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In Which Neil Gaiman Makes What I Mock Appealing

Coming February 2015
Preorder: Amazon
Preorder:  iTunes

It's no secret that if I ever stalk a celebrity it will be Neil Gaiman or J.K. Rowling.  Even their tweets make me happy so of course I anticipate their new books almost greedily.  This morning I learned Mr. Gaiman has a new short story collection coming soon to my bookshelf (and book sellers everywhere) with a very catchy title: Trigger Warning.  I first heard the term "trigger warning" in reference to college students being warned that books they were about to read may cause mental trauma.  My eyes rolled so far back, they're kinda stuck that way.  I am not a fan of coddling adults, which college age people generally are.  I do not believe we are such a damaged society that we require warnings about literary content - especially in college where we are supposed to be stretching ourselves and experiencing new (perhaps unpleasant) things in order to grow more fully into ourselves.  Leave it to the Neil Gaiman and his wonderfully unique brain to not only put first a sympathetic then skeptical and always humorous eye on the idea of a trigger warning, but to then take the idea and sell stories with it.  Stories that I must read, made all the more delicious because "I have been warned".

Read Gaiman's warning yourself in this USA Today exclusive excerpt.

Weird Al Created The Best Music Video EVER!

I knew when Neil Gaiman recommended a Weird Al video that I would like it.  I didn't know I would love it.  Seriously, this is SO funny I'm still laughing over being called a dumb mouth breather!

 Now go, watch, laugh.

Watch the video.
Buy the song.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a Reader.

I knew I liked this guy.  No wonder he's such an interesting actor.

Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Click here to buy from Amazon.
Click here to buy from iTunes.

Synopsis from the School Library Journal:  Grade 4-8-An inventive plot and memorable characters will draw readers into Cornelia Funke's fantasy (Scholastic, 2003). Twelve-year-old Meggie and Mo, her book binder father, are fleeing their old enemy, Capricorn, when they arrive at Great Aunt Eleanor's book-lined villa in Italy. Though the three of them are brave and wily by turns, their cruelly-powerful nemesis manages to find them and their copy of the book, Inkheart. That's when Meggie learns about her father's extraordinary ability to read book characters into life, and the events that caused her mother's disappearance when Capricorn emerged from the title book. Meggie, Mo, Eleanor, and a host of friends and enemies go through plot twists that involve captures, escapes and, finally, an end to Capricorn's reign of terror. At the heart of it all, is the power of story and family love. Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

What did I think?

(I would be remiss if I didn't preface this review by acknowledging the fact that this book has been translated from German.  I recognize than some of my points of displeasure may disappear if I could read it in it's intended language.  But alas, I don't speak German.)

I've been reading this book with my eleven year old as a bedtime story and ironically, I haven't found it a good read aloud.  (It's ironic because the plot revolves around reading aloud.)  When I started reading ahead by myself though, the story started moving faster and engaged me more.  A rather complex set of actions with out a lot of exposition or character development made this a difficult book for me to really get in to, especially only reading 15 or so minutes at a time with my daughter.  It is a very good story though, with an interesting premise (my daughter and I have had a good time theorizing which characters we'd try to read out of a book if we could and wondering if they'd be as appealing in real life - would we still like know-it-all Hermione if we had to hang out with her?) but it felt like the ending was rushed and tied up in a neat bow when that' not really how such a story would end.  I know there are two more long books in the series so this is not really the end, but I still would like this book to have it's own more substantial ending.  After all, these characters have just passed through hell.  They deserve more than a swift and glossy return to happiness.  All in all though, I did enjoy the book and think I'll encourage my daughter to either read ahead without me or set aside extra reading time because reading in longer stretches really did make a difference for me.  

Favorite Thing:  The premise.  It's lots of fun to consider being able to "read out" bits of books.

Least Favorite Thing:  There's very little character development.  They all seem to be malleable depending on the situation and a couple of the characters are pretty interchangeable.

Review: Robert Galbraith's The Silkworm

Buy from iTunes: http://goo.gl/v5lwU0
Buy from Amazon:  http://goo.gl/7pR6Dt

At first I was very happy with The Silkworm.  After all, it's beloved JK Rowling's latest and it picked right up where Cuckoo's Calling left off, both of which pleased me.  About a third of the way in I decided it was a little stilted.  I started to see some of the same flaws attributed to the much flawed author character (he's a pig of a person and his name is Quine - a thinly veiled analogy to a swine I thought.  It was a bit cheesy considering the book is about an author who writes a thinly veiled hit piece about his enemies.  But, Rowling knows how to tell a story and won me over. I finally plowed through the last hundred pages.  There weren't a lot of twists or turns, but there was a bit of Rowlings wonderful foreshadowing that you only realize was foreshadowing after you finish the book.  Also, for such a scrupulously planned and executed gory, gory murder, there's not a lot of suspense and the conclusion is almost thrown at you.  At times I found it a bit disjointed and in need of a good edit.  It's not as thoughtful as even Cuckoo's Calling much less Harry Potter or Casual Vacancy.  I was happy to see a tiny little step forward for Strike and his secretary, though Strike is an unlikeable character who seems to have a lot of inexplicably loyal friends.  I also liked the colorful characters and the way Strike's secretary, Robyn, was given a  more meaningful role.  So often characters like here are relegated to the sidelines as a useful but unimportant device or maybe comic relief.  Though flawed, The Silkworm a fun summer read and I look forward to the next "Robert Galbraith" book.  ;)

Father's Day is Coming Soon!

Just a friendly reminder - Father's Day is right around the corner!  Get Dad something great!

Shop Here: http://goo.gl/WdmHTK

Products I Love: Edgar Allen Poe Lunchbox

For those who like to look at the darker side of life. 

Buy It: http://goo.gl/n5yNDY 

Beat The Summer Slide!

Summer is a great time to grow your reader!  Last year, my middle child finished 1st grade reading on a Guided Reading level N (GLE 2.5).  I required her to read at least 20 minutes every day of summer break.  When my daughter started 2nd she clocked in on a level S (GLE 3.3).   She gained almost a full grade level over the summer!  Also, summer reading is more self directed - my kids always choose what they read, be it the back of the cereal box or a book I think will  be way beyond their abilities.  They enjoy it more and usually continue reading far longer than the required 20 minutes.  These factors influence their growth - my daughter only grew four GR levels during the school year because she was reading what was assigned to her and often she couldn't wait to stop.

Read More About How Books Beat The Summer Slide!

Of course this doesn't just apply to MY kids.  EVERY kid will benefit from sumer reading.  Simple access to books has a positive effect on a child's success.  Please visit the First Book site to learn more about why reading is important and what you can do to help children in need gain access to books.  It breaks my heart to know there really are kids - probably right in your neighborhood! - who honestly have NO books in their home.  Talk about deprivation!  Education is the true equalizer in life and reading is the gateway.  Give kids a chance - give them a book!

47 Super Fun Facts About Children's Books

One of my favorite sites - Mental Floss - posted this fabulous video telling 47 really fun facts about famous children's books.  There are a few that I already knew, but most of them were new to me.  Give this one a whirl - it's really fun!

Product I Love: Ice Cream Reading/Night Light

Seriously, how cute and fun is this?

Ice Cream Reading or Night Light

Buy Yours Here:  http://goo.gl/TKnxX1

Here Comes The Easter Cat!

Click Here to Buy Here Comes The Easter Cat

I just love good holiday themed picture books.  (And by good I mean they have charming art and tell a fun story.  What can I say, I'm easy to please.)  This book is appealing both art and story wise.  Simple, pleasant pictures and a faceless narrator tell the story of a cat who is jealous of the Easter Bunny.  It was also appealing because it's available both as a hardcover if you're one of those super together people who is able to plan ahead for holiday reading and a Kindle edition, if you're like me and it occurs to you the day before Easter that it would be fun to have a new Easter book.

You Are What You Read

Read More, Be More

Easter Shopping!

Have you left your Easter Bunny duties to the last minute? It's not too late to shop on line and avoid the other procrastinators at the mall (or Walmart, or Target, or whatever other actual store you frequent). Shop Amazon and let them bring your stuff to you!

Click Here to see Amazon's great Easter deals!

A Commercial for Reading? Yes!

What a fun way to remind people how great reading is!

Products I Love: Lego Hogwarts Castle

There are actually a few different Lego Hogwarts Castle models.  This is the one we have and we have lots of fun with it.  My girls like shoving Goyle off the astronomy tower.  (Should I worry?)

Click Here to Get Your Own Hogwarts Castle

Products I Love: Lego Harry Potter's Knight Bus

Here's another awesome Lego model from the Harry Potter series.  The little Lego Hedwig is just so cute, isn't it?

Get your own Knight Bus here!

Product I Love: Lego Hagrid's Hut

No Harry Potter lover wants to miss out on the awesome lego models of various scenes from the books.  Check out this cute Hagrid's Hut.  My daughter jealously guards hers.  She builds it, admires it, then carefully takes it apart for next time.

 

Jane Austen: Philosopher

I only recently discovered Jane Austen for myself.  Oh, I knew she was acclaimed and her works were considered must reads, but I'd never gotten around to actually reading her.  Last year I read Pride and Prejudice.  I loved it.  In fact, I immediately downloaded all of her books.  Then I got distracted (I believe it was Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill who led me astray), but my favorite entertainment blog has reminded me again of Ms. Jane Austen.  Their post leads to a blog dedicated to Austen's work and brings back many of the reasons I found Pride and Prejudice wonderful.  The underlying philosophy and unique (for it's time) thought is indeed what elevates her work beyond a dramatic romance.

Read the entertainment blog here, then follow their links to the Austen blog.  It's a lovely way to spend a morning.

Profound Quotes from Children's Books: A Light in the Attic

This week Parade Magazine featured ten quotes from children's books that are profound enough to change lives.  I decided each of these lovely quotes deserved a pinnable meme.  It may take me a day or two to make all ten, but here we go!

Buy your own copy here.

Feed Your Addiction

Feed your addiction. http://ittybittyurl.com/2COn 

Pinkalicious Origin Story

Here's a bit of fun book trivia for April Fool's Day. If you have little girls, you know all about Pinkittis and a silly little girl named Pinkalicious. How fitting that her origins are in such a silly day!

Check out the Pinkalicious books here!
http://ittybittyurl.com/x90 

A Book I Can't Wait to Read: Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602

*Buy it here: http://goo.gl/dL0YEK*

    There are some authors that I want to read, no matter how improbable the dustcover description makes a book sound. Neil Gaiman is pretty close to the top of that short list of writers, and I was pretty sure I knew at least the titles of all of his work. I was happily proven wrong this morning when this book popped up in my Recommended section on Amazon. I've never been into super heros, but if Gaiman writes it, I want to read it so I clicked the link. As crazy as it sounds, Gaiman takes Marvel's familiar heros (including Spiderman, Daredevil and the X-Men) and moves them to the year 1602. They have to deal with all the correct historical issues of the day, and of course save the world - super hero style. After reading the Publisher's Weekly review, I'm convinced I will love this book!

Fun with Fractured Fairy Tales

Buy Dog Tales Here

A fractured fairy tale is a classic fairy tale, told with a twist.  My kids love reading them.  One of our favorite books is Dog Tales, a collection of fairy tales featuring dogs instead of people, who have names like Rapawnzul and Little Red Riding Hound.  Cats are always the villains, dogs wear dresses and every story has a funny quirk.

These books are fabulous ways to engage with kids as you read together.  Especially with younger kids who may not be familiar enough with the original stories to really find the humor in the fractured tales, I like to start by reading the un-fractured version.  Then I introduce the silly one and tell the kids I want them to see if they spot any differences between the two.  They love pointing out how the books differ, but also how they are the same.  This is a really great way to truly engage in story time.

Many kids also love writing their own fractured tales.  When they first begin, their stories will probably mirror the ones you've read.  That's okay. They're still building those story teller muscles.  As kids get older and become more experienced writers, their stories will be more original and even more fun to read.  To ratchet the fun level even higher, involve the whole family in writing a new story.  Assign your fastest writer as scribe and start throwing ideas out there.      After the story is written, everyone can have a ball illustrating it.  When you're finished, you'll have a terrific family heirloom.

There are many wonderful fractured fairy tales out there.  Choose one had have fun!

Share Books Sunday : The Brave Pilgrims Edition

Click here to buy your copy of The Brave Pilgrims.

It's Sunday! Share what you're reading - I'm reading Rush Limbaugh's Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrim's. Not a political book at all, Rush is merely trying to interest kids in our country's backstory (well, there is a tiny bit about collectivism not working, but that is a true part of the pilgrim's story). Turning himself into a fictional character, Rush and his time traveling horse, Liberty, visit the Pilgrims before, during, and after their journey. Honestly, it's far from a great book.  It's kind of cheesy, and some interactions with the pilgrims are just too far fetched even from a book featuring  a time traveling horse. However, it achieves Limbaugh's goal of giving kids an entertaining window into the past.  My eleven year old is reading it, too, and she says it's hilarious. (I find it mildly amusing.) She studied the Mayflower's journey at school this year and thought it was really cool that Limbaugh covered the basics in a more entertaining manner.  (If there are any fellow John Howland descendants out there, she especially loved that the story of him falling overboard was included.)  As something of an introductory history it's not bad.  I will probably buy it's sequel just because my daughter enjoyed this one and I know she'll read the next.

My philosophy.

Click Here to Buy More Books

Flora and Ulysses is now a Newberry Medal Winner!

Wow!  What a coincidence! I blogged about Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures today, and it was just awarded the Newberry Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Children's Literature!  That's as good as it gets in Kid Lit.

Click here to read my review of Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Make sure you check out the entire list of 2014 ALA award winning books.  You're sure to find something to love!

Click here to see the complete list of winners.

Distracted by Flora and Ulysses

Holy unanticipated occurrences!  Last week I was distracted from a good book (Peter and the Starcatchers) by a better book.  Okay, it wasn't unanticipated because it happens to me quite often, but that is Flora Buckman's favorite line from her favorite comic, which guides her when she discovers a squirrel with super powers.  Yes, you read that right.  A squirrel with super powers.  Bet you didn't anticipate that, did you!

In Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures there are many unanticipated occurrences and it all begins with a vacuum cleaner, a squirrel and a natural born cynic named Flora.  There is a wacky cast of characters including a self absorbed romance writer, an air head neighbor, an emotionally traumatized great-nephew next door and a sad, sad father.  They all tip toe right up to the line of being too wacky but only cross the line a little and in such silly ways I loved them for it.  In fact, I won't even try to give you a plot synopsis because honestly, it's a simple and predictable plot but a joy to read and discover on your own.

Kate DiCamillo books are always wonderful read alouds, but this one is just BEGGING for a dramatic reading.  I gave it to my brilliant eight year old for Christmas and we've had a terrific time either reading alone or together.  This is a great book for sitting close on the sofa so you can both see the pictures but leave plenty of room for dramatic gestures which you'll probably find necessary as you read.    The illuminations (illustrations) are basic yet expressive and they really enhance the humor.  Honestly, it's hard to capture the funny wonderfulness of Flora and Ulysses in a review.  You have to read it for yourself.  :)

Click here to learn more about Flora and Ulysses.

A Collection of Books about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights era.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and February is Black History Month. This is a natural time to focus on learning about our country 's Civil Rights movement. Because the Civil Rights era wasn't part of my mandated curriculum during my time as a teacher, I didn't really have time to delve into the subject. However, I do think it's a very important time in our history and found ways to incorporate it using children's books. At various times I used each of these titles in my classroom. Now as a SAHM I keep many of them on my kids' shelves. They have been good conversation starters and give my kids a window into a period of time that seems ancient. Of course there are many, many other wonderful books I have overlooked. If you have a favorite, please share it in the comments (or on Facebook, or twitter, or pinterest).

Click here to view my book list.

Share Books Sunday Two-fer Edition

It's #ShareBooksSunday! What are you reading today? My daughter stole my book last week, so I'm just now getting to read The Wednesday Wars (which I'm completely in love with) even though I shared it already. I also started reading Peter And The Starcatcher. While not as good as the play - which knocked my socks off at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last summer - it's still pretty entertaining and I will recommend it to my kids. 

Learn more about these books here and here.

#ShareBooksSunday - The Wednesday Wars Edition

Today is #ShareBooksSunday!  I'm curious about what you're reading.

I just picked up The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt.  I've heard of this book here and there over the last few years but one of my friends from high school (who is a teacher) recently listed it as one of her top 10 favorite books.  I decided I need to read it, so here I am!  I'm only a few pages in, which means I don't have an opinion yet, but when I finish it I'll be sure top post a short review here.

Click here to learn more about The Wednesday Wars.

I'd love to know what you're reading!  You can comment here or look Lost Cat Books up on Facebook or simply send a tweet with the tag #ShareBooksSunday.

Share Books Sunday Week 2

It's Share Book Sunday!  What are you reading today?

I'm reading Leigh Brackett's The Long Tomorrow.  So far I think it's excellent, but I've only read about a dozen pages.  I originally bought this book for my husband on a recommendation from Neil Gaiman.  My husband loved it, so I bought it for my brother.  He reads A LOT, and I usually like his recommendations so when he told me it was one of the best books he'd ever read I knew I had to read it, too.

Read more about The Long Tomorrow here.

Get your bedtime stories ready!

Click here to view a list of our bedtime stories.

It's National Sleep Day!  Of course you can't sleep without a bed time story.  I love bedtime stories, both with my kids and for myself.  My husband grumbles about the hour plus I spend getting the kids to bed at night, but I just love spending that time reading with them. I get to spend real time with them, sharing something I love with each one.  I usually read a separate story to each child, and I mostly let them choose the book.  I sometimes get tired of reading Magic Tree House or Rainbow Fairies books, but that's when I step in and say "I have a really good choice I want to read and when it's over you can choose the next book."

Right now I'm reading chapter books with my girls, and picture books with my son.  Actually, to be honest about last night, my eight year old read several books to my five year old.  She is an excellent reader - there's really nothing she's incapable of reading now - but she's decided she only wants to read aloud to people who are younger than her.  More directly, she doesn't want to read aloud to me.   The teacher in me knows it's still important for her fluency to read aloud though, so rather than letting her slide or fighting her over it, I ask her to read to her brother several times a week.  Last night she read the excellently hilarious Knuffle Bunny series, as well as several other wonderfully fun books from Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggy series.  She read for well over half an hour and her brother went to bed a happy boy.

When it was her turn for a story, I continued reading Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George.  We've been reading it for a few weeks now because between a vacation, two family birthdays and the holiday's, our bedtime stories have been unfortunately intermittent.  She's really enjoying the story of a magical castle and an attempted coup.  It's more of a real older kid book than she normally chooses (even though she reads on almost a 5th grade level, she's been choosing Junie B. Jones type books lately), so it's refreshing for me to read something with actual plot twists and intrigue.

For my 11 year old I continued reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  We started reading the Harry Potter books together when she was six, and at first we read one every summer.  Of course we reread the previous books before starting the new one, but at this point it means we're reading Harry Potter almost year round.  Neither of us is complaining though.  They are such rich, enjoyable stories, it's a great way to relax together at the end of the day.  (She is also a voracious reader and reads several other books on her own all the time.)

My own bedtime story was again Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half.  This is the perfect book if you only have snippets of time to read.  It's actually a collection of funny vignettes that are just right to read before I finally crawl between the sheets.  I look forward to having a bit more time to read more of it today.  Having a little chuckle throughout the day is always a good thing.

I hope you all have a good bedtime story, especially for today!

Lois Lowry's Brilliance

I truly love this quote from Lois Lowry's Newberry Award acceptance speech.  I grew up on a very rural farm, but my mind has travelled the world through books.  I found ideas that were foreign to my family or school experience.  I have been enriched in ways I can't even begin to count because of books. My world is a better place because I am a reader.

Click here to learn more about Lois Lowry.

Welcome to the Future?

Happy New Year!  It's 2014, and I woke thinking of all the dystopic futures writers like to imagine.  There is no shortage of books about perfect societies that are formed some time in humanity's future, but of course some are more memorable than others.  The series that sprang to mind this morning was Lois Lowry's The Giver Quartet.

Click here to learn more about The Giver

I hesitate to tell even a bit of the details of these books because the revelation of secrets is so key to their stories. Suffice it to say Lowry uses these stories to examine the idea that people may sacrifice their humanity for safety's sake. Choice for security. Is the danger that comes with freedom worth it?  The Giver (and it's three accompanying books) are not for very young readers, but as a teacher I used them with my sixth graders and would find them generally appropriate for 4th grade on up if accompanied by discussion opportunities. They are a great springboard into conversations about liberty vs. safety and sacrificing self for society. Of course I also recommend them to adult readers because they are excellently written and thought provoking on a whole new level in a more mature mind.  Though written as companion books, each one is satisfying on it's own.  You can find links for all four books in the series below.