Book Buzz

• What was the “most challenged” book of 2007? For the second year in a row, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s And Tango Makes Three. I’ve only read #4, The Golden Compass, and was anything but offended by it.

• The New York Times Sunday Book Review section this week featured several books about China. USA Today also positively reviewed Simon Winchester’s The Man Who Loved China. China is hot. And in case you were wondering, yes, I do think the U.S. should boycott the Beijing Olympics.

• Not too surprisingly, Barbara Walter’s memoir Audition is #1 on Amazon’s bestsellers. She’s done a media blitz—including Oprah and even The Diane Rehm Show this morning. The revelation about her affair with Senator Edward Brooke doesn’t hurt sales either. (As a side note The Post-American World is #5; Zakaria made his eleventh appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this week. My crush deepens.)

• Last week, I mentioned adult crime novels. Here is Booklist’s “Top 10 Crime Fiction for Youth.” According to the article, half the books take place in London. I always knew, based on BBC programs, that the city is a scary hotbed for crime. Speaking of crime, the 2008 Edgar Award novel winner is Down River by John Hart. (USA's Burn Notice won for television episode. I love that show.)

• To be fair to my readers under age 10, I must also mention that The Apple Pie that Papa Baked won Jonathan Bean the 2008 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator-Award, and David Ezra Stein won the New Writer-Award for Leaves.