Oh my goodness….we are taking a slight detour from our usual picture book review because, when I heard that there was a chapter book about Coney Island, I knew I had to share it with all of you. I grew up in New York City…and Coney Island was a favorite desitination during the summer months for my family.
Yup, that’s me, at about 18-months old, not a fan of the sand.
These days, even younger kids are enjoying chapter books, either reading them or listening to them. If you are a fan of The Magic Tree House series, I think you will be head over heels in love with THE SNOWGLOBE COLLECTION.
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THE SNOWGLOBE COLLECTION: RETURN TO CONEY ISLAND
Written by Melissa Stoller
Illustrated by Callie MetlerSmith
Published by Clear Fork/Spork (August 2017)
Opening Lines:
“Ha! I won again,” said Emma. She reached her grandmother’s door just before her twin brother, Simon.”
Themes:
Family, time-travel
Synopsis:
From Amazon:
They thought it was an
ordinary sleepover . . .
When nine-year-old twins Emma and Simon shake a snow globe from their grandmother’s enchanted collection, they are transported back to Coney Island on June 24, 1928. According to family legend, that’s the day their great-grandparents meet on the Coney Island trolley. But if events don’t work exactly as they’re supposed to, the meeting won’t take place and the twins might never be born. After a day of adventures – from the Cyclone roller coaster to the boardwalk arcade, and finally to the all-important trolley ride – will the twins help make it happen?
Why I like this book:
- My grandson and I are huge fans of The Magic Tree House series and I got the same sense of adventure as I read about these twins who go back in time and meet their great-grandmother when she was a child…what fun!
- I’m also a fan of snowglobes and remember an old classic book, The Snowglobe Family where a real tiny family lived in a snowglobe. Author Melissa Stoller has found a unique way to incorporate snowglobes and time travel.
- I love the relationship the twins have with their grandmother…books that encourage intergenerational connections are important.
Related Activities:
Photo courtesy: http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/homemade-snow-globes/
MAKE A SNOWGLOBE
You will need: Small clean empty jar with tight-closing screw lid (like a baby food or relish jar), small plastic figures, waterproof glue, glitter)
For detailed instruction, go here: http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/homemade-snow-globes/
Please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a copy of this book…and remember that book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are important for the success of every book.
And please come back tomorrow for a super fun interview with author Melissa Stoller on Will Write for Cookies…plus of course, one of her favorite cookie recipes!
But wait! There’s one more piece of business that we need to take care of. A couple of weeks ago, Jen Garrett honored us with a super post about the importance of critique groups and how to find one. She offered a PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE as a giveaway…and I told her I would match that by giving one of mine.
And the winner of Jen’s critique is…
AGATHA RODI
And the winner of my critique is…
DANIELLE HAMMELEF
CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU!
Dear friends, have a wonderful weekend…stay safe and healthy!
Congratulations, Melissa! Your book sounds like it will be an exciting adventure. Who doesn’t like an amusement park? And snow globes, too! I’m looking forward to reading it.
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Thanks for stopping by, Judy! I’ve always loved snowglobes also. 😉
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Thank you Judy! I love amusement parks, Nathan’s hot dogs, and snow globes, so it was really fun to do all the hands-on “research!”
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this does sound like a great book.
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Great read for young kids…and I really enjoyed it!
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Thank you so much, Linda! It was so much fun to write!!
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Thanks for this quick review and activity, Vivian. This book sounds, well, enchanting! I look forward to reading it. Congrats, Melissa!
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Glad you enjoyed the review and activity, Jane! I hope you get to read it.
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Thank you Jane! I love Dear Vivian’s review and activities also! At the end of the book, I include a family book club guide with more activities and discussion questions, a recipe, family connection enrichment, and research links. Enjoy!
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I’m looking forward to settling down with this book. Your mention of the Magic Tree House series reminded me of a tornado warning we had in our town last year. The sirens screamed as I raced around the house gathering photo albums, my laptop, paintings from my mother and aunt, and our many pets. As fast as possible, I brought everything into the basement. My daughter didn’t take as long as I did to gather her most precious possessions. Clutched in her arms was her entire Magic Tree House collection. And since my daughter and I both adore snow globes and have our own magical collection, I have a feeling this book will be a bit hit around here.
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I’m glad you guys were safe, Leslie…and perhaps having those books gave your daughter a sense of safety…if Jack and Annie could be okay during a tornado like trip in each book, she would be also. 😉 And adding snowglobes to the mix was sheer genius on Meilssa’s part, 😉
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Thanks Vivian! I have a huge snow globe collection myself! I need to take a good photo and make that the subject of another post!
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Hi Leslie – wow, I am glad you and your family are ok. That must have been scary trying to get to safety and saving all your prized possessions as well. Your sweet daughter took just what she needed! I feel like you can write a picture book about that somehow! Thanks for sharing this great story and I hope you love the book!
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This sounds like a fabulous series! And I love that snowglobe craft idea~ I’ll definitely be making those with my girls~ maybe over the holidays this winter!
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So happy you might use the craft with your girls, Jessica! I used to make snowglobes as Christmas gifts with my kindergarten classes.
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Hi Jessica – I hope you make the snow globe craft! It’s easy to do and so much fun. Share a picture – I would love to see what your kids come up with. Thanks for the support!!
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I love the magical snow globe idea! How wonderful! We are huge Tree House fans….we will definitely check out this new snow globe series!!
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Totally…if you love Magic Tree House, I think you will be ‘enchanted’ with Melissa’s new series. 🙂
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Thank you so much! I pitched the story as The Magic Tree House book series meets the Back to the Future movie series. I hope you enjoy the adventure!
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Congratulations, Melissa! I loved my snow globes. Your book sounds like a perfect read for me 🙂 My imagination took me many places when I would shake that snow.
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Me too! I try to find a unique snow globe from all of my travels (and I have several from my hometown of NYC as well). I hope you enjoy this snow globe adventure!
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The book looks adorable and the craft activity is perfect! I own a large, old Santa snow globe that – when wound – plays a Christmas carol as the snow sifts down on Santa. I have often wanted to jump into that perfect snow globe world.
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That sounds like a very special snow globe!! I know – I often look into my snow globes and wonder about the worlds inside! I hope you enjoy this enchanted adventure!
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I’m a fan of snow globes, and this sounds like a fun adventure. I would love to visit Coney Island in the 20s! Congrats, Melissa & thanks for sharing, Vivian :).
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Thanks so much Maria! I went to Coney Island recently (but was too scared to ride the Cyclone!) and it was a lovely day. It would be fun to really be transported back to Coney Island in the 1920s…..
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Love this book. I interviewed Melissa earlier. Glad you are doing a review of it. Can’t wait to get a copy. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Maria! How lucky am I to have Maria and Vivian interview me!!! Thanks for your support and friendship, ladies!
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I love this chapter book already…just by the title! I love writing chapter books especially creative nonfiction ones. I hope your chapter book brings great success!
All the best,
Lily
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Hi Lily – thanks so much! I spent a lot of time thinking about the title so I’m really happy to hear you like it! Good luck with your own chapter book writing and keep us posted.
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i loved reading the Magic Tree House series with my daughters. This will be fun to read too! And I’m in shock to see my name under the critique winner. Thank you!!!
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Hi Danielle – congratulations on winning the critique! Very exciting! I hope you and your daughters love this series! Thank you!!
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I can’t wait to read this book! Congratulations, Melissa. I’m so very excited for you!
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Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the adventure! Please let me know!!
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Congratulations Melissa! Oh good, another great adventure I can recommend to a grand child. This sounds like a great end of summer read.
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Hi Patricia – yes! Let me know what your grand child thinks. And it would be perfect to read together!! Thanks for your support.
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Awesome review! I like the activities you presented too! 😀
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