Jennifer Armstrong interview

Check out Susan VanHecke's interview with Jennifer Armstrong for Authorlink.com.

Armstrong is the author of The American Story, as well as other fiction and nonfiction titles for children. Here's a funny exchange from the interview:

• "AUTHORLINK: What's the best part of being a children's author? The worst?"
  
• "ARMSTRONG: Best part is the privilege of being the author of a child's first favorite book. The worst part is ignorance of the general public about what being a children's book author means. How many times have I said, "No, I don't start with a moral and write a story to fit!"? AAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

Head on over to read the entire interview when you have the chance. It's well worth it.

(Old) News in the Kidslitosphere

So my travels have put me behind the eight ball with what's new with kidlit blogs and topics.

So here's what's new to me:

• A Year in Reading and their 100 Cool Teachers. A belated welcome, Mary Lee and Franki!
• L.Lee Lowe has begun serializing a YA novel called Mortal Ghost. Two chapters are up, so head on over and read!
• Pooja Makhijani has written a great article, "Here to Stay: South Asian Literature for Children and Teens," for PaperTigers.org. The opening paragraph is cringe-worthy: "As I was growing up, I would search library shelves in the hopes of finding a character 'like me'. I never had much luck. One day, my elementary school librarian excitedly handed me a tattered copy of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. 'It's set in India,' she squealed. 'It's the perfect book for you!'" Thanks, Pooja, for the work you do.
• Oh! And, Alan Silberberg (of Pond Scum fame) has a blog!

Weekend Reviews and News

I'm busy catching up on news and reviews this weekend. Here's what I've found:

• David Mehegan talks to Brian Lies about Bats at the Beach for the Boston Globe.
• Kate Kellaway interviews Meg Rosoff for the Guardian. (An absolute must read. How I Live Now is the book I will give to everyone for every holiday for the next six months.)
• Oooh! And Kate Thompson has a new novel--The Fourth Horseman. Adèle Geras reviews The Fourth Horseman for the Guardian. I loved The New Policeman and must obtain this new one.
• Nicolette Jones reviews The White Giraffe, by Lauren St John, as the Children's Book of the Week for the Times.
• Susan Perren reviews new Middle Grade Fiction for the Globe and Mail.

Finally....

...I'm back to the internets. At least until December, that is.

I had a great time at my sister's house in Santa Cruz, but my computer, as is the theme of the summer, would not connect to her wireless.

While I was up north, I had the great fortune to meet Jen of Jen Robinson's Book Page! We're in the sun, so we look a little bit strange, but I'm in blue and Jen's in green.

We talked blogs, books, and 200 Cool Girls.

(This summer I also met Michele of Scholar's Blog, but pictures won't be up until Wednesday as I had to use my son's one-off camera, rather than my digital.)

I'm off to take care of Children's Book Reviews.

Review: How I Live Now

I know How I Live Now has been reviewed by many kidlitosphere bloggers, but it's one of those books that you just can't resist talking about.

How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, is fifteen-year-old Daisy's story. Told in first person narration, How I Live Now begins with Daisy's expulsion from New York at the hands of her father and new stepmother, Davina "the Diabolical."

Daisy is sent to England to live with her deceased mother's sister, Aunt Penn, and her four children. Aunt Penn and the children live in an almost mythical rural space with a house out of a fairy tale:

• "First let's get it clear that the house is practically falling down, but for some reason that doesn't seem to make any difference to how beautiful it is. It's made out of big chunks of yellowish stone, and has a steep roof, and is shaped like an L around a big courtyard with fat pebbles set in the ground. The short part of the L has a wide arched doorway and it used to be the stable, but now it's the kitchen and it's huge, with zigzag brick floors and big windows all across the front and a stable door that's left open. Whenever it's not actually snowing, says Edmond."

Edmond is one of Daisy's cousins, a chain-smoking, jeep-driving, skinny fourteen year old who just happens to be able to read Daisy's mind. Isaac is Edmond's twin, but instead of reading Daisy's mind, he communes with animals and speaks little. Daisy's oldest cousin, Osbert, has the superior manner of many an eldest sibling and is eager to leave Eden behind and begin moving in the world of adults.* Finally, there is nine-year-old Piper, the only girl and a beautiful, solemn child who likes to hold Daisy's hand.

Aunt Penn leaves almost as soon as Daisy arrives to take part in peace negotiations in Oslo. There's a World War on the horizon you see, but the kids are unclear on the details. So much so, that when the war breaks out and there are bombings in the U.S. and the U.K., they don't even know who the enemy is. Instead they live in a paradise of flowers, food, beautiful weather, and, even, love between Edmond and Daisy.

When the U.K. is occupied, however, everything changes. The kids are split up and violent death is all around them. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you as it was one I could not predict at all.

How I Live Now is not for readers younger than twelve. There are some sensitive themes--anorexia, love between first cousins, violence in war. How I Live Now is, however, for every reader over the age of fifteen. It's a classic.

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* No offense meant to eldest children. I'm one myself.

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Can any of you explain what's happening to blogger images? Sometimes, like now, I can not post an image even though it says "done." Other times it works. Please help me. I like images!

Where I am with....

....Children's Book Reviews.

I have to apologize to you all about my lack of activity at Children's Book Reviews. I have not forgotten it, nor lost my commitment to getting it up and running. Turns out, I won't really be able to work in earnest (i.e., have an hour a day to devote to it) until Sunday. Jet lag hit me pretty hard in a good way. I've been sleeping like crazy. And now I'm off on a 3-day driving journey to visit one (or both, I hope) of my sisters and to meet up with Jen of Jen Robinson's Book Page.

So, Sunday, I swear I'll be back to work.

New participants:

Cloudscome at A Wrung Sponge
Anne at Book Buds

Washington Post Book Club

While I've been away, the Washington Post's Book Club has been proceeding along without me.(Imagine!) They're now on Week Six of Ten.

I think the Book Club is a great idea and they've executed it quite nicely. This week eleven-year-old Katie Bergmann, from Silver Spring, recommends Red Kayak, by Priscilla Cummings. There's a summary of the book, Katie explains why she found Red Kayak a compelling read, and then a list of similar books is provided.

Next week one of my childhood top tens is on the list: The Egypt Game, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

The Ten Best Books for Children ages 8-12...

...according to Kate Scarborough of 'CY' children's magazine (for the Independent).

There's no set up to this article, so I don't know if it means "of all time," "this summer," "recently." Maybe it's in the print version? The Little White Horse is not a new book, of course, but most on the list are recent titles.

Back in the States

I'm back in the States, though not "home" yet. I'm visiting relatives, friends, and beaches in California before heading back to Smalltown. Still, I'm back to a steady stream of my own internet and not reliant on hotels, cafes, friendly London neighbors with wireless, etc.

I have two short things to say (the lack of kidlit booknews this week is astounding. I'll have to post some reviews tonight!):

• International airline travel is not nearly as glamorous as it once was. At least in coach. Good news is...if you have a 5 year old throwing up at passport control, they'll get you through in a jiffy.
• I have some amazing holes in my reading of YA and children's books, I have to admit. I have an excuse. I only read adult books for two decades. Well, I picked up How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, at the airport. And all I can say is WOW. Triple wow.

The Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature

Welcome to the Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature!

The witches are circling (apologies to William Shakespeare) and ready to begin their work.

"Three times the brinded cat has mewed," said the first witch.
"Thrice plus one the hedgehog whined," said the second.
"Harpier cries: it's time, it's time!" the third said.

The first witch moved closer to the boiling cauldron.

The witches prime their cauldrons with some fresh reviews:

• Melissa Wiley at Here in the Bonny Glen admires How Do I Love You? (by Leslie Kimmelman, pictures by Lisa McCue), while Susan at Chicken Spaghetti shares a bewitching review of Malín Alegría's Estrella's Quinceañera.
• Tasha of KidsLit finds one magical book in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and Camille considers Forging Freedom, by Hudson Talbott, a "moving" tribute to Jaap Penraat at BookMoot. Always use magic for good as Camille does. She writes, "This is one of my favorite books to share with elementary and older readers about WWII. Jaap Penraat was a hero."
• PJ Librarian knows all about good witches (Check out the image on her blog, The Magic of Books). This month she finds Deborah Wiles' Every Little Bird That Sings more than just a little magical.
• Rinda M. Byers shares some writing (and reviewing) tricks in her post Gone with the Wind, Kitten, & Plots at Rindawriter.
• Jone Rush MacCulloch takes a sneak peek at Vive la Paris (by Esme Raji Codell) and That Girl Lucy Moon (by Amy Timberlake) at Check it Out.
• Sheila Ruth takes the witches head on with a review of Stormwitch at the magical and mysterious Wands and Worlds, while the Sorceress of Fantasy, Michele Fry, adds spoilers to her blogging repetoire with Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone. She recently considered Peter Dickinson's The Gift Boat.

Round about the cauldron go:
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad that under cold stone
Days and nights, thirty-one
Vicious venom its sleeping got,
Boil it first in this charmed pot!

Writers and Illustrators work a magic all their own:

• Words can be powerful spells. Greg R. Fishbone shows you how with Bookman.
• Kim Winters has a simple, but effective spell for writers: Want to Escape the Slush Pile? Read, read, read (at Kat's Eye)
• Editor Alvina asks whether you remember your first (publication, that is) at Bloomabilities.
• Author/illustrator Grace Lin takes magic to heart with some Small Magic in the Pacyforest. (And the author referenced to, Libby Koponen, blogs at CarefreeinCT)
• Melinda R. Cordell turns some relationship floss into gold at I write for young adults, so take that (Cordell also discusses on being black in fiction in a recent issue)
• Illustrator Roz Fulcher shares news on a recent Highlights venture and her bewitching cover at Rozzieland

Then in unison the witches chanted into the cauldron:

"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Children's books cast their own spells, turning children into powerful beings--readers:

• Carrie Kitzmiller testifies that a certain Magician's Nephew can open new worlds and inspire a love of reading at Mommy Brain.
• Jennifer shares some tips on starting a Family Book club and a useful guide to The Penderwicks at Snapshot.
• Laurie and Harvey Bluedorn recommend the strongest of spells at Trivium Pursuit.
• Karen Edminsten shares some magical parenting skills with If you give a girl some lunch

The second witch came to the cauldron for her contribution to the spell.

Fillet of a marsh snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake:
Eye of newt and toes of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blindworm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Kidlit bloggers are a vocal bunch. They chat frequently with other writers and bloggers. Great reports and interviews result:

• Little Willow demonstrates she is the witchiest witch of them all when it comes to site design. Bildungsroman is gorgeous. She also does a fabulous author interview.
• Liz B. of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy shares pixie dust, not toads, in her report on the Kidlitosphere Highlights at the ALA.
• A Fuse #8 Production cozies up to the highest of witches and wizards at the Newbery/Caldecott awards and banquet. (A little magic could have helped with the eyebrows, though. Where's Hermione when you need her?)
• The "sometimes spooky," but always wonderful, Cynthia Leitich Smith interviews Nancy Werlin for Cynsations.

The witches then chanted together.
"Double, double, toil and trouble,
fire burn and cauldron bubble!"

One of the most wonderful things about blogging (and reading blogs) about children's literature is the freedom to write about anything interesting or amusing that strikes your fancy. The result is, often, better "articles" than you'd find in the major media. These posts don't disappoint:

• Becky discusses how summer has a magic all its own over at Farm School (a little danger included!).
• Gregory K. wonders, between lobster (rolls) with Arthur Levine (Sorry, Gregory!), Why bother to Blog? at GottaBook.
• Anne Boles Levy asks Value added? Depends on your values over at Book Buds (A must read)
• MotherReader is a generous witch! She shares some spells on booktalking and bookhooks with us all. And, speaking of MotherReader...Stephanie Ford reports that MotherReader's 48-hour Book Challenge made the School Library Journal.
• Stephanie Ford Survives the Applewhites through the magic of the theater at Children's Literature Book Club.
• Jen Robinson shows just how cool girls can be with her mesmerizing list 200 Cool Girls from Children's Literature (Jen Robinson's Book Page).
• The Buried Editor finds children's books every bit as compelling and much more enthralling than adult titles at Buried in the Slush Pile
• Gail Gauthier reconsiders a bewitched wooden puppet and finds he stands the test of time at Original Content
• Daniel Pinkwater casts a curse on our friends Evan and Wendy at Blog from the Windowsill.
• Susan Taylor Brown performed some real magic on this witch by distracting me from the Carnival. Check out her post on literary fun and games at Once There Was a Girl who Wanted to Write
• The Disco Mermaids know how to work magic. Robin's gold lame pants cast a spell on Gordon Korman and transport her directly into Born to Rock. (Though an equally powerful Lisa Yee begs to differ.)

Witch's Choice: Liz B. (A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Teacozy) asks what children's/young adult book has the main character die? I don't know the answer, but will add the following:

Toes of frog and eye of newt,
J.K., this message you must heed,
If it's Harry, Ron, Hermione,
Beware, beware the blast-end skrewt.

Thank you for visiting the Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature. Witches 1 and 2 bid you farewell (the third was sent home long ago for discriminatory speech). Until we meet again:

Oh, well done!
I commend your pains
And everyone shall share in the gains.
And now about the cauldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.

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The Sixth Carnival of Children's Literature will be held at the Castle of the Immaculate. Check in with Melissa Wiley at Here in the Bonny Glen if you'd like to host a carnival in the future.

Previous carnivals held here:

• the First Carnival of Children's Literature at Here in the Bonny Glen
• No. 2: A Coney Island Adventure at Chicken Spaghetti
• The Third Carnival of Children's Literature at Semicolon
• The Broken Toe Edition (No. 4) at Here in the Bonny Glen
  
  
  

The Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature

The Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature will appear at the stroke of midnight (okay, 11:59) Old (London) Time.

The witches are preparing their brew with great apologies to Mr. William Shakespeare, who, alas, no longer holds copyright on his works.

While you are waiting, check out this bewitching review of Meg Rosoff's latest, Just in Case, by Amanda Craig for the Times.

Or, take a gander through the previous Carnivals of Children's Literature here:

• the First Carnival of Children's Literature at Here in the Bonny Glen
• No. 2: A Coney Island Adventure at Chicken Spaghetti
• The Third Carnival of Children's Literature at Semicolon
• The Broken Toe Edition (No. 4) at Here in the Bonny Glen

Mary Vitamin of the Castle of the Immaculate will hold the August (6th) Carnival of Children's Literature

Children's Book Reviews and Other Matters

As you all know, I've been on the road for several weeks. (If you've seen a new visitor from the U.K., France, or Italy, it was me.)

On Monday, however, I'm headed back to the States and a steady supply of wireless internet. At that point, I can't wait to start participating in Poetry Friday again and I will also, finally, post a Scotland report. In the meantime, tomorrow I have the rare and exciting opportunity to travel to Oxford and meet Michele of Scholar's Blog!! I'll post a picture if she'll agree.

Also, on Monday, I'll be able, finally, to work on Children's Book Reviews.

Here's who has signed up for Children's Book Reviews so far:

• Jen at Jen Robinson's Book Page
• Liz B. at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
• Little Willow of Slayground
• Michele of Scholar's Blog and Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone
• Colleen of Chasing Ray (and contributor to Bookslut)
• Susan Taylor Brown in spirit :)
• Leila at Bookshelves of Doom
• Mindy at Propernoun.net
• A Fuse #8 Production
• Becky at Bec's Book Reports
• Stephanie at Children's Literature Book Club
• Stefan at Zooglobble (Still have to add a children's music section, but reviews will be included)
• PJ Librarian at The Magic of Books
• MotherReader
• Sherry at Semicolon
• Tasha at KidsLit
• Ilene who posts reviews at Childrenslit.com
• Chris of Bartography
• Camille of Bookmoot
• Catherine at Book Carousel

For those of you who would rather begin posting your reviews than wait for me to get to work on Monday, then I'll let you in on the secret password. Edited to say: If you want the password, drop me a line! (And, Colleen, I'm working on yours now)

Children's Book and Audio Reviews

The Independent reviews children's Middle Grade fiction and audio books.

Christina Hardyment takes a look at recent Middle Grade titles, including:

• The Secret History of Tom Trueheart, by Ian Beck
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo
• Endymion Spring, by Matthew Skelton
• Tanglewreck, by Jeanette Winterson--This one got mixed reviews here in the U.K., though Hardyment liked it. Has anyone read it yet?
• The Humming Machine, by Berlie Doherty
• Encylopaedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea-Monsters, by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart

Hardyment also reviews Children's Audiobooks, including:

• Half Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer ("Eoin Colfer's genius is to write prose that sounds like your best friend talking urgently about happenings more exciting than you've ever dreamed. It works exceptionally well on audio, especially when read by the appropriately Irish Tom Farrelly.")
• Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket, by ("Read by David Tennant, they romp along splendidly, generously laced with special effects.") Doctor Who is such a big deal in the U.K.!
• Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke ("As you listen to Brendan Fraser's compelling narration, you enter its world yourself, and the book's mythic quality is revealed to the full.")
• Secret Seven, by Enid Blyton ("if you yearn to instil a stocky moral sense into children as well of offering lots of ideas for good clean fun [and healthy naughtiness], try them on these fast-moving tales.")
• Fairy Dust, by Gwyneth Rees ("a cleverly spun yarn about a well-thought-out fairy world of wee men and dainty feys born whenever a human child leaves the world untimely.")

Picture book recs

Bob Minzesheimer recommends four picture book titles in USAToday.

A note on Children's Book Reviews

I've slowly begun work on Children's Book Reviews, and the work will remain slow and steady until July 24 when I head back to the U.S. Then my pace should pick up.

Review: Chasing the Jaguar

Chasing the Jaguar, by Michele Dominguez Greene, surprised me by blowing not one, but two of my preconceived notions out of the water.

First, Michele Dominguez Greene is a celebrity. And, she's written a damn good, fun novel for young teens.

Second, Dominguez Greene has made Los Angeles a place of magic! I mean, I love LA and consider it my home (though I no longer live there), but it's not very magical in the foresty, fantasy sort of way. At least on the face of it.

15-year-old Martika Galvez thinks she's losing her mind. She has dreams of a burning forest and a jaguar. She begins having visions in the daytime as well, such as when she picks up a bracelet belonging to the daughter of a wealthy man (Ted Colton) whose house her mother cleans. Before long, Martika learns she's not actually crazy--instead she's a curandera, a witch in the Mayan tradition.

Martika's powers lead her straight into the middle of a mystery. The jaguar statue is a stolen Mayan icon and Ted Colton's daughter is kidnapped until the jaguar is delivered to a shady arts dealer. Martika's psychic abilities allow her to feel what Jennifer Colton is experiencing and to hear the call of the jaguar.

The mystery element of Chasing the Jaguar is fun, but what I really liked about the book is the language. Dominguez Greene expertly mixes the Spanish and English into a perfect Angeleno Spanglish. Also, Martika is a great heroine. She's smart, cares about her studies at a magnet school for the gifted (despite the other students who are mostly more privileged than she is), and a good daughter and friend.

Chasing the Jaguar is highly recommended for the 10-15-year-old reader. A big thanks goes out to Tara at Raab Associates for sending me this one.

A (proposed) Solution to the Tuesday BlogReviews

Bloggers: Please Read!

I just want to preface this post by noting that I've always been an organizer. When I was a child, I never played with dolls. Rather, I categorized them by size, hair color, nation of origin, fashion, etc. I even filled out an index card for each of my dolls listing their name, best friend, preferred location in the house, etc. (Needless to say, I've had a lending library, complete with card catalogue since the age of 8.)
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My penchant for organization led me to the Tuesday BlogReview Roundups. But, when I began to categorize all the kidlitosphere reviewed in one week...oy veh! It's more than one person can handle on a Tuesday!

So, I've set up a site called Children's Book Reviews. It's a PBwiki site, which means it's easy to use and edit. (Some of us on Blogger use PBwiki to store our own reviews.) It has traffic statitics, comments...the whole deal. If we all link our reviews to this site, it will be easy for users to find book reviews on the web. And all the links head back to your original reviews on your own site.

Since this project involves some initial work, I'm happy to go through your blogs and post past reviews if you'll agree to post reviews going forward. Just leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I'll send password and formatting information.
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Please note that I see Children's Book Reviews as a site belonging to all of us. So, if we need a new category, a new way of categorizing, then we can always change it.

Review: The New Policeman

I can't for the life of me figure out whether or not Kate Thompson's The New Policeman will be published soon in the U.S., but if it isn't on the docket, then I highly recommend buying this book through a distributor (check Amazon). It's a wonderful novel and has been kid-tested here (by a ten-year-old reader) as well.
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JJ Liddy’s family history is missing a few chapters. Born to a musical family in Kinvara, Ireland, JJ one day discovers the town rumor about his family—that his grandfather killed a priest. Moreover, his last name, Liddy, is his mother’s name. And, his mother’s father disappeared before she was born.

But most of Kinvara ignores the rumors because the Liddy family has a gift—the gift of music. They all play instruments and host céilí (“a dance”) at their farm. Still, rumors about his family’s past trouble young JJ.

JJ isn’t the only one with problems in Kinvara, however. There’s a new policeman on the beat and he’s not very good at his job:

• “Larry O’Dwyer sighed and took a step towards the narrow double doors. He’d had a good reason for becoming a policeman but sometimes it was difficult to remember what it was. It wasn’t this; he was sure of that much. He hadn’t become a policeman to curtail the enjoyment of musicians and their audiences. A few miles away, in Galway city, violent crime was escalating dramatically. Street gangs were engaged in all kinds of thuggery and muggery. He would be of far more use to society there. But that, as far as he could remember, was not why he had become a policeman either. There were times, like now, when he suspected the reason, whatever it was, might not have been a particularly good one.”

And, the town is suffering from a lack of time. Time is draining away. When JJ’s mother says that all she wants for her birthday is more time, JJ sets about trying to find it for her.

A local publisher named Anne Korff helps JJ find more time for his mother. I’m not going to give away any secrets, but Korff’s help involves a souterrain, another world, and multiple disappearances from Kinvara. (There’s a wonderful anecdote, by the way, about Anne Korff in a short foreword to The New Policeman.)

The New Policeman is a beautifully written novel. Each chapter begins with a song, notes included for the musically inclined. It’s fast-paced, funny, and thought-provoking—easily my favorite novel of the year.

The New Policeman was the winner of the 2005 Whitbread Children’s Book Award and of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

Review: Firegirl

Ah, middle school. When friendships fall apart, boys and girls start acting strangely, social codes are more complex, and teachers ratchet up the expectations.

Tom Bender’s seventh-grade year began in the normal way. He hung out with his friend Jeff, talking cars and comics, went to school, worked hard on his reading, and designed elaborate fantasies in which he rescued Courtney Zisky. But one day during the last week of September, Mrs. Tracy had an announcement to make. A new girl, Jessica Feeney would be joining the class and she, as Mrs. Tracy says, “’was burned, badly burned…she does not look like…anyone you have ever seen before…’”

Tony Abbott’s Firegirl is a sensitive, realistic portrayal of how your life can change when you least expect it and in the most surprising of ways. Told in first person narration, Abbott’s hero doesn’t fully understand why he reacts the way he does to Jessica. His first impressions are ones of horror and fear:

• “Jessica Feeney’s face, the first thing everyone looked at, was like a mask. I looked at her, then away, and then back at her. I couldn’t believe I was looking at the face of someone alive.”

When Tom holds Jessica’s hand during prayers and Jeff refuses, everything changes. Jeff lashes out at Tom, Tom is surprised and a little disgusted at Jeff’s callousness, and Jessica simply appreciates that someone treated her as someone alive.

For the short time before Jessica moves away, Tom becomes her friend and learns about her life and the fire. Even so, he fails her when he is too embarrassed to nominate her loudly enough for class president. The concluding paragraph of Firegirl shows just how much the friendship and the failure mean to Tom:

• “One thing I know. If I ever saw her again, I think I’d start saying all kinds of stuff and probably wouldn’t be able to stop. And I’d want her to talk, too. A lot. I’d want us both to talk to each other deep into the night and not stop. Mostly, I’d want to tell her thank you. And I’d try to say it loud enough for everyone to hear.”

Buy a copy of Firegirl for a Middle School or Junior High kid today. It’s a life-changing story in just 145 pages.

Cool Stuff in the Times

There's lots of cool stuff in today's Times.

Amanda Craig reviews Rick Riordan's Sea of Monsters and The Pig Who Saved the World, by Paul Shipton.

Margaret Reynolds reconsiders Treasure Island and finds, "the anarchy of the piratical life appeals: a return to a fantasised childhood where definitions blur and rules don’t apply."

And, Amanda Craig talks to Anthony Horowitz on the eve of the release of Stormbreaker in the U.K.

One more day!

I'm having trouble with internet access and travel again, but should be back for good on Monday.

I may stop in with some news or reviews if a computer presents itself along the road :)

In the meantime, I want to remind you all to please submit to the 5th Carnival of Children's Literature. I've been getting some great posts, but I still want more!

Review: Fly By Night

Frances Hardinge writes in the disclaimer to Fly By Night that it “is not a historical novel. It is a yarn.” That being said, Hardinge admits that Fly By Night and its world (the Realm) are “based roughly on England at the start of the eighteenth century.” And what a world it is. In the Realm, a war between various factions—the Birdcatchers, the Stationers, and the Locksmiths—is in full swing. And young Mosca Mye becomes a key player in the events she doesn’t even understand until the end.

Hardinge structures her novel in chapters from A-V, the first being “A is for Arson,” in which Mosca sets fire to her Uncle’s mill and rescues Eponymous Clent, wordsmith and vagabond rascal. She escapes from the waterlogged town of Clough with Clent as his secretary. The various factions of the Realm are in a war not only against each other, but also against words and books and a single printing press. Behind them all at the center of power are Lady Tamarind, a powdered beauty with a single scar, and her brother, the Duke.

Fly By Night is an adventure story and Mosca Mye a heroine of the first order. She’s a tough scrap of a girl (with missing eyebrows and a rowdy goose named Saracen) who learns to fight for the truth and for freedom of thought and speech. Mosca’s changing opinions as she learns to navigate the politics and violence of her Realm are a revelation. Here’s, for example, what she concludes about words and books at the end of her journey:

• “Clent was right, and Mosca knew it. Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable that storms. They could turn men’s heads inside out and warp their destinies. They could pick up kingdoms and shake them until they rattled. And this was a good thing, a wonderful thing…and in her heart Mosca was sure that Clent knew this too.”

Fly By Night is fast-paced, witty adventure for children ages ten to fifteen. It would also make for a splendid read-aloud or audio book for kids as young as eight.

Reminders and More

Just a reminder to please submit to the 5th Carnival of Children's Literature.

Some questions have popped up here and there and I think I have some answers. First, your post DOES NOT have to be about witches. Don't worry about the witches at all. Just submit your best post.

Also, what does a carnival host do between the 15th and the 23rd? Well, in theory, a host puts together the links in an entertaining fashion. I'm not sure I'll be as good as the previous hosts, but I'll give it my best shot.
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On a totally unrelated topic, I've been thinking a lot while I was gone about the Tuesday BlogReview Roundups. I've found a great solution to them and will make an announcement in the next few days.

Booklists

The U.K. is well into the summer holidays, and this weekend all the major papers published booklists of one kind or another. Susan at Chicken Spaghetti noted the lists at the Times, and Michele discusses Tim Martin's snarky, but mostly true article in the Independent at Scholar's Blog. It's been fun catching up with everyone!

There's one more weekend list I want to mention and that's Amanda Craig's list of good audio books for the Independent. (Also, the article points to Amanda Craig's website which I must add to my links immediately!) Audio books are a lifesaver for us when we travel, let me tell you. My five year old has found the beauty of Winnie-the-Pooh this summer.

New (to me) blogs

While I was in Scotland, several blogs came to my attention. Here's some of the links I'm adding to the blogroll:

• Buried in the Slush Pile--Blog of a Children's Book Editor. Very cool!
• Booktopia and Welcome to my Tweendom by Stasia Dillon. Two new interesting bookblogs by the same author.
• Oz and Ends. I've seen J.L. Bell's blog mentioned here and there in the past weeks and now that I'm sort of stationary, it's time to link!
• Little Willow at Slayground recommended two great author blogs--by Maureen Johnson and Niki Burnham.

The castle in the picture is Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was my favorite castle as a kid and my kids loved it too. It's a huge ruin on the sea, covered in algae.

ETA: Some of these links will have to be added tomorrow. Blogger is acting wonky and ignoring my manually entered links at the moment.

Review: The Tide Knot

The Tide Knot is the second volume in Helen Dunmore’s Ingo trilogy. The first volume, Ingo, was one of my favorites of 2005 for its original story and beautiful prose. The Tide Knot is more than a worthy successor as Dunmore complicates the plot and leaves tantalizing threads to follow in the final forthcoming volume.

Sapphire and Connor are learning to cope since the disappearance of their father, Matthew Trewhella, into the sea. Mum has moved the kids from their cottage on the cove to the bigger town of St. Pirans. Mum and Connor are doing especially well in their new environment, but Sapphire is still drawn to the sea and the world of the Mer. In fact, she is divided between the two worlds as Granny Crane, an elderly woman knowledgeable in the ways of the Earth, tells her:

• ‘But I never knew any with the Mer blood and the human divided so equal as it is in you. Half and half you are. It must be the way the inheritance has come down to you. It weakens in one generation, and grows strong in the next.’

And Sapphire, this time, is being called to the sea for a purpose. Some of the Mer are restless and are ready to take revenge against the humans for what they have done to the world of the seas. The magical Tide Knot is destroyed and St. Pirans flooded. Sapphire has to work with the Mer to restore the tides and save her town and family. It’s a nail-biting race to the finish as Sapphire works with Faro, her brother Connor, the Keeper of the Tide Knot, Saldowr, whales, dolphins, and sharks to save not only the Earth, but also the Seas.

Dunmore leaves much to look forward to in the last volume of the trilogy. Over the course of The Tide Knot, Sapphy learns some of the truth of her father’s disappearance and, most importantly, that she has a baby brother under the seas. Faro and Connor, who were previously quite competitive, grow closer while working to restore the tides. And, Connor, who has struggled successfully to remain part of the Earth, can not shake his attraction to Faro’s sister, Elvira.

U.S. readers can look forward to the August 1 publication of Ingo. I highly recommend Ingo and The Tide Knot to readers ages eight and up.

Frank Cottrell Boyce interview

Dina Rabinovitch interviews Frank Cottrell Boyce for the Guardian. (As an aside, can I just mention how great it is to read the Guardian everyday? I want to move to the U.K. because of the Guardian's book sections.)

Cottrell Boyce likes meeting his audience for the best of reasons. He says:

• "He has come to relish meeting his audience face to face - kids coming up to him with copies of his books filled with polaroids showing they've retraced the locations in the stories. 'They give you your books to sign with their fingerprints all over them, and you can see how much they've loved the book.'"

I'm back!

I'm finally back into the land of the internets! I have lots to tell you all, but in the meantime, I'm begging you to publicize the next Carnival of Children's Literature.

Here's the scoop:

The Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature will take place here on July 23. Submissions are due on July 15. You may either submit them via the Carnival site or send me an e-mail.

Be warned: the Witches are coming.

Previous carnivals include:

the First Carnival of Children's Literature at Here in the Bonny Glen
No. 2: A Coney Island Adventure at Chicken Spaghetti
The Third Carnival of Children's Literature at Semicolon
The Broken Toe Edition (No. 4) at Here in the Bonny Glen