Children's Book Week

May 11 - 17 is Children's Book Week - the oldest national literacy event in the United States.

It all began with the idea that children's books can change lives. Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, family homes - any place where there are children and books.

Some of my recent favorite children's books are:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This book just won The John Newbery Medal.

Read my review here.




The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This is the last book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Current books include:
The Lightning Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth

Read my review of the 3rd book, Titan's Curse, here.


The Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven #4) by Brandon Mull

Current books in this series include:
Fablehaven
Rise of the Evening Star
Grip of the Shadow Plague

The last book in the series - Keys to the Demon Prison - will be released in 2010.

Read my review here.



The Dragon's Eye (Erec Rex #1) by Kaza Kingsley

Book #2 is The Monsters of Otherness and the 3rd book - The Search for Truth - will be released on June 30th.

Read my review here.


The Journal of Curious Letters (the 13th Reality #1) by James Dashner

The 2nd book in the series - The Hunt for Dark Infinity - was released in March.

Read my review here.


The Ruby Key (Moon and Sun #1) by Holly Lisle

The 2nd book in the series is The Silver Door.

Read my review here.


Stoneheart (Stoneheart trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher

Rounding out the trilogy are Ironhand and Silvertongue.

Read my review here.

Stoneheart

Stoneheart (The Stoneheart Trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher

Reading level: children/young adult
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1423101758
ISBN-13: 978-1423101758

"On a school trip to the Natural History Museum in London, a 12-year-old loner named George is banished for something he didn't do. Angry, he lashes out and breaks off a dragon's head carved onto the wall of the museum. Next thing he knows, a pterodactyl carving comes to life and begins to chase him."

And so begins George's adventures in "unLondon." He is soon chased by many fanciful creatures come alive from stone statues. He first encounters Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier, who helps to save the boy from the pterodactyl. The pair soon meet up with Edie, a "glint" with the power to see the past.

In order for George to go back to the London he knows, the London where stone statues don't come to life, he must return the broken dragon's head to the Stone Heart. Gunner and Edie, plus a cast of other characters, help George in achieving his objective.

In the beginning of the book, George is feeling sorry for himself because his father is dead and his mother barely has time for him. Edie is portrayed as a cold-hearted survivor who has always looked after herself. But during the course of their adventures through the unusual streets of London, their characters start to evolve.

Some of the other interesting characters from the book are the Sphinxes who only give answers in riddles, the Clocker who continually marks the time, the Black Friar who tells them where the Stone Heart is, the Walker who is pure evil incarnate and the Minotaur who is part bull, part human and all bad. We also get glimpses of dragons and gargoyles. Fletcher has turned a collection of the actual statues around London into an astonishing assortment of personalities and monsters.

Although marketed to children and young adults, I don't think I would recommend this for younger children mainly because of some of the scary and dangerous situations George and Edie encounter, but I highly recommend it for older children and teenagers, as well as adults like me who love young adult books. This is the first book in the Stoneheart Trilogy and as soon as I put the last period on this post, I'm ready to start Ironhand, the next book in the series. The final book is entitled Silvertongue.

Charlie Fletcher is a British author and screenwriter. Stoneheart was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award in 2007. There is a movie in development for release in 2010.