March Notes

In the new issue of Notes from the Horn Book, we recommend some springtime picture books, middle-grade adventure novels, new YA for girls, and a few good science books. And I interview the sizzle behind the Frizzle, Joanna Cole.

New Notes, awards edition

The February issue of Notes from the Horn Book is out, featuring parent-friendly takes on the ALA winners and an interview with O'Dell winner Matt Phelan. See if HE thinks The Storm in the Barn is historical fiction.

Nikki Grimes said it best

“Give Jerry Pinkney the damn medal, already!" and I have to say I was never so happy to not be surprised. We are working on the awards webpage, with a listing of all the winners and links to our reviews, right now; in the meantime you can read my interviews with Medalists Jerry Pinkney and Rebecca Stead.

Our "Five Questions for . . ." series at Midwinter on Saturday went really well, good answers and large audiences and (except for a glitch when I interviewed the most tech-savvy of all, Mitali Perkins, so embarrassing) a working sound system. I'll post pictures tomorrow after I figure out how to get 'em out of the camera.

January Notes

The new issue of Notes from the Horn Book, featuring an interview (excerpted from the forthcoming March/April issue of the Magazine) with our new Ambassador, Katherine Paterson, is out. Also: stormy fiction, picture book bios, animal tales and the Five Best Books by Katherine Paterson According to Me.

Da-da-da-DAH

(Approximating the fanfare from the old Imperial margarine commercial)

The new issue of Notes is out, complete with the Fanfare choices, our picks for the best books of the year.

Still to Come, My Pretties

Beavering away here at our Fanfare list, which will be announced FIRST in Notes from the Horn Book, so sign up, you slugs. And we--that is, Lolly, mostly--are finishing up the January issue in glamtaborous full color and new features. Lolly has really knocked herself out working on it and the editorial staff has given her plenty of good stuff to design. Right now I am at the point in my editorial where I have to makes choices between things like " . . . the Horn Book" and " . . . The Horn Book." And how is your day?

Years before I had this job, I remember listening to Anita Silvey worry over writing the HB editorial and while I made all the polite responses, inside I was thinking really, how bad could it be? It's only six times a year. I have apologized to Anita for this, publicly and in my head, many, many times in the last fifteen years.

October Notes

The latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book has just been published, with an interview with Kristin Cashore, reviews of new fantasy sequels, new chapter books, new picture-book biographies of artists, and new books about autumn. New! New! New!

New Notes, September edition

An interview with Richard Peck leads off the latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

New Notes, Back to School edition

The August issue of Notes from the Horn Book is now out and about.

July Notes

The latest Notes from the Horn Book is out, with an interview with Rebecca Stead; four more great books about New York City; summer reading for middle-schoolers; picture books about food; and a tip of the hat to the Coretta Scott King Awards, celebrating their fortieth birthday this year.

In a first, you will find the CSK acceptance speeches in the July issue of the Magazine but DON'T LOOK YET, as it cannot be published until Monday, after the Newbery and Caldecott speeches are given at ALA in Chicago. I'm told you can get a copy hot off the presses at our booth (#2259) that day if you sign over your first-born or sign up for a subscription.

Five Questions for . . .

You might know our monthly Notes from the Horn Book feature, "Five questions for . . ." in which I ask an author or illustrator of the moment questions both pertinent and inane. At ALA next week (yikes) in Chicago, this feature is going live at the Junior Library Guild booth (#2256) right across from ours (#2259) in the convention center. Here's the lineup:

Saturday 10:00 Candace Fleming, who has just won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for The Lincolns.

Saturday 12:00 Neil Gaiman, Newbery Medalist.

Saturday 2:00 Ashley Bryan, Wilder Medalist.

Sunday 11:00 Brian Selznick, for one last walk down the runway before he surrenders his Caldecott crown.

Monday 10:00 Laurie Halse Anderson, this year's winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Chains and author of the much talked-about Wintergirls.

Monday 11:30 Beth Krommes, Caldecott Medalist, and she will be accompanied by Susan Marie Swanson, who has promised to read their House in the Night aloud.

Do come! And do here, in the comments, suggest some questions I might ask any or all of them.

More information about our conference activities--dancing boys! beautiful women!--can be found here.

New Notes

The June issue of Notes from the Horn Book should be in your inbox. I talk to Printz winner Gene Luen Yang, and we recommend some great new YA, middle-grade animal stories, picture books about summer, truck books for preschoolers and audiobooks for those long family drives. Enjoy!

And Claire has a new list of "Folklore Around the World."

A few things

I think I neglected to tell you that the new Notes from the Horn Book is out. So, Notes is out! You know, we started Notes as a more parent- and consumer-friendly alternative to the Magazine, so tell your friends, family and patrons about it. Special deal this week: free.

I was sad to hear that Judy Krug, ALA's longtime boss-lady for intellectual freedom, has died. She was quite a force, an irresistible one to be sure, with that unbeatable combination of an iron will and tons of charisma. Years ago I interviewed for a job with her and was completely intimidated.

I'll be in Ohio for the next couple of days for the Media Source board meeting, where I have to do my first Power Point presentation. Just two slides, thank goodness. Has anyone read Edward Tufte's broadside against the medium? Here's an appropriately formatted outline of his points.

March Notes

The latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book should or could be in your inbox now. Bon appetit, he says, already deep into laying out the May Magazine, which features an essay about food (and a recipe) by Linda Sue Park along with madeleines from Arnolf Adoff, Jack Gantos, Lynne Rae Perkins and Peter Sis.

February Notes

Books for Black History Month, love stories for Valentine's Day, baby animals, presidents hither and yon and a chat with Betty Carter--it's all in the February issue of Notes from the Horn Book.

New Notes from the Horn Book

The latest issue of Notes celebrates the new year with a look at firsts: first novels, first chapters, pioneering thinkers, and that chicken-and-the-egg conundrum. We've also got an interview with first-time novelist Sally Nicholls.

Also, Claire inaugurates her monthly booklists with American Presidents.

New Notes from the Horn Book--Fanfare Edition

The latest issue of Notes features our Fanfare list with parent-friendly annotations, so pass it along. Also: Martha Parravano talks to picture book hero Kevin Henkes.

New Notes!

The November issue of Notes from the Horn Book is now out. An interview with Mini Grey, books about heroes, villains, talking dinosaurs, and more. Subscribe now and tell your friends.

October Notes

The latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book is now out and free free free.

Check your in-box

for the latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book, and please pass along to your colleagues, customers, family and friends. This issue stars our favorite teachers, Dean Schneider and Robin Smith!

New Notes, August 08

We've just emailed the latest issue of Notes from the Horn Book, which this month covers new books about school, nature study and space; some good recent chapter books, and five writers' (and an editor's) own summer reading choices. Sign up now!

And, especially for teachers, this issue provides a link to TeachingBooks.net that gives free access to Notes-related content (curricular connections, author videos, etc.) on their site. Lemme know how this works out for you.

New Notes

The new Notes from the Horn Book is hot off the virtual presses. In this issue we recommend some new books about the Olympics and China, make a truck stop for some new toddler tales, listen to some recent audiobooks, and ask R.L. Stine what scares him the most. Read and subscribe (it's free) here.

And to those of you who have already signed up, thank you--the circulation of Notes has doubled since the first issue, which makes us very happy indeed.

June newsletter

The June issue of Notes from the Horn Book should be in your inbox right now (if not, see it and sign up here). Included in this issue: Roger interviews Alexandra Day (Good Dog, Carl's mistress), recommends some picture books for dog and pony lovers, holds forth on some eagerly anticipated sequels, and makes a plug for library summer reading programs. Plus: Ask the Horn Book questions answered, three compelling and topical titles, and reading suggestions in anticipation of the Fourth of July.

New and new

The new Notes from the Horn Book should be in your inbox.

And Claire's latest list--Summer Reading--is up on our site. I think I should confess that I am hooked on Beach Blondes, wherein Summer has three hot dudes vying for her attention and a possible fourth who may be her long lost big brother. For me, it's the kind of book that goes great with a sandwich but is completely stultifying if I'm not simultaneously chewing.

April Notes

The second issue of Notes from the Horn Book has been published. Martha celebrates Opening Day, Jennifer tries out some new books on her kids; I talk to Françoise Mouly of comix and New Yorker fame. See and sign up right here.

Someone asked yesterday about the letter in Notes from J. Wakefield in Sweet Valley. Of course she's real, although the absence of spelling or grammatical errors makes me a mite suspicious that her sister E. actually wrote the letter. Oh, those mischievous twins.

Notes from the Horn Book . . .

debuted today. You can sign up for your free subscription here. It's designed as an outreach (as we used to say in the '70s) effort to parents, teachers, and others, so pass the details along to anyone who might not wander these particular climes.

And Claire has prepared a new recommended reading list of survival stories. Grrrr.

Notes from the Horn Book

Be the first on your block to sign up! Each free and non-spam-generating issue of our new monthly newsletter, debuting the first week of March, highlights a small stack of new children's books of particular interest to parents and other adults who just need a little Horn Book help at the library or bookstore. In the March issue I interview Jon Scieszka, review some books about nature, spot some sequels, and answer some totally made-up questions in the advice column. Pass it on.