Weekend Reviews (1)

I slept in late today and decided to leave the book review roundup until this evening. Boy, am I glad I did...there are many, many reviews out there this weekend so far. They include:

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)

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett, is the Times' Children's Book of the Week (reviewed by Nicolette Jones)

Site(s) Alert

I've received many e-mails today about new sites and pages of interest on the web. So, here they are:

• A funny day-in-the-life from Jennifer L. Holm. Jennifer Holm is a wonderful writer and a truly fabulous person. Check it out!
• The great folks at Kane/Miller have set up a Squidoo page. You can vote for your favorite Kane/Miller book and learn more about their new titles.
• Speaking of Kane/Miller, the author of my absolute favorite Kane/Miller title (Learning to Fly), Sebastian Meschenmoser, has a new website. It's mostly in German but has a truly great photo of Sebastian (a Hot Man of Children's Literature) and his penguin.

What Art Movement are You?

Well, I certainly wouldn't have guessed this:

You Are Surrealism

Dreamy and idealistic, you've created a world that is all your own. It's very likely that you've either dabbled in drugs or are naturally trippy. You are always trying to push beyond the boundaries of your culture and society. You believe that art, love, and freedom can change the world.

What Art Movement Are You?

Actually, now that I look at the result more closely, the last 2 items are true. I'm a naive hippie at heart.

McCaughrean article/interview

SFGate has published an AP article, by Sue Leeman, on Peter Pan in Scarlet and Geraldine McCaughrean.

McCaughrean had these, highly encouraging, things to say about the novel:

• "Children like other-world adventures — they like going there. Children like to be taken out of themselves" (as do adults, I might add)
• "There are also fairies, pirates, children — and a circus — 'because children love animals and I felt we needed more of them.'"
• "Wendy, she said, is 'a bit more central to the story' this time — 'I wanted to make her more a prime mover.'"

Poetry Friday: Jack Prelutsky

This Friday, I've chosen a Jack Prelutsky poem, from A Pizza the Size of the Sun, in honor of his appointment as Children's Poet Laureate.

This poem, "Chuck," really speaks to me (unfortunately):

Chuck

I'm Chuck, the chore evader
and adept procrastinator.
I've got a lot of strategies--
I'll demonstrate them later.

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The Poetry Foundation has two Prelutsky-related links up today: Karen Glenn writes of the "wit and wisdom" of Prelutsky and there's a Prelutsky audio file available on site's front page.
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Liz B. of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy has a creative roundup this week.

Prizes and honors galore

In addition to the appointment of Jack Prelutsky as the Children's Poet Laureate, there have been other honors bestowed this week:

• The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize was announced today. The winner? The Darkling Plain, by Philip Reeve. (link via KidsLit) Also, at the Guardian, kids weigh in on the novel.
• A new set of awards was announced Monday night at The Eric Carle Museum: The Carle Honors, were established to celebrate, "the creative vision and long-term dedication of key individuals and organizations to the art of the picture book." First winners are: Rosemary Wells, Artist (but, of course); Helen Bing, Angel (literacy philanthropist); Ann Beneduce, Mentor (editor/publisher); and Morton Schindel, Bridge (made films/filmstrips of picture books). (link via PW Children's Bookshelf)

It's been a busy week and the season promises more awards to come.

Two cool posts

Susan at Chicken Spaghetti has two cool posts up today. Head on over and check 'em out:

• Critical Mass recently asked "who lines up to defend Captain Underpants?" Well, Susan and Junior have.
• Susan also interviews the three cats of Three Cats Write to find out about their collaborative novel in progress, The Amber Baboon.

And, don't miss Susan's recent guest column by TangognaT.

Review: My Buddy, Slug

Jarrett J. Krosoczka's latest title, My Buddy, Slug, tackles a topic not often seen in picture books: What do you do when you see your best friend just a little too often?

Alex has encountered just this problem: "It used to be Slug, Kevin, and me--the unstoppable three. Until Kevin moved away. Now it's just Slug and me...all the time."

Alex sees Slug so often, that's he's dying for a little alone time. Slug is around every corner. He shows up at the dentist, at the mall, even for dinner.

On one such occasion, Alex's mom invites Slug for a sleepover. Slug talks and talks. He tells jokes, stories, asks philosophical questions. And, Alex is beyond annoyed.

The next morning Alex "had words" with his mother. He yells, "I'm sick of him!" You can guess who overhears this heated conversation and whose feelings are really, really hurt.

I have absolutely no idea why Alex's best friend is a giant, orange slug, but Slug is awfully cute and colorful. Krosoczka's illustrations are as expressive as ever and the story he tells is, at the same time, unique and one every young school child will recognize. My Buddy, Slug is highly recommended for children ages 4-9.

Irritation

I've been wanting to post on the Atwood quote that's been popping up here and there in the news and on the blogs. Here's the quote:

• "At a master-class at Glasgow University, the Booker winner, joked with an audience of creative writing students: 'If I were your parent, I would say: 'why are you doing it?' You should go get a proper [job]'." (via the Scotsman)

I don't know whether or not to be irritated by Atwood* or by journalists who leave the "joking" part out of the headline.

Was anyone else irritated, or am I just cranky?

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*I mostly like Atwood's work and her newest, Moral Disorder and Other Stories, is my next audible selection while I wait for the new Kate Atkinson and Richard Ford.

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Speaking of irritating...has anyone else noticed Blogger is so s-l-o-w lately? Is Beta as slow? If not, then it may be time for me to switch over, even though I'm scared to do so.

Children's Poet Laureate named

The Poetry Foundation has named their Children's Poet Laureate. And, he's Jack Prelutsky.
(report via the New York Times)

Eisha guessed the winner! I'm happy Prelutsky was selected--it's great to see fun and humor rewarded once and awhile.

BBW Review: The Giver

Ummm...The Giver was the fourteenth-most-challenged book of 1990-2000?

I admit I had to resort to some lazy researching (see: google, wikipedia) to find out why. Nothing struck me as potentially troubling to "concerned" adults at all.

So here's the scoop from wikipedia: "The novel's depiction of suicide, euthanasia, and infanticide are typically cited as concerns." One parent involved in a 2005 challenge (Missouri) had this to say: "The lady writes well, but when it comes to the ideas in that book, they have no place in my kid's head." Well, then, that explains it. I'm sure Lois Lowry appreciates the compliment.

In any case, as The Giver has been reviewed everywhere and there are numerous teaching guides available, I'll just share why I'm glad I chose this book as one of my Banned Books Week reads:

• I really enjoy a good dystopian read now and then. Dystopias remind you to keep up the fight, to remember that good intentions for the community can sometimes go way too far. Dystopias remind you to always question authority. Even if you are happy with the status quo.
• The Giver is an excellent gateway novel. Next up: We, 1984, and Brave New World.
• The power, the pain, and the beauty of memory are so viscerally portrayed in The Giver. You can't have the beauty without the pain. The fact that one person must store and experience the memories of a community is horrifying.
• Lowry's characterization is outstanding. Jonah is perfectly believable as he moves from content with his community, through gradual understanding, to escape. The Giver is a great character; it's clear the community made a mistake when selecting him, not Jonah or Rosemary, for the role of Receiver. He is simply unable to cause pain. Receive it, but not Give it.

In short, The Giver is highly recommended for kids ages 8 and up and I can see why it has become a classic, even if I don't understand the challenges. On to Athletic Shorts.

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More: Kids and teachers discuss Banned Books Week in Buffalo, NY.

Cressida Cowell podcast

The Guardian has a Cressida Cowell podcast available on "suspense, imagination and how to understand the magic language of dragons."

Little Red Riding Hood

Hoodwinked is being released in the U.K. on Friday and, so, Mark Lawson takes a look at "the many incarnations of Little Red Riding Hood" for the Guardian. (Link via Bookninja)

Lawson views Hoodwinked as a "dramatic reinterpretation" of the tale because of how the story has been interpreted until recently:

• "No longer a celebration of female sexuality, it again warns against predatory masculinity. Three movies in the past 10 years have invoked the story in connection with paedophilia. In Matthew Bright's Freeway (1996), Reese Witherspoon is an abused teenager who runs away from home to seek sanctuary at her nan's, but is intercepted by a psychologist (Kiefer Sutherland), whose apparent friendship conceals hidden threats. The climatic scene in The Woodsman (2005) features Kevin Bacon as a paroled sex offender following a young girl into the woods. And the symbolism is even more explicit in Hard Candy (2006): a teenager wearing a red hoodie is carrying a basket of goodies when a middle-aged photographer persuades her to come back to his house. Weaving sexual abuse into the tale is logical, given that the monster who threatens Red in the original is disguised as a relative and a home is shown as being a dangerous place."

In contrast to these movies, Lawson finds Hoodwinked a celebration of "female strength."

Hmmm...Hoodwinked was poorly reviewed in the States and I didn't bother to see it. I wonder if I should?

Here a blog, there a blog, everywhere...

The kidlitosphere is expanding exponentially at the moment. Here are three new (or new to me) blogs I've noticed lately and will be adding to the blogroll:

• Reading YA: Reader's Rants--reviews and rants from the folk behind Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA weblog. Honest, ranting and raving reviews of the latest in YA fiction.
• Kiddielit--Run by Snow, a children's librarian, Kiddielit reviews children's books in all genres and discusses news about books.
• Kids Literati--a new blog, run by Kara, "about the best in children's literature. Book reviews for the most discerning kids, parents, and educators. Classics, fiction, non-fiction, fairytales, and popular favorites--we read everything worth reading."

I'm also going to be updating the blogroll in the next few days to include serialized novels and sites for kids. One such site I'll be adding to the second category is Beacon Street Girls. My daughter loves their books and the site is pretty cool--with games, recipies, and quizzes.

Review: The Book of One Hundred Truths

Thea Grumman, almost thirteen years old, has taken to lying. She told her neighbor, for example, that she didn't skate because she had an artificial leg. (Not true.) She told the school counselor, Mr. Hamilton, that she couldn't participate in gym relay races because she's Episcopalian. (Maybe true, but certainly not relevant.)

So when Thea heads off to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Grumman for a few weeks during the summer, Mom hands Thea a notebook in which she's to write 100 truths. Mom tells her, "'You never know what you might discover. You might learn something new...You might find out something new about who you are.''

Granda and Nenna Grumman's house is different this summer, however. It's packed with many grandchildren this time and Thea is not used to sharing. Moreover, she's expected to babysit, a job, she tells her grandparents and her aunts, she's not allowed to do. (Not true.) The relatives relent at first, but Thea can't help but notice she's left most days with her 7-year-old cousin, Jocelyn.

Jocelyn is one of those irritating/touching children. She makes her own bed, reads like a pro, is far too precocious for her own good, and wears white gloves as much for their aesthetic appeal as for their use in covering her eczema.

Jocelyn is sure "the aunts" are up to something and she coaxes, pleads, and begs Thea into helping her spy on them. Jocelyn is also fascinated by Thea's notebook, and the only way Thea can keep her cousin away from the book is by helping her spy.

Over the course of Thea's three-week stay, Thea writes her 100 truths, develops a fondness and an empathy for her odd cousin, and comes to terms with what was behind the lies. (No spoilers here, but let me just say that it involves an accident those of us who live in the North most fear.)

The Book of One Hundred Truths is a thought-provoking novel for the upper Middle Grade, or tween, reader. What impressed me most about this book is how its author, Julie Schumacher, portrays Thea, her narrator and protagonist. Thea is completely believable--her lies are so transparent, so troubling, yet completely motivated. Thea is an ordinary child to whom an ordinary, mundane accident occurs. She copes in the only way she knows how. Often, in Middle Grade or Young Adult fiction, the heroes are smart--smarter than their calendar age would suggest. Thea is a twelve year old and reacts like one.

The Book of One Hundred Truths is best suited for the ten-to fourteen-year-old reader and is highly recommended.

Mommy?

Everyone on Child_Lit is talking about the NPR interview with Maurice Sendak this morning. It's a great interview, so if you haven't heard it yet, head on over and listen.

Sendak's latest, Mommy? (with Matthew Reinhart and Arthur Yornik), has been released today.

Here's where you can order an autographed, first-edition copy of Mommy?

Three Cats Writing

You may have seen information about this new children's blog novel on Fuse #8 and on Kids Lit, but I just wanted draw your attention to it again.

Three Cats Write (Apollo Kerley, Asta Nethery, Jemima Wing) have teamed up to serialize a children's novel, The Amber Baboon, on a blog. New chapters will be posted each weekday. Here's the intriguing opening to the novel:

Thebes, 1330 B.C.

In a land of majestic pyramids and tombs filled with gold, even the dead are not safe.

For thirty years, Queen Neferkitti had ruled the country with a velvet paw. Now, inside the royal palace, she and her attendant waited—one to mourn and one to die.

As the final breath rattled out of her chest, Queen Neferkitti bequeathed to her faithful attendant two small gifts: an alabaster vase with a golden lid, and her most beloved pet, a tiny baboon.

I think I need a new section on my blogroll for serialized novels. With The Amber Baboon and L. Lee Lowe's Mortal Ghost, I read two of them now.

New e-mail address

I've changed my e-mail address. Here's my new address: kidslitinfo@gmail.com.

Call for Reviews

Now that the 7th The Edge of the Forest is up, I'm putting out a call for reviews for the issue #8 (October). And I have books to share.

If you're interested in reviewing but don't have a book in mind, then drop me a line and I can send something out to you. I mostly have YA and MG titles available.

Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week! To celebrate, I'm selecting two children's books I have not read from the ALA's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books 1990-2000 list.

And, I'm going to BUY these books at a bookstore.

I'm going with Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher, and The Giver, by Lois Lowry (I know, I know. I haven't read it yet!)

The Edge of the Forest #7

The Edge of the Forest #7 (September) is finally up! Here's what's in store this month:

• An interview with Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, by Camille of Book Moot
• Pam Coughlan talks booktalking to the difficult Middle School crowd in The Teens or the Tiger?
• Allie considers Peter Pan sequels and prequels in The Eternal Little Boy
• Michele Fry reviews the work of fantasy prodigy Catherine Webb in Spotlight on Catherine Webb
• Kim Winters contributes two interviews this month, speaking to English teacher, Cynthia Vaughan Granberg (Grand Canyon High School in Grand Canyon, Arizona), for What's in their Backpacks and children's writer, Carmela Martino, for A Day in the Life
• Reviews in all categories—from Picture book to Young Adult.
• Kid Picks is back! Jone Rush MacCulloch, aka MsMac of Check It Out, talks to fourth and
  fifth graders at Silver Star School in Vancouver, Washington
• New resources this month include a Review Archive of books reviewed this year at The Edge of the Forest and a Subscribe feature. Just enter your name and e-mail address and you'll receive notification when each new issue is published.

Enjoy!

Weekend Reviews (2)

Susan Faust reviews books that "feature real tools in the real world": Toolbox Twins, written by Lola Schaefer and illustrated by Melissa Iwai, and Tools, by Taro Miura. (SFGate.com)

Liz Rosenberg finds the best picture books are coming from small presses (Boston Globe). Books reviewed include:

• Before You Were Born, Retold by Howard Schwartz, illustrated by Kristina Swarner
• I'll Protect You From the Jungle Beasts, by Martha Alexander
• To Everything There is a Season, by Jude Daly

Caddy Ever After, by Hilary McKay, is the Times' Children's Book of the Week (reviewed by Nicolette Jones)

Toys Go Out, by Emily Jenkins, is the Washington Post "Book of the Week."

Another prodigy book deal

Vanessa Thorpe reports for the Observer that HarperCollins will publish a novel written by eleven-year-old Nancy Yi Fan in the U.S.

Usually prodigy novels don't do much for me, even if kids like them (read: Eragon), but this book, Swordbird, does sound interesting. Here's some background information on Nancy Yi Fan and the inspiration for her novel:

• "Born in Beijing in 1993, Fan lived in New York with her parents from the age of seven, graduating 'with excellence' from an elementary school there in 2004. When she was in sixth grade, at the age of 11, she was taught about terrorism and the events of 9/11. That night, she explains, she had a startling dream all about birds at war and the next day she started writing Swordbird in her bedroom as a way of trying to convey her worries about violence in the world. "

The book concerns warring factions of birds in the "once-peaceful Stone-Run Forest."

The book will also be published in China by Chinese People's Literature Publishing House.

Sassy Sidekicks

Little Willow has begun a Sassy Sidekicks of Children's Literature list. Head on over to Slayground and nominate your favorite today!

Seventh Carnival of Children's Literature

The Seventh Carnival of Children's Literature is up at Wands and Worlds and it's harvest time! There's lots to read and consider, so grab a cup of coffee and head on over to read. Perfect for a autumn weekend.

The Eighth Carnival of Children's Literature will be held at Scholar's Blog. Submissions are due October 15.

Weekend Reviews (1)

Here's a roundup of the early reviews of children's books in the papers.

• Amanda Craig reviews G.P. Taylor's latest offering, The Curse of Salamander Street, for the Times. Now I personally think Shadowmancer is the worst children's novel I've EVER READ and it seems my tastes here are shared by Amanda Craig. She finds this sequel to Shadowmancer "the very worst" and writes, "I am appalled at the way this author has managed to rise on a minimum of talent and a maximum of self- publicising stunts (such as his claim that he was defending free speech when ejected from a school reading for using foul language). " Craig also reviews Blade of Fire, by Stuart Hill, and The Hollow People, by Brian Keaney ("by far the best of the bunch").
• Susan Perren reviews new picture books for the Globe and Mail. Titles reviewed include: Small Wonders: Baby Animals in the Wild, by Marilyn Baillie, illustrated by Romi Caron, Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, by Mo Willems, Jack and the Beanstalk, by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Matt Tavares

Poetry Friday

Better late than never, no?

My Poetry Friday entry this week is A.S. Pushkin's "A Little Bird." It's a simple, but profound poem I like very much.

A Little Bird

In alien lands devoutly clinging
To age-old rites of Russian earth,
I let a captive bird go winging
To greet the radiant spring's rebirth.

My heart grew lighter then: why mutter
Against God's providence, and rage,
When I was free to set aflutter
But one poor captive from his cage!
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Poetry Friday Roundup

Nancy shares some Elizabeth Barrett Browning at Journey Woman. Susan at Chicken Spaghetti talks about the Children's Poet Laureate discussion taking place here in the comments and links to two wonderful children's poems housed at The Poetry Foundation.

Christine M. shares a Lewis Carroll favorite over at The Simple and the Ordinary. Sherry also quotes from Lewis Carroll, her daughter's current favorite, at Semicolon.

Head on over to By Sun and Candlelight to celebrate autumn with Dawn and Emily Bronte!

Anne at Book Buds reviews When the Horses Ride By: Children in the Time of War and quotes from a poem in the book that makes her cringe. Becky at Farm School doesn't disappoint with wonderful poem by Welsh poet, Eiluned Lewis.

Wendy reviews Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich for Poetry Friday at Blog from the Windowsill.
Jen contributes a Shel Silverstein classic at Jen Robinson's Book Page before going wine tasting. (Jealous!)

Michele shares some Shakespeare and reviews Susan Cooper's King of Shadows (they're related, as Michele shows) at Scholar's Blog. Little Willow contributes "A Nest Full of Stars," by James Berry, at Slayground.

Adrienne shares Pink Kitty, by Julie Larios, at What Adrienne Thinks About That (I'm yawning now too, Adrienne!). Cloudscome cites a funny poem called "Handwriting" (by Donald Graves) at A Wrung Sponge.

Franki reviews a great new find, Don't Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior, at A Year of Reading. Melissa Wiley shares a gorgeous "Moving," by Randall Jarrell, at Here in the Bonny Glen.

Susan Taylor Brown celebrates caterpillars with a poem by Christina Rossetti at Susan Writes.
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If I've missed you, please drop me a line or a comment!

Stallin' on Poetry Friday

Hi Everyone! I'm busy finishing up this month's The Edge of the Forest, so Poetry Friday will be up this evening.

And, Liz B. is out of town this week, so the roundup will be here also in the evening. Drop me a comment or an e-mail if you've posted.

What 14 year old says "content"?

News from The Book Standard: "14-Year-Old Celebrity Twin Actors Looking Forward to Providing Interesting Book Content ."

Who are said twins? Cole and Dylan Sprouse, aka Zach and Cody of The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. Kimberly Maul reports that the Sprouse bros "will be the faces of a new series of spy books for kids, where Dylan and Cole are like 'young James Bonds [or] undercover agents...'" Simon Spotlight will produce the series.

This doesn't surprise me. I'm sure the books will sell well. What shocked me, however, was what one of the twins said when interviewed about the books: "'It’s exciting to have a book series,' Cole said, in a statement today. 'My brother and I feel it’s really important for kids to read. Now we have a chance to create fun and interesting content kids can enjoy.'"

Content? Content!?! Ack.

Master 2006 Lists

MotherReader has the compiled Top Picks of 2006 lists up. There are 150 titles in all, great diversity, and lots and lots to read. Head on over and check 'em out.

Diary of a first-time novelist

Oooh...this is interesting. Lyn Gardner, theatre critic for the Guardian, is writing a "Diary of a first-time novelist" column for the Guardian's CultureVulture blog. Gardner's first novel, Into the Woods, written for the Middle Grade crowd, was just published.

Here's the opening of the introductory paragraph:

• "It is two weeks since my first novel, Into the Woods (David Fickling Books) crept quietly out into the world to a resounding silence. There were no fireworks, no glittering launch party, and no column inches celebrating its arrival. It feels a bit like having been pregnant for a monstrously long time only to discover that nobody takes a blind bit of notice when the baby finally arrives. "

I'll be following this one!

The U.S. could use some "Horrible Histories"

There are two British series I'd love to see published in the U.S.

The first is, of course, Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry series.

The second is the wonderfully gruesome Horrible Histories series, written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown. This series, with titles like The Terrible Tudors, Dark Knights and Dingy Dungeons, and The Rotten Romans, serves up history with a healthy dose of humor.

When we were in the U.K. this summer we purchased Bloody Scotland for my ten-year-old daughter. By the time we left for home I think we had fifteen Horrible Histories packed in the suitcases. Now they're being traded around the Middle School and are so loved they're falling apart at the seams.

Warwick Today talks to Martin Brown about his work on the hilarious series. Here's an interesting excerpt from the article about how Deary and Martin work together:

• "Martin receives the manuscripts from Terry at home and starts drawing, often in quick succession, to keep up with the demand. He said: 'In the early books I added a lot of the humour - I did a sort of editorial cartooning. Now it has got to the point where Terry and I cannot remember who wrote which joke. We rarely meet but we know each other and we know each other's work.' Now a father of two, watching Saturday morning cartoons with his two daughters is how he gets some of his best ideas. "

Arthur, cash aardvark

Do you want to know what our cuddly, aardvark friend Arthur pays for? Then head on over and read this article from the New York Times.

A Big Thank You

A big thanks to all who helped my mom purchase books for her school. Your ideas and suggestions were compiled into a long, long list and, with the help of a 20% discount at an unnamed bookstore, purchased and checked into the school library. You all kept the fun factor in mind for the reluctant reader and these kids have bright, exciting new books on their shelves.

A special thanks to Liz B. and Jennifer L. Holm. Why? Liz told Jennifer of my plea and the amazingly kind Babymouse and Penny From Heaven author sent my mom a box of books! Awesome.

I think this is going to be a hit.

Knowledge Adventure has "announced the release of Knowledge Adventure Books by You, a new software product that lets kids create, edit, illustrate and personalize their own books."

They have sweet, erudite John Lithgow in their promotional corner and the product sounds great. Kids can, "kids can print their book at home, save it as a PDF for easy emailing, or even publish a professionally printed and bound book to share with friends and family."

Sure, it's another way to make tons of money from parents of kids, but I know one ten year old who would love this program.

Michael Morpurgo podcast

Michael Morpurgo reads a story from his soon-to-be released collection, Singing for Mrs. Pettigrew. The story is called "Meeting Cézanne" and is about a young boy who "visits his family in Provence and meets the world's greatest painter." Podcast courtesy of the Guardian.

Review: Penny From Heaven

Two things struck me as I read Jennifer L. Holm's latest novel, Penny From Heaven. The first is that I can't believe the 1950s are History (with a capital H). When I was a kid, we dressed up for 50s day or for Halloween to make fun of our parents. To make fun of me, my kids are going to have to dress like Depeche Mode or Madonna or the like. The second thing, most relevant to the following review, is that Penny From Heaven is a story that really sneaks up on you. It starts out quietly and then, wow...hang on for the ride!

Eleven-year-old Penny's summer begins as most summers have before. She lives at home with her mother and grandparents. The house is quiet, mom works long hours as a secretary, and Penny's grandparents are slightly eccentric. Me-me (Grandma) is kind, but a horrible cook who favors wholesome "American" food like meatloaf and liver. Pop-pop (Grandpa) is given to inappropriate comments and overestimating his plumbing abilities.

Fortunately, Penny has her deceased father's siblings, cousins, mothers, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles to spoil her, feed her, and employ her in the family store. They're a large, Italian-American family with lots of love, food, kids and quarrels. But the Faluccis have something in common with Penny's other family--they won't tell her the secret about her father's death. Everyone--from her mom's family to her father's--gives Penny a vague answer: Penny's father died in a hospital.

Penny spends her summer hanging out, playing baseball, and delivering groceries with her cousin and best friend, Frankie, a twelve-year-old boy on the verge of real trouble with the law. She's having a good time until something dramatic happens. Her mother begins dating. And not just anybody...She begins dating Mr. Mulligan, the milkman.

All these threads come together in a dramatic conclusion that had me reading over the chaos of three boys stomping and screaming through the house (average age: 6). Penny From Heaven is one of those stories that will stay with me a long time. Highly recommended for children ages 8-14.

Excellent news

The Poetry Foundation will name a First Children's Poet Laureate on September 27 at the third annual Pegasus Awards ceremony in Chicago.

The Children's Poet Laureate will be a Consultant in children's verse to the Poetry Foundation and will win a stipend of $25,000. The Children's Poet Laureate will serve for two years. I hope that means there will be a Second Children's Poet Laureate to follow.

Now all we need is a Children's Laureate like they have in the U.K. Still, this is excellent news and recognition of the importance of children's literature in the U.S.

Endymion Spring

Tracy Grant speaks to Matthew Skelton, author of Endymion Spring, today for the Washington Post.

Also in the Washington Post, an excerpt from Endymion Spring and a brief fact sheet.

Review: a brief chapter in my impossible life

I've been wanting to read Dana Reinhardt's a brief chapter in my impossible life, for a while now. Its appearance on a few of the MotherReader top five of 2006 lists (High School) hastened its position on the "to read" or "to listen" pile to the very top.

The top five lists have been interesting in that not everyone has chosen the same books. But only three books stood out as favorites that I hadn't yet read--a brief chapter in my impossible life, RULES, by Cynthia Lord, and Shug, by Jenny Han.

I chose a brief chapter in my impossible life as my next audible selection and checked out Shug from my favorite semi-local library to catch up with the crowd (RULES is on the docket for next week). And, I'm glad I did! Both novels are excellent, every-day life reads. So on to the review...

Simone Turner-Bloom is your average above-average teenager. She has a mother, a father and a younger brother. She lives in an upper middle class home and is an excellent student with a gift for math. But, Simone is different from most of her peers in one significant way. She's adopted and doesn't look like her parents or her brother. This doesn't bother her much, because she's happy in her family and really feels an integral part of the Turner-Bloom home.

One day, however, Simone's parents tell her that her birth mother, Rivka, wants to meet her. Simone struggles with this decision for months until, finally, she agrees to invite Rivka to Thanksgiving dinner. And, guess what? Simone finds herself drawn to her young birth mother and they begin a close relationship as Simone finds out about her past from her birth mother. Part of Rivka's past is Judaism, and atheist Simone is drawn to Rivka's practice of Judaism and its culture.

There's a hitch, however, in this happy new relationship and it is the reason Rivka sought Simone out before adulthood. Rivka's sick with ovarian cancer and only has months to live. And, in the background of these momentous changes in Simone's life are everyday teenage challenges--first kisses, boyfriends, a friend's family troubles, etc.

a brief chapter in my impossible life is different from most YA fiction in one, very unique way. Everyone involved--from Simone, to her friends and family, past and present--is essentially good. There's no abuse, alcoholism, or cutting in this book. It's a gorgeous examination of what happens when an extraordinary, but perfectly understandable, event challenges an essentially good, well-meaning teen.

Reviewers write a lot about how YA fiction offers much to teens who are struggling with issues, but books like a brief chapter in my impossible life are important too. Simone and her story, minus the adoption and math genius issues, are easily recognizable to me and I suspect will be to many teen readers.

a brief chapter in my impossible life is a beautifully written story. Simone's voice is strong and sympathetic. a brief chapter in my impossible life reminded me most of Justina Chen Headley's Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies). Both are highly recommended.

Weekend Reviews

Here's a roundup of the early weekend reviews.

Elizabeth Ward reviews many a book "For Young Readers" in the Washington Post this week. Books considered include:

• The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor ("The bloodiest rewrite in years....so meticulously imagined that it takes on a compelling life of its own")
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, new edition illustrated by Alison Jay ("lighter, brighter and prettier than the Tenniel originals")
• Bread and Roses, by Katherine Paterson ("Although she is passionately, and properly, on the side of the downtrodden, she is a good enough storyteller that she just can't help introducing interesting, complicated characters such as the kindly teacher who's also anti-union...")
• The Runaway Dinner, by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Bruce Ingman
• The Big Bad Wolf and Me, by Delphine Perret ("The cartoon-style drawings and quick-fire dialogue are a delight.")
• While You Are Sleeping, by Alexis Deacon ("tender, shadowy pastels")
• J.A. Teddy, by John Alfred Rowe ("frankly old-fashioned text...quirky illustrations")

Kristi Jemtegaard reviews children's audiobooks with London as their setting. (Washington Post) Titles reviewed include:

• The Death Collector, by Justin Richards ("Highly cinematic descriptions, rapid scene shifts and gothic horror make this an ideal title for audio interpretation.")
• The Case of the Missing Marquess, by Nancy Springer ("secret ciphers, letters discovered in picture frames, clues disguised in the hidden meanings of flowers, kidnappings, incarceration on the docks, daring escapes and more, much more.")

Diane Samuels reads Meg Rosoff's latest novel, Just in Case, for the Guardian. ("a vibrant, questioning and unpredictable read. At once great fun and rather disturbing.")

Frozen Fire, by Tim Bowler is the Times Children's Book of the Week (reviewed by Nicolette Jones: "gasp-inducing chapter ends, and its capacity to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck")

A little absurdity for your Friday

Is your Friday not absurd enough this week? Then head on over to the Guardian and read "what happened when elusive author Lemony Snicket teamed up with allusive musician Stephin Merritt."

Here's the set up:

• "...extensive investigations by the Guardian's most senior editors revealed the existence of a transcript of a long-distance conversation. In said transcript, Mr Snicket was found to be talking to a musician, one Stephin Merritt. Further investigations, conducted in conditions of the greatest secrecy, revealed that this Mr Merritt had recorded a number of record albums under various aliases, and was the writer of many worthy songs, most notably those contained on his 69 Love Songs, credited to a beat group named the Magnetic Fields."

The Guardian with their dogged "commitment to the truth" have brought you the transcript.

Poetry Friday

This Poetry Friday entry is at once an excerpt, a review, and a big, big recommendation. "The Raven" has already been a Poetry Friday selection (Michele? Liz?), so I've chosen my favorite stanza from the middle of the poem this week:

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in
the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember
wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;
--vainly I had tried to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow
--sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden
whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for Evermore.

I love this stanza because it conveys the horror of winter and its inky-blackness not even books can shake. But why, then, "The Raven" on this beautiful September day?

Because Kids Can Press has a wonderful new series, Visions in Poetry, and Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven is the fifth in the series. (Other titles include The Lady of Shalott, Jabberwocky, The Highwayman, and Casey at the Bat.) The series aims to provide "an exciting and unique series of classic poems illustrated by outstanding contemporary artists in stunning hardcover editions." And, if The Raven is any indication, Kids Can Press has succeeded admirably.

The classic poems have been paired with exceptional illustrations and beautiful production. Ryan Price illustrates The Raven with dark, claustrophobic prints that are funny in a dark way cynical tweens and teens will love. Highly, highly recommended.
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It's been a busy Poetry Friday. Christine starts us off with a little "Rain," by Robert Louis Stevenson," at The Simple and the Ordinary. (And, she was kind enough to let me poach her links. Feel free to take the others, Christine!)

Wendy celebrates the birth of a new godchild with "WHERE did you come from, baby dear?," by George MacDonald, at Blog from the Windowsill. Jen's celebrates Roald Dahl's birthday with a poem from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

Autumn is in the air and Nancy at Journey Woman thinks of "Mending Wall," by Robert Frost. Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight shares a basketfull of poetry books for children and "Merry Autumn Days," by Charles Dickens.

Michele at Scholar's Blog shares "Binsey Poplars (felled 1879)," by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and tells us about Hopkins' life and poetic method. Little Willow of Slayground/Bildungsroman contributes the first part of "The Lady of Shalott," by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Liz. B of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy offers up "My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning.

Melissa, at Here in the Bonny Glen, is about to hit the (long) road and, because she's moving from bonny glens to the bonny Pacific, she shares the inspiration ("Horo, My Nut Brown Maiden") behind the name of her blog and her future home academy. Good luck, Melissa!

The Old Coot introduces himself and shares "Out there Somewhere," by "a Canadian chap named Henry Herbert Knibbs." Welcome, Coot!

Susan at Chicken Spaghetti provides an excerpt from Brian Lies's acclaimed Bats at the Beach. And, she's the Typepad Blog of the Day. And, she's finally provided the Chicken Spaghetti recipe. Yay, Susan!

Not an official Poetry Day entry, but Emily has a great new haiku review up at Emily Reads. Becky at Farm School is happy to find Poetry for Children and its author's, Sylvia Vardell, new book about poetry for (and with) children. And, Becky shares a lovely poem, "My Prairies," by Hamlin Garland.

Sherry at Semicolon shares a gorgeous Anne Bradstreet poem, "The city where I hope to dwell..." Mary Lee posts a hopeful "Life is mostly froth and bubble...," by A.L. Gordon, at A Year of Reading.

And, Susan Taylor Brown shares one of my favorite parts of her book, Hugging the Rock, at Susan Writes.
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If I've missed you, please drop me an e-mail or a comment and I'll link you up asap.

The 7th Carnival: The Time is Nigh

Only 24 hours remain to submit your posts to the Seventh Carnival of Children's Literature hosted by Sheila of Wands and Worlds.

Sheila promises a Harvest theme, so head on over and submit your favorite post of the month.

Favorites 2006

MotherReader has called for our favorites of 2006. While it's hard for me to commit to a list, I guess it's time.

So here are my preliminary lists, subject to change at any moment before 12/31/06.

Picture Books:

Learning to Fly, by Sebastian Meschenmoser (review)
Augustine, by Mélanie Watt (review)
Bringing Asha Home, by Uma Krishnaswami (review)
Duck & Goose, by Tad Hills (review)
The Cremation of Sam McGee, by Robert W. Service, ill. Edward Hardy Harrison (review)

Early Elementary:

Babymouse: Beach Babe, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (review)
The American Story, by Jennifer Armstrong (review forthcoming in the September The Edge of the Forest)

Older Elementary:

The American Story, by Jennifer Armstrong (review forthcoming in the September The Edge of the Forest)
Strange Happenings, by Avi (review)
Dawn Undercover, by Anna Dale (review)
The Strictest School in the World, by Howard Whitehouse, ill. by Bill Slavin (review)
The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan (review)

Middle School:

Happy Kid!, by Gail Gauthier (review)
Ingo and The Tide Knot, by Helen Dunmore (review) and (review)
The New Policeman, by Kate Thompson (review)
Hugging the Rock, by Susan Taylor Brown (review)
Anatopsis, by Chris Abouzeid (review)

High School:

The Rules of Survival, by Nancy Werlin (review)
Wide Awake, by David Levithan (review)
King Dork, by Frank Portman
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green (review)
Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), by Justina Chen Headley (review)

Hmmm....I don't seem to read much in the "early elementary category." In the picture book category, the five books I chose really stood out for me this year and it was very easy to select these five. The line is blurry for me between Older Elementary and Middle School, so it was helpful to have the two categories to play with. Also, Ingo and The Tide Knot count as one book as Ingo was published in the U.S. in 2006 and The Tide Knot in the U.K. It's cheating just a teeny tiny bit.

Young Adult was the most difficult category for me. There were so many good books this year it was hard to chose my favorites.

Update: Children's Book Reviews

Scholar's Blog and Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone reviews have been added to Children's Book Reviews. If you haven't taken a look at Children's Book Reviews lately, head on over and see how many reviews are indexed now!

I'm now starting work on indexing reviews from Bookshelves of Doom. Next up: A Fuse # 8 Productions.

Love Coffee? How about antagonists?

Do you love coffee? Do you love a bad guy in children's literature? Then head on over to Journey Woman and vote in Nancy's "Great Antagonists of Children's Literature" poll. Nancy has a Starbucks card for the lucky winner waiting.

Happy Birthday, RD!

Today's Roald Dahl day and Michele at Scholar's Blog has the details on how to celebrate. Personally, I'm going to try to drop "gobblefunk" into "everyday conversation."

Or, maybe I'll reread Matilda, my favorite Dahl.

Defending Childhood

There's been a debate raging in the British press and on Child_Lit about whether or not childhood is being destroyed by junk culture, food and schooling. Psychologists, educators, entertainers, and writers expressed their concern about the assault on childhood and resulting rates of childhood depression and GP Taylor has cried claptrap, claiming kids are happier and more creative than ever.*

But Michelle Pauli, as usual, has taken a bookish approach and is seeking books that "bust the sulk" on the Guardian CultureVulture blog. Here's what Pauli has to say:

• "My own childhood 'stroppy phase' took place in an era before there were computers and Playstations in every eight-year-old's bedroom; there wasn't much else to do after stomping upstairs to my room than to lose my sulk in a book. Anything by Noel Streatfield usually did the trick."

I have to agree with Pauli. Streatfield usually did it for me as well.

(also: Joanna Moorhead writes about the controversy and finds the kids are alright at the Independent)

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*I usually ignore whatever GP Taylor has to say. If there ever has been a book I've hated more than Shadowmancer, I don't know it. (Okay, maybe Foucault's Pendulum.)

Autumn Clean Up

Autumn has hit in smalltown, so I've done a color change and updated my blogroll. Here are some new (or new to me) additions to the kidlitosphere:

• The Brookeshelf (link via A Fuse #8 Productions)-News and reviews from a Pittsburgh children's librarian
• Emily Reads (link via A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy)--Reviews in haiku. Can't beat that.
• Shen's Blog--the blog of Shen's Books, a publisher of multicultural books, but it's also a great blog with news and thoughts about children's books
• Poetry for Children--"About finding and sharing poetry with young people"
• Create-Relate is back! And I missed Anastasia Suen's return to this great blog during my travels this summer.
• Booktalking with the Bookdragon. Blogger seems to have eaten this blog, so I'll keep watching it in the meantime.

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Also, I've signed up for a gmail account. Can any of you tell me if it really is much better than yahoo and why? Which should I stick with, my more technologically-capable friends?

Review: Bringing Asha Home

Oh, man! What's up with the crying picture books? Bringing Asha Home, by Uma Krishnaswami, is another one I couldn't get through without breaking into tears.* It's a wonderful book, though, so I'll have to buck up and give you a review.

Arun really wants a little sister. His best friend, Michael, has one and even though Michael isn't that impressed by the experience, Arun thinks having a baby sister would be great. He tells Michael, "In India, where my dad was born, sisters tie shiny bracelets on the wrists of their brothers. The bracelets are called rakhi too, just like the holiday. Brothers and sisters promise to be good to each other, and everyone eats special sweets."

Arun soon finds out that he will have a baby sister. Mom and Dad are adopting a baby girl, Asha, from India. But the wait and the papers and the regulations are excruciating. Arun, in the meantime, turns eight and celebrates his birthday without Asha. The family even celebrates Asha's first birthday without her. Arun makes do by fashioning the best paper airplane he's ever created for his sister and placing it on a shelf in her room.

Finally, Arun tells us, "a few weeks later, on a sticky-warm Saturday, I find an envelope from India in the mailbox." It's the letter. "We help Dad get ready for his long trip. I write colorful letters--forward, backward, upside down--on the folded wings of the paper plane I've been saving for Asha. I tuck it into Dad's suitcase."

Bringing Asha Home is a beautiful adoption story from a brother's point of view. Jamel Akib's illustrations are warm, friendly, and accessible. I hope that Bringing Asha Home will be read outside the adoption community, however, because it's a universal story about the hopes of a boy and his family.

Bringing Asha Home is great read-aloud choice for children ages 4-9.

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* I'm not usually sentimental despite evidence to the contrary on this blog.

Fascinating Edward Tulane Discussion

Eisha and Julie discuss Edward Tulane over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. (MotherReader and Fuse #8, this post is for you.)

I guess this is a good place to say that, despite the beauty of Di Camillo's prose, I could not finish Tulane, as short as it was. I totally lost interest when the old man by the sea rescued Edward and cleaned him up and fell, inexplicably, in love with the rabbit. Why would he? And, even if he did, why would the daughter object so much? Weird.

Review: Wide Awake

David Levithan's newest novel, released today, is a political novel set "in the near future." Here's the set up:

• "The Greater Depression happened. The events of 3/12 and 7/23 happened. The Andreas Quake and Hurricane Wanda. The President launched his War to End All Wars, which only managed to create more wars and the tragic events of 4/5. The Greater Depression deepened. Millions of people died, and there was no way to erase their faces from the more renegade open news channels, which wanted to remind everyone how bad the government had let things get. The Decents and their program of Denial Education reached their peak."

The hero and narrator of Wide Awake is a Jewish, gay teen named Duncan who is engaged politically for the first time in his life. After all the troubles of his childhood and the generation(s) before, it seems as if a new era is on the horizon. His presidential candidate, Abraham Stein, a Jewish gay man with a partner and children, has been elected. People are behaving differently, celebrating their ethnic, cultural, and sexual differences. And supporting them all is a sizable group of Jesus Freaks.

• "For the Jesus Revolutionaries, the answer was clear: Jesus would not be out waging "preventative" wars. Jesus would not be withholding medicine from people who could not afford it. Jesus would not cast stone at people of races, sexual orientations, or genders other than his own. Jesus would not condone the failing, viperous, scandal-plagued hierarchy of some churches. Jesus would welcome everyone to his table. He would love them, and he would find peace."

Sounds like a utopian novel so far, right? But there's a hitch. A hitch in the form of Kansas. Stein's election is being contested. To the tune of 1,000 votes. (Sound familiar?) Stein calls all his supporters to Kansas and Duncan and his friends head to Topeka to support their candidate.

While Wide Awake is a political novel, Levithan does not abandon the everyday. Duncan struggles in his relationship with gorgeous Jimmy, teachers can be kind or belligerent, parents are sometimes more conservative than you'd like, and friends take sides in everyday breakups. But, in the end, Levithan's message is one of hope. People can be good and good people can change even the worst-case scenario into a better present and future.

Favorites of 2006

MotherReader is seeking our favorite titles of 2006 in the following categories: Picture Books, Early Elementary, Elementary, Middle School, and High School.

Head on over and vote! Frankly, I've been too busy updating Children's Book Reviews (update later tonight) to keep up with my "favorites of 2006" page and this will make me get to work.

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Many of us haven't been posting today, because it's one of those days when you are unsure of what to say. I had wanted to review David Levithan's Wide Awake (see Bookshelves of Doom for a recent review), but decided September 12 would be a better day. It will go up tomorrow instead. For a thoughtful post on September 11 and reading, head on over to Chicken Spaghetti.

Sunday reviews and booklists

Here's a brief roundup of reviews and booklists in the papers this Sunday:

• My Last Skirt, by Lynda Durrant, is the Washington Post Book of the Week.
• Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, by Michael Morpurgo, is the Times Children's Book of the Week (reviewed by Nicolette Jones)
• Mary Anne Grossman reviews 13 page turners for younger readers in the St. Paul Pioneer
• Pippa Wysong reviews "seriously great titles you should check out" for the Toronto Star (Included? The Strictest School in the World, one of my favorites this year.)

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

Julia Eccleshare provides capsule reviews of the shortlisted books for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The shortlisted books for the 2006 prize are:

• Blown Away, by Patrick Cave ("this is a thought-provoking novel about how individuals and societies survive when science creates new possibilities that threaten them")
• Framed, by Frank Cottrell Boyce ("a fresh, funny and warm-hearted adventure that explores through one boy's obsession how the Ninja Turtles are linked to the artists who give them their names")
• Fly By Night, by Frances Hardinge ("Hardinge creates wonderful and unforgettable images.")
• A Darkling Plain, by Philip Reeve (an "overwhelmingly satisfying story")

Jeremy Treglown discusses Roald Dahl's career and writings for the Guardian. It's a fascinating article because Treglown considers Dahl's stories for adults as well. Treglown writes, for example:

• "One of his features as a writer is the lack of a clear boundary between his work for adults and for children. The success of the latter resulted mainly from an adjustment--often only a minor one --of his earlier approach to fiction. So, when the second generation of his readers began to move into their cynical teens, his previous work, by now repackaged under titles such as Tales of the Unexpected, was waiting, providing a more grown-up version of the cartoon-strip plotting and characterisation they loved."

To learn more about Dahl's career and writing for adults, head on over and read the article. Don't forget September 13 is Roald Dahl day. The appropriately whimsical instructions? Wear something yellow or, if you don't like yellow, something you really like.

NYT Book Review

The New York Times reviews many a children's book this weekend in the Book Review. Here's a list of the reviews:

• Amy Krouse Rosenthal considers Cinderella (As if You Didn’t Already Know the Story),
  written and illustrated by Barbara Ensor.
• Regina Marler reviews Angelmonster, by Veronica Bennett (" succeeds best in conveying the tumbling emotions of her forced maturity and her intense, ill-omened love")
• J.D. Biersdorfer reviews Emily Gravett's Wolves ("What makes “Wolves” most entertaining, however, is its design")
• Stephanie Deutsch interviews Katherine Paterson and reviews Bread and Roses, Too. The first chapter of Bread and Roses, Too is also available on the site.
• This week's Bookshelf, written by Julie Just, is devoted to children's books.

Review: Half of an Elephant

Lately I seem to be reviewing picture books written by author-illustrators with single names: oneones, Demi, and now Gusti. Is this a new trend?

No matter, Gusti has what it takes to entertain the youngsters if Half of an Elephant is any indication. An award-winning illustrator from Argentina, Gusti uses "digital images of numerous discarded objects 'to show children that art can be created from objects that usually end up in the garbage can.'" And uses him he does. The discarded object illustrations are dynamic and quite humorous in their composition.

The story begins with an unexplained catastrophe: "One night, all of a sudden the world in two." An elephant, pictured on the cover, finds his back half is missing. In his search for the rest of him, he meets other animals missing a half. And they're all suffering from a sense that something is missing.

On the other side of the world, the other halves of the animals are having the exact same problem. And combining two halves of two different animals doesn't solve anything. Some animals talk too much, and when a monkey half and an elephant half join up, they're too heavy to climb a tree.

Fortunately, all ends well for the animals, but children will love the mess inbetween as the animals combine into strange elephant-monkey, duck-elephant, chameleon-elephant hybrids.

New from Kane/Miller, Half of an Elephant is lots of creative fun for kids ages 4-8 and is an excellent choice for an art lesson at school or at home. Read the book and inspire discarded-object art.

Poetry Friday

This week's Friday poem is from Su Dongpo, by Demi, a marvelous picture book I just reviewed. Su Dongpo (1036-1101) wrote the following poem when he was secretary to the emperor on the nature of power and happiness:

There is not much difference in the actual
happiness
of living a luxurious life and a simple one.
One is wanted for position
When one doesn't want it, and wants it
when the position doesn't want him.
In either case, happiness and sadness
are moments that pass like a shadow,
a sound, a breeze and a dream.
Both are earthly illusions.
How can one find happiness
Countering one illusion with another?
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For a full roundup of this week's Poetry Friday, head on over to A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy. Thanks, Liz!

TeachingBooks.net

Kimberly Maul reports about TeachingBooks.net for The Book Standard.

TeachingsBook.net brings authors into the schools electronically. There are video author presentions, audio programs, teaching guides and guides to author websites. It's a pay site, but it seems like a great resource for schools with limited funding. (I know..."schools with limited funding" is a given.)

Link via BookNinja.

Booktrust Teenage Prize Shortlist

The £2,500 Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist has been announced. (John Ezard reports for the Guardian.) Shortlisted novels include:

• Ally Kennen, Beast
• Paul Magrs, Exchange
• Marcus Sedgwick, The Foreshadowing
• John Singleton, Angel Blood
• Siobhan Dowd, A Swift Pure Cry

The winning book will be announced on November 2.

Su Dongpo

Demi's new picture book, Su Dongpo, is an entrancing work of art.

Su Dongpo is a biography of "China's greatest genius." Su Dongpo (1036-1101) was "a statesman, philosopher, poet, painter, engineer, architect, and humanitarian who approached everything with joy and grace." Demi tells the story of Su Dongpo's life, illustrated with poetry about and by Su Dongpo. It's a fascinating tale in and of itself, but the poetry and the pictures are what really make this book.

Here, for example, is one of Su Dongpo's poems he wrote as a schoolboy:

To what can human life be likened?
Perhaps to a wild goose's footprint on snow;
The foot imprint is accidentally left,
But carefree, the bird flies east and west.

Demi's illustrations are stylized, accented with gold ink, and truly breathtaking in their beauty. I had to stop myself from cutting them out and tacking them up above my desk.

Su Dongpo is out this month from Lee & Low Books and would be an excellent addition to any school (or homeschool) unit on China and Chinese history.

AILA Awards

The American Indian Library Association (AILA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced the first recipients of its American Indian Youth Literature Award. Here they are:

• Picture Book: Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story, by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, illustrated by Sam Sandoval.
• Middle Grade Novel: The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich
• Young Adult: Hidden Roots, by Joseph Bruchac

Call for Submissions

It's that time again: The Edge of the Forest is seeking submissions for Issue #7.

• Do you have an idea for a feature story? Then, please, send me an e-mail.
• We seek original book reviews this month in the following categories: picture book, nonfiction, and middle grade fiction. Also, reviews of children's movies would be welcome.
• Do you work with a group of at least ten children? Why not write a KidPicks column? The KidPicks column gives children a chance to tell us what their favorite books are and why.

Drop me an e-mail or a comment with your ideas.

Megan McDonald interview

Dina Rabinovitch talks to Megan McDonald about writing, Judy Moody, and the ascension of Stink for the Guardian.

Here's a sample of the interview:

• "That maligned breed, the little brother, just hit a home run. Ordinarily, 'tolerated' is the highest condition to which the breed aspires, and Judy Moody's younger brother, Stink, was no exception....'Stink is a lot like me,' explains McDonald, 'because I was the youngest. So he's actually easier for me to write in a way, having a bossy big sister, because I know what that's like.'"

Hermione's Grades Changed

According to the Guardian, "publishers have had to correct an error in one of JK Rowling's Harry Potter books."

Apparently, Hermione received 11 OWL results when she only took 10 exams. That's magic for you! If you ask me, she probably earned that eleventh result.

Review: The Strictest School in the World

I have to say upfront that The Strictest School in the World is my favorite type of children's novel. It's a Middle Grade adventure story involving a daring girl, a crazy aunt, a Dickensian boarding school, and flying machines. What more could you want? Written by Howard Whitehouse and
illustrated by Bill Slavin, The Strictest School in the World is well written fun for the 9-13-year-old reader.

Emmaline Cayley dreams of flying. Her great-great-uncle was Sir George Cayley, a historical figure and pioneer in aviation, and she uses his plans to design flying machines. Her only problem is that she herself is afraid to fly.

When Emmaline is fourteen, she is sent by her clueless parents from India to England to attend St. Grimelda's School for Young Ladies. The only benefit to this arrangement is that she has the opportunity to stay with her slightly-unhinged Aunt Lucy before the term starts. There she meets "Rubberbones" or "Rab," a small boy who never hurts himself when he falls. Rather, he bounces on impact. Emmaline has found her pilot and, in her aunt, a source of funding for her inventions.

When Emmaline is sent to school, all inventing has to stop. Instead, she's a student at a the "strictest school in the world." The girls live in fear, the matron is a monster, and a couple of "birds" patrol the ground. Soon a rescue operation is under way to save Emmaline from St. Grimelda's.

The Strictest School in the World is funny, smart, and exciting. Emmaline is a wonderful character, a girl scientist who is unflinching in the face of danger. Give this one to a Middle Grade reader today!

Oh, man! This one's going to hit hard at home. My five year old is an animal planet fanatic and Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin are his heroes. My kid even wrangled a grass snake, much to my horror, a la Irwin and Corwin in our yard.

Crickey, this is sad news.

Review: Just in Case

Meg Rosoff's second novel, Just in Case, is a terrifying read. Why terrifying? Because just one thought changes the hero's life forever--in a way he, his family, his friends, and the reader don't fully understand. Is he depressed? Is he schizophrenic? Is Fate really after him?

Fifteen-year-old David Case was in charge of his toddler brother, Charlie, when it happened. Charlie decided he could fly and was perched on the windowsill about to dive. David just barely rescues his brother from a catastrophic fall. Did David feel relieved, grateful? No. This is what David understands:

"Suddenly, everywhere he looked he saw catastrophe, bloodshed, the demise of the planet, the ruin of the human race, not to mention (to pinpoint the exact source of his anxiety) possible pain and suffering to himself."

David decides Fate is persuing him and, indeed, Fate shows up here in there in the narration, assuring David that this is the case. David resolves to outrun Fate. He changes his name to Justin and buys a whole new wardrobe at a second-hand shop. He meets a nineteen-year-old girl named Agnes, a photographer who sees potential in Justin as a model. For awhile, he escapes Fate and his life improves. He meets a new friend at school, a calm genius named Peter. He begins to run cross country and finds comfort in the rhythm of outrunning Fate. And, an invisible greyhound, Boy, adopts him.

But then Fate's voice comes to him, singing the song of the Gingerbread man during a race, and Justin's life takes a turn for the worst. He stops going to school, he begins living with Agnes and never leaves the apartment. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, but it involves a plane crash, meningitis, an art exhibit, and some special children able to read minds (a Rosoff trait, it seems).

Just in Case is such a powerful novel because, as a reader, you just don't know what to think. Is Justin crazy? Is Fate really out to get him? Why can Charlie read his brother so well and does the toddler really know how to live? All I can tell you is to run out and read Just in Case. Despite its darkness, the novel's message is, in the end, one of hope and transcendence.