soup of the day

soup of the day: secret keeper by mitali perkins!

~ jama ~ 14 Comments

     

Attention, Everyone, Attention!

Today we’re sending some extra special balloons all the way up to the Fire Escape to congratulate uber-talented author Mitali Perkins on the release of her new young adult novel, Secret Keeper (Delacorte, 2009)!

I’m extra thrilled and excited, because I so loved Monsoon Summer, Rickshaw Girl, and the First Daughter books. Once again, Mitali explores the conflict between feminist ideals and traditional values.

       
        SECRET KEEPER by Mitali Perkins
         (Delacorte, 2009), young adult, 240 pp.

When her father must leave Delhi to look for work in America,16-year-old Asha Gupta, her depressed mother, and older sister, Reet, must stay behind with relatives in Calcutta. The women find themselves in an unwelcoming and much more restricted household, where they are forced to abide by Uncle’s wishes. Asha soon seeks sanctuary in her rooftop hideaway, where she records all her woes and frustrations in her diary, or "secret keeper."

Breaking a house rule, she secretly befriends the boy next door, Jay Sen, who paints her portrait. How can it be that Jay’s attentions are focused on Asha instead of her beautiful sister, Reet? When tragic, unexpected news about her father arrives, Asha must make some tough decisions that will change their lives forever.

Secret Keeper has already received some glowing reviews:
 
"Asha’s struggles will enlighten and inspire young women, and encourage them to value their own freedom." (Kirkus) 

"The plot is full of surprising secrets rooted in the characters’ conflicts and deep connections with each other. The two sisters and their mutual sacrifices are both heartbreaking and hopeful." (Booklist)

It sounds beautiful and poignant, and I can’t wait to read it — I know the cultural references will be fascinating, and it will be interesting to immerse myself in 1970’s India, and be reminded of the freedoms I’ve had as an American female that I’ve always taken for granted.

And now, please join me in congratulating Mitali by partaking of this special soup bouquet,

(Secret recipe, of course.)

and the perfect complement, samosas!

More about the book, including detailed reviews and a book trailer, can be found at Mitali’s website. Purchase Secret Keeper through IndieBound, or click on through to your favorite online bookseller!

See all the Soup of the Day posts on this blog here!

soup of the day: katharine the almost great

~ jama ~ 25 Comments

Hooray Hooray!!

Huge Congratulations to Lisa Mullarkey (  ) on the release this month of her new chapter book series, Katharine the Almost Great (Magic Wagon, 2009)!

There are six, count ’em, 6, titles featuring the irrepressible third grader, Katharine Carmichael, in her quest to become Katharine the Great. All she has to do is conquer geometry and stage fright, think up the best school service project ever, help her cousin, Crockett, get elected as class president, discover the truth about her blood-sucking brother, Jack, and survive the trauma of having her mom as the new cook in the cafeteria.

Sounds like a lot of ups, downs, adventures and laughs in these character building stories set at Liberty Corner School, appropriate for young readers ages 7-10. I am most anxious to read Book 2, Major Mama Drama, because I want to find out what kinds of things Katharine’s mom cooks! Does she really ban french fries (oh, no)!?

      

The other titles in the series, all illustrated by Phyllis Harris, are:

Book 1: Uses Her Common Cents
Book 3: The Biggest Star by Far
Book 4: Bent Out of Shape
Book 5: The Red, White and Blue Crew
Book 6: Can’t Keep Trackula of Jackula

                  

Lisa’s website has more information about all the books, including a cool excerpt from Uses Common Cents, as well as a Teacher’s Guide. The books are available through the publisher, IndieBound, or your favorite online bookseller.

Now, please join me in congratulating Lisa with six big slurps. There’s a spoon for each one of the books in the series. Happy dipping! 


Today’s Special: Almost Tomato Soup.

*Visit the soup gallery, to see all the book release soups on this blog.

soup of the day: chains by laurie halse anderson

~ jama ~ 11 Comments

          

Three million ginormous cheers for the one and only Laurie Halse Anderson! Her brand new middle grade historical novel, Chains (Simon & Schuster, 2008), is officially out today!!

        
         CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson
          (Simon & Schuster, 2008), ages 9-12, 320 pp.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, last week Chains was named a Finalist for the 2008 National Book Awards. Woo hoo! This prestigious honor comes on the heels of glowing, positively sizzling starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, in addition to unbridled praise and enthusiasm from blog reviewers, such as Betsy Bird ( aka, Fuse 8, blogging at School Library Journal) and prolific author Kate Messner .

In the spring of 1776, as the American Revolution is just beginning, thirteen-year-old Isabel and her younger sister Ruth, two slave girls who were supposed to be freed upon the death of their owner, are instead sold to the Locktons, a Loyalist couple in New York. Isabel then meets Curzon, a slave who offers her the chance to help the Patriot cause by spying on the Locktons. What unspeakable thing happens to Ruth? Where should Isabel’s loyalty lie now? What will she do to fight for her own freedom? 

Publishers Weekly says:

Anderson (Speak; Fever 1793) packs so much detail into her evocation of wartime New York City that readers will see the turmoil and confusion of the times, and her solidly researched exploration of British and Patriot treatment of slaves during a war for freedom is nuanced and evenhanded, presented in service of a fast-moving, emotionally involving plot. 

Laurie begins a 27-city tour in support of Chains today. Read about it and her reactions to all the accolades on her blog.

And to top everything off, her birthday is this Thursday, October 23rd! Happy Birthday, Laurie!

You can see we have LOTS to celebrate today. Better grab your biggest spoon, slurp extra hearty, and join me in cheering for Laurie in your loudest voice!

Read about Laurie and her other award winning books at her website.

Simon & Schuster offers excerpts from Chains here.

soup of the day: seven more titles by laura purdie salas!

~ jama ~ 9 Comments



Holy Lettuce, Batman!

Laura Purdie Salas has gone and done it again!

Do you remember back in January, when I made some soup celebrating Laura’s seven (!) new books? Well, this month, uber-prolific Laura has seven more titles out (as far as I know)!

There are four new titles in the A+ Books Poetry Series published by Capstone Press, and three new titles in the Amazing Science Series published by Picture Window Books. Laura’s Amazing Science books, illustrated by Jeff Yesh, are geared for grades 1-4 (24 pp):

From Mealworm to Beetle: Following the Life Cycle
From Seed to Daisy: Following the Life Cycle
From Seed to Maple Tree: Following the Life Cycle.

         

You may remember that the A+ books (PreK-2) contain stunning photographs paired with Laura’s expertly crafted poems on various subjects. This new batch includes:

Always Got My Feet: Poems about Transportation
Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems about the Rain Forest
A Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems about Pets
Lettuce Introduce You: Poems about Food.

Did somebody say FOOD?

Pre-readers will love hearing these poems read aloud as they pore over the exuberant larger-than-life and life-size photos. Early readers will love sounding out all the delicious and crunchy words as they explore the essence of different foods. Laura serves up a variety of poetic forms, too — limerick, acrostic, concrete, haiku, and limerick.

It’s very hard to resist licking the pages, as there’s sushi, spaghetti, buttered corn-on-the-cob, s’mores, a skyscraper sandwich, a waffle, and my favorite, *drum roll, please*, a hearty bowl of alphabet soup! There are glossaries in the back with poetic terms and word definitions, as well as suggestions for further study (book titles and internet links). Highly recommended for home schoolers and school libraries!

Well, folks, today you’re allowed seven helpins’ of soup to properly congratulate Laura for all these great new titles (I’ve got my ladle ready for refills). These books are the perfect way to begin a new school year — so click on through!

 
        Today’s Special: Salas Salada (food of choice for souper women)

Check out Laura’s website and blog for more about her books and online courses. She’s also co-blogging with Fiona Bayrock over at Bubble Stampede. Both ladies have trade books coming out next year and are chronicling their promotional efforts. Laura is very excited because her new book, Stampede: Poems about the Wild Side of School (Clarion, 2009), will be her first trade book, after years of publishing for the educational market.

                       

*Special thanks to Mary Hershey for use of the photo!

soup of the day: champlain and the silent one by kate messner

~ jama ~ 4 Comments

           
  Three Cheers for Kate Messner!

Her second historical novel for middle grade readers, Champlain and the Silent One (North Country Books, 2008), is officially out today!

        

The Innu call him Silent One, because he hasn’t spoken a word since his uncle was killed by the Iroquois. In the winter of 1609, Samuel de Champlain and his men befriend the Innu and promise to help them fight their enemies. For the first time, Silent One must join the war party, journey far from home, and find his voice in order to save his brother and his own spirit.

The gorgeous cover was painted by Kate’s mother, artist Gail Smith Schirmer, who, as you may recall, also painted the cover of Kate’s first novel, Spitfire (North Country Books, 2007), winner of the Adirondack Literary Award. Storyteller and writer, Joseph Bruchac, says of Champlain and the Silent One:

Kate Messner’s sense of American history and human nature is as strong as her clear, evocative prose. Her multicultural cast of characters truly comes alive in this wonderful little novel that gives one of the best pictures I’ve yet seen of that period of early contact.

Definitely sounds like another winner for uber talented and prolific Kate :)!

Today, especially in her honor, we are serving Champlain Chowder with a Cracker Canoe. I know once you taste this, you’ll want to loudly slurp and burp your congratulations.

Thanks for writing another great book, Kate, and best of luck with it!


                                 Sssshhh!!

Find out more about Kate and her books by visiting her website and blog.
                          

Edited to add: Kate has just informed me that her new book is actually being released next week, contrary to what Amazon says. So, we’ll just keep her soup warm while you click on over to preorder :).