Harry Potter

Turn your iPhone into a wand! There's a new Harry Potter app out now called "Spells," which lets you join a Hogwarts school, learn spells (from Stupefy to Expelliarmus), and duel with other "students" (via wifi or Bluetooth).

Wimpy Kid zombie parody. Publishers Weekly is calling this graphic-novel parody of the Wimpy Kid books "lightning in a bottle." Tales from the Crypt #8: Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid has apparently gone back for its second and third printing.

"Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical." School Library Journal talks to Mo Willems about his Knuffle Bunny series, and especially the upcoming musical appearing in the Kennedy Center's 2010 season. ("The Kennedy Center was foolish enough to let me write the script and song lyrics, although they did give me a fantastic dramaturg named Megan Alrutz to help me focus on the emotional through line of the story instead of spending all my time figuring out the giant puppet man-eating brassiere.")

2009 Winter Blog Blast Tour. Chasing Ray sponsored and scheduled last week's 2009 Winter Blog Blast Tour, a ton of author interviews across a smattering of great blogs. If you missed it, go back and check it out.

PBS Booklights' Thursday Three: Thanksgiving. Hopefully Pam gets to take *next* Thursday off, but last week she was kind enough to serve up some seasonal selections, with three picks for Turkey Day: Thanksgiving in the White House by Gary Hines, This Is the Turkey by Abby Levine, and ’Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by good ol' Dav Pilkey ("The book is blunt at times about the fate of these birds, but always funny, especially when the kids leave the farm considerably fatter and with feathers sticking out from their coats.").

A middle-grade H1N1 novel. Wha? It's true: Publishers Weekly has the story on Finn Reeder, Flu Fighter, a new novel about a 13-year-old coping with the pandemic. ("Somehow, he survives infection. As their class size dwindles, Finn and his friend Amy face down the school bully, draw comics, catch the principal ordering pizza, and even manage to study once in a while. And when finally, Finn is the lone student remaining in school, he manages to win—and lose—the most intense game of solo dodge ball ever.") You can download it for free before the January 1 release date.

"Hollywood Takes a Closer Look at Picture Books." In which we learn, among other things, that there's going to be a Where's Waldo? movie(!).

Jason Schwartzman interview. Speaking of Hollywood, Jason Schwartzman (currently Ash in the Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the book by Roald Dahl) was just interviewed by ReadKiddoRead, about his favorite books as a kid:

(via Fuse #8) --Paul

As we've done for 10 years now, our editorial team has compiled their list of the Best Movies & TV of 2009. Over the next few days we'll be publishing a number of our genre lists in this space, but we'll start with the basics: the top 100 DVDs of 2009 (in other words, DVDs that were released in 2009). Agree? Disagree? Post a comment and let us know. Our first 10 of the 100:

1. Slumdog Millionaire: The Oscar winner for Best Picture centers around a young Indian man competing on a game show with the highest possible stakes
2. Gran Torino: Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this riveting drama about racial tolerance
3. Milk:  Sean Penn won an Oscar for his portrayal of San Francisco politician Harvey Milk
4. Mad Men: Season 2: AMC's period piece is a two-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama
5. The Hangover: The raunchy comedy was one of the surprise box-office hits of the year
6. Star Trek: J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the fan-favorite franchise soars to new heights
7. True Blood: The Complete First Season: Compelling HBO series about the vampires among us, and definitely not for the Twilight crowd
8. The Wrestler: Mickey Rourke won accolades for his depiction of one man's professional and personal comeback
9. Up: Great as we've come to expect from Pixar; charming in ways we didn't expect
10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The sixth film of the series is the darkest yet, as Harry and his friends confront He Who Must Not Be Named

See the rest of the top 100 DVDs, the top 100 Blu-ray discs, and many other lists at http://www.amazon.com/bestmovies2009.

It seems like a long time since they were in theaters, but two of the biggest Blu-ray releases of the year are now available for pre-order. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrives December 8 in a Blu-ray/DVD combo disc with a Digital Copy, BD-Live features, and Maximum Movie Mode.  Terminator Salvation hits a week earlier, on December 1. It has both the theatrical cut of the film and a new director's cut, a Digital Copy of the theatrical version, BD-Live features, Maximum Movie Mode, DTS-HD sound, and more. I enjoyed Harry Potter in theaters but never caught up with Terminator.  Reviews of the latter were mixed, but I'm a fan of the franchise, and I'm guessing that Blu-ray will be the next-best way to see it--maybe even better depending on the director's cut.  --David

That's One Speedy Maverick:  Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir, Going Rogue, shot up our rankings yesterday (it's currently #2 in our Top 100) after an updated publication date of November 17 was announced.  Why the change?  According to the AP, the former Alaska Governor penned her autobiography in just four months.  This makes me even more insecure over the fact that it took nearly an hour to write this post.

This Week's James Ellroy Sighting: "Demon Dog" and Omnivoracious favorite James Ellroy explores "James Ellroy's Apocalypse" in the latest issue of Rolling Stone.Boogaloo!

No Props for Potter: Yet another member of Bush Administration is publishing a tell-all book, but former speech writer Matt Latimer's claim may be the oddest yet:  The White House thought J.K. Rowling encouraged witchcraft.  Huh?

Moving and Shaking:  Sarah Palin's memoir has the top spot, but John Dufresne's Love Warps the Mind a Little is currently #2 on our Movers and Shakers list thanks to a recent NPR review.

"The Wizarding World of Harry Potter." This week, the New York Times had an article with a bunch of new details on the upcoming Potter-inspired Universal Studios theme park, which "will open in the spring and allow visitors to tour Hogwarts, buy quidditch gear and drink butterbeer." Its three big rides are "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey," "Flight of the Hippogriff" (a roller-coaster that simulates a hippogriff training flight), and "Dragon Challenge" (a Triwizard Tournament-esque high-speed roller-coaster). (via Educating Alice)

Happy Birthday, Tomie dePaola! I've always had a soft spot for Tomie dePaola (especially his 26 Fairmount Avenue books), so it's a treat to see a "Three Kisses for Tomie" artist tribute celebrating dePaola's 75th birthday, organized by Jarrett Krosoczka. I think my favorite image is from Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! creator Bob Boyle:

2010 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominees. The list of nominees for the 2010 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is up, including "authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and promoters of reading, working in various literary traditions and languages," with 168 nominees from 61 different countries total. This nearly million-dollar award is in its eighth year.

Three classic chapter books. I'm addicted to Pam's "Thursday Three" feature over at the PBS Booklights blog, and last week's installment had yet another trio of thoughtful recommendations--in this case, three classic chapter books "that practically beg to be read aloud, especially those where the reading level is a bit high for the intended audience": The World of Pooh, Jenny and the Cat Club, and the Paddington Treasury.

Harry Potter theme-park video. I couldn't resist learning even more about Universal's Harry Potter theme park, and thankfully 100 Scope Notes had this fun "fly-through" video:

--Paul

"Comic-Con: Not just for grown-ups." Publishers Weekly has a great pictorial round-up of all the kid-lit happenings at Comic-Con in San Diego--and there were surprisingly quite a few! Check out character sketches from the upcoming Twilight graphic novel, Mark Hamill palling around with Holly Black and Tony DeTerlizzi, and Jarrett Krosoczka showing off his Lunch Lady books. And where else but Comic-Con can you see a tableau like this, Robert Englund/Freddie Krueger arm-wrestling with Yo Gabba Gabba's Brobee?

Interview with The Lincolns' Candace Fleming. School Library Journal has a fun and frank Q&A with the author behind one of our favorite books from last year, The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. Fleming talks about Mary Todd Lincoln, Barack Obama, and even the Battle of the Kids' Books: "I never thought The Lincolns would make it past the first round of Battle of the (Kids') Books because it was nonfiction. When it came up against Hunger Games I said, 'Even I would vote for Hunger Games!'"

"Harry Potter and the Pint of Liquid Courage." The New York Times ran a story on the role of alcohol in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, specifically as seen in the new movie. On the lower end of the hand-wringing spectrum, this quote from the father of a 9-year-old girl: "Trying to put 2009 American norms into play seems kind of silly. Plus, in a world where dark wizards are kidnapping or killing people on a regular basis, a little under-age drinking is the least of their problems."

Interview with Jerry Pinkney. Publishers Weekly has a short Q&A with the prolific, multiple-award-winning Jerry Pinkney, as he talks about two new upcoming books, Sweethearts of Rhythm and The Lion & the Mouse.

Eric Carle anecdote and video. Elizabeth Bluemle at ShelfTalker recounts a touching anecdote about visiting Eric Carle's studio, and also points us towards a sweet video about Carle's collaboration with Bill Martin Jr. Don't miss the part about Martin's process just past the one-minute mark:

"Two Decades of Monkey Business." "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!" is our two-year-old's current rock anthem and all-purpose refrain--so you can bet that we're going to try to track down a copy of the Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury, which celebrates and collects together five of the popular Eileen Christelow books.

More kid-lit marketing on Dodge Sprinters. After showing off the Diary of a Wimpy Kid van last week, I feel like I have to give equal coverage to the new vehicle promoting the sixth book in the "Ranger's Apprentice" series, The Siege of Macindaw. According to Publishers Weekly, "readers in 27 U.S. cities will be able to see a theatrical performance entitled 'Escape to Araluen,' based on the first Ranger’s Apprentice book, The Ruins of Gorlan." Cool!

"The tale of a young goldfish girl." The new Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle) movie Ponyo opens this month, along with some book tie-ins: a big picture book and the start of a comic series based on the film. I'm a sucker for Miyazaki movies, so I am loving the trailer:

--Paul

Wimpy Kid ice cream truck tour. Attention, all citizens, be on the lookout for this truck:

I'm unclear on the actual ice-cream-availability details, but next month Jeff Kinney is driving coast-to-coast to 40 libraries in 30 days to promote the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, Dog Days. (via PW)

"Go, Joe!" I may never get tired of saying that next month—especially if the upcoming G.I. Joe movie is either very good or very bad. School Library Journal has the skinny on several book tie-ins for the movie, across various age groups, including Knowing Is Half the Battle (grades 2-5).

Kids want more bedtime stories. A recent British study of three- to eight-year-olds says that two-thirds of kids want their parents to read to them more often. Also, notable, "Reading is actually so popular with kids that it was voted their favourite pastime with a parent (51%), ahead of other forms of entertainment such as watching television (17%) and playing video games (7%)." (via Jen Robinson's Growing Bookworms newsletter)

"Don't be the tree." John Schwenkler over at The Amercian Conservative rounds up some thought-provoking grown-up assessments of Shel Silverstein's classic The Giving Tree.

Review: Rebecca Stead's First Light. Also via Jen Robinson this week: we've mentioned Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me here before, and now Jen has a review of her earlier book First Light. ("I am always on the lookout for quality science fiction (as an alternative to fantasy) for middle grade readers, and First Light fits the bill.")

"The trouble with Harry." The AP has an interesting story on how younger kids new to the Harry Potter series are probably too young for the scarier and more sophisticated later books, because they haven't gotten to age along with the series like its original fans. ("As a librarian, the issue of young children and Harry Potter is a constant concern," said Paula Laurita in Athens, Ala. "Rowling intended for the first book to be for children 9 and 10 years old. Naturally, as Harry aged so did the plots. In reality, books six and seven are young adult literature, not juvenile literature.")

No More Diapers for Ducky! Potty training has become a new topic around our house (please feel free to chime in with parental wisdom), so I was interested to see this recommendation from Twenty by Jenny for No More Diapers for Ducky!--which she describes as "one of the best I’ve seen on the topic of potty training." As with so many things kid-related, the customer reviews are all over the place, ranging from five stars ("Best book ever!!!!") to one star ("Unrealistic, poor advice!").

Phelps on Conan. How did I miss this? Fourteen-time Olympic gold-medalist--and now kids' book author--Michael Phelps was on Conan O'Brien recently, and they talked about his book, How to Train with a T. Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals. Publishers Weekly has the story, or you can watch for yourself on Hulu (starts around 4:15):

--Paul

With Harry Potter opening #1 this weekend at the box office, I thought we should talk about magic kits.  But before I even begin, you should probably put this song into you head first.  (Go ahead...I'll wait.  Did you enjoy the Spanish subtitles?  I knew you would.)  The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Magic Set (pictured) is sturdily made (like most of the toys from M+D) and is a great way to get a kid interested in magic. For adults and kids alike there's also the Toysmith Professional Magician Kit which looks more like what an actual magician might use.  Aside from the play value, magic kits can be a great way to help kids develop eye-hand coordination.  And, besides, every grown up should know at least one cool magic trick for the heck of it.  I know I loved the magic kit my parents got for me back in the 80's, endorsed by a magician named Marshall Brodeen (fourth pic down.)  Now, if you could only make that song I just put into your head magically disappear....  E. Christian Moore

The skeletal Señor Calaveras caught on video! Monica at Educating Alice points us to a treat, a video from Yuyi Morales shown at the ALA's Pura Belpré Award event. If you liked Morales' Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book, don't miss the inspired puppetry in this clip. Dog attacks! Dramatic banana peels! A tiny moped! What more could you want?

[Invited from Yuyi Morales on Vimeo.]

Road trip book tips. Pam over at PBS' Booklights blog has some well-tested ideas for entertaining kids on the road, including recommendations for audio books, question books, and find-it books. (Her commenters chime in with some good finds, too, like the Time Warp Trio on CD.)

Kid-lit parodies. I'm familiar with Goodnight, Goon, but I have not yet seen Michael Rex's Runaway Mummy. Publishers Weekly has a story up on both Mummy and Where the Mild Things Are: A Very Meek Parody (by, of course, "Maurice Send-up").

"Let the Kids Decide." Gail Gauthier at Original Content blogged about an interesting article that originally appeared in the Washington Post about kids' summer reading. She highlights the "juiciest tidbit": "Adults rarely pick books kids want to read. (In a study of books that librarians selected for awards and books that children selected as best books over a 30-year period, the overlap was only 4 percent.)"

¡Criticas libros! [en inglés: "book reviews"] School Library Journal is posting nearly 30 English-language reviews of bilingual and Spanish-language kids' books from their August issue (including nuanced takes on the likes of Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs/Perros Guardianes, Perros Valientes).

It's a SHELebration. Over 8,000 people in Chicago's Milennium Park last week attended a "SHELebration," a musical and literary event honoring Chicago native Shel Silverstein. The previously unreleased poem “Birthday” was read, which will appear in A Light in the Attic: Special Edition this September.

[SHELebration photo: Bobby Bare of the Bare Family Band plays for the Campus Kids from Miss Lori’s Campus (PBS Kids)]

African-American kid-lit and the Caldecott. Why has no individual African American artist ever been honored with the Caldecott medal in the award's 71 years? Nikki Grimes wants to know, in the latest issue of The Horn Book.

All ages comic and manga. Another great list from the Good Comics for Kids blog. ("It's all about the serial comics this week, with all the major players having something out.")

Potter vs. Percy. I *still* haven't seen the movie yet, but Publishers Weekly has a round-up of this week's "'Potter'-phernalia." One of the most interesting twists from the screenings is all the attention that the new Percy Jackson trailer is getting (for the movie based on The Lightning Thief):

And speaking of Potter, this was already in Armchair Commentary, but I couldn't risk anyone missing this insane French DVD packaging:

--Paul

With the movie making box-office magic as the opening weekend closes (seems like it's been out a lot longer than that), is it too early to think about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Blu-ray or DVD? Take a look at this sweet packaging for the first six movies on either format. What's especially nice is that the set comes with six discs and also has two empty slots so you can add the two parts of the seventh movie later. Unfortunately it's only available in France, and the discs won't play on Region A (for Blu-ray, that's North America and Japan) or Region 1 (DVD, North America) players. Such a shame... --David