War Horse, the play based on the book by Michael Morpurgo (Scholastic, 2007), is currently a hit on Broadway. Coming Dec. 28th is the movie version, directed by Steven Spielberg.

As the schedule stands now, Spielberg will be going up against another Spielberg movie, the 3-D animated film, The Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn, which opens Dec. 23 (see our story, with tie-ins).

The first teaser trailer has just arrived:

The tie-in is coming in November:

War Horse (Movie Cover)
Michael Morpurgo
Retail Price: $12.99
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2011-11-01)
ISBN / EAN: 0545403359 / 9780545403351

Official Movie Site: WarHorseMovie.com

Wendy Bartlett, Collection Development Manager, Cuyahoga P.L. emailed us about a YA title that is taking off,

I think the word is out among teens about Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books). We’d ordered enough for a single copy for most of our branches and then I doubled it. I just checked holds and was amazed to find 91 waiting. I’m buying enough to cover the holds, plus additional copies so the book will be available for browsing.

Cuyahoga isn’t the only one; other large libraries we checked are showing holds as high as 200, with ratios ranging from 10:1 to 20:1.

USA Today covered the book recently on their PopCandy blog, which mentions that film rights were recently sold to 20th Century Fox.

The book, true to the spirit of its publisher, Quirk Books (the folks responsible for starting the monster mashup craze with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), is based on a series of eerie vintage photos collected by the author (more on how the book came to be in this AP story).

Published as a YA title, it debuted on the NYT Children’s Chapter Books Best Seller list at #7 last week, moving up to #5 on the 7/3/11 list.

Author Riggs, who is a filmmaker, created this atmospheric book trailer for it:

There’s even a “making of” the trailer video:

J.K. Rowling revealed few actual details about Pottermore.com in her video announcement, released this morning. It is not a book, but an “online reading experience unlike any other…which will be built in part by you the reader, based on the books.” It launches in October (but “a lucky few can enter early to help shape the experience” — the Wall Street Journal reports that it will launch for the first million users on July 31, followed by a free site open to everyone in October).

She says she will be joining in, too, sharing additional information she’s been “hoarding for years” about Harry Potter.

She also announces that Pottermore.com will be the exclusive place to purchase digital audio and, for the first time, eBooks. The Bookseller reports from the press conference in London that OverDrive has built the e-bookstore for Pottermore.com. Given that Rowling says the digital products will be available “exclusively” from the Web site, we’re left to conclude that they will not be available to OverDrive’s bookstore and library customers. Thus, Rowling is effectively cutting out all the libraries and bookstores that have supported HP for years. Her publishers, Scholastic in the U.S. and Bloomsbury in the U.K. will get an unspecified “share in the profits,” according to the NYT).

Minutes ago, The Times of London published a story claiming they have the scoop on J.K. Rowling’s mystery Web site, Pottermore.com. It’s “…a sophisticated online game that contains clues to prizes that are hidden in the real world..[which] appears to be masterminded by Adam & Eve, a PR company that has previously conducted online-only treasure hunts using Google Maps. Last year, it created LittleBig Map.” (The story is here, but the Times requires payment to read it).

The story claims that details were “…sent to this newspaper apparently by mistake by a party involved with the official Pottermore launch event tomorrow, although it could be a canny marketing exercise.”

Rowling will make an official announcement tomorrow at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, at 7:00 a.m., Eastern time.

The poster girl for self-publishing, Amanda Hocking (her ten YA urban fantasy and paranormal romances have grossed around $2 million since she began publishing them through Amazon’s CreateSpace last year), was profiled in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine.

But she recently abandoned her self-pubbed status for a major deal with St. Martin’s. Why? She tells the NYT Magazine that she wants “…to reach as many people as possible among the 85 percent or so of the population who don’t have e-readers yet. For me to be a billion-dollar author…I need to have people buying my books at Wal-Mart.” Also, there is a concern that major retailers will not want to stock books published by their competitor, Amazon.

St. Martin’s will publish Hocking’s Trylle trilogy (already in paperback by CreateSpace and on Kindle) in August, 2012. The original Watersong series begins Fall 2012.

Trylle trilogy

Switched 9781250006318; January 8, 2012 (currently available from CreateSpace, pbk, July 5, 2010; 9781453688939)

Torn 978125000632; February , 2012 (currently available from CreateSpace, pbk, Nov. 15, 2010, 2010; 9781456355791)

Ascend 9781250006332; April 2012 (currently available from CreateSpace, pbk, Jan. 11 2011, 2010; 9781456541286)

Watersong (exact pub dates not set for later titles in the series)

Wake 9781250008121; August 2012

Lullaby 9781250008107; (Fall 2012)

Tidal 9781250005663 (Winter 2013)

Elegy 9781250005670 (Spring/Summer 2013)

Yesterday, Amazon announced that another self-published author, John Locke, has joined their “Kindle Million Club,” for authors who have sold over 1 million paid copies in the Kindle Store. The author of mysteries and westerns, Locke publishes his paperbacks through self-publisher Telemachus Press and uses Kindle Direct Publishing for his ebooks.

If Amazon authors choose to do so, they can make their eBooks available to libraries through OverDrive; but neither Hocking nor Locke are listed on OverDrive’s database.

Atheneum is beating the drums for the fall release  of the first books in William Joyce’s Guardians of Childhood series. It’s a complex publishing program, featuring both picture books and chapter books (there are actually TWO titles listed as “Guardians of Childhood #1“) and a Dreamworks movie, called Rise of the Guardians, releasing in November, 2012.

In total there will be 7 picture books and 6 chapter books, with both series featuring the same characters. The “Guardians” are various childhood icons, the Man in the Moon, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman, who band together to thwart the evil Pitch, the Boogeyman, who plans to throw the world into darkness.

The first picture book, The Man in the Moon, releases on Sept. 6th and the first chapter book, Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King on Oct. 4th. A special Web site features full-page spreads, and a video introducing The Guardians, (via the special publisher-supported issue of Shelf Awareness).

Kirkus gave the picture book a bit of a cold shoulder, “A visual feast cannot compensate for lackluster plotting …” (but, what a visual feast it is).

The animated film will feature the voices of Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law and Alec Baldwin. It will be in in 3-D (of course). Joyce is co-directing.

If you’re going to ALA, Joyce will be featured in the Auditorium Speaker Series.

The second trailer for the final Harry Potter film, HP and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two, appeared on the Web late Thursday. The movie opens on July 15th.

Causing even more excitement among Potterites is a mysterious new J.K. Rowling Web site that appeared on Wednesday, Pottermore. It links to a YouTube page, with a countdown clock to a Rowling “announcement” on June 23 at 7:00 a.m., Eastern. The Bookseller, the UK’s book publishing trade magazine, quotes a Rowling spokesperson, who crushes hopes by saying, “It is not another Harry Potter book but we cannot reveal any more at this stage, fans will have to keep an eye on the website. It will be launching soon.”

Scholastic has announced not just one, but three movie tie-in titles for The Hunger Games, coming in February (the movie releases March 23, 2012). In addition to reissuing the book itself, taking a page from the Twilight tie-in playbook, they will publish an illustrated movie companion. The third book, The World of Hunger Games, has not yet been described.

In addition, a slipcased “collectors edition” of The Hunger Games will come out in November, in time for holiday gift-giving.

The movie, directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit), stars Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, the upcoming X-Men: First Class) as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are Alright) as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) as Katniss’s hunting partner Gale Hawthorne. It is expected to the the first of a series.

Tie-ins:

The Hunger Games: Movie Tie-In Edition ($12.99, February 2012, ISBN: 9780545425117),

The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion ($18.99, February 2012, ISBN: 9780545422901)

The World of The Hunger Games ($17.99, February 2012; ISBN: 9780545422901)

Abrams just announced the title of the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and it’s a perfect title for the winter, Cabin Fever. The laydown date is Tues., Nov 15, with a 6 million copy first printing.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6 Jeff Kinney Retail Price: $13.95 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Amulet Books – (2011-11-01) ISBN / EAN: 1419702238 / 9781419702235

The Harry Potter cast have finally flown Hogwarts and are working on new projects. Emma Watson is currently filming the adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. She is shown at left, with a copy of the YA novel. Co-star Logran Lerman has been sending out Twitpics from the set (via MovieLine.com)

They are joined by a strong cast that includes Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd, Nina Dobrev, Kate Walsh, Mae Whitman and Johnny Simmons. They are directed by Stephen Chbosky from his own novel (MTV Books, 1999).

It is expected to be in theaters next year.

In case you missed it on Sunday’s MTV movie awards (or subsequently on the Web — on YouTube, it’s had over 3.5 million hits), below is the trailer for Breaking Dawn, Part 1 which premiered on the show. The movie arrives on Nov. 18

Like many of you, I read the Wall Street Journal Weekend opinion piece, “Darkness Too Visible: Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity,” and am beside myself with what? Outrage? Not really … annoyance … I am exasperated by yet another article/essay/editorial expressing the writer’s dismay at the state of young adult fiction. Oh the horror! (I imagine hands thrown in the air in front of the Barnes and Noble teen rack). The dystopia! (I imagine a mother’s face with mouth shaped in an oval like classic Munch paingint, The Scream). For heaven’s sake give it a rest. There is as wide a range of genres in Young Adult fiction as in adult — mystery, chick lit, romance, historical fiction, adventure, trauma, survival, speculative fiction, sports, light humor, and books set in other cultures. Do you make your adult reading selections from the mass market rack at the Seven/Eleven? Accompanying the article, the Wall Street Journal offers links to other points of view:

On Twitter, the hashtag #YAsaves asks readers to talk about how YA fiction has affected them (highlights gathered here — use the arrow key on your computer to scroll through. LOVE this one: “If adolescence is a cage, books are the key.”). Libba Bray’s defense, in thr form of tweets, are gathered here Plus, there is a link to an essay by author Christopher John Farley in the WSJ “Speakeasy” blog, Should Young Adult Books Explore Difficult Issues?

We should also add, Laurie Halse Anderson’s eloquent response to Mrs. Gurdan’s concerns. Let me add mine. Even if you accept Meghan Cox Gurdon’s premise (which I don’t; I also don’t accept her absurd generalizations about the state of mind of the editors of the books she decries), just off the top of my head, there are recent alternatives that show the true bredth of YA fiction:

A contemporary teen looking and finding meaning and passion in her life through a satisfying retail job despite a not-so-perfect home life — Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer (Speak/Penguin, 2005). Or every other title by Joan Bauer.

Young adult fiction gives us the opportunity to see the world from other points of view whether it is half way around the world as in Deborah Ellis’s examination of what it is to be female in Taliban- ruled Afghanistan — The Breadwinner (Groundwoood, 2001). Or, experience the forced deportations during WW II of Eastern Europeans to Siberian camps in Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, (Philomel/Penguin, March, 2011). Uplifting? Strong generational bonds with an urban community coming together sans what could be considered realistic vernacular language — where was your review of We Could be Brothers by Derrick Barnes (Scholastic, 2010)?

What about a great summer reads — fresh, funny and emotionally engaging? May I introduce your teen to Jordan Sonnenblick’s Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (Scholastic, 2005) or Notes from A Midnight Driver (Scholastic, 2006)?

Something really light, funny and meaty? Do not pass go, grab Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries (HarperTeen, 2000). Already saw the movie? The books are better.

Is that teen of yours in a post Harry Potter/ Lightning Thief phase but enjoys word play and social satire? Perhaps this a perfect time to introduce her to Tiffany Aching, the wee big witch and her ever-watchful companions the wee free men in Terry Pratchett’s four volume Discworld series (HarperCollins).

Wait, wait, I have it–the deep psychological twists of Donna Jo Napoli’s fairytale retellings;  Zel, (Puffin/Penguin) Beast (Simon Pulse, 2004) and Bound (Atheneum, 2004).

Epic fantasy? Shannon Hale’s, Goose Girl, (Bloomsbury, 2003). Court intrigue, romance and politics? The Queen’s Thief series, (Greenwillow), from Megan Whalen Turner.

Want a little Steampunk? Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan series, (Simon Pulse, 2009) with its alternative history set during WWI should keep the teen busy for a while and a prolific speculative fiction genre if the kids gets a taste for it…see Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (HarperTeen 2003),

Whoops my thoughts were hijacked by Dystopian fiction. I can’t stop myself…AHHRRRR…

Just reissued with traffic-stopping new covers is Westerfield’s Uglies series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras; Simon Pulse). Set in a future where plastic surgery is the norm and conformity is the only way to succeed. These are thought-provoking, page-turning adventures. And as long as we have stopped here, a teenager’s attraction to dystopian fiction is not new… lets start with 1984 … This Perfect Day …  Alas Babylon and A Canticle for Lebowitz, all read by this writer as an eighth grader. Dark? Wasn’t Lord of the Flies required reading in the ‘70s?

And please, while I am on this topic, have you actually read The Hunger Games? On its surface. it is about teens fighting each other to the death. Dig a little deeper…if I may quote from my own review,

One of the most pleasurable aspects of the book is the treatment of the contrasting Districts and their struggles. When Katniss finds an unlikely ally in slight birdlike Rue, we find out that even in the agricultural districts the farmers are starving, a faint echo of the Irish Famine. The behavior of the oppressed may remind readers of the occupants of the Warsaw or Lodz Ghettos, with the internal hierarchy of governing class that collaborated with the oppressors to maintain order. Other elements of the society bring to mind the former Soviet Union’s domination of satellite states. No one will miss the similarity of the inhabitants of the Capitol to some present-day citizens of the United States, who combine an obsession for entertainment and celebrities with a blindness toward those who are suffering. Are these topics for seventh graders? Twelve-year-olds are certainly familiar with these themes. In the microcosm on the classroom, children experience cruelty and deprivation, some just trying to survive to adulthood. Behind closed doors some are abused, and small kindnesses take on disproportionate meaning. Survival sometimes depends on letting others help. A good classroom culture emphasizes the need in a strong community for compassionate members who care for the weakest. Young readers will be able divine a deeper meaning from what on the surface might seem to be the depiction of a violent reality-television show.

Turning our eyes to supernatural romance–werewolves anyone? Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, (Scholastic, 2009) is an insightful examination of a teen whose parents neglect borders on abuse. Oh, yeah, and not all vampire books are created equal. Perhaps we have overlooked The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, (Harcourt Children’s, 2009), the most accurate portrayal of an adolescent living and surviving with chronic illness.

Mrs. Gurdan states that “Adolescence is brief; it comes to each of us only once, so whether the debate has raged for eons doesn’t, on a personal level, really signify.” I beg to differ … looking back adolescence is brief. However, while living it, adolescence is endless. Darker themes are actually perfect for this age group. Books that address dysfunctional families, addictive and harmful behaviors,like cutting and bullying, let teens know that that they are not alone. Songs like “Hold On” and “Everybody Hurts” speak to the high rates of teen suicide. Wouldn’t we want YA authors to deal with these difficult topics?

Lionsgate has been spinning marketing gold out of each new casting announcement for the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Yesterday, the studio announced that the role of tyrannical President Snow, the ruler of the dystopian universe Panem, will be played by veteran actor Donald Sutherland.

If you need a quick review, the online version of E! offers a handy scorecard of the cast.

The film is scheduled for release on March 23, 2012. Directed by Gary Ross, it has begun shooting in North Carolina.

Now that The Hunger Games is set, the media is turning their attention to the casting of The Mortal Instruments based on the first three books in the series by Cassandra Clare.

Actress Lily Collins (The Blind Side) won the lead earlier and Jamie Campbell Bower just scored the male lead as Jace. He plays King Arthur in the Starz cable channel series, Camelot.

I moderated the first BEA Middle Grade Editors Buzz session, with five editors presenting the picks of their lists. Each of the titles is a fast-paced fantasy with twists and turns, centering on the theme of the unlikely hero, perfect for the Harry Potter/Lightning Thief crowd. Below are the books that were presented, with my quick book talk for each.

The Unwanteds Lisa McMann Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Aladdin – (2011-08-30) ISBN / EAN: 1442407689 / 9781442407688

Imagine a a future where all children are separated by ability and those that display any hint of creativity at age 12 are sent to their death.

…………………….

Wildwood Colin Meloy Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 560 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray – (2011-08-30) ISBN / EAN: 006202468X / 9780062024688

There may be a forest filled with talking animals and border skirmishes just beyond the sedate everyday suburbs…shades of Narnia, extensively illustrated, a handsome volume.

…………………….

Icefall Matthew J. Kirby Retail Price: $17.99 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press – (2011-10-01) ISBN / EAN: 0545274249 / 9780545274241

Set in a time and place of Norse gods, we follow the trials of the second born overlooked daughter of a king as she struggles to protect her brother, the heir apparent. The power of story is evident as she grows in confidence and maturity.

…………………….

The Apothecary Maile Meloy Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Putnam Juvenile – (2011-10-04) ISBN / EAN: 039925627X / 9780399256271

In the seemingly old fashioned 1950’s London, a fourteen-year-old girl transplanted from Los Angeles, finds herself plunged into a high-stakes world of magic and intrigue.

…………………….

Ashtown Burials #1: The Dragon’s Tooth N. D. Wilson Retail Price: $16.99 Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers – (2011-08-23) ISBN / EAN: 0375864393 / 9780375864391

Cyrus and Antigone Smith lost their parents, their home and live in the care of their college aged brother Daniel in a run-down, moldy motel. Unlikely hero? Check. Bullying peers? Check. Really really scary evil-doers? Check. Secret societies? Check. Roller coaster, video game-like adventure. Check. Dying to read number 2? You bet.

The BEA show floor produced some high-interest finds for reluctant readers.

Ghost Diamond is an English import from Lerner, an early chapter book for the Cam Jansen crowd It’s a funny story about the adventures of a kid spy, illustrated with line drawings; perfect for those 2nd and 3rd grade readers who are between easy readers and big chapter books..

Ghost Diamond: Agent Amelia #1
by Michael Broad; illus. by Michael Broad
Ages 7 and up; 144 pages
Darby Creek Pub (Oct. 2011); 9780761380603
……

I wasn’t expecting another Origami Yoda book; the first one, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda was a satisfying stand-alone, a school story told from multiple points of view. I know my kids will go nuts for this followup.

Darth Paper Strikes Back
by Tom Angleberger
Ages 9 and up
Amulet Books/Abrams (August 1, 2011)
9781419700279
…..

The Mystic Phyles: Beasts is a high interest scrapbook, reminiscent of Regarding the Fountain, an easy hand-off for the kids who can read but just don’t. Lots of details to pore over with hidden visual clues.

The Mystic Phyles: Beasts

By Stephanie Brockway; Illus, byRalph Masiello
Charlesbridge (July, 2011)9781570917189

……

Coming soon; the second in the Guys Read bookshelf; the first collection was Guys Read Funny Business. This time around, Jon Scieszka has gathered stories that “thrill.” The publisher describes it this way,

James Patterson, Anthony Horowitz, Margaret Peterson Haddix, M. T. Anderson, Walter Dean Myers, Gennifer Choldenko, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Matt de la Peña, and more, not to mention cover and interior artwork from Brett Helquist. And in the stories, you’ll find an eleven-year-old ghost, a Somali pirate, the world’s worst private detective, and a warehouse full of snakes…and that’s just the beginning.

As with the first book, this volume will be available simultaneously in both hardcover and paperback. What more could a guy ask for?”

Guys Read Thriller by Jon Scieszka
Harper (September 20)
Hdbk, 9780061963766; pbk, 9780061963766

……….

Okay, full disclosure…
I had no idea who Tony Hawk was…
FYI, he’s star of the X games, the first skateboarder to ever land a 900.  It was one of skating’s most gripping moments, playing out in front of a huge crowd of his peers and fans, and on national TV. That exposure, along with his successful video game, gives him rock star status.

Check it out in the YouTube video below (You can skip all the preliminary drama and begin watching 7 minutes in).

At BEA, fans among the attendees began lining up an hour before the signing.

Tony Hawk’s 900 Revolution Series: Drop In: Volume One
by Donald Lemke, illustrated by Caio Majado;
Stone Arch Books/Capstone (Aug, 2011)
Hdbk,  978-1-4342-3214-4; pbk, 978-1-4342-3451-3