CELEBRITY KIDS AUTHORS WORTH READING
Chris Colfer
The prolific former Glee star gets high marks for his Land of Stories series, which take aim at middle-school readers.
“We stock all his books,” says Eleanor LeFave, owner of Mabel’s Fables Bookstore. “They’re fabulous.”
B.J. Novak
The former Office temp scored a hit with his interactive The Book With No Pictures, an inventive crowd-pleaser that leaves kids in stitches. “It was clever and fresh,” says Janet Eastwood of the Toronto Public Library.
Julianne Moore
The Oscar winner gets a gold star for her Freckleface Strawberry series, about a young girl who learns to love what makes her different.
“They’re actually well-written,” Eastwood says.
“She’s a great character.”
Robbie Robertson
The Band guitarist published the history-rich Hiawatha and the Peacemaker in the fall, bundling his picture book about the 14th-century Mohawk with a CD featuring an original song.
“It’s exceptional,” LeFave says.
Henry Winkler
Ayyy, did you know that the former Fonz has found success as a children’s author?
His series of books about a dyslexic young boy named Hank Zipzer have now been turned into a BBC cartoon. “His character is so great for reluctant readers,” Eastwood says.
“He gets into all sorts of crazy situations that are funny but still good learning experiences.”
And the less successful
There are lots to choose from. Specifically, Eastwood doesn’t recommend the kids’ books by LeAnn Rimes, Paul McCartney, Sting, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano or Jimmy Fallon.
And there was no Yuletide cheer for Mariah Carey’s recent foray into the genre, All I Want for Christmas Is You. “Oh my gosh, I don’t know who that book is for,” Eastwood said.
“It doesn’t even work on a picturebook level.”