Down by Padre Island, Galveston, and on the Gulf Coast, in general, we have just begun the nesting season of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle.
Below is a picture of Archelon, a Cretaceous turtle that hung around the Western Interior Seaway back in the day (It's substantially larger than Kemps ridley).
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| Archelon, from the Yale Peabody Museum |
And congratulations to Austinites
Nikki Loftin and
Brian Yansky on sales of new books!
Per Publishers Lunch:
Nikki Loftin’s debut novel THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY, pitched as Coraline meets Hansel and Gretel, about a young girl whose seemingly delightful new school hides frightening secrets, to Laura Arnold at Razorbill, in a two-book deal, for publication in Summer 2012, by Suzie Townsend at Fineprint Literary Management (World).
Brian Yansky's FIGHTING ALIEN NATION, the sequel to ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES, which continues the story of the survivors of an alien invasion, again to Candlewick, with Kaylan Adair to edit, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world English).
And, no, neither has anything to do with turtles. That I know of...
I have a kid. A rough and tumble, Xbox playing, iTouch texting, nerf shooting tween boy.
And you know what? He loves books.
Year after year, they’re on his Christmas list, alongside the video games, Lego sets, and foam darts. Yes, you heard me right. A boy. Who reads. Want to know my secret? How I created such a budding bookavore?
I’m sneaky. I lurk. I watch and observe. I find out what games and movies he loves and then I fiendishly offer books which complement them. Why fight pop culture, when you can pair up interactive media and a good book like tender steak and a fine Cabernet?
This holiday, why not encourage your own XBox kids to enjoy one of the following picks?
For the tween/teen obsessed with HALO, pick up a copy of ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card (an amazing classic) or Brian Yansky’s riveting new adventure, ALIEN INVASION AND OTHER INCONVENIENCES. Both are guaranteed to please kids (and adults!) into the whole rocket launching, would-be saviors of earth thing.
So your reluctant reader is more into zombies and ghosts, ala FALLOUT 3 or ALAN WAKE? No problem. Middle grade readers will enjoy Neil Gaiman’s THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, full of the supernatural adventures of a boy named Bod. Olders teens are sure to devour Jonathan Maberry’s smash PATIENT ZERO or his latest, ROT & RUIN.
**NOTE: Not that I’m biased or anything, but it should go without saying that any of
2 Comments on Xmas Book Picks for the Xbox Generation, last added: 12/1/2010
Great list! I don’t have all of these for my classroom – but you can be sure I’ll be picking up the few I’m missing! Thanks for the tips
Sorry, this comment will be more take than give. Thanks for the awesome ideas.
For girls, I will add Sistes Red by Jackson Pearce. Love that Little Red Riding Hood twist…