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For Teachers/Librarians Page Update

By on February 15, 2013   /   For Librarians, For Teachers  

It’s time once again for our semi-annual update on what’s new on MUF’s For Teachers/Librarians page!

We’ve added some great new resources and links to our regular categories. More on those in a moment, but first we want to tell you about two whole new sections just for you:  MUF Posts for Teachers and Librarians!  We’ve captured posts tagged for teachers and/or librarians in one convenient place.  The posts are organized by date, so “drop on by” any time to see what we’ve written with you in mind.

Here’s an overview of the other great new resources and links we’ve added: (you’ll find them marked with New! on the For Teachers/Librarians page):

BLOGS for middle-grade reading and writing
The Pirate Tree: Authors who explore books in the context of social justice themes, from violence to gender to race to poverty.

BOOK LISTS and REVIEWS
IRA Children’s Literature Special Interest Group Book Reviews:  Weekly reviews of books for grades K-12 organized by topic.

Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2012: Children’s Fiction

Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2012: Children’s Nonfiction

GENERAL RESOURCES for teaching and literature
Teaching Tolerance: From the Southern Poverty Law Center, in-depth and free resources and book lists on a wide range of social justice issues for educators. You’ll find an extensive list of classroom resources, as well as “What We’re Reading,” culturally aware book lists for educators in Teaching Tolerance Magazine.  Subscriptions to the magazine (print or digital editions) are free for educators.

As always, please help us build this page by suggesting other resources in the comments section.

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Stars in Your Eyes–a Giveaway!

By on February 13, 2013   /   Book Lists  

nate than ever Tim Federle has appeared on the Broadway stage in a catfish costume for “The Little Mermaid”.  He’s danced at Radio City Music Hall, sung at the Met, and performed at Super Bowl halftimes. Now, he’s pulled off the most important feat of all: he’s written a middle grade novel!

From IndieBound:

Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom.

Tim Federle writes a warm and witty debut that’s full of broken curfews, second chances, and the adventure of growing up—because sometimes you have to get four hundred miles from your backyard to finally feel at home.

Tim is giving away a signed ARC of “Nate” to a MUF reader. Please leave a comment below to be eligible and, well, break a leg!

 

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THE RUNAWAY KING Interview

By on February 11, 2013   /   Author Interviews  

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In April 2012, Jennifer Nielsen released Book 1 in the Ascendance series, titled THE FALSE PRINCE. It tells the story of a defiant orphan named Sage who is forced into a plot to impersonate the kingdom’s missing prince, where he must succeed, or be killed.

Now Sage is back in Book 2, THE RUNAWAY KING. The kingdom is edging closer to war, and with an assassination attempt on the new king, things may be worse than ever. Sage will need help from both new friends and old if he is to survive the dangers he now faces.

Jennifer, it’s been quite a ride this year with THE FALSE PRINCE. Can you tell a little about what’s happened with that book?

It has been crazy, yes. So far, translation rights have been sold in eleven languages; it was included on several lists including NYT Notable Books of 2012, PW Best Books of 2012, and Fuse #8 Magnificent Books of 2012. Also, Paramount Pictures is developing a screenplay for possible adaptation.

Let’s talk about that movie…

Movies can be a tricky thing because in that business, all you really ever have is what you have at the moment. There’s never a guarantee of things moving to the next step. That said, I’m really excited about the stage it’s in. Bryan Cogman, who is a very talented writer for HBO’s GAME OF THRONES series, is adapting the screenplay. Since THE FALSE PRINCE is often referred to as “a GAME OF THRONES for kids,” I consider that huge bonus points. Keep your fingers crossed!

So what can you tell us about THE RUNAWAY KING?

Not much, I’m afraid, because I want to keep this interview as spoiler free as possible. But I can say the danger, deceit, and twists that readers enjoyed in Book 1 will be back again. Only this time for Sage, things will definitely get worse.

Kirkus said of this book, “Readers will continue to find this arrogant, fearless, utterly reckless hero intriguing, fascinating, and complex as he battles the odds to protect the kingdom and people he now holds dear.” I think Sage would love to see himself described that way.

What has surprised you most in the last year?

I suppose it’s been the reach of the book. In fact, I got two emails this morning, one from a girl in China, and another from a blogger in the Philippines. So fun! I’ve had more than one young reader tell me they’re just like Sage (though for the sake of their parents, I hope they’re not!), and asking about auditions for the movie because they’re sure they’d be perfect for a certain part. There have been enthusiastic reader responses from kids as young as third grade all the way up to grandparents. I’m pretty sure Sage has received at least three online marriage proposals. It’s a tremendous feeling, and very humbling, each time I hear from a reader, especially when I know they’ve had to make some effort to find me online. For an author, the greatest reward is knowing that someone out there loves your book.

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How has it been writing in the INFINITY RING series?

I’m actually just working on my book right now. It has been so much fun to work with the other amazing INFINITY RING authors. Their creativity, depth, and talent really set me up to continue the adventure for the kids who are the heroes of the series, and I hope to leave James Dashner (who is writing Book 7) with a great springboard for a really explosive Book 7 (no worries though. He has assured me the book will not actually explode).


THE RUNAWAY KING will be released on March 1. Jennifer is also writing the sixth book of Scholastic’s multi-platform series, THE INFINITY RING, to be released on Dec 1, 2013.

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