Jacky Ha-Ha Written by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein Illustrated by Kerascoёt* Jimmy Patterson Books    3/21/2016 978-0-316-26249-1 380 pages    Ages 8—12 “Hey, bet I can make you laugh! “With a name like Jacky Ha-Ha, that’s what I was born to do! You could say I am an expert on wisecracks, pranks, gags, and …

Okay, a little background before we launch into this one.  Before Chris Grabenstein wrote Mr. Lemoncello’s Library (a book for which he is justifiably famous) he wrote a whole heaping helpful of other books.  For decades.  Seriously, the man has paid his dues.  Now he has a new book out with absolutely zip, zero, zilch Lemoncello ties and I get to reveal the cover.  Here’s what makes me happy about this:

1. There is a pink flamingo involved.
2. Motels make me happy, which I’ll admit is odd but there you go.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you . . . Welcome to Wonderland.

A beauty, yes?

And as a delicious little closing, here’s an interview I conducted with said Mr. Grabenstein last year. Note the truly amazing images behind his head.  Now THAT is what a children’s author’s home should look like people.  Stuffs stuffs n’ more stuffs.

We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending Jan. 10, 2016–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.

(Debuted at # 2 in Early & Middle Grade Readers) Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein: “Welcome, boys and girls, readers of all ages, to the first-ever Library Olympiad! Kyle and his teammates are back, and the world-famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is at it again!” (Jan. 2016)

(Debuted at #3 in Hardcover Nonfiction) Spark Joy by Marie Kondo: “Marie Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She also provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. With guidance on specific categories including kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, hobby goods, and digital photos, this comprehensive companion is sure to spark joy in anyone who wants to simplify their life.” (Jan. 2016)

(Debuted at #10 in Hardcover Fiction) The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian: “When Kristin Chapman agrees to let her husband, Richard, host his brother’s bachelor party, she expects a certain amount of debauchery. She brings their young daughter to Manhattan for the evening, leaving her Westchester home to the men and their hired entertainment. What she does not expect is this: bacchanalian drunkenness, her husband sharing a dangerously intimate moment in the guest room, and two women stabbing and killing their Russian bodyguards before driving off into the night.” (Jan. 2016)

Take a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books and let us know which titles and covers catch your eyes. There are so many amazing new kids books coming in 2016!

Hi all!

Okay. For this month’s Fuse #8 TV I decided to premiere a new series.

*ahem*

Introducing:

Reading (Too Much Into) Picture Books

Ladies and gentlemen, I like a good conspiracy theory.  Nothing makes my heart go pitter pat faster than an opinion about a picture book that takes a right hand turn into Crazyville.  Trouble is, there just aren’t enough out there.  Sure, you can tell me that Horton Hears a Who is anti-abortion and Rainbow Fish is pro-Communist but sometimes it feels like I’ve heard them all.  Time to shake things up a little!

Announcing a series where I make up crazed interpretations of classic picture books.  This month: Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley.  We all know it.  We love it.  Now what’s the kookiest theory you can come up with for it?  I say my own and it’s a doozy.  I’m weirdly proud about it.

After that I interview the very fun, funny, and infinitely patient Chris Grabenstein. Chris has a new middle grade novel out this year called The Island of Dr. Libris.  He entertains my questions and then pulls out this Jim Henson story that will seriously make your eyes water.  I’m not even kidding about that.

Enjoy!

This month, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, by Dave Shelton, is still The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book. And we're very happy to add Brown Girl Dreaming to our selection from the nationwide best selling middle grade books.

This month, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, by Dave Shelton, is The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book. Our selection from the nationwide best selling middle grade books, as they appear on The New York Times, still features books by super-talents R.J. Palacio and Rick Riordan and also includes the powerful story I Am Malala.

Popular series, a new addition to the American Girl conglomerate, and a Disney Frozen book make this month's selection of best new kids books totally a kids' choice list!

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, by Chris Grabenstein, is about a madcap competition where kids search bookrooms based on the Dewey Decimal system, examine mysterious library cards, solve rebuses, compare assigned readings, and encounter holograms of authors who offer timely tips.

We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending December 07, 2014–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.

(Debuted at #7 in Paperback Fiction) The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami: “A lonely boy, a mysterious girl, and a tormented sheep man plot their escape from the nightmarish library of internationally acclaimed, best-selling Haruki Murakami’s wild imagination.” (December 2014)

(more…)

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Collective Digital Studio will develop a five-part animated web series inspired by James Patterson’s forthcoming book, House of Robots. The story follows a fifth grader named Sammy and his robot named E (which stands for “Error”).

Here’s more from the press release: “It was never easy for Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez to fit in, so he is less than thrilled when his genius mom insists he brings her newest invention to school: a walking, talking robot he calls E—for ‘Error.’  The web series brings to life several scenes from the book as Sammy discovers the amazing secret E holds that could change him and his family forever…if all goes well on the trial run!”

The video embedded above features the House of Robots book trailer. The first episode will debut on the FЯED YouTube channel on November 28th. Each subsequent installment will be posted on Fridays.

Chris Grabenstein, Patterson’s collaborator for the I, Funny and Treasure Hunters series, served as the co-author for House of Robots. Juliana Neufeld, the artist behind the Treasure Hunters series, created the illustrations for this new project. Little Brown Books for Young Readers will publish the book on November 24th.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This month we have some truly intelligent fiction for our middle grade readers that really are must-reads. The Children's Book Review's best selling middle grade book is a regular on the list: Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, by Matthew Reinhart.

In Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, author Chris Grabenstein cleverly captures reader’s imaginations by combining the suspense of a thrilling game with the majestic nostalgia of great libraries, librarians, books and authors of past and present.

Chris Grabenstein is an award-winning author of books for children and adults, a playwright, screenwriter, and former advertising executive and improvisational comedian. Winner of two Anthony and three Agatha Awards, he is also the co-author with James Patterson of The New York Times bestseller I FUNNY.

My public library kindly reminded me that I have 8 books due soon.  BUT  I only read FIVE of them.  NO!

So here are three of the books I read this week:

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein.  (Grades 5 through 7) Our hero isn't much for reading but he does like to play games.  No, make that LOVES to play games.  And his game designing hero is Mr. Lemoncello, a rags-to-riches game board, video game designer.  Mr. Lemoncello owes a great deal to his public library so he builds an enormous, incredible new public library and runs a contest for children to win a lock-in overnight at this amazing place.
Our hero's original entry into the contest is awful but he decides to try again, inspired by some of the odd rules in Mr. Lemoncello's games.  And he wins.

He wins more than just an overnight full of games, food, fun, with some treachery thrown in to spice things up.  Our hero learns about trusting his own strengths, teamwork and some interesting new rules to the game of life. 

This is a quick, exciting, action packed read with enough trickery to keep easily bored readers amused.  I hope the publisher's put out a board game based on this book.  I'd buy it!

The Apprentices by Maile Meloy. (Grades 7 and up) Janie Scott hasn't seen the apothecary's son, Benjamin, for two years but she still feels connected to him.  Her memories of him are foggy thanks to the tea Benjamin's father gave her.  (Read The Apothecary to learn more.)  The year is 1954 and the world is still reeling from the impact of the Atom bomb - a danger that Ben's dad and friends are working so hard to contain.   Ben finds a way to communicate with Janie even though they are continents apart.  Janie's roommate's father wants the knowledge that Janie, Ben, their friends and the mystical book the Pharmaecopia have and he will do anything to get it - kidnap, steal, even murder....

Reading the first book is recommended.  But a first reader can muddle through.  Ben and his father are caught up in the battles in Indochina when Janie is....OK.  No spoilers.  This is an adventure for a more practiced reader since the narrative bounces from character to character.  Readers may learn something about the period after WWII and a bit about the Cold War, too.
 
The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher. (Grades 4? through 7, maybe older)  Sophie Young and her best fried, Grace Yang, love to spy on their neighbors but the new guidance counselor is far and away their weirdest subject.  When they witness a scene of "HORROR" through her windows, the two girls find themselves disgraced and beleaguered.  Things go from bad to worse and soon the girls don't know who to trust.

The writing is lively and fun.  Sophie and Grace come from such different backgrounds that their friendship eventually falters.   But does it fail??  Sophie's disgrace pushes her into an odd friendship at school.  And that counselor??  She's pretty freaky, all right.

Tune in tomorrow to read reviews of the other two books - or maybe even three that I managed to finish.

Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: September 15, 2010

Trick-or-treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to read!

Well, it doesn’t quite rhyme, but I do wish that people gave out kids’ books instead of candy during Halloween.

For those of us that really enjoy Halloween— you know who you are: you’ve had your child’s costume since July, you’re dying for a visit to the pumpkin patch, and you’re dreaming of ways to make Halloween last longer than one fabulous day and night—this is the list you’ve been waiting for. There’s the silly, the spooky, the scary, and everything in between. No tricks here—only treats!

Picture Books

ZEN GHOSTS

by Jon J. Muth

Publisher’s synopsis: It’s Halloween.