Armed with nothing more than his unique powers, three not so imaginary friends, and his charming wit, Daniel sets off on whirlwind journey to kick some major alien butt.
Read more
plus how to get the book for free
A charming story of unlikely heroes whose destinies entwine to bring about a joyful resolution.
plus lesson plans and classroom resources
plus how to get the book for free
Some very needy primary-school students in Afghanistan now have a brand-new school, thanks to a partnership between the Penguin Group (USA) and the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR. The school, located in Arababshirali, roughly 150 miles from Kabul, in Kunduz Province, recently opened its doors to 270 children in grades one to six as a “tribute to American booksellers, librarians, and educators” who supported author Khaled Hosseini’s novels, The Kite Runner (2003) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007, both Riverhead), says Penguin. Riverhead is an imprint of Penguin. more » » »
Alex Greven discussing his book on
The Ellen Degeneres Show earlier
this year. Alec Greven makes it look like child’s play. In the span of a year, the nine-year-old author has gone from self-published book fair bestseller to national media darling, and has three books arriving between now and next May. This month HarperCollins’s Collins imprint will release the first, How to Talk to Girls, based on a book Greven wrote at the age of eight, for a school assignment.
In the picture book, which features interior art by Kei Acedera (her first children’s book as well), Greven, a fourth-grader from Castle Rock, Colo., offers suggestions about dealing with girls and crushes (“It is good to give a girl compliments. Don’t go crazy with them though. Then you look like you are trying too hard”), as well as observational “statistics” based on his experiences at school (“About 73 percent of regular girls ditch boys; 98 percent of pretty girls ditch boys”).
read more
Greg is a conflicted soul: he wants to do the right thing, but the constant quest for status and girls seems to undermine his every effort. His attempts to prove his worthiness in the popularity race (he estimates he's currently ranked 52nd or 53rd) are constantly foiled by well-meaning parents, a younger and older brother, and nerdy friends.
by Jack Ferraiolo
Snappy, pulp-inspired noir set in the mean hallways of middle school, from an exciting debut author.
Click here to read more ... plus an interview with the author and how to get a free water gun.
em>Panelists Anita Silvey and David Wiesner.
Earlier this week more than 100 booksellers, librarians, and other children’s book devotees attended a panel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., to mark the publication of James Marshall’s George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends Stories (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Sept.). Billed as both a celebration of Marshall (1942–1992) and a look at humor in children’s books, the panel was moderated by Roger Sutton, editor of the Horn Book,
which cosponsored the event with the
Cambridge Public Library and HMH.
Although, as Anita Silvey noted during the panel, Marshall was one of the few children's writers and illustrators to get a book contract after seeing one editor (Walter Lorraine) with one portfolio—and one of the first to get on The Today Show—he never was awarded a Caldecott. Neither panelist David Wiesner, who has received three, nor Martha Speaks author/illustrator Susan Meddaugh or school librarian Susan Moynihan could explain why, except to point to the humor in his work.
Ivan Southall, one of Australia's best loved and most prolific children's book authors, has died. He was 87.
Southall won four Children's Book of the Year Awards during the 1960s and 1970s. He received national and international acclaim for his books — including the British Library Association's Carnegie Medal for Josh (1971). Hills End was included in The New York Times list of books of the year in 1963.
Maurice Saxby, children's literature expert and a close friend of Southall, said the author had had "an inestimable influence on the way his readers view themselves as individuals and as Australians".
By Randa Abdel-Fattah
Synopsis
"I need to see Sitti Zeynab one last time. To know if I will have the courage to go ahead with my plan. The two nurses look frazzled and smile wearily at me. 'We must leave now,' they say in urgent tones. 'I won't be long,' I reassure them and I jump up onto the back of the ambulance.
That popular little character, Gingerbread baby, is back. Gingerbread baby needs some friends but can he make them? Can he talk to them? Where do you find friends for gingerbread babies? This is an adventure he’ll never forget.
Read more details, along with lesson plans, classroom helpers, a recipe for gingerbread and instructions for a Christmas gingerbread garland and a printable
