We, in the Children's Department, would like to thank all of you who attended our event with Anthony Horowitz for making it such a wonderful success. Angela K. received a phone call from his publicist the following day to once again thank us on Anthony's behalf, he had a wonderful time, and we in turn would like to pass that thanks on to you. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Onwards to February: new books for the spring season are continuing to arrive, so read on to see what is coming.
We have some wonderful story time events coming up, Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of the wonderful Fancy Nancy books will be stopping by to read the third in the series Bonjour, Butterfly, and Antoinette Portis will be reading from her new book Not a Stick, which is just as wonderful as Not a Box.
We will also be selling tickets for the upcoming Otter Dinner in San Francisco on March 22nd. This is a dinner hosted by the Northern California Children's Booksellers Association honoring both excellence in Children's literature and local literacy groups. See below for more information.
As always, we look forward to seeing you in the store.
Antonia
REVIEWS
Picture Book
Not a Stick
By Antionette Portis
Antionette Portis has followed up the wonderfully unique Not a Box with the delightful Not a Stick. Just as it wasn't a box for our heroic bunny, rather a mountain to be climbed or a rocket to fly into space, the stick is certainly not a stick (although slightly more worrying to the grown-up voice in the story with the old refrain we have all heard and some of us may even have said "you're going to put an eye out with that thing!" ) No, this in not a stick, it is a fishing rod, or a horse to ride, and yes, of course, a sword to slay dragons (although this one does require a cooking pot for protection)
Oh, I'm sorry, it's not a cooking pot, it's a helmet and shield!
This is another delightful book celebrating the imagination of the young child.
Reviewed by Antonia
Oh Brother!
By Nikki Grimes
This is a special book. It is our picture book darling of the season.
Each page spread is a poem, and together the poems tell the story of a bi-racial, blended family overcoming the trials and tribulations of learning to live and love together.
Xavier's Mom has just married Chris's Dad. To Xavier, the house feels too small, the love seems not enough for two, and just about everything Chris does, Xavier sees as
ill-intentioned or competitive. But that makes the book sound heavy when indeed these are witty, moving poems that skip, sink, soar, and take unexpected twists along with the little boy's emotions. They read with the ease that excellent children's poetry has. It comes in lightly and then insinuates itself into the mind over time. When the brothers work things out and find joy in each other, my 5-year-old daughter in my lap was full of happiness and bounce. The pictures are full of energy, expression, and color, and more than match the text -- they give it life and whimsy. The eyes are beautiful.
Oh Book, what a lovely light touch on a heavy subject. We read so many
books here that seldom can we say with confidence, "just one read-through
of this one and it will stay with you." It really will.
Reviewed by Vivian
Older Fiction (ages 8-12)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
By Jeff Kinney
Did you love Diary of a Wimpy Kid? If so, RUN to get your hands on this sequel, Rodrick Rules -- it's that good. Find out about Greg's humiliating experience on the swim team over the summer (my favorite part), about Magick and Monsters (and why you should never let your Mom play), and about his French pen friend, Mamadou. It's all so real -- from his pretending a kid in his class is not there, the hilarious talent show (or why you have to be very, very careful about what your Mom is up to), to Rodrick's party. And especially find out what terrible secret Greg's hoping no one will ever get to know. So -- what are you waiting for? RUN!
Reviewed by Angela M.
Young Adults (ages 11 and up)
The Squad
By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: 2/12/08
Dressed in all black, wearing combat boots, and slouching her way around the school, Toby Klein is the last person you would expect to be recruited by the Varsity Cheerleading Squad. She even says "I would chop off my own hands before I'd come within five feet of a pom-pom."
But the Cheerleading Squad at Bayport High is not at all what it seems. Toby isn't recruited for her dress sense or (lack of) school spirit. Toby is recruited for her ability to hack any site or code she comes across and her black belt in karate. For the Varsity Cheerleading Squad at Bayport High is simply a cover for Government Superspies (including one named Bubbles.) And what a perfect cover it is, even Toby is impressed (except for the bit about the teeny tiny skirts and the pom-poms and the vacuous smiles).
This is a perfect fit for those of you who love the Kiki Strike books and I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You. Another great spy series for girls.
Reviewed by Antonia
Book of a Thousand Days
By Shannon Hale
High up in a tower, two frightened maidens sit awaiting a certain fate.
When Dashti is locked away with her mistress, Lady Saren, she knows that there isn't much hope for their survival. For her refusal to marry an evil man, Lady Saren is sentenced by her cruel father to be walled up in a tower for seven years. With only basic supplies and limited human contact, Dashti steels herself against despair. She chronicles their trials in a book which helps to keep her sane. One day, however, their doomed existence is unexpectedly altered and they are granted a freedom that leads them down a path more perilous than their tower existence.
The Warrior Heir
By Cinda Willia Chima
Sixteen-year-old Jack forgets to take his medicine one morning, and by the evening discovers he has the strength to do, well, anything. But with the revelation of his physical prowess comes a society of enchanters, sorcerers, and wizards hidden within our non-magical world eager to use Jack's ability for their own nefarious plans.
Reviewed by Cressida
Sabriel
By Garth Nix
Death is the final journey for all but the Abhorsen, a necromancer dedicated to fight the magicked undead. But when the Abhorsen himself is trapped in death by an old enemy, his 18-year-old daughter Sabriel must assume her father's title and duties. My favorite of Garth Nix's wonderfully complex books!
Reviewed by Cressida
Lirael
By Garth Nix
Magical library, disreputable dog...I think I was sold on this book before even opening it. While I enjoyed Sabriel, I fell in love with this second book in the series. Post Harry Potter and Golden Compass, this really scratched the itch for great genre- and age-defying storytelling.
Reviewed by Corinne
Rilla of Ingleside
By L.M. Montgomery
Rilla, daughter of Anne (of Green Gables), is in danger of being spoiled. Young and beautiful, Rilla doesn't think of much beyond boys, dresses, and dances. But with the start of WWII, Rilla tries her best to grow up and pitch in. One of the best fictionalized accounts of Canada's involvement in WWII.
Reviewed by Cressida
High School
The Christopher Killer
By A*** Ferguson
Can't get enough of television's CSI? Then check out The Christopher Killer, a great forensic mystery by A*** Ferguson. Starring Cameryn Mahoney, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a small town coroner who is determined to pursue a career as a forensic pathologist, this reads like an episode straight from the small screen. When her father asks for her assistance with a grisly murder Cameryn is eager to put her textbook knowledge to the test.
Faced with a shocking crime scene and the reality of an autopsy, a cast of suspicious characters, and the added complication of a world-renowned psychic who claims to be in touch with the victim, Cameryn discovers that she must have inner strength as well as a strong stomach to follow her dream. Believing that crime is solved by science, not mystics, Cameryn is determined to discover the killer before another innocent girl is murdered.
Reviewed by Karen Z.
2008 ALA WINNERS
Here are the newly announced ALA award winners
Newbery Medal
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
Caldecott Medal
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals by Ashley Bryan
Michael L. Printz Award
White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Belpré Author Award
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle and Sean Qualls (illustrator)
Belpré Illustrator Award
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and Yuyi Morales (illustrator)
NEW IN SERIES
Children of the Lamp: The Day of the Djinn Warriors, P.B. Kerr
Lucy: The Diamond Fairy, Daisy Meadows
Ivy and Bean: Break the Fossil Record, Book 3, Annie Barrows
Sword Quest, Nancy Yi Fan
The Search for the Red Dragon, James A. Owen
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Greg Kinney
Princess Mia, Meg Cabot
The Faerie Wars Chronicles: Faerie Lord, Herbie Brennan
NEW IN PAPERBACK
Criss Cross, Lynne Rae Perkins
Small Steps, Louis Sachar
Gossamer, Lois Lowry
Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson
Penny from Heaven, Jennifer Holm
Little Fur: The Legend Begins, Isobelle Carmody
Little Fur: A Fox Called Sorrow, Isobelle Carmody
Princess on the Brink, Meg Cabot
L8r g8r, Lauren Myracle
Shug, Jenny Han
The Black Tattoo, Sam Enthoven
Swordbird, Nancy Yi Fan
EVENTS CALENDAR
February
100th Day of Kindergarten Party with Ashley Wolff
Sunday February 03, 2008 @ 11:30 a.m.
100 DAYS! HIP, HIP, HOORAY!
Kindergarteners, it is your day to celebrate! Kepler's throws you a 100th Day of Kindergarten Party with our super special host, Ashley Wolff.
She'll teach you how to make 100 Day Hats while you nibble on 100 Day Heavenly Hash and drink 100 Day Punch.
Of course, it wouldn't be Story Time without stories, so Ashley will honor your scholastic achievement by reading Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten and her newly illustrated title The Pen that Pa Built.
Story Time with Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly
Sunday February 10, 2008 @ 11:30 a.m.
Dust off your tiara and fluff up that tutu! Its time for the biggest, pinkest, sparkly butterfly party in Menlo Park! Why are we throwing the biggest, pinkest, sparkly butterfly party? Because we want to help launch the newest Fancy Nancy title Bonjour Butterfly AND we'll be joined by Fancy Nancy illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser. (She's the woman responsible for Nancy's marvelous fashions.)
So wear your best Nancy-inspired attire and join us for a morning filled with joie de vivre! (That's a fancy phrase for having lots of fun.)
Dr. Andrew Fraknoi, Disney Wonderful World of Space
Friday February 15, 2008 @ 7:30 p.m.
How many times have you looked up at the stars and been in awe of all that you see?
Similarly intrigued, Dr. Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and educational consultant for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, has made space his life's work. Recently, he won the Richard Emmons Prize, for a lifetime of contributions to teaching introductory astronomy. With his newest published book, Disney Wonderful World of Space, he continues his mission to share his knowledge with a whole new generation of potential space scholars.
Bring your whole family and join him for a wondrous tour of the p***t Pluto. He'll even provide young astronomers with great tips on how to view the upcoming total eclipse of the moon on February 20th! You are sure to enjoy this unique and "heavenly" evening with Dr. Fraknoi as your guide.
Story Time with Antoinette Portis, Not a Stick
Sunday February 17, 2008 @ 11:30 a.m.
We are delighted to reprise one of our most enjoyable Story Times ever and this time, we have the author to help us play! Antoinette Portis, the creative mind behind Not a Box visits us to inspire more hours of fun with her newest title Not a Stick. All we need is a room full of Story Time fans ready to imagine. Can we count on you to be there?
Hugs and Kisses Story Time
Sunday February 24, 2008 @ 11:30 a.m.
Valentine's Day may be over, but that is no reason to stop showing how much you care about those you love. Touching favorites Hug Time, The Kissing Hand, and I Love You the Purplest will help to remind you the EVERY day is the perfect day to smother each other with hugs and kisses.
Kepler's Author Showcase
Blake E.S. Taylor, ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table
Monday February 25, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
Eighteen-year-old UC Berkley freshman Blake Taylor has written an insightful memoir describing how he has lived and coped with ADHD that Dr. Edward Hallowell, ADHD expert formerly of Harvard Medical School and best-selling author of Driven to Distraction has called, "Brilliant, funny, totally engaging and extremely illuminating. This is one of the best memoirs of life with ADHD that I've ever read." Full of practical tips that Blake has used throughout his lifetime, he addresses topics such as distraction, bullies, staying organized, and social anxiety to name a few.
Join Kepler's in welcoming this accomplished and talented young man as he speaks about the day to day challenges of living with a cognitive disorder that is often viewed without appropriate empathy and understanding.
21st Annual NCCBA Otter Awards Dinner
Saturday March 22, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m.
Event held at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., San Francisco, CA
The Northern California Children's Booksellers Association (NCCBA) announces that its 2008 Otter Award goes to linguist, researcher, and activist Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus at the University of Southern California. The annual award honors individuals or organizations for efforts in bringing together children and books.
The Otter will be presented at the 21st Annual Otter Awards Dinner, on Saturday evening, March 22, 2008 at the Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., San Francisco, 6 p.m. no-host cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner. Admission is $75 ($85 after March 1) and includes dinner, speakers, and a bag of books. That evening, the NCCBA will also announce its Literacy Grants, which help support community projects in the field.
Featured speakers are Mark Teague and Ying Chang Compestine. Mark is the well-known illustrator or author/illustrator of many picture books, including the How Do Dinosaurs...? series written by Jane Yolen, and his hilarious LaRue books, Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School and Detective LaRue: Letters From the Investigation. Local author Ying has written several cook books and picture books, including The Real Story of Stone Soup and D is for Dragon Dance, and also an acclaimed first novel, the semi-autobiographical Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party.
Every attendee will receive a gift bag filled with books. The event often sells out, so get your tickets soon.
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