Children

The Winter 2009/2010 Kids' Indie Next List can now be seen in preview online. The four-page, full-color flier will be arriving at indie bookstores in the upcoming quarterly Children's White Box.

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 9780385737944) "James Dashner's The Maze Runner is a fast-paced, disorienting, and frighteningly adventurous story, one that any fan of The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies is sure to love." --Kyla Paterno, Garfield Book Company at PLU, Tacoma, WA

The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) is seeking nominations for the 2010 Pannell Awards, honoring bookstores in the U.S. that excel at inspiring interest in reading and creatively bringing books and young people together.

In a strategic move that will increase its 2009 catalog circulation by 75 percent, the Association of Booksellers for Children is distributing a quantity of its 2009 Best Books for Children catalog to all of the ABA member stores receiving the Winter Children's White Box mailing this month. This is in addition to the 260 ABC members that already receive the catalog.

NECBA Spring Galley Review Project Online

A new season of insightful indie booksellers' recommendations for the next great reads in children's and young adult titles -- featured in a four-page list with a bold, bright, and fun design -- will be arriving soon in bookstores in the Summer 2009 Kids' Next List.

1. Radiant Darkness: A Novel by Emily Whitman (Greenwillow, $16.99, 9780061724497 / 0061724491) "Emily Whitman has written an inventive retelling of the myth of Persephone's kidnapping by Hades and her stay in the Underworld. In this version, she is a willing participant in the seduction, but then has to establish herself as an equal in her relationship with Hades. Are there modern overtones? Yes, and they help make Radiant Darkness a very good story." --Nicola Rooney, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

BTW asked ABC Executive Director Kristen McLean to share her thoughts on some of the highlights of programming for children's booksellers at BEA. By Kristen McLean, Executive Director, Association of Booksellers for Children I'm actually very excited about some of the changes and additions to our children's programming this year at BEA.

The Women's National Book Association has announced the winners of the 2009 WNBA Pannell Awards, given annually since 1983, to two bookstores that excel in contributing to their communities in ways that bring books and young people together.