Fans of Noomi Repace, who plays Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish films of The Millennium series, have not embraced the idea of an American actress replacing her in the English-language versions.

Their concerns may be laid to rest by the new issue of W magazine, on newsstands Jan. 25, featuring an early look at Mara Rooney in the role. Clearly, she has shed her college girl image from The Social Network. It is also clear that the movie will get the full Hollywood treatment.

The accompanying article says the script,

…departs rather dramatically from the book. Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending—the resolution of the drama—has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but [scriptwriter] Zaillian has improved on Larsson—the script’s ending is more interesting.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is scheduled for release in December.

USA Today features the cover, title and first chapter of of Rick Riordan’s second book in the The Kane Chronicles, releasing May 3.

The Throne of Fire again features the son and daughter of an Egyptologist, who  “…embark on a worldwide search for the Book of Ra, but the House of Life and the gods of chaos are determined to stop them.” (Publisher’s annotation).

The Washington Post, says the Susan Vreeland’s new novel, Clara and Mr. Tiffany,

… brims with fascinating information about Tiffany’s glassmaking and about New York as its gilded age gives way to a more progressive era. Clara stands at the story’s center as a woman ahead of her time, a female artist who mentors others and demands equality.

Clara Driscoll was the unwitting “good woman” behind the “great man,” Louis C. Tiffany. She was the one who invented to process for making the famous Tiffany lamps. Her contribution was only recently recognized, serving as the inspiration for this book.

People magazine gives the book 4 of a possible 4 stars in the current issue and Vreeland was interviewed on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany Susan Vreeland Retail Price: $26.00 Hardcover: 432 pages Publisher: Random House – (2011-01-11) ISBN / EAN: 1400068169 / 9781400068166

Thorndike Large Print; (January 26, 2011); 9781410434234; $33.99
Random House Audio; UNABR; 9780307876706; $45.00

If you haven’t already, you are likely to hear a great deal about a book released yesterday, which describes the traditional Chinese approach to child rearing, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua. On NPR’s Fresh Air on Monday, Maureen Corrigan predicted,

…Battle Hymn is going to be a book club and parenting blog phenomenon; there will be fevered debate over Chua’s tough love strategies, which include ironclad bans on such Western indulgences as sleepovers, play dates, and any extracurricular activities except practicing musical instruments … which must be the violin or piano.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother Amy Chua Retail Price: $25.95 Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The – (2011-01-11) ISBN / EAN: 1594202842 / 9781594202841

Penguin Audio; UNABR; 6 Hours; 5 CDs; ISBN 9780142429105; $29.95

That’s happening already. An excerpt from the book in the Wall Street Journal, with the challenging title, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,” appeared over the weekend and became the top-read story. It is being discussed widely, in blogs and articles, from The New Yorker to the Guardian in the UK, which calls it “one of the most controversial books of 2011.” It is currently at #6 on Amazon’s sales rankings and library holds are rising rapidly.

Chua appeared on the Today Show on Monday. Her upcoming book tour should be fun.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This is Chua’s third book. Her previous titles have been on international policy. Tiger Mother made news when it was acquired last year, for a rumored high six figures.

They did it again — the Newbery and Caldecott committees outwitted prognosticators and gave their highest awards to unexpected titles. In both cases, they are debut titles.

Newbery

Moon Over Manifest Clare Vanderpool Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers – (2010-10-12) ISBN / EAN: 0385738838 / 9780385738835

The Newbery Medal was the biggest surprise, going to the debut Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool, Delacorte/Random. Currently out of stock, it also caught the publisher and wholesalers by surprise. Amazon, where it quickly shot up to #11 from #31,660 in sales rankings, is currently showing a week to 3 weeks for delivery. Of the 15 year-end best books lists, it appeared on only one, the Kirkus list.

The front-runner on many Mock Newbery‘s and the top title on best books lists, One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia (Amistad/HarperCollins) was named as one of four honor books and won the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

Caldecott

A Sick Day for Amos McGee Philip Christian Stead Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Roaring Brook Press – (2010-05-25) ISBN / EAN: 1596434023 / 9781596434028

The Caldecott Medal winner, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook/Macmillan), was on just 4 of 15 best books lists. The top contenders for this award were considered to be City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, illustrated by Jon Muth (Hyperion) and Art & Max, written and illustrated by David Wiesner (Clarion/HMH). Neither received a nod as an honor book.

Printz

Ship Breaker Paolo Bacigalupi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers – (2010-05-01) ISBN / EAN: 0316056219 / 9780316056212

The Printz winner was less of a surprise. It went to Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown/Hachette), a book that enjoyed a great deal of buzz at PLA this year. The award brings the book to its highest ranking yet on Amazon, from #7,884 before the announcement, to #233 yesterday.

Alex Awards

Among the Alex Awards, for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences, are several titles we’ve written about extensively on EarlyWord,

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender, (Doubleday/Random); librarians embraced this book after it was presented in the PLA Buzz session in March; the publisher credits librarian support for making the book a NYT best seller.

Room, Emma Donoghue, (Little, Brown/ Hachette); librarians buzzed about this book at BEA back in May. It went on to be a finalist for the Booker Award and is still on the NYT best seller list after 10 weeks. It was also selected as a RUSA Notable Book.

The Radleys, Matt Haig, (Free Press/S&S); this comic twist on a vampire tale arrived in the U.S. less than a month ago. In the UK, it was published as both an adult and a YA title.

Girl in Translation, Jean Kwok, (Riverhead/ Penguin); The author appeared at the ALTAFF First Author, First Book program at ALA in June.

Link to the full ALA Youth Media Awards here.

USA Today’s “Book Buzz” column reports that the majority of Mock Newbery’s are going to Rita Williams-Garcia’s One Crazy Summer.

Going against the tide, the Banks Street College kids (96 fifth and sixth graders), discussed and voted on a list of titles and picked Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper as the winner of their Mock Newbery.

Out of My Mind Sharon M. Draper Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Atheneum – (2010-03-09) ISBN / EAN: 141697170X / 9781416971702

Sam, 10 – liked that the story came out of the main character’s mind…that was interesting.

Alexandra, 10 – the story was touching and pulled you in and you wanted to read it all at once

Adam, 10 – you really saw how mean people can be to people who are different. Being disabled is not being stupid.

Carly, 10 – even though she went through tough stuff, she kept trying

Ayra, 10 – because I heard her story from her, it was like being in her shoes

Allie, 10 – I have never read a book like this

Jenna, 11 – it was really detailed and I felt a lot of emotion

Hazel, 12 – …dramatic- felt like a light read…I read fast…It was real.

Casy, 11 -…it touched me deep down. I felt real emotion. My heart was bursting for her.

Francesca, 11– it was cool how that over the time I could see her change and do things

Emily, 11 – I could not let this book go.

Ava, 11 – really realistic and unique. I liked that we could see inside her head. It was bittersweet.

Jules, 11 – there was a mix of emotions, I burst out laughing. The language was juicy.

Evie, 11 – it was great. I felt like I was reading her mind.

Eliana, 11 – it was a fantastic book.

Ghopal, 11 – I disagree. It was perfectly long

Maggie, 12 – draws you in fast. I liked the flashbacks. You really felt her frustration and wanted to scream with her.

Lauren, 12 – really good…I made a connection with her. Her thoughts were just regular.

Joshua, 11 – Original…great first person

Honor Books

Belly Up Stuart Gibbs Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-05-18) ISBN / EAN: 1416987312 / 9781416987314

Casy, 11 – fantabulous mystery – funny, cliffhangers…didn’t want it to end.

Imani, 10 – good interesting mystery. Cliffhanging a lot.

Ava, 10 – better than other mystery books. Characters were real

Adam, 10 – Kept you on your toes. A fun read.
…………………………

The Search for WondLa Tony DiTerlizzi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 1416983104 / 9781416983101

Dax, 10 – long, unexpected , good descriptions

Sam, 10 – it was a mystery and a fantasy. Satisfying and had many characters and places you wouldn’t expect.

Laura 12 – a whole made up world. Plot was good and characters weren’t human but you could relate to them.

Adrian 12 – I really enjoyed the references and connections to other children’s books.

Patrick 12 – took me awhile to get into it but I stuck with it and now can’t wait for the next book.

…………………………

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda Tom Angleberger Retail Price: $12.95 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Amulet Books – (2010-03-01) ISBN / EAN: 0810984253 / 9780810984257

Bobby, 12 – Different than all the other books we read this year

Ali, 12 – I didn’t think I would like this book that seemed random about a finger puppet but I did.

Kerem, 12 – something any student around my age would relate to. It was wack and crazy

Louis, 11 – Everything comes together in the end

Irene, 11 – Funny to boys and girls

…………………………

A Whole Nother Story Dr. Cuthbert Soup Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books – (2009-12-22) ISBN / EAN: 1599904357/9781599904351

Anya, 11 – really funny, not predictable

Adrien – Had a little bit of everything – adventure , fantasy, from the first moment draws you in – liked the dark grim humor.

Eric – made you want to keep reading

…………………………

Half Upon a Time James Riley Retail Price: $15.99 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Aladdin – (2010-09-07) ISBN / EAN: 1416995935 / 9781416995937

Donnie, 11 – Most fairy tales are boring. This one was different. Didn’t have a happily ever after ending.

Hazel, 12 – I stayed up all night reading

Evie, 12– well done. I didn’t get bored.

Sophie, 10 – I was entertained…a new creative story from old stories

Raymond, 11 – Funny , creative with a big twist

Ghopal, 12 – I enjoyed the writing style especially the humorous asides

Josua, 11 – Corny, but funny and creative.

Coming to theaters on March 24.

Trailer

Sterling Publishing is pretty busy launching imprints this month. In addition to the new fiction imprint Silver Oak, the house is starting a YA imprint, Splinter, with the publication of Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck. The fantasy novel is the first in a trilogy about an 18-year-old girl and the Bengal tiger she encounters while working at a circus.

USA Today mentions the book in a roundup of spring titles that booksellers are excited about, quoting Barnes and Noble’s Patricia Bostleman saying the book “has it all: paranormal, romance, fantasy, adventure, historical fiction.” It’s also been picked by MTV as one of “11 YA Novels We Can’t Wait to Read in 2011.”

But PW says “the attractive premise is let down by wooden dialogue, excessive detail, and wobbly mechanics.”

Originally self-published in 2009, Houck’s trilogy will continue with Tiger’s Quest and Tiger’s Voyage, due later in 2011, according to the publishing blog Galley Cat.

At libraries we checked, modest orders were in line with modest reserves.

Tiger’s Curse (Book 1) Colleen Houck Retail Price: $17.95 Hardcover: 448 pages Publisher: Splinter – (2011-01-11) ISBN / EAN: 1402784031 / 9781402784033

Usual Suspects:

Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer (Grand Central Publishing) will surely be helped by the December 2 debut of the author’s History Channel show, Brad Meltzer’s Decoded. However, PW is lukewarm, declaring that “a fascinating look at the hidden treasures of the National Archives is the one strength of this otherwise unsatisfying thriller.”

The Sentry by Robert Crais (Putnam) elicits divided opinions: PW says “heartbreaking ironies, frustrated desires, and violent nonstop action make this a standout.” Booklist say’s “longtime fans may find this one not quite up to the authors high standards, but the demand will still be there.”

Gideon’s War by Howard Gordon (Touchstone) is a debut thriller by the executive producer of TV’s 24.  PW says this “loosely plotted thriller… lurches unpredictably from backstory to frenzied present-day action, employing a 24-hour ticking clock for suspense.”

Border Lords by T. Jefferson Parker (Dutton) gets the thumbs up from PW: “Three-time Edgar-winner Parker, long a favorite of genre cognoscenti, is making the transition to widespread mainstream popularity. His latest, to receive best-seller-type promotion, will increase the pace.” LJ is also keen on it: “Parker’s dark and gritty series takes readers beyond the drug war headlines, personalizing the toll it’s taken on our souls. Series fans will devour this sequel to Iron River.“

USA Today‘s calendar of major titles coming out through April is now available. Although it tends to cover the predictable big-name authors, it’s a good way to get to know the book covers that will soon become ubiquitous. It’s like RA flashcards.

In an an accompanying article, the USA Today book editors query booksellers about their picks and discover a few less obvious titles. Geoffrey Jennings of Rainy Day Books (KS) says The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht (Random House, March 8) is “The debut novel we’re all excited about…[Obreht] deftly uses the history and conflict of the Balkans [to tell a] tale filled with metaphor and mystery.” It was also mentioned several times on Tuesday’s Galley Chat. Random House will be featuring it at their booth (#1816) at MidWinter.

Author Téa Obreht is the youngest of The New Yorker‘s twenty best American fiction writers under forty.

The Tiger’s Wife: A Novel Téa Obreht Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Random House – (2011-03-08) ISBN / EAN: 0385343833 / 9780385343831

Audio; Books on Tape, UNABR, 9780307877024; $40

OverDrive WMA Audiobook

On Monday, USA Today gave Three Seconds, the new Scandinavian thriller by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom, a stellar review (it would be more apt to call it a fan letter than a review). In today’s NYT, Janet Maslin, clearly not a devotee of the genre, says authors like Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell,

…know how to deliver the kind of stilted, world-weary verbosity that somehow quickens the pulses of this genre’s readers. Even better, they are on a first-name basis with the Seven Dwarfs of Scandinavian Noir: Guilty, Moody, Broody, Mopey, Kinky, Dreary and Anything-but-Bashful.

Neither is she won over by Three Seconds. After a long description of the book’s plot, she calls it one of many “half-decent Millennium knockoffs” we can expect to see in the future.

Clearly, readers don’t agree. For most of the week, the book is has been at #2 on the B&N.com’s sales rankings, where it is featured as one of the “Best Books of the Month.” It has also cracked the Amazon top fifty, rising to #39 earlier this week.

It’s notable that Three Seconds is the very first book from the new imprint, Silver Oak, a joint deal between six-year-old British Quercus Publishing (publishers of Stieg Larsson’s books in the UK) and Sterling Publishing in the U.S.

Three Seconds Anders Roslund, Borge Hellstrom Retail Price: $24.95 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: SilverOak – (2011-01-04) ISBN / EAN: 1402785925 / 9781402785924

Brilliance Audio; Unabridged Lib Ed; 9781455807222; 13 CD’s; $79.97

It appears the sticky rights situation for a film adaptation of Unbroken has been cleared. Several movie news sources are reporting that Francis Lawrence, who just finished filming Water for Elephants, is in talks to direct Laura Hillenbrand’s best seller.

Universal has been trying to produce a film about the book’s central figure, Louis Zamperini since the ’50’s, when they bought Zamperini’s “life rights” as a starring vehicle for Tony Curtis. More recently, Brad Pitt had plans to produce, with Nicolas Cage starring. No news on who may star in this incarnation.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand Retail Price: $27.00 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Random House – (2010-11-16) ISBN / EAN: 1400064163 / 9781400064168

RH Large Print; 9780375435010
RH Audio; 9780739319697

As we pointed out on Monday, the Book Beast lists among their “most anticipated” books of 2011 one titled O: A Presidential Novel, to be published on Jan 25 by S&S. The “O,” of course, is President Obama, but the author is anonymous. Libraries we checked had not ordered it and information is sketchy from wholesaler and bookseller sites and non-existent on S&S’s site.

S&S has confirmed to EarlyWord that the book will be released on Jan. 25th. News outlets, beginning with Yahoo! News, have now picked up the story, comparing it to Primary Colors, also by “Anonymous,” about the Clinton administration, which was a best seller in 1996 and made into a movie. After weeks of speculation, it was revealed that “Anonymous” was actually Time magazine journalist Joe Klein.

When asked by Yahoo if he might be the new Anonymous, Klein vigorously denied the idea (Yahoo points out that Klein also initially denied the suggestion that he wrote Primary Colors). We’re inclined to believe Klein this time, however. If he were to do another  “Anonymous” book, we think he’d turn to one of the Random House divisions, which have been his publishers in the past.

In the UK, The Telegraph, covers the story, including a more extensive look at the impact of Primary Colors in its day and notes that there will also be a simultaneous audio version of O, read by Campbell Scott (who, like everyone else involved, declined to comment).

A curious side note, the description on some wholesaler databases seems to be about a quite different anonymous novel:

The author has decided to remain anonymous because this was the only way she felt completely free to explore a woman’s secret life. As she writes in the afterword to the novel, “That doesn’t mean this is a memoir; it’s many things to me, fiction and nonfiction, fantasy and fact, a quilt pieced together not just from my own stories but those of my friends.” She was also inspired to embrace anonymity by the book that inspired her own, an anonymous and very daring Elizabethan manuscript entitled A Woman’s Worth.

The initial print run is showing as 100,000 copies. No cover image is available yet.

Audio: Simon & Schuster Audio (January 25, 2011);ISBN-13: 9781442341142

In a profile for the Jan. 15 issue of Library Journal, John Berry says it well, “No one other than Nancy Pearl has so convinced Americans that libraries, books, and reading are critical to our communities.”

We can only add that we particularly love Nancy’s sense of humor. She enjoys making fun of the retro vision of librarians via her action figure’s “amazing shushing action,”  a gesture she’s never used in real life.

May this award help her bring even more attention to the importance of libraries, books and reading.

Forty seventh graders (12 and 13 year-olds) at the Bank Street School discussed and voted on a list of candidates for the Mock Printz, 2011. Below are the winner and the three honor books, with comments from the kids.

The Bank Street School 2011 Mock Printz Winner

Half Brother Kenneth Oppel Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2010-09-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545229251 / 9780545229258

Student comments:

Andre — Everything you want in a book…drama…sadness…action.

Emma — I felt a lot of compassion for the character. I really got fed up with his parents.

Ana — This was the first book that I couldn’t stop reading. My mom made me stop. It was a page turner.

Katie — Interesting, unique plot

Ben — Unpredictable, in a good way

Josh — Entertaining, good story

Nicole — Interesting plot. Fresh

The Bank Street School 2011 Mock Printz Honor Books

Will Grayson, Will Grayson John Green, David Levithan Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Dutton Juvenile – (2010-04-06) ISBN / EAN: 0525421580 / 9780525421580

Brilliance Audio; UNABR
OverDrive WMA Audiobook

Student comments:

Maya — Some people think this book should be older but a lot of us in this age group know situations and people like this already. It was great to read a book where we get to know the characters in this special way that we have not met before.

Nicole — Interesting how the two Will Graysons met and the relationships that formed around them

Emma — It was really funny and realistic.

Josh — I liked that it was realistic and I could relate to the characters. I enjoyed the themes of friendship and acceptance.

Emily — It was easy to read, easy to relate to. I found myself laughing aloud.

Josh – I laughed out loud too. It is everything I want in a book.

The Search for WondLa Tony DiTerlizzi Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – (2010-09-21) ISBN / EAN: 1416983104 / 9781416983101

Student comments:

Simon — Interesting story, very satisfying

Steven — Good descriptions but also an adventure mystery

Noni — Good because there was always something happening

Josh — I don’t generally like fantasy but this one had a lot that I could relate to.

Steven — The author really was able to make the very different world real.

White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1) Holly Black Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry/ S&S – (2010-05-04) ISBN / EAN: 1416963960 / 9781416963967

Student comments:

Lincoln — The characters were well-written. Less of a fantasy to me … more like a book about gangsters or mafia.

Nick — When you pick it up , you can’t stop reading.

Julia — I normally don’t like fantasy but this book had a very real element. The characters develop over time

USA Today signs on as a fan of writer Lisa Genova and her second novel, Left Neglected,

Genova is a master of getting into the heads of her characters, relating from the inside out what it’s like to suffer from a debilitating disease. How she does it we don’t know, but she does, and brilliantly.

Genova’s debut novel, Still Alice, about a woman with early-onset Alzheimer’s, was an original trade paperback best seller last year. In the new book, Genova, a neuroscientist, writes about a woman with a brain disease that results in her inability to see or feel anything on the left side of her body.

Readers may think, “oh, no, not another brain disease,” but, looked at more broadly, the novel is about a more universal issue, as writer Ann Hood describes it in her blurb,

Imagine your too busy, over scheduled, Type A life coming to a screeching halt. That is what happens in Lisa Genova’s timely new novel, Left Neglected. As her protagonist, Sarah Nickerson, works her way through a devastating brain injury and back into that hectic life, she is forced to re-evaluate what really matters. I dare any reader to not do the same in their own lives after reading this book.

USA Today echoes, “Picking up anything written by Genova is quickly becoming, well, a no-brainer.”

Left Neglected Lisa Genova Retail Price: $25.00 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Gallery – (2011-01-04) ISBN / EAN: 1439164630 / 9781439164631

Simon & Schuster Audio, January 2011; Unabridged Compact Disk, 9 disks; ISBN-13: 9781442335394; $39.99
Large Type; Thorndike, ISBN 9781410433824; $35.99