it's that book
  • Home
    • DPCA Book Fair
  • Blog
  • Shop!
  • Join My Team
  • Host a Party
  • About Me

discover that book

a blog about usborne books & more

the mystery of the clockwork sparrow

2/22/2017

2 Comments

 
"Stepping onto the shop floor was like stepping inside a chocolate box. Sophie's feet sank into the thick, soft carpet and she sucked in a deep breath of the rich, perfumed air. She had been falling in love with the store since the very first moment she saw it on the day of her interview, when it had still been noisy with the sounds of sawing and hammering, and had smelled of sawdust and paint. Even then, it had seemed more like a place from a fairy story than any dull, ordinary shop." ​

​Department stores today are old hat, but in the early 1900s, they were new and mysterious and oh-so-elegant. And that's the world you step into when you settle into the opening pages of The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, by Katherine Woodfine.
Picture
Set in London in 1909, this mystery brings to life a brand new department store, Sinclair's, as seen through the eyes of its young workers. It doesn't take long before you are just as enchanted with this place as Sophie is!

I was quickly sucked into Sophie's world. Her story is a beautiful blend of elegant imagery - you can practically smell and touch everything in Sophie does - and labyrinthian mystery. Sinclair's is the backdrop for a mystery that is, as times, dark: theft, murder, a crime lord, kidnapping, threats... in short, everything that makes up a satisfying nail-biter. But the overall book doesn't feel dark because of the balance of these plot elements with absolutely enthralling language. And this is an English teacher talking. 

Clockwork Sparrow is primarily told from the perspective of Sophie, a young woman who is working in the millinery department (that's hats, if you were born after 1950 ;) of Sinclair's. But the narration jumps between Sophie and a few other key characters: Billy, a young porter who is prone to slipping up; Lil, an adored model of Sinclair's fashion; and Joe, a young man who has found himself in more trouble than he would like to admit. 

Sometimes, switching narrators within a story can feel confusing or scattered. It worked for me in this novel, though, because each character has its own voice, and Sophie continues to be a uniting thread throughout the novel. Indeed, I found the additional voices added depth and intrigue to the mystery.

All in all, this novel was great fun - both from the layered mystery to the absolutely enchanting atmosphere of the store. Sinclair's really is a character in this story, and it plays its part well. I won't give spoilers away here, but if you would like details on the story arc before buying the book, send me a message! I understand the desire to know what's coming before handing a novel to a kid. But honestly, just read the book along with your kids! You won't be disappointed.

It's that book that transports you to another time and place... and keeps you there long after you've finished reading.
Book benefits:
  • With a 940 Lexile score and 314 pages, this is a good read for advanced middle school students and a range of high school students - and adults!
  • The mystery has layers that are difficult to untangle on your own
  • The characters are likeable easy to relate to (and root for!), even though the setting is historical
  • Narration is given from multiple perspectives, so different types of readers will find someone to relate to
  • Have I mentioned how great the writing is? You don't have to work at it to see the action
  • The mystery is solved in this book, but there's another in the series with the same characters
Picture
Buy The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow here! ($6.99, paperback)
Check out The Mystery of the Jeweled Moth for more adventures from Sophie and Lil

Click on the pictures to get a preview of the writing:
2 Comments

nibbles the book monster

2/18/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
"Things to pack for vacation: pants, sunglasses, books, toothpaste, bobble hat, pet cactus, tambourine, toothbrush." This is one little detail that's easy to overlook in Nibbles (A Kane Miller book by Emma Yarlett) because the story itself is so captivating. And I'll say from the start, this is a tough book to accurately portray in words because it's interactive in more of an out-of-the-box way than I've seen in many children's books! Let me try to explain.

Nibbles is a little yellow monster who loves to eat BOOKS. As you're reading about Nibbles, he actually eats his way out of the book and starts chomping through some classic fairy tales. And he takes you with him, following his path through Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk.

​But what's hard to explain is that these books are printed inside the Nibbles book - like little books with smaller pages set in the pages of this picture book. And, when Nibbles eats his way through a book, he leaves an actual hole in the page! Maybe let's pause, and I'll show you some pictures:

As Nibbles makes his way through these classic tales, he is changing the story - so, as you see, as the three bears are about to accuse Goldilocks of destroying their house, she cries out, "It wasn't me! It was a monster!"

The golden goose from the giant's castle in Jack and the Beanstalk carries Nibbles back to his own story and deposits him back in the crate - but you quickly discover Nibbles has chewed his way out of the crate, leaving a real hole in the back cover of this really fun, interactive picture book. The story is charming and funny and sweet; the illustrations captivate you, the little character of Nibbles is unavoidably lovable, and your kids will ask you to read it again as soon as you're done.

It's that book that redefines picture books - and fairytales - and monsters - in one fell swoop.

Book benefits:
  • It's so interactive! Your kids will love closing the crate lid on Nibbles and following his progress (with ink-black footprints) from page to page
  • The story introduces classic fairytales in a fresh way
  • It encourages imagination: you can't help but wonder what Nibbles would do to other books in your collection
  • The detailed illustrations will leave you finding new surprises on multiple readings (I'm still finding some!)
  • There's a plush! My only regret since joining Usborne is not buying the Nibbles plush to accompany the book - it's such a natural tie-in to this story

Pick up a copy of Nibbles today! You won't be disappointed. :) 

Buy Nibbles, the Book Monster here (hardcover, $16.99)
And bring home a plush Nibbles, too 
1 Comment

the curious case of the missing mammoth

2/12/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Skorpiovenator was an egg-eating nest raider. Its cool name means 'scorpion hunter' because there were loads of scorpions living where its fossil was found." This is just one of the many facts hidden within the pages and flaps of this interactive picture book. On the surface, The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth (a Kane Miller book by Ellie Hattie and Karl James Mountford) is about a big brother mammoth looking for his baby brother with the help of a boy named Oscar - but, like so many Usborne books, there are layers to this story!

Oscar, a little boy, wakes one night at midnight and sees a mammoth outside his window. The mammoth, Timothy, is looking for his brother, who has escaped from The Curious Museum during the nightly "magic hour" between midnight and 1:00. Oscar and Timothy catch glimpses of baby brother Teddy as they chase him back to and in through the museum.

What follows is a tour of this fun museum during magic hour, while all the animals and paintings and fossils on display come to life. As you follow little Teddy through the museum, flaps of all shapes and sizes teach you about books, pilots, sea turtles, dinosaurs, and any number of other curious subjects.

And, as an added bonus, If you love the little character of Teddy, you can buy him as a plush! This little guy is really sweet - he's soft, bright-colored, and looks ready to be hidden around the house for your young explorers to discover again and again. 

It's that book that combines learning and storytelling into a sweet adventure.

Book benefits:
  • Brightly colored, detailed illustrations beg to be investigated
  • Flaps and labeled illustrations on each page balance storytelling with learning
  • The unique museum setting introduces young readers to the delights of museums!
  • Teddy plush brings this adorable 2D character even more to life

Buy The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth here! ($16.99, hardcover)
Add a little Teddy plush to your life ($12.99)
0 Comments

the phoenix files

2/5/2017

0 Comments

 
"The end of the world is one of those things that you never really expect to end up being your problem."  As a high school English teacher, I recognize the value of a catchy first line. And this one, beginning Chris Morphew's six-book series The Phoenix Files, makes the cut.

I'm always looking for good reads for my students, so I was curious to see what this series was all about. Dystopian fiction is all the rage with teens these days, and book one of The Phoenix Files has all the signs of a good dystopian novel: a boy and his newly divorced mom leave their old life in Perth behind in exchange for life in Phoenix, a new, planned community somewhere in the Australian outback - with promises of a great job, a safe town, and a strong community.

Luke, the boy, starts noticing fishy things around the town (why have the cell phones been out for months? why are cars strictly prohibited?) - and we discover that there's a plot to eradicate the rest of the Earth, keeping only the inhabitants of Phoenix safe. Luke, along with his new friends Peter and Jordan, are determined to figure out what's really going on and to stop this sinister plot from being carried out.

Now, dystopian fiction is great for thinking through what we value as a society and what underlying problems will ultimately rise to the surface... but this mode of fiction can feel stale after the fourth series you've read with a similar premise. And I'll admit, book one of The Phoenix Files, Arrival, dances with this topic in its elements of predictability, albeit entertaining and nail-biting. 

However, once you finish Arrival and jump into book 2 of the series (Contact), you quickly discover the plot has diverged from typical dystopian fiction into adventure-thriller-science fiction-apocalyptic-dystopian in a way I haven't yet seen from teen fiction. The constantly shifting plot lines are sure to hold a teen's interest through the end of the series. It's refreshing to see a familiar - but still thought-provoking - story concept veer far from the beaten track while still making the reader think.

Arrival is fast-paced, filled with twists and turns, and characters you easily fall into step with. The succeeding novels in the series rotate between the points of view of Luke, Peter, and Jordan, which adds a layer of depth to what you understand about this bizarre town of Phoenix.

It's that book (or series) you think you know but that continues to surprise you through the final page.

Book benefits:
  • Twists and turns and fast-paced plot will hook middle and high school readers
  • Teen protagonists with realistic voices make the story easy to relate to for teen readers
  • This is a six-part series - if you like the first, there are five more waiting for you!
  • With a Lexile range between 660 and 800 for the series, these books are engaging but won't be too difficult for reluctant readers
  • The books average 340 pages each (the final is longer, at 432 pages) - so ambitious readers will fly through, while reluctant readers will not feel bogged down
  • The books are set in Australia, which will be a refreshing change for American readers

Buy Arrival here ($6.99, paperback)
... or check out the whole set: The Phoenix Files, books 1-6

Here's a quick preview from ​Arrival: 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

that's not my...

2/3/2017

0 Comments

 
"That's not my dragon, it's ears are too tufty." Ok, how many toddler books do you know that teach words like "tufty" and "scaly"? I can't think of many - but these are both words that are featured in That's not my Dragon, a touchy-feely book in Usborne's "That's not my..." series from Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells. 

This little board book follows a white mouse as it tries to find its dragon. Starting with the cover, the mouse meets five different dragons that he knows aren't his because one's tongue is too fuzzy, another's claws are too knobby, a third's tail is too prickly... etc. Finally, on the sixth page, the mouse is reunited with its dragon at last!

Dragons not your thing? Fear not! There are over 30 different "that's not my..." books currently in print in the series. In fact, the 50th new "that's not my" book is being released this July. With bunny, angel, tractor, meerkat, and pirate already taken, what could possibly be left to come? :) 

It's that book you can tailor to your kid's interest - or use to introduce them to something new!

Book benefits:
  • With 38 current themes to choose from, you're bound to find one - or two or six - your kids will love to read again and again!
  • Touchy-feely textures on each page teach your little ones new words and keep them engaged
  • Thick board book pages and cover make for a durable book ready to be read, flipped through, carried, chewed on, dropped... you get the picture :)  
  • Bold, bright illustrations are fun to look at (and feel!) again and again

Buy That's Not My Dragon ($9.99) here - or check out others in the series:
  • Current "That's not my" collection
  • "That's Not My Zoo" set of five animal books: $39.99
  • Puppy and Kitten boxed set: $14.99
  • The Home Starter Collection ($39.99) includes two "that's not my..." books and ten other titles that would be great for a new baby! 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

0 Comments
    Picture

    author

    Hi there! I'm Christine - Usborne Books & More independent consultant, kids' book fan, English teacher, mom of two boys. 


    archives

    November 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    categories

    All
    Active Engagement
    Alphabet Books
    Animals
    Baby Books
    Bedtime Books
    Board Books
    Chapter Fiction
    Combined Volume
    Counting Books
    Dual Readers
    Early Elementary
    Early Readers
    Farmyard Tales
    Flap Books
    Good For All Ages
    Internet Linked
    Late Elementary
    Machine Books
    Middle/high School
    Middle School
    Nature
    Nonfiction Books
    Phonics Books
    Picture Books
    Reference Books
    Story Books
    Toddler Books

    RSS Feed

Picture
Mission statement of Usborne Books & More: "The future of our world depends on the education of our children. Usborne Books & More delivers educational excellence one book at a time. We provide economic opportunity while fostering strong family values. We touch the lives of children for a lifetime."
Picture
All writing on this site 
​
© 2019 
Christine Bailey
Bookstore link

This website is designed by Christine Bailey, Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. Usborne Publishing Ltd and Usborne Books & More - EDC Publishing - Kane/Miller books have no connection with this web site and the pages therein and do not sponsor or support their content.
  • Home
    • DPCA Book Fair
  • Blog
  • Shop!
  • Join My Team
  • Host a Party
  • About Me