Quills Nominees Announced

The five nominees in each category for the Quill Awards have been announced. The Quill awards are a comsumer choice award initiated by Reed Business (PW magazine) and NBC. The nominees in the kidlit categories are:

Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade:

• Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic/Chicken House)
  
• Flush by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)
  
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick)
  
• The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket (HarperCollins)
  
• Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (Miramax)
  

I don't know if I want Inkspell or Ptolemy's Gate to win! Both are excellent books.

Children's Illustrated Book:

• Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser (HarperCollins)
  
• If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond (HarperCollins/Geringer)
  
• John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith (Hyperion)
  
• Walter the Farting Dog Goes on a Cruise by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray and Elizabeth Gundy, illus. by Audrey Colman (Dutton)
  
• Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey by Robert Sabuda (Little Simon)
  

I don't read many picture books, so I'm not as familiar with the books in this category. But I love Robert Sabuda's work, so I'd probably vote for that.

Young Adult/Teen:

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  
• Eldest by Christopher Paolini
  
• Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
  
• King Dork by Frank Portman
  
• Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
  

Surprisingly, I haven't read many of these, either, so I'm not sure what I'd vote for.

To see all the categories, and to vote, go to quills.msnbc.com.

Erin Hunter Chat Transcript

On Saturday, August 19, we held a chat in the Wands and Worlds community with the three people behind the popular Warriors and Warriors: The New Prophecy series: Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary, who write the series under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, and Vicky Holmes, who created the concept, develops the plot outlines, and edits the books.

I've posted a transcript of the chat, which you can find here.. Warriors fans will enjoy reading more about the background of the series and the people behind it, as well as some information on upcoming projects.

Seventh Carnival open for submissions!

I'll be hosting September's Carnival of Children's Literature; I believe we're up to the seventh! Please send your submissions to kidlitcarnival at gmail dot com, post them in a comment here, or use this form. Submissions are due by September 15. This "Harvest of Children's Literature" will be celebrated on the equinox, September 23! I look forward to reading all the submissions!

Sixth Carnival of Children's Literature

Once again, you can read some of the best posts from the kidlitosphere at the latest Carnival of Children's Literature. Mary did a wonderful job with it, so head on over to Castle of the Immaculate for the Sixth Carnival of Children's Literature.

Back from the beach

I just got back from the beach, where I read Ingo by the seaside. I can't imagine a more appropriate book to read at the beach - I could almost hear the ocean calling me! Stay tuned for a review.

New books to read

Oh, joy! I got two new books for review from HarperCollins: Ingo, which I've been dying to read since I read Kelly's review on Big A little a, and a new Oz book, Trouble Under Oz. I've been an Oz fan since I was about 3-years-old, so I'm looking forward to reading that one, too. Life is good!

Harry Potter Birthday

Happy Birthday, Harry! (And Happy Birthday to JKR, too!)

Book Review: Viking Warrior

OK, I get it: a Viking's life was violent. But was it really necessary to show quite so much hacking of limbs and cleaving of skulls? Still, surprisingly, I enjoyed Viking Warrior in spite of the excessive violence and high body count. The narrator was likeable and I found myself drawn into his world and his story.

Halfdan is a slave who belongs to the Viking chieftain Hrorik, who is also his father. Halfdan's mother is a slave who was captured in a raid in Ireland, and who caught Hrorik's fancy. Hrorik may be Halfdan's biological father, but to Halfdan he is just a master, and Halfdan has nothing to look forward to but a life of hardship and drudgery as a slave. But when Hrorik is mortally injured in a raid, Halfdan's fate is changed and in one night he is transformed from slave to lord. He loses the person he loves most in the world, but gains a new family who welcome him with loving arms.

Halfdan must learn to come to terms with his new life, as he begins learning the skills necessary to be a Viking warrior under the tutelage of his new brother. But just when he begins to embrace his new life, he comes face to face with an evil that threatens to take it all away.

Viking Warrior is historical fiction filled with interesting details about Viking life in the ninth century. The story is quite exciting, and the characters well drawn. Author Judson Roberts paints a rich and fascinating portrait of Viking society. A historical note at the end of the book gives some of the historical background, and there is much more information at the Strongbow Saga Website.

Technorati tags: book review | vikings | young adult books | historical fiction

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

Greek mythology has never been this fun! As soon as you glance at the table of contents for The Lightning Thief, by Rick Roirdan, you know that you are in for a wild ride. With chapter titles like "I accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher" and "Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death," how can this book be anything but good? And indeed, The Lightning Thief is one of the most original and entertaining books that I've read in a long time.

Percy Jackson has been kicked out of one school after another. With ADHD and dyslexia, Percy is not a great student, and always seems to get into trouble. But when a teacher transforms into a monster during a field trip and attacks Percy, strange things start happening. Percy soon discovers that he is a demi-god: half god, half human. The Greek Gods are alive and well and living above the Empire State Building in New York. Percy's mother is human and his father is one of the Olympians. Chased by monsters, and accompanied by his friend Grover, a satyr, Percy ends up at Camp Half-Blood, a haven and training ground for the demi-gods.

But Percy's adventures are far from over. For someone has stolen Zeus' master lightning bolt, and Percy is a prime suspect. Accompanied by Grover and a daughter of Athena named Annabeth, Percy sets off to find the lightning bolt. If he doesn't find and return it within ten days, war could break out on Mount Olympus, and when the gods fight, the consequences could be devastating.

I've heard so much about this book, and I'm glad I finally got a chance to read it. The Greek gods updated and modernized are quite amusing, and the story has plenty of action and excitement. Greek mythology is always a popular topic with kids, and anyone with an interest in Greek mythology will enjoy identifying characters and scenes from mythology transformed into the modern world. Kids who have problems with ADHD and/or dyslexia will be inspired to learn that those characteristics are common among demi-gods, although Percy warns on the first page to "stop reading immediately" if you think you might be a demi-god because it's a difficult and dangerous life.

Technorati tags: book review | mythology | children's books | young adult books

Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature

Kelly Herold at Big A little a has done a remarkable job on the Fifth Carnival of Children's Literature. Head on over and check out the latest and greatest in the Kidlitosphere this month. But beware the witches!