Horn Book‘s “Fanfare 2013,” the editors’ choices of the 30 best books published this year, was released today, so we’ve updated our roundup of all the children’s and teen best books list in a downloadable spreadsheet, for your use in end-of-the year ordering, displays, and to add to your ever-growing TBR lists —  2013 — Best Books, Childrens and YA, Version 2.

The resulting list represents 435 picks for 280 titles from nine sources. The top three, with 7 picks each are:

Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin) — author Rowell has emerged as a huge favorite among both adult and YA librarians this year, for both this title and Fangirl, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin), which is on 3 best books lists, as well as being a LibraryReads #1 pick. Anticipation is strong for Rowell’s next adult title, Landline (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press), coming in July.

Mr. Wuffles!, David Wiesner, (HMH/Clarion Books) — a nearly wordless book filled with sly humor. See the model for Mr. Wuffles here:

Boxers & Saints, Gene Luen Yang, (Macmillan/ First Second) — Says Hornbook, “Trust Gene Luen Yang to find the humor — as well as the adventure and historical significance — in China’s Boxer Rebellion.”

Continuing our seventh annual best “books to give to kids you don’t know” round-up (see the first installment, here), we’re focusing on books that appeal to kids who are more interested in real things; real animals and real people, real places and real history. These are the kids who love to quiz their friends with questions like:

Did you know that basketball was invented by a guy from the YMCA?

…that Ben Franklin’s experiment with a kite and a key in a thunderstorm determined that lightning and electricity were one and the same?

…that turtles have a mouth with a hard beak but no teeth? Here are my favorites grouped by interest.

Biographies

Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball, John Coy (Lerner/Carolrhoda, Ages 5 and up).

In this book, we discover how James Naismith took a group of energetic young men and created a safe, exciting indoor game. Did you know that the original basket in basket ball was one for peaches and that every timea basket was made, play had to stop while someone climbed a ladder to retrieve the ball?

Below, author John Coy at the Celebration of Minnesota Children’s Authors and Illustrators, held September 21 in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Nelson Mandela, Kadir Nelson, (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegan Books, Ages 6 and up).

Mandela’s recent death has brought more attention to this great man’s life. We are grateful to have the artwork of award winning artist, Kadir Nelson in this stirring biography. Shining a light on a person who inspires us to improve ourselves, our family and community, this book is a perfect Kwanzaa gift.

Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty , Russell Freedman, (Holiday House, Ages 10 and up)

Russell Freedman is a national treasure. His meticulously researched and engagingly written narrative brings new life to one of the most written about American Revolutionary figures.

When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky: Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot, written and illus. by Lauren Stringer, (Harcourt, Ages 7 and up).

Stringer expressive volume explores the sometimes fraught but always exciting collaboration of two of the most innovated artists of the previous century. In 1913, the avant-garde composer Igor Stravinsky composed The Rite of Spring (in French, Le Sacre du printemps) to be choreographed by the internationally renowned dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The collaboration was so shocking at the time that the debut performance ended with the audience rioting.

Be sure to also check out Stringer’s fascinating description of her research and creative process on her website.

Insects 

The Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber, illus. by Brian Lovelock, (Candlewick, Ages 6 and up).

Huber’s fact filled sentences and lyrical style are a perfect match for Lovelock’s sweeping watercolor, acrylic and colored pencil illustrations of bees dancing, working and in flight.

Bugs: A Stunning Pop-up Look at Insects, Spiders, and Other Creepy-Crawlies, George McGavin, Jim Kay, (Candlewick, Ages 5 and up).

Gorgeous, magnificent, exquisite, superb, and, yes, stunning … there aren’t enough adjectives to describe this pop-up books about bugs. Formatted to appear as a historic exhibit with a naturalist’s handwritten notes and period illustrations, it offers all the facts a young scientist could want and this wonderfully creepy pop-up of a scorpion ready to attack:

More Kid-Favorite Topics 

Locomotive, Brian Floca, (S&SAtheneum, all ages).

Floca’s words echo the rhythm of a train wheels on the track as we journey west on the steam engine and his generous use of onomatopoeia creates a text that sings. Readers will revel in the historical accuracy of the detailed paintings and find themselves swept back in time by the extensive spreads.

Toilet: How It Works, David Macaulay, Sheila Keenan, illus. by David Macaulay, (My Readers Series, Macmillan/Roaring Brook/David Macaulay Studio, Ages  5 and up)

Longtime fans of Macaulay have always appreciated his attention to detail. Booktalking librarians take great delight in pointing out the toilets that appear in his previous works. This time, the toilet stars in its own easy reader and it is with glee that I recommend it to you now.

Defies Category

Go: A Kidd’s guide to Graphic Design, Chip Kidd, (Workman, Ages 10 and up — all the grown ups that you know)

Okay, even as I write this, I know I sound crazy. There are two books I want to give to all my family and friends who are over ten years old. This is one. Chip Kidd who changed the face of book cover design in a humorous, easy-going personal narrative explains what design is and how we are all capable of making intelligent design choices. Although Kidd is writing for kids, this volumes accessibility to anyone with an interest of how the world looks and how it got that way won’t be able to put it down.

Welcome to the seventh annual best “books to give to kids you don’t know” round-up [links to the previous six years  are available here].

If you don’t recall how we play this game, let me give you a refresher.

Every year librarians and booksellers are challenged with requests such as:

“I need a book for my five-year-old niece who I only see once a year.”

“I always like to give books but now that the kids are voracious readers, I can’t keep up with what they have already read.”

“I want to give a book but this kid isn’t really a reader.”

We accept this challenge, nay we welcome the opportunity to show off our expertise and vast reading insight. Let the games begin.

Please join in. Tell us your favorite recommendations in the comments section below. Remember, titles should meet the criteria of being sure-fire for reluctant as well as voracious readers. To avoid books that are already owned by kids in the latter category, they should be published this year and be less well-known or sleepers (it kills us, but that requirement means we did not include Jerry Pinkney’s gorgeous new picture book, The Tortoise & the Hare).

This post contains titles for the youngest; see the next post for more picture books.

For Families with Toddlers or New Babies

Giggle , Caroline Jayne Church (Scholastic)

This interactive board book is complete with a giggle button that is sure to cascade little ones and their grown ups into fits of delight.

Hush Little Polar Bear, Jeff Mack, (Macmillan/Roaring Brook)

A board book reissue of the perfect bedtime story told in gentle rhythm and rhyme. “Hush little polar bear, sleep in the snow, dream of the places where sleeping bears go” will remind readers of the lullaby “Hush Little Baby.” It is irrisistably singable too.

For Twos, Threes, and Fours

Know any hipsters with preschoolers? Ammo Press has produced the lovely Charley Harper’s ABCs by Gloria Fowler with striking graphic mid-century modern images of birds, insects and mammals created by one of the fathers of modern design. (NOTE: Harper’s work was the inspiration for our EarlyWord bird. We wanted to ask him to design our bird, but he passed away a few months before EarlyWord began. In tribute, we named our bird Charley).

Below is a video of Charley Harper talking about his silk screen technique.

Animal Opposites, Petr Horacek, (Candlewick, ages 3 and up)
This pop-up concept book by award winning illustrator Horacek contrasts big/ little, slow/fast, heavy/light as well as more complicated opposites like smooth/prickly with lift-the-flap surprises and pop-up wonders.

Turn the pages, lift the flaps and see animals of all shapes and sizes bring to life the world of opposites. From slow snail to fast cheetah, heavy hippo to light butterfly, smooth frog to prickly porcupine, Petr Horacek’s pop-up animals encourage early literacy, language and communication. With its amusing illustrations and interactive pages – learning has never been so much fun!

See how it works here:

.

Frog Trouble: . . . And Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs, Sandra Boynton, (Workman)

Taking advantage of the rule that rules are made to be broken, I’m including this title, even though Sandra Boynton hardly fits the “sleeper” criteria. There will never be enough awards for this rockstar of rhythm, rhyme and repetition. This  joyous, toe-tapping collection of original songs includes a CD sung by Mark Lanegan (yes, of Queens of the Stone Age) Josh Turner, Fountains of Wayne, Ryan Adams, Linda Eder, and quickly rising country star Kacey Musgraves — all accompanied by Nashville’s finest instrumentalists.

Here is Dwight Yoakam singing, I’ve Got a Dog:

Continues on next post —

(For Part One, link here)

Flora and the Flamingo, Molly Idle (Chronicle 9781452110066, ages 4 and up)

This wordless interactive lift-the-flap book evokes an unlikely friendship between a little girl in a bathing cap swimsuit and flippers who dances a tentative then joyous pas de deux with a pink flamingo.

See the format in action below (link here to the animated book trailer):
 

If there ever was a book that has been read to pieces by a generations of children, its Ed Emberly’s Go Away Big Green Monster! It is with great pleasure that I introduce the new superstar of the family, Night Night, Little Green Monster, (Little Brown). Half the scary and twice as much fun, these die-cut pages build the visage of a little green smiling face with one little curly hair. As the first star is sighted the little green monster slowly disappears with each page turn until holographic stars shine out from the pitch-black end papers.

[Ten more titles after the jump!]

(more…)

Below is the first full-length trailer for the adaptation of Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, the first in the series by Richelle Mead (Penguin/Razorbill). It comes with a terrific tagline, “They Suck at School.”

Given the tone, it’s no surprise that it’s directed by Mark Waters, who also directed Mean Girls. Adding to the darkly comic sensibility, the screenplay is by Daniel Waters, who also wrote Heathers).

Vampire Academy arrives in theaters on Valentine’s Day, 2014.

The tie-in (Penguin/Razorbill) arrives Dec. 31.

Attention Ransom Riggs’ fans, the followup to the surprise 2011 best seller, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Chidlren is a reality. A photo of the first copies of Hollow City, (Quirk Books, Jan. 13) arriving in the Quirk offices was tweeted a couple of hours ago.

Even better,  a chapter is now available online (via Random House Library Marketing’s Web site). We’re told there will be no ARC’s. either  print or digital.

Adding to the 2013 kids best books lists, SLJ has just published their picks (with cool cover by Melissa Sweet):

Fiction
Picture Books
Nonfiction

We’ll add these titles to our Childrens Best Books spreadsheet (see links to downloadable spreadsheets at the right) and post the update early next week.

Hanukkah is early this year (Nov. 27 to Dec. 5), so, as a sneak peek at my upcoming gift giving round up, I recommend With A Mighty Hand, by Amy Ehrlich and Daniel Nevins (Candlewick; Brilliance Audio), a lyrical retelling of the Torah that anyone of Jewish or Christian faith will want to share.

Nevins’ artwork supports and gives new dimension to Ehrlich’s masterful storytelling. It’s an exquisite volume.

In case you missed the livestream of the L.A. premiere of Catching Fire, you can watch it below. It seems that Hutcherson’s pronunciation of Peetniss, the fan name for Peeta/Katniss, got nearly as much attention as Jennifer Lawrence’s dress.

The stars return to NYC today to continue the promotional tour for the movie which opens this Friday. Lawrence appears on the Daily Show tomorrow and on Letterman tonight.

Currently filming in London, the live-action film Paddington “inspired by” the classic children’s book series, which began with the 1958 A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (50th anniversary edition published here by HMH in 2008), has been announced for release on Dec. 12 next year.

The computer-generated Paddington is voiced by Colin Firth. Featured in live roles are Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Julie Walters. Directed by Paul Smith, it is being produced by David Heyman, who also produced Gravity and Harry Potter.

The first “official trailer” for the film adaptation of Veronica Roth’s YA novel Divergent was released at a live event on studio Summit’s YouTube channel yesterday. While remarkably similar to the “exclusive first look” trailer shown during the MTV Video awards in August, this one adds several new scenes.The movie releases on March 21.

Summit has also released is a featurette, “Factions,” that explains an important element of the story.

The tie-in editions will be published in February:

Divergent Movie Tie-in Edition
Veronica Roth
HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books
On Sale Date: February 11, 2014
Hardcover: 9780062289841, 0062289845
$17.99 US / $21.00 Can.

Paperback: 9780062289858, 0062289853
$9.99 US / $11.99 Can

Celebrating the beauty of illustrated books, this week’s NYT Sunday Book Review features the ten best of the year, as selected by a judging panel consisting of Brian Selznick, who has won the award twice himself, NYPL’s Youth Materials Collections Specialist Betsy Bird, and Steven Heller, art director at the NYT and author of many books on design.

Among the titles is Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson, (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen).

Also in the issue is a special section of children’s book reviews.

For a list of the titles, with ordering information, download our NYT Book Review Best Illus. Books spreadsheet,

The movie adaptation of Gayle Forman’s 2009 best selling YA title, If I Stay, (Penguin), began production in Vancouver, B.C. this week. The author has been  tweeting her excitement from the set (“Today’s embarrassing #IfIStayMovie Moment: I see Mia’s family house for first time, burst into tears. This makes director @rjcutler happy.”)

The film stars Choe Moretz as Mia (currently as the lead in the movie Carrie); Jamie Blackley (Snow White And The Huntsman, The Fifth Estate) as Adam, the male lead; Mirella Enos as Kat, Mia’s mother; Joshua Leonard as Denny Hall, Mia’s father and Stacy Keach as Gramps. Director R. J Cutler,  is known for his documentaries, including the Emmy-award-winning American High.

Photos from the set have been posted on Examiner.com and  GossipCenter.com.

Book fans are notorious for not loving the movie adaptation of their beloved title. John Green is clearly a fan of The Book Thief, saying in his 2006 NYT review, it’s “the kind of book that can be life-changing, because without ever denying the essential amorality and randomness of the natural order, The Book Thief offers us a believable, hard-won hope.”

He saw the movie the this weekend and loves it, too, tweeting, “Just saw The Book Thief movie. Wow. So beautiful. It is a credit to Markus Zusak.”

And got the following response:

“Dear John, that means the world coming from you – someone who holds the secret word for life in all of us so well. Always, mz”

Good timing, since a new international trailer was just released (the Jan. date listed in the trailer is the international release date; it premieres here on  Nov 8).

Tie-in:

The Book Thief , Markus Zusak
Knopf Books for Young Readers
On Sale Date: October 22, 2013
9780385754729, 0385754728
Paperback, $12.99 US / $14.99 Can.

The final trailer for Hunger Games debuted last night during Game 4 of the World Series (see below).

It follows the teaser trailer  released in April, and the first trailer, which  debuted  at Comic-Con in July. We have trouble keeping them straight, but, thank heavens, Entertainment Weekly is here to guide us, saying it “teased more of the new treacherous arena of the all-star tribute games. Howler monkeys. Jabberjays. Jennifer Lawrence doing what she does best (when her face throbs with panic and she lets loose one of those raspy screams).”

The movie arrives Nov. 22

This makes us nostalgic for when Hunger Games, the book was first launched, with many librarians helping to get the buzz started (below is a quote that Scholastic featured at their 2008 BEA booth:

Tie-ins:

Catching Fire: Movie Tie-in Edition: The Second Book of The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic
On Sale Date: October 8, 2013
9780545603683, 0545603684
Paperback, $12.99
Catching Fire: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion
Kate Egan
Scholastic
On Sale Date: November 22, 2013
9780545599337, 0545599334
Paperback, $18.99