The Newberry Award Announced Today

Today the American Library Association announced the winners of their prestigious 2009 Youth Media Awards. Novelist and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman won the John Newbery Medal for his tome, The Graveyard Book, which was illustrated by Dave McKean.
Author Susan Marie Swanson and illustrator Beth Krommes won the Randolph Caldecott Medal for picture books for the book, The House in the Night.
Melina Marchetta won the Michael L. Printz Award (for young adult literature) for the book, Jellicoe Road. Finally, Kadir Nelson won the Coretta Scott King Award for a book written by an African American with We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day


"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." --Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wuthering Heights comes to PBS this Sunday, January 18th

On the heels of their acclaimed Tess of the D'urbervilles adaptation, this Sunday PBS brings us a new adaptation of Wutheing Heights starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley. The movie airs in two parts, this Sunday and the 25th. You can watch a beautiful behind-the-scenes video on the PBS website now and learn about the trials and tribulations the cast and crew faced filming on location in the Yorkshire moors.

Laura Bush Signs Book Deal

First Lady Laura Bush has inked a book deal with Scribner to write a memoir.

Publishing house Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc., has acquired the rights to the first lady's book. In a statement, Scriber says the memoir will offer "an intimate account of Mrs. Bush's life experiences, including eight years in the White House." Nan Graham, Vice President and Editor-in Chief of Scriber, will edit the book. Neither Scriber nor the White House has said how much Mrs. Bush will be paid. Laura Bush's predecessor, Hillary Clinton, received a blockbusting $8 million advance for her book, "Living History." Former First Lady Barbara Bush's memoirs far outsold her husband's. Laura Bush is quite discreet, so it's unlikely that there will be any bombshell revelations in the book. Still, it's always interesting to get the First Lady's perspective on what happened behind the scenes in the White House. And after all the bombshells in the Bob Woodward books, really, what possible new scandals could there be?

Olivia on Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon Launches Series Based on Ian Falconer's Olivia Books

Nickelodeon is adding Olivia to its preschool line-up on Monday, Jan. 26, at 11:30 a.m.(ET/PT) Olivia is based on the books author/illustrator Ian Falconer. The series is animated by Brown Bag Films and invites children into the life of can-do 6-and-3/4-year-old girl named Olivia. Olivia believes she can do anything and sees every day as an opportunity to try more new things. Olivia's real life revolves around her friends, family and school, while her vivid imagination takes her everywhere from Egypt to outer space. "Children already know and love Olivia from Ian Falconer's beautifully illustrated books, and we're honored to have her join the Nickelodeon family," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Olivia is a role model for all preschoolers who will be inspired by her imagination and keen sense of humor."

Books to Movies

Movies: Fitzgerald's Hollywood Remake

Following closely on the profitable literary heels of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, two more adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's works are on the way. According to Variety, John Curran will direct The Beautiful and the Damned, with Keira Knightley in the role of Zelda Sayre, and "Baz Luhrmann recently acquired rights to turn Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby into a new film."