Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish by Linda Thieman--Book Review

Katie & Kimble are back with a new adventure in Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish, Book 2 in the Katie & Kimble chapter book series.

When Katie finds a magic coupon in a box of cereal, Katie and Kimble decide to use their free wish to make Kimble human again. The wish will only last for two days and it's a bit scary for Kimble to know that Katie's parents will be able to see her and that she won't be able to float through walls for a while. But the girls plan to make the most of those two days and hope that everything will be back to normal once the wish is over.

Katie & Kimble is an entertaining series for young readers. After discovering Kimble in Book One--which we reviewed here--Katie and Kimble have become more like sisters than friends. While Katie's mother, Mrs. Russell can't hear Kimble when she's a ghost, she still allows Kimble to call her Mama. And once Kimble becomes human, Mrs. Russell not only hears her, but she hugs Kimble tightly and cries for joy.

One of the best aspects of this book is the complete acceptance of Kimble into the Russell family from Katie's parents, her two-year-old brother, Toby--who has always been able to see Kibo (as he calls her)--and even the family's dog, Twinkle. While young readers might not make the connection, this could be a book that parents use to show adopted children that they are accepted and loved just as much as natural born children.

An interesting admission comes from Mr. Russell in The Magic Wish and this helps pave the way for him to believe in Kimble and to welcome her home after she becomes a ghost again and goes off to rest.

The cover art uses the same color scheme as the first book to make it easily identifiable, and as the mother of a child who struggles with reading, I appreciate that the plot is interesting but not too complex and that there are words to challenge my daughter but many sight words too.

Katie & Kimble is a charming and fun chapter book series that kids will love. I can't wait to read the next one!


Title: Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish Book 2
Author: Linda Thieman
Publisher: Pale Silver Rainplop Press
ISBN-10: 0-9794396-2-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-9794396-2-9
SRP: $5.95 (US)

Katie & Kimble Virtual Book Tour '09--Book Review

Follow the adventures of a girl and a ghost in Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story by Linda Thieman.

Katie Russell, her two-year-old brother, Toby, and her parents move into a big, empty house in the country. Well, at least they think it is empty. But after moving in, Katie begins to find objects laying around that don't belong to anyone in the family. Oh, and there's that girlish laughter Katie hears too.

Kimble, the ghost of a ten-year-old girl, appears to Katie and asks her to help find out what happened to Kimble's mother. So Katie and Kimble set out on an adventure that leads them to a graveyard, the granddaughter of the man who started the town's newspaper, and a forest, to uncover the truth.

An excellent start to a new series of chapter books for young readers. Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story explores friendship and the loss of a loved one in such a way that the reader is immediately drawn into the story. In our interview with Linda Thieman, she mentioned the importance of dealing with grief in a realistic way. Katie & Kimble does this, as the girls discover together what happened to Kimble's mother.

There is nothing that will scare a young reader within this book's pages. The mystery is there. The suspense builds as Katie and Kimble investigate what might have happened to Kimble's mother. But at no point is the material presented in such a way that a young reader will experience fear.

Thieman did a wonderful job of portraying both Katie's youth and her growth. Katie is forced to make a decision between helping Kimble and obeying her parents. In the end, this delicate issue is handled well and addressed in an appropriate fashion.

The black and white illustrations by Kim Tharp truly bring Katie and Kimble's world to life in a special way, and one of these illustrations adorns the front cover.

A bit of mystery, a budding friendship, and some wonderful adventures await young readers in Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story.


Title: Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story
Author: Linda Thieman
Publisher: Pale Silver Rainplop Press
ISBN-10: 0-9794396-1-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-9794396-1-2
SRP: $5.95 (U.S.)

Katie & Kimble Virtual Book Tour '09

Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family LOOK like a normal family. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble, the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to Kimble's mother. -- Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story is a chapter book at RL3 (reading level 3), and is the first in a series. The Katie & Kimble books are funny, engaging and exciting, but are not fear-based.


AUTHOR'S BIO:

Linda Thieman (pronounced TEE-mun) writes the Katie & Kimble chapter book series (RL3) and runs the Katie & Kimble Blog (http://www.katieandkimbleblog.com). She is a former English language teacher who has created a set of reading skills worksheets and classroom materials that teachers and homeschoolers can download from the Katie & Kimble Blog free of charge. The materials correspond to the first two books in the Katie & Kimble series and are guided by the standards set for third grade reading skills in Iowa school systems.

Linda lives in Sioux City, Iowa. She hopes to publish Katie & Kimble: The Golden Door (book 3) in 2009.

You can visit Linda's website at http://www.katieandkimbleblog.com/

TO SEE WHERE LINDA, KATIE AND KIMBLE ARE STOPPING NEXT, VISIT http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/