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  • OhMG News!

    May 17, 2012: Her Side of the Mountain

    Award-winning author and naturalist Jean Craighead George passed away May 15 at age 92. George was the author of more than 100 books for young people, among them Julie of the Wolves, which won the Newbery Medal in 1972, and My Side of the Mountain, a Newbery Honor book in 1959. Ice Whale, her latest novel, will be published next year by Dial.

    For more...

     

    May 12, 2012: The Kids Have Voted

    Votes have been tallied for the 2012 Children’s Choice Book Awards. Winner in the 5th/6th grade category was Okay for Now, Gary Schmidt’s companion novel to his Newbery Honor-winning The Wednesday Wars. Illustrator of the year went to Brian Selznick for Wonderstruck, and author of the year went to Jeff Kinney for Cabin Fever, the latest installment in his Wimpy Kid series.

    For a complete list of the winners…

     

    May 10, 2012: Happy Children’s Book Week!

    In honor of National Children’s Book Week, award-winning author-illustrator Matt Phelan posted this delightful review of Polly Horvath’s new book on his blog… 

    For more about Children's Book Week…

     

    May 5, 2012: Oh Me, Oh May

    Check out all the new books releasing in May...

     

    May 5, 2012: Be a Fourth-Grade Somebody

    One lucky fourth-grade classroom will win a Skype visit from author Judy Blume this month. To participate, all you have to do is have your students write a sentence or two on why they like fourth grade. The contest, which ends May 15, is sponsored by School Library Journal.

    For details…

     

    May 5, 2012: Sturm und Drang for Kids

    Guardian columnist Julia Eccleshare tackles the question “Why are so many highly praised children's books gloomy?” in this April 30 article…

                            




    May 1, 2012: It’s No Mystery

    The Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery of the year was presented this past weekend to Matthew Kirby for Icefall (Scholastic, 2011). Publishers Weekly said of Kirby's Viking suspense novel, “Readers may be drawn in by the promise of action, which Kirby certainly fulfills, but they’ll be left contemplating the power of the pen versus the sword—or rather the story versus the war hammer.” 

    For more on the award…

    To read a Mixed-up Files interview with Kirby... 

     

    May 1, 2012: Crystal Clear

    Winners of the 2012 Crystal Kite Awards, the only peer-given awards in children’s publishing, were announced this week. The awards are voted on by members of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Middle-grade winners include The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson and The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine.

    For a complete list of winners...

     

    April 30, 2012: Does a Pineapple Have Sleeves?

    What happens when a Daniel Pinkwater story is adapted for use in a statewide standardized test? The New York Times reports on the kerfuffle here...

     

    April 30, 2012: More than One Path to Publication

    The lines between traditional and self-publishing continue to blur as more and more traditionally published authors find ways to utilize the flexibility and freedom that self publishing offers. Author Kate Milford recently announced in Publishers Weekly that her new fantasy, The Broken Lands, which will be published by Clarion in September, will be accompanied by the release of a self-published novella, The Kairos Mechanism.

    Says Milford, "I want to experiment with self-publishing as a way to promote and enhance traditional releases by providing extra content to readers in the form of complete, related tales. I also want to use resources that support independent bookstores." As an added bonus Milford is planning a special digital edition of her self-published work that will include illustrations by 10 teen readers. 

    For more…

     

    April 14, 2012: It’s Raining, It’s Pouring!

    Check out all the new books releasing in April...

     

    April 12, 2012: The Greatest Girls 

    Jen Doll, columnist for The Atlantic Wire, talks about “The Greatest Girl Characters of Young Adult Literature” in this April 5 article, the first in a series called “Y.A. for Grownups.” Among the characters Doll mentions are a number of middle-grade favorites, including Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time and Claudia Kincaid of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

    For more… 

     

    April 12, 2012: Moss Aims to Pick Up Where Tricycle Left Off

    Berkeley-based children’s author and illustrator Marissa Moss, best-known for her Amelia’s Notebook series, is starting a new West Coast publishing venture called Creston Books. Says Moss, “The idea’s been percolating for years. It came to a head after Random House bought Ten Speed and threw Tricycle away.” Moss got her start with the quirky, risk-taking Tricycle Press, which published Amelia’s Notebook at a time when traditional publishers were unsure what to do with the illustrated diary format.  “New York publishing is about: what’s the next Harry Potter, what’s the next Twilight?” says Moss. “When I’ve approached people, I’ve asked, ‘What is the book you’ve been dying to do, but New York won’t do?’ I want the books that they think won’t sell—because I think they will.”

    Creston’s first books are due to release Fall 2013. In the meantime, Moss is seeking kickstarter funds to help back the project. For more…

     

    April 10, 2012: After Chrestomanci

    An online celebration of the life of British author Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011) will kick off April 12 with a two-week blog tour. In conjunction with the tour a special blog has been set up where fans can share their favorite books, quotes, stories, characters, covers, and memories of Diana with fellow fans around the world.

    Wynne Jones was the author of dozens of popular titles, including the Chrestomanci series and Howl’s Moving Castle, which was made into an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki in 2004.

    For details…

     

    April 6, 2012: Game Over!

    The Battle of the Books has ended. And the winner is…

    I’m not telling! You’ll just have to click on over to the School Library Journal site and read Jonathan Stroud’s incredible analysis of the three finalists—Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet; Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys; and Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt.


    March 31, 2012: Hiaasen Says There’s No Fooling Kids

    Newbery-honor winning author Carl Hiaasen talks about writing for kids versus writing for adults in this March 6 School Library Journal interview. Says Hiaasen, “The idea that you're fooling kids is crazy. That's the way I've been able to connect to and go between adult and young adult books. Kids love sarcasm and the idea of bursting a grown-up's bubble. It's a question of calibrating the story to the young adult market. Once I did that with Hoot and it worked, it opened up a new and rewarding way of writing for me.”

    Hiassen’s new middle-grade book, Chomp, was released this week.

     For more…

     

    March 29, 2012: What’s the Buzz in Middle-grade Fiction?

    A panel of editors will share their predictions for this fall’s breakout titles when BookExpo America convenes June 5-7 at the Javits Center in New York City.  You don’t have to wait until June to catch the buzz, though. According to the BookExpo on-line news, titles to watch are:

    • Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

    • The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann (HarperCollins)

    • Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin (Little Brown)

    • Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #1: Professor Gargoyle by Charles Gilman (Quirk)

    • With Love From Paris: Mira's Sketchbook by Marissa Moss (Sourcebooks)

    For more…


    March 26, 2012: Lindgren Winner Announced

    Dutch author Guus Kuijer has won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award given by the Swedish Arts Council to honor an author whose body of work is in the spirit of Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren. The winner receives 5 million Swedish crowns (more than $700K), making it the richest prize in the world for children’s literature. Past winners include Katherine Paterson, Sonya Hartnett, Maurice Sendak, and Shaun Tan.

    Kuijer was selected by an international jury of experts who praised his "razor-sharp realism,” “subtle humor,” and “visionary flights of fancy.” Kuijer is author of more than 30 titles, most of them for young teens. Sadly, only one of his books has appeared in English—The Book of Everything, a slim but haunting novel published by Arthur Levine Books in 2006.

     For more…

     

    March 20, 2012: No Grownups Allowed

    It’s time for kids to vote for their favorite books of the year in this year’s Children’s Choice Awards. Winners will be announced during Children’s Book Week, May 7-13, 2012. The awards are sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, which celebrates the transformative power of literacy. Kids can vote individually or librarians, teachers, and booksellers can log on to record their students’ votes.

    Finalists for the 3rd-4th grade Book of the Year are:

    • Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel

    • A Funeral in the Bathroom and other School Bathroom Poems by Kalli Dakos

    • The Monstrous Book of Monsters by Libby Hamilton

    • Sidekicks by Dan Santat

    • Squish #1: Super Amoeba by Jennifer and Matthew Holm

    Finalists for 5th-6th Grade Book of the Year are:

    • Bad Island by Doug TenNapel

    • How to Survive Anything by Rachel Buchholz

    • Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

    • Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

    • Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog by Garth Stein

    For more about Children’s Book Week…

    To vote …

     



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An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Feb 16, 2012
Book Lists

 

Chris Rylander, middle grade Mafioso don, is back with The Fourth Stall, Part 2. 

Chris, who’s visited MUF before, describes himself as a unicorn collector and amateur drifter. He’s also a very witty man with a terrific feel for contemporary kids and their problems.  We’re giving away a paperback copy of Part 1 as well as a hardcover, hot-off-the-press Part 2.  

 

From IndieBound: The life of crime is good. Mac has taken down legendary high school crime boss Staples, business has been booming, and Mac and Vince are getting ready for middle school baseball tryouts.  But this can’t last. Mac has always tried to keep his friends close and his enemies closer.  But what happens when you can’t tell the difference?

 

This dilemma walks into the fourth stall in the form of Trixie Von Parkway–an eighth grader with a mean look and an even meaner predicament. The new science teacher is terrorizing her, and she needs Mac to get him off her back. Seems simple enough, but as Mac starts to dig deeper, he finds even more trouble brewing at his school, including a new administrator bent on destroying his business, and indications that Trixie isn’t who she claims to be. In the past, the worst thing that could have happened to Mac was that he might lose a little money, maybe catch a beating. In “The Fourth Stall Part II,” though, there’s going to be much more on the line than that.

Thanks, Chris!  

Leave a comment below to be eligible to win both books.

 

Written by: Tricia Springstubb on February 16, 2012.on February 15, 2012.
19 Comments
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19 Comments

  1. Anamaria  •  Feb 16, 2012 @8:06 am

    My 11yo son is a huge fan of The Fourth Stall–I’d love to win these for him! He did wonder why it was called Part 2 and not Number 2, though :) Middle school humor.

  2. JenP  •  Feb 16, 2012 @8:43 am

    Looks like a good read.

  3. Cathe Olson  •  Feb 16, 2012 @9:00 am

    I’ve been hearing a lot about these books . . . I think my students would really like them!

  4. Erin  •  Feb 16, 2012 @9:06 am

    Ooooh, those look like so much fun!

  5. C. Lee McKenzie  •  Feb 16, 2012 @10:13 am

    I love this story without reading it, which I’ll have to do. Such great kid humor!

  6. Sarah  •  Feb 16, 2012 @12:54 pm

    Oh! I am so excited. My son and I loved The Fourth Stall – it was so surprising. I’d love to win, read, and pass on these books!

  7. Ella Schwartz  •  Feb 16, 2012 @1:20 pm

    Thanks for a great contest! Books look awesome!

  8. Randi  •  Feb 16, 2012 @2:27 pm

    My sons haven’t read the first book yet but they have it on a list of books they want to get from the library, so winning both of them would be amazing!

  9. Kathy Peavey  •  Feb 16, 2012 @5:23 pm

    I have not read these books yet, but would love the opportunity to! They sound like great fun!

  10. Dana  •  Feb 16, 2012 @5:29 pm

    Loved part one. Can’t wait to read part two!

  11. Llehn  •  Feb 16, 2012 @5:30 pm

    I’d love to play please.

  12. Stacey  •  Feb 16, 2012 @5:39 pm

    The cover would immediately grab the attention of the 4th grade boys I work with!

  13. Deborah Sebree  •  Feb 16, 2012 @7:07 pm

    Books that appeal to middle grade boys? Sign me up!

  14. Cathy  •  Feb 17, 2012 @12:12 am

    I would love to win this for my 6th graders at school! How will it stand up to my RELUCTANT reader who just reviewed his latest book like this…”It is a great book that will keep you so far off your seat you will be sitting in someone’s lap!”

  15. TL Conway  •  Feb 17, 2012 @11:16 am

    I’ve heard great things about The Fourth Stall books! Would love to win!

  16. Margaret  •  Feb 17, 2012 @7:44 pm

    I haven’t read the books yet, but they look great and I could definitely see young boys picking them up. Thanks for the giveaway!

  17. Sarah H  •  Feb 17, 2012 @9:19 pm

    I loved book 1! Such a clever idea, with lots of laughs as well as some serious stuff.

  18. Adam  •  Feb 20, 2012 @10:00 pm

    I loved The Fourth Stall and can’t wait to read #2.

  19. PragmaticMom  •  Feb 22, 2012 @4:33 pm

    Looks great. I’d love to win!