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Action! Adventure! Survival!

In Book #1 of the Storm Runners series by Roland Smith, Chase and his friends Nicole and Rashawn have just survived Hurricane Emily, the storm of the century, but in Book #2: The Surge, their troubles are just beginning. If you love action and adventure, you won't want to miss this sequel.

Although they've made it to the safety of Nicole's family's farm -- the winter home of the Rossi Brothers' Circus -- the floodwaters are rising and they need to reach higher ground. The circus's lions have escaped their cages, and a dangerous and unpredictable leopard is also on the loose. Have Chase and his friends lived through a terrifying night only to face a new disaster? Read the first chapter of Book #2: The Surge.

AND . . .  Book #3: Eruption is coming out on March 1. Read a Sneak Peek!

Leave a Comment to tell us what you think. Personally, I am very happy to be safe and dry!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

When I start working out an Elephant and Piggie story I take all of my sketches, notes, and pagination charts from my notebook and transfer the story into very rough drawings on small pieces of drawing paper. This serves as a pitch for the story and a guide for the rhythm of the story.  It's so rough that it's easy to cut out, repose, or otherwise alter every beat quickly while still

It’s sneak peek time!
 The ALA Midwinter conference was in my backyard this weekend (so fun!) and I was there for the awards announcement yesterday morning. There were a few poetry titles scattered amongst the prizes: Thanhha Lai’s National Book Award winning Inside Out and Back Again received a Newbery honor, the Coretta Scott King Author Award included honor books The Great Migration by Eloise Greenfield and Never Forgotten by Patricia McKissack, and the Pura Belpre Award went to Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, with honors to Margarita Engle for Hurricane Dancers. (Interesting that multicultural poetry is getting such recognition—so worthy!)

I also had the opportunity to chat with the publishers, peruse new books, pore over catalogs, attend previews, and gather my annual “sneak peek” list of the poetry titles that are scheduled to be published in 2012. Of course this is subject to change with additional titles possible as the year rolls along.

Please let me know of any others I can add. I’ll be coming back to this posting throughout the year and adding titles, hoping to offer a one-stop spot here for referencing a 2012 list of poetry for kids throughout the year (and beyond). Meanwhile, I am THRILLED to share 50+ titles of poetry for young people (including novels in verse) coming soon…


1. Argueta, Jorge. 2012. Guacamole; Un poema para cocinar/ A Cooking Poem. Ill. by Margarita Sada. Groundwood.
2. Calhoun, Dia. 2012. Eva of the Farm. Atheneum.
3. Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. Ill. by Meilo So. Chronicle.
4. Corcoran, Jill. Ed. 2012. Dare to Dream… Change the World. Kane Miller.
5. Curtis, Tony. 2012. An Elephant Called Rex and A Dog Called Dumbo.
6. Cushman, Doug. 2012. Pigmares. Charlesbridge.
7. Engle, Margarita. 2012. The Wild Book. Houghton Mifflin.
8. Farish, Terry. 2012. The Good Braider: A Novel. Marshall Cavendish.
9. Farrar, Sid. 2012. The Year Comes Round: Haiku Through the Seasons. Ill. by Ilse Plume. Whitman.
10. Florian, Douglas. 2012. Poem Runs; Baseball Poems and Paintings. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
11. Florian, Douglas. 2012. Unbeelievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings. Beach Lane.
12. Franco, Betsy. 2012. Double Play. Tricycle/Random House.
13. Frost, Helen. 2012. Step Gently Out. Ill. by Rick Lieder. Candlewick.
14. Grady, Cynthia. 2012. I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery. Ill. by Michele Wood. Eerdmans.
15. Harrison, David. 2012. Cowboys. Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
16. Heard, Georgia. Ed. 2012. The Arrow Find

If you were sent away to a secret school, what's the one thing you would bring with you? And then, what would you do if they took it away?

In the Tomorrow Girls series by Eva Gray, four thirteen-year-old girls meet at a top-secret school, and though they’ve been sent there for their own safety, they quickly realize that their school is not what they think it is. In this terrifying future world where America’s at war and everything is chaotic, they must rely on each other to survive.

There are now four books in the Tomorrow Girls series. Check out the first chapter of Book One: Behind the Gates, and let us know what you think in the Comments!

—Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

In the Home Stretch


Okay so I am almost there - only 3 weeks until the launch! Can you believe it?

I got over the hump this weekend. My copy edits are done and my cover is done (yay!) Now, my hubby and I are just working on formatting which is a pain in the arse. Ugh! I'm moving through all the interviews as they are scheduled.  Reviews are starting to come in and they are very positive. I'm so thankful for all the support I'm getting.

Nerves are starting to build and doubts are starting to set in - especially when I'm tired. What if they don't like it? What if I'm not good enough? What if I fail? Will people get the book? Will people support me? Will my book stand out in the thousands of books out there?

I push those down and keep pushing forward but it's hard. Because when you are traditionally published - you have agents, and marketing teams, and editors that love your work. At the end of the day, right now, it's just me.

Now I need to start planning my online launch party - which will have tons of prizes, gifts, and surprises. I'm going to do a chat too. Maybe on my process, book and marketing. I'm scheduling a few different times so everyone can come and I'll let you know more then.

Tomorrow, I will publish the "OFFICIAL Untraceable Blog Tour" which kicks off next week! My tour guides rock!

Behind The Scenes Sneak Peeks

Big cover reveal on Friday! Yikes! I love it Vania did an awesome job and found the PERFECT model. She. Is. Grace.

Starting this afternoon, stay tuned to Novel Novice's blog and Vania's blog this week - they are doing a big expose, showing different cover shots for Untraceable with the REAL ONE popping up on Friday. You can also follow them on Twitter: Vania and Novel Novice.

I'm about to pee in my pants with excitement. I. Can't. Wait. for you all to see it. EEEEPS!

I'll be sharing a few EXCLUSIVE 'behind the scene' photos from the shoot all week long.....

This is exactly who Grace is to me.

Vania at work

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Do you love stories with fast-paced action, trips to remote islands in the Pacific Ocean, and sound bending? "Wait. What's sound bending?" you ask. It's an amazing ability where you can hear the history of an object just by touching it. When Leo turns 13, he finds out that he has this ability. As Leo touches an unusual helmet among his uncle's valuable artifacts, he hears odd noises and realizes he must find out the story of this mysterious helmet.

Intrigued? Read the first chapter of Sound Bender by Lin Oliver and Theo Baker.

If you could hear the history of one object in your house or school, what would you pick? Tell us in the Comments!

—Vanessa, Scholastic Staffer

Hey, Iron Fey lovers!

As part of The Iron Knight Sneak Peek Circle, we're so excited to show you this exclusive snippet of The Iron Knight trailer!

You've read about The Hunger Games cast. You've seen the cool Hunger Games motion movie poster, but now we have the coolest Hunger Games movie preview yet, a sneak peek video! I'm not going to say anything about this video except to tell you I screamed out loud when I saw it. Enjoy!

What do you think? Is Katniss how you pictured her? Does Gale sound how you expected he would? Leave a Comment!

If you are a fan of the Poison Apple series, then you're in luck. We have a sneak peek of the latest book, a spooky mystery called Curiosity Killed the Cat.

Eleven-year old Hannah can't believe she has to move from Tarrytown to spooky Sleepy Hollow to stay with her dad, stepmom, and her spoiled and nasty stepsister, Molly. So Hannah is thrilled when a sweet black stray cat begins showing up on her dad's doorstep to keep her company. Hannah's heard of the legend of the black ghost cat that haunts the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, but she always figured it was just a legend. . . right? Or could the ghost cat of Sleepy Hollow be haunting Hannah?
Read an excerpt here.

And if you haven't already added the widgets to your Profile, there are two super-fun Poison Apple widgets you can add to your STACKS Profile to show your Poison Apple love. Add the Poison Apple Daily Bite and Poison Apple Sweet and Sour widgets to your Profile! Of course, you need to have a Profile first, so if you haven't done that, then please join now!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

I sat down yesterday with local radio hosts Bill Newman and Monte Belmonte for a fun chat about books, naming rights for sandwiches, and more.  Take a listen here (interview starts at the 32:30 mark). Now, for a doodle.  Not one of mine (you can tell because it's so much better), but from my pal New Yorker illustrator Peter DeSeve of the two of us engaged in my favorite (and now his favorite)

It's been quite a busy couple of weeks since last I posted. The family and I drove down from Northampton to New Orleans for this year's ALA Conference, but before we left I had a chance to meet & hear Tomi Ungerer speak at the Eric Carle Museum, where a retrospective is currently on exhibit.  It's a great show, you should go (also the Barbara McClintock show in the middle gallery is amazing).  A

Charlie Bone fans will recognise the title. Author, Jenny Nimmo, is back with a brand-new series chronicling the origin and the adventures of Charlie Bone's magical ancestor, the Red King!

Timoken is a prince born in a secret kingdom. At his birth, a forest jinni bestows magical gifts upon him: a cloak made by the last moon spider and a potion called Alixir. When the peaceful land is attacked, Timoken and his sister, Zobayda, must find a new kingdom to call home. Together, with only the magical gifts and a talking camel, the siblings set off. 

Click here to read an excerpt.

The 39 Clues Book 11, Vespers Rising is out in bookstores now, so it's already a great week, but there's more! We also have for you a SNEAK PEEK of the next 39 Clues book:

The 36 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman  

After the mysterious Vespers kidnap Cahills around the globe, they order Amy and Dan to steal a priceless painting in exchange for the hostages. The siblings rush to Italy to execute a heist that rivals the most famous art thefts in history. There's just one problem -- the painting they steal is a fake. With the clock ticking, Amy and Dan have to track down the real painting before one of Cahill hostages pays the ultimate price. But Dan and Amy can't stop the Vespers alone.

Read the Prologue.

Nice, huh? Leave a Comment telling us what you think of the new book so far.

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick will publish September 13th this year.

The cover has just released, and here it is!!

I know you all loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret, an amazing story unfolding in words and pictures — a book so amazing that in 2008, it won the Caldecott Medal, the highest honor for an illustrated book. If you haven’t checked out the website, visit www.scholastic.com/hugocabret. 

Brian Selznick once again takes you on an awe-inspiring journey.

Set 50 years apart, two independent stories — Ben’s told in words and Rose’s in pictures — weave back and forth. Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother’s room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.

From Wonderstruck

When Ben opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

Something smelled terrible and burnt. Thankfully the rain had stopped and everything was silent and peaceful. He could go back to his cou