In the meantime, check out our video introduction to this trio of unlikely heroes. And afterwards, send in your guess for the series. We’ll name the first person to get it right in our next podcast!

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Entitled Legend of the Guardians, the film is due out in September and will cover the first three books in Kathryn Lasky’s popular book series*. Of course, like every other movie these days, it will be in 3D. And while I’m not always the biggest fan of 3D, in this case I think it’s going to make a HUGE difference. Because I’m sorry to say that this online trailer isn’t nearly as breathtaking as what I saw in the theater. But check it out anyway, and leave a comment with your thoughts! What do you think — did they get it right?

— Karen

* If you’re not familiar with the books, check out these 5-star reviews from Ayra (age 10) and Milo (age 9).

Author John Grisham -- my, he looks serious...

With about a zillion films based on his books (okay, fine, there are eight), you’ve probably heard of John Grisham, the author of about a zillion and one books for adults (actual number: 23). But you probably haven’t seen any of his books in the children’s section of your local bookstore or library — until now!

That’s right, John Grisham just announced that he has a series for kids in the works. And since most of his adult books are legal thrillers, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the first book in the new series will be titled Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. The 13-year-old main character is apparently the son of two lawyers in a small Southern town.

I myself am the child of two lawyers, and I can tell you, that does not make me an expert on anything except how to argue with my parents. But if this series turns out to be about a kid fighting with his mom and dad, I will not be a happy reader! I assume we have some actual courtroom adventures from Theodore to look forward to. Guess we’ll find out when the book comes out in May…

In the meantime, here are a couple other books about kids who take on roles normally reserved for adults — and totally rock them(!):

• The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
• The School Story by Andrew Clements

And check out these offerings by authors who are famous for their books for adults:

• Summerland by Michael Chabon
• Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

— Karen

Children's book illustrator John Rocco, with The Lightning Thief Deluxe Edition.

It’s been Percy Jackson madness here on Kidsmomo (literal madness — have you heard our Kidsmomo Karaoke Tribute to PJ?) so I’m gonna write a serious blog post about some serious Percy Jackson stuff.

I GOT TO MEET THE BOOK COVER ILLUSTRATOR! HA HA! IN YO FACES!

And now that I’m done gloating (yes, very immature of me), I’ll get to the good stuff — at the event (which was held at a bookstore in Manhattan), Percy Jackson editor Jennifer Besser talked about how the original cover illustrations weren’t really working, and they then found John Rocco, illustrator extraordinaire!

Maybe “personal illustrator” to Rick Riordan is an exaggeration, but John Rocco has designed all five covers of the Percy Jackson series and he’s also working on the new Kane Chronicles series.  I made sure to capture as much as possible on video:

John talking about how he came up with the idea for the cover of The Lightning Thief:

For aspiring artists: his process is really interesting! Check out all the different versions of The Titan’s Curse:

John also took some tough questions from the audience…

And some questions led to some DRAMA!

Some more goodies from John Rocco and Jennifer Besser:

• The new Camp Half-Blood series by Rick Riordan will be released in October 2010!
• John enjoyed working on The Last Olympian cover the most, and often went to the Empire State Building for inspiration.
• John also worked on the new Rick Riordan series The Kane Chronicles, and afterwards I bugged him about the water tower on the cover of The Red Pyramid — and turns out it’s not significant in the story. (I guess I went a little overboard scrutinizing the cover!)

— Nancy

The day Rapunzel climbs over the wall that surrounds her home really starts it all. She meets her mother. And later gets chucked into…a tree–a prison. After she escapes Rapunzel sets off on a grand journey to reclaim her home, meeting some very interesting people on the way, defeating great beasts, and becoming an outlaw.

This is the first “graphic novel” I have read and finished. On EVERY page there is action…(except for the last one). I like Rapunzel’s Revenge because it is a classic tale twisted all around, displayed in a creative way, and in my opinion making  lot more interesting than the original story.

(But let’s not tell that to the actual creators of the story…)   

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Part 1: Oompa loompa doopity doo, we’ve got a mystery book for you!
(6:22)
Download the MP3 (3 MB)

Part 2: Take a bite outta our food book picks, plus one from you — The Chocolate Touch, Blue Moose, and This Book Is Not Good For You
(6:17)
Download the MP3 (2.9 MB)

And don’t forget: our themes are now two weeks long, and our new topic is… graphic novels and hybrid books! So send us a review of your favorite visual read, tell us what book/movie/song/TV show you would want to see as a graphic novel, and check out these gorgeous graphic novels and hybrid books. Next week, we’ll post a Graphic Novel Mystery Book Theater, and then we’ll connect the dots with a podcast on March 16th! (Get it, we’ll connect the dots to make a picture? Because our theme is graphic novels? Nevermind…)

— Nancy and Karen

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We’ve picked a few (in no particular order) — plus some “hybrid books,” which are told in alternating illustrations and text:

Graphic Novels:

1. Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale (Karen’s pick)
2. Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (Nancy’s pick)
3. The Baby-Sitter’s Club series (graphic novel version), written by Ann M. Martin and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
4. Artemis Fowl series (graphic novel version), written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, art by Giovanni Rigano, color by Paolo Lamann
5. Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
6. Magic Pickle series by Scott Morse
7. Coraline (graphic novel version of Neil Gaiman’s original) adapted by Craig Russell
8. Into The Volcano by Don Wood
9. Amelia Rules! series by Jimmy Gownley
10. Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom by Eric Wight
11. Mail Order Ninja by Joshua Elder
12. Owly series by Andy Runton

Hybrid Books:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
3. Dear Dumb Diary series by Jim Benton
4. Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm
5. Amelia’s Notebook series and Max Disaster series, both by Marissa Moss

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite graphic novel or hybrid book! We’ll feature the best kid-submitted reviews in our next podcast!

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i liked all four because they were exciting and i was always hungry for more.i hope that you will read it and tell me how you like it.i wish you good luck on your book hunt!

i loved this book so much.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

For our food theme, we each cooked up a dessert based on a children’s book. Then we presented our sweets to a panel of judges without revealing who made which dish.

Whose cuisine reigned supreme? Watch our KidsmomoMO video to find out:

And to see our step-by-step adventures in the kitchen, or if you want to do some book-based baking yourself, check out our posts on Karen’s baked custard pudding and Nancy’s almond flan!

But there’s no use in worrying now when there’s almond flan to be made! You know what would cheer you and me up?  Saying the word “flan.”  Flan, flan, flan! Shout it with me! Fuuuuuuh-laaaaaaaaan!!!

Click on my photos to see my step-by-step flan formation:

To continue having flan fun, grab your parent and see if you can do this recipe justice:

Flan de Almendra (Almond Flan)
From Mexican Desserts by Soccorro Muñoz Kimble
(Aunt of Pam Muñoz Ryan, author of Esperanza Rising)

2 cups sugar
1 quart milk
2 cups blanched almonds, ground
6 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract
Sliced almonds

Heat 1 cup sugar in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When sugar begins to melt, reduce heat to medium. Stir the sugar until melted and golden in color. Pour into 2-quart baking mold, turning it to coat bottom and sides completely.

Put milk in large saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and the 2 cups of ground almonds to the milk and mix well. Simmer until sugar has dissolved (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from heat and let milk mixture cool completely.

Beat 6 whole eggs with 4 additional egg yolks and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Add to cooled mixture and mix well. Pour into caramelized baking mold.

Place the baking mold into a larger baking pan. Cover flan loosely with foil during baking to prevent excessive browning. Pour hot water into pan halfway up sides of larger baking pan.

Bake in a 350 pre-heated oven at 350 degrees about 1 ¼ hours, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove baking mold from hot water and place on rack to cool.

Refrigerate several hours. To serve, run a knife around top edge to loosen flan. Place a serving plate with rim over flan and invert. Garnish with sliced almonds.

Don’t forget to check back on Monday to see the KidsmomoMO video of the judging and results!

— Nancy