Hot New Releases & Popular Kids Stories It's important to keep up on the hot new releases and popular kids' books as we enter the gift giving season!
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Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Charlotte Huang, Jack E. Levin, Vesa Lehtimaki, Harry Potter, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Scholastic, James Dashner, featured, Sarah Beth Durst, DK Publishing, Loren Long, Jeff Kinney, Delacorte Press, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Aladdin Books, Clarion Books, Philomel Books, Cressida Cowell, Lauren Kate, How to Train Your Dragon, Jodi Lynn Anderson, Marissa Meyer, Coralie Bickford-Smith, Teens: Young Adults, Lunar Chronicles, Jenn Bennett, Best Kids Stories, Feiwel & Friends, Hot New Releases, Best New Kids Books, Mark R. Levin, Add a tag
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Harry Potter, Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, Cressida Cowell, Christopher Myers, Fusenews, Me stuff, Arnold Adoff Poetry Awards, literary fingernails, Add a tag
Morning, folks. Let’s see, let’s see. After yesterday maybe it would be a good idea to do a post on rainbows and unicorns and cute little puppy dogs cavorting in the sun. I’m a little exhausted after yesterday’s post so let’s just do a quickie Fusenews of wonderfullness instead.
- First up, The Toast knocks it out of the park. If you read nothing else today (pay no attention that blog post behind the curtain) read A Harry Potter Where Hermione Doesn’t Do Anyone’s Homework for Them.
- Do you read Real Simple? A familiar name might have snuck her way onto one of the pages.
- Calling Caldecott addresses an issue that has always fascinated me. Why do some illustrators who have amazing illustrating chops never ever get Caldecotts?
- Maybe 100 Scope Notes has the answer. In terms of publication dates, what month births the most Caldecotts? Travis Jonker finds the figures. Be sure to read the statistics in the comments. Truly we are living in the Age of Aquarius.
- Maybe it’s just clickbait, but as titles go The Guardian’s article
Children’s author Cressida Cowell scoops philosophers’ award for fight against stupidity sort of takes the cake in terms of interesting concepts all jumbled together into one place.
In case you missed it, 215 candidates from 59 countries are currently nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2016. The Yanks are of particular interest. There are the usual standbys and then there are folks like oral storyteller Anne Pellowski. Wow! Well done there. I’m also going to check out Children’s Literature New England (CLNE) & The Examined Life (EXL), Friends of African Village Libraries (FAVL), and Room to Read. I’m feeling a bit embarrassed that it took this nomination to learn about their work.
- By the way, a show of hands. How many of you knew about The Arnold Adoff Poetry Awards, which “seek to recognize excellence in multicultural poetry for youth, for readers at the primary level, middle level, and teens”? Be honest. It’s new to me too. But it’s out there and they could do with some proactive publishing houses, large and small, sending in their nominees. If you fit the bill, tell your publisher today. You have until December 1st.
- An interesting Pew Survey finding that teens are reading more than adults these days. They do not ascribe any particular reason for the YA surge. We know it cannot exist in a void, however, so I’m just going to congratulate the YA librarians out there. You guys are doing a stellar job. Keep up the good work.
- “Please Don’t Agree with Me: the Need for Disagreement in Debates About Literature for Young People.” That talk? Given by Christopher Myers recently and recapped by Phil Nel. I’m particularly interested in the part where Chris says that agreement can efface difference, whereas “Disagreement recognizes an actual difference.” I think we can safely say that no differences were effaced in the last two weeks at this site.
- Daily Image:
And Shannon Hale goes for the fancy fingernail book release win!
Blog: Galley Cat (Mediabistro) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Lewis Carroll, Readers, Cressida Cowell, Add a tag
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll are among books that have been given a new life in London this summer. The National Literacy Trust in Britain has developed a public art project that commemorates 50 books in an new and innovative way: as public benches.
The project is called Books about Town. Artists have been asked to adapt famous books into benches which have been placed throughout the city. The “BookBenches” project is designed to encourage reading. Readers can find four different literary maps of these sculptures online and use them to guide their literary treasure hunts. The routes include: Greenwich Trail, Bloomsbury Trail, City Trail and Riverside Trail.
The exhibition is up through September 15th.
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Add a CommentBlog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Dragons, Cressida Cowell, Book tourism, Museums & art galleries, Add a tag
Summer holidays are nearly upon us here in the UK and so I’ve compiled a set of places to visit with the family all of which have a children’s literature link.
Last week I treated myself to an morning exploring the Island of Berk and reacquainting myself with just how one goes about training a dragon by visiting Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s A Viking’s Guide to Deadly Dragons with Cressida Cowell
The exhibition originated at the marvellous Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children’s Books and is now slowly touring the UK (in 2015 it will be in the National Museums, Northern Ireland and The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, whilst in 2016 it will visit Norwich Castle Museum and Tullie House, Carlisle).
Based around Cressida Cowell’s How to Train your Dragon series, the exhibition is packed with original illustrations, both draft drawings and finished artwork, notebooks and video interviews, audio clips and [you have been warned!] …dragons.
There’s a viking long boat you can climb in and sail away on, there’s a camp fire for telling stories around, there’s dressing up and there are books you can just sit and enjoy reading.
The dragons are very keen to be played with, though some are scarier than others!
I think kids will love seeing some of Cressida’s school work – a descriptive piece she wrote with comments from her teacher on how to improve it!
I love showing kids how even very successful authors “uplevel” (to use my girls’ schools’ favourite bit of literacy jargon) their work; it’s completely normal to revise, edit and improve. That’s why this little note caught my eye:
I was delighted to see that some dragons love reading!
Something about these little girl vikings really caught my eye:
The exhibition has a great mix of open space – allowing kids to rush around playing with the dragons and climbing aboard the long boat – and fascinating artwork and notes from the author that are worth spending time really looking at closely. If you don’t know the books, you’ll get a great flavour of them and the kids will still be able to enjoy the exhibition because there are plenty of things to do, including lots of buttons to press. If you DO know the books, it is really exciting to see the art work and something of the development of Cowell’s ideas. It’s also pretty fun to cuddle the dragons!
Snuck in between information on Dragonese and the Hooligan Initiation Programme there’s also some factual background to the vikings which was nice to see. There’s a special section devoted to the How to Train Your Dragon films and my plan is to take the girls to the exhibition one morning during the summer holidays and then to the film in the afternoon Would you like to join us?
The exhibition is FREE and runs till August 30th. It’s well set up for people with hearing impairment, with all the videos either signed or subtitled. The cafe in the museum is one of the best museum cafes I know and the rest of the museum is really well geared up for families, with lots of hands-on activities in every space.
Full details: http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/events/vikings-dragons/
Are there any children’s book themed exhibitions on near you in your part of the world? Please do let me know – even if I can’t visit them, I’d love to know about them!
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The 39 Clues, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Natalie Standiford, Kami Garcia, Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon, Schwartz & Wade, Ree Drummond, Charlie the Ranch Dog, Teens: Young Adults, Best Kids Stories, Hot New Releases, Beautiful Creatures series, Duck & Goose, Popular Kids Stories, HarperCollins, Ages 0-3, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Scholastic, Tad Hills, Add a tag
For picture book fans there's a new Charlie the Ranch Dog book from Ree Drummond, and Tad Hills has the bestselling duo Duck & Goose featuring in a book perfect for some pre-summer reading. Middle Graders have more from The 39 Clues and How to Train Your Dragon series, while teens can indulge in Kami Garcia's Dangerous Creatures.
Add a CommentBlog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Rick Riordan, Markus Zusak, Kate DiCamillo, Suzanne Collins, Michael Scott, Tom Lichtenheld, Jon Klassen, Ransom Riggs, Lincoln Peirce, Veronica Roth, Ruta Sepetys, Sherri Duskey Rinker, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, John Green, Eoin Colfer, featured, Jay Asher, Jeff Kinney, Best Sellers, Jane O'Connor, Cressida Cowell, Eric Litwin, Ally Condie, Herve Tullet, Deborah Harkness, Teens: Young Adults, Add a tag
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 1, 2012
Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases and bestsellers.
THE HOT SPOTS: THE TRENDS
Best Young Adult Books with Galley Smith
Summer Reading List: Summer Sports, Baseball, & the Outside World
3 Kids Picture Books that Teach Good Manners
How Picture Books Play a Role in a Child’s Development
Where to Find Free eBooks for Children Online
THE NEW RELEASES
The most coveted books that release this month:
by Deborah Harkness
(Ages 18 and up)
Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian
by Eoin Colfer
(Ages 9-12)
by Lincoln Peirce
(Ages 8-12)
How to Train Your Dragon: Book 9
by Cressida Cowell
(Ages 8-12)
THE BEST SELLERS
The best selling children’s books this month:
PICTURE BOOKS
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
by Eric Litwin
(Ages 4-7)
Add a CommentBlog: Playing by the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Michael Rosen, Book Festivals, Liz Pichon, Cressida Cowell, James Mayhew, Candy Gourlay, Add a tag
This coming Saturday and Sunday sees a wonderful children’s literature festival “pop up” just behind Kings Cross in London. The Pop Up Festival is completely free and is all about celebrating books, stories and imagination for children, teenagers and families.
Authors and illustrators attending include Candy Gourlay, Nii Parkes, James Mayhew, Marcus Sedgwick, Laura Dockrill, Sarah McIntryre, Francesca Simon, Sita Brahmachari, Clara Vulliamy, Lynne Reid Banks, Nicky Singer, Sarwat Chadda, Rod Campbell, Alexander Gordon Smith, Caroline Bird as well as the Society for Storytelling and Barbar and the Moomins!
Having seen Candy Gourlay speak at the Federation of Children’s Book Groups annual conference, I personally would make a bee line for her contribution to the Pop Up Festival – an exuberant Filipino-style fiesta, complete with bamboo dancers, game shows and team quizzes, picture book performances and prizes, and a children’s brass band! It’s sure to be very exciting.
To see the full programme visit the festival’s website http://pop-up.org.uk/. Let me know if you go – I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.
If you’re near Manchester this coming weekend I’d like to point you to the illustration workshop being run on Saturday by Emma Reynolds as part of Manchester Children’s Book Festival. The same day as Emma you can see an old favourite of mine, Steve Cole (I love him as much now as I did then)
To find out more about Emma’s illustration workshop click here.
To find out more about entire programme for the Manchester Children’s Book Festival to to their website http://www.mcbf.org.uk/
A week today the sun comes out on Moon Lane. Even if it ends up actually pouring with rain (the UK has indeed had a very wet past few weeks), I can guarantee (metaphorical) sunshine at the multi-award winning independent children’s book shop in South London, Tales on Moon L
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Uncategorized, book trailers, Peter H. Reynolds, puppets, Laini Taylor, N.D. Wilson, Sesame Street, Frances Hardinge, Rosalyn Schanzer, Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon, Video Sunday, stage adaptations, Add a tag
We begin this week with something extraordinary. A book trailer that looks like a movie trailer (no real surprises there) but that includes so many specific details to its book that you’re half inclined to think that the movie version already exists. Super 8’s actor Joel Courtney stars in trailer for The Dragon’s Tooth by ND Wilson. What’s funny about it is that its locations are eerily perfect, the scenes amazing, and yet it has one aspect that makes me sad. You see, the hero of this book and his sister are dark skinned. Yet here you can see that they’re pretty darn white. To be fair this is entirely due to the fact that Mr. Courtney is friends with Mr. Wilson’s kids and that’s how he got the part. Still . . . sigh. Ditto the fact that an elderly woman from the book now appears to be 45. Perhaps elderly actresses are difficult to find sometimes? But aside from all that this is a remarkable piece of work. Maybe the best movie-like book trailer I’ve ever seen. Little wonder since it was directed by the author himself! If that whole writing books thing doesn’t work out, I can see a second career ready and waiting. Thanks to Heather Wilson for the link.
Along similar lines is this trailer for Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone. When you’ve been following an author since day one, there’s an instinct to claim them. I loved Ms. Taylor when she wrote her Faeries of Dreamdark books back in the day. Now she’s hugely popular and I feel very possessive of her. With a whopping 50,000+ views (holy moses!) this next video is not as sophisticated as Wilson’s, but it has its own ineffable charm, no?
A very different kind of book trailer involves the recent winner of The Society of Illustrator’s Original Art gold medal. I daresay that this is the first time in my own recollection that a nonfiction title has won the award (and from National Geographic at that!). And I can think of no better way to see the art than this little video right here:
Gorgeous. Thanks to Jules Danielson for the link!
If I hadn’t begun with all those book trailers I probably would have begun with this glimpse of the staged production of How to Train Your Dragon in Australia. Because when it comes to stage puppetry, you ain’t never NEVER seen nuthin’ like this:
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cressida Cowell, books to films, Uncategorized, Add a tag
Matt continues his husbandly duties, helping me out by blogging on topics that pertain to my world. Last week, if you’ll recall, he meddled with Harry Potter IV, V, VI, and VII. This week? A consideration of How to Train Your Dragon, both the book and the film, and how changes to the novel ended up creating a stronger movie. Fun!
Blog: A Fuse #8 Production (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cressida Cowell, Nathan Hale, Lauren Child, Madeline, Rick Walton, E.D. Baker?, Joy Masoff, Roxie Monroe, J.K. Rowling, Laurie Halse Anderson, Uncategorized, Charlotte's Web, Add a tag
Well, kids, here’s the deal. While I’d love to tell you that I won’t be blogging for the next few days or so because I’ll be at the Kidlitcon in Minnesota this weekend, truth be told the real reason for my sporadic bursts is that it’s my 10-year college reunion and I am in the heart of this metropolitan: Richmond, Indiana.
I may try to blog on the side while dodging rampaging Friends (mine was a Quaker school). If I fail miserably, though, here are some tidbits to tide you over.
First off, this sort of reeks of awesome. Nathan Hale (perhaps best known to you because of the art he did on Shannon Hale’s Rapunzel’s Revenge books) has paired with one Rick Walton and together the two of them present a parody of Madeline called (appropriately considering the season) Frankenstein. Each day they’ll release a little more of the story. You can see the first spread here, the second one here., and others on Nathan’s blog. Frankly, I don’t see why this couldn’t be marketable. If the parody laws allow for Goodnight Goon, Runaway Mummy, and Furious George Goes Bananas, then why not Frankenstein? The name may have to change, of course.
- From the Mixed Up Files presents a few thoughts on what happens when you go about Amending the Classics.
- Say the words “historical fiction” to a room full of fifth graders and prepare for a bit of synchronized snoring. Laurie Halse Anderson proposes an alternate name: Historical Thrillers. Works for me. Might make for an interesting series of booktalks anyway. Thanks to Margo Tanenbaum for the link.
- A Virginia history textbook for fourth graders has come under significant fire for its claim that thousands of black soldiers fought for the Confederacy during the civil war, some of them under the command of Stonewall Jackson. The Washington Post has the scoop. The author of said textbook defends the choice, having gotten much of the information off of the internet. Who is she? None other than Joy Masoff, author of Oh Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty and Oh Yikes! History’s Grossest Moments. Oh yikes indeed. Thanks to @PWKidsBookshelf for the link.
- J.K. Rowling just won the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Nice to see, though I don’t suppose sh
10 Comments on Fusenews: Fight fight, inner light. Kill, Quakers, Kill!*, last added: 10/22/2010Display Comments Add a Comment
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mo willems, Events, Stephenie Meyer, Sherman Alexie, Rick Riordan, Markus Zusak, Sara Shepard, Jeff Kinney, Best Sellers, Maggie Stiefvater, Ingrid Law, Suzanne Collins, Candace Bushnell, Julie Andrews, P.C. Cast, Gayle Forman, Ages Four to Eight: Books for pre-school to second grade, Ages Nine to Twelve: Books for third through sixth grade, Teens: Books for young adults, Book Lists: Specialty picks, Cressida Cowell, Lauren Kate, Victoria Kann, Lincoln Peirce, David Soman, Jon J Muth, Jacky Davis, Simon Beecroft, E.Y. Harburg, Lisbeth Zwerger, Add a tag
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 1, 2010
Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases, the bestsellers, and kids’ book events.
THE HOT SPOTS: THE TRENDS
2010 Children’s Choice Book Awards Nominees
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
2010 Children’s Choice Book Awards Winners
Summer Reading Suggestions: Random House Children’s Books
THE NEW RELEASES
The most coveted books that release this month:
(Young Adult)
How to Train Your Dragon Book 7:…
by Cressida Cowell
(Ages 8-12)
Pinkalicious: Tickled Pink
by Victoria Kann
(Ages 4-8)
THE BEST SELLERS
The best selling children’s books this month:
PICTURE BOOKS
by Jacky Davis, David Soman
(Ages 3-7)
Add a CommentBlog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Sherman Alexie, Rick Riordan, Markus Zusak, Maggie Stiefvater, Suzanne Collins, Laura Numeroff, Lauren Kate, Lincoln Peirce, Neil Gaiman, Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Events, Andrew Clements, Kevin Henkes, Jeff Kinney, Best Sellers, Ingrid Law, Ann M. Martin, Jane O'Connor, Geronimo Stilton, Greg Mortenson, Kristin Cashore, Ages Four to Eight: Books for pre-school to second grade, Ages Nine to Twelve: Books for third through sixth grade, Teens: Books for young adults, Book Lists: Specialty picks, Ages Baby to Three: Books for infants and toddlers, Cressida Cowell, Deborah Underwood, Barbara Bottner, Gordan Korman, Add a tag
Here's the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases, the bestsellers, and kids' book events.
Add a CommentBlog: Day By Day Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: books, movies based on books, Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson, cressida cowell, how to train your dragon, Add a tag
Manuscript update: 291 words so far on my new book, and I hope to do more this afternoon, between loads of laundry. I wrote my second book in three months, so I’m setting a tentative goal of two months for this one. So, I hope to be done by June 1. I’ll keep you up to date.
My husband and I went and saw How to Train Your Dragon this weekend, and it’s a great movie. Fun, exciting, sweet, touching, funny, lots of action and piles of goey emotion — it has it all.
I wasn’t surprised to see that it was based on a book — most of the best movies are based on books — and that book is now on my to-read list.
I’m a big believer that when movie studios buy rights to a book, they should follow the story of the book. However, film and print are two different mediums, and some things that work in one won’t work as well in another. But, when a studio changes a book, I think it has a responsibility to be true to the book as much as possible and at the very least, be true to the spirit and action of the book. Some succeed, some don’t.
I haven’t read the book series on which How to Train Your Dragon is based, but judging by the Wikipedia description, the movie is different. BUT, the movie stays true to the spirit of the books, a reluctant hero finding his heroism in a way that’s unconventional from his norm. The difference is, the movie upped the anti, so to speak, made the stakes higher by changing the norm of a society that lives with dragons and trains them (the book) to a society that is threatened by dragons and so must fight them (the movie). The added danger provides more drama, which is more necessary in a movie when, as a viewer, you’re more detached than reading a book.
Also, the books are chapter books, so aimed at a younger audience. The filmmakers raised the age of the main character from 11 in the books to teen in the movie, but that works because of the added danger.
In contrast, the filmmakers behind the Percy Jackson movie changed the age of the titular character and made other changes that took away from the books, diluted the drama and alienated the fans of the books.
After I watched the Percy Jackson movie, as a big fan of the books, I wondered what author Rick Riordan thought of this very different adaptation. I read in a Publishers We
Blog: Bugs and Bunnies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, book review, Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon, Add a tag
"Long ago, on the wild and windy isle of Berk, a smallish Viking with a longish name stood up to his ankles in snow.
Thanks Zoe, love this post!
Zoe, this is an amazing list – Thank you
We’re off to Cartwright Hall tomorrow, should be as exciting as Le Tour for Bagl! There is an exhibition about stories and books on at Kirkcaldy Galleries, the leaflet I picked up wasn’t especially specific but we’ll be going in the next couple of weeks, their summer exhibition for children last year was very good so hoping for good things.