Morning Notes: Fooling Spies with Lemon Juice Edition

THE STARS SO FAR RETURN

For a few years, one of the best resources for finding out which books were getting critical acclaim was The Stars So Far list compiled at the blog Shelftalker. After ending the practice last year due to a bit of a moral tug-of-war, the list is back by popular demand. I’m a happy camper. Click here to view it.

INVISIBLE INKED

You ever try that trick where you write with lemon juice and then have to hold it up to a light to read? Two comments:

1. I actually thought I could fool real spies with that when I was a kid (actual count of real spies I’ve come into contact with in my entire life: 0 (or, at least I think))
2. There is an Argentinian publisher who did the reverse – printed in ink that starts off visible, then disappears. But the goal – to get people to read the work of new authors – is hard to argue with. Click here to read. Or check out the video:

HOW MANY STARS DOES IT TAKE?

I love this sort of thing. The blog One Day My Printz Will Come did a statistical analysis of how many starred reviews the average Printz winner received prior to winning the award. Spoiler Alert: More than 2, less than 4 is good. It gets me thinking someone should to do this for the Newbery and Caldecott… Click here to read.

ADVICE FROM CHILDREN’S LIT LEGENDS

Would you be receptive to advice from Roald Dahl? How about J.K. Rowling? Flavorwire has a collection of letters by well-known authors to fans. Click here to read them.

BLOGGERS BEHAVING BADLY (PART XVIXIIXV IN A SERIES)

It appears some bloggers are treating ALA like some sort of children’s lit Black Friday. Pardon me while I quietly shake my head. Click here to read.

(Thanks to George’s Favorite Tooth for the link)

BEST OF THE YEAR SO FAR

Amazon has just put out a list of what they think are the best books so far this year. There are a few picks that seem aimed at selling rather than highlighting the best (we are talking about Amazon here), but if you’re like me, a “halfway through 2012 roundup” is always worthy of a look-see. Click here for middle grade books. Click here for picture books.

UNSEEN SENDAK

If you’re interested in seeing some Maurice Sndak artwork that not many people have seen before, this is for you. The blog Brain Pickings has collected a few sketches, including characters from Where the Wild Things Are and Outside Over There for your viewing pleasure. Click here to check them out.

(Thanks to @CBCBook for the link)

UNDER MY UMBRELLA

The American Library Association recently released an infographic detailing the current state of public libraries. Encouraging, discouraging, and worth checking out. Click here to view it.

Filed under: Morning Notes, News