Bad Kitty Takes a Test by Nick Bruel - A Mom Monday Review

A MOM MONDAY REVIEW

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Author: Nick Bruel

Publication Date:  3 January, 2017

Publisher: Roaring Books Press (MacMillan)

Series:  Bad Kitty, Standalone

Genre:  Middle Grade, humor

Age Recommendation: 7 and up

Rating: 5 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

It's something everyone has to do at least once. Kitty is no different. In this new edition of the beloved, bestselling Bad Kitty series, Bad Kitty faces . . . a test!

Based on her previous bad behavior, the Society of Cat Aptitude has determined that Kitty is not only a bad kitty but a bad cat. In order to redeem her feline status, Kitty must take an aptitude test to determine if she deserves to be a cat. If she fails, she will no longer be able to be a cat. With the help of Chatty Kitty, who is the instructor at Cat School, and Uncle Murray, who thinks he's just there to renew his driver's license, Kitty learns all about being a cat and a little about herself.



My Review:

What a joy this book was.  I am pretty sure I have said that with every Bad Kitty book I have read but Nick Bruel never fails to give us a fun book full of hilarity, facts, and at least one important lesson to be learned.

I love the concept of Kitty getting her Cat License revoked for 'bad' cat behavior and having to go through the process of getting it back by taking a test.  My girls obviously wouldn't get it but I had to chuckle at it all because it reminded me of having to sit though defensive driving class after getting a speeding ticket,  (way back when and whoops) I also loved all the other little aspects that they may not yet catch on to as young children but that I loved and kept me entertained.  The idea that there is a pencil company with plans to take over the 'world' though standardized testing, the lessons that standardized testing isn't beneficial to learning or proof of learning.

The chickens, the girls and I may always side eye any chicken we come across from now on, Uncle Murray, poor fellow just can help but find himself in the thick of things every book, and Kitty herself who isn't really so bad but man the poor 'girl' just can't seem to catch a break.  I mean what kitty doesn't love a game of hide and seek or tag with birds? There are just so many reasons to fall in love with Bad Kitty and I hope we'll continue to see more witty, hilarious, educational misadventures for this little cat and her 'friends'.

I will make one note and that is, my oldest daughter who is 11 loves all the facts and information, but my 7 year old doesn't quite get it all.  That doesn't change the younger child's enjoyment of the book at all but it DOES mean that whether you are 7, 11, or 42 (whistles) you can find something interesting and fun in this series!

If you're readers love books like Dork Diaries, Diaries of a Wimpy Kid, or Terrible Two they will love Bad Kitty and teachers and parents will as well.  I guarantee if nothing else, you will learn something you never knew in each book!

~ HAPPY READING ~ 

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of New York Times bestseller Boing, Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty Gets a Bath and Bad Kitty Meets the Baby, among others. Nick is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, and during his down time, he collects PEZ dispensers and grows tomatoes in the backyard. He lives in Tarrytown, NY with his wife Carina and their lovely cat Esmerelda.

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Don't Touch This Book by Bill Cotter - Review Spotlight and Giveaway

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Author: Bill Cotter

Publication Date:  28 March 2016

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Series:  StandAlone

Genre:  Children's Picture Book

Age Recommendation: 2 and up

Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

Larry the lovable monster from Don’t Push the Button! is back with another hilarious, interactive adventure!

I know what you’re thinking: this is a pretty cool-looking book. But…

DON’T TOUCH THIS BOOK! (Don’t even try it, bub.)

Okay, okay. You can touch, but you can only use ONE finger.

Whoa. How’d you do that?

Larry is a loveable monster, but he has trouble sharing. It’s up to you to show him how it’s done!

My Review:

Well I for one am so glad to see our favorite little purple monster Larry back even with all his rules, because sometimes some rules are meant to be broken and Larry is really good at breaking his own rules and letting you break them too.  

Larry as we all know is not a great sharer but maybe it will be okay if you just set your finger right...here and then as is prone to happen with our good friend Larry things start to take a turn into adventure and fun. 

I loved how one little touch turns into an interactive, fun, and laughter filled adventure for the reader. One minute your laying your finger gently on Larry's book because he says thats okay but nothing else and the next you are roaring like a dinosaur and then taking to the skies.  

This is such a fun book for your young readers/listeners and would make a perfect addition to any 

Pre-K/Kindergarten teachers library.  What a fun break for circle time, giving your class a chance to giggle and play and learn the joy of sharing, especially the sharing of books.  Don't Touch This Book is also a wonderful addition to any home library.  It will keep your youngest children entertained, it's simple words will allow your early readers the ability to read it on their own, (and they will want to because it's so fun) it will even catch the interest of your older readers and have them sitting down with their siblings to participate...better yet read the book to them!  

This book for various reasons, it's a picture book, it's a touch book, it's an active book, is best read in it's hardback format.  If you are a fan of Adam Leahaupt's Warning: Do Not Open This Book, or B.J. Novak's The Book With No Pictures you will throughly enjoy this one.  I can not recommend this one enough to any elementary teacher, you and your class will not be disappointed!  

~ HAPPY READING ~ 

If you loved Larry as much as we do don't miss his first book, Don't Push the Button!

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Book Description:

Larry is a lovable monster (if a bit too curious) and the star of this hilarious, interactive picture book debut

There’s only one rule in Larry’s book: don’t push the button.

(Seriously, don’t even think about it!)

Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button. Who knows what would happen?

Okay, quick. No one is looking... push the button.

Uh, oh.

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Bill Cotter grew up in Rocky River, Ohio. After graduating from art school, he moved to New York City, and worked as a Pre-K art and music teacher in Manhattan. Bill currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he spends days doodling and hanging out with his basset hound named Goober.

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Peddler's Road by Matthew Cody - A Mom Monday Guest Post

MOM MONDAY

I am so excited to share this guest post from Matthew Cody, author of The Peddler's Road a Middle Grade read based of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.  

Thank you Matthew for taking a bit of time out of your day to answer my questions...I can't wait to read this story with my girls!  

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Book Description:

It is said that in the thirteenth century, in a village called Hamelin, a piper lured all of the children away with his magical flute, and none of them were ever seen again.

Today tough, pink-haired Max and her little brother, Carter, are stuck in modern-day Hamelin with their father . . . until they are also led away by the Piper to a place called the Summer Isle. There they meet the original stolen children, who haven’t aged a day and who have formed their own village, vigilantly guarded from the many nightmarish beings that roam the land.

No one knows why the Piper stole them, but Max and Carter’s appearance may be the key to returning the lost children of Hamelin—and to going home themselves. But to discover the secrets of the Piper, Max and Carter will have to set out on a mysterious quest down the dangerous Peddler’s Road.

1. Since the story is based off of the Pied Piper of Hamelin I was curious to know when you first came across this story, was it as a child or an adult and what drew you to it so much so that you decided to write an adaptation?

I honestly can’t remember when I first heard the story, but I think it’s always been special to me because it’s the fairy tale without a happy ending. Spoilers here, but in the original tale the Pied Piper steals away the children of Hamelin and that’s that. No brave princesses or heroic farm boys coming to the rescue. The Piper just leads the children away into a mountain never to be seen again. It’s a darkly ambiguous ending that obviously stuck with me.

And the other reason why I’m so fascinated with this tale has to do with the real life town of Hamelin. I’ve talked about this before, but it’s just so creepy that I want to tell everyone I meet! In Hamelin, Germany there is a piece of the old town wall that roughly translated reads, “This wall was built in 1556, 272 years after the magician stole 130 children away.”

I mean, come on! It gives you goose bumps, doesn’t it? Suddenly the fairy tale becomes a mystery. The moment I read about it I just knew that I would write about it. It percolated in my brain for a few years until I had enough of an idea to begin the Secrets of the Pied Piper series.

2. Did you find this adaptation to be more difficult to write than your previous two books?

Well, this is actually my sixth book all told, but yes it was pretty difficult (you’d think it would get easier!). It was challenging because that rather than being a straight adaptation, or reimaging of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story, The Secrets of the Pied Piper series presents the original tale pretty much as it’s been told, but then uses it as a jumping off point. So we begin with the premise that the tale was factually true. The Pied Piper did steal away 130 children from Hamelin in the year 1284, but why did he take them and where did they go? Our heroes, Max and her brother Carter, learn the answers to those questions only to discover that there’s a whole lot more to the story than we’ve been told, and that their own lives are hopelessly intertwined with the truth.

3. Loyalty is a strong theme in your previous books and I wondered if that is a theme that you found yourself carrying though into this story and more importantly what you are hoping readers will take away from the 'adventure' that Max and Carter find themselves on?

I agree that loyalty is a strong theme in literature for younger readers, my own work included. Most people think about things like loyalty and responsibility as more mature, grown up themes – work, parenthood, etc. But childhood and young adulthood are filled with conflicting loyalties and responsibilities. There’s the loyalty to friends and family, the responsibility to watch out for younger siblings. And I think most interesting of all, there’s the question when you are young of where do your own moral loyalties lie? Young people are still choosing what kind of person they are going to be and there’s a lot of soul searching that goes along with that. Great stuff for drama, and even better when you add magic and a few monsters into the mix!

In the end, I hope that readers will see a little of themselves in Max and Carter. I can confidently say that my very astute readers won’t be facing witches, ghosts, and hangman trees anytime soon, but I still think there’s something to be learned in sharing Max and Carter’s adventures. Safely, of course, in the comfort of one’s own best reading spot!

Originally from the Midwest, Matthew Cody now lives in New York City with his wife and son. When not writing books or goofing off with his family, he teaches creative writing to kids of all ages.

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Make Sure to stop by the other fabulous blogs on the tour to see what they have in store:

Week 1:

10/19 - Reads All the Books 

10/20 - On Starships & Dragon Wings 

10/21 - Such A Novel Idea 

10/22 - Lili's Reflections 

10/23 - The Cover Contessa 

Week 2:

10/26 - Bookiemoji 

10/27 - I Turn the Pages 

10/28 - The Book Cellar 

10/29 - Swoony Boys Podcast 

10/30 - Alexa Loves Books