Katie & Kimble Blog

Download Free Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story Coloring Pages Here!

Linda Thieman — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:29:12 -0500

Download Your Free Katie & Kimble Coloring Pages Here!

Now you can download free Katie & Kimble coloring pages here! The coloring pages show five scenes from Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (a chapter book for ages 7-10, 280L).

Click here to download the Katie & Kimble coloring pages in PDF format.

Or, look on the right sidebar of this blog. You'll find the coloring pages and other fun activities in the Katie & Kimble Activity Corner.

Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes for a little surprise or two!

Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:

Paperback version: $5.95

Click here to order Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!

Click here to order Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2)!

Instant download version: $2.48

Click here to order the instant download editions.

[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10]

Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble, the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to Kimble's mother.

Please visit us here (http://katieandkimbleblog.com) for updates.

© 2007-2009 by Linda Thieman

The Sad, Sweet Song that Reminds Me of Kimble (Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, for ages 7-10)

Linda Thieman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0500

The Sad, Sweet Song that Reminds Me of Kimble

Before Katie met Kimble, Kimble was all alone in that big, old house for many years. At times, she was lonely and sad.

There is a song that reminds me of Kimble. I think of it as Kimble's song. It's called "Graceful Ghost Rag."

"Rag" means that the song is ragtime. Ragtime uses certain patterns and rhythms. Often, ragtime is fast and bouncy. In the case of the "Graceful Ghost Rag," this ragtime piece is slow, beautiful, and so sweet you could just cry.

The "Graceful Ghost Rag" was written in 1971. The man who wrote it, William Bolcom, did so to remember his father who had died. I hear it's one of the hardest ragtime pieces to play on the piano!

Click here to listen and watch three different versions of the "Graceful Ghost Rag."

Please visit us here (http://katieandkimbleblog.com) for updates.

© 2007-2009 by Linda Thieman

Video! Ki, age 6, Reviews Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story

Linda Thieman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:54:31 -0500

Video! Ki, age 6, Reviews Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story

We've got the cutest surprise for you today! Ki, whose mother is Brandy over at the mom blog Happily Blended, is 6 years old. She is in the middle of reading Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (a chapter book for ages 7-10), and her mom asked her to do a video review of the book.

Scroll down to see the video review done by Ki. If you have a video review of one of the Katie & Kimble books to share with us, email me. The email address is at the bottom of the blog page.

The Homeschool Messenger (Susieqtpie’s review of Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story)
“...It is 106 pages of pure fictional fun! Don't let the Ghost Story title keep your young ones from reading the book. It isn't a scary book! Katie moves to a new town with her family and discovers a kindred spirit! She goes on a quest that is engaging and heartfelt!”

3 Moms and a Girl Review Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish! (For ages 7-10)

Linda Thieman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0500

3 Moms and a Girl Review Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish!

In Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish, Book 2 in the Katie & Kimble series (290L), the author takes Katie & Kimble where no ghostly tale has gone before. It's time for Kimble to make herself at home with Katie's family! Nine-year-old Katie, and Kimble, the ghost of a ten-year-old girl, find a coupon for a magic wish in a box of breakfast cereal. Their wish leads to all manner of hilarious difficulties, including how to tell Katie's dad about Katie's new friend, Kimble, who suddenly appears out of nowhere looking very much like an old-fashioned girl. Can the lonely Kimble find love and acceptance within a human family?

Homeschool Messenger (Susieqtpie's review of Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish)
     "BOOK 2 kept my daughter's inquisitive attention from the get go! It started with a mysterious coupon found in a cereal box stating that it is 'good for one wish.' I always LOVED getting the goodie in the cereal box as a kid!... What is it that they wish for and how will it forever change the girls' lives as well as Katie's family's life? You'll have to read the book to find out!!!"

Café of Dreams (April's review of Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish)
     "Readers (and parents) looking for a wholesome and rewarding story will be incredibly satisfied with Katie & Kimble - through both A Ghost Story and The Magic Wish. This is an amazing and timeless series that I can see being read by generations to come."

The Book Connection (Cheryl's review of Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish)
     "One of the best aspects of this book is the complete acceptance of Kimble into the Russell family from Katie's parents, her two-year-old brother, Toby--who has always been able to see Kibo (as he calls her)--and even the family's dog, Twinkle."

Madeline, age 8, Reviews Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish for Reader Views Kids!
      "Katie and Kimble: The Magic Wish by Linda Thieman is the second book in this series about Katie and Kimble I have read. They are fun and easy for the reader to follow. I really like these books about friends because they always have a happy ending and make me feel good. I liked both books equally well."

Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes for a little surprise or two!

Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story

Please visit us here (http://katieandkimbleblog.com) for updates.

© 2009 by Linda Thieman

Kids, You Can Help Save the World Here! (Online Learning Games at the Katie & Kimble Blog, for ages 7-10)

Linda Thieman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Kids, You Can Help Save the World Here!

If you've read Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, you know that Katie is the kind of girl who likes to HELP people and animals (um, and ghosts!). Now, here are three ways that YOU can help people and animals, too. It's fun and it's important. And you can learn great things at the same time! I've added all three to the Katie & Kimble Activity Corner on the right sidebar of this blog. That section of the sidebar is called Save the World.

1) A 12-year-old girl named Mimi Ausland from Oregon started a website called FreeKibble.com. Kibble means pieces of dog or cat food. Every day, Mimi adds a new Bow Wow Trivia question about dogs. If you answer the question (correctly or not), Mimi will donate 10 pieces of kibble to dogs who live in shelters. This really adds up! Mimi has provided dogs with thousands and thousands of pounds of dog food. That must be very heavy to carry!

2) Mimi also started a site to help feed cats. So if you go to the FreeKibbleKat.com website and answer the Meow Trivia question every day, Mimi will donate 10 pieces of kibble for cats!

3) The third way that you can help is found at FreeRice.com. Here, if you answer questions correctly, FreeRice will donate 10 grains of rice to a hungry person for each question you answer. This can add up quickly, because you can keep answering questions as long as you want.

FreeRice has all kinds of questions. You can start at the lowest level and build your English vocabulary. Or you can do the same thing in other languages, too, like Spanish and French.

They also have questions about art and famous artists, where you get to look at famous pictures. You can also look at maps to answer questions about countries and world capitals. And you can practice your math and multiplication tables and earn rice for hungry people at the same time! You also get to keep track of how much rice you've donated.

So, have fun, learn things, and help dogs, cats and people! Here's to saving the world!

Twinkle's Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Great Big Dog! (Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, for ages 7-10)

Linda Thieman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Twinkle's Song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Great Big Dog!

One of our Katie & Kimble readers wondered if Twinkle had a song. Here's the answer!

Twinkle sort of does have a song! Here is what I am thinking. Well, have you read the Kimble, Kimble chant? It's over on the right sidebar and also on the last page of the Katie & Kimble books.

Well, this chant almost fits into the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." I especially like the part where it goes, "Twinkle, Twinkle, great big dog!"

So, I guess, at this point, Twinkle's song is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Great Big Dog!" I thought that was kind of fun!

Here is how the Kimble, Kimble chant fits into the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." You CHANT the first two lines: Kimble, Kimble is a ghost. Katie, Katie loves her most!

Then you can either keep chanting, or you can start singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle, great big dog." And if you start singing there, the rest of the chant fits into the song perfectly! I did not plan that, so I think it's pretty funny!

Give it a try!

You can listen to the Kimble, Kimble chant when you watch the Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story video here! Or, click on Freddie on the left sidebar up at the top of this blog page. She's the Katie & Kimble Blog host and she will recite the Kimble, Kimble chant for you!

Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes to hear Twinkle barking!