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Hot New Releases & Popular Kids Stories We think our list of the best new kids books for October is sensational! It highlights some amazing books from many different genres: non-fiction, reality fiction, and fantasy. Take a gander and let us know which titles and covers catch your eye ... Read the rest of this post

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Successful authors leave clues. Are you following their bread crumbs?

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Scholastic will launch a new initiative called “Worlds Collide” to bring together three popular multi-platform series: The 39 Clues, Infinity Ring, and Spirit Animal.

Here’s more from the press release: “As part of the ‘Worlds Collide’ initiative, Scholastic will release for the first time a digital ‘Powerpack’ ebook bundle—including three first-in-series books in one volume—featuring The 39 Clues #1: The Maze of Bones by , Infinity Ring #1: A Mutiny in Time by , and Spirit Animals #1: Wild Born by . Scholastic will support the ‘Worlds Collide’ initiative with an extensive marketing campaign to link together the global audiences of The 39 Clues, Infinity Ring and Spirit Animals through a dedicated ‘Worlds Collide’ online hub (www.scholastic.com/worldscollide).”

Through the Worlds Collide website, fans are encouraged to play around with the stories from all three series and create mash-ups. To extend beyond the internet community, the minds behind this initiative have also organized the “Worlds Collide #1s” live tour.  Fans will also get a chance to meet some of the authors who contributed books to these popular series including James Dashner, Brandon Mull, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. Rick Riordan will make a special appearance at one of the events. See below for the complete list of tour dates.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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Jam-packed with action and suspense — not to mention flying castles and a monster made of stolen magic — the first installment of Mull's new Five Kingdoms series will keep readers captivated as they follow the adventures of sixth-grader Cole, who must rescue his friends from a fantastical land. Books mentioned in this post Sky [...]

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A few weeks ago, I pointed to stereotypes in Brandon Mull's Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star. Today, I'm pointing to problems in his Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague. 

First---here's an overview, by Denise Daley (her review is at Barnes and Noble):

Strange things have been happening in Fablehaven. A mysterious shadow plague is slowly overtaking the once peaceful magical creatures that live there. The nipsies are like regular people except they are only about half an inch big. Some of their kingdoms have recently been attacked by other nipsies who have somehow been transformed into sinister beings. Seth is the first to discover the disturbing changes. He and his sister Kendra have been staying with their grandparents at Fablehaven. Kendra has unique abilities that can possibly help, but the situation is extremely dangerous. Kendra's grandparents reluctantly grant her permission to visit a special place where she is inducted into the Knights of the Dawn. She and several other knights immediately begin an assignment to retrieve a hidden artifact. 

That assignment takes her to the "Lost Mesa preserve" (p. 94) in Arizona which is on Navajo land. The hidden artifact is one of five. Together, all five of the artifacts can open a demon prison called Zzyzxa. In chapter 7, Kendra and the other knights arrive at Lost Mesa. Here's the illustration at top of that page:



Some of you will say "but that's Taos!" when you see that page. I sure did! (For those who don't know about Taos Pueblo, do an Internet search of images on Taos Pueblo and you'll find plenty of them.)  There are, in fact, pueblo people in Arizona. The Hopi Nation is there, and, they do have structures like the ones at Taos, but seriously---do the search and there's no denying that a photo of Taos was the inspiration for Brandon Dorman's illustration of Lost Mesa.

Kendra and her group are driven to Lost Mesa by "a quiet Navajo man with leathery skin, probably in his fifties" (p. 122). His name is Neil. He's wearing a cowboy hat and a bolo tie, and though Kendra tries to get him to talk to her, he answers her questions "but never elaborated or made inquiries of his own" (p. 123). Though some of us are quiet like that, I suspect that Mull is drawing on stereotypes of the stoic Indian.

Neil starts talking a bit more when they get closer to Lost Mesa. He tells her they call it Painted Mesa, and that

Almost nobody knows, but part of the reason the Navajo people ended up with the largest reservation in the country was to conceal this hallowed place" (p. 125). 

How, I wonder, do people who aren't Native, or who don't pay attention to the quality of Native content in children's and young adult books, process that line?! Part of it is true. The Navajo Nation does have the largest reservation in the United States. But that bit about having the largest reservation so they could conceal a hallowed place?! Who, in Mull's fantasyland, did THAT?!

Mull has done some research for this book. His research is evident in this exchange, when Kendra asks about Lost Mesa (p. 125):

   "Do Navajo's run it?" Kendra asked.
   "Not solely. We Dine are new here compared to the Pueblo people."
   "Has the preserve been here long?" Kendra asked. She finally had Neil on a roll!
   "This is the oldest preserve on the continent, founded centuries before European colonization, first managed by the ancient race outsiders call Anasazi. Persian magi actually established the preserve. They wanted it to stay a secret. Back then, this land was unknown across the Atlantic. We're still doing a good job at remaining off the map."
   "Painted Mesa can't be seen from outside of the fence?" Kendra asked.
   "Not even by satellites," Neil said proudly. "This preserve is the opposite of a mirage. You don't see us, but we're really here."

In Mull's book, Lost Mesa is an "it" that is "run" by someone. He might know that Native Nations are sovereign governments, but he might also think they're like corporations to be run by someone. From Neil, we learn that the Navajo and Pueblo people run Lost Mesa together. Remember what I said earlier... there are, in fact, Pueblo people in Arizona, but they generally refer to themselves as Hopis. Historically speaking, the Navajo are newcomers to that area.

Let's assume that Mull is talking about villages on one of the Hopi Mesas. They were, in fact, founded centuries before European colonization. But, "first managed by the ancient race outsiders call Anasazi" is a bit messy. "Managed" confirms my suspicion that Mull thinks of Native Nations as companies rather than governments. "Ancient race" is Hopis, but I think it was the Navajo people that called them Anasazi, and then, that term was widely used by anthropologist and archaeologists. For a long time, a lot of people thought the Anasazi people vanished, but today, it is widely acknowledged that we (present day Pueblo Indian) are descendants of that "ancient" people and that we didn't vanish.

But what to make of "Persian magi" who "actually established the preserve" before Europeans even knew the continent existed?! These magi must be part of Mull's fantasy world. He doesn't say they established the village. He specifically says "the preserve."

And then that part about being invisible?! We're supposed to be with Mull in his fantasy world, but as a Native person who knows a lot about the ways that mainstream power structures misrepresent and omit Indigenous people, I gotta say that this is wacky!!!

Moving on...

On page 127, Neil pulls up at a hacienda. There's a pueblo near the hacienda. We meet "a short Native woman" named Rosa and her daughter, Maria, who is "a tall, slender Native American woman with a broad jaw and high cheekbones." Rosa has "copper skin" and is the caretaker of Lost Mesa. They also meet Hal, who is Maria's father and Rosa's husband. He is described as a "potbellied man with narrow shoulders, long limbs, and a heavy gray mustache." I think he's white, don't you? White is the default. Generally speaking, writers only describe skin color when a character is not white.

Hal takes Kendra and Gavin (a youngish knight like Kendra) on a tour of Lost Mesa. They see "an old Spanish mission" with a cemetery and "a pueblo" which, Hal says, "are the oldest structures on the property" (p. 131). Hal stops to feed the zombies in the cemetery.

Yeah... you read that right. Hal tells them that it is the oldest and biggest zombie collection in the world. In the cemetery, there are almost 200 graves. Beside each grave, there's a bell on a small pole, with a cord attached to the bell. The cord goes down into the grave. If a zombie is hungry, it rings its bell. Hal lifts a tube, unstops it, puts a funnel in it, and pours "goopy red fluid" from a bucket down into the grave. Are you creeped out? Or grossed out?!

Next stop is a museum that houses "the world's largest collection of freestanding magical creature skeletons and other related paraphernalia" (p. 135). Gavin objects to the display of a dragon skeleton, because, he says dragons are sacred, and its sacrilegious to display their bones. That's an interesting turn, given that complete skeletons of Native people were, for many years, displayed like museum objects. For more info on that topic, this video is worth watching:



Back to Mull's story....

That night, the group of knights climbs Lost Mesa to "the Old Pueblo" (p. 204):

Lightning blazed across the sky, the first Kendra had noticed since setting out. For a moment, the entire expanse of the mesa flashed into view. In the distance, toward the center, Kendra saw ancient ruins, layer upon layer of crumbling walls and stairs that must once have formed a more impressive pueblo complex than the structure neighboring the hacienda. Briefly her eye was drawn to the movement of many dancers prancing wildly in the rain on the near side of the ruins. Before she could consider the scene, the lightning flash ended. The distance and the darkness and the rain combined to obscure the revelers even from Kendra's keen eyes. Thunder rumbled, muffled by the wind.
   "Kachinas!" Neil cried
   The middle-aged Navajo rapidly loosed Kendra from the climbing gear, not bothering to remove her harness. Lightning flared again, revealing that the figures were no longer engaged in their frenzied dance. The revelers were charging toward them.

Ok, I'm going to stop reading Mull's book.

Equating kachinas with revelers is offensive. Using "prancing wildly" and "frenzied" to describe them is also offensive. Seems to me that Mull is the one in a frenzy!  Caught up in superficial knowledge of Native peoples, he inserts stereotypes and misinformation into another genre of children's literature. Some might find his books engaging. I find them insulting.

Why, I wonder, did Mull feel compelled to write Native people into his book?!

No doubt, fans of Mull's series will submit comments to this review, telling me "its just a book" and "its fantasy, not non-fiction, so leave it alone!"

The fact is, it isn't ONE book. It isn't just Mull's Fablehaven series. Its misrepresentation and stereotyping in books published every year, going back hundreds of years. It'll only stop when we stop buying books like this.

Consider what you have on your library shelves right now. If you started a pile of fiction and nonfiction books that misrepresent Indigenous people, and placed alongside it ones that accurately portray Indigenous people, you'd see what I mean. And hopefully, you'd start to deselect those with misrepresentations. Course, you'd have a lot of space, but you could fill that space with books that don't misinform your patrons and students. Won't that be better? For all of us?

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Thanks to Erin for letting me know about Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series...

Launched in 2007, the first book is titled Fablehaven. Subsequent ones have subtitles. I haven't read any of them, but plan to do so. The second volume is Rise of the Evening Star. Here's what Erin pointed out in her Goodreads review:

The illustration is on page 165 of the paperback. The girl in the illustration is Kendra. She's looking down at a foosball table. It doesn't look anything like any of the foosball tables I've played on...  Here's the text from page 163:

Spitted on rods were four rows of Indians and four rows of cowboys. The cowboys were all the same, as were the Indians. The cowboy had a white hat and a mustache. His hands rested on his holstered six-guns. The Indian had a feathered headdress, and his reddish-brown arms were folded across his bare chest.

Some questions... Have you seen a foosball table like that? And why was that particular scene chosen for illustration?!

When Kendra beats "the Sphinx" (he's "a black man with short, beaded dreadlocks" whose "skin was not merely a shade of brown--it was as close to truly black as Kendra had ever seen") at a game of foosball, he tells her "I feel like General Custer."

More questions... Custer? Why? What does it add to the story to have a cowboy and Indians foosball table?!  Why did Mull include any of this?

And why have no reviewers noted it?

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Hi all and happy Labor Day!!! Library Ninja Bill has been in unexplored territories investing the inner workings of what makes the world go round. The answers are elusive but he knows that they have something to do with love, caring for others and treating your fellow man (or woman) with respect and decency. I want ramble anymore and leave my philosophising to myself.

Right now I am reading a great book (almost finished actually) by one of my favorite authors Stephen King. The book is an adult book about time travel, the late 50s and early 60s, the assignation of a great American President and what some consider the end of a time of innocence and the beginning of America's downfall. The book is 11/22/63. Below is a tune mentioned in the book several times, "In The Mood," by the late and great Glenn Miller. In the book the characters dance the Lindie Hop to this song in several key scenes. As King puts it: "To dance is to live," or something close to that. Check it out (the dance appears occasionally, but however danced to the music groves):










Too Cool!!!!!!!!!!


Okay enough, let's get to some reviews of other books I have read lately. Let me know what you think if you get the time.



The Last Apprentice - Rise of The Huntress by Joseph Delaney - This installment of The Last Apprentice Series has the Spook, Tom, Alice and Tom's dogs Claw, Blood and Bone. Returning from their epic adventure in Greece. Their land is at war with invaders and when they arrive home they find the Spook's house destroyed and that some very dangerous prisoners have escaped (one being the witch Boney Lizzie, Alice's mother and a darn powerful witch who uses bone and blood magic). They decide it is best to leave and cross the ocean to the island of Mona. This turns out to be a big mistake as they are not welcome and things go very wrong, very quickly. They find big trouble on Mona as Boney Lizzy has also relocated there and about taken over the entire island with the help of a terrible demon known as a buggane (it hides beneath the earth and tunnels sucking the life force out of its victims). Lizzy has a score to settle with the Spook and the Spook appears to be weakening with age. Tom and Alice with the help of others must take up the slack for the weakened Spook and also keep on their toes because who knows when the Fiend will show up. Recommended for those 10 and up.

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14. Book Expo America: a book-stravaganza

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By: Katie B., on 5/27/2009
Blog: First Book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Mo Willems, First Book Events, Linda Sue Park, BEA, book expo america, James Patterson, Kate DiCamillo, matthew reinhart, Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, Brandon Mull, John Rocco, Lucy Hawking, Erica Perl, Javits Center, John Agee, John Carter Cash, Michael Winerip, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Add a tag

When I came to work at First Book, I heard a lot about Book Expo America (BEA) - a weekend-long event for publishers, booksellers, educators and anyone who loves books and reading.

But it wasn’t until the following year when I experienced the show for myself that I truly understood what my colleagues were talking about. So many authors and books all under one roof! And did I mention that the galley copies of the books are free? Oh yes, my suitcase was twice as heavy when I came back from BEA that year.

This year, First Book is celebrating the books that made us readers for life with our “A Book Today, A Friend Forever” campaign, thanks to the support of our partners Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Book Expo America.

If you’re going to be at BEA in New York this weekend (May 29-31), look for us at booth #734 in the Javits Center. We’ll donate a new book in your honor just for stopping by!

We’ll also have great authors signing copies of their latest books at our booth - including James Patterson, Mo Willems, Kate DiCamillo and many more - you won’t want to miss it! Check out the full schedule of authors signing at the First Book booth after the jump and find out more about Book Expo America by visiting www.firstbook.org/bea and www.bookexpoamerica.com.

Friday, May 29

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Lucy Hawking, George’s Cosmic Treasure Hunt (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Mo Willems, Elephants Cannot Dance! (Hyperion Books for Children)

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Michael Winerip, Adam Canfield: The Last Reporter (Candlewick Press)

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Linda Sue Park, Keeping Score (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

4:00PM – 4:30 PM
John Rocco, Moonpowder (Disney-Hyperion)

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Jon Agee, Orangutan Tongs (Disney-Hyperion)

Saturday, May 30

9:00 AM – 9:45 PM
Kate DiCamillo, Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick Press)

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
James Patterson, Maximum Ride #4: The Final Warning (Little, Brown & Co.)

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Brandon Mull, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

1:00PM – 2:00 PM
John Carter Cash, Momma Loves Her Little Son (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

Sunday, May 31

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Erica Perl, Chicken Bedtime is Really Early (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Matthew Reinhart, Pop Up Book of Nursery Rhymes (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

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15. Fablehaven interview and giveaway

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By: Erin, on 8/1/2008
Blog: Miss Erin (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  contests, fablehaven, brandon mull, Add a tag

Traci has a really fun interview up with Brandon Mull, author of the Fablehaven series. And she's also giving away three copies of the first book - so make sure to enter the contest!

2 Comments on Fablehaven interview and giveaway, last added: 8/2/2008

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Nerd Goddess said, on 8/1/2008 9:36:00 PM

Brandon Mull's pretty awesome, and I love the Fablehaven books. He talks with his hands a lot, and seems about as spirited as a little kid. He also uses "cool" a lot when talking about his writing process, like how he has to find "cool" scenes and "cool" action and stuff. (This is from the Writing for Charity event, though it'd be "cool" to know/stalk him)

Traci said, on 8/2/2008 10:09:00 PM

Oh my gosh Erin, you are the most amazing person in the whole wide world! Thanks for doing that!!! ;)
Seriously, I literally screamed out loud (ask my family) when I checked your blog.

love you twin,
Traci

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16. Fablehaven

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By: Fourstorymistake, on 7/3/2008
Blog: Four Story Mistake (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  children's books, fantasy, children's literature, kids' books, fablehaven, brandon mull, curse of the shadow plague, rise of the evening star, Add a tag

It seems perhaps redundant to write a review about a series that has been on the bestseller lists for a while.  However, I was so thoroughly enthralled by the series that I can't help but write an entry for the latest books to completely eat up hours of my day!  

Fablehaven is about two children, Kendra and Seth, who are preparing for a boring two weeks when they are sent to stay with their grandfather while their parents go on a cruise.  Their grandfather severely restricts their access to the seemingly unending grounds to the yard (filled with rare and exotic butterflies) and the house. Seth's rebellion and Kendra's curiosity lead them to discover that the preserve is dedicated to the protection of magical creatures that have been gradually pushed off their lands by ever expanding human development; Fablehaven, the name of the preserve their grandfather owns, is home to creatures such as fauns, fairies, naiads and centaurs.  Once their grandfather sees that they are open to the wonder and magic of Fablehaven, he includes them on adventures (and they have some of their own without his permission, of course) that grow in danger and excitement as well as consequence to the magical and nonmagical world.

I won't reveal any more about the plot because I would absolutely hate to spoil any of the many plot twists.  The characters are perfect, the suspense gripping and the descriptions are so complete, I can see them in my head clearly.  The battle and action scenes were so vivid, I had no trouble following every thrilling move (and biting all my fingernails off in the process).  

For someone who has read more than their fair share of YA and children's fantasy, this book took me completely by surprise.  I literally read the entire first book in one evening, contemplated calling out sick the following day so I could buy and read the second book and then went out and promptly purchased the third book to tear through the third night.  

I loved that Brandon Mull doesn't needlessly kill characters to which the reader has grown attached and that he manages to give weight and proportion to even the slightest of characters.  I particularly loved Kendra- I often have trouble with the fact that girls are typically (not always, I know, Mr. Pullman) given supporting roles and if they're given lead roles, they're either the damsel in distress or belligerently boyish.  Kendra is all girl and yet strong, courageous and her character traits (ones at which a more aggressive heroine would scoff) are what end up saving Fablehaven time and again.

I loved all three books.

I can barely wait until April 2009.  

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Sarah said, on 7/14/2008 10:01:00 PM

Thanks so much for an excellent review! Upon your recommendation I read the three books and I loved them!!! I completely agree with you about Kendra - she is a delightfully unique heroine, one that I feel I can finally relate to! My only disappointment with the series is that it is not yet finished and now I have to wait to keep reading them!

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17. The Candy Shop War - a Review

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By: Writing for Children, on 6/3/2008
Blog: The National Writing for Children Center (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Children's books, Book review, Carma Dutra, Brandon Mull, The Candy Shop War, childrens book review, Add a tag

Reviewed by Carma Dutra

Title: The Candy Shop War

Author: Brandon Mull

Ages: 8 – 12 years old

Hard Cover: 407 pages

Cover Illustration: Brandon Dorman

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

ISBN: 978-1-59038-783-2

Publication: 2007

The old saying “too much candy can be bad for your health” rings true in this fast paced, action packed story. Nate and his family are new in town, which means a new school and new friends. Nate is not too happy about this but the three young friends he makes will soon become the type that last forever.

One warm afternoon on the way home from school, the four young friends decide to try out the new candy shop. However, they are short on money and are in hopes the owner will give them a sample. Belinda White, owner of the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream Candy Shoppe, offers free candy if they will perform odd jobs around town. Not only is the candy free, it’s magical too!

What kids can resist eating magical rock candy that will make them fly through the air, and sucking on jaw breakers in order to become unbreakable? Throw in a little body shifting, shock bites and talking animals and you have all the ingredients for a wild adventure.

Soon Nate and his friends Summer, Trevor and Pigeon discover the real cost of this addictive candy. Belinda White’s true identity as an evil magician begins to unfold and Nate and his friends try to turn her own power against her. It takes all the wit and imagination the quartet can conjure up with a little help from Mr. Stott the ice cream truck driver who has some magical tricks of his own. The mystery deepens and doesn’t stop until the last piece of candy has been eaten. This magical fantasy story will make any 8–12 year-old turn his imagination up a notch or two.

New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull travels the country visiting schools, promoting literacy and sharing his message that “Imagination can take you places.” Mull teaches lessons with all his stories by adding a reading guide at the end of each book. Questions like “Between Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon, who would you most want as a friend? Why?” and “What is the best approach for handling bullies?” are designed to stimulate the readers’ deductive reasoning skills.

Also, New Regency has acquired the movie rights for The Candy Shop War so keep an eye out for this exciting project. Visit the author at www.Shadowmountain.com and his website at www.Fablehaven.com.

***************************

Carma Dutra is the owner of Carma’s Word, a creative writing and editing service a freelance writer and children’s writer. Visit her blog at http://carmaswindow.blogspot.com to read about tips on writing, author interviews, and a variety of topics regarding children.

Brandon Mull, Carma Dutra, childrens book review, The Candy Shop War

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18. Sneak—Snack—Snuck

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By: Stephanie, on 11/14/2007
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Oxford, A-Featured, Lexicography, Oxford Etymologist, Anatoly, Liberman, Etymologist, snack, sneak, snuck, sneaked, snook, dived, dove, Add a tag

By Anatoly Liberman

It is of course snuck that will interest us, but the origin of this illegitimate form should not be handled in isolation. We can begin with sneak, a verb whose recorded history is relatively short. The earliest examples with it turned up about four hundred years ago. Old English had snican “creep,” with short i, and this form could have yielded sneak, just as Middle English crike, from Scandinavian, yielded creek. But for snican to become sneak, it had to pass through the stage sneek (such is the phonetic regularity), which has not been attested. (more…)

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