Jacqueline West's "The Books of Elsewhere"

 I was very excited to meet the author, Jacqueline West at the Best of Times Bookstore in Red Wing a couple Saturdays ago. She was giving a book talk for her newest book Spellbound. I read her first book, The Shadows (click to see review on a previous post) and am looking forward to continuing Olive's adventure.

She explained that while growing up in River Falls, her school bus drove past the house that inspired the setting for the Dunwoody's mansion. It looked haunted and had all sorts of gadgets and things laying around in the yard.An inventor lived there and she could just imagine all the artifacts occupying the house.  

I asked her what her favorite books were as a child and she said she loved Bunnicula and anything by Dahl or Milne, books funny and scary. Ms. West read the first chapter (funny and scary) aloud to a room of enthusiastic fans of her books. Many many children wanted her to sign their books. Including me!

Ragweed by Avi

Ragweed is the prequel to Avi's award-winning Poppy which I have never read but it was a Maud Hart Lovelace nominee in 1997. Our library has several copies. I admit that I never had any intention of reading it and just the thought of reading a fantasy where the main characters were mice didn't appeal to me at all.

But then two things: One, I needed to read an Avi book that I hadn't read before for my Camp Read-A-Lot adventure with guest: AVI!!!! and Two, my grandson's (second grade going into third) teacher read to the class this series of Tales from Dimwood Forest and he loved the books. His mom bought him the five book collection and he is so excited about these books. I have never seen him get excited about any other book like this before. So I read it.

This book really buttered my muffin, know what I'm saying? Dude, this book rocks! Ragweed, a country mouse decides to see what else is out in the world and ends up in this mouse town totally clueless, "he's so green, he makes the grass envious." But Ragweed makes friends and saves other mice and rocks their world, as well as his own. This book has lots of action, suspense, friendship, funky names and great sketches throughout. It's totally rave. Awesome. It's phat. Check it out!

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

How would one prepare to take a trip to outer space? Are there practice trips? What is it like to be weightless? Liam is a tall boy who looks older than he really is and uses that to his advantage. When he and his "daughter" win a trip on a spaceship, getting there isn't as easy as he thinks. This book cracked me up many times but one of my favorite times is when the principal thinks he is the new social studies teacher and he addresses the school at an assembly!!