So you won’t be surprised to hear that I really enjoyed the book Pie by Sarah Weeks. It’s about Alice, who loves to spend her days at her Aunt Polly’s pie shop, which is award-winning and renowned around the country. But when Polly passes away, she leaves her secret pie crust recipe to her cat — and she leaves the cat to Alice.

Alice is consumed with grief over her aunt’s death, but it soon becomes clear that someone else in town has more devious thoughts on the brain — somebody’s out to find the pie crust recipe, at any cost!

As you can see, although food is a big part of Pie, there’s much more to the story. I really liked Alice, as well as Charlie, who becomes Alice’s detective partner as they try to get to the bottom of things. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that every chapter starts with a different pie recipe! Maybe a Kidsmomo bake-off rematch is in the cards!

If you’ve worked up an appetite for Pie, you can read the first chapter online! And if you’ve already read the book, leave a comment with your thoughts! Did you find the book as sweet and delicious as I did?

— Karen

Karen’s favorite kind of pie, hands down, is banana cream. Although a few years ago she discovered banoffee pie, which is also delightful. Yes, Karen likes banana desserts.

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Photo from Flickr user OakleyOriginals

As you can tell, I LOVE puns! Don’t you love puns? They really make life punderful.

One of my favorite punny books is Un Lun Dun by China Miéville. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as well-known as the pun-packed classic The Phantom Tollbooth, so I’m here to spread the word. Get it? Spread the word! Just consider me a pun prophet, if you will…

Un Lun Dun is a fantasy adventure about two London schoolgirls who find their way to an alternate version of the city that lies underground (UnLondon — get it?). This subterranean world is populated with ghosts, trash that’s come to life, a talking book that announces prophecies, and a colorful cast of characters — some friendlier than others, and some less friendly than they might seem. Can two girls from regular London save this fantastical world from an evil pollution being called the Smog? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you; you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

And you REALLY REALLY REALLY should read this book. Not only is the story completely gripping, but as I mentioned, it’s also full of PUNS! Broken umbrellas as known as unbrellas. Black windows (ferocious windows with eight legs) guard Webminster Abbey. And, of course, there are ninja trash cans known as binjas. Of course.

So if you love wordplay as much as I do (if that’s even possible), or if you just want an exciting read, then it’s time for a journey to Un Lun Dun!

— Karen

Like all New Yorkers, Karen spends a good amount of time beneath the city — riding the subway. But luckily, she hasn’t spotted any trash moving around. Unfortunately, there’s already plenty of movement from the rats…

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Lindy, Tom, Ben, and their friend Professor Savant are all determined to meet the only remaining whangdoodle in the world, and so they embark on a fantastic adventure through another land that’s both marvelous and dangerous.

They encounter delights like a boat powered by jokes — with a magical ice cream machine on board, no less — but they also face terrifying monsters like the vicious Sidewinders and the bullying Flukes. Obviously, these obstacles are not great for the kids and the Professor, but they sure make for a gripping tale! Too bad for them; hooray for us!

I first read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles when I was about your age. (Yes, I really was once a kid instead of the crusty old person I am now.) I looooooooved the book back then, and I’ve been meaning to re-read it for years — but unfortunately, I could never find my copy of the book in the depths of my childhood bedroom whenever I looked for it at my parents’ house. Then recently, I spotted a used copy at the bookstore where I volunteer and snatched it up right away.

On the one hand, it probably would have been nice for me to leave the book for an actual kid to purchase and enjoy. On the other hand, now that I’ve finally re-read the book and written this review, I’m spreading the Whangdoodle word to everyone. And that’s a benefit to multiple kids, right? Yeah, I’m just going to go with that…

Of course, if you’ve already read this book, I want to hear your thoughts! Leave me a comment with your review!

— Karen

Karen is currently staying in her old room at her parents’ house for the holidays. It’s full of old books, just waiting to be re-discovered! If you don’t see Karen online for a while, you’ll know why.

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My mom is the kind of person who will get whatever she wants for herself throughout the year — and on top of that, she’s picky. My dad, on the other hand, is a bit of a cheapskate; once I got him some CDs for Christmas, and he told me that in the future I should check first to see if he could get them from the library and not spend my money on CDs that were available that way!

But here’s a little secret: If you’re having trouble with your Christmas or Hanukkah shopping this year, there’s one gift that everyone loves… FOOD! But also, most people appreciate getting books chosen just for them.

So here are some ideas for picking the perfect present for every person on your list — and they’re all books published this year!

Dystopian drama: Have a friend who’s dying to read The Hunger Games but their parents say they’re not allowed? If they’re 10 or older, give them The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer, about a world where everyone disappears except a small group of kids.
 
 
 
Fantasy favorites: As a Harry Potter fanatic, I know nothing can fill the void left when that series ended. But there are definitely some awesome new fantasy books out there to enjoy! Two of my favorites are Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier and The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens.

Friendly fiction: For the girl who likes realistic fiction with heart, I recommend When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica Perl. It’s got everything — family issues, friend questions, bully trouble, and pets!
 
 
 

Film fanatics: Got a friend who loves going to the movies? After you see Hugo, gift your friend The Hugo Movie Companion and get the inside scoop on how they adapted Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret for the silver screen. (Of course, you should also get your friend the original book too! I’m just putting it in parentheses because it didn’t come out in 2011 like the rest of the books.)

Ha ha hilarious: If your bud likes funny books, you can’t lose with Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger, the sequel to The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. It’s got humor, squiggly illustrations, and Star Wars finger puppets!
 
 
 

Also, if you have a friend who doesn’t fit any of the categories above, then I’d still go with Darth Paper (and Origami Yoda) — they’re guaranteed crowd pleasers! Anyone and everyone loves these books! Except the Empire.

And now I want to hear from YOU. Leave me a comment and tell me: what’s on your wishlist this year? I want Crumbs by Anne Ursu, Wildwood by Colin Meloy, and a DVD player (my old one broke).

— Karen

The most used Christmas present Karen ever got was from Nancy: a container for easily transporting homemade baked goods, with built-in holes for keeping cupcakes upright!

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I absolutely love the winter holidays. When you enjoy food as much as I do,  it’s impossible not to love this season! Hot cocoa, gingerbread, latkes, pie, cider… It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

With the cold outside, it’s also a perfect time to curl up with a hot drink and a cool book. (Har har har, aren’t I so clever? Or maybe I should say ho ho ho…)

Here’s our list of holiday book picks — including my personal recommendation, Penina Levina Is a Potato Pancake by Rebecca O’Connell. (Surprise, surprise, it involves food.)

And for some audio-visual excitement, check out these beauties:

First, a hilarious (in our opinion) book trailer we created for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson:

And also, a delightful (at least, we think so) podcast all about holiday books — and also Christmas music shame, old fart shame, and sprinkles.

(14:55)

Still haven’t found the right holiday book for you? We also recommend:

• A Little House Christmas
• The Christmas Dolls and Molly’s Surprise
• Miracle on 34th Street — Did you know it’s a book too, and not just a movie?

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a peppermint hot chocolate with my name on it — which will soon be a peppermint hot chocolate with my stomach all around it.

— Karen

Karen loves decorating her apartment for Christmas, and this year she even put some holiday stuff in her bathroom. It’s important to have a festive view from the toilet, right?

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That describes just a few of the adventures in Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier!

What else should you know about brave and orphaned main character? Peter Nimble was blinded by a raven when he was just an infant, and he became a thief out of necessity to survive. And since his senses of hearing and smell were far superior to those of any ordinary thief, Peter Nimble became the greatest thief in the world at just age ten!

Disclaimer: Kidsmomo does not support any form of thievery unless perpetrated by fictional protagonists to fictional bad guys in fictional lands.

One day, Peter steals a box containing six amazing objects — or really, three pairs of fantastic eyes! Little does he know that this box was destined for him:

“The first pair was molded from the finest gold dust. The second had been carved from slick, black onyx. And the final pair was made of two uncut emeralds — the purest jewels he had ever touched.”

So what do these fantastic eyes do? Well, you’ll just have to pick up a copy of the book to find out!

And I promise you’ll find at least a few of these things in the book: sword fighting, an army of talking ravens, a lost princess, an evil wannabe king, blood-thirsty sea creatures, poisonings, and mysterious riddles… JUST KIDDING! I totally lied. All of those things (and much, much more!) are included in Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, so pick up a copy and Peter Nimble will steal your heart!

— Nancy

Nancy may or may not have tried her hand at pick-pocketing when she was younger. The watch stolen from the victim’s wrist was promptly returned to the victim (Nancy’s sister). This in no way should be construed as a confession or admission of guilt.

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In Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen, the narrator’s grandmother gives him an old lawn mower for no apparent reason — and before long, he’s having a summer of epic proportions!

One lawn mowing job turns into two, turns into a few more, turns into a big business, turns into big money… And although the narrator is kind of surprised and confused as it all happens, I was totally delighted at each new development. I even laughed out loud while reading Lawn Boy on the subway — causing strangers to give me funny looks. But I didn’t care because I was having too good a time reading the book!

Lawn Boy is a great read when you’re in the mood for something quick and funny — it’s short and goes at a fast pace (probably even faster than that old lawn mower!). So give it a try, and then leave a comment and let me know how you liked it!

— Karen

Karen always took summer classes or attended day camp when she was growing up, so she never did jobs around the neighborhood. Too bad. She could have made a killing in baked goods and lemonade!

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How is that possible?

Well, in Adam Rex’s The True Meaning of Smekday, J.Lo is not a singing and acting sensation. J.Lo is actually an extraterrestrial.

To be more exact, J.Lo is a Boov who arrived with an alien invasion of Earth. They all chose more human-friendly names, and J.Lo chose, well, J.Lo. And with such a funny name, it’s no wonder he ends up befriending a girl named Gratuity (nickname: Tip).

Together, Gratuity and J.Lo embark on a journey to find Gratuity’s mom, who was abducted before the full alien invasion. Along the way, they have to escape from other Boov, hide J.Lo from suspicious humans, and deal with an entirely different — and far more dangerous — alien race that plan to take over the Earth themselves.

Obviously, The True Meaning of Smekday is an action-packed adventure — and once I started, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what happened next. But it’s also 10,000% HI-larious. I absolutely guarantee you will laugh out loud.*

So get out there and discover The True Meaning of Smekday! Before the real aliens come and you don’t have time for reading because you’re too busy fighting in the rebel forces. It could happen, right?

And if you’ve already read the book, leave a comment with your opinion or send in your full review!

— Karen

Karen packed this book for a vacation and ended up reading the whole thing before her plane landed at her destination. Yes. It’s that good.

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*Guarantee not contractually binding and will not hold up in a court of law.

If only I had thought of getting a “practice dog” to show how responsible I could be! I could have fed it, walked it, cleaned up its “poop” — and then maybe my parents would have seen how good a dog owner I’d be!

That’s the idea in Erica Perl’s book When Life Gives You O.J. Check out the official book trailer for more details (and a laugh):

But the book isn’t just one big gag. I really liked the main character, Zelly, and I related to her issues with her BFF’s new friends and with a neighborhood bully. Plus, I enjoyed reading about Zelly’s relationship with her grandfather, Ace — he’s the one who came up with the “practice dog” idea in the first place, and he’s not always the easiest person to get along with!

So you can see that even if you’re not a dog person yourself, there’s still plenty of good stuff in this book to enjoy.

Have you ever wanted a dog and had your parents say no? Or do you already have a family pet? Leave a comment and tell me about an animal friend you already have, or one that you really want!

— Karen

Karen’s fish was a Betta, also known as a Fighter Fish. Uncreatively, she named him Fighter.

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Review copy of the book provided by the author.

Last fall, Karen wrote about The Heroes of Olympus, a new series by Rick Riordan that continues the adventures of the  Camp Half-Blood kids. In case you’re not familiar: Camp Half-Blood is a camp where demigods (children of Greek gods and mortals) hide out and learn to fight monsters. They have special powers. Need more information? Pick up the awesome Percy Jackson series.

So, back to business: I just finished the first book in the series, The Lost Hero, which was also pretty awesome. It’s told from three demigods’ perspectives: Jason, Leo, and Piper. All three of them have complicated pasts. Jason woke up with amnesia, Leo feels guilty over his mother’s death, and Piper’s just found out that her father disappeared. And they still have to find out which Greek god is one of their parents.

This is the part of the recommendation where I really don’t want to give out any spoilers, but I really want blab everything because it was so great. Here are a few more morsels: Jason speaks Latin. Leo can fix anything. And Piper can convince strangers to give her expensive cars. It’s a great continuation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series (I won’t even complain that Percy wasn’t in the book in person — uh oh, was that a spoiler?), and even if you haven’t read the PJTO books, I guarantee you’ll like it. I’ll just leave it at this: the last sentence of the book made me shout “OMG!!!” really loud (which scared my visiting family a bit). I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, The Son of Neptune.

And if you noticed that Neptune isn’t a Greek god, it’s a Roman god — well, that’s very clever of you and a big deal in the series. And if you didn’t notice… well, oops, spoiler.

— Nancy

 
Nancy’s off to read the first chapter of The Son of Neptune many, many times until it’s released on October 4th!

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