Norland Nannies

I was intrigued by reports that baby Prince George's new nanny had trained at the prestigious Norland College. A college for nannies? Why, yes: Norland College in Bath offers a BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning along with the "Norland Diploma," a hallmark of quality (from the website). In addition to childcare and nanny training, Norland nannies are now taught martial arts and advanced driving skills (to help them avoid kidnappers, paparazzi, and skidding on the ice). Those are Norland nannies in uniform; they wear it during training (although graduates are no longer required to wear the uniform at work, unless the family wants them to). The uniform itself was recently redesigned: it's a bit more 1950s chic now. Speaking of the 1950s, it seems as if there should be a series of girls' school stories set at Norland (or somewhere like it). I would read it!

In the meantime, I'm making a list of nanny-related reading. It should probably start with the classics: Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers and Nurse Matilda (better known in the US as Nanny McPhee) by Christianna Brand. To which I might add The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by Australian author R.A. Spratt (American edition illustrated by Dan Santat; Little, Brown 2010). Look out for Nanny X by Madelyn Rosenberg, too! (Holiday House, August 2014)

Would you like to recommend a nanny? I'll add her (or him) to my list!

A Year of Mandy

One of my best beloved books is Mandy by Julie [Andrews] Edwards (Harper and Row, 1971). I still have my battered Bantam paperback (1977) with the original Judith Gwyn Brown illustrations  (sadly, not the lovely hardcover edition pictured here) and reach for it whenever I'm in need of comfort reading. For those of you who haven't read Mandy, it's the story of a lonely little girl who discovers an abandoned cottage on the other side of the orphanage wall. Spring, summer, and fall, Mandy tends to the cottage and its garden, making it a place of her very own; but when winter comes, and Mandy gets sick, her secret is no longer safe.

Both thematically and structurally, Mandy's story corresponds to the seasons of the year. The book itself is divided into four sections, each with a different number of chapters (summer is the shortest), and this year, I'm planning to reread each section closely and share some thoughts--personal and professional (so to speak)--about it here. Starting with Spring, in April (because spring is somehow not here yet). I would love it if anyone wanted to join me.

[This is sort of like what Elizabeth Burns at A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy just did with Harriet the Spy (also Harper and Row, 1964) in honor of its fiftieth anniversary. I must have read Harriet at around the same time I read Mandy (I had the Dell Yearling edition, 1980) and I confess: I didn't really like Harriet! Although I was fascinated by her. Maybe I should revisit that book, too?]

2014 Cybils Reading Challenge

One of my favorite things about New Year's Day is the announcement of the Cybils shortlists. In the past, after being on a first round panel in the fall, I've set myself a Cybils Reading Challenge of one new-to-me book in each of the other categories before the winners are announced on February 14. It hasn't caught on anywhere else, though, and this year I am abandoning it in favor of reading all of the shortlisted books in one category (my favorite): Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction.

I definitely missed being on the first round panel (I had other book award commitments and couldn't apply), but I like the list this year's panelists came up with--especially Jinx by Sage Blackwood (HarperCollins, 2013), which exemplifies the qualities of literary merit and kid appeal that the Cybils recognize. I read Jinx early last year (maybe even late the year before), so I might reread it now and then treat myself to the sequel, Jinx's Magic (Katherine Tegen Books, 2014), which comes out on Tuesday.

Anyone else want to try this year's version of the Cybils Reading Challenge? Here's the complete Elementary and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction shortlist:

• Jinx by Sage Blackwood (HarperCollins)
• Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (Disney Hyperion)
• Rose by Holly Webb (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)
• Sidekicked by John David Anderson (Walden Pond Press)
• The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (Tor Teen)
• The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt (Atheneum)
• The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore (Walker Books for Young Readers)

Where would you start?

The Mystery of Fairy Oak

I am so curious about Fairy Oak. Why haven't the Fairy Oak books--a trilogy, followed by a series of four mysteries, by Italian author Elisabetta Gnone--made it to the United States? They seem to have been widely available in Italian and Spanish (not to mention Basque, Catalan, and Galician--Fairy Oak must be very popular in Spain) since the first book, Il Segretto delle Gemelle, was published in 2005. There's even an English translation (The Twins' Secret) by Alastair McEwen, but it's nearly impossible to find. I know, because I've been looking for it since I saw the Fairy Oak books at the airport in Rome two years ago.

Fortunately, I've been able to find out more about Fairy Oak via the Italian site and, in English, the Fairyoakpedia. The trilogy is the story of twin sisters Vanilla and Lavender Periwinkle, who turn out to be Witches of Light and Dark respectively, and together with their magical friends (I love all the character descriptions) must save Fairy Oak from its old enemy, the Terrible 21st. The world of Fairy Oak might be more interesting than the war, actually: it looks like something Studio Ghibli might have made, only frillier (actually, Gnone worked for Disney). Maybe I will have to locate an Italian edition after all, though that won't help my American nine-year-old. Who would probably love it.