart from his mommy and he really misses her. Even his fantastic dragon suit and favorite toy dragon don’t help cheer him up. Rargghh! he roars grumpily. But luckily Grandma knows just what to do!

      So adorable and true to life, little mouse Arthur dresses up in a dragon costume and goes to Grandma’s for the day. Every time the doorbell rings he races to see if it’s Mommy. But Grandma’s plan to dress up as a Knight makes Arthur’s day pass super fast. Beautiful, soft artwork and a charming story. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: children, goodreads, review
    • Any children’s books recommendations?

      Posted at 1:12 pm by Laura, on December 20, 2012

      My 11-year-old cousin is a voracious reader. She devoured Harry Potter two years ago, and has finished reading everything Rick Riordan currently has published. Do you have any other recommendations for children’s fantasy?

      I’ve suggested:

      • Sisters Grimm
      • Artemis Fowl
      • Inheritance Cycle

      Unfortunately, I have not read any of these yet — I just know they’re fantasy-driven and it’s just the right age for her (most of the YA content is too mature for her, and although she devoured Potter a lot of it she’s admitted she didn’t quite understand fully or was too scared to read herself and it had to be read aloud).

      Have you read those mentioned above? What else would you recommend?

      Posted in books | 4 Comments | Tagged books, genre: children, genre: fantasy
    • Book Reviews: “The Nutcracker” and “The Night Before Christmas”

      Posted at 4:16 pm by Laura, on November 3, 2012

      Or, in other words, “Book Reviews: Children’s Picture Book Edition!” These are classic tales, so why would we need to review them? Because there are some twists and new illustrated editions out there, and what better way to promote them than review them?

      Image

      The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers

      Published: 2007
      Publisher: HarperCollins
      ISBN: 9780060743864
      Goodreads: 4.13
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      New York Times bestselling artist Susan Jeffers has created a Nutcracker unlike any that has gone before, with a lovely spare text based on the ballet.

      This is the perfect gift to share with children before they see The Nutcracker. Everyone who has seen the ballet will cherish it–as will anyone who enjoys stories where love triumphs.

      Everyone knows the story of the Nutcracker. Either they’ve seen the ballet, heard the symphony, danced in the ballet, played the music, or read various books. This, however, is a unique book! Here, Susan Jeffers has combined the true Russian tale — both romantic and terrifying — with the ballet. The artwork reveals movement, the characters look like they are dancing. Play the music with each passing page and you’ve got a real experience in your hands for children to enjoy!

      Image

      The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, Charles Santore

      Published: 2011
      Publisher: Applesauce Press
      ISBN: 9781604332377
      Goodreads: 4.32
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      Since it was first published anonymously in 1823, the poem “The Night Before Christmas” has enchanted children with the story of St. Nicholas climbing down the chimney and filling all the stockings before springing back to his sleigh. Many families read the poem every year, and now they have an edition to treasure. The poem, faithfully reproduced here, is accompanied by Charles Santore’s lavish illustrations.

      I love this edition! The one I grew up with, Jan Brett’s beautiful illustrations, was stunning enough. When I opened this book and gazed at Santore’s artwork, I was blown away. I especially enjoyed opening and unfolding several pages to reveal more of the poem and the accompanying artwork. One day I hope my children will be as enchanted.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: children, genre: classics, genre: holiday, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Snowed Up” by Rosalie K Fry

      Posted at 12:03 pm by Laura, on October 15, 2012

      Snowed Upby Rosalie K Fry

      Published: 1970
      Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
      ISBN: 9780374371005

      Goodreads: 3.67
      Rating:
      ★★

      This was read for an assignment in a publishing course. We were to read an out-of-print book and then create a book proposal to bring this back in print. While my proposal will focus on the need for realistic children’s survival stories, and perfect timing with the survival theme in dystopian YA, this review will be different.

      Anna, Brian, and Verity are cousins visiting family in Wales. Their aunt slips on some ice as a terrible blizzard sets in, and Aunt Marian and Uncle Fred decide the children need to head back to London immediately. The children miss the bus that would take them to the train station, and they are stranded in a farmhouse. The next several days the three scramble to find and make food, boil water, sleep, and keep warm till they devise a plan to be rescued.

      On the surface it’s an excellent read, especially for children. As an adult reader, though, I have to admit some flaws. First, there are very little descriptors. Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish between characters, and the story is mostly dialogue driven. I was surprised when hours had passed as one character spoke two sentences, such as “I am going to pack my bags. There, now I’m done, so let’s check on Brian.” (Not an actual quote.)

      But when the children are stranded, the story became very fun to read. What sort of food would they eat? How do they plan to keep warm? How will they escape the buried farmhouse? In a time without cell phones and easy transportation, how did these children get in touch with other people in order to be rescued? Little hints are dropped throughout, a small mystery for child readers to solve as the story progresses.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: children, goodreads, review
    • Upcoming Books! [34]

      Posted at 1:04 pm by Laura, on September 9, 2012

      Title: The Yellow Birds
      Author: Kevin Powers
      Genre: fiction
      Publisher: Little, Brown
      Publishing Date: September 11
      Summary: “The war tried to kill us in the spring,” begins this breathtaking account of friendship and loss. In Al Tafar, Iraq, twenty-one-year old Private Bartle and eighteen-year-old Private Murphy cling to life as their platoon launches a bloody battle for the city. In the endless days that follow, the two young soldiers do everything to protect each other from the forces that press in on every side: the insurgents, physical fatigue, and the mental stress that comes from constant danger.
      Bound together since basic training when their tough-as-nails Sergeant ordered Bartle to watch over Murphy, the two have been dropped into a war neither is prepared for. As reality begins to blur into a hazy nightmare, Murphy becomes increasingly unmoored from the world around him and Bartle takes impossible actions.
      With profound emotional insight, especially into the effects of a hidden war on mothers and families at home, THE YELLOW BIRDS is a groundbreaking novel about the costs of war that is destined to become a classic.

      ~

      Title: The White Forest
      Author: Adam McOmber
      Genre: historical fiction, fantasy
      Publisher: Touchstone
      Publishing Date: September 11
      Summary: Young Jane Silverlake lives with her father in a crumbling family estate on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Jane has a secret—an unexplainable gift that allows her to see the souls of man-made objects—and this talent isolates her from the outside world. Her greatest joy is wandering the wild heath with her neighbors, Madeline and Nathan.
      But as the friends come of age, their idyll is shattered by the feelings both girls develop for Nathan, and by Nathan’s interest in a cult led by Ariston Day, a charismatic mystic popular with London’s elite. Day encourages his followers to explore dream manipulation with the goal of discovering a strange hidden world, a place he calls the Empyrean.
      A year later, Nathan has vanished, and the famed Inspector Vidocq arrives in London to untangle the events that led up to Nathan’s disappearance. As a sinister truth emerges, Jane realizes she must discover the origins of her talent, and use it to find Nathan herself, before it’s too late.

      ~

      Title: Amber Brown is Tickled Pink
      Author: Paula Danziger, Bruce Coville, Elizabeth Levy
      Genre: children’s
      Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
      Publishing Date: September 13
      Summary: Amber can’t wait to be Best Child when her mom and Max get married, but planning a wedding comes with lots of headaches. Amber can’t find the right dress, her dad keeps making mean cracks about Max, and Mom and Max have very different ideas about how much this wedding should cost. Her mother even suggests they go to city hall and skip the party altogether! Even though adults can be a lot of work, Amber is determined to be the best Best Child ever. She helps find the perfect location, makes her dad shape up, and, with the help of best friend Justin, gives the perfect wedding speech.

      Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: children, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, upcoming books
    • For American Girl Fans – A New Girl!

      Posted at 9:33 pm by Laura, on September 6, 2012

      American Girl was my life when I was younger. I read all the books, had five dolls and five beds and five sets of wardrobes, went to the American Girl Store in Chicago and blew years’ worth of savings in less than two hours, attended historical events at my local living history museum and with my grandmother in her city’s museum…

      And then middle school happened, and I grew older, and the magazines stopped coming and I was out of the loop.

      Sad.

      But then (!) I became a bookseller, and now I’m “meeting” all of the new AGs and looking forward to the stories they have to tell! Finally, this week, a new girl has arrived that I know nothing about and the younger girls I sell books to are just as excited as I am!

      Meet Caroline Abbott! She’s stuck in the middle of the War of 1812 (AG appears to have broken the ‘[#]4 formula), and a lot is going to turn her world upside down.

      Caroline Abbott is doing what she loves most—sailing on Lake Ontario with Papa—when her world turns upside down. A British officer boards their sloop, announces that Britain and America are once again at war, and takes her father prisoner. As Papa is led away, Caroline promises him that she will be brave until he returns. Then the British attack her village, and it looks as if the Americans are in trouble. Can she stay steady enough to help win the day?

      My favorites in the boxed sets were the Christmas / winter / holiday stories. I genuinely want to start with Caroline’s winter story first whenever I get the chance to feel ten again.

      Posted in books, Link, publishing | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: children, news, publishing
    • Upcoming Books! [32]

      Posted at 10:14 pm by Laura, on August 26, 2012

      Title: The Distance Between Us
      Author: Reyna Grande
      Genre: memoir, biography
      Publisher: Atria Books
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: When Reyna Grande’s father leaves his wife and three children behind in a village in Mexico to make the dangerous trek across the border to the United States, he promises he will soon return from “El Otro Lado” (The Other Side) with enough money to build them a dream house where they can all live together. His promises become harder to believe as months turn into years. When he summons his wife to join him, Reyna and her siblings are deposited in the already overburdened household of their stern, unsmiling grandmother.
      The three siblings are forced to look out for themselves; in childish games they find a way to forget the pain of abandonment and learn to solve very adult problems. When their mother at last returns, the reunion sets the stage for a dramatic new chapter in Reyna’s young life: her own journey to “El Otro Lado” to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years, her long-absent father.

      ~

      Title: The Beautiful Mystery
      Author: Louise Penny
      Genre: mystery, thriller
      Publisher: Minotaur Books
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.” But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of  prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

      ~

      Title: Splendors and Glooms
      Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
      Genre: children’s, fantasy, gothic
      Publisher: Candlewick
      Publishing Date: August 28
      Summary: The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini’s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants.
      Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack — adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara’s life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall.
      As they seek to puzzle out Clara’s whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini’s criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini’s ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it’s too late.

      Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: children, genre: fiction, genre: gothic, genre: mystery, genre: nonfiction, upcoming books
    • San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews Start Monthly Children’s Sections – PW

      Posted at 12:20 pm by Laura, on May 18, 2012

      San Francisco & Sacramento Book Reviews Start Monthly Children’s Sections – Publisher’s Weekly – Wendy Werris

      Because of the success of their recent Children’s Book Week supplement, previously just an annual event, the San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review have announced they will regularly include the popular child-reviewed feature every month, beginning with the next issue in June.

      The publications attempted children’s reviews before, but it was difficult to round up teachers and children to turn in book reviews. Since their special issue, they’ve decided to try this once more. Instead of receiving reviews from children while they’re in schools, the children’s parents and grandparents will encourage them and help them participate in this project. The response so far is fantastic! The books will feature a child’s opinion and an adult’s opinion – everything will be perfectly balanced.

      Get those kids reading!

      Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: children, magazine, news, newspaper, publishing
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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