Jane Smiley runs wild with middle grade fiction
It’s almost the weekend, so have fun discovering new and noteworthy books for young readers, watching the latest YA book trailers, and placing bets on your pick for the Nobel Prize in Literature (announced next month). Happy Friday!
- With supernatural elements dominating much of middle grade and young adult fiction, it’s refreshing to hear praise about three new books planted firmly in reality. The L.A. Times‘ Word Play column discusses The Georges and the Jewels, Jane Smiley’s first foray into middle grade fiction, Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko, and The Miles Between by Mary Pearson. Each book tells a captivating story while introducing young readers to real life questions and issues. Sure, Al Capone isn’t exactly a normal male character, but at least he’s not a zombie.
- In its weekly YA report, Omnivoracious reports on the hottest new book trailers, Libba Bray’s “Writing Chamber of Awesomeness,” and complaints being lodged against Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins. Anderson’s Speak, Twisted, and Wintergirls are under fire, and parents have asked that Hopkins’ books Twist and Crank be removed from a middle school in Norman, Oklahoma. It’s true that these books contain tough content, but what teenager’s life doesn’t?
- And in adult book gossip, British gambling and betting site Ladbrokes has placed odds on the various Nobel Prize in Literature candidates. Israeli novelist Amos Oz is the current favorite, backed by 4/1 odds, with Assia Djebar a close second at 5/1. The Guardian details the odds of other candidates and explains why they don’t expect the prize to go to a British or American writer. Winners won’t be announced until mid-October, so it’s not too late to get your book club betting pool going…
*************
Want to know more about us? Check out “What is Books & Authors and Why Should You Care?”
