I'm starting this week's round-up with two announcements of things near and dear to me.
First--
The Eight Annual Kidlitcon has been announced!
If there is any way you can make it, I urge you to come--it is so
lovely to be surrounded by kindred spirits talking books and blogs. I
am going- I found a good deal on my outward bound ticket and bought it
already, so I hope I find a good return ticket or else I'll have to
start life anew in California....
Second-- T
he Ninth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge, hosted by MotherReader, has been announced, and this year the focus is on diversity.
Please let me know, as always, if I missed your post! (authors and publicists--you are welcome to let me know of reviews too!)
The Reviews:
Boys of Blur, by N.D. Wilson, at
Nerdy Book Club
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, by Claire Legrand, at
Log Cabin Library
Dealing With Dragons, and Searching for Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede, at
Reading is Fun Again (audiobook reviews)
Elsbeth and the Pirate's Treasure, by J. Bean Palmer, at
Life's Simple Pleasures
The Fairy Doll & Other Tales from the Doll's House, by Rumer Godden, at
Charlotte's Library
The Forbidden Library, by Django Wexler, at
The Bibliomaniac
The Glass Sentence, by S.E. Grove, at
Waking Brain Cells
The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw, by Christopher Healy, at
Charlotte's Library
The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne Jones, at
The Emerald City Book Review
Millhouse, by Natale Ghent, at
In Bed With Books
Mouseheart, by Lisa Fiedler, at
Hidden in Pages, Kid Lit Frenzy (with giveaway), and
Charlotte's Library (also giveaway)
The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier, at
Random Musings of a Bibliophile
Nightingale's Nest, by Nikki Loftin, at
Semicolon
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble, by D. Robert Pease, at
Mother Daughter Book Reviews
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee, at
Good Books and Good Wine (audiobook) and
Becky's Book Reviews
The Phoenix and the Carpet, by E. Nesbit, at
Becky's Book Reviews
The Riverman, by Aaron Starmer, at
Semicolon
Rose and the Lost Princess, by Holly Webb, at
Wands and Worlds
The Runaway King, by Jennifer Nielsen, at
Challenging the Bookworm
Saving Lucas Biggs, by Maria de los Santos and David Teague, at
Inspiring Insomnia
The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud, at
I Heart Reading
Sky Raiders, by Brandon Mull, at
Hidden In Pages
Taran Wanderer, by Lloyd Alexander, at
Hope is the Word
Tesla's Attic, by Neil Shusterman and Eric Elfman, at
Semicolon
The Unicorn Thief, by R.R. Russell, at
The Book Monsters and
Nayu's Reading Corner
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron, at
Tor
Two super hero books at
Ms. Yingling Reads-- Bacon, Lee.
The Dominion Key (Joshua Dread #3) and Jensen, Marion.
Almost Super
Author and Interviews
Django Wexler (The Forbidden Library) at
Fanboynation
N.D. Wilson (The Boys of Blur) at
Nerdy Book Club
Jerry A. White (The Thickety) at
Odyssey Workshop
MarcyKate Connolly (Monstrous) at
The Book Cellar
Other Good Stuff
Oh my gosh this looks so lovely and it is so timely viz diversity discussions and I want it for my children right now!!!! --
Never Alone (Kisima InÅ‹itchuÅ‹a)—"a beautifully illustrated puzzle-adventure game depicting a young Iñupiaq protagonist and her arctic fox companion" created by game designers working with Native storytellers and elders, by a tribally-owned company called
Upper One Games. (Found via
Once Upon a Blog).
The Nebula Awards have been announced. From
Tor:
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Winner: Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)
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The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)
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When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)
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The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
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Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)
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September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)
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A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)
Winged equines, at
Views From the Tesseract and Middle Grade Steampunk, at
Bookends
Not strictly middle grade, but just a reminder there's a Sci Fi/Fantasy round-up every week at
On Starships and Dragon Wings
And also not strictly middle grade, but still of interest--onn
Sunday, May 25th at 2pm, fantasy authors Leah Cypess, Erin Cashman, AC Gaughen, and Adi Rule will be talking about the challenges
of creating historical and fantastical settings and sharing their world-building tips at
The Writers' Loft in Sherborn, MA.
"Alice, Creator and Destroyer" (as in Alice In Wonderland), at
Seven Miles of Steel Thistles
Rush Limbaugh won the Children's Book Choice Award for author of the year for Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims; here are some reactions rounded-up at
100 Scope Notes
and another look at it at
Educating Alice, where Pilgrim alternatives are offered.
And having gotten that out of the way, let's have more pictures from
Never Alone: