Movie Alert: Fantastic Mr. Fox By John A. Sellers - 11/05/2009
Following in the footsteps of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The Witches, another of Roald Dahl’s much-loved stories—Fantastic Mr. Fox—heads to the big screen on November 13, reimagined as a stop-motion animated feature from Twentieth Century Fox. And the A-list team behind the project is as fantastic as the title character himself...
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Happy Halloween! A Photo Essay 11/05/2009
In what has become a holiday tradition, several children's book publishers celebrated Halloween this past week in high style, and with some inventive book-inspired costumes. Here, we present party highlights—both spooky and silly—in a holiday tradition of our own: the post-Halloween photo-essay.
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Obituary: Esther Hautzig 11/05/2009
Author Esther Hautzig died on Sunday, November 1, at the age of 79. She was best known for her 1968 work, The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia, an autobiographical account of her family’s life in Siberia during WWII, having being exiled there from Poland. She wrote several other books for children over a career that spanned five decades...
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Invent a Tool for Alex Rider By Sue Corbett - 11/05/2009
Alex Rider's eighth adventure, Crocodile Tears, hits stores November 17 and Penguin is partnering with MAKE magazine to challenge young inventors to come up with a gadget cool enough for the teen spy's arsenal. After all, author Anthony Horowitz says that when he needs a new tool to get his hero out of peril, he goes to his own kids for inspiration. "I look around their bedrooms to see what kind of electronics and such they have littering the place," said Horowitz...
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The Stories Behind Some Autumn Hits By Sally Lodge - 11/05/2009
In this busy fall selling season, several recently released children’s books are moving quite quickly out of the gate. Here we'll take a look at factors fueling the early success of five titles: Blood of the Witch and Fang of the Vampire, which launch Tommy Donbavand's Scream Street series; Ruined by Paula Morris; Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick; and Day Is Done by Peter Yarrow, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
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Assouline Finds Upscale Niche by Judith Rosen - 11/02/2009
When Wall Street faltered last October, so did the demand for luxury goods. Even so, 15-year-old Assouline Publishing, founded in France by Martine and Prosper Assouline, has managed to maintain its footing by publishing books that are intended to be just as much a luxury brand as watches at Cartier.
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Guys with Books Rock the Road By Sally Lodge - 10/29/2009
Two authors. Two illustrators. Four books. Dozens of appearances. And, by all reports, immeasurable hilarity. These were some of the key components of the Guys with Books author tour that recently sent four creators of new Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers titles on the road...More
Bookfest in Boston By Judith Rosen - 10/29/2009
When the Boston Globe Children's Book Festival announced earlier this year that it was canceling its seventh book fair, the inaugural Boston Book Festival, which was held last Saturday, upped its children's programming. Even with short notice the BBF was able to fit in a number of activities just for kids, from a tea with Catie Copley, the Labrador that inspired Catie Copley's Great Escape...More
Mazer’s Legacy Honored; Memorial Date Set By Claire Kirch - 10/29/2009
Family, friends, and colleagues are honoring in their own ways Norma Fox Mazer, who died of cancer on October 17. Remembrances of Mazer include a memorial scheduled for next weekend and the establishment of a scholarship fund by her family, to which several of her former students and other writers are pledging the royalties from a recent anthology. The memorial service will be held on November 7 at 2 p.m in the Vermont College of Fine Arts chapel...
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Nonfiction Book Reviews: 10/26/2009 10/26/2009
Stars for Alice Wood's Wealth Watchers and How They See Us, edited by James Atlas. Also featured: Steven Solomon, Alanna Nash, P.D. James, Frank Kermode, Alison Weir, Shankar Vedantam, and more.
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‘The Maze Runner’ Off to a Strong Start By Sally Lodge - 10/22/2009
The folks at Random House Children's Books succeeded in getting the marketplace buzzing about James Dashner's The Maze Runner well before it arrived in stores this month. The author's five-city pre-publication tour in May wrapped up with a stop at BEA, where, thanks to the tour, booksellers were already wired into his post-apocalyptic thriller. And the buzz continues: Dashner is currently on a coast-to-coast tour to promote the novel, released on October 6 with a 100,000-copy first printing...
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Q & A with Sharon Robinson By Sally Lodge - 10/22/2009
Q: What was the actual event that inspired this book?
A: In 1955, my parents moved our family from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut, and on our property was a lake that was a source of all kinds of pleasure for us throughout the seasons. The first winter we lived there, my siblings and I wanted to go ice-skating and my mother said we could - as long as my father tested the ice first to make sure it was safe. He agreed to do that - with reluctance. You see, he couldn't swim.
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Obituary: Norma Fox Mazer 10/19/2009
Children's book author Norma Fox Mazer died on Saturday, October 17, after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor earlier this year. She was 78. Fox was the author of numerous picture books and novels for young readers, and was awarded a Newbery Honor in 1988 for After the Rain. Mazer is survived by her husband and occasional collaborator, children's book author Harry Mazer...
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Soapbox: The More Things Change... By Leslea Newman - 10/19/2009
When I first conceived of Heather Has Two Mommies in 1988, I had no idea that it would be so loved - and so hated. I had no idea it would appear on “most challenged” book lists alongside Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye. I had no idea it would become part of the congressional record and be debated on the Senate floor.
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Nonfiction Book Reviews: 10/19/2009 10/19/2009
Starred reviews for Janice Perlman's Favela, Peter Hessler's Country Driving, Leila J. Rupp's Sapphistries,More
Galley Talk: A Whole Nother Story 10/15/2009 Angela K. Sherrill of 57th Street Books in Chicago talks about a favorite 2010 galley. For me, there’s something of Mark Twain in Dr. Cuthbert Soup’s upcoming middle-grade novel, A Whole Nother Story (Bloomsbury, Jan. 2010), a winking satire that grabs readers and pulls them along a swiftly narrated adventure. The action follows Mr. Cheeseman and his three unique and savvy children...
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A Closer Look at Disney Digital Books By Pamela Brill - 10/15/2009
Late last month, Disney Publishing Worldwide unveiled the launch of Disney Digital Books, and further details were announced during Disney’s presentation to the media on October 8. An online library of more than 500 classic and contemporary titles, Disney Digital Books was designed around three key components: an Interactive Reader, Look and Listen, and a Story Builder, which lets kids create their own books. Because Disney owns its own content...
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Q & A with Elizabeth Partridge By Kathy Weeks - 10/15/2009
Q: Had you been contemplating a book on the Civil Rights Movement before you saw photographer Matt Herron’s photos? You credit him with jumpstarting the book.
A: No, I had not had the least inkling to do a book on the Civil Rights Movement. And then I ran into Matt’s Web site. I fell in love with his photos, 100 percent in love with what he had done on the march, and I just wanted to get those photos out there.
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