Fusenews: Politics and Poker
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Mmmm. Smell that? That’s the tangy, slightly chewy scent of politics in the air. Two recent political posts caught my eye. First off, author Mitali Perkins was clever and sent signed copies of her books to the Obama girls. Alas, not First Daughter (which they are too young for but I still think it would be a good idea at some point) but instead Rickshaw Girl, which I was particularly fond of. Mitali’s equal opportunity too. She sent First Daughter to McCain’s kid. And speaking of McCain offspring, I was unaware that the end of Meghan McCain’s My Dad, John McCain came with the line, ""in September 2008, the Republican Party had a big meeting, the Republican National Convention. And on that day, my dad was officially chosen as the Republican candidate for president of the United States." At least it didn’t end by saying he became president. That’s how I misread that sentence the first time. Thanks to Read Roger for the info.
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From Cynopsis Kids comes some interesting news:
Warner Bros. has released the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince teaser trailer has been released and can be viewed at a variety of places (in three different HD sizes) including the newly updated official website for the movie . Additionally, USA Today let fans in on the casting news that the young Tom Riddle is played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (10), who happens to be the nephew of actor Ralph Fiennes , who plays the adult Tom (aka Lord Voldemort).
Picture book author/illustrator Mo Willems is now the official Radio Cartoonist (yes, you heard that right) of NPR. Here’s how it was described: "Yeah, he knows, he knows — people can’t see the cartoons on the radio. Nonetheless, he and Michele Norris are giving it a go on All Things Considered. Willems will describe the cartoon, and Norris will take a stab at the punch line." Not content to let the New Yorker caption contest be the only game in town, his web people have instituted one of their own with four of his one panel beauties. Guess the captions and you will win… gee, I dunno. A mention on the radio? Tis unclear. They’re hard cartoons too. I’m still stumped by the pirate one.
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Ah. Good. I had wondered what the deal was with that thar Spiderwick movie. J.L. Bell has saved me the trouble of seeing it with a very informative recap. I had been under the impression that the movie only covered the first three books. This appears to not necessarily have been the case in terms of the ending, however. Mr. Bell links to the Jacket Copy blog’s spoiler-rific look at the film . And when I heard that the film involves Andrew McCarthy turning into Nick Nolte… well that’s enough nightmares to last a lifetime right there, I should think.
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And now for your daily bit of writing advice. Pub Rants says Don’t Mistake Voice for Character Development. Which, when you come to think of it, defines perfectly the problem I have with many a lovely middle grade novel today. Huh! Thanks to Original Content for the link.
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I like making up non-existent words as much as the next gal, but personally I refuse to believe in the term "Twitterati". Nope. Sorry. Not gonna do it. Thanks to LISNews for the link.
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Alison over at ShelfTalker wonders what kind of a reader you are. Monogamous? Whimsical Polygamist? Placebound Polygamist? It bears thinking about. I’m mostly monogamous, but I cheat at night with an adult book. And sometimes with an audio title on my iPod during the day. It’s not cheating if no gets hurt though, right?
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For those of you who missed my female comic book artist panel last week, at least one of the women present, Ms. Laura Weinstein, will be having two upcoming events to promote her GN Goddess of War. Personally I was fond of this window display being created in her honor at the store Desert Island. Window displays are my weaknesses. Good ones? Worth their weight in gold. Thanks to Galleycat for the link.
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I’m stealing this from Galleycat too. Wanna work for the mouse?
"Disney Publishing Worldwide seeks a Senior Editor , Animation Publishing to join the animation editorial team in developing and managing content development and licensee approvals. This role involves extensive coordination and communication with Disney Publishing, studio contacts, and third-party publishers. We are looking for an experienced children’s book editor who has demonstrated success in translating entertainment properties into printed content. We view publishing as a direct extension of the consumer’s experience with our films as well as a source of ongoing content and storytelling, and our products must reflect and extend the authenticity of the films."
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Librarian Diane Chen (and fellow SLJ blogger) was just minding her own business, unpacking some boxes for her library, when she stumbled across a box labeled Inappropriate to Shelve. Check out her post on the box of books pulled so as to avoid controversy. Oh, Edgar Allan Poe, you sly devil. Will you never stop perverting our innocent youth?
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Alphabet books = kids. Halo = not kids. So what does alphabet book + dead Halo characters =? Thanks to BoingBoing for the link.
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The Kerlan Collection (a fine children’s literary collection located at the University of Minnesota) gets some mad props over at the Jim Flora blog. Ah, to be able to winkle out every secret manuscript or hidden goodie in these collections.
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Daily Image:
And now, a moment of Zen.
Yes, they are praying mantises reenacting a scene from Alice in Wonderland. No, I’m not sure why. But you can get even better views of the action here. Thanks to Educating Alice for the link.
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Filed under: Fusenews

About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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