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When it comes to your children, the books in your house matter more than your education or income
A study recently published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility found that just having books around the house (the more, the better) is correlated with how many years of schooling a child will complete.
Slate Launches Interactive YA Serial
Tapping into teen trends--vampires and the push towards interactivity--novelists Laura Moser and Lauren Mechling have launched a YA serial on Slate.com with a parallel online world where their characters update their Facebook pages, tweet, and post videos on YouTube. The story, which went live today, and marks the first YA serial Slate has ever run, will unfold in 11 three-chapter segments posted every Friday through August.
Mechling, a culture editor at the Wall Street Journal, said the idea for the novel started unfolding after her coauthor, who writes for Slate, was approached by editors at the site to do something in the YA vein. The result, My Darklyng, is about a 10th grader named Natalie Pollock whose obsession with a popular vampire series takes a scary turn after she auditions to be a cover model for one of the new books. more...
The Children’s Books of Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Chinua Achebe & Others
We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie is a (relatively) new blog devoted to lesser-known, out-of-print children’s books by ‘adult authors’. New finds are uploaded each week by Ariel S. Winter, some of which include picture books by Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Chinua Achebe and Theo Le Sieg (aka Dr. Seuss – not strictly an adult author per say, but he did use this pseudonym for several books which he wrote but did not illustrate).
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Annie Kidder, Paul Kay and Diane Maliszewski discuss the evolution of the school library and whether or not computers are slowly replacing books.
The Sandwich Swap [Hardcover] Newest Printing
by Queen Rania of Jordan al Abdullah and Kellie DiPucchio
Lily and Salma are best friends. They play together and stick together through thick and thin. But who would have ever thought that ordinary peanut butter or plain old hummus could come between them? Lily and Salma don’t quite understand each other’s tastes, but does that mean they can't be friends? They understand far better than a lot of gown ups that these things hardly matter and that friendship is the most important thing of all.
Her Majesty,Queen Rania’s children’s book is inspired by her own experience. As written by Kelly Dipuchio, it is a warm-hearted and gently humorous fable about two girls who become aware of their subtle cultural differences, only to have their friendship strengthened as a result. Her Majesty travels the world promoting children’s causes as well as cross-cultural understanding and tolerance
Amazon is selling the book for $9.49 reduced from $16.99
Charlotte's Web
E. B. White , Garth Williams
An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.
Amazon is selling "Charlotte's Web" for $7.99
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Precious' producers adapting 'Judy Moody'
John Schulz to direct pic based on popular book series"Precious" producers Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness have selected their next project: family pic "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," based on the popular childrens book series.
John Schultz ("Aliens in the Attic") will direct from an adapted script by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald, author of the books. Schultz begins lensing in August in Los Angeles.
Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn has won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Juvenile Fiction
Another well-done, action-packed mystery from Hahn. This book starts off as seventh-grader Logan Forbes learns that a murder had been committed in his family's new house three years earlier.
Myrtle Donaldson, a bookkeeper accused of embezzling from the local amusement park, was found dead in her ransacked house and her killer is still at large.
Logan's next-door neighbor, Arthur Jenkins, a sixth grader with a bottomless stomach and a quirky personality, is convinced that Mrs. Donaldson was falsely accused, and he wants Logan to help him find the real perpetrator. The boys discover a letter and puzzle left among the woman's possessions that convinces them they are on the right track. Their investigation includes visiting the abandoned and overgrown Magic Forest amusement park, a reporter with secrets, shady property developers, a menacing convict, and purloined library materials.
It all culminates in a terrifying nighttime showdown among the kudzu at the Magic Forest where the truth is revealed. This is an enjoyable mystery with just the right amount of frightening and dangerous elements to entice readers. Logan is a sympathetic character—a new kid in town trying to find his place in the pecking order, almost immediately befriended by someone on the lowest rung who turns out the be the right friend for him.
It is available at Amazon for $10.88 reduced from $16.00.
This is Book Four in the Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan.
The Review in Booklist:
Following Will and Evanlyn’s escape from slavery in The Icebound Land (2007), Halt determines that the Temujai mean to attack Araluen and decides to help the Skandians defend their land. Rejoining Halt, Will and Evanlyn become warriors in the stronghold where they had recently been captives and use their wits and skills to fight the common enemy. The story plunges forward with irresistible narrative drive toward the climactic battle scene. Even readers drawn to the series for its deftly drawn characters and setting may find themselves caught up in the action. A fine entry in the increasingly popular Ranger’s Apprentice series.
Amazon has identified copies as "Bargain books" books that are new but could include a small mark from the publisher and an Amazon.com price sticker identifying them as such. They are selling the paperback for $3.20.
A 10-Year-Old’s Marching Orders for the Upcoming School Year
" ... kids function best when they're real clear about exactly what's expected of them ..."