The Today Show had a feature on Maurice Sendak.  You can view the video here.  Just scroll down to Friday’s videos and select the Maurice Sendak one. 

Sendak talks about his “one theme” of “surviving danger” as well as his own childhood that he describes as “D-A-R-K.”

Seattle PI has a nice piece: A Moment With … Jack Prelutsky, America’s first children’s poet laureate. It is a short interview with Prelutsky, but it does remind all of us that poetry and kids do mix!

NPR has a great interview with Maurice Sendak, plus a fantastic audio slideshow featuring his work: Why Maurice Sendak Puts Kid Characters in Danger. Sendak’s new book is a popup, which will turn off many libraries from ordering it, but I hope that some of you brave it.

Publisher’s Weekly has an article with Scott Westerfeld: Looking at the Last Days. Westerfeld talks about the use of apocalypse in his novels, like his brand new The Last Days, which is a sequel to Peeps. Last Days is one of those books that I will bump everything on my reading pile to read.

Adam Cadre has written an impressive article on William Sleator’s body of work: 25 books by William Sleator. Sleator is great writer to recommend to teen boys who like some science fiction or strangeness in their novels. Well, Cadre writes it much more clearly than I can, and offers a synopsis of each title.

Canadian author, Sheryl McFarlane has Sheryl McFarlane’s Book Blog as well as a website that features information on her writing. Her blog offers reviews of other author’s books and she has a great list to the side that shows all of the authors she has reviewed in the past.

Mary Higgins Clark Ships Off to Children’s Books announces that the famous author of suspense novels has written her first children’s book. It is illustrated by Wendell Minor. Alarm bells went off in my head when I read her quote: “I thought it would be a daunting project, but with six grandchildren and 11 step-grandchildren, I’ve been telling stories to children for a long time.” Sigh. Yeah, children’s books are easy-peasy, remarkable how difficult it is to do one WELL.

The Guardian has a great interview with Meg Rosoff called Don’t call me lucky. Hopefully you have all read the amazing How I Live Now, which was Rosoff’s first novel. Her new one is just coming out, Just in Case. It is certainly on my too-be-read list and will be fast tracked as soon as libraries in the area purchase it. This article just serves to get me even more interested in reading more by Rosoff.

Writer says kids need support
Howe said, “The more I’ve lived, the more I believe this: There are these basic existential fears we all carry. They’re the fears of mortality, aloneness and not belonging.
“This is a very, very primal feeling,” he said, “the monster under the bed.”