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On the Road with M.T. Anderson
Author M.T. Anderson is on a national tour for his new book, Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware, the third title in his Pals in Peril series. His tour has taken him to California, to the Washington, D.C., area, and to the Midwest Booksellers Association show in St. Paul, among other stops. Anderson also made one especially appropriate visit, given the title of his book: to the first state in the union, Delaware. See our photo essay of his visit.
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An ‘Evil’ Debut
Josh Lieb's first YA novel, I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (Razorbill), hits the shelves this month. It's the darkly comic story of Oliver Watson, a hugely wealthy boy business whiz whose cover is that of a schlubby seventh-grade loser. Though the author is a rookie in the children's book arena, he's a seasoned pro in the world of comedy writing for television...
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'Wimpy Kid 4' Print Run Upped to Four Million
Harry N. Abrams announced late Tuesday that it has increased the print run for the October 12 release of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days from three million to four million, based on strong demand. This makes the fourth installment of the cartoon-illustrated novels the largest first printing for any children’s book this year.
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Children’s Book Reviews: 10/5/2009
This week's children's book reviews include picture books from Tom Tomorrow, Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers, Jeanette Winter, Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson, and Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney; new fiction from Mark Teague, Lauren Myracle, and Francesca Lia Block; and round-ups of new pop-up titles and coffee table—ready gift books.
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Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer: Once Upon a Half Century
Fifty years ago, Norton Juster was pacing his second-floor apartment in Brooklyn Heights, unsure that the manuscript he was working on - his first - would ever be published. His roommate Jules Feiffer was his first reader, who also sketched some pictures to go with Juster’s story. The manuscript was The Phantom Tollbooth. Now, a half century later, these veterans are collaborating on a new picture book, The Odious Ogre, due out in fall 2010.
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Web Exclusive Children's Book Reviews: 10/2/2009
This collection of web-exclusive children's book reviews includes new work from R.L. LaFevers, Lynne Jonell, Mark Dunn and a star for Sally Gardner's sequel to The Red Necklace.
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Worldwide Release for Mandela Autobiography for Kids
Back in the 1980s, Nelson Mandela was front and center on the world stage. Now, Macmillan aims to see history repeat itself, thanks to a global, 13-language launch of the picture-book adaptation of his autobiography. The company’s unprecedented release of Long Walk to Freedom "was intended to reflect Nelson Mandela’s importance to South Africa and the world," says Emma Hopkin of Macmillan Children’s Books in the U.K...
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Children’s Books Front and Center at Midwest Show
Children’s books played a prominent part in the Midwest Booksellers Association’s annual meeting and trade show, held last weekend in St. Paul. To no one’s surprise, in the wake of Stephenie Meyer’s incredible success with the Twilight series, YA novels that contain magic, vampires or paranormal themes were popular with booksellers trying to anticipate the next big YA hit.
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In Brief: October 1
This week, a new Winnie-the-Pooh character is revealed, an "Exquisite Corpse" is unveiled, an NBA star tells of his big dreams, and Al Roker picks a new book for his on-air Al's Book Club.
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Q & A with Katherine Paterson
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: This is the first time in my long life as a writer when somebody has suggested a story to me and I’ve taken the suggestion. Some years ago, our church sponsored a refugee family from Kosovo, and a good friend of mine said you should write the Haxhuis’ story. And so I went over there... -
New Square Fish Program Packs Double Punch
This month Square Fish is debuting its Flip Me paperback line, which presents two back-to-back, flip-over chapter books by one author in a single volume. The program draws from the backlists of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group’s four imprints. A practical concern provided the inspiration, explains Jean Feiwel, senior v-p and director of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, who informally refers to the Flip Me line as "Square Fish Squared."
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Movie Alert: Where the Wild Things Are
One of the most anticipated movies of 2009—Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved picture book Where the Wild Things Are—is finally approaching its release date, after a long and tumultuous road to production. With a screenplay co-written by Jonze and author Dave Eggers, the film arrives in theaters October 16; plans to bring Sendak’s picture book to the big screen have been underway for more than a decade.
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Record-Breaking Crowds at the National Book Festival
The ninth annual National Book Festival took place last Saturday in Washington, D.C., with a record-breaking attendance of more than 130,000. Numerous children’s book authors and illustrators were present—including Jon Scieszka, Kate DiCamillo, Jeff Kinney, Judy Blume, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, among many more. See our extensive photo-essay after the jump.
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Licensing Hotline: October 2009
David Biedrzycki's Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective is ready to generate buzz through a new representation deal between Charlesbridge and The ThinkTank Emporium, marking the first time Charlesbridge has signed with an outside agent to develop one of its book franchises. See more licensing stories, including news of Golden’s Iron Man: Armored Adventures titles, and Parragon teaming with MGA Entertainment on a new doll line for tween girls.
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A Bountiful Crop of Young Readers’ Adaptations
It’s that time of year again. Booksellers are stocking up for the holiday selling season and publishers’ fall lists are sprinkled with the names of tried-and-true authors. Some of those familiar authors are testing new waters, with children’s adaptations of their successful adult books—often with hefty first printings. Though it is hardly a new phenomenon, the adaptation business appears to be thriving in these tight times.
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Children's Authors Sparkle at MBA
The children’s book and author breakfast, which traditionally kicks off the trade show portion of the Midwest Booksellers Association’s annual gathering, is usually a literary-star studded affair, and this year was no exception. Nearly 200 groggy booksellers straggled into St. Paul’s RiverCentre last Saturday morning to hear an A-list of children’s authors: Loren Long, M.T. Anderson, Catherine Gilbert Murdock and Neil Gaiman...
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Building a Book for Habitat for Humanity
Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 houses in over 3,000 communities in 90-plus countries. David Rubel chronicles the history and accomplishments of this organization in If I Had a Hammer: Building Homes and Hope with Habitat for Humanity, an October title from Candlewick. The book features a foreword by former president Jimmy Carter, who first picked up a hammer to participate in a Habitat project a quarter-century ago.
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Children's Book Reviews: 9/28/2009
This week's reviews include new picture books from Peter Yarrow, Satoshi Kitamura, Patricia Polacco and Lois Lowry, as well as fiction from Sharon Creech, Nancy Farmer, Cinda Williams Chima, Julia Donaldson and Siobhan Dowd.
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Web Exclusive Children's Book Reviews: 9/24/2009
This selection of web-exclusive children's book reviews includes new books from Rachel Isadora, Peter Yarrow and Amber Kizer, as well as debut work from Jan Bozarth, Carolyn Q. Ebbitt and Donny Bailey Seagraves.
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Finalists Named for Astrid Lindgren Prize
Nearly 170 authors and organizations were named last Thursday as finalists for the annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's most lucrative prize in children’s books. Finalists from the United States are: Ashley Bryan, Kevin Henkes, Russell Hoban, Maira Kalman, Lois Lowry, Greg Mortenson, Walter Dean Myers, Anne Pellowski, Allen Say, Uri Shulevitz, Peter Sís, and the Room to Read organization. Nominated British authors include...
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