SLJ Battle of the Books: The Myth of Safety

As expected, today's Battle of the Books was fantastic: The Storm in the Barn vs. Tales from Outer Suburbia. I didn't have a clear favorite here - I love them both - but I was really excited to hear what Shannon Hale had to say. Mostly I adore her because her enthusiasm for books always shines through and this was no exception.

Here is my Fire quote for today:

Go safely. Go safely, she thought to him as he left the building and his convoy pounded through the gates.

What a silly, empty thing it was to say to anyone, anywhere.

Ah, this one hit home for me. Each reading of this book and this line has brought a different meaning for me.

The first time I read this, it reminded me of Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz. I remember before ALA Midwinter in Denver, I signed off all my emails to fellow attendees with "Travel safe and see you there!" And, really, who ever thinks twice about signing off emails like that? I certainly didn't. And it was awful afterward to think about how flippantly I said it - it was just a way to sign off emails. After their deaths, "travel safe" did indeed feel like a silly and empty thing to ever say to friends on journeys.

This time, I thought of Bug. Oh god, how many times a day do I tell her to "be careful" or "be safe"? It still doesn't prevent her from falling off counters or tripping on the sidewalk. The sheer number of bruises on her calves are proof enough that "go safely" is a ridiculous thing to say to her, or any child.

Which all comes back to Fire (I swear, it does). Cashore regales us with tales of flying raptors, wars, political intrigue, and people with special powers. And yet fantasy can have so much to say about the real world we live in. We read these stories because there is something escapist about them. Except when there isn't. Except when they have so much to say about the here and now. About motherhood, friends gained and lost, tragedy, love

We're nearing the end, folks. Tomorrow Megan Whalen Turner (squee!) is sharing her thoughts on Charles vs. Emma and The Lost Conspiracy. This is a little nervous-making, seeing how Megan is either going to lay the hurt on A Chair, A Fireplace, & a Tea Cozy ("Team CharMa!") or on Fuse #8 ("LoCo! LoCo!"). Hearts will be broken. Dreams will be shattered. But it's Megan Whalen Turner. I'll adore her no matter what, and I have no doubt she'll rise to the occasion.

Game on!

SLJ Battle of the Books: Color

Christopher Paul Curtis is over at BotB, deciding whether Marching for Freedom or A Season of Gifts will move on. I love his justification not so much for which book goes forward but because Christopher Paul Curtis is so succinct in his writing. You might finish his passage and feel he skimmed a bit...read it again. He says so much more.

So here is my Fire quote for the day:

And then sudden pain, blinding and brilliant. Fire wrenched her head and fought against the healer, against Archer's heavy strength. Her scarf slipped off and released the shimmering prism of her hair: sunrise, poppy, copper, fuschia, flame. Red, brighter than the blood soaking the pathway.

One of the things I love best about this passage? Read it aloud. I love the way all those colors roll off your tongue and somehow dictate the pace at which you read. There are many parts of this book that I have read out loud to Adam simply because I know they're meant to be said aloud.

Color is huge part of Fire. I mean, sure, it means lots of bright language about color - nothing is ever red. It's fire and flame. There's lots of shimmering.

But don't be so quick to dismiss it (or compare Fire and her devastating beauty to a certain sparkling vampire).

I don't know if Cashore meant to do this, but I feel like she used color as a have-or-have-not in this world she created. Fire and her father Cansrel had it, and their color is a source of power, which they use in vastly different ways. Those without their monster color are weaker and can easily suffer by Fire and Cansrel. Likewise, Immiker is a Graceling. With two different colored eyes, he has a special power over others that, again, they're nearly powerless to defend against. Color becomes a metaphor for power - some have it, others do not.

Just a few more days left in BotB! Tomorrow is the day I am STOKED about (save the day when Fire comes back from the dead, of course) - Shannon Hale is judging the match of the graphic novels: A Storm in the Barn vs. Tales from Outer Suburbia! It promises to be good, good fun!

Game on!

Alison at PW totally cheered me up

Why I Don't Want to Write about Kids' Books Today:

Reason #1

Reason #2 (and, gosh darn it, I love pretty* in the city!)

Why I Still Love Kids' Books and Kidlitbloggers:

Reason #1

Reason #2 (I commented that I'd make out with MT Anderson, Donna Jo Napoli, Shannon Hale, and Kadir Nelson...but other commenters reminded me that I'd also make out with Christopher Paul Curtis, Sarah Miller, Louise Rennison, and Gary Schmidt. 'Cause I'm kind of a whore that way...)

Brief Review: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've been hesitant to ever name my "favorite" authors...but I think it's safe to say that Shannon Hale is one of my favorites. She writes so lyrically, so gracefully with fully developed characters and compelling storylines. This was a fascinating read - it had everything: scary moments, romance, bravery, adventure, sadness, friendship, war. Dare I say that it was epic? Yep, I just said it.


View all my reviews.

What have you read lately?

I’m constantly plagued and haunted by how few books I actually get to read. I mean, if I were to be honest with myself, I really do read a lot…at least, I read a very realistic amount, given my life circumstances. Nevertheless, I always want to read more. In an attempt to calm myself down* by taking stock of how much I really do read, I’ll do a round-up of my reading lately:

- Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and illustrated awesomely by Nathan Hale

I’ve already heard some criticisms – a colleague thought the speech bubbles didn’t match the actions taking place in the same panel. I don’t know, though, I just didn’t see that. Anyone that has met Shannon Hale can attest to her fantastic wit and cleverness, and I’m so glad that she has created a book that allows her humor to shine. Nathan Hale’s art is stunning – in particular, there is a scene when Rapunzel is shut in her tower, and it shows the various stages of Rapunzel’s grief. It’s incredibly well-done: poignant and moving without being scary. Additionally, there are moments when Nathan perfectly captures Shannon’s wit and really brings it to life. As a librarian, I’m constantly looking for quality graphic novels for the younger set, and this is one of those. It’ll appeal to the adventurous 8-year-old and the more independent 16-year-old.

- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Just what the doctor ordered. It was enormously clever, and the social commentary was spot-on. That Jane Austen was cheeky! Pride and Prejudice gets all the love because of Mr. Darcy; even then, I believe most of that stems from one of the men on my Top 5 List: Colin Firth. But I digress… Life has been insane lately and, since I’ve felt so out of control, Sense and Sensibility was a cozy, timely, lovely reminder that everything always turns out just as it should be.

- I haven’t read these yet but I just have to share that one of my Favorite Publishing People, Ellen Greene at Harcourt, recently sent me a packet of books. There were all kinds of fun F&Gs but, being the darling person she is, she stuck in two paperbacks for me: Organic, Inc.:Natural Foods and How They Grew by Samuel Formatz and A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France by Georgeanne Brennan. Given how much I loved From Here You Can’t See Paris, I think A Pig in Provence will be right up my alley. Thanks to Ellen and here’s to hoping that she gets her cute self out to NYC soon!

- Because I’m all in love with Shannon Hale now (as if I ever stopped...well, okay, there was that Austenland misstep), I picked up Book of a Thousand Days, which I’ve had sitting on my desk for months. So far, I’m loving it, of course. But I’m also waiting for it to pick up – the premise has been set, now where are we going from here? I’ll keep you posted.

And that’s my book round-up for now. I’m already plotting my next book…I got invited to an event this Thursday night – it’s a panel discussion with Molly O’Neill, Judith Jones, and others discussing Julia Child’s influence on the culinary world. I can hardly wait. So I’ll most likely be picking up My Life in France next…

Eat, drink, and be well-read.

* aided by the glass of Sauvignon Blanc next to me – is there anything else to drink on a 90+ degree day with 60% humidity?

Friday is my favorite day of the week!

Happy Friday, everyone! Truly, I am in the best spirits. The skies have finally cleared over NYC and we’ve been promised a stellar weekend, weather-wise.

In the spirit of Friday-before-a-holiday, today has just been full of delight (children’s books-related). First, I received my copy of Rapunzel’s Revenge (no, Liz, you’re the sweet one!) and I huddled down in my cubicle and read the first half already. It’s phenomenal so far – Nathan Hale’s artwork, in particular, is stunning. I’ll email you soon, Miss Erin, and we’ll chat.

This actually happened last week, but I’m only now getting around to blogging about it. Remember I blogged ages ago (okay, fine, it was just February...but doesn't that already seem like ages ago?) here and here about the book Graceling by Kristin Cashore? To refresh your memories, it’s an upcoming YA fantasy novel with adult crossover possibilities, pubbing in October. I really enjoyed it – the characters were richly drawn and the concept of the book was well-executed. However, when I got the ARC in January, it didn’t have a cover yet: it was just a white book with black writing. Well, the cover has come out and here it is:

It’s really gorgeous. The sword is silver foil with a reflection of Katsa, and the author’s name and the book’s title are in embossed gold foil. There also was thought put into the design of the back cover – it has a horizontal picture of the sword with the reflection of Katsa’s different-colored eyes in it. Can anyone else say Ka-Ching! Harcourt is promoting this big-time, as they should with a 75,000 first printing for a debut author. Luckily, the cover is fantastic and will definitely draw in readers. Thanks to Ellen Greene, one of my favorite publishing folks, for the advanced copy!

Food-wise, well, I don’t feel like making dinner so we’re going out tonight. Interestingly, we’re going to check out Uno Chicago Grill down the street from our apartment. We’ve stayed away because it’s, you know, a chain (in mind I just kept seeing images of Pizza Hut and Little Caesar's). However, this article in the Boston Globe turned me around: Uno’s was named Health Magazine’s healthiest chain restaurant in America. Who knew?! They even serve antibiotic-free chicken and whole grain pastas. I haven’t tried Uno’s since I read this article, but we decided tonight would be a good night. Uno’s is one of the few places in our neighborhood with outdoor seating and it’s definitely a good night to enjoy the nice weather.

Eat, drink, and have a lovely weekend, everyone!

It will be mine. Oh, yes, it will be mine.

Yes! I just got word from Bloomsbury's raddest editor, Liz Schonhorst (hi, Liz!), that my copy of Rapunzel's Revenge is on its way!

Now I can finally stop turning shades of green over Miss Erin's well-deserved good fortune!

ShelfTalker, Bloomsbury, and Editorial Anonymous

Okay, so I’m long overdue to do some children’s literature chatting. I have a couple fun things:

First, Alison over at ShelfTalker has riled everyone up again by asking which books were loved by everyone but you. There’s lots for me, but what sticks out is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (likewise, Great Joy), Wrinkle in Time, Artemis Fowl, Kitten’s First Full Moon, Stinky Cheese Man, anything by Giselle Potter. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying I loathed these books (okay, well, I did a couple…). I’m just saying that so many looooooved them and thought they were wooooooonderful. And I just didn’t get the big deal. Either way, check out Alison’s post – last I checked, there were 86 responses and climbing.

Second, Editorial Anonymous has a post up about why publishers don't seem to work more closely with librarians and teachers to publish the sorts of things we find important, useful, and interesting to children. After all, we're on the front lines, right? EA was honest in her opinion, which I happened to agree with. Think about your colleagues, whether they be teachers or librarians. Thinking? Okay, how many are dedicated to children, know children's interests, work with children all the time? Most of them, right? But how many can you honestly say are up-to-date, current, in-the-know with children's literature? Not as many, I would venture. At least, that's the case with me and my workplace. Likewise, most of them also don't understand or have access to the business of publishing. It is a business, after all. And while we might find a book useful for reports (why, oh why, aren't there more books published on Verrazano?!), if it's not going to also appeal to bookstores and other outlets, then the publisher most likely can't make a profit. And they need to make a profit to stay in business. Also, I argue that publishers make lots of effort to connect with librarians and teachers: conferences, publishers previews, sales reps, etc. Anyway, lots of posts over at EA on the topic - go take a look.

Third, remember I went to lunch with David Fickling last week? Well, what I didn’t talk about in that post was that I visited Bloomsbury Children’s afterwards. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure I did an internship with Bloomsbury back in 2005 when I had just earned my Master’s and wasn’t sure what direction I was heading in, and I have kept in touch with a few people there in the past couple years. Anyway, so I stopped by, mostly as a social visit. Naturally, I wasn’t there for five minutes and Stacy Cantor, editor at Walker Books, hands me a galley of her first solo book: Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning by Danette Haworth. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but I’m assured that this first-time author is very promising. And then, besides gossiping, the rest of my time there was spent trying to pilfer a copy of Rapunzel’s Revenge, Shannon Hale’s upcoming graphic. Victoria Wells-Arms, editor-at-large and mother of the cutest damn twin girls ever, had already left for the day but, when we stopped by her office, she had THREE copies of Rapunzel’s Revenge there. Oh, you guys, it’s so RAD - I couldn't stop delighting in the eye candy. Did I dare take one? Of course not, Victoria wasn’t there. Deb Shapiro, publicist extraordinaire, could hook me up. But she was out too! What does a woman have to do to get a copy of this book?!?! That’s right – I have to blog about it.

(And lest I forget to mention her, one of the best people at Bloomsbury is Liz Schonhorst who hooks me up with all my galleys, introduced me to the Flatiron Grill and Go Fug Yourself, and generally keeps me in the loop)

Eat, drink, and don't be ashamed to beg for Rapunzel's Revenge

The One Where I Don't Mention Food

** U.S. News just came out with its list of Best Careers 2008, and Librarian is on it. And I’m just thinking, “Well, DUR!” We’ve all known this for awhile and now America is catching on. What raised a red flag with me is that the median annual pay is listed as $51,400. Really? I mean, reallllly???? I want to know why I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, holding the position I hold, and I make well under that. Seriously, we’re talking $10k less than that. How annoying. The Man is damn lucky I like my job so much. Damn lucky.

Thanks to Annoyed Librarian for the link.

** Publishers Weekly has the scoop on the joint book tour with Shannon Hale and Libba Bray, and I just have to ask: are there two authors more fun than these two? I don’t think so. I just want to be best friends with them. (Thanks to PW for the photo!)

** The Oregonian has an interview with Beverly Cleary, who I can credit almost entirely with shaping me as a young reader. Ramona spoke to me as a child; she was a kindred spirit. Then I moved on to Dear Mr. Henshaw. Then it was Sister of the Bride, Jean and Johnny, Fifteen, and The Luckiest Girl. She’s the one single author I can say I grew up with; after all, I didn’t discover L.M. Montgomery until I was 15 and Sweet Valley High was just a phase. And I was never into Judy Blume as a kid. It’s delightful to see that, at 91, Cleary is as spunky as ever: when asked to comment about children reading so much less than they used to, Cleary answers: “I don't think I'm qualified…because I only hear from children who do read." Wonderful. I don’t have very many heroes, but she is one of mine.