Stormbreaker

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, 2000

Stormbreaker is the first novel in the popular Alex Rider series. The opening line sets the tone for the rest of the book: "When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news." The bad news for 14 year old Alex is that his guardian, Uncle Ian, has been killed. The events surrounding the death do not make sense to him so he begins an investigation of his own. As Alex uncovers the truth about his uncle's work, he is drawn into the world of MI6. As he works to unravel the mystery of his uncle's final days he must use all his smarts and skills to stay alive.

The action includes explosions, car chases, parachute drops and karate kicks and keeps the pages turning. This is a terrific choice for guys who want lots of zap, pow, and boom in their reading.

I have already started the second book, so far, so excellent!

Alex has his own website if you want to learn more.

Children's Illustrator Blog Ring

Nice webring of children's illustrators who blog. As children visit their sites, they do not allow profanity or topics unsuitable for kids.

Back from TLA

I just spent the last three days in Austin, Texas attending the Texas Library Association annual conference. I collected a very tall stack of ARCs. There are new books coming from Meg Cabot and Joan Bauer! Youngest daughter slipped Ready or Not (a sequel to All-American Girl) out of the stack and has been reading steadily ever since. Meg Cabot's heroine, Samantha has already saved the life of the President of the United States and began dating the "first son." This title looks like it is more in that vein. I enjoyed All-American Girl immensely. Hope this one is as much fun.

Boys longing for "action" fiction

I have been brainstorming with a librarian friend for a student who wants books with lots of action. In the Sunday Times, author, Charles Higson offers his take on this reading interest. Higson is author of Silverfin, the first book in a new series about a young James Bond.

Why aren’t more thrillers being written for kids? When you look at the types of films and computer games the average 12-year-old boy enjoys — action, explosions, car chases and fights . . . lots of fights — it seems crazy. Go into any bookshop, and the children’s books shelves are groaning under the weight of either fantasy books about dragons, wizards and goblins or Jacqueline Wilson-style mundane reality. I long to see at least one cover showing two big muscly guys pounding the crap out of each other while a building explodes in the background.

The Independent had another article on this topic. It is "in the air" now. I am looking for Silver Fin and Jimmy Coates: Killer at TLA this week.

Next month sees the publication of Jimmy Coates: Killer, the hotly tipped first novel by a young Cambridge philosophy student, Joseph Craig, who admits to being a fan of movies like The Bourne Identity.

The Sea of Trolls

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, 2004

Reading this book is like enjoying a fabulous meal where all the flavors, , colors and aromas are perfectly balanced. No one thing stands out as the item that "made" the meal but the overall effect is a satisfying and unforgettable experience.

Jack has been accepted for training by a bard. When the berserkers arrive to pillage and burn his Saxon village, Jack is abducted along with his young sister Lucy by the frightening Norse men. He must develop his fledgling skills as a bard to save them both.

The story is rich and steeped in Norse mythology. A reader who is a fan of Tolkein senses the professor at his elbow as the story unfolds. Under the protection and enslavement of Olaf One-Brow, Jack attracts the enmity of the evil Queen Frith and must embark on a quest to free his little sister from the queen's death sentence. He is accompanied by a wiley crow named Brave Heart and his glory driven shipmate, Thorgill.

So many interests came together for me in this book, Beowulf, Tolkein, Norse mythology: this was a very satisfying read.

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Those interesting little coincidences in life:

I was just trading emails about the Alex Rider series with a librarian friend yesterday and this article about Anthony Horwitz and the series shows up in The Telegraph today.

"Where my earlier heroes had belonged in the world of children's literature, Alex doesn't. He's stumbled into the wrong world. If there's a single reason why the books have done so well I think it's down to his unwillingness to deal with these adventures, the fact that he is so manipulated, lied to, cheated."

Basically what this means is that Alex has teenage angst. Writ very large. He's a spy and he doesn't want to be. MI6 provides him with fabulous gadgets - exploding chewing gum, a missile- launching bike, an iPod that listens through walls - but it is always his courage and ingenuity that save the day. And does anyone thank him? You bet they don't. "He's saved the world five times in a few months and all he's got for it is a bad school report," jokes Horowitz.

Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards

The 18th annual Kids Choice award for Favorite Book went to "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events."
Yahoo reports that Will Smith had some thoughtful words for young viewers when he received his award .

Smith insisted that the audience quiet down and listen after he accepted his award from his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Chris Rock. He encouraged the crowd to make reading a habit, telling them books contain all the answers they will ever need.

"There is no problem you can have that some person hasn't had before and solved," and then written about, he said.

Update: Andersen 2005

Nice NPR piece:
"Danes Mark Hans Christian Andersen Bicentennial" by Scott Simon

Going to TLA?

Greg Leitich Smith has an Austin Restaurant Guide for hungry librarian-conference-goers.

Thanks to Cynsations for the tip.

Andersen 2005

It is going to be the year of Hans Christian Andersen around the world.

BBC has an article on a three day star-studded celebration of Andersen's life this weekend.

Some 40,000 people are expected to pack Copenhagen's Parken Stadium on 2 April, for a "Once upon a time" show which will celebrate the writer and his work, as well as signal the beginning of 'Andersen Year'.

According to the organisers, the star-studded show, featuring musicians, acrobats and dancers, and based on 12 of Andersen's most famous stories will be "the most spectacular fairy tale ever".

The Toledo Blade has an very informative piece on the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth including good information about his life and his place in the literary canon.

In the article author Jane Yolen makes a useful observation in the article:

"I think that Andersen's stories have come into such common usage - The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid images, in particular - that we hardly remember they were his own inventions," says Jane Yolen, a critically acclaimed children's author of more than 200 books, including poetry, folk tales, and novels.

Update: Semicolon has lots of great HCA links in the April 2 post.