Wands and Worlds

Harry Potter giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:00:27 PDT

The Harry Potter series has been a big part of my life for most of this decade. We started out reading the books together when my son was young, and as each new book came out we read it together, sharing the excitement, the humor, the tragedies and the surprises. I've been a lifelong reader of fantasy, and yet something about Harry Potter was, and is, special.

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was first released, we got the book at midnight, as many other people did. Although we could have finished it more quickly if we each read it ourselves, we opted to read the last book together and savor it, as we had the rest of the journey. We read almost straight through over the next couple of days, avoiding even going out of the house if possible, to avoid spoilers. After it was over, I had a powerful emotional reaction that lasted for days: a response to the powerful story itself, combined with a sense of loss that the series was ended.

Now, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will finally be released in paperback on July 7, and I've been given four copies of a Harry Potter prize pack to give away here! The prize pack includes paperback copies of:

Book 5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

To enter, write about a Harry Potter memory in the comments, between now and the end of the day July 6. It could be a great release party you attended, how you discovered the series, a special place that you read one of the books, what the series means to you, or anything else relating to Harry Potter and your life. It could just be as simple as your favorite Harry Potter book. The winner will be randomly selected on July 7. (So if you don't win, you can head on over to the bookstore and buy your own paperback copy). We can only ship the prizes to U.S. addresses only.

You can also get extra entries by blogging or tweeting about the giveaway. Please include the hashtag #wawhp in your tweets, and post a link to blog entries in the comments below.

Here's the official announcement from the publisher:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a breathtaking finish to a remarkable series. The final chapter to Harry Potter’s adventures will be released in paperback July 7^th! It all comes down to this - a final face off between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve.

Harry Potter games, activities, and information are available on the scholastic web site at:

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/

Here's what you can win:

Dream Power creative writing contest for kids

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:31:29 PDT

This summer marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of my husband's book, The Dark Dreamweaver. In celebration, Imaginator Press is sponsoring a creative writing contest for children up to age 14. The Dark Dreamweaver features a land literally powered by dreams, and Imaginator Press invites children to submit a story on the theme "Dream Power" for a chance to win an iPod Touch, iTunes gift cards, and inclusion in a published anthology of the winners.

Click here for more information, rules, and downloadable entry form

Book Review: Silksinger

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:56:45 PDT

Silksinger
Dreamdark: Book 2
by Laini Taylor

Magpie Windwitch may have defeated the Blackbringer and convinced the Djinn King to return, but there's still plenty of work to do. Accompanied by faerie Talon Rathersting, her "brothers" the crows, and Batch the scavenger imp, 'Pie is on a quest to find the rest of the Djinn. Meanwhile, young Whisper Silksinger, the last of her clan, is traveling across the land with one of those Djinn, the Azazel, in a teapot. Pursued by devils and scorned by everyone she meets, Whisper is yet determined to get the Azazel to Nazneen and restore him to his throne. Another faerie also travels to Nazneen in disguise, determined to restore his clan's honor and become the Azazel's champion. But unknown to all of them, a darker force is also seeking the Djinn for his own purposes. If he succeeds, the world may be in peril.

Silksinger alternates between several stories and several main characters, one of whom is Magpie. I'm not a fan of books that alternate stories in this way, because for me it makes the read very disjointed; every time I get involved with one character, I find it disconcerting to have to switch perspective and adjust to a different point of view. But the story is exciting enough to keep you involved, with the action starting by page 3, and the new characters are interesting and unique.

Silksinger is a darker book than Blackbringer. That may seem unlikely, since the first book was about a hungry darkness that swallowed everything in its path, but as frightening as it was, the Blackbringer was really just immense hunger and anger, both understandable emotions. This book has cruelty, real cruelty, and that's so much more horrifying than a hungry darkness. The villain in this book is fairly cliché, but it doesn't really matter, because the real villain is the darker sides of our own nature: hatred and suspicion and cowardice and greed.

But standing against this darkness and cruelty is courage and compassion, often in the face of overwhelming odds. It's easy to accept Magpie's courage; she's such a bold and willful character and courage comes naturally to her. But some of the greatest displays of courage in this book come from some of the most unlikely characters, such as Whisper herself, who is a scamperer, a faerie who can't fly, and in many ways appears to be little more than a frightened child. Yet hidden inside this tiny, seemingly helpless faerie lies an unexpected strength and courage. And several other unlikely characters show great courage in ways I can't describe without spoiling some of the authorial surprises. This fits in with one of the themes of the book, which deals with how our preconceptions and assumptions about other people can sometimes blind us to the truth.

I was glad to see the return of Batch Hangnail, the scavenger imp. In spite of his rude, selfish, untrustworthy nature, I can't help but like him. I was a little disappointed at how some things turned out with him, but again, I can't say more without spoiling the book. I also was a little disturbed that at one point Magpie was essentially keeping him prisoner. No matter how miserable his behavior, I don't think that he deserved that, and it seemed beneath Magpie to behave in such a selfish, uncompassionate way.

The main plot of Silksinger is wrapped up by the end of the book, but some plot threads are left unresolved for future books.

As with the first book, Silksinger is greatly enhanced by the beautiful drawings created by Jim DiBartolo, Laini's husband. The illustrations bring the characters to life and add a lot to the book.

Silksinger will be published on September 17.

Read my review of Blackbringer, book 1 of Dreamdark

Book Review: Bloodhound

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:35:31 PDT

Bloodhound
Beka Cooper: Book Two
by Tamora Pierce

There's trouble in Corus: a large influx of counterfeit coins, combined with rumors of a bad rye harvest, threaten the economy and well-being of the city. As prices rise, there's rioting in the streets, and something has to be done.

Beka Cooper has been reunited with her mentors, senior Dogs Goodwin and Tunstall, after a bad run of partners. When the Dogs discover that the counterfeit coins are coming from Port Caynn, and Tunstall is laid up with an injury, Beka and Goodwin, accompanied by Beka's new scent hound, Achoo, and the pigeon Slapper, are sent to Port Caynn to investigate.

With a cover story and some fortunate connections, Beka and Goodwin infiltrate the gambling dens of Port Caynn's underworld. The situation in Port Caynn is even worse than they anticipated: a small-minded Rogue who cares more for herself than her own people, a government official who has traded integrity for safety, and a plot that could destroy the land. Meanwhile, Beka finds herself increasingly attracted to a dashing gambler, not knowing if she can trust him. Before long, Beka is on the run, in danger from all sides. Can she uncover the evidence she needs and find a way to stop the plot, when it seems as if the entire city is out to get her?

Who knew that counterfeiting could be so exciting? Bloodhound is a worthy successor to Terrier; it's a well-paced story peopled with interesting characters, from a crotchety but likable elderly silversmith, to a police Sergeant that Beka knew as a child and his companion, a man who sings as a woman in the gambling dens. Beka herself is one of the best characters I've ever encountered in fantasy. Her combination of shyness and toughness makes her quite appealing. Beka has grown and matured since the last book, as good characters should; her shyness is less pronounced, and she's grown in confidence. Yet she still retains an impulsivity that has a tendency to get her in trouble.

I had only one complaint about this book, and that was a scene that took place in a medieval-style torture chamber, in which a prisoner was being interrogated with what was essentially a form of waterboarding. This was such an obvious political statement that it yanked me right out of the story. Certainly writers should write about the things they feel passionate about, and fiction can be a powerful force for social change, but in this case I felt that it was too overtly a political statement and interrupted the flow of the story.

Overall, though, I quite enjoyed Bloodhound. Rosto shippers will be disappointed that there's not much of Rosto in this book, but Beka's romantic interest here, bank courier Dale, is quite attractive and there's quite a bit of zing between the two of them.

I think that Bloodhound stands pretty well alone, and you could read it without having read Terrier. However, reading Terrier first would make it a more enjoyable experience.

Read my review of Terrier

MotherReader's Fourth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:03:40 PDT

So, what are you doing this weekend? No, I'm not inviting you over. Not that I don't want to see you, but, well, my house is kind of a mess. But if you aren't doing anything, how about spending the weekend reading? What could be better? Oh, how about prizes, too?

It's not too late to sign up for MotherReader's Fourth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge. In essence, you just commit to reading as much as possible over any 48 period from Friday to Monday morning, review the books you read, and keep track of your time and other stats. There are prizes for the winners and also some randomly drawn prizes for participants.

Read the full rules here.

See the list of prizes here.

If, like me, you can't participate this year, you can follow along on participants' blogs, on Facebook, and on Twitter with the hashtag #48hbc . Some bloggers are also blogging for a favorite cause, so anyone who can't participate might consider sponsoring a blogger.

Good luck to all the participants, and have fun!

Book Expo America, Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:49:41 PDT

Sunday was the last day of BEA, and, as expected, it was somewhat quiet. I actually found that to be a good thing, though; I got more accomplished on Sunday than any other day, because the lack of crowds meant that people had more time to talk.

Throughout the weekend, Firebrand Technologies, the company behind NetGalley, was hosting blogger signings at its booth. The idea was to raise the profile of the book bloggers, and provide a venue for people to meet and interact with the bloggers. Sunday at 11am, MotherReader Pam Coughlan and I shared the booth for our signing. I was worried that no one would show up to talk to us, especially on Sunday, but I needn't have worried. We were kept busy talking to people the entire hour. It seems that a lot of people, from booksellers to authors and publishers, are interested in learning how they can work with bloggers. Pam and I talked extensively about Kidlitosphere Central and the Cybils Awards, and gave out business cards and Cybils bookmarks.

At 12:00 I spent an hour volunteering in the booth for IBPA: The Independent Book Publishers Association. After that, we stopped at a couple more booths, went to get some lunch, and then headed home.

Overall, I felt that the mood at BEA was cautiously optimistic. Yes, there was a lot of concern about the economy and the future of the book business in an increasingly digital world. I think that book people, by nature, aren't the type to dwell on misfortune, and I think that we've reached the point of moving on and looking for solutions. A lot of the brightest minds in the industry are looking at where we are and where we're headed, and I heard a lot of good ideas over the weekend.

The nature of BEA itself was changed somewhat from previous years that I've attended, and certainly more changes are in store. It was smaller, as expected, and the unrestrained galley grab of recent years was gone. There were plenty of galleys to be had, but for the most part they weren't stacked in huge stacks all along the aisles as we've come to expect. Some were given out on request to eligible people, some were put out in limited quantities for limited times, and many were given out in autographing sessions, of which there seemed to me to be more. One publisher, I think it was Simon & Schuster, sent messages on Twitter every time they put out a new, limited time galley. Personally, I see these changes as a positive thing; publishers are learning to market smarter.

The programming was also smaller, but more focused. To be honest, I don't think that I've ever attended any of the programming sessions at BEA. In past years, I've looked at the long list of sessions, and not seen much that interested me. But this time I attended several and for the most part found them to be high quality, interesting and relevant.

In short, in spite of the economy, in spite of the changes, for me this was actually one of the best BEAs that I've attended. It'll be interesting to see what happens with BEA in future years, and whether they are able to save the show by continuing to find new ways to make it relevant. I do wish that it wasn't going to be held midweek, though. I like the weekend schedule. But, I'll keep an open mind and see where things go. This one ended up better than I expected, so who knows?

Goodbye, New York. Goodbye, book tribe. See you next year. Until then, have faith, stay strong, and look to the future.

Book Expo America: Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:19:14 PDT

We slept a little later on Saturday, thankfully, since we weren't trying to get any autographing tickets. I was still pretty exhausted from the previous day, though.

We started the day walking the floor and standing in a few autographing lines. I tried to enter every Kindle & Sony Reader drawing I could find, because I'd really like to have one of these. It was such a beautiful, sunny day that we decided to get lunch at the hotdog stand outside on 11th Ave and eat lunch sitting on a wall in the sun. It was quite enjoyable.

After lunch, I attended a panel called Teens Sound Off. It was a panel of six teens talking about their reading and book buying preferences. All the panel members were girls - I would have liked to see a couple of guys on the panel - and I had some trouble hearing them (but then, maybe that was the ear infection) but it was a very interesting panel. I "live tweeted" the panel on Twitter, and rather than try to summarize it, I'll just include my tweets here as bullet points:

Really hard to hear most teens on panel. I think most have said they find out about books from friends.
Several teens said they don't like series. Surprising.
All the panelists are girls; most say their guy friends don't read other than assigned. One has a guy friend reading Twilight.
One teen is a blogger and did a poll; found out that 99% of her blog readers were female
None of the panelists go to author events. Some live in small town; others say they'll only go to event for much wanted book.
One teen said she liked both adult & YA books, but felt uncomfortable in adult section; felt like those books weren't for her.
Teens say cover is really important. Colorful bright covers, animal on cover, person in a cute skirt mentioned as elements
One mentioned that if a cover looks similar to books she likes, it appeals to her.
Teen panelists prefer to read "real" books to reading online. Several mentioned too many distractions online.
But when asked specifically about non-book reading online, most panelists admit the spend more time reading FB and texts than books
One teen doesn't like when booksellers randomly recommend books, but likes when they find out what she likes & relates it
Several teens said they don't trust recs from strangers. They seem keenly aware of when people are trying to sell to them

After that, I attended the Book Bloggers panel, moderated by Book Club Girl. The panel was well attended, and there seems to be a lot of interest in how publishers, authors, and boksellers can work with book bloggers. Rather than trying to tell you about it, I'm going to refer you to this post and this audio recording.

As the exhibit hall was closing. I attended a reception hosted by ReadHowYouWant at the Javits Center. ReadHowYouWant uses proprietary technology to convert publisher files to XML and produce the book in accessible formats for the disabilities market. Formats they produce include large print in a variety of sizes, braille, Daisy, and e-book. ReadHowYouWant has published two of our books so far in their accessible formats.

Saturday night I attended a party celebrating the book Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci and published by Little, Brown and Company. Geektastic includes contributions from some of the leading young adult authors.

The party was held in a private room at the Lucky Strike bowling alley two blocks from the Javits Center. It was a great party and I had a lot of fun. Having the party at a bowling alley was a stroke of genius. As an introvert, I'm not a big fan of the kind of party where you're supposed to walk around and talk to people. If it's people I know, I'm fine with it, but I'm very uncomfortable walking up to people I don't know and making small talk. Having something to do - bowling and pool - provided a great way to get to know people without having to figure out what to talk about.

I ended up spending most of the evening bowling with Sara Zarr, author of Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and the forthcoming Once Was Lost, Andrew Smith from Little, Brown, and Diane Roback from PW. Sara was really nice and fun, and I'm glad to have had the chance to get to know her. Diane and I hit it off right away, and she gave me lots of good bowling tips. (I'm a terrible bowler.) With her help, I even got a strike! High five to all my bowling buddies, and it was great to meet you.

In addition to Sara Zarr, I also met Scott Westerfeld, Holly Black, and David Levithan. Barry Lyga, whom I'd met the previous evening at the Kidlit Drinks night, was also there. Rachel Wasdyke from Little, Brown was a fantastic host (although a somewhat distracted bowler, LOL). If I met anyone else, I apologize for forgetting you!

Geektastic looks like a fun book, and I can't wait to read it. Here's the publisher's description:

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

BEA: Interesting books part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:55:09 PDT

My husband picked up an autographed ARC of a book called Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse, by Kaleb Nation and published by independent publisher Sourcebooks. I'd never heard of the book, but it sounded interesting and I admire Sourcebooks, so I tucked it away to look into later. Since then, I've had several people, including teens, tell me how hot it is and how lucky I am to have an ARC.

Now I'm intrigued; apparently this book has been generating some prepublication buzz. I checked his Facebook page and it has 1275 fans. I usually have my ear pretty close to the ground when it comes to YA fantasy, so it's surprising for me to discover a book that I've never heard of that's generating this kind of buzz. I haven't read this book either, so I can't recommend it, but it's certainly one that's going on my TBR pile.

Here's the publisher's description:

In a bustling metropolis where magic is outlawed, a six-year-old child is found inside a locked bank vault. A scrap of paper reveals his name: Bran Hambric. The child remembers nothing of his life before the vault. Only magic could have done this. But why would any mage risk breaking the law to place a child in a bank vault?

Eight years later the City of Dunce has forgotten about Bran. Even his foster parents don't seem to know he exists. But there are those who have been watching, biding their time, waiting to strike, people who know where Bran came from and why he was sent away. And they will do anything to get Bran back, dead or alive…

Welcome to a world unlike any other where the adventure of a lifetime is just beginning.

BEA: Interesting books part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:23:07 PDT

I'm always on the lookout for interesting small press and self-published books, and The Soulstealer War, by W. L. Hoffman, caught my interest. I chatted with the author at BEA for quite a while, and according to him, it's an epic fantasy with SF elements, quantum physics, and philosophy.

The first book is called The First Mother's Fire, and it has cover art by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell. You can see the cover art in this wall hanging that was hanging in the booth:

Here's a wall hanging of the map from the book.

The map was drawn by the author and it's beautiful.

I haven't read the book, so I really have no idea if it's any good, but it sounds interesting and I look forward to reading it.

Book Expo America: Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:40:59 PDT

Book Expo America, or BEA as it's more commonly known, is the largest annual U.S. book industry trade show and gathering of the book tribe. BEA was held this past weekend, from May 29 through the 31st, and we attended the event at the Javits Center in New York City.

Our day Friday started with rising at 4am to try to get tickets to the Suzanne Collins autographing of Catching Fire, the sequel to 2008's hot YA book The Hunger Games. Tickets were free, but were distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Javits center beginning at 6:30am. We arrived at Javits at 5:30 - we wanted to be there plenty early enough that we wouldn't miss out - and we weren't the first ones in line. By 6:00am, the line was quite long. Suzanne Collins was obviously the hot ticket this year; there seemed to be more people in line who wanted tickets to Suzanne Collins than for Julie Andrews. The really nice man running the autographing ticket booth joked, "Oh, didn't you hear that Suzanne Collins was cancelled?" I told him he'd better not joke like that unless he wanted a riot!

We succeeded in getting a ticket, and walked away feeling like we'd gotten the golden ticket in American Idol!

The exhibit hall wasn't scheduled to open until 9, so we went to get breakfast while we waited. We were back in time for the 9am starting bell (OK, I didn't really hear a starting bell, but there might as well have been one) and we started out walking the exhibit floor for a while. One of the first things we saw was this really cool flying saucer that you can build:

I don't know if you can tell the size from this picture, but it's about as tall as a person. It comes as a book of plans, and all the parts are things that you can easily find at places like Home Depot. It does require some drilling, but they're working on making pre-drilled parts that you can purchase. I think the top parts are supposed to light up, also, but they didn't have it quite fully assembled yet when we stopped by the booth. It's called The Flying Saucer Planbook and it's available from http://ascplanbooks.com

I then attended a panel on Books to Film, sponsored by IBPA and presented by Rocky Lang, BooksToFilm.tv. The panel included various literary agents and media companies. The panel was interesting, but unfortunately the main thing I got out of it is just how hard it is to sell your book to film or TV. It seemed to me that you really need someone who knows what they're doing to sell it. They said that you can't just send a book; you really need to send a package which includes the things that will catch the interest of a film or TV executive, including a book trailer. BooksToFilm.tv showed some of their trailers, or "Sizzle reels," as they called them, and I will say that I think they do a nice job with them, better than a lot of the ones I've seen.

While I was at the panel, Nick and David walked the exhibit floor and went to some autographing sessions.

At 2pm I attended the awards ceremony for the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards. Ratha's Courage was a finalist in the fantasy and science fiction category, but unfortunately, it didn't win. I was thrilled to see that Women Astronomers: Reaching for the Stars, by by Mabel Armstrong, won the Gold award in the Young Adult Non-fiction category. I don't have any association with this book, but my friend and distributor, Jacqueline Simonds of Beagle Bay Books, distributes it, and I had purchased a copy last year for my niece.

At 3pm we lined up to get our autographed copy of Catching Fire. My son David was the first in line, because he was determined to get a copy and got there early. After all our hard work and early rising, we were thrilled to get a copy!

I ended the day by attending the 7x20x21 panel: "Publishing’s most innovate thinkers talk about what inspires them". There were 7 presenters, each of whom had 7 minutes and 20 PowerPoint slides to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about. Each slide moved forward automatically at 21 seconds, forcing the presentation to move quickly. The presenters were: Debbie Stier, Harper Studio; Pablo Defendini, Tor.com; Jeff Yamaguchi, Doubleday/Knopf; Matt Supko, ABA/Indiebound; Chris Jackson, Spiegel and Grau; Richard Nash, ex-Soft Skull; Lauren Cerand, independent public relations representative (from Richard Nash's blog)

The panel was fascinating, dynamic, and thought-provoking. I was particularly taken with Pablo Defendini's message that e-books and the digital word won't kill books, but instead will allow us to return to books as an art form and a craft, as all the mass-market type books move towards digital formats.

Friday evening I had planned to attend both the BEATweetup, a gathering of book people who Twitter, and the Kidlit Drinks Night, a gathering of children's book people, but by the end of the day I was so exhausted (and suffering from an ear infection) that I just didn't have the energy to do both. I attended the Kidlit Drink night, where I talked to Betsy Bird (who blogs at School Library Journal as Fuse #8), Pam Coughlan (who blogs at MotherReader), Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at the Arthur A. Levine Books imprint of Scholastic (and Harry Potter editor), Barry Lyga, author of several books including The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (and its forthcoming sequel, Goth Girl Rising), and other people whose names I've now forgotten (I'm sorry! I really am!) It was fun, but I only stayed about an hour; between the exhaustion and the ear infection, I had to get back to the hotel and collapse. Thanks so much to Betsy Bird for organizing it.

Meet the Bloggers at Book Expo America!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:20:24 PDT

Tomorrow morning the exhibit halls open and Book Expo America, the annual gathering of the book tribe, goes into full swing. I'll be there with everyone else, wearing my comfortable shoes, wandering the floor, and attending some interesting sessions.

One thing that I'll be doing at BEA is a signing. No, I'm not an author, but Firebrand Technologies, the company behind NetGalley, had a brilliant idea: they're going to turn the traditional autographing sessions on their head, and host blogger signings in their booth. Every hour for the entire expo, two book bloggers will be at the Firebrand booth, #4077 (think M.A.S.H.!) to meet and greet any publishers, authors, and blog readers who might be interested.

I'll be signing (I'm not sure what I'll be signing, though) on Sunday from 11am to noon, accompanied by the fabulous MotherReader, Pam Coughlan. This is a good deal for me, because if no one shows up, at least I know she'll keep me laughing with her great sense of humor. In addition to our own blogs, we'll be talking Cybils and Kidlitosphere Central, so please stop by and chat with us!

There's also some talk that Firebrand might be making blogger trading cards, so make sure that you get a Wands and Worlds and a Mother Reader for your collection! (My son is saying, "Gotta catch 'em all!") I think this is even cooler than the signing itself.

There's a host of interesting bloggers signing, so you'd best just hang out at the Firebrand booth for the whole conference to meet them all. If you'd like to pick and choose so that you can spend time elsewhere, here's the full schedule:

http://followthereader.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/blogger-signing-schedule/

I hope to see you there!

Book Review: A Wish After Midnight

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:10:01 PDT

A Wish After Midnight
by Zetta Elliott

Fifteen year old Genna lives in a tiny apartment in a Brooklyn ghetto. Her brother works for a drug dealer, and her sister is a favorite with the boys. Her mother works too many hours trying to support the family, and Genna is primary caregiver for her baby brother Tyjuan. Genna is determined to make something of her life. She wants to go to college and become a psychologist, to help people.

Genna's sanctuary is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; when things get bad she likes to go to the garden and wander around, sometimes with Tyjuan in a stroller. Sometimes she throws pennies in the fountain and wishes for a different life. Late one night, Genna ends up at the fountain in the garden after a fight with her mother. But this time, something happens, and Genna wakes up to find herself in 1863 Brooklyn, in the middle of the Civil War.

Brooklyn may be part of the North, but that doesn't mean that it's safe for an African-American girl. Slave catchers abduct African-Americans, free or not, and send them down south. And racial tensions are brewing, tensions that will soon explode into violent race riots. Genna is caught in the middle, trying to make a life for herself in a Brooklyn that is far removed from the one she knows, not knowing if she'll ever be able to make it back home to her time, her family, and the young man she loves.

A Wish After Midnight is a remarkable book: intense, well-written, and moving. I read it through quickly, which is always a sign of how much I enjoy a book. Elliott does a great job of depicting racism in all its forms, not only overt racism, but also the insidious racism from some well-meaning people that is sometimes worse than the ugly, blatant kind. It would be easy for a book like this to descend into simplistic dogmatism and finger pointing, but A Wish After Midnight never does. The characters are well-rounded, complex individuals, with human flaws and human strengths. Courage, compassion, and intelligence are not defined by color, and neither are hatred, violence, and racism.

Don't let this talk of racism mislead you into thinking that this is a "message" book. This is no didactic tome weighed down with messages; it's just a darn good story that depicts real people in a moving way.

In spite of the time travel aspects, A Wish After Midnight reads more like historical fiction than fantasy. It's such a good story, though, that even most die-hard fantasy fans won't mind. I'm a fantasy reader, and I couldn't put it down.

Bridget Zinn charitable auction for writers and booklovers

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:25:59 PDT

Bridget Zinn is a teen librarian and writer, who recently got an agent for her young adult novel and got married. She also found out that she had Stage Four colon cancer. Her story is a moving one, and you should read it here:

http://bridgetzinnauction.wordpress.com/about/

The kidlit community, led by the uber-awesome Jone MacCulloch, has rallied to the cause, and an online auction is taking place right now to raise money to help Bridget with her overwhelming medical bills. There are a boatload of incredible items that have been donated for the auction, from autographed books and artwork, to manuscript critiques, agent readings, and publicity packages. It's a feast for both book lovers and writers. You can see all the items and bid here:

http://bridgetzinnauction.wordpress.com/

Don't delay, because bidding ends on May 30 at 11:00pm (I don't see a time zone specified, but since Bridget and Jone are both in Oregon, I'm guessing that's Pacific time. Does anyone know?)

I'm a little late posting this, but maybe that's a good thing; hopefully if you meant to bid but forgot, this will be a timely reminder. And if you visited the auction near the beginning but haven't been back recently, there have been a lot of new items added, so check it out!

I'm going to bid now, but I wanted to leave you with a couple more links:

Bridget Zinn and the nature of resilience (Article from The Oregonian)

Live auction taking place in Portland on May 29

Bridget Zinn's web site

Book Review: The Dragon of Trelian

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:55:24 PDT

The Dragon of Trelian
by Michelle Knudsen

Calen is a wizard's apprentice, a job that's not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. When hiding from his duties to watch a procession, he meets the Princess Meglynne, the third daughter of the king. Meglynne, or Meg as she prefers to be called, is quite a bit different than Calen expected a princess to be. First she startles him, almost causing him to fall out the window, then she laughs at him, and then she kicks him! But when she climbs into the window to watch the procession with him, the two form an instant friendship.

The procession marks the entrance into Trelian of Prince Ryant of Kragnir, who has come to marry Meglynne's older sister, Maerlie. After a hundred years of war between Trelian and Kragnir, the betrothal of the two young people will bring peace.

But things are about to get a lot more complicated: a terrifying creature attacks the castle, Calen and Meg discover an evil plot, and unknown to everyone but Calen, Meg is secretly bonded to a dragon, a bond which could change her or even result in her death.

I have to confess that I totally misjudged this book from the cover and description. I thought that it would be a light, amusing children's fantasy about two children and a dragon. But when I read the book, it totally blew me away. It's so much more than I expected.

The Dragon of Trelian is definitely one of my favorite books of the year so far. It's a rich fantasy with everything you could want in a book: engaging characters, humor, exciting plot, young romance, emotional impact, and depth. At first, Meg and Calen seem to be clichéd characters: the spunky princess and the clumsy apprentice. But they turn out to be so much more, and they develop and grow as the book progresses. They really start out the story as children, and end it as young adults. In some ways it reminds me of The City of Ember, in that the adults refuse to act, leaving the two young people to take matters into their own hands. Even the villains have depth and pathos, that culminates in a heart-wrenching scene at the climax.

Although the basic story is resolved, some plot threads are left open, so a sequel may be in the works.

Book Review: The Softwire: Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:36:07 PDT

The Softwire: Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3
by P. J. Haarsma

Once again, J.T. and his friends from the seed ship Renaissance are being transfered to a new guarantor. The children are knudniks, indentured servants bound to work for four years on the Rings of Orbis. The guarantor owns their work contract, and in essence, owns them. Having had two bad experiences with their previous guarantors, they fear the worst, but this time, their guarantor turns out to be Charlie, an old friend who has helped them in the past.

Things are looking up: Charlie is kind, they get plenty to eat, and they don't have to work. But Charlie makes them go to school, and while Charlie's intentions are good, as the only knudniks in a school full of citizens, the children face discrimination and bullying.

J.T. has questions that Charlie won't answer, and it becomes apparent that there's more going on than the children realize. Before long, they're drawn into the dark underworld on Orbis, pawns in a larger scheme. Risking their lives may be the only way out.

The Softwire is one of the few true science fiction series out there for kids, and it fills a gap that needed to be filled. This third book has everything that I've come to expect from the series: plenty of danger, excitement, and intrigue, interesting characters, cool aliens and technology, and enough depth to make this more than just an outer space adventure. The first part of the book seems tame by the standards of the other books, as the children face nothing worse than school bullies similar to those found in every school in the universe. As the book goes along, though, there's more than enough excitement and intrigue, as J.T. and his friends once again become involved with the larger problems of Orbis.

There is some tragedy in this book, and also something new for the series: a touch of romance, as the kids get older and some of them start to see each other as more than just friends. I think that these things skew this book slightly older than the other two, although not by much.

I would have loved this series as a teen, and I highly recommend it to anyone of middle-school age and up.

My review of The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1

My review of The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2

Play the Rings of Orbis Online RPG

Book Review: The Grey Ghost

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:08:28 PDT

The Grey Ghost
by Julie Hahnke
illustrated by Marcia Christensen

In 16th century Scotland, eleven-year-old Angus was out with the sheep when his family, members of the Macnab clan, were attacked and killed by the rival Campbell clan. The Campbells are bent on destroying all the clans and controlling the Scottish Highlands, and Angus finds himself alone in the wilderness. But when help arrives in the form of a pine marten and a goshawk, who are able to communicate mentally with Angus, he decides to take matters into his own hands and do what he can to help his clan.

The Grey Ghost is a short book that's a fairly easy read, although some of the words, including a few Scottish ones, may be challenging for some readers. The language and descriptions are lovely, without slowing down the pace of the story. The beautifully-detailed pencil sketches are an integral part of the story; they provide additional information not included in the words, and in some cases help the reader to understand what's happening.

The story is moving, as the losses Angus suffers are tragic, and there are themes of loyalty and leadership. Comic relief is provided by the goshawk, Yann, and the ever-hungry pine marten, Tethera, easily my favorite character in the story.

Angus doesn't try to take on the entire Campbell clan by himself; instead he sets out to accomplish achievable goals that, while still requiring significant risk and heroism on the part of the boy, are fairly believable. Angus is quite an appealing character. As he works towards his goals, displaying both heroism and compassion for the people of the land, Angus develops maturity, depth, and leadership that he has no idea he possesses.

With its illustrations and simple, humorous, and exciting story, I think that The Grey Ghost would be an appealing book for reluctant readers, although the language may be challenging for some. A few scenes, such as a severed head and a picture of a corpse with worms coming out of an eye socket, may be too intense for sensitive readers, although those same scenes will appeal to other readers.

Looking for undiscovered gems in a bestseller world

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:10:04 PDT

This is going to be a long post, but please bear with me. I hope that you'll read it, because I think it's an important issue. Also, if you stick with me until the end, I have something that you can do to help out!

Over the last year or so, I've become increasingly frustrated with what seems to be a growing obsession with the "bestsellers" and the "big books" in the children's and young adult book world. It's true that we've looked to the bestsellers for a long time now, but there have always been ways to recognize and discover those good books that may not make bestseller status, but still have strong appeal for young people. Yet lately, it seems that many of these avenues have been succumbing, one by one, to a focus on the same bestsellers and big buzz books that appear everywhere else.

Take the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age. This used to be one of the best book lists out there. The 2008 list is a smorgasbord of books, including, if I counted correctly, 446 books, many of which were new to me, in a variety of categories. The 2009 list (ignoring for a moment the idiocy of calling it "Stuff for the Teen Age,") includes only 73 books, very few of which are undiscovered gems. (And yes, I did not include music, video games, movies, or TV shows in my count. Are we afraid that if we include only books, teens won't think it's cool enough and will ignore it?)

School Library Journal is currently running a Battle of the (Kids') Books, pitting 16 children's and YA books against each other. While a book smackdown might be a fun idea to get kids excited about reading, once again, these are the same books appearing everywhere else. Maybe we could do a better job of getting kids excited if we actually helped them find new books that they might like, instead of continuing to tell them about books they've already heard of!

My intent is not to criticize those popular books; some of them are excellent books, and others not so much. But either way, I'm not trying to say that they don't deserve the attention, or that bestseller lists and buzz don't have value. They can be a good way to discover, and thus help kids discover, books that they will like. However, there is also value in finding good books that may not be as well known, and it's this value that seems to be falling by the wayside. As part of some ongoing discussions, a colleague of mine recently said, "...it boils down to this: are we selecting good literature or are we selecting popular literature. If it's popular literature, then why give an award? It's already popular. It's out there."

According to the 2008 Scholastic Kids & Reading Report, "Trouble finding books they like is a key reason kids say they do not read more frequently." This, in spite of the fact that approximately 30 thousand new children's books are being released each year. With so many books, why are children having trouble finding something to read? Maybe it's because they keep hearing about the same fifty books over and over again, and they don't know how to find other good books that will interest them in the vast quantities of books out there.

According to the same Scholastic reading report, the top five ways that kids get ideas about what books to read for fun are, in order: Mom, friends, teachers, library or librarians, and Dad. The list is further broken down by age, with friends ranking highest for teens and preteens, but teachers still rank second in these age categories. Given the importance of the people in their lives in helping them find books, and given that many kids who don't read for fun say it's because they can't find books that interest them, doesn't it behoove everyone who works with children to learn about as many different books as possible?

Teachers and librarians often rely on book lists, awards, and reviews to help them decide which books to purchase for their classroom or collection. It doesn't help when all the lists, all the awards, and all the sources of information are talking about the same books. Yes, these sources are all swamped with books, too, and can't possibly read all of them. But I think that, rather than retreating to a bestseller mentality, they owe it to the children that they ultimately serve, to do as much as humanly possible to help find good books that may not be recognized elsewhere.

A big part of the problem is that so many books are being published each year. With the advent of POD, it makes it easy for anyone to publish a book. And let's be honest; a lot of these books shouldn't be published, and many more of them have potential but really need a good editor and designer.

But there are many books which are good that aren't getting noticed. Some of them are from small publishers, some of them are self-published, some of them are even published through the "POD Publishing companies" (which I don't consider to be the same as self-publishing). Some of them are mid-list books from the large publishers. (How does a book get to be mid-list? That's another problem. It doesn't have anything to do with quality; it's a question of publisher-perceived salability. Each season the big publishers choose the books that they think have the most sales potential, and spend the bulk of their marketing dollars on these "push books." The rest usually become mid-list.)

How does one find good books in this huge number of books? I'll be the first to admit, it isn't easy. Let me say up front that I'm not trying to point fingers or blame anyone. We all want the same thing - to create and/or find good books that will appeal to children and teens and keep them excited about reading. But we're dealing with a broken system, one that has outgrown it's antecedents, and no one knows how to fix it. But being aware of the problem, and understanding how the system works, can go a long way towards addressing it.

Part of the problem is that you have a huge number of books funneling through a very small number of trusted review sources. While blogs and other review sources are gaining credibility, the fact is that most libraries will only purchase books that have been reviewed by a handful of trusted review sources: Booklist, SLJ, PW, Kirkus, VOYA, or Horn Book. Library purchases can make or break a children's book: a book that doesn't get a review in one of these journals may not make enough sales to continue. In our society today, we're so focused on the "new" that a book has a short time to get noticed - maybe six months at most - before it's relegated to backlist or taken out of print. This focus on the new to the exclusion of all else is a different problem, but it does make the trusted review sources even more influential.

These journals also have a huge influence in other areas, as well, such as book awards and lists. The most influential of the awards and book lists for children's and YA literature are those given by ALSC and YALSA. And since these awards and lists are created by librarians, they're heavily influenced by those same handful of journals.

But the sad fact is that this handful of journals cannot possibly review even a small fraction of the books being published. There are many books - even many excellent books - that won't get reviewed, just because there aren't enough review slots. The books that come in to these journals get weeded and selected even before they get to the reviewer. I'm not privy to what goes on in the selection process, but I assume it's like triage - quick decisions have to be made, and sometimes those decisions are wrong and good books get thrown out based on arbitrary criteria. And, I assume, books from known authors and publishers have an edge over the unknown, just because they are a safer bet. Safer doesn't always mean better, though.

I think that it's only human nature to be interested in something that we hear a lot about. I know that when I see a lot of good reviews about a book, I tend to really want to read that book. But since I can only read so many books, reading the much-buzzed about book means that there may be a less well-known book that I don't have time to read, which may be as good or better than the buzzed one. I'm as guilty of it as everyone else, so how can I blame anyone?

I think there's also an assumption that the books that we're hearing a lot about really are the best books. In some cases, that's true, but you also have to keep in mind how marketing plays a part. Marketing is not advertising, although advertising can be a part of an marketing strategy. Marketing is all the things that go into getting the word out about a product. It can include everything from review copies to social networking, and many of these things influence us in subtle ways.

We may say that we aren't influenced by marketing, but it's hard not to be. As a simple example, the big publishers sometimes send out hundreds - or maybe even thousands? - of review copies. They don't do this for all of their books, but for some books, the push books, they do. Small publishers simply can't afford to send out as many review copies. If you think of reviewing statistically - only a percentage of review copies result in a review - then it's just common sense that the book with hundreds or thousands of review copies sent out will get more reviews than one with a smaller number of review copies. And the more reviews a book gets, the more people get excited about it and want to review it, so you start to get a snowball effect.

Even some of the sources that have been most open to unknown books are starting to be influenced in subtle ways by this same mentality. For example, independent booksellers often seem to do a better job then most at finding the undiscovered gems. Their Book Sense Children's Picks list has always had some interesting new and undiscovered books on it, some of which go on to become big books, and some of which don't. In 2008, Book Sense became Indie Bound, and the Children's Picks list became the Indie Next list. The most recent Indie Next Children's List still has some books on it that I haven't seen elsewhere, but I my impression is that most of the books on the list are big authors, big publishers, and new books in popular series.

One of the best book lists for bringing undiscovered gems to light has always been the IRA/CBC Children's Choices book list. Each year, publishers send books to five (I think) schools, where the children read and vote on the books to create the list. When presented with books in this way, children are remarkably honest and open-minded, and the Children's Choices list reflects this open-mindedness, as well as the wide-ranging taste of the children involved in the program.

However, starting last year, one change was made in the program, which seems minor, but which I believe influences the way it's perceived. The top five books in each age group are selected as finalists, which are posted online for children everywhere to vote on. The wider list of books is still published, but the focus has shifted to concentrate on only those top five books: once again, a bestseller mentality. And the voting for the winner is done by children everywhere, not just those participating in the program. While this would seem to be a good thing, it means that the winner is selected primarily from books that the children have heard of - the bestsellers - not those that have been presented to them in a controlled environment for careful consideration.

Furthermore, the teen finalists were selected not from the Children's Choices list, but from a list of books posted on TeenReads.com for teens to vote on. Again, this gives undue preference to bestsellers and buzz books, for two reasons. One: when presented in this fashion, teens are going to naturally vote for the books they are familiar with, rather than books that they discover through reading in a program like Children's Choices. Two: the list of books presented for voting already consisted primarily of the "big books." Teens were allowed to write in votes, but those write-ins were not added to the list for future voting, so they really didn't have a chance, because most people will vote for those books that they see on the list.

The IRA also publishes a Young Adult Choices list, similar to the Children's Choices list. However, the Young Adult Choices list seems to have far fewer undiscovered gems than the Children's Choices list, and once again primarily includes the same books seen everywhere else. A colleague of mine and I were discussing this, and wondering why it would be that way. Part of it, I'm sure, is that teens are more influenced by their peers and by media than children. But I discovered another important difference. Reading the YA choices fact sheet, I discovered this statement: "A book must have received at least two positive reviews to be included in the collection under consideration." Aha! We're back to those same influential review journals. The YA choices book list does not include books selected by teens from a broad range of choices. It includes books selected by teens from a list that was pre-selected by adults! I don't think that the Children's Choices book list has the same requirement; if so, the fact sheet for that program doesn't say anything about it. (And, the 2008 Children's Choices list includes at least one book published by iUniverse, which I doubt was able to get two professional reviews simply because these kinds of books are often automatically eliminated in the reviewer triage).

Several years ago, we went to a gem mine which allows visitors to search for gems. Every day, they dump a big load of dirt, and visitors can dig and sift through the dirt looking for gems. It was a lot of fun, but it was also hot and dirty work. We learned that some of the most beautiful and treasured stones are not very attractive in their native form. If you weren't careful, you could throw away the best find of the day, thinking that it was a worthless rock. In the end, we brought home some beautiful stones, including amethyst. Instead of retreating to a bestseller mentality, let's look at it as a treasure hunt, trying to find those undiscovered gems.

If you've gotten this far, thank you for sticking with me through such a long post. Because I want to do something constructive, and not just gripe about a system that no one knows how to fix, I want to hear your input about the best undiscovered gems of 2008. Please post in the comments your favorite children's or YA books published in 2008 that were not widely buzzed, reviewed, or awarded. I'll compile all the suggestions into a book list and post it on my blog, with permission for anyone to copy it and post it elsewhere.

Because I want to hear unbiased suggestions, I'm going to ask that authors and publishers NOT post your own books here. I'd also prefer that books NOT be suggested by friends of authors, illustrators, or publishers, but I have no way of enforcing that. Just please try to keep it honest. Please also identify yourself in some way; you don't have to give out personal information - a first name or blog name is fine - but just something that tells us who you are and what your relationship is to children's books. (Librarian, teacher, reviewer, bookseller, blogger, homeschooler, parent, child, teen, etc) I will not include completely anonymous suggestions on the list.

Please help create a great book list of the best undiscovered gems of 2008!

Oh, and please click the "Share This" button and pass it on, so that we can get as many people as possible contributing to create a great list.

Book Review: Heroes of the Valley

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:37:33 PDT

Heroes of the Valley
by Jonathan Stroud

Halli Sveinsson lives in an isolated valley that was colonized by twelve founders; Halli's ancestor Svein was one of them. The twelve founders divided up the valley between themselves, and proceeded to fight, bicker, and duel, until the twelve of them united to fight the Trows, evil creatures of the earth that plagued the valley. The twelve founders drove out the Trows, but died in the process, and were buried around the edge of the valley to protect it. No one leaves the valley, for fear of the Trows, and no one comes in.

Halli grew up listening to stories of the great Svein and the other heroes, and he longs to be a hero, too. But Halli is anything but heroic; he's short, cumbersome, and swarthy, and ill-fated due to his birth on Midwinter's Day. Halli seems to be always in trouble, rebelling against authority and playing tricks on his siblings. And, in addition to all of this, there's no place for heroes in a peaceful valley governed by a council of lawgivers.

When a chain of events leads to the death of a family member, Halli sets off on a journey to seek vengeance, a vengeance that is prohibited by the laws of the valley. Along the way, Halli begins to learn the truth behind the old stories, and discovers that being a hero is far different than he expected.

Heroes of the Valley is an amusing, appealing story about an underdog and the true nature of heroism. Just as he did with the Bartimaeus Trilogy, Stroud builds a society and then challenges its preconceptions. I love the way the heroes' tales included throughout the book gradually reveal the true nature of the heroes, just as Halli's adventures reveal to him the truth about his society and its founding myths.

The book is a little slow in the beginning; there's humor right from the start, but it takes a little while for the action to get going. I think the book will appeal most to strong readers who will recognize the irony woven throughout the story.

The characters are quite interesting, and often humorous. Stroud has a keen eye for human nature, and the characters in the book reveal many human foibles, and occasionally the better sides of human nature as well. Halli's friend Aud, daughter of one of the other families, is quite likable, as well as being more than a little heroic herself.

The book is marred by a climax that brings down an otherwise enjoyable book. I don't want to say too much and give anything away, but in the words of my 13-year-old son, it "...seemed to come out of nowhere." The book seems to be leading in a certain direction, and you expect that the climax will either go one way or another way, and then, bam - something completely unexpected that really doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book. It's just...strange. I like surprises in books, but I think that the author really has to sow some seeds early in the story so that when you hit the surprise, you can look back and say, "Oh, so that's where that was going." In this case, the climax was more along the lines of, "Say what?"

Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:19:05 PDT

The Forest of Hands and Teeth
by Carrie Ryan

Mary lives surrounded by fences. Behind the fence, she and her village are safe from the Unconsecrated: those former humans who were infected with a sickness that causes them to die and return from death as less than human beings. The Unconsecrated have no intelligence and only one motivation: they crave human flesh. Mary dreams about the world outside the fence. Is there anything beyond the Forest of Hands and Teeth? Is her village the only place where humans survive? Is there any place in the world too big for the Unconsecrated to exist?

But Mary's village is strictly controlled by the Sisterhood, and the Sisters won't tolerate such romantic ideas. Life is about survival, and only adherence to the rules allows the village to survive. Nothing else matters; both love and choice have to be sacrificed to the greater good. Can Mary put aside her hopes, her dreams, and her curiosity? Can she sacrifice love to live the life the Sisters expect her to live?

Out of the most unlikely scenario - a post-apocalyptic zombie story - Carrie Ryan has created a book of depth and beauty. Although the Unconsecrated resemble movie zombies in many ways - and Carrie Ryan says that zombie movies were an inspiration - this book blows away all the cliches to create a truly human story. It's a story of love and death, of choice and the difference between surviving and living. This is a book that draws you in from the very first sentence; it has everything one could want in a book: well-developed characters, suspense, romance, excitement, and depth.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is almost unbearable to read, at times, because of the strong emotions it evokes. If you don't like books that make you feel anger or sadness or intense suspense, then this may not be the book for you. But as for me, I'm already counting it one of the best books of the year.

Book Review: The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:10:45 PDT

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies
by Ammi-Joan Paquette
illustrated by Christa Unzner

I have fond childhood memories of building fairy houses with my mother. With moss for a bed and stones for a protective wall, I really believed that tiny fairies would be occupying the little home. The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies is a picture book that evokes that same sense of wonder, of magic just out of site and almost seen. The lovely illustrations combine artwork of adorable little fairies blended with photographs of nature, and sometimes children's feet as they search for the fairies. The text invites children to hunt for the fairies, both in nature and on the pages of the book. This fun book will encourage both imagination and love of nature in children. Be forewarned: parents should be prepared to follow up a reading of this book with a fairy hunt outdoors!

Science Fiction Awards Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:05:37 PDT

Speaking of awards, I wanted to mention a great site/blog that's worth following if you like science fiction. Science Fiction Awards Watch is just what it sounds like; they post news, announcements, and commentary about a wide variety of SF/F awards. You can also follow @SFAwardsWatch on Twitter.

Ratha's Courage - Twice a Finalist

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:13:25 PDT

It's been an exciting week for the Named: Ratha's Courage was named a finalist in two different awards:

ForeWord Magazine, which covers the best in independent publishing, named it a finalist for their Book of the Year Awards in the Science Fiction category. The winners in the ForeWord awards will be announced at a special ceremony at BookExpo America on May 29.
The Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA) named it one of five finalists for the Ursa Major Awards in the Best Novel category. The Ursa Major awards recognize excellence in the anthropomorphic arts, which "...include a non-human being given human attributes..." The Ursa Major awards are selected by popular vote, and the nominees in each category are the top five which received the most nominations, so it's very exciting that Ratha's Courage was one of the top picks! Voting for the winner is open from now until April 19, so if you liked Ratha's Courage and believe it deserves to win, please vote for it at the link above!

In other news, Clare Bell's twitter novelette,

Ratha's Island,

has started! To read it as it's posted, follow

@rathacat

on Twitter or use hashtag

#rathafic

. Clare is also using a separate hashtag,

#rathalink

to post links to related information and fan art. You can catch up with the story so far at the archives on

Clare's The Scratching Log Blog

the Ratha and the Named forum.

More information about Ratha's Island

YA wins in Hugo Award nominations!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:37:05 PDT

The Hugo Award nominations have been announced, and I was thrilled to see that three out of the five nominees for Best Novel were published as young adult books: "Little Brother," by Cory Doctorow, "The Graveyard Book," by Neil Gaiman, and "Zoe's Tale," by John Scalzi. I guess that YA SF/F is no longer the bastard stepchild of speculative fiction and is finally getting the respect that it deserves! Of course, all three of the authors nominated for YA books are established adult authors, but if it takes top notch adult authors writing in the YA genre to focus attention on it, then I'm all for it. Hopefully it will also bring more attention and recognition to some of the outstanding authors who specialize in young adult SF/F.

I'd also like to point out that all three were Cybils nominees. We recognized 'em first!

View all the 2008 Hugo nominations

Book Review: Firebirds Soaring

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:45:00 PDT

Firebirds Soaring: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction
Edited by Sharyn November

Firebirds Soaring is a beautiful anthology of speculative fiction. As with all such anthologies, there were some stories I loved, some I liked and others I didn't like as much, but that's a matter of taste, not quality. Firebirds Soaring is quality through and through: from the selection of stories to the design to the decorations by Mike Dringenberg. Every story is well written, and there's a good variety for all fans of speculative fiction: humor and darkness, Western and Eastern, medieval-type fantasy settings and futuristic worlds, and even a couple that I wouldn't really call speculative fiction.

My favorite stories were "Egg Magic," by Louise Marley, (loved the characterizations in this one), "Flatland," by Kara Dalkey, (a frightening view of the future that every teen considering a white collar career today should read), "The Ghosts of Strangers," by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, (some interesting and unique elements in this one), "Fear and Loathing in Lalanna," by Nick O'Donohoe, (I wasn't sure I would like this one at first, but it ended up being hilarious), "Bonechewer's Legacy," by Clare Bell, (of course), and "Something Worth Doing," by Elizabeth E. Wein, which I LOVED even though I think it's more historical fiction than speculative fiction.

Each story is followed by a biographical note about the writer and a writer's note about the story. These notes were fascinating and often provided context for deeper understanding of the story and what the author was trying to convey.

The stories intentionally sit in the gray area between YA and adult speculative fiction, and should be enjoyable to both teens and adults. A few of the stories may be too dark for some younger teens. (At least one of them was too dark for me).

Disclaimer: I have a business relationship (and subsequent friendship) with the writer of one of the stories (Clare Bell) so I'm not entirely unbiased, although I have no financial interest in this book. I have no relationship with or bias about any of the other writers or editors, and I was a fan of Clare before I ever published her latest book. (If I didn't love her work, I wouldn't have published it).

Me - on the radio?

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila Ruth) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:41:17 PDT

I'll be making my first ever radio appearance (gulp!) next Tuesday, March 24, from 8-10pm Eastern time. Sallie Lowenstein of Lion Stone Books, another children's book small publisher, and I will be on the Radio Hotline with Dennis Price on WEBR Channel 37 Radio Fairfax to talk about "Adventures in Small Press Publishing."

To listen on the Internet go to http://www.fcac.org/webr

and click on Listen Now.

To call in on the air dial: 571-749-1140 or call the listener comments line at: 703.573.1090 and press 3, or ext. 600