Post by Mark T. Locker.

I have recently come across some news that will be very exciting for about a dozen of you: Eric Kripke, creator of the Supernatural television series, is going to create a movie of The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs. You haven’t read it? Shame on you! This is a classic of children’s gothic horror novels! I have discussed John Bellairs in the past, as he is my favorite children’s author of all time.

Young, awkward, dumpy Lewis Barnavelt has just lost his parents in an accident and he is being sent to live with his uncle Jonathan in New Zebedee, Michigan. He is a wealthy, cheerful, big-bellied eccentric who is also, it so happens, a magician. And not the sleight of hand type; he is an actual wizard, though not terribly powerful. His neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman is a much more powerful mage. After a few days in the house, Lewis discovers that a mysterious ticking is emanating from somewhere within the walls of the house. What he, Uncle Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman discover is that an evil warlock hid an enchanted clock which is counting down to end the world. Yikes!

So go out and read this book now before the “Soon to be a Motion Picture” edition is the only one you can find. You heard it here first, folks.

Tags: bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Children's book reviews, John Bellairs

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

If you have been looking for a teen novel that combines the action and jungle mystery of Lost with the beauty pageant mentality of a Miss America reality show and the anarchy of Lord of the Flies, then your prayers have finally been answered. Libba Bray, Printz Award-winning author of Going Bovine brings us another entertaining, snarky, and at times insightful teen novel.

Fifty girls are headed to compete in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant when their plane crashes on a desert island. The question, of course, is: Should the survivors look for food and shelter, or should they keep working on their monologues and runway walk? Naturally, the group is divided. As the story develops, we learn about each of the surviving contestants, all of whom (save for one) have much more depth and higher aspirations than being crowned Miss Teen Dream.

Beauty Queens is quite heavy on the satire and the long look at unrealistic expectations foisted on women about ideals of beauty and being a woman which may be a bit too jaded for some readers. But if you are not so off-put by cynicism, it’s a funny action-packed read.

Tags: Beauty Queens, bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Children's book reviews, Libba Bray

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Luck of the Loch Ness Monster: a tale of picky eating by Alice Weaver Flaherty. Illustrations by Scott Magoon.

Well, it’s bedtime again! Is your child still sore that he didn’t get ice cream due to blatant refusal to touch the peas? Or is your kid just arbitrarily choosy about what passes her lips? This is a good cautionary tale to read them. Young Katerina-Elizabeth is on a trans-atlantic journey to visit her grandmother in Scotland and much to her chagrin she is given oatmeal EVERY morning. Instead of eating it, she dumps it overboard where it is discovered by a hungry sea worm. It follows the boat and eats her oatmeal every day and grows and grows until it is the size of a monster! Yup, that’s how Nessie came to be. She grew big and strong while the kids who dumped their oatmeal grew, well, slightly less big and strong. It’s got beautiful illustrations, even if the message is, well, mixed at best.

Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems.

Leonardo is a terrible monster. And when I say terrible, I mean terrible. Seriously. This guy couldn’t scare a fly! He’s terrible! Horrible! Awful! He feels bad about it and, after careful research, finds the biggest scaredy-cat kid out there, thinking he will finally be able to scare someone!

Mo Willems is best known for his Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon books but he has done more books than I could count. I think he is reliably funny and worth reading. So go read this book, already! Sheesh!

Tags: bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, Children's Books

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Although sweet and gentle books are usually the best way to get your child ready for sleep, sometimes there’s a little nugget of energy left that needs to be burned off. So, for your er, enjoyment, two books to get your kid screaming and jumping!

Chicken Butt! by Erica S. Perl and Henry Cole.

Know what? CHICKEN BUTT! That’s about all you need to know about this utterly ridiculous book. There is nothing about it that is designed to please the parents; I hated myself as I pulled it off the shelf, but I knew that my son would love it. Know why? CHICKEN THIGH! As with children of a certain age, the jokester in this book takes the joke too far and the exasperated dad sends him away. It’s a terrible book but it will have your child (if s/he is as immature as mine) shrieking with delight.

Tickle Monster! by Josie Bissett.

What better way to burn off excess energy than by engaging in a tickle fight? This book will guide you through the perfect tickle routine with the help of a monster from another planet who has come to tickle. The best part about this book is that it comes with blue furry gloves with holes for your fingers so the reader can become the tickle monster! Be aware: this method can backfire and either the ticklee will get all hyped-up and/or the tickler will wear out and fall asleep instead.

Tags: bedroom, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Chicken Butt, Children's book reviews, Tickle Monster

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Pure by Julianna Baggott.

So, everyone has read The Hunger Games by now, I imagine. And those who haven’t will probably read it once the “Now a Major Motion Picture!” edition is released. As you may know, Teen Dystopia novels are all the rage. Some of them are pretty good, some of them…not so much. Now I’m not sure where Pure is being placed in bookstores. The library classifies it as Science Fiction, and although the protagonist is sixteen, the narrative style is more along the lines of adult literature. Well, wherever you want to place it on your shelf, don’t leave it there long. Get it down and read it. Because it’s awesome.

There was a Detonation. Those who were within the Dome were spared the awful effects of the Detonation. Of those on the outside, many were killed. Those who were not found themselves permanently fused to whatever was nearby. Pressia was just a little girl, clutching her doll when the Detonation occurred. And now he has a doll’s head fist at the end of her arm. There’s a boy with birds in his back, and some unlucky people have become a part of the earth. Partridge was safe within the Dome when the bombs went off but life trapped within the dome is not the utopia those stuck on the outside believe. And, fearing for his future and fueled by the hope that his mother may still be out there somewhere, Partridge decides to flee the Dome and brave whatever terrors may lie on the other side…

Tags: bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, book reviews, Charles P. Rogers, Julianna Baggott, Pure