Image Credit: Heleen Welvaart

Last night, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo won the National Book Award in the nonfiction category for her first book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. We weren’t surprised at all by the win — Forevers is a stunning, must-read account of life in Annawadi, a Mumbai slum where unbelievable atrocities are an everyday occurence. Upon the book’s publication in February of this year, EW’s Jeff Giles predicted Boo’s book would be “a conversation starter, an award winner.” After a night of celebrating, Boo took the time to talk to EW about what it means for a difficult book like hers to win a major award — but before we could get into any of that, she had to get this out of the way: “I really like Annie Barrett’s American Idol recaps. They were like my therapy. I’d be tense over writing my book, and I was like, ‘I need to read Annie Barrett.’”

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You were up against some legendary authors in your category. Were you shocked to win?
KATHERINE BOO: I was surprised. I thought it would be Robert Caro [for Passage of Power]. And I think that Anne Applebaum’s Iron Curtain is a great book and Anthony Shadid, for anybody who is writing overseas, is a legend. So I was quite surprised. It’s a whole thing where you’re supposed to write a speech in case you win, and I thought that was kind of lame. [Laughs] I couldn’t do that. I was sitting there realizing, “Oh gosh, I should have written a speech.” READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Heidi Jo Brady

Gillian Flynn, best-selling author of 2012′s runaway hit of the summer Gone Girl and former Entertainment Weekly critic, will pen her first-ever young adult novel, to be published by Delacorte Press. In addition, Crown Publishing, a division of Random House, has signed her for a fourth adult novel, slated for 2015, and an additional novel for adults after that. Release dates for her fifth adult novel and her first young adult novel have not been disclosed. READ FULL STORY »

The 2012 National Book Award winners were announced tonight during a blacktie gala at Cipriani’s in Lower Manhattan. Winning the big fiction prize was Louise Erdrich for her gut-wrenching novel The Round House, which centers on a grave injustice that rocks a Native American community. In a turn that didn’t surprise us whatsoever, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo won for her stunning work of nonfiction, Behind the Beautiful Forevers. David Ferry and William Alexander also won big in Poetry and Young People’s Literature, respectively. See below for a full list of finalists with winners in bold, and click on links for the EW reviews. READ FULL STORY »

Karen Thompson Walker has had an earth-shaking year in 2012. A former book editor herself, Walker’s first novel The Age of Miracles debuted to excellent reviews (including an A– grade from EW) and will likely make it onto several year-end best lists. The novel follows an 11-year-old narrator named Julia, who comes to terms with a subtle but disastrous apocalyptic event: The world’s rotation on its axis has slowed down; days have gotten longer, which leads to all sorts of disturbing changes, both on a global scale and in deeply personal ways for Julia. The paperback edition comes out Jan. 15, and we have an exclusive look at the new cover below. Plus, Walker talks about her big year and gives an update on the possible movie adapation. READ FULL STORY »

What’s the secret to The Baby-sitters Club‘s phenomenal success? According to Scholastic editorial director David Levithan — who began working on the series as a 19-year-old Scholastic intern — it’s simple: “Girls have always connected with The Baby-sitters Club [because] they feel it’s real. It’s not amped up, action-packed drama or mythology or something that has no bearing on their lives,” he says. “And reading the books now, it’s amazing how relatable it all still is.”

Levithan is right. Any girl — any person, for that matter — can empathize with the struggles BSC members faced, from dealing with divorce to experiencing your first major crush. Relive all of middle-school’s trials, tribulations, and triumphs throughout the following pages, in which author Ann M. Martin selects her favorite titles from the 20 BSC books that are getting an electronic re-release in December. Martin has also added personal commentary about each of her picks, which are accompanied by their classic cover illustrations. You want side ponytails? We’ve got your side ponytails right here.

So, which books made the cut? Find out below!

READ FULL STORY »

A former Obama administration official has a book coming about how government might work in the future.

Cass Sunstein, President Barack Obama’s regulatory chief for three years, has a deal with Simon & Schuster for Simpler: The Future of Government. The publisher announced Wednesday that the book is scheduled for release in June.

According to Simon & Schuster, Simpler will offer an accessible look past the debate of big and small government and outline simple and democratic regulations.

Sunstein has written or co-written numerous books, including Nudge, On Rumors, and The Second Bill of Rights.

This is so dibble, you guys.

Scholastic is announcing today that the first 20 books in the bestselling Baby-Sitters Club series will be rereleased in ebook form beginning Dec. 1. Each title will feature a classic cover illustration by Hodges Soileau, the artist who illustrated dozens of BSC novels. Additionally, the series’ Facebook page is debuting a new Facebook app, which will allow fans to preview new ebooks, see nostalgic memorabilia, and take quizzes — then retake those quizzes upon learning that the BSC member they’re most similar to is Mallory.

READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Rafy

Fans have to wait until Aug. 23 for the big-screen debut of Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the film adaptation of the first book in Cassandra Clare’s popular YA series. But the exclusive first look at heroine Clary Fray (Lily Collins) has arrived early. READ FULL STORY »