September 18, 2013

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Seraphina

Seraphina, Rachel Hartman
Random House, July 2012
Reviewed from ARC
Gosh golly, but I love rereading.
Books change upon acquaintance. They get deeper (or, sometimes, shallower, but let’s not go there); different aspects bubble to the top; when the reader is no longer at the mercy of the plot’s momentum there is time to really savor all the different [...]

News Bites: “YA for NJ” Auction for Sandy Relief

YA-for-NJ

Check out News Bites for the latest information on what authors are doing to help out victims of Hurricane Sandy, the latest changes at Random House, a literacy campaign for kids in need, and more.

First Annual Random House Teaching Awards for Literacy Announced

Random House's Melanie Fallon-Houska (right) and first-place winner Mary Andrews.

This morning, Random House Foundation, Inc., announced the winners of its inaugural Random House Teacher Awards for Literacy given to part-time and full-time public school teachers in the US.

Pick of the Day: The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel

The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel

DUPRAU, Jeanne. The City of Ember: The Graphic Novel. adapted by Dallas Middaugh. illus. by Niklas Asker. 144p. Random. 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86821-4; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96821-1; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86793-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97910-0. LC 2011051619.
Gr 5-8
–Lina and Doon have spent their entire lives surrounded by darkness. Lina is an optimist and a dreamer who just knows there is something beyond the city of her birth. Doon is much more practical. He knows that if he can [...]

Fusenews: Post-Sandy Edition

As I write this I don’t know what the election results are and I shall refuse to think about them all the livelong day.  Lalalalalala!  No images today, by the way.  I apparently hit my limit and need to beg SLJ for a little more space.  I’m good for it!  Honest!

So there’s lots of post-Sandy [...]

Interview: Rebecca Stead on ‘Liar & Spy’

Rebecca Stead
Photo: Joanne Dugan

SLJ talks to Newbery Medal-winner Rebecca Stead about her latest book, Liar & Spy (Random, 2012), a middle grade novel about friendship, bullies, spies, and family.

Penguin, Random House Merger Is On

Penguin-House-31

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.

A New Kind of Fairy Tale: Dust Girl

Dust Girl, Sarah Zettel
Random House, June 2012
Reviewed from ARC
Welcome to the Dust Bowl as you’ve never seen it before, peopled by lots more than, well, people, in a new series that covers some of the same territory as American Gods or The Flight of Michael McBride (sadly out of print, but a crossover treasure if [...]

Pick of the Day: Seraphina (CD)

Audiobook cover of dragon flying on red background

Seraphina. By Rachel Hartman. 11 CDs. 13:30 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-96894-4. $50
Gr 7 Up–In the decades since the peace treaty was signed, a fragile amity has existed between humans and dragons. Or so it is believed. As the treaty’s 40th anniversary nears, a rogue dragon masterminds a dangerous scheme to reignite the ancient war between the two species. Caught unwillingly in the crossfire is Seraphina Dombegh, assistant music mistress of [...]

Review: Yesterday

Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin. Random House. 2012. Reviewed from ARC from publisher.
The Plot: 2063. Freya Kallas is sixteen, locked in her room, while something terrible happens with her brother. She struggles as she is forcibly evacuated, crying out for her brother, hating her father, wishing for her mother to do something. The Toxo is [...]

Watch and Read—Spotlight on Media Tie-ins: Fairy Fanfare: TV’s Winx Club

WinxClub1

Fans of all things fey will enjoy Winx Club, a TV series about a flight of stylish teenage fairies with an updated look and an array of magical abilities. In addition to dolls, dress-up accessories, and video games, the franchise also includes fun, fast-moving chapter books and graphic novels based on the TV show.