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September 3, 2009

In this Issue

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From the Editors

Bookshelf is on vacation this week, but never fear—we’ve got some great stories for you. All summer long we’ve been running articles about children’s books in Publishers Weekly, and in this issue we round them up, for your reading pleasure. Hope you enjoy, and see you in September!

In the News

  • Children's Books: Channel Surfing
    It may have started with Harry Potter, but thanks to Twilight, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and even SpongeBob SquarePants, the walls between marketing channels are starting to crumble, and books for kids and teens are selling well across a variety of outlets. Mass merchandisers are no longer the bastion of low-end coloring and activity books, while traditional bookstores now tout Sesame Street product on their shelves. more » » » 
  • E-Books Go Interactive
    "We're really going after the kids' space in a big way,” said Josh Koppel, co-founder of ScrollMotion, the iPhone book-app developer, which will launch a new kids' e-book reader app this fall that will bring enhanced picture books to the iPhone. The company has already gone after the adult market, bringing many frontlist titles to the iPhone. Now ScrollMotion is making a big push into the YA and children's market. more » » » 



  • Slow, Steady Growth for Charlesbridge at 20
    Other houses may be trimming staff and books, but 20-year-old Charlesbridge Publishing in Watertown, Mass., is profiting by maintaining both. Admittedly things looked “dicey” last fall, says president and publisher Brent Farmer, when sales dropped off as they did for trade houses large and small. But coming off a strong spring list, the independent children's press finished 2008 up 3%. And it's on track to be slightly up again this year. more » » » 
  • Just For Kids Offers More Bang for the Buck
    As a relative newcomer to the novelty books genre, Just For Kids Press has quickly established itself in a competitive marketplace. Overall sales have been strong, with profits more than tripling over last year's numbers. “In 2008, we had sales just shy of $1 million,” president Sean Sullivan said, noting a successful presence in both domestic and international markets. The company launched in April 2007, in response to what its founders perceived as a marketplace void... more » » » 

 

Blogs

Book News

  • Spring 2009 Flying Starts
    This spring saw many strong children’s book debuts, but for our semiannual Flying Starts, which highlight standout first books, we narrowed the field to four. The novels we selected feature a girl who embraces science one stifling summer in 1899 Texas; a boy coming of age in rural Oregon against the backdrop of war; a group of delinquent teenage boys investigating the disappearance of a friend; and a family quietly suffering an abusive father. more » » » 
  • Spreading 'Fire’
    Few words strike deeper dread in the heart of a writer than 'orphaned manuscript'—a book acquired by an editor who leaves before seeing it to publication. So last December, when editor Kathy Dawson announced she was leaving Harcourt for Dial, author Kristin Cashore did not hesitate to say she would switch publishers, too. But would 'Fire' follow? The companion to Cashore's bestselling debut, 'Graceling,' which has sold 80,000 copies in hardcover, was less than 10 months from publication. more » » » 
  • The Return of Jacob Two-Two
    After renowned Canadian author Mordecai Richler died in 2001, Tundra Books had some tough questions to answer. Richler had written three successful and beloved children’s books about Jacob Two-Two, the youngest boy in a large family who has to say everything twice to be heard over his siblings. Richler had planned to write a fourth book, and his family wanted the series to continue after his death, but that left Tundra with the task of finding an author capable of filling a big pair of shoes. more » » » 
  • Falling for a Book: Children's Book Creators on Childhood Influences
    Children's book expert Anita Silvey asked a wide range of public figures: “What children's book changed the way you see the world?” In her new book, she includes answers from more than 100 people, from financiers and athletes to actors and singers. For this excerpt, we included responses from those directly involved in creating books for young people, including Peter Sis, Beverly Cleary, Maurice Sendak, Jean Craighead George, Marc Brown and David Macaulay. more » » » 
  • The War, at Home: Military Conflict in Books for Children and Teens
    For kids today, ongoing military action in places like Iraq and Afghanistan has been a backdrop to much of their lives. In recent years, several books for the children's and young adult market, both fiction and nonfiction, have explored these conflicts—earlier this year, HarperCollins even published a memoir by a teenage soldier. But addressing the realities of war for this market, particularly the youngest readers, can be a delicate business. more » » » 

In the Media

  • From the New York Times:
    The Times profiled an experimental teaching method allowing students to choose their own books, starting a debate on fostering a love of reading vs. the need to build a shared foundation of classics. more » » » 
  • Also from the Times:
    An extensive profile of director Spike Jonze, focusing on the long road to creating the big-screen adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. more » » » 
  • From National Public Radio:
    Reading Rainbow has come to an end, after 26 years, for funding reasons. more » » » 
  • From the Wall Street Journal:
    In a piece about the resurgence of the novel, Lev Grossman discusses how "millions of adults are cheating on the literary novel" with YA books from the likes of Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins. more » » » 
  • From USA Today:
    A story about author David J. Smith, whose just-published If America Were a Village is a companion to his acclaimed If the World Were a Village, which explore demographics and statistics by reducing the U.S. (or world) to a village of 100 people. more » » » 

From Our Fall Announcements Issue

  • Fall 2009 Children’s Listings
    There may be no new J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer title this fall, but the season is by no means lacking in major books. From the return of celebrated characters (in Return to the Hundred Acre Wood and Strega Nona’s Harvest), to adaptations of adult bestsellers, to new books from Suzanne Collins, Kate DiCamillo, Neil Gaiman, Jeff Kinney and Ann M. Martin, readers of all ages and interests will have plenty of options at their fingertips. See our comprehensive fall listing. more » » » 
  • Spring 2010 Sneak Previews
    Looking ahead to next season, here’s an exclusive sneak peek at the highlights from publishers' spring 2010 lists. Click on the link to read about new works for children and teens coming from Kevin Henkes, Karen Cushman, Gary Paulsen, Mo Willems, Kimberly Willis Holt, Alice Hoffman, Russell Freedman, Adam Rex, Polly Horvath, Rosemary Wells, Eric Rohmann, Sylvia Long, Philip Reeve, and many others. more » » » 

Interviews

  • Author Profile: Scott Westerfeld
    Scott Westerfeld hit the bestseller lists in 2006 with his Uglies series, set in a dystopian future where 16-year-olds are forced to undergo radical cosmetic surgery to perfect their looks. How to follow that act? Go to the past, but add genetic engineering. Leviathan will be published by Simon & Schuster in October, first in a planned four-book series. It imagines a WWI fought with hybrid creatures, living products of Charles Darwin's 19th-century discoveries about DNA and bioengineering. more » » » 
     






    On-Sale Calendar

    This October, several big children’s books will hit bookstore shelves nationwide. In terms of print runs, Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days eclipses the competition with three million copies. But other hotly anticipated titles are on the way too, including Kristin Cashore’s Fire, the Winnie-the-Pooh sequel Return to the Hundred Acre Wood and new books from Lauren Myracle, Patrick Carman, Scott Westerfeld, Mo Willems and Julie Andrews. Click here for more information about these and other major October titles.

    Calling All Readers!

    Attention booksellers and librarians! Want to contribute to Children's Bookshelf? We'd love to hear about galleys you're loving, or books that you're selling or circ'ing especially well. Drop us a note here—we want to hear from you!

    Contact Us

    Dear Bookshelf Readers,
    Hope you enjoyed this week's issue. As always, we'd love to hear your comments and suggestions—please drop us a note here.
    		 


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    Children's Bookshelf
    Editor: Diane Roback
    Associate Editor: John Sellers

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