Before, I was like, “Can’t they have some original ideas?” But now that I think about it, children’s books are AWESOME. So it’s great that there are lots of movie adaptations of children’s books, right? Because that way, we get to see our favorite stories come to life!

The only problem is that sometimes the adaptations are not very good. And I gotta say, I’m little bit worried about that happening in the case of Mr. Popper’s Penguins, based on the book by Richard and Florence Atwater. Because guess who they cast as Mr. Popper. I’ll give you a hint: he’s played such other literary characters as Count Olaf (from A Series of Unfortunate Events) and the Grinch. Now do you know who I mean? The answer: Jim Carrey.

Now, I think Jim Carrey did a wonderful job as Count Olaf. He was just as over-the-top maniacal on screen as the villain is in the original books. But Mr. Popper is not a larger than life character. And although I know Jim Carrey is perfectly capable of turning in a toned-down performance, I just don’t know if he’ll be allowed to do that in a children’s movie. Because for some reason, people in Hollywood seem to think that kids only enjoy weird facial expressions and yelling. And that just doesn’t fit Mr. Popper’s character. So let’s hope Jim Carrey gets to actually act in this movie, not just run around like a crazy person.

The other reason I’m kinda worried is because apparently, the story is changed quite a lot from the original. In the book, Mr. Popper is a quiet house painter who gets sent a penguin. He then decides to get a second penguin, and this leads to a whole bunch of penguins. So to pay for all this, he trains the birds to perform. In the film version, Mr. Popper is a New York businessman who receives a bunch of penguins that turn his life upside down.

Hmm… Totally different, but I guess that could work. And as a New Yorker, I’m very much looking forward to when they start filming on location in the fall. Penguins in the city, y’all!

But what do you guys think of this news? Any fans of the book want to weigh in? Leave a comment with your opinion!

— Karen
If penguins came to live with Karen, everyone would probably get along really well. Karen’s favorite thing in the world is sushi, and penguins eat raw fish — a match made in heaven!

More about Karen »

Attention all aspiring super villains:

If you’ve read the book, then you know that Vordak’s mission is to educate a new generation of bad guys. How to Grow Up and Rule the World is an amazing guide to perfecting your true nefarious nature — including instructions on how to create your own evil name, advice on choosing the right lair for your business, and tips on how to hire a good henchman (and by “good,” we of course mean “bad”).

However, if the book just isn’t enough for you, now’s YOUR chance to ask Vordak your burning questions. He’s agreed to do an interview with Kidsmomo, and he’s even deigning to answer questions submitted by our followers — that means you guys! (Guess he’ll take his minions wherever he can find them…)

So leave a comment with your question for Vordak (and include your first name, your age, and your state). We’ll sort through your submissions and pass along the best questions to Vordak for his evil expertise.

Check back here on September 15th for his answers! That is, if Vordak hasn’t blown us all to bits by then…

Part 1: From Egypt to Greece to the skies — aka our mystery book revealed, and our mythical doubles

Part 2: Spooky Mayan forces and colorful Greek adventures — aka our book picks (Middleworld and Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders)

(3:51)
Download the MP3 (3.5 MB)

Also, don’t forget: our new theme is “the new kid”! So send us a review of your favorite book about a new kid at school or in town, tell us about a time when you were the new kid or you welcomed a new kid, and check out our picks for books about “the new kid.”

— Karen and Nancy

[contact-form]

When you’re the new kid at school or in town, many sayings can apply — but none of them seem to capture the full experience. So instead, we offer up these books about being “the new kid” (in no particular order):

1. Libby on Wednesday by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Karen’s pick)
2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Nancy’s pick)
3. Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw
4. Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls Book 2: The New Girl
5. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
6. Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin
7. A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack
8. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
9. Firegirl by Tony Abbott
10. Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan
11. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
12. Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
13. Doodlebug by Karen Romano Young
14. So Totally Emily Ebers by Lisa Yee

(And here’s a printable version of our New Kid booklist, for you to take to the library or bookstore, or send as a gift to friends in your old hometown.)

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite book about “the new kid.” We’ll feature the best kid-submitted reviews in our next podcast!

[contact-form]

(lion – head) + (eagle – body) = Griffin

(lion – head) + (human – body) + (scorpion – body) = Manticore

(human + horse) – (2 x body) = Centaur

Think of all the zany combinations possible! I certainly did — and I asked our friend, Zaid, if he would draw a Kidsmomo mythological creature for me. Here was the formula:

[bunny ears + (Karen - legs) + (Nancy - legs)] + (bird – wings) + (zebra – head) + hair dye = ???

And here’s the result:

But before I saw that drawing, I tried it for myself:

Whoa! So besides the obvious fact that Zaid’s, oh, just a tad more advanced in his artistic skills than I am, there’s another BIG difference between our renderings: I drew one zebra body, but Zaid drew two. That kind of demonstrates why over the years, people have had slightly different definitions of mythological creatures — I guess over time, descriptions can get lost in translation.

I also noticed that Zaid’s drawing makes us look really intellectual, like we’re just coming from Chiron’s class in Percy Jackson land. In my drawing, we just kind of look like doofuses.

Let us know in the comments — how would you add, subtract, multiply and divide your favorite animals into your own mythological monster?

— Nancy

Although Nancy is more or less pleased with her drawing, in the long run, having two separate bodies is better — it would be is unhealthy spending that much time with Karen.

More about Nancy »

Well, in Savvy by Ingrid Law, each member of the Beaumont family gets a super power when they turn 13. And sure that sounds really cool, but unfortunately, no one gets to choose their power — and guess what: it’s actually really hard to control your gift. So Grandpa ends up causing earthquakes when he’s upset, and the two oldest kids create hurricanes and electricity. Momma’s perfect, but that means she also makes perfect mistakes, never little oversights. And now… it’s Mibs’ turn.

But just before Mibs turns 13, her father is in a horrible car accident and lands in a coma. So when she wakes up on her birthday, Mibs is convinced that the universe intends for her to use her power to heal her dad. But that means traveling to the hospital in another town — so somehow Mibs ends up on a bus with a random crew of companions, including one who seems to hate her and one who’s a total stranger. Oh, and did I mention that the bus is headed in the wrong direction? Yeah…

With this set-up, you can see why I was totally captivated by this story. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen! And I loved Mibs as the narrator; even though there are obviously major fantastical elements to the book, I found Mibs to be totally real. I just hope that Mibs puts in an appearance in Scumble, Ingrid Laws’ companion book to Savvy, which just came out this month!

Well, I guess I’ll have to wait until I read Scumble to get an answer to my question. But you don’t have to wait to read Savvy, so go pick up a copy today! And if I still haven’t convinced you, then check out this AMAZING video created by an 11-year-old fan of Savvy named Sunny (with some help from her own family). It’s a stop-motion video of a scene from the book:

Pretty awesome, right? Dude, I think Nancy’s gonna be super jealous when she sees this…

— Karen
Karen once heard that only people with something to hide would rather be invisible than have the ability to fly. But Karen has nothing to hide from her Kidsmomo readers! OR DOES SHE?

More about Karen »

Take a bunch  of creative kids and a love for Egyptian mythology, and you’ve got the imagination game in this theme’s mystery book. Watch our video, and then send in your guess of what the book is.

Look, it's Karen and Nancy! HAHAHAHAHA!

Attention, everyone: this week is VERY important. Apparently, it’s National Dance Week, Air Conditioning Appreciation Week, and National Aviation Week. But most importantly, this week marks Kidsmomo’s one-year anniversary!

Yahoo! [streamers] [balloons] [embarrassing party hats]

Now, normally you guys would owe us presents, but we’ve decided to count all the book reviews, stories, and comments that you’ve contributed over the last year as your gifts to us. So guess what — we’ve decided to give you a present for our birthday!

Announcing our Birthday Bash Book Giveaway! (Sadly, we couldn’t think of a word for “Giveaway” that starts with a B.) To celebrate the first 12 months of Kidsmomo’s life, we’ve rounded up 12 books that we’ve recommended over the last year — and we put together two sweet prize packs (if we do say so ourselves). This week also happens to be Weird Contest Week, so we guess it’s only fitting.

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL RECEIVE:



• Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
  — from our Romance booklist
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
  — our Food mystery book
• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
  — from our Girl Power booklist
• A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
  — from our Holidays booklist
• A Friendship for Today by Patricia C. McKissack
  — from our School Integration post
• Lunch Money by Andrew Clements
  — Karen’s pick for School Stories
• The 39 Clues Book 1: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
  — our Summer Series mystery book
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (box set of full series)
  — our Fantasy Series mystery series

ONE RUNNER-UP WINNER WILL RECEIVE:



• A Dog’s Life by Ann M. Martin
  — from our Dog booklist
• Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee
  — Karen’s pick for Boy-Named Books
• Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
  — from our Spooky booklist
• Middleworld by Jon and Pamela Voelkel
  — featured through an author Q&A

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Kids (under the age of 18):

Enter for a chance to win our prize packs! Just fill out this entry form and mail it back to us. (Don’t forget to have your parent/guardian sign it — otherwise, you won’t be eligible to win!) We must receive your entry before September 15, 2010. So… what are you waiting for?!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) under 18 years. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 09/14/2010. See official rules.

Submitted by Hahaha me, Age 11 from Maine

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In classics, the author usually drones on and on about things that nobody cares about (kind of like I’m doing now). So I don’t like them. My definition of a classic is “action-lacking and boring”. But this summer I found a classic that blew me away! When Anne, an energetic red-head orphan who has been shuffled around through different families all her life goes to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, she wants nothing more than to stay in Green Gables for good. At first, Marilla is objective and doesn’t want Anne to stay, but soon Anne’s spirit gets to her. Anne gets into problems all the time, and has a vivid imagination. My favorite part is when Anne is acting out a scene from a book and is floating out in a pond in a leaky boat! And this book is NOT boring. (Climbing up on a roof for and falling off, smashing a chalkboard over a boy’s head.) I’d say there are two types of classics: The boring ones and the ones that really deserve to be honored. I know where I would put Anne of Green Gables. Read it!

Well, Karen recently showed me to some book trailers made by kids — and whoa, they’re really good! I’m totes jealous*… especially since I’ve been slaving away, drawing all of these Mystery Book Theaters for every Kidsmomo theme!

Check out these book trailers:

Amazing, huh? Inspired by these book trailers, I think Kidsmomo will be taking a stab at this video style! First up: our upcoming Mystery Book Theater for mythology-inspired books. So make sure to check back next Tuesday for our super-duper-fancy-schmancy awesome book trailer.

— Nancy

Nancy seems to be complaining about illustrating MBTs in this post, but where else does she get the glorious opportunity to draw someone drowning in puke?

More about Nancy »

*I don’t usually say the phrase “totes jealous.” Forgive me. It just exited my brain, spilled out onto the keyboard, entered this blog post, and now there’s no turning back.