Hi guys!
Welcome back to the site that aims to please, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
This has been a busy month for me reading wise which equates to an extra busy review schedule. What can I say? I have a hard time saying no to books that sound like potential gems...like the two featured in today's post for example. They come to us via Random House Children's Books and star the creative mind of author Ellen Potter (illustrated by Qin Leng). Sound familiar? It should. She's a well known name in the Kids Fiction arena and I've even had the pleasure of reading/featuring one of her titles right here on the site, so when I heard about these two upcoming releases, I simply knew I couldn't pass it up. Ladies and gents, readers of all ages, please join me in a BOOK BIRTHDAY celebration for two chapter book titles you've got to read to believe! First up, book 1....
There are three things you should know about Piper Green:
1. She always says what's on her mind—even when she probably
shouldn't.
2. She rides a lobster boat to school.
3. There is a Fairy Tree in her front yard.
Piper Green lives on Peek-A-Boo Island off the coast of Maine and loves every inch of the island and the people on it. When summer ends and Piper has a new teacher—a teacher who doesn’t appreciate the special accessory that Piper has decided to wear—there is trouble on the horizon. Then Piper discovers a magical Fairy Tree in her front yard. Can it really fix Piper’s problems?
Here we meet the fun, the feisty, the original Piper Green! She is one of a kind and that's just the beginning of what makes this little girl so special. I love how her spunky spirit comes right off the page, first seen when at breakfast with her brother, then again with the not-so-friendly-girl on the boat to school, and further on from there. She's not disrespectful (so if you're a parent or educator reading this, not to worry), she just tells it like it is and sometimes that gets her into trouble, as she so kindly points out to us from the start. Aside from a great fondness for our little lead, the story will touch your heart when you discover just why she insists on wearing those funky monkey earmuffs (not just the uber cool fashion statement that they are) as well as one of the many secrets of the Fairy Tree. The magic aspect reminds me of her other work, The Humming Room. It's low key but runs throughout the story just the same providing another course for readers imaginations to run rampant on. Now, moving on to book 2...
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Piper Green and the Fairy Tree:
As far as Piper Green is concerned, the day started out lucky:
• Lucky thing #1: Her mom is painting Piper’s bedroom her favorite color.
• Lucky thing #2: Piper found a perfect strawberry at breakfast.
• Lucky thing #3: Piper lost a tooth. And as everyone knows, tooth + tooth fairy = ka-ching!
There’s just one problem. According to her friend Jacob, too much good luck can sometimes equal bad luck. And when Piper gets to school that day, Bad Luck is waiting for her. Will the Fairy Tree in Piper’s front yard be enough to break her unlucky streak?
I suppose there IS such a thing as too much good luck, though in Piper's case the bad that balances it out turns out to be good in the end. Confused? Don't be. It's a simple case of learning to be giving versus selfish presented in a kid friendly way that will have them listening with minds wide open as opposed to sticking their fingers in their ears screaming la-la-la at the top of their lungs. Piper once again dazzles us with her wit and heart, showing that even the choice of a wrong path is not the end of the world. It's how we set those wrongs right that reveals our truest selves, helping us to grow into the person we truly aim to be.
Recommended read for Kids Fiction fans of all ages. These pack a great one two punch to what seems like a promising new series that I for one can't wait to see where it takes us.
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About the author...
ELLEN POTTER is the author of ten books including the bestselling Olivia Kidney series, as well as award winning novels, SLOB, The Kneebone Boy, and The Humming Room. Her most recent series for boys, Otis Dooda: Strange But True, is a Cybils nominee. Publishers Weekly has called Ms. Potter’s work “at once exuberant and poignant.”
Visit her at ellenpotter.com!
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Special thanks to Cassie at Random House Children's Books for the ebooks for review. (THANKS!) For more information on these titles, the author, the publisher, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. BOTH of these titles are available in hardback and paperback today, so be on the lookout for them on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.
Until next time...happy reading!
Thank you for the Happy Book Birthday! I love it!
ReplyDeleteWow! Sounds like a fun series.
ReplyDelete