Claudia Mills

Kelsey Green, Reading Queen - Franklin School Friends Claudia Mills

Brief Description: Kelsey is the best reader in her third grade class, and she is determined to lead her class to victory in the alll-school reading contest. Review Quotes: "This new series shows a lot of promise." -- "Kirkus Reviews"Review Quotes: "This new series shows a lot of promise." --"Kirkus Reviews""First in a new series, the chapter book explores Mills's favorite subject--everyday life with a side of ethical examination." --"The Horn Book""Sure to be enjoyed by fans of Clementine, Ivy and Bean, and Judy Moody." --"School Library Journal"Review Quotes:"This new series shows a lot of promise." -- "Kirkus Reviews""First in a new series, the chapter book explores Mills's favorite subject--everyday life with a side of ethical examination." -- "The Horn Book""" "Sure to be enjoyed by fans of Clementine, Ivy and Bean, and Judy Moody." -- "School Library Journal"Biographical Note: Claudia Mills is the acclaimed author of many books for children. She lives in Boulder, Colorado. Rob Shepperson's recent books include "The Memory Bank," a collaboration with Carolyn Coman. He lives in Croton on Hudson, New York. Publisher Marketing: Kelsey Kline is the best reader in the third grade--well, maybe tied for best with know-it-all Simon Ellis. When the principal, Mr. Boone, announces a school-wide reading contest--complete with a pizza party for the winning class and a special certificate for the top readers in each grade--she knows she's just the person to lead Mrs. Molina's third graders to victory. But how can they win when her classmate Cody Harmon doesn't want to read anything, and even Kelsey's best friends Annika and Izzy don't live up to her expectations? And could Simon possibly be reading all of those books that he claims he is, or is he lying to steal Kelsey's rightful spot at the top? "Kelsey Green, Reading Queen" is the first book in Claudia Mills's Franklin School Friends series. Review Citations:

Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2013 pg. 91 (EAN 9780374374884, Open Ebook)

Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2013 (EAN 9780374374884, Open Ebook)

Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2013 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 04/29/2013 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2013 pg. 91 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Shelf Awareness 06/07/2013 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

School Library Journal 08/01/2013 pg. 84 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2013 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2013 (EAN 9780374374853, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Mills, Claudia Claudia MillsSome writers say that they hate to write. I love to write. I write my books early in the morning, while the rest of my family is still asleep. I get up at 5 a.m., fix myself a mug of hot chocolate or Earl Grey tea, and then curl up on the couch with my pad and pen. I still write the first draft of every book by hand, always on a white, narrow-ruled pad, and always with a black, felt-tipped, fine-point pen. Sometimes I lie there half dreaming, making notes on my pad that say things like "Help! Where is the humor !!" or "I need more action!" Sometimes I scribble away as fast as my hand can move across the page, lost in the world of my story. I write until breakfast, or until my two boys wake up, whichever comes first. Usually I don't get much more than one page written in a day. But page by page, day by day, on the couch at dawn, I've written many books now. I didn't always write on the couch, and I didn't always write with the same kind of pad and pen. When I was growing up in New Jersey, I wrote anywhere and everywhere often during math class, which is why I never learned much algebra. When I finally collected all my childhood writings from my parents' house, I had a drawer full of hundreds of poems I had written before I was sixteen. There were poems scrawled on napkins, on the backs of church bulletins, and, of course, on math tests, where the answers should have been. But I have always loved the early morning best. Now I live in Boulder, Colorado, with my husband, Richard Wahl, and my two sons, Christopher and Gregory. All my first books were about girls show-off girls, shy girls, selfish girls, unselfish girls but all somehow me, reflections of the girl I once was, and still am deep inside. Now I find myself writing about boys, too, inspired by the two real-life boys who share my days. When I was expecting the birth of my first child, I was stunned when the doctor told me it would be a boy: "But all my books are about girls!" "Well, now you'll have to start writing books about boys,"he told me, and his prediction came true. I've also started writing stories about younger children, though most of my stories are set in the middle grades. I remember a poem I wrote the day before I turned ten, which began: "There is much magic in the age / Of ten, that year as rich as gold " Ten and eleven and twelve have certainly been magical and rich ages for me as a writer. When I go to schools, I tell the children that they could spend the rest of their lives just writing books about the things that happened to them in fifth grade. So between 5 and 7 a.m. every day, I return to fifth grade, or sixth grade, sometimes even seventh, and, between sips of cocoa or tea, I bring that world to life again. And I love doing it. Contributor Bio:  Shepperson, Rob Rob Shepperson is a popular editorial artist for many newspapers and magazines. He lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.