And now, a recommendation from Hallie, a fabulous, almost-eight-year-old (just weeks away): Farmer Boy (Little House) A classic! I love this whole series. Thank you so much, Hallie!
To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Hallie's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own.
The first book by our next guest blogger, Eve Yohalem, has just hit the bookstores. It's a gripping middle-grade novel, Escape Under the Forever Sky For more about Eve and ESCAPE UNDER THE FOREVER SKY, check out her website: www.eveyohalem.com And now, Eve's recommendation: Jonathan Stroud’s BARTIMAEUS trilogy. Sigh….They’re just so good.
The books toggle between two protagonists: young Nathaniel, a gifted, arrogant, pig-headed magician-in training, and ancient Bartimaeus, the brilliant, scathing, hilarious djinn whom Nathaniel enslaves. Early in Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel is humiliated by an important magician. Revenge will require the services of a magical creature, and so Nathaniel teaches himself the spell that will summon Bartimaeus. But casting a difficult spell is one thing; controlling one of the most powerful djinns in history is another. The ongoing battle of wits between these two unforgettable characters and the deepening of their relationship is more than enough to engage me for three books. Add the political machinations of the magicians who rule Stroud’s dark version of modern day England and some heartstopping battles, chases, and criminal capers, and, trust me, you won’t be able to put these books down.
To return to Julie's website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Eve's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own.
One of my favorite books is The Story of Ferdinand. I really like it because everyone thinks he's going to be tough, but he's not. For what it's worth, THE STORY OF FERDINAND is also one of my all-time favorite picture books. It's the story of a bull (Ferdinand) who just wants to sit quietly under a tree and smell flowers, while the other bulls butt their heads together. Then, at an inopportune moment, Ferdinand gets stung by a bee, goes nuts, and is mistaken for the most macho of all bulls. I'll say no more--except that FERDINAND is everything a picture book should be. Many thanks to Eliza for reminding me of it. To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Eliza's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own. It is my great pleasure to share with you the following recommendation from Eliza, one of my favorite 7-year-olds:
I'm delighted to introduce yet another exceptional guest blogger. Marirosa (Mia) Garcia will graduate with me in a few weeks from the New School's MFA Program in Writing for Children. She recently wrote a graphic novel that has already been accepted by an editor--with good reason. I don't say this lightly: It's spectacular. It's funny and meaningful and beautifully written. Remember her name: Marirosa Garcia. You'll want to read that book. In the meantime, here's her recommendation for us: I have several confessions to make before I start with my review. 1. I never read The Phantom Tollbooth as a child. Aside from fairy tales – which I read in Spanish – I wasn’t introduced to children’s literature written in English till I was much older. 2. I saw and LOVED the Phantom Tollbooth movie before I even knew it was a book. And I mean I LOVED it so much I recently bought a VHS copy of it on ebay and I don’t even have a VCR! Yeah. I wanted to be Rhyme AND Reason. Just saying. So I decided it was about time I buckled down and bought my copy of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Hardcover of course). One online order and 4 super-saver-shipping days later, I got my book in the mail. The Phantom Tollbooth centers around Milo, who after a very boring day at school comes home to find a mysterious Tollbooth in the middle of his room. What else is he to do, but play along? Suddenly Milo finds himself in the magical land of Wisdom. The Land of Wisdom is in great trouble since the banishment of Rhyme and Reason. To find his way home and help the people of Wisdom, Milo decides to rescue the princesses. Cue fantastic adventures that both challenge our hero physically and mentally! The best part of the book is how earnest and sweet it is about its message: Learning is fun. Not only is it fun, but it’s all around you! In books! Walking down the street! Everywhere you look there are things to be learned and things to do. Even when we make mistakes – there is always something to gain. “ A short one, if you please,” said Milo. “Good,” said the judge, rapping his gavel three times. “I always have trouble remembering the long ones. How about ‘I am’? That’s the shortest sentence I know.” I literally laughed out loud on the subway – which is THE place to read by the way – and got some weird looks from the people around me. Although some of the puns and word play might be lost on some children – at the same time I think it’s a wonderful learning experience. Don’t wait as long as I did. Make sure you have a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth in your personal library right now! To return to Julie's website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Mia's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own.
Here’s a little taste of why this book made me giggle on the subway. Whilst in Dictionopolis (land of words) Milo causes a ruckus and is stopped by the local policeman who also happens to be the judge:
“Good point,” replied the policeman, taking off his cap and putting on a long black robe. “I am also the judge. Now would you like a long or a short sentence?”
Here's Jessica: I first read Monica Furlong’s Wise Child when I was nine and have read it almost every year since. The story takes place in Scotland, a long, long time ago. There is something about life in the Middle Ages that fascinates me – how rewarding it would be to grow your own food and milk cows and raise chickens and sew your own clothing. Maybe I should have been a farmer! Wise Child is not about farming, however. It’s a magical story about a spoiled and sullen orphan named Wise Child whose life is transformed when she is sent to live with the village healer (and possible witch), Juniper. Over the course of the book, Wise Child discovers her own inner strength (and potential supernatural abilities) and grows to love and cherish her life with Juniper. When I was nine, I wanted to go back in time and become Juniper’s apprentice. Now I appreciate the various levels of meaning in the story and the lessons Wise Child learns as she goes on her great adventure. The book is nicely paced and has a very exciting ending. You’ll definitely want to read the prequel, Juniper, which is just as good and answers any questions you might have about the wonderful and enigmatic Juniper. If only we could all be as talented as Jessica Cannon. My family knows her as an extraordinary piano teacher with a beautiful voice. We're certain she could be the next American Idol, if only we could persuade her to audition. You may have seen her on commercials for McDonald's or Olive Garden, or heard one of her many commercial voiceovers. And best of all, she loves children's books! Always has, always will. Read her recommendation, then go get that book. I know I will. She knows what she's talking about.
Another guest blogger! How lucky am I?! This time, my almost-nine-year-old daughter Emily chimes in, endorsing one of her favorite books.
Here's Emily's recommendation:
Holes
For what it's worth, I love HOLES too. I've meant to blog about it, and I'm grateful to Emily for beating me to it. I particularly like the structure of the book, which is unusual. Check it out. Let us know what you think.
To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Emily's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own.
Here's Jackie's recommendation: When Julie first asked me to guest blog, a (long!) list of possible books to choose immediately began racing through my mind. So many favorites – how would I ever choose one? But it turned out, the answer was simple. I’ve had many favorites over the years, but one was different, one stuck with me in a way few others have. As a kid I used to read books over and over (and over and over!) again. But as an adult, with a tall stack of books next to my bed and never enough time to get through them all, I’ve long since put an end to that practice. Until Letters from Rapunzel. Reading this book brought the true kid out in me again because, for the first time in a long time, I read it twice. The main character in LETTERS FROM RAPUNZEL goes by “Rapunzel” and draws connections between herself and the heroine trapped high in a castle. Because she too is trapped – in Homework Club after school, but trapped nonetheless. She’s stuck there because an “evil spell” (or CD as she calls it – clinical depression) has sent her father away. But when she finds a ripped piece of a letter her dad wrote addressed to a post office box, she becomes consumed by writing to this mysterious friend of her dad’s. As she writes and writes – and keeps waiting for an answer – Rapunzel works through her feelings of loss and the changes going on in her life. And she does so in a voice so smart, so charming, and so fun, you never want to put the book down. So, if you’re anything like me, you end up reading it twice. Thank you so much, Jackie! It's going right at the top of my list! And now, another fantastic guest blogger! Jackie Greenberg is Marketing Manager at Penguin Young Readers Group. She is also a fellow student in the MFA program in Creative Writing at the New School (we graduate next month!), and a very talented writer. She's hard at work on a middle-grade novel that is funny, moving, and creative. I can't wait to see it in libraries and bookstores, where it belongs; and I feel privileged to have gotten sneak previews.
To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books
It's my great pleasure to introduce one of our very first guest bloggers, six-year-old Charlie Roth, an enthusiastic reader and writer. Charlie has excellent taste in books. And he's inaugurating a new category for the blog: Transitional Books, or books for kids who can read on their own but are not yet tackling middle-grade works. I've been meaning to add this category for some time. Many thanks to Charlie for giving me the perfect opportunity to do so. And now, Charlie's recommendation, entirely in his own words: My favorit book is Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! (Beginner Books(R)) Thank you, Charlie! I can't wait to read it! To return to Julie's website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books. And please feel free to post a comment about Charlie's recommendation, or any others, and to add a recommendation of your own.
While I'm straying from my usual blogging format, let me share some updates. The immensely talented Matthew Cordell (that's his self-portrait, to the left) is hard at work on the illustrations for my first book, MY BIBI. It's an early chapter book for kids aged 7 to 9 or thereabouts, and it's expected to arrive in bookstores (cross your fingers and toes please) next spring. For more about gracious and gifted Matt, click here: www.matthewcordell.com. For some info on my publisher, Amulet/Abrams Books, click here: http://www.abramsbooks.com/childrens.html. And as for my second book--I'm working on it!
To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books.
If you haven't already, check out the Battle of the Kids' Books, on the School Library Journal's website: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1180000718/post/10042401.html. Some questionable match-ups, some excellent discussion of interesting books, some controversial rulings. What could be more fun???
To return to my website, click here: www.juliesternberg.com/books.
