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Submitted by Jenna, Age 11 from Maine
Rating:
I first heard of this book when my teacher said she recommended it. But it looked kind of dumb, so I never did bother to read it. That is, until my teacher read it to my classmates and I. I loved it so much, I read it again by myself!
Knucklehead is a hilarious memoir by Jon Sciezka, telling of his childhood memories of living with his five brothers, Jim, Tom, Gregg, Brian, and Jeff. This book is full of funny memories and tons of photos. I really enjoyed the part when they brought the cat in the car with them and something hilarious happened. So you’re probably wondering what happened, right? Well, sorry, but you’re going to have to read this funny memior to find out!
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
This book trailer for Rascal was originally the Mystery Book Theater video for our Author Memoirs theme. For more on Rascal, check out our “Author! Author!” podcast.
Dog may be man’s best friend, but one beloved author spent his childhood with a very different animal companion: a raccoon! In Rascal by Sterling North, the two pals go fishing, celebrate Christmas, and even compete in a pie-eating contest together. Don’t believe it? Just watch our video!
Tell us about an author you’d want to meet (and what you’d want to do while hanging out with them):
Submitted by Hahaha me, Age 11 from Maine:
If I could meet any author, I would like to meet Gail Carson Levine. At first I thought I would like to meet Louisa May Alcott, but then I decided she would be too old-fashioned to have a conversation with. Gail Carson Levine’s books are about adventures, and twisted fairy-tales, and show awesomeness! (I know that’s not a word.) Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books. And it’s a Newbery Honor, so obviously some other people agree with me.
Did you know that long before becoming an author, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli didn’t even like to read books (preferring comics and cereal boxes instead)? Or that Jon Scieszka grew up with five (count ‘em — five) brothers? Or that as a boy, Roald Dahl was asked to sample and rate chocolates from the Cadbury company, eventually inspiring him to write Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Yes, amazing as it may seem, all your favorite authors really did have lives before writing children’s books. To get the scoop — in their own words — check out these author memoirs and autobiographies (in no particular order):
If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite author memoir.
UPDATE 4/27/10: We revealed the answer to our Author Memoir Mystery Book Theater in the “Author! Author!” Podcast, so take a listen if you want to know the answer. Or just tune in to hear Nancy and Karen fight over who gets to eat with Roald Dahl (yes, we know he’s deceased; just listen and it’ll all make sense, we promise).
