JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans. Join now (it's free).
Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 7 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: the graveyard book, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 25 of 46
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: the graveyard book in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
2014 marked a distinct increase in attention spent on children’s books with diverse characters. However, this is not to say that all books with diverse characters got the same amount of attention. Take, for example, Saving Baby Doe by Danette Vigilante. It was one of the only middle grade books in 2014 to sport a Latino boy protagonist (go on . . . name me two others in 2014). It had great writing as well, so why has almost no one talked about it? NYPL put it on their 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list and recently our local station NY1 interviewed Staten Island resident Ms. Vigilante about the book in our Stapleton branch. Watch carefully and you may see me in my cameo role as “New York Public Library” itself.
You better watch out, you better not cry. You better not pout, I’m telling you why. 90-SECOND NEWBERY FILM FESTIVAL IS COMING TO TOWN!!! You can see the full listing of where the festival is headed here. In the meantime, here’s one of the new videos. Is it bad that it actually scared me? It’s a bunch of kids doing The Graveyard Book (The Dance Macabray as kickline = inspired) but I had the same reaction to it that I had to Shaun of the Dead. I honestly found parts of it (the sleer) scary. I is wimp!!
Maybe I’ve been reading The Lorax to my kiddo too much but you know what this is, don’t you?
It’s a Thneed! Thanks to Aunt Judy for the video.
Have you seen the latest trailer for a new version of The Little Prince? For the first 30 seconds or so of this you’re going to be confused, possibly angry. Stick with it. Please.
Beats Bob Fosse as The Snake, anyway. Then again, points docked for not having any Gene Wilder. (Fun Fact: Most movies are docked points for this very reason)
No no no no no. Not allowed. I call foul. Illustrators have enough talent as it is. They are NOT allowed to also be excellent authors and even if they happen to be precisely that they are NOT allowed to have pitch perfect voices that can read selections from their books with all the vocal skills of the highest paid celebrity. Back you go, Chris Riddell. Ply your magic dulcet tones elsewhere.
At this point there are too many fantastic 2015 picture books out there to tell you about. Thank goodness some of them make book trailers, then. For example, have you heard about Kathi Appelt’s fabulous When Otis Courted Mama, illustrated by Jill McElmurry? If not then remedy is at hand:
Now another trailer. As blurbs go, “This book smells great” may be my pick of the week.
And for the off-topic video of the day, it’s a Swing vs. Hip Hop dance off from Montreal. As my friend Marci put it, “the first swing round is sort of meh but it gets better.”
Thanks to Marci for the link.
7 Comments on Video Sunday: Meeting All Your Sleer n’ Thneed Needs, last added: 1/12/2015
Worth noting in that dance-off that for the first rounds they’re dancing to each other’s music. Hip-hop to swing music suddenly looks like the Mills brothers!
Kathi Appelt said, on 1/11/2015 11:11:00 AM
Betsy! Thank you so much for featuring OTIS on Video Sunday. It feels a lot like being in the run down to the Oscars!
KA
Kathi Appelt said, on 1/11/2015 11:22:00 AM
Also, Latino male protagonist, middle grade: Gabe Fuentes in Will Alexander’s new book, AMBASSADOR.
Just saying.
KA
Elizabeth Bird said, on 1/11/2015 11:57:00 AM
Yes! That was the other one. I always leave it off. So there were two. Two, folks. Two.
Danette Vigilante said, on 1/11/2015 12:55:00 PM
I’m so very honored! Thank you!
James Kennedy said, on 1/11/2015 3:29:00 PM
Thanks for sharing about the 90-Second Newbery, Betsy! Looking forward to seeing you in New York come March!
Donald Lemke said, on 1/12/2015 12:02:00 PM
Thanks for featuring the BOOK-O-BEARDS trailer! The book does smell pretty good (although I think most books do!). — Lemke (& Lentz)
While we were enjoying Comic Arts Brooklyn this year, my partner Marguerite Van Cook and I took a break from the excitement of promoting our new Fantagraphics Book The Late Child and Other Animals to go across the street to a little coffee bar and have a snack. The young counterperson noted the influx of odd personages hauling portfolios and piles of comics and asked, “is that a convention?”
I replied, “Well, a convention is more like one of those huge things with wrestlers, porn stars and superhero comics, all mixed together with a lot of cosplayers. This is more of a gathering of especially individualistic birds in the alt/lit comics scene. I guess you could call it a ‘murder’ of cartoonists.”
She laughed and asked about the origin of that phrase, which usually describes a flock of crows. But not to further elaborate that conversation, what follows is a review sampling of comics, many of them with poetical aspects, that I got at CAB and other recent releases. Note that I don’t actually try to kill my subjects, but rather to remark on their positive aspects, wherever possible.
Jungle Book by Harvey Kurtzman (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse, $24.99)
A rare solo effort by the auteuristic creator of E.C.’s two excellent war comics titles Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, working in the satiric mode he initiated for Mad. Now, I do very much like Kurtzman’s solo work; see Fantagraphics’ recent collection of most of his solo E.C. stories, Corpse on the Imjin (which also contains a smattering of his odd, briefer collaborations, like those with Alex Toth and Joe Kubert). His own drawings have a powerful thrust and direct emotionality that can be lost or greatly altered when filtered through the sensibilities of the artists charged to re-illustrate his layouts. In Jungle Book, which was originally released by Ballantine Books in 1959 as a dingy, downscale paperback, Kurtzman’s targets include a jazz/noir mashup, a TV western and most impressively, in “The Organization Man in the Grey Flannel Executive Suite”, a cutting sendup of the fierce sexism that polluted the offices of his former employer, ex-Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman. This brilliant strip is nonetheless disparaged as “weak” by famed misogynist and Kurtzman discovery R. Crumb, in the afterthought conversation between the underground artist and Peter Poplaski that cabooses this otherwise beautifully-produced hardcover reprint volume.
Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown (First Second, $7.99)
Brown’s biography of wrestling star Andre Roussimoff joins a small group of comics masterpieces that deal with this most theatrical of sports, from Jaime Hernandez’s Whoa Nellie from 2000 to a series of tongue-in-cheek horror collaborations by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben in more recent years, including their 2011 graphic novella House of the Living Dead. Brown’s is a remarkably consistent effort with effective graphic sequences such as the one pictured above and I also admire his restrained handling of the heavily staged fight scenes, as well as his unusual architectural establishing shots. Brown’s stark, spare and precise cartooning create a unique mood, as they contextualize Andre’s success with a tragic acknowledgement of the unrelenting sense of otherness and diminished opportunities for social interaction that he experiences due to his exceedingly unusual scale; as well as his size’s harsh repercussions on his health.
Fear My Dear: A Billy Dogma Experience by Dean Haspiel (Z2 Comics, $19.95)
The pair of poetic graphic stories in Fear, My Dear reflect Dino’s unfettered physicality and passionate persona. Since winning an Emmy award for his TV collaboration with Jonathan Ames, Bored to Death and The Alcoholic, their graphic novel from Vertigo, Haspiel has if anything become bolder and more exuberant. For this nicely produced hardcover from Josh Frankel’s new Z squared imprint, the artist uses a four-panels-per-page grid format and a monochromatic color scheme (red in the first piece, yellow and orange in the second, both with an elegant use of white for emphasis) to further define the relationship between his creator-owned characters Billy Dogma and Jane Legit. Their romance haunts post-apocalyptic urban rubble and breaks through to a star-crossed dreamscape, only to end up where they knew they must: together.
How to Pool and Other Comics by Andrea Tsurumi (self-published, not priced)
Marguerite and I used to bask our way through the East Village dog days at the Pit Street Pool, and more recently as guests of the Miami Book Fair, we whiled away every spare moment by the steamy roof pool at our hotel. So, I can totally relate to the lead piece in Tsurumi’s new minicomic, wherein the artist collects a variety of witty graphic vignettes about group soakings in fluoridated waters, among other delicately drawn ironies and anthropomorphisms.
Inkbrick #1 by Rothman, Sullivan, Kearney, Tunis, et al (Inkbrick, not priced)
This pocket-sized anthology of comics that incorporate, or are adapted from, poetry is made up of remarkable short stories done in a variety of mediums that range from full color to black & white. Immediate standouts for me are Paul K. Tunis’s watery montages for “Avenge Me, Eavesdropper,” Gary Sullivan’s oblique ink rendering of horrific Asian mythologies, “Black Magic”; Simone Kearney’s whimsically etched “Mobilization”; and editor Alexander Rothman’s “Keeping Time” (pictured above), a piece apparently finished in colored pencils that inventively expresses non-visual sensory impressions such as sound, smell and touch.
The Graveyard Book, Volumes 1 and 2 by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell et al (Harper Collins, $19.99 each)
Although The Graveyard Book continues Neil Gaiman’s anti-collaborative self-hype at the expense of his artist partners, I do appreciate P. Craig Russell’s adaptations of Gaiman’s stories into comics form. Russell’s elegant cartooning and storytelling are paced far better than if Gaiman had scripted; it worked beautifully for Murder Mysteries, Coraline and The Dream Hunters. Now, for Gaiman’s morbidly charming tale of a live boy shielded from a cabal of serial killers by the shades of the deceased occupants of a cemetery and raised by them to young adulthood, Russell acts artistically in a way similar to Kurtzman’s E.C. methodology: he adapts the text and does layouts; the finishing artists serve as illustrators. This makes for a surprisingly smooth and consistent read. I particularly admire the polished renderings of Kevin Nowlan (seen above), Scott Hampton, Jill Thompson and the Russell-miming Galen Showman; and although a somewhat discordant note is sounded by the grotesqueries of Tony Harris, the whole is unified by colorist Lovern Kindzierski and illuminator Rick Parker, who hand-lettered the text, for me a visual treat in these days of page-deadening digital fonts.
Lazarus #1-9 by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark and Santi Arcas (Image Comics, $2.99 each)
I drew one of Greg Rucka’s first comics stories (“Guts” in DC/Vertigo’s Flinch #8, 2000), but it seems to me that the writer doesn’t take as much advantage as he might of the properties that are unique to comics—almost everything he does might work just as well if not better as TV shows. In his 2012 collaboration with Matthew Southworth, Stumptown, it is Southworth’s expressive drawing that provides most of the interest and its most effective use of the medium is that the artist rendered Vol 2, #4 with a Toth-esque sideways, widescreen layout. For Lazarus, a story of a female assassin in a dystopian, nearly medieval America run by a select group of powerful families that is absorbing enough and has had some striking moments, but still often has a feeling of deja vu about it, a lot of the heavy lifting is provided by artist Michael Lark’s cinematic near-photorealism, accomplished in collaboration with Santi Arcas’ hi-tech color graphics.
Thought Bubble #4 by Kot & Sampson, Lim & Rios, Starkings & Sale et al (Image Comics, $3.99)
This color tabloid is a showcase for the participants in the UK’s Leeds Comic Art Festival. My favorite piece is a sort of gentle advisory poem that in its course expresses a goal that many sensitive artists hold dear: that of “making things that help other people feel less alone.” It is the work of the writer of Image’s fascinating rotating-artist series Zero, Ales Kot, expressively drawn with upended, widescreen and oblique imagery by Alison Sampson, who just won a British Comic Award for emerging talent; and nicely colored by Jason Wordie. Also notable: a beautiful page by Hwei Lin and Emma Rios; and an Elephantmen strip written by Richard Starkings and elegantly rendered in ink washes by Tim Sale.
Nightworld #s 1-4 by Adam McGovern, Paolo Leandri & Dominic Regan (Image Comics $3.99 each)
A tale of questing, embattled superhero-ish spirits, Nightworld manages to not only convey an approximation of the look of a Jack Kirby comic book, but it also comes closer than anything else I have seen to capturing something of the spirit of that master’s fierce and restless creativity. Artist Leandri hits a spot somewhere between majoring in Kirby, minoring in Steranko and echoing the early work of Barry Smith, back in the day when he was emulating Jack. Leandri’s spreads can look remarkably as if they were actually drawn by Kirby and his character designs and action passages likewise (see example above), without ever feeling as appropriated, or as forced, as those by some other artists who attempt to adhere as closely to the same model. These comics are colored by Regan with an oddly chosen palette that, again, is reminiscent of Kirby’s psychedelic experiments with Dr. Martin’s dyes. Moreover and significantly, writer McGovern’s poetic voice uniquely grasps a sort of post-traumatized and humane melancholy of narrative, the most tragic scenes of which are appropriately followed and leavened in a Shakespearean mode by bursts of frenetic humor, that can be seen in Kirby’s best writing.
Nightworld looks great and I will pick it up especially with Romberger’s recommendation. I also advise anyone to get Rombergers The Late Child as his art is sublime
I was chatting with my friend the incredibly talented Kelly Murphy recently about deadlines and the long hours we each spend in the studio. Long hours in which we are concentrating but also looking for material to occupy that part of your brian that is trying to get you to stop what you are doing. That same part of your brain is responsible for that annoying and monkey like specter of self doubt that you can find knocking about the corner of the studio after a good few hours if you are not careful. You need to give it something to keep busy so it does not notice that you are doing good work. Well if you find yourself on deadline or are facing a decent drive, Neil Gaiman's audio edition of the Graveyard Book is just the thing. It was hands down fantastic, touching, poignant and entertaining. You will notice the medal attached to the cover right over there so it should not be difficult to find eloquent and descriptive endorsements of this book. I did miss the Dave McKean illustrations, as I am a huge fan of his work as well. But the reading was not to be missed. You will need to buy both.
#53 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008)
39 points
The first line is one of the best booktalks ever. I’ve never had a kid turn it away. – Heather Christensen
This story has it all- adventure, ghosts, murder, memorable characters, and a hero we can’t help but love! - Gina Detate
Another relatively recent inclusion, but one with staying power. Generally this book is invoked when folks start talking about kid-friendly Newbery winners. I’ve heard it argued as either kid-friendly or not both ways, so that’s actually a tough call. In any case, no movie yet but it has its fans.
The synopsis from my review reads, “It starts with three murders. There were supposed to be four. The man Jack was one of the best, maybe THE best, and how hard is it to kill a toddler anyway? But on that particular night the little boy went for a midnight toddle out the front door while the murderer was busy and straight into the nearby graveyard. Saved and protected by the denizens of that particular abode (the ghosts and the far more corporeal if mysterious Silas), the little boy is called Bod, short for Nobody because no one knows his name. As he grows older, Bod learns the secrets of the graveyard, though he has to be careful. The man (or is it “men”?) who killed his family could come back for him. Best to stay quiet and out of sight. Yet as Bod grows older it becomes clear that hiding may not be the best way to confront his enemies. And what’s more, Bod must come to grips with what it means to grow up.”
I rather liked this assessment in the journal Spectator. “At one time there was a fashion for speaking of death as ‘the last taboo’. In recent years this taboo has been thoroughly broken, and a successful film can be made about a boy who sees dead people. Yet the world of the dead continues to fascinate. Gaiman has a particular talent for putting his imaginary worlds just adjacent to the real one; in Neverwhere a yuppie finds another world behind those inexplicable doors in the Underground, and in Stardust Fairyland is just on the other side of a wall. Death too lies beyond a gate, and Neil Gaiman is a wonderful guide.”
The book won the 2009 Newbery Medal, beating out The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle, Savvy by Ingrid Law, and After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson. Gaiman then gave a delightful acceptance speech that, amongst other things, revealed a horrific change made to the first line in the Puffin edition of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. You should have seen the faces of the librarians in the audience when he revealed this. Jaws were dropped, ladies and gentlemen.
Now one chapter of The Graveyard Book was previously published as a short story in the Gaiman anthology M is for Magic, which raised all kinds of questions about the book’s legitimacy as a Newbery winner. So much so that Peter Sieruta was able to do a brilliant spoof called Graveyard Book to be Stripped of Newbery? that had people running for the hills… momentarily.
Neil Gaiman‘s The Graveyard Book has been been reprinted with a new paperback cover. One noticeable difference between the 2008 cover and the new one? The new one does not flash the Newbery Medal the book won in 2009.
According to Publishers Weekly, the golden award is “one of the few surefire ways” to increase sales in the children’s market. However, William Morrow associate publisher Jennifer Hart said that Gregg Kulick‘s design was meant to attract adult buyers.
Inkwood Books owner Leslie Reiner had this comment, in the article: “I can definitely say that a Newbery Medal on the cover would not be a selling point [for adults] and if I were in marketing I would not put it on the cover. Covers sell books, and I think of [Markus Zusak's] The Book Thief and how the cover works for adult and teens.” What do you think of this new cover?
(People who like prints, signed or otherwise, should check out the Prints page at Cat's Neverwear.net - the Molly Crabapple Desert Wind posters go up in price on November 1st).
...
I did an interview with a reporter about The Simpsons this morning. It was fun and odd to be talking about it, and here is a picture of me and an egg salad from the upcoming episode with me in it to celebrate. Am I pleased about this egg salad? Do I look pleased? Why is the title of the Simpsons episode The Book Job? Why have I blogged three times in 12 hours after not having blogged for two weeks? Will anyone ever fix the Livejournal officialgaiman syndicated feed? Why did I say the egg salad was a tuna salad on WhoSay? Is it something to do with the colour?
First off, today I’d be amiss if I did not direct you to submit your favorite book trailers to the SLJ Trailee Awards.* If you’ve a favorite trailer that was posted between the dates of July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011, SLJ wants to hear about it. Think back through all the book trailers you’ve seen. What stood out? Pay attention to those dates too. I wanted to vote for the stop motion trailer for Linger but saw it was posted May not July 2010. D’oh!
Now this wasn’t created for the 90-Second Newbery but the creators should submit it anyway. It’s a silent film version of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and it’s a delight to watch.
I particularly like the “dog”.
And now you guys have some serious luck. Phil Nel and Julia Mickenberg (editors ofTales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children’s Literature) recently spoke at the Children’s Literature Association’s annual conference held at Hollins University. The topic? Radical Children’s Literature Now! And best of all, the whole talk is online for your viewing pleasure. How awesome is that?
Phil even provided the Bibliography of the talk on his blog. What a fella!
Next up, Potted Potter. It’s an abbreviated take on all seven Harry Potter books ala The Reduced Shakespeare Company. I call it a hoot, but then I forgive a lot when it’s done with a British accent.
Actually Leila found another Potter related link of relative amusement. This works because of the Ghostbusters shirt. I love that such shirts are considered ironic hipsterwear these days.
Some of you have just tasted the delights of the annual SCBWI Conference in L.A. To you I say, lucky ducks. I’ll live vicariously through your blog updates and Twitter
3 Comments on Video Sunday: Now with more monkeys, last added: 8/7/2011
Thanks for the mention, Betsy! A revised and slightly expanded version of “Radical Children’s Literature Now!” will appear in The Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 36.4 (Winter 2011). So, to those who are interested, look for it late this year or in early 2012.
Philip Nel said, on 8/6/2011 9:39:00 PM
And, geez, I should also reiterate my thanks here. Appreciate you taking the time to answer our queries! (You’ll see yourself in the talk, starting at 26:50, where we quote you.) Thanks again!
James Kennedy said, on 8/7/2011 9:39:00 PM
Just catching up, Betsy: As it happens, that “Graveyard Book” film WAS done for our 90-Second Newbery hoohah! The same group also did a fantastic “When You Reach Me.” You can see both here:
Over on Goodreads, I just posted a review of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. I gave it three stars, which (for me) means it was good but not great and that I don't expect to read it again.
The last kids books I remember finding quite genuinely spooky were Joseph Delaney's series called The Spook's Booksand I think I may have fallen a few books behind which should be rectified. I see from a quick visit to his site that your can now read the first of the series,
0 Comments on Book or Treating as of 1/1/1900
I was going to write a blog entry about Saints Oran and Columba. I've been reading lots of old, out-of-print books by Otta F. Swire about the legends of the Hebrides for no particular reason, other than I like her voice as an author and I like the stories she tells, and the tale of Oran and Columba got into my head. But then I was walking the dog last night and the rhythm of footsteps turned into
"When Saint Columba landed on the island of Iona..."
And I spent much of the rest of the night and this morning, when not proofreading STORIES (a collection of stories by the most amazing people, edited by me and by Al Sarrantonio, due out in June) writing a poem about Oran and Columba instead. Which nobody was waiting for. Instead of all the things they were and are waiting for.
But I felt as happy when I'd reached the end of the poem that nobody was waiting for as when I've finished something that everyone is checking their watches (or calendar) for. Small happy writer moments.
...
I don't have complete details yet on my travels in March. A lot of it's already up on Where's Neil
I was most pleasantly surprised to find out that you're coming to the Philippines again.
As soon as I saw the poster announcing your visit, I immediately took the first opportunity to visit the nearest Fully Booked store. That 'visit' ended up just pissing me off, my apologies for the language.
See, I was informed by a salesman in Fully Booked that in order to get the opportunity to have my (a) book/s signed (I've collected your books over the years, but unfortunately, a number were destroyed by Ondoy, the storm that drowned Manila last year. Still, I consider us blessed that we're still alive.), I should purchase at least P2,000 worth of your books. I promptly retorted (poor guy, I didn't mean to be so blunt), "That sucks." To which he replied, "{gibberish, my mind was still reeling}... You can buy MORE thank P2,000, Ma'am." RIGHT. I'm a part-time instructor and a graduate student. That gives me a lot of leeway to spend for what I WANT.
This was last week, and honestly, I'm still pissed off by said requirement. However, I do understand it's a business. There are always expenses and what not such business/marketing considerations. I'm just about ready to resign myself to a 'next time.' The assumption is: I'd have a better-paying job next time, and I'm already done (or almost done) with graduate work. ;p
Still, I AM THANKFUL you come here. You're quite a popular author among Filipino readers (especially young Filipino readers {though I'm already 25, hehe}), and when you come here, inevitably, it promotes not only speculative fiction, or reading of such speculative fiction, but reading in general (which is a MIGHTY GOOD THING). I'm a big believer in reading, that's why I chose Reading Education as my major in graduate studies.
Last but not least, I AM VERY GRATEFUL that you come here because it makes us wee Filipino readers feel important. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that you'd actually come here. And yet you've already come here twice/thrice before! It's a wonderful feeling for us wee readers to be actively considered by an author of your calibre. So...long story short: For writing, for publishing your writing, for sharing your thoughts, and yourself...
THANK YOU.
Bem
I was a bit puzzled by this, as I'd heard originally that the signing
0 Comments on Strange Days as of 3/2/2010 7:13:00 PM
HarperCollins launches Inkpop (a online community and writing platform for teens, that publisher describes as the “anchor” of its digital strategy for the teen market. Also check out the spotlight on YA author Maureen Johnson in the New York... Read the rest of this post
Well I could talk about a bunch of things before I give my take on some cool reads, but I just can't wait!!!! Oh wait a minute, Jedi Master Zack's Book Club for The Graveyard Book looks awesome!!! So if you can participate I highly encourage you as this book just rocks!!!!! Now let's get right down to talking about some reads I truly enjoyed:
The Chronicles of Arthur: Sword of Fire and Ice by John Matthews and Mike Collins -This Graphic Novel (GN) tells the story of young Arthur and his tutelage by Merlin on the island of Avalon, away from the land of Great Britain (also known as Albion) that he is destined to rule. The island of Avalon is ruled by the mysterious and mystical "Sisterhood of the Nine" and inhabited by many strange people and creatures such as: The Green Knight, The evil Fir Bolg, The Questing Beast, The Great Lord Arawn of The Underworld and more. Young Arthur learns many lessons in this GN filled with adventure leading to his becoming King of Albion. This is really a well done crafting of one version of the Arthurian Legend.
I love Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book for lots of reasons, but especially because it breaks some unspoken "rules" of books for kids:
1. It's a middle grade book that uses the occasional really long sentence and the occasional, undefined, difficult word (Convocation; ululation, for example).
2. It tackles scary things in a book for kids. I mean, really, truly, viscerally terrifying things. (Which means, things that ALL kids think about.)
3. It does not stick with one point of view. It goes all over the place and into many characters' heads, which actually is pure and classic omniscient point of view. (When did that get to be a no-no for kids' books?)
4. It's a book for kids, but it only has a few chapters where Bod (the main character) deals with other kids in a kid-world. Most of the book shows Bod dealing with adults (of all ilks and eras) in a very adult world.
5. It uses a cliche! And I love this phrase, and I'm so glad NG did not cave in to whatever critiquer or editor must have asked him to change it. Here it is: "I am still not talking to you," said Liza Hempstock's voice, proud as a peacock and pert as a sparrow.
That right there is a line every writer wishes he/she had written.
And how did Mr. Gaiman manage to "get away" with that cliche, "proud as a peacock"? Is it the multiple alliteration he achieved by adding the stunningly unique "pert as a sparrow"? Does adding a stunningly unique phrase forgive the cliche?
Maybe.
Maybe cliches aren't necessarily such a bad thing in children's lit. I mean, every kid has to hear a cliche for the first time, and that time it's not a cliche, right?
(Maybe someone is over-analyzing.)
Anyway. I'd love to hear some opinions, or other examples.
Currently I have a writer's crush on Neil Gaiman. His Graveyard Book is a little masterpiece. (And the audio version, narrated by the author, will give you goosebumps.)
This picture just proves to me that it's not how many books you have, it's how you store them.
Apparently there' s a Shelfari group devoted toNeil Gaiman's Bookshelves , "where everyone can chat about ... anything related to Mr. Gaiman’s shelves."
So I know it's a cool photo and all, but chatting about it? That sounds a bit, um...obsessive.
Holly and I took a field trip to the dog park today. There we met Joey and his mom and their beautiful and friendly Irish Setter, Flash. After Holly showed Joey all the cool tricks she can do, we humans eventually got around to the really fun stuff--talking about books.
Joey was on the lookout for some good summer reading. I offered him a couple of favorites:
The Gollywhopper Games received the 2008 Midwest Choice Book Awards Honor for Children's Literature. And the book is also up for possible readers' choice awards in both Alaska and Texas.
The Graveyard Book won this year's Newbery Award as well as honor book in the recently announced Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. Follow the link for the other selections.
Of course, a library is a great place to visit this summer for expert advice on good books. Plus, they usually have special programs designed for kids of all ages.
Some other fun things to do this summer can be found online. Visit the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION's list of great websites for kids. I've mentioned a few of the websites before, like
ReadKiddoRead and Giggle Poetry. But there are lots more suggestions for summer adventures from math to art to science to film making.
Joey also shared with me that he enjoys cooking. Yum! Yum! Don't forget that I have some tasty recipes on my website. Dirty Worms seems like an appropriate dish for summer fare. For more recipes, click on this link. There you'll also find games, crafts, puzzles, and more reading adventures.
0 Comments on Summer Reading, Websites, and Recipes for Kids as of 6/5/2009 5:57:00 PM
Bet you thought I was dead. Well, unless you were looking at the Twitter feed down the side of the blog, and even then I might have been Dead but Still Twittering. It could happen and probably does.
But I am not dead. I am not even sick. I am home, got home yesterday afternoon, six weeks of mad peregrinations are over, and, because I was asleep by nine last night, I am wide awake at six am, so I grabbed my computer, and am now blogging in bed in the dark.
(Cabal the Dog was very pleased to see me. He's 90% better after his operation -- he still has about ten days until he's allowed to go up and down stairs [so I am still sleeping on makeshift downstairs bed] but he is allowed to run, and he has -- for the first time ever -- an appetite, like a normal dog, and has thus put on several pounds. He looks more like a white German Shepherd Dog and less like a big white greyhound.
And I was pleased to see him. Here is a smily picture of us saying hello...
So when last heard of, I was blogging in a little hotel in the Highlands&Islands, off on a mysterious errand. (The best bit was throwing chips to the seagulls in a little Scottish harbour.)
Then I drove to Inverness and I flew from there to London, where I saw Holly, sat in the hotel library and wrote, saw friends, had some meetings about films and TV and books, ate more fish and chips, drank tea, and finally, given the choice between seeing Dave McKean for the first time since Hallowe'en and going to the UK Watchmen premiere, I had a lovely dinner with Dave, and caught up with friends who'd been to the premiere afterwards. Their feedback left me a bit more interested in seeing it, though.
(Also, my friend Duncan Jones showed me his upcoming film Moon, and I will blog about it soon. It is a solid science fiction film like they don't make any more.)
Let's see. The Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book continues to do good things. Bookshops are getting their copies with the gold medal on the cover, it's selling like (I'd say hot cakes, but I've honestly never seen people going "are these cakes hot? Then I will buy all of them!" in real life) and it's being reviewed in places that hadn't reviewed it before it was an award-winner:
Gaiman's ghost story is not just about the thrills and chills, although there are plenty. The book is in fact literary and layered. Gaiman gives reassurance that even sinister circumstance cannot squelch our human capacity to grow and change for the better. So as in all worthy coming-of-age stories, the ending turns out to be a new beginning.
...combines realistic dialogue and fantasy possibilities to tell a story that's not about sensationalized violence but about life's potential for happiness. Take time for this one, as it's quite remarkable; many adult readers, no children attached, have found it quite a compelling read.
The New York Times made it an Editor's Choice, but not The Boston Globe, in the first example of Thumper's "if you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything" motto book-reviewing I can remember. The entire review is:
I found the book ghastly, literally and metaphorically, and since Gaiman is a writer whose inventive genius I respect, I'll pass on without further comment.
...which just left me wondering how something can be metaphorically ghastly. ("It was ghastly -- and I mean that metaphorically!") and concluding that Liz Rosenberg is probably trying to use metaphorically as the opposite of literally, whereas what she actually meant was that it was ghastly in several senses of the word (ie. filled with dead things and ghosts and she didn't like it one little bit). Ah well. I hope she likes the next thing, whatever that is.
Which reminds me, the Who Killed Amanda Palmer book is, I am told, being printed and should be on its way into the world soon. (Preorder info here.)
Here's a short story from it. The stories are all short and all very different, and an Amanda dies in all of them. This one was a fairy-tale. It starts at about 2:19.
(You can see the photo Amanda is holding up here. And if you want to know what the event looked like from the front, photos, and more photos. Also, a review of her Sugar Club gig. I am tousle-haired. Who knew?)
...
Right. Now on to CORALINE...
It was predicted that it would be the #3 film this weekend. But by the end of the weekend, we were actually #2. Champagne would have been drunk if we weren't losing most of our 3D screens to the Jonas Bros on Friday.
Irene Gallo has started collecting links to Coraline design and animation work on her blog (http://igallo.blogspot.com/). And Chris Turnham's design work at http://christurnham.blogspot.com/ is wonderful. Stef Choi just put some art up at http://stefchoi.blogspot.com/(Again, I'd love to see an ART OF CORALINE book. Steve Jones was limited in his Coraline Film Companion to the art and information that Laika would give him. Now that no-one's actually in the mad final stages of making a film, it would be marvellous to gather together the entire concept art process.)
Will Eisner Week is intended as an ongoing celebration that will promote graphic novel literacy, free speech awareness, and the legacy of Eisner himself to a broad audience. This first annual celebration is themed "The Spirit of A Legend," examining Will Eisner's seminal Spirit comic, as well as the spirit inherent in his work that has inspired generations of comic readers and artists. This theme will be explored at events in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, in Savannah at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and in New York City. In addition to events, a variety of academic papers and group activity assignments are available on WillEisnerWeek.com.
And last of all...
On Saturday March 7th, at Books of Wonder in Manhattan, Charles Vess and I are doing a signing. The event starts at 1:00pm. I'll read Blueberry Girl (it isn't very long. Maybe I'll read it twice, or verrrry sloooowly) and Charles will have art on display and prints for sale, and we'll do a Blueberry Girl Q&A, and it should be fun. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough space, but Peter at Books of Wonder reassured me that they've moved into a new shop since last I was there, and hosted J.K. Rowling, so they will have no problem coping with numbers of people who will turn up. So, hurrah, turn up. They'll be donating a percentage of the profits to RAINN, because I originally wrote Blueberry Girl for Tori and her as-yet-unborn-daughter, and that seemed like the right thing to do.
(Worth mentioning that Please note that you are welcome to bring one book from home to be signed for each book you purchase on the day of the event is a mistake. It may be true for Charles, but it's not true for me. Current plans are that I'll sign three things per person, and if the numbers of people get too big, that may have to go down.)
And this has been a long enough blog that I shall stop here and resume later.
Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rock On Alll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Darth Bill Salutes You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Above is a picture of a couple of my Sith Buds I took on New Years Day. There a wild lot I'll tell ya that. These guys really know how to party!!!!!!
I was not going to do this originally, but after I saw the Calman's Post I felt compelled to do so. Okay here are my top 4 books of 2008 (the reviews are the same that I did earlier in the year):
1) Runemarks by Joanne Harris -This story is set 500 years after Ragnarok that ended the old world ruled by the Norse Gods. The main character in this story is a young girl named Maddy Smith who is born with a strange and magical birthmark. In Maddy's world "The Word" rules all with an iron-fist. In her world magic is taboo and imagination is highly discouraged. Because of what people perceive as Maddy's strangeness she is ignored by her father and has no friends. That is until one day when she meets and old wanderer called One-Eye who befriends here and teaches her to use the magic that has been lying asleep inside her. This book is filled with Norse Gods, Heroes, Villains and Monsters. This book will suck you in and you will not be able to put it down once you start reading it. This is a great book that I would put right up there with Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" book series. The one obvious difference is that this book rekindles excitement in Norse Mythology as opposed to Greek Mythology.
2) Ironhand: Book Two of The Stoneheart Trilogy by Charlie Fletcher - This book takes of where Stoneheart (click HERE to see my review of that book), the first book in the trilogy, left off. It takes off like a rocket and doesn't stop the whole way through the story. The story starts with George and Edie determined to rescue the Gunner who has been captured by the evil and mysterious Walker. Now I know some of you are scratching your head asking who or what is a Gunner and a Walker. Well this story is set in a London that most people are not even aware exists. In this London, stone statues and carvings are very much alive. The statues in London are divided into two types. The taints (gargoyles, dragons and other sorts of inhuman stone creations) are evil soulless creatures. The spits (The Gunner and other more or less human looking statues, but not always as we see in this book) whom are akin to humans in that they have souls and tend, for the most part, to be on the side of good. What it really boils down to is what the statue makers intended them to represent and thus become. The Gunner is a statue of a World War I English Soldier who helped George and Edie quite a bit in "Stoneheart." The Gunner is the Walker's prisoner because of this help after George inadvertently set off a war between the taints and spits. The Walker, a sinister sorcerer type, is a servant of dark powers and leads the taints in their war against the spits. This book moves through both present day and the past. The reader travels with the characters from present to World War I to a pre-industrialized England and other strange places and times. This book is full of wonderful twists and turns that will keep the reader turning page after page. One word of advice, if you really want to enjoy this book fully, you should definitely read Stoneheart first. Man, I can hardly wait for the next book!!!! They are that good!!!!!!!!!
3) Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams – This book rocked and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel.The main character of the book is 14-year-old Will Burrows who along with his archaeologist father, Dr. Burrows, shares a passion for digging tunnels into the earth in search of buried historical items.Will’s family is extremely “different” and to say the least dysfunctional.His father is always involved with his work and little else, his mother watches TV non-stop, and his younger sister runs the families finances.Will is an extremely pale boy and picked on non-stop at school.That is until he befriends another outcast by the name of Chester,who is a rather large intimidating boy, and gets him interested in digging.Life is going pretty good for Will between digging with his father and digging independently with his new friend Chester.That is until Dr. Burrows goes missing and Will finds that right in their basement is a tunnel that leads to a subterranean world populated with people time left behind.This book is full of twist and turns and just when you think you know what’s going on, the book kicks into another gear to throw you for a loop.I would classify this book as a mystery/action book.Whatever you want to classify it as is up to you, just make sure you don’t miss one of the truly great books of 2008!!!!!
4) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman -Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and this book is a perfect example of why. The book starts out with the murder of a family by a "Jack The Ripper" type murderer. The whole family is murdered except for the baby boy who wanders out of the house and ends up in the local graveyard. There he is protected by the ghost and those who lookout over the grave yard from the murderer. The boy is adopted by two ghost and given the name Nobody Owens. Along with his ghost parents, he is raised in the graveyard by all of its inhabitants as one of its own. The book consists of the many adventures the boy Bod, short for Nobody, has as he grows up in the graveyard. There are ghouls, werewolves (which may surprise you), monsters and just plain evil people Bod meets or comes up against throughout the story and ultimately he must face up to the man who tried to kill him as a baby. This book is wonderfully written and full of thrills, action and poinyant moments that will make you remember it long after you have finished reading it. Gaiman leaves the door open for a sequel and I for one sure hope it happens. Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best 4 Graphic Novels of 2008 (reviews ftom earlier post):
1) The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli Vols. 1 & 2 by Jay Piscopo -Vol. 1: The first story "The Mystery of Me" introduces us to the main character of the graphic novel Capt'n Eli. This is Capt'n Eli's origin story and introduces many characters and asks many questions that you will be intrigued to learn about in future stories. In this story he joins the Seaserchers and also meets for the first time Commander X.
The second story in the book,"The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea," is an adventure tale that involves the mysterious Sargasso Sea that has been a floating burial ground for ships throughout history and the even more curious Bermuda Triangle where both ships and other seafaring vessels, planes even, have mysteriously disappeared never to be found again. This story involves time travel,Christopher Columbus, some of the very interesting history (or would that be future????) of Commander X, and lots of battling with the Hydrons (evil underwater dewlers). This is such a cool story!!!!!!
The last story in the book, "The Return of Baron Hydro," take us back to the days of World War II. The Big 3 (Commander X, Sea Raider, and the Human Sun) take on Baron Hydro (major bad guy) and his Hydrons. This story is action packed and just a whole lot of fun!!!!!!!!
The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli: The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea (Volume 2) by Joe Piscopo -Man with this volume the Capt'n Eli Graphic Novel Series hits another gear and really takes off!!!!! As it was left off in the previous volume Capt'n Eli is still with Commander X aboard his super high tech submarine "Sub Zero." They reach the underwater city of Aquaria only to find it under attack by a race of underwater denizens known as the Outcast. It seems Aquira and it's people are now ruled by Commander X's former World War II partner, known then as The Sea Raider. We also find out that Commander X is Aqurian's sworn Lord Protector and it is his duty to protect them from all threats and enemies. Let's see what else happens in this story, we learn the history of Aquaria and its relationship to Atlantis, we learn the secret origin of the ruler of the Aquarians known by many names such as - Rex Noble, The Sea Raider and The Sea Ghost among others, Lord Hydro is back with all his evilness and Hydrons and much. much more!!!!!!!!!! I promise you if you pick up this Graphic Novel you will be unable to put it down until you have finished reading it and then you will still be wanting more.
2) The Bone Series by Jeff Smith:
Bone: Treasure Hunters, Volume 8 by Jeff Smith - Fresh into the have gained entrance into the once great ruling city of PLCMC Library's Graphic Novel Collection is the latest instalment of the Bone Series. Well kids things are really getting interesting in the Bone Graphic Novel Series. In this instalment the Bone Cousins (Phoney, Smiley and Fone Bone), Gran'ma Ben, Thorn and BartlebyAtheia. Inside and outside the city things are not well. Outside the city Ghost Circles are everywhere and Briar (Gran'ma Ben's Sister) is gathering both rat creatures and human warriors to serve the Lord of the Locust and bring an end to all. Inside the city things are not all that great either as our heroes must contend with Tarsil, The Captain of the Queen's Guard, who has turned traitor and now rules the city. So besides the dragons disappearing, enemies all around who would like nothing better than to find and crush the former royal linage of the kingdom (that would be Thorn and Gran'ma Ben) and all that support it, the nearing release the Lord of the Locust into the world and all other types of nastiness; everything is just great!!!!!! I tell ya, you need to get ahold of this latest volume as soon as possible and read it. This is really just awesome stuff!!!!!!!!!!
Bone Volume 7: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith –Well, the seventh volume in the Bone Graphic Novel Series has finally come out and it was well worth the wait.As the title to this volume intones, things get real scary and serious in this one.The villagers and Veni Yan Monks are really put to the test by the “Lord of the Locust’ and his armies.Everything goes crazy with a volcano eruption and the appearance of “Ghost Circles” everywhere.The Bone cousins (Phoney, Smiley and Fone Bone), Thorn, Gran’ma Ben, and the recently returned Bartleby are also being pursued by the forces of the “Lord of Locust” and just manage to stay one step ahead.But how long can their luck hold?What is a Ghost Circle?Who lives and who dies?Only one way to find out, read the book.You won't be disappointed.
3) Amulet: Book One, The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishint- Wow, this is a really cool graphic novel that I encourage everyone to give it a read. The story starts out with a terrible accident that forces major changes in the lives of sister and brother Emily and Navin. Because of the accident Em, Navin, and their mother are forced to move into an abandoned house once lived in by Grandpa Silass who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The kids find out that their grandfather was an inventor of sorts but even more importantly Em finds a magical amulet that is a total mystery to her. On the families first night in the house, they are awoken by sounds coming from the basement. While investigating the sound, a strange tentacled creature pulls their mother through a mysterious doorway to another world. Em and Navin determined to save their mom follow and thus begins their true adventure in a place like nothing they could have imagined.
4) Salt Water Taffy: The Adventures of Jack and Benny - The Legend of Old Salty by Matthew Loux - This Graphic Novel is about two brothers Jack and Benny whose parents have decided to take the whole family away from the city and to spend the summer in the state of Maine at the weird and mysterious Chowder Bay. Jack and Benny make fast friends with one of the locals known around those parts as Fisherman Angus O'Neil. One evening the boys see something huge and monstrous on the beach, but can't quite make it out. After talking to Angus they discover that Chowder Bay has a mysterious resident in the waters known as Old Salty. This leads to strange robberies by lobsters, very strange behavior by seagulls and an epic battle between Old Salty and Angus. Does any of this make sense? If not read this excellent Graphic Novel and it all will. I really loved this book and look forward to the next in the series.
Well here's to looking for great titles in 2009!!!!! If you have some books or Graphic Novels that you particularly enjoyed from 2008, write in and let us know about them!!!!
Peace all,
Bill
1 Comments on Darth Bill's Picks of 2008, last added: 1/5/2009
In his acknowledgments, Gaimon mentions owing a huge debt to The Jungle Book by Kipling, which certainly resonates throughout The Graveyard Book – a boy in great danger is rescued and then adopted and brought up by an unlikely assortment of foster parents, all of whom impart what wisdom they can to him. Meanwhile, menace lurks just outside his small and cozy domain.
After a cold-hearted killer murders his whole family, a tiny toddler accidentally eludes his knife by crawling out the door and into an old gated graveyard, where he is rescued from his killer by its ghostly inhabitants, especially Mr. and Mrs. Owens and his guardian Silas. They name him Nobody Owens, or Bod for short, and keep him safe by raising him within the confines of the graveyard, which has its own rules and secrets. But Bod’s killer Jack is still out there and still wants him dead, as do Jack’s powerful employers. Because growing up will mean leaving the graveyard, Bod will have to either hide from his would-be killer – or face him.
I never would have thought an old, cold graveyard could be cozy, and the thought of a small boy sleeping on a tomb (and wrapped only in a gray winding sheet) would have given me chills before I read this book. Strangely, I’m somewhat envious of young Bod’s ability to see a graveyard not as a spooky place but as home, filled with dead denizens who range from irritable to warm-hearted to utterly fascinating. He learns handy skills (Fading and Fear, for instance), and explores the creepy secrets of a barrow and a ghouls’ gate.
Silas, a mysterious figure who is neither dead nor alive (one suspects him of being a vampire or similar undead creature) and who is often busy on urgent errands, is a most compelling character. Bod loves and admires him deeply, but would never hug him – one doesn’t hug Silas. He dispenses knowledge, advice, books, food and more, but rarely shows emotion. It doesn’t matter, because his huge responsibility for the boy translates to what in another creature would be affection or even love.
This is a compelling read, with the homey details of life in the graveyard just as fascinating as the thrilling dangerous bits. My favorite chapter is one that could be a short story unto itself – “Danse Macabre,” in which the dead and living come together in a joyous and outrageous evening of dancing. It is fey and odd and wonderful.
Fey and odd and wonderful – those are fine words to describe the entire book, and so I’ll leave it at that.
Gr. 4 - 8
1 Comments on Review of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimon, last added: 12/25/2008
It's coming on Christmas They're cutting down trees They're putting up reindeer And singing songs of joy and peace Oh I wish I had a river I could skate - Joni Mitchell Happy Anniversary! Well, that just what I need - a good night story! ( even if it is a review) In your 'kerchief with sugarplum visions dancing in your head may the promises of the eastern wind blow glad tidings your way. Genie
A bit jet-lagged and I have a head like a muffin right now. All is vague, and most conversations end with me saying, "Probably you should email me and tell me that we had this conversation". Which is fine, I suppose, given that the cure is just resting, catching up on sleep and, perhaps, walking the dog for a day or two.
The charts are out, and The Graveyard Bookis indeed at Number One. And as I typed that I got a call from Elise my editor to say we're still there at number one for the second week running -- which is an achievement for a book I keep being told that nobody can find. My favourite account of this is http://folkchick3.livejournal.com/380582.html where an attempt to buy The Graveyard Book turns into something approaching this:
(The visual track has been lost, so here is the audio and some stills).
And then we have a plaintive wail from Melbourne...
Hi Neil,
I find that the response of book stores in Australia to the upcoming November 1 release of The Graveyard Book to be lackluster at best.
I live in Melbourne and have been enquiring at every retailer in the CBD and surrounds about the release date, hoping that one store might have ordered advance copies. I found that most of the larger franchise stores don't seem to know about it or even to care enough to meet the release date.
This confuses me as I would have thought that The Graveyard Book would have been hyped up quite a bit after your visit here earlier this year.
The closest Borders store in Melbourne has bothered only to order five copies!
Considerering I intend to purchase more than one copy, I am worried for myself and my fellow Aussie fans that have been forced to wait and extra month for The Graveyard book to come out down-under.
I wish indeed that Melbourne had a Kinokuyniya like Singapores, or even in Sydney (which is hard for a Melburnian like myself to admit).
Cheers, Daniel
Hmmm. Speaking here as the author of the book in question...
I think my main suggestion, would be to call bookshops and see if they have it, and to reserve your copy if they do. Australian publishers Allen and Unwin back in Sydney will have lots of copies, which they want to sell in volume, and if bookshops sell their copies they will (we hope) order more and the books should reach the shops extremely fast. It's not like the replacement copies in Melbourne are going to travel by ship from England.
I was told that Borders in the US have noticed that they've sold lots of copies of The Graveyard Book despite the difficulties people have had finding it, and that they're now planning to move some copies to the front of the store to make it easier to find. Which fills my heart with love for Borders.
And my heart is already filled with love for the independent stores around the world that have placed it wherever in the shop they wanted to, and for people in the big chain stores that are ignoring corporate edicts and putting the books in piles near the front.
One thing I'd suggest for people who work in bookshops, if it's the kind of shop that has "staff picks", you could make The Graveyard Book a staff pick, which would move some copies nearer the front of the store. Also, Hallowe'en is coming, and if you have Hallowe'en displays, for children or for adults, you could make sure that you have copies of The Graveyard Book on both tables.
I've heard from a few individual shoppers who have been taken to carrying surplus copies of The Graveyard Book around bookshops and putting them where they feel they ought to be. It's not something I'd recommend, mostly because it can result in upsetting the staff when they try and send people to the actual places their computers tell them that the books are.
On the other hand, placing the books you like (or that were written by your friends) face out, if they are only spine out, is something that no jury will ever convict you for.
...
William Gibson has a line of bags named after him! (Which is fun. I don't want a line of bags named after me, which sort of removes the envy factor, but if there was a line of William Gibson fountain pens, I'd be greenly envious. If you wish to do a line of Neil Gaiman fountain pens, I am so there. As long as they're cool.)
And this one made me happy -- also, I suspect, from Australia:
G'day Neil.
Thank you. If you hadn't mentioned the influences on "The Graveyard Book", I'd never have read Kipling's wonderful "The Jungle Book" (and then gone on to "The Second Jungle Book", which I think is an even better read).
I never suspected that the stories in both books were as well written and entertaining as some of Kipling's other short works ("The Man Who Would Be King" and "As Easy As A.B.C." come to mind). Walt Disney took great liberties with the stories (surprise, surprise) which turned me off reading the books for over 30 years. When they eventually thaw him out he'll have a lot to answer for ;-)
So thank you once again, and I'm looking forward to reading "The Graveyard Book" as soon as it arrives in the mail. Steve
....
And finally, I'd remembered an Onion article from almost eight years ago, and wondered how well it held up today...
I heard the first week's sales figures on The Graveyard Book, and they're terrific and wonderful. That's good. I'm also getting lots of emails from people who simply can't find it -- their bookshops don't have it or underordered, or eventually turn out to have one copy mysteriously filed under "fly-fishing". That's not good.
Some Barnes and Nobles seem to have it properly displayed, and up on New Releases and so on. Many don't. Borders seems a lot more problematic -- I've heard from Borders managers who got only a fraction of the copies they ordered, and who are having trouble getting re-orders filled.
(I've also heard from a few people who have misbound versions, missing or repeating a "signature" of pages it was misprinted, on pages 248-217 the pages are backwards (which is why I listed the numbers backwards) upside down, and cut off, tragically everything bad that could happen to a book in printing as one correspondent sighs,andpages 217-248 are missing and in their place are pages 249-280 printed twice. I am hoping that this is just a fluke in the time-space continuum, but perhaps people should be advised to double check to make sure those pages are there as another points out.So check your books and if it's misprinted, then return it to the bookshop for a correct copy. (If you got a signed copy that's misprinted, I'll do what I can to make sure you get a signed one to replace it.)
What is needed is will and determination. The first step is to talk openly about dementia because it’s a fact, well enshrined in folklore, that if we are to kill the demon then first we have to say its name.
Once we have recognised the demon, without secrecy or shame, we can find its weaknesses.
Regrettably one of the best swords for killing demons like this is made of gold - lots of gold.
These days we call it funding. I believe the D-day battle on Alzheimer’s will be engaged shortly and a lot of things I’ve heard from experts, not always formally, strengthen that belief.
It’s a physical disease, not some mystic curse; therefore it will fall to a physical cure. There’s time to kill the demon before it grows.
After the show last night (a lovely review of it here in Publishers Weekly), I grabbed a late dinner with my Harper Childrens editor, Elise Howard, at the loveliness that is Sushi Sasabune (73rd and 1st), while filmmaker and cameraman Brady Hall worked late into the night editing the video of last night's chapter, then rendering and uploading it.
So, the FIRST CHAPTER of The Graveyard Book is now up. The short hair looks even odder than it usually does.
Tonight I'll read the second chapter. That should be up by tomorrow. And so on.
There was a certain amount of confusion backstage, things we've learned (I hope) for the rest of the reading tour events, and I managed to complicate things by forgetting to eat lunch, and I signed 750 books and then went into a sort of a flatlined bloodsugar grumpy meltdown during the soundcheck. But Cat ran out and got me some food, and I ate just enough to get me cheerful again, and I don't think many of the technical issues we were frantically trying to solve remained unsolved, and I think the audience was happy and didn't know about the tech problems anyway, and I hope the experience was probably much more fun than me doing a signing for the people who were there.
And Bill Hader's special introduction went down like a dream, which made me really happy. If you come to one of the readings you'll hear it. If not, you won't.
Thanks to Barnes and Noble College, to Columbia Teachers College, to Harper Collins, to the CBLDF, and to all my friends who showed up and then didn't actually get to talk to me.
A few people wrote to say that they couldn't get The Graveyard Book at their local bookshop, or that their bookshop had told them it wasn't out. It's definitely out. It's live on Amazon. It's out there on indiebound.
I just downloaded your newest to listen to on my next business trip. And it made me wonder, does purchasing the audio book version of your new release (e.g. "The Graveyard Book") contribute to book sales calculations? Or, by purchasing the audio version am I depriving you of a sale to be counted by the NYT Best Sellers List? I hope this didn't hurt... Thanks, Tricia
I don't know, but I really don't care -- I'm really proud of the audio version of The Graveyard Book, and I love it that you downloaded it, so please do not worry. Buy it in any format you like, and do not give it a second thought.
My daughter would like us to create a Queen of Shadows costume for her this Halloween. We watched Mirrormask again (and again) to gather ideas. But it is hard to make out the fine details. Do you know of any online resources for sketches, designs, behind the scenes photos of the Queen's wardrobe?
Thanks!
Not really -- the Art of Mirrormask book that Dave McKean did should have all of that stuff in it, though.
Dear Mr.Gaiman:
I was amused by the fact that the new version of the Mouse Circus website has been designed by "Sandman Studios". Was this a conscious decision on behalf of the people responsible for the site (HarperCollins?) or just plain coincidence? Either way, it is amusing.
I really like the new site (as a user and as a web designer myself), not only does it really look good, but (most important) it's useful and well organized. Still, I will miss the Stephin Merritt background looping bit of music for the old-flash Coraline part of the site. Maybe you could get Sandman Studio (wink wink) to include it as an mp3 or something.
Cheers, Santiago Mendez
P.S: If Mr.Neil posts this, Sandman Studio will owe him (and me) one for the plug. You're welcome Sandman Studio. P.S.2: I swear I'm not a Sandman Studio employee.
It is a coincidence, I'm afraid. (Or is it?) (Yes, it is.) (Ah... but is it?) (Yes, actually.)
You're right on the Stephin Merritt loop, though. We should put it up somewhere...
...
I just stopped blogging and had a bath. And now I go to bed. Tomorrow morning to Philadelphia... And I'll put up a link to the reading tonight as soon as it goes up on the web. Or as soon as they send me the link, anyway.
And finally, I thought doing a signing tour with a broken finger was foolish, until I learned that Amanda Palmer was now going to be singing and dancing her way across the world with a broken foot. I think the dancing may have to be curtailed but was happy to see that the singing is as good as ever. Here's a shout out to me from Belfast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDlkMbf7uc
So -- at least in theory and I think in practice too -- this magical widget (which I found at http://harperaudio.gigya.s3.amazonaws.com/harper_v1.html will play you the whole of me reading Chapter One of The Graveyard Book. And you can hear some lovely Bela Fleck danse macabre banjo music too.
This was over at Mousecircus.com, the junior site, on the front page. I'd heard that the whole site was going to get a makeover, and finally get out of Flash animation, but it hasn't happened quite yet. This counter was sitting there, below the Dave McKean mouse orchestra drawing, telling me that the Graveyard Book would be out in six days, six hours and eleven minutes. I thought about waiting another five minutes to post, then decided to test out the "Post it in blogger" function. Which what I'm doing right now.
(It seems to work on blogger. Not on any of the RSS feeds though. It's also about 30 seconds different from the counter on the sidebar. Clicking the Get & Share button at the bottom allows you to post it anywhere you want.)
(And my apologies for the practical nature of much of the current blogging.)
Neil Gaiman‘s The Graveyard Book has been been reprinted with a new paperback cover. One noticeable difference between the 2008 cover and the new one? The new one does not flash the Newbery Medal the book won in 2009.
.jpg?picon=1400)
.jpg?picon=993)
Worth noting in that dance-off that for the first rounds they’re dancing to each other’s music. Hip-hop to swing music suddenly looks like the Mills brothers!
Betsy! Thank you so much for featuring OTIS on Video Sunday. It feels a lot like being in the run down to the Oscars!
KA
Also, Latino male protagonist, middle grade: Gabe Fuentes in Will Alexander’s new book, AMBASSADOR.
Just saying.
KA
Yes! That was the other one. I always leave it off. So there were two. Two, folks. Two.
I’m so very honored! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing about the 90-Second Newbery, Betsy! Looking forward to seeing you in New York come March!
Thanks for featuring the BOOK-O-BEARDS trailer! The book does smell pretty good (although I think most books do!). — Lemke (& Lentz)