New teen magazine hopes to create new niche
A new magazine for girls that features room makeovers and crafts. The focus is on wholesome rather than tawdry.
justine magazine

I read two great kids books while on vacation. Both wonderful, each very different from the other.
The Crow-Girl by Bodil Bredsdorff is the evocative story of a girl who lives with her grandmother on a cove in Denmark until her grandmother dies. Before dying the grandmother gives her three pieces of advice that will lead her through her upcoming journey. On the journey, she follows two crows who speak to her. The book is magical, lyrical, and speaks to the great good that can be done by people. It is a quiet book that draws the reader in slowly and lovingly. This is one of my favorite reads of the year.
Grim Tuesday is the second book in Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series. It is just as wild an adventure as the first book in the series. I would recommend this series to lovers of fantasy, especially those who enjoy a strange sense of humor. The series is a rollicking good time.

Bill Martin Jr., best-selling author of children’s books
Bill Martin Jr, author of some of the most popular children’s picture books of all time, has passed away. He was 88.

Wired News: Copyright Crusaders Hit Schools
ALA steps in to provide more balanced coverage about fair use and copyright issues than that offered free to schools by groups like Business Software Alliance which tend to provide one-sided information and even mislead about the extent of copyright protection.
My favorite quote from the article:
“We want to teach children to be thinking human beings,” said Melinda Anderson, a spokeswoman for the NEA. “Not a parrot for some corporate agenda.”

I am away on vacation with my family for the next week. Expect my next posting to be Monday, August 16th at the earliest.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (0-399-23861-1)
This is a gem of a novel for preteens and teens. Moose’s family moves to Alcatraz so that his sister can attend a special school. Unfortunately, his sister doesn’t get into the school, his father is working long hours, and his mother is gone more and more, leaving Moose to take care of his sister.
The unique setting of Alcatraz is more than just a backdrop, it is an integral part of the story that is brought vividly to life. Readers immediately enjoy Moose as a character, willing to follow along as he makes mistakes and finds solutions. The other children on the island are complete characters too.
Recommend this one to both boys and girls. It is charming and a fun read.

Patricia Polacco
Official site for this prolific author of picture books for slightly older kids. I really enjoyed one of her more recent books, The Graves Family, with its message of acceptance cloaked in the kid-friendly setting of a haunted house.

Boston.com / Stopping the summer slide in children’s reading skills
A nice article on the power of summer reading for children.
“Why did some children read better than others? ”It’s Mom and Dad reading to kids and encouraging them to read during the summer and finding books that they’re interested in,” Kramer said. ”Some kids don’t touch a book all summer and those are the kids that keep me employed as a remedial reading teacher.””

Wishing Moon by Michael O. Tunnell (0-525-47193-6)
Aminah, a starving orphan, lives on the streets of an Arabian city. She seeks out the aid of the Princess but is chased away when the Princess throws a golden lamp at her head. When Aminah polishes the lamp, she discovers that a jinni lives inside it, after all the Princess is married to Aladdin. So the story of Aladdin’s lamp continues, but instead of greed Aminah uses the lamp to do good. But will this generosity be her undoing?
This is a wonderful tale set in a vividly rendered city with equally well-written characters from the sarcastic jinni to the good Aminah. Aminah is a strong female protagonist who struggles with real moral issues. Recommend this one to girls who enjoy fantasy.