Jude Mandell author

http://www.amazon.com/Lullaby-Kisses-Sweet-Poems-Love/dp/1419710370

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Faces-Lee-Bennett-Hopkins/dp/1600603343“

I’M THE ONE,” in AMAZING FACES**, a poetry collection edited by celebrated poet/anthologist, Lee Bennett Hopkins,illustrated by renowned artist, Chris Soentpiet (Lee & Low Books).

"I'M THE ONE," describes the longing of a kid who's ignored by classmates that he wants to be his friends. And yet, in the face of their ostracism, he somehow manages to maintain his sense of self-worth.

KIRKUS on AMAZING FACES and "I'M THE ONE":

"Faces and the emotions they reveal are the focus for this appealing . . . poetry collection . . . the wistful musings of a young boy ignored by his classmates from Jude Mandell, will be accessible to much younger readers and listeners . . . . Soentpiet's light-filled portraits . . . showcase individuals from a variety of cultures. Undeniably attractive and potentially useful in a classroom setting . . . " (Poetry. 7-10)

BOOKLIST ON "I'M THE ONE,"/AMAZING FACES:

Illustrated with large, handsome watercolor portraits, the 16 poems in this anthology celebrate the rich diversity of American kids—what makes each one special and the connections between them.

Most poems are original to this collection, except for the final, "My People," by Langston Hughes, which is paired with a close-up view of a huge crowd of parents and kids of many backgrounds that also appears on the cover.

A sad kid is not accepted by the in-crowd in Jude Mandell's "I'm the One." In contrast, Pat Mora's poem features a Latino boy who finds bliss in solitude ("I like to count the stars"). Jane Medina's "Me x 2" includes Spanish translation of the lines and shows the riches of bilingualism: "I do twice as much." And Jane Yolen's "Karate Kid" is a fun read-aloud ("Chop / Kick / Peace / Power") and features a dynamic portrait of a girl in action.

A great collection for sharing at home and in the classroom.

- Hazel Rochman, Booklist

Age Range: 6 to 12

*ONLINE BLOG REVIEWS OF "I'M THE ONE"/AMAZING FACES:

AMAZON & SUSAN QUINN'S INK SPELLS:

CHECK OUT this amazing review of Jude and AMAZING FACES on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Faces-Lee-Bennett-Hopkins/dp/1600603343

Scroll down to Blog/Book Reviewer/Author Susan Quinn in the Customer Review section. Susan and Jude first met over a booksale copy of AMAZING FACES.

To Jude's surprise and delight, Susan featured her prominently in the review!

You can find the same review on Susan's Blog, INK SPELLS. http://ink-spells.blogspot.com/2010/08/art-appreciation-week-ink-spells-talks.html

Susan is a prolific reader/reviewer and an author herself--visit her site for more!

RICHIE'S PICKS:

Respected Online Book Author, Reviewer and Blogger, RICHIE PARTINGTON gives AMAZING FACES a thumbs-up on his blog. He singles out three poems for special mention: Janet Wong's LIVING ABOVE GOOD FORTUNE, J. Patrick Lewis' "ABUELA," and Jude's "I'M THE ONE," in this thoughtful review of the collection.

http://richiespicks.pbworks.com/w/page/30237091/AMAZING-FACES

PLEASE ALSO VISIT:

http://www.communityeducationcenter.org/book-reviews/amazing-faces-new-review, for a multicultural slant on AMAZING FACES.

WHAT A SONG CAN DO, is a YA story collection which shows the impact of music and music lessons in the lives of young people. Edited by author Jennifer Armstrong, it includes stories/ poetic works from contributors David Levithan, Ron Koertge, Dian Curtis Reagan, Gail Giles, Ibtisam Barakat, Jude Mandell, and Joseph Bruchac, among others.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW of WHAT A SONG CAN DO and "BALLAD of a PRODIGY:

Grade 7 Up–Armstrong offers a dozen perspectives on music's life-altering possibilities in this short-story collection. . . The pain of being forced into the role of child prodigy in one musical form until one's own true voice can be heard underlies Jude Mandell's verse selection . . .

Music's connection to life is seen from myriad angles without overpowering the stories, which all have interesting plots and well-developed characters. Brief biographical sketches of the authors are appended and include a description of the importance of music in their lives.

This collection will certainly speak to many teens on a very personal level and will open the eyes and the ears of its readers.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ, Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In PRINCESS DRAGONBLOOD, young Princess Eleanor, slowly begins to suspect that there's something terribly wrong with her. And there is . . . She learns that her mother was tricked by an evil witch into drinking dragon's blood in hopes the magical blood would help her to finally bear a living child.

When Eleanor shows signs that the dragon blood which gave her life is turning her into a dragon, she goes into battle against both the witch and her dragon father in order to become wholly human again, with surprising results . . .

BOOKLIST on HALF-HUMAN and "PRINCESS DRAGONBLOOD:

"Mermaids, selkies, centaurs...are part of this collection of 10 short stories by such well-known authors as Jane Yolen, Tamora Pierce, and Nancy Springer. The stories revolve around the fascinating premise of creatures that are half-human . . . A young girl wakes up to the ultimate bad hair day--a head of snakes. A princess must learn to resist the dragon inside her. . .

With each story, an intriguing computer-manipulated photograph illustrates the individual struggle with the animal side of human nature."--Frances Bradburn, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

*A NEW ONLINE BLOG REVIEW OF PRINCESS DRAGONBLOOD--TAKE A LOOK!

http://aboutbooksblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/short-story-of-week-16-princess.html

When Mesmerelda the witch, owner of MESMERELDA'S MAGICALLY DELICIOUS PIZZAS, holds her adopted daughter, Rapunzel, captive in a high-rise building, the long-tressed maiden escapes her pizza-prison, using her head, her hair, and the help of a hip-hopping prince.

Jude's Rapunzel story, was written long before TANGLED, the Disney version came out. Jude's story was turned into a children's musical production in 2008.

Disney's TANGLED is descibed in many reveiws as a thoroughly modern Rapunzel. Hmmmm . . . where have we heard that before . . . . ?

You can see pictures of the adaption/production of Jude's A THOROUGHLY MODERN RAPUNZEL, OR HOW I OUTSMARTED THE WITCH, based on Jude's story, and a newspaper article about it at:

(http://www.stwnewspress.com/arts/x681611278/Just-for-kids)

SUPER SPORTS STAR GARY PAYTON: In this b-ball bio, author Judith Mandell details Payton's professional career and personal life in this story of skill and determination.

Intermediate age/middle-grade level readers meet point guard Gary Payton, and follow his career from an early age to superstardom with the Seattle Supersonics.

Although he was not tall like many other players in his neighborhood, Gary's natural atheletic talent, passion for the sport, and father's disciplined approach to practice, turned him into a force to be reckoned with on the court. Gary was a star guard for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics when the book was written.

Payton's nickname is "The Glove," because of his ability to defend other players as closely as a glove fits on a hand.

HORN BOOK REVIEW OF SUPER SPORTS STAR GARY PAYTON:

"The large print, readable text, and color photographs . . . may encourage young fans."

–The Horn Book Guide

THE ALPHA SOUND PROGRAM

A newly-built robot, Alpha-Sound, his young neighbor, Sherman, and their friend, a girl named Bajeeta, go on a quest--to help both the robot and Sherman learn to read. This takes them all on a series of exciting adventures in which they make friends with the letters of the alphabet, learn the sounds they make, and use what they've learned to help resolve problems for characters they meet along the way.

During each adventure, knowing the letter shapes and sounds helps pull them out of the hot water they get into in stories like: VIEWING THE VAIN VAMPIRE, KID KARATE IN THE KITCHEN, DELIGHING A DINOSAURUS REX, and THE APPLESAUCE APE, plus many more fun adventures.

Student viewers actively interact with the ongoing story. By choosing objects with the right letter sound/shape they provide the characters with exactly the right tools to solve each plot problem! Teacher manuals with fun activities to reinforce the letters and sounds are also included.

Jude Mandell's "STARGAZER," part of a Paranormal Romance Anthology, HEAVEN CAN WAIT, was published digitally and in a trade paperback edition.

STARGAZER, now being developed as a single-title historical, is set in both England and France during the French Revolution. It is the story of Giselle Lascalles Landsworth, a young actress--half English, half French, whose mother was a friend and companion to Queen Marie Antoinette.

Using the psychic powers the odd birthmark on her wrist gives her, and a powerful talisman, she and Irish viscount Hugh Greyson, an agent with Lord Wyndham's newly formed secret service, attempt a bold rescue of little Louis-Charles--now Louis XVII--from the Temple prison, and fall in love in the process. The young French king becomes the lynchpin to the lovers' future happiness in this intrigue of illegal arms deals, French revolutionaries, and Irish activists desperate to win independence from England.