JUSTIN hits stores!

Hooray!

While I was wandering around on this unreasonably gloomy and cold Monday in New York City, I wandered into a local Barnes & Noble and what did I see? JUSTIN! One day early! Right there on the shelf between books named Drizzle and Sports Camp -- which seems so perfect for Justin, somehow.

So, I saw Justin and gasped (frightening a lovely woman who was browsing beside me; sorry!) The skies at that exact moment instantly brightened, and the birds started singing!

Well, actually, no.

But still, I felt very excited.

And in celebration, here is the first edition of our Review of the Day from Kids... send me yours and we'll publish it here!

Justin Case is an amazing book about a young third-grader’s problems and worries. He may constantly worry about things that most people wouldn’t even think about, but it’s his vivid imagination that enthralls readers inside separate, fantasy worlds in Justin’s imagination alongside the real one. The fantasy world has its own worries, but in the end, it’s what helps him survive third grade. Having to work his way past obstacles like Ms. Termini (his teacher), Xavier Schwartz and Johnny Skiski (the class bullies, whom he “no thank yous”), Montana C. (whom he also no thank yous), constant sport practicing, the dreaded “rope climb,” Qwertyuiop (his dog, Qwerty for short), and the Superstar Competition, he is faced with a life of worries. However, he never knows where he can find friends in unexpected places.

Justin Case is a book that kids slightly older than Justin will enjoy. This way, kids can feel more humor because they can think, “No, Justin! That’s a bad idea!” or “Don’t do that, Justin!” because they have more life experience than him so that they know what might result from it. Readers are faced with powerful humor because of Justin’s countless semi-phobias.

In this book, friendships shift, new ones form, and Justin begins to discover who he truly is. All in all, Justin Case is a great book.

By John David, grade 5