There is much to love in this latest edition to the Steve Sheinkin “Walking and Talking” oeuvre. Since today’s guest is Newbery Award winning author Rebecca Stead there are insights into her process. There is careful consideration of the act of writing, and what you chose to tell or not tell. And, most important of […]
Of all the most deserving, least lauded children’s book awards out there, my favorite might be The Phoenix Awards. “The award, given to a book originally published in the English language, is intended to recognize books of high literary merit. The Phoenix Award is named after the fabled bird who rose from its ashes with […]
Goodbye Stranger By Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-385-74317-4 Ages 10-14 On shelves August 4th After much consideration, I think I’m going to begin this review with what has to be the hoity toity-est opening I have ever come up with. Gird thy loins, mes amies. […]
Liar & Spy By Rebecca Stead $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-385-73743-2 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. Rebecca Stead is the M. Night Shyamalan of children’s literature, and I mean that in a good Sixth Sense way, not a lame The Happening one. It’s funny, but when I try to compare her other authors I find myself tongue-tied. […]
#11 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2009) 102 points I sell this to kids in the library by saying it’s a cross between Beverly Clearly and Lost. And I always say “the ending will BLOW YOUR MIND.” Because it does. – Sharon Ozimy This is a book you can give to any kind […]
Fifty years ago Madeline L’Engle published her best known creation A Wrinkle in Time. Since its release the book has gone on to be one of those rare titles that can get away with being part fantasy, part science fiction, and part religious allegory. All that and it’s interesting to boot. Not surprisingly Macmillan (the […]
If you’ve read my blog in the last year you may have heard me mention a little something called the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Said aloud it sounds like The 92nd Newbery Film Festival (which is not too far off since 2012 will be the 90th Newbery Award). However the entire premise was this: Kids […]
Oh, wow. Just . . . wow. Some of you may already be aware of the Boogie Woogie blog, run by author/illustrator Aaron Zenz and his three kids. The fact that it may be the best blog out there in which kids participate in the discussion of children’s literature is evidenced by nothing so much […]
I’m not telling you anything new by bringing this up now, but for those of you who may yet be unaware, the great Brian Jacques of the Redwall books passed away last weekend. I only had the pleasure of meeting Brian once at an event at the Campbell Apartment, and he was charming. I determined […]
When You Reach Me By Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books (Random House imprint) $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5 Ages 11-14 I’ve been struggling over how to begin this review. I want to get it exactly right. I want to convey to you precisely what it is that I mean to say. If you’ve read any of my […]
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