» Karen's pick: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai » Nancy's pick: The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone » Podcast coming 2/21
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A pig who’s raised by a dog. A mouse seeking help from birds and rats. And a whole zoo full of animal heroes… Meet them all in our latest podcast, all about multi-animal adventures! PLUS, a walk down memory lane, to commemorate our 50th (YES! 50th!) podcast!
(10:07) Download the MP3 (4.9 MB)
Also, don’t forget: our new theme is Books About Dads, just in time for Father’s Day! So send us a review of your favorite book about dads and check out these books about dads!
— Karen and Nancy
Submitted by Ayra, Age 11 from Ohio
Rating:
The first time I tried to read this book, I put it down in three seconds. It flew directly to my rejects pile– “Ew. This book is so slow!”
Not anymore.
Smiles to Go features Will Tuppence, a chess-obsessed, pizza-eating geek. It all started when a proton decayed and when Will realized that nothing lasts forever.
This book is amazing, and it had me crying at one point. I would reccomend it to you any day!
A small town in need of inspiration. Secret rooms in a Paris train station. A hidden courtyard in a sprawling mansion. We visit them all in our latest podcast, all about books about orphans — these characters definitely struggle, but they also find adventure, and we’re along for the ride!
Also, don’t forget: our new theme is fractured fairy tales! So send us a review of your favorite fractured fairy tale and check out our picks for fabulous fractured fairy tales.
Submitted by Audrey, Age 8 from California
When he unties cobbles knot and gets a pizza certifacate things get a little better for Maniac Magee, You’ll love this book!
This book trailer for Maniac Magee was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our Books About Orphans theme. For more on Maniac Magee, check out our “Hard-Knock Life” podcast.
Have you ever met someone who can run faster than everyone else, intercept a football pass when he’s not even playing, and untie any knot? Well, you’re about to! Just watch our video for Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli!
Have you heard of a not-so-little feature on our site called the Mystery Book Theater? Hopefully, yes. Because we make a couple of them a month.
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.
My sister, Cindy, has had two cats since they were kittens — one named Duck and the other Goose. They are brother and sister so obviously, they have very different personalities. Despite that, they love each other! Here they are giving each other a hug:
Goose is on the left, Duck is on the right.
I like to imagine that when we’re off to human work doing human things, they don’t just lie about sleeping. They are like Chester Cat from Bunnicula — they have intelligent conversations and read excellent literature.
Goose is the older brother, and although he’s very much a cat, I’ve always thought he acts like a dog — he’ll even beg for table scraps! Here he is, ready to pounce on some hamburgers we’ve cooked up:
His love for food is so great that it has overcome his modesty and belly. Long ago when Goose was a kitten, he was quite the active “sports kitten.” He would relentlessly chase laser lights and play with balls of twine. Now… well, check out this recent photo of him:
As he’s become accustomed to the cushy lifestyle Cindy has provided for him, he’s less of a “sports cat” and more of a sports fan — a sports fan who particularly enjoys snacking while watching the game. Which is why I know he’d love these two books from our food books theme and sports books theme, respectively: The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling and Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica:
But Goose isn’t just a meathead cat with sleep and food on his mind. He’s also a proud and sensitive soul — here he is, defending his home from the neighborhood bully:
Which is why I know he’d also enjoy Crash by Jerry Spinelli, all about Crash Coogan, a smug jock and bully who changes for the better.
When that mean neighborhood cat sneaked into our home, it upset Duck, Goose’s little sister, to no end. She’s always been a little skittish, and whenever someone new enters a room, she’ll run and hide:
When the humans aren’t home, I think Duck is spending all her time looking into conspiracy theories. I think she believes she’s a human, her brother thinks he’s a dog, and she’s spent her lifetime trying to figure it all out. So a book she would have read over and over would be The Doom Machine by Mark Teague:
But despite her… erm, unique theories, she’s still just a nerdy, shy, nervous kitten at heart — so someday she should pick up Ann M. Martin’s Mary Anne Saves the Day (BSC #4) and Libby on Wednesday by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.
These two books are all about two shy, smart, sensitive girls who eventually come out of their shells.
Perhaps one day I’ll go visit Duck and Goose and catch them with their reading glasses near the fireplace, curled up next to a good book, right before bed:
A rare moment where Duck doesn't run away. But she doesn't like having her photo taken, either!
Based on what I’ve told you about Duck and Goose, my eccentric feline nephew and niece, what books would you recommend to them?
Nancy spends quite a lot of time giving personalities to animate animals and inanimate objects. She loves to eat, sleep, and is a little bit skittish herself, too.
Which children’s book author grew up with a pet raccoon? Which one enjoyed reading cereal boxes as a kid? And which one participated in a mass vomit incident with his family? (Ick.) The answers are in our latest podcast, all about author memoirs and autobiographies:
Also, don’t forget: our new theme is books about royalty, as suggested by one of our kid followers! So send us a review of your favorite book about royalty and check out these books about royalty, fit for a king.
And for this special kid-requested topic, we’re extending the theme to three weeks and offering up:
So stay tuned!
— Nancy and Karen
Submitted by Madison, Age 11 from Rhode Island
i thought this book was really cool and funny and it was cute and its a good book for little kids.
First romance, lifelong romance, even anti-romance — we’ve got it all in our latest podcast, all about (you guessed it!) books involving romance. PLUS, how Nancy informed boys she liked them as a kid, and why Karen is single (according to her, at least).
So whether or not you caught the love bug yourself this Valentine’s Day, you can always cuddle up with our podcast:
And in case you missed it, we’ve also got a very BIG announcement: Up until now, we’ve focused on one theme per week. But we’ve heard from the masses (that’s you!) that one week is just not enough to really get into a theme. So from now on, all our themes will be two weeks long. Starting… NOW!
And don’t forget: our next theme is food! (Nom nom nom…) So check out these delicious books involving food and watch this Mystery Book Theater that will definitely get your stomach rumbling!
