Kim Chatel, author of RAINBOW SHEEP from Guardian Angel Publishing, has just been asked to create some of her wonderful fiber art illustrations for Colin Thompson's new book for the Save the Children Foundation. Mr. Thompson discovered Kim's illustrations at the Children's Illustrated Art Museum in St. Louis.
Congratulations, Kim!
I'm meeting with Colin Thompson (and some folks from Fox Studios) so if there are any questions I can ask him from his fans, pass them my way. He's thrilled to publish his picture book, The Little Book of Happy Sadness (coming in September, 2008) and even more from him in seasons following, including Norman and Brenda, a sequel to The Short & Incredibly Happy Life of Riley.
Norman and Brenda
(coming soon from Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Inc.)
The other day Kathleen Bolton at Writer Unboxed, one of my favorite blogs on writing, described the difficulty of drafting the final chapter in her current work-in-progress.
She had reached the end... but wasn't sure exactly how the story should come to its conclusion:
I mean, I have a vague idea of how it should end (hopefully leaving the reader slavering for more), but I’m waffling between an
If you write for young people, consider this LJ post a big, fat thank you note (virtual chocolates and ice cream, too). I just finished reading my 7th graders' final exams. I ask them to write an essay reflecting on how they've grown as readers, writers, and human beings this year. Here's a quote from K...
"In the beginning of the year, I didn't like to read at all. But then my teacher showed me all these books that were for me, and I couldn't stop reading."
Books that were for her. Written just for her. Or at least it felt that way. She went on to talk about Sonya Sones, Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Nancy Werlin -- voices that spoke to her over the past ten months.
And K wasn't the only one who named names as she reflected on books that made a difference this year. My kids talked about finding themselves in the characters of Pete Hautman, Janet Tashjian, Jack Gantos, Laurie Halse Anderson, Lisa Yee, Sharon Creech, Jerry Spinelli, Wendelin Van Draanen, David Lubar, Cynthia Kadohata, Mal Peet, and Walter Dean Myers. They wrote about being challenged by M.T. Anderson, Richard Preston, and Markus Zusak. They wrote fondly about escaping into the worlds of Margaret Peterson Haddix, Christopher Paolini, and JK Rowling. And they reflected on walking a mile in someone else's shoes as they read Gene Luen Yang, Cynthia Lord, Will Hobbs, Jennifer Roy, and Joseph Bruchac.
I write for kids. I know that some days, it feels like you're alone with your computer, and even your computer doesn't like you very much. So I thought I'd share K's reflection on her year of reading. We all need to realize when we write, we're writing for someone important. Someone like K, who's waiting for a book that's just for her, just for him.
If you write for kids, that's the work you're doing every day. You may never get to read the end-of-the-year essays, but you should know that you make a difference, and you're appreciated.
Currently Reading: The Brothers Grimm: Two Lives, One Legacy, Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Just Finished: Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear, From a Crooked Rib, Kitchen
Oh, I have a lot to talk about, I don't even know where to begin. It's like when you're writing a paper and you just become paralyzed with the enormity of the task before you and freeze up and never get started.
So... let's talk about some books, eh? I guess I'll focus on award winners and those with buzz. We'll see how far I get tonight!
First up on the block is the lovely
A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz
All Maud wants is to be adopted and to have a real family again. When the elderly
Hawthorne sisters take her home, Maud is overjoyed. She has nice clothes, good food, and indoor plumbing. What Maud doesn’t have is any friends—she’s not allowed to go to school or see visitors. Maud is a secret, and when she finds out
why, she has some very tough decisions to make about what’s important.
This was a very moving story about the compelling need for love and a home, versus doing what is right. At the same time, we get a good dose of spirituality and mediums and ghosts. It was wonderfully spooky without being scary.
I loved the way Maud's friendship developed with Muffet, the Hawthorne's deaf servant. I also liked the way that Maud really struggled with her decisions about what to do-- she didn't always want to do the right thing, and how Schlitz handles this conflict makes Maud so much more real and likeable.
It was getting a lot of well-deserved Newberry buzz and even though it didn't win and wasn't honored, you should still check it out.
Rules by Cynthia Lord.
This was a Newberry Honor, as well as the winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (for books about disabilities.)
Catherine is a twelve year old girl whose little brother, David, has autism. On one hand she is fiercely protective of him but on the other, she is mortified when h
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Jen,
Toby reminds me of my 10 year old pug Norma, who loves to review Kane Miller books with Michael,our three year old neighbor. Look at the K-M blog for 1/2/08 to see her picture. She's now 10 years old and loves to cuddle when I read.
Toby must like your cupboards as much as Norma likes ours. She also knows which cupboard is hers. AND, there must be something about K-M that attracts pug lovers. I'm looking forward to hearing more about Toby. Perhaps Norma and Toby are related. Some of Norma's relatives from Candyland Pugs now live in Michigan.
J