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My Important Thoughts About The Book:
 About three years ago my husband bought a Venus flytrap
in a little plastic cup for his niece for her fifth birthday. I’ve never had a plant
in a plastic cup do anything but die. This one, however, grew into something that
looked as if it belonged in a classic Star Trek episode.
I had been interested in writing a book for
younger children for a while because a few teachers at elementary schools I had visited
told me they wished I had a book for their first and second graders. But I hadn’t
been able to think of anything to write about. Then I was handed this idea for a story
about a plant that grew and grew.
I
struggled for quite some time to write a book about a girl and her plant. My picture book
manuscript didn’t work. A couple of chapter books didn’t work. The story evolved
from being a girl and her plant, to a girl playing with her plant, to a girl using her
plant for fantasy play, to a girl who likes fantasy play.
In
fact, the Venus flytrap doesn’t even appear in A Girl, a Boy, and a Monster Cat. (The
cat shows up in every draft, though.) The book ended up being a series of short stories,
similar to two of my earlier books, My Life Among the Aliens and Club Earth. |
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Click on the image to the left to learn more about The Hannah and
Brandon Stories |
The Critics' Important Thoughts About The Book...
 | The Horn Book: "Take one boy stuck at a neighbor's house,
mix in one girl with an overactive imagination, add one vicious Chihuahua, and you have a
perfect recipe for havoc…The unlikely friendship between Brandon and Hannah develops
naturally, and before long, Brandon doesn't even miss his tube time-and neither will
readers."
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| School Library Journal: "The outrageous situations, quirky
characters, and black-and-white cartoon illustrations are certain to appeal to children
who are looking for an easy chapter book that is pure fun."
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| The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "More than
anything, Gauthier's novel is conceptually inspiring, and it may motivate more than one
reader to click off that remote and head into the endless possibilities of imaginative
play. Cepeda's cartoonish illustrations offer additional high spirits, catching the two
kids in the middle of many a good adventure." |
Read What The Blogs Have To Say...
Other Stuff:
| Named to the 2008 Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle of
recommended books for intermediate students (3rd - 5th grade).
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| Named a Junior Library
Guild Selection. |
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[ Home ] [ Club Earth ] [ A Year With Butch And Spike ] [ My Life Among The Aliens ] [ The Hero of Ticonderoga ] [ A Girl, A Boy and Three Robbers ] [ Saving the Planet and Stuff ] [ Happy Kid! ] [ A Girl, A Boy and a Monster Cat ]
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