Ypulse Book Essentials: Paolini reads from 'Brisingr', Penguin Wants Global Warming Stories, 'Brands New World'

New Brisingr video. (Check it out. Author Christopher Paolini reads an excerpt.) (PopCandy)

- Penguin wants your global warming story (the publisher is putting out a new anthology designed to, oh, save the planet. Plus Bookslut on eco-books for children)

- ‘The Mash’ (No, it’s not a dance, it’s a newspaper for and by (mostly) teens in the Chicago area. Anastasia mentioned this in Ypulse Essentials the other week, too. I think it looks pretty slick. Good work.)

- ‘Brands new world: The designer-label bug infects tween lit.’ (I especially liked Naomi Wolfe’s innocent statement about the carefully placed products: “so prominent, you wonder if (they) are product placement deals.” Ya think?) (Culture 11)

- Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5: The Last Olympian (Due out on May 5, 2009, “The prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday will be revealed in the momentous final book in the series.”)

- Through Jenny’s Eyes (The story of Jenny’s brother’s death proves life is unfair.) (Bluewater Press)

- Kind words… (for Polly Horvath’s, My One Hundred Adventures) (educating alice)

- ‘Wow, Suzanne Collins’ (The Ya Ya Ya’s link to some very impressive coverage of The Hunger Games. Whadd I tell ya? And here’s some more praise for my favorite book of the year.) (Newsweek)

- Shelftalker asks, “Author Photos - A Help or a Hindrance?” (I’ve never thought about this. I think I like them, but only because it allows me to make a snap judgment which is probably not a positive thing.)

- What was your “Gateway Drug”? (Gregory Cowles at PaperCuts wonders about the transitional books of avid readers. For me, what comes to mind are: Slaughterhouse Five, the works of Sam Shepard and Raymond Carver.)

- SLJ covers the Sarah Palin censorship controversy (and introduces us to the blog, Librarians Against Palin.)