I read two great kids books while on vacation. Both wonderful, each very different from the other.
The Crow-Girl by Bodil Bredsdorff is the evocative story of a girl who lives with her grandmother on a cove in Denmark until her grandmother dies. Before dying the grandmother gives her three pieces of advice that will lead her through her upcoming journey. On the journey, she follows two crows who speak to her. The book is magical, lyrical, and speaks to the great good that can be done by people. It is a quiet book that draws the reader in slowly and lovingly. This is one of my favorite reads of the year.
Grim Tuesday is the second book in Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series. It is just as wild an adventure as the first book in the series. I would recommend this series to lovers of fantasy, especially those who enjoy a strange sense of humor. The series is a rollicking good time.

Bill Martin Jr., best-selling author of children’s books
Bill Martin Jr, author of some of the most popular children’s picture books of all time, has passed away. He was 88.