Books Inc. Kids's blog

With our upcoming event with Tony Fucile, we couldn't help but be reminded of an awesome book that came out more than 40 years ago that's as good today as it was then: The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes. It was originally titled The Iron Man: A Story in 5 Nights, but the title was changed when the superhero superceded Hughes' novel in popularity. There's movie (that upcoming guest Tony Fucile worked on), which is AMAZING and every one should watch it, but is totally different than the book. And even if you've seen the movie (which I agree, is awesome) you should still read the book and hopefully you'll like it even a fraction as much we do. Fun, simple, full of startling and direct symbolic imagery, The Iron Giant is a great book for reluctant readers obsessed with Star Wars and the kids who can already read Harry Potter (with a parent) ages 7-10. Hughes, who was the poet laureate of the UK for many years, adeptly utilizes gorgeous visual metaphors that are accessbile to kids, but with room for growth. It's one of those books that will grow up with the child as thier reading skills develop and mature, and as such makes this a great book for parents and kids to read together and discuss. It was written especially to be read one chapter a night over five nights, making it the perfect story to read before bed.

We were lucky enough to host Jeanne Birdsall at our Laurel Village store for the launch of her newest book, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. We had an awesome turnout of adoring fans, all of whom had many questions about the origins of Jeanne's unique and lovable characters. Here, Jeanne talks about the Nick, a character she based on a real person, who is now serving in Afghanistan. At the end of the event we were all invited to write a letter to Nick and his fellow soldiers so that he would know our thoughts and best wishes were with him. 

Middle grade author, Lewis Buzbee is a true bibliophile. He's been a bookseller, a sales representative for Chronicle books, a life-long reader and now he's an author! And thank goodness for that, because his books are awesome; they're books about books for people who love books and people who need a reason to start loving them. So, obviously, we love him. His latest novel, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, is an Edgar Award honoree, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Children's Book of the Year, a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children and the Winner of the California Library Association's John and Patricia Beatty Award. Oh, and also he's local. And awesome. In the video below, he shows us The Haunting in its manuscript form.