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Billie B. Little

Children's & YAPicture Book

Surprise!

Review by Billie B. Little

Caroline Hadilaksono has hit a home run in Surprise!, her first picture book as both author and illustrator.

Squirrel, Raccoon and Bear are tired of lazing around the woods all day. They decide a new friend would be nice, but making friends doesn’t prove easy. Rabbit is not interested in them, and neither are the birds. Turtle won’t even poke his head out of his shell.

Luckily, a family of city folks sets up camp in the woods and the three furry friends decide to throw them a welcome party. It will be a splendid affair with refreshments from the cooler, ketchup and mustard for decorating, and tomatoes and eggs for Squirrel to juggle. Bear makes pine cone party hats, too, all for the new friends.

Surprise! When the city folks return, it seems a mischievous squirrel and a fiesty raccoon are messing up their campsite. (They don’t seem to understand that it’s a welcome party.) When Bear arrives with the party hats, the family screams and scatters, leaving everything behind. The three animals aren’t sure why their new friends left so soon, but they have a splendid time together, just the three of them.

Children will delight in the pages that detail the party preparations: Raccoon ransacks packs of chips and cookies and Bear hangs a stringof hot dog links, from tree to tree like crepe paper. Hadilaksono’s illustrations and story are cheerful and lively, making Surprise! a tummy-tickling read.

Caroline Hadilaksono has hit a home run in Surprise!, her first picture book as both author and illustrator.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Undercover Princess

Review by Billie B. Little

You may know author Connie Glynn as Noodlerella from her famous Youtube channel. Over 900,000 followers tune in as the pink-haired blonde belts out Disney songs, makes magenta mac and cheese, and dishes about relationships and daily life.

Glynn’s debut novel, Undercover Princess—book one of the Rosewood Hall Chronicles—introduces a world of dazzling settings, engaging characters and plenty of intrigue. Glynn’s on-screen honesty and perky princess persona are embodied in the book’s heroine, 14-year-old Lottie Pumpkin.

Lottie has one prized possession, a glittering tiara that was a gift from her now-deceased mother who raised her to be kind, brave and unstoppable. Her dying wish was for Lottie to one day attend Rosewood Hall. Amazingly, Lottie wins a scholarship to the ivy-covered “Hogwarts meets Hollywood” boarding school.

As soon as Lottie arrives at Rosewood, rumors begin to fly. Her classmates think she’s the reclusive princess of Maradova, not a sweet country girl from Cornwall. But Lottie has learned the true princess of Maradova is Ellie Wolf, her black-haired, angst-filled roommate. Ellie has fled to Rosewood in order to soak up a few years of normal life before taking on the responsibilities of royalty. Since Lottie has dreamed of becoming a princess and Ellie longs to be ordinary, a perfect switch is devised. Unfortunately someone, a malevolent someone, learns their secret.

Glynn has created a rich, vibrant world in Undercover Princess. Readers will readily embrace the boarding school and royalty storylines, the hints of romance, and the intriguing realm and mystery of Maradova. Faced with numerous crises, Lottie struggles but manages to remain true to her kind, brave, unstoppable self.

Connie Glynn’s debut novel—book one of the Rosewood Hall Chronicles—introduces a world of dazzling settings, engaging characters and plenty of intrigue.
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A magical girl’s harrowing journey into the unknown

Review by Billie B. Little

Kali Wallace’s City of Islands transports readers to a world of ancient rock cities where the ocean-dwelling founders once harnessed magic that controlled earth and stone, sky and sea.

Twice orphaned Mara longs to be part of that magic. She dives to the depths of the ocean seeking treasure for a mage known as the Lady of the Tides.

One day while diving, Mara sings an old spell song and hears bones calling back to her. She finds skeletons of rare hybrid creatures suspended deep below the ocean surface. When she presents these prized remains to the Lady of the Tides, the mage challenges her with a dangerous but alluring opportunity. Mara must travel to a place called Winter Blade in order to discover the secrets of the Lord of the Muck, the powerful mage inhabiting the treacherous isle. If Mara succeeds, she’ll become the Lady’s apprentice and fulfill her dream to learn magic.

As Mara struggles through the dark depths of the tunnels beneath Winter Blade, she’s captured by the evil Muck. She must escape the mage’s dungeon and save herself and her friends, Izzy and Fish Hook, from being tortured and killed. But with seas full of mages, pirates and sea serpents, how will the seemingly ordinary Mara succeed?

While struggling to free herself and her friends, Mara is forced to question her past: How did her parents really die? Was her stepmother the loving caretaker she seemed?

Wallace uses fantastical creatures, mystical spell songs and lyrical prose to spin a complex tale that doesn’t disappoint. Young readers will long for more stories like this spellbinding saga of the sea.

Kali Wallace’s City of Islands transports readers to a world of ancient rock cities where the ocean-dwelling founders once harnessed magic that controlled earth and stone, sky and sea.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Henry wants to believe

Review by Billie B. Little

British children’s book illustrator Russell Ayto charms in his debut as both author and illustrator in Henry and the Yeti.

Young Henry is more than fond of yetis. He loves yetis. But do yetis even exist? No one knows for sure, not even Henry’s father.

So Henry decides to go on an expedition to find a yeti. He asks the school principal for permission to make the trip, and the principal—a yeti skeptic—approves Henry's plan, but tells him to bring back evidence. When the principal announces Henry's plan to the rest of his schoolmates, they laugh and mock him.

Undaunted, Henry packs his compass, telescope, hammock and climbing rope and sets off.

Henry begins his long journey by following a sign pointing to the mountains and peaks where the yetis live. All the while, he follows his father’s one admonition, “No staying up late.” For days, Henry scales one mountain after another but finds nothing. Not a single suspicious footprint.

Having seen no signs or tracks, Henry begins to have doubts. He considers heading home.

Luckily, at last, Henry stumbles upon his yeti, who is much bigger and friendlier than expected. All goes well until Henry realizes he has left his camera behind. But Henry's new yeti friend might just help him save face with the skeptics back at school.

With Henry and the Yeti, Ayto’s spare text and clever drawings take young readers on an epic romp across the world in search of something to believe in.

British children’s book illustrator Russell Ayto charms in his debut as both author and illustrator in Henry and the Yeti. Young Henry is more than fond of yetis. He loves yetis. But do yetis even exist? No one knows for sure, not even Henry’s father. So Henry decides to go on an expedition to find a […]
Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Paintings take realism to a new level

Review by Billie B. Little

Have you ever been so intrigued by a painting that you long to step inside? Then pick up Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s The Frame-Up, which takes readers into the surprising interior world of the paintings at the Beaverbrook Gallery in New Brunswick, Canada.

Twelve-year-old Sargent Singer is a talented young artist, and his estranged father, the gallery’s director, invites Sargent to spend the summer with him. At the Beaverbrook Gallery, Sargent is captivated by the 1915 portrait of a luminous, 13-year-old girl named Mona Dunn. But one day, he catches Mona in a new pose—sticking her tongue out at some rowdy boys— and his world turns upside down.

Sargent longs to get to know Mona and her secret life inside the painting. The two begin speaking and soon become close friends, spending time together both inside and outside of the frame Mona calls home. As Sargent learns more about the gallery, the mystery deepens, with shady characters emerging. The gallery begins to struggle financially, and Sargent’s father pins his hopes on a wealthy donor, but Sargent and Mona both suspect the prospective donor is up to no good, and soon they join forces to investigate. They discover that the paintings are in peril, and, worst of all, Sargent will leave at summer’s end. And while he will grow up, Mona will remain frozen in time.

With an endearing ending sure to surprise readers, The Frame-Up is an inventive and intelligent novel that will charm art lovers and neophytes alike.

Have you ever been so intrigued by a painting that you long to step inside? Then pick up Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s The Frame-Up, which takes readers into the surprising interior world of the paintings at the Beaverbrook Gallery in New Brunswick, Canada.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

A summer on the shoreline

Review by Billie B. Little

Lynne Rae Perkins, winner of the 2006 Newbery Medal for her novel Criss Cross, delights with her new book, Sisters of the Salty Sea. Perkins’ charming black-and-white illustrations are matched by gentle, evocative language that sparkles like summer sunlight on the sea—which happens to be the destination of the Treffreys’ long-awaited family vacation. Alix and her older sister, Jools, have never been to the beach. When their parents plan a first-time-ever beach trip, Alix is excited but nervous. She’s never been anywhere new, and she’s expecting swaying palm trees and a turquoise sea.

Sadly, there is not a single palm tree in sight, and the ocean is a foamy gray, but the trip provides plenty of adventures for the sisters, from discovering horseshoe crabs to helping release a falcon at a wildlife station and eating their first fried periwinkles—snails by any other name.

Perkins’ sensory details, paired with her endearing illustrations, provide a refreshing break from the usual page turners that are served up for young readers. Alix is an easily relatable character—part spunky, part shy—and not yet sure of herself. The novel’s themes of family, friendship, growing up and trying new things are a perfect fit for Perkins’ middle grade audience.

 

This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Lynne Rae Perkins, winner of the 2006 Newbery Medal for her novel Criss Cross, delights with her new book, Sisters of the Salty Sea. Perkins’ charming black-and-white illustrations are matched by gentle, evocative language that sparkles like summer sunlight on the sea—which happens to be the destination of the Treffreys’ long-awaited family vacation. Alix and her older sister, Jools, have never been to the beach. When their parents plan a first-time-ever beach trip, Alix is excited but nervous. She’s never been anywhere new, and she’s expecting swaying palm trees and a turquoise sea.

Children's & YAPicture Book

A determined farm dog saves the day

Review by Billie B. Little

George is an endearing hound with an important job. He rises early, helps with farm chores and keeps the sneaky cows from escaping into the cornfields. Every day is a good day for George.

But when Farmer Fritz trades his work boots for flip-flops and moves to the beach, everything changes. A glum-looking George is left alone to tend the farm.

The farm has been sold to the Gladstones—city folks. George makes the best of things when the family moves in, but they don’t have a clue of how to run a farm.

George helps Mr. Gladstone get the tractor working, but the machine takes off, breaking the fence and setting the cows loose. George herds them back where they belong. Then the Gladstone’s son, Owen, loses his little sister, Olive. After a sniff of her blue hair ribbon, off they go. George is a good hound dog, after all.

Olive is found and George thinks he’s earned a nap, but then Mrs. Gladstone stumbles and spills red paint on his head. Now all the family has different names for George: Rusty, Rover, Dusty and Red.

George spends his days herding Olive and he teaches the Gladstones everything about running the farm. Still, the family can’t figure out his name. 

Jeffrey Ebbeler’s hilarious, action-packed drawings carry George the Hero Hound, and the intrepid hero is bound to leave readers asking for more.

Jeffrey Ebbeler’s hilarious, action-packed drawings carry George the Hero Hound, and the intrepid hero of is bound to leave readers asking for more.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Hilarious adventures in spelling

Review by Billie B. Little

If the S in Moose Comes Loose, Peter Hermann’s playful debut picture book with illustrations by Matthew Cordell, celebrates the limitless nature of what we’ll do for our friends.

Cow and Moose are the best of friends. But Moose has lost his “S” and his “E,” disappearing and leaving Cow alone with only a mournful “Moo”. Intrepid Cow longs to have her Moose back, so she determines to find the letters for “GLUE” and to use the sticky stuff to put her friend, Moose, back together again.

A passing Goat antes up the letter “G”—but only after Cow takes a “B” from a Bear, making the Bear an “Ear” and turning Goat into a “Boat.” The letter “L” comes from emptying the Lake, but not before turning the water into a “Cake.” The letters “U” and “E” are even harder to come by, considering there’s a raging bull that’s not too happy about the changes Cow is making to his water supply! Now Cow is on the run from Bull, but her commitment to her friend drives her onward. Page after colorful page, this action-packed story will have readers breathlessly awaiting Cow and Moose’s joyous reunion.

Hermann’s clever rhymes paired with Cordell’s rollicking drawings makes for a great romp. Adults and children alike will relish this lively tale of fun and friendship and learn to love the letters and spelling in the mix.

 

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

If the S in Moose Comes Loose, Peter Hermann’s playful debut picture book with illustrations by Matthew Cordell, celebrates the limitless nature of what we’ll do for our friends.

Children's & YAPicture Book

Don’t let chances pass you by

Review by Billie B. Little

Kobi Yamada fans will adore What Do You Do With A Chance?, the latest in a series of inspiring and relatable tales about dealing with the opportunities life throws our way.

When a golden chance, flitting like a butterfly, first appears to a child, he doesn't know what to make of it, but he feels the chance is important. But the child is unsure and doesn’t act, so the chance flits away. Soon the child regrets not having taken the chance and wonders if it will return. The next time the golden chance appears, he tries to grasp it but misses. Embarrassed, he decides to ignore any chance that comes his way. In time, the chances stop coming altogether. The child decides to be ready for the next chance, just in case. Finally, a chance appears on the horizon, and this time he runs to greet it. Grabbing the chance and holding on tight, the child soars, flying high and free.

Mae Besom’s dreamy illustrations, rendered in subtle earth tones, place gentle, rounded figures against surreal mountain villages, providing a beautiful backdrop for a child’s first foray into a world of chance and random opportunity. Yamada’s relatable story urges readers of all ages to take the chances that come their way—they could be the start of something incredible.

 

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Kobi Yamada fans will adore What Do You Do With A Chance?, the latest in a series of inspiring and relatable tales about dealing with the opportunities life throws our way.

Children's & YAMiddle Grade

Hoodie-clad hero

Review by Billie B. Little

Paul Durham, author of the Luck Uglies series, masterfully draws readers into his new book, The Last Gargoyle, with a cryptic first chapter that ends with a disturbing question: “What goes bump in the night? If you’re lucky, I do.”

And so we are introduced to Penhallow, the last gargoyle, whose mission is to tirelessly watch over his domain—the aged Boston apartment building on which he’s perched—and to protect its residents from all things dangerous and evil. Penhallow has scant memory of being anything but a block of stone with wings, claws and eyes that gleam with the light of life. He can shape-shift at will—at times assuming the form of a humanlike wisp in jeans and hoodie, other times becoming a teeth-gnashing, Netherkin-eating monster.

The city Penhallow inhabits churns with hostile energy. Penhallow can sense it, but he doesn’t know how to vanquish it. He can handle the Netherkins one or two at a time, but when he discovers he is up against the ruler of the underworld, the evil Boneless King, it will take all his strength—and the help of a new friend—to defeat him.

A tale of love, life, evil and death seems heady stuff for young readers, but they will relish it as fully as Penhallow relishes swallowing imps and Netherkins.

 

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Paul Durham, author of the Luck Uglies series, masterfully draws readers into his new book, The Last Gargoyle, with a cryptic first chapter that ends with a disturbing question: “What goes bump in the night? If you’re lucky, I do.”

YA FictionYA

One chance to change a life

Review by Billie B. Little

Seventeen-year-old Eldon Wilkes counts the days in Madison—a dump of a town in the Mojave Desert—where he pumps gas to make ends meet. The only cool person in his family, his sister Ebba, is unresponsive in a care facility. But the town of Madison has a well-kept secret: Every resident on their 18th birthday walks deep into a cavern on the edge of town and makes a wish that comes true.

Eldon has 25 days to decide on his wish. His mom urges him to wish for money to hire specialists to heal his sister, but Eldon worries she’s beyond saving. Eldon decides to interview the people of Madison about their wishes and studies a history book that lists every wish ever made. From what he can tell, nary a wish has improved the lives of the wisher or anyone else.

In As You Wish, author Chelsea Sedoti (The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett) masterfully crafts a tale that draws together the stories of an entire town’s residents while focusing on Eldon and his friends. Through Eldon’s wrenching struggles, we see how the possibility of getting what you think you want is fraught with complications. Despite the magical elements, Eldon’s actions and longings ring true, reminding us that every day serves up life-altering choices, both large and small.

 

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

This article was originally published in the January 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Seventeen-year-old Eldon Wilkes counts the days in Madison—a dump of a town in the Mojave Desert—where he pumps gas to make ends meet. The only cool person in his family, his sister Ebba, is unresponsive in a care facility. But the town of Madison has a well-kept secret: Every resident on their 18th birthday walks deep into a cavern on the edge of town and makes a wish that comes true.

YA FictionYA

When a mix-up steers you back on course

Review by Billie B. Little

Ryn is fidgeting on a plane, circling the Denver airport in a snowstorm, asking Google questions about turbulence, if planes can land on ice, and why some people live and others die. Ryn is en route to San Francisco, where she’s moved with her divorced mother. But San Francisco is not home. Nowhere is home anymore.

Ryn’s best friend—red-haired, risk-taking Lottie—died a year ago in a car crash, and as a result, Lottie is stuck. She’s stuck with anxiety, stuck with a mother she can’t talk to and stuck with Lottie’s voice in her head.

Because Ryn toes the line between her own headspace and reality, she is never truly present. This makes navigating the world a bit difficult. When a distracted Ryn trips on a moving walkway and drops her phone, she’s helped to her feet by a guy Lottie would have described as “hot.” Later, as the delays mount for her connecting flight, Ryn’s phone pings. It’s the hot guy. Ryn realizes she’s actually holding his phone, which is identical to hers. They arrange to meet in order to make the switch.

The blizzard eventually shuts down the airport, so Ryn can’t get home before the first anniversary of Lottie’s death. But while she’s stuck at the airport, she makes a friend or two, is arrested by security and finally opens her heart despite herself.

Anyone who has lost a friend, a family member or even a pet will love Jessica Brody’s The Chaos of Standing Still. Brody brilliantly captures the complex landscape of Ryn’s mind and nudges her protagonist back to a place of hope. Pick up this novel for any teen, but read it before you pass it on. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Anyone who has lost a friend, a family member or even a pet will love Jessica Brody’s The Chaos of Standing Still. Brody brilliantly captures the complex landscape of Ryn’ s mind and nudges her protagonist back to a place of hope. Pick up this novel for any teen, but read it before you pass it on. You’ll be glad you did.

RomanceContemporary Romance

Live and let live

Review by Billie B. Little

Bestselling romance novelist Erin Nicholas has her fingers on the pulse of what a girl wants—at least in terms of steamy romantic fiction—and Totally His is a bouyant love story with a refreshing maturity at its core.

Local theater-owner Sophie lost her mother when she was only two, leaivng her under the care of her manipulative father, Frank. Frank bounced his young daughter from stepmother to stepmother, women he used for sex, free food, cable TV and a warm place to live. With this turbulent upbringing, it’s no wonder that Sophie has difficulties with trust and love. She is sure that every good thing that comes her way in life will come to a swift end.

Responsible, self-assured cop Finn Kelly was raised by a single mother after his father’s death. Though the extended Kelly clan can be loud and sometimes cloying, they have given Finn absolute confidence in himself and reinforced his worthiness to be loved. He adores his mother and is both a protector and a “fixer,” traits which draw him to Sophie.

While respondng to a a fire at the local theater, Finn spots a young woman in hot pink underwear running back inside the burning building. More than a little curious, Finn sees it as his duty to find the girl and rescue her. He carries her out of the building and doesn’t stop wanting to protect her.

Finn tries to fix everything in her life, but Sophie wants more from him than that. She wants him to love her for herself, and to trust that she is mature enough to manage her life. Will Finn keep trying to come up with a solution to change Sophie’s difficult relationship with her incorrigible dad, or can he learn something from Sophie, too?

In Totally His, Erin Nicholas has woven a sweet and sexy tale set against the backdrop of a lively community theater and a noisy, rollicking Irish pub that readers won’t want to leave behind.

Bestselling romance novelist Erin Nicholas has her fingers on the pulse of what a girl wants—at least in terms of steamy romantic fiction—and Totally His is a bouyant love story with a refreshing maturity at its core.

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