The Series Binder from the Webster Public Library is a wiki dedicated to children’s series.  This handy site lets you see a list of the series included by clicking on Table of Contents, or you can browse by genre.  What a handy link to have at a children’s reference desk!

Thanks to Marge for the tip!

I am off to the WAPL (Wisconsin Association of Public Librarians) conference for the next couple of days. I’m speaking on a panel about Web 2.0 sites of interest to librarians, so that should be fun. Have a wonderful end to the week and we will see you next week – when I will hopefully have finished the book I am reviewing for SLJ and have discovered something new and fantastic to share!

Anthony Horowitz’s Night Rise is the third in his Power of Five series.  Now Nickelodeon is having a contest where students can enter to win a signed copy of the new book, a pin badge AND a visit to their school by Horowitz himself!  Just head here to play the online game and enter.

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards are given each year to children’s books that “effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and races as well as meeting conventional standards for excellence.”  In other words, they are an award that will lead you to books that are often amazing, powerful and oh so worthwhile. 

The 2007 winners are:

Books for Younger Children:

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy-Lee Tai, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino.

Books for Older Children:

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata.

The website offers a list of the four honor books as well.  Enjoy!

The LA Times Book Prize for YA Literature goes to:

Tyrell by Coe Booth (another one buried in my TBR pile!)

The other finalists were:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation by MT Anderson.
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Just in Case by Meg Rosoff
Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (one of my favorites of the year)

YALSA has announced the launch of the 2007 Teen Read Week website!  This year’s theme is “LOL @ Your Library,” a friendly, light theme which will be lots of fun.  I also like that the title ties into IMing. 

To inspire quick registrations, the first 100 people to register will get a free unabridged audiobook from a Printz or Alex award winning author!  Yippee!

Teen Read Week is October 14-20 this year. 

Fox by Kate Banks, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben.

The single-word title and the large fox on the cover of this book may make you think it is for very small children, toddlers even.  But that is not the case.  It is the story of a young fox who has to wait and wait until he is old enough to head out into the meadow and hunt on his own.  “No, Fox, no” is what he hears most from his parents as they try to keep him from wandering off and running into danger.  Finally, he is large enough to head out on his own after learning all about the many dangers that surround him.

The illustrations must be mentioned because they are done with such strong colors and almost tactile painting.  They beautifully capture the security of the den, the beauty of the natural world, and the vivid colors that surround us all.  Simply lovely.  Combine with that the language of the text, and you have a real winner for children.  I always enjoy a picture book that does not shy away from introducing small children to new words that open up their world.  Here readers will encounter “burnished leaves,” “a billowy gust,” and “a peaceable hum.”  All used to better explain and evoke the world that the fox live in. 

Share this with children of preschool and kindergarten age.  It is a treat to read aloud for the adult reader as well.

Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey.

Ah what a joy!  I saw that this received several starred reviews and immediately put it on hold at the library. 

Merlin predicted 600 years ago that the 21st queen of Wilde Island would “redeem the name Pendragon.  End war with the wave of her hand.  And restore the glory of Wilde Island.”  Rosalind stands in line to be the 21st queen, but she has been born with a mark that disgraces her, one of her fingers is that of a dragon with scales and a talon.  She and her mother wear golden gloves to cover her mark, saying that a princess’ hands are only to be revealed to her husband.  Rosalind has to find a way to rid herself of her claw in time to be married to Prince Henry as her mother wishes.  But all of the healers try to cure her to no avail.  As time ticks away, people around Rosalind are killed by dragons and anyone who discovers her claw is found dead.  She must discover the strange connection between herself and the dragons and see if she can live to fulfill the prophecy.

Carey does the near impossible here and creates a unique and vibrant fantasy built upon Camelot and Merlin.  Rosie is a wonderful heroine, caught in a situation beyond her control but never turning away from her duty and destiny.  The writing is fluid and has an ease about it, allowing readers to become immersed in the tale.  There is a sudden twist in the middle of the book that lifts the story to new heights and changes the reader’s expectations entirely.  Rarely is that done with such skill and grace. 

Recommend to teens who enjoy fantasy as well as those who like princess tales.  There is no sexuality in the book, though plenty of gore, so many older elementary age children will enjoy it as well.  This one is certainly one of the best fantasies of the year.

My Friend Is Sad by Mo Willems.

I have only managed to get my hands on this one volume of the new Elephant and Piggie books.  Sigh…  One must try to carry one despite the disappointment…

This book is a marvelous example of the talent of Willems in taking a very simple scenario and turning it into a laugh-out-loud chapter book for beginning readers.  With the simple lines of his Pigeon books, perennial favorites in our house, he captures the angst and sorrow of Elephant and the manic attempts of Piggie to cheer him up.  Who knew that an elephant could be SOOOO very sad?

Recommend this to beginning readers who have listened to the Pigeon books as preschoolers.  They will adore having their own Willems book to try out.  Now just to try to wait patiently for one of the local libraries to get the second of the books…