How Lucky Am I?

I'm so lucky to have readers who write wonderful reviews like this!!!

My favorite parts:

"I'm begging you to read it."

"It's addictive. Pick it up, never put it down."

Thanks so much for this wonderful review!!!

The Year of Billy Miller

I'm not a book reviewer and I don't play one on TV....

.....but here's what I loved about The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes:

Funny
Sweet
Realistic
Heartfelt
Kind-hearted

Henkes just NAILS the main character. It's almost as if he actually WAS a second-grade boy at some point in his life.

Oh, wait...

Anyway, a super lovable character in perfect kid-centered vignettes.

The book is divided into four parts: Teacher, Sal [sister], Papa and Mama, focusing on Billy's relationship with those characters.

Loved it.

A lovely review

I love this review of On the Road to Mr. Mineo's in the Christian Science Monitor.

 

A Star for Mr. Mineo!

A starred review from School Library Journal for

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's!

Gr 3-6–Nestled in the scenic South Carolina countryside is a quiet town called Meadville. Summers are ordinary, but wonderful, filled with bike rides, swimming lessons, and the antics of imaginative children. Stella is eager for adventure and longs for a pet to be her constant companion. She spends her days with her best friend, Gerald, on the roof of his garage conjuring up “good ideas” that usually bring some type of misfortune on him. One typical day, an unexpected visitor arrives–a one-legged pigeon that sets Stella on a mission to catch it and claim it as her own. However, she is not the only person eager to catch this fickle rogue. There are many others, equally as determined to snare the elusive bird. This heartwarming tale of a town coming together in an unexpected way will delight readers. Children will eagerly follow the twists and turns in this story of friendship and loneliness, giving and receiving. O’Connor sets the stage beautifully from the very beginning, painting the small town in brilliant colors with her descriptive imagery. Older elementary students will easily relate to the nuances of the relationships between older and younger children as well as the angst of sibling rivalry. The theme of everyone working together to achieve a common goal is strong, and the ending is touching and satisfying.

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's - Reviews

 

Some reviews of On the Road to Mr. Mineo's

From Horn Book:

"With total authorial control, O'Connor brings it all together, first creating a quiet, satisfying adventure and then an apt conclusion for peaceful, laid back Meadville. Here it is the subtlety of character and setting, rather than action, that rules the roost."  --Betty Carter

 From Kirkus:

 O'Connor weaves the fabric of her tale from each of these separate threads, moving back and forth among points of view, sympathetic to nearly all (except Levi and company). As in The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (2009), she condenses long summer days down into their essence, quiet but humming with an undercurrent of childhood energy

From Publishers Weekly:

O'Connor's understated third-person narration moves languidly among the children (and some adults) in town - including Mr. Mineo, the homing pigeon's actual owner - in a story that beautifully captures the feel of a small Southern town and its residents.

From Book Page:

"...a gem of a story...Barbara O'Connor's gift in storytelling is her restraint. Holding back allows the reader to fill in a bit, making the story more personal. Her talents make On the Road to Mr. Mineo's an unforgettable trip."  --Robin Smith

And some blog and other reviews:

Kirby's Lane  

Sal's Fiction Addiction
A Book and a Hug 

                                                          

Reader reviews

I'm delighted that I've been getting such nice reader reviews for On the Road to Mr. Mineo's. 

Just this morning I heard from this little cowboy.

A nice shout out for Owen Jester

A nice recommendation for The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

A lovely review for Owen Jester

It doesn't get much better than THIS review!

Kids Should Be Book Reviewers

The 4:00 Book Hook

A super newsletter published by a group of super writers.

"...aimed at people who share books with kids: parents, homeschoolers, teachers, librarians, grandparents."

The December/January issue offers some great gift-giving suggestions (including a couple from Yours Truly).

Greetings from Nowhere

A lovely review of Greetings from Nowhere from a teacher (my heroes) blog: Driven to Read.

Children make the BEST reviewers

A review of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester from a 7-year-old reader on Amazon:

This is a really good adventure book, and is also a friendship book. I'd say that if "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a "10" then this book is a "12". I'm planning to read it again. I think my dad should read it too.

I liked this book a lot, it was really detailed. Even though there weren't any pictures in the book, the author described things so well that I could imagine everything very clearly. The only girls in the story were Owen's enemies, but I think girls would still like the rest of the book.

Complete review here.

Thanks, Professor Nana

A lovely review for Owen Jester from the amazing Teri Lesesne.

Now THIS is how to review a book

From a young reader:


If you have not read this book than you are CRAZY! If you are in 3 or 4 grade then read this book NOW!

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Just back from Kansas. A great experience accepting the William Allen White award for How to Steal a Dog.

Lots of pics to post....but in the meantime...check out the featured review of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester in the October issue of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

A terrific blog review

I love this review of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester!

Two more starred reviews for Owen Jester!

That makes THREE (but who's counting?).

School Library Journal; starred review:
This well-crafted novel creates a charming mix of the commonplace and the extraordinary….Appealing and authentic, this tale of summertime adventure will be a hit with readers year round.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; starred review:
O’Connor masterfully twists the two plot threads….[and] fashions a geography of childhood freedom.

Two nice blog reviews for Owen Jester

Fizzwhizzing Flushbunker

Read, Write, Believe

Thanks, y'all!!

NY Times Book Review

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester reviewed in New York Times.

A Star from Kirkus!

The first review of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester is a star from Kirkus!


"The short, sad life of Tooley Graham was over," doesn't sound like a happy conclusion but is pitch perfect in this short, simple and endearing middle-grade novel that follows on the heels of The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (2009).

Owen Jester is focused on several things during his summer vacation: finding a way to keep his trapped "pet" bullfrog alive and happy, locating what fell off a train with a loud crash! one night and keeping annoying next-door neighbor Viola—who knows everything—out of their business as he schemes with his two best friends, Stumpy and Travis. The discovery of a sleek, red two-person submarine in the brush alongside the tracks changes everything. Can three young, girl-hating boys and a willing and very able—and tolerant--girl move a submarine to Graham Pond? If they manage that, will they ever be able to pilot it?

In the heat of a languid Georgia summer vacation, in the dreams of irrepressible youth, anything is possible. O'Connor has spun a lovely read that perfectly captures the schemes and plans of school-age kids in the long days of summer. (Fiction. 8-11)