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The rumors are true. Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) will direct the Lionsgate adaptation of The Hunger Games, the first installment of Suzanne Collins’ brilliantly urgent dystopian trilogy.  Entertainment Weekly interviewsRoss about choosing the right actress to portray Katniss. Read the article here. On another interesting note, Entertainment Weekly’sKeith Staskiewicz questions how The Hunger Games movie could get a PG-13 rating.  Read his article here.Read More →

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In: Action & Adventure, Action & Adventure (YA), Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction (YA), Middle Grade Reviews, Sci Fi & Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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Perfectly capturing the enterprising spirit of the turn of the 20th century, Gary Blackwood’s Around the World in 100 Days is an enjoyable update on the classic Around the World in 80 Days.  This time around it’s Phileas Fogg’s only son, Harry, whose vision, guts, and bravado will be tested. Caught with the same fire and courage of his father, Harry embarks rashly on his adventure, but this time it’s to prove to the skeptical world that the motor vehicle, his Flash, is the way of the future. Boldly, and sometimes heedlessly testing the limits of technology, Harry and his mechanical-genius Johnny, along with theRead More →

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In a strong follow-up to her debut memoir, I Don’t want to Be Crazy, Samantha Schutz creates a poignant, intimate novel that peels back the layers of loss and grief in You Are Not Here.  Annaleah meet Brian one day by chance. Not long after, the two teens start hanging out, and sparked by what felt like kindred spirits and is certainly mutual attraction, they envelope each other in a sensual, secretive romance.  But because they go to different schools, Annaleah is excluded from parts of Brian’s life.  In addition to not having any mutual friends, Brian erected walls around other parts of his life,Read More →

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Carol Gordon wrote an interesting article in November 2010 School Library Journal, examining 7 commonly held beliefs about reading and what studies show in relation to those beliefs: 1. Young people get better at reading by reading, just as they learn by doing 2. The social aspects associated with reading are motivational 3. Free choice is a factor in reading motivation 4. Free voluntary reading is as effective, or more effective, than direct instruction 5. People will read when they have access to reading materials 6. It is important to design inclusive summer reading for all students 7. The pleasure hypothesis – reading is itsRead More →