So, I know I’ve blogged already on my love of illustrators, specifically Carson Ellis, but I just wanted to tell you that I’ve found a new favorite.  Her name is Julie Morstad, she’s Canadian, and her artwork is wonderful.  I first saw her work on the  cover of my advanced reader copy of  Kevin Wilson’s new novel The Family Fang (coming out this August), but then Emily showed me some children’s books illustrated by Morstad, When You Were Small by Sara O’Leary and Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward.  Both of them are lovely and I may or may not have bought both of them as birthday presents to me, from me.

Drawn and Quarterly described one collection of Morstad’s illustrations as “fairy tales infused with dreamlike innocence and a touch of the macabre.”  I mean, honestly, who wouldn’t want to look at something that warranted that description?

I like to think of illustrated books as  little reminders that sometimes books are beautiful not only for their words and stories, but also for the words and stories that they have the possibility of evoking (like this trés eloquent blog post, perhaps? I kid). So, Julie Morstad, I want to thank you for creating these beautiful images. My hope is that  they inspire everyone who sees them to write dreamlike fairy tales with macabre touches so that you may illustrate more books that I, in turn, can covet and love.  -Kaycie

Check out Julie’s website here.

You may not know it, but lurking in the neighborhoods of Jackson, MS are….kids who are amazing readers! That’s right! I have had the privilege to meet with some of these kids and not only do they read and comprehend beyond the normal range, but they also know how to talk about why they liked a book. John Chase Bryan read Brain Jack by Brian Falkner for me and wrote a review. This book is great for fans of Artemis Fowl and video games and—well, don’t take my word for it!

John Chase’s Review:

The book Brain Jack is about a hacker called Sam. One day Sam hacks into Telecomerica’s files and accidentally turns off America’s power for one day. Later he is caught and sent to prison. Sam escapes and is offered a job at CDD or Cyber Defense Division. He accepts and then while stopping hackers, a freak virus destroys the hackers’ computers from the inside.

The team at CDD consists of Dodge, Kiwi, Vienna, and Sam. Later they are beaten by the hackers and Sam thinks it is because the hackers have neuro headsets. So CDD gets neuro headsets, then the virus shocks Dodge to where he is unconscious. The virus is a virtual being that made Kiwi think that Sam hurt Dodge, so Sam, Dodge and Vienna escape to Las Vegas which was nuclear bombed by terrorists. The virtual being is hunting them down by making everyone think Sam, Dodge, and Vienna are terrorists so that the police will hunt them. Once Dodge regains consciousness he builds a virus to destroy the being. Will the Virus work? Read to find out.

I liked the book; it was a good read. The book is easy to understand for someone like me who isn’t that interested in computers. However, there are some parts I had no clue about. It does start at a slow pace but accelerates all the way through the book. Review written by John Chase

You know those childhood vacations, the ones where in hindsight, everything seems perfect and wonderful? The epitome of all good in the world?

For Alice, the main character in Kevin Henkes’ new book Junonia, those vacations with her family are the highlight of her year. Everything is exactly as she left it the year before and she cherishes the sameness. Henkes’ words and illustrations tell the beautiful story of Alice Rice and her broadening horizons. Alice always looks forward to her trip to the beach in Florida. The same people arrive each year and are almost like a family.

This year, however, many of the regulars can’t make it, and Alice feels like the vacation is ruined. When her “Aunt” Kate arrives with her new boyfriend and his six-year-old daughter, who is adjusting to a few changes herself, Alice realizes that maybe her problems are worth putting aside to help out someone else.

As I was reading Kevin’s Henkes’ new chapter book, I kept asking myself “What is it about the sea that makes so may things clear?” I recently went on vacation with my family to a beach in Florida and I found myself thinking about this book and my past childhood vacations. I also looked for the elusive junonia shell, the shell that Alice searches for the entire time she is at the beach and the book’s namesake; needless to say, I didn’t find one.

What I did find was the same thing Henkes captures in his book–the clarity felt when you stand in the surf and look out at the expansive horizon. He paints as much description with his words as with ;his illustrations. And with the publication of Junonia, a child can grow all the way from board books to chapter books with Kevin Henkes’ work and I have to say, that’s not a bad thing at all; Junonia is a beautiful, pitch-perfect story.

A few months ago, I found myself (thanks to Emily) in possession of an advanced reader copy of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente.  Little did I know that it was soon to be become one of my favorite children’s books—and there are a great many children’s books that are near and dear to my heart, so that’s saying something.  I adored it so much that the advanced reader was simply not enough, and as soon as I’d finished reading it, I promptly bought a hardcover copy for my shelf.

The girl who does all of the circumnavigating in this novel is September.  In the beginning of the novel, you find out that September has grown “very tired indeed of her parents’ house , where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog.” So what better time to be swept off on the back of a flying leopard with the Green Wind and into Fairyland where she can make friends with a wyvern (a winged reptilian creature with a dragon’s head, the hindquarters of a snake or lizard, two legs or none, and a barbed tail—yes, I had to look that up. I wasn’t aware of the folklore creature that is the wyvern) and a Marid (in Arabic folkore, a jinn associated with open waters–yes, I had to look that up, too) named Saturday.  Among the adventures that September has in Fairyland are an encounter with a wild herd of flying bicycles, a land in which autumn is everlasting and there are great feasts of many pumpkin flavored baked goods (where can I sign up for that?), and a few run-ins with an evil Marquess and the flying lions who do her bidding.

This book really reminded me of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland tales in its writing style and its characters.  I love Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, so I’m thrilled to find another author who brings Carroll-esque elements to children’s literature.  Valente’s book is certainly written in such a way that it qualifies in the realm of children’s classics, and I sincerely hope that it becomes one.

And here is a little treat for those of you who are intrigued.  Below I’ve posted a book trailer for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making that I found on the delightful children’s literature blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

P.S. If you can’t see the video that I’ve embedded, you can also watch the book trailer here.  -Kaycie

For those of y’all who missed the news, John Grisham has begun a young adult series entitled Theodore Boone. The first book, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, was released last June and the second book in the series, Theodore Boone, The Abduction, comes out today! As we do with all of Mr. Grisham’s books, we have signed copies of Theo #2 that are available for sale TODAY.

I finished The Abduction last night, and I have to say that Grisham has definitely kept a good thing going. Theodore’s best friend April has gone missing in the night. There was no forced entry, no sign of a struggle, and no leads. Theo was the last person to talk to her that night, but even he has no idea where she could be. To make matters worse, Jack Leeper, April’s distant cousin, has escaped from his California jail cell and was spotted in Strattenburg the same night April disappeared. The police are doing all they can, but Theo can’t help but do something. He is worried sick about his friend and he won’t stop looking for April until she is found. This is another great mystery from Mr. Grisham that even his adult readers will enjoy.

Theodore Boone, The Abduction will be our June Oz First Editions Club pick. A new addition to the First Editions Club, Oz First Editions Club has been growing since the beginning of the year. Mr. Grisham’s book is a perfect example of the type of books that are available with this club: children’s books, everything from picture books to young adult books, that are chosen based on content and future collectibility. To date, books that have been a part of this new club are: Madeline at the White House by John Bemelmans Marciano, Monkey See, Monkey Draw by Alex Beard, The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens, The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, and now Theodore Boone!

If you have any questions about the Oz First Editions Club or the new signed John Grisham book, give us a call (601.366.7619) or email me at emily@lemuriabooks.com. And if you missed Theo’s first adventure, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, we still have signed copies available at list price.