Weekend Reviews (I-II)

It's been a busy weekend around here. I've been:

1. Working on Cybils lists
2. Working on the Poetry Friday schedule
3. Finishing the October The Edge of the Forest. Yes, I understand it is already November. But, it will truly finally be up for Monday morning.
4. Living an entire Saturday at a skating competition

At least we received an extra hour for today. Before I get back to work, here are the weekend's many and various weekend reviews:

Jan Gardner shares interesting facts from Artist to Artist in The Boston Globe.

Marcus Sedgwick's My Swordhand is Singing has won the Booktrust Teenage Fiction prize. Michelle Pauli reviews it for the Guardian. (And, Amanda Craig talks to Marcus Sedgwick for the Times.)

Linda Newbery reconsiders Julie Hearn's Hazel for the Guardian.

Kathy Englehart reviews books that "pay proper respect to elders" for The Cleveland Plain Dealer. (This sounds kind of scary, but really Englehart reviews children's books with elderly characters.)

Brad L. Hundman reviews Adam Rex's Pssst! for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Children review books again for the Los Angeles Times.

In this week's first not-a-review category, Helen Brown has a wonderful interview with Judith Kerr in the Telegraph.

Also in the Telegraph, Toby Clements reviews "teenage" fiction.

Brenda Hoerle reviews new picture books for The Record. (Waterloo, Canada)

Tracking Trash is the Washington Post Kids Post Book of the Week.

Janet Christie reviews new children's books for the Scotsman, including:

• Outcast, by Michelle Paver
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
• Hurricane Gold (Young Bond), by Charlie Higson

Thank god for the Times. Seriously. They have the best children's books coverage of any English-language newspaper. This week, check out writer Anthony Horowitz's article entitled "Don't Force Young to Read Classics." I think "don't force" is key. My husband has been urging my daughter to read Treasure Island for ages. She won't read it. But, last week she read Great Expectations on her own counsel. Go figure.

Also in the Times, Amanda Craig reviews retellings of the Norse myths and tales.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune, including:

• Where the Giant Sleeps, by Mem Fox, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky
• Emi and the Rhino Scientist, by Mary Kay Carson, photos by Tom Uhlman
• At Night, by Jonathan Bean
• Red Glass, by Laura Resau
• The Many Rides of Paul Revere, by James Cross Giblin
• Indian Tales, by Shenaaz Nanji and Christopher Coor