Kids Lit
Books and More for Children and Teens

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes (0-06-053543-1)

When Henkes is not charming us with the mice in his picturebooks, he is amazing us with the depth of his characterization in his books for older children. Martha, the 12-year-old protagonist, is learning a lot during two weeks of her summer. She learns about wanting to be a writer, about her relationship with her grandmother, about cruelty, and about bravery.

This book will be enjoyed by girls in particular as they watch Martha sort through some confusing times in her summer. It is a story driven more by character than by action, leaving the reader with a quiet, serene ending that is as refreshing as an ocean breeze.

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Philip Pullman, Tamora Pierce, and Christopher Paolini Talk Fantasy Fiction

What a group to chat about fantasy fiction together! The conversation gives the reader a glimpse into the writing craft of the three authors. A great article to hand to kids who want to be authors. I will be giving one copy away on Monday to a great teen who wants to be a writer and reads at least two of these authors.

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Francesca Lia Block

Ah, one of my all-time favorite authors. In her Witch Baby and Weetzie Bat books, her language sang and flowed like magic. I see from her site that I have missed some of her more recent titles. I'll have to add them to my overlong reading list.

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Meg Cabot

Homepage for the author of the wildly popular Princess Diaries series. I was surprised to find out that Meg Cabot also writes under the name Jenny Carroll, another popular YA series author. Very useful information when trying to lead kids to more books they would enjoy.

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Argon Zark!

This is one of the coolest online interactive comics that I have found. Load time can be pretty intensive for some of the panels, but whenever I visit, I find myself caught up in the comic's story and reading page after page despite the wait. This is one to suggest to teens who are looking for something cool to do online or teens who are into comic books.

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Kids from TV-Watching Families May have Reading Trouble

LISNews reports on an article from the Star-Tribune that states that families that have the TV on most of the time may be increasing the chances that their children will have trouble learning to read.

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Lurlene McDaniel

Homepage for this author of teen angst novels. She offers a book list, letter to readers, teacher information and a message board.

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Garth Nix Homesite

This site is dedicated to the author of Sabriel and a new seven book series called The Keys to the Kingdom.

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Top Books Capture Children's Hearts

This article presents a vivid look into award winning children's books by Chinese authors. Some of the top winners are listed along with a synopsis of the storyline. Definitely a look at how different yet similar the youth of different cultures are.

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Welcome to Avi's web site!

Great inspiration for aspiring writers and a glimpse into Avi's writing techniques and approach.

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Eddie Dickens

Site for the Eddie Dickens Trilogy by Philip Ardagh.

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Kidsreads

A great site filled with kids lit. It offers sections on children's series, book reviews, authors, and games.

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The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (076361722-9)

This is a magical story that will catch readers up and send them on an adventure that all takes place within one castle. It is the story of a tiny young mouse who falls in love with a princess named Pea. It is the story of a rat who falls in love with light but lives in darkness. It is the story of Miggery Sow who is never asked what she wants. And it is also the story of soup and thread.

From the opening section of the book, I was caught up in the story, wondering what twist was coming next and what fascinating character would be revealed. This book is completely charming. From its lengthy subtitle to its old-fashioned phrasing, it evokes books of fairy tales. This effect is even taken down to its very binding with a book jacket that looks like leather to rough edged pages.

Definitely worth reading, and one that will sing when read aloud. I would recommend this for reading aloud in elementary school, sharing before bedtime, and of course curling up with the magic alone on your lap. Both boys and girls will enjoy this. A definite gem.

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Jim Arnosky's Wildlife Journal is the official site for this author of the Crinkleroot series. For those familiar with Crinkleroot, it is worth clicking the link just to see the resemblence between the author and the character.

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Karen Ackerman, author of the Caldecott winning Song and Dance Man offers up a site filled with information that is updated regularly. I only wish the site had more links and less scrolling length.

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A short article on illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, who won a Caldecott Honor for The Spider and the Fly and coauthors the Spiderwick Chronicles. He speaks about using nature as an inspiration for his art and the people who supported him as a kid.

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Canadian Children's Book Centre

I stumbled upon this site with book reviews, authors and illustrators, awards, news, and resources all focusing on Canadian children's literature.

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40 Books about Grief and Loss

The September list of books from the CCBC feature children's books on grief and loss. This is part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the CCBC.

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Akiko's Homepage

Random House site for this popular series of books and graphic novels.

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Poll reveals UK's favourite novels

A mix of modern novels, children's books and classics make up the 21 top books in the shortlist on BBC2's The Big Read. Over the next 7 weeks, each book will be championed by a celebrity and will compete for votes.

Children's books on the list include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, His Dark Materials, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Women, Wind in the Willows, and Winnie the Pooh.

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Halloween stories put the 'boo' in children's books

This story from Naples, Florida has a nice roundup of this year's new Halloween titles for children.

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Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

I just finished this book on audio cassette. I adored it! I enjoyed the entire Casson family since they were all complete characters with their own issues and triumphs, even the parents. I wanted to go to the banana house and help unearth Saffy's angel from the layers of debris in the house. I wanted to walk on the lawn filled with hamsters and guinea pigs. I wanted to peek into Eve's shed and see Rose's incredible artwork myself. And luckily, through the writing, I got to do just that.

My only complaint is with the cover art. Going by the cover, one would think that this is an old-fashioned story set in the distant past, rather than a hip story filled with driving lessons, flirting, nose studs, and friends who arrive by wheelchair. I would say that due to the cover art, this could be a hard sell to get in the hands of the right kids. Girls who enjoy modern books will like this one. It is such a well written and completely conceived book.

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Feed by M.T. Anderson

Feed is one of those books that I had been meaning to get to for some time. It is a social satire set in the near future where everyone's brains have been directly connected to the Internet through a feed. The feed sends a constant barrage of news, advertisements and communication to people.

I listened to Feed on audio cassette after starting it in book form and having too many other books to read. Feed is very enjoyable in audio format. The commercials that are mixed into the book were complete with music, giving the listener a true sense of being on the feed.

The society created in this book is what it is all about. It is a world that the reader can certainly see coming. Even the jargon that the teens use rings true. I found myself enveloped in the world and even thinking in the jargon.

My one complaint with the book is that I would have liked to have understood the characters better. I wanted to see under their skin more than I did, especially Violet.

I would recommend this to mature teens who can handle the strong language and understand the satire. Boys will certainly enjoy it as well as girls. This would be a great book for book talking, since the feed concept alone will sell it to kids.

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Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia by Barbara O'Connor (0-374-32258-9)

Bird is an outcast at school with no friends, but she has a wonderful neighbor, Miss Delphine, who keeps on telling her that she can take care of things. Bird has two dreams, one for fame and glory if only for one day and the other to go to Disney World. When Harlem, another outcast, arrives in town, Bird decides that they will become friends. Bird uses the school spelling bee to approach Harlem, believing that the two of them can make her two dreams come true.

This is a refreshing book because the characters are a lifelike mix. Mistakes are made and admitted and fixed. Friendships are rocky. Characters break free of stereotypical roles. A wonderful humor-laced glimpse into real life.

This book is that perfect length of just over 100 pages that kids are often looking for for school assignments. It would be of interest to both boys and girls in elementary school with its girl and boy protagonists. Bird is a spunky girl, something I am always looking for in children's books.

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Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (0375814663)

A new book from one of my favorite YA fantasy authors, who also wrote the Circle of Magic and The Lioness cycles. This book starts a new trilogy featuring Aly, the daughter of Alanna the Lioness. Aly wants to be a spy, she has learned about spying from her father, but both her mother and father see it as too dangerous a task for a teenage girl. Aly travels to visit family friends and is taken by slavers to another country where she is caught up in plots by a trickster god and finds uses for her spying abilities.

Pierce is popular with both boys and girls. Her fantasies are always cleanly written. Kids will enjoy this new character and a change from mages and knights. One to hand to teens who enjoy battles, magic and fantasies.

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The National Book Foundation today announced the five finalists for the young people's literature category. They are

Paul Fleischman -- Breakout
Polly Horvath -- The Canning Season
Jim Murphy -- An American Plague
Richard Peck -- The River Between Us
Jaqueline Woodson -- Locomotion

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NPR : Weekend Edition for Sunday, October 12, 2003

This NPR show offers two sections of interest to children's lit fans. First is an interview with Peter Sis who just became a MacArthur Fellow this year. The second is an interview with Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The interviews can be found lower on the page and are in audio format.

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Choosing Children's Software

We are starting a circulating collection of software in our library, and I am searching for sites that review software. There are lots of sites for games for older ages, but I was having trouble finding ones for kids. Then I found this site. If you click on the reviews tab at the top of the page, you will find you can search their past reviews by software title.

If anyone knows of other sites that review software for kids (with no sign-up fee), please post them to the comments.

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www.BetsyByars.com

This official site is now being updated more regularly. Though they promise monthly messages directly from the author, the last one posted was in May.

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TheStar.com - Farting Dog author smelled a hit from Day 1

Now this is one that I somehow missed. I will have to dig up a copy from another library to see what all the fuss is about.

Via [places for writers].

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The Shape Game by Anthony Browne (0-374-36764-7)

If you enjoyed Zoo by Anthony Browne, this book features the same quirky and very realistically presented family. This time the family visits an art museum, allowing the reader to travel right along with them listening to the comments of the family and enjoying the art along the way.

This book will remind kids that their family with all of its quirks is perfectly normal and that they can go to grand art museums and decode paintings or enjoy sculptures too. This book will get elementary age children inspired just as a visit to the art museum inspired Browne as a child.

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Baby Business by Mittie Cuetara (0-525-47026-3)

This humorous look at babies through short four-line poems will get you giggling. Appropriate for parents and older siblings, the charm and different personalities of babies are captured with unerring accuracy. A great lap-share book for children who aren't babies anymore.

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Publisher's Weekly has this article on book sale figures in August.

"Hardcover children's books were the one bright spot during a month in which other major trade categories faltered." "Also showing gains were university press hardcover books (up 12.5%) and paperbacks (up 4.3%), religious books (up 25.7%) and professional books (up 7.5%)."

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Fall Books for Kids

This article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a list of new books, primarily picture books that are coming out this fall.

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The SurLaLune Fairy Tales Site

This site features annotated fairy tales, with histories, similar tales from other cultures and illustrations.

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Eragon by Christopher Paolini (0-375-82668-8)

I just finished this and wowza what a book! The first in a trilogy, this epic tale is filled with elves, dwarves, dragons, an evil ruler, people who are not what they seem, and peril at every turn. Though it represents a return to classic fantasy, there is something wonderfully clean about the writing that draws the reader in immediately. The 500 pages melted away and I was saddened when I turned the last page and had to leave the detailed world behind.

Recommend this to any older child or teen who can handle the length and the vivid battle scenes. Boys will enjoy this book, and girls will be impressed by the handful of strong female characters who are pivotal to the plot.

A winner the whole way through! Now just to wait for the next book in the trilogy to be released.

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Finding a Middle Earth in Montana

A New York Times article on the teen author of Eragon. I almost to the end of this incredible book. I plan to write a glowing endorsement of it tomorrow or the next day. Incredible writing from a unique kid.

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William Steig, Cartoonist And Author, Dies at 95 (washingtonpost.com)

Author of more than 25 books for children, Steig received the Caldecott for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

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Booktrust

This leads to the shortlist for the UK's version of the Printz Award. And I must say that it includes most of the hottest YA fiction this year.

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Guardian Award Article

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LISNews.com -- Harry Potter goes 'green' for next instalment

J. K. Rowling has announced that the next Harry Potter book will be printed on environmentally friendly paper. She is part of a group of authors pledging to use environmentally friendly printing practices for their works.

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DLTK's Printable Crafts for Kids

This is one of the sites I use often for printing out coloring pages and activities for kids at the storytime programs. It is a fast, easy way to find a printable you need.

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A couple sites for shows on PBS for kids.

George Shrinks

Liberty's Kids

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Laura Bush Promotes America With Books

"U.S. first lady Laura Bush on Tuesday took a diplomatic charm offensive to the Kremlin, where she promoted American values using popular children's books."

[Via Library Link of the Day]

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