Pining for Kiki III, Waiting for Katniss #3, and Excited about Bitterblue!

I (and thousands, if not millions of young readers) need, need, need, to read the NEXT INSTALLMENT in the Kiki Strike series.  The second book was published in 2007.  It’s 2010 and I know the manuscript has not even been submitted for book 3.  Rumor has it that the projected publication date for the third book is 2012 — FIVE — FIVE years after its predecessor.   A child who discovered Kiki Strike and the Shadow City in 2006 at age 9 will be 15 in 2012 and almost too old for it!  We collectively BEG YOU, Kirsten Miller, to finish writing book three and let us have the joy of reading it!  (But, at the same time… we DO understand that you want to make a good book, a good story, and to not disappoint your loyal fans — so, if you are having trouble, we wish you the best at overcoming the problems!)

Mockingjay, as the third (and final?) book in the Hunger Games series is titled, will be out in the stores on August 24th, 2010.  The cover and announcement can be found at the Scholastic’s blog: On Our Minds @ Scholastic.  What do you think of the color?  And isn’t David Levithan hilarious?  (Quote: “Panem is not shaken up when District 9 is nominated for a best picture Oscar.”)

And I can’t be more excited about the prospect of reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore — which is some sort of a sequel to Graceling but, as the title indicates, will be about Bitterblue and her Grace.  I want to be surprised,  moved, thrilled, and impressed by it the same way I did for both Graceling and Fire.  And Ms Cashore, keep it up with the one-word titles!  It will be your signature move.