First the BIG news is that the final word has come in on the Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys and we received 600 books! It's so far beyond what I hoped for this project - honestly I thought we might get 100 books and we were excited about that. To receive 600 books for boys that have none however; that's just too awesome for words. Head over to my latest post at GLW for more details and to hear about our plans for the future. We intend to continue our relationship with IOW and the boys of the LA County juvenile justice system. This will not be the last book fair GLW holds for these boys and we look forward to getting more great reads into the hands of some kids that desperately need them.

Also, the new issue of Bookslut is up with a selection of "Summer Adventures" in my column. These are not big adventures or even conventional ones.They are mostly books to while away a summer afternoon with a few elements of surprise or bravery involved that stood out for me. The reviews include Ghost Town, (which should just be about a kid figuring out what home means but expands to a dozen different discoveries on many levels and is funny and cool and very smart); Petronella Saves the Day (I've shortened that title) (And there better be a sequel because it is surreal Jane Austen combined with a teen Amelia Peabody minus the Egypt bits and plus international intrigue); The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (or what I like to think of as "Jo March loves bugs" or Laura Ingalls and Susan B. Anthony meet Darwin in the body of a young girl); So Punk Rock (teen Jewish rock band angst! The funniest purest example of how frustrating it is to be a good kid I've read in ages); Nothing But Ghosts (an old mystery occupies a teen struggling with grief over her mother's death - the anti "After School Special" that is deeply affecting and beautifully crafted); and Flygirl by Sherri Smith which is a historical drama that grabs you by the throat and holds on tight. This book needs to win an award and be used in schools and sell millions of copies.

Heck - every single one of my July books needs to sell big. I loved them all very much.

My "Cool Reads" are This is Me, Jack Vance (talk about an adventurous life!), a most unusual writer's autobiography, and Yellowstone Moran, a picture book about a great American artist of the west I'd never heard of and am so glad I have now. (Any artsy kid will love this one.)

I have a standalone review of Lisa Hamilton's Deeply Rooted in the issue as well - a story of three independent farmers bucking the system. It's very readable and quite interesting - it shows you how conventional farming works and why doing something different is better for everyone and, in a lot of ways, more affordable. There's also some great social history. I really liked it.

But wait! There's more! The new issue of Eclectica Magazine is also up and includes three round-ups from me. There is a collection of arts books for ages from the very young to YA (Ashley Bryan is featured here); poetry books, again for the young to YA and a group of picture books for younger kids that all rock in various ways. I had fun putting all these reviews together and I'm sure there is something for everyone.

I'm reading a ton of good books right now (including this one about a girl on a college ice hockey team); I will have more on all of these later this week. And tomorrow brings another entry in the What a Girl Wants series - be sure to check it out.