Children's Books, and Other Cool Stuff

Middle Grade   Goosebumps Most Wanted Book 5 Dr. Maniac Will See You know- Written by R.L Stine Goosebumps book series created by Parachute Press Inc. Published by Scholastic Inc. New York 2013. What is a boy to do when a tunnel between different worlds is open bringing with it adventure and danger that can change earth forever. In this gross and funny story, it is up to the three children to save the planet from comic book villains who want to take over. Richard Dreezer, his younger brother Ernie, and the most popular girl, Bree Birnbaum need to join forces to accomplish this monumental task. This book is written in Richard's voice and has the same charm as other "Goosebumps" books. Your middle grader will most likely finish it in one sitting.    E very Soul a Star- Written by Wendy Mass and published by Little, Brown and company, Hachette Book Group, New York 2008. "One extraordinary event a rare solar eclipse brings together three unlikely friends:...

 Middle Grade Books 1) “Children of the Lamp (The Akhanaten Adventure) - by P.B Kerr, published by “Orchard books, and imprint of scholastic Inc.   New York 2004.   What if you find out that you are descendants from a long line of Dijon, human-like  beings created from fire.   They are able to grant wishes, and take on different animal forms.   This is exactly what happens to two twelve-year-old twins, John and Phillippa, after they get their wisdom teeth pulled.   The children are sent to London to their Uncle Nimrod's home where their amazing adventure begins. This venture takes the reader on a magic carpet ride through a fantasy Middle Eastern World.   This journey teaches the twins that granting wishes is not only dangerous for themselves, but for people who desire wishes as well. 2) “Peter and Star Catchers”- Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, illustrated by Greg Call.   Published by Disney Hyperion paperbacks f...

Another Summer is coming to an end. Sports, camps, rest and everything in between. Your kids were given reading lists of books to read and I had my own list of books to read. In this post I will share them with you. I believe books open a door to the imagination, it leads us to way of escape. It is kind of like a lazy summer day where many of the civilians relax. Sitting on a porch with you faithful dog by your side. Looking out on a lake or just hanging out. Taken a family vacation or just spending more time with your life's partner. Books are just like that for your children or yourself. Please enjoy this list and share your commends with me by contacting me.  Picture Books "The Day the Stones Walked" - This book was written by T.A. Barron and illustrated by William Low. Published by Philomel Books a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2007. This is a very unique book it takes place in Easter Island a very different setting. Summary: "Pi...

Day 2 SCBWI 13 annual winter conference In the Big Apple.        Wow, can't believe another day had just passed. It was an over whelming one full of lots of enlightenment and good news on all genres from picture books to young adults and beyond. I will try to put In the important information in here in a a few paragraphs. I have 11 pages of notes but will try to make it brief.    It was a list of amazing guest speakers which included authors, agents, editors, publishers and other people involved in the business. The day started with breakfast, and the first keynote speaker was Chris Crutcher. He was a very inspiring speaker, that inspired the room that represented 49 states and 20 countries. The conference had 1400 people. He spoke about the importance of balancing out stories with tragedy and comedy. Here is a brief list to inspire you guys of what he talked about 1) Look into your life to find information 2) Put this into every...

      There are very important factors when it comes to being any kind of writer. It covers a whole range of books. As everyone know putting together a children's book has many people involved. It is a team effort that takes many years to master and complete. For the next three days I will take you all on a journey into this event. It is a huge gathering of people in the children book industry and covers a very important idea that every author has to do. This is called networking and creating a platform. The post will be updated daily from 1-27-2012 to 1-29-2012. Each day I will give you guys an inside into this business. So get ready for a wild ride. I blog my experience on this journey enjoy. Day 1 Writer's Intensive      Today started just like an ordinary gray day, the rain tapped the roads and my journey had began. Strong winds and heavy rains very strange weather for New York State especially in the middle of winter....

        Where does Halloween comes from? Today I want to share a story with everyone that I used to tell the children when I worked in a private school. It always made them enjoy this holiday even more. Here it goes.    A long time ago both Spirits and living beings shared the earth. They lived side by side but there was trouble. they just could not get along and the planet was getting crowded. The dead had trouble communicating with the living except through a group called Spiritualist. They had the gift of talking to the dead. This went on for many years then one day both sides decided it was enough. The leaders that the Celts called the druids met with the leaders of the dead. The spiritualist acted as the communication force between the two parties.     After many days of discussion a deal was made. The two groups decided that if they put aside one day a year to celebrate the dead that t...

      It has been ten years since the attacks on New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. On that day evil destroyed our country. Today we remember all the heroes that died in the bombings. It was a beautiful crisp Tuesday mourning, the sky was almost clear blue, with a few clouds floating in the sky. That day almost 4000 people were killed just because they wanted to start work early. each one of them had a face and a family they just wanted to support. After 9-11-2001 the whole country joined together. People were proud to be Americans.  The red, white and blue flew high. Each one of them died as heroes for freedom. They died for this country.      Now once again we suffer and it is time we all joined together as one. Stop the politics, stop the fights and put your country first. USA will always be a great and powerful country but today we all cry for our future. It is time to honer being ...

( Note- I will post new book recommendations next update. I am still waiting to get an independent publisher's book, that I can review. If you want me to review your children's book, Please e-mail me to Spiritw74@yahoo.com  for further  directions. )         It took place in New York's  Javit's Center from Monday May 23 to Thursday May 26. I had the privilege to be a part of this experience. I helped out in one of the booths and had a book signing, which went great.     Let me tell a bit about this trade show and give you some wonderful news about children book publishing.  I spend three full days in the Expo. It is the second largest Book Expo in the world with 6000 plus booths. All the major book publishers were there and many unknown ones as well. It combined everyone in publishing industry. It included traditional publishers, bookstores, Self publishers, book sellers...

Reviews   Picture Books Wild About Books - This picture book is written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown. It won the E.B White Read Aloud Award in 2005. It was published by A lfred A. Knopf in August 2004. It is a great book to read aloud both in the classroom and at bed time. What happens when librarian Molly McGrew by mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo. All the animals end up having fun borrowing her books. The illustrations are wonderful and the story brings your child into a world where animals read books and the adventures they have doing so. The animals also discover reading. This is probably one of my favorite books. It will be a great read for any child or adult. I highly recommend it to be available in any school library.  Flotsam-   This book was illustrated by David Wiesner. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2007. It was published by Clarion Books in 2006. This book uses only illustrations to tell a wonderful story. The main characte...

Fantasy Book Reviews Picture Books 1) Where The Wild Things Are - This picture book by Maurice Sendak and  a very popular book. I highly recommend it if you did not read it yet. The book is a classic and has been for years.  It was published originally in 1963 and won the 1964 Caldecott Medal for most distinguished picture book of the year. When a boy named Max misbehaves his mother sends him to his room where his fantastic journey begins. After his journey he comes home to discover that barely any time had passed even though his trip seemed to take place a very long time. This book is a wonderful read not only for children but adults as well. It explores the possibilities of other worlds and so much more. 2 ) The Egg - This picture book by M.P Robertson is less known, but also a great read. It was published in 2001 by Dial books. It is about a boy named George, who one day discovers a huge egg under one of his barn chickens. When the egg i...