Today’s blogger review brings us back to the Early Chapter Books category, with a peek at finalist title Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts: In this latest title in “The Questioneers” chapter book series, Sofia’s teacher announces that the class can vote on a pet for the class. The class narrows the …
REVIEW: Our Friend Hedgehog
Today’s featured review looks at Early Chapter Books nominee Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo: The animal characters are lovable, and each has his or her own distinct personality. We loved Owl and his penchant for defining vocabulary words. This story has the feel of a classic, with its cozy illustrations and animal friends teaching values. …
REVIEW: Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business
Today’s featured panelist review is Early Chapter Books nominee Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business, written by Lyla Lee and illustrated by Dung Ho: Through Mindy’s honest, endearing voice, humor, and a lot of heart, Lyla Lee expertly explores topics like grief, cultural identity, loneliness, friendship, and responsibility in age appropriate and fun ways. Click here to read the …
REVIEW: Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure
We’re highlighting finalists this month, and we’re going to start with Early Chapter Book finalist Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure (Amazon, IndieBound). Round one panelists Kelley, who blogs at KidlitUnderground, wrote this: It’s hard to pull off a children’s book where none of the characters appear to be… you know, actual children, but author/illustrator Alex T. Smith nails it …
REVIEW: Owen and Eleanor Move In
Today we’re happy to present our first finalist review of the New Year! Our featured review is from Cybils organizer and judge Jennifer Wharton, who is on the Round 1 panel for Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books this year. On her blog Jean Little Library, she looked at Early Chapter books finalist Owen and Eleanor Move In (Owen and …
REVIEW: The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare
Our featured blog review for today looks at Early Chapter Books nominee The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale and illustrated by the incomparable LeUyen Pham. The review was written just last week by Jennifer Miller, a Round 1 Cybils judge, scholar, and writer who blogs at Raise Them Righteous. About the …
Interview with Dori Hillestad Butler
You write a lot of mystery stories for emerging readers. What are the challenges in creating a satisfying mystery for that reading level? Creating a simple mystery isn’t really a challenge for me, but sometimes I struggle with word count. There’s a pattern to the King & Kayla books. Each one has five chapters. The first chapter sets up the …
Interview with Suzanne Selfors
How did you come up with the idea of a superhero dog and an evil genius guinea pig? This book came about in a different way than any of my other books. I’d been working with an editor at Harper Collins named Melissa Miller on an IP project and she shared an idea with me. She’d come up with these …
REVIEW: Christmas in Cooperstown
Today’s seasonally appropriate title is a nominee in Early Chapter Books this year: Ballpark Mysteries Super Special #2: Christmas in Cooperstown written by David A. Kelly and illustrated by Mark Meyers. Our Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books category chair Kristi Bernard reviewed it last month on her blog, Kristi’s Book Nook: Author David A. Kelly has created an interesting story that …
REVIEW: Princess Cora and the Crocodile
Today’s featured blog reviewer Valerie Byrd Fort is a Round 1 judge in Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books. She’s a former elementary school librarian who’s currently a stay-at-home mom and professor of children’s literature at the University of South Carolina. On her blog Library Goddess, she reviewed Early Chapter Books nominee Princess Cora and the Crocodile, written by Laura Amy Schlitz …