Another JUSTIN review, another JUSTIN sneak peek!

(shouldn't the words sneak and peek be spelled alike? I am just saying. English is so screwy. I wrote "sneak peak" first, that means a whole different thing. Is it any wonder some of us can't spell?)

Anyway. What are you up to today? I am drinking tea and writing. Hmmm, deja vu much?

But the big news du jour (I am feeling so very French. Maybe I need a croissant.) JUSTIN was reviewed in School Library Journal! Here's what they have to say:

VAIL, Rachel. Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters. illus. by Matthew Cordell. 256p. Feiwel & Friends. May 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-312-53290-1. LC number unavailable.

Gr 2-4–Honest and full of heart, Justin Case is a story for an oft-ignored segment of kids: the sensitive, introverted, and observant. Those youngsters will see themselves in third grader Justin Krzeszewski, a full-blown worrywart with good intentions. He wants to be a good student. He wants to make friends. It’s just that sometimes things don’t work out, often with humorous results. Through his journal entries during the course of the year, readers see his changing friendships, embarrassments, a “be careful what you wish for” new pet, and the dreaded gym-class rope. His voice is authentic, and touches of playdates and “screen time” will ring true with today’s youngsters. The format will remind many readers of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (Abrams), but with fewer illustrations and a more reflective tone than Jeff Kinney’s series. Cordell’s intermittent doodles pair nicely with the personal quality of the text. Readers who are looking for plot-driven excitement will have to look elsewhere. Justin Case is about the feelings that kids experience as they navigate the roller coaster of family and school life. This is subtly satisfying storytelling. No miraculous character overhauls–just a boy growing up and, hopefully, becoming a bit braver.–Travis Jonker, Dorr Elementary School, MI

And, on that note, your daily dose of Justin:

April 20, Tuesday

For Earth Day Thursday, we have to write haikus. Haikus are about nature. A haiku that is not about nature is what a senryu is, it turns out, and that is apparently not what we are writing.

Mittens are not "nature" so anybody who wrote a nice haiku about a mitten that got lost actually wrote a senryu and had to start over, even though it was my best poem ever.

This is my stinky haiku:

Dandelions rock

They polka-dot the green grass

For decoration

Tune in tomorrow for what happens when he turns that haiku in to Ms. Termini...

And send me your own stinky haikus (or even non-stinkers) and I will choose a couple to post.

Merci!

(Maybe I will at least go get a baguette...)

Love,

Rachel Vail

PS One week until JUSTIN CASE: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters hits bookstores!