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June 4, 2009

In this Issue

From the Editors
As you can tell, we look a little different this week. We needed to redesign Children’s Bookshelf for technological reasons. But it’s still us! You’ll still find the same mix of news, features, interviews, and photos that we’ve always had – we just have a different look. This week and this week only, however, it’s all BEA all the time: we’ve got buzz about the new books, recaps of the major panels, and photos galore. Hope you enjoy our convention coverage, and let us know what you think about Bookshelf’s new look.

News from BEA

  • BookExpo America: A Lively Children's Gathering
    All eyes were looking ahead to fall, as children's booksellers and publishers arrived in New York City last weekend for BookExpo America. The season's biggest titles were on display, and a wide range of panels and events educated and entertained. Given the state of the economy, many had voiced concerns before BEA about what the mood and the turnout might be. In the aisles of the Javits Center, though, those worries didn't seem to be borne out. more » » » 
  • Fall 2009 Children's Highlights from BEA
    The children's category is a bright spot in a flat industry these days, and plenty of forthcoming titles were generating buzz on the floor. Candlewick is printing 500,000 copies of Kate DiCamillo's new novel, 'The Magician's Elephant,' and she'll go on a 10-city tour. 'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins, the followup to last fall's 'The Hunger Games,' was a hot “get” at the show; more » » » 
  • Children's Author Breakfast Celebrates Story and Song
    The children's author breakfast was a celebration of books and music for the 1,200 booksellers who packed the special events hall at Javits Friday morning. Film star and author Julie Andrews set a whimsical tone for the event by declaring, “Wouldn't this have been fun if this had been a pajama party and we all could have rolled out of bed and come to breakfast? I feel as if I did.” more » » » 
  • ABC Debates Merger with ABA
    The Association of Booksellers for Children, which announced in late March that it was considering a merger with the ABA, brought the debate to its members on Friday, at its annual membership meeting. A task force will convene in July to nail down more details, and will incorporate the feedback from Friday's meeting. Leslie Reiner of Inkwood Books in Tampa, Fla., said she hoped the task force could determine what the ABA can do for the ABC; more » » » 
  • Children's Books and Authors at BEA
    Our photographers walked the aisles of the Javits Center last weekend, throughout the convention, capturing the sights, highlights and mood of the show. We've assembled dozens of pictures of authors, illustrators, booksellers, publishers, events and book signings for your perusal. Relive all the memories, or see what you missed! more » » » 

Blogs

Panels at BEA

  • Using Thought Leadership Marketing to Build Your Children's Business 
    While the concept of being a “thought leader,” someone who is recognized for innovative ideas, has been around for the past 25 years, molding the concept to children's retailing is still relatively new. “Thought leadership emphasizes reaching out and sharing your expertise,” explained ABC executive director Kristen McLean, who introduced and moderated a panel on using thought leadership, called "Give It Away to Get It Back." more » » » 
  • Parsing the Good ‘WTF' Literary Moments from the Bad at First YA Buzz Panel
    Scholastic's David Levithan gamely and amusingly ushered in BEA's first YA Buzz Panel by noting a not-so-lofty goal: to “not do so badly or offend you so much” as to kill the event right out of the gates. The plugs for the six books that followed covered everything from a collection of illustrated novellas to a trilogy-launching, genre-bending sci-fi/ fantasy/thriller.  more » » » 
  • It's All About the Teen: Finding Them, Reaching Them, and Getting Them into Your Store or Library
    On Saturday afternoon during BEA, a group of six young adult specialists gathered for the panel called Teens Read Books—Teens Have Money—There Are a Lot of Teens: How to Get Them Into Your Store. Emily Pardo, former events and marketing coordinator at Books and Books in Miami, Fla., started the panel off by admitting that the best ideas for reaching out to teens usually don't come from adults, but rather teens themselves. more » » » 
  • School Library Journal's Day of Dialog
    Books, blogs, technology, and reluctant readers were the main topics of discussion at School Library Journal's Day of Dialog on May 28, which brought together close to 200 publishers, vendors, authors, illustrators, and librarians at the Brooklyn Public Library to talk about the hottest issues facing their professions. more » » » 
  • Speed Dating with Children's Authors and Illustrators
    Those attending this year's Book Expo America had a chance to speed date—with their favorite children's authors and illustrators. Some 23 children's book creators took part in the event, which involved spending three minutes talking about their latest book and the creative process behind it before jumping to another table. more » » » 

In the Media

  • From the Bookseller:
    Sarwat Chadda, author of the YA novel The Devil's Kiss, will not soon forget his trip to BEA, because on arrival from the U.K. he was detained at Newark Airport for “copious questioning,” according to his agent. more » » » 
  • From the Hollywood Reporter:
    Universal has picked up film rights to Where’s Waldo? with the aim of making a live-action family film. The books had previously been optioned, but Paramount recently put the project in turnaround. more » » » 
  • From the New York Observer:
    At a BEA panel last Friday, when author Paul Auster was asked about his decision to turn his 1999 novella Timbuktu into a picture book, he said he’d never heard of the book, which Minedition published in 2008. more » » » 
  • From School Library Journal:
    In a preemptive move, Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris have filed a lawsuit against Marjorie Sharmat and Marc Simont, author and illustrator of the Nate the Great series, in hopes that a judge will decide that their character Emily the Strange does not infringe on the copyright of their books, which feature a character named Rosamond, to whom Emily bears a strong resemblance. more » » » 
  • From the New York Times:
    An essay called “Nancy Drew and the Secret of the 3 Black Robes” spoke to the impact that the intrepid teen detective had on Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and on nominee Sonia Sotomayor. more » » » 

Did You Miss?

  • Hasbro Tweaks Global Publishing Strategy
    Over the past six months, toy maker Hasbro has been reconfiguring its global publishing strategy, internally creating long-term story arcs to ensure continuity among the various facets of its entertainment and publishing programs worldwide. The first examples of the new strategy in action are the books being released in conjunction with Hasbro's summer films "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", to be released on June 24, more » » » 
  • Cathy's Book Trilogy Comes to a Close
    The Cathy's Book trilogy is wrapping up this month, and as befits a series that's had a strong interactive element from the outset, "Cathy's Ring," the third and final book, is being heavily promoted by publisher Running Press—online and off. Like its predecessors—"Cathy's Book" and "Cathy's Key"—the new title comes packaged with “evidence” as well as Web-based components. more » » » 

Featured Reviews

  • Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story
    Paula Yoo, illus. by Lin Wang. Lee & Low, $17.95
    (32p) ISBN 978-1-60060-259-7
    Yoo (Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds) spotlights a famous Chinese-American actress from the golden days of Hollywood. Growing up poor in Los Angeles’s Chinatown, Anna May Wong was fascinated with the local movie scene. “She regularly skipped school to watch the action on the set and ask questions about filmmaking.” Lin Wang’s (A Single Red Thread) elegant paintings in muted hues capture the actress’s emotions in her expressive eyes framed by dark bangs. more » » » 
  • Confetti Girl
    Diana López. Little, Brown, $15.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-316-02955-1
    Apolonia “Lina” Flores is a brave Latina girl trying to restore her life in Corpus Christi, Tex., after her mother’s death. Her dad is a single-minded English teacher and bibliophile who has withdrawn to the point of disappearance since the tragedy (“Sometimes when I dream about him, I see a body, a neck, and a book where his face should be,” Lina says). more » » » 






Rights Report

Lexa Hillyer at Razorbill acquired the debut novel FE by Brenna Yovanoff at auction during BEA. The book tells the story of Malcolm Doyle, who seems like everyone else in his perfect little town, but he has a secret: he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby 16 years ago. Now the dark side wants him back and he must decide where he really belongs. Pub date is fall 2010. Sarah Davies of the Greenhouse Literary Agency was the agent.

In the Winners’ Circle

The 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature have been announced. The winners are: for Fiction and Poetry, Nation by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins); for Picture Book, Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Clarion); and for Nonfiction, The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming (Random/Schwartz & Wade). For a complete list of the winners, including the honor books in each category, click here.

The E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, given by the Association of Booksellers for Children were announced at BEA last weekend. The winners: for Picture Books, A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton (Candlewick); and for Older Readers, Masterpiece by Elise Broach, illustrated by Kelly Murphy (Henry Holt).

People

Jennifer Doerr has been promoted to director of publicity for the Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. She was previously publicity manager for Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers and Roaring Brook Press. In her new role she will oversee publicity for all of the group's imprints.

New in ShelfTalker

Josie, Elizabeth, and Alison spent the weekend at BEA, blogging about what they saw, heard, and read. See all their latest posts, including a recap of the children's breakfast and Friday's Not-a-Dinner and Silent Auction, as well as an amusing Best of BEA list, here.

Contact Us

Dear Bookshelf Readers,
Hope you enjoyed this week's issue. We'd love to hear from you with any comments and suggestions—please drop us a note here.
 


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Editor: Diane Roback
Associate Editor: John Sellers
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