Fantastic Mr. Fox Movie

Raise your hand if you love Roald Dahl's books! Oh yeah! He's awesome! Matilda, The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and The BFG are my favorites, but he's written a bunch more too. A few have been made into movies, the most recent one being Fantastic Mr. Fox (rated PG) which comes out in theaters November 25.

Fantastic Mr Fox is about Mr. and Mrs. Fox who live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting nephew Kristofferson. But, once a fox, always a fox, and after twelve years of quiet domesticity, Mr. Fox slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief. He gets himself and his family in trouble with the evil Farmers - Boggis, Bunce and Bean - who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr. Fox at any cost. In the end, he uses his natural instincts to save his family and friends.

Lucky Kid Reporters on both coasts got the scoop. Kid Reporter Grace was at the New York red carpet premiere, and Miranda was at the press day in Los Angeles where she met Lucy Dahl, Roald Dahl's daughter! They each got some really cool behind-the-scenes details about the movie, and Grace even got a compliment from actress, Meryl Streep.

Jason Schwartzman plays the voice of Ash, and our STACKS reporter Gerri got to ask him what he likes most about the movie. Let's hear what he has to say . . . 

I love how the moral of the story is to be cool with who you are. Being yourself is awesome! That seems to be a common thread in a lot of Roald Dahl's books - people who are a little bit quirky or different end up being really cool and interesting. What do you think? Do you have a favorite Roald Dahl book? Let me know in the Comments.

— Sonja, STACKS staffer

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox
Video by Gerri Miller for THE STACKS

Wolves of the Beyond, a New Ga'Hoole Series

A newborn wolf pup with a twisted leg is abandoned in the wilderness beyond Ga'Hoole. Miraculously, he survives and grows up to change the Wolves of Beyond forever. If you loved the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky, then this Sneak Peek of her newest series is for you.

Lone Wolf, Book 1 of the brand new Wolves of the Beyond series is not coming out until December 29, but you, dear Ink Splot 26 readers, can be the first to read Chapter 1 right here (PDF).

In other news, the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie is coming out in September 2010, which feels like an awfully long time, so it's a good thing we have this new series to read while we're waiting!

Create Your Own Agent Card for THE 39 CLUES

Thanks to all the fans of The 39 Clues, and congratulations on being top-level Clue-hunters! World domination doesn't come easy, does it? That's one of the first lessons Amy and Dan learn.

You may not have all 39 Clues yet, but you can still showcase your Clue-hunting prowess by designing your very own agent card on www.the39Clues.com. Check out my card right here.

First you have to create a Cahill alias. That's me – Desert Squall1. Then it's time to show off your skills.

There are tons of cool images to add to your card – background designs, animals, weapons, characters from the series, etc. And of course, a little bragging never hurts. You get to display all your Clue-hunting accomplishments. But the coolest part is this: your card will have a unique code. So when you send the code to your friends (and rivals?!) your card will be added to their card galleries. My code is P2DTMN4WXP.

Risky? Perhaps. There's no guarantee that your card won't fall into Madrigal hands. But let's face it – no guts, no glory. The Clue hunt is no place for wimps.

So when you create your agent card, rest assured I'll be watching. The bigger question is: Who else will be?

See you on the hunt! And if you haven't joined the hunt for the Clues yet, it's never too late to join!

— The 39 Clues Author, Gordon Korman (aka Desert Squall1, Card Code: P2DTMN4WXP)

LIVE CHAT with Author Nancy Krulik!

Nancy Krulik, the author of the How I Survived Middle School series will be joining us in our November Live Chat. Here is your chance to ask her all your burning questions about the series, about middle school, and about what it's like to be a real live published author! (Believe me, she knows. She's written more than 150 books!)

WHEN: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 6-7 PM (E.T.)
WHERE: THE STACKS
TOPIC: Chat with author Nancy Krulik!

To find out more about Nancy and read her books before the chat, visit the How I Survived Middle School website. There are also some very fun games and quizzes there. Hope to see you at the chat!

Also, write your questions for Nancy in the Comments now, and we will make sure to ask those during the chat!

---

UPDATE: 11/20 — Thanks for joining the chat. In case you missed it, or want to relive the memories, here is the transcript! Please come join us on December 5 for the next Live Chat.

Guess the Character Answers

Last week I posted a trivia question to see if you could guess some famous children's book characters. How'd you do?

1. He must not be named.

Voldemort, from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
First guessed by Dewdrop208

2. He speaks for the trees.

The Lorax, from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
First guessed by 10 stars

3. She's a stupid lamb.

Bella, from the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (for ages 12 and up)
First guessed by kelsey

4. He's a palindrome with a no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.

Stanley Yelnats, from Holes by Louis Sachar
First guessed by 10 stars

5. She goes blind in book five.

Mary Ingalls, from the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
First guessed by Dewdrop208

6. He's late (for a very important date).

The White Rabbit, from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
First guessed by sockmonkey98

7. She's on fire. (Literally)

Katniss, from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (for ages 12 and up)
First guessed by Annie

8. She's a blondwad.

Angeline, from the Dear Dumb Diary series by Jim Benton
First guessed by Kaitlyn

9. He's an unfortunate middle child.

Klaus Baudelaire, from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
First guessed by sockmonkey98

10. She teaches on the 19th story.

Miss Zarves, from Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
First guessed by Kaitlyn

I also want to give a shout out to Camilla who was the first person to get them all right.

And, I can't end this post without giving a shout-out to Kelsey, who answered my challenge with a challenge of her own. She wanted to see if I could guess the following characters:

1. She's a unique vampyre.

2. He saves the world more than once in N.Y.C.

3. She and her brother accept a fatal challenge

4. He writes about a mystery that he and a friend try to solve.

5. Love really "bites" for him.

I think I know numbers 2, 3, and 4, but I'm not sure. And I'm totally lost on 1 and 5. So I'm turning it around to you guys to see what you think. Anyone know the answers to Kelsey's trivia? Leave your answers in the comments. Kelsey, if you're out there chime in with the correct answers

— Carly H., STACKS Staffer

Trivia Tuesday: Coraline

Between the movie coverage and the love this book gets from Alex Wolff of Nickelodeon's Naked Brothers Band, you might have a good case in accusing us of being obsessed with the book Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

But, it's not just us. The Coraline movie was a smash hit at the box office. And Neil Gaiman was honored by the Association for Library Service to Children with the 2009 Newbery Medal for his book The Graveyard Book.

So, I'm willing to bet there are some other Coraline fans out there reading this. For all those fans, my trivia question for you is:

In what toy did the Other Mother hide the souls of the three children in the closet?

Happy Guessing! Next week I'll be back with the answer.

—Carly H., STACKS Staffer

NaNoWriMo Writing Prompt

NaNo what? If you missed Carly's post about National Novel Writing Month, then you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. But for all you writers out there (and I know you guys are amazing writers. I've seen your fanfic on the Message Boards!), the goal for NaNoWriMo is to write a novel by the end of November. I have no doubt you can do it. After all, it can be as long or as short as you want! So here are a few suggestions from the NaNoWriMo Young Writers website to get you started. . .

• Write a story where the character's meal talks to him or her.
• Write a story where the character has a camera that can take pictures of the future.
• Write a story where the character has a cute little brain-eating zombie kitten as a pet.
• Write a story about an unusual afterschool club.

Do you have other ideas for great stories? Tell us in the Comments! What will YOUR next story be about?

—Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Got an Idea? Enter an Invention Contest!

I never had the intention of assuming the title “inventor.” It never really occurred to me that all the cool ideas that popped into my head might lead me to where I am. The stacks of craft items inside and the piles upon piles of wood outside seemed like a given at my house. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way” and when I’ve got an idea, why not make it material? Anyone can be an inventor. The difference between inventors and everyone else, though, is that inventors follow through and believe in themselves.

A few years ago, I came upon a problem. I felt like doing my homework outside because it was a nice day, but once I got settled, I kept having to go back inside to get writing tools and such things. So I used that situation as an opportunity to solve a problem. What I thought up (and expanded over time) became the “Totally Desk.” It’s a portable desk with a flip-up lid that can hold a textbook, drawers on both sides, an automatic pencil sharpener, and attachable legs. It can all be closed up and carried like a suitcase.

So then, I entered my invention into the Staples Invention Quest Contest, where I made it through the first selection, then on to the semi-finals in MA, and then the finals in NY. That’s as far as I got, but $5,000 and other prizes is nothing to scoff at. I also learned a lot about the inventing world through the process. In the semi-finals, I was one of fourteen other kids from all over the country who came up with solutions to problems they discovered. All of us got to walk around to see the other inventions. The theme was “office inventions,” but each invention was so creatively different. Only five of us reached the finals, but along the way we all encouraged each other. We congratulated the winner and were happy for her and each other.

Problems are always opportunities. From problems come ideas, and from ideas can come inventions, but only those who can recognize this and follow through can become inventors. You don’t need shelves full of craft materials inside or piles of wood outside. All you need is imagination and determination.Do you have an idea? Enter it in the Invention Dimension Challenge. You never know if you don't try!

— Jerrilee G., Kid Inventor

At 9, Jerrilee wanted to create a special birthday gift for her older sister who loved word games. She had an idea; she would combine the best elements of both word and card games in a new spelling game. With the help of her mother, Jerrilee brainstormed ideas and developed Speed Spell (now Swipe-it), a fast-paced game of spelling and vocabulary. In Speed Spell the players race to complete words from multiple letter groups building from the inside out. The more words you complete, or steal, the more points you earn. The more cards left in your hand when someone goes out, the more points you lose. The rules contain several versions, and it can be played cooperatively or competitively. You can read more about her invention at www.bkfk.com.

Alien Invasion!

It seems likes books and movies about alien invasions are kind of a trend this month. First there is Doom Machine, a new book by Mark Teague about a boy who sees a flying saucer hovering over his small town of Vern Hollow. Of course, no one believes him, but things are about to get very strange in this small town! Take a peek at the first chapter and play the Alien Attack video game on the Doom Machine website.

And now for an alien invasion from a completely different perspective — in the new movie Planet 51 (rated PG), an Earthling is the alien! American astronaut Chuck Baker lands on a distant planet for a routine mission, but finds a whole civilization of creatures already living there! They think he has come to take over their planet, and they act the way anyone would act if they saw an alien — terrified! This trailer for the movie had me cracking up.

Want more alien invasions? Here are some of my childhood favorites:

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (rated PG)
THE classic alien movie about an adorable little space creature who gets separated from his ship and needs to get home or he will die. I cry every time I watch it. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this movie.

Can of Worms by Kathy Mackel
In this book, Mike feels like he doesn't fit in, and concludes he must be a higher life form from another planet. He sends out an S.O.S into the galaxy, but is not prepared when actual aliens show up at his door in response to his distress signal.

Fat Men from Space by Daniel Pinkwater
After a trip to the dentist, William discovers he can hear radio stations through his tooth. Not only that, he can hear intergalactic communications, and he discovers that aliens are on their way to earth to take over our supply of junk food. Can he stop them before it's too late?

Do you have a favorite alien invasion story — either true or in book/movie form? If you have actually seen a UFO, I definitely want to hear about it in the Comments!

—Sonja, STACKS staffer

Interview with a Werewolf, New Moon's Taylor Lautner

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you've probably heard about the Twilight book (for ages 12 and up) and movie series (not that there's anything wrong with you rock-turnal dwellers!). But for those of you who are as caught up in the Twilight series as I am, you probably know that New Moon (PG-13), the second movie of the Twilight series is hitting theaters on November 20th.

Where to start?! If you haven't checked out the Twilight books or movies, I highly recommend it. The series follows Bella, a normal teenage girl living in the dreary Pacific Northwest town of Forks, and Edward a vampire who is trying his best to be normal by abstaining from drinking human blood. Throw in Jacob, Bella's friend who also happens to be a werewolf, and see what happens. In the second book and movie, we find Edward and the Cullens have left Forks for Bella's own good. But Bella is (understandably) heartbroken and falls into a pit of reckless despair. Enter Jacob. Her friend takes her under his wing, but she still can't get Edward out of her mind. She starts doing reckless things to hear Edward's voice in her head. But when an old vampire comes back to town to avenge a death, things take a turn for the worse. Want to see what I mean?

Take a look at the official trailer:

This second movie and book feature a bigger role for werewolf character Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner. And . . . we just happened to score a HUGE interview with him exclusively for all you Ink Splotters! (It's a tradition to bring you exclusive Twilight interviews, you know, like the interview with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson before the first Twilight movie!)

Without further ado, check out Taylor's interview!

Q: I love the trailer clips that show you transforming. Tell us about that.
Taylor: Yeah, it was really cool to observe the process of that. Because one second I'm a human and the next I'm a complete CGI [computer generated imagery] wolf. So in that shot in the trailer what I'll do is I'll be harnessed up, I'll start running, I'll take a few steps and then I'll jump ten feet in the air and the wires will stop me mid-air, so I'll come to a jolting stop so then they can take my body and transform it into a wolf. It was really cool to observe that process.

[Ratha: You mean you're not a real werewolf?]

Q: Did you study Native American history to play Jacob?
Taylor: When I found out I was going to be playing Jacob Black who's Quileute Indian, I had the opportunity to meet with several Quileute Indians, and ask them questions and just learn about them so that I could portray Jacob Black correctly.

Q: What questions did you ask them?
Taylor: I wanted to know what the teenage boys like to do in their free time, to have fun. And I was thinking I was going to hear some answer that was really different, but I found a teenage boy who was very close to my age and I asked, “What do you like to do in your free time to relax and have fun?” And he was like, “Oh I like to play basketball, I like to go to the beach.” So what I actually learned the most was that the kids are just like me. So it was a surprise, but very interesting.

[Ratha: That's so cool! Hmm…I wonder if Robert Pattison (Edward) had to do some research by interviewing real vampires. . . ]

Q: Are you similar or different in any ways to Jacob?
Taylor: I hope if you were to ask my close friends, they would say that I am more similar to Jacob's pre-transformation side! But I would not hope to be similar to his werewolf side, because he all of a sudden becomes more angry and fierce.

[Ratha: That's true. I wouldn't want to meet Jacob in a dark alley, especially if he missed his last meal.]

Q: Did you do any research on werewolves?
Taylor: I would honestly say the best research was through the [Twilight] books. Because that's what Stephenie Meyer created, and what we're trying to bring alive. The books are so specific, and she's an amazing author. And it provides so much detail about each and every character. The way to go to study your role to the fullest is through the books.

My Favorite Fictional School Dances

My first official school dance was the 5th grade Square Dance. (Yes, you read that right. No, I'm not from a farming community.) For weeks in advance, we learned some two-steps during gym class and shyly practiced do-si-do-ing during recess. On the big night, clad in denim skirts, my friends and I French-braided our hair and reapplied our lip gloss in the girls’ bathroom before we braved the dance floor. Despite our nerves, the dance turned out to be pretty awesome. There were specific steps to follow and partners to choose, so everyone felt the same level of moderate humiliation and immense relief. We were in it together.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, school dances are part of life. And whether you’re Team Yay or Team Nay (or Team I’m-Way-Too-Busy-With-Homework-and-Sports-To-Care-About-School-Dances-Anyway), lots of books feature them, and it’s fun to compare the reality versus what authors dream up!

For instance, my Square Dance simply cannot compare to the awesomely magical Yule Ball that Harry Potter and friends get to attend in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (Come to think of it, not even my fancy senior prom could compare to the show that Hogwarts puts on!) But there are less elaborate, though equally exciting, school dances found in other books, like the Halloween dance that the Baby-sitter’s Club members get to dress up for in Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls, or the annual winter dance Addie and friends attend in Wish Upon a Star (How I Survived Middle School #11).

So what do you all think about school dances — love 'em or hate 'em? And have you ever read about a fictional school dance you wish you could attend?

— Morgan, Scholastic staffer

Catching Fire, a Hot Sequel

Imagine living a life of poverty, having to hunt for food just to stay alive. And imagine that hunting, or even going to the woods for prey, is illegal and punishable by torture and even death. Would you do anything to live a life of luxury? Would you kill? What if you were forced to?

That is what happens to Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, a book for ages 12 and up. In Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins’ exciting sequel (also for ages 12 and up), Katniss faces even more danger as she deals with her horrific victory in the games.

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a single government rules over the 12 large districts of Panem. In the past, the districts tried to rebel against the Capitol but failed. A 13th district was destroyed by a nuclear bomb as a lesson to the rest of the people.

The Hunger Games were then established as a more long-term reminder of the price of rebellion: peace through fear. The annual games require one boy and one girl from each of the 12 remaining districts to fight to the death in an arena rigged with horrific dangers. The last person alive wins.

Catching Fire picks up the story with Katniss back in her home district in a new, luxurious house with plenty of food for her mom and little sister. Fear and danger are still very much part of her life, however, as she struggles to keep her family and her partner in the Hunger Games, Peeta Mellark, safe. It seems her unconventional win at the Hunger Games is sparking thoughts of revolution in the districts.

Will Katniss be forced to marry Peeta just to keep her family safe? Does she really love Peeta? Can she survive another Hunger Games? Will she overcome her fear and reluctance to help in a new rebellion? Only some of your questions will be answered, as there is yet another book in this promised trilogy. (I, for one, can’t wait.)

The 400-page book is full of characters you can easily relate to and identify with. In terms of plot, the book progresses at a rapid pace, grabbing your attention and never letting go, even after the last page is turned.

I recommend this series to anyone looking for a captivating read you just can’t put down. Catching Fire is a roller coaster filled with excitement, suspense, and absolute wonder. It is perfect for both teens and adults.

— Quinn Jacobson, former Scholastic Kid Reporter