Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes (0-06-053543-1)
When Henkes is not charming us with the mice in his picturebooks, he is amazing us with the depth of his characterization in his books for older children. Martha, the 12-year-old protagonist, is learning a lot during two weeks of her summer. She learns about wanting to be a writer, about her relationship with her grandmother, about cruelty, and about bravery.
This book will be enjoyed by girls in particular as they watch Martha sort through some confusing times in her summer. It is a story driven more by character than by action, leaving the reader with a quiet, serene ending that is as refreshing as an ocean breeze.

Philip Pullman, Tamora Pierce, and Christopher Paolini Talk Fantasy Fiction
What a group to chat about fantasy fiction together! The conversation gives the reader a glimpse into the writing craft of the three authors. A great article to hand to kids who want to be authors. I will be giving one copy away on Monday to a great teen who wants to be a writer and reads at least two of these authors.

Francesca Lia Block
Ah, one of my all-time favorite authors. In her Witch Baby and Weetzie Bat books, her language sang and flowed like magic. I see from her site that I have missed some of her more recent titles. I’ll have to add them to my overlong reading list.

Meg Cabot
Homepage for the author of the wildly popular Princess Diaries series. I was surprised to find out that Meg Cabot also writes under the name Jenny Carroll, another popular YA series author. Very useful information when trying to lead kids to more books they would enjoy.

Argon Zark!
This is one of the coolest online interactive comics that I have found. Load time can be pretty intensive for some of the panels, but whenever I visit, I find myself caught up in the comic’s story and reading page after page despite the wait. This is one to suggest to teens who are looking for something cool to do online or teens who are into comic books.

Kids from TV-Watching Families May have Reading Trouble
LISNews reports on an article from the Star-Tribune that states that families that have the TV on most of the time may be increasing the chances that their children will have trouble learning to read.

Lurlene McDaniel
Homepage for this author of teen angst novels. She offers a book list, letter to readers, teacher information and a message board.

Garth Nix Homesite
This site is dedicated to the author of Sabriel and a new seven book series called The Keys to the Kingdom.

Top Books Capture Children’s Hearts
This article presents a vivid look into award winning children’s books by Chinese authors. Some of the top winners are listed along with a synopsis of the storyline. Definitely a look at how different yet similar the youth of different cultures are.