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a blog about usborne books & more

billy and the mini monsters (series)

6/3/2018

1 Comment

 
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"Mom, can we read this one?" These days, whenever I hear that question, there's a pretty good chance one of my boys is holding up one of the books from the Billy and the Mini Monsters series, Usborne books written by Zanna Davidson and illustrated by Melanie Williamson. My boys were captivated as soon as I pulled the books out of the box they arrived in, and their love has only grown since then.

Billy is a boy (I would guess around 10 years old) who finds five tiny monsters living in his sock drawer. He winds up saving their life in the first book when they get trapped in the washing machine, and they swear their allegiance to him for life. Captain Snott, Fang Face, Trumpet, Gloop, and Peep may be monsters, but they're actually pretty cute, more so than scary - and Billy takes to them instantly.

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Each book in the series focuses on a different adventure Billy has with these mini monsters. Wherever they end up, trouble seems to follow - at school, during swim lessons, moving house, at a party, even at the airport. The monsters and Billy work together to ultimately sort out their problem, and life continues.

​Although the monsters tend to complicate Billy's life, they also help him grow and learn important lessons. At school, Billy learns to not be intimidated by a bully. At a birthday party, Billy realizes his sister isn't actually that bad, and they can have fun together. At his swim lessons, the monsters help Billy overcome his fear of heights and diving off the diving board. The situations may seems silly on the surface, but the bigger lessons are meaningful and relevant to kids.

One reason my boys - who are 3 and 5, not yet reading - can't put these books down is that the illustrations are so fun and enticing! The stories are told through a combination of narrative with illustrations and comic strip/graphic novel panels. The illustrations are goofy, colorful, and full of narrative themselves... so kids of all ages can appreciate them! Your kids will love the funny characters and the tense moments, and you'll love listening to endless giggles as you read with them over and over.

It's that book series you will wind up reading again and again, and loving each time.

Book benefits:
  • Engaging stories, characters, and illustrations will keep your kids coming back for more
  • Although it helps to start with Monsters in the Dark, subsequent books include a quick recap of how Billy and the monsters met, so you can read books in any order (though I've listed them below in my suggested order)
  • Abundance of illustrations will help kids connect with the stories before they can even read
  • Stories include important lessons, though they aren't preachy
  • It's really fun to come up with voices for each of the mini monsters :) 
  • Each book contains 6 chapters - great to split into multiple readings for young readers but not overwhelming to read in one go

Buy Billy and the Mini Monsters books individually or as a set and save 20%!
  • Monsters in the Dark (paperback, $4.99)
  • Monsters on the Loose (paperback, $4.99)
  • Monsters to the Rescue (paperback, $4.99)
  • Monsters on a Plane (paperback, $4.99)
  • Monsters go Party! (paperback, $4.99)
  • Monsters on the Move (paperback, $4.99)
  • Billy and the Mini Monsters Complete Set (paperback, $24.99)

A preview from Monsters in the Dark (click to enlarge) -
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billie b. mystery series

11/25/2017

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"The first mystery of the Secret Mystery Club is to find out who is living in that old house at the end of our street. Who is brave enough to come with me?" So speaks Billie B. Brown, trying to convince her three best friends to embark on a mysterious adventure.

You may know Billie from her earlier books: the Billie adventure books (when she is in preschool) and the Billie B. Brown series (when she's in early elementary). Well, Billie is back! This time, she is in late elementary, and she forms a Secret Mystery Club with her friends.

The books in this series - 6 books in all - are great for kids who are beyond beginner chapter books but who are still developing their longer reading muscles. Each of the books is under 100 pages and is around a 600 Lexile level. They contain short chapters, and possible new vocabulary words are bolded.

One element I enjoy about the Billie B. Mystery books is that, besides containing fun mysteries you can try to solve along with Billie, they also include valuable lessons about friendship. These lessons aren't preachy but will help kids think about how to make good decisions and think through their actions.
It's that book series that makes you feel like you're in the secret mystery club, too.

​
Book benefits:
  • Plots are fun and engaging, making the reader put on their detective cap along with the characters
  • Stories weave in important lessons about friendship and problem solving
  • Books are short enough for beginning readers but will provide a challenge

Buy the books individually here (paperback, $4.99 each)...
... or buy the whole series and save! (6 books, $24.99)

​Here's a quick video review:
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the gateway series

11/25/2017

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"Obviously, she wasn't some silly, superstitious little kid who believed in ghosts or any of that nonsense but ... if ever ghosts did exist, this was exactly the sort of place they would be." Amelia, the protagonist of the Gateway series written by Cerberus Jones, is reflecting on her new home, a rundown hotel her parents just bought.

What Amelia doesn't know for much of The Four-Fingered Man is that the hotel her parents bought is a gateway for aliens, with a portal under the caretaker's house that opens wormholes to a variety of planets. Her father, a scientist, has been tasked with keeping track of these intergalactic travels, which are becoming more unpredictable.

Each story in the series has a self-contained plot but builds on the overarching storyline of life at this hotel. The books in this series engaging science fiction/mystery reads for late elementary or middle school students, with short chapters, fairly large text, and occasional illustrations. There are eight books in the series, ranging from 780-900 Lexile, each fewer than 160 pages.

They're those books that'll keep you turning pages, dreaming about life beyond our planet.

​
Book benefits:
  • Engaging writing style and illustrations
  • Plot is creative, enticing you to keep reading
  • Series contains a continuous plot, but each book has its own central plot line

Buy the books separately here... (paperback, $5.99 each)
... or buy the series and save! (7 books, $35.99)
  • this set doesn't include the series finale at the moment, though

Here's a quick video review: 
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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.
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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
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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

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


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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."
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Christine Bailey
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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.
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