Kids and Teen Blog

Tag: Kids Books

Anorak for Your Cold-Weather Blues

by Megan
February 08, 2013

Today's blizzard news from the East Coast got me thinking about hot chocolate, coziness, and warm clothes, which naturally led to thoughts of anoraks in my typical Friday-jumping-around train of thought (for those of you who don't know, an anorak is a type of heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur or fake fur, so as to protect the face from a combination of freezing temperatures and wind. They are tres snuggly).

Anorak is ALSO a wonderful, tremendous, stupendous magazine for kids! I was so excited to see Issue #2 of the happy-making mag for kids, released February 1, that I practically catapulted through the Raincoast office to get a copy in my hot little hands. This issue's theme is animals: the weird, the wacky, the furry and the funny (spoiler alert: there's a sloth wearing suspenders and painting alongside a flamingo in a kimono = YES!).

 

 

Anorak Magazine is an indie kids publishing house with five issues per year, aimed at boys and girls aged 6-12, as well as adults who refuse to grow up (like, erm... me!).

The mag contains short illustrated stories, book reviews, games, activities, and it's an absolute showcase of the most beautiful and unique children's artists in the world. The magazines are meant to be kept, collected, and adored, like kids' magazines of the past.

My favourite feature has to be the recurring exploits (told as a photo-story) of Munkie and Horrace, two real monkey stuffies. In this issue, Munkie and Horrace's world is turned upside down by the arrival of G Munkie, a bling-wearing scamp who convinces the other monkeys to get in on his illicit cupcake business, driving his RV to a remote location to instigate his mobile bakery in order to protect the secret cupcake recipe (Breaking Bad fans, you will LOVE this).

Issue #2 also features some gorgeous illustrative work by Edmonton's Studio Tipi, who created the cover.

Check out Issue #1, the circus-themed issue, if you want even more Anorak giggles and games:

 

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YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults

by Siobhan
February 03, 2012

Last week, I blogged about all the amazing books that were highlighted by ALA, YALSA and ALSC. Guess what? There's more! Yes, more great books, more "best of" lists.

YALSA announced it's picks for the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults: "books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens".

There are quite a few books on the list that we're pleased to stock in our own warehouse:

Enclave, by Ann Aguirre, published by Feiwel & Friends. (Also available in Audio; paperback coming in August 2012.)

Freak Hunters Deuce and Fade are exiled from their underground enclave, and face even greater dangers above ground.

 

 

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake, published by Thomas Doherty Associates / Tor Teen. (Paperback coming in July 2012.)

Moving from town-to-town, Cas slays murderous ghosts, seeking revenge for the death of his father. Along the way, he meets Anna’s ghost, and discovers new insights into the complexities of ghosts.

Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier, published by Henry Holt & Company. (Paperback coming in April 2012.)

Gwenyth upsets her family when she inherits the time traveling gene instead of her cousin, Charlotte. Soon Gwenyth finds herself unexpectedly involved in mysterious, dangerous, and intriguing circumstances.

 

Stupid Fast, by Geoff Herback, published by Sourcebooks / Sourcebooks Fire. (Also keep an eye out for Geoff Herback's Nothing Special, coming out in May 2012!)

As football recruitment brings new friends, Felton tries to keep his mother’s depression, and his own insecurities, hidden.

 

Prized, by Caragh O'Brien, published by Roaring Brook Press.

The leadership in Sylum is threatened by Gaia and attempts to control her by systematically separating her from everyone she loves, including her infant sister and boyfriend Leon.

 

 

Stick, by Andrew Smith, published by Feiwel and Friends.

Stick and his brother Bosten must lean on each other to survive their abusive family, until Bosten is kicked out and must survive on his own.

 

 

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente, published by Feiwel & Friends. (Paperback coming in April 2012.)

September is excited, puzzled, confused and thrilled on her quest through Fairyland.

 

Miles from Ordinary, by Carol Lynch Williams, published by St. Martin's Press / St. Martin's Griffin. (Paperback coming in March 2012.)

When her troubled mother disappears, an isolated Lacey frantically searches for her, while facing the terrors of her mother’s delusions.

 

See the complete list of YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults.

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2012 ALA, YALSA, ALSC Award Winners & Picks

by Siobhan
Kids + Picture Books + YA Fiction / January 27, 2012

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced their annual picks for the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Dallas.

We're proud to have some of these award-winning titles on our list! Congratulations to all the award winners and nominees. There's a wealth of amazing books for children's and youth out there now.

Newbery Honor Book
Breaking Stalin's Nose, written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, and published by Henry Holt and Company.

See all Newberry winners.
Find other books by Eugene Yelchin.

 

 

Caldecott Honor Books
Grandpa Green, illustrated and written by Lane Smith, and published by Roaring Brook Press.

See all Caldecott winners.
Find other books by Lane Smith.

 

 

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
Shane W. Evans, illustrator and author of Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book is a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press.

See all Coretta Scott King winners.
Find other books by Shane W. Evans.

 

Alex Award for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
The Lover’s Dictionary, by David Levithan, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Paperback coming from Picador in January 2012.)

See all Alex Award winners.

 

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 – 18, each year. The 2012 Excellence winner is by The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, by Steve Sheinkin, published by Roaring Brook Press. One of the Finalists is Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, by Karen Blumenthal, published by Roaring Brook Press.

See all YALSA Award winners.
Find other books by Steve Sheinkin.
Find other books by Karen Blumenthal. Her new book, Steve Jobs, the Man Who Thought Different, is coming out in February 2012.

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YALSA also published its annual list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Enclave, by Aguirre, Ann, published by Feiwel and Friends was on the Top Ten list.

On the full list of Quick Picks, we were pleased to see several titles that we carry:

 

F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers, by Richard Benson, published by Chronicle Books.

Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog, by J.H. Lee, published by Chronicle Books.

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake, published by Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Teen.

Dead Inside Do Not Enter: Notes from the Zombie Apocalypse, by Lost Zombies, published by Chronicle Books.

 

Death Sentence: Escape From Furnace #3, by Alexander Gordon Smith, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Paperback from Square Fish coming February 2012.

Fall For Anything, by Courtney Summers, published by St. Martin's Griffin.

See all 2012 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

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And last but not least, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has released its list of 2012 Notable Children's Books:

Younger

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, published by Chronicle Books.

Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith, published by Roaring Brook Press.

Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal, published by Chronicle Books.

Prudence Wants a Pet, by Cathleen Daly, Illus. by Stephen Michael King. Roaring Brook Press, $16.99. (9781596434684).
 

Middle

America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001 The Day the Towers Fell, by Don Brown, published by Roaring Brook Press.

Breaking Stalin's Nose, by Eugene Yelchin, published by Henry Holt and Company.

 

E-mergency!, by Tom Lichtenheld, illustrated by Ezra Fields-Meyer, published by Chronicle Books.

Lemonade, and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word, by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger, published by Roaring Brook Press.

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists, published by First Second.

Underground, by Shane Evans, published by Roaring Brook Press.

 

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, published by Henry Holt.

Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke, illustrated by Ben Hatke, published by First Second.

 

 

Older

Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol, published by First Second.

Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917, by Sally M. Walker, published by Henry Holt.

 

 

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, by Karen Blumenthal, published by Roaring Brook Press.

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck, by Margarita Engle, published by Henry Holt.

 

All Ages

Press Here, by Hervé Tullet, published by Chronicle Books.

 

See all ALSC 2012 Notable Children's Books.

 

 

So many great books to add to your "To Read" pile!

 

UPDATE: Also check out the YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults!

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Notes From A Children’s Book Publicist- Volume Six

by Crystal
Kids + News + Picture Books + Vancouver + YA Fiction / July 13, 2011

 

 

Happy Reading!

Crystal

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The Irwin Family on Oprah

by Dan
Animals & Nature + Kids / January 21, 2011

As Siobhan mentioned yesterday, 12-year-old author Bindi Irwin and her family were guests on the Oprah Winfrey show this week.

You can see a clip of mom Terri Irwin talking about moving forward after losing her husband, the famous "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, and about her amazing children Bindi and 7-year-old Robert on Oprah's website. 

You can also take an exclusive video tour of the Australia Zoo in Brisbane with Bindi here. 

The first book in Bindi's Wildlife Adventures series, Trouble at the Zoo, is available now.

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Bindi and Oprah

by Siobhan
Kids / January 20, 2011

Tune in to Oprah today to watch one of our newest (and youngest) authors!

On Thursday, January 20, Bindi Irwin, mom, Terri, and brother, Robert, will appear on Part 3 of Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure!  The show is paying special tribute to Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, including how the family has continued conservation efforts, and how Bindi is now spreading messages of wildlife conservation and kid empowerment through her new chapter book series, Bindi Wildlife Adventures.

Bindi Wildlife Adventures (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Juvenile Fiction/Chapter Book; Ages 7–10) is a fast-paced series featuring Bindi herself!  The stories are inspired and co-created by Bindi and also feature the characters of Robert, Terri, and the Australia Zoo. The first book in the series, Trouble at the Zoo, is available now.  Rescue! will be released in April, followed by Bushfire! and Camouflage in June, and two more titles in fall 2011.

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High Fart Content

by Sarah
Humour + Kids / March 15, 2010

Every month, readers across the country enter the newsletter contest to win new books published by Raincoast's client publishers. I love getting feedback on the books I send and today I received an email from Pat in Waterloo, Ontario, winner of the February draw for Bart King's The Big Book of Gross Stuff (which Siobhan blogged about last week). He said:

I am now convinced that putting the word "FART" in any book will get boys to read.

Dion [Pat's 8-year-old] has barely put the book down, and has read to me the same sections at least two or three times with a laugh that brings a smile to all parents' faces." The Big Book of Gross Stuff "has brought a lot of laughter into our house over the weekend and it has a little boy reading it over and over."

Lucky Pat will get to fully enjoy the bounty of Bart's latest book on Wednesday; apparently Dion is creating a gift of fake vomit using Cheez Whiz and green food colouring. Happy birthday, Dad! Can you say ewwww?

If you'd like to learn more about Raincoast's latest offerings, and take a chance at winning some cool (and gross!) books, sign up for the Kids' Book newsletter.

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