Time to Vote!

The Children’s Book Council has announced the finalists for the second annual Children's Choice Book Awards! Close to 15,000 children and teens from around the US spent months reading and evaluating books submitted by publishers. The five favorite books published in 2008 in each category are open for a nation-wide vote. Stop in at BayShore Books to vote or use the handy widget on the left. The winner in each category will be named as part of Children's Book Week(May 11-17, 2009), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

This year’s Children’s Choice Book Award finalists are:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:
The Donut Chef written and illustrated by Bob Staake
Katie Loves the Kittens written and illustrated by John Himmelman
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Sort It Out! written by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
Those Darn Squirrels written by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year:
Babymouse: Puppy Love by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
One Million Things by Peter Chrisp
Spooky Cemeteries by Dinah Williams
Underwear: What We Wear Under There by Ruth Freeman Swain
Willow written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illustrated by Cyd Moore

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year:
100 Most Dangerous Things On the Planet by Anna Claybourne
Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
The Big Field by Mike Lupica
Swords: An Artist's Devotion by Ben Boos
Thirteen by Lauren Myracle

Teen Choice Book Award:
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Paper Towns by John Green

Author of the Year:
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn
Christopher Paolini, Brisingr
James Patterson, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning
Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Illustrator of the Year:
Laura Cornell, Big Words for Little People
Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly!
Mo Willems, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon, Smash! Crash!
Jon J Muth, Zen Ties

What are your predictions?

Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

But how can you not?

You have to admit, this is an amazing cover:

At first glance, the picture depicts two couples, one on the right and one on the left. After a closer inspection, are those really couples? Maybe the center characters are one couple. See how they are both looking right at you? The other two are turned away as if they want no part of the other two. The entire picture must tell a story, too. The characters seem to be hand drawn, cut, and pasted in front of the sky scape as though they don’t really belong.

And how about this one:

Typically when I see a skull I think horror, however the girl doesn’t appear the least bit frightened. In fact, she looks down right relaxed. And what is the significance of the sailboat when there is no water in sight?

A pet peeve of mine is when publishers re-release a “media tie in edition” of a book. How can you really compare this

with this ?

How about you?

Do you buy books based on what the cover looks like?

What are some of your favorites?

Let's Vent Friday

Did you spend the entire day immersed in a nail-biting edge-of-your-seat mystery

just to have someone tell you the ending?

Did you wait months for your favorite author to release the latest in a series,

pre-order it from your local independent bookstore,

pick it up on the release date,

and absolutely HATE it?

Did you read the first two books in a trilogy

only to have the author die before completing the third?

I know you have something to vent about, so let’s hear it!

Snow Daze

During the warm summer months I find it easy to picture myself surviving the cold winters comfortably curled on the couch in front of a roaring fire with a cup of tea in one hand and the latest release by a favorite author in the other. Outside my window the wind howls and snow accumulates unbeknown by me.

Last night I tried to envision this inviting picture, but was unable to get past the reality of the situation as I drove home through whiteout conditions. I had every intention of skipping out a little early. After all, there was a blizzard raging and it had been an hour since the last customer walked through the door. What harm could it do to close up a few minutes early on an evening when no one in their right mind would be out and about?

As I flicked off the back lights, the door opened and a family of three came in, brushing off the snow and stomping their boots as they looked around with excitement. Chances of a snow day were looking good and they wanted to be prepared. After much discussion and deliberation, they each chose a couple of novels and were on their way.

As I locked the door, I thought that absolutely nothing would make me go out in that weather. Then I thought about being snowed in for hours or possibly even an entire day without anything to read. I was wrong, that thought would be more terrifying to me than venturing out into the storm.

Luckily, I have an entire stack of books waiting patiently on my nightstand for the day I get snowed in and have time to read them all. Currently I am reading Watch Me by Brenda Novak. This romantic suspense still has me guessing over half way through the book. It is no easy feat to keep this mystery fanatic in suspense. Hopefully I will get my answers before the end of the weekend. I have two more of the same genre waiting for reviews and then the latest by my Goodreads friend Ben Tanzer. I had the pleasure of reading his first, Lucky Man and am looking forward to finding out if Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine is just as edgy. One of my favorite YA authors, Sara Shepard, will be releasing her first adult novel in May and I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reading copy. My daughter and I are still fighting over who gets to read The Visibles first. I may have to move that one up on my list if I can finish my current read before she finishes hers.

What about you?

What books are waiting for your attention?

On the Hunt

Are you a hunter? If so, WHY? Do you hunt because your father hunted and his father before him? Was it something you were led into or is it a passion you took up later in life? Do you hunt to stock your freezer for the year or to get closer to nature?

There is no doubt that deer hunting has grown in popularity. In 1900 the gun season began on November first and lasted 20 days. There were 32,086 licenses sold that season. In 2007 there were 643,172 licenses sold. So, what is the draw?

In the past twenty years I think my husband missed only one hunting season. In the past twenty years I think my husband brought home three deer. There must be more to it than what this hunting widow suspects. I am hoping to find my answers tomorrow.

Robert Willging will be visiting BayShore Books. He holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management and a master’s degree in wildlife sciences, works as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is an enthusiastic sportsman. He knows a thing or two about deer. He is also an author. I am hoping his book, On the Hunt: The History of Deer Hunting in Wisconsin , will reveal all of the secrets our area hunters keep hidden under their blaze orange. Or at least help my husband and others like him understand why I see more deer from my kitchen window than he does during his annual trek through the woods.

What Percent are You?

While driving to work one morning I tuned in to a radio call in contest which really caught my attention. The question was, “What percent of women would rather receive a novel than sexy lingerie for Valentines Day?” The three gentleman callers all guessed in the 60%-70% range, which surprised me. Apparently they do know who the lingerie is really for. This is February in Wisconsin. Am I the only one wearing three layers and wrapped in a quilt? My husband and I recently celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I decided to run my own pole on the subject and I can say the results didn’t surprise me in the least. 100% of the women in my household would rather receive a novel than lingerie or flowers. Chocolate was a toss up. A box of chocolate to devour while reading the new novel would be the perfect gift for Valentines Day or any other day. That is the opinion of my daughter and I anyway.

How about you?

What book do you think would make a great Valentines Day gift?

Something by Nicholas Sparks? Stephen King? A cookbook or a book of poems?
Or are you one of another generation who would still prefer the lingerie

ReadKiddoRead

It should come as no surprise that James Patterson has another new book out. Run for Your Life, which is coauthored with Michael Ledwidge, is a continuation of his newest series with unlikely hero Detective Mike Bennett. What makes Patterson such a popular author? Could it be that he has written something for everyone ? Mystery fans are familiar with Alex Cross and the Women’s Murder Club. If you prefer romance, you are probably familiar with Sam's Letters to Jennifer, Sundays at Tiffany's or my personal favorite, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Who hasn’t fantasized about joining Max and the gang in the young adult series, Maximum Ride? Have I left anyone out? Oh yes, what about younger children?

No, I’m not going to tell you about Patterson’s new picture book. Although he has always been a huge supporter of children’s literacy, giving away more than $600,000 between 2005 and 2007 through his annual PageTurner Awards, he realized there had to be a better way to get kids excited about reading. From that idea was born his newest PageTurner project, ReadKiddoRead.com.
“One of the best ways to get kids reading is to find books they love,” Patterson explains to Publishers Weekly. “There are millions of kids who’ve never read a book they liked. I always say that if movies were taught in school and they started with Ingmar Bergman, we wouldn’t like movies.” His goal is to get kids reading by helping parents and educators choose books they won’t want to put down.

If you are a parent, grandparent, teacher or librarian, this site is a well organized place to find exactly what your young readers are craving from the best of the best illustrated books to great advanced reads. There is no pressure to buy, but if you do decide to make a purchase, the IndieBound Link is clearly visible. Better yet, stop in and visit us and let us help you choose.