Billie and Jack are camping in Jack's backyard. But it's very dark. And maybe just a little bit scary. Are they really big enough to camp all on their own?
Sally Rippin was born in Darwin, but grew up mainly in South-East Asia. As a young adult she lived in China for three years, studying traditional Chinese painting. Sally has over seventy books published, many of them award-winning, including two novels for young adults. Her most recent work includes the highly acclaimed children’s novel Angel Creek and the popular Billie B Brown books, which became the highest selling series for 6-8 year olds in Australia within the first year of their release. Sally is Australia’s highest selling female author and her Billie B Brown books have sold more than 4.5 million copies in 14 languages. Sally is a popular presenter in schools and at literary festivals both in Australia and overseas and has a regular program on 3RRR interviewing children’s authors and industry professionals. She is a passionate ambassador for the 100 Story Building creative writing centre for marginalized youth and has mentored many emerging writers and illustrators. Recently, she and her partner co-founded Story Peddlers, a hand-made performance tent that packs away into a custom-built bike, with the aim of bringing back the art of the roving storyteller.
Camping out back is a rite of passage that every child ought to indulge in. Especially with all those scary noises and things that go bump in the night. I was getting hungry for those marshmallows as Billie B and Jack stayed up later and later. Here's a story that just about everyone can identify with I should think. I remember the pup tent in my own backyard (spiders and all)!
I enjoyed reading The Midnight Feast by Sally Rippon. Being a primary teacher, I thought it was appropriate for the age group. I like the storyline and the ending.
Haha, I too would have been scared of the monster. Big people get scared too. A delightful little book for kiddos. I read it for a prompt for a reading challenge.
Fun book to share with your kids about best friends and neighbors Billie and Jack. My kids 9 & 6 enjoyed it as well as myself. This whole series is pretty good for new chapter book readers. I like how the kids are kind to each other and have respect for their parents. I'm not some fuddy duddy old school parent, but I appreciate stories for kids that show examples kindness and thoughtfulness. There is just too much snarky separation of kids vs. parents and all, that it just gets under my skin.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a very realistic situation for younger children. They try to do things older children do but quickly learn that they might not be ready. Most children have the same problems. They try to do things their older siblings or friends do but realize that might still be too afraid or too young.
Billie B Brown is back and she is awesome - yes it is written for little tackers and it is basic plot, and they are very skinny in length, but the characters feel real, and the stories feel real, the emotions and problems (which an adult can see how small they are, but look enormous to a child, and yet even adults do this with their own problems) it is another fine read.
I didn't want to give this four stars because I liked it but I didn't really like it. I like that they went camping in Jack's backyard because I went camping in my backyard too! It was fun, but then there was a rainstorm so we had to sleep inside in the tent. I liked that they also ended up camping inside like I did. They planned to have a midnight feast which I thought was really funny at the beginning, but then they didn't because they were really tired before midnight. They had a nine-o-clock snack before the midnight feast. I like when they planned to have a midnight feast.
Billie B Brown is a 'first chapter book' suitable for fairly young readers. The challenges faced by Billie are very realistic and address issues likely to be faced by primary aged children. The stories are engaging and well-written, appealing to young readers and age-appropriate.
In The Midnight Feast, Billie is having a sleepover with her best friend Jack. They are all set up in the backyard with tent, sleeping bags and a delicious midnight feast. But Billie isn't feeling too brave... will the pair get to enjoy their feast?
4-Sally Rippin, “Billie B Brown: The Midnight Feast” (Prahran, Victoria, Aust: Hardie Grant Egmont, 2010). “Billie and Jack are going to have a midnight feast! That's why Billie needs so many marshmallows.” (p5)
The 'Billie B Brown' series by Australian author Sally Rippin is a wonderful set of books helping young kids acknowledge and deal with their range of emotions that arise from various childhood predicaments. These books reinforce the positive outcome of good decision making.
Oh jeez, annoying Billie B Brown is back again. This time to get scared in the dark outside. It was a little bit better than the swimming one but not by much. Will avoid these books in future whenever possible, but won't outright ban them as they are just badly written and boring. So dull 3/10