The 2009 National Book Award Finalist is...

This week the 2009 National Book Award Finalist for Children's Literature was announced. The title is Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice. The book was written by Phillip Hoose and published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

From the publisher:

This book reveals the true story of Ms. Colvin, who, as a fifteen-year old in 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white woman, nine months before Rosa Parks took a similar stand. Ms. Colvin then went on to challenge segregation a second time, as a key plaintiff in the landmark case ofBrowder v. Gayle, which struck down the bus segregation laws in Montgomery.

Here is an except from the book:

Rebellion was on my mind that day. All during February we’d been talking about people who had taken stands. We had been studying the Constitution in Miss Nesbitt’s class. I knew I had rights. I had paid my fare the same as white passengers. I knew the rule—that you didn’t have to get up for a white person if there were no were no empty seats left on the bus—and there weren’t. But it wasn’t about that. I was thinking, Why should I have to get up just because a driver tells me to, or just because I’m black? Right then, I decided I wasn’t gonna take it anymore. I hadn’t planned it out, but my decision was built on a lifetime of nasty experiences.

After the other students got up, there were three empty seats in my row, but that white woman still wouldn’t sit down—not even across the aisle from me. That was the whole point of segregation rules—it was all symbolic—blacks had to be behind whites. If she sat down in the same row as me, it meant I was as good as her. So she had to keep standing until I moved back. The motorman yelled again, louder: “Why are you still sittin’ there?” I didn’t get up, and I didn’t answer him. It got real quiet on the bus. A white rider yelled from the front, “You got to get up!” A girl named Margaret Johnson answered from the back, “She ain’t got to do nothin’ but stay black and die.”

The white woman kept standing over my seat. The driver shouted, “Gimme that seat!” then “Get up, gal!” I stayed in my seat, and I didn’t say a word.

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Two new Christmas books - reviews and giveaways

I recently reviewed two delightful Christmas books for the latest issue of TTLG. They are The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and The Christmas Magic. Here are my reviews:

The nutcracker and the mouse king

Wren Maysen

Illustrated by Gail de Marcken

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 8

Scholastic, 2009, 0545037735

Every Christmas Eve, Marie and Fritz Stahlbaum get a special treat, their Godfather Dosselmeier gives them wonderful toys that he has made for them. This year Godfather gives the children a beautiful dollhouse and a wooden soldier nutcracker. Often reckless and in a hurry, Fritz breaks the nutcracker by accident. Compassionate Marie takes pity on the broken soldier and she cares for him tenderly.

The evening Marie stays up a little later than everyone else, and to her amazement some incredible things start to happen. The room fills with mice and then a huge Mouse King arrives. The Mouse King leads his mice soldiers in an attack, which is then repulsed by the Nutcracker and his toy allies. Toy soldiers, dolls, puppets, and animals join the battle, and then…Marie wakes up.

The next morning Marie wakes up and she is in bed. She has a cut on her elbow and she has to stay in bed. One evening, Godfather Dosselmeier comes to visit Marie and he tells her the sad story of the Nutcracker.

Many children are familiar with the Nutcracker story in some form. In this book, Wren Maysen presents her readers with a wonderful adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman’s original tale. This version of the Nutcracker is more involved than the one used in the Nutcracker ballet, and Gail de Marcken’s rich and detailed illustrations beautifully compliment the magic filled story.

The Christmas Magic

Lauren Thompson

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Picture Book

Ages 4 to 7

Scholastic, 2009, 0439774977

Far to the north of here, there is a little house with a red door. This is where Santa Claus lives. Now that the days are getting shorter, Santa gets that special feeling that tells him that the magic will soon be arriving. He has a lot to do to get ready.

Santa calls the reindeer in and he feeds them well. He polishes the sleigh and oils his boots. Santa looks in his big book and decides what each child should get for Christmas. And, of course, Santa waits for the magic.

This beautiful picture book perfectly captures that special Christmas magic that we all eagerly wait for. As we read, anticipation builds up until that special moment in the story when everything is ready.

Jon J. Muth’s illustrations beautifully compliment Lauren Thompson’s lyrical text. Together they give young readers that perfect taste of the Christmas magic that is on its way.

Scholastic is offering two lucky readers a copy of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, and two more a copy of The Christmas Magic. Please drop me a line to be entered in this giveaway.

Interviews with the National Book Award Finalists

On November 18th, judges will be choosing the winner of the Young People's Literature National Book Award for 2009. Here are the finalists for the award and interviews with the authors. This information was provided by the National Book Foundation.

Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith (Henry Holt) - Interview Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) - Interview David Small, Stitches (W. W. Norton & Co.) - Interview Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic) - Interview Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped (HarperTeen/HarperCollins) YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE JUDGES: Kathi Appelt, Coe Booth, Carolyn Coman, Nancy Werlin, Gene Luen Yang

The Gunpowder Plot

On this day in 1606 a group of Englishmen, including an explosives expert called Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London. This "Gunpower Plot" failed, and the conspirators were tried and later executed.

When I was growing up we used to have a big bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night. A dummy Guy would be burned on the fire - rather gruesome really - and fireworks would be set off. I always enjoyed it. We children used to sing a poem, which went like this:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

should ever be forgot

I understand that there is more to the poem than this, but we children never knew the words. There is lots of information about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpower Plot on Wikipedia if you are interested.

I am still on the lookout for a good book for children about this event in history. If anyone knows of one please let me know.

The new issue of Through the Looking Glass is online

Happy November everyone. The new issue of Through the Looking Glass is now online. At the moment I am working on building a new site for TTLG, so I am doing bimonthly issues to give myself time to learn the new system, and to enter the many thousands of old reviews into the site. Therefore, the new issue is for November and December, and in it you will find lots of gift suggestions for the holidays. There are wonderful picture books, some delightful works of fiction, and some great novelty titles. There are also audiobooks and nonfiction titles. I hope you enjoy the new issue and I really look forward to being able to bring you the new and improved website in a few month's time.

Young Adult Novel Contest - Write a pitch

Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with

ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win both exposure to editors, and a one-on-one chat with one of New York’s TOP literary agents Regina Brooks.

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, as well as Sundee Frazier—a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. As an agent, she is known for her ability to turn raw talent into successful authors.

ADDITIONALLY: The top 20 submissions will all be read by a panel of five judges comprised of top YA editors at Random House, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Penguin. All 20 will receive free autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. Of the 20, they will pick the top five submissions and provide each author with commentary. ONE Grand Prize Winner will win a free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer’s Workshop.

Please submit all entries via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php. One entry per person; anyone age 13+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET),

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo

In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

So apply now! http://bit.ly/1PYGaN

JUDGING

YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to four winners and a grand prize winner—all five will be provided commentary on their submissions.

An Essay contest for kids. Go to Florida to meet Winter the dolphin.

MEET WINTER THE DOLPHIN

ESSAY CONTEST

Winter the Dolphin has been an inspiration and hero for children and adults alike. When Winter was just three months old, she was rescued from a crap trap which had seriously damaged her tail. It wasn't clear that she would survive but she did. However, the damage to Winter's tail was so extensive that it fell off. To everyone's amazement, a prosthetic company stepped in an fitted Winter with a prosthetic tail. Now Winter is using her new tail and thriving.

Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.

One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night's stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system! 10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter's Tail, a Winter's Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!

HOW TO ENTER
Send entries to:
Scholastic's Meet Winter the Dolphin Contest
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Each entry must include student's name, age, and grade; teacher's name; and school name, address, and phone number.

All entries must be received by November 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on or around December 14th. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residences of 50 United States and D.C. ages 6-14 as of November 30th 2009. Void where prohibited. Click here for complete contest rules.

The Monsterologist - A review.

With Halloween just around the corner, many young (and not so young) people are thinking about witches, spiders, carved pumpkins, ghosts, and ..... monsters. I just reviewed a book that will delight monster enthusiasts of all ages. It is called The Monsterologist: A memoir in rhyme.

Here is my review:

The Monsterologist: A memoir in rhyme

Bobbi Katz

Illustrated by Adam McCauley

Picture book

Ages 8 to 12

Sterling, 2009, 140274417X

The world is full of ologists of all kinds. There are biologists, zoologist, botanists, psychologists, and now there is a monsterologist. He is a very brilliant man who travels around the world looking for, and even getting to know, monsters of all kinds. For the first time ever, the monsterologist has brought together letters, interviews, and notes that he has in his collection so that you can read about some of the secrets of the world’s most famous monsters.

Enjoy reading a letter from Count Dracula, and shudder as you read a recipe that the monsterologist believes belonged to Grendel’s mother. Read the “Ghost Notes” that the monsterologist has selected, and find out how three famous dead musicians still walk the earth. Learn what it was like to seek a yeti in “the snowy Himalayas.” Don’t forget too to look at the email offer that the monsterologist received inviting him to co-direct a zombie survey.

This highly entertaining and deliciously inspired book is sure to delight any budding monsterologist. With clever rhymes, a varied selection of formats, and wonderful multi-media artwork, this is a book that readers will dip into again and again.

Do visit the Monsterologist website to play a game, to find out more about the monsterologist, and to listen to a reading of some of the poems in the book.

Teen Read Week 2009

Don't forget that October 18th to 24th is Teen Read Week in the U.S. This year's theme is Read Beyond Reality, which encourages teen readers to read something fantastical or science fictional, and to explore worlds that have never been. You can find some excellent book and media suggestions here, and more ideas and information about this even here and on the ALA website.

If you have a teen in the house, you might be interested to know that teens can vote for the 2010 Teen Read Theme. Click here to vote.