Horn Book's Summer Reading

Bad new, folks. Apparently Horn Book Magazine has acquired a way to see into my very brain. Look at this magnificent Summer Reading List they just put out. It's like we're soul mates or something.



Beach - Beach? Someone else on this planet read and loved Beach? *sob* I'm not alone!

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County - Excellent. The buzz starts low, but if I can keep it up then this book will be causing a veritable blaze of glory by the time the award season circles through.

Aggie and Ben - Awwwww. Just... awwwww.

The Green Glass Sea - Look, Ellen! They included your book!

Larklight - Suh-weet. Now please to find me a child who likes it. I love it, but I want some confirmation that there's a kid somewhere anywhere that digs horrible white space spiders.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair - Look, Laura! They included your book too!

To Dance - This makes me happy.



I'm really going to have to read this Rex Zero and the End of the World book aren't I? It just keeps cropping up.


Please go to bookshelves of doom for a full encapsulation of all the further summer reading lists out there.

Didn't See That One Coming

I take back what I said. When I learned that Al Roker had paired with Scholastic Books to bring us his new bright n' shiny summer reading thingy (I think he went and called it Al's Book Club) I got all snarky and started trying to predict what books he'd do. Needless to say, and I don't think this was much of a stretch, I said he'd do all Scholastic titles. And certainly book #1 was Hugo Cabret, just as I thought. Now they've announced book #2 though, and my pet theory has taken a dive head-first out the nearest window.

The second book for Al’s Book Club for Kids is Rick Riordan’s book, “The Lightning Thief.” This is the first book in his “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series. The main character is a 12-year-old dyslexic boy who discovers that he is the modern-day son of a Greek god. For the series, Riordan draws upon his experience teaching kids Greek mythology. “The Lightning Thief,” chosen as an American Library Association Notable Book, was optioned for a feature film to Twentieth Century Fox.

Well, you can just knock me over with a feather then. That's not a Scholastic title! That's Miramax's baby. I can attest that it is also a great bookgroup book. I did it with my homeschooler group a month or two ago. It went over like gangbusters too.

So let's do a quick search here. If this announcement came out on May 18th then how many holds are on The Lightning Thief in the New York Public Library System? Survey says: 9. And five of those are for the large print edition. Perhaps Al is not the mover and shaker I supposed him to be. I remain very impressed that his Book Club is doing more than Scholastic titles, though. Very impressed indeed.

Thanks to bookshelves of doom for the link.

Al Roker Declares War on Summer Reading

People tend to think that it is a very big deal when The Today Show speaks with the year's Newbery and Caldecott winners. For one brief and shining moment, children's books are front and center in the news (unless one is able to locate the word "scrotum" in a the text, of course). So it was with interest that I saw the title NBC's 'Today' Launches 'Al's Book Club For Kids'.

Each month during the summer, Al and a group of young book club members, ages 9-11, will meet in Rockefeller Plaza for their monthly book club meeting to talk about the selected book and ask questions of the author. "Al's Book Club For Kids" plans to meet four times, and kids everywhere are encouraged to visit "Today" on the Plaza when the club convenes and bring a copy of Al's monthly pick to be signed by the author. Stay tuned for date announcements.

"Al's Book Club For Kids" will have extensive online components at Todayshow.com and scholastic.com/summerreading. Parents and kids alike from across the country can be part of the club by e-mailing questions for the authors, who will answer a select few live on "Today." Todayshow.com will continue the discussions with the author online after each book club segment airs. In addition, at Scholastic.com/summerreading (launching May 15) kids can access fun book-themed activities, join a book community and create their own reading log. Parents, teachers and librarians can also find expert advice on reading and age-appropriate summer book lists for kids in English and Spanish, as well as downloadable materials that will help engage kids in reading.

Well played, Scholastic. You can bet that there's a publishing house or two out there kicking themselves over this loss. No word yet on the four books that'll be discussed. We'll have to wait until May 15th, it seems. As such, we'll reserve judgment for a little while.

My book predictions: Hugo Cabret, Harry Potter, Chasing Vermeer, and Gregor the Overlander. Even money, people. Lay down your bets.

I also wonder vaguely if The Today Show made overtures to New York Public Library at any point. It'd be nice to tie all this into library use as well.

Thanks to Galleycat for the link.