Tag: YA/Children’s Books

I just posted my thoughts on Cathy Kennedy’s Meeting of the Mustangs, and now I’m glad to present her first interview-ish thing. Hope you enjoy — I probably chuckled more at these answers than I have any of the other Q&A’s I’ve done.

What initially prompted this story (if you can recall, that is)? Why did you come back to it years later?

My dad gave me an Olivetti electric typewriter and a ream of nice, thick paper. I rolled a piece of paper into the typewriter and just started typing. After moving away from that house in the country where we owned horses, the story was abandoned. That was about a hundred years ago and I still have that old manuscript.

Coming back to it was very difficult. I was dealing with a nasty case of writer’s block. Even though for years I knew in my head (mostly) how the story would end, I just couldn’t get it into words. I eventually moved back to the country and now have horses for neighbors. That helped tremendously, and once I got going again, I was okay.

I suppose I should also give some credit to my sister, who never left it alone ~
“Are you working on your book?”
“Are you working on your book?”
“Are you working on your book?”
etc., etc., etc…

What kinds, if any, of specific research did you do?

There wasn’t much research involved, really. The one thing that sticks out to me was looking at a map of the United States. I wanted to have the horses traveling through more than one state and tried keep the original manuscript as intact as possible. I had to look at the map to find where several states were in close proximity so the horses wouldn’t get too tired.

What’s the one (or two) book/movie/show in the last 5 years that made you say, “I wish I’d written that.”?

Oh, no. I’m kind of an old soul. I don’t watch or read much of anything new.

Do commercials count? I like the Neosporin commercial where the little girl is telling her friends about how she jumped the rapids on her bike. That’s really cute writing.

What was the biggest surprise about the writing itself? Either, “I can’t believe X is so easy!” or “If I had known Y was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV”.

Okay, that one’s easy. If I had known marketing was going to be so hard, I’d have skipped this and watched more TV. Ugh. Let’s just say I have a new respect for successful salespeople that I’ve never had before this. Getting an unknown author’s story into the hands of readers is an ongoing struggle. /td>

What’s next for Cathy Kennedy, Author?

Well, I’ve had more than one person tell me they’d like to see a sequel. Please don’t tell my sister.

Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy

By HCNewton

On August 4, 2016

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Meeting of the Mustangs

by Cathy Kennedy

Kindle Edition, 80 pg.
Cathy Kennedy, 2015

Read: August 1, 2016

It’s been forever since I’ve read an animal book, particularly one focused on a horse. I remember reading The Black Stallion and Black Beauty, some Jack London stuff, and whatnot as a kid, but nothing really since. As I recall, most horse stories are about a horse moving from owner to owner, some good, some bad. Most wild animal stories are just a series of mini-crises where the animal bounces along from event to event and occasionally (by coincidence) runs into an animal he knows. Meeting of the Mustangs is a hybrid, doing both.

We meet our central character when he’s a few months old and follow him for a couple of years — he’s on his own a lot, and then falls into the hands of some humans — bounces around a little and eventually comes into his own. Pretty straight-forward animal story, but told with a lot of heart.

Amazon’s description puts this at 10-12 year old level — I think it’s probably 7-9, but what do I know about stuff like that? Most of what I was reading when I was 12 wasn’t on anyone’s age-appropriate list. The writing was crisp and clear, things moved along a a good clip and never dragged on. Kennedy is better at writing animals than people, but it wouldn’t take much to fix that (and since the book like something like 80%+ animals, who cares?).

I am absolutely, positively not the audience for this book — but it wasn’t bad, and I enjoyed it. If I was a younger kid who was into animal stories? I’d have really had a great time with it. It’s charming, solid and I have no problem seeing it as someone’s favorite.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for this post.

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3 Stars
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Bravo and Elphie by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron

By HCNewton

On July 21, 2016

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Bravo and Elphie

by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)
Series: Elphie’s Books, #2

Kindle Edition, 9 pg.
Oron’s, 2016

Read: July 12, 2016

Elphie, the cute elephant kid, is back — with a pet. Mom is trying to get Elphie to go down the slide at the playground, and it’s not going too well. I’m willing to bet you’ll find out that Mom’s a pretty smart cookie.

The art’s as good as last time — nice colors, the kind of characters that’ll keep the lil’ ones’ attention. I bet this would be fun to read aloud with a little someone squirming on your lap and pointing at various things.

It was a bit too short, and not as inventive as the first book — but you know what? I don’t think the target audience is going to be as critical as I am. This was a bright spot in my day, I read a lot of nonsense that day, and this was a little glimmer of optimism and sunshine. Get it for the kid in your life (get the first one, too).

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for this post.

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3 Stars

Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron

By HCNewton

On March 22, 2016

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Elphie and Dad go on an Epic Adventure

by Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron (Illustrator)
Series: Elphie’s Books, #1

Kindle Edition
, 25 pg.
Orons, 2016
Read: March 15, 2016

Picture books are not the usual fare around here, true. But Hagit Oron asked, and I figured, why not? Now, can I get this post up without using more words than the book did?

Elphie is a little elephant accompanying his dad on an errand — but his dad is one of the good ones, and instead of dragging Elphie along — he entices the child by promising an “epic adventure”. Wearing a cape and carrying a wooden sword, the two set out for a walk to the store.

Along the way, Elphie does battle with imaginary foes, and has one very close call that wasn’t imaginary enough. With some guidance from Dad, a great imagination, and a helpful store clerk — Elphie has an epic adventure indeed.

I really appreciated Dad — he’s not perfect (he gets distracted in a very real and relatable way), but he’s trying — and he recovers from a mistake well. A good guy, not a buffoon, not a super-hero. There’s not enough dads like that in books.

The art is great. The colors are vibrant, the drawings pop just right. It’s not fantastic, which I honestly get annoyed by in kids’ books. It’s friendly and eye-catching, very accessible, and engaging — enough so that you get drawn into it, but not so much that it detracts from the words. The art serves the story — and will keep the attention of those who can’t yet read.

It’s been a few years (almost ten) since I’ve read picture books on a regular basis. This is just the kind of thing I’d have liked then, and would’ve read — and then have been “compelled” to read again (and again and again). For those with kids — or grandkids — or who might have a kid nearby your Kindle, pick it up.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for this post.

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3 Stars

Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke

By HCNewton

On December 2, 2015

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

Rules for a Knight

by Ethan Hawke

Hardcover, 169 pg.
Knopf, 2015

Read: November 30, 2015

So the story goes, Ethan Hawke is a descendant of a knight who died at the Battle of Slaughter Bridge in 1483. The night before the battle, this knight, Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke penned a lengthy letter to his young children so that they’d have something to remember him by, and hopefully learn something from him. Ethan Hawke came into possession of this letter, and after a scholar translated it for him, modernized the language so that he could pass these lessons on to his kids. Given the fact that the “Hawke” surname was once “Hawker”, there’s an ornithological flavor to all of this.

The letter, or manifesto, consists of short lessons on a variety of virtues or characteristics that Sir Thomas wanted to pass along to his son and daughters (which are awfully feminist for the 15^th Century): justice, solitude, generosity, discipline, love, humility, and so on. Virtues and ideals that are shared by many Western and Eastern cultures — something akin to what C. S. Lewis would call the Tao. The lessons combine personal vignettes from Sir Thomas’ life and training with fable-like stories (many of which are old and common — like the two dogs/wolves inside each of us fighting for control, you ought to feed the one you want to win).

Hawke’s wife, Ryan, provided the illustrations for this book. I wouldn’t say they’re dazzling, but they’re nice — and fit the material well.

This is a nice book, one that serves its purposes well. Short chapters, well (if somewhat heavy-handed) written. It’s not a must-read, but it’d be a good use of anyone’s time — particularly something for dads to read to young children.

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3 Stars

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

By HCNewton

On June 7, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, P-U, Rainbow Rowel, YA/MG/Children's Books

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another win for Rowell — this time, she charms with a story of a high school couple’s first love. Utterly charming, you effortlessly fall under the spell of these two, while from page one you know this isn’t going to end the way you want it to.

Park’s a pretty standard good kid — nice family, father’s a bit overbearing, into comics, Tae Kwon Do, punk and new wave music (hey, it’s 1986, don’t hold it against him). He doesn’t fit in as well as he should socially (his half-Korean-ness in a heavily white school doesn’t help), but overall he seems pretty well-adjusted.

Eleanor, on the other hand, isn’t. It takes most of the book to figure out just how messed up she is and why, but from early on, you get the picture of someone from a very damaged home just trying to be as normal as she can be (answer: not very).

These two meet on the school bus and eventually fall head-over-heels, and watching them figure out how to be in love, how to accept affection and differences . . . it just melts your heart.

Not as good as Rowell’s Attachments, but a winner nonetheless. Can’t wait for whatever she brings to the table next.