* Gary Ross has been confirmed as director of The Hunger Games movie & he’s talking publicly about casting Katniss. Plus, production is hoping to begin in late Spring 2011!
* The movie trailer for Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon & Christoph Waltz and based on the novel by Sara Gruen, has debuted and it looks phenomenal:
(Click here if the embedded video doesn’t work).
Here’s the synopsis for the novel:
Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski’s ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.
Jacob was there because his luck had run out – orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive “ship of fools.” It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn’t have an act – in fact, she couldn’t even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
Have you read it? Will you read it before seeing the movie?
* Also in big news this week, the cover for City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare was revealed, along with a teaser video. This is the fourth book in her best-selling The Mortal Instruments series & we can’t wait to check it out:
And here is the cover BIG to study & admire:
* Our good friends at Mrs. P’s Magic Library have announced the semi-finalists in their second-annual Be a Famous Writer Contest. We’re so excited for all these young, talented writers!
* The Tenners are hosting a VERY cool contest for librarians only — with a huge collection of books up for grabs.
* The final numbers are in, and sales from The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (An Eclipse Novella) by Stephenie Meyer helped contribute to $1.5 million in donations to the Red Cross. Go Twilight fans!
* The book trailer for Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz (a Blue Bloods novel) has also been released:
Here’s more about that book:
Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. In Bloody Valentine, bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz offers readers a new story about the love lives of their favorite vamps – the passion and heartache, the hope and devastation, the lust and longing. Combined with all the glitz, glamour, and mystery fans have come to expect, this is sure to be another huge hit in the Blue Bloods series.
Novel Novice 
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