Review: Set in Stone

This review was written by Alice Herold

Set in Stone by Linda Newbery was so well written I felt I was reading one of Jane Austen's classic novels. (This story is set in 1898.) About half way through the novel, I redefined the writing as Jane Austen's with an EDGE, as Set in Stone features themes of incest and hints of a homosexual relationship. Because of the mature themes, this book is for older teens and young adults.

Secrets, lies, deception, mysteries! Everyone has a secret! Even the house, Four Winds, has a mystery. Why does the house have sculptures of three winds? Where is the sculpture of the West Wind? Why does its disappearance make Marianne, one of the daughters, fearful?

Marianne - Why does she appear to be sleepwalking at night? She must be closely watched by her governess, Charlotte Agnew, at all times.

Charlotte Agnew - Why does she hide the truth about her background from Juliana, another of the daughters?

Juliana Farrow - Why doesn't she want to be romantically involved with Samuel Godwin even though her father hired him with this in mind?

Samuel Godwin - Why does he despise his employer, Mr. Farrow?

Mr. Farrow - Why did he make the sculptor, Gideon Waring, leave the house in disgrace?

This book, written by a gifted writer, is a page turner! You won't be able to put it down.

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Editorial note: Linda Newbery won this year's Costa Children's Book Award for Set in Stone.

A Cybil Discussion

Recently comments about The Cybils have been bouncing about the kidlitosphere. Comments have ranged from "whew! Am I tired from reading 80 some books" to "what the heck are they thinking?" (All quotes approximate.) Well, we want to know what you're thinking. Today we want to know what you think about the shortlists. Even about the idea of shortlists. Head on over and discuss. We want to hear from you.

Who knew?

Did you know there is a collection of clothing based on Madonna's The English Roses? (Press release via EarthTimes.org.) Here's the scoop:

"The English Roses line was first unveiled in the US in the fall of 2004 and has been consistently hailed as 'the hippest line of girl's clothing inthe US market.' The bold use of colors and trendsetting designs, which are inspired by the illustrations of the five young friends portrayed in The English Roses children's book series, became an immediate sensation in theUS."

I guess this line isn't carried at Target, 'cause I've never seen it before. (I'm lucky in that--so far--my 11-year-old daughter has not noticed there are other clothing retailers out there.)

Susan Patron interview

Tracy Grant interviews Susan Patron (The Higher Power of Lucky) for the Washington Post.

Here's a sample question/answer:

Q: Do you talk about your ideas with kids before you write?

A: "I don't test with children. I did have a lovely girl of 11 read the book in manuscript, but it was already done. I think I write for the child inside me. I'm the reader at the same time as I'm the writer, and that lets me be 9 or 10 again. . . . It's scary and hard to be that age. Survival is one of the themes in the book, and how we all need community to figure out how to get through life."

Fans of The Higher Power of Lucky will be happy to know Licoln's Knot is next.

Review: The Big Shuffle

Imagine you're in college, at a frat party, when you hear your father has had a heart attack. Moreover, your mother is unresponsive and has been hospitalized. And, oh yeah, you have seven younger brothers and sisters living at home.

19-year-old Hallie Palmer faces just this situation one late fall evening, and she decides there's no choice but to head home and hold up the fort. It isn't easy. There's hardly any money in the checking account. Three of the children are still in diapers, two of them infant twins she can't tell apart. Her younger sister, Louise, wants no part in the homemaking and child-raising and absconds to Boston with a boyfriend at the age of 15. Her 12-year-old brother, Teddy, also causes problems by leaving school to hang out with mom at the mental institution.

Fortunately, Hallie isn't as alone as she feels. Her friends Gil and Bernard are there to help with food, help, and, eventually, a job. The pharmacist stops by to help with paperwork. The city snow removal guy digs out the driveway for free. When Hallie crashes and burns with a case of mono, Pastor Costello moves in and takes care of all the children and the house until Hallie can get better.

While the community is there to help, Hallie's old friends are scared off by her new life. Even her boyfriend, Craig, doesn't understand her reaction to his dropping out of college and takes up with another, more accommodating girl.

Laura Pedersen's The Big Shuffle is a warm-hearted, entertaining novel, with love and community at its core. It's populated with a variety of eccentric characters--like Uncle Lenny, a sailor who arrives for Hallie's father's funeral and stays for awhile entertaining the kids with gruesome tales of the sea--and is often quite funny. Take, for example, this passage in which Hallie describes arriving at the school to discuss, she thinks, Louise's delinquency:

• "Though communism collapsed some time ago, the high school is ready to serve as the Kremlin West should bolshevism rise again. The dark cinder-block building manages to block out the sun and cast a shadow over anyone who dares to enter its steel-framed doors. The inmates all share the same sentence--four years with no time off for good behavior and no chance of probation." (p. 140)

Pedersen's style is relaxed here, the plot not dominant. Instead we are treated to entertaining circumstances, wacky children and characters, and a strong, compelling narrator in Hallie.

The Big Shuffle is a sequel to Beginner's Luck and Heart's Desire. And while there are references to Hallie's early cardshark life, it reads well as a stand-alone novel. (I should know--I haven't read Laura Pedersen's work before.) The Big Shuffle has some light sexuality and is best suited for children ages 14 and up.

Weekend Reviews (II)

More reviews are available today. Here's what I've found:

Liz Rosenberg reviews picture books with moveable parts in the Boston Globe, including:

• Black and White, by Tana Hoban ("I can hardly imagine a nicer baby gift, and please note, the price on this one is right, too.")
• School Bus Bunny Bus, by Sam Williams, illustrated by Stuart Trotter ("stands a fair chance of living through many affectionate rereadings")
• The Snowmen Pop-Up Book, by Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner ("It's a beautiful book, full of fun and life, perfect for the when-will-winter-end doldrums of late January and February.")
• Circus: Over 50 FlapsPlus Seek and Find, by Roxie Munro ("a grand spectacle of a pop-up book in true circus style")

Jane Harrington's Extreme Pets is the Washington Post Book of the Week. (This sounds like one my six year old would adore.)

I am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere, by Jonathan and Shirley Tulloch, is the Times Children's Book of the Week.

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

• Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson: Against the Odds, by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
• The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom, by Emily Arnold McCully
• Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares
• Dimity Dumpty: The Story of Humpty's Little Sister, by Bob Graham
• This Way Ruby!, by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Rebecca Harry
• Mr. Pusskins, by Sam Lloyd

Weekend Reviews (I)

A happy Saturday to one and all. I hope you're all having fun and reading something great. In case you need a recommended title, here are the early weekend reviews:

Elizabeth Ward reviews new books on black history in her "For Young Readers" column in the Washington Post. Titles considered include:

• The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington's Slave Finds Freedom, by Emily Arnold McCully
• Nobody's Boy, by Jennifer Fleischner
• This Strange New Feeling: Three Love Stories From Black History, by Julius Lester (25th Anniversary reiussue!)

(The) Amanda Craig reviews monster books for the Times. Books reviewed include Monster Blood Tatoo, by D.M. Cornish, and Dinosaur Chase, by Benedict Blathwayt.

That new philosophy book for teens, If Minds Had Toes, by Lucy Eyre, is reviewed by Melissa Katsoulis for the Times.

Not a review, but Erica Wagner translates the beauty of Charlotte's Web for Times' readers.

Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

First-time author Tom Becker has won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize for his Middle Grade fantasy Darkside.

Here's what Richard Lea has to say for the Guardian:

• "The novel, inspired by film noir, fantasy and a fascination with the seamier side of the 19th century, is aimed at children between the ages of nine and 12. It tells the story of a boy, Jonathan Stirling, who discovers a parallel world filled with vampires and werewolves. This alternative reality has a distinctly Victorian air, and is ruled by a descendant of Jack the Ripper. Soon bounty hunters from the other side begin searching for Jonathan, who finds himself driven into their world."

Shortlisted titles include:

• Jake Cake, by Michael Broad
• Sebastian Darke, by Philip Caveney
• A Swift Pure Cry, by Siobhan Dowd

Review: Looking for Bapu

This review was written by Alice Herold

Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee is a charming book about an eight-year old boy, Anu, who looks for his grandfather, Bapu. Bapu suffered a massive and fatal stroke while birdwatching with Anu. Anu sees his grandfather in a vision and is determined to bring him back to life. Where does he look for his grandfather?

First, he tries an address (www.bring-back-dead-loved-ones.com) on the computer. (I wonder if this is a real address.)*

Next, he looks in the graveyard. He took photos of his grandfather because his father was cremated.

Then he tries to become a holy person by shaving his head and holding his arm up in the air. He tired quickly of that!

Next, he runs away from home to visit the Mystery Museum to consult a famous magician. He was disappointed once again.

Finally, he finds his grandfather at the end of the book in an unexpected place. Read to find out where.

The author includes many folkloric Indian stories, all of which were new to me. I loved this book!

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*Editorial comment: The website is, alas, not real.

Poetry Friday: Ted Hughes, again

I just can't stay away from my absolute favorite book of poetry for children, Ted Hughes' Collected Poems for Children (illustrated by Raymond Briggs).

This volume was published in the U.K. in 2005. Today's choice is "Pig."

Pig

I am the Pig.

I saw in my sleep
A dreadful egg.

What a thing to have seen!
And what can it mean

That the Sun's red eye
Which seems to fry
In the dawn sky
So frightens me?

Why should that be?
The meaning is deep.

Upward at these
Hard mysteries

A humble hog
I gape agog.

I think Hughes underestimates the noble pig, who is rumored to be quite intelligent. Still it's a sadly subversive poem.

Susan at Chicken Spaghetti is on the round up this week. Thanks, Susan!

Updates to the Blogroll

It's already time for me to update the blogrolls again. Now if I could just get to that template...

Here are late January's new additions:

• Writer Grace Lin, who also posts at The Blue Rose Girls, has her own blog--Pacyforest.
• Sonja Cole blogs about books in video format at Bookwink.
• Bruce Black blogs at Wordswimmer, a blog I've read for awhile, but is somehow mysteriously missing from my rolls. He has a great interview with Jane Yolen up today. (Hey, Poetry Friday folk: I just noticed that Jane Yolen is participating.

Dickens animation

Browsing about the internet this morning, I found this charming and deadpan animated account of Charles Dickens' life. All the highlights are there--father in debtors' prison, the trip to America, the train crash.

There's also a Surviving Dickens' London game, which I played for awhile until I had to pay 2 shillings to cover some oozing pustules contracted from the street cleaner. Enjoy!

Call for Submissions (TEOTF Vol. II, No 2)

This is an open call for submissions for the February edition of The Edge of the Forest. (It's our one year anniversary!) Here's what I'm looking for this month:

• Original reviews in all categories, particularly NON FICTION
• A blogging writer interview. Do you follow a writer's blog and would like to interview them about blogging and their work? Then please, drop me a line.

I have review copies to send out to reviewers, so if you have no idea what to review, then send me an e-mail. (Realistically, though, these reviews would not be published until March.)

Boy Books

Tom Kelly has posted a thought-provoking essay over at the Guardian Book Blog.

The post, entitled "The Wrong Kind of Reading Lessons," takes a look at the proliferation of adventure books for boys and asks "Are boys the new girls? Is murder and mayhem taking over from all that pink and glister in the children's section of your high street bookshop? Will Young Bond finally assassinate Barbie?" While one might take a side in the battle of Barbie vs. Bond (Go, Bond!), Kelly does ask some important questions.

Here are his main concerns: "We are offering up a fast food menu of impoverished stereotypes to our sons, based on rigid class systems and exclusion. The thought of filling 21st century boyhood with the same stale old guff on evil foreigners and government-sanctioned assassins makes me feel tired and more than a bit concerned."

What do you all think?

Review: Who's Hiding?

It's not often that I review toddler books here. My youngest child is now six, so I'm just not in the market for toddler books anymore. But, I was fortunate enough to receive this beauty--Who's Hiding?--from Kane/Miller this week.* Just look at this cover. How could you not pick it up and review it immediately? (I'm a sucker for symmetry.)

On the surface of things, Who's Hiding, by Saturu Onishi, is a simple book. 18 animals are lined up in rows of 6 across each double-page spread. They appear always in the same order: dog, tiger, hippo, zebra, bear, reindeer/kangaroo, lion, rabbit, giraffe, monkey, bull/rhino, pig, sheep, hen, elephant, cat. The animals, as you see, are colorful iconic representations and very appealing to a young child.

Once we meet each of the animals (I can just imagine reading their names over and over again to a small child), the fun begins. The first question is "who's hiding?" Then the child must find the "missing" animal--in this case the reindeer with only antlers and facial features visible. Onishi also asks "who's crying?," "who's angry?," "who has horns?," "who's backwards?," and "who's sleeping?" The final page features only eyes on blacked-out pages and asks "Who's who?" You know you have a smart toddler if they begin rattling out the names in order.

Who's Hiding is aimed at the 0-3 audience and is sure to provide hours of read-along fun. Enjoy!

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Once a year or so I have to mention how much I love Kane/Miller and their mission. Bascially, what they do is bring foreign books to the U.S. market. Who's Hiding was originally published in Japan.

Review: The Melting Season

This review was written by Alice Herold

The reader quickly discovers The Melting Season was written by someone who loves ballet. The author, Celeste Conway, explains ballet terms and tells us about famous ballets and dancers through the eyes and ears of Giselle, a fictional teen-age dancer. Giselle is the daughter of Marina Parke-Vanova, a famous dancer and Grigori Vanov, a dance historian.

This book is about a developing love between Giselle and a boy named Will whom she meets at a plant and garden shop. They both share deep secrets about their fathers. Will's father is scarred emotionally when he returns from the war and Giselle's father was sent away to die alone in a hospice. Giselle blames her mother for sending her father away. Giselle is jealous of the immigrant cab driver who transports her around New York. She says, "I bet in his village when someone got sick, the family made soup and gathered around and kept him close." Near the end of the book, we discover why her father was sent away. (It was at his own request.)

This book was written for older children, (12+ years) as teen-age angst is at its center. Giselle says, "I could walk through crowds of people, millions of them really, and feel totally alone, like a Martian lobster from outer space."

======================

Editorial comment from Kelly here: This is a truly lovely cover, don't you think?

Goodbye, Mary Stolz

Mary Stolz, author of The Noonday Friends and many other novels for children and teens, has passed away at 86. The Noonday Friends is truly one of my most loved children's books, one I revisit from time to time.

Margalit Fox has written the NYT obituary.

The Horn Book has posted Mary Stolz's tribute to Ursula Nordstrom and two original Horn Book reviews of Stolz's works. (Thanks, Genevieve, for the tip!)

They've been announced

Okay, so the announcements are in. Thank you very much to the YALSA blog for their live blogcast of the event.

I think the Newbery winner--The Higher Power of Lucky (my review here)--is a complete, and not unwelcome, surprise. I really liked the three honor books as well--Hattie Big Sky (review), Penny From Heaven (review), and Rules. These four books are all outstanding, but where are Kiki Strike and A Drowned Maiden's Tale? Where, oh where, is the pure fun for the Middle Grade reader?

Some categories, other than the honorary ones, I particularly liked are:

BATCHELDER:
honor: LAST DRAGON, KILLER'S TEARS
winner PULL OF THE OCEAN

and

PRINTZ:
honor: OCTAVIAN NOTHING, ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, SURRENDER, BOOK THIEF
winner: AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

While waiting

The big announcement is due at 1pm EST (check Chicken Spaghetti for details on how to, in theory, access the ALA website).

I think I'll be happy with the Caldecott--there's not one rumored title that I didn't like or that left me cold. The Newbery, however. A lot of us--okay, maybe just me--would really like to see a fun, entertaining but smart book win this year. Something like Kiki Strike or A Drowned Maiden's Hair. I'm keeping my fingers crossed while waiting.

Help Requested

Hi Everyone! Laurie of TriviumPursuit wrote and asked if I would ask my dear readers the following question:

• Do you know a good collector's guide for evaluating prices of vintage children's books?

If you do, please drop me a note by e-mail or in the comments. Thanks a million! I'm not much of a collector, so I'm afraid I'm of no help at all.

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OT: A few weeks back I was kvetching about The Thirteenth Tale. I had been listening to it and did not like the first hour (original post). Well, after the first hour or the first sixty pages, it really takes off. Once Miss Winter begins telling her tale, you just can't put it down. (Keep going, Lisa!)

Weekend Reviews (I-II)

This weekend's review roundup is in one post because the Carnival was up yesterday. What's out there in the world of children's book reviewing? Let's take a look...

Susan Perren reviews new titles for the Globe and Mail. This week she considers:

• One Eye! Two-Eyes! Three-Eyes: A Very Grimm Fairy Tale, by Aaron Shepard, illustrated by Gary Clement
• Nokum is My Teacher, by David Bouchard, illustrated by Allen Sapp
• Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams
• Healing Our World: Inside Doctors Without Borders, by David Morley
• Strange Times at Western High, by Emily Pohl-Weary

Mary Schulte reviews some of the ALA's "'unofficial' favorite novels and picture books of the year" for the Kansas City Star on the day before the big announcement. She reviews:

• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline (but of course...)
• A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama, by Laura Amy Schlitz
• Gossamer, by Lois Lowry
• Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker with illustrations by Marla Frazee
• Yellow Star, by Jennifer Roy
• Flotsam, by David Wiesner
• John, Paul, George & Ben, by Lane Smith
• Move! by Robin Page with illustrations by Steve Jenkins

Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round, by Doreen Rappaport, is the Washington Post Book of the Week (for ages 9-12)

The Saddest King, by Chris Wormell is the Times Children's Book of the Week (for ages 2-5; I love Wormell's books, so will be looking for this one!)

Amanda Craig reviews an intriguing new MG/YA title The Black Book of Secrets, by F.E. Higgins for the Times. She also reviews I am a Cloud, I Can Blow Anywhere, by Jonathan and Shirley Tulloch.

Stuart Kelly reviews The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, for the Scotsman.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune. This week she reads:

• Let It Shine, by Ashley Bryan ("The simultaneous experience on two levels--words and pictures--is strong." Based on the song.)
• A Friend at Midnight, by Caroline B. Cooney ("Caroline Cooney's Lily is a brilliant observer of family and school life. The resolution is not easy but earned.")
• Being Muslim, by Haroon Siddiqui
• Cowlick, by Christin Ditchfield, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
• 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore, by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter
• Pierre in Love, by Sara Pennypacker, pictures by Petra Mathers

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Not a review, but super cool, nonetheless: The Philadelphia Inquirer profiles L.Lee Lowe in a new column called "The Word on Technology," about the online literature phenomenon. Lowe, author of Mortal Ghost, an online YA novel, is one of the pioneers in this field and has even begun providing an audio version of the book (hooray!).

Fun with Comics

Check out this amazing story about Mitchell Reiner and his Superhero Club at Eagle Ridge Elementary, Coral Springs, Florida. (Nirvi Shah reports for the Miami Herald)

Reiner, who just won a grant from the Airborne people to take his project school-wide, divides the kids into groups, gives them a super hero, a villain, and a location, and tells them to go. The kids then craft a story in comic book form, while Reiner advises.

Super cool teaching project. Great article, with audio clips of the kids at work included.

The 10th Carnival of Children's Literature

Welcome to the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature.

It's winter, folks. Thankfully, we have plenty of toasty posts to keep us warm this January. Let the Carnival begin!

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The turn of the year made some bloggers introspective:

Liz B. shares her blog resolutions (and inspires many other bloggers, like yours truly) at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

Author Grace Lin (The Year of the Dog) discusses racism, multi-culturalism and books for children in a post called Pin Cushion at PacyForest.

Grace Lin also shares her writing resolutions (including "blog less," a bad one, in my opinion) at another site, The Blue Rose Girls.

Colleen Mondor asks the question--why is terrorism in books okay, but not teen sex?--at Chasing Ray.

Elaine Magliaro suffers (not alone, I may add) from Fatal Distraction at the Blue Rose Girls.

Kim Winters of Kat's Eye discusses writers and depression in her post by the same name.

Franki and Mary Lee tell us why 2006 was a great year to be a blogger at A Year of Reading.

Jen Robinson asks a hypothetical question at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

Wendy considers a picture book in translation (toilets, anyone?) at Blog from the Windowsill.

Genre and categorization come up as kidlit bloggers move into the new year. Take a look at the following posts in which bloggers look for definitions:

Chris Barton talks fictionalizing in Non-fiction at Bartography.

Little Willow discusses problems with categorization (Middle Grade? tween?) at Bildungsroman.

Betsy considers the difference between corporate and personal blogs at A Fuse #8 Production.

You know what every new year brings? That's right, the "best of" lists and awards galore.

Sherry is making predictions of the Newbery variety at Semicolon.

Emily rounds up her favorite books of 2006 at Whimsy Books.

HipWriterMama talks cool strong girl role models in children's literature.

Susan Thomsen compiles a handy-dandy guide to the Best Books of 2006 lists at Chicken Spaghetti.

Book reviews are popular this season as bloggers are reading some of the best of 2006 and revisiting old favorites.

Elena reviews the Illustrated Classics version of The Christmas Carol at My Domestic Church.

Cloudscome reviews Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters at A Wrung Sponge.

Eisha and Julie contribute Eisha's spoilerish review of Octavian Nothing at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Michele Fry reviews Charlie Fletcher's Stoneheart at Scholar's Blog.

Jeanne raves about a drop-dead gorgeous new version of The Snow Queen At A Hen's Pace.

GrrlScientist reviews David Wiesner's Flotsam at Living the Scientific Life.

Kara Maia Spencer takes a look at an old classic--This Little House, by Virginia Lee Burton--at Kids Literati.

Reviews of books grouped together by theme or topic are also popular this season. Check out these reviews:

Jennifer Shultz celebrates circus week with a few good books at The Kiddosphere.

Anne-Marie relieves snow fatigue with some snow-themed picture books (who can blame her? She's from Colorado!) at A Readable Feast.

Dana discusses Children's Books about Martin Luther King, Jr. at Mombian.

Lynn Rodriguez considers those celebrity picture books at The View from My Window.

Mindy posts about Adventures in Art Class at Propernoun.net. It's a great post for anyone who works with children.

Sonja reviews--in video format--children's books set in the 19th century at Book Wink.

Some kidlit bloggers talk more extensively about reading certain authors or books, sometimes aloud to others.

Michael discusses reading Robert Frost with a four year old at Family School.

Gerard talks about reading Jostein Gaarder’s The Christmas Mystery with his family over the holidays at Family of Five.

Mark and Andrea Ross provide an audio review of Nutcracker Noel at Just One More Book!! Oh, and the author stops by to comment.

Other bloggers have chosen to consider certain aspects of a given book...

MotherReader talks about one of the hottest Young Adult titles of 2006, Hattie Big Sky, at MotherReader (and the author responds!)

Praveen finds a Tao of Simplicity in Little Bo Peep at Tao of Simplicity.

Gail Gauthier (author of the hilarious Happy Kid! and other books) considers the adult protagonist of Horatio Lyle at Original Content.

...while for other bloggers, the author is the focus:

Laurie Bluedorn profiles Richard Doyle in her Artists and Their Creativity: Historical Sketches series at Trivium Pursuit.

Cynthia Leitich Smith shares her interview of Sarah Dessen (author of Just Listen) from Cynsations .

Dana profiles young author Nancy Yi Fan at Principled Discovery.

Two artists--one writer, one illustrator--share vital information about the creative process:

Melissa Wiley tells all about her picture book baby, Hanna and Me, at Here in the Bonny Glen.

Illustrator Dani Jones shows The Mouse, in Layers (video demonstration) at Dani Draws.

And, some bloggers just want to brighten the season with a little fun and escapism.

Mitali Perkins asks Who is Your Blog Crush? at Mitali's Fire Escape.

Robin, Jay, and Eve celebrate their blogiversary at The Disco Mermaids.

Dan Hurst asks "Feel like something a little odd?" at The Oddies.

In the spirit of the holiday season, Gregory K. makes a list (with community help) of gifts you'd get your favorite kidlit characters at GottaBook.

Lisa Yee (author of two of my favorite books--Millicent Min, Girl Genius and Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time) creates a book title contest. The results are hilarious.


Thank you all for attending the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature. It's been a pleasure to be your host. I sincerely hope the posts brought sunshine into your world. Here's to a happy 2007!

Previous carnivals can be found here.

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Are you interested in hosting the February Carnival of Children's Literature (#11)? March and April are all lined up, but Melissa Wiley is still looking for a February host. Do consider it. Carnivals are a lot of fun and not nearly as much work as they may seem. I'm happy to share what I've learned from hosting 2 of them.

If you're interested, please drop Melissa Wiley an e-mail.

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Photo from bigfoto.com

Edgar nominations

The Mystery Writers of America have announced the 2007 Edgar Award Nominees. Here are the nominated titles in the Juvenile and Young Adult Categories:

Juvenile

Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake, by Jennifer Allison
The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery, by Sarah Masters Buckey
Room One: A Mystery or Two, by Andrew Clements
The Bloodwater Mysteries: Snatched, by Pete Hautman & Mary Logue
The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery, by Nancy Springer

Young Adult

The Road of the Dead, by Kevin Brooks
The Christopher Killer, by Alane Ferguson
Crunch Time, by Mariah Fredericks
Buried, by Robin Merrow MacCready
The Night My Sister Went Missing, by Carol Plum-Ucci

Poetry Friday

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!

Today I'm quoting from David McCord's "Every Time I Climb a Tree." "Every Time I Climb a Tree" is in Poetry Speaks to Children, an amazing book + cd combo I just reviewed for The Edge of the Forest. Here's the final stanza of the poem:

And then I skin
The other leg
But every time I climb a tree
I see a lot of things to see
Swallow rooftops and TV
And all the fields and farms there be
Every time I climb a tree
Though climbing may be good for ants
It isn't especially good for pants
But still it's pretty good for me
Every time I climb a tree

I loved climbing trees as a child, so this one really resonates with me.
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I believe Liz B. is at the ALA, so drop me your links in the comments!

Here's the early round-up. I have a birthday party to host this evening, so I'll be back late.

Laura Purdie Salas shares how she keeps a poetry journal at Wordy Girls.

Elaine Magliaro shares the WHAT and the WHY of poetry at Blue Rose Girls.

Adrienne contributes a selection from Sharon Creech's Love That Dog at What Adrienne Thinks About That.

Little Willow posts William Wordsworth's "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland" at Bildungsroman.

Dawn celebrates National Popcorn Day (what?!?) with "A Popcorn Song," by Nancy Byrd Turner, at By Sun and Candlelight.

Emily contributes a little "'Hope' is the Thing with Feathers," by Emily Dickinson, at Whimsy Books.

Kelly Fineman is in with some poetic dialog (between Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh) at Writing and Ruminating.

Lisa reviews No Two Snowflakes, by Sheree Fitch, at Passionately Curious.

Michele shares an eclectic mix at Scholar's Blog.

Nancy contributes "The Writer," by Richard Wilbur, at Journey Woman.

Ms.Mac quotes from Animal Snackers, by Betsy Lewin, and celebrates (?) a week of ice at Check it Out.

Susan reviews J. Patrick Lewis' The Snowflake Sisters (which has a great cover, check it out) at Chicken Spaghetti.

I'm back having survived a birthday party with 26 kids!! 26!! Here are more PF entries:

Gregory K. posts an original work, "Bubble Gum," at GottaBook.

Anne's in at Book Buds with a review of Green as a Bean, by Karla Kuskin.

Cloudscome reviews Little Stevie Wonder, by Quincy Troupe, at A Wrung Sponge.

Liz Scanlon quotes from one of my personal favorites The Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman, at Liz In Ink.

Miss Erin is in with "Ode to Stephen Dowling Bots" (from Mark Twain)

Better late than never: Sherry of Semicolon combines Poetry and Fine Art Friday into one post featuring Poe and Manet.

Review: Mail Order Ninja 1-2

Graphic novels, as we all know, are hot. So hot, Joshua Elder pokes fun at the phenomenon in his wonderfully cheeky Mail Order Ninja.

5th-grader Timothy James McAllister is a normal kid in the oh-so-exciting town of Cherry Creek, Indiana (pop. 23, 745). He has a mom, a dad, and an annoying little sister, Lindsay. When mom (who wears a "Soccer Mom" baseball shirt) calls him down to breakfast, she shouts, "Timmy! Stop reading that comic book and come downstairs for breakfast!" Timmy answers, "Mom, it's not a comic book! It's a graphic novel! Jeez!"

Mail Order Ninja is often laugh-out-loud funny. Even the plot is over-the-top perfection. Timothy is having a hard time with bullies at school. Making life even more unpalatable at L. Frank Baum Elementary is Felicity Dominique Huffington--local "stuck-up rich girl." So, when Timothy reads about "the greatest ninja warrior gunshyo giveaway" in a JacQues Co. catalog, he enters. And wins. Before long, his personal ninja , Yoshida Jiro, arrives at his house. And his parents, who know it's a "bad idea," allow Timothy to keep his ninja nonetheless.

Well you know what happens. Timothy and his ninja bring peace and justice to L. Frank Baum Elementary. Until, at the very end of Vol. 1, Felicity calls forth her own ninja, Hakuryuu Nobunaga Esq. ("Ninja Assassin and Attorney at Law. Fun Fact: Nobunaga once sued his own mother for 'emotional anguish' because he didn't like the birthday present that she got him. Yes, he really is that evil.") Volume 2 brings ninja vs. ninja action in a battle for L. Frank Baum Elementary and, indeed, Cherry Creek, Indiana. Felicity has taken control by means of mind control and a ninja army. Will Timmy prevail? You'll just have to read Mail Order Ninja, Volumes 1-2 to find out.

Kids will love the action in Mail Order Ninja, but will be slayed by the humor as well.* Even Erich Owen's art is infused with humor. When the Timothy's ninja arrives in a box to his house, for example, Timothy knocks on the box and says, "Mr. Yoshida? Are you in..." and a sword shoots out of the box with a "shunk" before Timothy concludes, "...there?"*

Brought to you by TokyoPop, Mail Order Ninja will be a huge hit with the six- to-eleven-year-old market. This is a series both girls and boys will enjoy. It's also perfect for reluctant readers and for kids ready to move beyond the venerable underpants man.
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There's also quite a bit of "adult" humor (of the clean variety) in Mail Order Ninja. Towards the end of volume 1, Timothy's parents, unaware of the Ninja battle that just took place at L. Frank Baum Elementary, are reading the paper. The headline reads "Aliens Invade Again!" Dad says, "Another alien attack, honey. The Asimovians this time." Mom answers, "At least it wasn't those awful Hubbardi. They're just so...cliche." Hah!

The American Story

Tracy Grant tells kids about Jennifer Armstrong's The American Story in today's Washington Post. Grant writes, "The 100 true (and short) tales that Jennifer Armstrong recounts in this book are bound to intrigue and amaze you -- and astound and impress your parents and teachers." She also shares 5 stories that amazed her as a reader.

Meg Rosoff's next

Meg Rosoff talks about writing her next book (due to her publisher September 2008, though there must be another one due out this year if I understand the article correctly) on the Guardian books blog. She's terrified, which makes sense considering how good her first two novels were. Here's what she has to say:

• "The real issue is terror. Terror that the characters will turn out cute, the plot banal, the dialog clunky and embarrassing. Terror that this one will be the egregious misjudged atrocity, the one about which the critics say, 'I frankly marvel that the author of X could have written so many pages of vapid drivelling nonsense,' or, more pithily: 'there isn't a single convincing moment in the entire story.' Of course you only get that sort of review once. The book after The Atrocity is met with a huge echoing silence... that... lasts... forever."

The Edge of the Forest, Volume II, #1

The January The Edge of the Forest is up! Here's what's in store this month:

• Sounds from the Forest, a podcast column produced by Andrea and Mark of Just One More Book!!, is back. This month find out how Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon work together on the Blast to the Past series.
• An interview with writer Alan Gratz, by Eisha Prather and Julie Danielson.
• Pamela Coughlan considers YA Historical Fiction in Twentieth Century YA Style.
• Franki Sibberson discusses the leveled book phenomenon in Helping Children Choose Books Beyond Level.
• Allie considers what makes a good cover in Judging the Cover.
• Kim Winters talks to children's writer, René Colato Laínezn, for A Day in the Life.
• Allie interviews the fabulous Lisa Yee in our Blogging Writer feature.
• Reviews in all categories—from Picture book to Young Adult.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Edge of the Forest with our Subscribe feature. Just enter your name and e-mail address and you'll receive notification when each new issue is published.

The Edge of the Forest will return February 10 with our first anniversary issue.

Last Chance, Folks!

Today's your final chance to submit to the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature, which will take place here on January 20.

How do you submit? Either to me by e-mail or though the Carnival site. I've received a ton of submissions so far, so this carnival should be a big one.

No (announced) theme this month. Just send me your favorite post from December or January and I'll do the rest. Previous carnivals can be found here.

Weekend Reviews (II)

Today brings more reviews in the major media. Here's what I've found:

Liz Rosenberg reviews biographies for children in the Boston Globe. The books she considers include:

• Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor, by Emily Arnold McCully
• Su Dongpo: Chinese Genius, written and illustrated by Demi
• John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement, by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson, illustrated by Benny Andrews
• Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein, by Marfé Ferguson Delano

Give Me Liberty, by L.M. Elliott, is the Washington Post "Book of the Week."

Rubies in the Snow, by Kate Hubbard, is the Times Children's Book of the Week. (A fictionalized diary of Anastasia.)

Janet Christie reviews the latest Young Bond title, Double or Die, for the Scotsman. She also considers Geep and the Scary Shadows, by Gina Birch and James McAdam, and Questors, by Joan Lennon.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new titles for The Chicago Tribune. This week she considers:

• Bronzeville Boys and Girls, by Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Faith Ringgold
• The End, by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Richard Egielski
• Little Red Riding Hood, retold and illustrated by Andrea Wisnewski
• Lily Brown's Paintings, by Angela Johnson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
• The Pull of the Ocean, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, translated from French by Y. Maudet
• The Other Mozart: The Life of the Famous Chevalier de Saint-George, by Hugh Brewster, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Weekend Reviews (I)

I hope you're all enjoying the weekend. We have snow (brrr!) in Smalltown, the first of this winter. But my computer is working and I'm not on the road, so it's time for the weekend reviews. Here's what's out there so far:

Daniel Handler (of all people) reviews etiquette books for the youngsters in the New York Times. Here's a stunning quote from the article: "Whoopi Goldberg’s philosophical principles are sounder. (It’s so nice to write a sentence one suspects has never been written before.) "

Stephanie Deutsch (New York Times) reviews Russell Freedman's The Adventures of Marco Polo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

This week's New York Times "Bookshelf" is devoted to picture books, including one that is a must find for our house--Moon Plane, by Peter McCarty.

Elizabeth Ward is back in the Washington Post. This week she reviews picture books including:

• Pierre in Love, by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Petra Mathers
• Bronzeville Boys and Girls, by Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Faith Ringgold
• Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams
• Dimity Dumpty The Story of Humpty's Little Sister, by Bob Graham

Margaret Reynolds discusses what makes Tom's Midnight Garden so truly special in the Times.

More tomorrow...

Scott O' Dell Award

I am thrilled to learn via Read Roger that Ellen Klages has won the Scott O'Dell Award for her novel The Green Glass Sea. Roger, who is on the committee, writes, "The award is presented to a children's or young adult book published in English by a U.S. publisher and set in the Americas."

Here's a link to my recent review.

Two off-topic questions...

I need your help with two completely unrelated issues I'm struggling with. Here are my questions:

1. I am currently listening to The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. And so far, I can't stand the narrator/protagonist. Her fetishization of books drives me crazy. Crazy, I tell you, and I like books as much as the next person. Will this go away? Will she always irritate me? Is she one of those characters who is supposed to annoy me or is this book not for me?
2. For those of you using blogger, why does the new version insert so many (and I'm using brackets instead of <>) [div][/div]s that I have to go in and edit the code myself?

Thanks for your help!

Poetry Friday

Today's Poetry Friday entry is a silly poem, but one that never fails to make me laugh. It's "About the Teeth of Sharks," by John Ciardi

"About the Teeth of Sharks" is included in the marvelous Poetry Speaks to Children, edited by Elise Paschen. (I've reviewed Poetry Speaks to Children for the January The Edge of the Forest, up Monday.)

About the Teeth of Sharks

The thing about a shark is--teeth,
One row above, one row beneath.

Now take a close look. Do you find
It has another row behind?

Still closer--here, I'll hold your hat:
Has it a third row behind that?

Now look in and...Look out! Oh my,
I'll never know now! Well, goodbye.

Love it! Now on to the roundup:

Laura Purdie Salas reviews and quotes from Jane Yolen's Once Upon Ice and Other Frozen Poems at Wordy Girls.

Elaine Magliaro reviews Judy Sierra's Antartic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems and the video made of the book at Blue Rose Girls.

Little Willow contributes W.B. Yeats' "The Realists" at Bildungsroman.

Dawn celebrates "This Bright New Year," by William Arthur Ward at By Sun and Candlelight.

Kelly Fineman reviews Nikki Grimes' Thanks a Million: Poems at Writing and Ruminating.

Emily shares Rachel Field's "Something Told the Wild Geese" and books with winter poems at Whimsy Books. (It's cold here in Smalltown too, Emily, and our poor geese have been going in circles for months.)

Passionately Curious contributes Lillian Moore's "Dragon Smoke" at Pasionately Curious.

Nancy reads and listens to Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gentle into that good night" at Journey Woman. You'd like Poetry Speaks to Children, Nancy!

Becky steers clear of the snow with a warmer choice, "The Hen and the Carp," by Ian Serraillier, at Farm School.

Mitali Perkins contributes her own poem, "Benediction," at Mitali's Fire Escape.

Michele shares two of Shakespeare's Sonnets at Scholar's Blog. Erin also shares a Sonnet at Miss Erin.

Wendy reviews Geraldine McCaughrean's Cyrano at Blog from the Windowsill.

Anne at Book Buds suffers insomnia with Jack Prelutsky's "I'm Awake! I'm Awake!"

Adrienne's in with some Karla Kuskin at What Adrienne Thinks About That.

Loree Griffin Burns talks adult poetry, by Mary Oliver, at Loree Griffin Burns: A Life in Reading.

Melissa Wiley contributes "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," by John Keats, at Here in the Bonny Glen.

Sherry shares "Setting the Table," by Dorothy Aldis, and a lovely photo at Semicolon.

Liz B. contributes some verse from the Pogues at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy. Rock on, Liz!

Cloudscome reviews Jack Prelutsky's If Not for the Cat at A Wrung Sponge.

Leave me your links in the comments! More later...

23: Somehow I missed this...

A blog I read daily is Michele's Scholar's Blog. I keep up with Fantasy titles both new and old by reading her blog, and I just really like her as a person as well. But somehow I missed a very important post. All I can say is that November and December were unexpectedly crazy.

Here's the story. Back in November there were two memes floating about--the 100 Children's Book meme and the 100 Novels meme. Michele was lamenting the fact that she hadn't read a huge number on either list and I challenged her to come up with her own list of Fantasy titles. (She's the most well-read Fantasy reader I know.) So she did, mostly. There are a few non-fantasy titles on the list, but still it's a good one and it corrects the American bias of the 100 Children's Book Meme.

So here are my answers to Michele's meme. (The rules are the same: Mark the selections you have read in bold. If you liked it, add a star [*] in front of the title, if you didn't, give it a minus [-]. Then, put the total number of books you've read in the subject line. )

The Chronicles of Prydain - Alexander, Lloyd
Carrie's War - Bawden, Nina
Death of a Ghost - Butler, Charles
* Ender's Game - Card, Orson Scott
* Summerland - Chabon, Michael
King of Shadows - Cooper, Susan
* The Dark is Rising sequence - Cooper, Susan
Stonestruck - Cresswell, Helen
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl, Roald
* Matilda - Dahl, Roald
* Ingo - Dunmore, Helen
The Sea of Trolls - Farmer, Nancy
Madame Doubtfire - Fine, Anne
Corbenic - Fisher, Catherine
Inkheart - Funke, Cornelia
* The Thief Lord - Funke, Cornelia
The Owl Service - Garner, Alan
* Happy Kid! - Gauthier, Gail
* Stormbreaker - Horowitz, Anthony
Whale Rider - Ihimaera, Witi
Finn Family Moomintroll - Jansson, Tove
* Fire and Hemlock - Jones, Diana Wynne
* The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster, Norton
The Sheep Pig - King Smith, Dick
Stig of the Dump - King, Clive
A Wizard of Earthsea - Le Guin, Ursula
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Lewis, C S
The House at Norham Gardens - Lively, Penelope
* Goodnight Mister Tom - Magorian, Michelle
The Changeover - Mahy, Margaret
The Stones are Hatching - McCaughrean, Geraldine
* The White Darkness - McCaughrean, Geraldine
Beauty - McKinley, Robin
* Sabriel - Nix, Garth
* The Borrowers - Norton, Mary
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brien, Robert
Z for Zachariah - O'Brien, Robert
A Dog So Small - Pearce, Philippa
Life As We Knew It - Pfeffer, Susan Beth
* A Hat Full of Sky - Pratchett, Terry
* His Dark Materials sequence - Pullman, Philip
* How I Live Now - Rosoff, Meg
* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling, J K
* Holes - Sachar, Louis
The Foreshadowing - Sedgwick, Marcus
Marianne Dreams - Storr, Catherine
When the Siren Wailed - Streatfield, Noel
* The Bartimaeus Trilogy - Stroud, Jonathan
* The Hobbit - Tolkien, J R R
* Charlotte's Web - White, E B

23/50. Not so good. But, because Michele made the list, I like every one I've read.

Review: The Pull of the Ocean

This review was written by Alice Herold

I loved the teen book, The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat (translated by Y. Maudet). After I had finished the book,I discovered the author had won prestigious prizes for his writing in France.

The story is structured in a series of accounts by people (social worker, police, a student, a baker, and others) who came into contact with Yann, the main character. Yann was a ten year old boy who looked like a two year old. He spoke, not with words but rather with his eyes and hand gestures.(The author based this book on The Adventures of Tom Thumb.) I learned from the eyewitness account in the last chapter (by a 60-year-old skipper on a ship) that Yann might not be real and perhaps stepped out of a fairy tale.

This book is an utterly charming book written in a fashion that compels the reader to keep reading. The book is a gem. Buy it! Read it!

Download Mitali

Mitali Perkins has two recent posts of interest up at Mitali's Fire Escape. Head on over and check them out:

1. Download Mitali. Mitali has links up where you can read interviews about Rickshaw Girl (an excellent book to be sure. Here's my review.) You can also read an excerpt from Mitali's forthcoming YA novel.
2. Mitlai has also written about ethnic book awards in this thought-provoking post.

The End of The Pants

Carol Memmott talks to Ann Brashares about the end of her popular Traveling Pants series for USAToday. The fourth book in the series, Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, takes place during the first summer after college and is intended for older teen readers.

Review: Hattie Big Sky

I must be the last person to review Hattie Big Sky, but I have an excuse, I swear. I spent November and December reading Middle Grade fiction almost exclusively for The Cybils and Hattie Big Sky was nominated in the Young Adult category. In fact, Hattie Big Sky was selected as a shortlisted title in the Young Adult category. That being said, I'd recommend Hattie Big Sky to children as young as 10.

Hattie Brooks has moved from relative to ever-more-distant relative most of her young life. When she is sixteen years old, she reaches the end of her line with Aunt Ivy and Uncle Holt (he's a distant cousin). Or so she thinks. Just as Aunt Ivy is about to send her off to work as a maid, Hattie Brooks receives a letter informing her that her mother's brother left her a land claim in Montana. She has one year to work the land, make it profitable, fence it off, pay her taxes and it will be hers. Hattie takes her chances and the train out West.

Hattie arrives to Wolf Point, Montana where she is met by Perilee and Karl Mueller, her homesteading neighbors, and their three children, Chase, Mattie, and Fern. They help her settle in her Uncle's "house," and show her how to survive the winter and care for the horse and cantankerous cow. Even the children know more than Hattie: Chase has to detach Hattie from the well pump on her very first day. Though life is hard, Hattie is up to the challenge and works to survive on her own.

Kirby Lawson has created a wonderful character in Hattie. She's a tough girl, willing to work to make it on her own. But, Hattie is more than just determination--she's also kind and compassionate without being silly or sentimental. In 1917 Montana, anti-German sentiment is strong, yet Hattie stands up to her wild Montana neighbors and supports her friend Karl Mueller when he's attacked, both physically and verbally, for being German-born. Even Hattie's feelings for her school friend, Charlie, who is away at the front, are true to character:

• "So maybe I did spend a night now and then dreaming silly girl dreams about him, even though everyone knew he was sweet on Mildred. My bounce-around life had taught me dreams were dangerous things--they look solid in your mind, but you just try to reach for them. It's like gathering clouds."

Hattie Big Sky, just as its narrator, is a brilliant, straightforward novel. Author Kirby Larson pulls no punches: death is ever present in the novel, as it was in 1917, and friends are essential to survival. I appreciated Hattie Big Sky for its complex ending as well. Hattie, in some ways, fails in her endeavor. (I won't spoil the book for you by mentioning how.) In other ways, Hattie finds family, love, and self-sufficiency.

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A related note: MotherReader recently read Hattie Big Sky and invited readers to discuss the use of religion in the book. It's a fascinating discussion, so read through if you get a chance. I have to admit, that I was one of the readers who didn't notice it much--it seemed appropriate for the era.

(I say this as a person who was really irritated by the Narnia books as a child because I found them too evangelical.)

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I received Hattie Big Sky from the author.

Costa Children's Book Award

Linda Newbery's Set in Stone has won the Costa Children's Book Award.

Here's what the judges had to say about Set in Stone: "As beautifully crafted as one of the statues adorning the house in the story, this emotionally charged narrative will thrill all lovers of intelligent fiction." (via BBC)

I just handed this title off to my mother to review, so watch for a review next week.

Reminder: The 10th Carnival of Children's Literature

The 10th Carnival of Children's Literature will take place here on January 20. Submissions are due by January 15.

How do you submit? Either to me by e-mail or though the Carnival site. I've received some great submissions so far, so this carnival should be a rocking one.

No (announced) theme this month. Just send me your favorite post from December or January and I'll do the rest.

Previous carnivals can be found here.

Weekend Reviews

I know it's technically Monday, but I love reading the weekend reviews. Here's a summary of what I've found:

Alain de Botton reviews a new book on philosophy for young adults by Lucy Eyre called If Minds Had Toes (in the Guardian). de Botton writes, "Lucy Eyre is acute in recognising that it's as teenagers that we're liable to start asking important questions, but frequently come off sounding ridiculous because we aren't given the right tools to address our concerns. This book should do its bit in allowing a new generation of teenagers to connect their thoughts with the main currents of Western philosophy."

Philip Ardagh reviews The Book Thief for the Guardian. (For reasons only the publishing industry knows, The Book Thief has only now appeared in the U.K.)

The Black Book of Secrets, by F. E. Higgins, is the Times' Children's Book of the Week.

The Times has lots of great children's coverage this week, including:

• Lisa Tuttle reviews three new fantasy titles (The Broken Kings by Robert Holdstock, Temeraire: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik, and Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier)
• Amanda Craig considers recycled heroes in children's books, reviewing Charlie Higson's Double or Die (an Young Bond title) and Nicola Morgan's The Highwayman's Footsteps.
• Not a review, but Tim Teeman talks to Conn Iggulden, author of The Dangerous Book for Boys (It seems Iggulden is very manly.)

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books "For Young Readers" in the Chicago Tribune. This week they are:

• Sock Monkey Rides Again, by Cece Bell
• Here, There Be Dragons, by James A. Owen
• Tale of a Great White Fish, by Maggie deVries, illustrated by Renne Benoit
• The Treasures of Weatherby, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• Ivy and Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go, by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
• Wind Flyers, by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Loren Long

Susan Perren reviews new titles for the Globe and Mail, including:

• Who Likes the Snow?, by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Marie LaFrance
• Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook, tales retold by Jane Yolen, recipes by Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrations by Philippe Beha
• Kids Cook 1-2-3, by Rozanne Gold, illustrated by Sara Pinto
• Beowulf, by Michael Morpugo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
• June Callwood: A Life of Action, by Anne Dublin

December/January blog roundup

I missed my December new (or new to me) blog roundup, so this month's entry is a big one. Here's what I've found this month in 3 categories.

Children's Books

• Our own Anne Boles Levy is blogging over at Reading Moms, a new group blog devoted to reading and books.
• Jennifer Shultz blogs about children's books at The Kiddosphere.
• Becky B. blogs about (mostly children's) books and reading at In the Pages...
• This Just In! Really. Katherine Thomsen writes about books at This Just In.

Fiction

• The iPulp Fiction Library has original works of fiction online in the tradition of "the Dime Novel and serialized fiction popular during the late 19th through mid 20th centuries." The stories are serialized and several issues are available now. I'm looking most forward to reading AAA PEST CONTROL.
• More fiction on the web: Children's poet Charles Ghigna (who goes by Father Goose) has a number of charming poems online here.

Authors and illustrators

• Susan Taylor Brown and three writer friends have banded together at Wordy Girls.
• Author Liz Garton Scanlon is blogging at Liz in Ink. Her posts are very interesting so far
• Author/illustrator Elizabeth O. Dulemba has a great blog with many illustrations.
• Writer Shari Lyle-Soffe blogs at "Out of my mind" on the subject of writing for children.
• Author/illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman blogs at Cats and Jammers Studio.

It's time for me to update the blogrolls!

I'm back!

I'm back in Smalltown and my computer problems have been resolved. The hard drive survived!

It's going to take me awhile to dig out--especially from Forest and Carnival submissions. In the meantime, check out this article by Peter Mandel in the Chicago Tribune. Turns out The Cat in the Hat is no longer current. Here's the setup:

• "You may know that Dr. Seuss' real name was Theodor Geisel. But bet you didn't know this: The Cat in the Hat could not be published today. Repeat: It couldn't make the cut....For starters, anyone need a reminder on the basic premise here? Two little kids of maybe 6 or 7 are being harassed by a large, threatening animal and its accomplices. Worse, the two have been left for an entire day without adult supervision. 'Sally and I did not know what to say. Our mother was out of the house for the day.' Get the cops. Bring in a social worker and quick."

Thank You!

Thank you all so very much for your suggestions, condolences, etc. I feel shipwrecked, honestly.

I'm headed back to Smalltown tomorrow and hope to be back to e-mail and the blog by Monday midday. The laptop is completely kaput, but I hope the hard drive can still be saved.

I'll be in touch soon with a late weekend reviews roundup and reviews of A Drowned Maiden's Hair, Hattie Big Sky and Mail Order Ninja. I'll also answer each and every e-mail in the inbox.

Don't forget the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature (too limited, connection-wise, to link...)! Submissions are due Jan 10.

Sob.

A glass of wine. A very excited new six year old. A birthday celebration (his and my mother-in law's). A laptop. Mix together and KA-BOOM!

I am putting up this post from my mother-in-law's computer. I hope your Poetry Friday is going better than mine. Wait, mine won't exist today!

I know I owe you an e-mail. All of you. I hope to be up and running again by Monday.

Sob.

10th Carnival of Children's Literature

This is just an official reminder that the 10th Carnival of Children's Literature will be taking place here on January 20. The Blog Carnival site is now working, so you can submit your entries through them or directly to me by e-mail.

Submissions are due January 15. Send me your best post from December or January!

You can find the previous carnivals here.