Kids Lit
Books and More for Children and Teens

Alex Flinn

Official site for this author of YA novels, including her newest Nothing to Lose that has been getting a lot of positive attention.

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Downhomebooks

This site offers much more than a link to a zShop at Amazon. It has interviews with some of the hottest names in children's and YA literature. It also has a fab list of recommended links and several lists of recommended books for kids.

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Couple produces Afro-centric books for young readers

An article about Wade and Cheryl Hudson, founders of Just Us Books, a publishing house that specializes in African-American children's titles. Perhaps their most famous are the Afro-Bets books and Bright Eyes Brown Skin.

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The Crying Rocks by Janet Taylor Lisle (0-689-85319-X)

Joelle doesn't know much about her past. She was adopted at age five after living in a box with an old lady. Joelle looks just like the ancient Native Americans in the area, and with her new friendship with Carlos hikes through the woods to some of their sacred places. As they travel, Joelle begins to connect with both the Native Americans and her own past, until she finally is ready to face the truth.

This book is permeated by a strong sense of mystery. The reader may think that they have figured it all out already, but they almost certainly have not. A strong, difficult young woman, Joelle is a fascinating protagonist.

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Original Content

I was going to call this a new blog on children's lit, but it sure isn't! It looks like Gail has been going strong since early 2002.

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The Edge Chronicles

Random House is releasing a new fantasy series for children in the next month. I don't know much about the quality of the writing, but the illustrations look to be wonderful if the website is anything to go by.

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bentleywg: VOYA’s 19th annual list of Best SF/F/Horror 2003

Bentleywg points to VOYA's latest list of the best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror novels for teens.

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J.K.Rowling Official Site

Rowling unveils a brand new website with very slick graphics. Very cool.

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City Pages: Between Planets

A group interview with Minneapolis' top female science fiction and fantasy writers, including Patricia Wrede who writes books for teens.

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Parents Aware

Sigh. This site is one designed to warn people away from books that they consider "bad" for children and teens. Obviously from the lists they have, the teen books are the ones that really alarm them. Sadly, books are on the list solely for having gay characters or covering topics like self-mutilation.

Truly I think that there is a place for lists like this. They are not trying to remove books from libraries, but guide parents to books that fit their values. I have no problem with that. But then, provide a really complete and wonderful list of recommended titles. They only have 9 recommended titles for teens, and of those, I have many of them shelved in the children's section.

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reviewjournal.com -- Living: Children benefit from an early start with books

Nice article on the importance of summer reading for children. They even have quotes recommending going to the library to get a large variety of books for kids to choose from.

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Ghost Girl by Delia Ray (0-618-33377-0)

In the remote Blue Ridge Mountains, April, called Ghost Girl because she is so blonde and skinny, lives with her parents. Her entire family is still grieving the death of her younger brother. When President Herbert Hoover builds a school for the children in her area, April desperately wants to attend, but her mother refuses. Luckily, April's grandmother, Aunt Birdy, steps in and convinces her mother to let her attend. This is the first step in a series of changes in April's life and future.

When I started this book, I had expected the normal poor girl off to school story, but this becomes something different part-way through. It becomes a story of courage, of individualism, and of honesty. The story has its own rhythm that is very natural and unforced. When picking it up again, it is like returning home. Lovely writing combined with interesting characters and a plot that has nice pacing, makes this a great book to recommend to kids. I only wish the cover was a bit more kid-friendly. It will take a bit of pushing to get kids to try this, but I expect that they too will tumble happily into April's world.

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NPR : 'Shadowmancer' Touted as 'Hotter than Potter'

Listen to the audio from NPR (you can listen using Windows Media Player or Real Audio) of an interview with G. P. Taylor, author of Shadowmancer. Added to the interview is a critic's take on the book.

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Nina Crews

Official site for this author of picture books, including the new Neighborhood Mother Goose.

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2004 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

And the winners are:

For Picture Book: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

For Fiction: The Fire-Eaters by David Almond

For Non-Fiction: An American Plague by Jim Murphy

The link above will also lead you to the list of honor books which include one of my favorite picture books of the last year, Snow Music, a perfect read-aloud here in Wisconsin.

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Joel writing children's books

Well, now Billy Joel is getting into the business of writing children's books. It is interesting to see that his books will be based on his songs, with the first one being released in September.

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ALA | Professsional Development Center

YALSA has released its new competencies for people serving young adults. The ten core values now reflected in the competencies are:

Developmental needs
Youth development
Youth advocacy
Youth participation
Collaboration
Information literacy
Adolescent literacy
Learning and achievement
Equity of access and intellectual freedom

Bravo! I especially appreciate the core values, since they are a great way to communicate with library boards the changing role of libraries with regard to teens.

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Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman (0-8072-0971-6)

Son of the Mob is the story of Vince Luca, mob prince, who is just trying to live life separate from his father's business. But every time he thinks he has completely become free of the business, he gets dragged back in. What made this book really work was the witty writing and one-liners continually used by Vince. The rhythm and pacing of the novel were wonderful, truly capturing the wild ride of the book.

I listened to the Random House Audio version of this one in my car and really loved it! This is one of those audio books where the reader really enhances the book. The perfect mobster accent by Max Casella made the whole book sing. Marvelous.

Recommend this one to older elementary kids and teens. Kids of both sexes will be caught up in the genuine tone of Vince and his family and friends. Even better, at the heart of this book is a love story told from the point of view of a teen boy. A great read, especially for those Soprano fans out there.

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Teen Read Week

The 2004 Teen Read Week theme focuses on horror books with "It's Alive @ Your Library." The week will run October 17-23. ALA's site has information for people doing Teen Read Week for the first time, as well as links to horror sites.

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Pages of Discovery

This is a pdf file (so you will need Adobe Acrobat to read it) that offers a list of recommended titles to use with the Discover New Trails @ Your Library Summer Reading Program that Wisconsin and several other states are doing this summer. It was compiled by Megan Schliesman at the CCBC, so you know it contains wonderful titles.

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Get Caught Reading

The Get Caught Reading site offers a great section on the power of reading to children with quotes like the following:

"Early reading experiences are now recognized as being of such importance that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "pediatricians prescribe reading activities along with other instructions given to parents at the time of well-child visits." The President of the Academy, Dr. Robert E. Hannemann, stated: "We strongly recommend daily reading to children from six months of age."

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Dilbert.com>The Official Dilbert Website

Check out today's Dilbert!

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The Miami Herald -- Author who helped kids read dies at 91

Syd Hoff is dead at age 91. His Danny and the Dinosaur is still one of the books I continually hand to little boys learning to read.

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cafe logs

If you are like me and always intend to go to the YA Authors Cafe on Tuesday evenings, but never quite make it, then you are in luck! The Cafe keeps logs that you can read after the chat is over.

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Literature for Children

The State University System of Florida offers this site filled with children's literature from 1850 to 1950. The literature is scanned into pdf files containing the full text of the books.

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MSNBC - "I Dare You"

Newsweek interview with Madeleine L'Engle that mentions the Wrinkle in Time movie in passing, but mostly speaks to her faith.

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Coming Soon! - Latest News

"Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures today announced that they have jointly acquired the motion-picture rights to Duck for President."

Hurrah! I really loved this picture book by Doreen Cronin, the third in the series that started with Click, Clack, Moo. It is one of those books that kids and adults both enjoy, but on different levels. Great fun to read aloud too!

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Babette Cole

Official site for this author of children's books.

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The Places You Will Go

A new blog for children's book reviews. Looks great!

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The Toymaker

Marilyn Scott-Waters offers a collection of printable paper toys that people can make themselves. Gorgeous, child-friendly art is featured on each of the items. Some are simple enough for small children to make themselves.

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Capitol Choices - Noteworthy Books for Children

List of best books from librarians, teachers, book sellers, and more from the Washington, D. C. area. The list is sorted into age groups from ages seven and under to fourteen and up. So far in my browsing, I have found many of my favorites and plenty of new ones to explore.

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Nancy's Neighborhood

Official site for Nancy Carlson, author of picture books, including I Like Me! Her most recent book is My Family Is Forever.

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Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough (0-7613-1934-4)

When Aidan moved to the community, he caught the eyes of all the girls, but he chose Ginny out of all of them to pay attention to. She finds it impossible to ignore him, getting drawn in closer and closer. Then he crossed the line, and got them both into a car accident where he was killed and Ginny survived. But can Ginny start telling the truth about the accident and can she herself live with the truth.

This dark book explores the guilt that survivors have to bear and the truth that they have to face. It is a powerful character study of Ginny, drawing readers into the mystery of what happened during the accident. Hard to put down, it will appeal to girls who like stories with tragic accidents but also to those who are looking for a strong female protagonist grappling with real issues.

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HoustonChronicle.com - 'Kiss the Girls' author Patterson writes for preschoolers

SantaKid, Patterson's first picture book, illustrated by Michael Garland, will be released in November.

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London Free Press: Today Section - Books for tots' moms

A nice list of books that honor moms, just in time for Mother's Day.

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Mister Monday by Garth Nix (0807216569) Listening Library Cassette Version

I just finished listening to this one in my car and towards the end I would slow down just to keep listening a little longer and I would take an enormous amount of time tidying the dash so I could just hear a tiny bit more.

Set in England, Arthur is a boy who has just started a new school. On the first day he has to run around a park in gym class and collapses due to his asthma. Two other students come to his aid, but he still starts to die. As he is dying, he sees the strange site of a man in an antique wheelchair and his butler appear beside him. The man, Mister Monday, gives Arthur a key. And so starts this immense adventure through a vibrantly imagined and rendered realm.

Recommend this to Harry Potter fans. It offers a great sense of humor, a British setting, magic, destiny, and the necessary battle between good and evil. A wonderful ride that will keep you looking for the second in the series.

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The Guardian | Making of children's books

This one had me laughing out loud especially from the quote below, which is what the reviews or blurbs in some children's books should say:

"Other books should carry the warning, "Does that thing where parents start doing the dialogue in the wrong kind of voice - eg suddenly discovering that the pig said something crossly when they'd read it out happily - and so obliges them to read bits all over again, thus making them appear unfit even for this rudimentary task." Or: "Will remove from adults their will to live by page four."

C'mon, it's only funny because it's so very true!

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Willo Davis Roberts

Official site for this author of children's adventure and mystery books.

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Giggle Poetry

A website filled with funny poetry like school poems, favorite poems, poetry contests, and much more. Laugh your way through some rhymes.

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The Graphic Novels

Online forum for discussing graphic novels with a focus on quality graphic novels and news.

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YA Authors Cafe

Very cool new idea for lovers of teen books! This site is offering free online chats with guest authors on Tuesday evenings. Tonight is the first one with guest Nancy Werlin at 7:30 CST! The software used is Chatzy which doesn't require you to sign up for membership.

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IBBY News

Martin Waddell has won the 2004 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and Max Velthuijs has won the Illustrator Award.

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DC Comics Acquires North American Book Rights to Rebellion's 2000 AD

DC Comics has acquired the North American publication rights from Rebellion, the UK publisher of 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. The first books are scheduled to be released in September of this year.

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2003 Americas Award

The Americas Award is given to U.S. works for children through teens that "authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States."

The 2003 winners are:

JUST A MINUTE by Yuyi Morales
and
THE MEANING OF CONSUELO by Judith Ortiz Cofer.

The pdf document referred to in the link above gives lists of the honor books and the commended.

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School Library Journal - Bojunga Wins Lindgren Award

Brazilian author, Lygia Bojunga, has won the 2004 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

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A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (0-385-73028-4)

This was exactly the sort of book I enjoyed as a teen with its mix of Victorian boarding school and magic. Gemma's mother kills herself in India and Gemma is sent to Spence in England, a finishing school for young ladies. When Gemma's mother died, she had a vision that showed her how it happened and she saw a terrible dark shadow in the room with her mother. Gemma continues to have visions and a man has followed her to Spence telling her to stop having the visions. Can Gemma get control of her visions?

The cover of the book will help sell it to teen girls, though it doesn't allude to the magic within. Bray has created a very vivid Gothic world filled with woods, lakes, and Gypsies. She populated it with a group of girls who all have distinct, fully-rendered personalities. And best of all, she added magic and mystery, creating a wonderful heady cocktail that is impossible to put down.

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Catherine and Laurence Anholt

Official site for this writer and artist team that has created seventy books for all ages of kids.

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ZOOM

PBS launched a new version of the Zoom website for the debut of the newest season of the long-running but still-popular kids' show. Zoom is a show that does book reviews, jokes, science and math projects, and much more. It even has the line in its theme song, "If you like what you see, turn off your TV, and do it!" Definitely a show for kids that librarians can appreciate.

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HoustonChronicle.com - `Resurrection Men' wins Edgar for best novel of '03

Took awhile searching to find the Edgar Allen Poe Award winners in the young adult and juvenile categories. Seems like everyone is interested in only the adult book winners. But here are the juvenile winners!

· Best young adult: Acceleration by Graham McNamee (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House Children's Books).

· Best juvenile: Bernie Magruder and the Bats in the Belfry by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum).

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The Jane Addams Awards were announced on April 28th. The awards are given to books published in the previous year in the U.S. that "effectively address themes or topics that promote peace, social justice, world community, and/or equality of the sexes and all races."

The winner in the picture book category is Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, written by Kathleen Krull.

The winnter in the category for older children is Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope by Beverley Naidoo.

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