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.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Let's all resolve to read more books in 2010! A good place to start might be with possible Caldecott Medal contenders.

The 2010 award will be given to the illustrator of the most distinguished picture book for children on Monday, January 18. Check the newspaper or Today Show on Tuesday morning to find out who won. Our own Mrs. Whitehurst will have the inside scoop since she is one of the 15 people from all over America serving on this year's Caldecott Committee. They will convene in Boston at the American Library Association's Mid-Winter Meeting to evaluate nominees and to choose a winner prior to the official announcement. Second graders can see what it's like by voting in our Mock Caldecott Election on the right side of this page. Pick from one of the favorites we've been reading, and we'll soon see if our winner matches the experts' opinion! Last year's second graders chose A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, a super funny book by Marla Frazee and one that the official Caldecott Committee recognized as a runner-up (honor) book. We have it in our lower school collection; call number E FR if you want to check it out.

What's Next?

Despite what you may think, boys, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is NOT the only good book on the shelves. If you're having trouble finding your next great pageturner, you might want to explore a couple of fun websites with book suggestions. Bestselling adult and kid author James Patterson - this guy has sold millions of books! - started READKIDDOREAD, which lists tons of books by age level and genre, making it easy to find the ones you'll like best. Then there's our old buddy Jon Scieszka, author of Stinky Cheese Man and Knucklehead (current Battle of the Books selection) among others. His Guys Read website just got a facelift and is better than ever. So turn off the Playstation one afternoon, and turn on the computer to explore http://readkiddoread.com/ and http://www.guysread.com/. Let me know what's next for you! And be sure to tell your friends what you're reading; word of mouth is the best way to get ideas. TALK, TALK, TALK about books.