What do you get when you ask a very imaginative girl to write a history essay? A funny, partly factual, partly personal spin on world history. You get The World According to Kaley. Filled with doodles and personal "insights," this middle-grade chapter book is fun to read and fun to look at. Kaley's creativity runs wild on these notebook pages.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly , December 12, 2005

Regan's (Chance) spry novel takes the shape of a notebook collecting an independent-minded fourth grader's writing assignments for world history class. Aspiring writer Kaley has no interest in recording facts or staying on topic, preferring to put her own spunky spin on historical periods and events. Ranging from silly to wry, her frequent asides and embellishments will likely make kids chuckle. Among the comic morsels Kaley offers is her essay on the Middle Ages: in sixth-century northern Europe, "Everyone had the same name: Frank. For this reason, we call their civilization 'The Franks' "; and monasteries had libraries, which is "the good news. The bad news is that all the books were written by hand. If you wanted a copy, you had to write the book all over again." In a creative bit of revisionist history, Kaley tells how the Wright sisters masterminded the design and construction of the renowned flying machine but, concerned about their safety and about mussing their velvet dresses, decided to let their brothers do "the daredevil deed." Her teacher comes across as patient but firm, and Kaley's diverting digressions touch upon her new baby brother (she had hoped for a girl), the puppy she wants her teacher to adopt and her uncle, who can't find a publisher for his book on how to get a book published. Readers won't find many reliable historical facts here, but they will discover a scribe with a lively sense of humor.

Cleveland Plain Dealer , December 4, 2005

Long ago . . . when my great-great-grandparents were tiny babies, dinosaurs ruled the earth." That is, according to Kaley Bluster, an earnest fourth-grader with a telescoped sense of history.

Her teacher, Mr. Serrano, asks: "Did you read the assigned chapters thoroughly?"

As a matter of fact, she did. And she's not trying to be funny -- she's trying, very hard, to be Kaley.

Told entirely through Kaley's essays and Mr. Serrano's occasional note, "The World According to Kaley" is funny. It also teaches a few lessons about the Ice Age, the Stone Age and the Renaissance and offers a glimpse at Kaley's life -- but just a glimpse.

Both limited and freed by the conventions of a school composition book, author Dian Curtis Regan focused on Kaley's essays rather than complex story lines or characters. Mr. Serrano is nice; Kaley's mom is preoccupied with a new baby; cousin Cal is a pill but not a complete jerk.

Curtis Regan does draw one full-dimension character: Kaley. By turns smart and smart-alecky, sweet and scared, shy and attention-starved, readers connect with Kaley immediately.

The author of more than 35 books for children, Curtis Regan wrote this book to appeal primarily to pre-teen girls. Ohio-based Darby Creek Publishing clinched its appeal by packaging the title in pink and adding bold scribbles on the cover proclaiming "2 cool 4 school" and "KEEP OUT!"

But those girls should be willing to share with their brothers and their parents, as readers of every age will laugh out loud at "The World According to Kaley."

Her insight on ancient Egypt is George Carlin-esque: "Oddly enough, the word hieroglyphics' is completely impossible to illustrate." Her take on Leonardo Da Vinci is more pointed than revered: "Leo was a doodler, like me," she begins. "He also drew very detailed sketches of human muscles and bones. How did he know what they looked like? He cut people open and looked!!! Dead people, of course, but still--triple ewww!"

Unfortunately, some of Kaley's references will slip past readers. The author should have included references and an index pointing readers to deeper, if less colorful, versions of the history Kaley interprets so engagingly.

Despite that shortcoming, "Kaley" really does rock. In a sort of literary stand-up routine, Kaley proves that history is far from boring, and contemporary girls can address the world by being brazenly, boldly full of themselves.

The Wichita Eagle , December 4, 2005

Wichita author Dian Curtis Regan has written more than 50 books for children.

Her new "The World According to Kaley" is a collection of reports written by Kaley Bluster for her fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Serrano. Kaley's take on world events may cause her teacher some consternation, but young readers will find this book hilarious.

Booklist , November, 2005

Fourth-grader Kaley’s world unfolds in a series of lengthy, heavily embroidered essays written for her World History class and the brief notes from her teacher, Mr. Serrano, that accompany the graded papers. Kaley’s approach to her work is imaginative rather than informative, often fictional rather than factual, and frequently funny. Between the lines of “history,” readers learn of Kaley’s mother’s pregnancy, of Kaley’s disappointment when she learns that the baby is a boy, and of her concern when the baby is hospitalized with an infection. The light, breezy writing style will suit kids who love the first-person voice of the Marissa Moss’ Amelia’s Notebook series but want something that looks more like a chapter book. Kaley’s line drawings appear on some of the pages, but these small, black-and-white illustrations are not distracting. With its large type and white space between the lines, the book might also suit slightly younger children reading beyond their grade level.

The Midwest Book Review , September, 2005

In The World According To Kaley, author Dian Curtis Regan takes young readers ages 9 and up on a funny, partly factual, partly personal spin on world history as seen through the eyes and imagination of a girl assigned to write a history essay. Filled with doodles and personal "insights", The World According To Kaley is a fun-to-read and fun-to-look-at middle-grade chapter book where creativity runs wild on notebook pages. Dian Curtis Regan is an expert at writing original, imaginative, and highly entertaining picturebooks and chapter books, as well as both middle-grade and young adult novels. Other highly recommended titles from this accomplished author include Chance; Dear Dr. Sillybear; Princess Nevermore; The Friendship Of Milly And Tug; and the "Ghost Twins" series.

Cynthia Leitich Smith, August 31, 2005

Mr. Serrano has asked Kaley to write essays about world history, and she's filling her notebook with them--doodles and all. She's including FACTS and footnotes and graphs and maps (okay, with maybe a little urging), and, more importantly, she's including her unique and spirited interpretation of times past. Meanwhile, Kaley has a home to find for a puppy, adjust to her new baby brother (not sister!), and deal with her messy cousin Cal. Smart, funny, vulnerable, and energetic, Kaley's notebook is a first-rate read, and that's a FACT! Ages 9-up.

My Thoughts

An example of Kaley's historical analysis: "The next age was called the Stone Age. It got its name because people made stuff out of rocks. Rock chairs, rock cars, rock TVs. It was during this era that rock-and-roll began."

And another: "Oddly enough, the word 'hieroglyphics' is completely impossible to illustrate. You'd think they would've called this type of writing 'cat' or something easier to draw."

One more: "When people hear the term 'Middle Ages,' they usually think of grown-ups in their thirties. (No offense, Mr. S.)."

I love, love, love, love this book!

St. Augustine Record , August 21, 2005

Dian Curtis Regan gives the reader a glimpse into fourth-grader Kaley’s composition book. For her world history class, she received assignments to write essays on subjects including the Ice Age, Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and the invention of the airplane. However, Kaley incorporates her wild imagination into her work, much to the dismay of the teacher, Mr. Serrano.

The World According to Kaley will keep readers entertained with Kaley’s observant, humorous, and inventive writing style. Even though she easily mixes aspects of her personal life into her essays, surprisingly, the book is filled with many facts as well. Also noteworthy, the concept of the book is based on the author’s own childhood experience.