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NEW TO THE CCF SITE:

• Reporters: 
  • Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, was on the mind of site's visitors as three different reviews were sent in and posted to the site. The book was reviewed by Page, and Kyrsten, 6th graders from Indiana; and Casey, an 8th grader from California.
• Bestsellers:
  • Booksense Bestseller Lists - Links to the lists are updated regularly
• CCF Top Picks: 
  • Life Is So Good - "What makes a happy person, a happy life? In this remarkable book, George Dawson, a 101-year-old man who learned to read when he was 98, reflects on the philosophy he learned from his father--a belief that "life is so good"--as he offers valuable lessons in living and a fresh, firsthand view of America during the 20th century." [from inside flap copy of George Dawson's book, Life Is So Good].
  • Rainbow Maker: Magical Show! Beautiful Gift - Still our absolute best seller, and a wonderful gift item during the holiday season and year round. This is a maintenance free little gizmo that'll delight both kids and their parents on an ongoing basis.
• Publishing:
  • What do Agents Actually Do? - Nathan Bransford is a literary agent with the San Francisco office of Curtis Brown Ltd., a New York based agency that has been representing writers since 1914. He, along with countless agents, editors, publishers and both published and yet-to-be-published writers, has established his own page in myspace, a social networking site that's not just for kids anymore.
  • Polling Editors & Agents - What are editors and agents looking for in writers? What cues do they use to judge whether their work is creative? Recently my husband and I polled editors and agents on how they evaluate writers during pitch meetings. Here are the results of the survey.
• Blog:
  • Ugly Betty: You-Go-Girl!!! - On the heels of Spain banning underweight models from the runway, it thrilled my heart to watch the pilot episode of Ugly Betty. It aired on abc and I loved it! It promises to be a show that'll root for the underdog... in this case that would be a talented, engaging, professional young woman who doesn't fit the glamour image being sold by Hollywood these days.
  • I cannot do everything, but I can do something - Edward Everett Hale is quoted as saying, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." Do you ever feel paralyzed by work and personal deadlines facing you? What helps you out of those funky moods? Inspirational quotes seem to do the trick for me.
• Book Reviews:
  • Books for the College Market - New from Random House, four books college students may want to read: "Social Intelligence," "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," "The Power of Nice How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness," and "Circle in the Sand."

REVISIT OLD FRIENDS: Some of our favorite articles posted over the years.

• The International Children's Digital Library - This wonderful online children's digital library was developed by the Internet Archive and the University of Maryland and provides "a prestigious collection of international literature for children around the world."
• Holiday Favorites - Visit the various favorite holiday titles readers have submitted in the past.
• Pep Talk: Just Do It! -  There are some things in life that are easier said than done. For example, getting an education, resisting peer pressure, staying away from substance abuse. These things are often easier said than done because they involve taking some kind of action that goes deeper than mere words.