Robin McKinley New Book!

Why, why, why didn't I hear about this before? Robin McKinley is coming out with a new book! I prostrate myself before the altar of R. McK and I can't believe I'm just hearing about it right now. I guess when it comes to Robin, you take what you can get and just hope that the next one comes out before you have grandchildren.

Anyway, super-quick synopsis . . . Dragons exist. They're a protected species, the center of a firestorm (HA!) of controversy. On one hand, they're endangered and nobody's proved they ever ate a human. On the other hand, they're freakin' eighty feet long and breathe fire. One day, a hiker discovers a dying dragon and a dead poacher . . . and a surviving baby dragon. What he decides to do about it . . . well, that's Dragonhaven.

Can't wait! September 20!

Well, that's my calender filled up . . .

Readergirlz is having a big, big October. Every night they'll have a live chat with a YA author. Red-hot diggity! The authors range from Meg Cabot (October 1) to Stephanie Meyer (fittingly enough, on Halloween), and lots more in between. This includes featured-in-this-blog authors Lisa Yee, Sara Zarr, Brent Hartinger, Carolyn Mackler, and E. Lockhart.

Spread the word!

Thanks to lots and lots of other blogs for the heads-up.

This Calls for a Happy Dance

. . . no pun intended, I swear.

The BBC is making a movie of the classic Noel Streatfield book, Ballet Shoes! Yay! Don't you remember gulping those suckers down like popcorn when you were like, nine or ten? I remember one in particular, (not Ballet Shoes however) where the protagonist got extremely full of herself and went around acting like a proper bee-yotch. I was scandalized and delighted. Didn't they know the main character was supposed to be the good girl? Well, I certainly wasn't going to mention it!

Looking back, this may explain a lot of things about me.

More fun: Emma Watson, of Hermione Granger fame, is going to play the oldest girl. Here's her website, but take a moment to find the little (teeny, tiny) speaker hidden in all the curlicues on the left-hand side. After five minutes trying to navigate it with the sound turned on, I wanted to shoot myself in both ears.

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the heads-up.

Stephen King on Harry Potter

I'm probably trailing waaaaaaaaay behind in posting this, but oh well. Horror-meister Stephen King has always been one of Harry's most vocal fans, and he bolsters that reputation in this reflection on the effect of Harry and J.K. Rowling on kid lit and pop lit in general over at Entertainment Weekly. Pretty keen!

More Bartlesville News

Anyone who's been reading Maureen Johnson's blog (and if you aren't, I say, why the heck not??) knows about her continuing battle with the school board of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, who took her book The Bermudez Triangle out of general circulation at the high school and placed it on the reserve shelf. Here's an article from the Bartlesville newspaper about the kerfuffle, and a little something from both sides.

Mush and Gush Ahoy!

There's a neat conversation over at the Ya Ya Yas blog about YA romance. I'm all for it! I love romance, I love YA lit, and the combination of the two is maaaaaaaaahv-lus, dahling. But they have a point--where are the YA romances for older teens?

Even better, there's the beginnings of a fair book list in the comments. Wooot! You know I've got my Blue Journal of Things I Gotta Read Before I Die out right now. If you'd like to read a title list, Liz B's got one over at her blog.

I'd say Stephanie Meyers' Twilight and New Moon, but I got seriously annoyed with the Romeo and Juliet vibe in the second one. I have very little patience with doomed lovers. Give me Beatrice and Benedick any day. Speaking of that, anybody know of good YA romances with a dueling lovers theme? Leave it in the comments!

Sing it, Hank!

I was absurdly tempted to bust out my candle lighter and wave it in the air along with this song from Brotherhood 2.0's Hank Green.

Because We All Need A Little Eric Carle

NPR published this slideshow of Eric Carle's art. The narration is Carle talking about his technique, his love for color, and the way his experiences in WWII Germany affected his relationship with color and art. I just wanted to stop and stare at every single slide--the blue horse, the hungry caterpillar, the sun--until I fall in and swim around in it.

Key Quote: "I treat every page like it's a poster." You may now stand up and cheer.

Thanks to Fuse #8 for the link.

Another Kewl News Break

Caridad Ferrer's Adios to My Old Life won "Best Contemporary Romance from the Romance Writers of America. I loved this book about a Cuban-American teen competing in a Spanish-language American-Idol type show called Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Song). The backstage backstabbing, the very genuine Latin flavor, and Ali's passion for her music shine through, and while I was startled to hear that it was recognized by RWA, I think she totally deserves it.

Unfortunately, it's created somewhat of a controversy within the world of romance fans.

Weigh in! What do you think?

Anne Update

I'm about a third of the way through Anne of Green Gables, and how did I forget how hilarious this book is? Anne's melodrama and love of romantical things, contrasted with the day-to-day sensibility of Avonlea, Green Gables, and Marilla, never fail to crack me up. I think it's more entertaining now that I'm aware of the historical literary context Montgomery is working within. While published in 1908, I think it's supposed to take place around the 1880's or 90's, a time when Victorian melodrama and romanticism was going full throttle.

I was afraid that a book I loved so much as a child would fall flat reading it as an adult . . . but then again, Montgomery actually wrote it for all ages. Probably why it has endured so well.

Anne, Fanny, Librivox, and General Ramblings

The other day I was overcome with the desire to read Anne of Green Gables again, very possibly for two reasons:

1) I haven't read it in years.
2) I don't currently have it in my house.

Two ways to ensure that you absolutely must read the book as soon as possible. I contemplated requesting it from somewhere in my system, (I think our copy is checked out; you're asking me to recall my thought processes?) but then for some unknown reason decided I was going to listen to it in audiobook form.

No, wait, I know. I've been listening to Mansfield Park for a month on my daily walks. Fanny Price is so unremittingly good and sweet that I usually want to hit her by the time my mile-and-a-half is done with. Good for the heart rate, but not so much for the enjoyment. While Anne is not always wise, she is always entertaining.

Then I went to Librivox.org and downloaded the audiobook. I like this website, which archives free audiobooks of works in the public domain. There aren't a lot of children's books on it, but they do have some real gems like Anne, The Secret Garden, and Oz, and they have plenty of grown-up classics. The recordings are done by volunteers, but they have a set of rules about audio quality and a system of "proof-listening" that keeps quality generally high.

Having finished Mansfield Park (still vainly attempting to like Fanny) today, I'll start Anne of Green Gables tomorrow. Now I'm really hoping that Anne-with-an-e stands the test of time. However, considering how long she's been around, I don't think I have anything to worry about.

What Does Your October Look Like?

Other than dressing up as Rapunzel for Halloween (since I have hair that literally reaches my butt, it's either that or Lady Godiva) my October was pretty empty. That is, until I heard about Robin Brande's fabulous idea . . .

The 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference

October 6th, Chicago, IL, at a hotel TBA.

Now to see if my brother that lives in Chicago is still talking to me after I forgot his birthday last year.

Will I see you there?

Kids' Books and Homosexuality

Heard about the evil gay penguins yet?

This article over at AfterElton.com discusses the "gay penguin book," known to sane people as the adorable And Tango Makes Three, along with several other books that push homophobic buttons. Probably my favorite was the story of a Philly mom who flipped out and accused The Trouble with Babies of having a homosexual agenda, because it mentioned a two-father family. That thonking sound was my head hitting my desk. Because God knows, two gay minor characters in a children's book is enough to twist all the children who so much as walk by it.

Arthur A. Levine (yes, that Arthur A. Levine) makes a good point that so many of our kids are going to grow up homosexual, or will love somebody who is homosexual, that we shouldn't wait until they're 14 or 15 to introduce the idea that it's a viable life choice. By that time, their opinions are pretty well set. Get 'em while they're young! Ahahaha!

Ahem. That was me, plotting to teach kids acceptance and tolerance. Truly, I should be burned at the stake.

David Levithin, I Am Not Worthy

Totally amazing speech from YA author David Levithin about why it's important to have GLBT lit in your library's teen section. He talks about the kids who need these books, and the fears of librarians and booksellers that might prevent them getting to those kids.

This is one of the authors on my automatic-read list. I want to blog about every single thing he's ever written, down to his grocery list.

Thanks to Maureen Johnson's blog for the link.

This is pretty cool

Colleen over at Chasing Ray has organized a Summer Blog Blast Tour! Check out the list of authors that are going to be interviewed at various blogs in the kidlitosphere. Red hot damn.

I would envy those lucky bloggers, except that I suspect if I got the chance to interview, say, Gene Luen Yang (author of jaw-dropping Prinze winner American Born Chinese), I wouldn't interview so much as babble incoherently and grin like a fool. So overall, it's probably better that classy folks like Little Willow and Liz B are doing it instead.

Booktalking . . . it works!

One of my favorite classes visited the library today, their last visit of the school year. I always describe them as "freakishly well-behaved" because they are the only fifth grade class I've ever met that does not throw the entire library into chaos upon stepping inside. Seriously, though, they're great kids.

A kid came up to me and told me that he really enjoyed a book I booktalked on their last visit. Not only did he devour it, so did his friend. And their other friend. And that one other guy. And . . . apparently, the book is being passed around the male population of the class like a cigarette in the hoosegow. Hah! My existence is thus validated.

For anyone interested, that book is Steve Young's 15 Minutes. If I get time soon, I might write a review, but for now, I just wanted to share that.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This is the kind of thing that makes my head explode.

Thanks, I think, to Bookshelves of Doom for the story.

Books of the Century

Interesting post (from a while ago, I know) at Monica Edinger's blog about children's books of the century. It's in response to a Guardian article from even longer ago, about defining literature of the 20th century.

I think if I had to pick . . . well, I'm not sure what I would pick for some decades.

1900s - ??
1910s - Anne of Green Gables, although that always seemed to epitomize late-19th century Canada. But apparently it was published in the teens, and has to be counted. Contemporary lit is nothing like historical-looking-back, after all. I'm sure it's a topic for countless theses, what Montgomery's remembered late-19th century Prince Edward Island says about 1910s Canada.
1920s - ??
1930s - The Little House books, Laura Ingalls Wilder, another historical-looking-back. (Okay, they were partially published in the 40's, too, but let's not be lazy here.)
1940s - ??
1950s - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis
1960s - Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh. Also Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I love that both these titles have some subversity to them.
1970s - Judy Blume . . . either Forever or Are You There God, It's Me Margaret
1980s - ??
1990s - Harry Potter. Who else? It was like a gigantic bombshell, hitting a children's lit market gone stale and sleepy.

And now another question. Why is it that so many greats of children's lit are fantasy, which by adulthood has been relegated to the paperback stacks of dateless dweebs, at least in popular imagination? And a number of the others are historical. Why do so many amazing books take kids to another place and time, whether real or imagined?

This would be a really cool children's lit/history seminar.

Suggestions for the missing decades welcome! Or even additions to the ones filled.

Summer Break

Hey, y'all. The Bibliovore is taking a summer break, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I'll still be posting neat little tidbits of kidlit-related news as I come across it, and perhaps the occasional review, but I won't be on my Monday schedule. It's my first summer reading program as a librarian and I'm anticipating a really crazy summer. But I'll be back on Labor Day, with (hopefully) more great books to talk about.

Things Not Seen

Book: Things Not Seen
Author: Andrew Clements
Published: 2002

Have you ever felt like you were invisible?

Like a lot of teens, Bobby knows that feeling very well. But even he’s not prepared for the morning he looks at himself in the bathroom mirror . . . and sees a whole lot of nothing looking back.

You’d think being invisible would be kind of fun. But Bobby can’t make it stop and he has no idea what caused it. He’s not even lucky enough for his clothes to turn invisible on contact. He can’t go to school, he can only go outside if he’s stark naked (which is a lot of fun in Chicago), and he freaks his parents out every time they try to look at him. The only person who doesn’t get scared is his new friend, Alicia. She’s used to not seeing things. She’s blind.

Bobby just starting to settle into his new life when social services gets wind of his long school absence and suspects his parents of wrong-doing. They can’t be fobbed off for long with stories of the flu and extended visits to Great-Aunt Ethel in Florida. Now he’s only got five days to figure out what caused his invisibility, and reverse it . . . or he’ll be sneaking Thanksgiving dinner into the slammer.

Riffing on the universal teenage experience of feeling overlooked and helpless, Clements takes it one step further in a really cool what-if story. Ironically, it’s only when he becomes invisible that Bobby begins to see the world, especially his parents, who become more real to him as he sees their reaction to his predicament. Alicia, too, is a happy change from the wise-beyond-their-years standard of disabled characters. In her own way, she’s as angry and frustrated as Bobby is, and her blindness seems as random as his invisibility.

Except for a rather pseudo-sciency explanation for Bobby’s condition, I found this story completely believable once I accepted the idea that a seventeen-year-old boy could wake up invisible one morning. Read it . . . you won’t be disappointed.