I love Bookie Woogie

This blog, recorded and transcribed by an illustrator and his kids, is awesome. And today's post was perfect! It's an interview with author Aaron Reynolds. I just read his fantastic graphic novel mystery Joey Fly Private Eye.

It was so noir. So fun. So punny. I love puns! Also, fake sound effects. This was one of those books that I started reading aloud to Jacob before I had got 5 pages in. Joey Fly has a bungling assistant that he has to work around. Can the two of them solve the case of the missing pencil box? Or will Sammy's antics shut them off of the case -- like a fly on the outside of a screen door?

Okay, that was lame. The funny lines in the book are way better. You should just read that.

Also in the interview they talk about some other great graphic novels. I'm a big fan of Babymouse and just discovered Amulet as well. Too fun! My favorite part of the interview is when Mr. Reynolds talks about how concerned he was that Joey Fly has no mouth and no pupils in his eyes. He tells how it all worked out.

Here's to great graphic novels and their authors! I'll have more to share with you coming up. Over in the sidebar you can follow my Cybils progress (and my NaNoWriMo wordcount as well). To date I've read 31 of the nominees! So I have more great books to share just as soon as I get the chance.

Merry Early Christmas---a giveaway! [CLOSED]

We're well into November. The Halloween decorations at the supermarket are ancient history. Canned Christmas music pipes over the loudspeakers at every shopping center in town. Holly and mistletoe and white lights drape the shelves of merchandise, winking at you as you pass by, hinting not-so-subtly at their own little secret: Just because Thanksgiving is weeks away doesn't mean you can't start celebrating the magic of the Christmas season now.

Therefore. It is with great delight that I present two wonderful new Christmas books for your consideration---and for two of our readers to take home themselves, free of charge. Like a present from Everead to you! Two lucky commenters will be randomly selected to receive both of these hardcover books, each, compliments of Scholastic. So. On to the books.

The Christmas MagicFrom best-selling author Lauren Thomas and Caldecott Honor artist Jon J. Muth comes this completely enchanting new night-before-Christmas story. Far, far north, Santa prepares for his big night of giving. He feeds his reindeer, polishes his sleigh, and chooses toys for all of the children of the world. And all the while, he listens and waits for that thrum of magic that will make the reindeer fly and help him spread the joy and warmth of Christmas all over the world. I especially loved how this book makes Santa look like an average Joe---just a quiet man with a great big heart. He lives in a tidy little house. He keeps his sleigh in the shed. He darns his own stockings. No elves picture in the book. No giant workshop with conveyor belts and thousands of busy workers appears. Just a simple old man getting ready for a night out. The understated yet beautiful watercolor illustrations seem to say that we can all be Santa in our own way. It doesn't take great wealth, prestige, or power to be a force for good in another person's life. Just a gaze that turns outward and a little thrum of Christmas magic. Check out one of the charming illustrations below.
... and the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI6XkJdI5lo

The Nutcracker and the Mouse KingWith beautiful new illustrations by Gail de Marcken, this second holiday book tells E.T.A. Hoffmann's original story that inspired the famous Tchaikovsky ballet. Unlike the ballet version of the story, Marie's adventures with her beloved Nutcracker happen over several nights. The Nutcracker is an enchanted young man who can only awaken when shown the selfless love that Marie demonstrates for him in several battles with the fierce, seven-headed Mouse King. The illustrations are truly magical, colorful and sweeping and totally enchanting, and I loved hearing the original story that inspired one of my favorite ballets. Two thumbs way up for both of these Christmas books.
So, if you'd like to win both of these books, you know what to do! Just leave a comment below before November 26th, 2009---Thanksgiving!---to be entered in our random drawing. And merry early Christmas from Everead!

Winter's Tail Winner Announced!

The winner of the Winter's Tail prize pack is:

#2 Cami
Congratulations!

Send us your address at everead@gmail.com so we can send you your prize.

And be sure to come back, everyone, over the next week or so for a gorgeous children's Christmas book duo giveaway from Scholastic!

The Ghosts of Lone Jack

This book proved rather difficult for me to read. It's not my usual literature choice, for starters, but I was given a copy by its publishing company to read and review on the blog. The premise sounded interesting enough.

Jared is a 10-year-old kid who visits his grandfather every summer in Lone Jack, Missouri, a town with a lot of Civil War history. This particular visit proves an eventful one, to say the least, as the town is becoming increasingly overrun by ghosts of the Battle of Lone Jack, Civil War characters who have continued their deadly battle beyond the grave. Only Jared, a few of his young friends, and some of the town's old-timers can see the ghosts initially. But the ghosts, who have up until now been nothing but harmless spirits, are turning into zombies---mindless, rotting corpses whose crazed violence is unleashed on anyone unlucky enough to stumble into their crossfire. Jared and his friends team up with the old-timers and a ghost-hunting duo to discover what's happening to the ghosts of Lone Jack, and to figure out what they can do to put the warring spirits to rest.

Add into the mix some evil town bullies, a group of six escaped convicts, some really stupid donut-stuffing town policemen, Little League woes, and the cute girl next door, and you have the basis for what felt like a primarily stereotype-driven plot. There were definitely fun moments in the book---even a few that made me chuckle out loud. But as an editor, I was driven almost crazy by the misuse of apostrophes (how is one to pronounce g'tting' exactly?). The editing could use some work. The zombies were a little too gruesome for the intended age group (lots of gore, guts hanging out of bodies, head slicing, bugs pouring from rotten openings, etc.). And the book tried a little too hard to teach readers through long passages of history about the Lone Jack area that would've lost me as a young reader. It took me about three-quarters of the book to get into the story. The ending was exciting and fun. But the rest of it for me ... eh. If you're really into Civil War history, you might find this to be a fun read.

Clear the Queue

Okay, I'm hitting Cybils graphic novel nominations hard and fast. So I want to tell you about a few books I read before the nominations closed. All three I recommend, but I'll order them in strongest to weakest recommendation.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale. I simply savored this one. It might be my favorite of the Bayern books now. I don't know. . . it's been so long since I read The Goose Girl, which would be it's main contender. Anyway. I was able to relate to Rin in her quest. She goes out into the world not seeking something, but trying to figure herself out and trying to figure out how she should act. At various times I've had similar feelings of ultimate power and of utter disappointment in myself. And then it was so fun to go on a quest with the girls and not worry about boys for a book. :) Don't get me wrong, I love boys. But Hale does a great job of making things interesting, entertaining, suspenseful, and thought provoking without adding a romance into the mix. Highly recommended, especially to fans of Hale.

And Only to Decieve by Tasha Alexander. Okay, one of the blurbs on the back of this book said "If Jane Austen had written The DaVinci Code, it would be this book." That made me laugh. I have to say that after reading it, I wonder if the blurber wrote that at midnight when the brain becomes more squishy. But, it was a fun read. The plot is much more romantically driven than a reference to DaVinci Code would make you think. It's more like the Luxe books, actually, except with less drama and dirt (phew!). The mystery was mysterious, but the culprit was easy to spot. Still it was quite fun to read. It's very multidimensional on the romance level, and not at all a bodice ripper. Also all the references to Homer made me wish I'd paid better attention in High School. Here's the review (with excellent non-spoiler synopsis) that made me want to read it.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike. This one is pretty popular right now, from what I understand. I mean, I think it's been optioned for a movie starring Miley Cyrus. Whether or not you like Miley Cyrus, I think you know that's a big deal. And I have to say, if they make the movie, I want to see it. I want to see if they tighten things up a bit. It's a very plot-based (versus character-based) book. So my biggest problem with it was that the main character did something totally off-kilter. I understand that its important that the fairy secret not get out, but the reason she gives for keeping it in, I just can't buy. So, maybe that'll change with the movie and I'll be able to enjoy it more. I thought the premise was super cool, and the writing was very nice. That one bit of character motivation is my only hang up. Teen and pre-teen girls will enjoy this one, and I liked it too.

Winter's Tail---and a giveaway!

Post by Ashley
When Winter, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was found trapped with her tail badly damaged, she was not expected to survive. This is her miraculous story, from her rescue to learning how to swim again to her unprecedented success using a prosthetic tail. This is also a celebration of her indomitable spirit.
http://www.scholastic.com/winterstail/

Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again is a sweet, nonfiction read that's perfect for kids who love sea animals or who may themselves be facing a difficult challenge and need a little inspiration. Winter's story is universally appealing, and the book itself is well-constructed with beautiful photographs of the dolphin's adventures, beginning when she was found by a fisherman tangled in a trap line. While I would've often liked more details (it's a cool story!---I wanted to know more about the specifics of it all), perhaps the generalities will inspire kids to get on the Internet or go to the library to learn more---more about how Winter's trainer taught her to move her tail up and down instead of side to side, more about how the prosthetics expert developed a tail that could mimic a real dolphin's, more about how Winter swims now that she's trained with her new tail for a long time. Any book that inspires kids to do better or learn more is a great book indeed. Thumbs up for Winter's Tail.

So now to the giveaway. One lucky randomly selected commenter will receive the following totally awesome Winter's Tail prize package:
*Dolphin plush
*Dolphin key chain
*Winter's Tail game for Nintendo DS (seriously!)
*Copy of Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again book (naturally)
And in case the list isn't tantalizing enough, here's a picture of the prizes.

You have two weeks from today to comment on this post (deadline being November 10, 11:59 p.m.). One comment per person, please. And please be sure to include your e-mail address so that we can contact you if you've won. Tell your friends and fam about this giveaway too---we think it's pretty cool!

And check out the book trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYd-aj7h0g

If that's not enough Winter excitement for you, Scholastic is also holding an essay contest for young readers ages 6-14. Check out the details below if you're interested.

Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.

One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night's stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system! 10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter's Tail, a Winter's Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!

HOW TO ENTER
Send entries to:
Scholastic's Meet Winter the Dolphin Contest
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Each entry must include student's name, age, and grade; teacher's name; and school name, address, and phone number.

All entries must be received by November 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on or around December 14th. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residences of 50 United States and D.C. ages 6-14 as of November 30th 2009. Void where prohibited. Click here for complete contest rules. Or go here for the PDF.

Colonel Trash Truck

I recently received a copy of this book from its publisher to review on Everead. So here goes.

I am not a five-year-old boy. So it wasn't my favorite. But if you are a five-year-old boy, you just might like this book.

Colonel Trash Truck is a save-the-day garbage-crushing hero who's helping to clean the world, one piece of trash at a time. The book is meant to inspire kids to "think green" and not litter.

However.

The book is written in rhyme, which occasionally feels forced, particularly the page about cleaning up your "boogies" and "loogies" and not picking your nose. I had a hard time seeing the connection between nose-picking and garbage trucks---technically, using a tissue actually creates more trash, right?

For me, the book mostly missed the mark---lots of very similar illustrations of Col. Trash Truck driving here and there down the street picking up garbage, and sometimes trite rhyming schemes that also weren't entirely accurate. (It often seems to imply that garbage trucks go around cleaning up all garbage, not just the stuff in the cans that you leave on the curb. Could this actually send kids the wrong message? That littering is naughty, but it's really okay, because garbage trucks will "even come pick up the scum left by your little brother"?)

In any case, if you've got a young kid, likely male, who really likes garbage trucks and likes to think about the environment, this could be a fun book for him. That's my take.