THANK YOU!

It's been a wonderful ride here at Kidliterati, but the time has come to permanently archive this blog. Our content will remain here for readers to enjoy. Please feel free to contact any of our writers directly. We will no longer accept books for review or post new content, but we remain enormous fans of children's literature! Happy reading, all!!!

Congrats to Jen Malone on The Arrival of Someday

We are excited to celebrate the release

of Jen Malone's The Arrival of Someday

Hard-charging and irrepressible eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away—and that’s while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. They don’t call her Rolldemort for nothing! What she couldn’t see coming, however, was the unexpected flare-up of a rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it’s the only thing she—and everyone around her—can think about.

With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia’s been sure of—like her college plans, the mural she’d been commissioned to paint, or the possibility of one day falling in love—has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she’s desperate to avoid.

Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it’s easy to forget about what’s lurking underneath the lightness of their time together. It’s easy to feel alive when all signs point elsewhere. On the other hand, with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling couldn’t last forever. But what can?

Get your copy:

Amazon, B&N, or IndieBound

Congrats Jen from your Kidliterati crew!

Announcing Archive Summer

Summer has arrived at long last.

Our contributors have decided that it is time to take a little break. We will be decreasing the number of new posts over this summer.

But don't worry. Please join us over on Twitter (@TheKidliterati) where we will be sharing our favorite Kidliterati posts using #ArchiveSummer.

Wishing you sunshine and a bit of R&R as we celebrate our great kidlit content.

Happy reading.

K10: The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn

Tell us a little about yourself: what is your first name, how old are you, and what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? My first name is Danni. I am nine and my favorite type of ice cream is cookies and cream.

What book did you read and why did you choose it? I read The Girl In The Locked Room. I chose it because it was my favorite book from the year. I couldn't remember much about the other books I read this year. This book was pretty scary.

Can you describe this book in one word? Creepy.

What was your favorite part of this story? When the girl/main character finds out that the six-year-old had been locked in her room for 100 years.

If you had a problem similar to the main character's problem, what would you do? It was a pretty bazaar problem.

What would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this book? "It’s creepy, awesome, and had a weird, but happy ending!!!"

What do you think about the book's cover? Like almost all the book, the cover is haunting.

Would you want to read another book about these characters? Why or why not? Yes, because they were cool, funny and I liked their accent.

Can you name another book that reminds you of this one? No. It was pretty "different."

If you could ask the author one question about this book what would it be? Would you write another book? PLEASE!

Thank you, Danni, for telling us about this book! I does look creepy! I can't wait to read it! It looks like Ms. Hahn has written several scary books for kids. You may want to check them out here.

You can read more about The Girl in the Locked room here.

Book Review: Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Twelve-year-old Harper Raine and her family have relocated from New York City to DC during the heat of summer. There’s much to get used to, the incessant heat, and the “gothic charm” of their new house and the renovations.

Her four-year-old brother, Michael is oblivious, and it’s strange that his room is cold with an unnatural chill when she visits, and he tells her about his new friend, Billy, pointing to a corner.

Michael is frustrated Harper can’t see him. His words trigger a memory of Harper’s when she was five-years-old when she had a best friend her older sister couldn’t see either.

“Billy doesn’t like when you call his house stupid.”

Harper covers for Michael when he tries telling their mother. She doesn’t like things she can’t understand. Harper doesn’t understand either.

Nothing has been the same since Harper’s accident. Reviewing her memory book, an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, that had one missing piece. Unable to remember anything about the fire at school, when she was hospitalized with several broken bones. It’s what the mind does to forget terrible tragedy. Did she really want to remember what happened?

With the move, Harper’s Korean grandmother lives closer, and she can’t wait to see her. But her mother won’t speak to her. She hasn’t in years. Harper misses her grandmother terribly, and through all the hauntings, and missing memories, Harper works to reunite them. Turns out, Grandma has a few surprises.

Ooh, I LOVED this fun, spooky middle-grade book! The ghosts were truly evil and SCARY! Harper has to go through several hoops to save her brother, and her older sister blames her for the move to D.C. One of my favorite scenes is Harper confronting a salesperson who’s a racist, and she sticks up for herself! The author is the founder of “We Need Diverse Books”.

The first in a series, I can’t wait to read the follow-up, ISLAND OF MONSTERS, for more spooky-fun! Out now!

View all my reviews

Secrets of Kidlit: Why Skype?

Used under a Creative Commons license.
Attribution: Kathy Cassidy

Skype is one of my favorite "events." Okay, so it isn't really an event, in that I don't have to pack up and go somewhere -- but that's the best part!

Skype visits with classrooms are the perfect option for authors who work day jobs or who are stay-at-home parents with young kids at home, are unable to travel, or just feel more comfortable being in a familiar setting

Today, I thought I'd share some tips to make sure your author Skype visit goes well!

1) Work out all of your tech issues ahead of time. Set up your laptop/computer/whatever in the place where you'll be doing the visit. Double check internet connection, test out the video and audio, make sure the camera is at a good angle, and -- most importantly -- be sure you have the teacher or librarian's Skype handle! (Or you may find yourself scrambling to get in touch with the teacher two minutes after the visit was supposed to start. Not that this has ever happened to me . . . ;)

2) Be prepared for anything. This includes poor lighting in the classroom, pixelated video, video that doesn't work, delayed audio, and, well, just about anything.

3) Set up parameters for the visit ahead of time. How long will the visit last? What will it include? Are the students familiar with your books? How many kids will be in the classroom? Will you be paid, or is this a free visit?

4) Ask the teacher or librarian to send you the students' questions ahead of time. Not only will this help you prepare, but it can be a lifesaver if the kids are hard to hear on Skype.

5) Relax and have fun! Skype visits are especially great because they're informal and usually short.

Do you have any additional tips for Skyping with a classroom? If so, drop them in the comments below!

Congrats to Miriam Spitzer Franklin on EMILY OUT OF FOCUS

Today we are celebrating 

Miriam Spitzer Franklin's

Emily Out of Focus

Twelve-year-old Emily is flying with her parents to China to adopt and bring home a new baby sister. She’s excited but nervous to travel across the world and very aware that this trip will change her entire life. And the cracks are already starting to show the moment they reach the hotel—her parents are all about the new baby, and have no interest in exploring.

In the adoption trip group, Emily meets Katherine, a Chinese-American girl whose family has returned to China to adopt a second child. The girls eventually become friends and Katherine reveals a secret: she’s determined to find her birth mother, and she wants Emily’s help.

New country, new family, new responsibilities—it’s all a lot to handle, and Emily has never felt more alone.

From the author of Extraordinary and Call Me Sunflower, Emily Out of Focus is a warm and winning exploration of the complexity of family, friendship, and identity that readers will love.

Get your copy at Amazon, B&N, or IndieBound.

Or enter to win a hardcover here:

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Your Kidliterati friends hope you enjoy

your book birthday, Miriam!