C.J. Milbrandt's Blog, page 87

FOLKS: Ewan’s Team

The little girls huddled together, shivering from cold and possibly from fear. Both of them had deep brown skin and glossy black hair. The smaller girl hid her eyes with her hands, and Ewan smiled. Did she think it would make her invisible?

—Byways #2, Aboard the Train: A Ewan Johns Adventure

Ewan Johns is the eldest son of Liberty’s Postmaster and a reliable young man … but far from outgoing. As his train winds its way into the northern mountains, he has trouble striking up conversations with...

BYWAYS: Sketches for Book #2

Coming Soon. This fall, I’ll be releasing the next three books in the Byways series, one for each brother. Between now and then, I thought I’d give you a peek at some of the details that are falling into place. Story snippets. Character introductions. Cover reveals. Today, I’m sharing a preview of Hannah Christenson’s cover art. Her illustrations are what make my books look amazing.

Aboard the Train is Book #2, which contains Ewan‘s first solo adventure. The eldest Johns brother chose the nort...

REVIEW: Jasper John Dooley: Not in Love

Jasper John Dooley: Not in Love
by Caroline Adderson
Kids Can Press
ages 6-8

The Premise: Seven-year-old Jasper Dooley is the sort of boy who slays dragons during school recess. However, he and his best friend Ori aren’t above bribery. If the girls in their class pay them in candy or cookies from their lunches, Jasper and Ori will pretend to be their babies. But everything changes when Jasper realizes that Isabel is in love. With him. She’s savvy enough to go behind his back to arrange a playd...

MEDIA: Facebook

I’ll admit, I’ve been dragging my feet where Facebook is concerned. But if you’re looking for a friend, I’m listed asC. J. Milbrandt (Elymnifoquent Books). And as always, you can find me on bothTwitter and Pinterest.

BYWAYS: Personal Seals

One of my favorite things to give and get is mail, and I’m not talking about the virtual variety. “Real” mail is a joy, which may be why I gave Ian Johns of the Byways books the role of Postmaster. As the brothers race across their homeland, their waypoints are located in post offices. At each stop along the way, they must use their personal seals to confirm their progress. Readers will get to see the postcards Ewan, Zane, and Ganix send home. And the stamp images that serve as official signa...

REVIEW: Non-Random Acts of Kindness

The Life of Ty: Non-Random Acts of Kindness
by Lauren Myracle
Dutton Children’s Books (Penguin)
ages 6-8

The Premise: Seven-year-old Ty Perry and his classmates are assigned and “exciting project” by their teacher Mrs. Webber: doing random acts of kindness. “Because we are one big human family, and kindness is important.” The kids argue that it’s impossible to be random if the kind things are part of an assignment, hence the book’s title.

The story unfolds from Ty’s point of view, with some cha...

REVIEW: Charlie Muffin’s Miracle Mouse

Charlie Muffin’s Miracle Mouse

by Dick King-Smith

Crown Publishers

ages 6-8

Premise: Charlie Muffin isn’t your average farmer. He raises mice in the shed behind his house—Muffin’s High Class Mice. This bachelor breeds mice of every coat and color, and he’s also an inventor and a taxidermist. His nice, orderly routine is thrown for a loop the day Merry Day becomes a customer. He laughs off her challenge to breed a green mouse. Impossible, right? But “there’s no such word in the dictionary as can’t...

TAB: Book Reviews

Let it be known that I am what happens when an artist and a packrat unite in the bonds of holy matrimony and bequeath their assorted traits to progeny. Bright colors. Eccentric tastes. Tall stacks. Growing assortments. My “collector’s gene” is getting its workout with my new venture into book blogging. This is a heads-up that I’ve added a Book Reviews tab. As titles accumulate (reviews are slated for Tuesdays and Fridays), that’s where you’ll find growing piles of book covers and links to rev...

REVIEW: The Twistrose Key

The Twistrose Key

by Tone Almhjell

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

ages 10 and up

Premise: Lin Rosenquist is an eleven-year-old girl who’s struggling with several kinds of sadness. Her family recently moved from their farm at Summerhill to a creepy, drafty house in the city. Lin had to leave behind her best friend, and to make matters worse, her pet died. She’s feeling very much alone on the stormy night when a mysterious key finds its way into her hands. It leads Lin into Sylver, a magica...

BYWAYS: Hometown Challenge

CJ has always loved sending and receiving mail, so she’s issued a special challenge to Byways readers everywhere. When you mail her a postcard from your hometown, she’ll send back a postcard from the brothers. If your hometown doesn’t have their own postcards, one from your home state, nearby city, or local historical site is fine and dandy. [International readers can play along, too.]

1) For this to work, you’ll need to include a return address on your postcard.

2) If you tell CJ which brother...