Geography Club Banned! The Final Chapter from Voices in My Head, author Brent Hartinger’s blog. See Dec. 16, 2005 update post. Read a recent related cynsations author interview with Brent.

“JK Rowling in Full:” the full transcript of Jeremy Paxman’s exclusive interview. Broadcast on BBC Two in June, 2003. Surf over to spookcyn for my thoughts on the film “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”

The New York Public Library has announced it’s recommended children’s books of 2005 in the following categories: folk and fairy tales; non-fiction; picture books; poetry and song; stories for older readers; and stories for younger readers.

Highlights included Bee-bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Ho Baek Lee (Clarion, 2005)(see my related thoughts)(Linda Sue’s Project Mulbery (Clarion, 2005) also made the list), Sketches From A Spy Tree by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, illustrated by Andrew Glass (Clarion, 2005)(see my related thoughts); Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles (Harcourt, 2005)(see my related thoughts); Gentle’s Holler by Kerry Madden (Viking, 2005)(see author interview); Where The Great Hawk Flies by Liza Ketchum (Clarion, 2005)(see author interview); and Spy Mice by Heather Vogel Frederick (see author interview).

The NYPL also offers recommended “Books for the Teen Aged 2005” (full PDF available). Highlights included Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Cinco Puntos, 2004), which was my pick for Cynsational YA Novel of 2004, and The Vanishing Point by Louise Hawes (Houghton Mifflin, 2005)(see author interview).

Spacer and Rat by Margaret Bechard (Roaring Brook 2005): a recommendation from Greg Leitich Smith’s blog.

“Working Together as a Writer and Illustrator Team” with Linda Lowery and Richard Keep from the Institute of Children’s Literature. An ICL guest chatlog.