feiwel and friends

Shhhhh! Feiwel and Friends Librarians' Sneak Peek

It’s no secret. Librarians are on the inside track of the children’s book world and publishers are eager to hear what they have to say.

Librarians know the teachers’ required reading lists for their curriculum. They know the sections the kids are lingering in. And, above all, they know which books will be in demand before they hit the shelves for the upcoming season. Such power! Such insight!

Feiwel and Friends met with an amazing group of tri-state librarians and reviewers last week for an afternoon of spring season presentations, fall previews and our trademark F&F cupcakes.

I can’t tell you EVERYTHING that happened at the luncheon, but I can fill you in on the highlights.

Don’t look now but there’s a large blue chimp at the door.

  Click on the thumbnails to see a larger image.

Jean Feiwel and Liz Szabla presented our spring titles. They lead off the presentation with Dodger and Me, Jordan Sonnenblick’s first middle grade fiction title about a fifth grader with an imaginary friend who just happens to be a giant blue chimp in surfer shorts. Trouble ensues. Librarians were excited indeed.

Guests were greeted at the door by a six-foot, blue chimp named Dodger. I kid you not! Dodger welcomed our guests to the Flatiron conference room. Our larger-than-life Dodger standee is traveling this spring with Jordan Sonnenblick for the Dodger and Me tour in Chicago and on the west coast beginning May 16. Middle-graders get to take their picture with Jordan and Dodger on tour and have a keepsake picture so their parents will know Dodger is far from imaginary. (Check out our tour schedule on the Feiwel and Friends home page).

Oh, the wonder . . . The Wonder of You

We chatted about Nancy Tillman’s new title, The Wonder of You—a book to celebrate baby’s first year and a follow-up to her best-selling On the Night You Were Born. We also talked up her upcoming fall 2008 title, It’s Time to Sleep My Love. Our guests were eager to hear more about Nancy Tillman. She’s quite the force in the picture book world and we have her next must-have title.

Batter Up

Librarians were excited to receive a copy of James Preller’s new, middle-grade baseball novel, Six Innings at the luncheon. James is well-known as the author of the best-selling Jigsaw Jones mystery series so he is no stranger to our guests. This spring, he throws the first pitch of the F&F season with Six Innings, a book about baseball-loving boys between the ages of eleven and thirteen playing the biggest game of their lives. (Click to read James’ blog here).

Twisted family thriller, zombies and a book that begins with a bang.

               

And for good measure, we discussed dads who do not know what’s best featured in the teen thriller, The Compound, by S.A. Bodeen, dished on girls who are blonde, beautiful, popular and dead in Brian James’ teen horror, Zombie Blondes and swore librarians to secrecy about a HUGE fall ‘08 book that begins with a bang called ___________ Whoops. Almost spilled the beans there. Go ask your local librarian for the scoop.

Dodger and Liz

Fun with Reading (and Editing)

I was at a book event recently where a librarian offered great feedback to our spring list—all very positive—and then she got to Dodger and Me. I saw her brow crease somewhat apologetically and she told me that she didn’t get it. Usually these kinds of comments cause my stomach to knot; sometimes because I so emphatically disagree, and sometimes because I (even reluctantly) understand the criticism, and hope it won’t be shared by many other readers and reviewers!

But this time, I was calm, cool, collected. My gut has already spoken to me about this book, and it wasn’t a knotty kind of convo. It went more like this:

Me (after 9:00 p.m., at kitchen table): Gotta read manuscript for D&M.

Gut: Wait! Make some tea and find chocolate!

Me (pausing for 1/10th of a second): Okey-dokey.

Gut: Exciting, isn’t it? Jordan’s first middle grade novel? (Butterflies flutter.)

Me: Totally. But I’m not sure about the idea of a big blue chimp being the kid’s imaginary friend….?

Gut: Just read, already.

Me (after two pages): I love this kid, Willie. I love how embarrassed he is that a girl is cheering for him at a baseball game. But where’s the monkey?

Gut: NOT a monkey. A chimp. (Pause to growl for more chocolate.) Keep reading.

(So I keep reading. I meet Dodger. I’m completely buying the blue-chimp-as-imaginary-friend idea because Jordan nails the voice, the characters, the plot so perfectly that, as they say in poker, I’m all in.)

Me: OMG, I really love this kid! I really love this mon-, I mean, chimp!

Gut: Told ya.

Me: (Laughing. Out loud. Can’t remember last time that happened.) Boys are gonna flip for this. Girls will like it, too. This is one of the freshest, most fun friendship stories I’ve read in a really long time. Plus, Dodger’s surfer lingo is fab. So funny and engaging . . . and well, friendly.

Gut: So, we’re good, right?

Me: Oh, yeah. We’re good!

I could go on about how boys (young and not-as-young) who read this early reacted (snorting laughter); how fun it was to choose a cover artist and watch her go to town (the great Anita Kunz, also known for her New Yorker covers); how our great sales reps started telling us that booksellers were sharing the galleys with teachers, who shared the book with kids, who actually wrote to Jordan about Dodger before the book was even on press . . . . But I think you get the idea.

Dodger and Me is a lot of fun, for sure, but what I also love about it is how deep it runs— even with an imaginary friend who has “magical” powers, what this book so beautifully conveys is that it’s tough making new friends, and accepting who you are. This combo of humor and heart, along with stellar writing by the ever-awesome Jordan Sonnenblick, is a great moment for our list.

And that librarian, the one who didn’t get it? She told me that a colleague of hers shared D&M with some kids, who LOVED it (her emphasis), and that she was giving it another go. Yes! My gut and I are feeling that this time, Dodger will come out a winner. Actually, he already is.

—Liz Szabla

You’ll be able to read Dodger and Me in May, the very same month Jordan Sonnenblick (and Dodger) (and our publicist, Liz Noland), will be on tour!

She Can Fly!

In what seems to be a recurring theme for me on the F&F blog, today I want to spread the word about a Feiwel and Friends book from an author who has been successful in another artistic medium and in some very different genres within that medium. As David Mack was a well-known graphic novelist before he created The Shy Creatures, Victoria Forester, author of The Girl Who Could Fly (July 2008), comes from an established career in screenplay writing to this, her debut novel.
    Forester wrote and directed her first film, which was acquired by the CBC, shortly after graduating from the University of Toronto. When she moved to Los Angeles, famous independent film producer/director Roger Corman gave her the opportunity to write and direct her first feature film, Inhumanoid, which aired on Showtime. Corman is famous for his plethora of B-movie productions, including many that have been hugely influential on other filmmakers and successful with mainstream audiences, like The Little Shop of Horrors. A number of noted film directors have worked with Corman, including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, and James Cameron. In addition, actors who obtained their career breaks working for Corman include Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Dennis Hopper, and Robert De Niro.
    Inhumanoid was soon followed by productions of Forester’s screenplays Macon County Jail (HBO)—starring David Carradine and Ally Sheedy—and Cry of the White Wolf (Disney Channel)—a children’s film about two teenagers who get lost in the wilderness and are guided home by a wolf. Forester also directed Teen Sorcery (USA), a fun story about mischievous teenage witches that she shot in Romania.
    When I first learned about Victoria Forester’s film background, I found it fascinating that she came from such a different place, including working under the tutelage of a renowned producer of horror B-movies, to write a children’s book for middle grade readers. Interestingly, The Girl Who Could Fly began as a screenplay that was optioned by Paramount Pictures, but Victoria loved the story so much she decided to write it as a book as well. However, the more I thought about the book and the author, the more it made sense to me that Forester was able to successfully take her diverse background in screenplay writing and her passion for storytelling, and use those experiences and interests to bring the gripping and dramatic elements of film to this thrilling debut novel.
    I fell in love with Piper McCloud’s irrepressible spirit in The Girl Who Could Fly, which we have described as a book that combines the emotional intensity of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the adventurous spirit of Molly Moon, and the humor and compassion of Holes. The result is an entirely original, highly readable, and unforgettable story about a very special girl’s defiance and courage in the face of those who would repress individuality and uniqueness. I’m so glad that Victoria Forester decided to write this story as a book first, because her words truly soar off the page.

—Liz Noland

Politics and Prose (for Kids)

No, I’m not going to blog about one of my favorite independent bookstores with a fabulous children’s section. Today, I’m eager to talk about a new Feiwel and Friends biography of the potential 2008 presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama.

            Like most of America, my family was glued to the TV Tuesday night watching the results roll in on the news stations. This is going to be one heck of an election to follow. It’s historical, monumental, and, dare I say, downright exciting to watch unfold. Consequently, we are seeing the media delve deeper into the lives of the presidential candidates as we close in on the November election. It’s become ingrained in our culture as Americans to want know as much as we can about the candidates’ experiences so we can cast our vote wisely.

            Of course, it’s not just adults who are eager to learn more about the candidates. Kids of all ages are paying close attention to the candidate news, poll updates, and weighty issues. They, too, crave information about who will be the next person to lead their country in the Oval Office. It’s thrilling to have chats with my seven-year-old about who is running for president, explaining the various parties and reading the newspaper together at night. This is really the first election that she will be able to recall.    

            People are certainly curious about Senator Barack Obama. This June, Feiwel and Friends is publishing YES WE CAN: A Biography of Barack Obama by Garen Thomas.

            Thomas tells the fascinating story of Barack Obama: From his childhood, through his youth, his term as Senator from Illinois, to his historic and momentum building run for president of the United States. The book will include excerpts from Obama’s speeches and over 30 pictures of his life.

Rock the vote!

E. Fithian

Join Us...Join Us!

On my first day here at Feiwel and Friends, I found a stack of galleys on my new desk, marked “Required Reading.” I looked through the galleys and I had no problem deciding which one I would read first. I based my decision purely on the title. Zombie Blondes. Then when I saw the cover, I was even more intrigued. I was completely shallow: I judged a book by its cover. . .and title. And I had no regrets. Plus, I think I was in the perfect mindset for reading this as well. I had just started to re-watch the Buffy series so I felt I was in the zone.

The short of it is this: Hannah moves to Maplecrest with her dad, and from the very beginning she senses something eerie about the town. Adding to that, on her first day of school in Maplecrest, Hannah runs into the most popular girls in school: the cheerleaders. They look exactly alike: blonde and beautifully pale. Hannah wants to fit in at this new school, so she tries out for the cheerleading squad. Her new friend, Lukas, tries to stop her, because he knows there is something wrong. But Hannah doesn’t want to listen. As for what happens next. . .well, you’ll just have to read to find out.

 At the end of the book, all I could think was this: Brian James did one heck of a job putting on paper something that I've only seen on television or the movies. I salute you Brian. The zombie theme has clearly never gone out of style. But this is different. Zombie Blondes is sharp and clever. Makes one think about those popular girls in high school and how and why they really are so popular.

Oh, and the cover rocks! That is one creepy and attractive zombie on the cover. Sas Christian, I salute you as well.

 Zombie Blondes comes out this summer. Keep your eye out for it. You won’t be disappointed. And watch out for those zombies….

Groovy!

—Ksenia Winnicki

Coming Soon...The Compound

     Welcome to another New Year at Feiwel and Friends!

     Our second year, to be exact. And although it still feels like the dead of winter, the staff at F&F is busily preparing for—and looking forward to—Spring.

     But for me, this is going to be a blog about looking back—back to the summer of 2006, when Feiwel was just a little baby company, and I was just an intern. I read probably dozens of manuscript submissions this summer. Maybe more than that. Out of those dozens, four books that I read made it.

     One was THE COMPOUND, by S. A. Bodeen, and I am very excited to call myself the book’s first fan.

     A nuclear-war-obsessed, computer-whiz, billionaire father (who is more than a little unhinged) wants his family to know what it is like to be survivors. He builds The Compound, a massive underground bunker that holds everything you could possibly want—a gym, cattle, rooms and rooms of food, a never-ending supply of sweatpants, a beauty salon—­except a way to the outside.

     It takes fifteen years for the world to be safe again after a nuclear explosion. This means fifteen years underground. Good thing Dad built The Compound. . .?

     Being an Editorial Assistant, I see lots of . . . let’s just call it “interesting” material. This is a topic I could write thousands of pages on, but I’ll just keep my mouth shut. I will go ahead and say though, that “interesting” sometimes means more like “scary-bad.”

     With all due respect to S. A., whom I absolutely adore, I have to say when I first saw THE COMPOUND, I didn’t know whether to run away from it screaming, or pass it on. It was (and S. A., I mean this in the nicest possible way) one of the most terrifying stories I’ve ever looked at—and I loved it.

     And by the time I finished reading (something I did in one sitting), I felt kind of stressed out and exhilarated, all at once. I immediately took the manuscript to my boss, Liz, and said something along the lines of, “Please don’t think I’m weird, but I really like this one.”

     A couple days later, she had read THE COMPOUND and loved it, too. We both had to have it, and as luck would have it, it soon became ours.

     S. A., an author of picture books, has worked very hard on her first novel, which I sort of feel is my first novel, too (vicariously, I know). It’s the first book I’ve seen go from start to finish—that first very rough draft, to the final version with cover and all.

     I have already begun coaxing (bullying?) other people to read our pre-release galley copies, starting with my family during the holidays (and ending at my high school librarian). I’ll have you know that my father, whom I have seen willingly pick up a work of fiction maybe five times in my entire life, and usually only on the beach, read THE COMPOUND in a couple of days. He had to; my mom had already started reading it first, and they were fighting over it.

     So now I’m trying to coax (bully?) you, all the readers-to-be of this heart-pounding, can’t-catch-your-breath, amazing book, to keep it in the back, or rather the front, of your minds, and get ready for this fantastic, teen debut.

--Allison Remcheck

Yes, I’m Going to Brag for a Moment...

As the editorial assistant here at F&F, I spend a fair amount of time reading submissions. I rarely get to read the high-priority manuscripts that come in as Liz and Jean tend to read those themselves. Instead, I read my way through a mélange of assorted manuscripts, enjoying seeing what’s out there and hoping to find unexpected  gems.

But a few weeks ago, I was  delighted to see the new F. E. Higgins book, The Bone Magician, had arrived. I am the first person to have read it, and I’d  love to tell you about it. First, I need to take a moment to make sure you know  about her first riveting book coming out this fall, The Black Book of Secrets. Take a look at our books page for a summary of the story. I should point out that the picture really doesn’t do the cover justice.

If I’d read anything by Charles Dickens, I’m certain I’d tell you that F. E. Higgins’ writing has a very  Dickensian feel to it. Since I’m not much of a classics reader, I’ll just say that her books are creepy, mysterious, historical, with slightly sinister  undertones, but in a very fun-to-read way. The setting is in a time and place before electricity and before people decided that sewage in the streets is  wholly unacceptable. Questionable medical practices abound in these books. Yet there’s no magic or fantasy—all of the odd elements are based in real fact, which makes the books that much more disturbing, but in a good way.

And now for some Bone Magic, but briefly, though, since I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who  might read it. It’s every bit as fun as The Black Book of Secrets, but with a completely different plot and all-new characters. 

Pin Carpue has found himself  semi-conscious and watching a very unusual event take place. He’s in the room  where he works as a body watcher (his job is to make sure people are really  dead before they’re buried). The body he’s supposed to be watching tonight is  currently surrounded by three people engaged in a most unusual ceremony. An old  man and his young female assistant are waking a woman so her grieving fiancé  can have one last goodbye with her. Pin can’t believe it will work, but then the  dead woman sits up and speaks. Pin resolves to discover how the bone magician  works his magic. But there’s a murderer on the loose in the city who may end up  taking Pin’s life before he can figure out the mystery.

So, there’s a taste of The Bone Magician. In the meantime, go ahead and preorder The Black Book of Secrets from Amazon or your local bookseller. Even if you’re a grown-up and don’t usually read  kids books. It’s just that good.

-- Jessica