Yes, I am! In fact, I’m presenting there. And signing books (Lerner booth, Sunday 12:15). Come see me! Here’s the scoop on the presentation:
Nonfiction Book Blast!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Convention Center Room W181
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
ALA Annual Conference, Chicago
wiki at http://nfbookblast.pbworks.com/
Track: Children & Young Adults; Literature & Collection Development
Despite the emphasis on fiction for leisure reading in schools, many reluctant readers are often more drawn to reading nonfiction. Expand your nonfiction repertoire as 17 authors booktalk their latest work.
Panelists include award-winning and acclaimed authors April Pulley Sayre (Vulture View), Kelly Halls (Albino Animals), and Carla McClafferty (Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium), as well as many additional prolific or brand new authors. Their booktalks, plus new ones crafted by audience members, will be yours to take back home to excite your students about reading nonfiction.
The Nonfiction Book Blast speakers (click on name for author website and title for book description) who will join moderator Sharon Mitchell, include:
Lisa Rondinelli Albert, Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow Publishers, May 2009), So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor (Enslow Publishers, 2008)
Mary Bowman-Kruhm, The Leakeys: A Biography (Prometheus Books, 2009)
Laura Crawford, In Arctic Waters (Sylvan Dell Publishing), The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z (Pelican Publishing), Postcards From Chicago (Raven Tree Press)
Jeri Chase Ferris, With Open Hands: The Story of Biddy Mason (Lerner), Arctic Explorer: Matthew Henson (Lerner)
Kelly Milner Halls, Dinosaur Parade (Lark/Sterling Publishers, 2008), Saving the Baghdad Zoo (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, 2009), Tales of the Cryptids (Darby Creek Publishing, 2006)
Amy S. Hansen, Bugs and Bugsicles: Insects in the Winter (Boyds Mills Press, 2010), Touch the Earth (NASA and NFB, 2009)
Gwendolyn Hooks, Makers and Takers (Rourke Publishing, 2008)
Katherine L. House, Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities (Chicago Review Press, 2008)
Patricia K. Kummer, The Great Barrier Reef (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), The Great Lakes (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2009), North Korea and South Korea (two books) (Scholastic/Children’s Press, 2008)
Suzanne Lieurance, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Sweatshop Reform in American History (Enslow Publishers, Inc.)
JoAnn Early Macken, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House, 2008)
Carla Killough McClafferty, In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)
Wendie Old, The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman), The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun (Albert Whitman)
April Pulley Sayre, Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family (Henry Holt, 2009)
Anastasia Suen, Wired (Charlesbridge, 2007), The U.S. Supreme Court (Picture Window Books)
Christine Taylor-Butler, SACRED MOUNTAIN: Everest (Lee and Low Books, 2009)
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Donald Wojahn, Follow That Food Chain (Lerner, 2009)
I just found out from Scholastic and Booklinks that my 
Big congrats out to all the ALA Award winners. And an extra special heartfelt one for ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Our local public library is in the midst of a huge fund-raising effort. 3.2 million dollars to expand and remodel, with the bulk of it going to a new children’s section. Beside the obvious library and reading connection for me, I moved to this town when I was in second grade. The same year that the existing building was opened. We’ve grown up together; it’s one of my all-time favorite places to be. When I go there, even now, it’s like visiting old friends because I always remember how excited I was as a kid to find the next book in Ramona or Anne or Meg or Nancy’s adventures.
Well, a few weeks back, all the schools in the area were contacted to see if they would like to involve their students with raising funds at their school. I thought this was a great idea. Our school already does a lot of community service–and since much of the money will go to improving youth services, this was a great concrete way for our students to see their results. Then I found out that what the public library had in mind. They’re organizing a penny drive called the Big Penny. And I got excited because it was so similar to the manuscript on