[Cover Story] Judy Moody

Judy and her moods have been around since the year 2000. In that time her book series has seen a few reprints from a few different companies. Let’s briefly go over the evolution of her books and their look: The Cardboard Era A brown background with a colored stripe up top (and sometimes bottom) featuring […]

Mean Girl Traits in Kitlit

I have a soft spot for Mean Girls. Not just the 2004 Lindsay Lohan flick, the character archetype. There’s just something about characters who have a grudge against everything, or at least the main character, that fascinates me. Who hurt them? How did they become this kind of person? Why doesn’t every book I read […]

About This Blog

My name is Joshua Van Laningham. In May 2022 I purchased a 10-book set of The Adventures of Sophie Mouse at a garage sale for $10. I was immediately taken by Jennifer A Bell’s art and Poppy Green’s characters. Was kidlit always this good? What happened since I read Redwall in middle school? I gotta […]