Anyone else missing out on the hype over this book? Or perhaps I have been too caught up in a sequence of flu, pink eye and then a holiday cold to notice?
I know that it will be a bestseller – no question. But at our library system, for 30 libraries there are only 41 holds. A lot less than any of the Twilight series currently have! So is anyone desperate to read this one?
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was highlighted in a piece by National Public Radio where Gaiman is interviewed and the wonderful qualities of the novel are mentioned. Their web site also has a review of the book and an excerpt. Enjoy!
The grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans has written a Madeline book. The amount of pure chutzpah that must have taken is staggering. Simply being a children’s book author with that familial link would have been filled with pressure, but writing a Madeline book is jaw-droppingly brave.
Madeline and the Cats of Rome is the first completely new Madeline book in more than 40 years. It will be interesting to see if the grandson managed to recreate his grandfather’s charm, wit and feel.
Candace Bushnell has a contract with HarperCollins children’s division to write two novels for teens about Carrie Bradshaw’s high school years. The first book is due out in 2010.
I’m sure that the plans to have a crossover hit between teens and adults will come to fruition. One wonders if it will be of better quality than Gossip Girls…
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
When Bod was a toddler, his entire family was murdered as they slept. Bod escaped into a nearby graveyard where the ghosts and creatures of the graveyard decided to care for him and protect him. As Bod grows up, he is taught about the world as the ghosts understand it. He is taught to Fade, Dreamwalk and cast Fear on people. But he is not allowed to leave the protection of the graveyard. When he does venture out, he finds himself confused about the living and where he himself fits in their society. Will he be able to survive the horrors of the living?
Gaiman has done it again, taking what could have been a simple horror book and infusing it with humanity, grace and substance. It is a delight to explore the graveyard through Bod’s eyes and meet its many denizens. Bod’s adventures range from the everyday boyhood mishaps of a normal childhood to the more amazing and surprising encounters with ghouls, witches and murderers. Gaiman does a masterful job of combining the two, creating a novel filled with adventure and horror that is entirely appropriate for young readers.
Gaiman’s characters are intriguing and believable, right down to the ghosts themselves. Bod is a wonderful hero with plenty of nerve, gumption, and smarts. It is his character who makes the entire novel work, his reactions that allow us our own and his voice that carries the book.
One of the best ghost stories to come out in recent years, this novel is appropriate for ages 10 and up.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
When Katsa was just a girl, she killed a man with her bare hands without even trying. As a young adult, she is now the property of King Randa who uses her to threaten and bully people in his kingdom who don’t obey him. But Katsa has a second job, that of the Council, where she rights wrongs and helps others with her Grace, a Grace that makes her one of the most feared people in the kingdom. On one of the Council jobs, Katsa meets Po, a Graced prince of another realm who is her match in fighting. Soon Katsa must decide if she is going to use her Grace to continue to serve an unjust king or go her own way, leaving her friends and comrades behind.
This is a gripping story of a wildcat fighter who slowly learns to be human, friendly and warm. Her growth is steady, slow and completely believable as she fights her internal battle to allow others near. Katsa is an amazing heroine, who suffers no fools, enjoys physical contests and is entirely herself down to her very bones. In turn, Po offers a supportive and understanding counterpart to Katsa’s wildness, offering her a steady figure to rely on and learn from.
The setting is well-written and fully realized as is the world building. Cashore has created a world where things make sense, work well and offer unique difficulties for our heroine. There is a ring of truth about the entire novel that makes it a pleasure to read.
Highly recommended for fans of Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper, this book offers magic, adventure and a fabulous heroine. Appropriate for ages 14-18, due to sexual situations in the novel.
The Telegraph has a group of articles all focusing on children’s literature! You’ll be able to read about great new picture books, historical fiction, adventure books for teens, teen fiction, fantasy and even audiobooks.
Looks like 39 Clues is going to be a huge series from Scholastic. Over and over again at the ALA exhibits, I saw disappointed children walking away without a copy of the book. But hey, they did get a really cool 39 Clues backpack!
Dreamworks has now acquired the movie rights for the series. And stunningly, Steven Spielberg is looking to direct! Whoa!
The series launches in September using multiple platforms including 10 books, collectible cards, and an online game. Each book will be written by a different author, as I blogged here in December.
Just in case you haven’t heard the news, Stephanie Meyer’s new Twilight book will be coming out on August 2, 2008. This fourth book in the phenomenally popular series is called Breaking Dawn and features a rocking cover!
You can visit Entertainment Weekly for an exclusive sneak peek at the first few pages of chapter one.
Waking Brain Cells 