Review: Kung Fu Kitty

Kung Fu Kitty
By Lauri Bortz
Illustrated by Marianne Nowottny
Abaton Book Company 
September 2009
112 pages

In the Monkey Kingdom, all cats live as slaves of the monkeys. Wu Zhua was born with five claws into a family of six-clawed cats. The Monkey King denounces her and demands she be drowned. Her mother, Ma Mao cannot bear to see her special kitten destroyed. With the help of Zhi Shui Zhi Shen, the Water God, she sends Wu Zhua upriver to live with the exiled Monkey Princess Shuang Wei who was banished for her own particular deformity. Wu Zhua and Shuang Wei live together like sisters for many years until one day the Monkey King becomes ill. Shuang Wei is called upon to fulfill her duties as Heir to the throne.

The sudden calling thrusts Wu Zhua and Shuang Wei back into the Monkey Kingdom where monkeys and cats are not friends. They are master and slave and Wu Zhua’s master is the Princess. Wu Zhua learns the truth about her past and the plight of the oppressed cats and kittens. Zhi Shui Zhi Shen makes an unusual return appearance and shows Wu Zhua the path to her destiny. Must Wu Zhua go to war with Shuang Wei in order to liberate the cat kingdom?

Based on the story of Exodus, Kung Fu Kitty illuminates a different way to achieve courage and strength. Bortz has created a mystical tale – in more ways than one – of self-discovery and friendship. Wu Zhua will pounce into the hearts of readers. Nowottny’s black and white drawings add just the right amount of Chinese flavor to spice this up into an original and appealing graphic novel.
 
As an added bonus, this book comes with a DVD. The video presentation of the story is narrated by Lauri Bortz. It stars four talented live cats, a horde of mischievous stuffed monkeys, and eye-popping special effects. Altogether this makes a uniquely charming package.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Review: A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas

A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas
By Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills
Illustrated by Wilson Swain
Chronicle Books
October 2009
40 pages

When Fritz Stahlbaum breaks his sister’s favorite nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve, his parents take away his favorite video game, Mouse Hunter 5000. Adding insult to injury the rest of the family rushes off to see the Nutcracker ballet and the boring neighbor Mr. Drosselmeier comes to babysit. But Fritz sneaks off, unlocks the toy closet and plays with his video game anyway. And that’s when the real adventure begins. Can Fritz defeat the Mouse King and save Christmas?

Wilson Swain’s illustrations are reminiscent of Tim Burton’s animations and contain dialogue banners and humorous character antics that add layers of fun to the action-packed story.

This book also comes with a CD which includes the audiobook of the story plus fun, sing-along songs from the hit musical “A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas”.

A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas is part Nutcracker, part Night Before Christmas, part Year Without Santa Claus, all rolled into one wacky adventure kids will read again and again. This has all the makings of a Christmas classic.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

Review: Toy Story Storybook with 3-D Viewer

Toy Story Storybook with 3-D Viewer
By Disney/Pixar
Reader’s Digest Children’s Books
September 2009
24 pages

The two stories in this book are based on the films, Toy Story and Toy Story 2. In the first story Woody the cowboy is worried that the new toy Buzz Lightyear will become Andy’s favorite. But when Sid the evil neighbor kid steals Buzz, Woody comes to the rescue. In the second story Andy rips Woody’s arm by accident and winds up at the yard sale. Al the toy collector steals him but Buzz sees the whole thing and pulls off a daring rescue. While Toy Story is a huge favorite with kids these stories contain too much exposition and not enough dialogue. They seem more like plot synopses than stories. Older readers (ages 8-10) will appreciate the action sequences more than younger children.

The book comes with a 3-D viewer and 3-D image cards. The viewer is difficult to remove from the book and can easily be damaged in the process. There is no pocket in front of the book to keep the cards. The 3-D images are fun to look at and add much detail to the stories. However they are small and must be viewed in bright light.

This is an attractive book with popular characters children love. Its most redeeming quality is that it’s designed to be read to a child while he watches the images in the viewer, which sets it apart from other novelty books and makes it a suitable gift.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Call for Submissions: U.S. Kids Magazines

At U.S. Kids we’re always in need of high-quality stories, articles, and activities with a broad health and fitness focus that includes kids’ emotional lives, interests, and educational needs. We offer our readers material in a variety of formats: fiction, nonfiction, poems, puzzles, crafts, recipes, games, and activities.

We are most interested in wholesome, positive, lighthearted, and well-written pieces that encourage and educate our readers and, in the words of our mission statement, promote their “healthy physical, educational, creative, social, and emotional growth in a format that is engaging, stimulating, and entertaining at each stage of development.” Although our emphasis is on health, we certainly use material with more general themes, including holiday and seasonal poems. Please avoid reference to sugary foods, such as candy, cakes, cookies, and soft drinks. Please send seasonal material at least eight months in advance.

Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids (ages 3-5):
We are accepting short fiction stories (350 words or less); nonfiction activities that introduce and reinforce measuring, counting, reading, nature, simple science, etc. (200 words or less); poems (4-12 lines); short rebuses (100 words or less); easy recipes; crafts; and finger plays/action rhymes (250 words or less).

Humpty Dumpty’s Magazine (ages 5-7):
We are accepting poems (4-12) lines; crafts; recipes; activities; rebuses; and simple, age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction of no more than 450 words.

Jack and Jill (ages 8-12):
We are accepting queries and full manuscripts for fiction, nonfiction, poems, puzzles, crafts, and activities. Fiction and nonfiction should not exceed 700 words. Poems should be no more than 30 lines. We are especially interested in profiles of regular kids in our age group who are engaged in unusual, challenging, or interesting activities. No celebrity pieces.

Payment
Turtle & Humpty Dumpty: up to 35¢/word
Jack and Jill: up to 25¢ a word
Poetry: $25 to $50
Photos: $15.00 minimum
Puzzles and games: $25 minimum

Rights: All rights

How to Submit: By mail to U.S.Kids, P.O. Box 567, Indianapolis, IN 46206

U.S. Kids Submission Guidelines

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Review: Should, Could, and Would

Should, Could, and Would
By Kel Thompson, Casey Thompson, Charlotte Thompson
Illustrated by Rebecca A Lowe
Tate Publishing 
November 2009
24 pages

Should, Could, and Would are three little gnomes who live in a house on a rock. But they aren’t happy gnomes because they fight a lot. Together they set out on a hike to find the Knowing Gnome. Will he be able to help them find the happiness they seek?

Should, Could, and Would tackles the tough issue of how to get along well with others. This is a delightfully simple story that shows very young children how to change bad feelings into good feelings. The colorful, detailed illustrations contribute to pre-schoolers’ understanding of the concept of a positive attitude.

As a special added bonus, in the back of the book there’s a coupon code which can be redeemed at the publisher’s website for a free download of the audio book.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Review: Horse Crazy 1: The Silver Horse Switch

Horse Crazy 1: The Silver Horse Switch
By Alison Lester
Illustrated by Roland Harvey
Chronicle Books
January 2009
64 pages

Sam and Bon are two lucky little girls. They live in Currawong Creek, a town full of horses they can fuss over and ride any time they want. There’s even a herd of wild horses, called brumbies living in the mountains nearby. What Sam really wants is a horse of her own. But when her dad’s friend gives them a horse named Drover, Sam quickly learns she’s not the horse for her. Then one morning they notice that Drover is not the anxious, unfriendly horse she used to be. What happened during the night that caused such a miraculous change in Drover?

This is the first book in the Horse Crazy series. Set in Australia, Horse Crazy 1: The Silver Horse Switch gives young readers a taste of rural life down under along with an engaging story about a spunky brumby with a mind of her own. Roland Harvey’s watercolor illustrations are charming and the map at the beginning is a great way for newcomers to learn their way around town. Young readers will go crazy over this appealing new series.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Review: The Monster Key

The Monster Key
By Jeff D. Robb
CreateSpace
April 2009
150 pages

Switch the bully picks on Lewis Grance so much that it gives him nightmares. One day when Lewis is fleeing from Switch he hides under a dusty old bed in an abandoned building. He finds a key and promptly falls through the floor. He lands in a dark room filled with bridges and doors. He uses the key to unlock one of the doors and surfaces under a park bench. Lewis shares his secret key with his friend Jamey and together they must unlock the mystery of the secret chamber. But can one small key help them defeat the bullies and monsters?

Robb tackles the fears of monsters and bullies in a way that is more entertaining than it is scary. The Monster Key is a fast-paced, easy-to-read adventure that middle school age readers will find irresistible.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Call for Submissions: The Way of the Wizard

John Joseph Adams is the assistant editor at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. He is currently compiling a new anthology titled The Way of the Wizard. He is interested in all types of wizard tales, but is especially interested in seeing stories that explore the idea of wizardry from a non-traditional viewpoint — something based on the Chilean Kalku or on the supernatural practices of other cultures.

The story should be about a wizard, witch, sorcerer, sorceress, of some kind (basically, any sort of user of magic). The fact that the story has wizards in it should be vital to the story. Magic should be an important factor in the resolution of the plot. The wizards should be literal, in that they do actual magic, not like a pinball wizard or something like that. The story may be set in a secondary world, the real world, the present, or in a historical time period. Let your imagination run wild.

Genres: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror

Word Length: 5,000 words

Reprints: Original fiction strongly preferred.

Payment: 5 cents per word ($250 max), plus a pro-rata share of 50% of the anthology’s earnings and 1 contributor copy.

Rights: First world English rights, non-exclusive world anthology rights, and non-exclusive audio anthology rights.

Deadline: March 31, 2010

How to Submit: Email MS Word format OR rich-text format to: jjadams.anthology@gmail.com. Include the words “Wizards Submission” and the title of the story and your byline in the subject line of the email. Submissions should be made in standard manuscript format.

For more information go to: Guidelines: The Way of the Wizard

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Review: Just the Way I Am

Just the Way I Am
By Sean Covey
Illustrated by Stacy Curtis
Simon & Schuster 
September 2009
32 pages

Biff Beaver teases Pokey Porcupine about his quills, which makes him feel so ugly he doesn’t want to go back to school. His friends convince him his quills are normal. Pokey begins to appreciate them and comes up with a great idea. At school the next day he shows off his special quills to all his friends, even Biff.

The first book in The 7 Habits of Happy Kids Series, Just the Way I Am shows kids how to handle teasing and bullying from other kids at school. Self esteem is an important part of feeling happy. The funny characters and cartoon-like illustrations will keep young children engaged in the story. This is a quick and easy read for older children who will probably recognize a familiar situation. The Parents’ Corner and discussion questions provide guidelines for breaking the ice about the touchy subject of bad feelings. The Baby Steps section takes things a step further with suggestions for turning bad feelings into good feelings. This is a fun book about self esteem without being preachy.

Copyright (c) 2009 by Peggy Tibbetts

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Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is September 26 – October 3. The kick-off ceremony, Banned Books Week Readout will be held in Chicago’s historic Bughouse Square. Chris Crutcher will host the event. His novel, Running Loose is on the list of the 100 Most Challenged Books of 1990-1999.

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008
Out of 513 challenges as reported to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

 1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group

 2. His Dark Materials Trilogy, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence

 3. ttyl;  ttfn;  l8r, g8r (Internet Girls series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

 4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence

 5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence

 6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
 
 7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

 8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group

 9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

Six of the authors from this list will read from their work and discuss censorship: Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Lauren Myracle, Sarah S. Brannen, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Stephen Chbosky.

The following books were banned in Colorado during the last 2 years:

2008 – Sarah Brannen’s Uncle Bobby’s Wedding was challenged at the Douglas County Libraries in Castle Rock, citing that because the book features two gay guinea pigs, it contained material inappropriate for young children.

2008 – Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things was challenged at a Colorado Springs middle school library. A teacher reported that this book was ultimately removed.

2007 – Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass was pulled from shelves at Ortega Middle School library in Alamosa, for what critics regard as the book’s anti-religious views. District officials later returned the book to circulation.

There is some good news from the censorship battlefront. The Russian Education Ministry announced this month that excerpts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago will be required reading for students. Published in 1973, the book was immediately banned in the Soviet Union and Solzhenitsyn was exiled from his native country.

Censorship rears its ugly head in many ways. Commemorating Banned Books Week is an opportunity to pause and pay closer attention to all forms of censorship around us. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are all affected by censorship. I can’t imagine anything worse than a world where everyone agrees on everything. Contrast and diversity make life much more interesting. Although we could do with heaps more tolerance and acceptance.

The best way to support Banned Books Week is to read a banned book. Challenge yourself. Choose a book that you assume you won’t like, or one that you’ve heard rumors about and decided not to read. Open your mind. For lists of banned books go to the ALA’s Frequently Challenged Books.

For more ideas to support Banned Books Week go to What You Can Do.

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