Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: Winner!

And the winner of this lovely book is ...

Maryann D.!

Hooray! I'll be contacting you shortly for mailing info. Thanks for commenting and for your fun holiday traditions everyone. Loved them!

Happy New Year!

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm---Giveaway Closed

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the Grimm brothers' collection of classic fairy tales. To celebrate, Philip Pullman, most famously the author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, has recently written a retelling of fifty of his favorites from the original collection. Penguin Books sent me a copy to review, and I have to say I was surprised---and ultimately happily so.

Pullman maintains the Grimms' original style and much of the original language. This is not an embellishment or re-imagining of the original tales, which is what I had anticipated. Instead, Pullman has examined multiple translations and versions of the original stories, added a bit of detail, minutely shifted storylines here and there, and created this lovely new version that maintains a classic feeling. At the end of each of the fifty stories, he describes the sources he used and the revisions he made and his reasons for doing so. I love these extra analyses; they add so much to the stories that I'd never considered or known before.

So. I was a little disappointed they weren't reinvented. But that was my own fault for misunderstanding what Pullman had done and why. Now that I know, I enjoy picking up the book and reading a tale or two while feeding my little baby five or six times daily. This is a great collection, especially nice for those who don't have time to sit for hours to finish a novel.

Now for the giveaway---if you would like your very own copy of Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, leave your name and e-mail address to enter a drawing for a copy. Also, fill in the blank on this little phrase for me: Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without _______. The answer that comes to my mind, for instance, is The Carpenters. Love that Christmas album. I listen to it many times every December. What's a tradition or place you go or thing you must see/eat/listen to at Christmastime to really feel in the spirit? I love hearing about others' traditions.

To summarize this rather long-winded post:
1. Philip Pullman's collection of 50 fairy tales is great.
2. If you want to enter to win a copy, leave a comment with a) your name, b) your e-mail, c) Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without _______.
3. Giveaway is open now (December 29, 2012) through Friday, January 5, 2013.

And here's a book trailer, in case you're interested.


Want to purchase this book? Here are some affiliate links to it:
   

The Name of the Star

*A personal note: Wow, my lack of posting is seriously out of hand! But, what can I say? All of my creative juices are being called upon to create a whole new baby. Without further ado, I will finally review a book for you! 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

This is an excellent thriller. By turns I was either biting my fingernails (not literally) or laughing my head off (also a metaphor).

The basic premise is this: In modern-day London, some psycho has started recreating the murders of Jack the Ripper. Similar locations, similar victims, and similar gory details. What makes it all so freaky is that nobody can catch him. He's following a schedule, for goodness sake, and yet the police can't even get a visual. CCTV cameras pointed at the scene seem to be malfunctioning, etc.  So that's the nail-biting part.

"So why," you ask, "were you laughing so hard that you had to pause for breath?" I will tell you. Our heroine, Rory Deveaux, hails from Lousiana, USA and begins the book by travelling to a London boarding school (sidenote: the reason she's going to English boarding school was well done, in my opinion). There across the pond she is always doing awkward and embarrassing things, which I frequently found funny. Then of course there is the love interest, who comes with some awkward and hilarious moments of his own.

The book was brilliantly paced, and I would have read it much faster than I actually did (three days) if I could have. In terms of characters, I found Rory charming, quirky, and easy to listen to. The new Ripper still kind of haunts me. The plot as a whole was a good balance of predictable and shocking (one really requires the other to work well, no?).

The bottom line: It was good. But maybe a little too scary for me.

The second book in the trilogy comes out in February 2013. Can anyone tell me if it's a little less disturbing? I think the fact that the most violent parts of the book were based on historical records really creeped me out.

book source: I picked this one up at KidLitCon. Many thanks to the publisher for handing out copies at Maureen Johnson's keynote address!

Shadowfell

Post by Ashley
I'm pretty much crazy about everything I've read that Juliet Marillier has written. This is the sixth book of hers that I've read, and it was just as good as the other five.

My least favorite part about blogging about books, if you must know, is summarizing the plot. I feel like cheating today, so here's the summary from Juliet's own website:

Its name is spoken only in whispers, if the people of Alban dare to speak it at all: Shadowfell. The training ground for rebels seeking to free their land from the rule of the tyrannical king is so shrouded in mystery that most believe it to be a myth.

But for Neryn, Shadowfell’s existence is her only hope. She is alone and penniless, a fugitive concealing a treacherous magical power that will warrant her immediate enslavement should it be revealed.  She finds hope of allies in the Good Folk, fey beings whom she must pretend she cannot see and who taunt her with chatter of prophecies and tests; and in a mysterious stranger who saves her from certain death but whose motives remain unclear.

Will Neryn be forced to make the dangerous journey alone? She must reach Shadowfell, not only to avenge her family and salvage her own life, but to rescue Alban itself.


Neryn is a powerfully likable main character, and the world of Alban is equal parts tragic, detailed, and absorbing. Flint, the love interest, is full of secrets as dangerous as Neryn's own, and it takes a long time for trust to take hold. But Neryn is smart about it, not dramatic or overly emotional, which I really appreciate in her. Juliet Marillier's writing is beautiful, and her imagination just astounds me. I half-wish I could write a book someday, but I just don't know how people dream up such amazing stories. Ms. Marillier's dreams must be lovely.


Shadowfell gets a tad overly violent in a couple places, which I mostly just let my eyes skim over. But it's a great first novel in what will be, of course, naturally, and obviously, a trilogy. Fantasy books cannot exist alone, after all. It's some kind of unwritten rule that all authors adhere to. So grab it from your library. It's great. Oh, and definitely pick up Wildwood Dancing while you're at it. It's pure loveliness.
_____________
Previously: Ashley's review of Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

Have you met Itsy Mitsy?

So begins this totally adorable children's book I randomly grabbed off the library shelf. Itsy Mitsy is part Cindy Lou Who, part Precious Moments doll---totally adorable, in other words, but with tons of little-girl spitfire.

Itsy Mitsy hates bedtime. So she decides that she'll be running away to a place where there are no bedtimes ever, not even one. Her dad tearfully "helps" her pack. She must bring a friend. No bedtimes is one thing, but no friends? That would be terrible. So along comes her friendliest dinosaur, Mr. Roar. But Mr. Roar needs a snack. And his snack needs to be guarded from the bedtime beasties. And Puptart needs a light to bark at the beasties. And the light needs an outlet. And the outlet needs a house! And ... you get the idea.

I love that the story includes Itsy Mitsy's dad. I love the childish voice and imagination of it---how it's not quite real, and yet very real to Itsy Mitsy. I love the playful illustrations. And I love the poetic rhythm of the writing. This is just one seriously cute little book! Check it out. Itsy Mitsy is one little storybook gal you've got to meet.

Palace of Stone winner! Plus some questions answered

Ok guys, I couldn't choose my favorite question, so it was a random drawing. Congratulations, Shelly! And I can answer the questions Shelly asked:
Did she recognize you? Yep! We're pretty much best friends by now. (Either that or you tend to get a handle on your stalkers' faces.)
Did you call the phone to find it? No! I don't think we would have even noticed it was missing until after we had left -- it was a seriously lucky save.

Shelly wins!

Other questions I can answer:
Kayla asked about the Austenland movie. So did I, in the signing line. She said it is DONE. Done! She has seen it! (And that it is quirky. She loved it, but it's not super mainstream, being directed by Jerusha Hess and all. To which I say, of course! I was expecting that.) She has no idea, zero, nada, zilch about distribution. She said it's much more expensive to distribute a movie than it is to make it (to which I said, "same as a book, then") and it may go to festivals or something but she really has no idea. So, Kayla, I think you and me need to find out the hidden location of the footage, and then go there, with popcorn and muddy buddies and such and just refuse to leave until they let us see it. Unless you have ninja skillz, in which case we could steal it, watch it, and return it without anyone being worse off! I mean c'mon, I'd still totally pay to see it in a theater.

Jennifer Coolidge, R, plays Miss Charming. She tweeted this picture.
I found it on Connie Onnie's blog. 

Alex asked: I own Princess Academy but haven't read it yet. So my question is this: How eager should I be to read the first one in order to read the second? To which I said: If I were you I would NOT read the second until I had read the first. Unlike her Bayern series, with this one the story is a direct sequel and there would be major spoilers that, if you were me, you would regret being spoiled about.

The newest cover of the newest edition of Princess Academy.
Notice that it is not "The" Princess Academy. 

Stacey asked if she could win, and thus read her first Shannon Hale book. The answer to that is that she could have won, but sadly didn't. I'm so sad I didn't have a dozen copies -- one for each of you! Alas. If  I were going to read a Shannon Hale book for the first ever time, I would read The Goose Girl. That is the one I read first, and I was pretty much hooked for life. If you can't find that one at your library, I'm sure they'll have Princess Academy, because it got a Newbery Honor.

Her first book is the first Shannon Hale book you should read!

Anna would ask Shannon "who her favorite author is and/or who she is inspired by" -- just so happens that I've heard her answer this question lots of times, and noticed that without fail she always mentions Robin McKinley. This time around, she also mentioned Lloyd Alexander.

This is a book by Robin McKinley.
More books that Shannon Hale recommends, here!

Ok that's it for me tonight. Longest winner announcement ever! I have more KidLitCon recap stuff for you though. Coming soon.

KidLitCon 2012 - Day 0 + PALACE OF STONE GIVEAWAY

My KidLitCon adventure began a day before the actual conference, so I'm calling this installment of the report "Day 0."

On this lovely Thursday, I met up with my friends Rachel and Marie just after 1 p.m. We drove the three hours to Chicago in style - with Rachel at the wheel and lots of yummy snacks. Ladies' road trips are the best, and the talk always makes the time fly.

Our first stop in Chicago was IKEA. (I know, this has nothing to do with KidLitCon or even books but just wait! I am about to impress you with my amazingness!) At IKEA I helped Rachel and Marie get their furnitures all picked out and such, and I finally got a new set of measuring cups for myself. I've been missing the 1/4 cup for a long time, since I melted it that one day. (Wait for it ...)

Rachel, on a spinny cow stool.

Marie, on a pink plastic chair.

We were about to check out when -- oh no! -- Rachel had lost the claim slip for the bed she was buying. The checkout lady called up to the furniture lady and while they tried to get it sorted, I slipped back into the warehouse part to look for the missing paper. Three aisles and two false alarms later, I found it! (Permission to be amazed: granted.) And where did I find it? Underneath Rachel's cell phone. That's right, her phone was almost lost forever in IKEA Chicago. (And now I am taking a bow, to all your applause.)

Quickly, we loaded our purchases into Rachel's Expedition and zoomed off to Anderson's Bookshop (and here's where the books come in). We snuck in just a minute or two late for Shannon Hale's appearance.

Shannon gave as charming and vivacious a presentation as I have ever seen her give. She was, in fact, jumping up and down at one point. Very lively. She took questions from the audience and talked about how going back to writing Miri's voice (for Palace of Stone) was easy for her -- typically, she said, she starts with a story and then finds the character in the drafts. This time, of course, she knew Miri well and had to find the story.

Shannon told us that she is working on a series of Easy Readers, to be called The Princess in Black. The series was inspired by her then-four-year-old daughter who was wearing a skirt and naming the colors. "Pink is a girl color, purple is a girl color, but black isn't a girl color," she said. Shannon protested. Her daughter countered, "Princesses don't wear black." So the books will be about a pretty pink-clad princess who, by night, dresses in black and rides out to do battle with monsters. She is also working on a science fiction book set in the present day -- as yet untitled.


After questions, Shannon Hale signed books. And this is where things start to get lucky for you, Evereaders. I couldn't wait until the end of September to read a Shannon Hale book that came out in August. And I couldn't get a spot in the signing line without ordering a book from Anderson's. So . . . I have an extra, signed copy for one of you!

A signed copy of this excellent book, delivered to your mailbox?
Learn how to win, below!

Just leave a comment on this post (perhaps you will tell me a question you would have asked Shannon Hale?) to be entered in the contest. Whoever asks my most favorite question will win. Or, if I can't decide, it will be a random drawing. Either way, I will announce the winner next Wednesday, October 10.

{This contest is now closed, but you're still welcome to comment!}

Good luck! I hope you win!

The three of us at Wendy's after the signing.
Why did I take no photos of Shannon Hale?
It is a mystery even to myself.

p.s. Oh yeah! After the bookstore we went to dinner and then to our hotel. I was very relieved that it wasn't shady -- since I booked it online two nights before. For some odd reason I got the biggest thrill walking into the hotel room. I yelled, "We're here!" Somehow being in the hotel made New York and KidLitCon the next day seem so much more real. Day 1 report, coming soon!