Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/content/89/5931989/html/wp-content/plugins/wp-twitter-timeline/wp-twitter-timeline.php on line 236
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I’ve been a big reader for about as long as I can remember. I started with nursery rhymes, fairytales, and various picture books. When I was a little older, I moved onto Beverley Cleary’s books, in particular Ramona and Her Father, The Babysitter’s Club series, Kit Pearson, Cynthia Voigt, R.L. Stine, and Christopher Pike, among others. However, a conversation that I had recently on Facebook with an old classmate suggested to me that my love of reading was by far the norm. As the organizer’s behind the National Reading Campaign gear up for The National Book Count, which takes place between January 10-16, 2011, I’m let wondering whether we’re still going to consider ourselves a nation of readers after the official results are in.
Don’t get me wrong — I really want to believe that our long held beliefs and pride aren’t without merit. In fact, the idea of understanding how many books for adults as well as children and teens are buying and checking out of their local libraries in a random January week will give concerned librarians, booksellers, parent activists, authors, teachers, bloggers, publishers, and corporate leaders some pretty valuable information. First, it’ll give us the ultimate answer to this burning question, “How central is reading to Canadians in 2011?”
Moreover, it’ll give the organizers an understanding of the number books that Canadians currently acquire for themselves, through both purchase at a retail or online location and library circulation, which will then serve as a baseline that can be use to compare Canadians’ reading levels in years to come. In addition, the same data will be used to compare how central reading is in Canada vs. any other countries that invest in a national book count.
Have books and reading been replaced by other activities, like exercising or competing in sports, or by other technologies, like video gaming, TV watching, or Internet browsing, in Canada? By Wednesday, January 19, 2011, we will not only have the results of this book count, but also we’ll have a better idea about what kind of work the remaining two TD National Reading Summits, in Montreal on January 20-21, 2011 and at a later date, in Vancouver, will need to do in order to maintain our literary pride. One thing is for sure, with a survey including 80% of the retail book sales and the book circulation habits of approximately 10 million Canadians, the results of the first ever national book count in Canada will give us a significant understanding of the importance of reading to Canadians now and in the future.
According to an article published in USA Today a few days ago, Chloe Moretz, the young actor best known for her role as Hit Girl in the movie Kick Ass, is leading the search for someone to play the role of Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming Hunger Games movie. Fans have been selecting their actor picks all summer long (and perhaps even long before the lead up to Mockingjay‘s August 24, 2010 release). According to this article, Moretz “has the inside track to star in the film adaptation for the first movie.” They also mentioned that Twilight‘s Kristen Stewart is on most of the online shortlists as well.
I’m a fan, and I have to admit that while Kick Ass was a great movie, and Moretz was perfect for Hit Girl, I’m not so sure that she would translate well into the role of Katniss. Sure, she has proven her versatility as a action adventure hero and more dramatic roles in other films, but as a 13-year-old, won’t she be a little too young? Katniss is 16 at the beginning of The Hunger Games and though she is described, as some of the comments pointed out, a bit malnourished and under-developed in the first novel, I have a hard time believing that she could convincingly portray a girl that much older. The benefit, of course, is that by the time the final movie gets released, she’ll still be an appropriate age, but will she be the appropriate size? Katniss is short, and while Moretz might qualify now, there is a good chance that she could grow 4 or more inches in the intervening years. (I know I did).
Do these issues of a characters age and height matter to fans? Do you think that Chloe Moretz has the look appropriate to play Katniss or not? Do you really all think that Moretz is the best actor for the job? You know my opinion, but I still want to hear yours. Let me know what you think about her playing your favorite YA heroine on the big screen and if it’s not her, who do you think should play the role?
When I was a young child and tween, I had a love of fairy tales like no other. I say that, and you’re probably thinking, “Well, that’s what she says, but the truth is that I had a love of fairy tales that can’t compare with anyone else.” Or quite possibly you’ll be thinking, “Really…as a tween, you loved…fairy tales?” Whatever your reaction to my confession, I stand by my word on this one, and if you think that meant I was a little sheltered 12 year-old girl, then you’re probably right on that account.
Even as I read the unabridged version of Little Women and started ravenously devouring the Christopher Pike books that became popular when I was a young adult, the impact of fairy tales (or as I prefer to think of them, faerie tales) was still something I felt very deeply. In fact, around this time, I would sometimes imagine myself as Cinderella, though less in the beautiful princess, and more in the young girl forced to do unwanted chores for my grandmother, like cleaning out the kitty litter box and being forced to spend time in the basement with the children while the grownups talked about grownup things. Melodramatic, just a bit…?
Okay, no, you’re right, it was actually a whole lot more melodramatic than “just a bit,” but the point is that faeries stories made up a huge part of my understanding of the world at the time. Even now, I feel the effects of these stories on my early adolescence, so it shouldn’t be overly surprising that the latest news I’ve heard about the children’s book publishing market brought back these memories this morning. You see, I just read in Publisher’s Weekly that Kandide And The Secret Of
The original cover for the self-published version of 'Kandide.'
The Mists is getting picked up by Scholastic for a 40,000-copy print run and will be one of the featured selections that they sell in not only the Scholastic Book Club, but also their Book Fairs. “So what,” you’re probably thinking, right? I wouldn’t blame you since Mockingjay has a first print run 1.2 million copies. However, there is something you might not know yet, something that you need to know before you walk away with a complete understanding of the faerie tale I’m weaving.
If it was only that Scholastic decided to publish this book, then it wouldn’t be a faerie tale. The truth is that the author, Diana Zimmerman actually decided to go the self-pub route after being unable to find either an agent or a publisher for her firstnovel in The Calabiyau Chronicles series. She pushed hard to get the word out about her novel, and over the course of the last two years sold 12,000 copies on her own. Her efforts were something that the people at Scholastic couldn’t ignore, so now, her novel about a faery princess will finally make it into the big leagues of the publishing world. Yay…it’s a faerie tale a fait accompli!
On an interesting side note, the article in Publisher’s Weekly states that while many independent bookstores refused to sell her novel in it’s self-published form, she was able to break down the resistance of Barnes & Noble because of her commitment to promoting the book herself. It makes this reviewer wonder whether or not both big name and independent stores will begin to reconsider offering some self-published fiction to their clients. What do you think about this story? Do you think that self-published novels have a greater chance of success than they once did? Or do you plan on sticking to your traditionally published novels and that’s it?
Award shows crop up now and again, and they’re presented by both small and large organizations. Sometimes it is the big players, including those who advertise most heavily with the organization in question who have the best chance at winning (trust me, I’ve seen this in action in industries other than the publication one). However, every once in awhile, you’ll see a new set of awards, and you can tell that the company really did select the best of the best to represent each of the categories. Indigo’s Teen Read Awards is one such award show that is one of the latter.
One of the things that I like about this particular YA novel award show is that Indigo hasn’t just selected a list of nominees for the short list and selected the winner behind closed doors. Rather, they have created TeenReadAwards.ca where Canadians between the ages of 11 and 18 from all across Canada, except for Quebec, can vote up to 10 times daily for their favorite books in each category. If you’re under 18, you’ll have to jump through a few hoops before you can register, namely get a parent or guardian to given you permission. It might be a bit of a drag, but it’s actually the law for non-moderated websites in Canada, so don’t blame Indigo! (I’m sure that they would have planned it otherwise if they could).
Once you register, then you can start voting. But what can you vote for? Well, for the first annual Teen Read Awards, Indigo has come up with the following 10 categories: Best Read, Best All-Time Fave, Best Teen Series, Best Book-To-Flick, Best New Writer, Best Hero, Best Villain, Best Hottie, Best Lip Lock, and Best Canadian Read. Go to TeenReadAwards.ca and check out which of your favorite books made the cut and get your votes in to make sure they win.
Voting has already begun, but you still have till July 25, 2010 to get your voice heard. At the same time, voting gives you the chance to win any of their daily prizes, including Indigo giftcards, Cineplex movie ticket, and Kobo eReaders, as well as an undisclosed grand prize. Once the voting is over, there is still something to look forward to, The Teen Read Awards Night in Toronto on September 25, 2010!
Since the April 2009 release of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, the book publishing world has been inundated with books in the monster mashup genre. It is what I like to call this the monster mashup phenomenon. Call it what you will, it doesn’t change the fact that, “They did the mash[up]. They did the monster mash[up]. The monster mash[up]. It was a grave yard smash[-up]. Was that cheezy enough for you? Yeah, me too – I’ve been wanting to write that all day.
While many other articles debate the literariness of the monster mashup phenomenon, From Mash-Up Novels to Crowdsourced Films equates the mashup genre with those of different art forms. Every type of cultural outlet, whether based in film, music, art, or literature, has at one time or another, gotten the mashup approach to creating something new. One such example is a great documentary called Rip! A Remix Manifesto, which you can watch for free online, download or even create your own movie mashup here. If you haven’t seen it, you have to check it out! While the film documents music and film remix art, the same concepts can be applied to understand the current literary Frankensteins of the publishing world. With public domain novels like Austen’s books, does sharing and remixing them protect “the free exchange of ideas and the future of art and culture” (Rip!)?
Whatever your opinion of the monster mashup, the strong-hold that this literary genre seems to have on both the publishing world and its target audience won’t change anytime soon. Gina Bernal from Speakeasy asks and attempts to answer whether one can kill a publishing fad that refuses to die. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies was so overwhelmingly successful that it has spawned some other “undead” books. By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll align yourself with one of two extremes: is any author or classic safe from the invasion of monsters OR bring on the zombies, sea monsters, vampires, werewolves and robot invasion.
Actually, maybe there is another possiblity. Maybe, like Selena Chambers states in this astute article, you think that some of these monstrous reincarations actually have a place, but others, well, let’s just say that they’d be better off with some slippery green goo leaking out of the decapitated heads. Chambers believes that novels like P&P&Z and Sense And Sensibility And Sea Monsters, are “juvenile and cheap.” From her explanation, I gathered that fart jokes and other slap stick types of humor were infiltrating some much beloved Austen novels. Not exactly what literary types would have in mind, but people are buying so someone must feel there is value (even if only viral marketing buzz). She seems to think that
On the other hand, she names novels like Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride And Prometheus as books, which explore the monster mashup genre in an original and thought-provoking, post modern way. It seems that sometimes, the dead should stay dead, and other times, the undead are a welcome addition to our paranormal teen fiction. Still, Chambers article leaves me wondering where she thinks Jane Slayre fits into the equation (she wrote article before it’s official release).
What do you think? Is there a benefit to allowing popular culture to flourish with less-than literary remixes of classic novels? Does parody degrade the initial text or does it perhaps, get people interested in the original classic novels? Should we value only those books which adhere to our understanding of originality or is there room for the expansion of ideas within books that form the literary canon? What do you think the authors of the original texts would say about these literary “abominations”? Finally, is there a potential to reach between the lines, to expand ideas presented in the current monster mashup genre in the way that remix music and film has already done successfully? Join the conversation and have your say.
Reading has always been an activity that I enjoyed. I’ve been on real live adventures to foreign lands, but not so much in my teen years. Books let me explore the world from a fresh perspective, find sympathy for characters going through similar things and let my imagination run around with that of my favorite authors. However, my sister was far less interested in reading during her YA years, and in a time where iPods and gaming systems are occupying the attentions of the youth, I think that promoting Children’s Book Week, which runs from May 10th to May 15th, is more important than ever. If you know a young adult who only reads when they “have to,” why not suggest one of these great books for them to check out this week?
Check out some of the YA books we’ve reviewed already:
“Teen” might not be in the name of Children’s Book Week, but young adults and the young at heart should take this opportunity to pick up one of the highly recommended YA books on YA Book Shelf and beyond. You may find that your efforts will be rewarded by creating a life-long reader of YA fiction. What are you reading this week?
No matter what you think of The Twilight Saga, you have to admit that since it was first introduced in 2005, it has become one of the biggest success stories among YA books. According to Wikipedia, it sold the most copies of any book in 2008 – the same year that the first film adaptation was released – and up till now has sold 17 million copies worldwide. So maybe my comment above that Stephanie Meyer’s first novel is “one of the biggest success stories” is a bit of an understatement after all.
Despite these facts, there is some controversy and thus, room for discussion, when it comes to things that have occurred within the YA publishing industry as a direct result of the marketing machine that is TheTwilightSaga. For example, back in late September, Harper Collins rebranded the classic novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë with a Twilight-esque look and tagline. If you click on the image of Wuthering Heights above, you’ll have a better idea of what I mean. However, for the sake of convenience, I’ll say here that I’m sure many teens would jump on the Brontë bandwagon if they were to know that it was “Bella And Edward’s Favorite Book” among other selling points. Personally, I have to side with the author of an Entertainment Weekly article on the subject, who says that she is all for “decisions that encourage young readers to pick up the classics.” I mean, how could I think otherwise when I studied literature, especially the Victorian variety for so many years.
Since EW first published their article, however, a number of other points of interest have popped up. In another article, this time by Twilight Examiner, it becomes apparent that the profit motivation behind the re-packaging of Wuthering Heights has really paid off. Before Twilight came on the scene, Brontë’s classic novel sold around 9,000 copies a year. However, since the Twilight-inspired reissue, sales for the year have jumped to a whopping 34,023 copies! Not only has Wuthering Heights been reissued though, butalso both Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice and William Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet have gotten the Twilight treatment. I don’t know about you, but this book blogger is exceedingly interested in how these Twil-mania editions will fare. Perhaps by next year, we’ll have some great stats about them as well.
Now, we know that these re-imaginings of some great classics (or at least one of them for now) are successfully using the Twilight frenzy to earn more money, even in these tough economic times. However, a twitter conversation that I had with another book blogger recently (@brimeetsbooks) suggested that maybe all is not well in the Twil-mania world. Max Turner’s Night Runner was originally marketed to the male teen audience when it was first released in 2008, or so I’m told. I wasn’t able to find any statistics on how well it sold, but since the Twilight machine has kept going strong, it’s not surprising that the rumored cover of the sequel, End Of Days is a little less male target audience and a little more Twilight romance (see the picture at the top of this post).
Now, I want to know what you think: does a romantic and Twilight-esque cover mean it’s less likely that boys will pick up the sequel to Max Turner’s Night Runner? Will a reliance on Twilight imagery for increased sales mean that both the classic novels and plays mentioned above and End Of Days will become vulnerable to a possible backlash when the series wanes in popularity? Marketing decisions that we make today, don’t always end the way we want them to, so I think that these questions are not only important to ask, but also important to discuss. Join the conversation and let me know your opinion!
Buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson Publisher: Penguin Books Format: Hardcover, audiobook Authors: John Green & David Levithan
Even before it’s April 6th release, the Interweb was abuzz with news about the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Hearing about the hype isn’t surprising at all because this novel is a collaboration between John Green and David Levithan, who are two heavyweights in the YA literature circles. Their reputations definitely proceed them from their previous novels, including Levithan’s Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and Green’s Going After Alaska. If you’re reading the news about their latest book and wondering whether it’s all just hype and nothing more, then you might want to think again.
Meeting someone with the same birthday as you is pretty rare: I’ve only met two in my life. However, running into someone with an identical first and last name is considerably less frequent. (Unless, of course, you had the misfortune of unimaginative parents, who decided on Jane Doe or Chris Smith). However, in WillGrayson,WillGrayson this unusual situation is exactly what happens to two teens, who are both the titular characters of their own stories. In case you haven’t had your ear plugged into either the Twitterverse or blogosphere, then it might be worth noting that a lot of the hype is about the realistic portrayal of a teen coming out as one of the Will Graysons is gay. Those of us who are web savvy will also appreciate the way in which this novel adeptly demonstrates how being part of the Internet generation affects today’s (and ostensibly tomorrows) teens.
While I haven’t read the book yet, and believe me I’m certainly looking forward to doing just that, I’ve scoured the Web to find articles discussing the book, interviews of one or both of the writers and even a video featuring the authors reading from the book. If you want to get a taste of how equally moving and funny this novel is, then you need to check out the following reading:
See, didn’t I tell you that the novel is hiliarious? Well, if you weren’t sure about whether you should buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson before reading this post, then I’m pretty sure that most of you are going to make that leap in 5, 4, 3, 1.
Buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson Publisher: Penguin Books Format: Hardcover, audiobook Authors: John Green & David Levithan
Even before it’s April 6th release, the Interweb was abuzz with news about the novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Hearing about the hype isn’t surprising at all because this novel is a collaboration between John Green and David Levithan, who are two heavyweights in the YA literature circles. Their reputations definitely proceed them from their previous novels, including Levithan’s Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist and Green’s Looking For Alaska. If you’re reading the news about their latest book and wondering whether it’s all just hype and nothing more, then you might want to think again.
Meeting someone with the same birthday as you is pretty rare: I’ve only met two in my life. However, running into someone with an identical first and last name is considerably less frequent. (Unless, of course, you had the misfortune of unimaginative parents, who decided on Jane Doe or Chris Smith). However, in WillGrayson,WillGrayson this unusual situation is exactly what happens to two teens, who are both the titular characters of their own stories. In case you haven’t had your ear plugged into either the Twitterverse or blogosphere, then it might be worth noting that a lot of the hype is about the realistic portrayal of a teen coming out as one of the Will Graysons is gay. Those of us who are web savvy will also appreciate the way in which this novel adeptly demonstrates how being part of the Internet generation affects today’s (and ostensibly tomorrows) teens.
While I haven’t read the book yet, and believe me I’m certainly looking forward to doing just that, I’ve scoured the Web to find articles discussing the book, interviews of one or both of the writers and even a video featuring the authors reading from the book. If you want to get a taste of how equally moving and funny this novel is, then you need to check out the following reading:
See, didn’t I tell you that the novel is hiliarious? Well, if you weren’t sure about whether you should buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson before reading this post, then I’m pretty sure that most of you are going to make that leap in 5, 4, 3, 1.
I’ve been a big reader for about as long as I can remember. I started with nursery rhymes, fairytales, and various picture books. When I was a little older, I moved onto Beverley Cleary’s books, in particular Ramona and Her Father, The Babysitter’s Club series, Kit Pearson, Cynthia Voigt, R.L. Stine, and Christopher Pike, among others. However, a conversation that I had recently on Facebook with an old classmate suggested to me that my love of reading was by far the norm. As the organizer’s behind the National Reading Campaign gear up for The National Book Count, which takes place between January 10-16, 2011, I’m let wondering whether we’re still going to consider ourselves a nation of readers after the official results are in.
According to an article published in USA Today a few days ago, Chloe Moretz, the young actor best known for her role as Hit Girl in the movie Kick Ass, is leading the search for someone to play the role of Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming Hunger Games movie. Fans have been selecting their actor picks all summer long (and perhaps even long before the lead up to 
