The Magic Tree Bookstore : Children's Books and Other Fine Things

Magic Tree Bookstore 25th Anniversary Kickoff
with special appearance by Jon Scieszka!!
Weekend of July 11th

In August 1984 The Magic Tree Bookstore first opened on Madison St. The kickoff celebration for a quarter century of reveling in books, authors, children and Indie bookselling begins on the week-end of July 11th with such luminaries as Jon Scieszka (pictured), Richard Peck, Ashley Bryan, Gennifer Choldenko and more. Mark your calendars and watch for more details.

And if you're lucky enough to be around Oak Park in August, you'll have more opportunities to celebrate, save and party with other Magic Tree friends. Watch for all the exciting details.

Granny
by Anthony Horowitz
Ages 9-12, Jan ‘09 Puffin Books $6.99

The book begins with a prologue. Joe and his parents are escaping from Britain in one gigantic hurry, praying that the person they are running from isn’t following them. Now, that’s where the story takes off. Well, Joe’s parents are rich. They give almost everything but they do almost nothing with him. If MIA parents weren’t bad enough, Joe’s 90 year old Granny is the worst. Boy, oh, boy did I feel sorry for Joe. She always forgets his name, buys the worst holiday presents, serves only cream cheese at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and worse. WHY? Well, she has a secret evil scheme that involves Joe and his enzymes. If you like, crazy and off-beat, unbelievable, yet plausible, laugh out loud humor with a heart-warming ending this story is for you. ~Tanya

Stone Rabbit : B.C. MAMBO
by Erik Craddock
Ages 7-10, Random House, $5.99

Stone Rabbit is a new graphic novel for new readers. The publisher recommended reading age is 7-10, but I think a 6 year old, who’s a good reader, could handle this one. Mambo is just your average, milk drinking, TV watching, armpit cleaning, rabbit until he falls through a time-warp hole in his bathroom. Then he’s in the time of dinosaurs, well, kind of. After surviving the dinosaurs, Mambo finds himself worshipped by villagers and then captured by an evil slave owning, maniac man. How will he ever survive and make it back to present day? The pictures cause gut-busting laugh out-loud moments. The text is perfect for a beginning reader or for a parent to read to a child in one or two nights. I enjoyed reading this one with my son. ~Tanya

READ MORE BOOK REVIEWS :
CLICK HERE!

The Haunting of Derek Stone, City of the Dead, Book 1
By Tony Abbott
Age 9-13, Scholastic, $4.99

SCARY with a lot of CREEPY is the best way to describe this new series by the author of the Secret of Droon books. Derek Stone thought he was having a great time with his father and brother, Ronny, while traveling on a train. But everything gets derailed when the trains drops into a ravine, killing almost everyone. Derek survives. The search team can’t find the bodies of father or brother and the bodies of seven others riding on that deadly locomotion. On top of dealing with the pain of the loss of his family, he must figure out why he now hears voices. A month later, his brother, Ronny, is found alive and delivered home by the police. But Ronny is not the brother Derek knew and loved. Something has seriously changed about his brother. ~Tanya

Click HERE to see a full list of winners for 2009!

2009 Caldecott Medal Winner: Best Picture Book

The House in the Night
by Susan Marie Swanson
Illustrated by Beth Krommes

2009 Newbery Award Winner: Best Contribution to Children's Literature

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean

2009 Geisel Award Winner: Best Book for Beginning Readers

Are You Ready to Play Outside
by Mo Willems

2009 Mildren L. Batchelder Award
Given to an American publisher of the most outstanding book originally published in a foreign country, in a foreign language and then translated in the U.S.

Arthur A. Levine
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
by Nahoko Uehashi
translated by Cathy Hirano

2009 Pura Belpre Award
Given to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator who best celebrates the Latino cultural experience

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom
by Margarita Engle

2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson

2009 Coretta Scott King Award
Given to an African American author or illustrator for best book

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson

Hilda and Emily Demuth
Sunday, July 5 : 2-3 pm

We are pleased to welcome sisters Hilda and Emily Demuth with their first historical, mystery novel, Plank Road Summer (Crickhollow Books $13.95) on Sunday, July 5 from 2 - 3 p.m. There will be a bookmark craft and a model plank road display.

Plank Road Summer, (ages 8-12), takes place in the Midwest. Two 13-year-olds, Katie McEachron and her best friend Florence Mather, experience a new and exciting world one summer as the plank road brings strangers to their dinner tables and the plight of runaway slaves to their consciences. Call to reserve your books and your spot.

SEE MORE IN STORE EVENTS : CLICK HERE!