C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 87

Let it be known that I am what happens when an artist and a packrat unite in the bonds of holy matrimony and bequeath their assorted traits to progeny. Bright colors. Eccentric tastes. Tall stacks. Growing assortments. My “collector’s gene” is getting its workout with my new venture into book blogging. This is a heads-up that I’ve added a Book Reviews tab. As titles accumulate (reviews are slated for Tuesdays and Fridays), that’s where you’ll find growing piles of book covers and links to rev...

The Twistrose Key

by Tone Almhjell

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

ages 10 and up

Premise: Lin Rosenquist is an eleven-year-old girl who’s struggling with several kinds of sadness. Her family recently moved from their farm at Summerhill to a creepy, drafty house in the city. Lin had to leave behind her best friend, and to make matters worse, her pet died. She’s feeling very much alone on the stormy night when a mysterious key finds its way into her hands. It leads Lin into Sylver, a magica...

CJ has always loved sending and receiving mail, so she’s issued a special challenge to Byways readers everywhere. When you mail her a postcard from your hometown, she’ll send back a postcard from the brothers. If your hometown doesn’t have their own postcards, one from your home state, nearby city, or local historical site is fine and dandy. [International readers can play along, too.]

1) For this to work, you’ll need to include a return address on your postcard.

2) If you tell CJ which brother...

Gadgets and Gears: The Mesmer Menace

by Kersten Hamilton

Clarion Books (Houghton-Mifflin)

ages 9-12

Premise: The year is 1902, and young Wally Kennewickett topples into the first Gadgets and Gears adventure courtesy of Theodore Roosevelt. The president shows up on the front step of Kennewickett’s Amazing Automated Inn to ask Wally’s parents, who are brilliant scientists, to combat an organization of evil magicians. The Mesmers’ bid for world domination is met by steampunk innovation, for the Amaz...

Words with Wings

by Nikki Grimes

Wordsong (Highlights)

ages 9-12

Premise: Gabby is an imaginative girl adjusting to huge changes in her life. Her parents’ marriage falls apart, and the father who understands her best moves out. She has to say goodbye to her best friend and start over in a new school. And then there’s Gabby’s daydreaming ways, which keep getting her into trouble.

Personal Opinion: This unique story is told entirely through a series of poems. Each gives the reader a peek into the so...

“Have you seen Zane?” asked Ian.

Laurel nodded to a blue bottle with a long neck on the windowsill. It held a cluster of winter roses. “He snuck those in earlier.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t Jovan? He strikes me as the thoughtful one.”

—excerpted from Byways, Book 1: On Your Marks

Jovan Johns is mild-mannered, bookish, peace-loving, and musical. Nobody understands why Jovan is best friends with Zane, but these cousins have been inseparable since childhood.

■ Jovan is Uncle Vanek‘s grandson. If you’re...

Here’s Hank: Bookmarks Are People Too!

by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver

Grosset & Dunlap (Penguin)

ages 6-8

Premise: Hank Zipzer is a second grader who loves to make people laugh. When his teacher Ms. Flowers announces that their class will be putting on a play, Hank is far from thrilled. How’s he supposed to learn his lines when words always swim on the page? Math doesn’t come any easier, and he has trouble telling right from left. Hank’s dyslexic.

Here’s Hank: Bookmarks Are People Too! insists that...

“Were you checking on your couriers?”

“I do like to keep an eye on things.” Ian was the founder of all of Liberty’s post offices. His couriers delivered letters and packages throughout the land. As often as he could, he flew far and wide to visit them.

Laurel laughed. “Liberty’s couriers watch the sky, checking to see if the Postmaster is watching.”

“My friends love it when I drop in for a chat!”

“You’re lucky Uncle Vanek keeps things running smoothly around here whenever your wings are restless....

I’m happy to announce that Byways Book 1: On Your Marks is now listed on YA Books Central, a site that features both kids’ stories and books for young adults. This is a great place to browse for books, and you can rate and review stories.

On Your Marks is also listed on GoodReads, so don’t hesitate to add this series starter to your virtual bookshelf. Help spread the word that there’s a race on! CJ

This post falls under the category of authorial chit-chat. Which means it’s story-related, but doesn’t really fit in the glossary. We’ll call it … anecdotal. Or in plain-speak, a quaint story about an author, an artist, and an old German cuckoo clock.

For starters, I should introduce Hannah Christenson, my cover illustrator extraordinaire. She and I have been working together on odds and ends commissions for a few of years. Character sketches. Painted portraits. Concept art. Things took a tur...