Some very prestigious kids and teen awards were announced this weekend.
The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature went to Dead End in Norvelt.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children went to A Ball for Daisy, illustrated and written by .
Finally, the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults went to Where Things Come Back, written by .
Amongst the Printz Honor books are Why We Broke Up by , which was featured in our most recent newsletter, and The Scorpio Races by , which our Be First Club absolutely loved.For a full listing of more ALA award winners and honor books, see the ALA press release.
Congratulations to all the authors involved!
Categories: Awards, buzz, Publishing News
This morning, , author of the Harry Potter series, announced the October launch of pottermore.com. Pottermore will offer an interactive reading experience for fans of the series, as well as Harry-Potter-related merchandise and ebooks. Fans will be able to visit Diagon Alley, get their own wand and be sorted into a house. has also promised additional information about various characters that fans will be able to access on the site - for example, the story of how Petunia and Vernon Dursley met, and what Professor McGonagall did before she came to teach at Hogwarts. says she's written about 18,000 new words on our favourite witches and wizards, and she's not even finished yet!
Registration begins on July 31st - Harry's birthday - and a million lucky registrants will be able to access the site early. Don't forget to submit your e-mail now so you can get a reminder when registration opens!
For more information, see announcement and the Leaky Cauldron for all up-to-date news regarding Pottermore.
Categories: buzz, SciFi & Fantasy, Publishing News
Remember how excited I was to hear that and were editing an anthology about zombies and unicorns? Well, I got hold of an advanced readers copy of Zombies vs. Unicorns from the publisher, and I can truthfully say that it has lived up to my (very high) expectations. It's not very fair to write a review, because not everybody can read it yet, but I just had to share SOMETHING about it. There are beautiful stories (generally featuring unicorns), creepy stories (generally featuring zombies), funny stories (featuring either, though my favourite funny story has a rainbow-farting unicorn) and stories that stick with you - and not in a teeth-in-your-arm or horn-impaling-your-chest way, either. Whether they are about unicorns or about zombies, all of the stories are very well done. But it's not only the stories that are awesome. and use the introductions to the stories to further their own unicorn/zombie agendas - and I would be lying terribly if I said they were not hilarious.
So now you can't wait to read Zombies vs. Unicorns, and I apologize. But you only have to wait until September 22! Buying this is the perfect consolation for having to start school again! (Whoops, I usually try not to drop the s-bomb until the middle of August.) I would consider giving up my readers copy to somebody who just couldn't wait, but if - and only if - you can find me a real-live rainbow-farting unicorn.
Categories: Reviews, New Releases, Publishing News
Apparently, 'tis the season for awesome publishing announcements. As a fan of both and , the next few months are going to be quite exciting.
has recently announced that she has been contracted to write the fifth and sixth books of the Mortal Instruments series. City of Lost Souls will be out in May 2012, and City of Heavenly Fire in September 2013. The fourth book in the series, City of Fallen Angels, will be released in April 2011. However,fear not, fans you don't have to wait until 2011 to read more of Clare's books. You can read all about your favourite characters' ancestors on August 31, when Clockwork Angel, the first book in the Infernal Devices, is released. For more information on the upcoming books, check out blog and her website's Frequently Asked Questions.
I have never made it a secret that I love work. Her Tortall books have been some of my favourite books for years and years - which is why I am very excited that she is coming out with a new short story collection in February, 2011. Tortall and Other Lands brings together several of previously published short stories, as well as two new ones set in the Tortall universe. Go to blog for a full listing of what will be in the collection. I have to admit it's a bit hard to have heard this news so early. I don't know if I can wait six whole months for this to come out!
Categories: buzz, Publishing News
First - Captain Underpants is coming back! The long-awaited tenth book in the series, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future, will be coming out sometime later this year. Author is contracted for three more Captain Underpants books after this one. Woohoo!
Secondly, and kind of oddly, singer/actress of Lizzie McGuire fame is... writing a novel? She recently signed a multiple-book contract with Simon and Schuster for a Young Adult Series. The first book, Elixir, will be published in the fall of this year. According to this website, the new series "will focus on a photojournalist named Clea Raymond, the celebrity offspring of a politician and a doctor. In Da Vinci Code fashion, she chases a dashing boy in a race against time to unravel a centuries-old mystery that could unlock the key to her soulmate's true identity." Huh.
And to round out this list, a recommendation for a book that you might not have heard of: Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders, by Canadian author . According to the CM review:
The top chefs of Vancouver's classier restaurants are dying, killed by some unidentifiable poison that leaves them with their faces blue but their lips smiling. The chief of police calls in his expert: The Nose, aka 14-year-old Neil Flambé, chef, restauranteur, sniffer extraordinary, and, incidentally, school boy.Looks interesting!
--- Alexandra Kroeger
Categories: buzz, Publishing News| 1 2 3 4 - Earlier > |
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