Catch up on all the newest happenings in the world of children's and young adult's literature as well as cool web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom. Tweets abound this week, but then when do they not?
Many thanks to Children's Bookshelf of Publishers Weekly for the following tweets this week.
Sonia Jaffe Robbins tells all in It's A Wrap, for Wimpy Kid 6. Bank Street Bookstore is ready for the November 15 release.
Read the latest post at Publishers Weekly by John A. Sellers leading up to the complete list to be revealed on Monday, November 7, 2011; Publishers Weekly Best Books 2011: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen.
There has been lots of action on Twitter lately...enjoy.
Mo Willems has been busy. Check out the latest on Mo Willems Doodles via The Pigeon.
Via Publishers Weekly, The Globe and Mail posted an article titled Book apps: A reading revolution, or the end of reading? by John Barber. It's an interesting take on the impact of apps and the appeal of them based upon design.
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson talk about their new animated film The Adventures of Tintin at Comic-Con 2011. This promises to be one of the best in its genre. I can't wait to see this. The release date is December 23, 2011.
Meriden, Connecticut has renamed their children's library The Tomie dePaola Childrens Library to honor their home town hero and his commitment to their city. Tomie dePaola is the most recent recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for the contributions that his works have made to literature.
School Library Journal tweeted The 2011 Eisner Award Winners. Comics and graphic novels rule! Check out the Best Publication for Kids and Best Publication for Teens.
Julie Danielson on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, posts an article called Seven Crazy Realities Everyone Should Know about Literacyhead.com. Literacyhead.com in their own words states: A Literacyhead is someone who is intensely serious about exercising creative literacy, making connections across multiple literacies, pursuing thoughtful literacy as an individual and as a teacher, and constantly searching for ideas. Literacyheads may have expertise in different areas of literacy. but all are committed to children's literacy, passionate about the arts, incessant thinkers, and display a propensity for fun. I truly can not wait to visit this site again and again.
YALSA, the Hub, tweets about a new article, More Powerful Than a Locomotive. This article addresses the impact of graphic novels on struggling male readers. I know this to be true. They can not be kept on the shelves.
Library Journal has an article titled, Using the Cube to Bring Back the Book. A nonprofit group is going to be placing lightweight modular structures about New York and Boston this fall. In their words: will bring books and various programs to public spaces and underserved neighborhoods. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
The literature of J. R. R. Tolkien has firmly stood the test of time. One of his most loved pieces, The Hobbit, as most people know, will be brought to movie viewers in two separate films in 2012 and 2013. Director Peter Jackson has began filming in New Zealand. The Hobbit Blog has been up and running since late February of this year. On March 20, 2011 Peter Jackson created a new Facebook profile as an additional venue for fans to get the latest.
Although I continually remind my students that the books are always better than the movies (some of them are starting to openly agree with me), if anyone can do justice to The Hobbit, it is Peter Jackson. His cinematic interpretation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is phenomenal.
There is a ten minute video on his Facebook page that is a behind-the-scenes peek at the initial stages of production. How many readers will be reading this book yet again before the movie hits theaters? I know I will.
Ten years ago on the planet Lorien as the evil race of Mogadarians annihilated all life, a ship shot into space toward the nearest sustainable planet, Earth. Aboard that vessel were nine young children and their guardians. These children were the planet's gifted Garde; their mentors, the Cepan. A protective charm was placed on the children giving them a chance to survive and grow into their powers, Legacies. As long as they stayed apart the charm would hold and they could only be destroyed in numerical order. As the cover of this newest SF states: Three Are Dead I Am Number Four.
Only adding to the book's appeal is the author's name, Pittacus Lore, an alias for the collaboration of James Frey (of "fictionalized" memoir fame) and Jobie Hughes. The jacket flap indicates that Lore,the oldest Elder of Lorien, has been living here on Earth awaiting a final battle; a battle with the stakes so high life on Earth might cease to exist.
Setting the stage for what can only be described as a thrilling page turner is a prologue describing the death of Number Three. When the third ring appears on his leg signifying the death of Three, Four and his mentor flee the state of Florida to the peace and hopefully quiet town of Paradise, Ohio. Never being able to live anywhere for more than a few months, at their new home with new identities, 15 year old John Smith and his "Dad" Henri try to blend in while constantly being on alert for the appearance of the Mogadarians. It seems that constantly being hunted and on the run has finally taken its toll on the pair. Henri, ever the protector, is increasingly anxious about John's Legacy appearing. All John wants to do at this point is be a normal teenager. But how can you be normal when you have powers like Superman and your Legacy hasn't even revealed itself yet? The truth is...you can't.
From his first day at school normal is just not part of John's life. The plot begins to quicken and thicken as the additional characters are introduced: Mark James, football star, bully and former beau of Sarah, Sarah Hart, daughter of the Smith's realtor who captures John's heart at first sight, Sam Goode, a withdrawn teen with an over-the-top interest in aliens who becomes the first real friend John has ever had and Bernie Kosar, a stray dog that looks like a beagle but promises to be more than meets the eye.
As I continued to read this story I became attached to the world of the Loriens, their history and the mystery of their destruction. I found myself caught up in the day to day stress and mess of teens and high school life. When one of John's Legacies appears and his training begins in earnest I cheered for Henri's persistence and John's determination. What's not to like about non-stop action, teen romance, an unbreakable bond between a mentor and his child, deadly, dark aliens that will reach their goal by any means necessary or heart-pumping battle scenes of supernatural proportion?
This is going to be one science fiction tale that is going to soar off the shelves. (Note: I just ordered additional copies for our school.) At the I Am Number Four web site readers can feast on facts about all things Lorien.
Not to be forgotten is the up coming movie that at this writing is in post production and set to be released in early spring of 2011. Given the cast, director, writers and producers it should light up the silver screen. It's mind-boggling that with a book publication date of August 2010 the movie will be available that quickly. But nonetheless, save a seat for me...I'll be there with all the rest of the fans. And look for me at the head of the line when the next book of the proposed six hits the stores.
View beautiful illustrations here Maurice Sendak's Rare Velveteen Rabbit Illustrations circa 1960 by Maria Popova.
