Big congratulations to Paul Acampora, on his *sixth* book deal, for DANNY CONSTANTINO’S FIRST DATE, and for a second un-named MG novel! Nancy Mercado at Dial Books for Young Readers will publish the books and DANNY will be out this year.
If you know Paul’s writing, you know that this book will be as wise as it is laugh-out-loud funny, and an utter pleasure to read. And if you don’t know Paul’s writing, you should! A bit more about the book:
When Danny Constantino asks his old-friend-turned-Hollywood-movie-star, Natalie Flores Griffin, to his local school dance and homecoming parade, she surprises him . . . by saying yes!
Unfortunately, now everyone in Cuper Cove has something to say about Danny’s love life–especially since Natalie is the hometown hero. Throw in herds of TV reporters and Natalie … [more]
I’ll admit it: I can be a hater. Sometimes when I hear too much hype about a book/film/band I’m less inclined to check it out. Maybe I miss the pre-internet joy of being one of the select few to really love and appreciate something. Whatever the reason, when I heard everyone talking up Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, I didn’t want to read it. The front cover, after all, claims, “It’s the kind of book that can be life changing.” Seriously? No thanks. For my job, however, it’s best to familiarize myself with books that have worked, so I begrudgingly bought the paperback and shoved it on a shelf.
A few weeks back, my landlady put a big box of books out in front of our brownstone, with a sign inviting passersby to take a book or two. Ours is a busy street, and within a few hours, most of her books had disappeared—no doubt to good homes and eager readers. So I refilled the box myself.
