Elizabeth Bird

Fusenews: Muse Killing for Fun and Profit

• Who's my good little graphic novelist turned movie man?  Tis Jarrett Krosoczka, that's who!  The news from Cynopsis Kids:

Amy Poehler will star in Universal's big screen adaptation of author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka's forthcoming graphic novel series Lunch Lady, per THR.  Poehler will also exec produce the movie with Gotham Group's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein producing.  Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, the graphic novel series debuts this summer with two titles, Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians and Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, with another set for release in December 2009 and more for summer 2010.

If Poehler is clever she'll allow Jarrett a cameo.

• I would desire you would remember the lurkers.  Roger Sutton's recent discussion regarding blog and literary reviews has yielded a fine and remarkably civil conversation that you should consider your daily reading.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Blogging will never replace professional reviews.  It just directs your attention to new titles, allowing you to look them up in your professional journals when you get a chance.  It's partly why I try not to review a book too early (unless I get incredibly excited... which I'm more than a little prone to, I admit).

• Speaking of professional reviews, I finally cracked the final nut.  I wrote a review in The Times.  Avast, me hearties!  Soon the old gray lady will be mine!  All mine!  Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

• Now entering potential winners for the Best New Authorial Blog of the Year Award.

The Creator: Benjamin James Watson
The Blog: I, Uh, Think I Killed My Muse
The By-Line: " Murder your darlings they told me. Chase your characters up a tree and throw rocks at them. So I did. But my rock sailed right over that tree and hit my muse smack dab in the noggin. This can't be good."


Got my vote, though perhaps that has something to do with the fact that I'm pleased to find another person in this world using the term "noggin".  This fellow wrote a picture book that came out with Scholastic last year called The Boy Who Went Ape.  I'm sorry to have missed that one, particularly since one Mr. Richard Jesse Watson did the pics and . . . huh.  They have the same last name.  Coincidence?

• Poor authors.  They're not just at the mercy of agents, editors, booksellers, parents, and reference librarians.  They're also the victims of catalogers' whims.  Consider the sad story of Marc Tyler Nobleman.  Poor Marc.  His book Boys of Steel, a biography of the creators of Superman, comes out and where does the Library of Congress place him?  Not the biography section, oh no.  He's at J 741.5 (or, to be more precise, J 741.59 N).  Says he, "I did not realize this until it was already published and it steams me. It should be with other picture book biographies. (Pic book bios of Mozart and Beethoven are not shelved in the classical music section and kids assigned a biographical report will NOT be checking the drawing/cartoon section, even if they love drawing/cartoons.)" 

Is there much of anything he can do?  Answer: Nope.  Basically authors and illustrators have zippo power over where their books end up in libraries.  But we, the librarians, do have the power to override (or, at the very least, make nice suggestions to) our cataloging superiors.  I, for one, will attempt to get this book in the Bios where it belongs.  But even if I fail Marc shouldn't worry too much.  Of the four copies in my branch, two are currently checked out and the ones that are in have gone out at least two times apiece since they were added.

• On Facebook, Greenwillow's fan page was all we-have-the-title-of-the-next-Attolia-book and I was all like oh-no-you-DON'T.  Well now someone does.  Cover too.  Purdy.  Thanks to bookshelves of doom and Educating Alice for the link.

• Oz and Ends considers literary critique groups.  He makes some good points about the danger of being too nice, sparing the feelings of other members.  It's not really a problem with my group, since some of them are editors as well as authors.  You see, I have a critique group here in New York made up of, I don't mind saying, probably the five most brilliant children's and YA writers in the city . . . and me.  Hey, man.  Their loss.  My gain.

• When folks walk up to my reference desk and ask about the children's bookstores in the city my answer tends to be the same each time.  "We only have two . . . Books of Wonder and Bank Street Bookstore."  A quick and easy answer, but NOT necessarily true.  And now that there's a poll asking what New York bookstore is the best for children, more options are being named.  Monica Edinger gives a great personal account of the various stores nominated (and forgotten entirely).  Like her, I'm prejudiced towards Bank Street because it's a 15-minute walk from my apartment.  But Monica, what's this The Corner Bookstore that you say is so great?  Of it I know nothing.

• Yup.  I'm totally on board with the article Dear Pixar, From All the Girls With Band-Aids On Their Knees.  And this response?  Particularly choice.  I, for one, would love to see Sisterhood of the Traveling MONSTER TRUCK ON FIRE.  Thanks to Shaken and Stirred for the links.

• Daily Image:

Comics for the masses.  Or, for authorial types, your worst fears confirmed.

Thanks to Nathan Bransford for the link.

Posted by Elizabeth Bird on June 16, 2009 | Comments (10)