EclipseMagazine.com – News
In interview with Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted, which covers both the book and the movie. I always like to read about how people become authors, the process of their writing, and the glimpses into her input on the movie are also fascinating.

Daily News Transcript – Local News Coverage
Has anyone else noticed the large number of book challenges being reported in the news lately? First it was the new batch of books for children that celebrate families with homosexual parents. Next it was books on the occult. And here comes banning books with the words “ass” and “idiot” in them! Yes, those are the two words that a parent believes are worthy of banning a book from fourth graders!

Picture Window Books
Official site for this publisher of informational picture books and easy readers. Two of their new books just got good reviews in the latest Booklist.

Colibri by Ann Cameron (0-374-31519-1)
Whew! What a glorious book! Ann Cameron is the author of The Stories Julian Tells and other books about Julian and Huey. In this book she completely breaks away from the cuteness of those stories and brings readers into Guatemala, seeing its beauty and ugliness through the eyes of Rosa. Rosa was stolen from her parents as a small girl and raised by a man who she calls “Uncle.” The darkness of this story is transcended by the beauty of the setting combined with the courage of Rosa.
This is a perfect book for a booktalk, especially because the cover art may not draw kids in, despite its beauty. The kidnapping story and questions of morality should get kids to try the book. Once they try it, it is very hard to put down.

ABC.com – A Wrinkle in Time
The film version of A Wrinkle in Time is finally being shown in the U.S. It will be on ABC on Saturday, May 15th.

Happy-Easter.com
Site will a very cute interface at the top, or you can scroll down to more traditional menus. They offer crafts, activities, games, jokes, and cards.

Poynter Online – Chick Lit for Beginners
A comparison of chick lit aimed at tweens and teens and that aimed at a slightly older audience. The novels for tweens and teens speak to the strength and options that women have now, while chick lit for adults offer a lot fewer messages of empowerment.

Authorlink-Insights-Linda-Johns-on-Children’s-Book-Authors and Editors-April 2004
Linda Johns interviews Brent Hartinger, author of two young adult novels, Geography Club and The Last Chance Texaco. Hartinger talks about writing for young adults as well as some specific parts of his craft.

My blogs are having a little server trouble lately, so I haven’t been able to post on some days. Please bear with me as we try to fix the problem! Looks like it is working again today.