By: tanita davis,
on 5/10/2013
I think I love this ad more than I thought possible. Because Tech Boy is into All Things Tech, including cameras, he was especially interested in lenticular printing for digital photography... but he passed it along to me because it's for kids.... Read the rest of this post
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/10/2013
From EW:
Add a Comment“Ansel is whip-smart and uber-charismatic and everything I dreamed for Augustus Waters,” John Green tells EW in an exclusive statement. “I am by nature a cautious pessimist, but I’ll just say it: Now that we have Shailene and Ansel, I am completely, unreservedly psyched about this movie.”
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/10/2013
Today is my sister's birthday as well, actually, but as I've never covered Beezus and Ramona* here, instead, I'll simply point you back to my post about John Scalzi's Zoe's Tale:
A lot of the SF I've read has felt like it held me at arm's length. Distance like that prevents me from ever fully connecting with a story or the characters in it. This one felt so real and so close that it was almost like Zoe was in the room with me. She made me cry. Like, three times. She also made me laugh out loud while I was crying.
And now I am reminded that I really need to read more of his books, as I enjoyed that one so very much.
Relatedly, I am now suddenly tempted to go up to the attic and dig through my boxes of books to find my Beverly Cleary.
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*She is SO VERY, VERY Ramona, and I am SO VERY, VERY Beezus.
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/11/2013
And from a supercomputer beating a world champion at chess, it's just ONE SMALL STEP TO THE TERMINATOR.
And from the Terminator, it's just ONE SMALL STEP TO A SENTIENT PRISON THAT IS MAYBE POSSIBLY A LITTLE BIT BANANAS.
Then again, we could end up with Data instead, so maybe it's worth the risk...
Anyway, from my post about Incarceron:
Finn, a member of the especially brutal Comitatus, woke up three years ago with no memory of his past. Some of his fellow prisoners believe that Finn is 'cell-born', a child of Incarceron, created by Incarceron, while others believe he is simply half-mad. What he believes is quite different: He believes he came from Outside. Though no one has left Incarceron in over a century (except one legendary man), Finn believes his flashbacks of a life Before, his knowledge of things he could never have known or experienced Inside, could have come from nowhere but Outside.
On the Outside is Claudia. The Warden's daughter, she has been raised to be the next Queen. She lives in a world forced to adhere to the traditions, culture and technology of 17th-century life. Finn's world is brutally violent, and Claudia's world is no less so -- it's just less obvious. Violence, political machinations, blackmail and assassinations are hidden behind complex and formal etiquette. Within Incarceron, there are fights to the death. Outside, there are dangerous secret alliances, a secret society, even a secret religion.
I finally, finally read Sapphique a little while back... I should probably write about it, eh?
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/11/2013
I figured that since I check them every week, I may as well post 'em, eh?
Amazon (Teen):
1. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
3. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
4. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
5. While it Lasts, by Abbi Glines
American Booksellers Association, National (Children's):
1. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
2. Poems to Learn by Heart, by Caroline Kennedy
3. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
4. Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
5. The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
New York Times (YA):
1. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
3. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
4. Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
5. While it Lasts, by Abbi Glines
Publishers Weekly (Children's Frontlist):
1. The Third Wheel, by Jeff Kinney
2. Big Nate: Game On!, by Lincoln Peirce
3. The Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare
4. Theodore Boone: The Accused, by John Grisham
5. Middle School: My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar, by James Patterson
USAToday (Youth):
1. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
2. Divergent, by Veronica Roth
3. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
4. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins
5. The Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/11/2013
Including The Very Hungry Caterpillar:
The Wild Things:
And Alice in Wonderland:
Click on through to see the others!
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Oh good lord this is so adorable I just had to share it with you. I'm sure books by May Gibbs are very familiar in Australia, but we don't see that many of them in the UK. I've seen copies of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and the Gum-Nut Babies in the past, but this is the first time I've seen Scotty in Gumnut Land. I'm a dog lover so anything about dogs always appeals, but this particular little dog is just wonderful! I'm sure you've already guessed that Scotty is a Scottish Terrier, but this is a terrier with attitude!
Scotty lives with his humans in a town in
It’s not long before he’s set upon by two other dogs and ends up with an injured paw. Miles from home and lonely, Scotty meets a strange creature called Tiggy Touchwood who dresses in a conical black hat and scarf. Tiggy can conjure up spells that change the shape of things, bring them alive or turn them to stone. She has a friend called Mifrend (my friend), who works in a vast cavern filled with jewels. At one stage in the story, Mifrend, Tiggy and Scotty have to face a monster in the depths of the caves. But, as in all good stories the three friends end up living happily ever after!
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/9/2013
If you're a fan of Elizabeth Peters, then chances are, you already know Howard Carter.
But, just in case you don't, I shall tell you: he's the archaeologist credited with finding the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
At first, I figured I'd highlight Wrapped, since it's a hugely entertaining Egyptology-themed mystery.
BUT THEN I REMEMBERED The Professor's Daughter.
And while I enjoyed Wrapped, I LOOOOOOOVED The Professor's Daughter. It's a hugging book. Like, I love it so much that whenever I pick it up, I feel the need to hug it:
SAH-WOON. And obviously, highly, HIGHLY recommended. Add a CommentLillian is the daughter of Professor Bowell, the eminent Egyptologist. One day, while the Professor is out, Lillian wants to go to Kensington. As she can't go out unchaperoned, she brings along Imhotep IV. Who is a mummy.
Brief moment for gushing about the adorablosity of it all: How did Sfar and Guibert make Imhotep IV (who, other than a bump for a nose, has no real visible facial features) a wicked hottie? Is it the cigarette holder? The top hat? The spats? Or is it his romantic nature? His melancholy? His tragic background? Whatever it is, it works. I fell in lurve with him by the end of the first page.
By: Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 5/13/2013
By: David Elzey,
on 5/10/2013
words by julie fogliano pictures by erin e. stead. roaring brook press 2013 a very old school picture book poetic in word and image now this is what i’m talking about. the title is the premise a set of instructions for what you need to do in order to see a whale it starts with a window and quickly moves to a landscape of the mind the text and instructions more of a tone poem told legato
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/12/2013
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/9/2013
By: prkcslog,
on 5/13/2013
Mixed up alphabet books are not hard to find in the picture book section, and for good reason. They offer children who have mastered linear alphabet stories but are still learning to decode letters and learn letter sounds a unique way to do that. When done well, mixed up alphabet books are delightful for older preschoolers and their caregivers and offer lots of zany, educational fun.
A is for Musk Ox is one such mixed up alphabet book. Told as a dialogue between a musk ox who is tired of only being featured on one page of the alphabet book and his zebra friend who would really prefer the alphabet remain orderly. The musk ox, who we learn on the “J” page is named Joseph starts by eating the apple on the “A” page and replacing it with himself because musk oxen are”awesome” after all. The musk ox barges his way through the alphabet with corrective tape covering babies, clowns and more so that he is prominently featured on each page while the zebra tries in vain to stop him. The collage style illustrations are bold and full of whimsy and offer so much detail that children will love looking through this book over and over again. As an added bonus, the musk ox’s self-centered mission allows readers to learn all about the animal. This would be an excellent choice for children in later preschool all the way through older elementary school.
Posted by: Kelly
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/9/2013
Man, that cat has appeared on the cover of every one of the Hex Hall books, despite there distinct lack of cat in the series. IT DRIVES ME BANANAS.
Yes, I realize I should get out more.
Anyway, Spell Bound. SPOILERS ABOUT THE FIRST TWO ARE A NECESSITY.
At the end of Demonglass, Sophie had finally come to terms with demonic heritage... only to be magically prevented from accessing her own powers. As if that being powerless and being-hunted by the same jerks who bound her powers isn't enough, she gets captured by the Brannicks—specifically the youngest one, which just adds insult to injury—a family whose monster-hunting legacy goes back for decades.
But get this: it turns out that Sophie's mother is a Brannick.
Which means that so is Sophie. So she's got demons on one side, and demon hunters on the other... which, if she makes it through all of this alive, will make for some HELLISH (<--ho ho ho) family reunions.
Oh, ALSO, she's not sure if any of her friends are even still alive. And IF THEY ARE, she still doesn't know how she's going to deal with that whole in-love-with-dreamy-Archer-the-triple-agent-but-betrothed-to-hottiepants-Cal-the-healer thing.
Like Hex Hall and Demonglass, Spell Bound is energetic, fast-paced, and funny. Sophie continues to by likable and entertaining, and her habit of making terrible, terrible jokes whenever she's nervous never gets old. Neither this installment nor Demonglass ever quite reaches the heights of Hex Hall, but the whole series is still immensely fun, and I LOVE that it's a smart, witty, mostly-boppy paranormal romance peopled with characters that I care about, rather than being ANGSTY and OVER-DRAMATIC and RIFE WITH TRAGEDY and FILLED WITH CHARACTERS I WANT TO SLAP.
La la la la la la la.
SPOILER: I didn't particularly like how the love triangle was resolved—killing off Cal seemed more cop-out than resolution—but that's a pretty small issue, especially since now Elodie can pursue his ghostly hotness for all eternity, and as she's one of the best characters in the whole series, I'm glad that Hawkins gave her a happy ending.
NOW, ON TO SCHOOL SPIRITS, WHICH I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR AGES.
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Previously: Hex Hall, Demonglass.
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Author page.
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Book source: ILLed through my library.
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/13/2013
...I wrote about Rachel Hawkins' School Spirits.
In a nutshell, my response to it was: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Previously:
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By: Betsy Bird,
on 5/10/2013
So I’m in the office talking with my colleagues about A Girl Called Problem by Katie Quirk and how awesome it is. Then the topic shifts to books with African-American protagonists published in 2013 for kids between the ages of 9-12. You know. Middle grade fiction. And in the midst of my lamenting how few African-American girl protagonists I’ve seen in 2013 it hits me. Yeah, I’ve seen few girls, but I’ve seen pretty much ZERO boys.
I run through my mental database and the results are not good. I’ve read approximately fifty-one middle grade novels for 2013 by this point. Of these, one starred an African-American male character (Etched in Clay by Andrea Cheng). Of the other books, I’ve seen quite a few black girls as either the hero’s friend or as the hero herself. And I have seen ZERO ZERO ZERO African-American boys. Like, zip.
COME ON, PEOPLE!!! Seriously now. Is the rule that we can’t let anyone besides Greg Neri and Walter Dean Myers write middle grade fiction with boys? Is no one writing anymore? What is the friggin’ deal?
After venting my venom at Twitter I got a couple suggestions. Some were YA, some early chapter fare (though I am seriously gonna grab that Karen English book Dog Days the minute it gets within my periphery), a picture book here, an adult novel there. Here then is a complete list, insofar as I can tell, of ALL the books starring African-American boys in middle grade fiction for 2013. Don’t blink or you might miss it.
That’s all she/he wrote, folks.
I have the sense that there’s an obscure historical middle grade from a very small publisher that I’m forgetting here. Otherwise, it appears that unless you’re writing about history, you’re Walter Dean Myers, or you’re a basketball star / former basketball star, you simply cannot get a middle grade book about black boys out there. Sorry to be a debbie downer but this is something we friggin’ need to talk about. Full credit, by the way, to the publishers listed here that actually ARE publishing something. Imagine if they weren’t.
Please for the love of all that’s good and holy, tell me what I’m missing. If you’re hiding a full cache of these books somewhere (or you know of some awesome fall releases that are unknown to me) I’d love to hear it.
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By: Little Willow,
on 5/10/2013
By: Michelle,
on 5/13/2013
Looking for the best books for your kids and teens? Of course you are! Fortunately, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1976) publishes just such a list. And we’re thrilled to share that sixteen Orca titles made the list for Spring 2013.
“All of the titles in Best Books for Kids & Teens have been handpicked by expert committees of educators, booksellers, and school and public librarians from across Canada. The reviewed materials include picture books, junior/intermediate fiction, graphic novels, and powerful teen fiction, in addition to a wide array of non-fiction, magazines and audio/video resources.” —Canadian Children’s Book Centre website
The following Orca titles were selected for the list this season. Congratulations to all the authors on their achievement!
Close to the Heel, Norah McClintock
Dead Run, Sean Rodman
Edge of Flight, Kate Jaimet
High Wire, Melanie Jackson
I, Witness, Norah McClintock and Mike Deas
Jump Cut, Ted Staunton
Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle, Hug, Susan Musgrave
Oracle, Alex Van Tol
Pieces of Me, Darlene Ryan
Prince for a Princess, Eric Walters
Pyro, Monique Polak
Redwing, Holly Bennett
Seeing Orange, Sara Cassidy
Shallow Grave, Alex Van Tol
Three Little Words, Sarah N. Harvey
Uncle Wally’s Old Brown Shoe, Wallace Edwards
CCBC members receive a copy of Best Books for Kids & Teens as part of their membership package, as do subscribers to Canadian Children’s Book News.
Best Books for Kids & Teens can be purchased at select bookstores or online at: www.bookcentre.ca.
By: Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 5/10/2013
My ideal independent bookstore carries only children's books. A bell above the door tinkles musically each time a customer enters. Strategically placed twinkle lights lend a dreamy, wonderland quality to the bright, colorful interior. The staff is warm and welcoming and brilliant at pairing you with exactly the book you need. Cubby bookcases line the walls. Inside, new releases mingle with classics, and all are placed face out, of course. Displays throughout the store are artistic and irresistible. I can picture it so clearly . . . because it's The Shop Around the Corner from the movie, You've Got Mail.
If that store existed nearby, I'd work there for free. Oh, I'd earn a paycheck; the money just wouldn't make it home.
I don't have an indie in my hometown, but I wish I had one like Des Moines' Beaverdale Books. My DM author friends hold their book launches there, and owner Alice is a gem who's pretty much game for anything. I was able to attend Sharelle Byars Moranville's launch for The Hop last spring. Sharelle's friends brought in cheese and crackers, grapes, chocolates, a sweets tray, wine for the adults and, for the kids in attendance (since The Hop has gardening/environmental elements), cups of gummy worms in Oreo "dirt." Dozens of people showed up to share Sharelle's moment and hear her read from her adorable book. The joint was jumping!
My town has a Barnes & Noble and a (new) Books a Million. Luckily for area authors, those stores have friendly staffs, especially Barnes & Noble, where Asst. Mgr. Paul Ziebarth makes this B&N feel more like an indie than a big box store. Paul bends over backwards to make book signings successful. He knocks himself out for our SCBWI-Iowa conference booksales, too, always with a smile and cheerful attitude that makes us feel like there's nowhere he'd rather be. Thanks, Paul, for making authors feel wanted and welcome! I know it isn't that way everywhere.
There's still time to enter our blogiversary contest to win one of four gift certificates to Anderson's Bookstore!
By: aquafortis,
on 5/13/2013
Just tuning in with a few links on a lazy Monday--lazy because we're in Hawaii, at our friends' house on the Big Island, enjoying a much-needed vacation. Sadly, I did bring some work with me, but only a minimum of such, which, for me, is pretty... Read the rest of this post
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/10/2013
I used to post about older books a lot more. Somewhere along the way, though, in an effort to keep up with the never-ending supply of review copies and new books at the library (and new books that I buy), that except for the rare special series, I've gotten away from that.
So, for the foreseeable future, I'm going to start covering older titles on Fridays.
I've been a huge fan of this series from day one, and it recently occurred to me that I've never actually posted about the very first book, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: SO HERE I AM, POSTING ABOUT MY LURRRVE FOR IT*. Just so you know, there will be lots of quotage in this post, as A) I find it impossible to pick this book up without sharing** and B) it's Georgia's voice that makes it so wonderfully funny.
Fourteen-year-old Georgia Nicolson has a whole list of problems:
(1) I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.
(2) It is on my nose.
(3) I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.
(4) In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberführer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic "teachers."
(5) I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.
(6) I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.
And that's all BEFORE she meets Robbie, AKA the Sex God.
If you step back and look at her critically, Georgia is pretty terrible. She's self-absorbed and vain; selfish, petty, and a mostly-awful friend. BUT. She's also a totally believable depiction of an extremely confused ("See you later?" What does that mean?), boy-crazy girl who's in that My Parents Are So Old And Uncool And Impossibly Dumb stage. This is her diary, where she can be as awful as she wants with no repercussions, and she's cheerfully raunchy and laugh-out-loud hilarious, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. She's also got a real gift for describing everyday embarrassments (being late to school, getting all red and sweaty running there, running into a hot boy) and making them seem EPIC and HORRIFIC and channelling her embarrassment so that you feel it, too. (Even as you're laughing.)
Also, despite her utter disinterest in school, she's a clever, witty girl! Her invented slang is a complete joy and totally contagious (I still use it on a daily basis), she's a reader (lots of Cosmo, yes, but she also mentions reading books on a regular basis), and she's prone to making terrible jokes along these lines:
The Peter started nuzzling my neck and I thought, Oh, we haven't done necks before, he's branching out a bit, and then I nearly choked to death trying not to laugh (up against a tree . . . branching out, do you get it?) . . . but I stopped myself. You have to keep reminding yourself about boys not liking a laugh.
As much as she tries to act with dignitosity and maturinosity, her exuberance and humor are both irrepressible, and as beastly as she can be to her parents, it's ALWAYS clear that she adores her (smelly) younger sister. While some of the cultural references are a bit dated—Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Sharon Stone, payphones—fourteen years later, the emotional aspects of Georgia's trials and tribulations still ring true.
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*Apologies for being so caps-happy lately, btdubs. I think spring is making me EVEN MORE textually enthusiastic than usual.
**Think I'm exaggerating? Just ask Josh. If given a test on these books, he'd totally ace it despite never actually reading one.
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Author page.
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Book source: Borrowed from my library.
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/12/2013
...HAS ME FROTHING.
Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising is only 99¢ today!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
I own, like, 47 print copies of it, but I JUST MAY NEED to buy the ebook, too.
Huh. It's... not so surprising that I'm always broke, eh?
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By: aquafortis,
on 5/9/2013
The latest pie chart: presenting the truth about writing retreats. Please note: pie chart is a work of creative non-fiction. Your experience may vary.
This work is copyrighted material. All opinions are those of the writer, unless otherwise... Read the rest of this post
By: Leila Roy,
on 5/13/2013
I love Lydia Bennet.
I can't help it. I know I shouldn't, because SHE IS SUCH AN ASS.
But I love her BECAUSE she's such an ass.
So, when I found out about The Bad Miss Bennet, a novel STARRING Lydia, obviously I HAD TO READ IT.
It's set three years after Pride and Prejudice, and a few months after Lydia's husband, George Wickham, died at at battle of Quartre Bras. Not due to any dashing act of heroism—that would have been totally out of character—but because he got thrown and then trampled by his own horse. Which seemed fitting*.
So, now Lydia is stuck living with boring Lizzie and pompous Mr. Darcy and, worst of all, the insufferable Miss Georgiana. After three years of relative freedom—Wickham wasn't a particularly good husband, but he wasn't particularly concerned with his wife's habit of flouting social conventions, either—staid life as an impoverished relation at Pemberley chafes.
Also, mourning is a HUGE DRAG. Black is just NOT. HER. COLOR.
So, the moment that opportunity strikes, Lydia heads out on her own, determined to live life on her own terms.
Sadly, The Bad Miss Bennet did not live up to my expectations. It was extremely scattered, in that it didn't seem to know if it wanted to be a sex romp or a mystery or a romance: it had elements of all three, but never settled on one long enough to dig in, so the plotting wasn't particularly strong. The story would meander in one direction for a while, and then it felt like the author just... got bored, switched gears, and meandered in another direction for a while, and then got bored again. And the end of the story felt the same way, just: BORED NOW, THE END.
Which, to be (possibly excessively) blunt, was pretty much my attitude by the time I hit the halfway mark.
So, the plotting didn't do anything for me. But what about the voice, right? I mean, if ANY of the non-Lizzie Bennet sisters ought to have a strong (if asinine) voice, it's Lydia. Not so here. She's got a few super lines, but overall, it certainly wasn't strong enough to carry the entire book.
Characterization? There's no growth whatsoever, and while that made sense in the context of the original text—everything got fixed for Lydia in Pride and Prejudice, so while she had the opportunity to learn lessons, she was never forced to—I found it hard to believe that she wouldn't have matured at all during her three years of marriage, and especially hard to believe that she wouldn't mature at all over the course of her independent adventures. Basically, she started the story as a caricature, and she ended the story as a caricature, and while that can make for a hugely entertaining secondary character, it doesn't work so well in a heroine.
TL; DR: Overall, totally forgettable. Lydia deserves better.
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*That said, I did love that Lost in Austen made him out to be a nice guy.
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Author page.
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Book source: ILLed through my library.
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By: Leila Roy,
on 5/9/2013
The YA list is:
Love five and dime Fridays. And let me just say that the giant snails are like a horror movie waiting to happen. Curse of the Giant Snails!!!!
That ad is really kind of amazing. I wish it were easier to get information to kids at a younger age about what is right and wrong, in terms of the ways they are treated. When you grow up in a situation, it is very difficult to see it is wrong. I'm glad someone's trying.
I went to a local awards thing that the Chamber of Commerce did last week at which three high school seniors who intend to study business were awarded scholarships. They did a bio on each of the teens, and then they had time to speak. It was wonderful, truly. They were all delightful, bright, hard-working, and civic-minded. It is tiring to hear people bad-mouth young people, and what's even worse is that so few times does anyone ever do that while acknowledging that they, as adults, are active participants in creating these young people and their world. Someone should Piaget TIME.
I love these links--so glad to see Hyperbole and a Half going again.
Thank you for passing along the link to the ALA paper. I'm totally tickled that LATTE is such a huge part of it. (Esp. since I just got a not-so-great Kirkus review for my latest book. SIGH.)