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Like his Lightning Thief star Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan is a demigod—at least in the eyes of his readers. With the release next May of the first title in his new middle-grade fantasy series, about ancient Egypt, he is set to become a pharaoh, too.  In The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid, kids will meet Carter Kane, 14, and his sister, Sadie, 12, descendants of Egyptian magicians who battle gods accidentally released in the present. (Watch out for the god of chaos.) “In my classroom, there was only one thing that was more popular than ancient Greece, and that was ancient Egypt,” said Riordan,Read More →

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By Sue Corbett — Publishers Weekly, 11/5/2009 12:15:00 PM Alex Rider’s eighth adventure, Crocodile Tears, hits stores November 17 and Penguin is partnering with MAKE magazine to challenge young inventors to come up with a gadget cool enough for the teen spy’s arsenal. After all, author Anthony Horowitz says that when he needs a new tool to get his hero out of peril, he goes to his own kids for inspiration. “I look around their bedrooms to see what kind of electronics and such they have littering the place,” said Horowitz, father of Nicholas, 20, and Cassian, 18. The challenge is to design a gadgetRead More →

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Publisher’s Weekly has announced its picks for the Best Children’s Books of 2009.  “From accounts of civil rights heroes, to harrowing (and hopeful) stories about contemporary teenagers, to picture books that perfectly capture friendship, curiosity, or flights of fancy, 2009 held a treasure trove of wonderful reading for children of all ages and interests. Narrowing them down to just 30 titles wasn’t an easy task, but we believe the following books stand out for their remarkable writing, indelible characters, and arresting artwork.” Publisher’s Weekly 11/2/09 Read the full Publisher’s Weekly article here. Congratulations to Chris Gall, Tucson author and illustrator of the awesome Dinotrux!Read More →

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Teenreads.com conducted a survey of teen readers and the results, along with an analysis, are available in this article from Publisher’s Weekly.  Looking at what teens read, what they buy, influences and conflicts for time and dollars, there are some interesting results and ideas for educators and booksellers.  Check it out!Read More →

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Back in August the Library of Congress and the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance announced that they had teamed up to create The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, a multi-episode online story.  It was launched this past weekend at the well-attended National Book Festival in Washington DC.  The first chapter is now available on the Library of Congress website. Here’s what the Library of Congress’ site says about the story: Ever heard of an Exquisite Corpse? It’s not what you might think. An Exquisite Corpse is an old game in which people write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold it over to conceal partRead More →

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From Publisher’s Weekly:  Five backlist novels and two new titles are featured in Point of View, a fall marketing initiative from Penguin Young Readers Group. The campaign, which focuses on literary books with strong, somewhat challenging themes, entails consumer and trade components and aims to connect readers who embraced such novels as Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson to new books with a similar appeal. Joy Peskin, executive editor at Viking, who edited Wintergirls and After, views the campaign as “a great opportunity to give attention to important books by our newer authors, by tying them into more establishedRead More →

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“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!” – Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go! 2010 College Scholarship Program for high school seniors. Essay Question:  Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go! delivers an important message about the chances and the troubles that life presents.  Thinking about the book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, what kinds of opportunities and challenges do you think your education will present in the future? 1st Place Winner will receive $5,000 to put towards a college of their choice. Applicants must be 12th grade high school students graduatingRead More →

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In support of United We Serve, a national effort launched by President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) invites you to Read for Change.  Help collectively log 3 Million Minutes of reading with children to help raise awareness about the impact of children’s literacy on the long-term economic health of the country.  The challenge will culminate on Sept. 11 – the National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Start reading with kids today. Make your minutes count! Consider: Nearly two-thirds of low income families own no books for their children. Reading to preschoolers is the most importantRead More →