Badass Bookie

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . . I snagged a copy of Doll Bones by Holly Black the day it hit shelves. I'm a huge fan and have read most everything she's published. The Spiderwick Chronicles and beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles were both fabulous serie...

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarök, that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters--wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds, all bent on destroying the world. The gods died a long time ago. Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history--because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, South Dakota, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. However, knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids--led by Matt--will stand in for the gods in the final battle, he can hardly believe it. Matt, Laurie, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to prevent the end of the world. When I heard that Kelley Armstrong a...

Mara's mother is missing, her little brother is sick, may be dying, her father is grieving. It all seems hopeless - until Mara sets out on a life or death journey to bring her mother home. I am a huge fan of Katherine Langrish, so when I found out she had a mermaid book, I had to get my hands on it. Forsaken was an extremely short book. I could have read the entire thing in less than 20 minutes, but I drew out the reading experience and made sure I broke it down into two sittings. Mara's father is a merman. Mara and all of her siblings are merchildren. But Mara's mother is human. She left her world for the man she fell in love with. But she grew tired of living in the ocean and longed for her home. So she leaves her children and husband behind. This is the story of Mara's journey, venturing on land to find her mother. While very short, it's a wonderful story. I highly recommend it!

For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives. I think The Fairy-Tale Detectives may be my favorite middle grade book I've read this year. The world Michael Buckley created is so much fun and filled with so many of my favorite fairy tale characters. Sabrina, and her little sister, Daphne, are sent to live with their Granny Relda, after their parents' disappear. Daphne is thrilled to finally get to meet her grandmother, but Sabrina is not to be fooled. The girls were told that their grandmother had passed on. Sabrina wants nothing more than to escape. After much convinci...

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant Ace Detective Snappy Dresser Razor-tongued Wit Crackerjack Sorcerer and Walking, Talking, Fire-throwing Skeleton --as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old. These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil. The end of the world? Over his dead body. I scored a set of Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy at a used book store a few years ago. As so many books do, they sat on my shelf, unread. I finally read the first book and quite enjoyed it. I often find myself having difficulty getting into Middle Grade books. I have trouble relating to the characters. I'm thirty, so I'm old enough to be a mother of these 10-12 year old kids. It's a paranormal, action adventure. So every time poor Stephanie gets within sight of danger, I'm going "Why isn't her mother with her?" or "Go home where it's safe!" And that wouldn't be an exciting story. I thin...

Today on the blog I have Morgan Keyes, author of Darkbeast , a middle grade fantasy, answering a few questions about her inspiration for her new novel. But first, check out the synopsis. A girl’s love for her raven may put her life in jeopardy in this gripping tale. In Keara’s world, every child has a darkbeast—a creature that takes dark emotions like anger, pride, and rebellion. Keara’s darkbeast is Caw, a raven, and Keara can be free of her worst feelings by transferring them to Caw. He is her constant companion, and they are magically bound to each other until Keara’s twelfth birthday. For on that day Keara must kill her darkbeast—that is the law. Refusing to kill a darkbeast is an offense to the gods, and such heresy is harshly punished by the feared Inquisitors. But Keara cannot imagine life without Caw. And she finds herself drawn to the Travelers, actors who tour the country performing revels. Keara is fascinated by their hints of a grand life beyond her tiny village. As her bir...

Every year I got to the Baltimore Book Festival on Friday. The festival lasts all weekend, but Friday night at the Children’s Book Store stage is the greatest panel of the festival. Every. Time. This year: “Five authors and editor Ellen Datlow offer their thoughts on the recreation and retelling of fairy tales for a modern audience. Panelists include: Adam Gidwitz , Jessica Day George , Shannon Hale , Sarah Beth Durst , Ellen Datlow , and Michael Buckley .” Oh. My. Goddess! I practically jumped out of my seat and shouted in delight when I read this. It’s like they planned this panel just for me. And because it was requested, here’s some of what was discussed. If it’s in quotes, it’s a direct quote. If it’s not, I’m paraphrasing what they said. Authors, if you see this, and I got something wrong, sorry. I was taking notes as best as I could. Moderator: What was your introduction to fairy tales? Ellen Datlow: I don’t remember which story, but Oscar Wilde. Sarah Beth Durst: I don’t rememb...

From Brian Selznick, the creator of the Caldecott Medal winner THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, comes another breathtaking tour de force. Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing. Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben's told in words, Rose's in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and...

The Diary Of Willow Krimble First Entry Dear Diary, Wow, this feels so weird. I’ve never written that before, which is really odd, since Grandma Trisha gave me this Diary two years ago. She knows how much I love to write. I’ve written a few short stories and a ton of poems, but I’ve never written in a diary before. With the strange events that have been happening to me lately, I just feel like I need to express certain things that I can’t share with anyone else, including my best friend, Razzel. ​So, where to begin, Diary? Since I’m new at this, I’d feel a lot better if I gave you little bit of background info on myself – even though you are just a leather-bound notebook – no offense. ​ My name is Willow Krimble. I’m 13-years-old, I have freckles, bushy, almond-colored hair, and I have to wear a retainer for the next six months, even though I finally got my braces off. Sounds like your typical tween, right? Oh, I promise you, it gets more interesting, Diary. I wouldn’t exactly call my ...

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell. I have seen The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick on the shelves of book stores for a while now. But I must admit that I had never really paid attention to it until I realized a movie based on the novel would soon be hitting theaters. When I checked it out on Goodreads I found a review by one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, who said she loved the book. So I checked it out f...

I'm sure you all know how much I love going to book signings. I've been lucky enough to meet dozens of authors. And I've met my top five favorite authors on more than one occasion: Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, and Maggie Stiefvater. So when I found out that Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, was going to be in DC to promote his new book, Cabin Fever, I knew I had to take my boy. Like me when I was his age, he doesn't much care for reading. It's not that either of us were bad with reading or reading comprehension; the problem lies in poor self confidence. I've gotten past that. But not John. However, John loves the Wimpy Kid books, and he was thrilled when I invited him to go with me to DC. Book six is entitled Cabin Fever. It involves poor Greg being stuck inside while a blizzard rages outside. So to celebrate that, they created a fake snow storm. Look... fake snow! Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of...

The Laddertop - Gift to Earth's Future Twenty-five years ago, the alien Givers came to Earth. They gave the human race the greatest technology ever seen— four giant towers known as Ladders that rise 36,000 miles into space and culminate in space stations that power the entire planet. Then, for reasons unknown, the Givers disappeared. Due to the unique alien construction of the Laddertop space stations, only a skilled crew of children can perform the maintenance necessary to keep the stations up and running. Back on Earth, competition is fierce to enter Laddertop Academy. It is an honor few students will achieve. Robbi and Azure, two eleven-year-old girls who are the best of friends, are candidates for the Academy. They will become entangled in a dangerous mystery that may help them solve the riddle of the Givers...if it doesn’t destroy the Earth first! Laddertop , volume 1 is the first installment in an American manga trilogy written by Ender's Game author, Orson Scott Card, a...

She doesn't know magic... She's not a super hero... Her power will amaze you... So, you’ve just discovered that the person who has tormented, mocked and humiliated you for the past three years is lying in the school parking lot, bleeding internally from a hit and run accident. No one else is around and you need to get to a life-and-death family emergency of your own before it is too late. What would you do? Oh, did I mention you have the secret ability to heal others just by touching them? This is just one of the many situations 13-year-old Willow Krimble must face in this Web Novel, A Girl Named Willow Krimble. Willow lives with her mother and older brother, Wyatt; she loves hanging out with her best friend, the feisty and sarcastic Razzel Fiora, and she has a close relationship with her grandmother. Seems pretty normal, right? It might be if the two most popular girls in middle school, Shayla Stergus and Snella Burenbine,  did not taunt and remind her, on a daily basis,  tha...

I just finished The Selchie's Seed by Shulamith Levey Oppenheim. A mysterious white whale shows up near the shore one evening during a storm. The whale's flipper is torn. Fifteen-year-old Marian finds him, and along with her brother Graeme, they beg their mother to heal him. With just a bit of salve, she heals the white whale. Marian is drawn to the whale. She can't stop thinking about him. One evening she comes home with a necklace of pearls and a shell, a gift from the white whale. Why is she so drawn to him? He brings Marian's magical heritage to light, much to her father's dismay. For they are a good Christian family. Not pagan. I love books with faeries, especially selchies. They are a favorite of mine. This novella was amazing. It was beautifully written, and the story itself gorgeous. I fell in love with it so much I had to force myself to put it down and read it in two sittings. It's short, a bit over 80 pages, and it has lovely illustrations by Diane G...