The Poisons of Caux by Susannah Appelbaum

The Poisons of Caux: The Hollow Bettle (Book I) by Susannah Appelbaum
2009-08 - Hardcover
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
9780375851735
$16.99
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If you give a booklover a great cover she just might by the book. If a booklover buys a book she just might read it. If she reads a book and loves it she'll tell others about it.

I know that sounds like the beginnings of a book but it's just a few observations about the way bookselling works sometimes. Honestly, do you really thing we DON'T judge a book by its cover? Of course we do! And this has one of those covers and titles that just makes me want to curl up and read all night long. And if this were a snowy winter day then you'd have to pry the book from my cold, eager hands!

Here's the description of the book: "There's little joy left in the kingdom of Caux: the evil King Nightshade rules with terrible tyranny and the law of the land is poison or be poisoned. Worse, 11-year-old Ivy's uncle, a famous healer, has disappeared. Told with wry humor, this work is the first installment in a new trilogy, an astonishing tale of herbs and magic, tasters and poisoners."

That's all it takes for me to get curious about this book. How about you? Need more? You know where to find it!

Observing the end of summer

There are ways of telling when summer comes to an end. The light shifts, for one. Not just the length of daylight but the quality of light, especially at sunset, has a different cast to it. I grew up with a great appreciate of winter over summer. But these days I am more of a fan of summer than winter. And so it is that the ending of summer brings a slight wistfulness for the perfect summer day. We had very few of those summer days. Before I get all nostalgic about summer let me make my point of end of summer observations: you know summer is coming to a close when students come in to pick up their summer reading requirements!

What is required this summer?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
... among many others.

Karen Beil is coming to Market Block Books! Hooray!

Children's Book Author Karen Beil will be our guest for Troy Night Out NEXT FRIDAY the 28th.

Karen will be signing her latest book Jack's House. We hope you can stop by for a visit and make her feel welcome in Troy.


Mark your calendar:

Karen Beil Book Signing

Friday, August 28
7 - 8:30 PM
at Market Block Books
290 River Street
Troy, NY

Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland
2009-09 - Hardcover
Kids Can Press
9781554534647
$16.95

Okay, here's another one of those books that's utterly irresistible! The bear hugging the tree on the cover is the hint. If you don't like hugging then you might just as well walk away from this one. And that means I won't be giving you hugs in the store any time soon! Pity.

But if you're open to the concept of hugging, and the deeper philosophical meanings herein, THEN have I got a book for you! This is a charmer. The Bear loves to hug: moose, bird, beaver and yes, trees! But the Bear faces a dilemma when a human comes to the forest to chop down one of the trees. Marggie and I loved this book.

Mu Mu Muesli

I keep forgetting to tell you that we are now carrying Mu Mu Muesli from Sharon Springs, NY! It's good for you and it's local!

Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen
2008-09 - Hardcover
Tundra Books (NY)
9780887768750
$18.95

I have been a fan of words for a long time. And so it is that the title of this book might actually describe my growing years as well as my current life. I love words. I used to read the dictionary until quite recently. (Okay, I STILL read the dictionary! You mean, you just look up ONE word and stop there? I can't imagine that!) I see a word and I try to pull it apart. I look for linguistic origins, I see root words, I hear it pronounced. I even try to unscramble it to create a new word, or other words. So, you see, this could possibly be MY book. Or it's YOUR book. But somewhere along the way you've met word nerds, right? You probably have one in your family, or your classroom. This book is geared toward an older audience, 12 and up, but I suspect many an adult will appreciate this story. Take a look and see what you think.

Ouch! How Your Bod Makes It Through A Very Bad Day

Ouch! How Your Body Makes It Through a Very Bad Day by Dorling Kindersley
2009-08 - Paperback
DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
9780756658137
$9.99

This is truly and eye-popping book and not just because of the face on the cover! This poor kid has a bad day, and through the help of a special "nanocam" we get to see the inner workings of all the things that make this such a bad day. From the first sneeze when waking up, to getting stung by a bee, to ear wax, this book is loaded with grossness and wonder!

Book news from Granny camp.

Three grannies and 5 grandsons aged 5, 7, 8, 8 and 9 had the best time at Granny Camp at Lake George decorating cupcakes using some of the directions found in Hello, Cupcake! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Easily the high point of each of the three days of granny camp was selecting which designs to use. We made Shark cupcakes, Life Preserver cupcakes, Alien cupcakes and Penguin cupcakes. The results didn't quite look like the pictures in the book, but the process of decorating and eating the extras that weren't needed for the final product made for an hour of great fun and creativity.

This book is terrific and it gives pretty easy to follow step by step instructions. The choices are extraordinary from spagetti and meatballs and tv dinner cupcakes (yes breaded chicken, peas and carrots and mashed potatoes) to scorpions, sunflowers, Halloween pumpkins and Christmas ornaments. There's a wall calendar that gives a dozen examples, but for best value, buy the book; get all of the pictures and all of the directions.

Have fun. Granny camp is almost over for this year, but we'll all be back for more next year.

Hello, Cupcake!
By Karen Tack
2008-04 - Paperback
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
9780618829255
$15.95

Troy High by Shana Norris

Here we are in Troy, New York. Did you know New York has other cities with Greek names: Athens, Ithaca, Syracuse and Troy?! And wouldn't you think that Greek heritage might spring up at least once in a while? Sadly, no. Until this book! How cool is it that a teen novel might bring the battle between Troy and Sparta (yes, there's even a Sparta, NY) to a high school football field. Clever, right? But, uh, well, when folks see this cover they think it's just about our local public high school. But somewhere out there someone gets the connection. I'm sure of it. This may not be the most highbrow of books but it is another vehicle to bring some history into our present experience, maybe even getting us to read a bit more about the past. Maybe even learn from past mistakes? Gasp!

Troy High by Shana Norris
2009-08 - Hardcover
Amulet Books
9780810946477
$15.95

Melanie Watt Day!!! Hooray!

What?!!! You don't know who Melanie Watt is? Well, you should! She's only one of the most AWESOME children's book author and illustrator!!! Alive!! Yes, she's alive and well and living in Montreal! Maybe we can get her to come to Troy?

First, let's start with the basics. Here are a couple of the bazillion books she's done:

	Have I Got A Book For You This is the booksellers book. Or it's the librarian's book. Or it's the parent's book. But really, it's the book for YOU. It's done in the style of a person who is pitching an item. But not just ANY item, we're talking about a book. But not just ANY book! It's THIS book. A clever salesperson (some on the staff say it looks like me, but I ask you, WHERE is the moustache?!) tries to sell you this book, with every ploy possible. You may recognize some of the tactics. It's truly funny. (Or at least it will make you grin if you have NO sense of humor. But please, don't buy it for yourself, buy it for your kids, they laugh more than you do, anyways, right?
	Scaredy Squirrel at Night This is the most recent of Scaredy Squirrel books. Yes, if you can't guess by the title, this squirrel is afraid of lots of things, especially things that can get you in the night! It's a perfect book to help talk to kids (and maybe a few adults) about their fears. I think many of us have had a bit of a Scaredy Squirrel in us at one time or another.
	Scaredy Squirrel (the orginal!) Check out the notes above, but this book introduces our fearful hero! He's ready for any emergency because you never know when something could happen!
	Chester This is my first awareness of the brilliance of Melanie Watt. This funny story is about a cat, but a second author imposes the editorial pen (uh, marker) to the story to turn the plot in a different direction. Melanie Watt is such a funny writer. She'll have you and your kids howling. (Really, I'm not just saying this. I'm normally a very serious bookseller, but her books just totally crack me up!) See picture below... is that the face of bookseller who laughs a lot?

Okay, that's just to get you started, bring you up to speed. Do you recognize any of these books? No? Get thee to an independent bookstore, soon! Your life and your children's lives depend on it.

[Caution: Serious Bookseller below]

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson (Book 1)

It's discovery time again. For me, as buyer for the store and for Henry, the main character of this book. There are countless number of books just waiting for us. Patiently and quietly they sit on the shelf. Sometimes they fall off, literally, into my hands. (I think the resident ghost has a hand in that kind of recommendation.) There are times when a customer will leave a stack of books next to the reading girl statue in the window. Other times I'm lucky to be present when a new shipment arrives and a book comes in that I've been wondering what it will be like. (Yes, some buying is done blindly with little idea what the book contains.) Then there is the moment of discover for this new (to me) series. I was going through a catalog when I saw the third of this series is being released next season (Winter) in hardcover. And I wondered if we had carried the first two. And to my surprise we have the first in the series on the shelf. It was tucked away among all the a few other good books at the end of the alphabet.

It seems that Henry is due to arrive in Henry, Kansas to stay with his aunt and uncle and three cousins (Henrietta, Anastasia and Penny). It has years since Henry's last visit but now he's here to live. In the attic room where he sleeps he hears noises behind a wall and soon he discovers cupboards, 99 cupboards, each giving access to different worlds. The adventure is waiting, for Henry and for you.

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson
2008-12 - Paperback
Yearling Books
9780375838828
$6.99
Ages 8-12

Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

I discovered this series quite by accident when one of our local school librarians came to the store in search of the newest book in this series. Six books will eventually make up the complete series, and luckily for me, three are already available. At first they reminded me of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series which by now I'm sure many of you have either read or become aware of. As I read on however I realized that this author didn't just reinvent well known Greek mythology, but had gathered legendary figures from all corners of the globe and woven them into a glorious hidden world that lived right out in the open. In terms of age appropriateness this series definitely takes a step up from Percy Jackson, and the page count might daunt a few of the more reluctant readers, but I would definitely give it a shot.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott 2008-06 - Paperback Delacorte Press 9780385736008 $8.99

The series so far:
Volume One: The Alchemyst
Volume Two: The Magician
Volume Three: The Sorceress

Zest Books for Teens

You probably know there are so many books out there that it's just impossible to keep up. Our system inventory says that we have more than 10,000 titles listed for our small shop. Catalogs come in every day promoting new titles. I get daily emails, postcards, press releases, person letters and even phone calls. We are inundated with information about books. What you see here in this blog barely scratches the surface of what can be found. So, here's a list of books from a publisher who works with teen non-fiction. There are some interesting topics covered which they advertise "with a twist." Get it? Zest? Twist?

Do you remember how challenging it was to be a teen? Help is on the way. There's something for everyone in their selection of titles. I've picked these four for starters. We have them in stock if you want to look at them. I think you might be impressed by the work.

	97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School by Steven Jenkins & Erika Stalder 2007-11 - Paperback Orange Avenue Publishing 9780979017308 $14.95
	Crap: How to Deal with Annoying Teachers, Bosses, Backstabbers, and Other Stuff That Stinks by Erin Elisabeth Conley, Karen Macklin, Jake Miller 2009-05 - Paperback Zest Books 9780979017353 $9.95
	The Dictionary of High School B.S.: From Acne to Varsity, All the Funny, Lame, and Annoying Aspects of High School Life by Lois Beckwith 2008-10 - Paperback Orange Avenue Publishing 9780979017391 $10.95
	Off the Bus and on the Record: 22 Candid Rock Interviews by the Teen Journalists of the Rock Star Stories by Brittany Rich, Jamie Rich, Zac Rich 2009-06 - Paperback Zest Books 9780980073263 $18.95