If seven wasn’t a lucky number before, it is now. Today two (2!) friends are celebrating their book birthdays, and I feel like I’m swimming in pages of goodness.
In picture book world, we have Anne Marie Pace’s Vampirina Ballerina, the story of a girl who faces a few extraordinary challenges to become the ballerina she wants to be. The book, from Hyperion, is GORGEOUS, and you’ll see more on Vampirina tomorrow in this very spot.
In middle-grade world, nothing makes me happier than celebrating a new Tom Angleberger book. We’ve been celebrating a lot of them these past few years, but today? Today is the release of the Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, which is the third book in the Origami Yoda series featuring Tommy, Dwight, and the gang at McQuarrie Middle School. Normally we go to the book store on release day and buy one for each kid, as a way to support Tom (and a way to keep the kids from fighting). This year we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek, but we’re still going out to grab some extra books. Tradition!!
It’s been a long time since I’ve offered up a musical welcome, so today let’s kick things off with a little Vampire Blues from Neil Young. It doesn’t quite connote Vampirina’s cuteness, but it’ll do for a start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NxY157QMFY
And Fortune Wookiee! So many options for this one, but I’m going to go with The Doors’ People Are Strange, partly in honor of Dwight, and partly in honor of a parody Tom wrote eons ago as a contest entry to the tune of the Doors’ Come on Baby Light My Fire. I’m still astounded it didn’t win those Weird Al tickets. He was robbed. (Editor’s note: Angleberger seems to have no memory whatsoever of writing said parody, and says I must be thinking of someone else. I still stand by it. Investigations continue, however.)
And finally: Here’s a game made by a superfolder to promote Tom’s last Origami Yoda book. Perhaps there will be a sequel here, too (after camp is over).