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Usually, when people ask me to describe my new Lake Champlain historical novel, I tell them it's about an Innu boy who travels with Samuel de Champlain on his journey from Quebec to encounter the Iroquois in 1609.  But Champlain and the Silent One is more than that.  While there's a very literal journey in this book, there's an internal journey as well -- a journey from silence to finding one's voice.

The main character, Silent One, is silent for a reason; he had a vision and gave a warning that was ignored, resulting in his uncle's death.  He felt like his voice didn't matter.  Why use it?

But it does matter.  For all of us.




So here's how to enter the contest.

Election Day provides us with an opportunity to to speak in a way that matters profoundly.  Promise you'll speak by voting on November 4th. Leave a comment here, saying so, and you'll be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of Champlain and the Silent One. If you mention this contest on your blog or website and link back here, I'll enter you twice. Just send me an email (kmessner at katemessner dot com) with the link and let me know.

If you're not old enough to vote, you can still enter.   Talk with a parent or friend who is planning to vote, and make arrangements to go with someone on Election Day to see what it's like.  Leave a comment that tells me you'll be someone's voting buddy, and promise to vote when you turn eighteen.  And then do it.  (I'll do everything in my power to track you down and reclaim your prize if you don't.)

Now the small print stuff...

Due to shipping costs, you must live in the Continental United States to win.  (That means Sarah Palin is not eligible.)  If you're not registered on Live Journal, please remember to leave your name (if you're under 18, please leave a first name only to protect your privacy) so that you can be entered in the drawing. It's hard to mail books to Anonymous.

The deadline to enter the contest is this Friday, September 26th at midnight EST -- right after the Presidential candidates' first debate.  I'll announce the winner on my blog on Monday, September 29th.

1. My new regional MG historical novel, Champlain and the Silent One, is available for pre-order on Amazon!  Seeing it there with a cover and a blurb and everything brings it one step closer to real.  The book is due out early next month, and  I'll be signing copies at the Burlington Book Festival on September 14th.

2. The Cybils blog is active again!  If you're a kid-lit blogger, consider volunteering as a panelist or judge for this year's Children & YA Bloggers Literature Awards.  I served as panelist for the Middle Grade Fiction category last year and loved every minute & every page.

3. Espresso Therapy Ice Cream is really, really good.  (It it a testament to my self control that I stopped short of finishing the pint.)

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has a fantastic reputation when it comes to staff development for teachers, so I was thrilled to be a part of today's workshop called Teaching the Quad, helping educators prepare for the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's voyage in 1609.  I talked about Using Historical Fiction in the Classroom and gave my first-ever reading from Champlain & the Silent One, my new middle grade historical novel that comes out in September.  For me, reading out loud from a novel for the first time is a milestone that's always a little scary but a lot of fun!

As the last speaker, I got to relax for most of the day and enjoy the other presenters -- including biographer Willard Sterne Randall, whose work I've admired for years.  His Benedict Arnold biography was one of my first stops when I was researching Spitfire.  Randall and his wife have worked together to put together this fantastic website focusing on Champlain and the Quadricentennial Celebration.
Also on the agenda today - Dr. Fred Wiseman from Johnson State College, who shared parts of his new documentary about 1609 as well as information about some recent archaeological discoveries that may change the way we view the lives and culture of Native peoples in the Champlain Valley. 



Sarah Lyman from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum talked more about the museum's Quadricentennial curriculum, a 200-page treasure trove for educators that's available as a free download here.  It includes the first chapter of Champlain & the Silent One, as well as a sample chapter of the study guide.



Joan Robinson of the Flynn Theatre got us all up and moving around with some dramatic activities relating to the 1609 encounter between Champlain and the Iroquois.

And Roger Longtoe of the El-nu Abenaki Tribe shared his expertise on Abenaki culture of the 17th century and today. 



I was especially intrigued by the wooden shield he's holding here, since it was modeled after the ones that Champlain describes in his 17th century journals.  No matter how many times I read the descriptions, I couldn't quite picture what they looked like until now.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of today's workshop for me was listening to the struggles of some other researchers who have delved into Champlain's life and the world he inhabited in 17th Century New France.  Because there are still so many unanswered questions about this time period -- and so many controversial opinions -- the Quadricentennial Celebration in the Champlain Valley is promising to be a time of tremendous scholarship, discussion, and discovery. 

Listen to Book Bites for Kids every weekday afternoon at 2:00 CST on blogtalkradio.com.

We have an exciting lineup of guest authors this week.

Today, Monday, October 15th, Kari-Lynn Winters, author of a darling new picture book from Orca Publishing called Jeffrey and Sloth will be out guest.

On Tuesday, October 16th, Lorijo Metz will be our guest to talk about her new picture book, Floridus Bloom and the Planet of Gloom.

On Wednesday, October 17th, YA novelist Sheryl McFarlane will join us to discuss her new novel, The Smell of Paint.

Sheri Sinykin will guest on Thursday, October 18th, to talk about her new book, Giving Up the Ghost.

On Friday, tune in to listen to the creator of The Eye Patch Kids DVD and puppets.

Listen to the show online at blogtalkradio.com or call in and ask a question or make a comment at 1-646-716-9239.