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Movie Alert: 'Flipped'
Will summer moviegoers go for an old-school, middle-school romance set in the 1960s? Flipped, based on Wendelin Van Draanen's 2001 coming-of-age novel of the same name -- about two dissimilar eighth-graders, Bryce Loski and Juli Baker, whose longtime feelings for each other change abruptly -- hits the big screen on August 27.
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Paul O. Zelinsky's Bookmaking Saga
"I've finally finished the last painting for Dust Devil, Anne Isaacs’s sequel to Swamp Angel, and what a struggle it's been! What was the struggle, exactly? I'm already beginning to forget. If only I had kept a journal!" That entry opens Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky's faux journal...
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In Brief: July 29
In this week's In Brief: the cover of Cal Ripken Jr.'s first book for kids is unveiled; a group of writers gather in a Chicago bookstore; and The Booksource names its Publisher of the Year.
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The Success and Grand Finale of The 39 Clues
Launched in September 2008, The 39 Clues is a multimedia adventure series that includes books by a stellar roster of authors, collectible cards, and an online game. On August 31, Scholastic will release the final book with a 750,000-copy first printing and considerable fanfare.
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New Plagiarism Suit Against Harry Potter and Scholastic
The estate of Adrian Jacobs is going global in its pursuit of copyright infringement against J.K. Rowling and the publishers of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After suing Bloomsbury in the U.K. last year and adding Rowling as a defendant in February, estate trustee Paul Allen has filed a new suit against Scholastic.
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Biography of Fighter Jack Johnson Steps into the Ring
On July 4, 1910, Texas-born Jack "Black Jack" Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion of the world when he easily defeated James J. Jeffries in a match in Reno. One hundred years later, the story of this dedicated, charismatic, and complex boxer unfolds in Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson.
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Rights Report: July 15
There’s a prequel to the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Marc Brown will illustrate a picture book for Little, Brown, and Ghost Huntress has been optioned for the movies.
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July 8: In Brief
This week, Disney's "Unrequired Reading" tour, a book promotion at Eclipse movie premieres, and a release party for Sellout.
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Children's Books at ALA: A PW Photo-Essay
Librarians, publishers, and authors braved the heat and crowds to attend ALA's annual conference, held late last month in Washington, D.C. Numerous authors and illustrators mingled with librarians and signed copies of their books.
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Scholastic Announces 'Mockingjay' Print Run, Tour Details
Teens, tweens, and adults alike are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mockingjay, the third and final book in Suzanne Collins's dystopian Hunger Games trilogy. And come August 24, they shouldn't have trouble getting their hands on a copy: Scholastic has increased the book's initial print run to 1.2 million copies, up from 750,000 copies.
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Ripken Steps to the (Children's Book) Plate
Disney Book Group has signed a deal with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. for a middle-grade baseball series; Baltimore Sun, sportswriter Kevin Cowherd will coauthor. The retired Baltimore Oriole's first book, Hothead, about a third baseman with a problematic temper, will be published by Disney-Hyperion in winter 2011, with additional books arriving yearly. Disney-Hyperion editorial director Stephanie Owens Lurie did the deal for world rights with Ian Kleinert of Objective Entertainment.
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'Wild Soccer Bunch' Lands in the U.S.
Just in time to capitalize on World Cup fever, a soccer-centric middle-grade series that’s been making waves abroad is arriving in the U.S. The Wild Soccer Bunch series by Joachim Masannek, illustrated by Jan Birck, follows the adventures of a young, coed soccer team, with each book focusing on a different player. The series was originally published in Germany in 2002 under the name Die Wilden Fußballkerle, growing to 13 books in three years’ time.
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Chipping Away at Science: Turning the Humble Potato Chip into a Scientific Experiment
What’s a novelist whose mind runs to the 18th century to do when his nine-year-old son challenges him to pick a subject that’s “important”? In Allen Kurzweil’s case, after rejecting the Red Sox as a topic, he acquiesced to Max’s number two pick, “potato chips.
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June 24: Rights Report
This week, Alvina Ling at Little, Brown buys the new YA novel from Laini Taylor,
Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow Books gets North American rights to Counting Cars by Christina Meredith, Jocelyn Davies at Razorbill acquires Crush Control, a new novel by Jennifer Jabaley, and Jon Anderson of Simon & Schuster has bought A ValueTales Treasury: Stories for Growing Good People by Spencer Johnson, M.D. -
In Brief: June 24
This week, volunteers help Connecticut bookstore RJ Julia celebrate its 20th anniversary by donating 20,000 books to New Haven schools, Debra Frasier launches her state-fair themed alphabet book at Red Balloon in St. Paul, big birthdays for Walker and Puffin in the U.K., and Books & Co plays host to five YA authors.
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Autobiography of a Cover
The old saw that "you can't judge a book by its cover" may be true, but it doesn't stop YA publishers from pouring money into them to try to influence buyers, aka finicky teens. "The cover is a huge part of the way a book is marketed. It's almost the entire advertising," says Josh Bank, president, East Coast, of Alloy Entertainment.
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Plucky Heroine Takes Charge in New Penguin Series
First-grader Frannie dreams of getting a paper shredder rather than a doll for Christmas and keeps her resume updated in case the perfect job pops up. This aspiring career gal made her debut last month in Grosset & Dunlap’s Frankly, Frannie and Frankly, Frannie: Doggy Day Care...
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From Beach Lane, a Joint Effort by Twin Sisters
In Who Said Coo?, Lulu the pig is kept awake by two prankster pals—Pigeon and Owl—who make coo-ing, whoo-ing, and finally moo-ing sounds outside her cottage. When the sleepless porker shoos them away, their boo-hoos let her know their feelings are hurt, and she invites them inside, where they drink cocoa and snuggle in for a sleepover. Out this month from Simon & Schuster’s Beach Lane imprint, this picture book is written by Deborah Ruddell and illustrated by Robin Luebs, identical twin sisters from Illinois who have each published two prior books, yet have never before collaborated professionally. Here’s how the book was born.
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In Brief: June 17
This week, Reach Out and Read launches the Summer of a Million Books campaign, to get a million new books into the hands of children between Father’s Day and Labor Day; two sisters and fellow writers share a launch party, and novelist Mary Downing Hahn takes a break from writing to paint while visiting Provence.
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