Capstone Connect

Fiction Friday: Happy National Donut Day!

There is only one thing people in our office love more than books, and that is doughnuts. Although we certainly never need an excuse to go buy doughnuts, especially on a Friday, it's definitely nice to have one. Luckily, today is National Doughnut Day! There's literally no better excuse than that. And while we weren't able to find any free doughnut giveaways near our office, my fellow editor Beth and I did manage pick out this deliciously impressive selection at a nearby bakery. We actually had two of these full boxes when we first returned, but doughnuts move fast around this place.





It's obviously no secret that our office revolves largely around food (particularly of the Dairy-Queen variety), so in that spirit, we'll be starting a new tradition on the SAB blog: Foodie Fridays! Sadly, we can't have National Doughnut Day every Friday (trust me, I've looked into it), but I can promise a new, exciting, food-related post to look forward to next Friday. Is your mouth watering already? Have a doughnut to tide you over.


(Our friend Snorp loves donuts, too!)

—Ali Deering
Editor

Fiction Friday: Memorial.

On Monday, we honor all the men and women who lost their lives fighting for our country, remembering that they were not faceless soldiers but members of families, friends, colleagues.

Our BLOODLINES series follows a family through multiple wars, tracing their bloodline as different family members fight.

Fiction Friday: Hot one!

It may still be spring, but it sure feels summery around these parts. Have a great weekend!

Sneak Peek at Fall 2012!

Want a sneak peek of a few highlights from our Fall list? We’ve just added digital galleys of exciting upcoming releases on NetGalley.

NetGalley members (there are more than 50,000!) have access to hundreds of electronic advance reader copies from more than 100 publishers. It’s free to join for any professional reader (book reviewers, booksellers, bloggers, librarians, journalists, etc.). 

Request an e-galley of some of our most anticipated fall releases today! Among the gems include:

Hocus Pocus Hotel by Michael Dahl.
Tyler Yu asked Charlie Hitchcock to meet him after school, and Charlie assumed it was for a fight. But when it turns out Ty just needs help solving a magical mystery at the Abracadabra Hotel, an unlikely friendship is formed.

Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl
Far above the small town of Zion Falls, the stars fall from the sky. Deep below the sleepy city, an ancient evil awakens. Caught in the middle are four friends who find powers beyond their wildest dreams - and monsters worse than their darkest nightmares.

Katie Woo Rules the School by Fran Manushkin
For Katie Woo, school is one big adventure. Join the stylish schoolgirl as she learns how to be a great classmate and friend. From the school play to the class pet, Katie knows how to rule the school!

Fangs! by Alan MacDonald
Wherever Bertie goes, chaos follows, and this trio of stories is no exception. Join Bertie as he attempts to prove the grumpy school custodian is a vampire, finds himself modeling the latest fashions, and gets a serious "scare-cut" at the barbers.

Curses for Sale by Steve Brezenoff
Weird and scary things happen after Jace buys an old toy car at a garage sale. Is the toy cursed?

Origami X by Nick Robinson and Paul Harrison
Especially for budding spies, sleuths, and secret agents, this book features a variety of spy-themed origami designs perfect for secreting highly sensitive intelligence - hide the details of your undercover ops inside an origami spy plane, or pass on contact information for your field agent wrapped up in a covert camera!

Robot Rumble by Alexander Gwynne
This paper toy book unites model-making and gaming in one awesome combination. Meet 20 cool characters to press out, fold and glue.

Book Suggestions for Young Mothers

 I went to dinner with a friend last night and met some women who are young mothers (I talk to just about anyone anywhere…so be careful…it might just be you next time!). These women started talking about books for their young children. One woman specifically asked me to recommend some books for her 1, 3, and 4-year-old children. So I started my list with the classics from the Children’s Books Guide top 100. You can find it at http://childrensbooksguide.com/top-100. I love every one of these titles…well at least most of them. For some reason, The Story of Ferdinand has never appealed to me. Not sure why. They even include stories that “almost” made the list at the bottom. It’s a pretty amazing list.

Another source that I always use is my friend Isabel Baker’s catalog. She knows her books! Click on her catalog below and you will find her suggestions. The starred titles are what I watch for.

BUT! I want to suggest a few of my favorite Capstone titles for preschool children! For the one-year-old, I would suggest our board book, Duck Goes Potty by our very own Michael Dahl…a hilarious take on potty training. For the three-year-old I would recommend another book by Michael Dahl, Do Bears Buzz? It’s such a fun interactive book to read with preschoolers! And my last recommendation for the four-year-old is Hello, Goodbye, and a Very Little Lie by Christianne C. Jones, another very talented in-house author. All the books from these sets are good, but these are my favorites.

        

What would you recommend to someone if they asked you for books for their preschoolers?

Fiction Friday: Revolution.

 

Check out www.tonyhawkreadingrevolution.com for more!

Fiction Friday: STEM Friday!

Check us out today over at the STEM Friday blog, where we're this week's host--lots of science, technology, engineering and math goodness over there to sustain you for the weekend. We're spotlighting one of our favorite science-related books, Zeke Meeks vs the Stinkin' Science Fair. Enjoy!

Fiction Friday: Vote!

Time is running out to vote for your favorite kid-submitted character in our awesome Tony Hawk 900 Revolution contest. Who will appear in our book? There are five awesome characters, but only one will win...

Fiction Friday: 2-For-None

Rarely does this 30+-year-old man find appropriate use for this type of tweenage SMS language. But today, my BFFs, is one heck of an exception! Samples of Capstone’s first-ever Free Comic Book Day comic arrived in the office, and they are — well, utterly PRICELESS!!


(Check out that cover!)

For the unacquainted, Free Comic Book Day takes place the first Saturday in May each year (5/5/12), and comic book shops nationwide give away special, limited-edition comics from today’s top publishers...for FREE!! A seriously great promotion of comics and reading and kids, and we’re proud to take part with our 2012 Silver entry....

THE ROCKHEAD & ZINC ALLOY 2-FOR-NONE

(Illustrated by the brilliant C.S. Jennings & Douglas Holgate)


(What? A Super-Pets pinup? You got that right!!)


(Total sweetness.)

Trust me.... On May 5 (22 days and counting), you gotta get out there and snag this super spectacular FREE-VIEW! I mean, two awesome adventures for the price of NONE? That’s a no-brainer, IMHO!

--Donnie Lemke
Managing Editor

Fiction Friday: Welcome, baby!

Our managing editor Christianne's baby will be born later this afternoon in Mankato. He or she will be welcomed by two big sisters, which got us thinking about perfect books for newly-minted older siblings!

Henry Helps with the Baby

 

Big Brothers Are the Best

 

Big Sisters Are the Best

 

Welcome, new baby! We can't wait to meet you.