Fred Patten Reviews The Secret of the Stone Frog

The Secret of the Stone Frog

Author:  David Nytra

Publisher:  TOON Books

ISBN-10:  1-9351-7918-7

ISBN-13:  978-1-9351-7918-4

This fey little “toon graphic novel” (80 pages) is reminiscent of Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, but it has its own dreamlike-nightmarish charm.  Leah and her little brother Alan, in Victorian/Edwardian nightgowns, wake up at the foot of a giant tree in a strange, vast forest.  A statue of a stone frog advises them, “If it’s a way home you’re looking for, It’s right behind me.  Look no more.”  The children are warned to stay on the path, but of course they are lured off by marvels that are more frightening than they at first seem.

A formal garden whose large flowers are abuzz with giant honeybees is watched over by a woman with a huge head, who invites Leah and Alan home for tea and cookies.  But “her pretties”, the bees, try to steal the childrens’ word balloons.  The children escape into another garden where three foppish lions dressed as Georgian dandies (one with an early 1790s collar and cravat so high that his speech is reduced to mumbles), give them horse-sized rabbits to ride to continue their journey.  The rabbits take them to the entrance of a forest cavern that leads down to a subway train whose passengers are deep-sea fish dressed as Victorian-era businessmen.  Leah and Alan emerge into the midst of a mid-19^th-century city that becomes more and more nightmarish until the children, fleeing, encounter a stone frog fountain who shows them the way home.

The Secret of the Stone Frog is for all ages by its surrealistic dreamlike subject matter, but its physical format is a delightful 6” x 9” thin hardcover book for young readers.  It is in comic-book format throughout, with elaborate backgrounds in fine-lined crowquill pen work in India ink on artboard.  TOON Books is an imprint of Candlewick Press, which specializes in books for children.  This is a highly imaginative story in the graphic novel format.

ALA President expresses deep concern and dismay about closure of Georgia Archives to the public

CHICAGO — American Library Association (ALA) President Maureen Sullivan sent  the following letter to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal regarding the recent announcement to close the Georgia Archives to the public:

“As President of the American Library Association, with more than 60,000 members across the country (including over 1,500 public, school, and academic librarians, archivists and trustees in Georgia), I write to express our deep concern and dismay about the recent announcement by Secretary of State Brian Kemp that the Georgia Archives will be closed to the public (except for very limited appointments) on November 1.

“The Georgia Archives is a treasure trove of unique documents and official records. As one of the original 13 colonies, Georgia has a rich and colorful history. Events of historic importance continue to occur. The State of Georgia established the Archives to preserve the history of Georgia, and access to that resource is vitally important to the future of Georgia and its citizens.

“Although some of the materials at the Georgia Archives have been digitized, the vast majority are still only accessible through a personal visit. Closing the Archives to the public is counter to the tenets of open government and to the principle of open access to information that undergirds our democracy. This is why no other state has closed access to its state archives to the public.

“All Georgians will be affected directly or indirectly by the closure of the Georgia Archives. Faculty and students from all institutions in the University System of Georgia and private colleges and universities will lose ready access to primary sources for undergraduate and graduate research. Children in kindergarten through high school will lose the opportunity to visit a place where history comes to life via original manuscripts, documents, and maps.

“One of the largest groups affected will be genealogical researchers who use the Archives to trace their Georgia roots. Authors trying to piece together the history of certain Georgia events, people, and places will lose one of their most important resources. Fewer books, journal articles, and documentaries about the history and cultural heritage of Georgia will be produced.

“I urge you to reverse this decision and to find a way to help the Georgia Archives remain open to the public. Its impending closure will be a major impediment to historical research and will affect not only future generations of Georgia residents but also anyone outside of Georgia who will study Georgia history and culture.”

Source: American Library Association

Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants funds to ALSC, YALSA

CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of $226,876 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

ALSC and YALSA will use the grant to support two important initiatives, El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), Teen Read Week™ and summer reading for teens.

“As one of the most important celebrations in children’s librarianship, we’re very excited to have Dollar General Literacy Foundation continue its support of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day),” said ALSC President Carolyn Brodie. “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s strong commitment to multiculturalism in children’s library services is highly admirable.”

“Summer reading and Teen Read Week™ are valuable tools used by libraries all over the country to support teen literacy efforts,” said YALSA President Jack Martin. “YALSA is thrilled to have the Dollar General Literacy Foundation continuing to support these important efforts.”

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is pleased to support El día de los Niños and Teen Read Week™,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “By engaging children and teens in reading, a foundation for future success is built. We applaud the life enriching work of ALSC and YALSA and value our partnership.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Youth Literacy grants are awarded to assist with implementing new or expanding existing youth literacy programs; to purchase new technology or equipment to support youth literacy initiatives; or to purchase books, materials or software for youth literary programs.

In August, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 564 non-profit organizations, community groups, schools and libraries throughout the United States. It is estimated that approximately 315,000 youth will be served as a result of these grants.

Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation was established in 1993 to improve the functional literacy of adults and families by providing grants to nonprofit organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy.

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General
Dollar General is a leading discount retailer with 10,000 stores in 40 states. Dollar General stores provide convenience and value to customers by offering consumable basic items such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids and cleaning supplies, as well as basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at everyday low prices. The company has a longstanding tradition of supporting literacy and education. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $74 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 4.4 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about Dollar General, visit www.dollargeneral.com.

About YALSA
For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

About ALSC
ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC visit www.ala.org/alsc.

Source: American Library Association

KOBO AND INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES JOIN FORCES TO EXPAND EREADING ACROSS THE U.S.

NEW YORK – August 29, 2012 – Kobo, a leader in eReading with over 10 million registered users worldwide, and the American Booksellers Association (ABA) today announced a new partnership to bring Kobo’s world-class eReading platform to independent bookstores across the United States.  By partnering with the nearly 2,000 ABA-member stores, Kobo continues its successful strategy of working with booksellers around the world, and America’s indie booksellers grow their ability to discover and deliver great reads, in any format, to their customers.

In partnership with the ABA, Kobo has developed a unique program designed for independent booksellers and their customers.   Booksellers will be able to offer a total experience for their customers including a full line of eReaders, eReading accessories, and ebooks from Kobo’s catalog of nearly 3 million titles. ABA members will share in the revenue on every sale.  The program includes valuable training, in-store merchandising, marketing, sales, and logistics solutions to help independents be successful. ABA members will also be able to offer ebooks directly to their customers online.   Kobo expects to launch with the first 400 bookstores this fall.

“We are very excited to work with the ABA and independent bookstores across America to bring an Indie alternative to the eReading market,” said Mike Serbinis, CEO, Kobo. “With this partnership, we are confident that independents will a world class offering for their loyal customers and a voice in the digital transformation.”

“We are pleased to offer our ABA members a competitive eBook retailing solution uniquely crafted to meet the needs of independent booksellers and their customers,” said Oren Teicher, CEO, American Booksellers Association. “Through this partnership with Kobo, indie bookstore customers will have access to a broad and diverse inventory of eBooks.  Today’s readers want a first-class shopping experience, both in-store and online, and this new partnership allows indie booksellers to meet the ever-changing needs of shoppers in a dynamic marketplace.”

KOBO – A GLOBAL STANDARD

Since its inception in 2009, Kobo has built a global base of over 10 million registered users in 190 countries, and one of the largest eBook stores in the world with 3 million books, newspapers and magazines with titles ranging from the NYT bestseller list, the hottest new releases, Indie Next List and Bestseller List titles, and over a million free books with titles in 60 languages.  With one of the largest content catalogs in the world, a line of award winning eReaders available in 7 languages, free eReading Apps, and the newly launched self-publishing program, Kobo Writing Life – Kobo has a rich eReading ecosystem and a unique win-win approach to the market.

THE READ FREELY COMMITMENT

Kobo and the ABA share fundamental values that are rooted in the love of reading. The ABA and its independent bookstore members introduce newly discovered titles to readers, as well as support freedom of speech, literacy, and programs that encourage reading. Kobo’s Read Freely philosophy supports an open platform and adoption of industry standards to ensure that people own the books they buy and are never locked to one device or service. Additionally Kobo offers free eReading apps so people can read conveniently anytime, anyplace from a device they already own. With Kobo, consumers can easily browse and shop from the Kobo eBookstore and automatically sync their library across most popular devices including iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac, PC, and smartphones, as well as all Kobo eReaders.

THE BOOKSELLERS’ CHOICE

In less than three years since the company was founded, Kobo has developed a successful turnkey solution that enables a wide variety of retailers – both large and small – to capitalize on the eReading growth occurring around the world. First-class brick-and-mortar booksellers like Indigo, Fnac, WHSmith, Mondadori, Collins, Future Shop/Best Buy, Target and others have taken advantage of what has become known as Kobo’s “Playbook” to quickly introduce eReading to their customers and ultimately creating new streams of revenue by making eBooks more accessible around the world. Through the partnership with ABA, Kobo adds to this network nearly 2,000 independent bookstores that will be able to take advantage of Kobo’s unique services, including one of the largest content catalogs available today and line-up of accessible eReading devices and free eReading applications.

“This partnership signifies a tipping point for independent booksellers around the world and Kobo is leading the way,” said Serbinis. “We expect to quickly bring our unique offering to independents globally.”

About Kobo Inc.

Founded in 2009, Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering 3-million eBooks, magazines and newspapers. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo has built an open-standards platform to provide consumers with a choice when reading. Inspired by a “Read Freely” philosophy and a passion for innovation, Kobo has expanded to 190 countries, where millions of consumers have access to localized eBook catalogues and award-winning eReaders, like the Kobo Touch. With top-ranked eReading applications for Apple, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows products, Kobo allows consumers to make eReading social through Facebook Timeline and Reading Life, an industry-first social experience that lets users earn awards for time spent reading and encourage others to join in. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains across the globe.

For more information, visit www.kobo.com.

About American Booksellers Association (www.BookWeb.org)

Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members — independently owned bookstores with storefront locations — through education, information dissemination, business products and services, and advocacy. ABA exists to protect and promote the interests of independent retail book businesses, as well as to protect the First Amendment rights of every American. The association actively supports free speech, literacy, and programs that support local and independent retail shops. A board of 10 booksellers governs the Association. ABA is headquartered in Tarrytown, New York.

Source: Kobo, Inc.

Shannon Muir Reviews Garment of Shadows

Garment of Shadows (Mary Russell #12)

Author: Laurie R. King

Publisher: Random House

ISBN-10: 0553807994

ISBN-13: 978-0-553-80799-8

ASIN: B007JC2ELA

Sometimes people adapting well known characters in the literary public domain goes very well, and other times horribly wrong. Laurie R. King managed to do that successfully and bring her own spin to things through Mary Russell, a woman who becomes first an apprentice to (as a beekeeper), and later the wife of, the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Adventure and mystery never seem to quite let Sherlock go into an easy retirement, though make no mistake, these are Mary Russell’s stories first and foremost. Their latest adventure takes them to Morocco in the 1920s, where Mary originally went with a film crew and ends up waking up having lost her memory after what appears to be a vicious attack. Set against actual history of the time (which does admittedly bog the book down a little in spots), Mary must reunite with Sherlock and figure out who attacked her in the first place. As mentioned previously, the copious details of setting and political intrigue do detract from the character story at points but the overall plot does work and the amnesia angle does not look like merely a simple foil to create a story. Overall, worth a read.

Disclosure:  A free copy of this book was furnished by the publisher for review via Netgalley, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

Shannon Muir Reviews Confessions of an Angry Girl

Confessions of an Angry Girl (Confessions #1)

Author: Louise Rozett

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

ISBN-10:  0373210485

ISBN-13: 978-0373210480

ASIN: B0088NH1BC

Rose Zarelli,  just entering her freshman year of high school, carries around a lot of issues. Her father went to Iraq as a contractor and ended up dead, and now her older brother is away at college and feels distant and not supportive. Also her best friend completely wants to be a cheerleader and in with the popular crowd, something that brainy Rose would never do. Then again, she never imagined herself falling for an upperclassman jock  who happens to have a possessive girlfriend.  Sometimes Rose seems a little too adult for her age, but part of that may come out of the simple need to survive. Nothing seems to be going right at all, and following Rose’s journey to make sense of the loss in her life on top of normal teenage drama is both heartfelt and dramatically compelling.

Disclosure:  A free copy of this book was furnished by the publisher for review via Netgalley, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.

Fred Patten Reviews Coup d’Etat

Coup d’Etat
Author: Harry Turtledove
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN-10: 0-345-52465-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-52465-2

Harry Turtledove is “The Master of Alternative History”, proclaims the cover of this book. The title page says: The War That Came Early: Coup d’Etat.

The list of “Books By Harry Turtledove” includes four other multivolume alternate history series, although three of these are arguably one ten-volume novel about a successful Confederate States of America that won the Civil War, and how this would affect world history for the next seventy-five years. (Turtledove has also written many non-alternate history fantasies.)

The premise of “The War That Came Early” is that World War II started in September 1938 following the failure of the Munich Conference. (Actually, Turtledove’s alternate history starts in 1936, when General José Sanjurjo returned to Spain to lead the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. In real history, Sanjurjo was killed when his airplane crashed, and General Francisco Franco ended up leading the Nationalists.) In Turtledove’s alternate history, the start of World War II in September 1938 leads to Germany and Italy withdrawing their military aid to the Nationalists to fight in the bigger war, with the result that the Spanish Civil War is still going on in 1941.

Coup d’Etat is the fourth volume of The War That Came Early. The publisher lists it as the fourth novel in a series, but I say that it is the fourth volume of a single novel, because none of the volumes have any resolution. They describe World War II during 1938, 1939, 1940, and 1941, with no end in sight. Turtledove postulates that none of the combatants were as ready for war in September 1938 as they were in September 1939, with the result that the fighting is more hesitant and drawn-out than it was in reality.

Turtledove tells the story in his usual style, through multiple “common man” viewpoints throughout the conflict. Everyone is battered by 1941. There are U.S. Marine Pete McGill, on one of the last U.S. ships to leave Manila for Hawaii to begin the reconquest of the Pacific (in the previous volumes, Japan has attacked the USSR and invaded the Pacific early); Peggy Druce in Philadelphia, who was vacationing in Czechoslovakia in 1938 when Hitler invaded, took two years to get back to America, and since then has been campaigning against isolationism and for preparedness; Sarah Goldman, a young Jewess living with her family in Germany under the not-quite-deadly Nazi regime; Theo Hossbach, a Wehrmacht non-com serving in a Panzer II tank crew in the USSR; Alistair Walsh, a British army veteran who has resigned from the military in disgust following the death of Winston Churchill and the new British government’s alliance with Hitler against Stalin; Hans-Ulrich Rudel, a Luftwaffe pilot flying against the Red Air Force; Ivan Kuchkov, Rudel’s counterpart in the Red Air Force who has just been shot down and is drafted into the Red Army; Vlacav Jezek, a Czech soldier who escaped after the fall of Czechoslovakia and is now fighting in Spain for the Republicans against the Nationalists; Luc Harcourt, a French non-com fighting in Russia as an ally of Germany; and several others in the German, Soviet, Japanese, and Spanish Republican military. All are low-ranking personnel or civilians, weary after three years of fighting, who fatalistically follow the new orders of their political and military leaders.

Since the title of this book is Coup d’Etat, and the previous volume established how unpopular the British government’s alliance with Hitler was, it is not much of a spoiler to reveal that the coup d’etat is in England and that the new government returns to fighting against Germany in alliance with the USSR. Aside from that, there are no surprises here. Germany and the USSR are still in a military stalemate; Spain is still divided between the warring Republicans and Nationalists; America is now at war with Imperial Japan in the Pacific but is still neutral towards Germany; and the Japanese viewpoint is that of another non-com, Hideki Fujita, who gets transferred from Manchukuo to Burma but never sees a larger picture of Japan’s goals. Like volumes two and three, Coup d’Etat begins in the midst of the story with no synopsis, and breaks off abruptly rather than coming to an end.

Coup d’Etat is fascinating for its plausible guesswork as to what starting World War II a year early would have meant in global political history. By focusing on “the little man”, Turtledove makes the point that no matter how the leaders may plan, it all comes to unavoidable warfare and misery for the masses. Readers who are interested in The War That Came Early are warned to start this series from the beginning: Hitler’s War, West and East, and The Big Switch before reading Coup d’Etat. This latest volume makes no sense by itself, and is obviously not the final volume in the saga.

iStockphoto THE COLLECTIVE COMIC PROJECT Update

As part of Shannon Muir’s “Professional to Professional” tour, we took you behind the scenes with the launch of iStockphoto’s COLLECTIVE COMICS PROJECT at Comic-Con.

If you haven’t been following the site, here are the major elements that were chosen for the comic project.

You can follow the story from the beginning here over the next few weeks.

Calling All Judges!

It’s that Cybils time of year again and we’re calling out for judges. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2012 but I’d hope you’d run on over to the application right this second and apply.

I’m the organizer (for the second year in a row) of the Non-Fiction Middle Grade and YA (what a mouthful!) category and we usually get the least amount of applications for judges either first or second round. I can’t imagine why. I mean sure, go all goofy over SFF or Graphic Novels, but Non-fiction can be pretty darned exciting. Non-fiction is important! Plus, we an amazing fun group. I hand out virtual chocolate! The Book Apps Chair, Mary Ann is also hoping for lots of applications in her category and I hope you help her out. Book Apps and Non-fiction not your thing? Poetry really needs some judges. The Poetry Chair is Jone and she’s wonderful and always hoping for more applicants, so please, please do yourself and Jone a favor and apply for a Poetry Cybils season.  Non-fiction Picture Books could also use some applicants.  It is a fabulous category with a great Chair.

So come check out the Cybils! Apply to be a judge in any category (the Chairs/organizers of each are totally amazeballs) though I’m very partial to mine. IF you’re not interested in judging, do stay with us for the wild ride. Come nomination time, do encourage everyone you know to nominate the books you’ve loved over the past year. Get your kids involved! Nominate books together. Do the happy dance as your favorites get picked for second round and shout out loud when the winners are announced. Use our winners and nominations lists for shopping lists and Christmas presents. The Cybils are year-round everlasting fun.

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Shannon Muir Reviews Batula

BATULA

Writer: Steven T. Seagle

Illustrator: Marco Cinello

Publisher:Man of Action Studios/Image Comics

ISBN-10: 160706572X

ISBN-13: 978-1607065722

Livingston is a fruit bat in a country orchard who feels out of place. So, despite warnings, he goes one day to check out the big city. In the city, he finds a bat in a cage that he thinks needs help… but instead this mean bat bites him and makes him a vampire bat! Finding it even harder to fit in, Livingston runs away from home again and finds a spider mentor who helps him hone his new skills and create the identity of BATULA. When an unexpected crisis arises, can Livingston use the new skills he’s learned as BATULA to save the day? Written by Steven T. Seagle (part of Man of Action Studios), and drawn by Marc Cinello (whose credits include work on SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS), this book is both humorous and touching for young audiences.

Disclosure:  A free copy of this book was furnished by the publisher for review via Netgalley, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.