USA Today has the first stills from the upcoming film version of The Book Thief which will be released November 15th. They also have an article about finding the young star, Sophie Nelisse. I only hope the beauty of the stills is the way the entire film looks and of course that they really follow the incredible story of the book. Though it is that amazing writing that will be lost in the translation to film.
Thanks to YA Highway for the link.
1. First Real Post
Linked to the CCBC’s 40 Books About… bibliographies. I love the CCBC, which is one of the jewels in our University of Wisconsin. The link is now broken (since it is 10 years old) but CCBC still offers great bibliographies and book lists, including their amazing CCBC Choices every year.
2. First Book Reviewed:
The Treekeepers by Susan McGee Britton (The link is to my review. My hope is that my writing improved over the last decade.)
3. First comment:
On August 24, 2003 on The Treekeepers review in #2. Yup, made no sense back then and doesn’t now either.
4. First Link to a News Article:
Was a link to a Boston Globe article on celebrities writing children’s books. Sigh. Nothing has changed, has it?
5. First Link to Another Children’s Lit blog:
I only knew of one other children’s lit blog when I started a decade ago: Mrs. Rabbitt’s Bookbag, now defunct. I certainly didn’t see the future coming with such a robust and diverse group of people blogging about children’s lit.
6. First Link to an Author’s Website:
Amazingly, the link still works and Ellen Jackson still has a section on her rejection letters that charmed me ten years ago.
7. First Teen Book Review:
Since I was making this up as I went along, I never really focused my blog on one age. Looking back, I probably should have since then, but I so enjoy reading the wide span of children and teen books. The first teen book I reviewed was Dark Waters by Catherine MacPhail.
8. First Awards Announcements:
The Children’s Book Council of Australia winners of 2003. I’m looking forward to the announcement of the 2013 winners!
9. First Apology (and not the last!)
On August 17, 2003, my email went down for quite a period of time, leaving me unable to respond to comments.
10. First (and Last) Name Change:
All of the others were during August of 2003, but one big event that can’t miss this list was when my blog moved to its own domain and completely changed its name. It used to have the very catchy title of Kids Lit. Even I could never remember if it was one or two words. I quite prefer Waking Brain Cells.
This week this blog turns 10 years old. Expect to see some Top Ten lists to celebrate!
Most importantly, I want to thank all of you for reading, for caring about children and the books they read, for being such a warm community of readers, teachers, librarians and parents. Thank you for letting me create a little space of my own online and for coming to visit me here.
It has been an honor to blog this long and I plan to just keep on going. After all, they keep on publishing books and I could never stop reading.
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
Released August 27, 2013.
Seventeen-year-old Pen has survived the earthquake and tsunami wave in her native Los Angeles, but all of her family and friends have disappeared. For weeks, Pen stays in her destroyed home, living off of the canned goods that her paranoid father kept in the basement. But when the group of men come, she flees, aided by one of them and given a van, food, water, a map, and the promise of her family being alive. Leaving her home, Pen finds only desolation and monsters. There are giants on the loose, stomping around and leaving piles of gleaming clean human bones behind. When Pen meets her first giant, she blinds his last good eye and flees. She lands in a house where everyone is high on lotus juice and meets Hex who encourages her to dally there with him. But Pen is on a quest to find her family, hoping that they are alive in Las Vegas. Hex joins her and soon others aid her in her journey that is filled with love, butterflies, and danger.
A retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, Pen is a modern Odysseus on her own journey home. Block’s writing is amazing. There are passages that are piercingly true like her description of a mall: “The mall, with its greasy smells and labyrinth of silver escalators leading nowhere, always made me hungry and tired like I needed something I could never have.” Her phrases sing and move, illuminating the truth beyond our surface world. Block writes of crushes and lust and love in a way that speaks to what happens in the heart and under the skin, a blistering wonder.
Pen is a curious heroine. She is a reluctant hero, at first unable to leave her home, then blinding the giant in defense. The book is about her transformation from normal teen girl to rocking hero willing to put it all on the line for those she loves. She grows in confidence and skill in natural way. But much of this book is wonderfully unnatural. The ties to The Odyssey make for a book that is monstrous as well as beautiful. It is a tale that is unable to be categorized thanks to its genre-bending mix of dystopian fantasy, myths, and modern reality.
Block has created another amazing read in this book. Her fans will rejoice at a new book from her, but this is also one that will create new fans. Appropriate for ages 14-17.
Reviewed from ARC received from Henry Holt and Company at ALA.
Cousin Irv from Mars by Bruce Eric Kaplan
Family can be difficult to get along with, especially distant cousins who come to stay for a long time. But what if that cousin is from Mars? Teddy is not excited about his Cousin Irv coming to visit. When he arrives, he is so different. He eats everything in the kitchen, takes Teddy’s pillow, wears Teddy’s clothes, and plays with his toys. When Irv takes Teddy to school one day, Teddy is scared of what everyone would think. But everyone loves Irv, partly thanks to the way he can vaporize things. Teddy starts to really enjoy being with Cousin Irv, and right about that time, Irv decides to return to Mars, after all they have better coffee there.
Told in a wonderful modern tongue-in-cheek and filled with asides that speak to our culture today, this book will appeal to children and adults alike. The humor is well developed and sophisticated, yet manages to still be child-friendly. The text is meant to be read aloud, offering just the right comedic timing. Kaplan’s art is simple and even minimalist. Using lots of white space, the fine-lined art is awash in bright watercolors. But it is the language and humor here that are really the stars of the book.
Modern and very funny, this book will appeal to parents and children alike. It has a great quirky oddness to it that makes it all the more fun to read. Appropriate for ages 5-7.
Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.
Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts this week that you might find interesting:
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
RUNAWAY BUNNY starring Liam Neeson mashup http://buff.ly/18B9vgb #kidlit
Seven ways to inspire your kids’ summer reading | Fox News http://buff.ly/160g8ER #reading
10 Books I Didn’t “Get” Until I Was Older http://buff.ly/15QY3Xz #kidlit
LIBRARIES
Amazon versus your public library – Fortune Tech http://buff.ly/18yDOUD #ebooks #libraries
Designing Better Libraries » Who Is Your Library’s Chief Customer Officer? http://buff.ly/160ssVJ #libraries
A library is not just about books: it’s also a place for the vulnerable | Angela Clarke | Comment is free http://buff.ly/132z7JJ #libraries
Turn the Page KC: Home http://buff.ly/132ArMK #libraries #reading
PRIVACY
Watch Cory @Doctorow explain why Comic-Con fans should care about NSA surveillance http://youtu.be/Nlf7YM71k5U #sdcc
PRODUCTIVITY
Why Productive People Take Better Notes | Fast Company – http://buff.ly/164fqnV
READING
From a woman who knows readers, is a reader and what is means to not be able to do what you love. @frankisibberson http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/a-life-without-reading-by-franki-sibberson/ …
I’m Tired of Reading Out Loud to My Son, O.K.? – http://NYTimes.com http://buff.ly/160QRIF #reading
What Kind Of Reader Are You? (INFOGRAPHIC) http://buff.ly/161RG66 #reading
TECHNOLOGY
3D printing will explode in 2014, thanks to the expiration of key patents – Quartz http://buff.ly/1bJtdXq
Goodreads Grows to 20 Million Readers http://buff.ly/18AqLlL
How Google+ and Pinterest Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly http://buff.ly/13ACOLg
How to Get Rid of Google’s Annoying New Gmail Ads http://buff.ly/18AqOhp
Preserving Indigenous Languages Via Twitter | Fast Company | Business + Innovation http://buff.ly/18B2zj4
TEEN LIT
Nat Wolff cast as Isaac in ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ | Inside Movies http://buff.ly/137tt9k #yalit
No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora
Everyone has temper tantrums, but you haven’t seen a tantrum until it is one thrown by a huge blue gorilla. Nilson has tantrums over even the smallest of things like putting on shoes, his block castle being knocked over, or other people having bananas. Amelia tries to keep him calm with treats like banana pancakes and holding her frog purse. But Nilson still has fits. Amelia though is calm throughout, always acting kindly. That all changes though when the ice cream vendor runs out of banana flavor!
This picture book nicely captures tantrums and children, offering a welcome bit of humor for children and parents going through this phase. By using Nilson as the one who loses his control, the book nicely distances the tantrums from the child reader. It also adds a wonderful sense of fun to the entire read. The ending of the book is particularly satisfying as Amelia finally loses her cool and the truth of who Nilson is really is revealed.
OHora’s art is modern, filled with bright colors and black lines. Somehow it has a feel of wood cuts, but with freer lines. The friendship of these two characters is lovingly shown in the images, then beautifully shattered with the tantrums too.
An engaging and funny look at tantrums and anger, this book will neatly fit into any story time on anger. It is also one that is a perfect bedtime read. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
Ah ha! by Jeff Mack
A picture book told in just two letters and four words! Frog is all set to have a relaxing day at the pond (AAHH) when a boy and his dog appear and scoop him into a jar (AH HA!) But Frog escapes out into the pond once more and settles down on a rock. It isn’t a rock and suddenly a hungry turtle is after Frog (AH HA!) Frog escapes once again (AAHH) but finds himself being chomped at by an alligator (AH HA!) Frog clings to a reed, except it isn’t a reed, it’s a bird’s leg and he has to escape once again. Right into the boy’s jar. (AH HA!)
With a similar feel to his Good News, Bad News picture book, Mack once again creates a book that is very cleverly done. Despite being written with just a few words and two letters, this book tells a complete story that has a wonderful pacing. With all of the wild predators that Frog faces, the book’s pages will turn quickly.
Mack’s art is vibrant and colorful. He draws in a large format that will work well when used with a group. Even his words are large enough to be read by an audience. The art has a friendly feel to it, cartoony and bright.
This one is ideal for new readers who are just starting out or for toddlers who will enjoy the fast pace and the shortness of the text. It would also make a great inspiration for a writing challenge using only a few words to tell a complete story. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.
Caterina and the Perfect Party by Erin Eitter Kono
Caterina is planning a party and she just knows that it is going to be perfect. She creates the most inviting invitations, cooks the most delicious food, and hangs the best decorations she can craft. Everything seems to be going perfectly, even with the twists thrown in by her little brother Leo. But when the day of the party arrives, so does a great big storm. Suddenly things are no longer perfect. Everything is drenched, there is mud and puddles everywhere, and nothing is going as planned. But one list does turn out to be the most important of all, her list of friends.
This is a cheery book that avoids being too sweet thanks to the character of the little brother and the interrupting storm. It is a book that will speak to children who enjoy having everything planned out and want things to be perfect. But it is also one that spontaneous children will feel very comfortable reading too. I particularly enjoyed that Caterina does all of the crafting and cooking herself. Even better, that is not the part that goes wrong as I initially thought it might.
Even though Caterina is a planner, she also has a spark of spontaneity to her that makes her much more relatable. The little issues her brother creates are incorporated into her final designs without much fuss. She also does not sulk at the end of the book about the failed plans, quickly adapting to the new party that is happening around her.
Cheerful and warm, this book would make a great pick for reading at any celebration or crafting program. Appropriate for ages 4-6.
Reviewed from copy received from Dial.
Waking Brain Cells 