Listen now: 

(10:07)
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• “Have ewe herd?” — aka our mystery book revealed (AND Karen crammed two puns in there! Wahoo!)
• Introducing… The Adventures of Manatee and Seahorse! And a lion + eagle buddy movie!
• Our Multi-Animal Adventure picks (The Secret Zoo and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH)
• A review from YOU (Smiles To Go)
• Zedonks. Again.

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: 5 out of 5 stars

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!

(11:01) 
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• Meet a Maniac and Mars Bars — aka our mystery book revealed
• Our Orphan book picks (The Invention of Hugo Cabret and The Secret Garden)
• An Orphan book review from YOU (Dave at Night)

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.

— Karen and Nancy

Submitted by Audrey, Age 8 from California

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When he unties cobbles knot and gets a pizza certifacate things get a little better for Maniac Magee, You’ll love this book!

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!

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.

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

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.

More about Nancy »

(12:51)
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• “You little rascal!” — aka our mystery book revealed
• Chicken pot pie with Roald Dahl and candy with R.L. Stine —
• plus an author dream date from one of you!
• Our author memoir picks (Knots in My Yo-yo String by Jerry Spinelli and Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
• An author memoir red from one of YOU (Marshfield Dreams by Ralph Fletcher)

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:

• May 4th: a new Mystery Book Theater starring royalty, and funnily enough, an animal once again (I guess we love animals?)
• May 11th: a royal KidsmomoMo video
• May 19th: a regal podcast, if it may please the court

So stay tuned!

— Nancy and Karen

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

i thought this book was really cool and funny and it was cute and its a good book for little kids.

So whether or not you caught the love bug yourself this Valentine’s Day, you can always cuddle up with our podcast:

(15:09) 
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• Stargirl hearts Leo — aka our mystery book revealed
• Our Romance book picks (Allie Finkle #3 and Flipped)
• A review from YOU (The Tale of Despereaux)
• We reveal our literary crushes! Ooh la la!

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!

— Nancy and Karen