This Posthumous Work From Diana Wynne Jones Gets A Thumbs Up From Jackie

Earwig has been at the orphanage ever since she was a baby. That's just how she likes it. She has her best friend, Custard, and everyone always does exactly what Earwig wants. She never wants to leave, so she makes sure no one ever picks her.

Then a very strange couple comes to the orphanage. They try to make themselves look ordinary. But Earwig knows they are not, not in the least. And they choose her, out of all the other children.

Earwig could be in for quite an unpleasant surprise. But so could the very strange couple.

Jackie says:
"This is a hilarious tale of Earwig, a little girl dropped off at a orphanage with a note pinned to her saying 'Got the other twelve witches all chasing me. I'll be back for her when I've shook them off. It may take years. Her name is Earwig.'   Though the orphanage had regular tours of potential foster parents going through, Earwig, who has "a very strong personality",  managed to never be picked, on purpose.  She liked her ability to get whatever she wanted there.  However, a very strange couple (though only she seemed to be able to see HOW strange) took her home with them.  The woman is a witch who just needs 'an extra pair of hands', and the man is something else (made clear by the horns that are not quite hidden on his head).  And so her adventure begins.

This reminds me, in a lot of ways (including a wild hairdo), of Pippi Longstocking, whom I loved greatly in my childhood.  This updated version has magical tricks and treats and no small amount of humor.  I wish this was to be a series, but alas, Jones passed away in 2011.  Still this is an amazing treat, and I can see why Neil Gaiman says 'I would like to declare Diann Wynne Jones an international treasure.'"

"I LOVE These Books!": A Sneak Peak from Jackie

I am deeply in love with this new series by Gryphon House. They are simply magical--fun, educational, encouraging family projects, and practical. How fantastic is THAT?!

Curious kids will delight in the fifty fun-filled recipes in The Budding Chef! This book offers great ways for parents and their budding chefs, ages three to six, to have fun together as they make soft pretzels, whip up some real butter, and have a winter picnic.

This introduction to cooking and baking is filled with fifty (mostly) healthy kitchen adventures. The easy-to-follow instructions and easy-to-find ingredients help parents share their love of the cooking in kid-friendly ways and create special moments that they—and their children—will cherish forever.

Kids will love these delicious recipes: Quesadilla Fiesta ,"Hello Pumpkin!" Muffins, Omelet in a Bag, The Incredible Edible Spaceship, Breakfast Banana Split and more.

With a cup of wonder, a teaspoon of laughter, and a scoop of fun, these recipes and activities bring parents and children together to share magical moments!

The Budding Gardener offers great ways for parents and their budding gardeners, ages three to six, to create memories together as they plant a seed and watch it grow, create a garden marker, make a spider web out of sweet pea seeds and bamboo, and beautify the garden with a stone path or rock tower.

This kid-friendly introduction to gardening features easy-to-follow instructions and easy-to-find materials that help parents share their love of the outdoors with their children in imaginative new ways.

Dig in to these exciting activities:

• Homemade Worm Farm
• Mystery Seed Garden
• Backyard Butterfly Garden
• Grassy Haired Friend

With a little dirt, some water, and a few tools, these activities bring parents and children together to share magical moments!

These books are not coming out until April, but they can be pre-ordered now. Believe me, these books will become highly treasured in your family (or even in a class room, teachers, or Scouts, den mom's). I'm several multiples older than the 3-10 age group these books are aimed at, but I'll be making some of these projects myself because they are just too cool not to!

--Jackie

Lynn Is Very Impressed By...

Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.

But while their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete. . .

Humorous and heartfelt, Where the Streets Had a Name deals with the Israel-Palestinian conflict with sensitivity and grace and will open a window on this timely subject.

Lynn says:

"Abdel-Fattah has a couple titles in Young Adult, but this one is for a slightly younger
audience and I'd say would be fine for YA as well... It's the story of 13 yr old Hayaat
who's living in Bethlehem. Her grandmother isn't in the best health and Hayaat convinces
herself that some soil from her home (in occupied Jerusalem, from which the family was
forced to move)would help. She and best friend, Samy, have endured the headaches of
checkpoints, curfews and the huge separation wall, but never have they risked trying to
get into Jerusalem on their own without telling anyone. Their journey is a window into a
reality that begs many questions to which the author does not present facile answers, but
opens the imagination to consider the context in which the protagonist is living out her
youth half a world away. Where the Streets Had a Name will evoke the many paradoxes of the 'Holy Land' for anyone who's ever been there and will put a human face on the
'situation' there for anyone who has not...."

The Magic of Words

Every school day feels the same for fourth graders Lucy and Henry and Evie and Russell and May. Then Ms. Mirabel comes to their class—bringing magical words and a whole new way of seeing and understanding.

From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes an honest, inspiring story about what is real and what is unreal, and about the ways that writing can change our lives and connect us to our own stories—word after word after word.

Jackie says: "I just read this book this weekend, and it did two things to me: 1. it really made me want to write and 2. it made me cry. I love this book."

Read an interview with author Patricia MacLachlan.