How can you not pick up a book with a blurb from Jon Stewart on the cover? I never miss THE DAILY SHOW, the best news program on TV. So, when one of his producers writes a book for kids, I want to read it. I AM A GENIUS OF UNSPEAKABLE EVIL AND I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT probably will appeal more to older than younger readers. It is smart and funny but mostly snarky. Oliver masquerades as a bullied 8th grader. In reality, he is one of the wealthiest people in the world. Now he wants to win the election as class president to settle a long standing score against his own father. How he goes about manipulating the entire process is painfully funny, painful as there is some truth to the extent Oliver will go to in order to win the election. Short chapters with a breezy narrative means it is a quick read as well.

Here, BTW, is the new photo of yours truly taken by my hubby yesterday. Who is this old lady with too many chins? When did she take over?

What a grand day. It began with Jackie Woodson and ended with Christopher Paul Curtis. In between, I had the chance to talk to friends, colleagues, former and current students. Here are a couple of photos from the day.

Left Carrollton (Missouri) and drove 250 miles to Springfield yesterday afternon after my first workshop. Am listening to M.T. Anderson's PALS IN PERIL. Perfect companion for this journeyo through Missouri. Head to Columbia after today's workshop and plan to finish the audio.

Yesterday, I asked the workshop participants to envision their perfect tween space. Money was no object. What would they want? Answers:

a separate area with seating not intended for adults
multiple copies of the books that they love
audio "centers"
plenty of computers
art supplies
a tween librarian
room for conducting programs so they could be noisy as needed
display area for their work


Wish I had seen this piece from PW earlier, but it is fascinating. Would love to see more details. Check it out:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6703770.html

Now off to shower, grab coffee and grub, and head to the library.

I spent most of the day reading. However, this was reading of a slightly different nature and purpose. I was reading the last page proofs for my forthcoming book from Heinemann, READING LADDERS. Good thing, too, since I discovered that the pull quotes for each chapter had disappeared from the normal text. That left some ideas hanging out there seemingly with no connection to the paragraph. Thankfully, that has been fixed, and the text reads so much better now.




For the most part, I find it interesting to read the manuscript after having it put aside for a month or two. Already there are some areas I might address with a new approach and there are TONS of new titles I would include. But, by and large, I am happy with this book and hope it meets with some measure of success. I often remark that I still shake my head when I say, "my third book." I never ever thought I would write a book let alone more than one. And yet, here I am, proofreading #3. The writing and revising and editing also gives me some small glimpse into the work of those I admire including Laurie Halse Anderson and Alex Flinn who both celebrate their birthdays today.

Yesterday was spent having one last breakfast with my friend in NY (corned beef hash--yum!), picking up bagels to bring home to the better half (my suitcase still smells of onions) and boarding a plane for the flight back to Houston. We had a delay on the ground (I suspect because the Prez was in air space over NY) so I finished HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford. I loved this book and hated to see it end. It is snarkily smart and that is a tough combination to pull off.




Beatrice is the new student (again) as her family moves from Ithaca to Boston. She finds herself seated alphabetically between a student known as Ghost Boy. Jonah (his real name) holds secrets deep inside but manages to welcome Beatrice (Robot Girl) into his world, a world that includes a late night call in program called Night Lights. Together the two begin to forge a relationship of sorts. Their friendship is affected by all sorts of events: Bea's mother's seemingly nervous breakdown, Jonah's learning that his twin brother is still alive and not dead from the car accident that killed his mother. Confused? Perhaps that is because this is a book that defies "telling." Instead, offer up some of the observations made by Jonah and Beatrice and the callers into the late night programs. The arc of the story, though, is truly a work of art. The friendships and relationships form mirrors of one another; as one friendship sours, a new one begins to flourish, etc. Quirky characters, insights into life beyond high school, pathos, empathy: it's all here.

At the end of the month I head for a week of workshops in Missouri on tweens.

With classes beginning and wedding nearing, I have had precious little time. I hope that later this week I can tackle some of the new stuff that has arrived. In the meantime, here is a Power Point from the session I will do next week in San Antonio as part of the Reading on the River Institute sponsored by Heinemann and conducted by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst.

The cover is not exactly right; this is the cover for an older paperbackj edition from a different publisher. Coming from Little Brown (November 2009) is a new edition of THE UNUSUAL MIND OF VINCENT SHADOW. This perfect middle grades (4-6 grade) book follows the wacky inventions of one Vincent Shadow. When Vincent gets an idea for an invention (*and his are for new toys), he can see nothing else, literally. His mother built him a secret lab in the attic of his NYC home and Vincent has been hard at work on items such as the Fib Finder Pen (which has a polygraph built into the pen) and a water gun that refills itself from the humidity in the air. Now there is a contest for best new toy, one that Vincent might just win. Of course, nothing will run smoothly on the path to invention.

Mean stepsisters and stepmother, an eccentric inventor, and various other characters combine to make this a story that combines stereotypes and archetypes. Vincent is a compelling young man and one can only hope for more of his adventures down the road.

We are in the throes of spring like weather right now. We went from heat to turning on all the ceiling fans and opening up the doors to let the outdoors in a bit. Scout loves it; he sits at the door with his nose pressed against the screens. When he is not sleeping, that is.

Had some time this afternoon to read, SOMETHING TO BLOG ABOUT (Amulet/Abrams, 2008). When Libby decides to keep an online journal, she is careful to lock it so that no one else can read it. Into the blog, she pours out her feelings of love (for the very dreamy Seth) and loathing (for her nemesis, Angel) and frustration (for her mother who is dating Angel's father). Of course, Angel manages to get into Libby's blog and all sorts of complications occur. However, in this gently funny romance, all will work out, right?

The combination of blog pages, IM pages and traditional text will definitely appeal to contemporary readers. Most females will identify with Libby and her fairly typical adolecsent angst. Short chapters make this a good option for reluctant female readers, too.

Scholastic served up a tasty treat this morning with Suzanne Collins, Rodman Philbrick, Tammy Pierce, Elvira Woodruff, and Susan Campbell Bartoletti reading from their latest or forthcoming books. Then, a nice backpack (with the 30 CLUES logo) packed with their books and a cool calendar. Nice way to start the day. Tonight is the ALAN reception and then dinner with the lovely Victoria Stapleton and Little Brown.

Dinner last night with Joan Bauer, Tomie dePaola, Laurie Halse Anderson, Greg Mortenson, Paul Volponi, John Green and others was lovely and fun with more readings. I will return home laden with books and extra pounds, too.

I had a few minutes before I left the hotel this morning to head over to the Hilton in SLC for the ALSC Institute. I was not paying too much attention to the TV since I was loading up the laptop and handouts when I heard Whoopi Goldberg on the view talking about a fundraiser sponsored by some conservative groups (including Focus on the Family) that thought this was funny and not racist:

http://www.obamawaffles.com/pages/indexPALIN.html

Are you kidding me? This is not funny. It is racist. And it is not a focus on any family to which I want membership. How simple it is these days to use derogatory language and call it humor. Palin's references to Obama clearing the waters and healing the earth was, IMHO, hardly worthy of someone who calls herself a Christian. Her sneering take on community organizers, ditto. And yet when folks skewer her for her lack of experience, it is sexist. Her unwed teen daughter is a choice and not, as some of the more conservative folks would label any other unwed mother, a sign that we are going to hell in a handbasket and need to return to traditional values and be better parents. Obama is criticized for his education, part of the elite label targeted against anyone, I guess, who has managed to get through a tough law school without daddy's money being a factor.

The internet ads from McCain last week that suggested that Obama had called Palin a pig were reprehensible. I saw the clips in their entirety (something the ads did not show). Shame on McCain for approving the ad. I think he (McCain) finally admitted that he did not think Obama had called Palin a name. Too late now. When Karl Rove complains about the tactics, you know Armageddon is near.

Rant over. Off to read a bit before bedtime. Tomorrow is another long day, but Chris Curtis is the lunch speaker and there is an evening reception at the SLC Public Library. Should be fun.

I sat in a session given by K.T. Horning, Jim Jacobs, and Marsha Broadway on books for children and tweens and young teens. I so enjoyed listening to others talk about books for 90 minutes. Now I have anotehr list of books to be read as soon as I can. There are over 200 here for the institute and more than 80 of them were in my session and the one on books I sat in: testament to what is important, I think.

Several of the listservs have been abuzz with the story about Palin's attempt to ban books. One list has asked us to suspend the discussion as it is political. YA THINK? Of course this is political. As Banned Books Week approaches, let's take this discussion on and make certain folks hear about what censors would have us remove.

ETA: I removed the list of books Palin had objected to from this post as it caused my comment box to be filled with some nasty comments. I copied the list from another blog that indicated it was from a TIME article. However, I just checked the article and there is no list. Even if there were, I suppose there would be people who would rationalize it away. How sad.


So, what is safe reading fare according to Palin, folks? I wonder if someone will ask her for book recommendations????

I am not much for self help books. I like to wallow in my own misery. A little pity party now and then is good for what ails you. However, this book might have come in handy when I was MUCH younger. I think I will put this one on a shelf since the two resident teens are still pretty much of the "boys are stupid; throw rocks at them" variety. This books likens the stages to getting over being dumped to the stages of dealing with death and dying. The chapters, then, are entitled: denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. Concrete suggestions for dealing with each stage, music to play: it is all here to help with the healing.

This might make a good selection for an all-girls book club.

1. Hannah, the narrator, is dead by her own hand as the story opens.
2. Clay, a young man who liked Hannah, receives tapes Hannah made to tell her story.
3. This remarkable book details the little cruelties that weigh us down.
4. The 13 people responsible in some way for Hannah's suicide, will listen to these tapes.
5. What part does Clay play? Could he have caused Hannah to want to harm herself.
6. The novel unfolds inside Clay's head as he listens to the tapes.
7. As each tape plays in Clay's Walkman, readers catch glimpses into the lives of teens.
8. Most teens will find someone like themselves within the pages.
9. As Corrie (16) said as soon as she saw the book, "I need to read this book."
10. It will lead reluctant readers to other books (TWISTED comes to mind immediately).
11. Avid readers will find the book riveting as well.
12. Teachers need to read this book as do counselors.
13. I say so.

Here is the list of the Teens Top Ten for 2007 in rank order based on number of votes received. For more details about the TTT, visit the YALSA web site: www.ala.org/yalsa/

The 2007 Teens’ Top Ten is:
1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
2. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children’s Books, 2006)
3. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles (Flux, 2006).
4. Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson (Hachette Book Group USA/Little,Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
5. Firegirl by Tony Abbott (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
6. All Hallows Eve (13 Stories)by Vivian Vande Velde (Harcourt, 2006).
7. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt, 2006).
8. River Secrets by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury, 2006).
9. Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (HarperCollins, 2006).
10. Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Chicken House, 2006).

So when you cannot sleep in a hotel room that is growing its own mold (wet carpet in several places) and moving int horizontal positions makes you choke, there is only one thing to do: read, of course. KETURAH AND LORD DEATH is a book from last year that flew under my radar (so many books, etc.), so I cracked it open and fell into a wondrous almost Scheherazade type of tale. after following a hart into the forest, Keturah becomes hopelessly lost. When Death comes to gather her, she strikes a deal with this surprisingly handsome man: if she can find her true love, Death must release her.

From this premise the story blooms into Keturah's search for the man she is destined to marry. Keturah and the people of her village all have stories to tell; each is compelling. And along the way, Keturah learns much about herself in the course of assisting others. Fantasy meets romance in this dark but mesmerizing tale. I suspect the kids who adore TWILIGHT will find this sophisticated and tightly plotted novel a must read.

Middle grade novels are a tricky thing. The audience is quirky at best. I can say that having survived it with 3 granddaughters now. A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT is one of those rare beasts: a middle grade novel that is a perfect blend of humor and sharp observation and a little bit of the pain that age brings. Zoe is ten, soon to be eleven. She wants more than anything to have a piano and learn to play. She even fancies that she will be a prodigy if only given the chance to play. Her father, the recipient of MANY certificates from Living Room University (and one of the sources of the wit in this book) buys her instead an organ, a Perfectone D-60. Along with the organ comes lessons from one Mabelline Person (pronounced Per- SOHN, thank you) who enters Zoe in an organ competition.

There are several subplots that reflect perfectly the life of so many of our tweens: best friends who are no longer best friends, boys who might be boyfriends or just friends who are boys, pesky neighbor boys who might actually become friends, mothers who are embarrassing, and a father who is a few bubbles off plumb. Urban manages to keep all these stories in line so they never overshadow Zoe. One of the ways this feat is pulled off is with the structure of the novel, more a series of quick snapshots or vignettes. Since the story is "chopped" in this way, there is never a sense of losing one's way as a reader. A remarkable feat, indeed.

And now it is time to throw myself in bed and try to recharge for another 6 hour seminar tomorrow, the third one in as many days and as many cities.

Somehow I managed to stay awake long enough last night (I think it had to do with the state of the hotel room where I was staying--not going there right now) to finish Martha Brooks' MISTIK LAKE. Now I can add my voice to the others praising this novel. I have long been a fan of this author. Her story collection, THE LEAVING AND OTHER STORIES, is perfection. MISTIK LAKE is a novel that spans three generations of women in one family, a family often marked by tragedy but also marked by their strong women, young and old. Odella is 17 and is wondering about some of the family secrets suddenly coming to light. Somehow these secrets seem connected to Mistik Lake. It was the place where Odella's mother managed to walk away from a tragic accident that killed some of her friends. It is the place her Auntie Gloria avoids when she can. And now it is the place that connects her to Jimmy Tomasson.

As the title suggests, the lake is the source of great sorrow and tremendous happiness as well. What is the hallmark of Brooks' work is her ability to find the heart of the story. David Booth in READING DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE makes a wonderful observation when he reminds us that reading has to be about the heart of the story or it does not matter to kids or to us. This book has so much heart and that is exemplified in Odella's ability to deal with loss and still seek her own happiness. Wow.