Talking Books
Cheryl's Books

These are the books I've edited, with my commentary and links to our official catalog copy (and purchasing information) on the Arthur A. Levine Books website. I used to oversee most of the foreign projects for our imprint, which is why the list includes a number of books translated from other languages; Arthur says part of our mission is "to bring the best of the world's literature to American young readers," and I'm proud to be a part of that.
 
What do all of these books have in common (that is, what am I looking for)? Beauty of language and of art, terrific characters, strong stories, emotional depth, incredible vision, utter singularity. . . . No one of these writers and illustrators could ever be mistaken for anyone else, because they're so fully and successfully themselves. And I think they're all great books! Hope you agree.  

  • The Book of Everything, by Guus Kuijer, translated from the Dutch by John Nieuwenhuizen. A take-your-breath-away brave and beautiful short novel about Thomas, who can see things no one else can see -- including the magic of Mrs. van Amersfoort, the Beethoven-loving witch next door, and the Lord Jesus, who comes to visit him regularly. These visions give him the strength to stand up to his father, who often beats his mother, and to become what he wants to be when he grows up:  happy. This is a book about religious faith, fundamentalism vs. humanism, the importance of community, the power of art to comfort and heal . . . It is absolutely stunning, and I'd say that even if I didn't edit it. Spring 2006. 
  • The Book of Time by Guillaume Prevost, translated from the French by William Rodarmor. When Sam's father mysteriously disappears, could the strange stone statue in the basement have something to do with it? The ensuing time-travel adventure whips Sam to Dark Age Scotland, WWI France, and medieval Bruges. A terrific fun read (with just a soupcon of history) for kids ages 9-14. Fall 2007, with the sequel, The Gate of Days (formerly The Seven Coins), to follow in Fall 2008.
  • The Chanters of Tremaris trilogy by Kate Constable:  The Singer of All Songs (Spring 2004); The Waterless Sea (Spring 2005); The Tenth Power (Spring 2006). A gorgeously written trio of fantasies set in a world where magic is worked through music. Imported from Australia. All three books have been excellently designed by one of Scholastic's several resident genius art directors, Elizabeth Parisi.
  • A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. In this beautifully written historical fantasy, Charlotte Miller wrestles with an impossible mortgage on her family's woolen mill, the charming banker who could take it all away, and a mysterious stranger who can spin straw into gold. If you're thinking "'Rumplestiltskin' just before the Industrial Revolution," you're right. This is the first domestic book I ever acquired and edited entirely on my own, so it's near and dear to my heart. Spring 2008.
  • Don't Let the Peas Touch! and Other Stories, by Deborah Blumenthal, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. Two sisters quarrel and connect over foods touching on a plate, quiet time, and the growth of a pet. Arthur and I worked on this book together; he is the youngest of three brothers, and I am the oldest of two sisters, and those dynamics totally came out in the editing. This ends up being about the youngest sister and succeeds wonderfully at conveying her point of view (assisted by Basil's vibrant illustrations), and I'm delighted by that; but I still think the older sister is right. Fall 2004.
  • Fast Food, by Saxton Freymann. Sax works his vegetable magic through the whole spectrum of transportation, from feet to cars to moon rockets. A companion to Dog Food and Baby Food. Spring 2006.
  • Food for Thought:  The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds, by Saxton Freymann. He does it again for basic learning concepts like shapes, letters, numbers and opposites. All the images are brilliant, but my favorites are the frogs, the hippos, and the sheep.  Spring 2005.
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary GrandPre. I served as the continuity editor for the American edition. Summer 2007.
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary GrandPre. Ditto. Summer 2005.
  • In the Shadow of the Ark, by Anne Provoost, translated from the Flemish by John Nieuwenhuizen. In the vein of The Red Tent, an incredible, dizzyingly imagined, gorgeous and devastating retelling of the story of Noah's Ark. Summer 2004.
  • The Legend of the Wandering King, by Laura Gallego Garcia, translated from the Spanish by Dan Bellm. An amazing coming-of-age novel set in pre-Islamic Arabia with the feel of a tale out of the Arabian Nights; you can see some of the things I've had to say about it here. Summer 2005.
  • The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children, by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Francois Roca. A gorgeously illustrated, generously told, inspiring picture-book biography of Jesus. I wrote about the editorial process behind this book and why I love it so much here. Spring 2008.
  • Millicent Min, Girl Genius, by Lisa Yee. Over the course of a tumultuous summer, an 11-year-old child prodigy struggles to pass her college summer school class, survive tutoring "jock, jerk, and poster boy for Chinese geekdom" Stanford Wong, and make her first real friend. In Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, the main character reflects that Jane Austen has the knack of showing you the tragedy in her story but allowing the comedy to prevail; Lisa has that same gift, as well as Austen's talents for real moral/emotional development, terrific characters, and the zingy one-liner. (And I'm not the only one who makes the Austen comparison; Liz Rosenberg of the Boston Globe called Millie "the most likeable unlikeable heroine since Jane Austen's Emma.") Rightly the winner of the inaugural Sid Fleischman Award for Humor. Coedited with Arthur Levine. Fall 2003. (I also wrote the extras that appear in the AfterWords edition.)
  • My Senator and Me:  A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C., by Senator Ted Kennedy, illustrated by David Small. A day on Capitol Hill with Ted Kennedy and his Portuguese Water Dog. A celebrity book with a difference:  It's actually well-written! It offers great insight into how Congress works (don't be cynical, now), and wonderful, wonderful illustrations of dogs and Washington by Caldecott winner David Small. Summer 2006.
  • The Pirate Princess and Other Fairy Tales, by Neil Philip, illustrated by Mark Weber. The rich and strange fairy tales of the Jewish mystic Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, with lovely jewel-toned Chagallesque illustrations. Fall 2005.
  • The Red Bird, by Astrid Lindgren, translated from the Swedish by Patricia Crampton, illustrated by Marit Tornqvist. An incredibly beautiful, emotionally powerful fairy tale about two children who work for a cruel farmer and the red bird who leads them to a wondrous otherworld. Spring 2005.
  • A Second Is a Hiccup: A Child's Book of Time, by Hazel Hutchins, illustrated by Kady Macdonald Denton. A book that beautifully and meaningfully answers those common childhood questions "How long is a minute? an hour? a year?" Imported from Scholastic Canada. Spring 2007.
  • So Totally Emily Ebers, by Lisa Yee. The companion to Millicent above and Stanford below, where Emily Ebers gets to tell her surprising side of the friendship-crush triangle. Coedited with Arthur Levine. Spring 2007.
  • Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, by Lisa Yee. The companion to Millicent Min, Girl Genius traces the same summer from Stanford's perspective, and read with Millicent, it's an object lesson in not judging someone by first appearances. . . . I would never have suspected from MMGG that Stanford had such a difficult relationship with his father, or such a great group of friends, or that he could display so much sensitivity and heart. Watch especially for the conversations with Stretch and "Emily Ebers is the girl of my dreams," a line that still makes me laugh out loud. Coedited with Arthur Levine. Fall 2005.
  • Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz. One of the cutest picture books EVER, for reasons I enumerate here.
  • The Valley of the Wolves, by Laura Gallego Garcia, translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden. The first novel by a hugely imaginative Spanish fantasist, about a girl who's in love with her best friend -- a boy no one else can see. Laura has been favorably compared to J. K. Rowling; read this or Legend of the Wandering King and see if you agree. Spring 2006.

Home

All material (c) 2005-2008 by Cheryl Klein. Questions, comments, and conversation welcomed at chavela_que at yahoo dot com.