Coming Attractions from Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid

It's no secret to Percy Jackson fans that The Lightning Thief is coming to theatres on February 12 (see trailer below), but did you know that Rick Riordan is writing a new series called The Kane Chronicles? The first book, The Red Pyramid, is due out May 4 and tells the story of Carter and Sadie Kane, ordinary kids who happen to be descendants of Egyptian magicians. They are called into action when Egyptian gods appear in the modern world. To see the animated book cover, click here http://www.thekanechronicles.com/. If May seems like too long to wait for a good mythology book, consider reading Anne Ursu's The Shadow Thieves to pass the time. In it, two cousins battle a creepy Underworld army created from the shadows of real-world teens (their friends!) to overthrow Hades. You may remember the Greek myth about Persephone, the maiden of spring and daughter of Demeter, who is taken to the Underworld by Hades. When she eats the pomegranate, she is forced to remain there a portion of each year, thus giving us winter. It is referenced in the The Shadow Thieves and is my favorite myth. What's yours?

The Lightning Thief...coming soon to a theatre near you!

AND THE WINNER IS...

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. This new version of Aesop's beloved old fable is the Caldecott Medal Winner for 2010. Nearly wordless with beautiful watercolor illustrations, it tells the story of a pair of animals whose acts of kindness toward one another lead to an unlikely friendship. Honor books for this year include All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee (a 2009 Honor Award winner), written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Joyce Sidman.

AND

With over 50 percent of the vote, the hands-down winner of SECOND GRADE'S MOCK CALDECOTT ELECTION is Otis by Loren Long followed by The Lion & the Mouse and A Penguin Story, which tied for second place.

Caldecott Challenge Time: The first boy in second grade who can tell me the correct number of books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and housed in the Lower School Library collection will win a copy of The Lion & the Mouse. A couple of hints: it's "your Destiny," and there's more than one Pinkney.