Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag
From award-winning author Carole P. Roman comes a new chapter book featuring Susannah Logan, a young student having a very bad day.
It all begins with homework trouble and an invitation to a sleepover that she doesn’t want to go to. Would you want to go to a sleepover in a creepy house? Rather than dealing with her problems, Susannah stuffs them into her backpack. But how much can a backpack take? Will she be able to confront her worries before the backpack bursts? Or will she just continue to hide them away?
Join Susannah and her friends in this story sure to charm busy young readers everywhere.
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My Review
5 stars
Susannah is having a bad day. First, she didn’t finish her homework from the night before. When she went to ask her mom for help, her mother was in a rush, dumped the cereal on the floor, and gave Susannah oatmeal and a banana which she hates. Instead of speaking up she just dumps the homework and banana in her backpack. From there she gets an invitation to a sleepover that she doesn’t want to go to and puts that in her bag too. She has other things that she adds to the bag until it bursts open.
Poor Susannah is having a hard time dealing with her day and lets it all pile up until she is having nightmares. Although her mom and dad are really busy, they do see her problems and do help her organize and tackle them.
I love how this could be a typical family wrapped up in each person’s issues. Sometimes it is hard to step back and realize that there are people around you that can lend a hand to help if you just ask.
This is a great chapter book with a big message for kids and parents. It has some beautiful illustrations that add wonderfully to the story. If you are looking for a story for kids, look no further.
Oh Susannah: Things that Go Bump
Susannah Maya Logan is not having a good day. She doesn’t want to go to her best friend, Lola’s sleepover. Susannah thinks the house is big and spooky, not to mention the ghost that is said to live there. Lola’s big brother, Kai, loves to tease Susannah with scary stories.
Throughout her day, she sees people deal with things that scare them. Her sight-impaired friend, Macy, is terrified of unicorns, of all things. She sees a boy at a party who’s frightened of clowns. Her teacher is afraid of getting a cold. Susannah realizes everybody is scared of something. She wishes she was more like Lola, who is not afraid of anything, or so it seems.
Susannah discovers people have different ideas of what is scary and what is not, and only they can determine the difference.
Join Susannah as she learns to confront her fears and not let her imagination prevent her from having fun.
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My Review
5 stars
It’s the day after Susannah gets help with her backpack. It’s time to face her fears about sleeping over at Lola’s house. Lola’s big brother Kai once told Susannah about the ghost that lives in their house. Because it is an older house and makes a lot of noise so Susannah is very scared of meeting the ghost. But she feels bad admitting to this, especially since her parents and Lola are very excited for the sleep over. What is she to do?
I love the simple yet serious issues that Susannah faces. I can understand why she is so afraid and it doesn’t help that Kai tries to scare her every chance he gets. But what is she to do? She has already learned how things can quickly pile up and burst.
This is a great story and I love how it encourages kids to face their fears and ask for help. This would be a great addition to any kid’s library.
I received Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag and Oh Susannah: Things That Go Bump from the publisher for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of these books.
Author’s Bio
Named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born.”Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life” has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. “Pepper Parrot’s Problem with Patience” Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca’s Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series. This year, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis was named to Kirkus Best 2015. The entire cultural non-fiction series If You Were Me and Lived in… was named Best Series by Shelf Unbound. She has begun work on two new series that will be released in early 2016.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be.
Her nonfiction series, “If You Were Me and Lived in…” combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, “If You Were Me and Lived in…Mexico” has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children’s Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca’s Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in…Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and Lived in …France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in…France for best in children’s non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year. There are now 22 books in the series and include a trip to Mars in 2054.
Carole was recently featured in a two part article on Forbes.com where her book, Navigating Indieworld was discussed along with her self-publishing success.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.
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