Just One Day by Gayle Forman. Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Books. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. The Plot: Allyson Healey is on a trip to Europe, a special present from her parents for having done so well in high school. She, along with her best friend, are on a Teen Tour, speeding [...]
Review of the Day: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
By on August 5, 2013
The Day the Crayons Quit By Drew Daywalt Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers Philomel (an imprint of Penguin) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-399-25537-3 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. It is possible to read too much into a picture book. A funny statement since what were talking about is literature for people who haven’t even seen a decade of [...]
Weekly Reviews: The Power of Words
By on July 17, 2013
Why do some words have more power than others? Today we look at two very different ways of looking at that crucial question. The first, Melissa Mohr’s Holy Shit, is an earnest, well-researched history of the most powerful words in the English language: curse words. Some people (for example, me) have tried to claim that [...]
Penguin Fall Kids 2013 | Preview Peek
By on June 24, 2013 Leave a Comment
The heat of summer may be upon us but children’s book publishers are now looking toward the glorious days of fall, and the Penguin Young Readers Group is no exception. Forty titles from Penguin’s varied kid imprints were highlighted recently at the publisher’s recent school and library preview, which included surprise guest appearances from authors John Bemelmans Marciano and Julie Berry.
Review: The Fifth Wave
By on May 2, 2013
The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. Book website. First in a trilogy. The Plot: It is months after the aliens first came, the Others, and sixteen year old Cassie Sullivan is huddled in a tent, alone with just her baby [...]
Review of the Day: No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah Ohora
By on April 16, 2013
No Fits, Nilson! By Zachariah Ohora Dial (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3852-2 Ages 3-7 On shelves June 13th The small child is a frightening beast. A truly terrifying creature that can level the most powerful adult with the mere pitch of their fury laden screams. As a children’s librarian I used to tell [...]
Weekly Reviews: Literary Fiction
By on April 8, 2013
Today’s reviewed novels are most likely to appeal to strong, mature teen readers looking for a challenge. Yet each includes a teen character, an authentic teen voice, that will keep the adventurous reading. The starred review belongs to A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. This novel is difficult to categorize. It begins [...]
Penguin Summer Kids’ Books | Preview Peek
By on April 1, 2013 Leave a Comment
Publishers are already thinking about their summer book releases. Fortunately, they seek to share that enthusiasm with the library community through special book preview events, where librarians and children’s book reviewers get to join their peers for an early insider peek at the upcoming books. In this first of a series, School Library Journal shares these peeks with our readers, highlighting which titles especially got our attention.
Penguin Lifts Library Ebook Purchase Embargo
By on March 27, 2013
Penguin Group today announced that it will be changing the terms on its library ebook lending program, and on Tuesday, April 2, will begin allowing libraries to purchase and lend ebook titles the day that hardcover editions are released, according to The Associated Press. Previously, Penguin had placed a six month embargo on new ebooks, [...]
Review: Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone
By on February 15, 2013
Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye. Penguin Books. 2012. Personal copy. Vacation reads, a series of adult books reviewed before holidays for your vacation reading. The Plot: Christian has returned home, returned from the United States to Germany, to a place that is no longer the dark, small town [...]
10 to Note: Spring Preview 2013
By on February 12, 2013
It’s time to once again to look at the season before us and say “that looks good”. What follows are books coming out in March, April, and May that appear to have promise. Picture Book Giant Dance Party by Betsy Bird; illustrated by Brandon Dorman April 23 | Greenwillow | Grades K-2 Ever heard of [...]
Weekly Reviews: Nonfiction for Browsing
By on January 30, 2013
Teen behavior in libraries includes a lot of browsing. I have two different display spaces in my small high school library. Fortunately, one of them is right in front of my desk, so I often get the chance to watch students check out the latest books (surreptitiously, lest I scare them away!). Some will just [...]
Review: My Life Next Door
By on January 18, 2013
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin. 2012. Copy provided for review. The Plot: Samantha Reed’s mother explained to her about the family next door: “There’s one in every neighborhood. The family that never mows their lawn. The toys scattered everywhere.” The message to Sam is clear: stay away from [...]
Review: Paper Valentine
By on January 8, 2013
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff. Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. The Plot: It’s summer. It’s hot. A mosquito virus is going around. And the body of a teenage girl has been found in Muncy Nature Park. It’s the summer before eleventh grade for Hannah Wagner. The summer after the [...]
Ebooks 2013: New leasing models, cheaper devices, more content
By on January 4, 2013
“School libraries, I believe, will be the coming focal point for ebook licensing,” write Chris Harris. “We have strong relationships with our K–12 publishing partners, but now we must reach out to the trade houses. As the print market weakens, the time is right for schools to present a new business proposal.”
Teen Lit Publishing Experts Reveal Recipes for Bestsellers
By on November 28, 2012 1 Comment
At the Women’s National Book Association NYC chapter’s event, “The Making of a Young Adult Bestseller,” writers, editors, publishers, and agents came together to discuss the key components of a hit YA novel.
Round Up (Austen Style!)
By on November 24, 2012
Alright, y’all, I’m having a rough blog post, OK? Because I have here two books that I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed reading for myself. But when I switch to my magical Printz-o-vision, neither Keeping the Castle nor For Darkness Shows the Stars stands up to a more critical analysis. Pity me, the poor [...]
Fusenews: Post-Sandy Edition
By on November 7, 2012
Penguin, Random House Merger Is On
By on October 29, 2012
Just days after word broke that a Penguin/Random House merger was a possibly, it’s nearly a done deal. The companies announced they’re creating a joint venture, pending regulatory approval.
The Facility
By on October 10, 2012
Simon Lelic’s latest thriller presents readers with a near future Britain in which the government has gained too much power in the name of national security.
(I reviewed Lelic’s first book, A Thousand Cuts, back in 2010. Quite a powerful novel about bullying.)
Read an extract from The Facility here.
LELIC, Simon. The Facility. 341p. Penguin. 2012. Tr [...]
