Jimmy Coates: Assassin

Jimmy Coates: Assassin?, by Joe Craig, June 2005

Jimmy Coates is a normal eleven year old kid with an annoying sister and parents who love him. Then the doorbell rings and his "normal" life is over. A tall man with a thin tie enters their family's home and announces "We've come for the boy." When his mother yells, "JIMMY RUN!" something clicks in him and he finds he can run, jump, dodge and defend himself expertly. He crashes through the upstairs window of his bedroom to escape the mystery men and is unhurt.

The book takes off with Jimmy as he runs for his life and tries to understand his new abilities and strength. The action is fast paced as Jimmy learns the devastating truth about secret government agencies, his family, his life and existence.

One aspect of this story that will resonate with readers is Jimmy's struggle to overcome his "programming." He does not want to be the assassin he is programmed to be. His refusal to succumb to his true nature is admirable and reminds us that we all have choices to make in our behavior, despite our background.

I think this book will be a real hit with guys. I am looking forward to seeing what Jimmy's next move will be.

Jimmy Coates: Killer website (UK title)
Background on the author and characters, also a fun game.

Author: Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park is known for her historical fiction including The Kite Fighters (great story about brothers) Seesaw Girl, The Firekeeper's Son and the Newbery award winning A Single Shard. The Kansas City Star has an interview with her.

Her new book is Project Mulberry in which the main character raises silkworms. Park had to do research for the book but:

There was only one problem - Park has a worm phobia. "I have no problem with insects, but worms are icky," she confessed. So she relied on her sister-in-law to raise the silkworms and her mother to spin the silk.

She has a website and reading blog.

Free Comic Book Day

May 7 is Free Comic Book Day 2005. Here are some of the FAQ from the website.

What is "Free Comic Book Day?"

As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world are giving away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores.

Are they really free?

Yep!

Is every comic book store in the world doing this?

If you're asking about convenience stores with a spinner rack of comics in a corner somewhere, the answer is no. This event celebrates the independent comic book specialty stores, thousands of which exist in North America alone. Each one is unique in its community, with a style and personality all its own, and each one carries a full line of comics, graphic novels, and related products.

While we hope every one of these stores will take part, each store will determine on its own whether or not to participate.

What's the big deal about comic books anyway?

Comic books are an original American art form, created in the early days of the twentieth century. They are fun to read, featuring a wide range of diverse storylines that capture the imagination of the readers, and have survived: the dominance of radio, the ubiquity of television, the spread of color and sound motion pictures, the rise of videogames, and the Internet. That's worth celebrating in our book, and as this site continues to grow and evolve, you'll see even more information about this wonderful medium. To learn more about comic books and their history, go here.

A Precious Gift

George Kyle was a library clerk in the Carpenter branch of the St. Louis Public Library for 46 years. He earned a modest salary and lived quietly. Upon his death the library learned that he had left them a gift of more than $350,000 to buy books.

This is a precious story from the Kansas City Star. Read the whole thing.

Christian Schools Association

Cynsations blogs "the 2005-2006 nominees for the Crown Gallery, Crown, and Lamplighter Awards have been posted by the Christian Schools Association."

There are lots of great books on these lists!

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels are gaining in popularity with readers. Every week I see articles discussing their place in the library and classroom.

My own experience with them in a school library has been very positive. For whatever reason there are students who can read the words in a story but do not see the "movie" playing in their imagination. Comic books bridge that gap in the ability of a reader to call the words and see the story the words are painting. The challenge for librarians is finding materials that fit into the age level of their students.

I attribute my own love of reading to Nancy Drew mysteries and the comic books that my mother purchased for us from a news stand that sold English language materials when we lived overseas.

USAToday has a terrific article on the subject today. The article focuses on Jeff Smith author of the Bone series. He remembers being overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reception he received from an ALA meeting.

The article quotes Jack Gantos (author of Rotten Ralph, Joey Pigza and the Jack Henry books) on the subject.

Jack Gantos, author of the popular Joey Pigza series of children's books, says adults should be delighted by kids' attraction to comic books - or any other lightweight material - if they want them to read heavier books down the road. "Kids have beach reading just like adults have beach reading," he says.

Even French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre loved comic books, Gantos says. "This is a pretty heavy thinker, but he said in his autobiography that he started off reading comic books as a child and that if it wasn't for comic books, he never would have stuck with books.

"That was really where (Sartre) sort of punctured the world of literature and really got excited about books," Gantos says.

This is an excellent article, you should read the whole thing.

Movie: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

USA Today reports that the first movie trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be shown for the first time on ABC Saturday night during the airing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. A longer version will accompany the new Star Wars movie in theaters.

The same Disney that wouldn't foot the bill for its Miramax label to do three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy (New Line Cinema did it, instead) is hoping to launch a seven-part franchise culled from the vivid writings of one of Tolkien's colleagues. As a result, Wardrobe is a lavish spectacle that aims to reach heights of sophistication and scope that haven't been seen in non-animated Disney family films since Mary Poppins floated onto the big screen in 1964.

"This is mature family entertainment," says Narnia producer Mark Johnson, who has overseen such films as The Alamo and The Notebook. He and director Andrew Adamson, responsible for much of the wit and heart found in the Shrek computer-animated comedies, insisted that the digitally rendered animals would push the limits of photo-realism. As Johnson says, "It would be a big mistake if the creatures appear to be cuddly stuffed animals on a little girl's bed."

The folks at Walden Media told me it is their intent to be faithful to C.S. Lewis.

Faithfulness to the source will likely be of higher importance than faith itself. That is where [director Andrew] Adamson comes in. Much as director and fellow New Zealander Peter Jackson used his own love of Tolkien as a guide to bring the Rings trilogy to the screen, Adamson, 38, is relying on the good-vs.-evil battle that unfolded in his imagination as he read the books as an 8-year-old.

"You ultimately can only make something that appeals to your own sensibilities," says Auckland-born Adamson, whose parents were both associate missionaries in Papua New Guinea. "I am not making religion an issue one way or another. It's a story about family. People should take from it what they want to take from it."

Related links:
Narnia Web
Chronicles of Narnia movie site
Into the Wardrobe: a C.S.Lewis website
(He has a recipe for Turkish Delight on this site. No wonder it tastes like roses!)

Zorro

USA Today discusses the continuing interest in the character Zorro created by Johnston McCulley in 1919. Isabel Allende has a new book, Zorro, out this week. Play sets, graphic novels and children's books are in the pipeline.

John Gertz, president of Zorro Productions, which owns the rights to the character, says he's not surprised by the latest surge in popularity.

"Zorro is a superhero, in a way, but he's extremely human," Gertz says. "He has no super powers. He is Everyman made larger without having been bitten by a spider."

Antonio Banderas was a very cool Zorro but MY Zorro will always be Guy Williams. I can sing the theme song now. Sergeant Garcia was the best!

Author: Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer was in town last week. The Houston Chronicle has a write up about his two presentations to standing-room-only crowds. Colfer's books that are favorites in our house include The Wish List, The Supernaturalist, The Legend of Spud Murphy and the Artemis Fowl series. The ending of The Eternity Code was a cliff hanger. I can hardly wait to read The Opal Deception.

From the Q&A session:

...Colfer said he likes the darkness and drama of the latest Artemis Fowl books but the next book will get a lighter, Woody Allen-type character. He noted that only boys think Capt. Holly Short is too cocky. He also said the title of the fifth book would be Artemis Fowl and the Sorcerer's Goblet of Azkaban, then he backtracked and said it would be called The Last Colony. It's due in late 2006 or 2007.

He is a very diverse writer. The article reported he is also working on a crime thriller and a series for young children.

Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2005--Best Juvenile

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett won the Edgar award for the best juvenile mystery from Mystery Writers of America. This book is on the Texas Bluebonnet Reading list for 2005-2006.

I heard author Blue Balliett (pronounced Bally-et) speak at the Texas Library Associaton conference in April. She is a thoughtful and soft spoken presenter who said this past year has been one of the most amazing times of her life.

Chasing Vermeer began as a school assignment for her students at University of Chicago's Laboratory School. She challenged them to write a story that combined mystery and art when they couldn't find another book like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg to read. She felt she should tackle the assignment with them and this book was the result. She jokingly described her writing space as the one place in the house where no one else in her family wanted to be, the laundry room. She shared that she is working on another book with the same characters. This time the mystery will revolve around Frank Lloyd Wright.

Chasing Vermeer has interesting characters, codes, and puzzles. Illustrator Brett Helquist's (of Series of Unfortunate Events fame) incorporates a coded message and accurately depicts the Hyde Park area.

The Scholastic website is worth checking out.