Gotta Keep Reading
March 19, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
MotherReader recently shared this video on her blog, and I’m so glad I took the five minutes out of my day to watch it. It’s so cool that Ocoee Middle School took the time to make this video and share it with everyone. What a great way to inspire young readers to pick up a book. I really enjoyed seeing what books I could spot in the crowd–
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The Giver
What others can you find?
Battle of the Books has Begun
March 15, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
School Library Journal’s Battle of the Books has begun and the first matchup is Charles and Emma vs. Claudette Colvin, judged by Jim Murphy.
I love how Murphy kicks off his judging with a confession…that they were both fabulous ideas and why didn’t he think of them? This was hilarious–I think every writer has that initial reaction to an amazing book.
His next confession? “Even after rereading these books several times, and even as my deadline for a decision came and went (sorry about that folks), I still couldn’t quite come to a final decision. Each book worked very well in its own way and each book featured unique, interesting individuals young readers should meet and learn from. Every time the scales tipped toward one book, I would think of something about the other to put the scales back in balance.”
So who did Murphy vote for? Who’s moving on to the next round? Who’s battling the rest of the week? Oh, so many questions, so little time…
Get Connected With Teen Tech Week
March 8, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Teen Tech Week, sponsored by YALSA (part of the American Library Association), is taking place all this week (March 7-13) and there are many ways to participate.
This week of techno fun is a national initiative aimed at teens, librarians, educators, and other concerned adults to encourage teens to take advantage of libraries’ non-print resources. YALSA has a variety of different activities and suggestions which can be found on their website. Teen Tech Week began in 2007 and has a general theme of Get Connected @ your library.
In the spirit of Teen Tech Week, Sourcebooks Fire (the YA imprint of Sourcebooks) is not only putting together a list of suggested activities, but they’re going to give students a moderated forum to showcase their work to almost 1,000 digitally inclined, teen fiction fanatics! Additionally, they will have the chance to win FREE BOOKS for both themselves and their libraries just by participating!
For Teen Tech week, The TeenFire social network is hosting the following events:
· Share a Book Video Contest: Are you the next James Cameron? Create a book trailer, video review, scene from a book or any other book related short video (3 mins MAX) and upload it to the TeenFire video archive for a shot to win FREE copies of any 5 Sourcebooks Fire books for you & your library. For contest details & tips on how to do this quickly (and for free!), check out the Share a Book forum on TeenFire.
· Mad Men of Literature: Put Don Draper to shame using all your creative & technological powers to design an ad to inspire your peers to pick up a book! Five winners will receive an 11×17 poster of their ad, with additional copies available to their library. A grand prize winner will also receive free copies of any 5 Sourcebook Fire books, as will the sponsoring libraries. For details & guidelines, check out the Mad Men of Literature forum on TeenFire.
· Pimp My Profile: Let your true colors show by customizing your profile page! The TeenFire network allows much more flexibility in picking colors, uploading graphics and posting videos than a regular facebook page! For the easiest contest to enter in all Teen Tech Week, design a unique profile page & enter to win one book of your choosing for both yourself and your library from Sourcebooks Fire. For details and guidelines, check out the Pimp My Profile forum on TeenFire.
· TeenFire Trailer Contest: The authors need your help! Create trailers for any Sourcebooks Fire titles and enter to win five Sourcebooks Fire books of your choosing for you and your library. Since many of their YA books aren’t out yet, Sourcebooks Fire has uploaded a few chapters of each title which can be read on each book group page. To register, check out the TeenFire Trailer forum on TeenFire.
Some additional resources that may be helpful during Teen Tech Week are…
Resources for Librarians about Online Social Networking
Teens and Social Networking in School and Public Libraries Toolkit (PDF)
Social Networking: A Guide for Teens (PDF)
Celebrate Small Press Month with Indie-Debut
March 5, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Did you know March is Small Press Month? Small Press Month, sponsored by the New York Center for Independent Publishing (formerly the Small Press Center) is held annually in March and raises awareness about the work of independent presses across the United States.
The New York Center for Independent Publishing is pleased to announce that their 22nd Book Fair will help kick off National Small Press Month. It will take place March 6th and 7th, 2010 in the General Society Library at 20 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Registration is now open.
But if you need another place to celebrate, what better place than Indie-Debut 2010– a debut group of authors whose books hail from small presses! Join us at Indie-Debut 2010 for our own month long blogobration! Be sure to drop by each week. We’ll have new interviews with small and indie publishers, agents and other members of the publishing industry. And make sure to join us on Fridays for exciting giveaways–all with a Small Press Theme!
Be sure not to miss anything! Our first publisher interview is up now and it’s my very own publisher–Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.. So head over to Indie-Debut 2010!
Should you enter a writing contest
February 5, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Have you ever entered a writing contest? If not, it’s something you really should consider.
I like to think of myself as sort of a poster child for contests! In 2009, I won the one page summary contest at Buried in the Slush pile (I got the opportunity to submit my middle-grade manuscript to Blooming Tree Press at a time when they’re not accepting submissions) , I took second place in The Children’s Writer’s nonfiction sports contest (that came with a monetary prize and mention in The Children’s Writer), and I won first place in the 2009 Dragonfly Publishing Inc. picture book contest (that came along with a publishing contract and I’m happy to say my picture book, The Bug That Plagued the Entire Third Grade, is being released this spring.)
If you want to know why you should consider contests, check out this great article by Laura Aldir-Hernandez for In The Beginning at KidMagWriters.com to learn what some contest winners, including the poster child herself, have to say about them.
Sourcebooks fire heats up social networks
January 26, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Nings are just one of the latest happenings in the world of social networking, alongside Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Basically, a Ning is an online social networking platform. Anyone can build a Ning using the tools at the Ning website and it’s a place for like-minded people to meet up, connect, discuss, and collaborate on any topic through forums, blogs, groups, videos, and photos.
One of the newest is the Sourcebooks Fire social network! Sourcebooks Fire is Sourcebooks’ new young adult imprint that’s officially launching with seven titles, including a bestselling paranormal romance series from the UK, a novel based on the true life story of teenage sisters who invented the séance in 1848, a romantic mystery set against the backdrop of the Civil War, and a supernatural thriller set in New York City.
Visit their new social network to find out about several exciting events, like a writing contest, a chance to be a teen reviewer and perhaps influence how they publish a book. Not to mention a star-studded launch party in New York City on March 18th and all are invited!! Tiger Beat, the only YA author rock band featuring Libba Bray, Dan Ehrenhaft, Barney Miller, and Natalie Standiford, will be providing entertainment! Other celebrity YA authors will also be in attendance, so you won’t want to miss the action.
In the coming weeks Sourcebooks Fire will be hosting giveaways, author chats, and a variety of other events, so check out the site and sign up for the newsletter to stay abreast of all the latest developments!
ALA announces children's literature awards
January 19, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Even when the winners were strongly predicted, it’s still exciting to find out who took home the John Newbery Medal and Randolph Caldecott Medal. The children’s book awards were announced Monday morning at the American Library Association’s midwinter conference in Boston.
When You Reach Me
The American Library Association also awarded the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children to The Lion & the Mouse
In addition to the Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners, four books were named Newbery Honor Books. These included:
“Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose
“The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly
“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin
” The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick.
The two Caldecott Honor Books were
“All the World” illustrated by Marla Frazee and written by Liz Garton Scanlon (also a Cybils picture book finalist)
“Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors” by Pamela Zagarenski.
But the awards didn’t stop there. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson won the Coretta Scott King Author award for “Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy US Marshal,” illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Charles R. Smith Jr. won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for “My People” written by Langston Hughes.
And one of my favorite awards…the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for most distinguished beginning reader book went to Benny And Penny in The Big No-No (Toon Books)
Four Geisel Honor Books were named:
“I Spy Fly Guy!” written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold
“Little Mouse Gets Ready,” written and illustrated by Jeff Smith
“Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends,” written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee
“Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day,” written by Kate McMullan, illustrated by R. W. Alley
Congrats to everyone!
Jon Scieszka hands over ambassador orb
January 6, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Cover of Bridge to Terabithia
Jon Scieszka, the author of picture books like “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” has officially handed over the ambassador orb. The outgoing National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature created tough shoes to fill, being the first person to hold the title. In honor of his accomplishments and contributions, A Year of Reading hosted a tribute to the man, the myth, the legend.
But with time comes change. On Tuesday, Katherine Paterson, two-time winner of the National Book Award and Newbery Medal was announced as the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Katherine Paterson’s international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. She’s best known for “Bridge to Terabithia,” but is also the author of “Jacob Have I Loved,” “The Great Gilly Hopkins,” and “The Master Puppeteer.”
Paterson has received many other accolades, including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, given by her home state of Vermont. Paterson was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2000.
Katherine Paterson has chosen “Read for Your Life” as the theme for her platform as she serves for 2010 and 2011.
“Katherine Paterson represents the finest in literature for young people,” said Dr. Billington. “Her renown is national as well as international, and she will most ably fulfill the role of a national ambassador who speaks to the importance of reading and literacy in the lives of America’s youth.”
The all-new Joy Cowley Collection
January 5, 2010 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Cover of Meanies' Night Out
Hameray Publishing Group recently released 15 all-new children’s books by award-winning author Joy Cowley. The highly anticipated return of Cowley’s famous characters – Mrs. Wishy-Washy, Dan the Flying Man, the Hungry Giant, the Meanies and Smarty Pants – promises to captivate today’s generation of early readers.
“Recently, many letters came from teachers telling me they learned to read with my books, and are now sharing that experience,” explains Cowley. “This truly warmed my heart! Within many of the letters were requests for further stories about student’s favorite characters. For this reason, I decided to revisit the special characters teachers already know well.”
Cowley introduced the much-loved Mrs. Wishy-Washy character in 1980, which quickly gained a strong following among educators. The character’s initial success led to the release of eight additional Mrs. Wishy-Washy titles between 1993 and 2005. Collectively, these titles sold over 40 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into many languages. While Mrs. Wishy-Washy remains Cowley’s most popular, all five of the revisited characters are celebrated by educators, critics and students alike.
The all-new Joy Cowley Collection is written for first and second grade reading levels, and is of interest to students in kindergarten to second grade. To further engage students in the joy of reading, selected big book versions are also available. Meanwhile, Cowley is completing 30 additional early reader titles for release within the next two years.
To celebrate Cowley’s return, the publisher is giving away 50 free complete sets of her new series through a drawing on its website. Educators may enter to win the books by visiting www.hameraypublishing.com. The contest closes on January 5, 2010.
Sharing a bedtime story miles away
December 31, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Cover of Julie Black Belt
Can’t be near an important youngster in your life at bedtime? Have no fear because a new website called A Story Before Bed lets parents, grandparents, and anyone with a special child in their lives record audio and video of themselves reading a children’s book right into their webcam. Children can then watch these recordings anytime they like right in their web browser. A Story Before Bed is perfect for remote grandparents, split families, parents away on business or in the military, or even just mom and dad heading out for an evening.
Anyone with a webcam and a web browser can choose a book from A Story Before Bed’s library of licensed and digitized high quality children’s books, record themselves reading that book, and share it with a special child in their lives. This is how it works:
The makers of this website, Jackson Fish Market, have worked closely with three launch publishing partners – Immedium, Charlesbridge Publishing, and Bubblegum Books to create a launch library of over 50 books. These publishers recognize the potential of a new marketplace for personalized digital versions of their content. This new marketplace will not only bring them additional revenue, but also reinforce the existing market for physical copies of their books. Jackson Fish Market is working with existing publishers as well as new high quality children’s book publishers to rapidly expand the library.
Military parents can sign up for a special mailing list offering free recordings and discounts for men and women in the United States armed forces stationed away from their children. Special deals, sales, and book announcements can be found by following @astorybeforebed on Twitter or simply subscribing to their mailing list.
A Story Before Bed is currently offering recordings at a special introductory price of $6.99 per recording. Each book recording may be shared and watched over and over again. Visit their website to see what a recorded book looks like when it’s done!
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