Having worked in both the publishing and library worlds, and having heard for years about the inevitable death of the printed page, I'm always interested in people who experiment with the book format and push the technological envelope. This is precisely why Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony E. Zuiker caught my eye. Zuiker is the creator of the television show CSI, and his new book incorporates short films, a website, and other interactive technologies. Basically, you read a certain number of pages and then you are directed to a website to watch a short film. Yahoo even featured the book in one of its news stories. The Hillsdale Community Library has already ordered our copy, so you can expect it on our shelves as soon as it releases.
The same concept is used in a new series for middle-grade kids, written by Patrick Carman. Skeleton Creek is already out, and the second book, Ghost in the Machine, is set to release in October. I was lucky enough to see Carman speak--and to watch one of the short films from the second book--and I can tell you that this is spooky stuff! Maybe this is one way to get all those computer-addicted, thrill-seeking boys to actually want to read.
My son(a 6th grader)got this book from school during the first week. He said it was scary but he really must have liked it because I kept findng him reading when he should have been sleeping. Now he's reading The 39 Clues series by the same author. He's liking these pretty well too. I'm glad, because it's been difficult to find books that engage him after he finished the HP series.
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