Elfie's Grimoire by Audrey Alwett & Christophe Arleston

 Today's read doesn't hit the shelves until later October, which should be just right to dive into Halloween, too. So, why did I pick it up and show it now? Because I couldn't wait. First off, I enjoy the cover with the friendliness, magic, and promise of adventure. Secondly, it's being translated into English after experiencing success in French. I always have a soft-spot for international literature. That's why I'm just giving into my own impatience and sharing it with you guys early. Is it worth it?

Well, let's find out!

ELFIE'S GRIMOIRE

by Audrey Alwett &

Christophe Arleston

Translated by Rebecca Potters

Illustrated by Ludivine Marques-Verissimo

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Middle Grade Fantasy  /  Graphic Novel

240 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING OCTOBER 20th!!!

A lush, award-winning graphic novel series that blends sisterhood, cozy magic, and heartfelt adventure set aboard a traveling bookshop bus. A perfect read for fans of Sorceline and The Tea Dragon Society.

After the death of their mother, Elfie and her two sisters hit the road in a converted bookshop bus, bringing stories to small towns across France and recovering as a family together along the way.

Then Elfie is gifted her late mother's magical grimoire, a book that draws power from the stories Elfie writes herself. From a missing stamp in a seaside village to an accidental army of gingerbread men, her adventures are as fun and chaotic as her budding powers! As she starts to unlock her magical legacy, she also uncovers hidden family secrets and the truth about who her mother really was.

Elfie’s Grimoire contains:

• Gorgeous, full color comics
• An authentic, beautiful French setting, including learning about French history
• A loving but complicated family that always finds their way back to each other
• A whole new world to explore of witches, magic, spells

Climb aboard the Stinky Book bus and unlock Elfie's magical powers!

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

With magic, sisterly bonds, and the desire to help when trouble arises, this character is one to cheer for and wish she could be your friend, too.

After the death of their mother, Elfie's oldest sister transforms a double-decker bus into a mobile book store (plus, apartment), and the three sisters travel around France while earning their living. When Elfie discovers a grimoire, she takes it as an opportunity to try to find her inspiration as a writer. After all, Elfie's mother was one, and her stories were amazing. While story inspiration doesn't flow as well as it could, Elfie's other hobby, orgami, comes to life in the form of a talking, frog friend that her and only select others can see. Elfie soon figures out that her mother was a witch, and story telling opens the door to an entire realm of magic. While Elfie is trying to figure all of this out without letting her sisters know...at least, for now..., their travels take them from one town to the next. Each place they stop, they run into adventure as they meet individuals with some sticky problems. Add the ups and downs of sister relationships, and this is anything but a boring adventure.

France offers a rich and beautiful backdrop to this heartfilled tale and comes to life thanks to lovingly created graphics. There's a sense of playfulness to match the fantasy and Elfie's perky personality, but there's also a gentle atmosphere of culture, values, and French heritage as this trio heads from one town to the next. It is, however, set in modern day, which adds a fun and unique twist. This setting depth also influences the text as the insights and thoughts Elfie, occassionally, adds to her grimoire are shown in clear cursive (her writing). It creates a wholesome foundation for the magic, mysteries, and surprises.

Elfie's magic adds a fun, whimsical touch, especially since she has to figure out this entire aspect on her own...and it isn't easy even with a talking frog clinging to her and offering his 'help' along the way. She gets clues as they travel around and meet different people, but it's a slow puzzle. Plus, each town offers its own problems to overcome as they friends they make tend to have large problems that need to be solved. These add messages surrounding relationships, kindness, determination, and more, and steer the story as much, if not more, than the magical aspect does. There is whimsical magic with imagination and surprises, but there's also forming friendships, discovering true wrong-doers, finding ways to steer through difficult situations, and working through situations which seem impossible. 

To add even more fun, there occassional inserts of how-tos and more. It fits wonderfully with the whimsical aura of the tale and keeps things interesting. In other words, this book is all abouts magic, smiles, and tons of heart.

Book Trailer...in French

As mentioned above, this appeared first in French and is being translated into the English language...which means that there is a trailer that already exists. In French, though, but I still found it fun to watch.

And here they are...

Christophe Arleston is the common pen name of French comic book writer and editor Christopher Pelinq. He is best known for creating the Lanfeust of Troy series and its many sequels and prequels.

He also worked as "Scotch Arleston".

An author for over 20 years, Audrey Alwett is best known for writing Princess Sara and The Fairy Garden, illustrated by Nora Moretti, as well as the series Elfie's Grimoire, illustrated by Mini-Ludvin. Among other books, Audrey Alwett also wrote the Magic Charly trilogy, bestselling titles published by Gallimard, which explore themes of justice, consent, and friendship.

Since the biology faculty refused her ambitious "unicorn rat creation" program, Mini Ludvin instead focused her studies on drawing. With this 10 years of experience in animated cinema, she decided in 2015 to return to her first loves: children's illustration and comics. Since then, she has illustrated several series of children's novels and works regularly for children's media, always ready to bring to life worlds full of fantasy and humor.

Small Monster, Big Monster by Allan Sanders

We're going to start this week with some silly fun! Today's read is a board book for the youngest readers out there and centers around monsters. Silly monsters. And opposites since these monsters also want to bring along some learning goodness, by the looks it. I find the characters on the cover eye-catching and imagine that this could be an enjoyable read.

Let's take a deep breathe and see where these monster lead us!

SMALL MONSTER, BIG MONSTER

A Seriously silly Book of Opposites

by Allan Sanders

Phaidon Press

Board Book

20 pages

ages 0 to 3

COMING AUGUST 13st!!!

Welcome to a wildly entertaining monster world, where everyday situations turn into hilarious lessons in opposites.

Monster gets ON the bus. Passengers get OFF! Refrigerator is EMPTY. Monster is FULL!
From a big monster who wants to play with small humans, to a monster who sleeps all day and plays all night, these silly and surprising creatures make learning opposites outrageously fun! 
Filled with laugh-out-loud scenarios, Small Monster, Big Monster supports early learners in building vocabulary and understanding opposites in the world around them. Simple text, irresistible characters, and clever twists invite children to make intuitive connections between words and ideas while giggling at every turn. Vibrant, eye-catching illustrations, printed in neon inks, bring the concept of opposites to life, packing each page with new visual details to notice.

Fresh, funny, and full of character, Small Monster, Big Monster is an exuberant introduction to opposites for curious little learners.

GOODREADS    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Monsterly mayhem turns learning about opposites into silly fun.

Meant for the youngest readers out there, this board book hits the realm of monsters with tons of humor and imagination. The background settings are familiar, showing a bus in the city, a normal kitchen, and other places young readers can recognize from their daily lives. Monsters and humans then show what two words (opposites) visually mean. For example, a monster enters the back door of a bus, while the people escape through the front windows and doors. Each word is presented in a three word sentence, keeping the text very simple, and each sentence is placed on one side of the two-page spread. For example, one side depicts loud while the other shows quiet. So, it's clear which term fits to the illustration.

Smiles and giggles are guaranteed, especially for monster fans. Each scene is brightly colored and holds a simple, playful style. The monsters might scare the people in the illustrations, but each one packs humor for listeners/readers. Not only are the monsters silly, but the presented moments are giggle-worthy. It's a cute read which is sure to delight the entire way through.

And here he is...

Allan Sanders is an illustrator and artist who lives by the sea in Brighton, UK. He has illustrated several Children’s books including On the Move, My Amazing Body, Outer Space, The Animal World, The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math, and most recently The Alphabet of Alphabets and A Number of Numbers for Wide Eyed Editions. He likes diagrams, limited palettes, screen printing, comic books, handwritten type, and wonky perspectives.

Sweet English-Mandarin Bedtime Stories by Marie Chow

As the mother of a bilingual family, I have a soft spot for bilingual kidlit. Add that I've been dabbling in learning Mandarin (it's a slow dabble), today's series caught my attention. These two books should read as gentle bedtime stories with just enough of a twist to lure young readers in. I reviewed another work from this author a few weeks ago (Here), so I already am pretty sure the tales will flow wonderfully well. Also, I'm curious to see how she handles the two languages.

So, let's take a peek at both of them and see.

BECAUSE DRAGONS LOVE MILK

by Marie Chow

Illustrated by Miki Tharp

Picture Book

English   /  Mandarin 

28 pages

ages 2 to 5

A slightly different take on the traditional bedtime story. See how Tycho's father helps to soothe the monsters in his room... bilingual translation makes the book read smoothly in either Mandarin (with traditional Chinese characters) or English.

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON

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TO THE MOON

by Marie Chow

Illustrated by Miki Tharp

Picture Book

English   /   Mandarin

26 pages

ages 2 to 5

A young girl plans all the adventures she plans on having on her day off: from going to the moon to exploring the tropical forests. Her mother encourages her daughter's adventurous spirit by providing helpful suggestions as to what type of equipment will be necessary for each of her adventures.

GOODREADS   /     AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

With a sense of playfulness and parent-child warmth, these reads present lovely tales in both Mandarin and English offering language goodness, too.

Both books are wonderful bedtime reads. To The Moon presents a little girl, who is tying to decide what she wants to do for the weekend, and each of her ideas is huge (like going to the moon). Her mother considers various things which the little girl might need on her imaginative adventure, which makes the girl hesitate just enough that she comes up with another fantastic idea. Because Dragons Love Milk revolves around a little boy's fear of monsters under his bed, With each one he mentions, the father thinks of ways to placate the monster. Each book offers a hint of fantasy while sticking to familiar themes for the intended age group and radiating family warmth and a dab of humor. The stories flow very well with very natural dialogue. I'm especially impressed with how the parents interact with their children. They take them seriously and engage in a way that shows care, understanding, playfulness, and wisdom. It's more natural than in many picture books I've run across.

These stories are short and sweet. The author understands her craft and brings in what is needed at a steady pacing without adding more than necessary. Yet, the stories don't feel clipped, either, and offer well-rounded bedtime reads. Especially impatient or tired listeners will enjoy this aspect. Add the nice illustrations, which makes the moments and situations clear while offering enjoyable scenes, and these make ideal read-alouds.

Then, there's the language aspect. These are written in English and Mandarin. The English text is presented first. Right below flows the Mandarin. So, it can be read seamlessly in either language. Also, placing one right below the other offers easy comparison for language learners. The author adds a note at the end of each book explaining that the languages are, of course, not direct translations. Rather, both flow with the naturalness of the corresponding language. At the end of both books is a glossary of certain terms and definitions to assist language learners. To The Moon adds a couple pages of terms with pronunciation keys and images (like a tree is illustrated, presented in English and Mandarin and also with the Mandarin pronunciation), which I also found helpful for learners.

It's a nice pair of books, and I hope there will be more to join them in the future. 

And here she is...

Marie Chow is a former teacher, education evaluator, and engineer. A lifelong student, she has degrees in degrees in chemical engineering, teaching, an MFA in writing, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Her writing focuses on bilingual and English-only children's books that feature mixed families, as well as literary and contemporary fiction focused on Asian and Asian American characters.
You can reach her at career.student.productions@gmail.com

Adventure in the City of Stories by Emma Otheguy

Today's read heads into the realm of adventure and time travel. In other words, I'm hoping for some historical goodness as well as excitement and tension. It's the second in the Cousins in the Time of Magic series, and nope, I didn't read the first one. But when has that ever stopped me from diving in? I'm hoping that this works pretty well as a standalone, since I'm getting the impression that each book follows a separate adventure. Another fun aspect to this read is that it is also available in Spanish. That should make my bilingual readers out there smile. 

I really don't know too much more about this one but hope it offers great characters and a grabbing tale. And maybe, a dusting of magic, too.

So, off we go!

ADVENTURE IN THE CITY OF STORIES

Cousins in the Time of Magic #2

by Emma Otheguy

Illustrated by Poly Bernatene

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Middle Grade Historical Fantasy

224 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING JULY 21st!!!

When stolen artifacts magically appear in their aunt’s closet, cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy travel back in time to 1930 New York City to clear her name before history is irreparably altered in this companion to the “spellbinding” (School Library Journal, starred review) Cousins in the Time of Magic.

Cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy never imagined that dusty old puppets and a mysterious book would launch them into a time-traveling adventure. But when they discover their aunt has treasures belonging to Pura Belpré, the trailblazing Latina librarian and storyteller, they’re transported back to 1930s New York City. Their mission? Race against time to return Pura’s puppets and a signed first edition of her book, proving their aunt isn’t a thief.

The past is full of danger, though. A powerful woman will stop at nothing to steal the book, the cousins’ nosy neighbor is snooping around, and the hardship of the Great Depression is all around them. Luckily Jorge, Camila, and Siggy meet Antonia, a fierce Puerto Rican girl fighting injustice against her community.

The cousins will need courage, quick thinking, and a little help from history to protect Pura Belpré’s legacy, clear their aunt’s name, and make it back home. Can they pull it off before time runs out?

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Adventure weaves with historical goodness, Latin immigration, and time travel to create a rich tale.

Camila can't believe that she of all people has been scolded and publicly announced for bringing forbidden books to school, when she simply tried to give the new girl (and her new friend) some of her own favorite books written in Spanish. To make it up to her friend, she borrows another one of her aunt's books in Spanish as well as two hand puppets, but underway to her friend's house, a school bully intercepts her. As luck would have it, the book and puppets have been declared as missing from the New York library...and the bully recognizes them from the news. To keep her aunt from being accused of theft, her and her cousins head back in time through her aunt's magical portal to return the objects to the library, but nothing goes as planned.

Note: This is the second book in the series. I did not read the first one before diving into this tale, but that wasn't a problem since the author adds important background information quickly as necessary.

This is a fast-paced read with tension and excitement the entire way through. It grabs right away and keeps things exciting the whole way through. Even the characters are introduced in interesting ways and have vibrant personalities. Then, there are the historical elements, and these are very well done. The author brings across the 1930 era with little known figures and events, and it's very clear she's done her research. But she never alienates the reader, either, keeping everything very natural and familiar at the same rime. It creates a smooth shift which lets the plot take control without the slightest hiccup. At the end of the book, there is more detailed information about several aspects surrounding the historical time frame. So, there's lots of goodness in these pages on that end, too.

Adventure fans who enjoy historical dives will want to take a look at this read.

And here they are...

Emma Otheguy is the author of several books for young readers, including the picture books A Sled for Gabo and Martina Has Too Many Tías, the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, and the middle grade novels Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Cousins in the Time of Magic, Silver Meadows Summer, and, with Adam Gidwitz, The Madre de Aguas of Cuba, part of the Unicorn Rescue Society series. Visit her at EmmaOtheguy.com.

Poly Bernatene was born in 1972 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been drawing ever since. He graduated from Buenos Aires’s art school, where he developed a great interest in managing different techniques in his work. He has worked in advertisement, animation, and comics. During the last fifteen years, he has established an exciting career as a professional illustrator, having published more than sixty children’s books in eleven countries.

Tracking Bigfoot by Nico Waters

Not every child develops skills at the same rate, and today's read fills the hole for those middle graders, who still need more word practice. It's part of a series of four books aimed at middle grade readers, but these books are much shorter (this one ranks in with only 42 pages). The reading level also sticks to the 2nd grade so readers can build their vocabulary and grammar. At the same time, this series promises to hold the tension and excitement middle graders enjoy with characters their age. I'm curious to see how all of this works out.

So, let's open it up and take a look!

TRACKING BIGFOOT

Cryptid Hunt #2

by Nico Waters

Illustrated by Phil Dragash

Stone Arch Books

Middle Grade Myth  /  Mystery

76 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING AUGUST 1st!!!

Eleven-year-old Sam likes putting puzzles together, eating sweets, and spending time with his abuela. When Sam’s parents ask him to go on a hiking trip in Washington, he wants to stay with Abuela instead. But then he sees a Bigfoot magazine on the bus. The more he learns about the mysterious cryptid, the more fascinated he becomes. He decides to go on the hiking trip after all. He has one goal—to find Bigfoot. Will he track down the big, hairy creature? Or will he find something else? 

With an intriguing story perfect for students in grades 4–6 and text at an achievable 2nd grade level, this book in the Cryptid Hunt series will draw in reluctant and striving readers who need support and practice to improve reading proficiency.

GOODREADS    /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

When a summer hiking trip turns into a search for Bigfoot, unexpected things can happen.

Sam isn't crazy about heading to Washington with his parents for a 5-day hiking trip, but when he learns that they will be near the stomping grounds of Bigfoot, his excitement soars. With all gear packed and a walkie-talkie from his dad just in case there isn't phone service, he heads out onto the trails. Of course, it's all about looking for clues, but every one he finds quickly reveals itself to be something else. His hope wanes, especially when he keeps crossing paths with two kids his age who want him to join their bird watching group. But then, the unexpected appears.

This is a quick-paced read, which invites in with a sympathetic main character as well as tension and mystery. Sam is introduced as a kid, who feels a little left-out since none of his friends ride his school bus and no one else seems to want to sit with him. But other than that, his life is fine, and he especially adores is abuela. In other words, he's an average kid. When he learns about Bigfoot, it's easy to feel his excitement and wonder if he'll really find the mythical creature during the trip. To add tension, he finds possible clues and even runs into to a few dangerous situations. After all, nature is not always tame. There is a hint of imagination built in, but most of the tale stays grounded in reality. It's a fun read, which keeps the reader in the pages until the end.

This book is designed for those middle grade readers, who still need more practice with their basic skills, and is written at a 2nd grade level. The sentences and chapters are kept short, and the font and spacing create room for easy reading. But at the same time, the text does push just a bit with occasional longer sentences and vocabulary building. At the beginning of the read, there is a quick glossary with the definition of a few more difficult terms. At the end, there are several questions for writing exercises, discussions, and reading comprehension. Reluctant readers can enjoy a tense story with characters their age, while building their reading skills at a pace which comfortably nurtures their level.

And here she is...

Nico Waters wrote her first book as a class assignment in elementary school and has loved writing ever since. She lives with her husband in sunny California. And despite her allergies, she hopes to have a cute dog someday.