2013 Kate Greenaway Medal Longlist

| Tasha

The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British award given annually for distinguished illustration in a book for children.  The longlist for the award has just been announced this week.  Here are the titles on the longlist:

  

The Big Snuggle-Up by Nicola Bayley (illustrator) and Brian Patten
North: The Greatest Animal Journey on Earth by Patrick Benson (illustrator) and Nick Dowson
How Do You Feel? by Anthony Browne

  
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle
Have You Ever Ever Ever? by Emma Chichester Clark (illustrator) and Colin McNaughton
The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Emma Chichester Clark (illustrator) and Michael Morpurgo

  
Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb
The Goggle-Eyed Goats by Christopher Corr (illustrator) and Stephen Davies
Croc and Bird by Alexis Deacon

  
Soonchild by Alexis Deacon (illustrator) and Russell Hoban
The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle
Arthur’s Dream Boat by Polly Dunbar

  
Rabbityness by Jo Empson
Friends by Michael Foreman
Wild Child by Lorna Freytag (illustrator) and Jeanne Willis

  
Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland
Robin Hood by Anne Yvonne Gilbert (illustrator) and Nicky Raven
A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham

  
Again! by Emily Gravett
Matilda’s Cat by Emily Gravett
Toys in Space by Mini Grey

  
Oh No, George! by Chris Haughton
Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Mark Hearld (illustrator) and Nicola Davies
The Great Snortle Hunt by Kate Hindley (illustrator) and Claire Freedman

  
Goldilocks and Just the One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
Jonathan & Martha by Petr Horacek
The Hueys in The New Jumper by Oliver Jeffers


Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by W.E. Joyce (co-illustrator and writer) and Joe Bluhm (illustrator)

  
Goldilocks on CCTV by Satoshi Kitamura (illustrator) and John Agard
I Want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen
An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales by Kate Leiper (illustrator) and Theresa Breslin

  

Demolition by Brian Lovelock (illustrator) and Sally Sutton

The Skeleton Pirate by David Lucas

The Frank Show by David Mackintosh

  
The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Jackie Morris
Pirates ‘n’ Pistols by Chris Mould
The Worst Princess by Sara Ogilvie (illustrator) and Anna Kemp


King Jack and the Dragon by Helen Oxenbury (illustrator) and Peter Bently
My Big Shouting Day by Rebecca Patterson
Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

  
Where is Fred? by Ali Pye (illustrator) and Edward Hardy
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Ray
The Yoga Ogre by Simon Rickerty (illustrator) and Peter Bently


One Cool Cat by David Roberts (illustrator) and Susannah Corbett
Who Am I? by Tony Ross (illustrator) and Gervase Phinn
Fly, Chick, Fly! by Tony Ross (illustrator) and Jeanne Willis

 
Just Ducks! by Salvatore Rubbino (illustrator) and Nicola Davies
Just Imagine by Nick Sharratt (illustrator) and Pippa Goodhart
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton

  
ABC London by Kate Slater (illustrator) and James Dunn
Claude at the Circusby Alex T. Smith
Ella by Alex T. Smith

  
Red Car, Red Bus by Susan Steggall
How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
Jack and the Baked Beanstalk by Colin Stimpson

  
Naughty Kitty by Adam Stower
The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse by Helen Ward
Leave Me Alone by Lee Wildish (illustrator) and Kes Gray

 
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
Eric! by Christopher Wormell

 
Dog Loves Drawing by Louise Yates
Hans and Matilda by Yokococo

Review: Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

| Tasha

dont turn around

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Noa woke up on a table, an IV in her arm.  She had no memory of how she got there.  Years earlier, she had managed to escape from the foster care system by hacking computers and creating a fake family.  She is tough and smart.  That is what saves her when she makes a harrowing escape from the warehouse where she awoke.  But men are following her and nowhere is safe.  The only chance she has is to survive in that shadow world where there is no record of her existence.  But she needs access to cash and a computer to pull it off.  That’s where Peter comes into the story.  A wealthy kid, he watched his brother die from the mysterious disease that kills teens.  When Peter sniffs around his father’s files, he stumbles upon one that has men chasing him as well.  So he needs a great hacker to help him find out more.  That person is Noa.  Now the two of them know just enough to get them killed and the only option they have is to trust each other and keep running.

Gagnon creates a future world here that is just a few years ahead of our own.  From the raging disease that is striking down an entire generation to the mysterious people who are using teens for experiments, this is a world that is darker and wilder than our own.  At the same time, it’s a world that is close enough to ours to make it understandable and almost reality.  Gagnon writes about hacking as a beautiful mental exercise, something that the wild and intelligent teen would do simply as a challenge.

Noa is an amazing heroine.  Though she doesn’t have super powers of any kind, she is frighteningly strong mentally and gutsy as can be.  For those looking for a strong heroine, Noa is a modern and fascinating one who offers complexity and vulnerability too.  Peter is another interesting character with his hacking hobby that is used for good and his disturbingly distant parents.  The two of them together are dynamite.

Thrilling and fast paced, this book will appeal to teens who love computers as well as those looking for a riveting read.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.

2013 Carnegie Medal Longlist

| Tasha

The longlist for the 2013 CILIP Carnegie Medal has been announced.  The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by British children’s librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people.  Here are the nominees:

  

Goldilocks on CCTV by John Agard
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond
Soldier Dog by Sam Angus

  

The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird by Atinuke
The Traitors by Tom Becker
The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne

  

Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari
Spy For The Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin
Naked by Kevin Brooks

  
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess
Dead Time by Anne Cassidy
VIII by H.M. Castor


Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers
The Broken Road by B.R. Collins
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce

  
15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
After the Snow by S.D. Crockett
The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

  
Scramasax by Kevin Crossley-Holland
Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson
Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell

  

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle
Saving Daisy by Phil Earle
Buzzing! by Anneliese Emmans Dean

 

The Things We Did For Love by Natasha Farrant
Trouble in Toadpool by Anne Fine
Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn

  
Far Rockaway by Charlie Fletcher
The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

  
After by Morris Gleitzman
To Be A Cat by Matt Haig
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

  
Unrest by Michelle Harrison
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The Seeing by Diana Hendry

  
Daylight Saving by Edward Hogan
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes
The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

  
The Girl in the Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen
The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird
In Darkness by Nick Lake

  
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy
Itch by Simon Mayo

  
At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy
The Treasure House by Linda Newbery

  
All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls
This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
Hitler’s Angel by William Osborne

  
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver
Burn Mark by Laura Powell

  
Black Arts: The Books of Pandemonium by Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley
This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees

  
Goblins by Philip Reeve
Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid
Pendragon Legacy: Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts

  
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton
The Sleeping Army by Francesca Simon

  
The Flask by Nicky Singer
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A Skull in Shadows Lane by Robert Swindells


A Waste of Good Paper by Sean Taylor
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Review: Life-Size Farm by Teruyuki Komiya

| Tasha

life size farm

Life-Size Farm by Teruyuki Komiya

This fourth in the “Life-Size” book series takes on farm animals in glorious full-size photographs.  Just like the others in the series, there are panels that offer more detailed information, including the animals name, age, and scientific name.  There are details about physical characteristics that are explained further as well as a list of facts.  All of these are presented in bright colors and with a playful feel.  But it is the photographs in their large size and with the clarity and detail that they offer that will have children taking this book home and lingering over it.

Several of the pages unfold to show even larger images of animals.  The huge furry alpaca and the enormous cow will generate lots of interest.  What is most amazing here is that the size of all of the animals is surprising and fun.  Even better, the quality of the photographs is always high and offer lots of small details to pay attention to.

A great pick for library shelves, though the size is large enough to make them not fit on shelves easily!  This is an excellent addition to a popular nonfiction series for children.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Seven Footer Kids.

Review: Ask the Passengers by A. S. King

| Tasha

ask the passengers

Ask the Passengers by A. S. King

Astrid wishes there was someone who could just listen to her without pressuring her.  Her mother is too pushy and driven to confide in, her father too withdrawn and high.  Her younger sister makes jokes that would make it impossible for Astrid to tell her the truth.  The truth is that Astrid has been kissing a girl and may just be in love with her.  But Astrid isn’t sure that she is really gay.  It may be that she just loves Dee for being Dee and not because they are both gay.  To make matters worse, Astrid’s best friends are in a fake relationship to keep their own secrets.  Astrid spends a lot of time on the picnic table in her backyard watching the planes fly overhead.  She beams them her love, tells them her secrets, and asks them for advice.  When the gay club that she and her friends frequent gets raided, Astrid is forced to start to confront the truth about herself, her family, and her friends.

King has captured the story of a girl questioning her sexuality here, but the story also transcends that and will reach teens who are questioning other aspects of themselves too.  It is a story that encapsulates that particular blend of wonder and fear that comes as a teen who is learning about themselves in such a private way that the rest of the world doesn’t change along with them.  Beautifully written, this is a book that speaks to the fragility and yet strength of that time.

In addition, King has created such a strong character voice here.  It rings with truth, never becoming snarky but really capturing a teen aspect.  Astrid’s messages to the plane passengers add an additional sense of magic and wonder to the story.  As she beams her love up, passengers receive it, make decisions based it, question their own lives, and react.  It adds an important dimension to the book, showing that throughout our lives people are still questioning.

This is a striking read with a vibrant heroine and a radiant point of view that itself beams with love and acceptance.  Appropriate for ages 16-18.

Reviewed from library copy.

This Week’s Tweets and Pins

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts this week that you might find interesting:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

30 Picture Book Biographies | Delightful Children’s Books http://buff.ly/PM4OXS

Tony DiTerlizzi’s Top 10 Books for Creeping Out Kids | GeekDad |http://Wired.com http://buff.ly/RnCar9

Top tips for writing ghost stories: Cornelia Funke | Children’s books |http://guardian.co.uk http://buff.ly/Q5ZHBT

E-BOOKS

[In the US], "e-books are beginning to acquire the low-growth behavior of their print equivalents":http://publishingperspectives.com/2012/10/have-we-already-reached-peak-e-book/ …

LIBRARIES

Supreme Court Justices Worry About ‘Parade Of Horribles’ If They Agree You Don’t Own What You Bought | Techdirt http://buff.ly/SrWo7h

PUBLISHING

Are Self-Publishing Authors Killing the Publishing Industry?http://buff.ly/S7Oa47

SOCIAL MEDIA

How Pinterest Is Getting More People Into Crafting http://buff.ly/RtIdM0

Meet the man behind “Is Twitter Wrong?” who helped debunk fake pictures during Hurricane Sandy | PandoDaily http://buff.ly/Rprb0u

The Social Media Zombie Apocalypse: http://mashable.com/2012/10/31/social-media-zombie-infographic/

Trace social campaign results down to the Tweet with Google Analytics: http://owl.li/eIt6v #ROI

TECHNOLOGY

Google’s Street View Goes Into The Wild http://buff.ly/S3Lwwr

How a Google Headhunter’s E-Mail Unraveled a Massive Net Security Hole | Threat Level | http://Wired.com http://buff.ly/S435w9

One of the most impressive things at Apple’s last event last were the uber thin iMacs. Here’s how Apple did it: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/imac-tech/ …

TEEN LIT

America’s Facebook Generation Is Reading Strong : NPRhttp://buff.ly/PO7PHd

Top Five Most Epic Romances of Young Adult Fiction http://buff.ly/RqhOxx #yalit

WORK/LIFE

Why I’m Joining The Movement To Stop Answering After-Hours Emailhttp://buff.ly/PZf1QG

Review: The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

| Tasha

great unexpected

The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech

When the boy falls out of the tree right at Naomi’s feet, she thinks it’s a dead body.  But instead it’s Finn, a boy who seems to have come from nowhere and be tied to no one.  Naomi too could seem adrift as an orphan, but after her father died a neighbor couple took her in and gave her a home.  Her best friend Lizzie is also an orphan and hoping to be adopted by her foster family.  Their story entwines with that of a wealthy woman in Ireland whose background is slowly exposed and the connections tightened.  This is a journey of a book, one that offers great eccentric characters, a town that has many secrets, and the amazement of unexpected ties to one another.

A new book by Creech is always something I look forward to and this is one of her best.  The intricate ties and reveals in the book make it a spectacular read and a book that unwinds like a curving road before you.  The writing is solid and lovely.  Creech takes the time to make each character special, even when just glimpsed for a single scene.  There is always something tantalizing about them and you know there are further depths there. 

Creech’s novel is all about hope and connections in life.  It is a book that uplifts and brings joy.  There is also some darkness here, death and life next to each other, survival and loss.  It is not an easy world that is portrayed here and things are not simple.  But there is beauty and hope and transcendence.

Highly recommended, this is a book that will delight Creech fans and create new ones.  Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from HarperCollins.

2012 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books

| Tasha

Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books by reading!  This is a great list of some gorgeous books.  Here are the winners:

Bear Despair The Beetle Book

Bear Despair by Gaëtan Dorémus
The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins

House Held Up by TreesThe Hueys in the New Sweater
House Held Up by Trees by Ted Kooser, illustrated by Jon Klassen

The Hueys in the New Sweater by Oliver Jeffers

Infinity and Me Little Bird
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
Little Bird by Germano Zullo, illustrated by Albertine

One Times Square: A Century of Change at the Crossroads of the World Red Knit Cap Girl
One Times Square: A Century of Change at the Crossroads of the World by Joe McKendry
Red Knit Cap Girl by Naoko Stoop

Stephen and the Beetle Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad
Stephen and the Beetle by Jorge Luján, illustrated by Chiara Carrer
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole

Review: The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf

| Tasha

insomniacs

The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf, illustrated by the Brothers Hilts

When Mrs. Insomniac gets a new job, the family moves 12 time zones to their new home.  They had been a regular day-light family, but in the new place they found it hard to stay awake in the day and fall asleep at night.  They tried everything from warm milk to meditation, but nothing worked.  Looking out of their dark windows, they discovered that there were many nocturnal animals out there.  There were bats, bears, and owls.  So the family decided to spend their awake time in the darkness.  They had breakfast at dusk, grew moonlight cactuses as a garden, studied the stars and attended night school.  They are a happy night-time family.

Wolf has created a gorgeous tribute to the wonders of the night here with a delight of a strange family as the lens.  There are such lovely little moments like watching “the fishes nipping at the surface of the sea: when the family goes moonbathing.  The family adventures out and finds the flower market open and the bakeries bustling.  It makes one want to head out in the darkness and see what is happening in your community.  There is also a memorable tribute to the dark side of nature and nocturnal animals that removes the scare and makes the entire nighttime welcoming.

The Brothers Hilts’ illustrations glow with the light of the moon and play darkness upon darkness.  The entire book is shadowy, but somehow also cheery and dazzling.  Darkness is celebrated in all of its black and blue beauty.

A treat of a picture book, this is a quirky winner that will have everyone staying up well past their bedtimes.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.