How sad to read the news that Diana Wynne Jones passed away. The British author of Howl’s Moving Castle and other amazing works of fantasy died after a long battle with cancer at age 76.
Neil Gaiman tweeted about the loss:
"Rest in Peace, Diana Wynne Jones. You shone like a star. The funniest, wisest, writer and the finest friend" and adding simply, "I miss you."
Fans can look forward to one final book from her coming this fall.
The Wall Street Journal has the news that Maurice Sendak will be releasing a new book, Bumble-Ardy. HarperCollins has announced that it will be released this fall with a print run of 500,000. Sendak first created the character for an animated short on Sesame Street in 1971. Since that time, he has been unable to forget the character:
"He was funny. He was robust. He was sly. He was a sneak. He was all the things I like," Mr. Sendak said.
As we all wait for the new book, you can take a look at the Sesame Street video. It is one that I vividly remember from my childhood (which certainly dates me).
Amanda Hocking has made $2 million selling her paranormal teen Trylle Trilogy. Now she has a deal with St. Martin’s for another $2 million for a new series called “Watersong.” This series too is paranormal teen novels.
Hocking explained on her blog:
“I want to be a writer,” she said. “I do not want to spend 40 hours a week handling e-mails, formatting covers, finding editors, etc. Right now, being me is a full-time corporation.”
Expect the first book in her new series in fall 2012.
Author Margaret Mahy celebrated her 75th birthday. She is the author of more than 200 books, translated into more than 15 languages. She is the only New Zealand author to have been awarded the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award for children’s literature.
Mahy tried to create stories that children and adults could appreciate.
"I hope they have the same sort of relationship [with her books] that I had with the ones I read as a child," she said.
"I still read them, and they sort of become part of your life." Mahy said her writing rate had slowed – "part of the charm of being 75" – but she was "edging towards the end" of another book.
Charming, wise and wonderful.
Albert Whitman & Company has announced that Newbery Award winning author, Patricia MacLachlan will write the prequel to the Boxcar Children. The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner has over 150 titles with more than 50 million copies sold. The series has been continuously in print since the first book was published in 1942.
Patricial MacLachlan is the author of over 20 books for children. About writing the prequel, MacLachlan said:
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are kind to one another and embody the true sense of family. They are resourceful and positive. I find them both true children and true heroes at the same time. It occurs to me that perhaps their parents were the same. I’m looking forward to exploring that idea and more.
The prequel will be published in 2012.
Sigh. It always seems to happen to the best of the teen books. The ones that really reach out to the teen experience, the ones that explore darkness, the ones that carry truth.
So it should come as no surprise that Scars by Cheryl Rainfield has joined the ranks of other incredible teen books being challenged.
What does come as a surprise is that it’s happening in a Public Library rather than a School Library. At the same time, we must realize that a challenge does not mean removal. It means that someone wants it removed and that the library must consider the challenge seriously, listen to the complaint, and then decide if it is in the right place in the library or should be moved.
With Scars as with other teen titles there is much to frighten overly-protective parents. But that does not mean that it is not beautiful, powerful and exactly what teens should be reading.
I encourage people to contact Boone County Public Library and make sure they know that there are people expecting them to do what is right for teens in their community. As a librarian, I know that it would give me strength and energy to have people stand with me in defense of a book. But hey, I’m from Wisconsin where we are definitely finding our power in action and community.
The Guardian has a fabulous slideshow of some of award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett’s artwork. Her illustrations are always filled with a warm humor no matter what the subject. From multiplying rabbits to mouse-ravaged pages to a fear of wolves, her books are all gems to be enjoyed and shared. Enjoy the slideshow!
For more Gravett art, you can also check out a previous slideshow of her work from 2008.
An article in USA Today features Amanda Hocking who has sold her teen paranormal novels primarily in ebook form. Her series is entirely self-published and is offered for download at $2.99 per book. Her Trylle Trilogy will debut in the top 50 of USA Today’s Bestseller list on Thursday!
Has anyone read the trilogy? What do you think?
Brian Jacques has died on February 5th at age 71. His 21 book fantasy series, Redwall, is beloved by readers around the world. They have sold over 20 million copies in over 20 countries. His lengthy fantasy novels were unusual when he started the series in the 1980s.
The 22nd book in the series is scheduled for publication on May 3rd.
Waking Brain Cells 