#Hachette Children’s Group

[flaviathebibliophile]

Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit by Anna Llenas (Review)

Title: Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit Creator: Anna Llenas Type: Fiction Genre: Children’s, Picture Book Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Date published: May 7, 2024 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review. Today, Nuna doesn’t feel quite right. So, she pays a visit to the Color an…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Richard Luscombe at The Guardian:

Six major book publishers have teamed up to sue the US state of Florida over an “unconstitutional” law that has seen hundreds of titles purged from school libraries following rightwing challenges. The landmark action targets the “sweeping book removal provisions” of House Bill 1069, which required school districts to set up a mechanism for parents to object to anything they considered pornographic or inappropriate. A central plank of Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s war on “woke” on Florida campuses, the law has been abused by rightwing activists who quickly realized that any book they challenged had to be immediately removed and replaced only after the exhaustion of a lengthy and cumbersome review process, if at all, the publishers say. Since it went into effect last July, countless titles have been removed from elementary, middle and high school libraries, including American classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

Contemporary novels by bestselling authors such as Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume and Stephen King have also been removed, as well as The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank’s gripping account of the Holocaust, according to the publishers. “Florida HB 1069’s complex and overbroad provisions have created chaos and turmoil across the state, resulting in thousands of historic and modern classics, works we are proud to publish, being unlawfully labeled obscene and removed from shelves,” Dan Novack, vice-president and associate general counsel of Penguin Random House (PRH), said in a statement. “Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences to learn and grow. It’s imperative for the education of our young people that teachers and librarians be allowed to use their professional expertise to match our authors’ books to the right reader at the right time in their life.” PRH is joined in the action by Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks. The 94-page lawsuit, which also features as plaintiffs the Authors Guild and a number of individual writers, was filed in federal court in Orlando on Thursday.

The suit contends the book removal provisions violate previous supreme court decisions relating to reviewing works for their literary, artistic, political and scientific value as a whole while considering any potential obscenity; and seeks to restore the discretion “of trained educators to evaluate books holistically to avoid harm to students who will otherwise lose access to a wide range of viewpoints”. “Book bans censor authors’ voices, negating and silencing their lived experience and stories,” Mary Rasenberger, chief executive of the Authors Guild, said in the statement. “These bans have a chilling effect on what authors write about, and they damage authors’ reputations by creating the false notion that there is something unseemly about their books. “Yet these same books have edified young people for decades, expanding worlds and fostering self-esteem and empathy for others. We all lose out when authors’ truths are censored.” Separate from the publishers’ action, a group of three parents filed their own lawsuit in June, insisting that the law discriminated against parents who oppose book bans and censorship because it allowed others to dictate what their children can and cannot read.

Six major publishers sue Florida over book ban law HB1069.

[colferpics]

Hachette Children's Group via Twitter June 20, 2024

[world-of-wales]

THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE: A HANDBOOK FOR DREAMERS AND THINKERS

Prince William has written the foreword for a new children’s book, The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook For Dreamers And Thinkers: Solutions to Repair Our Planet. The book, authored by Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield, aims to inspire young people to become the changemakers of the future, helping to develop solutions to the world’s biggest problems.

In the book’s foreword, The Prince encourages young people to think optimistically about the future of our planet. He writes:

The book, which follows on from the non-fiction book Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet and was released in 2021, is full of simple practical things young people can do or make to help save the planet as well as big ideas and contributions from people around the globe.

On the way young readers will meet Earthshot innovators, entrepreneurs and game changers from the past and present, from Wangari Maathai to Sir David Attenborough.

The book will be released on Thursday 12th October 2023 and is published in partnership with Hachette Children’s Group.

[ignitingwriting]

Launch of the Igniting Writing ‘Mealtime’ Contest 2024

Igniting Writing, Wokingham Library’s teen creative writing club, is launching our latest creative writing competition! The contest theme is ‘Mealtime’ and it’s open to all Igniting Writing members, along with any Year 6-13 pupils across Berkshire that also want to join in. The competition is kindly supported by the publishing companies we have teamed up with, including the Emma Press (https://theemmapress.com/), Sweet Cherry Publishing (https://sweetcherrypublishing.com/), Candy Jar Books (https://www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/), Hachette Children's Group (https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/), ZunTold (https://www.zuntold.com/), Faber and Faber (https://www.faber.co.uk/), Hashtag Press (https://www.hashtagpress.co.uk/), Neem Tree Press (https://neemtreepress.com/), Bloomsbury Children's Books (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/childrens/) and Tiny Ghost Press (https://www.tinyghostpress.com/). The rules to enter are listed below:

1) All entries must centre around the contest theme of ‘Mealtime’. You can interpret the theme however you like, but all entries must link back to it in some way.

2) All entries must be 2,000 words or less. This includes the title and any subtitles you decide to use.

3) All entries must be fiction. You can, however, submit any kind of fictional writing you like (a short story, a poem, a play, an extract from a longer story, anything else that catches your fancy - it’s entirely up to you).

4) All entries must be PG. This means no swearing, nudity, overly graphic gore and that sort of thing.

5) All entries must be your own original work - in other words, no plagiarism or ripping off another writer. Sadly this also means no fanfiction, but if you want to do something loosely inspired by an existing series that’s fine so long as you make an effort to keep it separate from the characters and settings of the series you’re drawing from.

6) All entries must be submitted before the contest end date. The end date is Sunday 1 September 2024, 11:00pm UK time. There might be a day or two extra if several of the group need a little more time, but don’t rely on that.

7) To submit your entry, all you need to do is follow the above rules and send it through by email or direct message so that it can be shared with everyone else.

The winners will be announced at our first Igniting Writing sessions back after the summer break and there are some brilliant prizes up for grabs, so it's well worth entering. Until then, best of luck with writing your entry!

[papillon82fluttersby]

Famous Five Art Nostalgia #12 – Part 1

Introductory post

Masterpost

🌊🎟️🐴 Five Go Down to the Sea – Le Club des Cinq au bord de la mer

Original publication date: 1953 (UK), 1959 (France)

(Original cover by Aldo de Amicis, 1959)

Whereas most of the illustrations for the first edition of the FF series were divided between two artists (first Simone Baudouin, then Jeanne Hives), this book stands out for having a different illustrator: Aldo de Amicis. Sadly, this guy follows the trend initiated by Baudouin and also swaps Dick and Julian’s hair colour. Sigh.

~~~~~~

Plot summary (adapted from Wikipedia):

Siblings Julian, Dick and Anne, and their cousin Georgina 'George' and her dog, Timmy, spend a holiday at a coastal farm in Cornwall.

(On the train to Treamannon [Trémanoir])

There, they are nicely welcomed and hosted by the garrulous Mrs Penruthlan [Mme Penlan] and her enormous husband, whose monosyllabic utterances they find incomprehensible and quite funny. The children encounter a young boy named Yan (Jan) [Yan (Jean)], as well as a group of travelling entertainers called the Barnies [les Barnies].

(Young Yan is exceedingly curious about the Five, but also very skittish)

(George picks up a leaflet promoting the Barnies’ upcoming shown)

The children learn that long ago, villainous locals would shine a light on stormy nights to direct ships onto rocks to wreck them, and the vessels would be smashed and their cargoes washed ashore and stolen. Julian and Dick discover a light is again being shone at night, so the children set out to solve the mystery.

(Right after seeing the mysterious light being shone at night, the boys cannot wait to tell the girls their discovery)

The Five put their investigations on hold when the Barnies arrive at the farm, as they spend the day helping the Penruthlans clean up the barn and prepare the feast preceding the show. After the show, Dick and Julian get into a bit of mischief when they nab a horse costume and get stuck inside due to a malfunctioning zip.

(Clopper [Clopinant] the hilariously funny (pretend) horse is the highlight of any Barnie show)

(Julian and Dick examine Clopper’s head up close)

Resuming their investigations, the Five visit the tower from which the light was shone, but they get locked up in a cellar and told by the smugglers that they had come at an 'awkward time.' Yan, who had secretly followed the Five, helps them escape through the Secret Way, a path used by the Wreckers of old. They go back to Mrs Penruthlan, in the misbelief that Mr Penruthlan is in league with the smugglers. When the Five and Yan discover that Mr Penruthlan is actually with the police and find out that his consistent "aahs", "ooohs" and "ocks" are because he didn't have his false teeth in, the Five quickly warm up to him.

(After following Yan through the Secret Way, the children realise that the passage ends up in a shed at the farm)

After joining forces with Mr Penruthlan, the Five discover that the 'Guv'nor' of the Barnies actually is the exchanger of the goods the smugglers stole from the wrecked ships. Mr Penruthlan discovers a white package containing smuggled drugs inside Clopper, and in the end, after calling the police, Mr Penruthlan guffaws and hands Clopper over to Julian and Dick, and wishes them luck with it.

Bonus:

(Now what I want to know, is *what* did Dick and Julian do with that horse costume after this book?!)

~~~~~~

Cover art through the ages:

(Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list; sometimes the dates are difficult to pinpoint; and I have purposefully not included editions that re-used similar cover art, with differences only in layout and font style.)

(Original cover art by Aldo de Amicis, Hachette, 1963 – dark-haired Julian has a nicely-developed chest 😏, while Dick seems uncharacteristically coy and wary of water 🤨)

(Famous Five and the Big, Huge, Ginormous Beach Ball (at least Timmy gets to enjoy the shade!) – Jeanne Hives, Hachette, 1966)

(Watery fun! Jean Sidobre, Hachette, 1972)

(More watery fun! J.P. Morvan, France Loisirs, 1977)

(Yet more watery fun, because why stop a good thing? Umberto Nonna, Edito Service, 1981)

(Anne and Dick seem awfully tanned back there – remember to put on sunscreen! Jean Sidobre, Hachette, 1984)

(A pretty scenic view courtesy of Paul Gillon, France Loisirs, 1996, based on earlier art from 1992)

(Trapped in the cellar! on top of the tower?? Wtf 😩 – Frédéric Rébéna, Hachette, 2007)

(Okay, I don’t love Auren’s art but I admit that this cover does make me want to go on a trip to the seaside 😎 – Hachette, 2019)

~~~~~~

That's all for today, thanks for reading!

[ismahanescorner]

Heartstopper (Vol. 4) | Book Review

Author: Alice Oseman

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Queer Romance

Publisher: Hachette Children’s Group

Release Date: 06/05/2021

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:

Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you. Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder. As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

Review:

tw//: mental illness, eating disorder, mentions of self-harm.

this series holds a special place in my heart!! i really loved the commentary on mental illness in this volume. i appreciate that the author/illustrator found a way to tell/show Charlie’s struggles without including depictions of self-harm and disordered eating! really excited to see where the series goes in the next volume!

[tocitynews]

School Board Of Nassau County Florida Must Put Back In Libraries Three Dozen Books As Part Of A Settlement Reached Thursday With Students And Parents Who Sued Over What They Said Was An Unlawful Decision To Limit Access To Dozens Of Titles Containing LGBTQ+ content – Miami Florida reporting

Under the agreement the School Board of Nassau County must restore access to three dozen titles including “And Tango Makes Three,” a children's picture book based on a true story about two male penguins that raised a chick together at New York's Central Park Zoo.

Authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson were plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the district, which is about 35 miles (about 60 kilometers) northeast of Jacksonville along the Georgia border.

The suit was one of several challenges to so-called book bans since Republican state lawmakers last year passed, and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law, legislation making it easier to challenge educational materials that Republicans consider pornographic and obscene.

Last month six major publishers and several well-known authors filed a federal lawsuit in Orlando arguing that some provisions of the law violate the First Amendment rights of publishers, authors and students.

“Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority,” Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks said in a statement.

Among the books removed in Nassau County were titles by Toni Morrison, Khaled Hosseini, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jodi Picoult and Alice Sebold.

Under the settlement the school district agreed that “And Tango Makes Three” is not obscene, is appropriate for students of all ages and has value related to teaching.

[brrrrrism]

"Billie Eilish" - Billie Eilish

Kirjastus: Hachette Children’s Group Lehekülgi: 336 Ilmumisaasta: 2021 Kui raamatut mulle pakuti, siis arvasin miskipärast, et tegemist on järjekordse biograafiaga. Olin kuulnud, et mingid mitteametlikud versioonid juba ringlevad ringi, ametlikku veel polnud. Antud teose kaant kaunistab aga Billie enda nimi, mistõttu tegin omad järeldused ja raamat läks lugemiseks loosi. Ent võta näpust – tegu…

[blog-i-carry-your-heart-with-me]

Review : Young Gothic by M.A. Bennett

★★★.5 Thank you to M.A. Bennett, Hachette Children’s Group, and NetGalley for a galley of this in exchange for an honest review. Young Gothic was an intoxicating read. Filled with magic, mystery, and Gothic charm, the book draws you in, wrapping you in a spider web of intrigue. I liked all of the characters, and Bennett is expert at crafting unique voices, shifting between slang terms, and…

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Boy at the Back of the Class | Author: Onjali Q. Raúf | Publisher: Hachette Children's Group (2018)

[flaviathebibliophile]

I Will Read To You by Gideon Sterer and Charles Santoso (Review)

Title: I Will Read to You Author: Gideon Sterer Illustrator: Charles Santoso Type: Fiction Genre: Children’s, Picture Book Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Date published: August 1, 2023 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review. Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved stories—scary ones about…

[georgelthomas]

Book Review: Heartstopper Volume 1 By Alice Oseman

Book Review: Heartstopper Volume 1 By Alice Oseman #ReaderCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BookCommunity #Reading #Books #BookReview #Review #Heartstopper #GraphicNovel #Comic #NickAndCharlie #AliceOseman #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA+

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and that means it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman. Heartstopper Vol 1 By Alice Oseman was initially published in 2018 by Hachette Children’s Group and is 288 pages long. The PlotHeartstopper Volume 1 is a delightful graphic novel that explores the complicated journey of teenage love with…

[myroyallikes]

PRINCE WILLIAM WRITES FOREWORD FOR EARTHSHOT CHILDREN’S BOOK

THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE: A HANDBOOK FOR DREAMERS AND THINKERS

Prince William has written the foreword for a new children’s book, The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook For Dreamers And Thinkers: Solutions to Repair Our Planet. The book, authored by Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield, aims to inspire young people to become the changemakers of the future, helping to develop solutions to the world’s biggest problems.

In the book’s foreword, The Prince encourages young people to think optimistically about the future of our planet. He writes:

“The world we live in today can feel overwhelming but the biggest challenge we face will be making sure we support and celebrate the wins for our planet, large or small, that can make a difference for everyone’s future.”

The book, which follows on from the non-fiction book Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet and was released in 2021, is full of simple practical things young people can do or make to help save the planet as well as big ideas and contributions from people around the globe.

On the way young readers will meet Earthshot innovators, entrepreneurs and game changers from the past and present, from Wangari Maathai to Sir David Attenborough.

The book will be released on Thursday 12th October 2023 and is published in partnership with Hachette Children’s Group.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Lost Little Angels by Holly S. Roberts

Detective Eve Bennet #2

Truth can be stranger than fiction…or so Mark Twain’s character said…as I read this book, I hoped that what I was reading was not true only to find out later that this tale is based in fact and that true life  is just as heinous, if not more so, than what took place in this book.

What I liked: * Eve: strong, intelligent, raised in the FLDS religious cult-escaped, survivor, haunted by her past, supported and supportive of her team, falling for Clyde, has a tough time in this book * Clyde: ex-sniper, seasoned homicide detective, strong, intelligent, quiet, divorced, patient, wise, excellent at his job, there for Eve at work and outside, hopes for a future with Eve * Collin, Ray, Bina, and Tamm: the rest of Eve’s team chosen for their skills, personalities, backgrounds, and what they bring as individuals to make the team strong * That I was drawn in from page one and compelled to read to the bitter end – I cared about the characters and how the case would be resolved * Seeing the cult through Eve’s memories and experiences as she applied it to the solving of the case * The group dynamics and continued character development of the team

* Being able to “hate” the bad guys

* That it made me think, care, and google to find out more

* Knowing that there will be another book to look forward in the series

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Knowing that what I read may be just the tip of the FLDS iceberg and that such cults continue to exist with horrible things happening with almost no way out

Did I enjoy this book? Yes – though not always easy to read

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

She wakes suddenly, realizing with a panic that her darling baby daughter should have woken long before now. Racing to the pink-colored nursery, she lets out a deep cry as she opens the door. The crib is empty. Her little girl has vanished. It’s after midnight when Detective Eve Bennet receives a distraught phone call from an unknown number. The voice at the other end begs her not to hang up—a baby has gone missing. But what the caller says next makes Eve’s heart race. “She isn’t the first. There are many, many more.” Rushing to the missing girl’s home, Eve finds the house empty, and when she knocks on their neighbors’ doors, not a single person answers. Whoever reported the missing baby doesn’t want to be found… Secrets are held tight in the small town of Hilldale and as an outsider, Eve knows that the only way to uncover the truth is to persuade someone to talk. She finally has a breakthrough when a young wife goes against her husband’s wishes and tells Eve it’s not just babies being taken—mothers are disappearing too. The woman leaves Eve a hand drawn map leading her to an isolated trailer park. What she finds there shocks her to her core. But she hardly has time to think before she notices a lone figure watching her every move. She’s not alone. Can Eve save herself in time to finally unmask the truth before more innocent children disappear forever?

AUTHOR BIO

Holly S. Roberts is a retired homicide detective and the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Completion Sports series. She writes romance and thrillers as Holly and cozy mysteries under the pen name Suzie Ivy.She's excited to announce her new thriller series, published by Bookouture Hachette that takes place among the FLDS cult, run by Warren Jeffs. The story is gritty, ripped from the headlines, and filled with thrilling action.For more information, heat levels, and trigger warnings, visit her website at wickedstorytelling.com.

[childrenslitbookreviews]

The Family Book

Title 14: The Family Book

Genre: Children’s Picture Book, Banned Book

Target Age Group: 2-4 years

Summary:

The Family book says how some families are alike - they love hugs and celebrating each other. It also says how some families are alike - some have one parent and others have two mothers. But all families are valid in this book.

Justification: 

I was looking for a banned children’s book and this surprised me because I have it on my bookmobile and hadn’t even considered that someone could take umbrage with it. I decided to check it out for myself to perform and impromptu book challenge review. 

Evaluation:

First, this book seems like it was banned because of one page that says that some families have two moms or two dads. This innocuous statement may be something that a person may find objectionable, but nothing so crazy as to merit banning from public libraries or school libraries. There is nothing false or untrue about the statement, nor is there any illustration one could reasonably deem inappropriate.

Second, the illustrations are very cute and simple. With bold outlines, the drawings look like they could have been drawn in Microsoft Paint. I believe that the strong contrast between primary colors that are used has been found to be helpful for young readers to distinguish between characters. Similar to Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series, there are no backgrounds, shadows, or textures drawn. This is also helpful for young readers to focus on the characters and distinguish them from the single color background colors on each page.

Third, the message behind the book is very inclusive and wholesome. All families are valid. What defines a family in the book, what all families have in common, according to the book, is that they love hugs, mourn lost loved ones, celebrate special days together, and they can help each other be strong. I love the message that everything else besides love is extraneous to being a family - color, proximity, looks, diet, noise, cleanliness, and more.

References:

Parr, T. (2003). The Family Book. (T. Parr, Illus.). Hachette Book Group.