[bksvol-discuss] Books You'll Love from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
- From: "Jamie Yates, CPhT" <mirxtech@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Bookshare Volunteers <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:46:18 -0500
MacKids at ALA Midwinter in Boston
We've just returned from ALA Midwinter in Boston (January 15-19), where we
had a great time. If you didn't get to attend, here's what you missed:
We gave away loads of galleys of Spring 2010 titles, including the highly
anticipated Perchance to Dream (the follow-up to Eyes Like Stars); My Life
with the Lincolns; Birthmarked; This Gorgeous Game; The Celestial Globe
(book two in The Kronos Chronicles); Doodlebug; and The Water Seeker.
And on Monday morning we received some very exciting news about our 2009
books!
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a 2010 Newbery Honor Book!
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is a 2010 Newbery Honor Book, a 2010
Sibert Honor Book, and a 2010 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for
Young Adults Finalist!
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith is a 2010 Printz Honor Book and
the 2010 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Winner!
Django is a 2010 Schneider Family Book Award Winner!
Eidi is a 2010 Batchelder Honor Book!
Thank you to ALSC and YALSA for recognizing our outstanding titles.
February is Black History Month
Celebrate with these great titles from Macmillan Children's Publishing
Group:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
"History might have forgotten Claudette Colvin, or relegated her to footnote
status, had writer Phillip Hoose not stumbled upon her name in the course of
other research and tracked her down. . . . The photos of the era are
riveting and Claudette's eloquent bravery is unforgettable."
--The Wall Street Journal
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom abridged by Chris van Wyk, illustrated
by Paddy Bouma
"With a large, clear map; time line; and glossary, the astonishing story
will grab kids, and the parallels with the U.S. civil rights movement won't
be lost on the audience."
--Booklist, starred review
I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings by
Elizabeth Spires
"Spires has presented readers with a delightful glimpse into the life and
work of a relative unknown. This is a special book."
--School Library Journal, starred review
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
"Giovanni and Collier offer a moving interpretation of Rosa Parks's
momentous refusal to give up her bus seat. The author brings her heroine
very much to life . . . a fresh take on a remarkable historic event."
--Publishers Weekly
Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated
by Bryan Collier
This book offers a glimpse into the unusual friendship between two great
American leaders. At a time when racial tensions were high and racial
equality was not yet established, Lincoln and Douglass formed a strong bond
over shared ideals and worked alongside each other for a common goal.
Editorial Corner: Roger Priddy
on Books for Beginners
I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, and perhaps that's why I ended
up in children's publishing. I love the idea that children are learning from
our books, which are often the first books they ever see. If you think about
it, it's quite a responsibility, and that's the reason coming to work each
day is so much fun--it certainly keeps you on your toes.
There is nothing better than getting a review from a parent telling you that
their child has learned to write their letters using one of your books. And
on that subject I have been hearing from teachers who have loved our
original Wipe Clean ABC but have asked for an even simpler approach. So we
have listened and produced a set of four Wipe Clean Workbooks on Uppercase
Letters, Lowercase Letters, Numbers, and Pen Control--they are large format,
very straightforward, and will hopefully help children with their first
writing skills.
In February, we are launching two Lift-the-Flap Shadow Books, At the Zoo and
In the Town. These are large-format books with big silhouettes on the flaps
so that the children have to try and guess what is underneath. I have
road-tested them with my four-year-old, and the books have proven to be
great fun for parent and child interaction. And they are really well
made--the flaps have stood up to his sometimes overzealous excitement! I
hope that you enjoy them as much as he did.
--Roger Priddy, Publisher of Priddy Books
Fairy Tales for a New Generation
Spoiler alert: Cinderella goes to the ball! Beauty saves the Beast!
Old news, right? And yet, like mushrooms in a fairy ring, fairy
tale-influenced novels for teens are popping up all over. What compels
authors and readers to revisit stories they already know?
A shared familiarity allows writers to play with their readers'
expectations. You remember what happened to Rapunzel? Well, what if the
author changes the setting, reverses key details, or combines characters
from different tales? Voila! Like magic, old stories are new again.
With such a treasure trove of material to draw from, how's an author to
choose? The stories that interest me have elements that annoy or perplex.
Questions, I've learned, are the surest clue that a tale could turn into a
novel. The story that inspired my first book, The Swan Maiden, is usually
told from the male protagonist's point of view. I wondered what the girl in
question might say about her own journey. Forthcoming Toads and Diamonds
sprang from a pet peeve: Why is the oldest sister in fairy tales always the
bad one? Furthermore, why don't stepsisters ever get along? What if a
fairy's mismatched gifts turned out to be equally important? How and where
would such a scenario be plausible? To answer my own questions, I had to
write the book.
How does it end? Now, that would be telling.
New to the genre? Here's a trio of fairy tale-inspired novels to enjoy:
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli
Get to the Point:
Our New Macmillan Children's Blog
The MacKids blog provides a fresh perspective on life inside the Flatiron
Building in New York City, where our offices are located. The blog is a
collection of personal statements, behind-the-scenes snapshots, and candid
interviews with various authors, editors, and marketing, production, and
sales staff. Since the first post in mid-January, we have displayed original
art, presented insight into the acquisition process, shed light on the
importance of our mailroom, and developed booklists for parents, teachers,
and librarians to reference throughout the year. And this is just the
beginning!
We invite you to check out the blog at www.mackids.squarespace.com and
bookmark it on your computers today. We hope you'll continue to visit the
blog, comment on its contents, and share the material with your colleagues
and friends. This is a very exciting initiative we have launched, and we
encourage you to be a part of the excitement.
Happy blogging!
Black Magic
by Dinah Johnson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
"Black is big like a star-filled sky and tiny like the sparkle in my daddy's
eye."
Black is a look, a taste, a speed, an emotion. It's the scary, exciting
feeling of going inside a tunnel. It's the joy music puts in your heart.
Black Magic by Dinah Johnson (Hair Dance!), illustrated by multiple Coretta
Scott King Honor recipient R. Gregory Christie, is a joyful celebration of
the African-American spirit and what it means to feel strong, proud, and
free. It is the perfect way to celebrate Black History Month with your young
readers.
In a recent review, Publishers Weekly noted, "With vibrant colors offsetting
velvety black images, Christie's acrylic gouache illustrations playfully
tweak perspective and scale, echoing the verse's energy and fluidity."
Happy Birthday, Wilhelm Grimm!
Wilhelm Grimm, half of the famous Brothers Grimm writing duo, was born on
February 24, 1786. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are among the best-known
storytellers of fairy tales from Europe, popularizing such classics as
"Rumpelstiltskin," "Snow White," "Cinderella," and "Rapunzel."
Celebrate the life and works of the Brothers Grimm with The Witch's Guide to
Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan, a modern-day retelling of the
classic story of Hansel and Gretel, a brother and sister lured into the
house of a child-hungry witch. In this unique and spine-tingling adventure,
Sol and Connie Blink move to a new town and meet a very odd older neighbor.
When they find her dog playing with a human bone, the kids are determined to
uncover the woman's secrets--but they quickly learn that solving mysteries
can be a dangerous game.
Aurelie: A Faerie Tale
by Heather Tomlinson
Once upon a time, three children and a little river dragon were the best of
friends--until a promise was broken. Now they are almost grown up and barely
speaking to one another. With her country in turmoil, Aurelie is sent on a
peacekeeping mission. But how can she prevent a war when she can't even make
her friends get along?
STATE AWARDS
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale
Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
The Little Dump Truck by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Bob Kolar
Mother Poems by Hope Anita Smith
The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry
Denton
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Hat That Wore Clara B. by Melanie Turner-Denstaedt, illustrated by Frank
Morrison
Clean Air by Andrew Bridges
Clean Water by Beth Geiger
Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley
Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan
Marino
2010-2011 Truman Readers' Award Nominee
The Compound by S. A. Bodeen
2010 Texas 2x2 Reading List
Big, Bigger, Biggest by Nancy Coffelt
Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley
NATIONAL AWARDS
2010 Newbery Honor Books
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
2010 Sibert Honor Book
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
2010 Printz Honor Book
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
2010 Schneider Family Book Award Winner
Django by Bonnie Christensen
2010 Batchelder Honor Book
Eidi by Bodil Bredsdorff, translated by Kathryn Mahaffy
2010 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Winner
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
2010 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner
Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle
Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van
der Rol, translated by Arnold J. Pomerans
Sydney Taylor Notable Books List
The Champion of Children by Tomek Bogacki
A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel, translated by Lorraine T. Miller
The Search by Eric Heuvel, Ruud van der Rol, and Lies Schippers, translated
by Lorraine T. Miller
INGROUP
The InGroup is our teen focus group. Every month members receive new titles
to review and report on. This month's title was Isabelle's Boyfriend by
Caroline Hickey.
"Isabelle's Boyfriend is an adorable novel that will make readers reminisce
about their own unrequited loves."
--Caroline, age 18
REVIEWS
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is the most delightful historical novel for
tweens in many, many years. . . . Callie's struggles to find a place in the
world where she'll be encouraged in the gawky joys of intellectual curiosity
are fresh, funny, and poignant today." --The New Yorker "Book Bench" Blog
Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara
"The simple linocut illustrations are stunning; with white figures on a blue
background, they create an idealized wintry world." --Bloomberg.com
Spellbinder by Helen Stringer
"This charming debut novel blends classic British fantasy with figures
usually reserved for horror stories to create a compelling fantasy adventure
romp which will appeal to middle grade readers. . . . This book is sure to
hook readers and leave them waiting for what must certainly be a sequel, if
not a whole series." --VOYA
Refresh, Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff
"A great read . . . deserves high praise." --San Francisco/ Sacramento Book
Review
--
Jamie in Michigan
Currently Reading: Point Blank by Catherine Coulter
Earn cash for answering trivia questions every 3 hours:
http://instantcashsweepstakes.com/invitations/ref_link/49497
See everything I've read this year at: www.michiganrxtech.com/books.html
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