Award-winning science fiction author, Will Shetterly has released his new YA novel via Lulu. This means it is FREE. Just head to Scribd and you can start reading immediately.
You can also read Shetterly’s blog to hear about why he did not go with a publishing house.
Thanks to Boing Boing.
The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, PhD.
This book covers snow from the way it begins with a tiny speck and how it turns into a snow crystal. Filled with delightful details like the types of things that form the tiny specks in the atmosphere. (It could be sea salt or plant leaf bacteria!) The book is a mix of drawings and snowflake photographs which works well. The images of the crystals are stunning and will have readers poring over the pages and discussing their favorites. The book talks about the different types of snowflakes, whether they are unique, and how you too can study their structure.
Snow is such an amazing weather phenomenon all on its own (or at least that is what I am repeating over and over again to myself as a winter storm bears down on Wisconsin.) This book will mix well with fiction books about snow and winter, though it is one that children will want to hold and look closely at.
Ideal for units on snowflakes and just for the pleasure of snow itself, this book has a place in all libraries. Appropriate for ages 4-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Patchwork of Books.
The Christmas Magic by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Jon J. Muth
Santa can feel the magic coming. His whiskers tingle. So he gathers the reindeer from the fields and feeds them and curries them. He gets out the sleigh and shines it. The bells are polished. He oils his boots and darns his warmest socks. Then he heads upstairs to the toy room with his thick book of children and fills an enormous bag with toys. The sleigh is filled, the reindeer harnessed and all is still and waiting. Then the magic comes, the magic that makes reindeer fly.
This Christmas book is a special one. It captures the light, the magic, the simple joy of the Christmas holiday. There is a lovely grace and poetic feel to Thompson’s words. They convey a holiday of busyness but a more gentle and deliberate pace. Muth’s illustrations are done in watercolors and pastels. They have a shimmer and shine to them, a warmth and a coziness that really speaks to the holidays and their essence. His Santa is not potbellied and has a more European feel to him, lending a very universal feel to the book.
Beautifully written and illustrated this is a holiday book to treasure. Appropriate for ages 5-8.
Check out this lovely book trailer that captures the feel of the book very nicely.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by 4IQREAD, The Hungry Readers, Where the Best Books Are!, and The Children’s Book Review. Also featured on 7-Imp.
Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins
Jenkins of the amazing paper art illustrations returns with a book dedicated to animals that may not seem dangerous. The problem is, you do have to know the tricks of how to avoid danger with them. Some of the animals in the book are surprisingly dangerous. The cone shell will make you never look at sea shells the same way again. Then you have the obviously dangerous animals like the spitting cobra and you get tips to deal with an encounter with them. Turning each page is a delight as you get a surprise each time and then the treat of wondering what in the world the danger could be. Great fun.
Jenkins is best known for his art. Here it is as gorgeous as one has come to expect. He manages to create tangible fur from paper, eyes that really seem to see, and somehow loses that flat paper feel of most collage. One forgets it is art and starts to think of it as photography. Jenkins also excels at writing informational paragraphs about the animals. They are short, fascinating and here they are filled with adventure too.
Highly recommended, this book belongs on all public and school library shelves. A great science picture book with a great hook, this book is appropriate for ages 6-10.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Year of Reading, TheBookNosher, A Patchwork of Books, and Fuse #8.
The Book That Eats People by John Perry, illustrated by Mark Fearing
This is a book that eats people. Listen closely for growling while you read it, because that means it is hungry. If you do hear growling, put it down immediately and set something heavy on it. Sammy Ruskin was the first person this book ate after it got a taste of the peanut butter on his fingers. The book next ate a library security guard after being trapped in the library for some time. Then it disguised itself by using the wrapper from All About Dolphins and was taken home by Victoria Glassford,who was eaten that night. After eating several more people, the book was locked in jail and chained. They tried to reform it in the zoo, but it didn’t work. Now you have the book in your hands. Beware!
Broadly humorous and definitely dark, this book is ideal for older elementary school readers and for younger children who love that certain shudder with their giggles. Perry’s language is great fun, filled with dire warnings and taking great glee in describing the book’s killing spree. Perry writes with great flair that really works for this sort of book. His comedy is unsubtle and lots of fun. Fearing’s collage art is also a lot of fun. His use of deep shadows, dark corners is lightened by the pastels and colors of the unsuspecting. It works to great effect here.
Highly recommended for children who enjoy a dark deep chuckle with their humor. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
Reviewed from library copy.
Beautiful Creatures comes out in book form today. I have been reading all of the praise for this novel and look forward to starting it.
/Film covers the announcement that Warner Brothers has acquired the film rights to the book which is the first in a five-book series. Richard LaGravenese will be writing the script and directing the film.
Summit Entertainment is talking about creating two films from Breaking Dawn, the fourth (and perhaps final?) book in the Twilight series. Unfortunately, the stars were only secured for four films so it’s going to cost to get them to do five.
Via Cinematical
Who Would Like a Christmas Tree? by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by Anne Hunter
Take a look at a Christmas tree standing in the forest. One wonders who needs a Christmas tree in months other than December, and the answer is surprising! Chickadees, deer, robins, butterflies, turkeys and more need the tree for all sorts of different reasons. Some need it for food, others for shelter, and others for a place to raise their young. This gentle picture book is about far more than the Christmas holiday. It leads children through an understanding of the role of all trees in the natural world.
Obed’s prose has a sweetness to it that suits the natural themes. She writes with a quietness and simple frankness that works well with the more scientific content. Each animal is given several paragraphs, allowing readers to really understand why they need these trees. Hunter’s illustrations are large, simple and friendly as well.
This book will work well for holiday story times, but should also be considered for Arbor Day or tree-themed units. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
Reviewed from library copy.
Also reviewed by A Year of Reading.
Dragonfly by Julia Golding
Princess Taoshira comes from a court of rules, order and gentility, though she used to be a goatherd. Prince Ramil comes from a life filled with horses and action. The two of them could not be more different or have more different beliefs about life and religion. Yet the two of them are betrothed to unite their two countries which are both on the brink of war with Fergox who believes in a god of war and blood. Their first meeting is fraught with misunderstanding and miscommunication. When they try to go out for a ride in the forest together, they are both kidnapped and taken to Fergox. Now the question is whether they trust one another enough to escape together, because their odds of survival are better if they act as one.
Excellent fantasy, this book creates a world that is complex, fascinating and tangible. Both protagonists are complicated people who learn much about themselves as they interact with one another. There is growth in both of them throughout the book. Part of that growth is their slow-building romance that also reads as so real that it almost aches. Golding’s writing is strong and easily carries a book of this length without bogging. In fact, the action is swift and often great fun as are many of the supporting characters the two come across in their journey.
The most vital part of this book is the message of acceptance across cultural boundaries. Though the two main characters are so different, they still have much in common as rulers of lands. Yet it is the differences that are immediately apparent, it takes time and effort to find the common ground.
A beautifully rendered, complex novel, this book will be enjoyed by fans of Kristin Cashore and Suzanne Collins. Appropriate for ages 12-15.
Reviewed from copy received from publisher.
Also reviewed by Library Lounge Lizard.
Waking Brain Cells 