Avi and Jackson, Best Friends
Written, illustrated by Rosie Russell Ages 3-7 32 pages Available in print and digital formats
The text is effectively told in rhyming couplets that are catchy and easy to remember:
They explore new wonders in a room full of books―
It won’t be long before your children are reading along with you!
Illustrations Russell's illustrations pop off their center-stage location on each page. Colorfully executed, they bring children into the story and keep their attention. Russell’s art is light and airy. It reminds me of a textured sponge technique or the layered pixels of an Impressionist painting. Her boldface, large-font text is artfully tucked into the edges of each page. Unique Features At last ― a book with a positive message about friendship between two boys as they grow up together and explore the world around them. Russell's tale conveys important messages about collaboration, and her characters model how to be a good friend. These are critical values to instill at an early age. Best of all, Avi, the older boy, has no problem accepting the younger Jackson as his equal partner, with whom he treats with respect. Recommendation I strongly recommend this tale of friendship for its colorful illustrations and important message of respect and friendship. This is a must-read tale, especially for your young boys. Disclosure I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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I'm pleased to post my review of Things are Not What They Seem, by Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks as part of a Blog Tour sponsored by Mother Daughter Book Reviews.
Read on to find my review and learn how you can take part in the tour and a Rafflecopter drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card. It's easy-peasy to enter, but don't delay: this tour ends 19 March.
About the BookTitle: Things Are Not What They Seem | Authors: Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks | Publication Date: April 9, 2014 | Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing | Pages: 268 | Recommended Ages: 10+ Summary: What would you do if you were sitting on a park bench, minding your own business, and one of those annoying pigeons suddenly started to talk to you? And what if the pigeon didn’t just talk to you – in a meticulous British accent, no less – but pleaded with you to help untangle a piece of string that had accidentally attached his leg to a wrought iron fence surrounding the playground? And what if, while you are still convinced that this is all a big nasty trick, a hawk swoops down out of the sky and starts cursing at you, also in the King’s English, for getting in his way when he wanted to execute the pigeon? That is the quandary in which Jennifer (almost 13 years old and probably a bit too smart for her own good) finds herself one sweltering July morning while babysitting her 11-year-old (very precocious) brother James and his mopey, allergy-prone friend Sleepy. She soon learns that the bird is actually a man named Arthur Whitehair, a 19th-century Englishman who had been turned into an eternally-lived pigeon by misreading an ancient spell that was supposed to give him eternal life as a human. Likewise, an unscrupulous colleague of his, named Malman, had been turned into a hawk by Whitehair’s blunder. After years of searching, Whitehair claims (half-truthfully) that Malman has found him hiding in Central Park and is now out for revenge. On top of all this strange business, Jennifer has recently begun having weird dreams in which a crazy-looking man with curly red hair speaks cryptic phrases in Latin. Are they random phrases, or messages? And why would some sketchy guy be sending her messages in her dreams?Amazon * MuseItUp Young * GoodreadsCat's Kid Lit review
Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks have penned a page-turner for middle-grade readers who enjoy a touch of fantasy with their fiction. Things are Not What They Seem follows the escapades of four New York City children who bring new meaning to feeding pigeons in Central Park.
Characters The authors’ created a quartet of characters that pop off the page. Their protagonist, almost-twelve-years-old Jennifer Tindal, is a city-savvy girl who’s bothered by weird dreams. Her brother, James, sticks up for her and pals around with wimpy, sheltered Sleepy because James’ “real” friends are away at summer camp. Fashionista/Valley-Girl-talking Kaytlyn enjoys her wealthy family’s clout but learns to help her friends by being clever and courageous. The secondary characters in this story are portrayed with humor and understanding. Jennifer’s parents are loving but set firm tween boundaries. The authors write with great empathy about the homeless Mr. Bags, who speaks in rhymes and aids the children despite great risk to his personal safety. Several bad guys populate this tale, too, and give kids that extra frisson of danger to keep them interested in the plot. And well, there’s that talking pigeon, Arthur Whitehair, who literally and figuratively is a hoot and has a wicked-wry backstory. Setting The City of New York is almost a character unto itself, and the authors write with the loving insider knowledge of natives. You’ll feel as if you’re in Central Park with Jennifer or chasing Arthur along Big Apple streets. Narrative and Dialogue The story reads seamlessly, and its plot moves briskly, with plenty of kid-pleasing banter: “Hello, fat-boy,” the pigeon said. “Whitehair,” James yelled. “You lard-butt! ” I appreciate how the story dips into history to bring Arthur Whitehair to life. It also has an amusing plot point about James pretending to be a ventriloquist in order to disguise Arthur’s identify. The climax, which I won’t spoil for you, was spot on and an ingenious way to conclude the book while leaving room for a sequel. Unique Features What sets this story apart for me is its gentle, unobtrusive life lessons that Jennifer and James discover, such as this advice from Mom when the siblings feel discouraged after failed attempts to help Arthur: “Lots of things in life are hard. Raising children is hard. Being married is hard. I don’t think you should quit something just because it’s hard.” These gems aren’t preachy, and they’re not always delivered by adults: “But I wasn’t brave, Jenny,” Sleepy said in a very small voice. “I was scared the whole time.” “That’s what courage is,” Jennifer said. “When you do something even if you are very frightened.” Recommendation I highly recommend Things are Not What They Seem for children in grades 3-6. It’s an action/fantasy tinged with humor, and it delivers subtle messages about courage and friendship that young readers need to hear. Disclosure I was provided with a free pdf version of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Buzz"I LOVED "Things Are Not What They Seem"!! It is funny, exciting, and touching, and very fun to read. The characters are relatable and interesting, so I really cared about all of their adventures while I was reading. "~ 5 Stars, Hermione, Amazon "The story line is original and makes for an incredibly fun read. This is a book which is VERY hard to put down, all of their adventures will definitely have you on the edge of your seats and you read from page to page. All of the characters in this book (both large and small) are well developed and their personalities definitely come off the page." ~ 5 Stars, Alex, Goodreads "The characters are well-developed and fun. The story moves along at a brisk pace. Lessons on love, friendship, kindness, and finding your inner strength shine through. And the humor is plentiful! Great for tween readers, as well as a quick, fun read for adults. " ~ 5 Stars, HFBrainerd, Amazon "Things Are Not What They Seem is a well written story and a joy to read. I was hooked from the start." ~ 5 Stars, Granny's Hill, Amazon "What a sweet, interesting, and overall wonderful book! I love the interesting, multi-layered, realistic characters, the numerous, unexpected but extremely interesting plot twists, and the use of Latin phrases to enhance the magic. I love the simple, yet powerful message that was woven throughout- that things are not what they seem- even in the rough, harsh world of New York City. That message strongly resonates for kids, teenagers, adults, and anyone in between. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who reads this review!! " ~ 5 Stars, Pat D., Amazon About the Authors: Anne Rothman-Hicks & Kenneth Hicks![]() Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads"Things Are Not What They Seem" Blog Tour Schedule (2015)February 20Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch & Review) Rockin' Book Reviews (Excerpt) February 21 February 22Adventures of a Military Family of 8 (Review) February 23 February 24Kay LaLone I Love Books (Review) Heart of a Philanthropist (Excerpt) February 25My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews (Review) February 26Icefairy's Treasure Chest (Review) February 27The Book Lovers' Lounge (Review) The Library of the Seen (Review) February 28Eloquent Articulation (Review) Sunshine, Bubbles and Books (Guest Post) March 1Sweet Little Pretties (Review) March 2Debra Shiveley Welch Love and Writing (Review & Author Interview) March 3For the Love of Reading (Review) March 4Cat's Kid Lit Book Reviews (Review) March 5WhenIGrowUpIWannaWriteAKidsBook (Guest Post) * Blog Tour Giveaway *![]() ![]()
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Kid Lit Book Review
John Bloom and the Victory Garden by Leigh Shearin 195 pages Recommended Grades: 3-8
Author Leigh Shearin’s John Bloom and the Victory Garden, the first of her John Bloom Series, is a sure-fire win for boys in grades 3-8, history buffs, and foodies. The author stirs these incongruent ingredients into a powerful tale that comes together like a perfect three-course meal, and it leaves the reader eager for more.
[John] burst through the kitchen door and was greeted by a wave of warm, steamy air that was scented with onions and apples, bread, and some kind of meat. His mother stood with her back to him, her left arm down on the work surface, her right elbow up in the air, doing battle with a bowl of something on the counter. There was a bowl of pickled beets and a plate of bread on the kitchen table in the center of the room, waiting to be moved to the dining room. Best of all though, was a round platter piled high with fat, golden brown sausages that glistened with fat still bubbling on the surface. They were resting gloriously on a bed of steaming sauerkraut laced with thinly sliced, caramel-colored onions.
Several recipes of meals described in the book are printed at the end of the story, so children can actually make food that the ABCs ate.
On occasion, Shearin uses accented dialogue with some characters. While she is adept at doing so, I find this literary device distracting, so I’m glad she keeps it to a minimum. There is also a chapter that switches from John’s third-person voice to that of an adult character’s perspective. The change is effective, but it could confuse some young readers. Recommendation John Bloom and the Victory Garden - Part 1 is a trifecta of food, history, and boyhood. I highly recommend this story for children (especially boys) in grades 3-8. They’ll hunger for Part II of this series, Digging In, and be impatient for its debut in Fall 2015.
Narrative, Plot The plot charts the transformation of John and his playmates. Before the war, their world revolves around such activities as trading a prized rabbit skull for a freeze-dried earthworm. After December 7, they create the American Boys’ Club (the ABCs) and dedicate their time to helping their beloved Appleside support the war efforts. Shearin serves up the right mix of energetic, kid-centric dialogue with descriptive narrative, both of which focus on the ABCs and their 1940s coming-of-age era. Readers are immersed in period details that bring history to life. Leafing through photographs in Life Magazine. Shopping at the Five and Ten. Listening to radio broadcasts of President Roosevelt or Prime Minister Churchill deliver stirring wartime messages. Waiting for letters from loved ones fighting overseas. (Imagine that: no email or Skype!) Yet boys will be boys, and Shearin adds plenty of mischievous plot elements, like pranking the neighbors and devising secret talisman. I dare anyone to read John Bloom and not develop a food craving. The author injects mouthwatering bites from her culinary background that are rarely encountered in middle-grade books: ![]()
Characters, Setting
The story is a time capsule of life in a small, northeastern U.S. town on the eve of Pearl Harbor and its aftermath during the winter 1942 as seen through the eyes of three fourth-grade boys. Shearin is inventive in her character descriptions. For example, protagonist John Bloom wants a shiny, blue-and-white Schwinn DX bike for Christmas and can reach his front porch from the sidewalk in just five jumps--unless his shoelace comes untied. He and friend Charles Anderson Slovinsky (Chewie) share a secret knock when visiting each other’s home: three raps on the front door signals an urgent, parent-free visit. The third chum, Joe Riccio, comes from an Italian immigrant family, and they face possible internment due to Mussolini’s part in the war. John Bloom also introduces readers to a host of secondary characters who add richness and dimension to the story: the town Scrooge with a secret sweet tooth and a hoard of seed packets, a kindly farmer, a wise doctor, and more. John’s hometown of Appleside, NJ, is another pivotal character in a very real sense. Its rural backdrop underscores how the boys and townsfolk overcome adversity with optimism, humor, and resilience. An Appleside street map by artist Katie Shearin (an author/illustrator dynasty in the making) prefaces the book and provides a strong visual image of the town readers will inhabit alongside John Bloom and his friends.
Disclosure:
I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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