Happy Monday! How was your weekend? For those of you lucky enough to attend the NESCBWI conference, how was it? I hope you didn’t have TOO much fun without me; I was very sorry to miss it, though I missed it for a very good reason — my (LaReau) family reunion. It was so nice to enjoy a little time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

So, here’s a little bit of news, as we head into the week…

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a COVER REVEAL! Come on over to The Little Crooked Cottage and see the cover of my very first novel, The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters: The Jolly Regina. I think you’ll agree that illustrator Jen Hill is a genius.

The Infamous Ratsos received its first review! Kirkus says,

Two little rats decide to show the world how tough they are, with unpredictable results.Louie and Ralphie Ratso want to be just like their single dad, Big Lou: tough! They know that “tough” means doing mean things to other animals, like stealing Chad Bagerton’s hat. Chad Bagerton is a big badger, so taking that hat from him proves that Louie and Ralphie are just as tough as they want to be. However, it turns out that Louis and Ralphie have just done a good deed instead of a bad one: Chad Bagerton had taken that hat from little Tiny Crawley, a mouse, so when Tiny reclaims it, they are celebrated for goodness rather than toughness. Sadly, every attempt Louie and Ralphie make at doing mean things somehow turns nice. What’s a little boy rat supposed to do to be tough? Plus, they worry about what their dad will say when he finds out how good they’ve been. But wait! Maybe their dad has some other ideas? LaReau keeps the action high and completely appropriate for readers embarking on chapter books. Each of the first six chapters features a new, failed attempt by Louie and Ralphie to be mean, and the final, seventh chapter resolves everything nicely. The humor springs from their foiled efforts and their reactions to their failures. Myers’ sprightly grayscale drawings capture action and characters and add humorous details, such as the Ratsos’ “unwelcome” mat.A nicely inventive little morality “tail” for newly independent readers. (Fiction. 5-8)

Not too shabby, eh?

I’ll be doing a regular story time (at 11am, on the first Saturday of every month) at my neighborhood toy store, Henry Bear’s Park. If you’re nearby and available, I hope I’ll see you (and your kiddos) there. Be sure to spread the word!

Have a great week, everyone!