Fusenews: Sparkly Vampires and Presidential Fowl

• New Blog Alert: 123oleary is the first.  It comes from author Sara O’Leary who wrote my favorite picture book of 2006, When You Were Small.  Vintage Kid’s Books My Kids Love is the second.  I hope she includes a couple vintage books that the kid doesn’t love as well.  Just to spice up the pot.

• Two Blue Rose Girls visuals for you.  Recently, author/illustrator Meghan McCarthy has been receiving alien dolls.  They are, not to put too fine a point on it, adorable.  Here’s one.  The other visual is author/illustrator Grace Lin’s recent photo shoot for an up-to-date author photo.  Check out the red background.  Nice.  I think Grace should go with photo #1, but that’s just me.

• Remember just how mad everyone was a year or two ago about that teen novel Cathy’s Book?  This was a title that was going to include product placement in its story.  Lots of books for kids mention products, but this was one of those cases where the author was going to do it because a corporate sponsor wanted it done.  Well, the paperback has cast aside the Cover Girl mentions for the paperback edition. 

And you wonder why I don’t review teen fiction.  In a New York Times article called In Book for Young, Two Views on Product Placement the Times’ resident kidlit reporter Motoko Rich also looks at the upcoming Mackenzie Blue from Harper Collins.  It doesn’t particularly matter since author Tina Wells didn’t put any placement in the book (though she seems freakily open to it).  Still, I was very fond of Roger Sutton’s response to this bizarre statement on the part of Harper Collins publisher, Susan Katz: “It gives us another opportunity for authenticity.”  What he said.  And man are his commenters on the ball.  My favorite comes from this Anonymous type person – "Will Max have a Coke in his very own room waiting for him and it was still cold in the next edition?"  Kelly’s take is nice too.

No more to say, I should think.  Thank you, Pixie Stix Kids, for bring it to my attention.

• Regarding a certain photograph: Are they going to CGI them up like Angelina Jolie in Beowulf?  At this point, how could they not.  Them’s not danged diamond skinned enuff by my book *spitoo!*  Thanks for the link, Leila.

• Ever wondered what the ugliest literary prize is?  Galleycat ponders three choices.  Two here, one here.

• Author Eric Berlin is having difficulty figuring out a Heathcliff comic.  A prize if it makes sense to you.

• The jury picks for the Norton Award are out.  These include:  The Lion Hunter by Elizabeth Wein, The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, and The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu.  One out of three ain’t bad (translation: I have read one of these three books).  Thanks to Gwenda for the link.

• Half a year ago my aunt, who runs a high school forensic speech team, asked me for suggestions for monologues.  I, of course, offered up now-Newbery winner Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!  Looks like I chose well.  Here’s what Aunt Judy had to say about the choice:

Whoop!  Take ’em down, girl!

• And yes.  You may buy this for me for my birthday.

Heaven knows where I’d put it, though.  Thanks to BB-Blog for the link.

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