Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Princess Ben has some magic, romance and adventure. For me, that makes a great story. I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the fairy tale quality of it. Plus, Princess Ben is not a skinny chick or a wimp. You go girl!

I also enjoyed the writing. Here's a part from when she was dancing and her shoes were hurting her feet.

With time my toes began to throb in their little prisons and I depleted completely my store of innocuous and winning pleasantries. 

"little prisons"--I LOVE that! It's great in children's books when I, as an adult, have to look up words- like innocuous.

If you want to read a review about it, click here.

Gail Carson Levine's Blog

Two weeks ago, author Gail Carson Levine started a blog. YIPEE!! 

She said that she is planning on posting once a week and that it is probably going to be about writing. She is currently about in the middle of writing a mystery. She has never written a mystery before and says that she is confused about everything. Here is what she wrote regarding that: 

"My only certainty is that writing is magical and if I muddle along, tossing in this and that, the pieces will settle into place, little by little."

I am very excited to follow her blog posts. She also has some writing prompts/exercises as well. What a great resource! 

If you haven't already read her nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly then you have missed out on a great book about writing all aspects of fiction, written for young writers. (Although I think it would benefit any writer.)

Don't you love Shel Silverstein's Poems?

I have fond memories of Shel Silverstein's poems from my 5th and 6th grade years. In my copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends I wrote, "Deanna bought this book with her own money." I can still recite some of his poems I had to memorize back then in school. 

I was visiting his website recently and was reminded of what a creative and fun guy he was. It's a great site and worth the visit. A lot of great resources, including a pdf of the poem Eight Balloons - a book to draw and play with. 

It was 10 years ago this month that he died of a heart attack. 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I finally read this first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The series is a New York Times bestseller. Rick Riordan is also the author of the popular 39 Clues series. 

I really enjoyed the book. Great for boys as well as girls. Lots of adventure and monsters. It got me really excited about Greek mythology. Which, by the way, I haven't been excited about since grade school. One of my elementary teachers had a big poster of Greek mythology creatures hung up in the classroom. Every so often we would sit down on the carpet in front of him and he would point to a figure on the poster and tell us the story of it. I don't remember much at all from that class, but I do remember how much I enjoyed hearing those stories.

Children's Book Week

Children's Book Week is a time to celebrate books and reading in classrooms, libraries, bookstores, and homes. It is May 11-17, 2009. Check out their website for ideas on how to celebrate.

Good Night World by Adam Gamble

Good Night World is a cute little board book. It covers the redwoods, the desert, an African water hole, a dinosaur dig, a volcano as well as other multicultural places around the world. The book takes place over the course of one day and encompasses all four seasons. It has a simple and rhythmic text. 

After reading it to my six-year-old daughter she said that one of her favorite parts of the book was the beach page because it showed people recycling. 

This book is part of a series with other titles such as: Good Night Farm, Good Night Ocean, Good Night California. 

I found this an enjoyable bedtime book!

Is there a politically correct way to abandon a book?

Why do I feel guilty when I want to stop reading a book? It's a free country, right? No one is forcing me to read this book. What if I'm just way too bored? What if the content is offensive to me? What if I have to talk myself into picking it up just to get through it? Aren't those valid reasons for abandoning a book? 

Sometimes it's hard to stop because I have invested time into it. Maybe money as well. I might be connected to the characters or interested in the plot. Maybe I was hold #27 at the library and so I just can't give up on a book that I waited so long for. What if it was recommended by someone I respect? What if it's a top seller? What if a neighbor let me borrow it because she loved it so much? Shouldn't I finish it then? Do I tell her that I didn't care for it?

How long do you give a book before you abandon it? There aren't any rules on this, right? I rarely leave a book, but sometimes it's necessary. I give it as long as I can and a little more before I call it quits because it does feel like some kind of waste to me. 

Does anyone have any good advice on this subject?