tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49767198096218860962024-03-14T11:02:04.237-04:00Out of the BoxAn exclusive look at what comes into the Horn Book officesRoger Suttonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00030627312439744621noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-62684513059975817422011-09-09T12:45:00.000-04:002011-09-09T12:45:11.718-04:00We've movedPlease follow us over at our <a href="http://www.hbook.com/category/blogs/out-of-the-box/">new home</a>.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09821913055211829559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-46323072196765861862011-09-02T12:19:00.002-04:002011-09-02T12:59:16.427-04:00Forwarding addressWe're moving! As of Tuesday, Out of the Box (with Read Roger and our newest addition, Calling Caldecott) will be hosted on our chic and shiny new website.<br />
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While some tweaking is still happening, here's a sneak peek of what's to come:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-3HeU9YDBSbRWI3nbZ8_fagv3nGFOWfcGJ1k6U0hCMz5dorR-PSHBz_k4K-bjN707AdITcMk2byl4D2E1-2C5Byjs6KJ2mLPL-CkCTDEO1pV5_Y4_vD_SRWfYvnOLYmBcdS5KYieMSs/s1600/The+Horn+Book+mockup-small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-3HeU9YDBSbRWI3nbZ8_fagv3nGFOWfcGJ1k6U0hCMz5dorR-PSHBz_k4K-bjN707AdITcMk2byl4D2E1-2C5Byjs6KJ2mLPL-CkCTDEO1pV5_Y4_vD_SRWfYvnOLYmBcdS5KYieMSs/s640/The+Horn+Book+mockup-small.png" width="224" /></a></div><br />
You'll find us at www.hbook.com/blogs/outofthebox. See you there!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-90825011920856555562011-08-26T14:48:00.005-04:002011-08-31T14:40:17.491-04:00Being a grown-up can be fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuKl62L-8ijaMHoLViS6TYFJeTUGC7rAFW6f0UA1Ffp-v2JEImrKm9UjIteRA71DhhqwhFQ5cdsvpghTPUwLStz0CpFR2Ygzwfvc3aFjlC5jd9Fe1hcV4SZI7r7Z3db7IRTYn3aXjuSc/s1600/when+i+grow+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuKl62L-8ijaMHoLViS6TYFJeTUGC7rAFW6f0UA1Ffp-v2JEImrKm9UjIteRA71DhhqwhFQ5cdsvpghTPUwLStz0CpFR2Ygzwfvc3aFjlC5jd9Fe1hcV4SZI7r7Z3db7IRTYn3aXjuSc/s320/when+i+grow+up.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In comedian Weird Al Yankovic's picture book debut, <b><i>When I Grow Up</i></b>, eight-year-old Billy enthusiastically discusses his many (mostly improbable) career options, from "snail trainer" to "friendly mortician" to "giraffe milker." The app adaptation (HarperCollins, June) takes this tale a step further—augmenting Weird Al's text and Wes Hargis's illustrations with simple, but effective animation and sound effects. Most screens include a few interactive extras (e.g., close-ups of Billy's homework assignments and imagined accolades, snails that slide back and forth along a tightrope) that come to life when users tap, swipe, or tilt their device. Games like "Xtreme Snail Race," "Gorilla Masseuse," and "Tarantula Shaver" allow the user to experience some of Billy's potential professions first-hand. You can play each game just as the associated job is mentioned; if you prefer to wait until the end of the story, all are easily accessible from the main menu. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QhEJlAOYoI_ldGwJCf54fFISVFpqP6igaytAtUeIemlMTDSQ_JgwKBqaBGXg7A5-9vK0U7dl4wVxxecGd4zjnHbTvKsshiI6PQSgZM9G9LbV3pNayGfzjp1WzgQaBgmOz24QBM8lXKU/s1600/gorilla+masseuse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QhEJlAOYoI_ldGwJCf54fFISVFpqP6igaytAtUeIemlMTDSQ_JgwKBqaBGXg7A5-9vK0U7dl4wVxxecGd4zjnHbTvKsshiI6PQSgZM9G9LbV3pNayGfzjp1WzgQaBgmOz24QBM8lXKU/s320/gorilla+masseuse.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
What really makes the app is Al's own excellent narration. The litany of bizarre occupations can feel a little overly long when reading it yourself, but his perfectly timed, just-over-the-top-enough performance adds life and warmth to the wackiness. Weird Al fans will appreciate his cameo as Billy's classmate in the illustrations, emphasizing the message that any kid can grow up to live his wildest dreams.<br />
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The app is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch ($3.99 in the app store).<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Katie Bircher</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-8592175416697571652011-08-25T14:09:00.000-04:002011-08-25T14:09:16.394-04:00Annual Carle Honors announcedEach year, <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/">The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art</a> "pays tribute to those individuals who are dedicated to the art of the picture book and its integral role in art appreciation and early literacy" with their <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/carlehonors">Carle Honors</a>. The 2011 honorees are<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Artist: Lois Ehlert</div><div style="text-align: center;">Angel: Jeanne Steig</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mentor: Michael di Capua </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Bridge: Karen Nelson Hoyle</div>Learn more about the honorees and the categories <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/downloads/CHHonoreesweb2011.pdf">here</a>. <br />
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An Honors Gala—including the ceremony, a dinner reception, and a silent auction of author experiences and original art to benefit the museum—will be held September 22 at Guastavino's in New York. The auction items are <i>unbelievable</i>; go ogle them either <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/CarleHonors/Auction2011">online</a> or in person at NYC's <a href="http://www.booksofwonder.com/">Books of Wonder</a>. A sampling:<br />
- illustrations by Tomi Ungerer, Chris van Allsburg, honoree Lois Ehlert, and more<br />
- visits with Tomie DePaola and Kadir Nelson<br />
- personalized poems by Jane Yolen<br />
- customized art by Rosemary Wells and Eric Carle himselfKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-58879217184032576582011-08-19T12:16:00.000-04:002011-08-19T12:16:30.716-04:00Modelling opportunity for blue-eyed brunettesWhile editing my reviews for the upcoming Fall 2011 <a href="http://hbook.com/guide/"><i>Horn Book Guide</i></a>, Elissa spotted these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbwaDBfBqjzerlGtw_og7DMr8nPY5svjN9xBdVeZP0UqTVpPCmdkryAR18mkmEC_bquegDoJsmAR33apqbUuoxmg98wxddkQiO02nNGZYPprRx4k3jxzt7RMZpGZFdJq3JsGklEGr_IU/s1600/cryptic+cravings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbwaDBfBqjzerlGtw_og7DMr8nPY5svjN9xBdVeZP0UqTVpPCmdkryAR18mkmEC_bquegDoJsmAR33apqbUuoxmg98wxddkQiO02nNGZYPprRx4k3jxzt7RMZpGZFdJq3JsGklEGr_IU/s200/cryptic+cravings.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EBbH_C3mjJnRP7dWdqilBpWQnzhsJCpUqbF7wW25jlxcGqiSq5kt0Ua9__JDKEujZgbx3OrHxTjiguKc4Vc2aNURKwZxIRnky-79xV9wwxBrKbyPtbP9EHOigBmlYrIpBR3B2gos7tk/s1600/Teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EBbH_C3mjJnRP7dWdqilBpWQnzhsJCpUqbF7wW25jlxcGqiSq5kt0Ua9__JDKEujZgbx3OrHxTjiguKc4Vc2aNURKwZxIRnky-79xV9wwxBrKbyPtbP9EHOigBmlYrIpBR3B2gos7tk/s200/Teeth.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTWV2WNmlyOl6wEXDrJs68ny55wyLSaqSqF4p0MmHz4ZaTVVVoxKkJgwohzufCAgfHFhcYqjHdTx6hI3T6WJgaq2uWeBkCOMZGH-eH0MOGstOgUqxUUVvZkOGa7lj1woyS1PBPyT5m3w/s1600/a_touch_mortal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTWV2WNmlyOl6wEXDrJs68ny55wyLSaqSqF4p0MmHz4ZaTVVVoxKkJgwohzufCAgfHFhcYqjHdTx6hI3T6WJgaq2uWeBkCOMZGH-eH0MOGstOgUqxUUVvZkOGa7lj1woyS1PBPyT5m3w/s200/a_touch_mortal.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1rS0dxXkRSWaxg-UTgkq67TEDOe29vu3ZYJVnlL5TlrEMCfNc5XN5v366Z-PUQYVSeP2IpINGCjIS6vjOBxx7Cdb0eLrhbuTu60ktXsilEgjZlaqTFNqCz19-q5zf86JCOdW32QXBqg/s1600/once+in+a+full+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1rS0dxXkRSWaxg-UTgkq67TEDOe29vu3ZYJVnlL5TlrEMCfNc5XN5v366Z-PUQYVSeP2IpINGCjIS6vjOBxx7Cdb0eLrhbuTu60ktXsilEgjZlaqTFNqCz19-q5zf86JCOdW32QXBqg/s200/once+in+a+full+moon.jpg" /></a></div><br />
From the last Guide:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheaGVOn4w5jKgoI3UTO_RhSjAl7JlGBql-zup5_Yf-K-x3XiTx8LAur8ZdT__gOJkst1gjD6bHvBLeIp6u7r1I2ytNr7J87PUtPaWr78F1jzs4f47ncso7cJReIQjLlNJyQDwwwJu27Y/s1600/banished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheaGVOn4w5jKgoI3UTO_RhSjAl7JlGBql-zup5_Yf-K-x3XiTx8LAur8ZdT__gOJkst1gjD6bHvBLeIp6u7r1I2ytNr7J87PUtPaWr78F1jzs4f47ncso7cJReIQjLlNJyQDwwwJu27Y/s200/banished.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br />
Apparently, the heroine of a paranormal YA romance must be an extra-pale, blue-eyed brunette with her hair in her (partial) face—at least, if I'm going to review it.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Katie Bircher</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-8301471825943006312011-08-18T14:22:00.000-04:002011-08-18T14:22:33.318-04:00All steamed upAs my <a href="http://curiousgeorgestore.blogspot.com/2011/01/steam-is-so-hot-right-now.html">friend and fellow blogger observed</a> not long ago, “steam is so hot right now.” This year has seen a mind-boggling number of steampunk-themed events in the northeast alone: <a href="http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/waltham/2011/05/steampunk_festival_in_waltham.html">International Steampunk City</a>, which took over the town of Waltham for a weekend; a book tour for <a href="http://steampunkbible.com/about/"><i>The Steampunk Bible</i></a>; an <a href="http://www.crmi.org/exhibits/temporary-exhibits-at-crmi/past-exhibits/steampunk-form-and-function-an-exhibition-of-innovation-invention-gadgetry/">exhibit on steampunk aesthetic , form, and function</a> at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation; <a href="http://www.oneiroievents.com/thesteampunkworldsfair/">The Steampunk World’s Fair</a> three-day festival in<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">New Jersey</span>… Whew! And the events just keep on coming, with next week’s performance of <a href="http://www.bostoncircusguild.com/valve.html">Valve: Antique Vaudeville Circus</a> and the Museum of Industry’s ongoing <a href="http://www.crmi.org/events/steampunk/">Steampunk Calendar</a>. Entranced by the wide, imaginative (or should I say “re-imaginative”?) world of steampunk, I recently read two short story collections that explore the ever-expanding boundaries of the genre.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXzCxorJcCaqhtCrQ40g6EVykRrn0SaEJ2yG2_29GY3fZau8k_k2jmf6kFMDJAiUA-ekzLRa1ypf90QsUfLTw2Ubja2M4jppocyWISXyZ9X99E77V-xOnoygnmT4BI37z0mdgZ0l3KgM/s1600/corsets+and+clockwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXzCxorJcCaqhtCrQ40g6EVykRrn0SaEJ2yG2_29GY3fZau8k_k2jmf6kFMDJAiUA-ekzLRa1ypf90QsUfLTw2Ubja2M4jppocyWISXyZ9X99E77V-xOnoygnmT4BI37z0mdgZ0l3KgM/s200/corsets+and+clockwork.jpg" width="131" /></a>In editor Trisha Telep's collection <b><i>Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances</i></b> (Running Press, May), authors such as Caitlin Kittredge, Dia Reeves, Kiersten White, and Adrienne Kress write the steamier side of steampunk, where “technomagical and natural desires collide.” This naturally means lots of flirting and first kisses (with gorgeous automatons or gentlemen criminals, aboard airships, or after narrowly escaping mad inventors); it also entails deeper ethical concerns about technology, progress, and humanity’s impact on nature. Don’t miss contributor Dru Pagliassotti’s excellent essay “<a href="http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/how-do-i-write-a-steampunk-story-by-dru-pagliassotti/">How Do I Write a Steampunk Story?</a>” at <a href="http://ageofsteam.wordpress.com/"><i>Steamed!</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIG2gsSY16FgDJwr4sQ8EJUbb6ga4RAK0U-FMSDgBXeuKBcjVM3WKq7U3LggAv_xfoHHG1GFOp9-DRr815gkUtWUh-LHIdmAMc-6wQBJjJg_LufZ4I6Iun_LqrVfWKBwz8vo3LEktU1E/s1600/steampunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIG2gsSY16FgDJwr4sQ8EJUbb6ga4RAK0U-FMSDgBXeuKBcjVM3WKq7U3LggAv_xfoHHG1GFOp9-DRr815gkUtWUh-LHIdmAMc-6wQBJjJg_LufZ4I6Iun_LqrVfWKBwz8vo3LEktU1E/s200/steampunk.jpg" width="131" /></a><b><i>Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories</i></b> edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant (Candlewick, October) goes even further in expanding the steampunk oeuvre—but you’ll have to wait for the September/October issue of The Horn Book Magazine to read my review. In the meantime, pilot your airship over to the website for <a href="http://hbook.com/resources/books/steampunk.asp">our list of recommended steampunk-inspired reads</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Katie Bircher </div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-3933319159105711242011-08-16T14:15:00.000-04:002011-08-16T14:15:55.301-04:00Newbery books will win new readers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMt88IVzjdVziSKsgskIQFLoyhFfgX2PI4VNLknM3xXslnLjlhgo2IJs86DbAUMrVTemFD0ETq0HqopAJ7J5N6SwqIKofUmtWQIYwU82Ps2FLtDCFab74Y6kXB5jRI27baTM2Y2eeDt3Y/s1600/newbery+collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMt88IVzjdVziSKsgskIQFLoyhFfgX2PI4VNLknM3xXslnLjlhgo2IJs86DbAUMrVTemFD0ETq0HqopAJ7J5N6SwqIKofUmtWQIYwU82Ps2FLtDCFab74Y6kXB5jRI27baTM2Y2eeDt3Y/s200/newbery+collection.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ckbircher%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ckbircher%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ckbircher%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]-->The four titles in Houghton/Sandpiper's welcome <b>Newbery Collection</b> boxed set (September) seem to belong together: Lois Lowry’s <i>Number the Stars</i>, Scott O’Dell’s <i>Island of the Blue Dolphins</i>, Linda Sue Park’s <i>A Single Shard</i>, and Elizabeth Speare’s <i>The Witch of Blackbird Pond</i>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b7tQQk1k2pPUywAv0khldGKkHS5gLBiDyKruWrC4JWFM6XDFGqD3qeUqzHMFQXPOI1qsOPmUY8vZKri0uZ2u3RTldqZsVl3EfeKjpf02bKikQH1-V7w9nyiOyasKsgWHkFiTh0NkGdI/s1600/number+the+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b7tQQk1k2pPUywAv0khldGKkHS5gLBiDyKruWrC4JWFM6XDFGqD3qeUqzHMFQXPOI1qsOPmUY8vZKri0uZ2u3RTldqZsVl3EfeKjpf02bKikQH1-V7w9nyiOyasKsgWHkFiTh0NkGdI/s200/number+the+stars.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEG8rqp9Ly3NaY-UazTcBLUcYf2BRRtBKuCoE9GYHrbBC3xYcvQuGt8SrQtIRqSR5etd1dEQUhRb-Gcr3uwfkbGOk2CGh4gaIgQa6nfOsLIfbxLmRhEBK-ycgFceqfFvi4xU5_idnnf0/s1600/island-of-the-blue-dolphins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEG8rqp9Ly3NaY-UazTcBLUcYf2BRRtBKuCoE9GYHrbBC3xYcvQuGt8SrQtIRqSR5etd1dEQUhRb-Gcr3uwfkbGOk2CGh4gaIgQa6nfOsLIfbxLmRhEBK-ycgFceqfFvi4xU5_idnnf0/s200/island-of-the-blue-dolphins.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ38wH__o2xzYz6D8KSgPo1310RSCWdmMUtNIKcxGuObT_8F8HXJrQaGs2PE5G0LeERul3xGef5iZcDmYrjdHEzQwiPTSzC2qfZ-G_nUF_kMzbpxpcQJFH5allMkbAS3ErdLrusXkNIY/s1600/single+shard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZ38wH__o2xzYz6D8KSgPo1310RSCWdmMUtNIKcxGuObT_8F8HXJrQaGs2PE5G0LeERul3xGef5iZcDmYrjdHEzQwiPTSzC2qfZ-G_nUF_kMzbpxpcQJFH5allMkbAS3ErdLrusXkNIY/s200/single+shard.JPG" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmPkMdNnjElOYFQ4qdDYCS0hUogpQOM-_yp_qvJXdACoSRa93nKHQ30niOwxbFR17uRa-ltNU2qBC4eRSaDDRTCht5GoHHzG1Ev7GshslpjF1B_0lb2qiMfgHo6g8FE_UJmqKGeJ0gg8/s1600/witch+of+blackbird+pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmPkMdNnjElOYFQ4qdDYCS0hUogpQOM-_yp_qvJXdACoSRa93nKHQ30niOwxbFR17uRa-ltNU2qBC4eRSaDDRTCht5GoHHzG1Ev7GshslpjF1B_0lb2qiMfgHo6g8FE_UJmqKGeJ0gg8/s200/witch+of+blackbird+pond.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br />
The publisher may have grouped these winners together simply because they’re all historical fiction. But their affinities go beyond that: they each contain sustained adventure or intrigue, moments of heroism, and an unusual depth of feeling, all channeled through a singularly relatable, empathetic main character. Can’t you just picture the avid readers, the introspective ten- and eleven-year-old girls eager to experience the wider world, who will gobble these books up? This collection may have been produced to spur sales, but it should also win hearts.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">—Martha Parravano </div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-8652530625360290072011-08-11T13:05:00.002-04:002011-08-11T13:17:32.691-04:00Borrow this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3XYpWZzRGJFac9xHm9QeDofz8csO5m6HD0tKAj7c0smp35AT69Ts7VCsbEUPaWXfSkND9hIrWx0lwDdopoV8mKUdcwmFWU3dK_WXEnnvaAXpzIDDDwbzwHbodYAO1YvqAqqXXlJeDDo/s1600/borrower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3XYpWZzRGJFac9xHm9QeDofz8csO5m6HD0tKAj7c0smp35AT69Ts7VCsbEUPaWXfSkND9hIrWx0lwDdopoV8mKUdcwmFWU3dK_WXEnnvaAXpzIDDDwbzwHbodYAO1YvqAqqXXlJeDDo/s200/borrower.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Lucy Hull, protagonist of <a href="http://rebeccamakkai.com/">Rebecca Makkai</a>'s adult novel <b><i>The Borrower</i></b> (Viking, June), is a sardonic twenty-something children's librarian. Her favorite patron, ten-year-old Ian, runs away to escape his parents and the anti-gay youth group they've stuck him in. Like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Mixed-Up_Files_of_Mrs._Basil_E._Frankweiler">Claudia Kincaid</a> before him, Ian realizes that he needs somewhere to run away <i>to</i>, and the library presents a safe haven overnight. Lucy discovers the runaway when she arrives early the next morning, then finds herself on an unexpected, unauthorized road trip with Ian. It's never quite clear to Lucy or the reader who's kidnapping whom. Woven throughout their madcap escapades (featuring the Russian mafia, ferrets, a holy relic, and the Canadian border) are homages to the canon of kids' books, with cameos by <i>The Very Hungry Caterpillar</i>, <i>The Hobbit</i>, <i>Goodnight Moon</i>, <i>Madeline</i>, T<i>he Wizard of Oz</i>, and more.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Ten pages in, I texted a children's librarian friend: "You HAVE to read this book." Lucy and Ian's adventures are occasionally heart-wrenching and often hilarious, but no matter how outrageous their exploits, their actions feel organic and believable. Makkai's frequent literary allusions seem like secret messages from one children's lit lover to another: <i>have you read this? how about this one?</i> While I have a hard time picturing a more perfect audience for <i>The Borrower</i> than myself and my twenty-something Simmons grad friends, it's not just a novel for the children's lit in-crowd. Decoding <i>The Borrower</i>'s literary references does make up a significant part of the reading experience, but the books Makkai alludes to are mainstream enough that most readers will be able to share in the fun. Lucy's relatable early-adulthood ennui and insecurity make her a sympathetic character; Ian captures that delicate balance of adorable and annoying only a precocious pre-teen can truly embody.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Chicagoist has <a href="http://chicagoist.com/2011/06/27/makkai_borrows_playful_structure_to.php">a great article on the novel here</a>. Also check out <a href="http://www.screwydecimal.com/">Screwy Decimal</a>, the blog of New York public librarian Rita Meade. Her tongue-in-cheek dispatches from library land could have been written by Lucy herself—particularly "<a href="http://www.screwydecimal.com/2011/06/postcards-from-edge-of-reference-desk.html">Postcards from the Edge (of the Reference Desk)</a>," detailing an encounter with Meade’s own feisty ten-year-old patron. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: right;">—Katie Bircher </div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-57784632179452242352011-08-10T15:41:00.000-04:002011-08-10T15:41:27.569-04:00August Notes from the Horn BookAugust's <i>Notes from the Horn Book</i> is available now. Here's what to expect this issue:<br />
- five questions for historian and scholar Marc Aronson<br />
- More new nonfiction<br />
- Concept books with a twist<br />
- YA sequels<br />
- Books of interest to adults<br />
- updates on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards ceremony and Horn Book at Simmons<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://hbook.com/newsletter/subscribe.html">Sign up here!</a>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09821913055211829559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-32226056500467902422011-08-08T15:34:00.000-04:002011-08-08T15:34:05.437-04:00HBGO updateWe've just added another 213 reviews to the <a href="http://hbook.com/guide/">Horn Book Guide Online database</a>—take a peek at the newly added <a href="http://hbook.com/guide/fall11batch2authors.asp">authors/illustrators</a> and <a href="http://hbook.com/guide/fall11batch2titles.asp">titles</a>.<br />
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I think my favorite title this time around is <i>The Time-Traveling Fashionista</i>, though <i>Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance</i> and <i>Labracadabra</i> are close runners-up.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-41946168104107926892011-08-03T14:53:00.001-04:002011-08-03T14:56:14.126-04:00Save the date—BGHB Awards and Horn Book at Simmons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQiVaJSqKwYAZ6NTmswSCVdvoUDT2IDLgV6pqECL4-G5Gi10T97DcCRqaj6inawaVzZXQEcfMGeqfWEkC0B_b-UMAANfy8LYgUgWWqOdGbRbTPF9bq4Bea01OuoPiTLqdjNMCzdfFbI/s1600/HBAS_reglogo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQiVaJSqKwYAZ6NTmswSCVdvoUDT2IDLgV6pqECL4-G5Gi10T97DcCRqaj6inawaVzZXQEcfMGeqfWEkC0B_b-UMAANfy8LYgUgWWqOdGbRbTPF9bq4Bea01OuoPiTLqdjNMCzdfFbI/s200/HBAS_reglogo.JPG" style="height: 188px; width: 289px;" /></a></div>The office is starting to buzz about the <a href="http://hbook.com/bghb/current.asp">Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards</a> taking place Friday, September 30, and the Horn Book at Simmons Colloquium, happening Saturday, October 1. On Friday night, BGHB judges Jennifer Brabander, Robin Brenner, and Dean Schneider will present the awards to this year's winners and honorees:<br />
<blockquote><b><u>Fiction</u></b><br />
<b>Winner: </b><i>Blink & Caution</i> by Tim Wynne-Jones<br />
<b>Honor book:</b> <i>Chime</i> by Franny Billingsley<br />
<b>Honor book:</b> <i>Anna Hibiscus</i> by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia<br />
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<u><b>Nonfiction</b></u><br />
<b>Winner:</b> <i>The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery </i>by Steve Sheinkin<br />
<b>Honor book:</b> <i>Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, </i><i>Sea, and Air</i> by Stewart Ross, illustrated by Stephen Biesty<br />
<b>Honor book: </b><i>Can We Save the Tiger?</i> by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White<br />
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<b><u>Picture book</u></b><br />
<b>Winner:</b> <i>Pocketful of Posies</i> by Salley Mavor<br />
<b>Honor book:</b> <i>Pecan Pie Baby</i> by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall<br />
<b>Honor book: </b><i>Dark Emperor</i> <i>and Other Poems of the Night</i> by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen</blockquote>The ceremony will be followed by a reception with the winners. Mosey over to our website to see <a href="http://hbook.com/bghb/past/default.asp">video and pictures of last year's (and previous years') awards festivities</a>.<br />
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Join us the next day for the <a href="http://hbook.com/hbas/">Horn Book at Simmons colloquium</a>, led by Horn Book editor in chief Roger Sutton and Cathie Mercier, director of the Simmons Center for the Study of Children's Literature. Entitled "Engaging Worlds, Real and Imagined," the colloquium will feature all three of this year's winners (and many more speakers) in presentations, panels, and workshops. Registration for the colloquium includes an invite to Friday's awards ceremony. <a href="http://www.hbook.com/hbas/HB_at_Simmons_Registration.asp">Sign up here!</a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-1124300527263452262011-08-02T11:57:00.001-04:002011-08-02T12:05:09.344-04:00Updated blog reading listWe've revamped our recommended blog list, first compiled by NYPL librarian and <a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/">Fuse #8 blogger</a> Betsy Bird to accompany her article "<a href="http://hbook.com/magazine/articles/2007/may07_bird.asp">Blogging the Kidlitosphere</a>." Check out old friends and new faves <a href="http://hbook.com/resources/librarians/blogs.asp">here at the Horn Book website</a>.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-26533850552808670312011-07-27T12:40:00.000-04:002011-07-27T12:40:21.918-04:00Gardening with The LoraxAs the public becomes increasingly worried by climate change and deforestation, Dr. Seuss’s <i>The Lorax</i>, originally published in 1971, may be more relevant than ever before. With its unforgettable characters and sentiment, the classic is an entertaining and informative way of introducing young children to environmental issues.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLBMlIWr9DD-izV67SK3ruNFjBx7pzPgl518sxiZcdGNp0wnc4TVRLHRDbAGrUYM1eh8WlI64qNn17_Z_WQ_xfZjMbPp1cOw5Lu0Xi5k_DIzvGSr_jkk1-b3zxc2w-WnNo_9OsdEtBsM/s1600/truffula+trees+in+nursery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLBMlIWr9DD-izV67SK3ruNFjBx7pzPgl518sxiZcdGNp0wnc4TVRLHRDbAGrUYM1eh8WlI64qNn17_Z_WQ_xfZjMbPp1cOw5Lu0Xi5k_DIzvGSr_jkk1-b3zxc2w-WnNo_9OsdEtBsM/s1600/truffula+trees+in+nursery.jpg" /></a>Unfortunately, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lorax-garden/id366510234?mt=8"><b><i>The Lorax Garden</i></b></a> app (Oceanhouse Media) pales in comparison. The aim of the app is to restore barren forests by digitally raising flowers and Truffula trees. The process of doing so is unnecessarily complicated and seems to involve more steps than growing an actual tree. First, you must choose one of five locations, each with a forest in need of a facelift. To be successfully revived, every forest needs a different amount of full-grown Truffulas, ranging from three to nine. In the world of <i>The Lorax Garden</i>, raising a Truffula tree requires a combination of “care hearts,” water, and time. When you enter a new location, you receive ten care hearts, but they run out quickly. Though the needed number varies, it can take more than half of your allotted care hearts to raise one full-grown Truffula tree. To get more care hearts, you must grow one of six varieties of flowers, requiring water, pollination, and weeding—all in under a minute, as the section is timed. Growing each type of flower differs in difficulty and in how many care hearts you earn. Are you confused yet? Me too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjSWiacvSYjFZvmTVTMyg6PqeMwtaLl_ExrmCdkDD5qvcHxhyphenhyphenHiG63ttHtaaU8yIeuRJvP5Gb3UWIwO92qdlv0yd5KYHg5iMinM_ILbl4I54QUFiSrj7NHAW2-kWQRDbp9R-lBYI1B80/s1600/growing+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjSWiacvSYjFZvmTVTMyg6PqeMwtaLl_ExrmCdkDD5qvcHxhyphenhyphenHiG63ttHtaaU8yIeuRJvP5Gb3UWIwO92qdlv0yd5KYHg5iMinM_ILbl4I54QUFiSrj7NHAW2-kWQRDbp9R-lBYI1B80/s1600/growing+flowers.jpg" /></a></div>Here’s what I know for sure: reviving one of the forests in <i>The Lorax Garden</i> is a fairly significant investment of time. Add the time it takes to grow flowers to that required to grow a Truffula tree and you’re looking at well over an hour to restore a forest of nine Truffulas. But don’t worry: you probably won’t finish. Unless you’re one of those people who have to finish what they’ve started, you’ll be frustrated and/or terribly bored after growing just one or two Truffula trees. And if <i>The Lorax Garden</i> can’t hold the attention of a book- and garden-loving adult like myself, it surely won’t be a pleasant experience for children.<br />
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So do yourself and your children a favor. Forgo <i>The Lorax Garden</i> app. Read the picture book with your kids and use the $1.99 the app would have cost to buy a sapling or some seeds—real ones, not the pixelated kind brought to you by the Apple device of your choice. Plant them in your yard and bring <i>The Lorax</i> to life. Dr. Seuss would have preferred it that way.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Laura Marenghi</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-25809591385481232342011-07-26T12:05:00.000-04:002011-07-26T12:05:30.627-04:00Upcoming stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1toe052TT4kHL20j8uunlErCTH7Xhjbq6o4TK5CBfWnHrS-n8Tl1A4c6hVouhd7WyrbFD-F55OJUfkQz3L0SVqid169Cl8A8RA9fmOQKfJHuNF4j_GrC24_eU46AaIKoFkfgC0G_pVg/s1600/sep11cov_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1toe052TT4kHL20j8uunlErCTH7Xhjbq6o4TK5CBfWnHrS-n8Tl1A4c6hVouhd7WyrbFD-F55OJUfkQz3L0SVqid169Cl8A8RA9fmOQKfJHuNF4j_GrC24_eU46AaIKoFkfgC0G_pVg/s200/sep11cov_blog.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Starred reviews appearing in the <a href="http://hbook.com/magazine/nextissue.asp">September/October <i>Horn Book Magazine</i></a>:<br />
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<i>- The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories</i> by David LaRochelle; illus. by Paul Meisel (Dutton) <i>- A Ball for Daisy</i> by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade)<br />
- <i>Dead End in Norvelt</i> by Jack Gantos (Farrar)<br />
-<i> Secrets at Sea</i> by Richard Peck; illus. by Kelly Murphy (Dial)<br />
- <i>The Watch That Ends the Night:</i><i> Voices from the Titanic</i> by Allan Wolf (Candlewick)<br />
- <i>Breaking Stalin’s Nose</i> by Eugene Yelchin (Holt)<br />
- <i>A Little Bitty Man and Other Poems for the Very Young</i> by Halfdan Rasmussen; trans. from the Danish by Marilyn Nelson and Pamela Espeland; illus. by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick)<br />
- <i>Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert</i> by Marc Aronson (Atheneum)<br />
-<i> Orani: My Father’s Village</i> by Claire A. Nivola (Foster/Farrar)<br />
-<i> Feynman</i> by Jim Ottaviani; illus. by Leland Myrick; color by Hilary Sycamore (First Second)<br />
-<i> Drawing from Memory</i> by Allen Say (Scholastic)<br />
-<i> Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature</i> by Joyce Sidman; illus. by Beth Krommes (Houghton)<br />
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Congratulations!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-83722703113180367722011-07-22T15:17:00.002-04:002011-08-16T14:16:36.207-04:00Queen of the fake-out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-2ZhsF2Ui95eaMqJvUkZpGR88_mqOFqU3-HokEXtRWfVLCj1vYGR2md88abxc8PZs4vtTieaP4zcPKtsW_Y8Kr3tn6xmRpPll_PsrslVpMrxMBi38h0FhrW7MVi_P8hhM2NDYErO754/s1600/twisted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-2ZhsF2Ui95eaMqJvUkZpGR88_mqOFqU3-HokEXtRWfVLCj1vYGR2md88abxc8PZs4vtTieaP4zcPKtsW_Y8Kr3tn6xmRpPll_PsrslVpMrxMBi38h0FhrW7MVi_P8hhM2NDYErO754/s200/twisted.jpg" style="height: 182px; width: 120px;" width="131" /></a></div>“Nothing in Rosewood is ever really over,” reads the first page of <b><i>Twisted</i></b> (Harper Teen, July), the ninth book in Sara Shepard’s <a href="http://www.prettylittleliars.com/">Pretty Little Liars</a> series. No kidding. Back in 2006, the <i>Horn Book Guide</i>’s review of the kick-off volume refers to<i> Pretty Little Liars</i> as the “first book in a planned series of four” (wrong). After that, not once, not twice, but <i>three times</i> have we described the book-just-before-a-new-one as the concluding volume. Most recently we say (in reference to 2010’s <i>Heartless</i> and <i>Wanted</i>): “Readers say goodbye to the PLLs in these final books of the series… <i>Wanted</i> introduces the final, crucial plot twist.”<br />
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In our own defense, that plot twist was a doozy; it really <i>did</i> seem like a wrap-up. However, I can’t deny that this whole thing is our own fault; after each story, a concluding missive by “A” tantalizingly warns readers that more mayhem could be on the horizon. From now on we’re taking that to heart, especially since the end of <i>Twisted</i> is so definitive: “Did you really think it was over?...Stick with me, kids. It’s about to get so good…”<br />
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Sara Shepard, can you pretty please whisper in the <i>Guide</i>’s ear how many books in this series you plan to write? I’d like to believe, as The Who song goes, “We won’t get fooled again.” However, I’m sure you—and “A”—have some tricks up your sleeve.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVLktmDYYtfXBylMjKwuMcui1gxaxc0DcRB6ruy5oxdC0TY3c7WmxGv76hDvlbuSRXnGcW-c7kQ25XxM831CeQeJ1nZfS-nmKnCenC6E9z7tkI2LtLGCX19xBulon46GzFo0S-BYpP7c/s1600/pll+box+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVLktmDYYtfXBylMjKwuMcui1gxaxc0DcRB6ruy5oxdC0TY3c7WmxGv76hDvlbuSRXnGcW-c7kQ25XxM831CeQeJ1nZfS-nmKnCenC6E9z7tkI2LtLGCX19xBulon46GzFo0S-BYpP7c/s1600/pll+box+set.jpg" /></a>While waiting for the inevitable book 10 (titled <i>Gullible</i>, perhaps?), series fans can keep their memories sharp by rereading <i>Wicked</i> through <i>Wanted</i>, newly available in a paperback box set. They can also feel smug about spoilers by watching the TV show, an <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20503994,00.htm"><i>Entertainment Weekly</i> guilty-pleasure darling</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Elissa Gershowitz </div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-58953880691329980742011-07-20T13:47:00.000-04:002011-07-20T13:47:52.811-04:00New voices speak upYA librarian and current Boston Globe–Horn Book Award judge Robin Brenner hosts a <a href="http://www.brooklinelibrary.org/teen-blog/entries/new-voices-in-y.a.-and-childrens-literature/">panel of "New Voices in YA and Children's Literature"</a> tonight, July 20th. <br />
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The up-and-coming authors—all recent grads of the <a href="http://www.simmons.edu/gradstudies/programs/childrens-literature/writing.php">Simmons MFA in Writing for Children program</a>, including HB freelancers Natasha Gilmore and Shara Hardeson—will read from their work, then discuss their process and their publishing experiences. The event begins at 6:30 in the Brookline Library Teen Room and will be followed by a reception in the library's cafe. Additional info available <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125662950855583">here</a>.<br />
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I'll be there to cheer them on! See you there.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-81890012731159315182011-07-19T13:54:00.001-04:002011-07-22T15:23:08.952-04:00Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two (spoilers ahead!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbBxjG5LKRqji_xaSt6jxgZSjsHJUc5NnZ7V4dseNd0qQjTA6iQmcgoqwfD5JWPl4tzvVp4mLOIZ8vn6UmiDEjXjw_ocvLimA0Unb0DH_nPp9HY5c-eVQWAVwKWvHLaGrxMrlhEpzpyc/s1600/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-2-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbBxjG5LKRqji_xaSt6jxgZSjsHJUc5NnZ7V4dseNd0qQjTA6iQmcgoqwfD5JWPl4tzvVp4mLOIZ8vn6UmiDEjXjw_ocvLimA0Unb0DH_nPp9HY5c-eVQWAVwKWvHLaGrxMrlhEpzpyc/s320/harry-potter-deathly-hallows-2-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><b><a href="http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html"><i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two</i></a></b> opened in theaters on Friday to the delight and trepidation of fans everywhere. Movie-goers be warned: there is no summary or introduction as in the previous films—they really did just split one long film into two—so it’s definitely worthwhile to re-watch <i>Part One</i> (<a href="http://hbook.com/resources/films/harrypotter7part1.asp">review here</a>) prior to seeing this last film. <i>Part Two</i> begins exactly where the first half left off, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione regrouping at Shell Cottage while Voldemort gains possession of the Elder Wand. From there, the trio races non-stop to find and eliminate the remaining Horcruxes before Voldemort discovers their plan or obtains all three Deathly Hallows. <br />
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With this final installment, the acting has done nothing but improve. Whereas in the previous films I felt Daniel Radcliffe generally showed, as Hermione would say, the emotional range of a teaspoon, here he delves deeper, showing more emotion than ever before. Helena Bonham Carter also deserves special recognition, although not for her role as Bellatrix LeStrange (she is, as always, fantastically creepy and demented). Her portrayal of Hermione, post-polyjuice potion, impersonating Bellatrix while the trio breaks into Gringott’s Bank is flawless. Bonham Carter captures every physical mannerism of Emma Watson’s Hermione, from her walk to the way her face arranges when she tries to hide her anxiety. This is one of my favorite scenes in the film. <br />
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The film is beautifully crafted from beginning to end. There are many notable scenes, like a sweeping shot of the trio running through the battle on the way to find Voldemort and Nagini, that emphasize the chaos and panic of the battle. On Harry’s walk through the courtyard on the way to the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort, his path is illuminated to subtly suggest a cross. And, of course, there is the breathtaking, perfectly heartbreaking scene with the resurrection stone. Alexandre Desplat’s score is exquisitely melancholy and epic. The special effects of Gringott’s dragon are possibly the best in the series. <br />
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The past seven films have each had some parts that were spot-on while other parts disappointed, and this eighth film is no exception. During the final showdown between Voldemort and Harry, Harry’s lecture is replaced by showy tricks. There were laughably awkward moments—in one scene, Voldemort embraces Draco—and curious additions (a romance between characters Rowling clearly stated did not get together), uncharacteristic actions (McGonagall sending all of the Slytherins to the dungeons) and unforgivable omissions, including the scene leading up to the death of a certain ginger-haired character. However, even for die-hard fans these changes only dampen the generally satisfying film. <br />
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The movie is peppered with references to the earlier installments—a flock of Cornish pixies in the Room of Requirement, a chocolate frog on the window of the Hogwarts Express in the epilogue—that inspire welcome feelings of nostalgia to break up the relentless melancholy and adrenaline. Screenwriter Steve Kloves uses his screenplay to acknowledge the significance the franchise has had (and will continue to have) for so many people. Memorable statements from Dumbledore and Lupin remind us of the importance of convictions and the power of words. Through Neville Longbottom, Kloves provides the most comfort of all, reminding us that “It doesn’t matter that Harry’s gone. People die every day. Friends, family. Yeah, we lost Harry tonight. But he’s still with us, in here [gestures to chest]. So’s Fred, and Remus, and Tonks—all of them . . . Harry’s heart did beat for us, for all of us! It’s not over!"<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Kazia Berkley-Cramer</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-90189162670349114762011-07-15T15:42:00.001-04:002011-07-19T12:50:28.705-04:00What a long, magical trip it's been.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFpLvV4LbdXPXtGYc0XjnfeTYWZ1vHAPXRdnNZCvKykKAojolG7iFN4SABKo-aDraJQKAAzNDFs17E8nqXtFRj3E-UjMuRWrzRVQUoZBEys54niJM7C2Qpp-QqMtx6uoiR_I0zJmgaao/s1600/hp7+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFpLvV4LbdXPXtGYc0XjnfeTYWZ1vHAPXRdnNZCvKykKAojolG7iFN4SABKo-aDraJQKAAzNDFs17E8nqXtFRj3E-UjMuRWrzRVQUoZBEys54niJM7C2Qpp-QqMtx6uoiR_I0zJmgaao/s320/hp7+poster.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>Last night, like fans everywhere, I got gussied up in my best Hogwarts gear and went to see the final <i>Harry Potter</i> movie premiere at midnight.<br />
<br />
Despite the fact that I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep (<i>yawn!</i>) and lots of caffeine today, I'm so glad I was able to be a part of the midnight madness one last time. The excitement was tinged with some sadness that it's all over, though... After my ten-plus years of fandom—including late-night movie premieres, midnight book releases (the last one as an indie bookseller), and Potter parties—it really does feel like saying goodbye to an old friend.<br />
<br />
I'm prolonging the afterglow (and trying to stave off the sense of mourning) by listening to <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/leakyconradio">"LeakyCon Radio" over at Sirius XM</a>, running live from <a href="http://www.leakycon.com/">the convention</a> all weekend. Obviously, I'd brave a basilisk to be at LeakyCon in person, but since I can't be there I'm thrilled to be able to eavesdrop on the panel discussions and interviews.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for our movie review of <i>Deathly Hallows Part 2</i>, and in the meantime, feel free to share some fandom memories of your own in the comments.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Katie Bircher</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-86321793543552377412011-07-14T13:32:00.000-04:002011-07-14T13:32:45.786-04:00At home with Kids and Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11nkVDFQxlFS4P_ftdGXmOxYMsUYD6k9NAZfuKfQUgM2RKPaZDj2ZQvTEN2LkFGMJwT4aPKMZ6xXylhVf-2zP2vPA04xoMrxwsIbMRmJdQq-jqaacwynA83DDDa4Xy4pwjsIc19HBysE/s1600/castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11nkVDFQxlFS4P_ftdGXmOxYMsUYD6k9NAZfuKfQUgM2RKPaZDj2ZQvTEN2LkFGMJwT4aPKMZ6xXylhVf-2zP2vPA04xoMrxwsIbMRmJdQq-jqaacwynA83DDDa4Xy4pwjsIc19HBysE/s320/castle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Despite its title, RedactiePartners MediaGroep’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMxy6V58QX8"><b><i>Kids and Home</i></b> app</a> ($.99, recommended for ages 4 and up) features no children and a wide variety of buildings, few of them actually homes. However, it serves as an adequate introduction for young children to different architecture around the world. The first part of the app resembles a nonfiction picture book; each screen introduces a particular structure, mentioning a unique feature of the building and how it differs from the narrator’s own house (for example, “This is the Taj Mahal. It is in India. It was built as a monument to love. My house was built to be lived in”). Only very general facts are given on the main part of each screen, instead giving focus to a photograph of the structure itself. A light bulb in the upper right corner, once tapped, becomes a pull-down fact sheet about the location with more detailed information and trivia. Each screen includes a related (if somewhat lackluster) interactive element; for instance, on the Big Ben screen a double-decker bus beeps and drives across the photo. Although so many—over twenty-five—pages become repetitive, they do allow the user to explore a diverse range of structures, from houseboats to cathedrals to the pyramids.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQNmdrULCvlazXrQyHloPW6QHLoVkRZBKUIj7n7refAiuM7RBETW76OEVeVwi2hnCDxvFyZYaHH0xLbxnYVWAlxuSGJkH3DYzZtK7NRgQlcN5GRAM0xxvqZ3yLiK551ZQzbv1QcozE0Y/s1600/build+dream+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQNmdrULCvlazXrQyHloPW6QHLoVkRZBKUIj7n7refAiuM7RBETW76OEVeVwi2hnCDxvFyZYaHH0xLbxnYVWAlxuSGJkH3DYzZtK7NRgQlcN5GRAM0xxvqZ3yLiK551ZQzbv1QcozE0Y/s320/build+dream+house.jpg" width="320" /></a>The second part of the app allows users to customize a home. Essentially a virtual sticker book, this feature lets users select the location of their home (e.g., Mars, underwater, a desert) to its accoutrements (e.g., columns, solar panels, and weather vanes). Another sticker book–ish section offers images of vehicles, animals, etc., to play with, while yet another section invites digital painting. I used the app several times and each time found the creative parts challenging to work with. I had trouble making the pieces of my home stay where I wanted them and saving my finished picture. Theoretically the user can send their "dreamhouse" by email or upload it to Facebook, but after I saved the image of my home I was not able to upload it. Overall, the app is less user-friendly—and less interesting—than I had hoped it would be. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">—Kazia Berkley-Cramer</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-46526068470735715602011-07-13T13:08:00.000-04:002011-07-13T13:08:59.705-04:00Newest Notes out todayJuly's <i>Notes from the Horn Book</i> will be hitting inboxes in about an hour. Here's what to expect this issue:<br />
- five questions for illustrator Sophie Blackall<br />
- Sophie's recent picture books<br />
- picture book bios<br />
- brand-new middle-grade fiction <br />
- fresh perspectives on tough topics in YA<br />
- updates on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards ceremony and Horn Book at Simmons <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZh2PZyCv2FRjFo3XFz4R9qY-CQmMvMhuKetIvqOmg0E-RnNT38jCq5HVv7TowUGr-MvevLcjcvU2fMDA7g5lrZqTWrwwNZS1tpNF6qATCkgwDTePm7j2a3hXMe8eNaFSNEjO9j0lhoo8/s1600/july+notes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZh2PZyCv2FRjFo3XFz4R9qY-CQmMvMhuKetIvqOmg0E-RnNT38jCq5HVv7TowUGr-MvevLcjcvU2fMDA7g5lrZqTWrwwNZS1tpNF6qATCkgwDTePm7j2a3hXMe8eNaFSNEjO9j0lhoo8/s320/july+notes.JPG" width="289" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://hbook.com/newsletter/subscribe.html">Sign up here!</a>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-68613930822618586982011-07-06T15:02:00.002-04:002011-07-06T15:04:34.612-04:00ALA Live Five round-up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharsts7adLFSGpQWOLJnwgmBzNCyFllOPhGVXC99XRkk339v2utB-nGfN90mfb8RUd9UzmQCJwt4FqNpk5oY1p6MnYNNiVuqZqLcwTVp7U__8-gz6tF8_vah92q8a5xSfYYG1ZJ2IbslqW/s1600/DSC_0588%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharsts7adLFSGpQWOLJnwgmBzNCyFllOPhGVXC99XRkk339v2utB-nGfN90mfb8RUd9UzmQCJwt4FqNpk5oY1p6MnYNNiVuqZqLcwTVp7U__8-gz6tF8_vah92q8a5xSfYYG1ZJ2IbslqW/s200/DSC_0588%255B1%255D.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomie dePaola and Roger</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Over at <a href="http://readroger.hbook.com/">Read Roger</a>, our indefatigable leader has been posting highlights from his nine <a href="http://readroger.hbook.com/search/label/Interviews">Live Five</a> interviews with the 2011 Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Wilder, Sibert, and Printz luminaries, plus bonus interviews with superstars Brian Selznick and Rick Riordan. Head over and learn whose dog Roger wants and what he and Rita Williams-Garcia were singing about.</div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09821913055211829559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-36779800271544916432011-07-01T11:58:00.004-04:002011-07-20T09:33:35.590-04:00Alanna redux<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURrnE-1Xwig1Q9xVB7Hgtqw4LGQsGOUYlAmA3k21tOor0OnwkFHdL6qv73IiGCHWqRWo3WP1aTuQz4lw8A-QqMrvsfHhRDFGA7qHkHMPOQpzJ5lYw5_cSuiOx_rqMROBbkQlPvc-0XQQ/s1600/woman+who+rides+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURrnE-1Xwig1Q9xVB7Hgtqw4LGQsGOUYlAmA3k21tOor0OnwkFHdL6qv73IiGCHWqRWo3WP1aTuQz4lw8A-QqMrvsfHhRDFGA7qHkHMPOQpzJ5lYw5_cSuiOx_rqMROBbkQlPvc-0XQQ/s200/woman+who+rides+2011.jpg" style="height: 185px; width: 123px;" /></a>As a Horn Book intern, I’m on the <i>Out of the Box</i> frontlines: I open the boxes and see what’s in them first. I recently came across the new paperback edition of Tamora Pierce’s <i>The Woman Who Rides like a Man</i> (left), the third book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet (Simon and Schuster, April). As a fan of the series, I was taken aback by the new cover, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6gAvDceRaFIxBtbPb4dhbk6U2oOso9U4BgV1QlS8U0VxS2nhO6Weuh6DU5Pk4kE3bgX5d02pyNPi7NOefFVu-3Xu8jZBUDyDF5BmN5n44oN4PJrOLsQCBNoEEXOZDZsqmQYL8-hrNtA/s1600/woman+who+rides+like+a+man+1997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6gAvDceRaFIxBtbPb4dhbk6U2oOso9U4BgV1QlS8U0VxS2nhO6Weuh6DU5Pk4kE3bgX5d02pyNPi7NOefFVu-3Xu8jZBUDyDF5BmN5n44oN4PJrOLsQCBNoEEXOZDZsqmQYL8-hrNtA/s200/woman+who+rides+like+a+man+1997.jpg" style="height: 185px; width: 122px;" /></a>which features a photographed Alanna, the protagonist of the series, with magenta-dyed hair, in modern clothes and makeup, and flanked by two teenage boys. The Alanna I picture is a combination of my own imagination and Joyce Patti’s softly illustrated cover portraying a ginger-haired heroine (1997 Random House edition, right).<br />
<br />
My discomfort with this new edition lies not in the decision to change the cover image, but with my worry that the new art does not accurately represent the story to a new generation of readers. If I were unfamiliar with the plot—about newly knighted Alanna’s journey to Tortall’s desert and her capture and acceptance by the Bloody Hawk tribe—I would guess from the new cover that it‘s about a contemporary teenage girl who has a magic pendant and is caught in a love triangle a lá <i>Twilight</i>.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Looking at this edition reminds me of some of my other favorite books that have been reissued with new covers, some of which I’ve grown to appreciate (the 2007 edition of Natalie Babbitt’s <i>The Search for Delicious</i>)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lJ_kOu3er0P49RCo2Tbx4fdH_AFqTNBwPdy8hz6zTQovun9-UkUIEq8jjbVEuPgcQDjgScDMHPlsUtYjEiO6P5re387MaZoN5JmSQBHHcyoJIBCENfacFcFGG0wklDTV_2gdM_Y-h4w/s1600/search+for+delicious+original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lJ_kOu3er0P49RCo2Tbx4fdH_AFqTNBwPdy8hz6zTQovun9-UkUIEq8jjbVEuPgcQDjgScDMHPlsUtYjEiO6P5re387MaZoN5JmSQBHHcyoJIBCENfacFcFGG0wklDTV_2gdM_Y-h4w/s200/search+for+delicious+original.jpg" width="138" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcN42TvYX7Q4K02A1QnUMD0yhLjnTGZqSRQBLNJrdqjpfZHBtUIVuVSJjVIL6Ovmjs8TMC3jR820SNIJ-93zM4avifSVE82VRJlxm8D9ZJTEmGrbBUjKcmcUOVoi0e_Dvqfmr_aiZVvA/s1600/search+for+delicious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcN42TvYX7Q4K02A1QnUMD0yhLjnTGZqSRQBLNJrdqjpfZHBtUIVuVSJjVIL6Ovmjs8TMC3jR820SNIJ-93zM4avifSVE82VRJlxm8D9ZJTEmGrbBUjKcmcUOVoi0e_Dvqfmr_aiZVvA/s200/search+for+delicious.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br />
and some of which I have not (any post-Trina Schart Hyman editions of Patricia C. Wrede’s <i>The Enchanted Forest Chronicles</i>).<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_rHKFYQKSE_-U-3swEN1lY1PyyQxHExjTgmQOcHMHYz1Ps9sRy5XQAKNH5Xx2AZiVmDwRqjWzcsMbgsk55uhCu3uwi_dY5CSgb3ow1s2y3sVYQUqmKIUSoF-q6nt2JYlb4Cp290MJL4/s1600/dealing+with+dragons+TSH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_rHKFYQKSE_-U-3swEN1lY1PyyQxHExjTgmQOcHMHYz1Ps9sRy5XQAKNH5Xx2AZiVmDwRqjWzcsMbgsk55uhCu3uwi_dY5CSgb3ow1s2y3sVYQUqmKIUSoF-q6nt2JYlb4Cp290MJL4/s200/dealing+with+dragons+TSH.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBff69oIkJcX_v6qq1735l58JDwkvhNlG9EDgh4SzlUiX4aM4fLIqrB9I4iHSlxyJh-UBzfKe6KhsGJBdoTg0ntMejRDIDMMHQfVbk8vfT_aTxXFxTVIwaj-1nfOdvfyZC9iVjkWteXAk/s1600/dealing+with+dragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBff69oIkJcX_v6qq1735l58JDwkvhNlG9EDgh4SzlUiX4aM4fLIqrB9I4iHSlxyJh-UBzfKe6KhsGJBdoTg0ntMejRDIDMMHQfVbk8vfT_aTxXFxTVIwaj-1nfOdvfyZC9iVjkWteXAk/s200/dealing+with+dragons.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Which original cover art do you think shouldn’t be tampered with? Which new covers are welcome updates?</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">—Kazia Berkley-Cramer</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-67702438104987024132011-06-30T10:54:00.000-04:002011-06-30T10:54:52.034-04:00July/August 2011 special issue: Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqMqtsPpgCkElCU00KeaFnn-xEMHUw7mIzCc_WCbr1XToyIhOS6Ku4DRQEhYGwpvCoNqVEx5wiDr4TTSm81-3Bt0kcBxJka531Zsw4nxBqrNGIYlODdcTAGZwO1aqwCiq93FeLOn-5fSw/s1600/jul11mag_toc%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqMqtsPpgCkElCU00KeaFnn-xEMHUw7mIzCc_WCbr1XToyIhOS6Ku4DRQEhYGwpvCoNqVEx5wiDr4TTSm81-3Bt0kcBxJka531Zsw4nxBqrNGIYlODdcTAGZwO1aqwCiq93FeLOn-5fSw/s1600/jul11mag_toc%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div>The <a href="http://www.hbook.com/magazine/current.asp"><span style="color: #999999;">July/August <em>Horn Book Magazine</em> is out</span></a>, and selected articles are on our website, including profiles of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Wilder medalists and the CSK author and illustrator award recipients. And don't miss K.T. Horning's eye-opening "Secrecy and the Newbery Medal"...in which much history is related and several secrets revealed.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09821913055211829559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-49466934207746462042011-06-27T12:19:00.000-04:002011-06-27T12:19:44.694-04:00The one, the only<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-da9X9vkHg0asvC9xEdckdaz9F_CAnneUD3_4Tz15PTMPvjhHMy1AepxAdS546pqENUVxBx9eQcPgQ13vYUNBbuRQ8kkqi9mDyf4Pgemng-aegrQymggU2csKRuvYU6Kadc8sRxVmLU/s1600/eric+carle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-da9X9vkHg0asvC9xEdckdaz9F_CAnneUD3_4Tz15PTMPvjhHMy1AepxAdS546pqENUVxBx9eQcPgQ13vYUNBbuRQ8kkqi9mDyf4Pgemng-aegrQymggU2csKRuvYU6Kadc8sRxVmLU/s1600/eric+carle.jpg" /></a></div>Eric Carle will appear at the <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/">Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art</a> in Amherst, MA the weekend of July 15th and 16th.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, July 15th, at 5 p.m., Mr. Carle will host a ceremony to honor his mentor Leo Lionni and unveil Mr. Lionni's bronze sculpture <i>Imaginary Garden</i>. A reception with Mr. Carle will follow. Tickets for the ceremony and reception are $25 for the public, $15 for members.<br />
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The following morning at 10 a.m., Mr. Carle will meet fans and sign books. This event is free with admission. More details for both appearances are <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/Programs_Events/Upcoming">available here</a>, and a specific FAQ for the "Meet Eric Carle" signing is <a href="http://www.carlemuseum.org/Programs_Events/Upcoming/Meet_Eric_Carle/">here</a>.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976719809621886096.post-68770741893317751192011-06-24T13:36:00.000-04:002011-06-24T13:36:37.897-04:00Bummer of a summer movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MX6bixk5Nhu1s4m6HWpyQQkmGgyCqMIR-Jh8hPlryLhmKD1uL_EdJ5AT4spOnugtzALVrn-6ALwhvNHztbdQnj0jq3wzJDwgtWVFRzJKYzaBkRhTDVC946p5xkweASG-Kk_LIjlqSHo/s1600/judy+moody+movie+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MX6bixk5Nhu1s4m6HWpyQQkmGgyCqMIR-Jh8hPlryLhmKD1uL_EdJ5AT4spOnugtzALVrn-6ALwhvNHztbdQnj0jq3wzJDwgtWVFRzJKYzaBkRhTDVC946p5xkweASG-Kk_LIjlqSHo/s320/judy+moody+movie+poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>After posting last week about <b><i><a href="http://judymoodymovie.com/">Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer</a> </i></b>movie tie-in books, I went to see how Judy translated to the big screen. I had already read some less-than-stellar reviews of the movie, and the novelization based on the screenplay didn’t live up to the original nine books. Even these warnings did not prepare me for how bad a film it actually was. Judy Moody should have stayed in her books, as this was one <i>bummer</i> summer film.<br />
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The story line focuses on Judy’s efforts to avoid a boring summer by creating a contest with her friends: the “Judy Moody Mega-Rare NOT-BUMMER-Summer Dare.” Obsessed with earning “thrill points,” Judy misses opportunities to have fun and focuses instead on the negative: her best friends’ going out of town, her parents’ leaving her home with little brother Stink and Aunt Opal (a.k.a.“Aunt Awful”), and all of her dares going awry. While Judy’s mishaps are entertaining, a sub-plot involving Stink hunting Bigfoot seems a bit random, although it does play a crucial role in the movie’s chaotic, action-driven ending.<br />
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The director focuses too much on capturing outrageous reactions of the characters—or should I say <i>caricatures</i>? The overacting in this film verged on nauseating. Parris Mosteller’s portrayal of Judy’s younger brother, Stink, was particularly grating. Stink may be the little brother, but author Megan McDonald never makes him unlikeable in her books. In fact, McDonald started a separate series about him. But Mosteller’s almost nonexistent acting skills combined with his babyish speech (inconsistent with his character’s age) made me want to walk out of the theater. <br />
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Big-name draw Heather Graham is probably most believable (and that’s not saying much) in her role as the fun but irresponsible Aunt Opal. Exaggeration worked with her character, although at times it still came across as overacting. Steve Urkel—I mean, Jaleel White—was forgettable as teacher Mr. Todd. Jordana Beatty as Judy, while fairly spot-on in capturing the beloved character’s quirky nature, was actually hampered by the Judy Moody lingo. On paper, “mega-rare” and “TOADally” work well, but when you hear them spoken aloud, the lines are just groan-worthy.<br />
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Even though Megan McDonald was one of the screenwriters, this film did a poor job of representing what I love about the Judy Moody books: Judy’s a self-involved but relatively normal kid who says and does believable things. Kids relate to her. When the kids in my theater audience were not laughing during the film, I knew something was wrong. I quickly realized the film’s biggest problem: it talks down to its primary audience with characters so corny, overdrawn, and unrealistic that kids don’t find them funny. Moral of the story: don’t condescend to your audience. Judy Moody deserves more respect and so do her devoted fans. <i>Roar!</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">—Cindy Ritter</div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740888826182765717noreply@blogger.com2