Zombiekins

We're back after almost a year!

Review by Tintin, age 10

Zombiekins

Author/illustrator: Kevin Bolger/Aaron Blecha
Publisher: Razorbill (6/2010)

Zombiekins Website

Zombiekins is an awesome horror story written by Kevin Bolger about a boy who goes to a witch's house and gets a toy called Zombiekins. One night Zombiekins comes alive. The next day, he starts biting the kids at school and turning them into zombies. My favorite part was when the boy turned the kids back into normal. I would recommend this book to kids who like horror stories with zombies. I would rate this book 5 stars.

Book Review: Invisible Inkling

Review by Tintin, age 9

Invisible Inkling

Author/illustrator: Emily Jenkins/Harry Bliss

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 2011)

Hank Wolowitz lives in New York and owns an ice cream shop called The Big Round Pumpkin with his mom, dad, and his sister, Nadia. One day at the shop, Hank feels something under the sink. It feels furry. He finds out it is an animal called a bandapat, and it is invisible and can speak. The bandapat's name is Inkling. Inkling's three favorite foods are squash, pumpkin, and pizza. I liked that the book was silly. My favorite part was when Inkling jumped on Mrs. Cherry. I would recommend this book to children who have invisible friends.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johnny Boo (6) says, "My mother read this book to me twice because I liked it so much."

The Big Round Pumpkin is loosely based on Blue Marble, an ice cream shop in Brooklyn. Here are Tintin and Johnny Boo at the Blue Marble stand at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn:

Invisible Inkling, about a boy starting fourth grade without his best friend and dealing with a bully who takes his lunch, is the first book in the Invisible Inkling series. The second book, coming out July 24, is all about Halloween:

Books of the Week: Sarah Noble, Explorer, Giggler Treatment, Lunch Lady, My Weird School, Tiny Titans

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 9

The Courage of Sarah Noble
Author: Alice Dalgliesh
Genre: Fiction

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes
Editor: Kazu Kibuishi
Genre: Graphic Novel

The Giggler Treatment
Author: Roddy Doyle
Genre: Fiction

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes
Author: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Genre: Graphic Novel










Johnny Boo, age 6

My Weird School #11: Mrs. Kormel Is Not Normal
Author/illustrator: Dan Gutman/Jim Paillot
Genre: Fiction

Tiny Titans and the Science Fair!
Author: Art Baltazar
Genre: Fiction/Easy Reader

Books of the Week: James and the Giant Peach; Sarah, Plain and Tall; Mameshiba; Tiny Titans

Here are our favorite books this week:


Tintin, age 9

James and the Giant Peach
Author/illustrator: Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake
Genre: Fiction

After losing his parents in a rhino accident, James must live with his two evil aunts--until a giant peach with talking insects suddenly appears and takes James far, far away. Tintin said this is one of his favorite Roald Dahl books, and even though it's a bit different from the movie, he likes it just as much.

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Genre: Fiction

Caleb and Anna's mother dies just after Caleb is born, sometime in the late 19th century. When their father advertises for a wife, Sarah responds. She comes to the prairie all the way from Maine, but the children worry she'll grow homesick and leave. Tintin's response after a couple of chapters: "This is actually really good!" And then he finished it the next day.


Johnny Boo, age 6

Mameshiba: On the Loose!
Author/illustrators: James Turner/Jorge Monlonge; Gemma Correll
Genre: Graphic Novel

In their first book, the Mameshiba ("bean dog" in Japanese) rescue their pea-knapped friend and explore outer space. Johnny Boo has read this book every day (several times a day) ever since we got it from the library. I think we're going to have to buy it, along with the bean dogs' next graphic novel, Mameshiba: We Could Be Heroes, coming out next month. Oh, and the 9-year-old likes it, too, although I think he's only read it twice.

Tiny Titans Go Camping!
Author/illustrator: Art Baltazar
Genre: Easy Reader Fiction

The Tiny Titans (Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Aqualad, and Bumblebee) go to Sidekick City National Park for a camping weekend. While there, they roast hot dogs, fish with cookies, have a tea party, and encounter a few green beasts. Johnny Boo is excited to start reading his other library find, Tiny Titans and the Science Fair!, in which Barbara Gordon, Terra, and Wonder Girl join in the fun.

6-Year-Old Picks

Here are some of Johnny Boo's favorites from March and April:

Ricky Ricotta, Captain Underpants, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
Author: Dav Pilkey

Mr. Men, including...
Mr. Men: Favourite Stories and whatever other Mr. Men and Little Miss books Johnny Boo found at the library (there are about 49 in all)
Author: Roger Hargreaves

And there are new Mr. Men graphic novels!

The Franny K. Stein series
Author: Jim Benton

Balloon Toons: The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight
Author: Pranas T. Naujokaitis

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School
Author: Nathan Hale

Toys Go Out, Toys Come Home, Toy Dance Party
Author/illustrator: Emily Jenkins/Paul Zelinsky

George Brown, Class Clown: Super Burp
Author/illustrator: Nancy Krulik/Aaron Blecha











And here's an example of the writing skills Johnny Boo's developed with the help of Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book O' Fun:

9-Year-Old Boy: Series Books

Here's what Tintin's been reading lately:

Attack of the Volcano Monkeys (Ordinary Basil)
Author: Wiley Miller
Publisher: The Blue Sky Press (February 2008)
Category: Chapter Book (2nd in series)

In this second Ordinary Basil book, Basil and his friend Louise travel (via pteranodon) to a planet of intelligent monkeys and try to overthrow the king.

Wonkenstein (The Creature From My Closet)
Author: Obert Skye
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. (September 2011)
Category: Chapter Book (1st in series)

Rob finds a strange creature in his closet. Wonkenstein is a cross between Willy Wonka and Frankenstein, characters in two of the books Rob has thrown into his overstuffed closet. Tintin can't wait for the next book, in which Rob finds yet another creature (Potterwookiee) in his closet and probably gets in even more trouble.

Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All
Author/illustrator: Mary Amato/Ethan Long
Publisher: Holiday House (April 2007)
Category: Chapter Book (1st in series)

Fifth grader Wilbur and his third-grade brother, Orville, catch a crook, search for treasure, and try to overthrow a king. Along the way, they also play a few games elementary school boys will love reading about. Upon finishing this book, Tintin immediately checked out the second book in the series, Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return.

The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse (A Chet Gecko Mystery)
Author: Bruce Hale
Publisher: Perfection Learning (April 2001)
Category: Chapter Book (1st in series)

Chet Gecko is a fourth-grade private investigator. In this first mystery, Chet is hired to find Billy, the missing brother of Chet's chameleon classmate. With the help of mockingbird Natalie Attired, Chet looks for clues that will help him find Billy before the start of the football game.

The Sea of Lost Books, and Our Reading Response Journal

The Sea of Lost Books (Return to the Library of Doom)
Author/illustrator: Michael Dahl/Bradford Kendall
Publisher: Stone Arch Books (August 2010)
Category: Chapter Book

Tintin has a journal in which he writes down the names of the books he's just finished. In the same journal there's a section for him to write book reviews in the form of a letter to me. When he's done I write a letter back to him. Here is our first exchange:



Dear Mommy,

The Sea of Lost Books was about a giant named Atlas, and there was a man named the Librarian. Atlas and the Librarian don't like each other. They fight in battles. I liked when the Specialist saved the Librarian. My favorite part is when the Librarian gets stuck in the book pages. I would recommend this book to children that like monsters.

Sincerely,
(Tintin)

Dear (Tintin),

I'm glad you liked The Sea of Lost Books. I thought it was interesting how Atlas used his letter tattoos as weapons. Even though he had letters tattooed all over his body, I don't think he liked letters very much. If he did, he'd probably use them for good, not evil. I liked how some of the words in the book look like what  they are, like when the word "shadow" has its own shadow and when the word "steps" has steps coming off the "p." It reminded me of the Geronimo Stilton books.

I can't wait to read your next letter!

Love,
Mommy

Check out the rest of the Return to the Library of Doom series (both boys, 9 and 6, love it)!

Play, Louis, Play! and Our New Book Club

Play, Louis, Play! The True Story of a Boy and His Horn
Author/illustrator: Muriel Harris Weinstein/Frank Morrison
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's (December 2011)
Categories: Biography; Chapter Book

This is the story of Louis Armstrong's childhood, as told by his first horn, which little Louis purchased from a New Orleans hock shop for $5. Not only did the boys enjoy the book, but they now want to learn how to play the trumpet and go to the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York. And one of them spent two days looking up Louis Armstrong music on MOG.

The boys and I started a new book club, modeled after an idea at The First Grade Parade, and Play, Louis, Play! was our first book. We called our book club the Pop Bag Book Club because one boy wanted it to be called the Popcorn Book Club and the other wanted it to be called the Brown Bag Book Club. So we compromised.

Here are our popcorn bags, with the boys' thinking maps attached. On the thinking maps, we have characters, setting, main idea, and favorite part. I had Johnny Boo dictate to me. We talked about what they'd written down, and anything else about the book, New Orleans, jazz, and racial discrimination that came up.

Here's Tintin eating his popcorn and figuring out where New Orleans is and how far away it is from the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York:

Our 2011-2012 Bluebonnet Award Choice Is...

Last week Tintin and everyone else who read at least five Texas Bluebonnet books attended a special breakfast in the school library and voted on their favorite Bluebonnet book. Students all across Texas participated in the voting at their own schools. The author of the book receiving the most votes will be declared the winner of the 2011-2012 Texas Bluebonnet Award. Here's Tintin voting for Tom Angleberger's Origami Yoda:

For each book they read the children had to fill out a log describing a memorable moment from the book. Here's Tintin's collection:

Amazing Faces 9/26/11

I like "Which Way to Dreamland" because dreams are special and sometimes come true. My favorite was: How in the world do dreams get in your head? and: Do they hide with dust bunnies under the bed?

Wild Times at the Bed and Biscuit 9/26/11

I liked when Ernest and the other animals saved Sir Walter in the woods. Sir Walter was lost in the woods because he was helping the foxes dig a hole, but they got away.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda 10/8/11

I liked when they made a bet that if Tommy dances with Sara, Dwight wins, and if she doesn't then Harvey wins.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse 1/9/12

This book is about poems and fairy tales that are reversed. My favorite fairy tale is "Bears in the News." This book is reversed because it helps children like to read poems and fairy tales.

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy 1/23/12

I liked when Connor ran away and Buddy tried to help his mom find him.

Imogene's Last Stand 1/23/12

I liked when Imogene said, "Heck no, I won't go!" and wouldn't leave the museum.






You can find a list of the 2011-2012 Bluebonnet Award nominees at the Texas Library Association website.

Word of the Week/Pippi Longstocking

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every week the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write down the word and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is ignorant, an adjective meaning "lacking knowledge, information or awareness in general or about something in particular."

And we're reading Pippi Longstocking, in which a policeman says to the school-eschewing Pippi, "Yes, but just think how embarrassing it will be for you to be so ignorant."

Pippi Longstocking

Author/illustrator: Astrid Lindgren/Nancy Seligsohn

Publisher: Scholastic

Source: Public library

Pippi is a free-spirited girl who lives by herself (unless you count her monkey, Mr. Nilsson, or the horse that she lifts over her porch whenever she wants to ride him). She gets herself into all sorts of interesting situations:playing tag with policemen, performing circus acts better than the actual circus performers, dancing with burglars, and rescuing children from a burning skyscraper. Her neighbors, Tommy and Annika, join Pippi on many of her adventures while hearing her probably not-always-true tales of her family and of people in the faraway lands she visited when aboard her father's ship.

Tintin's note: My favorite part is when she beat the strongest man in the world for $100.

Johnny Boo's note: It's so great and rockin'! I like it because I like when she says that man has big ears.

Because it's been a couple of weeks since we've posted our favorite titles, here's a short list of what we've been enjoying lately:

Books of the Week: The Faraway Tree Stories, You Can Count on Monsters

Here are our favorites from last week:

Tintin (8) and Johnny Boo (5)

The Faraway Tree Stories
Author/illustrator: Enid Blyton/Jill Newton
Publisher: Egmont Books (July 2002)
Source: Public library

The Faraway Tree Stories comprises three books: The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, and The Folk of the Faraway Tree, originally published in 1939, 1943, and 1946, respectively. Joe, Beth, and Frannie (the girls' names were changed from Bessie and Fannie in the version we have) move to the country and find the most amazing tree in the woods behind their house. The Enchanted Wood is full of talking animals, elves, and whispering trees, while the Faraway Tree is home to the Angry Pixie, Dame Washalot, Mr. Watzisname, Moon-Face, and a fairy named Silky. The children become especially friendly with Moon-Face, Silky, and the Saucepan Man, a funny man covered in saucepans and kettles who moves in with Watzisname. Every chance they get they climb to the top of the tree, past all kinds of fruits and nuts, up a ladder and through a hole in the clouds, until they reach a new land. They explore the Land of Take-What-You-Want, the Land of Secrets, the Land of Treats, and many others, and if they're not careful the three children and their friends might get stuck in one of these lands when it moves away from the Faraway Tree and a new land comes to stay. Sometimes the lands are full of fun, like the Land of Birthdays, and sometimes they're full of danger, like the Land of Tempers, but there's always an adventure to be had.

The Faraway Tree Stories has now become both boys' "favorite book ever." I 've been reading it to them during breakfast and snack time, and every time I'd come to the end of a chapter and read the next chapter title, I'd hear, "Do it! Do it!" It's the perfect read-aloud for children, from preschool to middle grade, and I'm pretty sure my boys would have me start it all over again if someone else hadn't already put a hold on it at the library.

Tintin's note: It was a good adventure. The Faraway Tree Stories is the best story adventure.

Johnny Boo's note: It's my favorite book ever.

Find it: Amazon

You Can Count on Monsters: The First 100 Numbers and Their Characters
Author/illustrator: Richard Evan Schwartz
Publisher: A K Peters, Ltd. (January 2010)
Source: Public library

The goal of You Can Count on Monsters is to teach children about prime numbers and factoring, and to give them a fun and creative way to learn multiplication. Tintin has already mastered many multiplication facts, thanks in part to an excellent video game adventure called Timez Attack, and Johnny Boo is nowhere near learning about multiplication (he has threatened to quit school after 1st grade so he won't have to learn it), but this is a great book for both of them. Tintin can still learn a lot from this book (once he stops focusing solely on the illustrations), and until he becomes more interested in math, Johnny Boo at least has a unique art book to look through. They absolutely love the monsters, each of which represents a different prime number. The prime number monsters combine to form a new scene with composite numbers. There is also a monster for the number 1, but it's "a bit disappointed because it doesn't get to interact with any of the other monsters."

Tintin's note: The monsters were totally silly and awesome.

Johnny Boo's note: It was a totally silly book.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Summer Reading Is Not Killing Him

In the last few days, Tintin has read more than 50 books, most of them picture books. His requirement for the library summer reading program for the whole summer is 50 books. Today, the first day of summer, he started and finished Summer Reading Is Killing Me (The Time Warp Trio). He's in the middle of Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. He just came downstairs, at 10:30 p.m., to tell me he's completed the first row of the picture below (although he's only read two adventures in the Dungeons & Dragons book) and has now started Staged Fright (Ruby Gloom). Below are all of the books he's going to read, in order, this summer (not including library books he doesn't have yet). He laid this out earlier tonight:

Books of the Week: The Stories Julian Tells, Tales from the Odyssey, Ladybug Girl, Scaredy Squirrel

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8

The Stories Julian Tells
Author/illustrator: Ann Cameron/Ann Strugnell
Publisher: Turtleback (January 1989)
Source: Public library

Julian's just a regular boy who has a knack for telling stories, some of which are not always true. He convinces his younger brother, Huey, that cats will jump out of their seed catalog and help them with their garden, and he talks himself into believing that eating the leaves from his fig tree will make him grow taller. Sometimes Julian's mischief gets him into trouble, like the time his father brings him downstairs for a whipping after he and his brother eat their mother's lemon pudding. To Julian's relief, his dad's idea of a whipping is much different from his own. I took this book out to read to Johnny Boo at bedtime, but Tintin grabbed it as soon as we were done and is now on More Stories Julian Tells.

Tintin's note: I liked when Julian's father tried to pull out his tooth by tying it to a string and then to a doorknob and then yanking it.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Tales from the Odyssey, Part One
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Publisher: Hyperion (May 2010)
Source: Scholastic book fair/home library

The first part of Tales from the Odyssey comprises three books: The One-Eyed Giant, The Land of the Dead, and Sirens and Sea Monsters. There are three more books in Part Two. As you might guess, both parts are a retelling of Odysseus's great journey, first told by Greek poet Homer. Osborne does a fantastic job making this tale accessible to young readers. It's an exciting adventure with giants, gods, witches, and sirens, and even though it's pretty long (250+ pages), the larger font makes it easy to read.

Tintin's note: It was a good book. It was a very good adventure. All the adventures in it were so wonderful. I feel free to read the next one.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Johnny Boo, age 5

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad
Author/illustrator: David Soman & Jacky Davis
Publisher: Dial (March 2011)
Source: Public library

Ladybug Girl has invited her friends over for a Bug Squad play date. Besides Ladybug Girl, there's Bumblebee Boy, Butterfly Girl, and Dragonfly Girl, each with his or her own superpowers. They of course play Bug Squad but then make some art at Ladybug Girl's picnic table and eat cupcakes together. For Ladybug Girl, it starts out as the perfect play date, but trouble starts when things don't go exactly the way she imagined them. Luckily, she learns an important lesson about saying sorry and the day is saved.

Johnny Boo's note: Ladybug Girl is about a girl named Lulu and she had a ladybug costume. It was great and freakin' and awesome and rockin'. I liked when Bingo got wings.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party
Author/illustrator: Mélanie Watt
Publisher: Kids Can Press (February 2011)
Source: Public library

It's time for Scaredy's birthday party, but he's too scared to let anyone else come. He finally invites one thoughtful friend, but then that friend brings a bunch of other friends. Scaredy goes into panic mode and fears the worst. When he realizes he's still alive after fainting from all of the excitement, Scaredy deems his birthday party a success and starts planning for next year.

Johnny Boo's note: Scaredy Squirrel reminds me of Cat in the Hat because it has animals in it. I liked the confetti part at the end.

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

We also reread some old favorites: Ladybug Girl, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Daniel Boom AKA Loud Boy series, Sardine in Outer Space, and The Clouds Above.

Word of the Week/Ramona the Brave

It's time for our Word of the Week feature here at LitLad. Here's how it works: Every Sunday the boys and I read a book from which they pick their favorite-sounding unfamiliar word. They each write the word that night and we try to use it in conversation as much as we can throughout the week. According to The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, "the only words children learn having heard them only once are the words you wish you had never said in front of them."

This week's word is spunky, an adjective meaning "lively, determined, and brave."

And we're reading Ramona the Brave, in which it says: She was determined that today would be different. She would make it different. She was her father's spunky gal, wasn't she?

Ramona the Brave
Author/illustrator: Beverly Cleary/Tracy Dockray
Publisher: HarperCollins (March 1975)
Source: Public library

Ramona is now in first grade, and although she can still be a pest at times, she's trying hard to grow up. She learns to read more grown-up words; she gets her own room (with imaginary monsters); and she becomes the bravest girl in the first grade, all while getting into the usual amount of trouble.

Tintin's note: My favorite part was when Ramona threw her shoe at the dog. I thought the dog might think it was stinky.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked when Ramona freaked out when she saw the dog.

And Tintin, from another room: He always says "freaked out." Don't believe him!

Johnny Boo, later: I liked when Ramona said, "Guts!"

Johnny Boo's drawing of the two Quimby sisters, with cut-off arms:

Find it: Amazon, IndieBound

Books of the Week: Magic Tree House, The Scrambled States of America, Jumanji, Zathura

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 8


Magic Tree House #29: Christmas in Camelot
Author/illustrator: Mary Pope Osborne/Sal Murdocca
Publisher: Random House (October 2001)
Source: Public library

In this Magic Tree House fantasy adventure, Jack and Annie go on a quest to save Camelot from being forgotten forever. They must solve the rhymes of the Christmas knight; rescue Lancelot, Percival, and Galahad from the Otherworld; and bring back the Water of Memory and Imagination. Of course, there are a couple of obstacles standing in their way, but Jack and Annie are experienced adventurers. Christmas in Camelot doesn't have a whole lot to do with Christmas, so it's a good read for Magic Tree House fans any time of the year.

Tintin's note: I like Christmas in Camelot because I like how they go on the adventure and see four dragons.

Find it: Amazon

Johnny Boo, age 5


The Scrambled States of America; The Scrambled States of America Talent Show
Author/illustrator: Laurie Keller
Publisher: Henry Holt (October 1998; August 2008)
Source: Home library; public library

It all begins when Kansas complains to Nebraska about how boring it is to stay in one place all the time. Nebraska agrees and they get some of their neighbors to help plan a party for all 50 states. The states soon decide to switch places with one another for a little while to see what it's like living somewhere else. Other than Nevada and Mississippi, who fall in love, the states realize they were better off before. In Talent Show, the states get together once again, but this time they wisely go home after some much needed laughter.

Johnny Boo's note: I liked it because there was a lot of freaking out in it.

Find them: Amazon (Scrambled States; Scrambled States Talent Show)

Tintin & Johnny Boo


Jumanji
Author/illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (April 1981)
Source: Public library

When two bored children find a board game in the park across the street, they have no idea just how un-boring their lives are about to become. Peter and Judy take turns rolling the dice, but with just about every move comes yet another scary situation. They finally finish the game and realize it's not so bad to be bored once in a while.

Johnny Boo's note: It was a great jungle adventure and I liked it so much that I freaked out.

Find it: Amazon



Zathura
Author/illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (October 2002)
Source: Public library

In this followup to Jumanji, Peter and Judy's neighbors find the board game after Peter and Judy drop it back off at the park. Brothers Walter and Danny are fighting but then see the game and bring it home. Instead of playing Jumanji, they find a space-themed board game hiding underneath. As in Jumanji, Zathura comes to life, and the boys face danger with every move. They stop their bickering and learn to work together, but will a black hole tear them apart forever?

Tintin's note: I liked when they were in the spaceship and the robot came alive and they were scared. I liked when the boy was in the black hole.

Find it: Amazon