Adam Rex, Natalie Bober, and John Green chart new worlds for kids and young adults
A video tour of children's book autographings at BookExpo America 2007 offered contrasts in both style and content in the vibrant children's book publishing market. Oh, sure, kids still love dancing squirrels and cookies. Who doesn't? And there will probably always be markets for such books as Matthew Reinhart's classic Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide To The Galaxy (Orchard Books; November, 2007) as well as Megan Mcdonald's and Peter H. Reynolds' magical comedy Judy Moody and Stink: The Holly Joliday (Candlewick; September, 2007) about a mailman named Jack Frost. But today's kids' tastes in books are not always so simple and sweet. Take Adam Rex's raucous book Pssst! (Harcourt Children's Book; September, 2007) for ages 9-12 about a feisty girl who gets involved with some very demanding zoo animals, for example; or Natalie Bober's scholarly biography Thomas Jefferson: Draftsman of a Nation (University of Virginia Press; March, 2007) written for young readers exploring Jefferson's contradictions on racial issues as well as his many contributions to our democratic tradition; not to mention John Green's postmodern novel An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton Juvenile; September, 2006) for grades 9-12 about a high school graduate who has dated 18 girl friends, all of whom were named Katherine; Michael Scott's surrealistic fantasy The Alchemyst (Delacorte Books for Young Readers; May, 2007) for grade 6-9 readers; and Gregory Maguire's What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy (Candlewick; Spetember, 2007) for ages 9-12 that takes place in the strange world of skibereen, where things aren't always what you think.
Book and Author Headlines
Lily Renee enjoys the spotlight as the first woman in comic art: Lily Renee tells the story of how she broke the gender barrier in the 1940's to become the first woman in the world of comic artists.
Mitali Perkins takes the long way home to the land of 'Bamboo People': Bestselling children's author Mitali Perkins traces her journey through childhood from KolKata (Calcutta, India) to Queens, NY, and the west coast, where her family settled, through books and writing, before returning to her family's lost home in Burma, where she became inspired to write 'Bamboo People.'
Cory Doctorow scores points with booksellers and goes 'For the Win' at BEA 2010: Canadian blogger, journalist, and bestselling author brings his new novel and crusade to liberalize copyright laws to BookExpo America 2010, withbooksellers cheering him on 'For the Win.'
Sarah, Duchess of York, lends a 'helping hand' on touchy subjects for parents and children: Sarah, Duchess of York, Ferguson takes the stage at BEA 2010 to remind parents of the three C's--communication, compromise, and compassion.
Geoff Johns leads the Green Lantern team from 'Darkest Night' to 'Brightest Day': The mastermind behind the resurgence of the long-running Green Lantern comic books series brings his creative team to the first ever C2E2 convention in Chicago to discuss the dawning of 'Brightest Day' after 'Darkest Night.'
BEA 2010 brings out the stars of children's and young adult literature: The Duchess of York wasn't the only children's book author at this year's BookExpo America (BEA).
Kids authors flock to NY for a week of reading, writing, and a little arithmetic: The annual migration of book people to BookExpo America brings over 1,000 authors, including one of the largest gatherings of children's authors,together with booksellers, publishers, and distributors from all over the world to talk about books of all kinds and all formats.
Geoff Johns leads the Green Lantern to new universes in the Silver Age of comics: The creators, writers and illustrators of the Green Hornet celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hal Jordan and the Silver Age of comic books.
Grant Morrison brings Batman and Robin back from the future: The Scottish playwright and master of the universe of comic creator's Grant Morrison shocks and awes his fans at the 2008 New York Comic Con.
John Ringo, Kelly Link, and China Mieville bring sci-fi and fantasy down to earth: Three emerging voices in the sci-fi and fantasy world bring the realities of writing in their respective genres down to earth.
Ron Nahser, Journeys to Oxford: Nine Pragmatic Inquiries Into the Practice of Values in Business and Education.
Nine pragmatic inquiries into the practice of values in business and education.
Nelson DeMille's John Corey hunts down 'The Lion' for the final kill.
Master storyteller Nelson DeMille and voice actor Scott Brick bring John Corey and 'The Lion' to life at BookExpo America 2010.
Ruth Reichl salutes yesterday's 'Gourmet' with 'Gourmet Today'.
America's queen of gourmet food Ruth Reichl laments the demise of Gourmet magazine, examines the changes and trends in food production and consumption, and offers her new cookbook, 'Gourmet Today,' as proof of the greatness that was 'Gourmet' magazine.
BEA 2010 brings out the stars of children's and young adult literature.
The Duchess of York wasn't the only children's book author at this year's BookExpo America (BEA).
Lights! Action! Webcams!.
Give yourself a big promotion. Go global with your message. Nothing sells a book better than an author reading and talking about his or her work directly to his or her market.
Adam Rex, Natalie Bober, and John Green chart new worlds for kids and young adults
