Bonnie Lynn Wagner - Page 8

Yesterday marked the highly-buzzed about launch of WHAT IF IT'S US by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Now, it's about to be a major motion picture.

The novelization of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen comes out tomorrow by Val Emmich from Poppy / Little, Brown and is a MUST for any fan of the show. It doesn't simply re-hash the moments of the musical. It doesn't just take Steven Levenson's book and the lyrics of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and put them in writing. It expands and evolves the world fans already know and love.

Happy Comic Con Week! Whether you're going to be home this weekend scrolling social media feeds and watching YouTube videos wishing you were at SDCC or sitting in an hours-long line waiting to get into a panel or meet a favorite actor and looking to kill time, here are some books (or ebooks for your phone!) that you can whip out and read. These will put you in the spirit for sure! Some of these books take place at various Comic Cons (including both NYCC and SDCC!), while others are about the fans and fanfiction writers and fan artists that make up the fabric of fandom!

Netflix will develop a new series and film projects based on C.S. Lewis' beloved The Chronicles of Narnia series. Under the terms of a multi-year deal between Netflix and the C.S. Lewis Company, Netflix will develop classic stories from across the Narnia universe into series and films for its members worldwide. All series and films produced through the deal will be Netflix productions, with Mark Gordon of Entertainment One (eOne) alongside Douglas Gresham and Vincent Sieber serving as executive producers for series and as producers for features. In total the Narnia books have sold more than 100 million copies and been translated in more than 47 languages worldwide. The deal marks the first time that rights to the entire seven books of the Narnia universe have been held by the same company.

While there's still no word of a release date for the seventh book in George R.R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series, THE WINDS OF WINTER, Game of Thrones fans will rejoice to hear that there will be a new book set in the world releasing this November. It makes the wait to HBO's 2019 airing of the show's final season feel a little less painful.

The Wayward Children books don't necessarily have to be read in order, since each features a different protagonist, but I highly recommend at least reading EVERY HEART A DOORWAY first because it sets the world and reality and introduces the characters of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Think about Dorothy when she returns from Oz, Alice when she comes back from Wonderland, the Pevensie siblings, who returned to Narnia on multiple occasions. Think about kids who go to amazing worlds and have incredible adventures. What happens when they return home? What happens when nobody believes them? Are they crazy? What if our world is no longer enough, but they can't return where they belong?

THE STORM RUNNER by J.C. Cervantes came out last week and is another series starter in the line. I am obsessed with the fact that Disney and Riordan put together this imprint, hired diverse writers who grew up with the myths from their own cultures, and are now turning out these incredible novels. ARU SHAH had all of the questing and the way ordinary objects and places can transform into something entirely different that I loved so much in the Percy Jackson series. THE STORM RUNNER has all the snark and mysterious people who are more than they appear. Oh, and Brooks reminds me a lot of Annabeth, so PJ fans will really embrace her! Also, something that's completely spoilery that happens toward the end that throws me back all the way to THE LIGHTNING THIEF in the most endearing way!

Summer Brooks releases new and relatable book to teach women how to love themselves again and how to build one another up in sisterhood

Nickelodeon recently announced a partnership with publisher Abrams Children's Books to bring the world of its hit TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender to life with a series of Young Adult novels. The ATLAB series concluded in 2008, then spawned a companion series entitled The Legend of Korra set 70 years later. The series has lived on in graphic novel form and yesterday, it was announced that Netflix will be creating a live action series with the show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Last year, filming began on DUMPLIN', based on the book by Julie Murphy. This week, it was announced that in addition to hitting theaters later this year in limited release, it will also premiere on Netflix.  DUMPLIN' stars an overweight teen constantly overlooked by her former beauty pageant queen mother. Her mother now trains today's prospective beauty queens, but never considers her own daughter. Willowdean decides to enter the pageant in protest and shakes up her entire town. The film stars Danielle MacDonald (Patti Cake$) as Willowdean Dickson, aka Dumplin'. Her mother, former Beauty Queen Rosie Dickson, is played by Jennifer Aniston (Friends). The cast includes Dover Cameron (Liv and Maddie, Disney's Descendants), Georgie Flores (Famous in Love), Harold Perrineau (Lost) Odeya Rush (Lady Bird). The movie will have a stellar soundtrack, with Dolly Parton co-collaborating with Sia and Miranda Lambert to update some of her own catalogue as well as creating six new songs alongside Linda Perry. The first re-worked Parton song, 'Here I Am,' released today ahead of the film to get the buzz started. Here is the first song from DUMPLIN', from Parton and Sia:

This morning, Audible, Pottermore, and Warner Bros. announced a new and exciting addition to the Wizarding World! Audible's exclusive Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Makers, Mysteries, and Magic audiobook will be released on November 16th, alongside the opening of the highly anticipated new big-screen adventure in cinemas. The audiobook, which will be performed by Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander), Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore), Zoë Kravitz (Leta Lestrange), Ezra Miller (Credence), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), and more, pulls back the curtain on one of the most hotly anticipated blockbusters of the year. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Makers, Mysteries, and Magic is available for preorder now exclusively at Audible at www.audible.com/fantasticbeasts. Check out the below video of Dan Fogler introducing the book, then read on for the official press release!

This week, Fox2000 announced that because THE HATE U GIVE has had such strong word of mouth, it will release two weeks early. It will premiere in limited release on October 5th, expand on October 12th, and go wide on its original release date of October 19th. Depending on where you live, you may be able to catch it up to two weeks early.

Tonight marks the launch of the 8-part mini-series on PBS revolving around The Great American Read. PBS launched its first episode this past spring and has been calling for readers to vote for their favorite book all summer long. Viewers can tune in tonight or stream the series online on PBS.org. Below is a press release from PBS.org with all the info you'll need, but first, here's a trailer for what you can expect to see tonight! 

It is a fantastic time for fantasy novels. More and more are being picked up by studios for development thanks to the smashing success of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and, most recently, Game of Thrones. The latest series to be picked up is Susan Dennard's Witchlands. The series begins with TRUTHWITCH, continues with WINDWITCH, and has a spin-off entitled SIGHTWITCH. The next book, entitled BLOODWITCH, comes out on February 12, 2019, with another two books still to be released. 

If you are not yet familiar with Disney Hyperion's new Rick Riordan Presents line, here's a refresher. The first series in the line, Hindu-mythology flavored Aru Shah, debuted this past spring with Roshani Chokshi's ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME. The book was FANTASTIC and BroadwayWorld reviewed it here.

Originally, fairy tales were dark and grim, not the light, bubbly Happily Ever After stories we all know and love in these modern times. Jim C. Hines pulled obscure versions of fairy tales you might not be familiar with when creating his four Princess novels.

If you're looking for a great sale on recent releases, head out to Barnes and Noble this weekend. The sale is running now through Labor Day (Monday, September 3rd, 2018). Over 100 new titles and recent best sellers are ON SALE for 50% off. If you're not near a store, the sale is also online. Members save an extra 10% in store or receive free express shipping online. Below is a press release for the company with all the details, but I also stopped in the store this week and took pictures of the displays so that you can get a better look at the titles on sale.

Warner Brothers next expected Crazy Rich Asians to be as successful as it has. They predicted the movie would take in 20-25 million its first weekend. Instead, it took in 35 million. In its second week, it took 25 million, remaining in first place at the box for a second week straight and only dropping 6%, bringing in huge numbers for the studio. It is rare for a movie to have such a low drop in its second week; word-of-mouth has been golden and everyone is rushing to see the feel-good movie of the summer that has all their friends and co-workers buzzing.

What's different about THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING is that Kelsea Glynn has always known her destiny. She's not a hidden princess plucked from her ordinary existence as a peasant and thrust into royalty. Instead, she's studied and built the role up in her mind. She's made her mother into something she's not. When her mother dies, Kelsea must put all of her studies to use and repair the broken kingdom she's inherited before it's destroyed by war. There's so much more to being the Queen of the Tearling than Kelsea ever thought possible, both good and bad, and only her actions will decide if she lives or dies, and if her country will rise or fall.

BWW Review: GIRL LAST SEEN by Nina Laurin