TALES FROM... NIGHTMARES

TERRIBLE TALES FROM.....

N I G H T M A R E S

• CLICK TO HEAR. . . THE SORCERESS OF SILVERMINE. She tells the tale of a man who lived near a graveyard. Every day he cut through the graveyard to get to work, but then he began hearing a voice calling, "TURN ME OOOOOVER. . ."
  
  
  
• CLICK TO HEAR. . . THE HAG. She tells us of one very mean teacher, whose fate rests in the hands of her students. . .
  
  
  
• CLICK TO HEAR. . . THE CRONE OF COS COB. Lady Mary is engaged to be married, but doesn't know much about her suitor. That is, until she visits his castle and finds a room full of bloody corpses. . .
  
  
  
  [All sound clips are in MP3 format.]

Librarians on YouTube

A couple of funny clips from YouTube:

March of the Librarians

"Didn't you wonder where your librarians disappeared to in January? Ten thousand of them were in Seattle for an American Library Association convention, and I was there to capture the bizarre congregation on video."

Beauty is Nothing Without Brains

A Visit with John Boyne

John Boyne, author of the controversial The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, visited with Perrot's Young Critics' Club on Thursday, November 9th, 2006, to discuss his book and answer questions.

You can listen to an MP3 of Mr. Boyne talking about developing the idea for his book. Or you can look at some video clips here.


ATTENTION Young Critics! Comment on this post with what your thoughts on what Mr. Boyne had to say about his book.

TALES FROM... NIGHTMARES

TERRIBLE TALES FROM.....N I G H T M A R E S

• CLICK TO HEAR... SELENA, THE SEA WITCH. She tells of tale of a mysterious creature that crawls out of the sea, looking for someone to take back home...



• CLICK TO HEAR... MOTOKO. She tells us of two prideful warriors who are determined to prove their fearlesness in the face of a demon... with deadly consequences...



• CLICK TO HEAR... THE HAG. Her story stresses the importance of never talking to strangers... Particularly black-clad strangers who offer you fascinating trinkets...

[All sound clips are in MP3 format.]

Barry Cunningham of Chicken House Books Visits the Book Clubs

If it wasn’t for Barry Cunningham, Harry Potter might still be languishing in his cupboard under the stairs… -J. K. Rowling

Barry Cunningham, publisher and editor at Chicken House Books, visited with the Young Critics' Club and Young Young Critics' Club on Friday, October 20th, 2006. You may not recognize Barry's name, but you will definitely know the authors he works with. He discovered and published J.K. Rowling in the U.K. before she was published in the U.S. For his publishing company, Chicken House Books, he has put out books by Cornelia Funke, Kevin Brooks, and Stuart Hill, among others. Mr. Cunningham talked about J.K Rowling and the Harry Potter books, Cornelia Funke and the trials and tribulations of translating a book into English, the difficulties of adapting books into movies, and the personalities of the writers that he works with. Barry also brought lots of galleys of upcoming books from Chicken House, which he talked about, and which were then raffled off to lucky YCC members!

Click here to see a video clip [in .WMV format, playable with Windows Media Player] of Mr. Cunningham talking about how J.K. Rowling had the entire Harry Potter saga planned out before she started writing. More video clips and photos here!

Previews of Coming Attractions!: Wildwood Dancing

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom-- an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop. When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine...

The Young Critics' Club often gets to read books months before they are released in bookstores! Wildwood Dancing is the highly anticipated young adult debut from Australian fantasy author Juliet Marillier.

Click here to watch to watch a Young Critics' Club member talk about Wildwood Dancing in a short video clip. [The video is in .WMV format, which is playable with Windows Media Player.]

Watch for the book in January of 2007.

A Book Recommendation from the Young Critics' Club

The brand-new book Endymion Spring was a big hit with Perrot's Young Critics' Club. They got to read pre-publication copies, and the author, Matthew Skelton, even visited the library to talk with the club about his book!

Click here to watch Jane W. from the Young Critics' Club talk about the book, and describe why she liked it, in a short video clip. [The video is in .WMV format, which is playable with Windows Media Player.]