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Jack Gantos has a new book out and I have a giveaway!!  Gantos' book, Dead End in Norvelt, which seems to be semi-autobiographical, takes place in the government built town of Norvelt.  The town was built after the mine that kept the surrounding area alive closed down.  Jack is grounded for the summer and spends his time with the area's historian and coroner, a feisty older lady.  This sounds like true Gantos, full of do-not-try-this-at-home antics and subtle insights.

Well here's the giveaway part.  I have, sitting next to my keyboard, a pristine, never opened, "advance listening copy" of Dead End in Norvelt read by the author and including an interview on disc 6!!!!!!!!!!!  I hardly want to give it away.  BUT if you comment on this blog post by August 15th, you will be entered automatically to win this amazing audio offering.  There are restrictions involved.  I need a minimum of 10 different people to comment on this blog for the giveaway to happen.  And you must include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

So, tell all of your friends about this giveaway, please.   Jack Gantos is (falsetto voice) awesome! (I met him at the Kutztown University Children's Literature Conference in 2010 - so funny and a great presenter!)

OK - Here's an update.  Comment on the post - say something, not just your name.  And use a user name.  I will try to contact you THAT way.  No email addresses floating around on the blog.

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Today at midnight, the Jack Gantos giveaway ends.  We did not meet my "requirements" of 10 comments on that post.  Hmmm, I suspect that I don't have the readership for that kind of giveaway.  If you still hope to win an audiobook of Jack's latest novel, Dead End in Norvelt, comment on this post.  Anonymous comments are fine but I do need some way to identify the winner so say something clever in your comment.

If I get 10 comments - whoo hoo! - I will announce the winner in my Post on Thursday, August 18th.

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My experience of Jack Gantos consists almost entirely of Rotten Ralph. I haven't read the Jack Henry books, and I have only gotten as far as borrowing Joey Pigza. It was returned unread, another victim of a hydra-esque TBR pile. I mention all this because Gantos' latest book, Dead End in Norvelt, features a character named, funnily enough, Jack Gantos. But this middle-grade story bears almost

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Today the new novel by Jack Gantos, Dead End in Norvelt, goes on sale! As such, my family has declared it
Jack Gantos Day here in the entwood.  I have been unabashed in my fandom for this man's writing. The humor in his books got my family through a tough time.

I still hear from students (many now in college) who say, "I remember when Jack Gantos came to our school."  His visit was memorable in so many ways, not the least because it was the first and only time I ever saw a teacher almost fall off of her rolling chair because she was laughing so hard during his presentation.

One of the many joys of belonging to the Kidlitosphere community is getting to know folks who share your reading (and felt boarding) enthusiasms. During an email discussion of all-things-Jack with Jules at 7-Impossible things Before Breakfast and Adrienne at What Adrienne Thinks About That, we all agreed that Gantos would be the PERFECT choice for the role of Ambassador. So today, along with them,  I enthusiastically wish to nominate Jack Gantos to be the next National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

His knowledge of children's literature is "deep and wide" as the old song goes. Listening to one of his presentations is a mini course on the subject. From Rotten Ralph to Hole in My Life, his books span early childhood to young adult.

Gantos's stories takes his characters into the strange, the odd, and the macabre but he always knows exactly how far to go and respects the youngster holding the book.  He overlays his stories with tenderness and affection.

Still, there are moments when the reader cannot believe what just happened.

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Writing huts!  We all have them.  And by “all” I mean “Laurie Halse Anderson”.  But famous authors of the past also have had magnificent writing huts and one of them belonged to Roald Dahl.  Now Dahl’s granddaughter Sophie is leading a fund-raiser to restore and relocate the hut.  I would think she need only appeal to Wes Anderson for her needs.  He’s a Dahl hut fan, this I know.  Thanks to Playing By the Book for the link.

So this past Saturday was the Kidlitosphere Conference.  Due to my maternity leave I was unable to attend but I did at least present via Skype a panel alongside Mary Ann Scheuer of Great Kid Books and Paula Wiley of Pink Me about children’s book apps.  To begin, we showed this video for The Three Little Pigs, a pop-up version based on the book by Leslie Brooke. It is one of the smarter app trailers out there, and possibly my favorite.

Big time thanks to Paula Wiley for the link!

Speaking of trailers, I was a big fan of last year’s Blexbolex book Seasons.  Here’s a trailer for the newest title by the Frenchman, People.  I love the connections made between the images.

Recently Jules at 7-Imp wrote a fabulous post on Jack Gantos and his ambassadorial possibilities.  Jack Gantos is a charming fellow, and well worth the price if you can ever hear him speak.  Case in point, he recently presented at the Center for Children’s & Young Adult Literature (CCYAL) at the University of Tennessee’s first annual Focus on Children’s Literature Conference on April 2, 2011.  Here’s a taste of what he was offering:

So.  Richard Dawkins wrote a book for kids.  Were you aware of this?  Nor I.  But here’s a trailer for it and everything.  The art was by none other than Dave McKean (The Wolves in the Walls, etc.).  The jury is out.  Has anyone seen this?