HP release date announced!

I can't believe it. Seriously. The release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been announced! July 21, 2007. That's pretty close to the rumored 7/7/07. She did it!


Link via The Leaky Cauldron.

Another Cybil discussion

Do you think Cybils judges need to have certain qualifications in order to evaluate children's books? Or, do you think we need to know more about the Cybils judges and panelists before we can trust the process? Weigh in on this discussion over at the Cybils!

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.

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

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