|
|
 |
 |
In the News |
|
|
 |
In the Bookstores |
 |
The Run-up to Christmas: A Bookseller Survey
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
With the holiday season upon us, Bookshelf spoke with independent booksellers across the country to find out if their holiday rush has begun, given the early arrival of Thanksgiving. We also asked them to tell us which titles they are especially excited about selling this season. A big thank you to all the booksellers who took the time to talk to us during this busy time.
|
|
|
|
 |
Book News |
|
Beacon Street Girls Put on Their Traveling Shoes |
|
|
|
|
|
With more than 400,000 copies of the first nine books of its 34-book Beacon Street Girls series in print, B*tween Productions is looking to extend its reach beyond the traditional book and gift markets with Charlotte in Paris (Oct.), the first book in its BSG Adventure series. To promote the series, the Lexington, Mass.-based tween publisher is partnering with Atlas Travel International, a woman-owned travel agency, which is part of a travel network with 3,300 offices.
According to B*tween CEO and principal BSG creator Addie Swartz, the new series is projected to have 25 books, five featuring each of the five main Beacon Street Girls. "[Travel] is part of the fabric of the series; the goal is to provide broad exposure. The original idea was to have the girls meet in a school overseas," says Swartz, who regards travel as key to teaching tolerance and understanding. Initial plans for the series were overruled by the BSG Tween Advisory Board, which consists of 3,500 "super fans," who lobbied for Charlotte to go back to Paris and find her cat, Orangina. Future BSG Adventures will take place overseas as well as stateside in Colorado and Hollywood.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
In Brief |
 |
Masters of Trivia |
|
|
The third annual CBC Trivia Challenge took place earlier this month, and the winning team (which took home the Golden Bunny trophy) was called The Five Senses, comprised of (from left) Heather Scott (Bloomsbury), Lisa Cheng (McElderry), Lisa Graff (FSG), Samantha McFerrin (Harcourt), and Schuyler Hooke (Random House). Author/illustrator Mo Willems hosted the event, which had 60 players. A sampling of the questions the teams had to answer: While he was only an "associate member," who is the only male ever to be granted membership in the Baby-sitters Club? Answer: Logan Bruno. What book did George W. Bush claim to be "one of his favorites growing up" in a 1999 survey, even though the book was published when he was 23? Answer:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. |
|
|
Harry Potter Movie Sighting |
|
|
Harry Potter fans eagerly awaiting any and all news about the wizard will be happy to hear that a teaser trailer for the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie is available online at the official movie Web site. In the movie, Harry spends his fifth year at Hogwarts and has his first kiss with Cho Chang. The movie will be released on July 13, 2007. |
|
|
Winning Art |
|
|
The new Feiwel & Friends imprint has published its first title: On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman, an October picture book. Bookstores on Tillman's tour schedule (14 stores and 13 schools in four cities) were sent framed lithographs of her art which were then raffled off to customers. The winner at Magic Tree Bookstore in Oak Park, Ill., is seen here (with lithograph) alongside Iris Yipp (co-owner of the store), Tillman, and Rose Joseph (the other co-owner). |
|
|
Teen Book Video Awards |
|
|
The Book Standard, in tandem with Random House Children’s Books, debuted the Teen Book Video Awards on Tuesday night, naming the three winners. Jon Haller won for his film for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Katie Kosenmaki won for A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray and Susan Muirhead won for How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. The three student (or alumni) filmmakers were chosen based on screenplays and scripts they submitted for the Random House books, which were chosen ahead of time. To view the winning videos,
click here. |
|
|
Costa Shortlist Announced |
|
|
The shortlist for England’s Costa Children’s Book Award (formerly the Whitbread Book Awards) has been announced. The contenders are: Clay by David Almond (Hodder in U.K., Delacorte in U.S.); The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding (Egmont); Just in Case by Meg Rosoff (Puffin in U.K., Random/Lamb in U.S.); and Set in Stone by Linda Newbery (Random/Fickling). The winner will be announced on January 10.
|
|
|
 |
Q&A |
|
 |
People |
 |
Julia Richardson has been hired as paperback director for the Houghton Mifflin Children’s Book Group. She was previously editorial director of Aladdin paperbacks at S&S. Richardson will begin her new job on December 11 in Houghton’s New York offices but will be
based in Boston beginning in 2007. |
|
|
Putnam Books for Young Readers has hired Stacey Barney as editor. She was most recently an editor at the Dafina imprint at Kensington.
|
|
|
 |
Featured Reviews |
|
Drumbeat in Our Feet |
|
|
 |
|
|
 Patricia Keeler and Júlio T. Leitão, illus. by Patricia A. Keeler. Lee & Low, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 1-58430-264-X
With an “Eh-way!” and “Doom, doom, da!” Keeler (A Huge Hog Is a Big Pig) and Leitão bring African dance to life. Dynamic illustrations and a lyrical narrative depict children in New York City (“Coming from Brooklyn, coming from Harlem,/ The Bronx and down the subway lines”) who are part of an African dance troupe. Colorful, motion-filled images of them during practice and performance are juxtaposed with expository side notes and sepia-toned art that set a second stage in Africa. For example, as the American dancers paint their bodies with white dots, the backdrop shows a scene of long-ago African villagers dancing in similarly painted designs: “Thinking about the ancestors/ Once young like us—/ Dancing on/ African soil/ Dancing
under/ African clouds/ .../ Breathing African air.” The accompanying sidebar explains how the white dots represent ancestral spirits. Each spread spotlights a different aspect of African dance, from its traditions to its instruments, putting into context what the young U.S. dancers are reenacting on the pages. Successfully straddling two continents, this rhythmic work unites them in the last scene, as brightly clad dancers from the New York studio appear on an African landscape. Author notes introduce the Harlem-based dance troupe, Batoto Yetu, which Leitão founded. A map of Africa and a pronunciation guide for African words used in the text wrap up this lively, information-packed book. Ages 5-10. (Oct.)
|
|
|
 Something Remains |
|
|
|
|
|
 Inge Barth-Grözinger, trans. from the German by Anthea Bell. Hyperion, $16.99 (400p) ISBN 0-7868-3880-9
When the Nazi Party takes over the German government, 12-year-old Erich Levi notices that his once vibrant household has turned somber. “His mother hadn’t laughed as often as usual, and his father’s mischievous face suddenly looked gaunt.” Things also change at school. Daily, Erich faces humiliations by cruel teachers and classmates, and Jews are excluded from extracurricular activities, including sports. The most painful development is that people who once spoke openly to his family now look the other way and refuse to do business with them. Erich’s best friend, Kurt, joins the Jungvolk (the junior section of Hitler Youth) and no longer acknowledges Erich for fear of the consequences. Erich struggles to understand why Hitler hates Jews (“We’re
Germans ourselves!” the boy points out). Life continues year after year in the tranquil village of Ellwangen, but just below the surface brews a mixture of anger and hatred, making life for the few Jewish residents intolerable and dangerous. First-time author Bart-Grözinger wrote Erich’s story after doing a research project with her students on the Jewish community in Ellwangen during the Nazi regime (see an article in PW, Oct. 23). “A mixture of fiction and historical fact,” according to an author’s note, this chilling story asks readers to speculate how the Holocaust could have happened. The child’s viewpoint gives the events immediacy, and the author’s note offers further historical details about the Levis after they safely
emigrated to America. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)
|
|
see all of this week's reviews
including our web exclusive Annex *
|
|
|
|
|
 |
In the Winners' Circle |
|
Wendy Cooling has won the 2006 Eleanor Farjeon Award, given in the U.K. in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution to the world of children’s books. Cooling was honored for a life spent promoting reading and children’s literature and, in particular for her role in setting up Bookstart, a national program which gives books to every child at eight months, 18 months and three years). Previous winners include Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson. |
|
|
Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award winners have been announced; there are two winners in the children’s text category and two winners in the children’s illustration category. The Children’s Text winners are: William Gilkerson for Pirate’s Passage (Shambhala/ Trumpeter) and Dany Laferrière for Je suis fou de Vava, illustrated by Frédéric Normandin (Les Éditions de la Bagnole). The Children’s Illustration winners are: Leo Yerxa for Ancient Thunder (Groundwood) and Rogé for Le gros monstre qui aimait trop lire, written by Lili Chartrand (Dominique et compagnie). The awards, which began in 1937, are Canada’s preeminent national literary award.
Each winner receives $15,000 and a specially crafted copy of the winning title. |
|
|
J.K. Rowling has won a literary prize in her native Scotland: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was voted best Scottish children’s book for younger readers (ages 8-12). The award was announced on Tuesday at the Royal Mail Awards, which are voted on by schoolchildren throughout Scotland. In the early years category, the winner was Little Lost Cowboy by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church; and for older readers, the winner was Roxy’s Baby by Catherine MacPhail.
|
|
|
 |
Bestsellers |
|
Series and Tie-ins Bestsellers
November 2006 |
|
|
|
|
- A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Lemony Snicket. HarperCollins
- Magic Tree House.
Mary Pope Osborne, illus. by Sal Murdocca. Random House
- Gossip Girl.
Cecily von Ziegesar. Little, Brown
- Junie. B. Jones.
Barbara Park, illus. by Denise Brunkus. Random House
- The It Girl.
Cecily von Ziegesar. Little, Brown
see full list
see more bestseller lists
|
|
|
|
|
Behind the Bestsellers
 |
|
|
The plot for the third It Girl volume, Reckless, was loosely inspired by the 1985 John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club, says series editor Cindy Eagan. In Reckless, the girls from Waverly Academy are put into dorm lockdown for a weekend, as a punishment. "We thought it would be cool for these girls from different walks of life and social classes to be forced together and really get to know each other," Eagan says. "That's what we loved about The Breakfast Club." Little, Brown printed 175,000 copies, and there are 700,000 copies of all three titles in print.
|
|
 |
 |
Galley Talk |
|
Heather Doss, children’s buyer at Bookazine, talks
about a favorite
spring 2007 title. |
|
|
 |
|
|
The catalogue copy had me instantly intrigued: Roald Dahl meets E. L. Konigsburg with a touch of Lemony Snicket. And pair that with a cover illustration that is reminiscent of Edward Gorey drawings—I was hooked! The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart’s debut mystery (Little, Brown, Mar. 2007), focuses on four children selected for their unique talents to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and solve the mystery of what is happening behind the scenes. Each child has a specific ability which is slowly revealed through puzzles and challenges that allow the reader to play along with the game, finding a character they can relate to the most. The quirky individuals extend outward to include the adults who, in classic Dahl style,
never seem to be quite as smart as the kids. I read the book in one sitting on a plane and have become obsessed with sharing it with everyone. Stewart is definitely one to watch!
|
|
|
 |
Moving on Up |
|
 |
|
|
Given the strong start for Christmas in the Trenches, a September picture book by folksinger John McCutcheon, illustrated by Henri Sørensen—it has 14,000 copies in print after two printings and a third printing of 5,000 copies is in the works—the folks at Peachtree Publishers in Atlanta, Ga., have a lot to celebrate this holiday season.
Christmas in the Trenches was named a 2006 Parents' Choice Silver Honor book and is one of Peachtree's fastest-selling titles. Associate publisher Barbara Witke compares it to Carmen Agra Deedy's The Yellow Star (2000), also illustrated by Sørensen, which has sold more than 75,000 copies in hardcover.
Based on McCutcheon's 1984 song of the same name, Christmas in the Trenches commemorates the Christmas Truce of World War I, when German and British soldiers emerged from their trenches and sang Christmas carols back and forth across "No Man's Land." The book includes a CD with a reading of the book, along with recordings of McCutcheon's song and of Silent Night.
|
|
|
 |
Movie Alerts |
|
 |
|
|
That's Still Some Pig
Thirty-three years after Wilbur appeared in the animated film adaptation of E.B. White's 1952 childhood favorite Charlotte's Web, he returns to theatres on December 20 in Paramount Pictures' new live-action movie. A star-studded cast and the landscape of Melbourne, Australia will revamp this classic, which was made with an $80 million budget.Twelve-year-old Dakota Fanning is Fern, with Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte, and Steve Buscemi as Templeton. Other cast members include Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Robert Redford. Charlotte's Web was directed by Gary Winick, written for the screen by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick, and produced by Jordan Kerner.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
History Comes Alive
Museums might get a boost in attendance this holiday season due to the December 20 release of Night at the Museum from 20th Century Fox. Based on a 1993 Barron's picture book by Milan Trenc, the movie stars Ben Stiller and Robin Williams; Stiller plays a security guard who unwittingly releases an ancient curse, which causes gladiators, Mayans and cowboys to emerge from their dioramas and come to life. The movie was directed by Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen). As a tie-in, Barron's has released a junior novelization, written by Leslie Goldman.
|
|
|
 |
Rights Report |
|
DreamWorks has bought film rights to the forthcoming novel Camp Creepy Time by actress Gina Gershon and her brother Dann Gershon (Putnam, May 2007), about a boy who saves campers from aliens. Nickelodeon Films will produce the film, with the Gershons as executive producers. |
|
|
Phoebe Yeh at HarperCollins has acquired Dark Star by J.T. Dutton with a six-figure pre-emptive bid. The book, which gets its title from the Grateful Dead song, is the story of a 15-year-old boy who is shipped off to boarding school, where all his classmates find out his mother is America's best-known sex self-help expert. It is scheduled for a fall 2007 release. The deal, which was for two books, was made with Jodie Rhodes of the Jodie Rhodes Literary Agency.
|
|
|
 |
Did You Miss? |
|
From the pages of PW |
|
|
From PW: Did S&S cancel the picture book Pumpkins because of one single image? Read our story here, and also see a response from Rick Richter, S&S Children's president
and publisher. |
|
|
From PW Comics Week: Next spring DC Comics will launch Minx, an imprint that will publish comics aimed at teenaged girls, including one by Boy Proof author Cecil Castellucci.
read more |
|
|
From PW Daily: Parents from a school in Shiloh, Ill., have requested that the picture book And Tango Makes Three be removed from library shelves because it promotes "the homosexual lifestyle." read more
|
|
|
 |
In the Media |
|
From the New York Times: A small publisher finds that its books are shut out of Reading First, and helps blow the whistle on alleged conflicts of interest and favoritism in the $6 billion government program. read more |
|
|
From the Columbus Dispatch: When it comes to book awards, it's awards for children's books, far and away, that have the greatest effect on book sales. |
|
|
From Slate: Is M.T. Anderson's National Book Award winner The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing too sophisticated for children? read more |
|
|
From the Times of London: "Potter-mania"—that's Beatrix, not Harry— is about to hit, as the new Miss Potter movie opens next month. read more |
|
|
NorthJersey.com profiles author/illustrator Tomie dePaola, on the occasion of his new holiday book, Christmas Remembered. read more
|
|
|
|
| 
Advertisement |
