Tiny Treasury

Madeleine L’Engle a gifted storyteller, died of natural causes on Thursday at the age of 88. Her great Newbery Award winning novel A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorite books as a child and remains one of my favorite books today.

Kids Lit writes, Our planet just tilted a little and hole has been left behind.

AmoXcalli has a full list of L’Engle links

The New York Times ends their obituary with

“Why does anybody tell a story?” Ms. L’Engle once asked, even though she knew the answer.

“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

To publish a children’s book that incorporates the word “scrotum”?

Susan Patron, that’s who. You may recall that Ms. Patron won a the Newberry Award for her coming of age novel, The Higher Power of Lucky. However, because of the appearance of the word “scrotum” in the text of the book, many libraries chose not to stock the book.

Earlier this year, Ms. Patron had this to say in response to criticisms about her book:

“I wrote The Higher Power of Lucky for the 10-year-old who lives inside me. That girl was curious about everything and sometimes went to great lengths to get information about the world and how it works.

In writing The Higher Power of Lucky, I was interested in creating authentic characters who would ring true for readers. I wanted readers to trust that I respect them and would not talk down to them. Like the child-version of myself, Lucky eavesdrops on adult conversations; she is searching for a form of spirituality, a higher power.

I was shocked and horrified to read that some school librarians, teachers, and media specialists are choosing not to include the 2007 Newbery Medal winner in their collections because they fear parental objections to the word scrotum, or because they are uncomfortable with the word themselves. If I were a parent of a middle-grade child, I would want to make decisions about my child’s reading myself—I’d be appalled that my school librarian had decided to take on the role of censor and deny my child access to a major award-winning book. And if I were a 10-year-old and learned that adults were worried that the current Newbery book was not appropriate for me, I’d figure out a way to get my mitts on it anyway, its allure intensified by the exciting forbidden-ness—by the unexpressed but obvious fear on the part of these adults.

There’s a direct correlation between fear of naming body parts and kids’ interest in finding out about them. To figure out the world, children have to unscramble a mishmash of secrets, clues, overheard tidbits, half-truths, out-of-context information, and their own observations. The lucky ones discover the Robie Harris/Michael Emberley books, and/or they have access to parents or teachers or librarians who will answer their questions and define unknown words. The child who learns the definition of scrotum and other body parts in this way, through reading and talking with responsible adults, is armed with, for one thing, an alternative to finding answers through first-hand experience.

As regards 12-step programs, it seems there are also literature gatekeepers who are frightened that children may learn that these recovery programs exist.Do they think children are unaware that drug/alcohol/tobacco/gambling/overeating addictions are rampant in the U.S.? Many children, of course, know about addictions first-hand, through affected family members. Isn’t it useful for them to know that some adults choose recovery through a 12-step program? Isn’t it one of the truly heartening aspects of our culture that human beings can be this brave?”

I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit - especially in light of the Gossip Girl series that I mentioned earlier. Books - unlike television - are a little more difficult for parents to monitor. Should that responsibility fall to public and school librarians?

I know that, as a kid, I checked Jackie Collins and Danielle Steel (I was a child of the 80s) books out of the library without my mom knowing - or maybe she did know and chose to not make a big deal of it, who knows? And I didn’t implode into a million little pieces from reading them. I didn’t become trampy or run out and try drugs. In fact, I stayed a pretty good kid; trashy novels were probably my biggest vice.

As a parent, I will say that I don’t want my kids to be exposed to a lot of things before they have to be. In this day and age, information comes at our kids from all kinds of sources, fast and furious. And my gut instinct is to protect those children. But as a reader (and a writer), I personally don’t believe that censorship of a child’s reading material should be the job of anyone else but the child’s parent.

What do you think?

children, censorship, book, The Higher Power of Lucky, library, Susan Patron, Newberry Award

Simon & Schuster Books has announced that they have signed Steven Hawking to pen a new kids’ book.

Hawking’s book, George’s Secret Key to the Universe, will be a fictional work about the origins of the universe. He is co-writing the book along with daughter, Lucy, who has authored Plume and Run for Your Life. The book will be will be illustrated by Garry Parsons who has illustrated, among other works, The Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe. A fall release is expected.

Steven Hawking, Lucy Hawking, Garry Parsons, George’s Secret Key to the Universe, Plume, Run for Your Life, The Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe

As a follow-up to my post about the Philadelphia Inquirer’s plans to publish a collection of John Grogan’s articles, I contact Grogan’s agent, Laurie Abkemeier of DeFiore and Company. Ms. Abkemier referred me to her previous statement about the matter.

She also offered the following:

The bottom line is that John Grogan was always willing to be involved in a publication of his columns if given the creative control that is standard for an author. The Inquirer was not willing to budge on that issue as they consider themselves the “author” of the collection.

John Grogan, Laurie Abkemeier, DeFiore and Company, Marley

There’s no doubt that books that trend close to Harry Potter are doing well these days.

A few weeks ago, I posted about The Marvelous Effect, which has been referred to as “the black Harry Potter.”

And now, previously unknown Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams hope to generate that same kind of magic with their book, Tunnels. What is so amazing about Tunnels is that, like The Marvelous Effect, it was initially self-published.

Tunnels has something more important in common with Harry Potter, though: the eye of Chicken House publisher Barry Cunningham. Cunningham heard about the authors and signed them up for a series of fantasy tales (see guys, I didn’t say sci-fi, I’m learning) about fourteen year-old Will Burrows. The two have already received six figure advances.

Cunningham was the agent who signed J.K. Rowling for her Harry Potter series. Rowling has now sold more than 325 million copies of the series worldwide and became a billionaire - and that’s before the last book of the series has been released.

The question is, really, can Cunningham do it again?

Harry Potter, Barry Cunningham, J.K. Rowling, Chicken House, Tunnels, Brian Williams, Roderick Gordon

I received word today that John Grogan will be at a book signing just a few minutes away from my home in West Chester, PA, to promote his new book, Marley, A Dog Like No Other. My guess is that he won’t be stopping by his old offices at the Philadelphia Inquirer to say hello.

The Inquirer has struck a deal with Vanguard Press, to release a series of articles penned by Grogan as a book entitled Bad Dogs Have More Fun. Sounds great, right? Well, not exactly. Grogan wasn’t involved with the deal and he didn’t receive any advanced notice about the book. He reportedly had no involvement in the selection of the pieces or editing and, as a result, refuses to have any involvement in the promotion of the book.

As such, Grogan’s agent, Laurie Abkemeier of DeFiore and Company, today sent a letter to sales reps at Grogan’s current publisher, HarperCollins, expressing Grogan’s displeasure and explaining he will not be promoting or supporting the title in any way.

However, the new owner of the Inquirer, Brian Tierney, dismisses claims that leaving Grogan out of the process was purposeful and still hopes to have Grogan’s participation. In fact, he has even offered Grogan compensation in exchange for promoting the book. That makes sense, as clearly the book will have more success with Grogan’s stamp of approval.

However, Tierney, who, along with other investors including Bruce Toll of Toll Brothers, purchased the Inquirer last year for $562 million, doesn’t seem worried. He has stated, “[w]hile we’re excited about this book, it’s not as if it’s going to be a significant revenue stream.” And Tierney seems to know revenue. He is currently contemplating the purchase of Dow Jones & Company, which owns the Wall Street Journal.

Brian Tierney, Bruce Toll, Philadelphia Inquirer, Vanguard Press, Marley, John Grogan, HarperCollins

Lloyd Alexander, a prolific writer of children’s books including the five-book series “The Chronicles of Prydain,” died this week of cancer at the age of 83. Sadly, his wife died just two weeks before.

Alexander knew that he wanted to be a writer from age 15. His parents could not afford to send him to college so he took a number of jobs before joining the US Army. He ended up in Paris while in the Army. There, he met the woman he would eventually marry. Alexander and his wife returned to the Philadelphia suburbs, where they would live the rest of their days.

After a number of years of rejection, Alexander was finally published as a children’s author. The first book of his Prydain series was published in 1964. The last book of the series, The High King, won the Newbery Medal in 1969. Another book in the series, The Black Cauldron, was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honor Book.

Lloyd Alexander, Prydain, The Black Cauldron, The High King

Meg Cabot’s new book, Pants on Fire, is helping HarperTeen blaze its way to summer. To celebrate, you can enter on HarperTeen to win a signed copy of Meg Cabot’s Pants on Fire and a $100 gift certificate to Sephora for you and a friend.

Meg Cabot, Pants on Fire, HarperTeen

The author of The Marvelous Effect contacted me with the following clarification:

I am so sorry that I did not clarify this. If I did say Marvelous World was Science Fiction I am sorry. I DO NOT CLASSIFY IT AS SCIENCE FICTION! It is fantasy to me. I had no idea anyone would think it was Science Fiction. I just wrote a fantasy story with Science Fiction elements that I did not even know would be thought to me Science Fiction. Marvelous World is fantasy with a few Science Fiction elements that are not the focus of the story at all.

So there! All of you who were offended about the sci-fi thing can put your knives away. But then, I’m still waiting to hear what the difference is…

And thanks, Troy, for keeping me on track!

Troy CLE, Marvelous Effect, Marvelous world, science fiction, fantasy

That’s the question that author Troy CLE initially tried to answer when he created his character, Louis Proof.

But it would be simplistic to paint Louis as simply a black version of the beloved Harry. Louis is a very different character. The brainchild of Troy, Louis loves listening to hip-hop, racing radio-controlled cars, and hanging out with his best friend, Brandon. If he sounds a little normal, maybe it’s because he is meant to be.

Of his character, Troy says, “I couldn’t find any action hero kids who looked like me in popular literature. That’s what sparked me to write this book.” And where is comes from is pretty amazing. The 29 year old New Jersey native grew up and still lives (according to his myspace page) in the urban, gang-infested city of East Orange, NJ. However, Troy didn’t fall victim to the stereotypes. He studied classical piano and acting, and went on to succeed at New York University, including earning degrees in American literature and English, and a masters in digital design.

Despite his successes, Troy couldn’t shake the desire to create something that reflected his roots. The Marvelous World series was inspired by his own vow to create a movie where kids looked and lived like he did. While a big fan of Spielberg’s “The Goonies”, Troy realized that the kids in that movie didn’t look like him. In the Marvelous World series, the 13 year-old kid from New Jersey sounds a little like Troy might have been like as a child.

But that’s where the similarities appear to end. While Louis’ fictional world takes off in a whirlwind of fantasy, science fiction, hip-hop, gaming, race cars and Anime. Troy’s real life world has taken off in a manner that’s a little more mainstream (no comas, no magic portals) but no less fantastic.

Troy’s continuing rise to fame isn’t completely a solo effort. He had a little help from some pretty impressive friends. For starters, the cover art for the first book of the series was created by Daryl Mandryk, formerly of EA Sports and now the lead artist for Disney’s video game company, Propaganda Games. And the book’s back cover was created by Joe DiVelario, who was the visual effects designer for the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie now infamous’ flick, “Mr. And Mrs. Smith.”

But Troy still couldn’t find a publisher. He didn’t stop trying. David Finn, owner of the public relations firm Ruder Finn, saw potential in Troy’s book and offered a hand. David lent his resources to help Troy self-publish his book and become his own publicist. And the hype began, resulting in deals with Simon and Schuster and Random House.

Since then, the buzz around Troy’s book has exploded. It is, quite likely, the second most anticipated new release of the summer. And oh yeah, Harry Potter isn’t the only book that you can pre-order. Pre-order The Marvelous Effect before its May 22 release date.

To hear a snippet as read by Malcolm Jamal-Warner, click here.

Troy CLE, The Marvelous Effect, Marvelous World, Harry Potter, sci-fi, gaming, Daryl Mandryk, Ruder Finn, Joe DiVelario

Ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is adding a new title to her resume: children’s book author. The former Ginger Spice has announced that she a six-book publishing deal with Macmillan. The series revolves around 9-year-old Ugenia Lavender, who solves mysteries while dealing with everyday school life. Halliwell refers to the book as a little like “Alice in Wonderland meets Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

The first book in the series will be released next May, with one release each month to follow. Halliwell is also recording a theme song for the book which will be included on CD. Her new career gives her time at home to spend with new daughter, Bluebell Madonna.

Geri Halliwell, Spice Girls, MacMillan, Ginger Spice

It’s Beverly Cleary’s birthday!

The beloved children’s book author was born in 1916 in Oregon. Before she became a writer, she worked as a librarian, which inspired her to write her first book, Henry Huggins, in 1950. Since then she has gone out to have an amazing career, creating some of the most remarkable children’s book characters of our time including Ellen Tebbits and the infamous Ramona and Beezus.

Cleary won a number of awards, including the 1984 John Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, were named 1978 and 1982 Newbery Honor Books, respectively. Cleary also won the American Library Association’s 1975 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the Catholic Library Association’s 1980 Regina Medal, and the University of Southern Mississippi’s 1982 Silver Medallion. Cleary was also the 1984 United States author nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a prestigious international award.

Cleary now resides in California and has recently written her memoirs.

Books by Beverly Cleary include:

* Henry Huggins (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1950)
* Ellen Tebbits (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1951)
* Henry and Beezus (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1952)
* Otis Spofford (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1953)
* Henry and Ribsy (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1954)
* Beezus and Ramona (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1955)
* Fifteen (illus. by Joe and Beth Krush) - (1956)
* Henry and the Paper Route (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1957)
* The Luckiest Girl - (1958)
* Jean and Johnny (illus. by Joe and Beth Krush) - (1959)
* The Hullabaloo ABC (illus. by Earl Thollander) - (1960)
* Two Dog Biscuits (illus. by ? ?) - (1961) (companion to The Real Hole)
* Henry and the Clubhouse (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1962)
* Sister of the Bride (illus. by Joe and Beth Krush) - (1963)
* Ribsy (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1964)
* The Mouse and the Motorcycle (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1965)
* Mitch and Amy (illus. by Bob Marstall) - (1967)
* Ramona the Pest (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1968)
* Runaway Ralph (illus. by Louis Darling) - (1970)
* Socks (illus. by Beatrice Darwin) - (1973)
* Ramona the Brave (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1975)
* Ramona and Her Father (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1977)
* Ramona and Her Mother (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1979)
* Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1981)
* Ralph S. Mouse (illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky) - (1982)
* Dear Mr. Henshaw (illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky) - (1983)
* Ramona Forever (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1984)
* Lucky Chuck (illus. by J. Winslow Higginbottom) - (1984)
* Two Dog Biscuits (illus. by DyAnne Disalvo-Ryan) - (1986) (companion to The Real Ho)
* A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir - (1988)
* Muggie Maggie (illus. by Kay Life) - (1990)
* Strider (illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky) - (1991)
* Petey’s Bedtime Story (illus. by David Small) - (1993)
* My Own Two Feet - (1995)
* The Hullabaloo ABC (illus. by Ted Rand) - (1998)
* Ramona’s World (illus. by Alan Tiegreen) - (1999)

Beverly Cleary, Ramona

Following the release of Lemony Snicket’s last book of his Unfortunate Events series, The End, HarperCollins has announced that they will release the entire series in paperback.

The first paperbacks to be released next month will be The Bad Beginning and The Reptile Room. Additional titles will follow once every few months.

HarperCollins is looking to up the appeal of the paperback releases by including additional information and new illustrations by illustrator Brett Helquist with each book. The additions should help boost sales, although it’s hard to imagine topping the more than 25 million copies of the hardback books already in print.

HarperCollins, Lemony Snicket, paperback, The End, The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, Brett Helquist

Penguin Young Readers Group has announced that Nick Hornby, New York Times-bestselling author of such books as High Fidelity, About a Boyand A Long Way Down, will publish his first novel for young adults.

The book, Slam, tells the story of a young boy whose world is turned upside down in a life-altering moment. The main character, Sam, falls hard for a pretty girl and ultimately finds his way through conversations with a larger-than-life poster of his idol, champion skater Tony Hawk.

The hardcover edition of the book will be released in October 2007. A paperback edition will follow in 2008.

Nick Hornby, Penguin Young Readers Group, Slam

Guess who has joined the list of celebs like Madonna and Billy Crystal and decided to become a children’s book author? That’s right, she of forthright moral character, Jenna Bush.

Just today, HarperCollins Publishers announced that it has acquired world rights to Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope allegedly penned by Jenna. The story is classified as “young adult” and non-fiction and will be based on her experiences working as an intern for UNICEF in Central America (who knew?). The book will have color photographs throughout by photographer Mia Baxter (and fellow UT grad), who accompanied Bush on her trip. The book is scheduled for publication in Fall 2007 and a portion of the proceeds will go to UNICEF.

“I have been inspired by my work with adolescents in Central and South America,” said Jenna Bush. “These young people have faced extreme hardships and exclusion but are strong in spirit and have an incredible will to succeed. Through their stories, it is my hope to motivate young Americans to increase their awareness of other young people around the world: to learn about the challenges they face, how they triumph over adversity, and to become involved in helping them.”

Jenna Bush, HarperCollins, UNICEF, publishing