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A Fuse #8 Production
Inside A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente

Fairyland2

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making By Catherynne M. Valente Illustrations by Ana Juan Feiwel and Friends (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-312-64961-6 On shelves now. Well devil if I know what to do with it. Never complain that you are bored, ladies and gentlemen. Say such a [...]

Librarian Preview: Macmillan (Fall 2011)

12Thingstodo

Saying that one is spoiled in New York City is sort of like saying that water is wet or snow is cold.  There are tradeoffs, of course.  The filth.  The crowds.  The teeny tiny apartments.  But for all of that, you instantly forget your previous discomforts when you get to visit gorgeous landmarks as part [...]

Review of the Day: Lemonade by Bob Raczka

Lemonade

Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word By Bob Raczka Illustrated by Nancy Doniger Roaring Brook (a division of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-541-4 Ages 4-10 On shelves now. The lady from Manhattan would like to register a complaint. The lady from Manhattan is aware, perfectly aware, that there are plenty of fabulous children’s [...]

Review of the Day: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

DeadEndNorvelt

Dead End in Norvelt By Jack Gantos Farrar, Straus and Giroux (an imprint of Macmillan) $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-374-37993-3 Ages 10-14 On shelves September 13, 2011 What makes Jack Gantos tick? It’s a question that haunts every book he writes, from the simplest Rotten Ralph to his own YA autobiography Hole in My Life. It’s a [...]

Review of the Day: Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

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Zita the Spacegirl – Book One: Far From Home By Ben Hatke First Second (an imprint of Roaring Brook / Macmillan) $10.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-695-4 Ages 9-12 On shelves now I run a bookgroup for kids between the ages of 9-13. Like a number of American children in the 21st century, these kids have an overwhelming [...]

Review of the Day: Won Ton by Lee Wardlaw

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Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku By Lee Wardlaw Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin Henry Holt and Company (a division of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-805-8995-0 Ages 4-8 On shelves February 15, 2011 A substitute teacher came up to my reference desk seeking, “Fun haiku books” to turn into lesson plans with their kids. That’s [...]

Librarian Preview: Macmillan (Fall 2010)

Macmillan

This would mark the second time all the imprints and various furbelows of Macmillan would gather together to create a slambang grand view of everything coming out on the children’s side of thing this coming Fall 2010.  If you’ll recall my recap of the Macmillan Spring 2010 preview season, in its first incarnation librarians were [...]

Review of the Day: Born to Be Giants by Lita Judge

Born to Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World By Lita Judge Flash Point / Roaring Brook (an imprint of Macmillan) $17.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-443-1 Ages 5 and up On shelves now. Just yesterday I had a very nice children’s author from North Carolina visiting me in my library. She wanted to look [...]

Review of the Day: A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead

A Sick Day for Amos McGee By Philip C. Stead Illustrated by Erin E. Stead A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-402-8 On shelves now Ages 4-8 Sometimes children’s book reviewers bandy about the term “classic” like it was some kind of verbal shuttlecock. There’s nothing that raises the savvy readers’ eyebrows [...]

Review of the Day: Machines Go To Work by William Low

MachinesGoToWork

Machines Go to Work By William Low Henry Holt and Company $14.95 ISBN: 978-0-8050-8759-8 Ages 4-8 On shelves now In his 1975 Introduction to his book Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury has this to say about children and the ugliness of the mechanical world. “Trains and boxcars and the smell of coal and fire are not [...]

Review of the Day: Jake Starts School by Michael Wright

JakeStartsSchool

Jake Starts School By Michael Wright Feiwel and Friends $16.95 ISBN: 978-0-312-36798-5 Ages 3-8 On shelves now Let’s see. As a kid I had a brief love of a blanket (which ended abruptly when my mother put it in the washing machine one day). I was a perpetual crier, bursting into tears at the slightest [...]

Review of the Day – King George: What Was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin

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King George: What Was His Problem? Everything your schoolbooks didn’t tell you about The American Revolution By Steve Sheinkin Illustrated by Tim Robinson Flash Point (a Roaring Book Press imprint) $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-59643-319-9 Ages 10 and up On shelves now Children are taught history. They turn into teenagers and find out that much of what [...]

Review of the Day: Rain Play by Cynthia Cotten

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Rain Play By Cynthia Cotten Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe Henry Holt and Company $16.95 ISBN:978-0-8050-6795-8 Ages 3-8 On shelves now I was working the reference desk of the library one day when a boy that couldn’t have been more than seven-years-old came up to me. He had that deadly serious look to his face that [...]

Review of the Day: Bloom by Maria Van Lieshout

Bloom

Bloom: A Little Book About Finding Love By Maria Van Lieshout Feiwel and Friends (Holtzbrinck imprint) $12.95 ISBN: 978-0-312-36913-2 Ages 4-8 On shelves now I don’t usually pay a lot of attention to the seasons.  Every year Valentine’s Day shows up and I’m always utterly baffled by its appearance.  This year, though, I figured I’d [...]

Review of the Day: I Am Not Joey Pigza by Jack Gantos

Iamnotjoeypigza

I Am Not Joey Pigza By Jack Gantos Farrar, Straus & Giroux (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.00 ISBN: 978-0374399412 Ages 11 and up On shelves now A good author has the ability to piss off their fans. Pissing off fans is a delicate art, though. On the one hand, if you can emotionally engage your [...]