Lorna Bradbury reviews Children's Fantasy for the Telegraph. Titles considered include:
- Jango, by William Nicholson ("The events rip along, but the real strength of Nicholson's novel [for 10-year-olds and above] lies in its wonderful characters")
- The Harsh Cry of the Heron, by Lian Hearn ("an involving [and long] adventure, with slick fight scenes, and complex characters")
- The Curse of Salamander Street, by G P Taylor (Let me just say...eww...she likes it.)
- Soul Eater, by Michelle Paver ("Readers of eight and above will find the story gripping; it includes attacks by a gnarled, one-eyed madman and, at the novel's climax, a terrifying polar bear.")
Whitney Matheson reviews Young Adult fiction for USAToday. Books reviewed include:
- The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, by Barry Lyga (a "deadpan yet heartfelt tale of romance and ambition")
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne ("Boyne's powerful and unsettling story examines the Holocaust from a new perspective.")
- New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer (" piles on the suspense and romance")
- Runaway, by Wendelin Van Draanen ("Draanen's fast-paced style underlines the urgency of the situation and makes Runaway a quick and effortless read")
Elizabeth Ward's "For Young Readers" is back this week in the Washington Post. New novels and picture book halloween titles are reviewed:
- Call Me Henri, by Lorraine M. Lopez (a "heartfelt novel")
- Saint Iggy, by K.L. Going (a "carefully crafted novel" with "wry humor")
- Mommy?, by Maurice Sendak, Matthew Reinhart, and Arthur Yorinks ("For a book packed with the paraphernalia of horror -- skeletons, shrouds, bats, beetles, moonlit tombstones -- it's all surprisingly joyous.")
- Oh No, Not Ghosts!, by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Adam McCauley ("a romp")
- The Cremation of Sam McGee, by Robert Service, illustrated by Ted Harrison ("No poem that I can think of, especially a comic one, was ever rendered so electrifyingly in paint")
Also in the Washington Post, a few more kid-related articles, including:
- An interview with Lemony Snicket
- Harlem Hustle, by Janet McDonald earns a review and a "thumbs up"
- Dartha Dragnich reviews two new biographies about guys who like to "stretch the truth": ESCAPE!: The Story of the Great Houdini, by Sid Fleischman and The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug Up Troy, by Laura Amy Schlitz
Geraldine McCaughrean writes about Peter Pan in Scarlett for the Times (not so much a review, but a preview by the author)
