Hello, Fashiongirl here!
Birdie asked me to post a fun project just in time for the cool weather, so I’m going to show you a couple of easy-peasy ways to make cozy arm warmers from a pair of socks!
We’ve got two different styles of warmers: a long “tube-style” and a shorter “thumb-style”. Continue reading
Hey, dreamers! Greengirl here as a guest writer!
Birdie’s story about her NY food drive inspired me to start a food drive for the Capital Area Food Bank right here in Austin! We’re starting this Saturday and collecting food through Tuesday, November 24th. Continue reading
Last month the Food Bank For New York City came to talk to us at school. We were all really surprised when they told us that almost half the people in the city need help getting enough food. And that 1 in 5 kids get their meals from soup kitchens and food pantries! The good news is they have a bunch of cool programs to help—soup kitchens, food pantries, sending backpacks of food home with kids, taking food to the elderly, helping runaways—they do a lot.
We decided we wanted to help too, so we started a food drive at school, and all of the classrooms competed to see who could collect the most cans. Our Green Squad even donated right from our school garden: lettuces, cabbage, spinach, beets and peas. It made me really happy to think of people eating homegrown food that we had raised just for them. I can’t wait to tell Granny Mo! Continue reading
The Fairy Godmother Academy appeared at the Texas Book Festival for the first time this year for an amazing experience connecting with Dreamers of all ages.
The fun started with an FGA flash mob at the Capitol steps, singing “Hello Dreamer” and enjoying people’s surprised faces as everyone around them broke into song.
Jan Bozarth spoke to the crowd in the Children’s Activity Tent about her experiences as a dreamer when she was a girl. She encouraged everyone there to think big, trust their own innate wisdom, and follow their dreams. Continue reading
Meet Jan Bozarth, author of Birdie’s Book, and dive into the world of the Fairy Godmother Academy at Book People, November 14th at 4pm. We’ll be hosting a Hello Dreamer Party that includes music, fashion, crafts, and (of course) lots of big dreams. Come have fun and be inspired by the wisdom, heart and creativity of all our real-life fairy godmothers in-the-making.
At the BookPeople event you and your family can:
Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman for Kidsreads.com
Bozarth has taken the best aspects of various young adult genres and mixed them together in a fresh and optimistic way. Dealing with parental conflict, family secrets, changes and challenges, BIRDIE’S BOOK often hits just the right note.
For Birdie, the move from California to New York City has not been an exciting adventure. She misses her beloved “Califa” and is angry at her mom for taking the new job that brought them to the cold city. Thankfully, her father is as understanding as ever and sends her for a weekend trip to visit her grandmother. Granny Mo and Birdie have never spent any time together, but as soon as Birdie meets her, she knows they are very much alike. Unlike Birdie’s straight-laced mother Emma, Mo is colorful and expressive, and has a way with plants that borders on the magical. And what Birdie comes to realize is that the magic is something that is passed down through the generations.
BIRDIE’S BOOK is Jan Bozarth’s first installment in The Fairy Godmother Academy series. It follows Birdie as she begins to understand her family in a new way and comprehend what sets them apart from other families. In some ways, this is a coming-of-age story: Birdie needs to rely on her own strengths to complete certain tasks that bring her to the next stage in life. She must come to see her mother not as an antagonist but as an individual with feelings and a history. But while there are many real-life scenarios present in Bozarth’s book, the work is also in the realm of fantasy. What Birdie learns is that her Granny Mo is a fairy godmother, and Birdie herself is a fairy godmother to be. While Bozarth doesn’t fully articulate what a fairy godmother is or what she does, it is clear they have powers to help those in this earthly realm. Birdie’s family, for example, is part of the Arbor Lineage that has talents to grow and heal the green life of earth.
In order to begin her training as a fairy godmother (a privilege her mother disregarded at age 14), Birdie must first travel to the mystical land of Aventurine to heal a sacred tree and fix a family heirloom known as the Singing Stone. On her journey, she has help from another fairy godmother to be, Kerka, who is set to be the heroine of the next book in the series. Birdie and Kerka face underwater creatures, dangerous plants, a real banshee and their own personal fears as they work together to find the other half of the Singing Stone and heal the dying tree.
BIRDIE’S BOOK is told from Birdie’s point of view and greatly captures a 12-year-old’s uncertainties, hopes, confusion, dreams and inherent confidence. Birdie is a gentle and likable girl, and readers will cheer for her on her adventure. But while the book is quite enjoyable, it is not without its problems. Adults reading BIRDIE’S BOOK may be distracted by some aspects (the contrary dates of the generations of women in the family, for example). Also, the highly stylized and fanciful black and white illustrations throughout add to the tone of the book, but may distract some readers from the text as well. For those reasons, this is not a totally cohesive book, but young girls will most likely be able to overlook that as they follow Birdie and Kerka into Aventurine.
Overall, this is a solid start to a series that is built on an interesting premise. Bozarth has taken the best aspects of various young adult genres and mixed them together in a fresh and optimistic way. Dealing with parental conflict, family secrets, changes and challenges, BIRDIE’S BOOK often hits just the right note.
this sparkling combination of action and magic is bound to enchant.
KERKA’S BOOK: The Fairy Godmother Academy, Book 2
This newest Fairy Godmother Academy tale focuses on Kerka’s adventures in Aventurine, a dreamland where fairy godmothers–to-be receive their training. Since her mother’s death, Kerka’s relationship with her sisters has deteriorated. Biba, the youngest, has retreated into silence while Rona immerses herself in her ballet studies. Only Kerka continues to practice the Kalis dance, which is an integral part of their family’s fairy-godmother heritage. In Aventurine, Kerka learns that the fate of her Pax Lineage lies in the success of a seemingly impossible quest: to discover Biba’s voice. On her journey, Kerka befriends a hapless reindeer, eludes a mysterious wolf and outwits several wily elves. Bozarth adeptly distinguishes Kerka’s tale from the previous novel, Birdie’s Book (2009). Kerka’s feisty spirit will endear her to readers as she struggles to cope with her loss and reunite her sisters. With a heroine who relies upon her ingenuity to save both herself and others, this sparkling combination of action and magic is bound to enchant. Kirkus Reviews website
Jan Bozarth delivers powerful life lessons in language that is both accessible to and respectful of young girls. I can’t wait to share this with my daughter.
Leslie M. | Saratoga, NY
This is a fun, light read that ought to be a hit with girls who like adventure and magic…
As a mother of a little girl I have to say that I was psyched to see see this book on the shelf. When doing every day battles with the likes of Barbie and Bratz this is like a breath of very fresh air. Not only does the author respect that young girls are smart, and interested in more than gossip and shopping, but that they are also inherently wise. This wisdom just needs to be tapped into and nurtured. A great read with just a right amount of fantasy and real world to keep your reader ripping through the pages!
momofgirl | Austin, TX