My state does a children’s choice award every year called the Golden Archer Award. It’s always a lot of fun reading the nominees aloud. This past week my K-2 students have been voting on their favorite. The winner for our school? INTERRUPTING CHICKEN by David Ezra Stein. Now it’s on to see what [...]
Fabulous middle grade I’ve read lately: I love ensemble stories. This one revolves around an orange tree in a vacant lot, with three friends, a sick brother, a cool nanny, an old friendship, buried treasure, a shy boy, and hidden fears and dreams. Author’s website Reading Group Guide Orange Street pdf (2.3MB) DRAW YOUR OWN [...]
I’m eagerly awaiting the ALA Youth Media Awards in the morning. Hoping I can catch the announcements before my day of professional development begins. However, as much I as look forward to this each year, I have to admit, sometimes I’m a wee bit disappointed. I’m not saying that there’s anything flawed in the way [...]
Hello, folks. I have decided to try and post more regularly here in 2012. So, inspired by author Tammi Sauer’s “Talk It Up Tuesday” posts, where she give a shout out to a favorite picture book each week, I’ve come up with “Check It Out Tuesday.” (Get it? Cause I work in a library? How it’s like [...]
A great interview with Brian Lies, Malcom at Midnight‘s illustrator, at the Hipster Dad, http://www.thehipsterdad.com/2011/10/interview-with-brian-lies-author.html. In it, Brian mentions working on Malcolm. It is an amazing experience to see characters you made up outside of your head for the first time. And Brian has done an incredible job bringing the critters of McKenna School to [...]
People other than my children, my agent, and my editor have read MALCOLM! And they’ve said some nice things about my book. Richard Peck, author of at least a million books (most recently, SECRETS AT SEA), winner of the Newbery Medal for A YEAR DOWN YONDER, and one of my favorite authors when I was [...]