It has been 10 years since the The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2005. With the publication of a fourth book, The Penderwicks in  Spring, now would be the perfect time to start the series if you haven’t read it before.

In their breakout book, the four Penderwick sisters paved their way as this generation’s “The Saturdays” (by Elizabeth Enright) or Moffat family (by Eleanor Estes), but with a spunk that is all their own. When the Penderwicks’ story begins, Rosalind is 12, Skye is 11, Jane is 10, and Batty, the youngest, is 4.

This first book allows the reader to tumble into a wonderful world. Two subsequent books, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette feature more of the Penderwick sisters, their best friend Jeffrey, and their adventures as a family.

In The Penderwicks in Spring, the sisters have grown up—Rosalind is in college and Skye and Jane are teenagers. Batty, now eleven, runs a dog-walking business where an overweight daschund named Duchess and a sharpei named Cilantro are her first clients. Ben is a second-grader who is fiercely adored by the newest addition to the Penderwick family, two-year-old Lydia. She will be instrumental in the fifth and final book in the series.

This fourth book has the same hilarity and laughter as the others, but as the sisters grow up, the story gains more gravitas. It is Jeffrey, honorary Penderwick and music mentore, who says to Batty, “Listen to me, Batty. Dogs die. People die. We do the best they can while they’re alive, and then they die anyway.”

And after death, there is always the quiet crescendo of a new spring blooming. The Penderwicks in Spring is Batty’s story to tell, and it is her voice the reader has been listening for all along.

On March 31, 2015 Y.A. authors Claudia Gray and Moriah McStay will be at Lemuria Bookstore. Signing at 5 p.m., Reading at 5:30 p.m.

Y.A. is a publishing term that stands for Young Adult, and is a genre marketed to high school students. This genre of “children’s literature” borders between adolescence and adulthood, and often features themes that explore that transition in a young person’s life. Young Adult authors have written books that are fun to read, and some of the best Y.A. books are sharp and well-written, so that there is a far-reaching crowd beyond the age of 17 that enjoys reading Y.A. (looking at you, John Green).

I am delighted to bring the sharpest and wittiest pair of Y.A. authors from the South to Jackson.

Attend an exciting panel at Lemuria Books this Tuesday, featuring Claudia Gray and Moriah McStay. I interviewed Claudia back in November when “A Thousand Pieces of You” hit the shelves, but now she will be visiting Jackson and Lemuria, along with Memphis author Moriah McStay with her debut Y.A. novel, “Everything That Makes You.” I can’t sing their praises enough, and will divide and conquer each book.

“A Thousand Pieces of You”

by Claudia Gray

“Orphan Black” meets “Cloud Atlas” in the first book of this epic dimension-bending trilogy about a girl who must chase her father’s killer through multiple dimensions. A little Dr. Who, a little “Wrinkle in Time” that takes place not only in different dimensions, but in different cities around the world. Gray began her writing career with the Evernight series: four YA novels set in an eerie gothic boarding school. The Evernight books received critical acclaim from national media, earned Gray the title of New York Times bestseller, and jumpstarted her career. She is also the author of the popular and highly praised Spellcaster series, the Firebird Trilogy, and the upcoming Star Wars novel, “Lost Stars.”

Though she has worked as a lawyer, journalist, disc jockey, and extremely poor waitress, she currently writes full time. She resides in New Orleans.

Fun facts: Claudia’s favorite childhood book was “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and if she could be any fictional character, she would be Hermione.

“Everything That Makes You”

by Moriah McStay

What if your life had two trajectories that were almost the same, but with slight nuances. What if you never had that scar on your face? These are the questions “Everything That Makes You” asks. The reader follows the same girl in two stories. Moving between them feels like a game, or a great song—exciting, unpredictable, and so compelling. Because luck may determine our paths, but maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck. You will not be able to put this book down—all the more reason to come listen to McStay read this Tuesday!

Moriah says: “I love Mr. Darcy, guacamole, Hob Nobs, indie music, consignment stores, Harry Potter, and love stories.”

While these books may be for the young “adults” of the world, they are also for the young at heart! Visit Lemuria on Tuesday at 5 p.m. to hear Gray and McStay read from their books and explain their writing process.

“Wolfie the Bunny” by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah O’Hora, Little Brown & Co. (2015)

In the world of big sisters, little brothers are the worst. As a big sister with several “little” brothers, I was quick to sympathize with Dot, the feisty bunny and older sister in Ame Dyckman’s newest picture book, “Wolfie the Bunny.” In the tradition of Kevin Henkes’ “Julius, The Baby of the World,” and Jan Ormerod’s “The Baby Swap,” this laugh-out-loud picture book explores the change in family dynamic when a new baby arrives — the parents can find no fault with their bundle of joy, while the big sis isn’t so sure what she did to deserve this terrible fate.

The Bunny family finds a bundle on their doorstep. “They peeked. They gasped. It was a baby wolf! ‘He’s adorable!’ said Mama. ‘He’s ours!’ said Papa. ‘He’s going to eat us all up!’ said Dot. But Mama and Papa were too smitten to listen.”

Wolfie clearly adores Dot but she is still not convinced. “He’s going to eat us all up!” is her refrain throughout the book. When all her friends come to visit, they are of the same mindset. Wolfie follows Dot everywhere she goes, and when he drools on her, Papa just says, “He’s a good drooler!” Wolfie (and his appetite) have grown so fast that the Bunny family has run out of carrots. Mama sends Dot and Wolfie to the grocery store, aptly named “The Carrot Patch,” to get some more carrots. At this point in the story, O’Hora illustrates Wolfie in a pink onesie that has bunny ears, and the reader will have officially fallen in love with Wolfie.

At the Carrot Patch, Wolfie opens his mouth wide and Dot says, “I knew it! On guard!” as her worst fears come true — her wolf brother is going to eat her all up! On closer inspection, Wolfie is actually growling at a big, ferocious bear. The bear picks up Wolfie, yelling “DINNER!” Instead of running away, Dot stands her ground. “Let him go!” Dot demanded. “Or…I’LL EAT YOU ALL UP!” When the bear points out the obvious — that he is a large bear, and Dot is a small bunny — Dot just says, “I’ll start on your toes!” The bear runs away in fright, and Wolfie is no longer in peril of being eaten. Wolfie pounces, but only to give Dot a big wolf-hug. In the end, it seems, little brothers really are the best.

Katie Hathcock will be at Lemuria on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 10 AM for a “Readin’ and Rockin’ Storytime.”

Music for Aardvarks combines music, dance, rhythm, and story-telling in an action-packed class for kids 6 months to 5 years. Musician and mom Katie Hathcock discovered the program with her own children several years ago and can’t wait to share it with families in Jackson.

Come to storytime with Katie on February 28 to see what it is all about! We’ll be reading AND singing along, and it will be fun for the whole family.

Visit www.jacksonaardvarks.com for more info about how to register for weekly classes and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

“Red Butterfly” is one of those books I picked up because the title sounded interesting, but then I was instantly drawn in by the narrator’s voice, and what a wonderful read! Kids will enjoy this book even though it is in verse because the story moves along at a nice pace, and Kara’s voice is just like any other child her age. The smattering of illustrations by Amy June Bates also complement the book.

There has been a recent trend of books written in verse getting a couple of award nods. “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander won the 2015 Newbery Medal, and “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for Young People, as well as a 2015 Newbery Honor Book.

There are many people who shy away from books in verse — maybe it seems intimidating, or feels too much like reading a long poem, but whatever the reason, it’s actually one of the easiest forms of writing for a child to read. There are less words on the page, and it reads like a train of thought.

Reading verse is like getting a snapshot of the narrator’s mind. That point-of-view is crucial in “Red Butterfly,” where Kara is constantly in motion, moving from one living situation to the next.

Set in modern-day China, Kara is a Chinese girl who has only known life with her adoptive American mother in the city of Tianjin, China. She is not legally adopted, so when a random emergency throws their life into disarray, the authorities no longer allow her to live with her mother. She is sent to an orphanage where another family wants to adopt her. She is torn between finding the mother she knows and going to live with the new family who offers her a new life in America.

Influenced by the author’s own time living and working in China, Sonnichsen did a beautiful job depicting the different issues with adopting children from China.

Kara’s voice shines through in “Red Butterfly,” and several points in the book were heart-wrenching, such as her friendship with Xiao Bo, the little boy at the orphanage with cerebral palsy. “Red Butterfly” triumphs by showing that home and family is with the people you love, wherever in the world they might be.