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First of all, NCTE is like a gigantic family reunion. I get to see friends from around the country who I haven't seen since last year, I get to meet people I only used to know through social media or (in the case of authors) their books. My two "family reunion" highlights this conference were

meeting Natalie Merchant (I wrote the teachers' guide for her book, Leave Your Sleep)

and presenting with these rockstar poets about the inspiration for our poetry and about the Poetry Friday Anthology

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, me, Lesléa Newman, Irene Latham,   (new poetry friend Janet Fagal), Janet Wong, Laura Purdie Salas) NCTE is also a book-lover's paradise. I took two very lightly packed suitcases to Las Vegas and came home with two suitcases that both nearly tipped the 50 lb mark on the scale when I checked them! I'm happy to report that nearly every book I brought back is now in the hands of a reader!  Here is a list of authors I heard speak or chatted with at a lunch or dinner or party: Lemony Snicket,"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" (All the Wrong Questions)  Jon Scieszka, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales   Jenni Holmes, Babymouse #16: Babymouse for President Anita Silvey, Children's Book-a-Day Almanac Kate Messner, Capture the Flag Janet Tashjian,  For What It's Worth Cecil Castellucci, The Year of the Beasts  Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making Julie Paschkis, Mooshka, A Quilt Story Monica Brown, author of Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People  David Shannon, Jangles: A Big Fish Story Deborah Ellis, My Name Is Parvana Karen Lynn Williams, My Name Is Sangoel (Young Readers) Floyd Cooper, These Hands (Golden Kite Honors (Awards)) Marla Frazee, Boot & Shoe

Last of all, NCTE is like going back to college. There are so many great sessions/classes from which to choose. Here are some highlights of my session notes:

Jon Scieszka: "Tell the boys that reading something written by women won't kill them."

Lemony Snicket: "Don't ask the obvious questions, ask the important questions...Avoid temptation to know what story means and insert a moral."

David Shannon: "There's a fine line (fishing line--ha, ha) between liar and storyteller."

Sharon O'Neal (with others): In a nonfiction study, use a blend of traditional nonfiction, "new nonfiction" and nonfiction poetry.

Ann Marie Corgill (with others): "Teach, practice, reflect, share. Resist the the talking so we can listen. Resist teaching so we can learn and answering so we can question. Don't say you can't because, NEWS FLASH -- you can."

War = anything that kills people unnecessarily (diseases we've allowed to spread, poverty)

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New Series from Stewart & Riddell

The Bookseller:

Macmillan Children's Books has bought world rights for three books in a futuristic new series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. The pair, who have previously written The Edge Chronicles and won a handful of awards between them, have now written a series called Scavenger which revolves around a boy, his spaceship and a hundred robots "bent on his destruction". Rights were signed from Philippa Milnes-Smith at Lucas Alexander Whitley.

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TRIO HOUSE PRESS POETRY BOOK AWARDS SUBMISSION PERIOD IS NOW OPEN

Trio House Press gives two awards annually: the Trio Award for First or Second Book for emerging poets, and the Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence for a book of poems contributing in an innovative and distinct way to American poetry.

The Trio Award for First or Second Book includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Trio Award for First or Second Book is only open to poets with less than two books published.

The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence includes $1,000, publication, and twenty books. The Louise Bogan Award for Artistic Merit and Excellence is open to ALL poets, regardless of publication history.

Each award winner receives $1000 and twenty copies of his or her book. Additionally, each winner must serve as a Collective Member of Trio House Press for twenty-four months after publication in order to assist with the press and bringing more Trio books into print.

Click on the following link for judges and complete guidelines.

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Nook Kindle PDF iTunes on the iPad, look for it in the iBook Store

Here’s some news for November:

Report on one of my
Novel Revision Retreats, this time, held in Atherton, CA.

My article about using Facebook as an author is now up on the WOW-Women-on-Writing site. Facebook: Best Practices for Profiles, Pages, Groups and Posts.

Hurrah! Desert Baths has been named to the Outstanding Science Trade Books 2013.

Outstanding Science Trade Book List 2013

If you can’t see this video, click here.

Need a video tip on blogging? Tina Nichols Curry taped me answering one quick question.

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By Liz Wollman

One of the largest — and, I admit, most disappointing — revelations I had while researching 1970s adult musicals for my book, Hard Times: The Adult Musical in 1970s New York City, was just how tame they all ended up being. Sure, there was frank talk about sex in most adult musicals. There were also a lot of naked bodies on display. Occasionally, there were simulated sex acts that were creative and acrobatic enough to make even the hippest, most solid of 1970s hepcats feel like a real chump and go on a serious bummer. This is precisely what I expected when I started looking into musicals with names like Stag Movie, Lovers, Le Bellybutton, and Let My People Come.

What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was just how traditional the subtext of most of these shows typically was. Indeed, lurking beneath the jiggling breasts, faked orgasms, and copious use of slang terms for genitalia was often an almost jarring adherence to conventional love relationships, and, more shockingly, even the occasional twinge of nostalgia for the social constrictions of the Eisenhower era. The moral of most adult musicals, even those featuring the nudiest, sluttiest, foul-mouthiest of characters, was that all the consequence-free, anonymous sex in the world — no matter how many swingers and far-out drugs were involved — was just never as fulfilling as good old-fashioned monogamous love. Preferably in the missionary position. After marriage. With the lights out.

Now, I was born a titch too late to experience the swinging seventies first-hand, unless you count the ribald (if surely heavily-edited, child-friendly) tales a particularly groovy babysitter would occasionally tell my sister and me as she helped us brush our teeth and get into our jammies. Nevertheless, I have always liked to think of that time as one of continued excess, during which a vast majority of American citizens turned on, freaked out, and had sex with one another as easily as we currently mutter “what’s up” to acquaintances we see on the street or run into on the subway. Thus, learning that the live entertainment form I’d decided to research — and that, at first glance, seemed to be the musical equivalent of hard-core porn, albeit with more jazz hands — were, in fact, really sort of tame and conservative, truly bummed me out at first.

But then again, recognizing the cultural conventionality in adult musicals was important, not only for the book’s narrative, but for my grasp of social history, which is, of course, never remotely as straightforward or uncomplicated as it is often depicted. My students always get an earful from me about how much I hate the overgeneralizations that get uttered all too frequently in documentaries and oral histories, especially those about rock music and pop culture that get broadcast on channels like VH1: “And then… everything changed.” “It was truly revolutionary… unlike anything… anyone… HAD EVER EXPERIENCED.” Hmph.

As it played out into the 1970s, the 1960s sexual revolution was enormous and confused and multi-tentacled, and meant many different things to as many different people. To be sure, some of us Americans had a great time: some of us did, indeed, jump wholeheartedly into the cultural orgy of drugs and excess that the era offered. And many of us did, indeed, find the strength to come out of the closet; or to leave unsatisfying marriages; or to change career paths, or spiritual, cultural, or social practices, in a quest for a more satisfying and liberated, and less stultifying life. But then again, just as many of us felt confused, threatened, left out, or even terrified by the many cultural disruptions of the time period. And I found ample evidence of enormously mixed emotions about the seismic shifts we lived through: a blend of almost palpable longing for the newly disrupted cultural codes we understood and felt safe enacting, which came part and parcel with — and directly contradicted — feelings of elation, joy, celebration, and a fervid embrace of cultural change.

Which is why, I guess, the adult musicals of the 1970s were so often a blend of the shocking and the conventional. The American stage musical has long made a practice of mixing the conservative and subversive, thereby appealing to the broadest possible audience. Stage musicals have always been, after all, a commercial entertainment form. Why should musicals depicting the sexual revolution, and the subsequent gay and women’s liberation movements, be any different? Shows like Oh! Calcutta! and Let My People Come enjoyed successful runs primarily because they allowed audiences the chance to experience the sexual revolution at a safe, even comforting, distance. Adult musicals helped ease doubt, ambivalence, and anxiety about rapidly changing cultural mores. They invited audiences to embrace the notions that sex could be fun and harmless, that naked bodies could be beautiful, and that sexual identity didn’t have to be so threatening. Adult musicals allowed spectators — some of whom were struggling with their own sexuality, some of whom were hoping to learn more about the rapidly changing sexual mores, some of them simply eager to find out exactly what all the fuss was about –to live vicariously without getting in too deep.

Their existence, otherwise, doesn’t make any sense, especially during a period in which there were so many other kinds of far more explicit sexual entertainment available. After all, why Oh! Calcutta! when Deep Throat was showing down the street? Why buy tickets to see simulated sex on stage when there were actual live sex shows going on a few avenues away? Why see an Off-Broadway comedy about swinging, or group sex, when you’ve heard whispers of a key party being planned a few towns over? Through the 1970s, Americans struggled mightily over issues of sexuality and gender in unprecedented ways; the result was a complex, if heady, blend of feelings of elation, confusion, frustration, and fear. Adult musicals didn’t so much challenge as they did educated, palliate, and ameliorate, by offering cheery, conventional messages to audiences who needed reassurance during a time of enormous, rapid change.

I recently thought a great deal about the function of 1970s adult musicals while watching David West-Read’s sex farce The Performers, which opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on November 14th… and closed four days later. Sometimes, Broadway flops are squirmy, embarrassing affairs, but this one was great fun — I think even more so, since the star-studded cast clearly knew the show was on the chopping block, and was thus collectively far looser than most companies tend to be on Broadway immediately post-opening. I’m awfully glad I got to see The Performers. But I’m not surprised that it closed as quickly as it did.

While not a musical, The Performers, which takes place in Las Vegas during an adult-film awards show, has a lot of the same ingredients as the adult musicals of the 1970s. The show featured no nudity — it’s not really an entertainment trend these days. But there was plenty of skin (the first scene features the hilarious Cheyenne Jackson in a teeny suede… thing, which he eventually removes to reveal even teenier Superman underpants); a few simulated, if exceptionally goofy, sex acts and a lot of even goofier sex talk; a scene in which an enormous dildo was tossed across the stage; and a huge pair of prop breasts, gamely worn by the actress Jenni Barber in the role of Sundown LeMay. Many of the characters — who have stage names like Mandrew (Jackson) and Chuck Wood (Henry Winkler) — talk frankly about scenes they’ve filmed, sex positions they excel at, and movies they’ve shot, all of which have names like Planet of the Tits, Spontaneass, and Cum on My Bum.

In some ways, shows like this imply that nothing has changed much over the course of forty years. Buried under the sex jokes, flying dildos, and increasingly ridiculous euphemisms for genitalia lies a variant on the same old plot: Mandrew’s childhood friend Lee (Daniel Breaker) has come to Vegas to interview Mandrew for an article about adult films for The New York Post. Lee’s high-school sweetheart and fiancée, Sara (Alicia Silverstone), has come along, too. After spending time with Mandrew, Lee — who has only ever had sex with Sara — becomes concerned that he and Sara will become bored with their sex life as they grow older together. When he broaches the possibility of playing the field before they marry to Sara, she gets insulted and pretends to strike up a flirtation with Chuck Wood. Meanwhile, Mandrew learns that his wife, Peeps (Ari Graynor), also a porn star, is pregnant. This good news is soured, however, when Peeps discovers that Mandrew recently kissed Sundown LeMay on the mouth, which is an intimacy that she and her husband typically reserve for private, offscreen moments together. Amid the strife, the awards show happens, Chuck Wood delivers an absolutely hilarious monologue-as-acceptance-speech that I wish I could have taken home with me after the show, lots of alcohol is consumed, and drunken, heartbroken wackiness ensues.

Happy endings (the old-fashioned kind; not the pornographic kind) are experienced by all involved. Peeps and Sundown make up. Mandrew and Peeps make up. Sara and Lee make up. The porn stars all make it clear to Sara and Lee that sex is not nearly as important as love and commitment, and that they would all kill for the kind of love that Sara and Lee have for one another. Sara and Lee realize that they’ve never had sex with anyone but one another because they have never loved anyone else as deeply. Love conquers all, and monogamy rules — just like it did in adult musicals during the 1970s.

Yet for all the similarities, there are a couple of important ways that The Performers differ from adult musicals. Back in the early 1970s, for a few years at least, hard-core pornography was taken more seriously in the art world as a burgeoning genre with the potential for mainstream appeal, especially following the enormous — and, for many, surprising — commercial success of films like Behind the Green Door and Deep Throat. Yet hard-core porn never crossed over; it went, instead, to video. Thus, over the past several decades, as much as pornography has influenced the aesthetics of myriad forms of mainstream entertainment — from the fashion world to horror films to cooking shows — the adult film industry’s potential for a chance to edge into the mainstream is long gone, if it ever truly had a chance at all.

The Peformers makes this clear: While Lee and Sara feel like freaks for being so straitlaced, it’s their wacky, adult-film friends who are the true outsiders. Exceptionally stupid and self-centered, if also ultimately good-natured and well-meaning, the adult film actors in the show have their own rules, ideals, and aspirations, and live by their own warped code of conduct. Chuck Wood serves as the wise elder of the group. He’s been around since the 1970s, a time he frequently, reverently describes as one of both innocence and enormous excess, and he has come to realize that as he ages alone, all the sex he’s had has amounted to nothing. Not accidentally, then, Chuck is the character who is instrumental in getting all of the heartbroken, arguing couples into the same room together to talk it all out, sit-com style, at the end of the show.

But much more broadly, I think it’s the failure of The Performers to connect with audiences that points, at least in some small part, to the cultural differences between the 1970s and now. It’s easy to say that we are more prudish than we were back in the 1970s: that today’s audiences wouldn’t be able to handle stage nudity, or the kind of frank talk about sex that was a regular feature of so many shows that appeared on, Off, and Off Off Broadway back then. By that logic, maybe The Performers closed because of its very subject matter: audiences stayed away because they deemed it too crass or off-color for their tastes.

Then again, maybe not. In some ways, we’re really a lot savvier now than we were then, especially when it comes to human sexuality. After all, while some of the excesses of the 1970s have faded away over time, we’ve got lots more in the way of lasting, meaningful, truly progressive ramifications: more rights for women in both the domestic and the public sphere; more states recognizing the civil rights of gay men and lesbians; more citizens who, despite their political or religious affiliations, just aren’t too terribly concerned or bothered by the sexual preferences or private lives of their neighbors. Maybe, then, stage nudity is no longer trendy because we just don’t crave it like we did. Maybe jokes about dildos and crazy sex positions are cute, but ultimately not all that deep.

Near the end of The Performers, a sad, drunken Sara bursts out with a line that neatly sums up the feelings of the entire company: “I just wanna be me and be okay with it, and have everybody else be okay with it, too!” This is, in some ways, a quintessentially 1970s statement — boil it down to its essence and you get any number of platitudinous expressions that were so popular back then: “Go with the flow.” “Do your own thing.” “Whatever turns you on.” Maybe we just don’t need the same neat, tidy little messages anymore. Maybe a silly sex farce, while fun and cute, and even occasionally hilarious, is just not what we need right now. Maybe The Performers closed as quickly as it did because in the end, we’ve moved beyond it.

Elizabeth L. Wollman is Assistant Professor of Music at Baruch College in New York City, and author of Hard Times: The Adult Musical in 1970s New York City and The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig. She also contributes to the Show Showdown blog.

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Image credit: Poster for The Performers used for the pusposes of illustration under fair use. Source: theperformersonbroadway.com.

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Teen librarianship isn’t always the most glamourous of positions in the library world. Fortunately, the back-up we have available to us through YALSA and the many awards they offer feel priceless to the winners. As Katie George, winner of the 2011 MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens, puts it, “Receiving recognition like this from teen-serving peers… at this level… is a shot in the arm. It reminds you, ‘Yes! You are making a difference! Keep going!’”

Katie’s “Pass the Book” program at the Howard County Library System in Columbia, MD, started in 2009 and involved passing around over 600 copies of Scott Westerfeld’s The Secret Hour. Teens would then read the book, log the book number on the program’s website, and pass the book along. According to Katie, “Pass the Book appealed to teens’ interest in participating in an exclusive activity, yet encouraged them to connect with other teen readers by sharing books and participating in the website.” She also pointed out that this program gave the public library another opportunity to branch out into locals schools, where some books were distributed in school media centers. While the program is no longer actively giving out new books, the titles are still being logged today – over 616 times on five continents.

For Katie and the other teen librarians, winning the MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens gave them “a boost of confidence” and allowed them to “experience renewed enthusiasm for our jobs.” If you’re still considering applying for the MAE Award, take into consideration these wise words from Katie: “Give yourself credit, be brave, and apply. What may be “all in a day’s work” for you, might be a groundbreaking idea to someone else. Your work may be just the inspiration someone else needs… and they’ll never know about until you share.”

Applications for the 2013 MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens are due December 1, 2012. Check out the YALSA website for more information.

Posted on behalf of Mary Haas and the MAE Award Jury.

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Our host for the evening, Garvia Bailey of CBC radio

By Lena Coakley
for Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations

There was much excitement in the Canadian children’s book community Wednesday night as attendees of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s annual gala gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Toronto to hear the announcement of six prestigious children’s book awards, including Canada’s most lucrative, The TD Children’s Literature Award, and the first-ever Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.

In one of the evening’s two big surprises, Anna Porter, board member of the Canada Council for the Arts, took the podium to award one of Queen Elizabeth’s prestigious Diamond Jubilee Medals to children’s author Marilyn Baillie “for her commitment to children’s literacy, for her award winning picture books, for her sponsorship of the children’s book award in her name, and for her passionate support of the children’s book community.”

TD Canadian Children's Book Award winner, Trilby Kent with TD Canada Trust President & CEO, Tim Hockey

In another surprise, Tim Hockey, President & CEO of TD Canada Trust revealed during the ceremony that the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award will be increasing its cash award from $25,000 to $30,000, making it the largest cash prize for a children’s literature award in Canada.

The winners were:

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award ($30,000) 


Stones for My Father by Trilby Kent (Tundra Books)

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award ($20,000) 



Without You by Geneviève Côté (Kids Can Press)

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Nonfiction


Loon by Susan Vande Griek, illustrated by Karen Reczuch (Groundwood Books)

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People ($5,000)


The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley (Annick Press)

John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000) 


Charlie’s Key by Rob Mills (Orca Book Publishers)

 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000) 


What Happened to Serenity? by P.J. Sarah Collins (Red Deer Press)

Also honoured was the book chosen for the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, I’ve Lost My Cat by Philippe Béha. By the end of this month, this book will have been given free to over half a million Canadian children.

Cynsational Notes

Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

She became interested in young adult literature when she moved to Toronto, Canada, and began working for CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, where she eventually became the Administrative Director. She is now a full-time writer living in Toronto.

Witchlanders, her debut novel, was called “a stunning teen debut” by Kirkus Reviews. It is a Junior Library Guild selection and an ABC new voices selection.

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Booktalk Interview with Travis Jonker – Part 1
Part 1 of an interview I conducted with Travis Jonker, an elementary school librarian in Michigan, founder and blogger of 100 Scope Notes, reviewer for School Library Journal, former judge for CYBILS Awards, and member of the 2014 Caldecott committee.

In addition to being a school librarian, you’re involved in a lot of different things books related, such as your blog, reviewing for SLJ and other things. How do you hope make a difference in all that you do?
Travis: First and foremost I’m looking to make an impact on the students in my school district, making sure we have for them the latest and greatest books, books that are interesting to them. Also, I want to work with students and teachers in our district, teaching information literacy skills. If I can, I’d also like to share some of those things with other people through my blog or with things that I write. I think that’s a cool way to spread the word a little bit and let people know what has worked for me, and that it might work for them too.

What is the “word” or message you want to spread?
Travis:  As far as books go, the big thing I want to get across is that everything is reading. One of my favorite parts about the last 10 years or so is that a lot of things that people didn’t really consider reading before have become a lot more legitimate. Especially things like graphic novels and comic books. When I was in middle school, I hardly checked out any books from our school library because I was reading comic books, magazines and those sorts of things, but I was still reading. What you read today might get you interested in something else later. As long as you’re reading, it’s a good thing.

Tell me a little bit more about the idea that “everything is reading”.
Travis: A couple years back they started naming children’s literature ambassadors. The first year was Jon Scieszka and his big push throughout his career had been getting boys to read more. But I was so pumped up when he made his platform a push for giving kids choice and letting them choose books they’re interested in. Whether it’s a magazine, book, or even a website, all of that is reading. It might not be what has traditionally been considered reading but it really is.

Do you find sometimes that there is pushback from parents or others from some of these other things that in the past weren’t considered reading?
Travis: Sometimes, but I think it’s becoming less and less of an issue. If there‘s pushback, a lot of times it’s going to be with graphic novels and comic books. Sometimes at book fairs I’ll hear a parent say, “You can’t choose that because it’s not a book.” When that happens I try to explain that it is reading. A lot of times I just open the book up and flip through the pages with the parent to help show that there is reading involved here. I also think sometimes it can be important for a child to have more of a transition. They grow up on picture books, where pictures take up the entire page and tell the story. To then switch to text-only is a pretty abrupt switch.

How does reading help students get the skill sets they’ll need for the future?
Travis:  Reading is the basis for everything. If a kid is a good reader and reads a lot, it’s just going to help them out in whatever they do. It’s the foundation for everything else.

What advice do you give parents, teachers or other librarians to help students get the latest and greatest books?
Travis: I think one thing that is important to keep in mind is to give students choice. In the Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, one of her big pushes is to let kids read what they want to read. In her classroom, she saw choice create great advances in her students’ interest in reading. It seems like common sense, but for awhile we were so bogged down in whether a book’s reading level was a little bit too high or low? So finding the latest and greatest book for a child is about finding something they’re interested in.  For school librarians it means offering a really wide variety of books on a wide variety of topics. For parents I think it’s just important to remember to let kids read what they’re interested in. That might mean comic books. Sometimes it might be middle grade novels or a classic. I think it’s all legitimate.

Are there certain books you tend to recommend more than others?
Travis: Horror is always popular. Half-Minute Horrors is one I like to recommend. There’s a newer series by Patrick Carman called Skeleton Creek that’s been very popular for 5th and 6th grade. Nonfiction remains popular, especially with books that get more specific like visual encyclopedias.

In terms of fiction, sports remain really big. A lot of Tim Green books get checked out. One series that’s been really popular is the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger. There’s also When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead.

Some of the graphic novels like Lunch Lady and Baby Mouse definitely grab kids and have been really popular as well. Some of the lesser known graphic novels I like to recommend include Jellaby by Kean Soo and Mouse Guard by David Petersen. It’s a great time for books right now to be honest. There’s just tons of stuff coming out that is interesting and that kids are interested in picking up.

Watch for parts 2 (Collaboration and Helping Students Navigate Information Resources) and 3 (eBooks and eReaders in the School Library) of this interview to show up later this week.

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I have found a happy place in the children’s book world where I’m often misidentified as a librarian. But I am very much a classroom teacher and have been delighted to discover others online who are equally involved with children and their books. Say 5th and 4th grade teachers Mary Lee Hahn and Franki Sibberson who write the blog A Year of Reading and Donalyn Miller the highly lauded author of The Book Whisperer and also a 4th grade teacher like myself. And now she, 4th grade teacher (what is it with us 4th grade teachers, I tell you?) Colby Sharp, and high school English teacher Cindy Minnich are finishing out the first year of The Nerdy Book Club.

I have to admit that when they began I was wary, wondering if they really could make it the welcoming-to-all-comers-club they had in mind. But they have won me over this past year, maintaining their populist intent by inviting and then publishing posts from a variety of folks including teachers, writers, librarians, illustrators, and other book-lovers. I’ve been repeatedly impressed with the care that they are taking to do this right. In fact, I’ve been in touch about doing a post myself on a topic that I think may be of interest to their audience which, I suspect, may not read this blog or others like it.

Currently they’ve a call out for nominations for their second annual Nerdy Book Club Awards.

In a sea of end-of-year book lists and awards, our little award seeks to honor the 2012 children’s and young adults’ titles that teachers, librarians, authors, booksellers, parents, and most of all, young people, have loved reading this year.

The Nerdy Book Club feels like a true labor of love by a group of enthusiastic and committed teachers who sincerely and completely and utterly adore books. Congratulations on your first birthday, Nerdy!

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We all have shameful secrets we’ve guarded—whether they be big secrets like crimes or smaller secrets like “stealing” a teenage friend’s boyfriend—that are important only to us. No matter how the world would view them . . . to us they are important, so shameful that we keep them hidden for a lifetime. As long as we keep the secret no one gets, right? Except the secret keeper. Shame can hold you back from what you love, diminish your sense of self-worth, and prevent you from fully being who you are.

So what happens when you share the shameful secrets you’ve hidden for so long? In Dancing at the Shame Prom: Sharing the Stories That Kept Us Small (September 18, 2012, Seal Press), editors Amy Ferris and Hollye Dexter encourage readers to confront the powerful emotion of shame head-on. They gather together 27 gifted and talented writers who reveal, explore, and embrace the root of their shame, in the process demonstrating the strength that comes from defeating their demons.

In a brilliant display of bravery, these writers share their darkest fears, offer up their most vulnerable moments, and reveal jaw-dropping secrets. From spilling long forbidden secrets to revealing their innermost faults, these authors openly share poignant and life-changing moments of humiliation, embarrassment, and despair, along with the wisdom they learned from letting go of the shame that’s been weighing them down. Freeing, provocative, and audacious, Dancing at the Shame Prom is about divulging the secrets that have made you feel small so that you can stand up straight, let the shame go, and finally—decisively—move on with your life.

Are you ready to release your secret and change your life—for the better?

Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Seal Press (September 11, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1580054161
ISBN-13: 978-1580054164
Twitter hastag: #TheShameProm

Dancing at the Shame Prom: Sharing the Stories That Kept Us Small is available in print and e-format at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and your local bookstore.

Book Giveaway Contest: To win a copy of Dancing at the Shame Prom please enter using the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post. The giveaway contest closes this Friday, November 30 at 12:01 AM EST. We will announce the winner the same day in the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck!

About the Contributors:

Learn more about the 27 contributors to Dancing at the Shame Prom from their interviews and guest posts during the Blog Tour! This is a fun tour that will introduce you, not to just one or two writers, but to at least EIGHT different writers.

About the Co-Editors:

Hollye Dexter:

Hollye Dexter recently completed a second memoir, What Doesn’t Kill You. Her essays have been published in anthologies (Chicken Soup For the Soul, Answered Prayers, and Character Consciousness) and in many online publications. She writes regularly for iPinion Syndicate and AOL Patch News. A singer/songwriter with four albums out, she also founded the award-winning nonprofit Art and Soul, running workshops for teenagers in the foster care system. In 2007 she received the Agape Spirit award from Dr. Michael Beckwith (from The Secret) for her work with at-risk youth. Together, with Amy Ferris she teaches writing workshops, helping others to find their authentic voices. She is on staff for the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and a visiting author at UCLA extension. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three children, where she hikes, plays music and blogs about living an authentic life at www.hollyedexter.blogspot.com

Amy Ferris:

Amy Ferris is an author, editor, screenwriter and playwright. Her memoir, Marrying George Clooney: Confessions From a Midlife Crisis (Seal Press) is off-broadway bound, CAP21 Theater Company, March 2012. She has contributed to numerous anthologies, and has written everything from Young Adult novels to movies and films. She co-wrote Funny Valentines (Julie Dash, Director), and Mr. Wonderful (Anthony Minghella, Director). Funny Valentines was nominated for a Best Screenplay award, and numerous BET awards. She co-created and co-edited the first ever "all women's issue" of Living Buddhism magazine. She serves on the Executive Board of Directors at The Pages & Places Literary Festival, Peters Valley Arts, Education and Craft Center, and is on the Advisory Board of The Women's Media Center. She is on faculty at The San Miguel de Allende Writers Conference. She is a visiting teacher at the UCLA Writers Workshop (extension). She contributes regularly to iPinion Syndicate. Her number one goal, desire, dream: Is that all women awaken to their greatness. You can find her blogging in the middle of the night at www.marryinggeorgeclooney.com. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Ken.

Find Dancing at the Shame Prom Online: http://www.theshameprom.com

------Interview by Jodi Webb

WOW: Can you each tell us a bit about your writing careers, how you joined forces for Dancing at the Shame Prom and how you got it published?

Hollye: I began my writing career as a songwriter (twenty years) and had just finished writing my first memoir when I met Amy through SheWrites. We became great friends and began having long weekly phone chats about life, love, fear and other things—one of the recurring topics was how shame had kept each of us small in our lives. We began blogging about our own shame stories in order to free ourselves from shame's grip, which started an avalanche of responses from others wanting to share their own stories. We decided this needed to be a book.

Amy: I began writing years and years ago. I wrote a (very) short story which got the attention of Tom Fontana who was show running a TV series, Tattingers. He hired me on the spot to write an episode. From there I went on to write films (Mr. Wonderful, and Funny Valentines) and TV series (Tattingers, and Jack's Place), and then I wrote a young adult novel, A Greater Goode (Houghton Mifflin, 2001) and my memoir, Marrying George Clooney. Hollye and I met a few years back (THANK GOD!!!!!) and we just connected on every level. Our passion was in creating opportunities for women to speak their truth, stand up. Be heard. Voila, The Shame Prom came about. I had been working with Seal Press for the past few years and both Hollye and I felt it a natural fit for a book like this. We put together a stunning proposal and they swept it up instantly. We were lucky, and fortunate to have had that experience.

WOW: Many times we take a second glance at a book because the title "grabs" us. And the title of this anthology definitely does that! How did you come up with such a unique title?

Hollye: We knew that having a provocative title would encourage readers to pick it up out of curiosity. Amy came up with the funny term of "Shame Prom" and I added Dancing so it would sound celebratory—because this book is not sad—it celebrates the richness of our lives and overcoming adversity.

Amy: Oh, Hollye was (is) such a genius. I came up with The Shame Prom while sitting in a parking lot at Walmart, and after we had put together the proposal and collected some of the essays, it was Hollye who said the title sounded a bit too sad, and instantly, like right in the minute, said: "How about Dancing at The Shame Prom? Doesn't that sound celebratory?" I mean, really, how can you say no to that.

WOW: Most of our WOW readers are also writers. Any insider tips for us on how to can be part of great project like Dancing at the Shame Prom in the future?

Hollye: The most important thing I think you can do is to be part of a writing community. I participated in writing groups and workshops for years. I also joined online writing communities (SheWrites, BlogHer, Red Room, etc). Most of my opportunities have come through people I've met within my writing community. You can't just sit home in your pajamas. You have to go to literary events, sign up for workshops, get out there and be an active participant in your community and opportunities will come.

Amy: Write. Just keep writing. Submit. Keep submitting. Rejection is part of acceptance. It's as natural as having curly hair. What I would offer up: don't be hard on yourself. Be proud that you've put pen to paper (keyboard to computer). Be proud of your words, your truth, your story. Send out to everyone and anyone. While there seems to be rules (?) nothing is written in stone. Make-up new rules. Be bold. But mostly, mostly be yourself. It's no different then having a relationship—if you're yourself, you're bound to meet up with those who fall in love with you. Write/right your life. And NEVER, EVER GIVE UP.

WOW: And now the question we've all been asking since A Cup of Comfort anthology series closed up shop—is the anthology market disappearing? If not, what makes the anthology so appealing to readers?

Hollye: The Chicken Soup franchise is still alive and well! I've had two essays picked up by them in the past year, and in fact, I love writing for them. They are the nicest group of people, and they sell so many books, my writing gets out to many more people than I could reach on my own. Amy and I have a lot of friends who both edit and write for anthologies, so no, I don't think it's dead. I say if you don't find an anthology to write for, write your own!

Amy: Anthologies are like mini-series. I think folks love the opportunity to read slices of humanity, pieces of life. You get to read (what can feel like) a whole life story in 15 pages.

WOW: Did you learn anything while editing this anthology?

Hollye: I learned how to really collaborate, for one thing, and Amy and I do that really well. I learned that every single person has a story that would blow your mind, and that every shame story is universal on some level. I also think that in sharing our truth, exposing the ways we are cracked and flawed, we open ourselves to connecting with others in much deeper and truer ways.

Amy: What I realized while working on the anthology is how much I adore working with Hollye. Ours is a very fluid, give and take relationship. Hollye is brilliant at editing, I'm great at gathering the troops. Hollye is great at anything/everything organizational, I'm great at networking and bringing folks together.

On a personal level, re: Shame, I learned that shame isn't something particularly identifiable. It has layers and layers attached to it, with many cousins: guilt, fear, and sadness. You think you conquer one aspect and then poof, another layer manifests. I also was thrilled to realize that shame is powerless once you say it's name, call it out.

WOW: What's up next?

Hollye: Amy's play, Marrying George Clooney, is going into production, and I am shopping a second memoir, but aside from that, Amy and I have workshops booked through the end of 2013, including: "Women Write Their Lives" at the San Miguel Writer's Conference.

"Rediscover Your Creative Spirit" in Costa Rica: www.RanchoPacifico.com

For more info on upcoming workshops, see www.theshameprom.com

Amy: I'm velcro-ing myself to Hollye for the next decade or so, so whatever Hollye is doing, I'm gonna be right beside her.




(Hollye Dexter talks about shame)


---------Blog Tour Dates

Monday, November 26 (today!) @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Wednesday, November 28 @ All Things Audry
Nina Burleigh, contributor to the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom, is posting about being a woman in the Middle East. Don't miss it!
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com

Wednesday, December 5 @ Kritter’s Ramblings
Check out a review of the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom and a guest post by Marcia Yerman, a contributor to the anthology.
http://www.krittersramblings.com/

Thursday, December 6 @ Kritter’s Ramblings
Need to know more about Dancing at the Shame Prom? Check out today's review.
http://www.krittersramblings.com/

Friday, December 7 @ Eye on Books
Join us today for a conversation about shame, editing, anthologies and more with an audio interview of the editors of Dancing at the Shame Prom.
http://www.eyeonbooks.com

Tuesday, December 11 @ CMash Loves to Read
Learn more about Starting Life Over from Kate Van Raden, a contributor to Dancing at the Shame Prom. Don't forget to enter to win a copy of the anthology today.
http://cmashlovestoread.com/

Thursday, December 13 @ Thoughts in Progress
Learn how an anthology comes into being from Hollye Dexter and Amy Ferris, co-editors of the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 17 @ Empty Nest
Stop by for a review of the thought provoking anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
http://www.emptynest1.com

Wednesday, December 19 @ Lisa Buske
Don't miss a guest post by Kristine Van Raden, contributor to the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom.
http://www.lisambuske.com/blog.html

Wednesday, January 2 @ Lisa Buske
Is your New Year’s Resolution to let go of the shame you’ve been lugging around? Read this review of Dancing at the Shame Prom.
http://www.lisambuske.com/blog.html

Monday, January 7 @ Read It All Book Reviews
Meet Robyn Hatcher, a contributor to the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom, and LAST CHANCE to enter and win a copy of this amazing book.
http://readitallbookreviews.wordpress.com

Tuesday, January 8 @ CMash Loves to Read
Need some inspiration for a great 2013? Read a review of Dancing at the Shame Prom, an anthology of inspirational stories of overcoming life's challenges.
http://cmashlovestoread.com/

Thursday, January 10 @ Read These Books and Use Them!
Today Samantha Dunn, a contributor to the anthology Dancing at the Shame Prom, is guest blogging at Read These Books and Use Them! Today's topic? Surviving Poverty.
http://margodill.com/blog/

We have more dates to come, so be sure to check out our Events Calendar HERE. Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour

Get Involved!
If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at [email protected]. Some of our upcoming books include fantasy romance, children’s middle grade, memoir, cookbooks, and writer how-to.

Book Giveaway Contest
Contest open internationally: Enter to win a print copy of Dancing at the Shame Prom (US and Canada), and an e-copy (Internationally)! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget this Friday, November 30.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

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Did you have a picture book published in 2012?  If the answer is “Yes,” then make sure your publisher is submitting it to be considered for the Erza Jack Keats Award. 

 the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children’s books. Many past winners of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award have gone on to distinguished careers creating books beloved by parents, children, librarians and teachers around the world.

The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. A distinguished selection committee of early childhood education specialists, librarians, illustrators and experts in children’s literature reviews the entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. The EJK Book Award was co-presented by the New York Public Library from 1986 to 2011. As of 2012, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection is co-presenting the award at the Children’s Book Festival, held in April at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.

To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have had no more than three books published. The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award includes an honorarium of $1,000 for each winner.

The other nice thing they offer is Grant money.  They accept applications from public schools, public libraries, and preschool Head Start programs in the United States and U.S commonwealths and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam.

As a writer, you can contact a school with a proposed program and let them sponsor you for this grant, and present your program to that school.  So now you have something you can try when a school says they would love to have you come in for a school visit, but they don’t have enough money.

Give it a shot.  Deadline March 15, 2013. Maximum amount $500. http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/how-to-apply-for-a-minigrant/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: authors and illustrators, awards, Competition, need to know, opportunity, picture books, Places to sumit, Publishing Industry Tagged: Erza Jack Keats Award, Erza Jack Keats Grant, New Writer and Illustrator

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Hi.  Here's what I found this week--enjoy!  And let me know if I missed your post.

The Reviews:

Attack of the Vampire Weenies: and Other Warped and Creepy Tales, by David Lubar, at Karissa's Reading Review

Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind, by Gary Ross, at Sharon the Librarian

The Brightworking, by Paul B. Thompson, at Charlotte's Library

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, by Claire Legrand, at Waking Brain Cells

Chase Tinker and the House of Magic, by Malia Ann Haberman, at The Bibliophilc Book Blog

Constable and Toop, by Gareth P. Jones, at The Book Smugglers

The Creature From My Closet: Wonkenstein, by Obert Skye, at GreenBeanTeenQueen

Eldritch Manor, by Kim Thompson, at Charlotte's Library

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens, at Charlotte's Library

A Face Like Glass, by Frances Hardinge, at Great Imaginations

The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, at Pass the Chiclets

Ghost Knight, by Cornelia Funke, at The Guardian

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, by Catherynne M. Valente, at Fantasy Literature

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, at Fantasy Literature

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy (audiobook review) at Nerdy Book Club

A Mutiny in Time, by James Dashner, at Time Travel Times Two 

My Very Unfairy Tale Life, by Anna Stniszewski, at Semicolon

The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, at Geo Librarian

The Peculiar, by Stefan Bachmann, at Challenging the Book Worm

Project Jackalope, by Emily Ecton, at Semicolon

The Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flanagan, at Sonderbooks

The Ruins of Noe, by Danika Dinsmore, at Charlotte's Library

The Secret of the Ginger Mice, by Frances Watts, at Semicolon

The Seven Tales of Trinket, by Shelley Moore Thomas, at alibrarymama
and Challenging the Bookworm

The Spindlers, by Lauren Oliver, at Fyrefly's Book Blog

Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schiltz, at slatebreakers

Starry River of the Sky, by Grace Lin, at Sonderbooks

The Storm Makers, by Jennifer E. Smith, at Semicolon

Undertakers: Queen of the Dead, by Ty Dragon, at The Write Path

The Vengekeep Prophecies, by Brian Farrey, at Fuse #8

The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons, at Good Books and Good Wine

Two from Fantastic Reads:  Nina and the Travelling Spice Shed, by Madhvi Ramani, and Bansi O'Hara and the Bloodline Prophecy, by John Dougherty (and I myself agree that this a really good book that more people should read)

And a comparison of two time travel series--the Mutiny in Time  and The Missing, at Semicolon

Authors and Interviews

Cornelia Funke (Ghost Knight) on the power of place at The Guardian

Philip Pullman (Grimm's Fairy Tales) at Educating Alice

More Good Stuff:

I don't make any effort to find giveaways for these round-ups, but here's one at The O.W.L. that's for three mg fantasy books.

A feasts in fiction quiz, from the Guardian

and also from the Guardian--London: fantasy's capital city

The Costa Book Awards (one of the most prestigious UK awards) shortlists have been announced; here are the Children’s Book Award shortlisted books, three of which are sci fi/fantasy:

Sally Gardner  Maggot Moon (Hot Key Books)
Diana Hendry The Seeing (The Bodley Head)
Hayley Long What’s Up with Jody Barton? (Macmillan Children’s Books)
Dave Shelton A Boy and a Bear in a Boat (David Fickling Books)

Pat Rothfuss has this year's Worldbuilders campaign up and running--donate to Heifer International, and be entered to win great book prizes!

Fantasy travel posters, from cedar myna at Etsy

And just as a postscript, because I do like baby hedgehogs! (full story, and more pictures, here).  What I wonder is what happens when Mama Cat's instincts tell her to lick her babies....

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Science fiction and fantasy writer, John Grant (aka realthog) is a prolific author and winner of many writing awards (including two Hugos, a World Fantasy, and a Locus). Earlier this month, he added this year's Meager Puddle of Limelight Award for Best Book Title (his second) to the already full, trophy cabinet in his downstairs bathroom. John kindly agreed to answer some searching questions about himself, his work, and his winning entry, The Intelligent Child's Guide to Bullshit.

Which came first, the book title or the idea?
I think they both came around the same time. My grandson was born about three years ago, and when he was still a wee squidge I sent my daughter an ARC of my book, Denying Science. That triggered in me the notion that, while lots of folk like me are producing books for adults trying to counter the rising tide of antiscience, the people who really need the protection from bullshit are the kids.

How many times did you change the title before you settled on the one you use now?
An embarrassment is that I've changed the title since I entered it for the Puddle Award. The project's now called The Young Person's Guide to Bullshit. It may of course change again.

Tell us a little about the book. Is it finished/published?
I'm still struggling to get the proposal right. I'm working disgustingly hard on another book right now. There are a couple of aspects of the proposal that require me not to be completely shagged out from too many 'til-1am working days in a row. But I’m getting there, honest.

As a reader, does a good book title make a difference to you?
Yes, absolutely. I've far too often bought books with fabulous titles only to get them home and wonder what on earth possessed me. On the other hand, some of those fabulous titles have introduced me to wonderful books I might not otherwise have read. At the moment I'm reading a physics book about time called From Eternity to Here (by Sean Carroll). It's a knockout title. I might have read the book anyway, because my pal Bill DeSmedt recommended it to me, but the title did, as it were, make it more likely that I listened to his recommendation.

What’s your preferred genre/wordcount?
In nonfiction, book-length; I've written a lot of nonfiction articles/op-eds (and am always open to suggestions), but there's nothing quite like having the freedom to spend time going deep into a subject. In fiction, I really like the novelette/novella length. I'm not sure why this should be. When I first started writing fiction everything was Real Short -- hey, I got onto the second page, this is serious! I think that what I'm trying to do in my novellas is to achieve the same kind of emotional and intellectual depth you'd expect from a novel -- in other words, what I'm producing is not so much a novella as a somewhat short novel.

What’s your current WIP?
A vast encyclopedia of film noir. I'm covering about 3000 movies from all over the world.

Are you a pantser or an outliner?
Probably a pantser.

What are your long term goals as a writer?
To get back to the position where I can make a living out of this game.

Tell us about your very first sale.
Oh, sheesk, that's a difficult one. I think my first fiction sale was to Maxim Jakubowski for his fantasy anthology Lands of Never (1983). My wife was trying (quite rightly) to improve me a bit by getting me to spend a day out of my study doing some gardening. I'd more or less plucked my first weed when I said, "I have this idea for a story . . ." Very decently, she let me rush off and do it. Maxim bought it more or less by return of post. My wife said, "Okay, you've proved your point . . ."

'Course, by then I'd published a couple of nonfiction books and edited an anthology.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever heard?
From Alec Waugh: 'The way to write is to sit down, put the sheet of paper in the typewriter, and type.'

But the best advice I really got was from Colin Wilson, although it wasn't something he told me. I was working on a book with him, very early on, and I wondered why it was his bits were so much better than mine. I eventually realized that Colin was, essentially, talking onto the typewriter, whereas I was trying to commit a Formal Act of Writing. As soon as I realized that I should try talking to readers rather than being An Author, the dam broke.

What’s the worst?
Who knows?

What was the last story/novel you pitched/submitted?
My agent has been pitching for a while a book-for-adults-that-looks-like-a-book-for-kids called The Velociraptor who Came for Christmas that has doggerel by me and fantastic artwork by Chris Baker, who did the art for movies like Spielberg's A.I. and The War of the Worlds; they're not my favorite movies, but Chris's work on them is astonishing. For Velociraptor he's adopted a sort of Quentin Blake style.

What was the last story/novel you read?
I'm reading a nonfiction book at the moment, as noted. This is because the last couple of novels I picked up evoked the Pfaugh! response after about 50 pages. Most often these days I’m reading Brit psychological thrillers by the likes of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Peter Robinson.

Do you belong to a writing/critique group? Why?/Why not?
No. I tried a few, way back when. The only ones that ever gave me any help were Milford UK and Writers*Blot, the latter an offshoot of the former that Mary Gentle created. The advantages of both were (and still are, so far as Milford UK is concerned) that the contributing writers have to have some kind of track record of professional publication. The Milford folk gave me not just incalculable writing wisdom but a "family" whom I regard as of the utmost importance.

Where can readers find your work?
All over the place. My website's best, because then I likely get a bigger share of any sale. The publisher, AAPPL, for whom I’ve written a lot over recent years (like The Chesley Awards: A Retrospective, which won me my second Hugo), has just released three of my science books in e-editions here: http://tinyurl.com/calov47

What do you know now, that you wish you'd known when you first started writing?
Have rich lovers.

Is there’s anything I didn’t ask you, that you want to answer anyway?
Nope. Oh, yes. Since you're offering, a pint of Hop Devil would go down well.

Who do you think would win in a fight, astronauts or cavemen (and why)?
Astroturf. It'd last longer than either.

ABOUT JOHN GRANT
John Grant's sixty or so books include novels like The Far-Enough Window; Leaving Fortusa;
The Dragons of Manhattan; the story collection, Take No Prisoners. and the two novellas, The City in These Pages and The Lonely Hunter. You can find details of these and many more here:
http://www.johngrantpaulbarnett.com/Storecatalog.html

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Kami Kinard’s THE BOY PROJECT TOO: Notes and Observations by Tabbi Reddy, humorously following the efforts of Tabbi Reddy, best friend of Kara McAllister (The Boy Project, Scholastic 2012), as she attempts to use a project for her algebra class as a way to change her unlucky love life into a success story, again to Aimee Friedman at Scholastic, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.
[email protected]

Frank Berrios has been promoted to editor for the Random House Children’s and Golden Books licensed publishing group, where Courtney Carbone has moved up to assistant editor.

Congratulations, everyone!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: authors and illustrators, Kudos, Publishing Industry Tagged: Barbara DiLorenzo, Frank Berrios, Gayle Aanensen, karen Romagna, Rob Regan, Sheri Oshins, Tara Lazar

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Over the years the cats that we have shared our home and lives with have kindly submitted to being models for my paintings. This is Amanda who has graced the pages of children's books in both realistic and stylized form.

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Today's featured review was written by Louise Capizzo, a Round 1 judge for MG/YA Nonfiction and a blogger at The Nonfiction Detectives. She's a returnee from last year's Cybils Awards, but when she's not Cybil-ing she's a Youth Services Librarian at a public library in Maine. Fun Fact: She's written book reviews for both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

Recently, she reviewed NFMGYA nominee The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure by Martin W. Sandler. In 1897, President McKinley sent three men to rescue 8 whaling ships trapped in the Arctic winter ice, and this is the harrowing but ultimately amazing story of that rescue mission. In her review, Louise says: 

From the audacious plan through a hazardous crossing, to contact with the sailors, we are with the rescue team every step of the way. The book is lavishly illustrated with historic maps and black & white photos...

Read the full review here.

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Continuing with my resolution to review the books I've received for consideration in this year's Cybils Awards, here are my thoughts on The Ruins of Noe, by Danika Dinsmore (Hydra House, 2012, middle grade/YA, 253 pages).

This is the second book about a young  faery, Brigitta, who, after harrowing adventures described in Brigitta of the White Forest, is now apprentice to High Priestess Ondelle.   Things are not well in the White Forest--the Ancient Ones, who visit newborns and set their destinies in motion, and who free faery spirits after death, seem to have withdrawn, and so Ondelle and Brigitta, who is implicated in a prophecy, set off to the ancestral homeland of Noe to try to set things right.

There in Noe they encounter two warring clans of faeries, living miserably beneath the rule of two terrible tyrants.   When Ondelle is captured and rendered powerless, it's up to Brigitta to not only save her, and return home safely, but to set right the wrongs she encounters.  Fortunately, she makes allies among the disaffected faeries of Noe, and even more fortuitously, two ancient, dragon-like beings have been watching through the centuries for their foreordained opportunity to help.   So all ends well.

It's a complicated story, densely populated with (perhaps too many) faeries.  It was hard for me to keep track of who was who, and because action takes precedence over the development of the secondary characters, it was hard to know who I should care about, and I ended up being disappointed that I didn't care as much as I would have liked about any of them by the end of the book.   I was also slightly disappointed that the ancient dragon-like creatures, introduced in the prologue, had a somewhat anticlimactic role in setting things right.

Yet Brigitta herself is a character to cheer for, the setting and adventures are interesting enough to keep the reader absorbed, and Dinsmore raises interesting questions of free will vs  destiny.

The Ruins of Noe takes Brigitta toward YA territory--her concerns are becoming more those of a teenager, and there is a hint (a very small one) of romance.  Still, despite some violence, this, like it's predecessor, is still book that I think would be best enjoyed by the eleven to thirteen year old reader.

Other thoughts at:

Clockwork Reviews -- "Danika Dinsmore outdoes herself in the crafting of this new book. All of the elements that made Brigitta wonderful continue on in this book. It is still just as magical and engaging as the first book, exploring the trials and struggles of the now adolescent protagonist."

Close Encounters of the Night Kind --  "This story was amazing and the world itself was well imagined and incredibly creative.  This book will take you on an amazing journey through the growth of a very lovable and unassuming character."

Rise Reviews--  "Dinsmore did an excellent job at keeping me hooked, and sometimes even panicked, by the tale she wove."

disclaimer: review copy received from the publisher for Cybils consideration

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Nikki and Deja: Wedding Drama. by Karen English. March 20, 2012. Clarion Books. 112 pages. ISBN: 9780547615646

Nikki and Deja are so excited about their teacher’s upcoming wedding, especially when they learn that two lucky students will be chosen to attend. When their names are the ones picked, they are even more thrilled, until Deja realizes how expensive wedding gifts and outfits can be, and Nikki can’t understand why her best friend isn’t getting into the marriage spirit.

This the first book I have read in this series, but from what I could tell, it seems to have a lot of things going for it. It focuses on best friends, which is a popular topic in mid-elementary school. It includes a diverse cast of characters, and it’s set in an urban community. The characters’ personalities and interests seem real, and even the wedding theme is appealing to the intended audience.

My only problem was buying into the storyline itself. I just could not believe that a teacher would invite students to her wedding and expect them to bring gifts, especially when one of the guest’s families is enduring economic hardship. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about how stressful a situation like that would be for a child, and it kept me from becoming immersed in the story. Other aspects of the book were wonderful - the classroom competition to create the best menu, flowers and dress was a particular highlight - but I really expected the teacher to step in at some point and alleviate the girls’ stressful expectations about her wedding, and that never happened.

I really think I need to read more books from this series so I can understand this most recent addition in the proper context. For now, though, this book is just okay for me, and memorable only because of the things that got under my skin.

I borrowed Nikki and Deja: Wedding Drama from my local public library. 

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat. 

NOTE: This book was nominated by kelstarly for the 2012 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, but this review reflects my opinions only, not those of any other panelist, or the panel as a whole. Thanks! 

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Melinda in Havana, Cuba

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, which sometimes falls on my birthday. This year I am not doing much because everyday has been an incredible gift. Last week, I was in Cuba, celebrating my birthday and being a tourist under the auspices of All Rise Church. Traveling to Cuba was somewhat like traveling through time, the cars were old, the buildings ancient, a splendor that time forgot. Ingenuity on the tiny island spanned from making jewelry out cow bones to a musician using the wire on a bicycle brake to restring his guitar.

The View from Hemingway's house.

Listening to live music, everywhere, was one of my favorite parts of the trip, along with meeting the people. I have always loved Cuban music and "Maria Cristina," was sort of an early theme song for me because my grandmother would always play the record by Nico Saquito. Also, she never liked my name, Melinda, and instead called me, Maria Cristina. Strangely enough, the song is about a man complaining about his strong-headed woman who always tells him what to do.

Melinda in a 1956 Pontiac. Why don't they make cars like this anymore?

It's easy to see why Hemingway fell in love with Cuba. If we didn't have such restrictions, I would certainly visit more often and maybe live there part-time myself. Havana reminded me of New Orleans. I was happy to see there is a movement to restore and preserve the splendor of the buildings, many with marbled staircases and incredible iron work.

Cienfuegos, Cuba

I was the only one of our group brave enough to jump in the Caribbean ocean at Sunset. I thought the water was perfect for a November sunset swim. The water was so salty little effort was needed to stay afloat. One of my definitions of a perfect vacation involves swimming in a warm ocean. 

All Play And No Work... hmm

Next week, I have two exciting events. First, I will be part of UC Santa Cruz's Latino Literature Conference with Juan Felipe Herrera and Javier O. Huerta and a host of academic panels, November 30.

And, drum roll please, on Saturday, December 1, Ocotillo Dreams will receive a PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature. You are invited to the 22nd annual PEN Oakland National Literary Awards, Saturday December 1, 2 PM, at the Oakland Rockridge library, 5366 College Avenue. Admission is free. 

The PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, Saturday, December 1st .

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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: November 23, 2012

Enter to win a picture book prize pack that contains four award-winning books from author Sherrill S. Cannon.

One (1) winner will receive:

• Gimme-Jimmy
• The Magic Word
• Peter and the Whimper-Whineys
• Santa’s Birthday Gift

Giveaway begins November 23, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 18, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Overview

Gimme-Jimmy

Jimmy is a bully whose favorite word is “Gimme”, who has to learn to share.  Every time he uses the word “Gimme”, his hand swells.  He finds that when he starts using his New Polite Rule, his hand returns to normal and he has a lot of new friends.

Reading level: Ages 3-8

Paperback: 32 pages

Awards: Winner of 2012 Silver Readers Favorite Award, and 2012 Pinnacle Achievement Award

The Magic Word

Elisabeth needs to learn The Magic Word “please”, and to use it every day. She makes lots of new friends when she starts thinking of others and being polite.

Reading level: Ages 2-8

Paperback: 28 pages

Awards: 2011 Gold Readers Favorite Award, 2011 Pinnacle Achievement Award, 2011 Global eBook Finalist Award, 2012 Reader Views 2nd place, 2012 International Book Award Finalist and 2012 Next Gen Indie Finalist

Peter and the Whimper-Whineys

Peter and the Whimper-Whineys helps parents cope with whining in a fun way.  Peter learns that Whimper-Whineyland is not a nice place to be!

Reading level: Ages 3-8

Paperback: 30 pages

Awards: 2011 Bronze Readers Favorite Award and 2011 USA Best Books Finalist

Santa’s Birthday Gift

After reading a story of the nativity to a grandchild, she asked “But where’s Santa?”  Santa’s Birthday Gift to Jesus is his promise to bring gifts to children each year to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

Reading level: Ages 2-7

Paperback: 24 Pages

Awards: 2011 Silver Readers Favorite Award and 2011 Indie Excellence Finalist

About the Author

Sherrill S. Cannon is a former teacher, grandmother of ten and winner of a dozen awards for her four books. She is also the author of six published and internationally performed plays for elementary school students. For more information, visit: http://cannon.aegauthorblogs.com

How to Enter

• Fill out the required fields below

• Enter once daily

Giveaway Rules

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to participants in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom only.
• Giveaway begins November 23, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends December 18, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.

Prizing courtesy of Sherrill S. Cannon.

Original article: 4 Award-Winning Children’s Picture Books – Giveaway

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

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It's time again for a new STACKS Blast Sweepstakes, and this month's prize is a good one! For December, we are offering you a chance to win 2 items from the swag that celebrities got at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards! But, here's the thing. You can ONLY enter if you subscribe to the STACKS Blast Newsletter.

The STACKS Blast is our free monthly e-mail newsletter. You give us your e-mail address and an e-mail address for one of your parents, and once a month (usually around the 15th), we give you a newsletter full of games, videos, celeb news, books, message board happenings, and a sweepstakes you can enter.

First, you sign up for the newsletter. Then you wait until December 15 when Hooray! the STACKS Blast will arrive in your e-mail inbox. Inside, you'll see a special section for the STACKS Giveaway. That's where you enter for a chance to win one of the necklaces from this Lena display worth $127, and one of the purses from this McFadin display worth $80. (Carly Rae Jepsen is a fan, but the prize is not the exact bag she is holding.)

Sign up for the STACKS Blast Newsletter now so you can enter the sweepstakes when it comes. Good luck!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

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Henry Goes Skating. by B.B. Bourne. August 21, 2012. HarperCollins. 32 pages. ISBN: 9780061958212

Henry Goes Skating is the second easy reader to spin off from Brian Biggs’s Everything Goes series about different types of transportation. These spin-offs are written by B.B. Bourne and are illustrated by Simon Abbott drawing in the style of Brian Biggs. This story focuses on a winter theme, as Henry wakes up and discovers it is snowing. As he and his family make their way through the snow to go skating, they see cars, plows, trucks, policemen traveling on horses, and even a Zamboni before returning home again to make a snowman.

As I read this story, I could tell that the entire plot was set up to incorporate as many snow-related vehicles as possible. Though the story is ostensibly about Henry and his family going to the skating rink, this is really just an excuse to introduce the different modes of transportation people might use on a snowy day. Obviously, this makes sense, because the parent series this book is based on is all about transportation, but it bothered me a little bit that the plot didn’t have much substance outside of listing buses, dump trucks, plows, etc. Henry’s enthusiasm for the different vehicles helps, as I think little boys tend to get very excited about such things, but I still think the story could have done a better job of incorporating the transportation theme into the plot. It would have been more interesting if, for example, Henry’s family got stuck in ice, instead of just watching it happen to other people.

I like the artwork in this book, though it’s always a disappointment to learn that it’s not the work of the original artist. Biggs’s style is colorful, warm, and friendly, and these illustrations are, too, but I think it cheapens the reading experience a little bit when I realize these pictures are just imitations and not the real thing. The book is still very appealing to look at, though, and I haven’t seen it on the library shelf for more than 30 seconds since it arrived at my library.

Henry Goes Skating is a cozy Winter read for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and Trucktown. Share it with your new reader on a snow day, or before you head out to sled or skate yourselves.

I borrowed Henry Goes Skating from my local public library. 
For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

NOTE: This book was nominated by Terry Doherty for the 2012 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, but this review reflects my opinions only, not those of any other panelist, or the panel as a whole. Thanks!

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Two more drawings from last week when I was feeling a bit fragile. (And yes, I'll be fine, which my mother wanted to know when she saw yesterday's two worried cat drawings.) I sometimes have this way of dealing with stress and melancholiness by staying up late and letting it build up to something very melodramatic... SO over-the-top theatrical that I have to draw it, and then I make myself laugh at how stupid I'm being.

That's a cat who shouldn't have drunk all those cups of coffee so late in the day. I used to be able to drink up to two pots of coffee before bed and sleep like a log. Weird, how my body won't let me do that anymore. But I could still drink two pots of tea and be fine.



Hey, some cheery news! At Thought Bubble comics festival in Leeds last weekend, the British Comic Awards were announced, and our NELSON book scooped this year's prize for Best Book! Hurrah!!! Thank you to our lovely publisher, Kenny Penman at Blank Slate, our editors Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, and the 54 creators who made it happen. If you haven't read NELSON yet, do get a copy, it's a great read. (Details on the Blank Slate website.) I'm also a huge fan of the Hilda books by Luke Pearson, so get your hands on those, too.


And here are four of the NELSON creators! The four Fleece Officers briefly reunited for bubble tea. Our studio mate Ellen has moved back to New York (see her Brooklyn studio here) but she came to visit for Thought Bubble and the launch of The Strumpet, which she co-edits. Ellen, Gary and I all drew strips in NELSON and Lauren knitted a mini Nel Baker for the launch party (see her here!). Lauren's been busy with loads of fabulous projects lately, including a knitted version of Sarah Lund from The Killing and spending last week in Indonesia with Save the Children working the Craftivist Jigsaw Project. (Find out more over on her blog!)


The Fleece Station's Ellen Lindner, Lauren O'Farrell, Gary Northfield and me at Deptford's Panda Panda cafe


I was really sad not to be able to go to Thought Bubble; I definitely want to go next year. Here's the Vern that Rick Eades gave me there last time. Vern loved yesterday's sunset and scribbled lots of bad poetry and whuffled on his sousaphone while I worked on a book that doesn't include him in it. (He's slightly jealous.)



And a peek at Deptford Market, where my studio mates and I spotted Paddington Bear on our way to lunch. (Hello, Paddington!) He was lying face down in the rubble with his hat off, so I spruced him up a bit.

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GOOD NEWS: Ame Dyckman’s BOY + BOT is a FINALIST in the Best Picture Book category for the 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards!

One day, a boy and a robot meet in the woods. They play. They have fun.

But when Bot gets switched off, Boy thinks he’s sick. The usual remedies—applesauce, reading a story—don’t help, so Boy tucks the sick Bot in, then falls asleep.

Bot is worried when he powers on and finds his friend powered off. He takes Boy home with him and tries all his remedies: oil, reading an instruction manual. Nothing revives the malfunctioning Boy! Can the Inventor help fix him?

You helped Ame make the finals, let’s help her WIN! It’s so good, it even inspired a teacher to make a Bot Hat for Ame’s school visit.

Final round voting is now open, and runs through Tuesday, November 27th.

Here is the link to use to vote for Ame.  Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Author, Competition, inspiration, Kudos, Picture Book, Poems Tagged: Ame Dyckman, Boy + Bot, Eileen Spinelli Poem, Happy Thanksgiving

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I don’t write, illustrate, publish, or edit picture books. I don’t work in a bookshop or belong to a school library marketing team. So what do I do then? I read. I read. I READ.

I read thousands of picture books every year. I’m always searching for the next best picture book. When I find *that* picture book, I feel compelled to promote it during my annual road trip, purchase copies for strangers, blog and tweet about it, feature it on a #kidlit sticker, and encourage every child who enters my school library to add it to their to-read list.

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Mr. Colby Sharp attended children’s literature expert Anita Silvey’s session during the NCTE Annual Convention. He tweeted:

Anita Silvey succinctly sums up how I feel about children’s books. (If you’re not familiar with Anita’s work, you MUST follow her Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac.) Most of you reading this blog post are hard at work creating one of the most remarkable things on the face of the earth. Your picture book could change the way a child looks at the world, turn a dormant reader into an avid reader, and even win the coveted Caldecott Medal.

I am thankful my second through fifth graders (150 students) have checked out over 5,000 picture books during Picture Book Month. Treasures that have not circulated in over two years are taking a much-deserved trip in a child’s backpack. I get goose bumps whenever I spot a fifth grader checking out a book he loved in first grade. He usually hugs it and says, “I love this book.” I always pretend the book smiles and whispers, “Hey, I love you, too.”

I wish I found a magic wand in my mailbox with the following note attached to it:

Dear Mr. Schu,
Thank you for supporting and believing in picture books. This colorful wand allows you to send five 2012 picture books to everyone hard at work writing and illustrating picture books. I know you will select books that will inspire individuals to “create the most remarkable thing on the face of the earth.”

Thanks for all you do for picture books.

Your friend,
Picture Book

BOY + BOT. Written by Ame Dyckman. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Random House, 2012.

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HELLO! HELLO! Written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Hyperion, 2012.

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GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS! Written and illustrated by Jeff Mack. Chronicle Books, 2012.

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Z IS FOR MOOSE. Written by Kelly Bingham. Illustrated Paul O. Zelinsky. HarperCollins, 2012.

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THE THREE NINJA PIGS. Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz. Illustrated by Dan Santat. Putnam Books, 2012.

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I cannot wait to share your picture book with my students.

Happy reading, writing, and Thanksgiving!

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John Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) is a teacher-librarian at Brook Forest Elementary School in Oak Brook, Illinois. John graduated from St. Xavier University with a Masters in Teaching and Leadership and from Dominican University with a Masters in Library and Information Science. He has taught English in Seoul, South Korea, and is in his ninth year at Brook Forest. John serves on AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning, the Monarch Readers’ Choice Selection Committee, and the 2014 Newbery Committee. He was a judge for School Library Journal‘s 2011 Trailee Awards and recently became a FableVision Ambassador. In his spare time (ummm…what’s that?) he reads, travels, and blogs at Watch. Connect. Read. John is a 2011 Library Journal Mover and Shaker.

Mr. Schu is giving away not ONE, but TWO books: HELLO! HELLO! and Z IS FOR MOOSE! Two winners will be selected in one week. Just leave a comment to enter (one entry per person). Good luck!

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