2012 Caldecott Honor Book

New York Times Notable Book

Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year

Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.

Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

I love books. The fact that I get to make books for a living still thrills me everyday. I write and illustrate picture books and novels for children as well as illustrate books for older readers. Many of my books have received prestigious awards including my New York Times Bestselling book, BLACKOUT which received the Caldecott Honor. I am also the illustrator for Rick Riordan's blockbuster series' Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (May 24, 2011)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 5 years

Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 330L

Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - Kindergarten

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.7 x 0.63 x 11.3 inches