September 18, 2013

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The Assassination of JFK: Revisiting an American Tragedy | Media Mania

Parkland movie tie in cover

Joy Fleishhacker, our media maniac, looks ahead to the October release of the motion picture Parkland, based on the 2007 book Four Days in November which examines the goings-on at Parkland Hospital following the shooting of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. She’s put together a selection of nonfiction and fiction titles which will can help middle grade and teen readers get the facts surrounding the event as well as the feelings of those young people who experienced it.

Page to Screen: From YA Bestsellers to Big-Screen Blockbusters

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While the jury is still out on the big screen adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones, reviewers are raving about the surprise indie hit The Spectacular Now, based on Tim Tharp’s young adult novel. Children’s books continue to be Hollywood’s go-to source for inspiration, and librarians couldn’t be happier. As readers and movie fans await the book-to-film entries coming this fall, such as Suzanne Collins’s Catching Fire and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, SLJ looks ahead to future releases in this latest installment of Page to Screen.

‘City of Bones’ and More Kick-Butt Monster-Hunting Adventures

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Adapted from the first book of Cassandra Clare’s wildly popular YA fantasy series, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones bursts into theaters on August 21, 2013. Movie viewers will clamor to read or revisit the original work; when they’ve exhausted the series, be ready with more titles featuring demon-slayers and monster-hunters.

‘The Wolverine’ Returns: Graphic Novels for Teens | Media Mania

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With the release of The Wolverine, movie fans will be clamoring to read more about the man who put the “SKINT!” into hand-to-hand combat. Consider enhancing your graphic novel collection with titles about this plain-talking, hard-scrapping hero.

Superman Soars Again: Great Graphic Novels About the Man of Steel

Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel

No stranger to the screen, Warner Bros. Pictures reboots the Superman film franchise with Man of Steel (PG-13), slated to premiere June 14 in conventional, 3D, and IMAX theaters. It will have teens flocking to libraries faster than a speeding bullet for comic book classics about this tried-and-true hero. Stock up on and display some of these Superman standards, guaranteed to grab the eye of YA moviegoers and graphic novel fans.

Page to Screen: Summer Reading Blockbusters, Dystopian Teen Lit, and Childhood Classics

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As reviews for Baz Lurhmann’s whirlwind adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby come roaring in, take a look at the latest installment of SLJ’s Page to Screen, where you’ll find updates on already much-touted future movies, and news of recent options on film rights. This roundup of releases will have your students and patrons heading to the theater—and, hopefully, to bookshelves as well.

‘Iron Man 3′ Book Tie-ins | Media Mania

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Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the arrogant, irreverent, and ever likable Tony Stark, ingenious industrialist and high-tech super hero in Iron Man 3 (PG-13), which arrives in theaters on May 3, 2013, in traditional, 3-D, and IMAX 3D formats .Beef up your selection of tales about the Golden Avenger with offerings sure to appeal to teen movie—and comics—fans.

Jackie Robinson: Remembering an American Hero | Watch and Read

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Jackie Robinson’s story is a captivating, inspiring, and important one, and young moviegoers who have seen the new biopic 42 will want to know more about his groundbreaking accomplishments as well as his life and times. Here are some great books to recommend.

On the Radar Teen: Mystery and Adventure for Teen Readers

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For readers seeking a thrill of adventure from the safety of the nearest comfortable chair, the following new books are just the ticket. From historical intrigue to high stakes suspense, eager and reluctant readers alike will be drawn into these stories.

Tom Cruise in Oblivion and a Round-Up of Spine-Tingling Reads for Teens | Media Mania

Adaptation

This sci-fi thriller from Universal Pictures opens in theaters on April 19, 2013. Based on a yet-to-be-published graphic novel (Radical Publishing) by movie director/writer Joseph Kosinki, Oblivion (PG-13) is set 60 years after Earth is attacked by alien invaders. The entire human population has been relocated, and Jack Harper (Tom Cruise), a drone repairmen and part of a large-scale venture to extract vital resources, is one of the few remaining individuals stationed on a planet left in ruins. Update your collections with a selection of novels that prophesize an often earth-shattering (sometimes literally), tantalizingly thought-provoking, and always page-turning future for our planet and humankind.

YA Underground: A Different Kind of Rating System

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After surveying the kids in my facility, I created the following system to rate the books that they’re reading: one star = Wack, two stars = Bootsy, three stars = Koo, four stars = Clean, and five stars = That book Go! A book that’s “clean” is “real.” A book that “goes” has action. For my readers, a book is ideally both action-packed and real. What makes a book either or both? As usual, it’s not that straightforward, but here’s one attempt to decipher the question.

Media Mania: Journeying to Oz—The New Film and a Whirlwind of Portal Fiction for Teens

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We have all fantasized about being transported to magical locations, and on March 8, Disney is giving everyone an excuse to revisit the 1900 novel and 1939 movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Oz the Great and Powerful (PG) tornadoes into theaters in traditional, 3D and IMAX 3D formats. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), an unscrupulous two-bit circus magician, is swept away via hot-air balloon to the Land of Oz. Teens can visit the movie website to browse videos and photos, play games, and access downloads. Then hook them in with a display of portal fiction that will not disappoint.

Page to Screen: Upcoming Kids’ Books Set for Film Adaptations

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The search for the next big film franchise usually begins with a beloved book or series, and film producers are continually eyeing the publishing world for inspiration. In fact, 2013 already promises a packed calendar of book-related film projects based on popular kid and young adult titles. Check out this roundup of releases that will have your students and patrons heading to the theater—and, hopefully, to bookshelves as well.

Media Mania—Magic and Mayhem: Mesmerizing Fairy Tale Retellings for Teens

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Told and retold through the centuries, ever-evolving and repeatedly re-envisioned, folk and fairy tales continue to captivate imaginations. In fact, unwavering interest in these stories have sparked an onslaught of media offerings. Take the opportunity to booktalk or display a selection of splendid retellings of folk and fairy tales written for teens. The genre’s integral themes of transformation, self-realization, burgeoning independence, and first love are ready-made for a young adult audience, and these titles utilize a variety of writing styles, settings, and storytelling tones to explore timeless motifs in imaginative and appealingly contemporary ways.

Media Mania: Beautiful Creatures and Recommended Paranormal Romance Reads for Teens

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Beautiful Creatures is a story of star-crossed lovers with a supernatural edge and atmospheric Southern setting. The film adaptation of the first novel in Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s fan-favorite series (2009, Little, Brown) is fittingly scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day, 2013. Tempt teens who just can’t get enough of these Beautiful Creatures to keep reading by booktalking or displaying a selection of page-turning tales forged with mystical wonder and touched by true love. Encompassing copious coming-of-age themes and a variety of writing styles, these titles also make excellent choices for book discussion groups.

Media Mania: Got Gamers? Books Tie-ins to Teen-Favorite Video Games

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Tempt teens away from the screen and into the pages of a book with an appetizing array of offerings based on popular video games. You may even get them interested in history—the latest Assassin’s Creed is based on the American Revolution, set in the colonies in the mid-1700s.

From the Trenches: Parallel Universes

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Wishing for everyday life to disappear and to be magically transported somewhere else does not always deliver on the promise of a happier ending. Parallel universes seem to be a popular trend these days, with quite a few books released in 2011 and 2012. For one, YA thrill-master Christopher Pike is back, veering toward fantasy with his trademark thriller plot thrown in the mix. And, in one of the most highly acclaimed books of the year, Every Day, David Levithan drops the main character into a new body, and therefore a new world, each morning. Some of the titles are serious, offering a look at how one might escape a bad home or school life. Others trend toward humor or fairy tale retellings. In all, the glimpse of “what might have been” provides readers an escape from their daily lives.

Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins—Rise of the Guardians

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The film “Rise of the Guardians,” based on William Joyce’s popular series “Guardians of Childhood” premieres on November 21. Fans of folk and fairy tales will delight in the characters found in both the original series, the film, and in new books inspired by the movie.

Media Mania: Spy Novels for James Bond Fans

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With the release of Adele’s lushly orchestrated theme song and heaps of media coverage, the buzz is building for the opening of Skyfall (PG-13) on November 9, 2012. Take advantage of the Bond bonanza and display or booktalk a selection of recently published young adult spy thrillers. Impossible to put down, these titles feature an array of unforgettable protagonists, a mix of time periods and settings, and a teen-tantalizing variety of narrative styles.

Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: Game On! Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph

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Wreck-it Ralph, the newest 3-D animated release from Disney, takes audience into world of video games to tell a humor-filled tale of friendship, heroism, and self-discovery. Fans of Ralph will also enjoy exciting but accessible picture books and chapter books based on the film.