Read, Write, Repeat.

I could tell you that Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire (Schwartz & Wade, 2012) is an outstanding, laugh-out-loud book.

I could say that it’s chock full of eccentric, endearing characters, lovely writing, inside jokes and humor designed to appeal to kids and parents.

I could also tell you that it uses language better than any book I remember reading in a good long while without sacrificing story in the slightest.

And all those things would be true.

But I think today’s guest reviewer, Sonia, who absolutely adored this book, is a better authority than I. She is, as they say, the target demographic.

Sonia was in quite the chatty mood when we discussed this book, and here’s how she summed up the plot. She said everything below without taking a breath. I’ve added punctuation  and a paragraph break for clarity.

This book was about a couple of bunnies helping a little girl find her parents because some foxes took them so they could decode a recipe about how to cook bunnies. But the bunnies are very smart bunnies except for Mr. Bunny who just wants the weird marmot to decode the recipe. But the foxes want to decode the recipe too, and then the marmot captures Madeline because he just wants to eat garlic bread and he doesn’t want Mr. Bunny and Madeline to follow him to his new house, but they do and then he just keeps on moving but they keep following him and he does not like it and Mr. Bunny thinks that the butler in the one who is behind it but he isn’t.

And then Madeline’s uncle gets sick so she has to get the bunnies to help her and when  the bunnies move into their new house and there is a new red car there and Mr. Bunny really, really, really wants to drive it but number one he doesn’t know how to get it started and number two Mrs. Bunny does not want Mr. Bunny to drive the car because she is scared that Mr. Bunny  will hurt himself and her while driving the car, but Mr. Bunny puts on some purple disco heels so he can reach the gas pedal and after that they go pick up the marmot and the marmot uses the recipe to wipe after he goes to the bathroom …

Sonia showed every sign of wanting to keep going in this fashion, but then I reminded her that brevity is the soul of wit, and we moved on to the other questions.

(Plus, she hadn’t even mentioned MY favorite parts of the book which included shoes made of dental floss, a lively commentary on the necessity of a monarchy, a game called “What’s that lump?” a cool reference to burying the lead and a character whose speech patterns closely resemble Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.)

But enough about me. Without further ado, here’s more of what Sonia had to say:

Our reviewer: Sonia

Age: 9

Things I like to do: Jump rope, sing, watch TV, and play with my cat and gerbil but not at the same time. (That’s what my mom told me to say.) I also like playing on my mom’s iPod and playing on Webkinz World with my stuffed koala, Esther.

The best part was when: Mr. Bunny had to drive the car wearing high heels. Purple, disco high heels.

 I smiled when: When Madeline met Prince Charles wearing her shoes made out of used dental floss. Mrs. Bunny made the shoes for her.

I was worried when: Madeleine got captured. (I knew it was by the marmot, but I thought he was in cahoots with the foxes.)

I was surprised when: Flo and Mildred couldn’t remember Uncle Runyon’s address. That’s just sad.

This book taught me: You never know if you’re going to talk to a bunny that can solve a case you need help with and drive a car wearing high heels.

 Three words that best describe this book are: “Mr. Bunny.” “Drives.” “In heels.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “ ‘It’s not our fault. For such a little girl, you certainly have a big bottom,’  said Mr. Bunny.” My second favorite phrase was, “For so I am called.” Mr. Bunny said it all the time whenever someone used his name.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The funny lines that Mr. Bunny says. That’s why he’s my favorite character.

You should read this book because: Mr. Bunny’s funny.

Thank you, Sonia!

Sonia and I both strongly suggest you read this book as soon as possible. We haven’t even mentioned the story lines surrounding bonnets, things that explode, industrial rubber and prune plums.

You can learn more about author Polly Horvath by visiting her website.

You can learn more about illustrator Sophie Blackall by visiting her website.

As an interesting sidelight, I was in New York last month and rode the subway. While I was riding, I admired a poster hanging in the train showing  … people on a subway. When I read Mr. and Mrs Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire, I thought the art looked familiar even though Madeline and the bunnies don’t go anywhere near a subway. Why would they when Mr. Bunny has a red smart car and very cool driving shoes?

Anyway, a little Googling showed me that Sophie Blackall was the artist for the subway posters, too. Exciting!

Fairy tales usually conjure up images of glass slippers, magic kisses, evil witches and fairy godmothers with special powers.

But, My Very Un-Fairy Tale Life (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky, 2011) by Anna Staniszweski stands most of those expectations on their head. Here, unicorns can attack, clowns can be viscious and people called adventurers move from magical kingdom to magical kingdom trying to keep the peace and vanquish evil.

Jenny is the youngest adventurer, but she’s getting a little tired of the frantic pace. She’s been pulled into so many magical misadventures that she misses her regular life and her regular friends. Not to mention that little thing called sleep.

But The Committee insists that she is the only adventurer who can defeat the evil Klarr. Never mind that the last time Jenny faced off with Klarr he took away her mouth.

Will Jenny return to her safe daily world and try to make her former friends remember who she is? Or will she and Prince Lamb try to take on Klarr once again even though it could be the last thing they ever do?

Let’s talk to today’s guest reviewer, Niki.

Reviewer: Niki

Age: 11

I like: Hip-hop dance, Irish dance, dogs, drawing, singing and reading.

This book was about: A teen-age girl who has to go on magical adventures.

The best part was when: She got her mouth back after a clown sorcerer took it away.

I laughed when: She kept saying cheesy sayings from movies.

I was worried when: People forgot who she was.

I was surprised that: She could mind-speak with the prince.

This book taught me: Not to judge a book by its cover.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Funny, cheesy sayings from kindergarten.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Amusing.” “Awesome.” “Adventurous.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “Friendship is the best reward.”

You should read this book because: It is funny. I thought it was funny when she kept saying cheesy things.

Thanks, Niki!

If you’d like to learn more about Anna Staniszewski, who recently sold her first picture book — Dinosaurus Rex – to Henry Holt, you can:

• Visit her website.
• Read her blog.
• Read this interview at The Enchanted Inkpot.

 Last year, nonfiction author Lisa Rondinelli Albert released her debut novel, Mercy Lily (Flux, 2011).

The book tells the story of Lily, whose mother has been struggling with multiple sclerosis. After traditional treatment fails, the family uses bee sting therapy, administered by Lily, to alleviate her pain.

Lily is trained as a veterinary assistant, so she can easily handle the treatments. What she can’t handle is what happens when the bee sting therapy fails, and it becomes clear her mom wants to die.

While navigating first love, friendship, and other worries faced by high school sophomores, Lily also has to choose: Help her mom go, or cling to her fading life for all it’s worth.

Now, please join me in welcoming today’s guest reviewer, Jade!

Our reviewer: Jade.

Age: 14

I like: Singing. Eating. Playing Guitar Hero.

This book was about: A girl whose mom had multiple sclerosis (MS).

The best part was when: Lily and Trent kissed.

I smiled whenever: Her dog would pick up a rock.

I was worried when: Lily’s mom fell down the stairs when she was getting her papers signed.

I was surprised when: Lily’s mom died on her birthday.

This book taught me: To always live today like it was my last because you never know what could happen the next day.

Three words that best describe this book: “Too much emotion.” There was so much crying.

My favorite line or phrase in the book:  I liked it when everyone always said to Lily, “Friends are good.” (Wink. Wink.)

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Swear words! Ahhh.

You should read this book because: It kinda tells you to love everyone around you and to treat them with love and respect.

Thanks, Jade!

Along with Mercy Lily, Lisa has written three nonfiction books for Enslow Publishing. Lois Lowry: The Giver of Stories & Memories (2007) , So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor? (2008), and Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (2009). She has middle-grade and picture book projects in the works, as well.

If you’d like to learn more about Lisa, you should:

• Read her blog.
• Visit her website.
• Check out this interview she did at Read, Write, Repeat when her biography of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer was released.

So … these are the books I’m donating to the silent auction fund-raiser benefiting my youngest daughter’s school.

And, I’m happy to say all the books are by authors who are friends of mine — either face-to-face or online.

OK, I guess if I’m being totally honest, Kevin Henkes isn’t a friend of mine in any format. But he’s cool, he  lives in the same suburban area as I do and he once signed a book for my daughter, so that’s close enough, right? (Plus, I’m sure he’d like me if we ever met!)

If these books look so compelling you simply must get them for yourself or a child in your life, here’s the full list:

• Hurry Down to Derry Fair by Dori Chaconas – A lovely, warm, rhyming look at a country fair.
• I Am Tama, Lucky Cat by Wendy Henrichs — The legend behind the lucky cat statues you often see in Asian stores and homes.
• Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes — As beautiful and inspiring as things by Kevin Henkes always are.
• Star of the Sea by Janet Halfmann — Compelling nonfiction for the younger set with a few true-to-life details guaranteed to make you say, “Eww.”
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray — Quite possibly my favorite picture book of 2011.
• Tom’s Tweet by Jill Esbaum — Funny and heartwarming and rhyming. A great read-aloud.
• Too Princessy  by Jean Reidy — The latest and greatest in Jean’s picture book series. This one features a bored little girl.
• Tutus Aren’t My Style by Linda Skeers – The story of a resourceful girl who makes the best of a present she wasn’t expecting.

So what are you waiting for? Visit a bookstore today!

If you think Betsy Red Hoodie (Harper, 2010) written by Gail Carson Levine and illustrated by Scott Nash is just another telling of the story Little Red Riding Hood, you’re mistaken.

True, the picture book nods at the classic children’s tale, but then it merrily skips off in another direction entirely.

Let’s start with the similarities. Betsy Red Hoodie sets off to deliver cupcakes to her grandmother. Through the forest. By herself. Wearing, well … you know what.

But this Betsy is a shepherd, so she takes her sheep with her. And the village’s other shepherd comes along too. A wolf named Zimmo.

Betsy is warned by others that Zimmo might not be trustworthy around grandmothers because, “Long ago, a wolf had eaten a grandma.” But Betsy believes in her friend.

However, the journey through the forest is far from easy. And halfway through it, Zimmo abandons Betsy and the flock. Did he race off ahead to eat her grandmother?

Like a good shepherd, Betsy stays with her flock and helps them find a lost sheep, survive a sudden rainstorm and a slog up a very muddy hill. (My favorite line? “Wool should be dry cleaned.”)

When a tired, worried Betsy finally arrives, her grandmother’s cottage is very dark. She fears the worst. But instead, she finds something very affirming and unexpected inside.

To hear more, let’s turn things over to today’s guest reviewer.

Today’s reviewer: Jaiden.

Age: 7

Things I like to do: Play “olden days” and chase.

This book was about: Betsy going to deliver cupcakes to her grandma.

The best part was when: Betsy found out what the wolf was doing.

I was worried when: The wolf ran ahead and didn’t tell Betsy what he was doing.

This book taught me: To trust your friends.

Three words that best describe this book: “Cool.” “Interesting.” “Fun.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “Surprise!”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The funny hats the sheep wear.

You should read this book because: It’s not anything like the real story of “Little Red Riding Hood.”

Thanks, Jaiden!

Gail Carson Levine is the author of the Newbery Honor Book Ella Enchanted along with Ever, Fairest, Dave at Night, The Wish, The Two Princesses of Bamarre and Betsy Who Cried Wolf. You can learn more about her by visiting her website.

Scott Nash has illustrated many books for children, including Betsy Who Cried Wolf. You can visit him online at this website.

If you know a little girl who always wants to wear a dress, you need to get her her very own copy of A Dress for Me! (Marshall Cavendish 2012), a new picture book by Sue Fliess and Mike Laughead.

The book is a follow up to Sue and Mike’s first collaboration, and features an adorable hippo’s search for the perfect dress. There are so many to admire and try on. Which is the perfect one? And will her mother be patient enough to let her find it?

Today’s reviewer likes books and dresses and was eager to share her thoughts. So, take it away, Sienna!

Today’s reviewer: Sienna

Age: 4.5

I like to: Eat ice cream. Play with Abby.

This book was about: A girl who was trying on dresses.

The best part was when: She finds the dress.

I smiled when: I saw she was growing, like me. And,I liked the ball gown.

I was worried when: Mom said it was time to go.

I was surprised when: She found the perfect dress.

This book taught me: To look at every dress before I choose.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Awesome and fun!”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “This dress looks like grandma’s rug.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Pretty dresses, especially the ball gown.

You should read this book because: You’ll learn how to pick a dress out when you grow up.

Thanks, Sienna!

If you’d like to learn more about Sue Fliess and future books she has coming out, visit her website or read her blog.

If you’d like to learn more about Mike Laughead and his work, you can visit his website.

You’ll notice that Sienna is wearing her favorite dress in the photo to the left. A year or so ago, Sienna shared her favorite shoes when she reviewed Shoes for Me!, also by Sue and Mike.

So what do you get when you combine parts of several different fairy tales with a case of mistaken identity and the notion that it might be better not to be royalty?

If you’re lucky, you get Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene’s new picture book The Princess and the Pig (Walker Books, 2011). It’s an extremely well-done homage to traditional fairy tales with a few fresh and very unexpected twists.

Today’s guest reviewer has already shown she has an affinity for pigs, so she seemed to be the perfect person to review this book.

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Today’s reviewer: Sonia.

Age: 9.

I like: Pigs, horses, sleeping and using the computer.

This book was about: A princess and a pig. The pig and the princess accidentally switch spots when the queen drops the princess. The princess falls over the edge of the tower into a haycart. When the princess lands in the cart, the pig flies up and lands in the princess’s cradle. The king thinks a bad witch has turned the princess into a pig just like happens all the time in stories. And the farmer thinks a good witch has turned the piglet into a baby.

The best part of the book was when: The farmer first got the pig. I love pigs.

I smiled when: The pig and the princess switched places.

I was worried when: The pig didn’t like being a princess, but the princess liked being a farmer’s daughter. I felt bad for the piggy. She seemed depressed that she was now a princess.

I was suprised when: The farmer returned the princess when she was all grown up and the queen thought the farmer was lying so the girl could get married to a fancy prince. But he wasn’t.

My favorite line or phrase was: “And so, without a second thought, the baby became Pigmella, the farmer’s daughter, and the piglet became Priscilla, the royal princess.

My favorite picture was when: The pig was running away because she didn’t want to wear her fancy dress.

Other people reading this book should watch for: The difference between the princess and the farmer’s daughter. As Pigmella grew older, she was smarter and beautiful and was admired by everyone she met. As Priscilla grew older, she grew not-so smart and not-so beautiful and was avoided by everyone she met.

Three words that describe this book are: “Princess.” “Pig.” “Stories.”

You should read this book because: It’s like five different stories in one. It has a little part of “Sleeping Beauty,” a little part of “Thumbelina,” a little of “The Prince and the Pauper,” a little bit of “Puss and Boots” and a little bit of “The Frog Prince.”

—————–

Thanks, Sonia!

This book is getting some love over at the Cybils. It was one of seven books chosen as a finalist for the 2011 best fiction picture book award. The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day.

And, it got a positively gushing review from the School Library Journal, which declared, in part:

“My first instinct was to just throw it on the pile with the rest of the princessey fare. Fortunately, I heard some low-key buzz about the book, making it clear that there might be something worthwhile going on here. Thank goodness I did, too. Ladies and gentlemen, two men have come together and somehow produced a book that thumbs its nose at the notion of a little girl wanting to be a princess. In fact, when it comes right down to it, this is a tale about how sometimes it’s difficult to tell the royalty from the swine. Now that’s a lesson I can get behind!”

If you’d like to learn more about author Jonathan Emmett, check out his funny responses to these serious questions.

If you’d like to learn more about illustrator Poly Bernatene, visit his website. He lives in Argentina, so it’s in Spanish, but you can use Google Translate to get a passable English version. And, of course, his artwork is beautiful in any language.

The book featured on today’s blog has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen since the original cover of Cindy Pon’s Silver Phoenix.

And, happily, the story inside Nowhere Girl (Walker Books, 2011) by A.J. Paquette is just as lovely.

It tells the story of 13-year-old Luchi Ann, who knows nothing of her American heritage and has spent her entire life in a Thai women’s prison with her mother. But, after her mother’s death, Luchi Ann must set off on an uncertain journey to find her place in the outside world.

Publishers Weekly said, “The highly atmospheric setting and thoughtful, determined narrator create a memorable thriller about identity and belonging.”

But don’t take our word for it.

Listen to today’s guest reviewer.

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Our reviewer: Rebekah

Age: 12.5

Things I like to do: Read just about anything. I can only think of two books that I have ever read that I didn’t like.

What I thought of this book: Nowhere Girl is about Luchi Ann Finn, an American born in a woman’s prison in Thailand. Her mother was secretive, and so Luchi Ann only knew a few things about her life: her name, which she wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, and that her mother, Helena Finn, was the only family that she had.

But when Luchi’s mother dies, the warden of the prison decides it’s not healthy for a girl to grow up in a cell and sends her away to learn about the world that, so far, she had only read about. The only item that she keeps is a strange letter that she is given by one of the women that she grew up with. It’s addressed to Helena Finn and from someone called Regina Finn — Luchi’s grandmother who lives in America.

Suddenly, Luchi’s journey has a purpose — to find the grandmother that she never knew, and also find the monster of a man who made her mother so afraid and secretive. It will be a hard journey, but Luchi is determined to unravel the tangled web of secrets that make up her life.

I got this book on Christmas Eve from my aunt. I started reading it that evening and had finished it by Christmas morning (probably staying up too late in the process.) From the very beginning, this book had me hooked. Luchi Ann’s story is a mystery that wraps you up in it and isn’t solved until the very end, so I found Nowhere Girl impossible to put down.

I would recommend this book to: Everyone, including adults, because it is such a real and touching story. I felt as if I’d known Luchi forever by the end of the book because of how much personality and life she had. Nowhere Girl is an amazingly powerful book, and I think anyone wanting to curl up with a good book should read it.

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Thanks, Rebekah!

If you’d like to learn more about the author, you can:

• Visit her website.
• Read this interview on Kissing the Earth.
• Read this interview on Cynsations.

Fantasy lovers discovered Sarah Prineas in 2009 when the first book of her Magic Thief series debuted.

It was an instant success with readers and reviewers, earning starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and also being named to the New York Public Library’s list of 100 Books for Reading and Sharing.

Two equally successful books followed in the series. And now, Sarah has released another fantasy, Winterling (HarperCollins, 2012).

Today, we’re honored to have Sarah visit Read, Write, Repeat to talk about her brand-new book.

Was it difficult to start another story after the success of The Magic Thief series?
It wasn’t difficult, no.  Writing is a real joy for me, so I was very excited to meet some new characters and find out about their story.

Are their any similarities between your three Magic Thief books and Winterling? Are they for the same type of readers?
Both the Magic Thief books and Winterling are similar in that they’re for upper middle-grade readers, ages 10+, and they’re both fantasies.  They’re different in three ways.

One is that the Magic Thief books are “secondary-world fantasy;” that is, they take place in a world not our own.  Winterling is what’s known as a “portal fantasy,” because it starts in our world — in Iowa, actually! — and then takes the reader into another, magical world.

The second difference is that the Magic Thief books are in the first person; the books are narrated by the main character, a street-kid/wizard named Conn. Winterling is a third-person narration.

Finally, the main character of the Magic Thief books is a boy, and the protagonist of Winterling is a girl.

Winterling refers to Norse and Celtic mythology. What kind of research did you do to incorporate those myths into your story?
It’s kind of funny, actually. I went to the University of Iowa library and did a lot of research into fairy lore, especially the fairies of Ireland and Scotland and the Scandinavian countries.  But I never actually use the word “fairy” in the book.

An early review mentioned Winterling‘s many female characters. I was excited to hear that. Tell us how you “cast” the book and what you hoped to achieve?
That review (from Kirkus) made me laugh, because I hadn’t realized how girl-power the book ended up. I was really glad about it, though, because I certainly intended to write a book with strong female characters. There are strong girls and women in the Magic Thief books, too, but it’s a lot more obvious in Winterling.

What do you think Winterling readers might be most surprised by?
There are some turns in the book that I think are surprising, but I don’t want to give any of them away. Let’s just say that the main character, Fer, makes some unexpected choices at key moments in the plot.

What are you working on now?
I’m revising the companion novel to Winterling, which is called The Summerkin.

Anything else you’d like to share?

• For any of your blog readers in Iowa, the landscape of our beautiful state was a huge inspiration to me as I was writing Winterling.  You’ll recognize the farms and the soybean fields, and the patches of wildness hidden in folds in the land.
• Oh, and my publisher did a terrific book trailer for Winterling.
• And for readers in the Iowa City area, there will be reading/signings at the Iowa City Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m., and at Prairie Lights on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m.

Thanks for stopping by, Sarah!

If you’d like to learn more about Sarah and her books, you can:

• Visit her website.
• Check out her blog.
• Read this interview on Cynsations.

Editor’s note: Please welcome Vince, who periodically blogs about cat-related books, back to the site.

So, I’m back. I certainly wasn’t planning on it.

After all, I try not to make a habit of writing book reviews because then the people who feed me come to expect it. And goodness knows part of the mystique of being a cat is never, ever, relinquishing the upper hand.

Nevertheless, it’s a cold, Wisconsin winter. And after I’ve eaten, asked for treats, yowled to have the water turned on in the sink so I can drink that instead of what’s in my dish, taken a nap, raced randomly from room to room and then asked for more food, there isn’t much left to do.

So while I was racing from room to room, I knocked over a stack of books that was too high to begin with and discovered one called Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku (Henry Holt and Company, 2011) written by Lee Wardlaw and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin.

It caught my eye immediately because the cat was the only thing shown on the cover. Which is as it should be. Too many books about cats put children on the cover. This one was smart enough to put its star front and center. And look below … he’s nearly as handsome as I am.

This cat lives in a shelter. He has the basic necessities — food and a place to sleep. But he’s missing that certain extra something. You know. Someone to care when he yowls. Someone to cater to his cat-specific demands.

So people come to choose a pet. This cat knows the dogs are no competition. Because, really, a dog? Let’s be serious. He acts like he doesn’t care, but he’s hoping he’ll be chosen. And then … he is.

I don’t talk about it much, but I’ve been in this cat’s collar. I was in a shelter for three whole months before someone picked me. A few well-timed nose nudges from me to the woman who was obviously in charge of the decision sealed the deal. I consider it my best work yet.

This cat does a nice job of not letting his new family think he’s too grateful. He hides under the bed, turns up his nose at the food, scratches their sofa and leaves a present in one of their shoes. But he also puts up with being dressed up for tea, scares off a neighboring cat who surely had ill intentions and quite likes the little boy who chose him.

This book is written in haiku — and very nicely I might add. Here are two of my favorites:

Hel-l000. I’m waiting.
Put down that pesky pencil
and fetch the catnip.

I explained it loud
and clear. What part of “meow”
don’t you understand?

So if you’re looking for a good book about cats to educate yourself or others in you life, I’d give this one my pawprint of approval. The author has three cats she chose from a shelter, so she knows whereof she writes.

To learn more about Lee Wardlaw, the author, visit her website or watch this video interview.

To learn more about Eugene Yelchin, the illustrator, who definitely knows how to draw a cat, visit his website or read this interview.