Who Could That Be At This Hour?, the first book in Lemony Snicket’s new series, All the Wrong Questions is released on Tuesday 23 October (that’s next week!). If you loved A Series of Unfortunate Events you’re sure to love this new series.
authors
David Walliams introduces his new website…WORLD OF WALLIAMS
David Walliams, author of hilarious books like The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy, and Gangsta Granny, has just launched his new website, World of Walliams. I’ve had a play around on the website and it’s absolutely fantastic! There are lots of cool games and information about David’s books. Head on over to http://www.worldofwalliams.com/ now.
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Zom-B by Darren Shan
Darren Shan is the master of horror stories for children and teens. His vampire series, The Saga of Darren Shan, and the Demonata series have been hugely popular. Now Darren has turned to another staple of the horror genre, zombies. You may think that this has been done many times before, but Darren has created a fresh and original zombie tale, with plenty of bone-crunching and brain-chomping.
When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B Smith’s racist father thinks it’s a joke– but even if it isn’t, he figures, it’s ok to lose a few Irish. B doesn’t fully buy into Dad’s racism, but figures it’s easier to go along with it than to risk the fights and abuse that will surely follow sticking up for Muslims, blacks, or immigrants. But when zombies attack B’s school, B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors, making allegiances with anyone with enough guts to fight off their pursuers.
Zom-B is one of the most horrific, gruesome, twisted stories for teens I’ve ever read, and I loved every minute of it! Darren leaves nothing to the imagination, vividly describing the way the zombies crack open skulls with their claw-like hands and devour their victim’s brains. It’s one of the only books that has made me cringe at the actions of the characters, and I couldn’t read it before bed, for fear that zombies would invade my dreams.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across a main character who makes me hate them before either. B’s father is an incredibly racist man, who is part of different groups who want a ‘white’ Britain, so B is brought up with these views. He is a vicious man, who beats his wife and shares his racist views freely. Every time he opened his mouth I cringed and I didn’t really want to hear anything he had to say. Just when you think he might have had a change of heart, he shocks you again. B struggles with these views, but they often take over and B ends up beating up black kids or Indian kids at school. This is the first book in a 12 book series so we will have to wait and see if their views change.
Darren Shan’s zombies are not your average zombie. When you turn into a zombie, your teeth thicken and become very sharp, and claws grow out of your fingers and toes, making them perfect for digging into skulls to get to the brains. It’s not known where the zombies came from, but there is a sinister figure in the book that I’m sure has something to do with it. No doubt Darren will drip feed us details over the course of the series.
There are several shocking twists in the story that blew me away, especially the ending. At one stage I had to reread what I’d just read several times to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. Darren leaves you hungry for more (story not brains) and I can’t wait to get my hands on book two!
5 out of 5 stars
NB: This is not a book for a primary school library. It’s perfect for fans of Darren Shan and anyone who likes horror, including adults.
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Picture Book Nook: Stupid Baby by Stephanie Blake
One of my favourite picture books from last year was Stephanie Blake’s Poo Bum!, published by the wonderful Gecko Press. It’s a book that kids immediately love (and end up repeating Simon’s favourite phrase) and divides adults (they either love it or hate it). Thanks to Gecko Press I have a Poo Bum badge that I wear with pride in the library, which makes a great talking point. Gecko Press have just published Stephanie Blake’s second book featuring Simon the rabbit, Stupid Baby, and it’s just as hilarious as Poo Bum!
In Stupid Baby, Simon has just gotten a new baby brother. Simon is always getting told off because he’s making too much noise. Of course, Simon doesn’t like his new brother at all and wants the ‘stupid baby’ to go back to where he came from. His parents tell him that the baby is here to stay, but he won’t stay forever will he? What a stupid baby!
Stupid Baby is a spectacular picture book! I loved Simon in Poo Bum and he is certainly on fine form in this book. He’s such an amusing character, who is pretty horrible, but loveable at the same time. Although he acts all tough and mean, he worries just as much as most kids. He’s scared of the dark and the wolves that are coming to get him, and he’s scared that his baby brother might stay forever. The text is simple, but the wonderful translation and the design of the text make the story special. The variation of the text size helps the reader to put the emphasis in the right place, whether it’s the Ka-boom! of the rocket or whispering around the teeny, tiny baby. Stephanie Blake’s illustrations are big, bold and bright (similar to Lucy Cousins’ illustrations) making them appealing to kids. There is no white space in Stupid Baby, every page is colourful. The bright red cover, with Simon in his superhero outfit, jumps off the shelf and shouts ‘READ ME!’ I love the page where Simon is worrying about all sorts of things, as his expression goes from worried to angry. I also love Simon’s wide-eyed expression when he’s worrying about the wolves.
The ending is unexpected and will have kids rolling around on the floor laughing. Get a copy of Stupid Baby now and meet the worst role model in the picture book world.
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Picture Book Nook: This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it’s a good thing that enormous fish won’t wake up. And even if he does, it’s not like he’ll ever know what happened…
This Is Not My Hat is a perfect picture book. The story is quirky and captures children’s attention, the illustrations are wonderful and the ending is unexpected. The thing that really makes this picture book stand out for me is that the illustrations tell a slightly different story to the text. Tiny fish tells us that Big Fish probably won’t wake up for a long time and that he probably won’t notice that his hat is gone, but the illustrations tell us that this is not the case. The humour of the story comes from these mismatched illustrations and text. This just goes to show you what an incredibly talented story teller Jon is and the wonderful things that can be achieved in the 32 pages of a picture book.
Jon’s illustrations are quite basic, but he has managed to convey so much humour and emotion on each page. I love the way that Big Fish’s expression changes when he realises something isn’t quite right and he figures out pretty quickly what has happened. Jon uses a very limited colour palette in his illustrations (mostly brown, green, blue, grey and black) and these set the tone of the story. It’s not all bright and colourful so you know straight away that it’s not going to be a bright and happy story. I like the way that the story moves with the fish (swimming away towards the right) and the way that Jon shows this movement through the bubbles that follow each of the fish.
My absolute favourite thing about This is Not My Hat is the surprise ending that shocks you and also makes you laugh. After reading I Want My Hat Back I kind of expected a shocking ending but it still made me laugh, and I’m sure children will too. If you want a picture book that you will enjoy even more than the children you’re reading it to, get a copy of This is Not My Hat from your library or bookshop now.
5 out of 5 stars
Join me tomorrow when I host Jon Klassen on his This is Not My Hat blog tour. I’ll be asking Jon about being an author/illustrator, how he creates his illustrations, and what he does when he’s not working on books.
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Celebrate Jon Klassen’s new picture book This is Not My Hat
This week I’m celebrating the release of Jon Klassen’s new picture book, This is Not My Hat. Jon is an incredibly talented author and illustrator and his books are fantastic! The last book he both wrote and illustrated, I Want My Hat Back, has won numerous awards, including a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award.
Tomorrow I’ll be reviewing This is Not My Hat and on Wednesday I have an interview with Jon Klassen as part of his This is Not My Hat blog tour. Check out the book trailer:
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Picture Book Nook: The Man from the Land of Fandango by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Come to the magical land of Fandango! There’s dancing and music, with bears, bisons, baboons, kangaroos and even dinosaurs. Most amazing of all is the Man from the Land of Fandango himself. He bingles and bangles and bounces, and he’s coming to give you a call. Are you ready for the party?
Reading The Man from the Land of Fandango is like stepping into Margaret Mahy’s imagination. You can imagine that all these wonderful things would have been flying inside her head. When she describes the man from the Land of Fandango it’s like she is describing herself. Someone who brings joy and excitement to children and ‘is given to dancing and dreams’ sounds exactly like Margaret. Her wonderful poem is full of her characteristic wordplay, and the rhythm and rhyme bounces you along. I especially love the alliteration, like ‘jingles and jongles and jangles’ and ‘he juggles with junkets and jam in a jar.’ This is the third book of Margaret’s that Polly Dunbar has illustrated and her style is just perfect for Margaret’s wacky poems. Polly’s illustrations are magical and full of joy and laughter. I love that the children never stop smiling from beginning to end. Her illustrations make you want to jump right into the book and join in the fun with the bears, baboons, dinosaurs and The Man from the Land of Fandango. Even the words on the page look like they’re having fun in this book, as they dance all over the place.
You won’t be able to stop yourself from reading The Man from the Land of Fandango out loud, because the words just roll off your tongue. Just like Margaret and Polly’s other collaborations, Bubble Trouble and Down the Back of the Chair, this will certainly become a favourite that children will beg to be read again and again.
5 out of 5 stars
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Interview with Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate
Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate are amazing authors in their own right, but when they combine their talents the result is the exciting, futuristic thriller, Eve and Adam. They’ve written over 100 books together, including one of the coolest series from my childhood, Animorphs. I was lucky enough to catch up with Michael and Katherine to ask them a few questions about Eve and Adam, and their collaborative writing process.
How does the collaborative writing process work for the two of you?
MG – Poorly.
KA – Well, in the past. Better this time. It was actually pretty smooth.
MG — I’ve matured.
Did you write a character each for Eve and Adam?
KA – That was one of the approaches we took, but quickly decided it didn’t work. In order to do that we would need to be able to plan things out in advance. Michael doesn’t plan. I plan and then don’t follow my plan.
MG – The real story is that Katherine realized Eve would have a lot more scenes so she’d have to do more of the work.
Does it make it harder or easier writing collaboratively when you live in the same house?
MG – Much easier. The commute is shorter. It’s like three feet.
KA – Being in the same house means we can share a pot of coffee as opposed to writers who aren’t married who probably have to make twice as many pots.
MG – The horror.
The first sentence of Eve and Adam is explosive and totally hooks you. Are the opening scenes of a book the hardest thing to write?
MG – We are very different on this. I barely think about it because I know I’ll go back later and write something different.
KA – I need to have the opening right, even if it takes days. Or weeks.
MG – Months. Years.
Eve and Adam is so shocking because the story could be happening somewhere in the world right now. Was it a story that you did lots of research for before you started writing or is it purely from your imaginations?
MG – We both went out and got PhD’s.
KA – It really took a lot of commitment from Michael since he’s a high school drop-out.
MG – We attended the University of Google.
KA – College of Wikipedia.
If you could create the perfect version of yourself what would you change?
MG – There was a time when I’d have said hair. But that’s no longer an issue. Honestly? I’d be one of those people who can eat without gaining weight.
KA – I have weak ankles.
MG – That is pathetic. That’s all you’d change? Weak ankles?
KA – There’s plenty of things about you I’d change. I could make a list.
MG – I wouldn’t change anything about you. Hah! There, I trumped you and now people will think I’m the nice one.
Eve and Adam reads like it could be a standalone book or part of a new series. Do you plan to write more about these characters?
KA – There’s rumour of a sequel.
Enter my competition to win a copy of Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate.
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Prepare yourself for Lemony Snicket’s new series!
Ever since I first heard about Lemony Snicket’s new series a few months ago I’ve been eagerly awaiting October so that I can get my hands on the first book. Like his last series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, you know that it’s going to be something spectacularly strange, as only he can do. Read all about his new series below and make sure you get your hands on a copy from 23 October.
ALL THE WRONG QUESTIONS is Lemony Snicket’s first authorised autobiographical account of his childhood and will be told in four volumes featuring illustrations throughout by critically acclaimed artist Seth.
“Who Could That Be at This Hour?”, the first volume in the series, launches internationally in e-book and print formats on October 23, 2012.
The series reveals how a young Lemony Snicket, in a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, began an apprenticeship in a secret organization. He began to ask a series of questions—wrong questions that should not have been on his mind. “Who Could That Be at This Hour?” is Snicket’s account of the first wrong question.
This is the first new series by Lemony Snicket since his phenomenally successful A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has sold over 60 million copies worldwide and has been translated into thirty-nine languages. Thousands of fervent fans who are eager to learn more about the mysterious author have already discovered the LemonySnicketLibrary.com website, which promises to reveal future developments of Snicket’s series.
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The Kill Order by James Dashner
I think I’m probably James Dashner’s number one fan (outside of the US). His Maze Runner Trilogy is one of my favourite series and the first book, The Maze Runner, is in my top 5 books. It’s one of those books that keeps you constantly on edge, trying to figure out what the heck is going on, and James Dashner’s amazing storytelling sends a shiver down your spine. Although the first book is my favourite of the series, James keeps you in suspense and reveals little pieces of the puzzle throughout the rest of the trilogy (The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure), making you eagerly await the next installment. The Death Cure was the perfect ending to the series, but James felt there was still more of the story he wanted to tell, specifically how the world went to hell in a hand basket and why there needed to be a maze in the first place. The prequel to the Maze Runner Trilogy, The Kill Order, has just been released in the US and I had to know how it all started.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next.
Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.
I felt completely satisfied after finishing The Death Cure, but The Kill Order is like dessert. James reveals even more pieces of this wonderful puzzle of a story, connects them with pieces from the other books in the trilogy, and turns everything you thought you knew on its head. The story shows us what happened after the sun flares struck the earth, how people coped in the aftermath, where the Flare virus came from and how it spread. It’s told through the eyes of completely new characters, Mark and Trina, and we follow their fight for survival after the sun flares strike the earth. The things that Mark and Trina see are terrifying, horrific and sometimes incredibly creepy. Several times I thought twice about reading it before bed, in case those images stayed in my head. Although they’re different characters, you feel for them just as you felt for Thomas, Teresa and their friends.
Now that I’ve read The Kill Order I desperately want to start the series all over again, because there’s all this new information I didn’t know the first time around. One thing I especially love about The Kill Order is that Thomas and Teresa make an appearance, which really connects this book with the rest of the series. James’ ability to connect all the pieces of his story together left me shaking my head in amazement and thinking ‘Wow, this guy is good!’
If you want a series that blows The Hunger Games out of the water, read The Maze Runner Series.
5 out of 5 stars
N.B. This is the US hardback edition of The Kill Order. The paperback edition, published by Chicken House, will be available in NZ in March 2013. I’m an impatient reader, especially when it comes to series, so I couldn’t wait.
My Best Friends Are Books 