Found it! The perfect gift for one of my literary-loving friends. She works as a children's librarian and is also an ardent fan of Jane Austen. It's mind-boggling to consider that a quiet little novelist, who never published a book under her own name and died at the age of 41, remains a model of literary excellence. Two hundred years have not diminished interest in her life and writing. Her works have been made into multiple adaptations for television and movies. No one could have predicted that her work would be the inspiration for pop culture hits such as Clueless and Bridget Jones. ​Purists delight in Austen’s perceptive portrayals of life: gently skewering the pompous, revealing the mind of the ardent searcher, and lovingly sympathizing with the tender-hearted.

Brave Jane Austin: Reader, Writer, Author, Rebel
by Lisa Pliscou ill Jen Corace

Lisa Pliscou's Brave Jane Austen: Reader, Writer, Author, Rebel is a thoughtful introduction to this well-known British author. Pliscou paints a portrait of a close-knit family who valued education and literary pursuits. The well-stocked family library included a globe and microscope. Her father read aloud to the family and her mother wrote poetry. When family finances permitted, Jane and her sister were sent away for schooling. Jane's remarkable determination to remain true to herself and direct her own life is one of the distinguishing features of this narrative. Austen "presented the idea that a girl could use her intelligence to help her live the best life possible." Back matter includes a brief statement on "The Life and Times of Jane Austen," selected quotations from the her writings, accolades from well-known authors, and a listing of additional resources.

Pour Your Heart Out:
​A Journal of Wit, Wisdom, and a Touch of Charm
quotes by Jane Austen ill Clare Owen

This attractive journal features quotations from all six of Austen's novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. Each quotation is followed by a journal entry prompt. For example, this quotation is paired with the following prompt.  Quotation: "There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves. It is not my nature." Writing prompt: "What are the craziest things you would do for a friend?" Jane's feminist nature is revealed with statements such as "Songs and proverbs, all talk of women's fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men" ​Clare Owen's calligraphy and lovely graphic designs add just the right touch to this easy-to-personalize journal.

Additional Austin-inspired Gift Ideas

Zippered Pouch

Pemberly postcards

Mr. Darcy Quote Pillow

Obstinate Girl Mug

Bonus: Ten Jane Austin Adaptations

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

Full disclosure. I resisted reading this book. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed Riordan’s the Olympians series. But if this was another "child of a mythological god" wanna be, I wasn’t interested. Eventually I picked up the volume, started to read, and instantly realized that I was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The first few pages convinced me. This is no weak Percy Jackson remake. ​Roshani Chokshi has taken the concept, turned it inside out, ripped out the old construction, removed the fabric, woven a new tapestry and created something fresh and sparkling. She has breathed new life into a mythological adventure for middle grade readers. ​After the first chapter, I could not stop reading. I skipped meals and didn’t want to put the book down to search for food. Reading was more important than a growling stomach. This book is that good! Here some of the reasons why Aru Shah and the End of Time captivated me:

The Creature of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz ill Hatem Aly

Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith

Can we start with the ring? This ring is the finger adornment that dreams are made of.       Defende Fabulos Defend the Imaginary      Potege Mythica​ Protect the Mythical Just think of it. ​It is noble. It speaks of grandeur.  This is one amazingly cool ring. ​I understand that it may only be worn by members of the Unicorn Rescue Society. ​​Professor Fauna, sign me up now. Please.

It's Elliot Eisner's first day at a new school and already he's feeling more than a little uneasy. The day is starting with a field trip. Boarding a bus with students he doesn't know, supervised by a teacher he has never met, and heading into the Pine Barrens of New Jersey does not appear to be a promising start.  Elliot and his new-found friend Uchenna Devereaux soon learn that this field trip will not be like any other school excursion they have experienced.  A very strange-looking man, with hair that "stood up from his scalp like he was in the habit of kissing electric eels" introduces himself to the busload of students as Professor Fauna and promises them a dangerous expedition. "Indeed. Danger is the greatest teacher." Then it happens. Elliot and Uchenna encounter a small furry blue creature, shaped like deer, with claws on its two front  feet and red bat-like wings.  It is a Jersey Devil, resident of the Pine Barrens.  Not only do they see this mythical creature, they carefully hide it in Uchenna's backpack.

Stay Connected to the Society

The Unicorn Rescue Society Book Tour with Adam Gidwitz April 7 Book Launch 4-6 pm @ Brooklyn Pubic Library, Central Library, Dweck Center  April 19 California 4 PM @ Copperfield's Books, Petaluma  April 21 Cavalcade of Authors Washington State University, Tricities May 21 Chicago 4:30 PM @ The Book Stall, Winnetka June 28 Follett's Reading Con, Northern Illinois University Conference Center,Naperville July 13 BYU Books for Young Readers  @Provo City Library at Academy Square, Provo

Meet Mr.Gidwitz

Join the Unicorn Rescue Society

Get Ready for a New Adventure

Stuck in the Stone Age by Geoff Rodney ill by Hatem Aly

Have you ever read a book that was so funny that you found yourself laughing out loud? Have you ever found people looking at you and asking “What’s so funny?” When this happens, you look up from your book and realize that you are making a public scene. Immediately you attempt to stifle the guffaws bubbling up inside you. Eventually you acknowledge that you can’t control your laughter. It is time to decide: either put the book away until you are alone or just keep reading and ignore the curious stares. This precisely describes my experience as I laughed my way through Stuck in the Stone Age by Geoff Rodkey. Note: I kept reading.

​"You think we'll be okay?" "Definitely not." "We'll survive, though, right?" "Not a chance." "Not even if we brace ourselves?" "Did you take physics?" "Yeah, But I got an H in it." "What's an H?" "It's a little worse than a G."

Bonus Resources

What Happens Next by Susan Hughes ill Carey Sookocheff

What Bully B. Does at School Today: Blocks my way. Asks me questions that aren't really questions. Like, "Why are you so weird?" What Her Friends Do: Laugh What Everyone Else Does: Nothing What I Say When Mom Asks How  My Day at School Was: Fine

​​While all problems with bullies are not quickly and easily solved, Hughes' book can serve as resource for helping children and adults acknowledge the problem of bullying and suggest positive proactive steps to deal with bullies.  Sookocheff's line drawings are punctuated with blue and green blocks of color, echoing emotions.  This use of color is particularly evident in the  blue wash used to identify the narrator.  Near the story's conclusion, small hints of red are introduced. Written for children, this picture book can serve as a resource for parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with young people who face the constant threat of bullying.

Arnold the Brave by Gundi Herget ill Nikolai Renger

No one in the meadow seems to take him seriously. He does have one fan, Milo the mole, who cheers for Arnold from an underground hole. Things change the day that a wolf is seen on the horizon and appears to be heading toward the flock.

This imposing canine has the sheep terrified.  Whatever will they do?

They decide that hiding from the wolf is their best recourse.

But not our fearless Super Sheep. He is ready to take on any foe. He has no fear and boldly approaches the wolf. ​Little does he realize that he has a secret accomplice: Milo bravely puts into action his own scheme to thwart Mr. Wolf.

Extension Activities

Ball of Yarn

School Heroes

May 4, 2018 is School Lunch Hero Day. Visit this website for biographies of real life lunch staff members. Get downloadable flyers, cards, lesson plans, and other resources.

Islandborn by Junot Díaz ill Leo Espinosa

Lola por Junot Díaz ilustrado por Leo Espinosa

Lola is faced with a dilemma. Her teacher has assigned each member of the class the task of creating a picture of the country of his/her origin. Lola has no recollection of her native land.  She left the country of her birth when she was a baby. After consultation with the teacher, she devises a plan. She will ask family, friends, and people in her community about her homeland. She hears delightful memories of sights and sounds, learns of special places and contented feelings. Her conversations expose not just the good things about her island home. She also learns of the horrors inflicted on innocent people, which forced her family to flee the island.

Extending the family story experience

Pignic by Matt Phelan

Who can resist this cover? Mr Phelan gets it right, down to the curly pigtail flourishes on the title letters G and C.

When they reach their destination, problems arise.  An exploration leaves them stranded until an animal friend comes to the rescue.  When the kite cannot be launched, Phelan provides a brilliant solution that is a clever comic twist on a fairy tale trope. Suddenly the sky darkens. Rain drenches the piglets.  It appears that the day is a disaster. Not so. Phelan works his storytelling magic with the perfect solution. Soft water color images exude personality and are well-suited to the setting.  Illustrations give young readers visual cues needed to decode unfamiliar words.  Repetitive phrases, limited vocabulary, and large font centered within plenty of white space provide readers additional support.  Pignic is a delightful adventure for young and not-so-young readers.

The Night Diary by Veera Hirandani

By the time that I reached the concluding chapter of The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani had succeeded in shattering my heart into a thousand tiny pieces. At the tender age of twelve, Nisha's world has already been turned upside down. Living with her widowed father, younger brother Amil, and grandmother, she already experiences tension at home, as her grieving father plunges himself into his work as a physician at the Mirpus Khas city hospital. He becomes cold and aloof to his children, particularly to Amil. However, life for Nisha becomes immensely more difficult after the 1947 partition of India. Two self-governing countries, India and Pakistan, are created to separate Muslim and Hindu populations. Nisha's father is Hindu and her mother was Muslim. Nisah's family is forced to leave the India that they know and cross the Pakistani border. The journey becomes dangerous as religious hostilities escalate. Note: The author asserts that during this time over 14 million people crossed borders. An  estimated one million people were killed during this migration .

Resources

Food and Phrases

"He taught me how to fold the dough over the filling and dab the edges with water before pressing the corners together.​ Each samosa felt like a small animal, soft and warm in my hand."

Dal

Kheer

Samosa

Roti

Journal

"...I've decided I'm going to write in it every day if I can. I want to explain things to you as if I'm writing a storybook, like The Jungle Book except without all the animals. I want to make it real so you can imagine it."

Maps

"Sometimes the world as you know it just decides to become something else."

Social Issues

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," Papa said.

Conversation with Author 

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

Recently I received a box of artisan chocolates. This was not your ordinary drug store variety. Each bonbon was a unique creation with a complex blend of flavors. Think burnt caramel, tarragon grapefruit, Piedmont hazelnut. Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World is the literary equivalent to a box of artisan chocolates. The gorgeous case holds a selection of biography bonbons. Like an assortment of confections, the micro-biographies are presented without regard to chronology, geography or sphere of influence. Entries showcase distinctive details of each woman's life, morsels to be savored.

Pénélope Bagieu has created a fascinating and highly entertaining compendium of female trailblazers. Each vignette consists of an introductory portrait with basic biographical  information. Most pages follow a six or nine panel-per-page format. Black and white line drawings are punctuated with bright spots of color. A chapter's color pallet is unique to the life and reflects the personality of the highlighted woman. Each entry concludes with a gorgeous two-page full color illustration, celebrating the life of this woman and her contributions to her world. Emphasis is placed on the circumstances which compelled each to take a stand. Bagieu's adds her own observations and witty asides to the narrative. Sometimes her tone is slightly sardonic. This is not an exhaustive in-depth historical treatise. The author is here to tell the story of rebels. In keeping of her purpose, she at times merely alludes to and occasionally omits historical details.