I just read Matthew J. Kirby’s debut novel, and I’m about to start devouring his next book, Icefall, which just won the Edgar Award in the juvenile ficiton category. I am looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we are putting in some landscaping- flower beds and such, and so I am going to have to work hard to sneak in some reading in between gardening. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll work it in somehow.

But… back to The Clockwork Three… I had a great time reading this novel and seeing how the lives of Frederick, Guiseppe and Hannah worked together like the intricate gears of a clock. Frederick is an orphan clockmaker’s apprentice, Hannah is a maid and the sole provider for her poverty stricken family, while  Guiseppe is a busker and slave to his Padrone (a really mean man that is basically a child-extortionist and slave-master). I love the name Guiseppe- it’s so Italian, and the Italian aspect of his heritage was a small part of what endeared Guiseppe to my heart.

I’ve heard great things about Kirby’s next book and I can hardly wait to get started. I also am looking forward to meeting Matthew J. Kirby in person this summer at the WIFYR conference and having him sign a copy for me. That’s one of the great perks about this conference. Not only do they have a First Line Contest (open to everyone) going on right now, but they usually have a first line contest at the conference and they have author/illustrator signings. It’s like a celebrity meet and great for the literary world. I can hardly wait to see all my favorite people @WIFYR!

Mama Says: a book of love for Mothers and Sons by Rob D. Walker, Leo & Diane Dillon.

What if you are the Mom and you don’t know what you want for Mother’s Day yet? Or, are you looking for a great gift idea for your mother or wife who likes to write? Maybe she’s always dreamed of publishing a book, or writing a childhood memoir. Maybe she wants to write a picture book for her kids or grandkids- or maybe she loves art and has thought about becoming a children’s picture book author. Get her an all expenses paid trip to the WIFYR (pronounced wiffer) conference! What is WIFYR you ask? No, it’s not a new kind of wiffle ball game. WIFYR (Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers) is an amazing writer’s conference held annually in Sandy, Utah. There are intensive morning workshops- taught by great authors/ilustrators and afternoon only workshops- for those who want something a little more general and laid back (and cheaper). Some of the teachers who will be there are Matt Kirby- author of Icefall, which just received the Edgar Award, Mette Ivie Harrison, Cynthia Leitich Smith, among many others!

The other bonus, is that we- the Bookscoops sisters will also be there, so if you want to hang out with us, we promise we’ll be your friend, and you won’t be all alone.

There is also a first-line contest available- the deadline is May 12, 2012 at midnight. You can enter here: WIFYR FIRST LINE CONTEST

Don’t forget that the only thing better than a book- is learning how to write one! We hope to see you soon… @WIFYR!

Last year we went to the amazing Writing and Illustrating for Young Reader’s Conference (WIFYR) held at the Waterford Institute in Sandy, UT. Since we had such a lovely experience the first year, we are both returning for another week of energizing enlightenment and excitement. Last year I (Cari) learned from the talented Emily Wing Smith and Holly rocked out in Krystin Crow’s hip and cool picture book class.

Holly, (who, unbeknownst to me, almost majored in art on the recommendation of her high school art teacher, but then majored in something practical and boring (in my opinion), business finance) is taking the art class with Julie Olson. I am taking the contemporary fiction class for YA with Kirk Shaw.

If you have any inkling to become a children’s author and/or illustrator come and join us at WIFYR.

Holly and Cari’s top ten list of reasons to attend:

1. No kids allowed (yes, we do love our kids)
2. Cari needs Holly’s help to walk. (Last year Cari tripped in the parking lot and managed to scrape her knee without ruining her pants.)
3. Meet other like-minded people
4. Network with other writers/artists
5. Book signings by your favorite author/teachers
6. Get a peak into current publishing trends
7. Agent John Cusick
8. Editors Alexandra Penfold and Ruth Katcher
9. Beautiful campus to inspire you to polish your manuscript
10. Carol Lynch Williams -If no one else was there but Carol, you would still be so happy you came. She’s amazing!

I read this book about 2 months ago and absolutely loved it! I first heard of Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains when Laurel Synder (she has epilepsy) participated in our Purple Day challenge for epilepsy a few years back.  Some books take a while to start enjoying, but Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains was enjoyable from the start.

Lucy is a milkmaid whose best friend happens to be the crown prince named Wynston. Unfortunately, as she and the crown prince are getting older, protocol gets in the way. Apparently a milkmaid could never marry the prince no matter how much they liked each other. Frustrated with the sudden absence of her best-friend she sets off on a zany and wild adventure to find her mother.

Not much more to say than that without ruining anything, but it was a fun read. I laughed and cried and then laughed some more.

Laurel Synder’s Website

I just had to check out this book that has been hyped as the modern Secret Garden. That was my favorite book in 5^th grade, thanks to my teacher Mrs. Haneke. I spent hours on the cover of my big Secret Garden project, illustrating the perfect robin (most likely based on an encyclopedia picture) and old-fashioned key. We had to read the story out loud with a partner and I sometimes read it in an English accent to show off or better express my love of the book- I’m not sure which it was exactly, a little of both I suppose. I wished to be in the story more than once. You can see why I would want to read The Humming Room.

Roo Fanshaw is the victim of a modern plague, drugs- a parallel to the original story where Mary Lennox’s parent’s fall victim to a plague of cholera.How fortunate that we are able to avoid so many plagues that were unavoidable before due to advanced medicine and research, and yet how unfortunate that there are so many children who are the unwilling victims of the plagues their parents at one point, at least, consciously chose.  When Roo’s parents are claimed by violence, Roo is sent to live with a reclusive Uncle who inhabits an island previously used to house a tuberculosis sanitorium for children. Creepy things happened there once upon a time… actually creepy things continue to happen. Roo finds an old chute that was used to dispose of expired patients and in her discovery, happens upon a hidden world, that helps to heal her soul and find a place in her new family.

I really enjoyed this modern re-telling of the secret garden. The original will always be my favorite, but I think many of the younger crowd will prefer this one. It would be fun to have a school unit comparing and contrasting the two stories.

I love the soothing rhythm of this prehistoric tale. The life cycle of a turtle has changed little from ancient days to present. This is a fun read- especially for lovers of dinosaur lore. I felt like I was bobbing on the waves of the ocean as I read it out loud to my boys, who loved it as much as I did. Kurt Cyrus has a very interesting story that you can read more about on his website here.

A fun little story about a bird that finds a lost egg and devotes her days to finding a home for the precious egg. When no distraught parents show up to claim the egg, and she has searched high and low with no luck, Blue takes the egg under her wing. Blue pours lots of love on the little foundling. They have many adventures together and Blue demonstrates a heart of gold, only to make a startling discovery at the end. Children will love this sweet story!

I have been waiting for this book to hit the shelves since last summer when I heard about it at the WIFYR writer’s conference in Utah. Julie Olson, the illustrator, came and spoke to the students in the picture book class I was taking from Kristyn Crow, and gave us a sneak peak at some of the illustrations.  She has a great blog with tons of tips on honing your artistic skills.

Ok, sometimes I wonder why I wasn’t born in the princesss era. Back in my day I was obsessed with Little House on the Prairie and prairie dresses. The whole  princess thing would have been right up my alley, though. So, maybe it was lucky after all (for my parents and siblings, who would have had to tolerate me and my frills). Many of the clothes I grew up wearing were hand-me-downs from neighbors, remakes of old polyester outfits, or on sale at the thrift store. The closest thing I had to a princess dress at home was a prairie dress that came from a neighbor down the street whose daughter had outgrown it. So, I probably would have had hand-me-down princess dresses too. Which really wouldn’t have bugged me, because that’s all I knew. There’s nothing wrong with thrift and economy right? Especially when you come from a large family. I have to say though, I’m not sure how you could have made a very fancy princess dress out of blue polyester pants.

Back to the topic at hand, my review… in Dear Cinderella, Snow White and Cinderella write to each other (actual real letters, not emails) as pen pals in this adorable picture book. It’s fun to get a first-person perspective to the fairytales that we hear mostly in third-person retellings. Olson’s watercolor illustrations are lovely and the story is charming. It reminds me of endless letter-writing sessions in high school and college, trying to keep track of friends who had moved. It’s nostalgic for us grown-ups because of the letters, and perfect for little princesses. It could also be used for a letter writing unit in school by resourceful teachers. The almost-lost-art of letter writing has found new life in this beautiful picture book fairytale.

I just finished this time-travel series and I have to say, I’m in awe. I only hope that someday I can do something this amazing, or at the very least in the shadow of something this amazing. I’ve read time-travel series before, and I’m usually fascinated by them at the same time that I’m a little annoyed because there is so much randomness to how the time travel actually takes place. I had no such irritation this time. Lisa Mangum has an amazing imagination. Have I said how amazing she is yet? I know, I’m getting a little redundant. Moving on…

#1 – The Hourglass Door

The first book in the trilogy had me a little nervous at the beginning. I really was afraid that Dante might be a vampire or something. Not that I’m afraid of vampires, just a little sick of them. I was refreshingly surprised to find that it had nothing to do with vampires, but the river of time. Abby is living a life that seems ideal, but it’s not the life that she wants and she decides to look into changing that life to the dismay of her boyfriend and family. I enjoyed each one of the three books in the series, and think that you will too. Be sure to check out the second and third books in the series, The Golden Spiral and The Forgotten Locket. I think the third was my favorite, but I think that all of them are worth adding to a home library.

We are all about fresh starts, here in America. Fresh starts have been forced upon many families as a result of the real estate crash, massive job-losses, or even after the loss of loved ones whether from divorce, death or any number of unfortunate circumstances.  The House on Dirty-Third Street is a glimpse into the resiliency of the human spirit. Gonzalez’s illustrations gradually fill with more and more color as life gets better and better for a struggling little family starting over. There is a truth to the fact that the help they receive comes after the Mother and her daughter first reach out to help their neighbors, and then are humble enough to ask for help at the corner church on Sunday. Soon, their yard and home are filled with people giving service, reaching out to lift their neighbors. It reminded me of the times when communities would gather for barn raisings and accomplish something in a brief amount of time that would be almost impossible to achieve independently.

Magic is real. You can see it all around you in the wonderful acts of kindness that go on in our schools, neighborhoods and churches. Ugly things can be transformed, communities can be changed. Life does get better. We create a wonderful synchronicity when we come together for a worthwhile cause. Kittinger’s nameless character expected starting over would bring adventure and possibly buried treasure. In her journey of beginning again, she really does find treasure- the treasure of a changing and caring community!