Fusenews: That First Day of Spring We Had? I Think I Want My Money Back.

A couple months ago Monica Edinger was telling me about this Battle of the Books challenge that happen in the adult literary world. I was interested, particularly when she proposed something similar for the children’s literary sphere.  And the result? School Library Journal ‘s Battle of the (Kids) Books is nigh approaching!  Here’s how PW Children’s Bookshelf described it: "Over at our sister magazine, School Library Journal, they’re waging a book war. Lois Lowry, Jon Scieszka, Linda Sue Park and John Green are among the many authors who will be judging SLJ ’s first annual Battle of the (Kids’) Books contest. The competition launches the week of April 13, with the first of four elimination rounds, starting with 16 of last year’s best books for young people."  Monica and Roxanne Feldmann are in charge. Initially I’d wanted to be a judge but SLJ rightly (sigh) wanted to get big name authors for this sort of thing.  So I am switching tactics. I want to be the peanut gallery. These kinds of things always have peanut galleries, right?  And if I don’t get to throw my discarded peanut shells on the site where this event will take place (link to come) then I’ll do it over on my blog with every update they do.  My only question now:  Do we get a zombie round?

• No matter how old I get, I’m still the kid in school desperately afraid that somehow, somewhere, all her friends are having fun without her.  This feeling hits me at periodic points, and by and large I’m pretty good at trampling it down into a nice pasty mush.  And no event incurs my envy more than the Bologna Book Fair.  Every year me buds in the publishing industry go to Bologna to work.  This "work" is publishing-only.  Librarians would have nothing to do there.  Literary bloggers would have nothing to do there.  But publishing bloggers would DEFINITELY have something to do there, as proven by one Craig Virden who has a new blog on Publishers Weekly called Bologna by Day and Night.  He will report the awesomeness as it occurs.

• Brenda Bowen, formerly of Harper Collins, is a beloved children’s literary figure.  You can’t not like Brenda.  It isn’t done.  So when I found out from James Preller that she had a new blog, I was thrilled.  For those of you interested in keeping up with all things Brenda, here is where to go.  Thanks so much to James Preller for the link!

• If you enjoyed the recent New York Times slideshow about various library murals around New York City, you’re bound to get a kick out of this piece showing those murals and more.  It also brings up a point that I am ashamed to say I never thought of before.  "The libraries are usually located in older buildings with high ceilings, but the shelves in the libraries can’t be built higher than kids can reach. This means there is a space between the top shelf and the ceiling, an up-to-six-foot band around the room just begging for something special." Never occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense.  Thanks to Jennifer Morrissey for the link!

• Editorial Anonymous confronts the difficult problem of Parents Ex Machina (Note to Self: Name something "Parents in the Machine" someday). 

• April Fool’s Day is just around the corner and I’m on high alert.  So when I read that Gmail now had an undo function, I was skeptical.  They’ve played this game before.  Only this time, it’s real.  Thanks to Bookninja for the link.

• Apologies to those of you waiting to read the Spring Penguin Library Preview.  I’ve been busier and more tired this week than I expected to be.  Hopefully it’ll be up in the next few dayzzzzzzzzz. . . . .

• zzzzzz ….. Daily Image ….. zzzzzzz ….. : zzzzzzz… pens that let you be all stabby stabby . . . .

. . . zzzzzzz ….. thanks to Boing Boing for the link…. zzzzzz….

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