My two egg-chicks will be getting books in their Easter baskets tomorrow. I went hippity-hopping to my local independent new book shop, Red Fox Books, run by my buddies Sue Fox and Naftali Rottenstreich in downtown Glens Falls, New York. I made sure to preorder a copy of the final Harry Potter book for Summer reading, and then picked up two books which I think will be hits with the kids. My artsy 14-year-old is getting "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl" by Barry Lyga, which looks intriguing. A first novel for the author, the plot follows the trials of high school sophomore Fanboy, who is not enthused about an imminent new sibling from his mom and "the stepfascist", and who finds refuge from tormenting bullies at school by creating a graphic novel. His befriended by the outrageous and cynical Goth Girl, who shares his love of comic books.
Daughter Number Two will receive Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", which is a sweeping graphic novel about an orphaned clock keeper and thief, the eponymous Hugo, who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. At first I thought this 500+ page doorstop might be a bit off-putting for my sixth grader, but my bookstore pals gushed over it and I can see why. It is full of soft pencil illustrations of shadowy subterranean warrens, streetscapes, cinema halls, and best of all, bookshops! Check out the gorgeous bookshop interior in the accompanying photo. I want my shop to look like that. Mine's too orderly and the staircase is too straight and wide. I need some more classical statues around.
Can't wait to read these two books after the kids are done with them. Hope you find some good Spring reading too!
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