Tuesday, September 29, 2009

And Now You Know...The Rest of the Story

Sequels are the name of the game today!



Al Capone Shines My Shoes is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Gennifer Choldenko's Newbery Honor book, Al Capone Does My Shirts (and a Battle of the Books selection several years ago). Moose is still living with his family on Alcatraz Island, and Al Capone is looking for a favor from Moose. This book already has several holds on it, so if you want to read it quickly, place a hold on it.



One of the best things about attending an ALA conference is the exhibit floor. You can scoop up advanced reader copies of forthcoming titles and chat with publishing representatives about their fall/spring lineup. I went to this summer's ALA conference with two books in mind: Kate DiCamillo's The Magician's Elephant and Ann M. Martin's Everything for a Dog. The absolutely lovely Candlewick rep apologetically explained that the only way to get a *chance* at getting an ARC of The Magician's Elephant was to stand in line for DiCamillo's book signing. Which was three hours away. In the middle of a session that I really wanted to attend.

Oh, well. Lose some, win some. Undaunted, I found Feiwel & Friends's booth and voila! Everything for a Dog was there. By this time, I was *starving*, so I stood in line for 20 minutes for an overpriced sandwich and chips, took my lunch outside, and started to read Everything for a Dog.

It's not technically a sequel to A Dog's Life; just more of a companion. It's a moving story that will leave you teary-eyed at times! I adore Ann M. Martin's writing. Fans will not be disappointed, and I'm sure she'll gain new ones with her latest book.



The Benedict Society members are back in their latest adventure, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma (love that the books are so popular, hate that the titles are so long!). We have a number of holds for this already, so get in line!



Whenever a parent asks for a series recommendation, I ask if his/her child has read the Peter and the Starcatchers series. If not, I lead them to its section while giving them some info on the series. The fact that a) it serves as a backstory for Peter Pan and b) that one of its authors is Dave Barry usually piques their interest. "Dave Barry? Really?" Yes, really. The other author is Ridley Pearson, known for his suspense stories. The third (and as far as I know, last, since it is billed as a trilogy, but you never know) tale, Peter and the Sword of Mercy, will be released soon.

(I guess this could have gone in the series post. Oh, well.)



Richard Peck's Grandma Dowdel character is back in A Season of Gifts. Meant as a companion novel to A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, A Season of Gifts is set in late 1950s Illinois.

Kate Coombs's Princess Meg is back in The Runaway Dragon, the sequel to The Runaway Princess. Laddy the dragon has run away from home, so it's up to Princess Meg and her cohorts to save him! Princess Meg is a fun character; highly recommended.

Believe it or not, there are some stand-alone titles this season. I'll tell you about them in the next post.

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