Growing Bookworms Newsletter: April 29

Tonight I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms weekly email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's books and raising readers. There are currently more than 250 subscribers.

This week I have an installment of my "reviews that made me want to read the book" feature, a children's literacy and reading news round-up, a Kidlitosphere round-up with links to useful posts from the week, an anecdote about a recent unexpected chat that I had with an author, an announcement about the April Carnival of Children's Literature, and an announcement about the Jane Addams Children's Book Award winners. Recent posts not included in this newsletter include:

• Pictures of my new bookshelves, now with books in them.
• A press release about Fusion Stories, ten new mainstream, contemporary novels by Asian Americans.

I'm still traveling more or less constantly, and I just haven't been able to get back to reviews yet. But on the most recent trip I read and enjoyed Audrey Wait by Robin Benway. Audrey Wait is about a girl who becomes a celebrity after she dumps her aspiring rockstar boyfriend, and he writes a hit song about it. I've seen other stories along the same vein - what sudden fame does to a person's friendships, etc., but what makes this one work is the pitch perfect teen voice. I can pretty much hear my nieces saying some of the sentences (though hopefully not doing several of the things in the book - it's more a book for high schoolers than middle schoolers). I'm now half-way through the Penderwicks sequel (by Jeanne Birdsall), and all I have to say right now is: no other contemporary author reminds me more of Elizabeth Enright (and that is a huge compliment). More detailed reviews forthcoming, once I get over this bout of travel. Thanks for your patience!

Thanks for reading, and for growing bookworms!