Monday, April 21, 2008

Is it Still Sweet?



If you are unfamiliar with the Sweet Valley High series of 156 books, ask your Mom about them, she might know. Originally published from 1983-2003, the books are being reissued, but first they're getting modernized. Instead of a Fiat, the Wakefield sisters now drive a Jeep Wrangler. Instead of working for the school newspaper, Elizabeth works for the school website, and, of course, there are cell phones, text messaging, blogs, etc. One change I notice just from the covers of these books is that it used to be a lot easier to tell which was the "good" sister and which one was more likely to get into trouble.

According to vice president and publisher of Bantam Delacorte Dell Books for Young Readers, "Girls today are still drawn to stories about the bad girl and the good girl, sister relationships, friendships, family and high school life. And has any of those things changed much? I don't think so." Now it is up for debate if the SVH books really said anything useful bout sister relationships, friendships, family, or high school life, but that sure didn't stop my friends and me from devouring these books when I was a kid.

How will these reissued books stand when compared to the Clique series? The Unicorn Club seems kind of tame in comparison to the Clique.

Laura and Jenna Bush Have a New Kids Book


Story hour gets exciting in Read All About It by Laura and Jenna Bush.

Read Your Way around the World

Traveling this summer? Whether you are really heading to these places or will be an armchair tourist, consider reading the books that the Columbia Spectator thinks “capture the essence of each state.” So far they’ve done the following states:

I wonder what they'll pick for Tennessee?

And if your summer travels are a little more international, take a look at The English Pen World Atlas.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

My Favorite Book: Ramona and Her Father




Ms. Thomas ('90) shares her affection for Ramona and Her Father, a book she has loved for years and years.


Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Snoop Dogg Writes Kids Books?

Snoop Dogg is working on a new series of picture books called Where's the Cheese. The books will be about Lil Mouse and her hunt for cheese in the city.

Happy National Library Week!

Just what are librarians up to?