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National Coalition Against Censorship Salutes Judy Blume

Some people may have difficulty finding humor in the issue of censorship. Thankfully, celebrated author Judy Blume isn’t one of them. Nor were the many actors, comedians, authors, and supporters who gathered at City Winery in New York City on Monday evening for “A Night of Comedy with Judy Blume & Friends.” Presented by the National Coalition Against Censorship, the event was both a celebration of the coalition’s 35th anniversary and an opportunity to honor Blume, who has actively battled censorship of her own books since the 1980s, and who has been on NCAC’s board of directors since 2000.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6703348.html?nid=2788&source=title&rid=1189609311

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Hilarious Floridian adventure – Hoot – Lesson plans, activities, trailer and more

Hoot

by Carl Hiaasen

This author has turned to children's books, and applied a wonderful quirky humour.  The story has new kids, bullies, alligators, eco-warriors, pancakes, and pint-sized owls .... a hilarious Floridian adventure!

Go to http://www.pivotalkids.com/hoot.htm to read about the book, and find links to these

  • The trailer for the movie
  • Hoot Study Guide
  • Vocabulary pre-test
  • Hoot Book Reviews
  • Hoot Quizzes
  • Book Report Alternative: A Character's Letter to the Editor
  • Hoot Teacher's Booklet
  • Lesson Plan
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Kids’ Authors team up for “”Exquisite Corpse


 Plans are ramping up for the ninth annual National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., which will take place on September 26. For 2009, the Library of Congress and the National Children’s Book and Literary Alliance have teamed up with 18 children’s book authors and illustrators for a special presentation entitled The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, an ongoing story that will be unveiled over the course of a year. more » » »

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A Gripping thriller from Sophie McKenzie

Winner of the Red House Children's Book Awards

A Kid's Review

fab book
u can't put the book down, i have read all her other books and this is the best so far...

Read a synopsis here

Buy the book here

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Hilarious, dramatic, moving mayhem from Australian, well-loved children’s author

Andy Griffiths returns with the latest in the Just Series.  Accompanied by hilarious illustrator Terry Denton, he has created another amazing story.

Take one Shakespearean tragedy: Macbeth.

Add Andy, Danny and Lisa – the Just trio, whose madcap exploits have already delighted hundreds of thousands of readers for the last ten years.

more here

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Authors boycott schools over sex-offence register

    • Respected British children's authors Anthony Horowitz, Philip Pullman and Michael Morpurgo object to a new government scheme that requires them to register their names on a database in case they pose a danger to children

GETTY IMAGES

Respected British children's authors Anthony Horowitz, Philip Pullman and Michael Morpurgo object to a new government scheme that requires them to register their names on a database in case they pose a danger to children

  • A group of respected British children's authors and illustrators will stop visiting schools from the start of the next academic year, in protest at a new government scheme that requires them to register on a database in case they pose a danger to children.  ... more
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Psst! Secrets of a Best-Selling Hack: Basic Rules for Writing Fiction

Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for this one ..
  • Steve Hely needed to know how to write very well in order to write as miserably as he does in “How I Became a Famous Novelist.” In a satirical novel that is a gag-packed assault on fictitious best-selling fiction, Mr. Hely, who has been a writer for David Letterman and “American Dad,” takes aim at genre after genre and manages to savage them all. You are invited to trawl the mass-market fiction in your local bookstore if you think Mr. Hely is making much up.
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Author throws party to benefit school


Children’s author Cynthea Liu believes in putting her money where her mouth is. And she’s succeeded in encouraging others to put their money down for a good cause. Liu, a native of Oklahoma and author of The Great Call of China, launched her second book for middle-grade readers, Paris Pan Takes the Dare (Putnam, June), with an online "slumber party," featuring an auction to benefit a Title I school in an impoverished and crime-ridden area in Oklahoma City. more » » »

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Lots of fun and learning too – 1000 times no

“All right, Noah, dear. It’s time to leave,” says Noah’s mom. Noah has other plans. “No,” he says. And then says it again. And again. And each time, his nos get crazier and crazier.

It’s a lot of fun and will feel familiar to any parent up against a child’s tireless opposition, and kids (maybe) will  recognize their own silly stubbornness. The educational use of various languages extends the book’s age range a bit, too.

Watch a trailer of the book

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Coming soon – the second in the Hunger games series – the deadly cost of victory

"In the bristling thriller CATCHING FIRE, two young heroes win the horrifying--and mandatory--Hunger Games, thereby becoming targets of a Government bent on maximum revenge."

Read the first chapter (PDF)

Watch the video

Listen to the author read a chapter

Play the games