The best way to review a children’s book is to take it to the kids themselves! Blogger Brian Greene asked his daughter Violet to review the graphic novel Revenge of the Lizard Club by Thea Stilton (available August 20, 2013).
Here’s what she had to say (with a little help from her dad).
I loved Terrie Farley Moran’s post here of a few months back, where she had her grandchildren review a couple of kids’ books. I absolutely agree that the people best positioned to review kid lit are the little ones themselves. There’s a freshness to their perspective, and in their choices of words, that we aged ones can never reach.
So when Laura K. Curtis asked me if my daughter Violet, who is nine, would ever want to review a kids’ book for Criminal Element, my response was an immediate “heck yeah!” Violet was excited about the idea, too. She loves writing reviews. For a persuasive writing project in her third grade class this past year, she made a reviews newsletter. It contained write-ups on a couple books, as well as a few local restaurants. The last sentence of her review of Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins reads, “Remember: the girl is kind and loving.” And when critiquing a popular local diner, she raved about the place’s food and prices but warned her readers: “I would bring earmuffs because the restaurant is soooooooo loud,” and “you will have to be a snake to get around all the people.”
Ok, enough preface. Time for me to get out of the way and let Violet tell you about this Thea Stilton graphic novel (Terrie’s granddaughter Emelia reviewed the first installment of this series):
This book is SO COOL because there are these mini stories that tell what kind of journeys the characters take. There are five friends who are teenage mice. The friends take big journeys, like they see seals, a haunted ship, and pink stuff in the sea (sparkly). I enjoyed this book because it is a lot of tiny adventures put together as one big adventure. I recommend this amazing book to kids of all ages.
Thanks, Brian and Violet!
To enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of the graphic novel, Revenge of the Lizard Club by Thea Stilton, the second book in her adventurmous series, make sure you're a registered member of the site and simply leave a comment below.
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 United States, D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are 18 years or older as of the date of entry. To enter, complete entry at https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2013/08/a-kids-review-revenge-of-the-lizard-club-by-thea-stilton beginning at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) August 15, 2013. Sweepstakes ends at 3:59 p.m. ET August 22, 2013. Void outside the United States and Canada and where prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules here. Sponsor: Macmillan, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.
What a wonderful way to get and keep kids interested…by showing them that other kids are. Nice review from a child’s perspective. Thanks!
What a wonderful way to get and keep kids interested…by showing them that other kids are. Nice review from a child’s perspective. Thanks!
My juvenile library patrons would love to read this.
I think my “tween” grandaugher will love this!
My grandson would love this!
Violet (and Brian) thanks for an interesting review. I know Emelia’s younger sisters will love this book–and she’ll read it too, I’m sure.
Please enter me
I would love this book for my granddaughter.
looks great.
This would make a great gift
A great present! Yes!
My daughter would love this book!
This would be perfect for my daughter.
My daughter would LOVE this 🙂
This is a great book to read with children.
Suspect the grandkids would love to read this. They’ve done picture books, but graphic novels to date have been a bit too “adult” for them.
This sounds like a book my granddaughter would love.
My great nephew Ryan ventures out to kindergarten this month. He loves books with one exception, no chapters!
My nephew would love this
thanks … will go with my collection
kids would like this
Too cute! My daughter would love this.
My son would love this
This a great series.
My older grandson loved the Geronomo Stilton series and handed down the books to his little brother. Now there are more great gooks to add to the series. Love that and love to have fun, entertaining, and challenging reading for the kids.
This book sounds interesting.
Love graphic novel kids books. They are the only ones my nephews are guaranteed to read.
My great nieces and nephew would enjoy this.
sounds real cute. My niece and nephew would enjoy this.
looks like one for my niece!
[b] My Grands would love this book and I think I would too![/b]
Would love to share with children in the family and former students!
My grandson would love this!
This book will keep kids reading for hours.
I can’t wait to read this with my son. We love Geronimo Stilton!
my nephew would enjoy this
My nieces would love this one.
Sounds like a fun read.
My grandkids would love this.
This sounds like a cute series. Thanks for having the sweepstakes.
nice would love
My daughter loves these books!
this is so cute for the kids hope I win !
This cute review convinced me the kids in my life would love it.
My nieces would love this series. I should share it with them!
Sounds fun.
My 6-year-old nephew loves to catch lizards.
Love the review — and I agree that having kids review the kid books makes lots of sense.
my grand kids would love this
my grandson would enjoy this
This may sound weird, but illustrated children’s books like this one serve as writing examples in high school English classrooms.
Thanks to Violet for the great review.
Thank you for the great giveaway please count me in 🙂
I know this is for kids, but I LOVE Geronimo Stilton!
My grandchildren would love this!
My grandson will love this. I used to have a bit of a prejudice against graphic novels, then I remembered loving the Classics Comics series as a kid – House of the Seven Gables and many more.
I would love to read the work of Thea Stilton!
This lools like something my nephews would love to read, and me too!
My niece would love this.
I entered your giveaway.
It would be great [b]to win a paperback copy of[/b]
the graphic novel, Revenge of the Lizard Club [b]by Thea Stilton.[/b]
Thank you for having this giveaway!!!!!!!!!
Sounds cute
Looks fun.
A great present for my daughter!
i would love to win this!
The books by this author looks so interesting. My nephew would so enjoy this story. Thanks for the chance to enter!!
Sounds great, would love to win this!
Would like to offer it to a 7 year old girl.
My daughter would love this!
This sounds terrific and would make the perfect gift for my best friend’s children.