Edgar Winners!

It's Edgar time! The winners have been announced; Peter Abrahams' Reality Check won in YA, and Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn won in Best Juvenile (this would be middlegrade).

Congrats to the winners, and Happy Friday!

Thursday YA News

Check out what’s happening in YA this week:


YA Bookish Stuff

Harlan Coben is writing a YA! It’ll be out in 2011! Can you tell I’m excited? Read all about it here.

Nancy Drew turns 80 (well, the books anyway).

For you comic book fans: this Saturday is free comic book day—find out more here.

Wondering which children’s books sold best in 2009? Find out here.

In mystery news (stolen off Publishers Marketplace's news page): the WSJ analyzes past Edgar winners.

And Patterson’s Maximum Ride YA series will be a movie.


Teen Culture

For the older ones among us: what would you say to your high school self? Here’s what YA authors had to say.

Why we love librarians: they keep cool heads, even in Florida, when a mom gets a little too enthusiastic about deciding what's inappropriate.


For Writers

Here is a list of the ten best books on writing, courtesy of a GalleyCat reader poll.

Guide to Literary Agents gives us seven reasons why literary agents stop reading your first chapter (hint: don’t talk about the weather).


Final Fun


Some kitty love. Don't my cats look like an old married couple?

On Books, Parents, and Heroes In Underpants

I had an interesting discussion with a good writer friend this past weekend, about children's (and YA) books. We talked about how what the adults pick for kids (like parents, teachers and librarians) is often not what kids/teens read for fun, which we agreed was okay.

This morning, I found an interesting post on Editorial Anonymous on just this subject, and an editor's perspective. Check it out.

And sort-of related: here's a picture of Captain Underpants.

He's cool.

2010 Arthur Ellis Award Nominees

From Janet Rudolph's Mystery Fanfare blog: here are the nominees for the 2010 Arthur Ellis Awards (given by Crime Writers of Canada). I thought I would list the juvenile category here; looks like a mix of YA and MG.

2010 Arthur Ellis Award Nominees: Best Juvenile

Not Suitable for Family Viewing by Vicki Grant.
Haunted by Barbara Haworth-Attard.
Homicide Related by Norah McClintock.
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade
The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones

Congrats to the nominees, and happy reading to the rest of us.

A Belated Song For Earth Day

Thursday YA News

It’s quiet in YAness this week… Blame it on the volcano (I’ve been blaming everything on Eyjafjallajokull this week—perfect excuse). Anyway, here’s some YA newsworthiness:

YA Bookish Stuff

Banned Books Week isn’t until the fall, but here’s a list of 2009’s most challenged books—fascinatingly entertaining, especially when you see the list of classics that get contested. Congrats to Lauren Myracle for snagging the top spot for TTYL.

Debut YA author Sarah Wylie scored herself a great deal for her book All These Lives, about a girl who thinks she has nine lives—sounds interesting, and congrats to Sarah.

SLJ talks school bookfairs, and reasons it might pay to go digital.

Teen Culture

How awesome is this teen: 17 year-old Carissa Moore won the ASP surfing trophy, and then gave her $15k check to her local teen hangout that helps underprivileged kids. Chapeau to Carissa.

And promiscuity is bad according to today’s teens, says this Slate article called Generation Scold.

Publishing Biz

Publishers Weekly talks London Book Fair despite volcano misery and travel woes.

For Writers

GalleyCat interviews literary agent Michael Murphy, who tells writers to do their homework. And here’s another interview, this time with agent Evan Marshall.

If you're going to Pikes Peak Writers Conference, come say hey! I'll be the freckly one, eating all the extra desserts at the table.

Final Fun

How far would you travel for Chicago’s killer pizza (it is really good, to be fair)? Charles (shown below) went 1300 miles, all the way from his home in New Mexico. Get ready for a serious kitty time-out when you get home, Chuck—hope the pizza was worth it.

Interesting Interview

A quick addition to Thursday News: Murderati has an interview up with Neil Nyren, senior V.P., pulisher, and editor-in-chief at Putnam. Very interesting stuff for us publishing folk, so check it out.