I’d say I’m pretty much a Junie B. Jones expert (the B. stands for Beatrice, but she doesn’t like Beatrice – just B.) For the last few weeks I’ve averaged a Junie B. Jones book a day. Sometimes before I go to work in the morning I have to read the previous night’s book over again – or at least a portion. Yes, these books are written for six year old girls to read to themselves, but I guess I didn’t want Harper to miss out on any of the fun. Yesterday afternoon Junie B. rolled into town and all of our hard work payed off. We knew all about the bus. When Harper saw it she said “there’s that meanie Jim” and of course Jim was right there in the back window of the bus. When Junie bounded onto the stage Harper didn’t run to the front of the room like all of the big kids, but she did stand on my lap the whole show then climb up onto my shoulders. Did she have a good time? I’d say so – even though she was wise to the fact that this wasn’t the real Junie B. she is still talking about the loud cymbals, the funny hats, and Mr. Woo the bus driver. And just so you aren’t confused this is Harper in the picture – not Junie. B.

JBJ Bus copyright Marcia Ciriello

I am so happy to finally be telling y’all about this…Junie B.’s Stupid Smelly Bus Tour is coming to town and we are hosting it! We are so lucky to bring you this event along with Random House. It starts at 1:00 on Monday June 14th at Madison Station Elementary, and it’s going to be a blast! The people who go on tour have this whole Junie B. skit and talk about the books and just have a great time! Tickets to this grand event are $5 and include admission and each ticket is redeemable for one paperback Junie B. Jones book at the event. So on June 14th, come on out for this amazing event. Learn more details about the event and just how fantastic it is at the Junie B. website.

i’ve been reading all of roald dahl’s childrens book here lately and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.  it’s weird how when read as an adult some childrens books are very twisted.  dahl has a knack for the twisted and is very good at disguising it for the younger crowd.  at the end of dahl’s book Revolting Rhymes is this interview that i think is quite cool.  it’s a big long but worth reading.

This interview, conducted by family friend Todd McCormack, took place in 1988, when Roald Dahl was 71. As Dahl himself said, “I have worked all my life in a small hut up in our orchard. It is a quiet private place and no one has been permitted to pry in there.” He not only let Todd McCormack inside the hut, but also have him a rare insight into how he worked, where his ideas came from, and how he shaped them into unforgettable stories. Roald Dahl passed away in 1990, two years after the interview.

WHAT IS IT LIKE WRITING A BOOK?

When you’re writing, it’s rather like going on a very long walk, across valleys and mountains and things, and you get the first view of what you see and you write it down. Then you walk a bit further, maybe you up onto the top of a hill, and you see something else. Then you write that and you go on like that, day after day, getting different views of the same landscape really. The highest mountain on the walk is obviously the end of the book, because it’s got to be the best view of all, when everything comes together and you can look back and see that everything you’ve done all ties up. But it’s a very, very long, slow process.

HOW DO YOU GET THE IDEAS FOR YOUR STORIES?

It starts always with a tiny little seed of an idea, a little germ, and that even doesn’t come very easily. You can be mooching around for a year or so before you get a good one. When I do get a good one, mind you, I quickly write it down so that I won’t forget it, because it disappears otherwise rather like a dream. But when I get it, I don’t dash up here and start to write it. I’m very careful. I walk around it and look at it and sniff it and then see if I think it will go. Because once you start, you’re embarked on a year’s work and so it’s a big decision.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH?

I had a kind of fascination with the thought that an apple-there’re a lot of apple trees around here, and fruit trees, and you can watch them through the summer getting bigger and bigger from a tiny little apple to bigger and bigger ones, and it seemed to me an obvious thought-what would happen if it didn’t stop growing? Why should it stop growing at a certain size? And this appealed to me and I thought this was quite a nice little idea and [then I had to think] of which fruit I should take for my story. I thought apple, pear, plum, peach. Peach is rather nice, a lovely fruit. It’s pretty and it’s big and it’s squishy and you can go into it and it’s got a big seen in the middle that you can play with. And so the story started.

WHAT IS YOUR WORK ROUTINE?

My work routine is very simple and it’s always been so for the last 45 years. The great thing, of course, is never to work too long at a stretch, because after about two hours you are not at your highest peak of concentration, so you have to stop. Some writers choose certain times to write, others [choose] other times, and it suits me to start rather late. I start at 10 o’clock and I stop at 12. Always. However well I’m going, I will stay there until 12, even if I’m a bit stuck. You have to keep your bottom on the chair and stick it out. Otherwise, if you start getting in the habit of walking away, you’ll never get it done.

HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING WHEN YOU ARE WRITING A NOVEL?

One of the vital things for a writer who’s writing a book, which is a lengthy project and is going to take about a year, is how to keep the momentum going. It is the same with a young person writing an essay. They have got to write four or five or six pages. But when you are writing it for a year, you go away and you have to come back. I never come back to a blank page; I always finish about halfway through. To be confronted with a blank page is not very nice. But Hemingway, a great American writer, taught me the finest trick when you are doing a long book, which is, he simply said in his own words, “When you are going good, stop writing.” And that means that if everything’s going well and you know exactly where the end of the chapter’s going to go and you know just what the people are going to do, you don’t go on writing and writing until you come to the end of it, because when you do, then you say, well, where am I going to go next? And you get up and you walk away and you don’t want to come back because you don’t know where you want to go. But if you stop when you are going good, as Hemingway said…then you know what you are going to say next. You make yourself stop, put your pencil down and everything, and you walk away. And you can’t wait to get back because you know what you want to say next and that’s lovely and you have to try and do that. Every time, every day all the way through the year. If you stop when you are stuck, the you are in trouble!

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO KEEPING YOUR READERS ENTERTAINED?

My lucky thing is I laugh at exactly the same jokes that children laugh at and that’s one reason I’m able to do it. I don’t sit out here roaring with laughter, but you have wonderful inside jokes all the time and it’s got to be exciting, it’s got to be fast, it’s got to have a good plot, but it’s got to be funny. It’s got to be funny. And each book I do is a different level of that. Oh, The Witches is quite different from The BFG or James [and the Giant Peach] or Danny [the Champion of the World]. The line between roaring with laughter and crying because it’s a disaster is a very, very fine one. You see a chap slip on a banana skin in the street and you roar with laughter when he falls slap on his backside. If in doing so you suddenly see he’s broken a leg, you very quickly stop laughing and it’s not a joke anymore. I don’t know, there’s a fine line and you just have to try to find it.

HOW DO YOU CREATE INTERESTING CHARACTERS?

When you’re writing a book, with people in it as opposed to animals, it is no good have people who are ordinary, because they are not going to interest your readers at all. Every writer in the world has to use the characters that have something interesting about them, and this is even more true in children’s books. I find that the only way to make my characters really interesting to children is to exaggerate all their good or bad qualities, and so if a person is nasty or bad or cruel, you make them very nasty, very bad, very cruel. If they are ugly, you make them extremely ugly. That, I think, is fun and makes an impact.

HOW DO YOU INCLUDE HORRIFIC EVENTS WITHOUT SCARING YOUR READERS?

You never describe any horrors happening, you just say that they do happen. Children who got crunched up in Willy Wonka’s chocolate machine were carries away and that was the end of it. When the parents screamed, “Where has he gone?” and Wonka said, “Well, he’s gone to be made into fudge,” that’s where you laugh, because you don’t see it happening, you don’t hear the child screaming or anything like that ever, ever, ever.

HOW MUCH HAS LIVING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE INFLUENCED YOU?

I wouldn’t live anywhere else except in the country, here. And, of course, if you live in the country, your work is bound to be influenced by it in a lot of ways, not pure fantasy like Charlie with chocolate factories, witches, and BFG’s, but the others that are influenced by everything around you. I suppose the one [book] that is most dependent purely on this countryside around here is Danny the Champion of the World, and I rather love that book. And when I was planning it, wondering where I was going to let Danny and his father live, all I had to do, I didn’t realize it, all I had to do was look around my own garden and there it was.

ROALD DAHL ON THE SUBJECT OF CHOCOLATE:

In the seven years of this glorious and golden decade [the 1930s], all the great classic chocolates were invented: the Crunchie, the Whole Nut bar, the Mars bar, the Black Magic assortment, Tiffin, Caramello, Aero, Malteser, the Quality Street assortment, Kit Kat, Rolo, and Smarties. In music the equivalent would be the golden age when compositions by Bach and Mozart and Beethoven were given to us. In painting it was the equivalent of the Renaissance in Italian art and the advent of the Impressionsists toward the end of the nineteenth century. In literature it was Tolstoy and Balzac and Dickens. I tell you, there has been nothing like it in the history of chocolate and there never will be.

by Zita

When you love an author, such as the middle grade author Kate DiCamillo, you read all there is and then often have no idea where to go after that. For those of you who have no idea who I am talking about, Kate DiCamillo is the author of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tale of Despereaux, and her most recent, The Magician’s Elephant. Well, here are two books that I have read recently that I think would be the perfect diversion until Ms. DiCamillo gives us her next book:

The Song of the Whales by Uri Orlev – On beginning this book, I was a bit off put by the main character, Michael, who doesn’t want to play with kids his own age and often spends his time with adults who live in his building. He has just been told that his family is moving to Israel to be with his father’s father during his last time on earth. Michael is worried to begin with, but once he gets to know his grandfather, he realizes he has found an amazing new friend. Michael’s grandfather has a secret, though, a secret that will bring them even closer together: He can take people into his dreams. Michael and his grandfather begin dreaming together almost every night and though life goes on, the relationship that Michael and his grandfather nurture is the most poignant part of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this little novel! grades 3rd-6th.

A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole – This story was adorable. The illustrations were very cute and the story had substance as well as history. Celeste is just a little mouse, but she goes on big adventures. She meets Joseph, Mr. Audubon’s helper, who paints the backgrounds for Mr. Audubon’s bird paintings. She escapes from the cat, gets blown away by a storm, goes flying with an osprey, and stands up to Trixie the rat. An endearing story that will be with me for quite some time. Grade: 2nd-5th.

Wow! What an amazing week it is going to be! We kicked it off on Saturday with an amazing event with Flying Lessons by Gilbert Ford and we are just getting started!

On Wednesday at 5:00, Sharon Draper will be here to sign her new book Out of My Mind. Sharon’s new novel is a very personal book. The main character in this novel is an 11 year old girl named Melody who has cerebral palsy, a disease that makes it impossible to control her muscles very well. Draper’s own daughter has this same disease and much of the first part of the book captures perfectly the helplessness of the disease that the whole family feels. In Melody’s case, this disease has also taken away her voice.  Melody, however, is not mentally impaired. She may not be able to move her body, eat by herself, or even speak beside grunts and laughs, but she has a bright mind that soaks up everything. When she finally gets a device that she can program to speak for her, the world begins to open up slightly. She secures a spot on the school’s Whiz Kids team and leads the team to a win at the regional tournament. They are invited to Nationals in Washington D.C. where they will compete for a chance to appear on Good Morning America and win money for their school. The end of this story, however, does not paint a happy, pretty image of the way most of the world views kids with such diseases, and the reader learns how strong people with debilitating diseases must be and how little it takes to make a difference in someone’s life.

Then, on Thursday at 5:00, Stacey Jay will be here to sign her new book in the Megan Berry series, Undead Much? I wrote a blog about these books recently, so I won’t go into that much detail here, but I am so excited about this event.

And then on Saturday we will have an awesome story time at 10:00 with Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire by Jane O’Connor to kick off Poetry month! We will be reading the book and writing our own name poems as fancy as you please. We have extravagant writing implements (that’s fancy for a pencil) and poetry journals for everyone who comes, so all you Fancy Nancy fans, come in your fanciest for our fancy story time!

Also on Saturday, Lindsey Leavitt will be here to sign her new book Princess for Hire at 1:00. I am about halfway through this book right now, but here is the synopsis from her website. I can say that this book is too cute and just perfect for middle schoolers.

When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to know, like, now if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you a) run, b) faint, c) say Yes!  For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?

So yeah, crazy busy, and if you have any questions about any of this, give us a call(601.366.7619) or just email me! (emily@lemuriabooks.com)!

Faves of the week:

Picture Books: Hattie the Bad by Jane Devlin – Hattie is the worst kid you know! And very cute. This picture book has striking colors throughout and adorable illustrations.

Beginner Readers: Mokie and Bik Go to Sea by Wendy Orr – In Mokie and Bik’s second adventure, they finally go out to sea! The sing-song words of this book are reminiscent of Pippy Longstocking and too cute!

Young Adult: Once by Morris Gleitzman – Set during WWII, one Jewish boy tells us his fictional story of survival. Very good!

Teen: Birth Marked by Caragh M. O’Brien – this is another great dystopian novel, perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Incarceron!

Non-fiction: Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese – If you liked Sarah Campbell’s Growing Patterns (here’s our blog on that), then you’ll enjoy learning about the man who found the pattern of numbers we now call Fibonacci numbers.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, April 7th @ 5:00 – SIGNING – Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Thursday, April 8th @ 5:00 – SIGNING – Undead Much by Stacey Jay

Saturday, April 10th @ 1:00  – SIGNING – Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Tuesday, April 13th @ 5:00 – SIGNING – Warriors: Omen of the Stars #2 Fading Echoes by Erin Hunter

April 22nd @ 5:00 – SIGNING – The Jaguar Stones #1 Middleworld by J&P Voelkel

This is a book about animal symbiosis—unusual partnerships in the wild—why does the crocodile let the plover stroll in and out of its mouth? Why does the giraffe let the oxpicker over its body and into its ears? The last pages offer more information about the size, habitat and diet of the animals included in the book. This is a fun and educational read.

(Children’s picture book, ages 4 to 9)

As I have settled into Oz, I have immersed myself more and more in picture books. I just love their illustrations and the large format that really lets you appreciate these books’ art, because that is a lot of what a picture book is…ART! Take Gilbert Ford’s Flying Lessons, this coming Saturday’s story time (more info below). He created all of the art in the book! And not only that, but he wrote a story and then created art to go with the story. I just love it, and I feel like many children’s book artists don’t get their due. One of my favorite Easter books is by artist  Tao Nyeu called Bunny Days. The art is just fabulous and the stories are whimsical and fun. Come check it out this week!

Story Time:

Last week we had a great Easter Story Time with The Easter Egg by Jan Brett, but it will definitely be topped by this week’s AMAZING Story time. Gilbert Ford, son of Ellen and Gil Ford, will be here to read and sign his new book, Flying Lessons. His mom will be bringing sugar cookies shaped like airplanes and lemonade, and after the signing we will be making paper airplanes, not to mention signing this gorgeous book! I am so pumped about this weekend and if you are not here on Saturday, you are truly missing out!

Faves of the week:

Picture Books: Dogs by Emily Gravett: This adorable picture book by one of my favorite picture book artist is simple and funny at the same time.

Beginner Readers: Babysitter’s Club – The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin: The Babysitter’s Club is back with all new covers and this great Hardback prequel. Can’t get much better than that!

Young Adult: Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone: This book has been likened to E.L. Koinsburg From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and look so good!

Teen: Epitaph Road by David Patneaude: A novel perfect for all those kids waiting for the third Hunger Games (Mockingjay) to be released

Non-fiction: Eva’s Story by Eva Schloss: This is the memoir of Anne Frank’s close childhood friend and would be stepsister (Eva’s mom married Anne Frank’s dad after the war). Very interesting and perfect for those history buffs.

Upcoming Events:

April 3rd @ 10:30– SIGNING – Flying Lessons by Gilbert Ford – THIS WEEK AT STORY TIME!!!

April 7th @ 5:00– SIGNING – Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

April 8th @ 5:00 – SIGNING – Undead Much by Stacey Jay

April 10th  @ 1:00– SIGNING – Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

April 13th @ 5:00 – SIGNING – Warriors: Omen of the Stars #2 Fading Echoes by Erin Hunter