The Horn Book » awk-ward… http://www.hbook.com Publications about books for children and young adults Mon, 13 May 2013 16:01:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Eye-catching http://www.hbook.com/2013/05/blogs/out-of-the-box/eye-catching/ http://www.hbook.com/2013/05/blogs/out-of-the-box/eye-catching/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 14:30:44 +0000 Kitty Flynn http://www.hbook.com/?p=24859 It was the little black velvet drawstring purse that caught my eye. The strip of antique-y eyelet cloth on which it sat was a quaint touch, to be sure, but the purse was what beckoned me. The purse, its mysterious contents, and cloth were secured with a black grosgrain ribbon around Holly Black’s newest book, [...]

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]]> doll bones Eye catching

It was the little black velvet drawstring purse that caught my eye. The strip of antique-y eyelet cloth on which it sat was a quaint touch, to be sure, but the purse was what beckoned me. The purse, its mysterious contents, and cloth were secured with a black grosgrain ribbon around Holly Black’s newest book, Doll Bones (Simon/McElderry, May 2013), and the whole curious package was giving me a come-hither look from Katie’s inbox. I had to know what secrets the purse was keeping.

And then there was this…Katie warned me: “Don’t look in there. It’s creepy.” Just the invitation I needed.

doll eyes Eye catching

here’s lookin’ at you

Promotional doll-eyeball lapel pins? Creep-tastic! I wore one for an hour or so, and no one noticed. Not a single person. So I ramped it up a notch and added the second one, then purposefully stood in front of my coworkers and made small talk. I thought the eyeballs would be good conversation starters, but after the initial laugh and question about where I got my accessories…awkward silence. Or they wanted to get back to work. Whatever. I know cool when I see it. And it looks right back at me…lifelessly.

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2013/05/blogs/out-of-the-box/eye-catching/feed/ 0 The Pocket Bible Doodle Book http://www.hbook.com/2012/02/blogs/out-of-the-box/the-pocket-bible-doodle-book/ http://www.hbook.com/2012/02/blogs/out-of-the-box/the-pocket-bible-doodle-book/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:55:06 +0000 Cynthia K. Ritter http://www.hbook.com/?p=9872 A blurb on the back of The Pocket Bible Doodle Book (Zonderkidz/Zondervan, January) states, “The story of creation, Noah’s ark, the plagues, and more make this Bible-based collection of doodles fun for everyone.” I can’t decide if I should laugh or be offended—the plagues can be fun? Okay… As the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, [...]

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]]> pocket bible doodle book <i>The Pocket Bible Doodle Book</i>A blurb on the back of The Pocket Bible Doodle Book (Zonderkidz/Zondervan, January) states, “The story of creation, Noah’s ark, the plagues, and more make this Bible-based collection of doodles fun for everyone.” I can’t decide if I should laugh or be offended—the plagues can be fun? Okay…

As the daughter of a Lutheran pastor, I grew up learning Bible stories; there are ways to teach religious tales without resorting to gimmicks. Why has this Christian publisher decided to present the tales in a religious doodle book? Is this a tongue-in-cheek look at the Bible stories? A way to keep kids busy/quiet during the sermon? I really can’t tell.

If the book is actually intended to teach children about the Bible, there are glaring omissions, such as bypassing the creation of Eve and skipping quickly from Jesus’ birth to his death and resurrection, with nothing about his life and his miracles in between. Leaving out important Bible stories and abbreviating others make the tales included confusing to follow despite their chronological order.

Directions instruct children to draw unfamiliar items and situations without any context: “Joseph dreamed that sheaves of grain bowed down to his sheaf. Finish this drawing” and “Naaman was healed of his leprosy after washing in the Jordan River. Finish this scene.” On the other hand, the occasional attempts at modernization (“Instead of traveling with a sack of grain, you might travel with a suitcase. Design your own suitcase here.”) are bizarrely out of place.

Other doodles are disturbing, like “God sent ten plagues. Plague number one: The water of the Nile River turned to blood. Complete the scene.” And then there’s this one:

pocket bible doodle page1 <i>The Pocket Bible Doodle Book</i>

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to false gods. Finish this scene…and don’t forget to add the angel of the Lord!”

While I’m all in favor of not sugar-coating the stories in the Bible, maybe these stories are better told in prose and the images left to the imagination.

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2012/02/blogs/out-of-the-box/the-pocket-bible-doodle-book/feed/ 6 Clever blog post title here http://www.hbook.com/2011/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/clever-blog-post-title-here/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/clever-blog-post-title-here/#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:29:32 +0000 Katie Bircher http://www.hbook.com/?p=7994 Sharp-eyed intern Jamie caught this gem when opening boxes.

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]]> Sharp-eyed intern Jamie caught this gem when opening boxes:

alias dragonfly2 Clever blog post title here

Extreme promotional blurb close-up!

alias dragonfly circular close up Clever blog post title here

What do you think—is this an in-office memo? Or is it meta-narrative marketing genius?

 

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/clever-blog-post-title-here/feed/ 4 Fashionably late (by fifty years) http://www.hbook.com/2011/11/blogs/out-of-the-box/fashionably-late-by-fifty-years/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/11/blogs/out-of-the-box/fashionably-late-by-fifty-years/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:20:22 +0000 Kitty Flynn http://www.hbook.com/?p=7828 Here’s how K. T. Horning begins her review of The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth in the November/December 2011 Horn Book Magazine: “If ever there were a twentieth-century children’s book that deserved an annotated edition, it’s Juster and Feiffer’s masterpiece, first published fifty years ago.” And what did the Horn Book have to say about said masterpiece [...]

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]]> Here’s how K. T. Horning begins her review of The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth in the November/December 2011 Horn Book Magazine:

“If ever there were a twentieth-century children’s book that deserved an annotated edition, it’s Juster and Feiffer’s masterpiece, first published fifty years ago.”

And what did the Horn Book have to say about said masterpiece when it was originally published in 1961?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The book isn’t even mentioned until two years later, in the June 1963 issue. There, a crotchety and shortsighted David C. Davis, children’s literature professor at the University of Wisconsin, pans it in a grumpy article entitled, “Who’ll Kill the Mockingbirds?”

Mr. Davis begins: “The most overrated piece of writing reeking of blatant imitation appeared recently in Norman [sic] Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth.”

And it goes downhill from there: “Had the book been given reliable critical analysis, it would never have reached the pages of a national magazine for previewing. To the children who love Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, and The Hobbit, this was a hodgepodge of words, dull, unrewarding, and completely lacking in humor, satire, or subtlety.”

What a difference fifty years can make.

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/11/blogs/out-of-the-box/fashionably-late-by-fifty-years/feed/ 1 Oh! Canada! http://www.hbook.com/2011/10/blogs/out-of-the-box/oh-canada/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/10/blogs/out-of-the-box/oh-canada/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:33:39 +0000 Elissa Gershowitz http://www.hbook.com/?p=6384 Greenhaven Press publishes an exhaustive number of books about contemporary social problems. Series titles include: At Issue, Issues That Concern You, Social Issues Firsthand, Issues on Trial, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints, Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints, Global Viewpoints, Perspectives on Modern World History, etc. Topics cover everything from teenage pregnancy to drug abuse, human trafficking, [...]

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]]> Greenhaven Press publishes an exhaustive number of books about contemporary social problems. Series titles include: At Issue, Issues That Concern You, Social Issues Firsthand, Issues on Trial, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints, Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints, Global Viewpoints, Perspectives on Modern World History, etc. Topics cover everything from teenage pregnancy to drug abuse, human trafficking, and global warming.

This volume in the Opposing Viewpoints series makes me think they’re running out of ideas.

opposing viewpoints canada Oh! Canada!

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/10/blogs/out-of-the-box/oh-canada/feed/ 4 Bummer of a summer movie http://www.hbook.com/2011/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/bummer-of-a-summer-movie/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/bummer-of-a-summer-movie/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:36:00 +0000 Cynthia K. Ritter http://nyad1/wp-thb/?p=3844 After posting last week about Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer movie tie-in books, I went to see how Judy translated to the big screen. I had already read some less-than-stellar reviews of the movie, and the novelization based on the screenplay didn’t live up to the original nine books. Even these warnings did [...]

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]]> judy+moody+movie+poster Bummer of a summer movieAfter posting last week about Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer movie tie-in books, I went to see how Judy translated to the big screen. I had already read some less-than-stellar reviews of the movie, and the novelization based on the screenplay didn’t live up to the original nine books. Even these warnings did not prepare me for how bad a film it actually was. Judy Moody should have stayed in her books, as this was one bummer summer film.

The story line focuses on Judy’s efforts to avoid a boring summer by creating a contest with her friends: the “Judy Moody Mega-Rare NOT-BUMMER-Summer Dare.” Obsessed with earning “thrill points,” Judy misses opportunities to have fun and focuses instead on the negative: her best friends’ going out of town, her parents’ leaving her home with little brother Stink and Aunt Opal (a.k.a.“Aunt Awful”), and all of her dares going awry. While Judy’s mishaps are entertaining, a sub-plot involving Stink hunting Bigfoot seems a bit random, although it does play a crucial role in the movie’s chaotic, action-driven ending.

The director focuses too much on capturing outrageous reactions of the characters—or should I say caricatures? The overacting in this film verged on nauseating. Parris Mosteller’s portrayal of Judy’s younger brother, Stink, was particularly grating. Stink may be the little brother, but author Megan McDonald never makes him unlikeable in her books. In fact, McDonald started a separate series about him. But Mosteller’s almost nonexistent acting skills combined with his babyish speech (inconsistent with his character’s age) made me want to walk out of the theater.

Big-name draw Heather Graham is probably most believable (and that’s not saying much) in her role as the fun but irresponsible Aunt Opal. Exaggeration worked with her character, although at times it still came across as overacting. Steve Urkel—I mean, Jaleel White—was forgettable as teacher Mr. Todd. Jordana Beatty as Judy, while fairly spot-on in capturing the beloved character’s quirky nature, was actually hampered by the Judy Moody lingo. On paper, “mega-rare” and “TOADally” work well, but when you hear them spoken aloud, the lines are just groan-worthy.

Even though Megan McDonald was one of the screenwriters, this film did a poor job of representing what I love about the Judy Moody books: Judy’s a self-involved but relatively normal kid who says and does believable things. Kids relate to her. When the kids in my theater audience were not laughing during the film, I knew something was wrong. I quickly realized the film’s biggest problem: it talks down to its primary audience with characters so corny, overdrawn, and unrealistic that kids don’t find them funny. Moral of the story: don’t condescend to your audience. Judy Moody deserves more respect and so do her devoted fans. Roar!

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/06/blogs/out-of-the-box/bummer-of-a-summer-movie/feed/ 2 Why is it always the redhead? —or— How to use stock photos sparingly http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/why-is-it-always-the-redhead-or-how-to-use-stock-photos-sparingly/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/why-is-it-always-the-redhead-or-how-to-use-stock-photos-sparingly/#comments Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:33:00 +0000 Elissa Gershowitz http://nyad1/wp-thb/?p=3814 While perusing Cliques by Toney Allman, part of Lucent Books’ long-running Hot Topics series for middle-schoolers, I noticed this poor girl, presumably being teased about her hair. “Why is it always the redhead?” thought I. From Anne Shirley (and doesn’t it look like this little lady’s ready to break her slate over somebody’s head?), to [...]

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]]> While perusing Cliques by Toney Allman, part of Lucent Books’ long-running Hot Topics series for middle-schoolers, I noticed this poor girl, presumably being teased about her hair.
Why is it always the redhead? —or— How to use stock photos sparingly

“Why is it always the redhead?” thought I. From Anne Shirley (and doesn’t it look like this little lady’s ready to break her slate over somebody’s head?), to that other beloved little orphan with a similar-sounding name, to Ron Weasley, and Julianne Moore’s Freckleface Strawberry alter ego, we gingers must develop a thick, if easily sunburned, skin. But wait; don’t feel too sorry for stock photo girl. Here’s a different picture from the same book:

Why is it always the redhead? —or— How to use stock photos sparingly

Little Red looks like the aggressor; just another fiery, hot-tempered one of us.*

Which brings me to my point: if you’re going to use staged photos in your books (I’m talking to you, endless nonfiction series), first try to mix it up a little; don’t assume your readers won’t recognize the same kid in two different pictures. Next, please, oh, please put a little more thought into your audience. We say this over and over again in reviews, but what teens are going to take seriously a book—purportedly aimed right at them—that uses such totally square (and in the case of the aforementioned Angry Carrot, too young) supporting images? Another example, this time from Jenny MacKay’s Hot Topics title Gangs:

Why is it always the redhead? —or— How to use stock photos sparingly 

A group of Abercrombie-wearing kids sitting around an outdoor mall does not a street gang make, and no teens—be they “queen bees,” “goth kids,” “nerds,” or “floaters”—will be fooled into thinking otherwise.

—Elissa Gershowitz aka Pippi

*(see Facebook page: “Why Are Bullies in Movies Always Fat Red-Headed Kids with Freckles?”)

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/why-is-it-always-the-redhead-or-how-to-use-stock-photos-sparingly/feed/ 2 “I’ll clean up my act when I’m good and ripe!” http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/ill-clean-up-my-act-when-im-good-and-ripe/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/ill-clean-up-my-act-when-im-good-and-ripe/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:55:00 +0000 Katie Bircher http://nyad1/wp-thb/?p=3810 Karl Beckstrand’s bizarrely funny picture book Bad Bananas (Premio, June) shows how good bananas go wrong. Fresh from the grocery store, they’re sweet and “conform nicely to the bunch,” but before you know it they’re “borrowing” the fruit bowl for joyrides and loitering in “dimly lit lunchboxes.” The fair trade and organic labels of their [...]

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]]> bad+bananas Ill clean up my act when Im good and ripe!Karl Beckstrand’s bizarrely funny picture book Bad Bananas (Premio, June) shows how good bananas go wrong. Fresh from the grocery store, they’re sweet and “conform nicely to the bunch,” but before you know it they’re “borrowing” the fruit bowl for joyrides and loitering in “dimly lit lunchboxes.” The fair trade and organic labels of their innocent youth are replaced by tattoo-like stickers proclaiming Del Malo, Un-Organic, or Dull. When rival fruits try to stand up to these hoodlums, insults fly: “Your mother’s a raisin!” Most of illustrator Jeff Faerber’s illustrations style the bad apples bananas as gang-banger types or skate punks—but some go fully Dark Side, like a Darth Vader-ish villain and a pirate banana walking the plank into a frying pan.

Just when you think there’s no hope—they’re just a bad bunch—salvation appears in the form of banana-based recipes. Cookies, fruit salad, pancakes, and more give these bananas a second chance. I made “banana redemption muffins” (with the “optional” chocolate chips, of course) and brought them into the office. A little dense (probably from my forgetting the baking powder rather than any defect in the recipe), they were still delicious, and an excellent use for the overripe bananas stinking up my kitchen. And while I can’t say my baking received “four stars from The Banana Post,” I’ll take an appreciative “mmm” from The Horn Book staff any day.

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/ill-clean-up-my-act-when-im-good-and-ripe/feed/ 0 April Horn Book Magazine starred reviews http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/april-horn-book-magazine-starred-reviews/ http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/april-horn-book-magazine-starred-reviews/#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000 Katie Bircher http://nyad1/wp-thb/?p=3803 Higher! Higher! by Charlie Sheen At the playground, young swinger Charlie gets so high that he breaks through Earth’s atmosphere and high-fives a fellow rock star from Mars. Mommy Loves You More than Your Grades (I Promise) by Amy “Tiger Mom” Chua A tiger cub is herded through a jam-packed day of school, homework, violin [...]

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]]> Higher%2BHigher%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviews Higher! Higher!
by Charlie Sheen
At the playground, young swinger Charlie gets so high that he breaks through Earth’s atmosphere and high-fives a fellow rock star from Mars.

Mommy%2BLoves%2BYou%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsMommy Loves You More than Your Grades (I Promise)
by Amy “Tiger Mom” Chua
A tiger cub is herded through a jam-packed day of school, homework, violin lessons, tutoring, more violin practice—ending with the much-needed reminder that Mommy pushes her daughter so hard only because she loves her so much.

Tiger%2BBabies%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsTiger Babies
by Sophia and Lulu Chua
When Mom dictates one violin lesson too many, these mischievous twins show their claws!

Tiger%2BJuice%2BFinal%2BI April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsTiger Juice
by Charlie Sheen
Hijinks ensue when the irrepressible Charlie talks the gang into offering something special at this summer’s lemonade stand.

Teachers%2BArent%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsTeachers Aren’t Any More Special Than You
by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
A much needed antidote to the unchecked teacher glorification in children’s literature.

You%2BBetter%2BWatch%2BOut%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsYou Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry: An Autobiography
by Kris Kringle
How the man we now know as “Santa” turned childhood trauma into joy for children worldwide.

Quit%2BReading%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsQuit Reading and Get Moving!
by Michelle Obama
The First Lady breaks the mold in this inspirational ode to the virtues of exercise, “so much more rewarding than some stupid book.”

I%2BSteal%2BBecuz%2BI%2527m%2BSad%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsi steal becuz i’m sad, a novel in verse
by Lindsay Lohan
An achingly sensitive first novel explores the pain of a naturally reclusive young woman forced against her will into the spotlight.

Our%2B15%2BStates%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsOur 15 States: Just the Important Ones
by Lerner Capstone
So many states, so little time—what’s a busy child to do? Our 15 States cuts to the chase, providing information only on the really, really important ones.

Glitter%252C%2BGlitter%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsGlitter, Glitter, Everywhere
by Kate Middleton
How much of a princess are you? Enough to have glitter and mirrors reflecting your image on every single page of the books you read? Glitter, Glitter Everywhere is for you.

Kate%2BDigs%2Bfor%2BGold%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsKate Digs for Gold
by Sarah, Duchess of York
Part of the duchess’s Helping Hands Book series. Auntie knows best!

I%2BAte%2BNumber%2BFive%2BFInal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsI Ate Number Five
by Pittacus Lore
More revelations about James Frey convinced the publisher to quit while it was ahead, resulting in a satisfying series closer.

YA%2BMafia%2BFinal April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsYA MAFIA, a collection of short stories
compiled by E. Lockhart and John Green
The cool kids rule in this anthology of tales that leaves the losers behind. And unpublished.

Enwraptured%2BFinal%2BI April Horn Book Magazine starred reviewsEnwraptured: Book One in the Mummies of Darkwater Falls trilogy
by Elizebeth Raw
High school student Alison Klutze can’t believe she finally has a boyfriend. But when Alison and hottie Derek are finally ready to do it, she’s in for quite a surprise when Derek starts to take off his clothes…

with thanks to Travis Jonker @ http://100scopenotes.com/
image credits:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16865477@N07/5492830078/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/3200909831/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvarotapia/5238576752/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wyatteddy/4664835601/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/corycousins/5172069801
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinhutton/2866600256/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/heartattacks/328158856
http://www.flickr.com/photos/admina/3326131545/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunder/4271707137/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59987629@N00/2870413006
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hasselbalch/4813956528/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ponsfrilus/371077118
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr-ini/446311713/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roonbaboon/292393932/

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2011/04/blogs/out-of-the-box/april-horn-book-magazine-starred-reviews/feed/ 39 I thought you would be a children’s book http://www.hbook.com/2010/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/i-thought-you-would-be-a-childrens-book/ http://www.hbook.com/2010/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/i-thought-you-would-be-a-childrens-book/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:43:00 +0000 Kitty Flynn http://nyad1/wp-thb/?p=3760 I know we’re not supposed to judge by covers and all, but I’m guessing that the publisher BOOM! Town has us mistaken for some other book review journal.

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]]> wheeler I thought you would be a childrens bookI know we’re not supposed to judge by covers and all, but I’m guessing that the publisher BOOM! Town has us mistaken for some other book review journal.

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]]> http://www.hbook.com/2010/12/blogs/out-of-the-box/i-thought-you-would-be-a-childrens-book/feed/ 0