Tiny Treasury

It’s the Friday Fifteen!

Today’s guest is Troy CLE, who wrote the heavily anticipated The Marvelous Effect. I first met Troy when he was kind enough to help me out with a post or two about his book. The post summarizing the release of The Marvelous Effect remains the most popular post on my site to date, garnering more than one million hits in two days - and almost a quarter of a million hits in one hour. In terms of popularity, I’d say that Troy is making a name for himself!

Now, onto the Fifteen!

1. Where are you now?
On the New York train to East Orange

2. What were your favorite books as a kid?
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Superfudge

3. What are you reading now?
Wish I had time to read. I am deep in writing book 1.5

4. Do you have kids?
Yeah- Marvelous World

5. What projects are you working on now?
Marvelous World Movie
Promoting this book is a full time project

6. What is your biggest writing or illustrating luxury?
Apple Pro Book

7. Coffee or tea?
Lemonade Passion Fruit Iced tea

8. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
Linkin Park
Fall Out Boy
50 Cent
John Mayer
Lil’ Wayne

9. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I was a Classically trained pianist

10. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
BA American Literature and English-NYU
MS Digital Design- NYU

11. If you weren’t working with kids’ books, what would your dream job be?
Visual Effects Artist

12. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
Come On! I have to choose between 24 and Entourage?

13. How did you get your “big break” into the field?
I faked being my own publicist.

14. Which celeb would you want most to meet?
Charlie Murphy

15. Who is the best book character EVER?
Don’t I have to say Louis Proof?

You can check out Troy’s web sites here:
http://www.marvelousworld.net
http://www.myspace.com/troycle
http://www.myspace.com/themarvelouseffect

And oh yeah, The Marvelous Effect is in stores now. Pick one up today!

Thanks Troy!

Some times a kids’ book comes along that makes you long to be a kid again. that girl Lucy Moon is like that - several times over.

that girl Lucy Moon is authored by Amy Timberlake, whose picture book, The Dirty Cowboy, was fabulous (one of my girls’ favorites) and yet very different from this one. The Dirty Cowboy focused on a loner who liked being a loner, a cowboy who was happy to be left in the wild with his dog.

that girl Lucy Moon is also about a loner, but not one alone by choice. Lucy Moon is that odd kid that we all knew in school - maybe that kid that was you - who marches to the beat of a different drummer. She cares about things that other people don’t. And when that makes her the most ostracized girl in town, she has a choice: she can conform or she can fight. She chooses to fight.

The book is all about making a difference and finding your own identity. It’s about prioritizing what’s important to you in terms of family and community. In other words, it’s about growing up.

It’s funny and sweet and well-written. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. It has won a ton of awards, including Friends of American Writers Literary Award; Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year 2007; 2007 Amelia Bloomer Book; NYPL Children’s Book 2006; and Fall 2006 Book Sense Pick.

I highly recommend it! And if you don’t have a child aged 9-12, pick it up for yourself. Shh! No one will tell.

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

One of the cool things about writing this blog is being *forced* to review books (and genres) that I would normally not even take off of the shelf. This is one of those books.

Barry Yourgrau’s Yet Another Nasty Book is almost indescribable. It’s weird. It’s oddly written. It has no sense of order. The cover isn’t attractive. The chapters aren’t organized. Some of the pages can’t be read because they’re printed backwards or because there are odd fonts.

And I will say this: if I were a 10 (or so) year old kid, I’d totally be into this book.

With entire chapters that read like this:

If this sentence contains exactly nineteen words, your very least favorite person will turn into a turtle wearing purple earmuffs!

And others with shrinking text, stories about swallowed cell phones and creepy fairy tales, how can you not love it?

The book changes direction every few pages, which is annoying if you’re trying to read a novel, but it’s cool if your attention is short to begin with… The book is clearly written by someone who has a handle on what it’s like to be a kid. A weird kid, maybe, but a kid.

No wonder Lemony Snicket wrote about it: “Barry Yourgrau’s work makes me shudder…”

To find out more about the craziness, you can visit the nasty book web site or Barry’s own site.

Yet Another Nasty Book, Barry Yourgrau

You knew it had to happen… The Gossip Girls book series about growing up in a private school in Manhattan is going even more glam as a TV series. The series, penned by author Cecily von Ziegesar, will be debut on the fall schedule for the CW.

The show stars Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford and Blake Lively (of Traveling Pants fame) as the heroine, Serena. For a sneak peek, click here.

Gossip Girls, CW, Cecily von Ziegesar, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Blake Lively

Just in time for Memorial Day, the Smithsonian Institute has published Sarah Thompson’s My Flag Book.

First, the positives:

- I love board books. My kids love board books. They are indestructible. So, thumbs up on the choice to go board book.

- The pricing. After shelling out far too much lately on new books, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the book sells for $5.99. Totally reasonable.

- It’s interactive. Each page asks a learning question - exactly the kind of thing that you’d expect from the Smithsonian Institute.

Now, the not so positives:

- The promotional materials claim that the book is for “up to age 5.” I don’t know many five year olds who would be captivated by the limited text. I think the book is really geared more for ages 1-3. My one year old liked flipping the pages and my three year old liked answering the questions. My five year old had zero interest.

- The book is a little on the, um, American pride side. Now, I mean no disrespect. I’m as patriotic as the next girl. But the “Do we love our flag?” bit at the end is really difficult to describe to a small child. It’s hard to explain why we *love* the flag to a toddler - and that being the “why?” stage, you can expect it to come up. I think, in the series of questions, it’s the most out of place.

I appreciate the difficulty in translating some material for the toddler crowd. And the book does a fairly decent job of getting there.

Memorial Day, patriotism, flag

It’s the Friday Fifteen!

Photo credit: (c) Danielle Levitt, New York magazine

Today’s guest is our first ever cover photographer. Meet Ali Smith, who has photographed covers for a number of teen books - as well as collections for her own books.

On a personal note, the first book cover that I saw that Ali had done was Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars:

Now, onto the Fifteen!

1. Where are you now?
Same place I always seem to be…in front of my computer

2. What were your favorite books as a kid?
I loved the Little House series and the Laura Ingalls Wilder biography where they showed photos of her and her family. It was mind blowing for me at the time that the person who’d written that series was an actual person who you could see in photographs. She seemed like an epic hero, not a young girl. Good lesson that the two things could be one in the same.

3. What are you reading now?
I’m reading lots of books related to motherhood. a) because I’m working on my next book of photography that centers around the subject and b) because I labor under the delusion that if I read enough, I will somehow be prepared for my own role as mother when the time comes.

4. Do you have kids?
For six years, I was a devoted stepmother. But the relationship with her father has ended and, sadly, it seems my relationship with her may have ended as a result. Atl east for now. I am planning on having a child soon.

5. What projects are you working on now?
Besides shooting book covers pretty consistently, which I love doing, I’m working on the aforementioned book of portraiture. My first book, “Laws of the Bandit Queens”, was portraits of and life laws from 35 amazing women like Alice Walker, Janeane Garofalo, Sandra Bernhard, Geraldine Ferraro… This one centers on what motherhood and family really are and how a woman can parent well and still maintain a sense of self. I guess I’ve always looked for role models and guidance through my photography.

6. What is your biggest writing or illustrating luxury?
That I get to work in my pj’s. (I work from a home office) except for at the shoots, naturally. Although I have had to do an underwater shoot (for “MIX”) in a bathing suit. It’s fun that each day of work is going to be a bit different.

7. Coffee or tea?
Coffee! Although I’m really trying to switch to tea. If for no other reason, because my coffee habit is costing me a small fortune.

8. Name five artists on your ipod (or mp3 player).

Myself (My latest album came out about six months ago. It’s called “You Showed Me” and is under the artists’ names “Steve Almaas and Ali Smith”. Steve is my ex. The album came out right after the breakup. Fun fun fun.)

9. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I danced at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center, with Rudolph Nuryev.

10. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
NYU. Started out for Visual Arts in general but really found myself in photography. Big bonus was I went for free because my mom was a nurse at NYU!!

11. If you weren’t working with kids’ books, what would your dream job be?
Photography is my dream job. If I couldn’t shoot kids’ books, as long as I was shooting, I’d still be in my dream job.

12. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
Hmmm… That really depends. Am I trying to turn my brain off, or really enjoy what I’m watching. I don’t watch much at all anymore because it’s usually awful.
Channels 1 through 36 may as well not exist. To turn my brain off, I love to veg to Bravo’s intensely ridiculous lineup of Project Runway, Shear Genius, Top Chef, etc. But the shows i really love are “Campus Ladies” on Oxygen and “The Sarah Silverman Show”. I wish wish wish they’d put “Little Britain” on the air here!

13. How did you get your “big break” into the field?
Years ago, an amazing woman named Alison Donalty, Art Director extraordinaire at HarperCollins Children’s Books, asked me to fill in for her when she went on maternity leave. I didn’t have any experience in publishing, just as a music and editorial photographer who sometimes did random advertising work. Her faith in me, that I could handle it, was so touching and opened the door to this whole world of photography for publishing which I just love! Sometimes you really need just one person to have faith in you and give you a break. Then when my agent, Shannon Associates, showed faith in me, it really all came together!

14. Which celeb would you want most to meet?
I’ve honestly met all the ones I’ve wanted to. Which is good because it calms you down about that stuff and makes everything seem more attainable to you when you see everyone’s just a person doing their best.

15. Who is the best book character ever?
Wow! That’s just impossible for me to answer. I tend to associate myself with some of the darker characters… Not anyone in fun teen novels. I got a lot from characters like the main character in Camus’ “The Stranger”, for instance, but he’s not the best character ever. I swing towards brooders. Sorry. That was a lame way to end the interview. i guess i could just say “the pig from Charlotte’s Web” and be done with it.

I would like to add something else since you’ve been talking about “MIX”. This mix program within the Aladdin imprint at Simon & Schuster has been a really great experience. There’s an amazing creative team headed up by art director Karin Paprocki and involving designer Jessica Sonkin, who I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with on a few covers. It’s exciting to be involved in the development of something like this. It’s pure fun!

I’ve also had the chance to shoot several covers for the Simon Pulse (teen pb books) imprint headed by Russell Gordon.

-

Here are some more cool covers from Ali’s portfolio (click on the thumbnail to expand):

You can check out some more of Ali’s work on her web site. Ali’s agents can be found at Shannon Associates - you can visit the kids’ book section here.

Thanks, Ali, for sharing!

Last night, as I was watching American Idol, I thought to myself, “Jordin Sparks, you’re no Kelly Clarkson.” And then it hit me. I don’t like change. I like for things to stay the same. And that’s not possible.

It feels like life should be as it is in books. Books are, after all, static. Once they’re printed, they are what they are. There’s no flux. No matter how many times I read Gone With the Wind, Bonnie is always going to die, Daisy will always be reckless in The Great Gatsby and Isabel’s marriage will always end badly in The Portrait of a Lady.

I guess this is why I have been so viscerally opposed to the upcoming Nancy Drew movie. It was too different. There was too much change. Nancy Drew - updated - in Hollywood? Say it isn’t so.

But as Jordin belted out her final song last night, I realized that she, like those that followed her, will do just fine. Carrie Underwood did just walk away with a number of CMAs in her pocket. And I have a couple of her songs on my iPod. Sometimes, change isn’t bad. Sometimes, it’s just change.

So, I’ve decided to embrace the new Nancy Drew books and movie. After all, it has the potential to convert thousands of little girls into magnifying glass carrying, book reading, clue sniffing detectives - who absolutely love to read.

And as a result, somewhere, there will be some little girl curled up in her bed pretending to be sleeping reading Nancy Drew by flashlight while her mom admonishes her to go to sleep. Only she won’t because she’s dying to know what happens next. Because some things never change.

Nancy Drew

In the interest of fair disclosure, I expected to like this book. For the last thirteen years, I have made my home in the great city of Philadelphia. And for a number of those years, I followed a columnist in the Philadelphia Inquirer - that columnist, John Grogan, went on to write a book called Marley and Me, which my husband read and loved. So, when I found out that John Grogan had written a kids’ version of his book about his dog, Marley, I figured that it had to be good. I was right.

The story of Bad Dog, Marley! is simple: family gets dog, dog drives family crazy, family decides to part with dog, family decides that dog is really part of the family. In fact, it’s pretty much a universal story, isn’t it? Not only is Clifford the Big Red Dog playing in the background as I write this (”Clifford always makes a mess”), but my own goofy black labrador was just chased out of the family room after knocking down a Legos statue that had taken quite a bit of time to put together…

You see, dogs, especially big family dogs are absolutely trouble. They will, like Marley, make messes and bark too loudly and chew on things. But, like Marley, my dog is inextricably a part of the family. And while I yell at him from time to time for tromping through my flower beds and drinking out of the toilet, at the end of the day, he is like one of my children. He would do anything for the children.

And so, as I read Bad Dog, Marley! to my children, they pointed at the illustrations (beautifully drawn by Richard Cowdrey). Charlie giggled and Amy solemnly explained what Marley was doing wrong (a lot!). But Amy also found a connection between Marley and Lyle (our dog) which was fun to talk about. She knows that Lyle, not unlike a certain little girl, gets into a lot of trouble even when he doesn’t mean to, but we love him anyway.

Mr. Grogan successfully transitioned an adult book (Marley and Me) into a children’s book (Bad Dog, Marley!) that’s bound to be a classic. The book reminds all of us that nobody is perfect (!) and that love is universal - even for our four-legged family members. I highly recommend picking up a copy for your family today.

John Grogan, Marley and Me, Bad Dog Marley, Richard Cowdry, dogs, children

It’s the Friday Fifteen!

Today’s guest is author Tricia Rayburn. Let’s get to the Fifteen…

1. Where are you now?
Near the beach on the South Fork of Long Island.

2. What were your favorite books as a kid?
Anything with two covers and lots of pages in-between! I especially loved The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and was seriously addicted to the Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High series.

3. What are you reading now?
King Dork by Frank Portman

4. Do you have kids?
Not yet! But I do have one very mischievous shih tzu.

5. What projects are you working on now?
The sequel to The Melting of Maggie Bean, which should be out next spring.

6. What is your biggest writing or illustrating luxury?
The big, beautiful desk I bought when my book deal was official!

7. Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Lots of it, preferably iced.

8. Name five artists on your iPod (or mp3 player).
Counting Crows, U2, Dixie Chicks, Pete Yorn, Gwen Stefani

9. What would I be surprised to know about you?
I was the worst skipper in my childhood Polish dancing group.

10. What college did you attend (in what subject)?
Middlebury College in Vermont, majored in American Literature.

11. If you weren’t working with kids’ books, what would your dream job be?
Professional singer, ballroom dancer or surfer. Not that I’m qualified — at all — for any of those positions.

12. What’s the best thing on TV right now?
It WAS Gilmore Girls, but now it’s Planet Earth, Grey’s Anatomy and LOST.

13. How did you get your “big break” into the field?
The Melting of Maggie Bean was my MFA thesis, and I sent her into the publishing world as an afterthought, and with no expectations. She’s an actual book now thanks to my amazing agent, Rebecca Sherman of Writers House, and my incredible editor, Jen Klonsky at Simon & Schuster.

14. Which celeb would you want most to meet?
Is it wrong to say Oprah? Cause I really would, even without the whole book club thing. If it IS wrong to say Oprah, then Kate Winslet, Reese Witherspoon or Adam Brody.

15. Who is the best book character EVER?
I’ve started to answer this question ten times, only to delete each attempt. Any character that a reader relates to, cares for and is inspired by, is a character worth knowing.

–

Thanks, Tricia! Tricia’s new book, The Melting of Maggie Bean,is in stores now. And for more info, you can check out her MySpace profile.

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 Sight, authored by Erin Hunter, is billed as “a dazzling feline twist on classic epic fantasy” and is the first book of an arc of the national bestselling series Warriors: The Power of Three.

Fantasy is not my thing, but I was willing to give it a whirl. After all, the praise for the series was positive. “Action-packed. Certain to please any young reader who has ever wondered what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat” claimed Publishers Weekly. And “A suspenseful adventure story that urges readers onward” touted ALA Booklist. Even the reviews on amazon.com were overall positive, though there was some grumbling about the original series being much better - isn’t it always?

And I like cats. I like fiction. I was ready to embrace the book.

The beginning of the book is a just over four page summary of the characters, the “allegiances” - literally a laundry list of who’s who. And the who’s who was lengthy. There are more than forty cats classified as leader, deputy, medicine cat, warriors, apprentices, queens and elders for each of four clans. This was my first inkling that I wasn’t going to love the book. As a rule, I don’t like books that require flow charts.

The book spends a lot of time setting up story lines that never seem to take off. I assume that many of the questions raised in the book will be resolved in the remaining two books of the series - and that the purpose of this book was to whet your appetite for those that follow. And herein is my second gripe: I’m not a big fan of series that purposefully set you up to buy more books. Now wait, don’t get me wrong. I like series. As a kid, I was a big fan of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, you name it. I like stories that build on each other. But I am not crazy about those that just feel like they’re written in order to sell another book. And that’s what this feels like to me, pretty much from top to bottom.

The basic story line of the book is that three kittens from the ThunderClan (Hollykit, Jaykit and Lionkit) are set to more or less take over the next generation. Each of the the three has a special power or talent that will allow them to take their rightful place in the Clan. About halfway through, the kittens become warriors and thus change their names to Hollypaw, Jaypaw and Lionpaw. With the number of characters in the book, I’m not crazy about the switch - I’m surprised that children aged 10 (which is the recommending reading level) and up can keep them all straight…

The one aspect of the book that I did find compelling was the determination of Jaypaw to become a “medicine cat” despite his disability (I’ll let you read it to find out what it is). The underlying principles that you can do anything if you work hard enough, and the admonition to Hollypaw (Jaypaw’s sister) to follow your heart and do what it is that you love and not what you feel is simply your lot in life are good lessons for children to learn.

But all of the good principles and plot twists couldn’t make this an enjoyable read for me. I couldn’t find that moment in the book where it all clicked for me and made me want to read more. Instead, I found myself flipping the pages backwards trying to recall which cat was which, and wondering when it was going to end…

Fans of the books (and there are a number of them despite my take on the book) can visit the web site to find out more information about the series, the characters and the authors. That’s right, authors plural. Despite the name “Erin Hunter” on the book, the series is actually penned by a group of three children’s authors, Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry. You can read their bios on the site.

Warrior Cats, Power of Three, Warriors: The Sight, Erin Hunter, Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry

A couple of years ago, someone gave us No David by David Shannon. Katie loved it. She wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it as it earned a nod as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1999.

It’s really interesting to see the feedback on the book. On some of the European sites, it garners near perfect reviews. In the US, the feedback is more mixed: people either loved it or hated it. Those that hated it tend to focus on the perception that the book is “too negative.” As you can probably surmise from the title, the book largely revolves around David not behaving as he should. My humble opinion? Those parents are reading waaay too much into it. Katie loves it because she, too, has a wild streak. She breaks things. She doesn’t always sit still when she should. She gets herself into trouble a lot because, well, that’s what four year olds do. And I think she can relate to David. She giggles at his behavior and tells me solemnly what he should be doing. And in the end, she knows, like David, that misbehaving doesn’t mean that you’re not loved. So when David’s mom tells him, “Yes, David, I love you” - no matter how badly he’s acting - Katie understands that, similarly, while I may not always love her behavior, I love her. I don’t see the negativity in that at all.

I know that there are a lot of parents who have difficulty telling their children “no” because it’s somehow perceived as bad parenting. I happen to think that those parents are wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting boundaries and creating ground rules (and if you knew how wildly liberal my own parents think I am in this respect, you’d be amazed) for children. And that’s the reason why this book is a hit with me, too. As a parent, it gives me a great springboard for discussion with my girls about David’s behavior - such as why he shouldn’t play with the bat and the ball inside the house - that they can relate to and talk about.

So say “yes” to No, David. I think you’ll be glad that you did.

David Shannon, Caldecott

I confessed to my book spree on yesterday. There was absolutely no getting round that we were going to have to get the newest Jane O’Connor Fancy Nancy book. My daughters are solidly Fancy Nancy fans.

The idea behind the Fancy Nancy books is that Nancy is the only posh person in her family (posh is a fancy word for fancy). She looks for the fancy things in life - whether clothes, food or, as in this latest book, a dog. Nancy’s parents have decided that she can have a dog. She wants a papillon. Her family isn’t so sure.

In the end, Nancy gets her fancy dog. And it’s the perfect dog for her. As to whether it’s the papillon - hey, I have to leave you something, right?

The story is great. I’ve been forced to read it no fewer than ten times in 24 hours and I don’t hate it yet. If you’re a parent, you absolutely know what I mean. Bad children’s books grate on your nerves immediately.

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy is beautifully illustrated. Just like its namesake, the book is fancy. Lots of pinks and purples to keep it appealing to the toddler set without being overly girly. Nancy’s family is not fancy so there’s not too much fancy going on…

The story flows with no insipid rhymes or goofy dialogue. Nancy’s conversations are a bit posh, but the other folks in the story talk as though you’d expect them to. O’Connor’s asides to explain the fancy language are the highlight of the book.

Fancy Nancy is a hardback which means I had to shell out $17 for a toddler book. That’s expensive (expensive is a fancy word for costs a lot). But my girls love it. It’s worth it.

A sequel to the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is set to begin production in June 2007 in Greece. Director Sanaa Hamri (Something New, as well as episodes of ABC’s Men In Trees and Desperate Housewives) will be at the reins. The original four actresses from the first film (America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel) are all in talks to return for the second film.

The movie is a follow-up to the original book based on the wildly popular Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series penned by Ann Brashares.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sanaa Hamri, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, Ann Brashares