Teddy Newton, the film’s director, brought the spirit of the movie to the pages of the small book Day & Night, with a narrator telling the story in brief sentences. The scenes in the book may not be exactly the same as in the animated film, but the feelings remain unchanged. While their differences spark confusion and aggression at first, they soon come to find that those very differences can be quite remarkable. Lo and behold, they also just might realize that they’re not as different as they believed.

On screen, the images were the result of a combination of 2D hand drawn animation and 3D CGI, according to the Wikipedia entry on the film Day & Night, and were bold and bright. In the book, they have an “old school” cartoon quality in my opinion, with the thick black outlines of their large eyes and noses and the simplicity of the color schemes, which is appealing in a different way.

Having seen the movie, which was the first trip to the movie theater for my two youngest, the kids all adore Day & Night. Do you think your kids would too?

Chronicle Books is offering one copy of Teddy Newton’s Day & Night, autographed to boot, to one lucky 5 Minutes for Books reader. Simply leave a comment here to be entered. (U.S. and Canada residents only), and we’ll announce the winner in our regular giveaway spot on Wednesday, 9/15.

For more fun, check out some original sketches and commentary on the making of the book Day & Night in the Chronicle Books video Behind the Scenes of Day & Night with Teddy Newton.

When Dawn’s not trying to recuperate after a summer of DIY (which included the fun of bringing a toddler and preschooler to the movie theater- ACK!), she could very well be reading or blogging away at my thoughts exactly.

Antoine Rey is a divorced father of two trying to get over his ex-wife, navigating ennui with his job as an architect and the struggles of parenting teenagers (ACK!). I found him to be slightly wimpy, but as the story progresses, I come to realize that he’s not really wimpy, just tired and disappointed with life.

A Secret Kept begins in the hospital. Antoine’s sister Melanie has been taken to the hospital after getting in an accident while driving home from a special trip they took together to celebrate Melanie’s 40th birthday.

They visited Noirmourtier, the place they vacationed as children until the death of their mother. While they are there, they talk about their past and present lives. It is here that memories are dredged up about their mother and her death.

The single-woman-turning-40 angle is another theme that has great contemporary interest, and I don’t know when I’ve read a book that portrayed the functional relationship between a brother and sister so well.

I have a feeling that this story is quite different from her first novel. It is slightly dark, dealing with family secrets and personal disappointments, but it is very contemporary. The issues addressed will be familiar to anyone, in any industrialized country, even though it takes place in France.

Notes on the Audiobook: The male narrator Simon Vance (who I just noticed also narrates the audio versions of Stieg Larsson’s wildly popular books) does a great job telling this story in a voice that I think suits and describes Antoine well, slightly mousey, yet in a way that garners sympathy or empathy. He also voices the females quite well.

This is a fairly slow-moving story, in spite of all the secrets and surprises that are unfurled, and while the slow pace of such a character-driven novel sometimes is frustrating as I am reading, I love to listen to these types of stories on audiobook (See my review of Home: A Novel by Marianne Robinson for another example of this).

Since I am not French, nor can I pronounce or read French, I enjoyed the European (British?)-accented narrator’s ability to rattle off French names and places that I would have skimmed over if I was reading it. It helped the story maintain its sense of place for me.

The book/audio book doesn’t release until September 14, but we have a copy to give away to one of you, as well as a bonus audiobook of Tatiana de Rosnay’s first novel, Sarah’s Key.

Leave a comment if you’d like to win (U.S. residents only). One of you will receive both audiobooks. We’ll announce the winner on September 15.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Jennifer Donovan is such a fan of audiobooks. If you aren’t, why not? Read more of her strong opinions at her blog Snapshot.

Amanda had read a few of them last year, but she got out of the habit when the new-releases became harder to get at the library, so she hasn’t read the last few. But this review isn’t about the kids. If you are ever around elementary school and tweenaged kids, you would know that kids love this series (A while back Dawn posted her son’s endorsement of the 39 Clues series). This is about me.

I really really enjoyed The 39 Clues Book 1:The Maze of Bones. It reminded me of the Red Pyramid, and not only because I just listened to the audiobook: the sense of adventure and empowerment, the brother sister duo, the “most important family in history” plotline.

That said, this series is original — the media tie-in game part, the use of many different authors to write the series.

Most importantly, it has so much of what young readers want in a book: a fun, light tone; action; suspense; and empowerment.

For a taste of what I mean, read the first sentences of chapters 2 and 3:

Dan Cahill thought he had the most annoying big sister on the planet. And that was before she set fire to two million dollars. –Chapter 2 (page 4)

Amy Cahill thought she had the most annoying little brother on the planet. And that was before he almost got her killed. — Chapter 3 (page 21)

Another unique feature of a book aimed at this age range (a solid middle-grade book, for 8 – 12 year olds) is the use of images. Most chapters include a picture of some kind — an image of the clue, of a sign, or some handwritten details. This helps the book come alive, and invites the readers deeper into the mystery.

As a parent, I appreciated the courage, pride, and family togetherness exhibited by the young Cahills.

Reading this book reminded me of why I love to read childen’s fiction. It reminded me why I loved reading as a child. It makes me jealous of all the hours that my kids have to spend reading and all of the books and stories that they will discover.

After I finished the first book I wanted to go right on to the second. I did start it, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to put it aside, to get back to real life. That said, I do plan on enjoying the entire series in bits and pieces.

Disclosure: For participating in the blog tour, I received a set of the 39 Clues books, which I can’t wait to finish reading, and Amanda plans to finish reading, and I will be happy to introduce to Kyle a few years from now.

Now go enter to win over at 5 Minutes for Mom — all 10 books, included a signed copy of the 10th book by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Jennifer Donovan is a mother of 2 — a 12-year-old confirmed bookworm, and a 6-year-old who may end up surprising himself with his love of books. She blogs at Snapshot.

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s interest in the Amish community stems from her own family heritage. Her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania (Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today). It is fitting that the sayings in Amish Proverbs sound like the wise words that would be passed down from grandparents to grandchildren. The book includes proverbs about time, money, faith, children and family, handling adversity, etc… I love this one: Swallowing pride rarely gives you indigestion. Doesn’t that sound like something a grandfather would say?

While the proverbs are the focus of the book, the many photographs are a beautiful addition. After visiting an Amish community myself, I can say that the pictures wonderfully reflect the Amish lifestyle and enhance the messages of the proverbs as well. This book would make a wonderful gift for any fan of Amish fiction or anyone interested in a simple, godly lifestyle.

I am happy to say that we have a copy of Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life to give to one of you. Please leave a comment on this post to enter. We’ll announce the winner on September 8.

Additionally, Suzanne is giving away a KINDLE! Be sure to click the icon below for more information. Suzanne will also be having a Facebook party on September first to celebrate the release of her new book. She’ll be announcing the winner of the Simple Wisdom KINDLE giveaway (see below), chatting with readers, and giving away copies of Amish Proverbs and The Choice! Be sure to join the fun on Wednesday, September 1st at 8PM EST at Suzanne’s Author Page.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Lauren is a wife, mother of two, and an avid reader. She blogs at Baseballs and Bows. Lauren doesn’t think she could live the Amish lifestyle all the time, but she sure would enjoy the food! Thanks to Litfuse Publishing for providing the review copy of this book.

This book stands alone quite well. The story is told creatively and in a different way, because a novel is different from a story on screen. The movie is told visually and in a wonderful way as well (click over to 5 Minutes for Mom to read my Nanny McPhee Returns movie review).

The entire book reads as if it’s in Emma Thompson’s voice (I would know since I was able to participate in a half-hour interview with Emma Thompson, right??). It alternates between sections headed “The Story” and “The Diary.”

Some might find this to be confusing, but if you think of it as a story that Emma Thompson is telling, as both writer of the story and screenplay and as an actor on set, in my mind it flows. However, you can also heed the “Warning to the Reader” that is on the first page of the book:

This is a slightly odd book, being a mixture of story and diary. It is novel-version of Nanny McPhee Returns and the diary of the filming of the story, all mixed up.

I did not write it like this on purpose – it just happened while I was on the film set and seemed an interesting way to do it. If you get bored with the story you can always just read the diary. And vice versa. Good luck.

As I said, I enjoyed the book Nanny McPhee Returns. The story as well as the line drawings throughout, reminded me a lot of Betsy McDonald’s Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. Because the tone of the story is conversational, it would make a great read-aloud.

As for the diary, there are some portions that are meant for more mature readers. The weather is referred to as “hellish,” and there is one use of “d*mn.” But honestly, younger children are probably not going to be that interested in what goes on during a film shoot, and so it would be skipped in a read-aloud, or you could advise them to skip over it as they were reading. For those who would be interested – young tweens and up (and this adult), none of the content is inappropriate, just slightly more adult in tone.

Macmillan Audio released the audio version at the same time, and it’s narrated by Emma Thompson herself, which really would make it seem as if she’s telling you the story. It’s very reasonably priced. Listen to an audio clip HERE.

If you are interested in the insider scoop on movie-making, in addition to the film diary, you will enjoy my post on Emma Thompson’s Advice to Aspiring Actors at 5 Minutes for Mom today.

Three winners (U.S. only) will receive a Nanny McPhee Returns book and child-size t-shirt. Please leave a comment if you’d like to win. We’ll announce the winners on September 8.

Other Emma Thompson/Nanny McPhee posts:
Nanny McPhee Returns movie review
Interview with Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson’s Advice to Aspiring Actors

The story in Her Fearful Symmetry is completely different, but the theme of eternal and undying love (the benefits and detriments of it, to be specific) is strong.

Another wonderful feature of this novel is the way it’s told. It’s told with a 3rd person narrator, but instead of the narrator simply being omniscient, the thoughts of the characters are added in the first person. I’m not sure that I’ve read a novel that used this device — or at least not consistently throughout — and I loved it.

Robert is at the bedside of his lover Elspeth’s bed as she passes from life to death. He misses her. He spends time in her now-empty flat (we are in London after all) which is right above his, to try to hold on to her memory. Months go by, and he still misses her.

In another flat in the Vautravers building, Marijke is choosing to cut ties with her husband Martin and return to Amsterdam. She loves him, but his OCD compulsions have made living with him unbearable.

A year later two Americans will be added to the mix. Elspeth has left her flat and her fortune to her twin nieces, daughters of her own twin sister from whom she’s been estranged. A condition of their inheritance, which they can collect when they are 21, is that they have to live in her flat for a year together.

This seems like a lot of plot summary, which I usually avoid in reviews, but this is just the beginning — all of this literally takes place within the 1st 40 pages — and then, BAM, the story makes an odd plot twist. I went into this book completely cold — not having read any other reviews, not even looking at the back of the book. I knew that it was by Audrey Niffenegger and that I had enjoyed The Time Traveler’s Wife, and that I would likely enjoy this. If these facts are true for you, try to avoid knowing the twist. Just pick up the book and let it wash over you.

I ended up with two copies of Her Fearful Symmetry (one from the Regal Literacy to celebrate the new release, and one that I won on twitter, that I wasn’t really even trying to win). So I’m going to pass along my copy to you — U.S. shipping addresses only. Leave a comment if you’d like to win, and we’ll announce the winner on September 8.

We don’t generally review a book more than once. Dawn reviewed this book here when it came out in hardcover, but I couldn’t resist accepting a copy of the paperback version, and telling you about this contest at Regal Literacy, going on through September 17. Find out how you can enter to win a trip to London, one of 100 rare signed special editions of Her Fearful Symmetry designed by Niffenegger, and more, including a special prize package to bloggers if you post a link on your blog.

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Jennifer Donovan loves to read about the human experience, especially when set in exotic locales. She blogs about the human drama in her own life at Snapshot.