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August 2012 New Children's Book Releases

Keep your kids interested in reading over the summer by picking up one of these new releases:

For younger readers:

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer - certain to be another hilarious tale starring Olivia, the world's most imaginative pig. 



For older readers:

The Heroes of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan - a must-have for Percy Jackson fans.

Survivors #1: The Empty City by Erin Hunter - a new series featuring canines from the author of the bestselling "Warriors" series. 

Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure by James Patterson - can this really be the last novel about Max and her flock?

July 2012 Children's Book Releases

Some great summer reading for kids or those who are kids at heart:

For Younger Readers

The Berenstain Bears' Dinosaur Dig by Jan and Mike Berenstain

King Arthur's Very Great Grandson by Kenneth Kraegel

For Older Readers

How to Train Your Dragon Book 9: How to Steal a Dragon's Sword by Cressida Cowell

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer - don't miss the latest installment in this popular series about the world's youngest criminal mastermind.

Once Upon a Time: Myths About Writing Fairy Tales for Children

Are you looking to write a fairy tale for children?  Watch out for these common misconceptions.

1.  Rewriting an Existing Fairy Tale is Easy

It may be easier to write a story when you already have the plot, but the plot is only part of what makes a good story.

Go to your local library or bookstore and read retold fairy tales that actually got published and consider what about them makes them stand out from the thousands of other versions.  For picture books it is usually the illustrations, so if you are not an artist, you would be wiser to write a chapter book or novel inspired by an existing fairy tale.

2.  Fairy Tales + Zombies = Fame and Fortune

If you want to add a twist to the original fairy tale stories, don't just copy the latest trends - the trend will be over by the time your story could even be published.  Start your own trend by coming up with your own spin to the story.

3.  All of the Good Fairy Tales Are Already Taken


Don't limit yourself to the Grimms' fairy tales.  There are thousands of stories from cultures around the world just waiting for you to discover them.  Even better, try writing an original story.

4.  All I Have to Do is Make it Modern  


Your first instinct may be to retell a fairy tale in the present day, but be warned that this has been overdone. Having Cinderella going to the prom in an orange limo instead of going to the ball in a pumpkin transformed into a carriage is just a gimmick and doesn't substitute for good writing.

And think carefully before giving your Little Red Riding Hood an ipod to listen to on her way through the suburb.  Adding modern technologies can quickly date your story.  

5.  You Don't Have to Worry About Copyright


While the original version of Snow White is not copyrighted, the plot to the movie "Snow White and the Huntsman" is.  Similarly, you cannot use characters that others have added to the story, such as Sebastian and Flounder in Disney's "The Little Mermaid".

Therefore ensure you read the original stories you want to retell so you can tell what elements of the story are fair game. Also make sure that the story is indeed old enough to be copyrighted.

June 2012 Children's Book Releases

School is almost over.  If you are looking for summer reads for your kids, check out this months new releases:

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri

Pandora Gets Greedy by Carolyn Hennesy

Thea Stilton and the Blue Scarab Hunt: A Geronimo Stilton Adventure by Thea Stilton

Warriors: Enter the Clans by Erin Hunter

How to Train Your Dragon Book 8: How to Break a Dragon's Heart (How to Train Your Dragon) by Cressida Cowell

The Familiars #2: Secrets of the Crown by Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson

My Weirder School #5: Ms. Beard Is Weird! by Dan Gutman

Bink and Gollie, Two for One by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee, Tony Fucile

May 2012 Children's Book Releases

Here's my picks for the best new children's book releases this month:

For toddlers:

"Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons" by Eric Litwin (author) and James Dean (illustrator) - Pete the Cat keeps singing even when he loses one of his four buttons from his favourite shirt.

For younger readers:

"Ghost Knight" by Cornelia Funke - Jon, an eleven-year old boy, and his new friend Ella summon the ghost of Knight Longspee to protect him from a group of ghost haunting his boarding school.

"Wolves of the Beyond #5: Spirit Wolf" by Kathryn Lasky - Can Faolan fulfill his destiny as leader of the wolf pack?

For older readers:

"The Artemis Fowl Atlantis Complex" (Paperback edition) - Book 7 in Eoin Colfer's popular series about the adventures of a teen criminal mastermind.

"Serpent's Shadow" - Book 3 in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles trilogy.  

Story behind the Story: Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book"

"The Graveyard Book" is about a boy named Nobody Owens (Bod for short) who is a normal boy other than the fact that ever since he was orphaned as a toddler, he has been raised by ghosts in a graveyard.

According to the author, Neil Gaiman, he thought of the idea back in the 1980s when he and his family lived in a house with no garden, but with a graveyard across the lane.  One day while watching his 18-month old  son, Michael, ride his tricycle around the gravestones, Neil thought of the idea of writing "The Jungle Book" set in a graveyard.

Neil started to write the story, but he felt his writing wasn't good enough, so he decided to wait until it improved.  He waited over twenty years to write "The Graveyard Book", but he definitely made the right decision.  The book won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal, Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book, Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the 2010 Carnegie Medal.

April 2012 Children's Book Releases

Here my picks for this month's new releases in children's books:

Read the latest instalment of Erin Hunter's Warriors series in "The Last Hope (Warriors: Omen of the Stars No. 6)" by Erin Hunter

Find out how the the Mysterious Benedict Society began in "The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict" by Trenton Lee Stewart.

If you are looking for something for children ages 6 to 8, try "The Secret of the Ginger Mice" by Frances Watts, which is the first book in the  Song of the Winns trilogy. 

Top Ten Reasons Crows are Cooler Than Ravens

1.      On a midnight dreary, crows have better things to do than flutter about croaking “Nevermore.”

2.      A group of crows is called a murder.  A group of ravens is merely an unkindness. 

3.      Ravens croak, whereas crows utter a more refined “Caw, caw.”

4.      Scarecrows are creepy.  A “scareraven” just sounds ridiculous.

5.      Crows are smaller than ravens, making them easier to smuggle under one’s coat.

6.      No one ever drives you crazy by asking “Why is a crow like a writing desk?”

7.      Every pirate ship has a crow’s nest.  But a pirate ship with a raven’s nest has a pest control problem. 

8.      Making a bully eat crow is fun.  Making a bully eat a raven is just cruel (to the raven).

9.      Ravens have a longer life expectancy than crows, who live fast and die young.

10.  A crow would never be caught dead with a name like “Mortimer”.  

Book News: Harry Potter eBooks Now Available

For the first time, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is now available in electronic format.  The ebooks are reasonably priced, however if you have a limited budget, I would recommend the illustrated editions that are to be released (click here for more information).