Complete book coverage for Dec. 13, 2009
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Judging by the ‘Liar’ controversy, ethnicity is a no-no on young adult book covers.
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In ‘1,001 Afternoons in Chicago,’ the dazzling early journalism of screenwriter Ben Hecht is on display.
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A report from the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
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They can be literary or light reading. Aim for a mix of classic titles and popular fiction that will draw them in and keep them reading.
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I never thought I’d be the sort of mom to buy a book called “Sweet Farts” for my child.
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Our children’s/young adult columnist offers her best picks of the year, including fresh retellings of old fairy tales and the latest installments in several series.
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The subject of our world’s imperiled environment has become increasingly conspicuous in children’s books.
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From the co-author of ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys’ comes a make-believe world inhabited by tiny, winged beings that are a lot like fairies, only a lot less fragile.
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With illustrations by Gustave Dore, this edition shows how the gruesome worlds of fairy tales actually give us a glimpse into the harsh realities of another era.
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The Russian fairy tale-teller explains the origins of her stories in ‘There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby.’
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A repository for Little Lulu, Scrooge McDuck, Dennis the Menace, Pogo, Little Archie and an array of glorious B-sides.
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Fiction Weeks on list1.The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. 27 2.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (Amulet: $13.95) Greg desires to spend summer vacation indoors despite his mother’s wishes for outdoor family fun.8 3.Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (Harper: $27.99) A swashbuckling pirate and his crew attempt to commandeer a Spanish ship carrying a treasure of gold.1 4.Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $19.99) Bella must choose between her lover and a friend, between life and death. 665.Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Knopf : $25.95) The short story master explores women and their relationships in 10 new stories. 26.The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $26.99) A writer’s escapades encompassing 1930s Mexican artist communities and Cold War America. 47.Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown: $26.99) The third Hollywood station novel follows the daily lives of cops on the trail of a team of identity thieves.18.I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown: $27.99) Detective Alex Cross infiltrates a secret society while tracking down the killer of a close relative.39.The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Doubleday: $25.99) Harvard professor Robert Langdon uses his symbology skills to find a missing Freemason in Washington, D.C. 12 10.The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $25.95) A hacker implicated in two murders must revisit her past to prove her innocence. 16 11.Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell.5 12.Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown : $27.99) An LAPD detective travels to Hong Kong to solve the murder of a Chinese immigrant. 7 13.Under the Dome by Stephen King (Scribner: $35) A ragtag cast of characters fight to survive in their small Maine town inexplicably surrounded by an invisible force field. 3 14.Breathless by Dean Koontz (Bantam: $28) Several story lines converge around mysterious happenings in the Colorado wilderness.1 15.Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown: $22.99) The final book in the “Twilight” saga finds Bella choosing immortality. 56Nonfiction 1.Open by Andre Agassi (Knopf: $28.95) The tennis star’s memoir and personal odyssey of a lost childhood, drug use and comebacks.4 2.Going Rogue by Sarah Palin (HarperCollins: $28.99) A memoir of the 2008 vice presidential nominee and former Alaska governor.2 3.Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom (Hyperion: $23.99) Albom’s observations of a rabbi and a pastor on an eight-year journey of faith. 10 4.What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown: $27.99) A collection of the author’s writings of everyday and extraordinary people. 65.SuperFreakonomics by Steven D.
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Fiction 1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95) 2.
