new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: David Levithan, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 26 - 50 of 63
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: David Levithan in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
By: Jason Boog,
on 2/20/2013
Blog:
Galley Cat (Mediabistro)
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
David Levithan,
Mixtapes,
China Mieville,
Holly Black,
Sarah Beth Durst,
Jay Lake,
Catherine Asaro,
Leah Cypess,
Guadalupe Garcia McCall,
Catherynne M. Valente,
Rachel Swirsky,
Cat Rambo,
Kim Stanley Robinson,
Alethea Kontis,
N.K. Jemisin,
Mary Robinette Kowal,
Maria Dahvana Headley,
Kelly Barnhill,
Ken Liu,
E.C. Myers,
Meghan McCarron,
Rachel Hartman,
Aliette de Bodard,
Andy Duncan,
Brit Mandelo,
Caitlin R. Kiernan,
Helena Bell,
Jenn Reese,
Lawrence M. Schoen,
Leah Bobet,
Nancy Kress,
Robert Reed,
Saladin Ahmed,
Tina Connolly,
Tom Crosshill,
Awards,
Libba Bray,
Add a tag
The nominees for this year’s Nebula Awards have been revealed, and we’ve collected free samples of all the nominees below–the best science fiction books of 2012.
Many of these stories are available to read for free online. These are marked “COMPLETE” among the links. Here’s more about the awards:
The Nebula Awards are voted on, and presented by, active members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Founded as the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1965 by Damon Knight, the organization began with a charter membership of 78 writers; it now has over 1,500 members, among them many of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 2/8/2013
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
children's book world,
Jill Santopolo,
Invisibility,
Philomel,
Jennifer Hubbard,
Publishing Perspectives,
2013 NYC Teen Author Festival,
2013 NYC Teen Megasigning,
Books of Wonder,
David Levithan,
Add a tag
A few days before I left for a research trip to Florence, Italy, I spent this Friday evening at Children's Book World with David Levithan. Of course he is a legend. Of course I'd read many of his books. Of course I'd seen him charm and challenge at a Publishing Perspectives conference. But I hadn't met him in person until that evening, hadn't seen his fabled generosity at work until, at this group session with my friend Jennifer Hubbard, Ellen Hopkins, and Eliot Schrefer, I watched as he put others on his stage.
Because, in addition to writing bestselling, critically acclaimed books alone and with others, in addition to finding, editing, and believing in some of the most popular young adult books of our time, in addition to being a spokesperson for the possible in literature, David Levithan time and again puts others on his stage. Inviting rising young adult authors to appear with him when he is launching his own books. Serving as a moderator while established young adult authors speak. And spending who knows how many hours putting together what has become a phenomenon: the NYC Teen Author Festival.
He might have written an entirely new book, I imagine. But he spent time doing this. Over ninety authors from over a dozen publishers, over seven days, to quote David. And we're all hoping that you will both attend and help spread word.
I'll be whisking away from my Penn teaching/corporate world for the "mega signing" at Books of Wonder on March 24, when I'll remember what it is to be an author again. I've got my fingers crossed that you'll be there.
And while you are waiting for this fab event, pre-order David's upcoming book, coauthored with Andrea Creamer and edited by my friend Jill Santopolo for that wonderful house, Philomel. It's a really, truly excellent book. How excellent? Read
here.
2013 NYC Teen Author Festival
http://www.facebook.com/NYCTeenAuthorFestival <http://www.facebook.com/NYCTeenAuthorFestival>
Monday, March 18 (Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL, 10 Jersey Street b/w Mulberry and Lafayette, 6-8):
I’ll Take You There: A Change of Scenery, A Change of Self
Description: In their recent books, each of these authors have plunged their teen characters into new places as a way of revealing their true selves. We’ll talk about this YA journey narrative – where it comes from, and what it can lead to.
Gayle Forman
Kristen-Paige Madonia
Bennett Madison
Jennifer E. Smith
Melissa Walker
moderator: David Levithan
Tuesday, March 19 (WORD Bookstore, 7-8:30, 126 Franklin St, Greenpoint):
The Only Way Out is Through: Engaging Truth through YA
Description: Pain. Confusion. Loss. Mistakes. Revelation. More mistakes. Recovery. One of the things that makes YA work is its desire to engage the messy truths of both adolescence and life in general. Here we talk about what it’s like to engage this messy truth, and how to craft it into a story with some kind of form.
Crissa Chappell
Tim Decker
Ellen Hopkins
Amy McNamara
Jessica Verdi
moderator: David Levithan
Wednesday. March 20 (42nd St NYPL, South Court room, 6-8):
Imagination: A Conversation
Description: It’s a given that authors’ minds are very strange, wonderful, twisted, illogical, inventive places. Here we talk to five rather imaginative authors about how they conjure the worlds in their books and the stories that they tell, along with glimpses of the strange and wonderful worlds they are creating at the present.
Holly Black
Lev Grossman
Michelle Hodkin
Alaya Johnson
Robin Wasserman
moderators: David Levithan and Chris Shoemaker
Thursday, March 21:
SOHO Teen night, 6-9pm (Books of Wonder, 18 W18th St)
Celebrate the launch of SOHO Teen, featuring readings by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Joy Preble, Margaux Froley, Elizabeth Kiem, Heather Terrell & Ricardo Cortés, and Lisa & Laura Roecker.
Friday March 22, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Berger Forum, 2nd floor, 2-6)
2:00 – Introduction
2:10-3:00: He Said, She Said
Description: Not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.
He:
Ted Goeglein
Gordon Korman
Lucas Klauss
Michael Northrop
She:
Susane Colasanti
E. Lockhart
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah Mlynowski
Leila Sales
moderator: David Levithan
3:00-4:00: Taking a Turn: YA Characters Dealing with Bad and Unexpected Choices
Description: In each of these authors’ novels, the main character’s life takes an unexpected twist. Sometimes this is because of a bad choice. Sometimes this is because of a secret revealed. And sometimes it doesn’t feel like a choice at all, but rather a reaction. We’ll talk about following these characters as they make these choices – both good and bad. Will include brief readings illuminating these choices.
Caela Carter
Eireann Corrigan
Alissa Grosso
Terra Elan McVoy
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Elizabeth Scott
K. M. Walton
moderator: Aaron Hartzler
4:00-4:10: Break
4:10-4:40: That’s So Nineteenth Century
Description: A Conversation About Playing with 19th Century Archetypes in the 21st Century
Sharon Cameron
Leanna Renee Hieber
Stephanie Strohm
Suzanne Weyn
Moderator: Sarah Beth Durst
4:40-5:30: Alternate World vs. Imaginary World
Description: Of these authors, some have written stories involving alternate or parallel versions of our world, some have made up imaginary worlds for their characters, and still others have written books that do each. We’ll discuss the decision to either connect the world of a book to our world, or to take it out of the historical context of our world. How do each strategies help in telling story and developing character? Is one easier than the other? Is the stepping off point always reality, or can it sometimes be another fictional world?
Sarah Beth Durst
Jeff Hirsch
Emmy Laybourne
Lauren Miller
E. C. Myers
Diana Peterfreund
Mary Thompson
Moderator: Chris Shoemaker
Friday March 22, Barnes & Noble Reader’s Theater/Signing (Union Square B&N, 33 E 17th St, 7-8:30)
Eireann Corrigan
Elizabeth Eulberg
Jeff Hirsch
David Levithan
Rainbow Rowell
Nova Ren Suma
Saturday March 23, Symposium (42nd Street NYPL, Bergen Forum, 2nd Floor, 1-5)
1:00 – Introduction
1:10-2:10 – Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA
Description: As YA literature evolves, there is more of an acknowledgment of the many facets that go into a teenager’s identity, and even categories that once seemed absolute now have more nuance. Focusing particularly, but not exclusively, on LGBTQ characters and their depiction, we’ll discuss the complexities about writing about such a complex experience.
Marissa Calin
Emily Danforth
Aaron Hartzler
A.S. King
Jacqueline Woodson
moderator: David Levithan
2:10-2:40 -- New Voices Spotlight
Description: Each debut author will share a five-minute reading from her or his work
J. J. Howard
Kimberly Sabatini
Tiffany Schmidt
Greg Takoudes
2:40-3:30 – Under Many Influences: Shaping Identity When You’re a Teen Girl
Description: Being a teen girl is to be under many influences – friends, parents, siblings, teachers, favorite bands, favorite boys, favorite web sites. These authors will talk about the influences that each of their main characters tap into – and then talk about what influences them as writers when they shape these characters.
Jen Calonita
Deborah Heiligman
Hilary Weisman Graham
Kody Keplinger
Amy Spalding
Katie Sise
Kathryn Williams
moderator: Terra Elan McVoy
3:30-3:40 – Break
3:40-4:20 – Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormalcy
Description: Paranormal and supernatural fiction for teens constantly wrestles with issues of identity and the origin of identity. Whether their characters are born “different” or come into their powers over time, each of these authors uses the supernatural as a way to explore the nature of self.
Jessica Brody
Gina Damico
Maya Gold
Alexandra Monir
Lindsay Ribar
Jeri Smith-Ready
Jessica Spotswood
moderator: Adrienne Maria Vrettos
4:20-5:00 – The Next Big Thing
Description: Again, not to be too mysterious, but I will email these authors separately about what I’m thinking for this.
Jocelyn Davies
Leanna Renee Hieber
Barry Lyga
Maryrose Wood
Saturday March 23: Mutual Admiration Society reading at McNally Jackson (McNally Jackson, Prince Street, 7-8:30):
Sharon Cameron
A.S. King
Michael Northrop
Diana Peterfreund
Victoria Schwab
Nova Ren Suma
hosted by David Levithan
Sunday March 24: Our No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 1-4):
1-1:45:
Jessica Brody (Unremembered, Macmillan)
Marisa Calin (Between You and Me, Bloomsbury)
Jen Calonita (The Grass is Always Greener, LB)
Sharon Cameron (The Dark Unwinding, Scholastic)
Caela Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It, Bloomsbury)
Crissa Chappell (Narc, Flux)
Susane Colasanti (Keep Holding On, Penguin)
Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep, Sourcebooks)
Gina Damico (Scorch, HMH)
Jocelyn Davies (A Fractured Light, HC)
Sarah Beth Durst (Vessel, S&S)
Gayle Forman (Just One Day, Penguin)
Elizabeth Scott (Miracle, S&S)
1:45-2:30
T. M. Goeglein (Cold Fury, Penguin)
Hilary Weisman Graham (Reunited, S&S)
Alissa Grosso (Ferocity Summer, Flux)
Aaron Hartzler (Rapture Practice, LB)
Deborah Heiligman (Intentions, RH)
Leanna Renee Hieber (The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart, Sourcebooks)
Jeff Hirsch (Magisterium, Scholastic)
J. J. Howard (That Time I Joined the Circus, Scholastic)
Alaya Johnson (The Summer Prince, Scholastic)
Beth Kephart (Small Damages, Penguin)
Kody Keplinger (A Midsummer’s Nightmare, LB)
2:30-3:15
A.S. King (Ask the Passengers, LB)
Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14, Macmillan)
David Levithan (Every Day, RH)
Barry Lyga (Yesterday Again, Scholastic)
Brian Meehl (Suck it Up and Die, RH)
Alexandra Monir (Timekeeper, RH)
Michael Northrop (Rotten, Scholastic)
Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars, HC)
Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing, Penguin)
Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, St. Martin’s)
Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface, S&S)
Tiffany Schmidt (Send Me a Sign, Bloomsbury)
3:15-4:00
Victoria Schwab (The Archived, Hyperion)
Jeri Smith-Ready (Shine, S&S)
Amy Spalding (The Reece Malcolm List, Entangled)
Stephanie Strohm (Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink, HMH)
Nova Ren Suma (17 & Gone, Penguin)
Greg Takoudes (When We Wuz Famous, Macmillan)
Mary Thompson (Wuftoom, HMH)
Jess Verdi (My Life After Now, Sourcebooks)
K.M. Walton (Empty, S&S)
Suzanne Weyn (Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters, Scholastic)
Kathryn Williams (Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous, Macmillan)
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 12/29/2012
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
David Levithan,
Katrina Kenison,
Body Combat,
Small Damages,
Moira Young,
Ilsa Bick,
National YoungArts Foundation,
Magical Journey,
Wynne Channing,
Add a tag
I made my way to Body Combat early this morning. The snow began to fall just as I left. I allow myself to be lazy after workouts like that. To lie on a couch and dream a novel forward.
I write so slowly now. But I never mind the time I make to dream a novel forward.
In between I read the astonishing work being sent to me by the
YoungArts writers; our literary future, ladies and gentlemen, is in excellent hands. I read, as well, Katrina Kenison's glorious new book,
Magical Journey, of which I
wrote not long ago. Look for a chance to win your own copy here, on New Year's Day. All you'll need to do is tell me what makes you quietly glad, and your name will be put into the hat.
Finally, I discovered, thanks to a little white-winged bird, that A.A. Omer, a reader of discerning tastes (in my humble opinion), placed
Small Damages number one in her five-book list of the year's best writing. It joins the work of David Levithan, Moira Young, Ilsa Bick, and Wynne Channing. It is an act of greatest kindness. Thank you.
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 12/25/2012
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
David Levithan,
Jill Santopolo,
Invisibility,
Laura Geringer,
Philomel,
Andrea Cremer,
Between Shades of Gray,
Ruta Sepetys,
Tamra Tuller,
Michael Green,
Add a tag
This is how it happens: I write an adult book that Laura Geringer discovers and reads; she gets in touch. For a year Laura and I talk about how ill-equipped I feel I am to write books for young adults. A conversation in a Philadelphia restaurant changes everything; I am persuaded to try. I write what will become several books for Laura, and in the midst of story development, copy editing, cover design, and publicity, I meet Jill Santopolo—utterly adorable, fashion savvy, super smart, wildly well-organized, and Laura's second in command at Laura Geringer Books/HarperTeen, where I will write four books, one of them (
The Heart is Not a Size) being Jill's very own. Then one day Jill calls to say that she is headed to Philomel to join a children's book empire carved out by a man named Michael Green. I'd really like Michael, Jill says. She hopes I'll eventually meet him.
(She is right. And I do. Facts made true in reverse order.)
A few years later, I see Jill again, this time at an ALA event, where she slips me a copy of
Between Shades of Gray and whispers two words in my ear: Tamra Tuller. Jill and Tamra are, by now, colleagues at Philomel, and Tamra edits the kind of books I like to write. Jill, looking trademark gorgeous, encourages me to read Ruta Sepetys' international bestseller of a debut novel as proof. I do. Again, I am persuaded. Not long afterwards, I have the great privilege of joining the Philomel family when Tamra reads a book I've been working on for ten years and believes that it has merit. Jill has opened her new home to me, and I am grateful.
What happens next is that Tamra moves to Chronicle and I, with a book dedicated to her because I do love her that much, move to Chronicle, too. What happens next is Jill and I remain friends (Jill and I and Michael and Jessica, too (not to mention Laura)). Which is all a very long way of saying how happy I was to receive two of Jill's newest creations just a few weeks ago. Last night and early this morning I read the first of them. It's called
Invisibility, it's due out in May, and it is co-authored by Jill's fabulously successful Philomel author, Andrea Cremer (
The Nightshade Series) and the big-hearted author/editor/sensation/Lover's Dictionary Guru David Levithan.
I hear David Levithan—his soulfulness, his tenderness, his yearning, his love—when I read this book. I hear Andrea Cremer—her careful and credible world building, her necessary specificity, her other-worldly imagination. It's a potent combination in a story about a Manhattan boy whom no one in the world can see. No one, that is, except for the girl who has moved in down the hall—a girl who has escaped Minnesota with a brother she deeply loves and a mother who cares for them both, but must work long hours to keep her transplanted family afloat. Cremer and Levithan's Manhattan is tactile, navigable, stewing with smells and scenes. Their fantasy world—spellcraft, curses, witches, magic—is equally cinematic and engaging. The love between the invisible boy and the seeing (and, as it turns out, magically gifted) girl feels enduring, and then there's that other kind of love—between Elizabeth and her brother—that gives this story even greater depth and meaning. The parents aren't nearly bad either (not at all).
What it is to be invisible. What it is to see and be seen. What it is to know there is evil in the world and that any strike against it will scar and (indeed) age those who take a stand.
Invisibility is a fantasy story, but it is more than that, too. It's a growing-up story in which courage, truth-telling, sacrifice, and vulnerability figure large, and in which love of every kind makes a difference.
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 11/30/2012
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Lois Lowry,
John Green,
David Levithan,
YA literature,
Patricia McCormick,
A.S. King,
Eliot Schrefer,
Publishing Perspectives,
Small Damages,
John Corey Whaley,
future of Young Adult literature,
Add a tag
I was so grateful for the opportunity to give the keynote address at the Publishing Perspectives Conference, YA: What's Next, held at the hospitable Scholastic auditorium in New York City this past Wednesday.
Today the fine folks at
Publishing Perspectives share
the text in full, along with the illustrations by William R. Sulit. These illustrations were modeled with 3D software, all with the exception of the beautiful face and hands, which belong to my niece
(daughter of my famous I Triple E brother), Miranda.
In her keynote address from the YA: What’s Next? publishing conference, author Beth Kephart makes an impassioned case for YA books that are heartfelt, authentic and empowering.......(Just added: gratitude for a week of kindness toward Small Damages.)
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 11/29/2012
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
David Levithan,
Gotham,
Anne Lamott,
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church,
Eliot Schrefer,
Jessica Shoffel,
Handling the Truth,
Dennis Abrams,
Doris Janhsen,
Help Thanks Wow,
Francine Lucidon,
Add a tag
New York City was at its hospitable best yesterday. Through the windows of a train I watched the sun both rise and set on Manhattan. In between
I opined on the future of YA at the Publishing Perspectives Conference, saw old friends (Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, Jennifer Brown, Laura Geringer, Melissa Sarno, Dennis Abrams, Ed Nawotka), made new ones, did a little Amen shout as Doris Janhsen, David Levithan, Francine Lucidon, Eliot Schrefer, and Dennis Abrams (pictured above), reminded people what publishing is really about, or should be about: good books. By mid-afternoon, I was sitting with the remarkable team at Gotham, discussing the future of
Handling the Truth. I was thinking—truth—how lucky I am. (Then got even luckier sneaking in a little stolen time with Jessica Shoffel of Philomel and my own son, at 30th Street Station.)
It took every bit of driving craftswomanship I have (and there isn't much) to get to Anne Lamott's talk (and promotion of her new book on prayer,
Help Thanks Wow) at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church by the 7:30 start. My father had saved a seat for me in the balcony, and a lucky thing that was, for there were at least 1,000 people gathered in this church where I grew up, wed, and baptized my son. Anne does what I cannot do. Talks without a plan ("I have prepared nothing," she began), works her way toward a theme, gets grace right out there, where it belongs, and triggers a bout of group hysteria with a single word (
Okay) and a prop (my father's pen).
And so we laughed. And so it was ten before I finally got home, after a day that had begun at 3 AM. The mail had been brought in. There was a card, the smart, precise handwriting of an amazing writer whom I love. Alyson Hagy, you of the million things to do, you of the bad bronchitis, Good Lord, girl, you didn't have to. But I love this from you. I will treasure it, always.
Last Friday evening I joined David Levithan, Eliot Schrefer, Jennifer R. Hubbard, and Ellen Hopkins for an evening of books and talk at Children's Book World, Haverford, PA. That was then, celebrated
here.
Today I'm celebrating
Every Day, the new novel from which David read that evening. You can tell from the way a writer reads how invested he or she is in the work. David Levithan is fully invested.
He has a right to be. With
Every Day he has crafted a book with an original premise, placed a likable narrator named A at its heart, and wondered what it would be like to wake up each morning in the body of another. To be a boy, then a girl. To be angry, then peaceful. To be forsaken, to be depressed, to be the football king, to be his twin. To be all these things on the outside, a succession of traits and 'tudes, while all along holding utterly true to the inherent A-ness of A. To be an impermanent self falling permanently in love. What would
that be like? And could anyone in the world love this body-swapping soul so much that appearances won't ultimately matter?
The plot carries forward. Love is at risk. One of the borrowed bodies gets a little miffed, exposing a raw seam in the universe.
Every Day is clever, but it's more than that. It is a portal—enveloping and philosophical. It asks questions that have no answers and forces us to live with that.
Why is David Levithan so popular that he had to stand on a Friday night in a Main Line bookstore to see all the way back to the last row in the crowd? Why do his fans know his birthday, in a snap, and tout his novels with religious fervor, and send the T-shirt makers into a LeviFan frenzy? It has something to do with who David Levithan
is. It has to do with his transcending kindness, a quality that A believes (rightly) is so much more powerful than simply being nice. David Levithan writes from a moral center. He encourages his readers to think brightly, like this (the xxx's here to avoid spoiling anything for future readers):
Every person is a possibility. The hopeless romantics feel it most acutely, but even for others, the only way to keep going is to see every person as a possibility. The more I see the xxx that the world reflects back at him, the more of a possibility he seems. His possibility is grounded in the things that mean the most to me. Kindness. Creativity. Engagement in the world. Engagement in the possibilities of the people around him.
Possibility. It's almost political.
My house has officially succumbed to books. Bowed its head, elbowed out its own frame, said yes. Yes, Beth, you can have the newest pubbed books by David Levithan (
Every Day) and Eliot Schrefer (
Endangered) co-mingling with the galleys for
This Close (short stories by your dear friend Jessica Francis Kane), and alongside these please add a dollop of Mary McCarthy's
The Stones of Florence, a book on the history of eggs, three maps of Florence (one laminated), one old diary, several Florence guides, many tomes on domes, not to mention weather forecasts, three unread
New Yorkers (unread, save for the back pages), and while all of that is going on, please add more to your iPad Kindle because having not yet read your e-versions of
Code Name Verity (Elizabeth E. Wein),
Salvage the Bones, and
The Marriage Artist is no shame at all. Also, while you are at it, imagine A.S. King's
Ask the Passengers (not yet released) sitting near. Just do it, Kephart. Do it.
So what did I do, in the midst of this? I took a walk with my best friend from college days, Ellen. We headed out to Valley Forge National Park, where my mother is buried and where Ellen and I often meet to talk life, not books. It was a ripe September day, crisp as a green apple.
I want it all, always.
I manage it poorly, more times than not.
Today, no books again. Instead, a trip to the city, to see my glorious, happy, smart, successful son. No prize greater than his glorifying smile.
We think it's pretty special out here when generosity, talent, humility, spark, and through-and-through writerliness live within one person. The fact that all that (and more) defines David Levithan—Scholastic editor, mold-smithering author, and genuine conversationalist—explains, at least in part, his ricocheting popularity.
Last evening, at Children's Book World in Haverford, PA, David shared his stage with the wildly popular Ellen Hopkins, the delightful Eliot Schrefer, my new and powerfully talented friend Jennifer R. Hubbard, and me. We each read briefly. Eliot took our breaths away with baby bonobo photos. A very generous CBW plied us with special treats, even customized cookies. And writerly/readerly teens do what they do so well—let us into their world with questions and thoughts.
A.S. King, we're all coming right back there for you on
October 30, to celebrate your much-anticipated new book,
Ask the Passengers. Please bring your duplicate. We love her. K.M. Walton, we are indebted, always, to your immaculate kindness and talent (and your photographs; thank you for the last one!). To my many friends (and client/friend!) who slipped into the crowd, thank you.
I have come home with some glorious new books to read. I'll start with
Every Day, David Levithan's newest. Many times in the past few weeks I have had to stop myself from buying the book. Sometimes waiting for
that moment is worth it.
By:
Beth Kephart ,
on 9/19/2012
Blog:
Beth Kephart Books
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
children's book world,
Ellen Hopkins,
Philomel,
Jennifer Brown,
Jennifer Hubbard,
Eliot Schrefer,
Jessica Shoffel,
Publishing Perspectives,
Pamela Paul,
Dennis Abrams,
David Levithan,
Shelf Awareness,
Add a tag
Today, another short note, a simple reminder:
I have the great privilege of joining David Levithan, Ellen Hopkins, Eliot Schrefer, and Jennifer Hubbard this coming Friday, 7 PM, at
Children's Book World in Haverford, PA. CBW is billing us as the Fab Five, and I have Philomel publicist (every author's dream publicist and my good friend) Jessica Shoffel to thank for making me Feel So Fab.
I hope that you will join us. The photograph above was taken during the Publishing Perspectives "What Makes a Children's Book Great?" conference held earlier this summer, where I had so much fun joining moderator Dennis Abrams on the author panel. The smart and savvy notables from left to right are Roger Horn (The Horn Book), Pamela Paul (New York Times), David Levithan (Scholastic editor and author phenom), and my good friend Jennifer Brown, a former school teacher, editor, reviewer, and jury panelist (not to mention head of children's books for
Shelf Awareness) whom I always rightly refer to as this country's ambassador for children's books.
Top Picks from YA Bloggers in the Know, #5
By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 14, 2012
We were thrilled when Joli Huynh of Actin’ Up With Books agreed to put together her list of top five books she can’t wait to read this autumn. Summer may be almost over, but exciting new fall titles are just around the corner. Look for our interview about one of Joli’s favorite picks (Every Day) with YA genius David Levithan in a couple of weeks. Without further ado, we give you Joli’s eclectic reading list including some titles you won’t want to miss.
When I was first asked by The Children’s Book Review to compile a list of my most anticipated reads, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I love recommending books and sharing the ones that are most memorable with other readers. These are the top five books that I would stop and drop everything, turn off my phone and cancel my plans for.
By Mindi Scott
There are some books that you connect with on such a deep level that you can’t even entirely explain. That is how I feel about Mindi’s 2010 debut novel, Freefall. Freefall was my favorite book of 2010 and is in my top five favorites of all time. It left me stunned, emotionally drained, but also hopeful. Her characters, Seth and Rosetta, seemed real – like they were people that I knew and cared about. When I found out that Mindi had a new book coming out, it immediately went to the top of my wish list. Live Through This is by far my most highly anticipated read of 2012.
Ages 14 and up | Publisher: Simon Pulse | October 2, 2012
By David Levithan
I will read every book written by David Levithan. His books are “auto-buys” and I have yet to read a book by Levithan that I did not love. His characters are endearing and relatable. Many of his books have the underlying message that we are all connected and I always feel more enlightened when I’ve finished one of his books. Every Day, the story of “A” who wakes up every morning in another person’s body, is different from his contemporary books, but no doubt will be just as powerful.
Ages 12 and up | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | August 28, 2012
By
Wow. I've been editing Slider's Son every spare second, so I haven't taken time to blog for ten days. So much to say, and so little time.
Rainbow theme:
First, Kirstin Cronn-Mills was on a panel last night at the loft, discussing GLBT YA literature, and the evening was fascinating and fun. So far to go in getting full acceptance of honest literature. Kirstin was the "token straight ally" author. I want to read every book represented there. Marion Dane Bauer, David LaRochelle, David Levithan, and Pat Schmatz. See my facebook page for a photo of the rainbow snacks provided (Jello made by DivaE, aka Kirstin).
Makes me delighted that in our upcoming anthology Girl Meets Boy, the stories include at least one gay romance.
I'm also gratified that in Chasing AllieCat, the issue isn't an issue--it's just part of who a character is.
David Levithan and Brian Farrey both read from their recent novels, and they ROCKED.
We're lucky to live in Minnesota with such a supportive writing community!
Posts coming in the near future (in between or after editing): Kurtis Scarletta, Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna, and some thoughts on fall cycling...:) stay tuned.
The Children’s Book Council (CBC) announced the winners of the fourth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards. Our congrats to John Green and David Levithan for Teen Choice Book of the Year, Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
Way to go, guys!
Jill Santopolo, executive editor of Penguin Young Readers' Philomel imprint, took world rights to a new YA novel by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer called The Invisibility Curse. Bill Clegg, at William Morris Endeavor, brokered the deal for Levithan, who co-wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (and is editorial director at Scholastic Press). Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen, from Inkwell Management, represented Cremer, author of Nightshade (and history professor at Macalaster College). The novel follows a boy burdened by invisibility who meets a girl that has the power to see him and, possibly, cure him. Publication is currently set for 2013.
I'm reading Nightshade and it's going great, and I've heard awesome things about David's work (I've got Leviathan and Behemoth ebooks to read!). Adding The Invisibility Curse to my TBR list right now!
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 3/25/2011
Blog:
The Children's Book Review
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
General,
Mo willems,
Stephenie Meyer,
Jennifer L. Holm,
Matthew Holm,
David Wiesner,
Peter H. Reynolds,
John Green,
David Levithan,
Chris Barton,
Jarrett J. Krosoczka,
James Patterson,
Richelle Mead,
Cynthia Lord,
Cassandra Clare,
Lane Smith,
Rick Riordan,
Loren Long,
Jeff Kinney,
Tad Hills,
Kristin Cast,
Matthew Reinhart,
Robert Sabuda,
Suzanne Collins,
Wendy Mass,
Tom Lichtenheld,
P.C. Cast,
Robin Preiss Glasser,
Nancy Tillman,
Raina Telgemeier,
Lincoln Peirce,
Matthew McElligott,
Nick Bruel,
Derek Anderson,
FableVision,
Johanna Kerby,
Add a tag
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: March 25, 2010
May 2-8, 2011, is Children’s Book Week. Each year, during this week, The Children’s Book Council hosts the Children’s Choice Book Awards. These are the best awards because the children are given a voice! I highly recommend checking out the thirty books that have been nominated for the six categories: k-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, Teens, and author of the year. Then, along with your kids or classroom, go and vote for their favorite(s)—you have until April 29. The winners will be announced on May 2 at the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala.
This year’s Children’s Choice Book Award finalists are as follows:
Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year
Shark vs. Train
by Chris Barton (Author), Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2010)
Publisher’s synopsis: Shark VS. Train! WHO WILL WIN?!
If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?
Add this book to your collection: Shark vs. Train
How Rocket Learned to Read
by Tad Hills
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade; 1 edition (July 27, 2010)
Publisher’s synopsis: Learn to read with this New York Times-bestselling picture book, starring an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird. Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own!
With a story that makes reading fun—and wil
Love Is the Higher Law David Levithan
As the song says "Love is a temple, Love is the higher law"
It follows three teens as on the morning of 9/11, the days after, and then a week after, then months, then a year. It focuses on the confusion and the changes in New York City and how each teen reacts-- needing to be around other people or cutting themselves off...
What got me was how well Levithan captures that morning and the fear and the confusion as the events unfolded, and the unreal surreality of that day and the days that followed. I forget those immediate feelings, but this book immediately put me back in a smoke-filled dorm lounge where the only sound was Peter Jennings's voice. (And I have to say that I love that the characters in this book also settled on Jennings as the best coverage of that day, just like we did. Because for some reason that was important-- finding the best channel to watch with the least annoying commentary.)
It was a hard book to read, especially when I look back and see not only what has changed, but what hasn't changed at all. But, I think it's a great one for the kids who where too young to remember, or realize what was happening, or in just a few years, the ones who weren't born yet. There are events in our past where if we weren't there, we see them in the history textbook sense and understand their significance on a mental level, but don't understand the emotional gutpunch of those moments that throw everything onto a different trajectory. This is an excellent work to show that gutpunch, especially of an event that has since, in how it's used in rhetoric and how the US as a government responded in the longterm, has become a divisive catchphrase.. We've forgotten the horror of that day, and we've forgotten how we drew together that day and cried on the shoulders of strangers and held our loved ones that much closer as we stared at the looping images that we imagined would be burned into our eyes and brains forever.
I want to have faith in strangers. I want to have faith in what we're all going to do next. But I'm worried. I see things shifting from United We Stand to God Bless America. I don't believe in God Bless America. I don't believe a higher power is standing beside us and guiding us. I don't believe we're being singled out. I believe much more in United We Stand. I have my doubts, but I want it to be true. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we really came together, if we really found a common humanity? The hitch is that you can't fund a common humanity just because you have a common enemy. You have to find a common humanity because you believe that it's true. page 111
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosu
I am currently reading David Levithan’s new novel, The Lover’s Dictionary. This is the first of his novels, at least that I’ve read, that hasn’t been filed in the YA section. As I’ve been reading it I’ve sort of kept a check list of reasons for this in my head, but what I’ve found is that the major rationalization seems to be the age of the characters, who come across as just past young adulthood. My other thought while reading this novel is that it is probably one of the best solo novels I have read by David Levithan.
This got me thinking about cross shelving. My mother is a children’s librarian, and she has told me before that some novels (like the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books) are shelved in both the Children’s and YA sections. It makes sense to me; some kids are still okay looking for books in the Children’s section, but other kids who might not be ready for everything in YA would still like to start browsing there.
I wonder if the same can’t be done for books like The Lover’s Dictionary, shelving it in both Adult Fiction and YA. While I think that this would certainly work for some books, this seems like a much more difficult endeavor when it comes to content and the comfort level of some patrons. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to browse in the Adult Fiction section along with the YA section and I have found a few books that I think speak to a YA audience, some books that I think teenagers would benefit from reading. I once wrote a post about why I thought it was a good thing to see classic novels in the YA section, and this reasoning is somewhat similar. There are some really great books filed as Adult Fiction that I think teenagers would love and learn from, but that they might not ever find because they are not in the YA section. The problem this time, however, is that instead of the questions raised about how interested teenagers would be in the plotlines of classic novels, there are instead questions raised about the curse words and sexual content in novels shelved in the Adult Fiction section.
So, I suppose the question I’m left with is, is it even worth it? In a lot of cases I would argue yes, especially considering the wide range of interests and intellect present in the YA audience. On the other hand, it certainly seems like a call that needs to be made by each individual YA librarian, and each individual library. The main purpose of this post was to suggest the idea, see if any librarians are already putting it to use, and whether or not it was/is successful or helpful. Maybe a more realistic outcome would be for YA librarians to suggest books in the Adult Fiction section to their older and/or more mature patrons when it seems like they are ready for them. As a teen patron, this issue has been on my mind because I always worry that I’m missing a good book simply because I’m not looking in the right place.
The morning began with Michael Cart giving an overview of some of the important social and political events related to LGBTQ issues. Next, Cart and Christine Jenkins presenting a list of all of the books with LGBTQ content from 1969 to 2010. They booktalked many of these, highlighting some trends (resolution by automobile crash, melodrama, impossibly good looking gay men and the women who love them), the breakthrough books, and the real dingers. It was like being back in library school, taking a class on LGBTQ YA Lit, but it was compressed. If you want to spend more time with these books and these issues, check out Cart and Jenkins’ book from Scarecrow Press, The Heart Has It’s Reasons.
If you get your hands on their bibliography and were not in attendance, please note that this is not a list of recommended books. Some are good and some are not so good. During introductions, we each chose books from the list to highlight. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and Levithan got the most nods, along with the graphic novel Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. Please add your own recommendations in the comments.
After lunch of sandwiches and delicious chocolate cupcakes, there was an author panel consisting of: Lauren Bjorkman, Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Malinda Lo, and Megan Frazer (hey, that’s me!). We talked about what brought us to write our books, the challenges we faced, and what we hope to see in the future. We compiled a list of links that are on Malinda’s site.
After the author panel, I had to dash to the Body Positivity and Fat Acceptance in Contemporary YA Fiction pre-conference (which I hope someone else blogs about, because when I came in they were sharing some awesome ideas and resources), so I cannot give a first-person account of the breakouts that occurred — if anyone else would like to chime in, please do.
If you are in Albuquerque but missed the pre-conference, you can still hear about LGBTQ issues today at 1:30 at the breakout session: The New Gay Teen: Moving Beyond the Issue Novel.
Wow! What a fabulous line up. It's wonderful to see YA in the spotlight. I was already impressed with David Levithan's writing, but this festival makes me appreciate him all the more.
DL is a great ambassador for YA.
I was at the Saturday panels last year, and I hope to go this year if I can manage it. Wonderful lineup!