The Alison Dare Double Blog Dare Tour and Contest

Alison Dare has been seen in pursuit of Baron

von Baron is Ashland,Oregon (note Mount Ashland

in the background)

Tundra books has released two graphic novels about Alison Dare, a young teen who has unusual parents and who has tends to have rather extraordinary adventures involving dastardly villains, lamps with genies in them, walking mummies and more. Here is my review of one of the titles.

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

J. Torres

Illustrated by J. Bone

Graphic Novel

Ages 8 to 11

Tundra Books, 2010, 978-0-99776-934-4

   Alison Dare has a very unusual family. Her mother is a world famous archeologist, and her father is a librarian who is secretly the Blue Scarab, an honest to goodness super-hero. Most of the time Alison is in school, but every so often she gets to go on special trips with her mother, Dr. Alice Dare.

   In the first adventure in this collection, Alison is on an expedition with her mother in the Sultanate of Shahrazad and she is bored to tears. Alison’s mother is busy working so Alison decides to take a peek at some of the things her mother has stashed on one of the tents. Inside a crate she finds a lamp which she rubs, thus summoning a genie. Alison knows that she has three wishes - as per tradition - and her first wish is to summon her friends Wendy and Dot. The girls are not, for some bizarre reason, delighted to be whisked away from the lives to join Alison in an adventure. They do warm up to the idea though when Alison accidentally summons 1001 knights. The knights lavish Alison and the girls with lovely clothes, fantastic foods, and other delights. Things are looking up, until the knights decide that Alison’s mother is an “interloper” who should be removed.

   In the second adventure we find out how Alison’s parents met and how her father, who was a scholarly librarian, was turned into the Blue Scarab, a superhero with all kinds of fantastic powers.

   Finally, there is the story of “Alison Dare and the mummy child.” In this thrilling adventure, Alison goes to the museum to see her mother’s new exhibit and to set up a family picnic there – she is hoping to bring her estranged parents together. Instead Alison finds herself in a power struggle between her parents and Baron Von Baron, a ‘bad guy’ who wants to take over the world (isn’t that what most of them want to do?).

   Readers who like an exciting story that is full of evil doers, superheroes, and a sprinkling of magic and archeology, will greatly enjoy this book. With tongue-in-cheek jokes and completely outrageous plots, the three stories in this book are highly entertaining and enjoyable.

You are invited to enter the Alison Dare contest hosted by Tundra books. This is what you have to do to enter:

1. Save the image above to your computer and then print it out.

2. There are two different poses for Alison Dare, but you only need to choose one (although if you wanted to do both, go for it!).

3. Please cut out the Alison Dare figure you have chosen. Feel free to colour and decorate.

4. Put Alison Dare in front of a famous landmark, in an exotic location, or in the face of danger. You can also be creative with common everyday objects.

5. Take a photo (or photos) of Alison Dare! There is no limit.

6. Send your photo of Alison Dare and witty caption to tundra@mcclelland.com before June 30, 2010.

You can see my Alison Dare photo at the beginning of this post!

Please visit the Blog Tour webpage to see what other bloggers are doing.

Here is some information about the author and illustrator of this exciting series:

J. TORRES is a Shuster Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated writer whose credits include adaptations of Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation, the comic book series Teen Titans Go and Wonder Girl for DC Comics, as well as the graphic novels Lola: A Ghost Story and the YALSA-listed Days Like This for Oni Press. He has also written for children’s magazines, books, and television. The author lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario.

J. BONE is an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator of several critically acclaimed comic books and graphic novels, including Spiderman: Tangled Web, Batman / The Spirit, and Paul Dini’s Mutant, Texas. J. Bone lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Earth Calendar - Holidays from around the world.

Children love to celebrate holidays of all kinds. Of course they like the holidays that they are familiar with, but they also like to celebrate holidays from cultures other than their own as well. Here is a nifty little tool that you might like to explore with the child in your life. It is called the Earth Calendar and on it you will find holidays of all kinds from around the world. You can look up the holidays for today, and you can also look up holidays by date, by country, and by religion.

You are sure to find some interesting holidays during the year that will help you and your child or children to explore the history and culture of people who live on the other side of the world.

Enjoy!

Celebrate World Oceans Day with Dr. Seuss's fish - June 8th

 In honor of 50 years of Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish entertaining children around the world, Random House Children’s Books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, The Ocean Project, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are partnering to celebrate World Oceans Day, held annually on June 8th. Seventy-five AZA accredited zoos and aquariums across the country, and more than 600 Ocean Project partners worldwide will host fun-filled family events inspired by One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, with the goal of teaching children about our ocean’s great diversity of life and the important things we can all do to protect our shared world ocean.

Celebrating the Ocean’s Diversity with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Participating locations will commemorate 50 years of One Fish fun on or near June 8th with birthday festivities that incorporate the 2010 World Oceans Day theme. “Oceans of Life” celebrates our ocean’s diversity, just as Dr. Seuss celebrated diversity with his colorful characters in One Fish. “From here to there, from there to here, funny things are everywhere.” Children will have fun getting to know the ocean’s funny things with Seussian games and activities. Since the 2010 World Oceans Day honors former La Jolla resident Dr. Seuss, visitors to San Diego County will be able to choose from a host of special events throughout the region, including the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Botanic Garden, SEA LIFE Aquarium, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, and many others. For more information about World Oceans Day, and to find events and materials, visit The Ocean Project Website. 

Random House Children’s Books is publishing a special 50th anniversary edition of ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH (Random House / 978-0-394-80013-4 / April 27, 2010 / $8.99 / Ages 5–8 / 72 pages) Originally published in 1960, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish remains a beloved Seuss favorite and has sold over 9 million copies to date. With fantastically funny creatures, this Beginner Book teaches the concept of reading with easy rhyme and identifiable illustrations. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish takes children on a wildlife adventure and, like all of Dr. Seuss’s books, makes learning to read fun.

World Oceans Day brings local attention to the global issue of climate change and its impact on ocean and animal life. The Ocean Project (TOP) advances ocean conservation in partnership with zoos, aquariums, and museums and leads efforts to promote and coordinate World Oceans Day worldwide. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of accredited zoos and aquariums in the areas of animal care, wildlife conservation, education, and science

Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books and novels, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House is also the longtime home of the beloved and bestselling Dr. Seuss books, which continue to make learning to read fun for millions of children everywhere. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company. Explore the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss at Seussville.com.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP protects the integrity of the Dr. Seuss books while expanding beyond books into ancillary areas. This effort is a strategic part of the overall mission to nurture and safeguard the relationship consumers have with Dr. Seuss characters. Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would “round out the edges.” That is one of the guiding philosophies of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, heads Dr. Seuss Enterprises as President.

About Dr. Seuss

Theodor “Seuss” Geisel is quite simply the most beloved children’s book author of all time. The 44 books he wrote and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss (and others that he wrote but did not illustrate, including some under pseudonyms such as Theo. LeSieg) have been translated into 30 languages and have sold hundreds of millions of copies. Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents and, to this day, his beloved books make learning to read fun for kids everywhere. Dr. Seuss’s long list of honors includes the Pulitzer Prize, eight honorary doctorates, and three Caldecott Honors. Works based on his original stories have won three Oscars, three Emmys, three Grammys, and a Peabody. For more information about Dr. Seuss and his works, visit www.seussville.com.

Galileo: A mini animated movie

I know that TTLG is all about books and bookish people and events, but I found this little animated movie online and I just had to share it with you. I am a huge fan of the Miyazaki movies and this reminded me very much of them.


Galileo from Ghislain Avrillon on Vimeo.

June First is the first day of the U.S. Hurricane Season

In the United States, June first is the official beginning of the hurricane season. For most people around the world this does not mean anything, but for many men, women, and children, hurricane season is a time of uncertainty. 

I never dreamed that I would ever experience a hurricane, but in 2003 I was in my home in Virginia when hurricane Isabel blew through, and it was a humbling and terrifying experience. At that time my husband was travelling and I was alone on our farm - in the middle of nowhere - with my three year old daughter. The storm hit in the early evening and we lost power soon after. Elise and I camped out in my bedroom with books, candles to read by, and all the animals. I was very worried about our biggest dog, Skye, because she usually became a nervous wreck during storms. However on this occasion she stood by the bed and guarded us - all night long. I remember listening as the eye of the hurricane passed over us and all was quiet for a time. Then the storm resumed and shrieking winds shook the house once more.

In the morning I could not open the front door at first. There were so many branches and other debris piled up against the door that it was hard to get the door to move. Eventually we were able to get out onto the front porch and we saw drifts of leaves and twigs all over the place. Luckily the tree branches that did snap did not fall on the house. We were very lucky to come through it with almost no damage at all. Many other home owners were not so lucky. 

The biggest problem we had was not having power. This not only meant no electricity, but it also meant that we had no water because the well pump ran on electricity. So, several times a day I had to lift the cement lid off the well head and use a bucket on a rope to get water for us to wash in.  We were lucky because it only took three days to get our power back. Some families in nearby Richmond had to wait for weeks. 

I had a terrible time finding food for us to eat because most shops were closed and because so many roads were impassable, like the one in the picture above. Everything that we had in the fridge was spoiled and had to be thrown away. Elise and I ate a lot of bread with peanut butter! When the power came back on I danced around the house with joy and relief. 

I now have a better appreciation for what it is like to live in an area prone to hurricanes. You can see the books I have reviewed about these frightening weather systems on the TTLG Hurricanes Feature Page. 

A Book Announcement from Roxie Munro

I just got an email from Roxie Munro, a wonderful artist, writer, and a lovely lady. This is what she told me. 

Dear Marya:

I'm thrilled to announce that "EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures" has received a Starred review in School Library Journal (June  2010), which says  "... This is truly a complete package: it’s engrossing and interactive, featuring finely and accurately detailed art and covering the basics of an organizational concept that is central to our understanding of the natural world."

What wonderful news! Getting a Starred review in SLJ is a big accomplishment in the book world. Here is my review of Ecomazes.

EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures

Roxie Munro

Picture Book

Ages 8 to 10

Sterling, 2010, 978-1-4027-6393-9

    All over our wonderful planet, there are ecosystems. They can be large, like a tropical rainforest, or very small, like the mini pond the lies at the bottom of your yard inside a forgotten bucket. All of these ecosystems are full of creatures of all kinds, fascinating creatures that interact in all kinds of ways. This unique book looks at twelve ecosystems that are found on Earth. For each ecosystem, Roxie Munro has created a beautiful maze that readers have to negotiate. As they ‘travel’ through each ecosystem, they are encouraged to find animals that are hidden in the illustrations.

    The book begins with a tropical rainforest. Readers are told that they are “a biologist checking on the monkeys” and that they have to find their way from the pier to the beach. As they trek through the forest, readers are invited to find an interesting selection of animals that are found in rainforests around the world.

   In addition to the rainforest, Roxie Munro has created maze pictures of a desert, a coral reef, a high mountain, the arctic, a wetland, the tundra, a grassland, the Antarctic, the savanna, a conifer forest, and a temperate forest. At the back of the book, there are pages that show readers where all the hidden animals are in the mazes. In addition, the author has also provide young naturalists with more information about each of the ecosystems that are featured in the book.

    With extraordinary pictures and a wonderfully informative and interesting text, this is a book that should be on every library and classroom shelf.

Congratulations Roxie!

May 27th - Rachel Carson was born on this day in 1907

I have to confess that I didn't know much about Rachel Carson until I moved to the United States in 1992. Since then I have read and been inspired by her books. Here is a review of a book that I read this week.

Rachel Carson: Preserving a sense of wonder

Joseph Bruchac

Illustrated by Thomas Locker

Nonfiction picture book

Ages 6 to 10

Fulcrum Publishing, 2004, 978-1-55591-695-4

When Rachel was a little girl, she lived in Springdale, Pennsylvania, “a town once as lovely as its name.” She had a deep love of books, and through them she developed a interest in the sea. Though writing was what she loved, Rachel studied biology in college. She finally got to see the sea in person and she fell in love with its moods and its stories. Later Rachel wrote about the sea in her first book, Under the Sea-Wind.

   All this time Rachel’s once lovely hometown in Pennsylvania, was being poisoned. The rivers were filthy, “the air was choked with smoke,” and poisonous agricultural sprays were killing animals of all kinds. Hearing about this terrible development, Rachel decided to write a new book. This new book, Silent Spring, angered a lot of people, but it also helped many others to see that it is important to protect the environment, and that we all have to do our part to safeguard our planet.

   In this truly beautiful picture book, a lyrical and powerful text is perfectly married to Thomas Locker’s gorgeous paintings. Readers will get a memorable picture of what Rachel Carson was like and how important her legacy has been for all of us. 

Judy Moody Goes to Hollywood!

Mega-Moody News! A Judy Moody movie - Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer - is coming from Smokewood Entertainment, the Oscar-nominated production company behind the acclaimed film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.”  John Schultz (“Aliens in the Attic”) will direct the film Screenplay by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald Based on characters in the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, and published by Candlewick Press Production starts August 2010 www.judymoodythemovie.com RARE! And there’s more! No joke! There is a way-cool Judy Moody movie tie-in publishing program coming spring 2011 from Candlewick Press Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer  based on the screenplay by Kathy Waugh and Megan McDonald This paperback original includes behind the scenes photos and exclusive material from the movie set Roar! It’s not bad enough that Mom and Dad are heading to California, leaving Judy and Stink with Aunt Awful (er, Opal), but now Judy’s two best friends are going splitsville on her too. Just when it looks like her summer is going to be Bor-ing with a capital B—eureka!—Judy (with some help from Aunt Opal) comes up with the most thrill-a-delic plan ever. Get ready for a race involving tightrope walking, monster-wave-surfing, Scream Monster riding (no hands), an Evil Creature Double Feature, and way more! Add in a treasure hunt for Judy’s teacher, a midnight stakeout, a runaway ice-cream truck, a chase scene with a dash of Bigfoot, and what have you got? The Judy Moodiest summer ever! Judy Moody Goes Hollywood In this full-color hardback you get to sneak onto the set of the Judy Moody movie with Judy and her friends! Judy, Frank Pearl, Stink, Rocky, Mr. Todd, Amy Namey, Jessica Finch, even Mouse, and a few new characters each take a moment to talk about the stuff they think is especially THRILLING about being on a movie set! Who’s inside scoop is the most thrilling of all? You can decide by awarding each character points. At the end of the book, count ‘em up. Zero points? Snoresville! Mega-points? THRILL-o-rama! With More Titles to Come! Get all the Judy Moody-est news at: www.judymoody.com

Best wishes, Your friends at Candlewick Press

New children's book by John Grisham is released today

Today John Grisham's new book for children Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, is on sale. Here is a synopsis of the book.

In Theodore Boone, we follow the adventures of a 13-year-old, amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial. The book takes place in the small city of Strattenburg. There are many lawyers in town, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. 

Penguin books has two websites dedicated to Theo. www.theodoreboone.com is a full website where kids can explore Theo’s office and the clues he’s gathered for his latest case, and a courtroom where they can learn about what goes on during a trial, funny laws, and send a Mad Libs-type “summons” to their friends! www.whoistheoboone.com is a little bit more mysterious, but no less fun to explore.

A letter from Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Lisa Brown (in the hat) and Adele Griffin (sporting a mustache) 

at their book launch

A few weeks ago I reviewed a splendid book called Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown. I also interviewed the book's creators just as they were about the launch the book. As I read about what Lisa and Adele were doing, I became interested in finding out what it was like to get a book off the ground once it was accepted by a publisher. I asked Adele if she would like to tell us a little bit about this journey, which she did. Here is her letter.

Dear Looking Glass,

We are launched!  A whirlwind month to cap a fascinating year, when Picture the Dead first landed at our editor’s door—not with a thunk, mind you, but a polite and hesitant tap. As longtime collaborators on the project, we were both braced for rejection but hopeful that someone might find our Civil War ghost story worthy of an audience bigger than just us two. It’s a quirky read, for sure—a story about photography that is not illustrated with photographs. A serious young adult novel with pictures of a scrapbook that holds clues to its mystery. Historical fiction where much of the “historical” is tucked into our website.

Kelly Barrales-Saylor, the marvelous editor who answered our tap, jumped into our off-kilter world with both feet. She had no qualms—though plenty of queries. And so we spent much of last year tugging logic, plot and sentences into shape; placing and replacing the art; vetting for historical accuracy, and spinning out at least fifty titles (The Recognized, Find Me When I’m Gone, The Ghost of William Pritchett) before we arrived at the one that is stamped on the jacket.

But that was so last year. This year, we’re devoted to getting the book into your hands.

The Booksmith in San Francisco, where we just launched Picture the Dead, is not only the kind of bookstore you cross your fingers you’d get to grow up near, but has the added benefit of being Lisa’s local Indy. With our May 6, 2010, date set, and enterprising folk at the literary media site Red Room live-streaming the event, we were ready for our close-up. In full Victoriana, that is. Corsets, funny hats, and mustaches had been hunted down. Lisa’s husband, Daniel Handler, lent the wit and charm of his alter-ego Lemony Snicket, who acted (in absentia) as Master of Ceremonies. Booksellers were duly outfitted in Union uniform. We read from the book, presented slides, raffled T-shirts, tintypes, and lockets, signed books—and pinched each other in disbelief. After all, it had been almost seven years since that first afternoon when we conceived our gothic ghostly tale.

We gave readings in Brookline, Massachusetts, our book’s historical home, last weekend, and with Philadelphia upcoming, plus BEA and ALA around the corners, we’re putting out the word out bit by bit. The wonderful world of online marketing has been remarkable, too—and with a book like Picture the Dead, we are never short a “tag.” Which, depending on the interview or guest blog, has included: spirit photography, fraud photography, Civil War, twins, ghosts, hair art, festering head wounds, malarial swamps, Boston, Brookline, William Mumler, Mary Todd Linclon, séances, neck clamps, Godey’s Ladies Book—well, you get the Picture.

And, yes, through the whirlwind, we do have an open folder called: New Book. With plenty of possibilities, as we muse on another odyssey, and another “will this or won’t this work?” format. We have no idea what course we might take, but an element of risk seems certain. And then, look out … we’ll be tapping.

Sincerely,

Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Thank you Adele and Lisa, and I look forward to hearing about what you do next.