» 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
Super Bowl's over... Spend your Sundays listening to our podcasts instead -- starting with the very latest!Listen Now »
Submitted by Jenna, Age 12 from Maine
Rating:
This book might look like a boring story like one of those picture books about a kid and dog. But it’s really not. This book is about a girl who came with her father to a new town. Opal, the 10-year-old girl, wants to meet people, make new friends, and is lonely for her mother who left her when she was just a baby. But all changes when she meets a dog at a grocery store, whom she takes in and names the dog Winn Dixie after the grocery store where she found him. After finding the dog, Opal’s life turns around. From befriending a librarian and a lonely woman to working at a pet store to being invited to a birthday party and making her father come out of his shell to tell Opal about her mother, Winn Dixie is making everything happen. This is a heartwarming story about a dog who helps a young girl through her life as a companion.
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.
It’s good to be queen! At least, that’s how Karen felt while recording our latest podcast — because Nancy was sick in bed and refused to participate! Excuses, excuses… No matter; Karen still had plenty to say, all about books involving royalty:
Also, don’t forget: our new theme is war stories, in honor of Memorial Day. So send us a review of your favorite book related to war and check out these books about war.
— Karen (and Nancy in absentia)
This book trailer for The Tale of Despereaux was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our Books About Royalty theme. For more on The Tale of Despereaux, check out our “Royal Flush” podcast.
What happens when a rodent crashes a royal banquet? Trouble, that’s what. Just see for yourself in our video for The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo!
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!
— Nancy and Karen
Reviewed by: Hahaha me, Age 10 from Maine
Despereaux is a mouse living within the walls of a castle, and a shame to the mouse community.
Roscuro is a rat living in the castle dungeon. He too is different from others. But one night he changes.
Mig is a girl who lives with her cruel owner. She is nearly deaf. She wants to be the princess, but nobody cares of her.
Pea IS the princess. She is adored by Mig, honored by Despereaux and hated by Roscuro.
Of course, they’re all destined to meet, in ways not always good. Who is to be the hero?
Featured in "Love Is All You Need"
This book is one of the best books I’ve read. I didn’t know that a story about a mouse could be so intriguing and serious. It’s no surprise that it was a Newbery Honor! Stop whatever you’re reading right now and start reading The Tale of Despereaux!
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
This just in: Fox Movies is moving forward with an adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s book, The Magician’s Elephant, and they just picked a screenwriter for the project. Hooray! Throw the confetti! Set off those firecrackers! Prepare the feast! What, you’ve never heard of The Magician’s Elephant? Actually, neither had I. That’s because it’s not even published yet!
The book by Newbery-winning author Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie) won’t hit stores until next month, but I guess the movie studio got a sneak peek. And guess what — so can you! Check out the first chapter (PDF), which I found on DiCamillo’s site.
And if that gets you drooling for more, check out the full website devoted to the book. Plus, here’s how DiCamillo describes the book on her website:
When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.
When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her?
The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.
YAY! Okay, I really am excited now. All that stuff before about confetti and firecrackers was sarcastic, but now I really truly am looking forward to reading the book and seeing how the movie version turns out. Especially since the guy who’s writing the screenplay said that Fox Movies is aiming for a film with the same feel as The Princess Bride. Awesome! It’s just too bad we’ll probably have to wait years until we can see The Magician’s Elephant the film. Thanks goodness the book’s out in September!
— Karen
