Are You Giving Books For the Holidays?

For me it's a given. Sure, I work in a bookstore but even when I didn't, books were always at the top of my list for both giving and receiving. Unlike a toy or gag that will lose it's charm in a matter of moments, a book has the power to give the recipient enjoyment that will last a lifetime. How many of you still own your favorite childhood stories?

My family members know they’re getting books for Christmas. It’s automatic. What about yours?

TWO CLASSICS FOR ALL AGES
These are not signed but they are beautiful and worthy of any collection:

Madeline and the Cats of Rome by John Bemelmans Marciano.(Viking $18). Ludwig's grandson John presents an new tale. Ditching the gray Parisian skies, Miss Clavell and the 12 little girls form two straight lines to explore spring in Rome where, no surprise, Madeline also finds an unexpected adventure, involving a thief, a chase, and many, many cats. The lively story sports luminous gouache and watercolor illustrations.

Enchanted World of Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne (Dutton $20). Chock-full of moving parts and interactive features, this distinctive collection bursts at the seams with playful surprises. An exquisite full-color map of Christopher Robin's Hundred Acre Wood with hide-and-seek flaps, parties and games from the stories, and profiles and behind-the-scenes tales of Milne and Shepard's beloved characters are all included. This deluxe, padded treasury will delight collectors and fans of the wonderful world of Pooh. Three cheers for the famously silly old bear!

New in Pop-Up Book Art

Peter Pan by Robert Sabuda (Little Simon $29.99). A Classic Collectible Pop-Up, adapted from the J.M. Barrie novel, it features 14 interactive pages.



And here is a list of wonderful signed first editions we have available at The Poisoned Pen..

For the middle-school kids try Science Fair ($18.99) the first in the new Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, a comedy thriller about a middle-school science fair where things go REALLY wrong.

Grdankl the Strong, president of Kprshtskan, is plotting to take over the American government. His plan is to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School, located in a Maryland suburb just outside Washington. The rich kids at Hubble cheat by buying their projects every year, and Grdankl's cronies should have no problem selling them his government-corrupting software. But this year, Toby Harbinger, a regular kid with Discount Warehouse shoes, is determined to win the $5,000 prize-even if he has to go up against terrorists to do it. With the help of his best friends, Tamara and Micah, Toby takes on Assistant Principal Paul Parmit, aka "The Armpit", a laser-eyed stuffed owl, and two eBay buyers named Darth and the Wookiee who seem to think that the Harrison-Ford-signed BlasTech DL-44 blaster Toby sold them is a counterfeit. What transpires is a hilarious adventure filled with mystery, suspense, and levitating frogs

Don't miss the charming new book by Pseudonymous Bosch If You're Reading This, It's Too Late: ($16.95) Dangerous secrets lie between the pages of this book. We last left our heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest, as they awaited initiation into the mysterious Terces Society, or the ongoing fight against the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. The kids stumble upon the Museum of Magic, where they finally meet the amazing Pietro! What about the missing Sound Prism, the nefarious Lord Pharaoh, or the mysterious creature born in a bottle over 500 years ago, the key to the biggest secret of all?

Michael Buckley signed his entire Sisters Grim series.
Tales From ythe Hood is the newest of this wonderful mystery series for ages 9-13 featuring the decedents of Brothers Grimm....

Daphne, Sabrina, and Puck’s most magic—filled mystery.
The latest addition to the New York Times bestselling series, which Kirkus Reviews calls "memorable and madcap".
In book five of the series, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are ready to tackle their own case: Who is stealing the magical possessions of the most powerful Everafters in town? With Granny distracted by Mayor Heart's campaign against human residents, the girl detectives are on their own. Puss In Boots (now an exterminator), Cinderella (a radio relationship counselor), Sleeping Beauty (owner of a coffee shop), and their old enemy, Prince Charming, are among the many suspects, and one thing is for certain: The villain's plans mean a grim future for the Grimms - truly!

Have a Sci-Fi fan? We have signed firsts of the new Alan Dean Foster Quofum ($25) Journey to the amazing Humanx Commonwealth, home of the ever-popular Pip & Flinx. Although the dynamic redhead and his daring minidrag do not appear in Quofum, this knockout thriller sets the stage for their explosive date with destiny in the duo's final climactic adventure, Flinx Transcendent.

The mission to planet Quofum is supposed to be a quickie for Captain Boylan and his crew. Boylan is tasked with delivering four scientists-two men, one woman, and one thranx, to the unknown world, setting up camp while the experts investigate flora and fauna, then ferrying them safely home.

Gamadin: Word of Honor author Tom Kirkbride signed his Debut Sci-fi for us.

Sixteen-year olds Harlowe Pylott and Matt Riverstone are bodysurfing the narliest waves of the new century when their fun is interrupted by a yacht capsizing off the Newport coast. After rescuing the famous movie star Simon Bolt and the half-alien socialite Leucadia Mars from certain death, Fate sends them on the greatest ride of their lives. Robobs and the undog are only the beginning! Dakadude killers have swooped down from the heavens looking for the galaxy's most powerful weapon: an ancient Gamadin spaceship named Millawanda. If the Daks cannot capture Millawanda, they will kill her while she is still weak and unprotected, along with the Earth and anyone else who gets in their way. For Readers Ages 10+.

The third in Gregory Maguire's Wicked series A Lion Among Men ($26.95) In the much-anticipated third volume of the Wicked Years, we return to Oz, seen now through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion.

While civil war looms in Oz, a tetchy oracle named Yackle prepares for death. Before her final hour, a figure known as Brrr—the Cowardly Lion—arrives searching for information about Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West. Abandoned as a cub, his path from infancy is no Yellow Brick Road. In the wake of laws that oppress talking Animals, he avoids a jail sentence by agreeing to serve as a lackey to the warmongering Emperor of Oz.

A Lion Among Men chronicles a battle of wits hastened by the Emerald City's approaching armies. Can those tarnished by infamy escape their sobriquets to claim their own histories, to live honorably within their own skins before they're skinned alive?

Gregory Maguire's new novel is written with the sympathy and power that have made his books contemporary classics.

For Teens: Don't miss this signed first of Jim Butcher's new graphic novel Welcome to the Jungle
Publishers Weekly reviews: "This fun graphic novel is the prequel to his first Dresden book, Storm Front. Blurring the lines between fantasy and noir, Dresden is a scrappy, rough-and-tumble consulting professional wizard who's often hired by the Chicago police to work on those crimes that enter the supernatural. Given only 24 hours to solve an inexplicable and gruesome murder at the zoo, Dresden has to deal with unhelpful zoologists and police, a helpful but confused potential love interest, packs of demonically possessed animals and several deadly enchanters along the way, eventually uncovering a plot by one of mankind's great ancient foes. If the story is not particularly deep, it's breathlessly paced, with plenty of quirks and details (one of Dresden's closest friends and allies is an ancient talking skull), and a compelling page-turner. Syaf's art is always effective..."

YA author Melissa De La Cruz signed the first, second and third of her Blue Blood series. If you are a fan of Stephenie Meyer then you should try this author!
We have all three. Including first editions of Blue Blood 3: Revelations, the third in her vampire series.

Within New York City's most elite families, there lurks a secret society of celebrated Americans whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower. They are the powerful and the wealthy-and in fact, they are not human. They are the Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires." his remarkable gift for capturing mood and atmosphere to suggest the possibility that the most troubling ghosts of all are not the ones that hover above us and walk through walls, but those that linger in our memories and haunt our souls.