Coraline

Check out the teaser for the movie of Neil Gaiman's book Coraline. It is going to be done in stop motion which is my favorite animation style and in 3D. Definitely read the book and then see this movies. The book gave this adult chills, I can't wait for the movie.

The combination of the director who gave the world The Nightmare Before Christmas and Neil Gaiman is sure to be stellar.

http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/735644/coraline/videos/coraline_feat3_081308.html

There was something wrong with the code so I could not embed it, sorry.

Begining Chapter Books

Here are a bunch of beginning reader books. I decided to review a bunch in one post. The books are (in no particular order): Maybelle in the Soup by Katie Speck, The Secret of the Painted House by Marion Dane Bauer, and One Saturday Evening by Barbara Baker.

Maybelle in the Soup is a the story of a cockroach who dreams of eating leftovers off of a plate rather than her usual crumbs and spills. Maybelle and her friend Henry the flea go on a series of adventures led by Maybelle in an effort to dine on the finest food a roach could hope for. This book contains plenty of funny situations and the illustrations are sure to keep kids who have just graduated to chapter books interest to the end. Each chapter is an episode in itself so there are convenient stopping places for kids who still find reading a challenge.

The Secret of the Painted House is perfect for the children looking for a scary book. The main character Emily has moved to a new neighborhood, finding nothing to do she explores the woods near her new house. She finds a locked playhouse with walls painted to look like the woods around it. Emily meets the girl who lives on the walls of the playhouse in a mysterious other world. And this little girl wants Emily to stay forever. The book is just the right amount of scary. It will thrill the young readers who are interested in a bit of fright. The cover does not do the writing justice, the illustrations inside the book however do help to increase the creepiness of the story.

One Saturday Evening is the third book about this family of bears. Saturday is coming to an end and the cubs need to get baths and to bed. This cute book is about what happens while Mama and Papa try to accomplish cub washing and tucking in to bed. The book contains six chapters, one for each member of the family. The simple text, lots of white space and illustrations on every page make this a makes this a perfect book for beginning readers. Both parents and kids will enjoy the illustrations of the difficulty in wrangling cubs at bedtime.

Tale of Despereaux In Theaters

Kate DiCamillo's Newbery award winning book is being made into a cartoon.
Watch the trailer here:

A Secret Edge

A Secret Edge

by Robin Reardon

Jason Peele is an average nice guy. A junior in high school, a track star, and smooth with the girls. The trouble is that at night his secret dreams are of other guys. He wonders what this means for him.

This novel of Jason's coming of age and his first real romantic relationship shines. Jason has to make some tough decisions about how much of himself he wants to share with his family, friends and the rest of the school. He has to face the choices that he makes and accept the decisions of others. There is plenty of teen angst and romance in this novel to satisfy the reader. Jason finds his place in his family, in his school and in the world at large. A enlightening and compelling read for highschoolers.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

High school student Clay Jenkins arrives home from school one day to find a package on his doorstep. A package in the mail, how exciting right? It turns out to be a bunch of audio cassettes from his long time secret crush Hannah Baker. The catch is that Hannah committed suicide two weeks ago and the tapes are her accusations to the thirteen people who caused her to end it all. Now, Clay needs to listen and find out what he did wrong. Because if Clay has been sent the tapes then he is one of "Baker's dozen".

This is Asher's first novel and what a first it is. The premise is what drew me to the book in the first place, a voice from the beyond, a girl getting back at all of the people who made her life miserable sounded appealing. The things that happen in Hannah's life go from typical teen stuff to some heavy stuff with major consequences (no spoilers here). The book is interspersed with Hannah's recordings, Clay's experiences the night he listens to the tapes and his recollections of the events Hannah describes. Clay's thoughts of the people he goes to school with and Hannah herself begin to change as the book progresses. The male and female voices are balanced, which makes it an interesting read for either gender. The cover is a bit too girlish but the story should appeal to both. Thirteen Reasons Why is a powerful and suspenseful not to be missed read from a new author. Jay Asher has made a great first impression, I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.