Monday, March 19, 2012

Marty McGuire Digs Worms!


Next month the second of Kate Messner’s Marty McGuire books comes out, Marty McGuire Digs Worms! The first book was about frogs; the second one, as you may have guessed, involves worms. I’m not sure how far down the food chain we can go with these books but I hope all the way; illustrating Kate’s characters and stories is great fun.
(A side note: I thought of the frog-loving Marty last week when I read that scientists have identified a new frog — a brand new frog — right here in New York. Read all about it here. Will a new New York worm follow? If it does, would you really want to know about it?) 
Good news for the new book comes in the form of its first review, a starred notice from Kirkus Reviews: “Third-grader Marty and her classmates are given a challenge by a visiting environmentalist: to develop Earth-friendly projects that she will then judge…. Floca’s cheery black-and-white illustrations match the upbeat theme of the tale, and with at least one per brief chapter, they break up the text pages nicely. Marty’s first-person commentary, sometimes just a tiny bit sarcastic, splendidly conveys the eroding innocence of middle graders. A quick, amusing read with an easily digestible environmental message; it is a perfect match for its young intended audience.” The full review is here. Thank you, Kirkus! Marty McGuire Digs Worms! is available April 1 in hardback and paperback from your local independent, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell’s.



Monday, March 5, 2012

Moonshot news





Some recent nice news regarding Moonshot
First, the magazine Time Out New York Kids has just published a list of the 50 Best Books for Kids, and it’s great to see Moonshot clocking in at number 38. See the list here
Second, this weekend, in conjunction with NASA’s Destination: Station exhibit opening at the Tech Center in San Jose, California, several astronauts will be speaking in the Bay Area. Among them will be Rex Walheim, who flew on the final shuttle mission to the space station, and who on Saturday will read excerpts from Moonshot and talk about his own trips into space. Thats on Saturday, March 10, from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M. at the Oakland Public Library, 1021 81st Avenue, Oakland, CA. Details are here
Thank you to Time Out and to the organizers of the Oakland Public Library reading!