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With the movie coming soon – time to catch up with Percy Jackson (and use some lesson plans)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

The escapades of the Greek gods and heroes get a fresh spin in the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, about a contemporary 12-year-old New Yorker who learns he's a demigod.

more synopsis ... also provides links to:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is scheduled to release on February 12, 2010 in the United States.

Read an extract

Hear the first part of the book, as read by the author.

  • Video interview with Rick in North Carolina

  • Video interview with Rick in Cincinnati

For Teachers ...

  • The Lightning Thief: A Teacher’s Guide.

A complete Lightning Thief unit

  • The Lightning Thief: A Reader’s Guide.

  • Rationale. A curriculum rationale, based on NCTE models, for those teachers considering Percy Jackson for classroom use.

  • Literature Circle Questions

  • Biographical Information on Rick Riordan.

  • A Readers Theater from Lightning Thief.

  • Percy Party event guide.

  • Project ideas.

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Hilarious, dramatic, moving mayhem from Australian, well-loved children’s author

Andy Griffiths returns with the latest in the Just Series.  Accompanied by hilarious illustrator Terry Denton, he has created another amazing story.

Take one Shakespearean tragedy: Macbeth.

Add Andy, Danny and Lisa – the Just trio, whose madcap exploits have already delighted hundreds of thousands of readers for the last ten years.

more here

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Harry Potter opening night

'Potter' pic charms box office

'Half-Blood Prince' full-bodied with $22.2 mil

Those who grew up on Hogwarts' most famous boy wizard may have gotten older -- millions are now young adults -- but they appear to have lost none of their loyalty to Harry Potter.

The public -- and Hollywood -- are used to the long lines outside moviehouses and bookstores whenever a "Harry Potter" film or novel is released, but no one expected the massive box office start for Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."  >>>

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Coming soon – the second in the Hunger games series – the deadly cost of victory

"In the bristling thriller CATCHING FIRE, two young heroes win the horrifying--and mandatory--Hunger Games, thereby becoming targets of a Government bent on maximum revenge."

Read the first chapter (PDF)

Watch the video

Listen to the author read a chapter

Play the games

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What happens if you give a cat a cupcake?

If you give a cat a cupcake

by Laura Numeroff

If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning!   ... more

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Book – Grizzly Trap (Extreme adventures)

THE GRIZZLY ROSE UP ON ITS HIND LEGS AND LET OUT A FEARSOME ROAR, HALFWAY BETWEEN THE BARK OF A DOG AND THE BELLOW OF A BULL. WE WERE DEAD MEAT…

Sam Fox is on a trip to North America with his scout cub pack when their bus crashes down a steep canyon. Some of the group are seriously injured, so Sam and two cubs set off to find help.

But Sam is thousands of miles from home, in the middle of the American wilderness. A wilderness full of howling wolves, voracious snapper turtles, rabid raccoons, and a massive, unpredictable grizzly bear that’s following them and just won’t give up…

Click here to read an excerpt from the book, to play the game, and catch up with Justin d'Ath, the author.

Click here to buy the book

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Rare Harry Potter book fetches $19,000 at auction

A first-edition Harry Potter book was sold for about $19,000, according to an auction house in Dallas, Texas.

Normal copies of the Harry Potter books go for under $20, unlike the autographed first edition that sold for $19,000.

Normal copies of the Harry Potter books go for under $20, unlike the autographed first edition that sold for $19,000.

The soft-cover book was one of 200 copies printed and is a rarity compared with later editions of the popular series that were printed in the millions, the Heritage Auction Galleries said.

more...

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‘Twilight’ brings supernatural fiction to life, boosts genre

'Twilight' brings supernatural fiction to life, boosts genre

Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer, shown at her home in Cave Creek, Ariz., has opened the door for other teen novels about the paranormal.
Stephenie Meyer may be the reigning queen of teen vampire novels (and USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list), but there are plenty of authors ready to take a bite out of her kingdom.

Meyer's best-selling Twilight series has been the biggest story in publishing for months. But with no new Meyer title on the horizon, young fans are quenching their thirst for paranormal fiction by turning to other authors — and publishers are eager to benefit from the Twilight bump.

more...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[Via Children's Bookshelf]

Warner Bros. has announced the official release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two: it will be July 15, 2011. The studio has split Deathly Hallows, the final book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, into two movies. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One releases November 19, 2010.

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Meg Cabot bids farewell to ‘Princess Diaries’ series

Author Meg Cabot says it's "bittersweet" to end her Princess Diaries series. But she has more tween books on the way.

'Forever' yours on Tuesday

Meg Cabot tools around Key West on bicycles whose colors — pink, purple and turquoise — match the covers of her popular Princess Diaries series.
A new bike in a new color isn't in Cabot's future; her series about a reluctant teen royal is coming to an end. The last book, Volume X: Forever Princess (HarperTeen, $16.99), goes on sale Tuesday.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-04-meg-cabot_N.htm?csp=34