Kid*Lit(erary)

Can it really be???

2008-03-22T11:29:00.001-07:00

I think I am suspending this blog, and moving my online life over to the blog at my new author site!!!I will still be reviewing books, and I will still be ranting (likely more often) about nothing in particular, and my writing life in detail. But I have too many blogs, so I want to smoosh them all together...Please go ahead and bookmark the new site? Thanks so much!

Poetry Friday!!!

2008-03-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

I first started reading Tomaz Salamun in college, where my teacher (who had been a Fulbright to Yugoslavia) was obsessed with Slovenian poets.Over the years, I've had the opportunity to meet Tomaz in several places. First in a cabin on Lake Bled, then in my own kitchen in Chattanooga, and finally at a party in Iowa City. The guy gets around.And I love him. I love him, love him, love him. And I

This week... a tornado and a leprecaun!!!

2008-03-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! A tornado touched down in my neighborhood, or right around the corner anyway. But I wasn't here... I was deep below ground, in the IKEA parking lot, hiding out with the kids. Ack!!!Whew!!!Now... in honor of St. Patrick's Day (yes, that's right... my other blog is JewishyIRISHY!) a poem, from Ireland! One I read over and over and over and over as a kid, as it was included in

Poetry Friday REDUX!!!

2008-03-14T12:22:00.001-07:00

I didn't realize it was Dylan Day!Here, in honor, is a prosey poem I wrote about a year ago.**Dear Bob Dylan,The me I was at every time before this time was yours. No longer. The me of smoke and mirrors for long stretches. The me of down on my knees and night in the cemetery and attic apartments and dreamily, dreamily, thin. The me of my ridiculous then. I was deathly serious. I was

POETRY FRIDAY!!!

2008-03-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

I am loving Poetry Friday! It is letting me dig around in my brain, wander through the poems I loved long ago, outgrew, and am ready to come back to (much as I am returning to all the books I loved in the many wild long agos of my already). Anyone else remember this Norman Dubie poem? Please, do yourself a favor and ready the last 4 lines!!I'll consider this my kiss-off to winter!Of Politics

Good Stuff!!!

2008-03-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been reading Anne Ursu's Shadow Thieves, and it's delightful, and funny, and contemporary and smart and all that good stuff.But the end ROCKS! I will not give it away, but it DOES!Though there is still one thing I'm confused about... probably because I fall asleep reading (which I do with all books) and missed a key page. Sigh.(To folks who read the book, do you understand how

Poetry Friday!!!

2008-03-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

Poetry Friday today, and I'm dashing out the door with the kids... to take my husband his laptop, which he left home.But all week I have had a poem in my head, a poem I loved a long time ago, in college. I think it's resonating this week because I long to slooooooow down, have a remarkable moment (or two, or three).Maybe a little cheesey, but here it is, by James Wright:A BlessingJust off the

Fine Lines...

2008-03-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

What I am doing a pathetic, irregular attempt at accomplishing with this blog...Is being hysterically, successfully, wonderfully executed over at Fine Lines. Lizzie Skurnick is a wonder, and if you read YA/kidlit and you do not know this weekly feature, you are missing OUT!This week she's talking about Louise Fitzhugh's The Long Secret (yes, the sequel to Harriet the Spy, silly!)(Oh, I am so

The Treasures of Weatherby...

2008-02-29T18:41:00.000-08:00

I hadn't heard anything about the Treasures of Weaterby, which led me to think it would fall flat. But you know what?I loved it!The story of a young boy (Harleigh) living in a falling-to-pieces manor house, with an assortment of odd and old family members, the book falls into the category of "books about kids with mysterious places to explore", which I LOVE! Hidden spaces, overgrown gardens,

Poetry Friday!!!

2008-02-29T05:29:00.001-08:00

I apologize that this will make 2 PF posts in a row, but my BOOK IS DUE on Monday, and as I've been dashing toward that deadline, I haven't had time to read or blog. This will all change on Monday. Monday Monday Monday Monday...Now that that's out of the way.... it's POETRY FRIDAY!Today I'm taking a deep deep breath and posting something original for the first time. Not my adult poetry, but a

Poetry Friday!!!

2008-02-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

Here in the kidlitosphere... it's Poetry Friday again!Today I'm linking to my very favorite of John Berryman's Dream Songs. Because I've always thought of it as a children's poem, even though it really isnt. But that line, my mother told me as a boy/ (repeatingly) "Ever to confess you're bored/ means you have no/ Inner Resources." reminds me so strongly of childhood.Though my teacher put it

The Country Bunny!!!

2008-02-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

The Country Bunny & the Little Gold Shoes!Remember?Written by Du Bose Heyward, with art by Marjorie Flack, this is an Easter book I remember reading year round. The country bunny attains the exalted position of Easter Bunny in spite of her responsibilities as the mother of twenty-one children. "It is difficult to believe that this very modern feminist tale was originally written in 1939. A gem of

The worst picture book EVER!!!

2008-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

You may *think* you've read the worst book ever but you have not. Because you have not ( I assume) read DRIPPY!It really looks like this. All pixelated-like.Inside is worse!!!

Poetry Friday: Matthea Harvey...

2008-02-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I spent all week excited to post about the wonderful poets I read who are also beginning to write for kids. There are more and more of them!Matthew Harvey has published 3 collections of poetry (and the picture book, The Little General and the Giant Snowflake) , and the most recent was abig dang deal, nominated for the NBCC Award. But I'm posting (below) a poem from her first book (Pity

Happy February!!!

2008-02-11T11:23:00.001-08:00

Remember the box with the slit in the top? Remember the lumpy little white envelopes that you knew meant there was candy inside? Remember counting counting, counting your cards?

Poetry Friday!!!

2008-02-08T04:40:00.001-08:00

I've never participated in Poetry Friday before. In part, I think, because I didn't quite understand what it was-- being new to the kidlitosphere and all. And also because poetry is my "other life" and in my head, I talk about it too much already.But today I got the reminder for poetry friday, and found I wanted to play too!Today, two offerings--First, a link to a litmag that might be of

Sequels...

2008-02-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

I often hate sequels, but I just finished the third Olivia Kidney book, and I gotta say-- that Ellen Potter is smart!I too have longed to write about the old pneumatic train tunnel beneath New York, full of chandeliers and mosaics... about the mole people and the spooks. Damn you, Ellen Potter, for beating me to it!I loved the William James references! I loved that Olivia was allowed to grow

Oh! Oh! Oh!!!

2008-02-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

I've known for a bit that galley copies (ARCs) of Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains had gone out, and I even saw a photo a friend took, of one on the Random House table at ALA. But this morning I saw this tidbit (from the lovely Sara Lewis Holmes) and now I am rejoicing to see that the ARC is actually in the hands of a real live reader, (besides my mom), none other than Anamaria Anderson of

The Blue Valentine....

2008-02-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else remember this book? I remember loving it, but cannot find a copy around here.Today we went to a Valentine making party (all of us in red and pink. I wore red plaid pants. Wowza!) and as I smeared glitter-glue around, I suddenly, with a massive flash of recall, thought of this book...

Win free books...

2008-01-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

Join the scavenger hunt and in a matter of minutes you can enter to win 3 new books from the Class of 2k8. Yeah!

By George!!! (warning: nitpickiness alert)

2008-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I've not had much reading time of my own lately, because my son is obsessed (OBSESSED!) with Curious George, and I've spent all my time reading this book instead of, say, catching up on the award books...And while I loved George myself as a kid, I have to say that I HATE THIS BOOK! In particular I hate the opening lines of each of the stories in the treasury. Each begins like so:This is

I stole...

2008-01-17T08:56:00.001-08:00

That's right. I'm a bad bad girl, an evil plagiarist.And a terrible secret keeper.

Sorry I'm not blogging reviews...

2008-01-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm too busy meeting my heroes.Can you identify this man?Yeah, that's me. And my book. And my baby. And...I'm cool!(Or a cheeseball???)Oh, who cares. It was FUN!

The Last Book...

2008-01-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that we kidlitters should participate in this cool project:Open call for collaborations (second call)The Last Book is a project to compile written as well as visual statements in which the authors may leave a legacy for future generations. The premise of the project is that book-based culture is coming to an end. On one hand, new technologies have introduced cultural mutations by

Public Domain...

2008-01-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

I thought this was of interest, a story sent to me by my very very good friend (and wicked smart-librarian) James:Much of the world gets to celebrate today as Public Domain Day as well, the day when a whole year’s worth of copyrights enter the public domain for anyone to copy or reuse as they like.In countries that use the “life plus 50 years” minimum standard of the Berne Convention, works by

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-02T06:04:00.000-08:00

After an evening of sparkling beverages, fireworks, and late-night babies, we woke slowly...and found our bathroom wall was rotting!!! So we are starting 2008 by spending money we don't really have to retile a bathroom we barely manage to clean anyway (perhaps *that* was the beginning of the problems)...But this only intensifies my need to finish THE DANG BOOK and turn it in. Because I can ill

Totally leebossa!!!

2007-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Don't let this ick-en-spick new cover fool you, The Secret Language is just as leebossa as you remember it. And I'm plugging it today because the recent Terebithia movie got me thinking about Nordstrom's only book. Both are books about lonely kids, and about deep singular friendships and secret imaginings that make the world a bigger place. And while in Terebithia it's a pretend place that

Not entirely a coincidence...

2007-12-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

That I happen to be taking a few Pinkwaters with me on vacation this week, at the very same time that somebody else has just interviewed Daniel Pinkwater, America's Greatest Writer.Not *entirely*.

What I'm up to...

2007-12-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah... excuses excuses...No, really, I *have* been reading. But mostly I've just been reading this over and over and over again, to my elephant-addicted son. And while I don't love it enough to blog it, my son's discerning toddler-tastes would indicate that Gilles Bachelet is a total genius, and worthy of kidliterati status.No really, it's cute.But enough about my kid. What about ME?!

Genius...

2007-12-17T05:38:00.000-08:00

I just found out that Lewis Carroll invented the work "chortle"! A hybrid of the words "chuckle" and "snort".Did you know? Probably you did...But I find this to be a wonderful thing, and I'm feeling glad I didn't let my editor change my word "glop" to "blob" as she desired...So glad I'm chortling.

New site!!!

2007-12-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

My new site is live and AWESOME... if I do say so myself.Stop by for a sneak peek of some of Jaime Zollars' amazing artwork for Inside the Slidy Diner.Great great thanks to Jeff Skinner, my superdoooooper designer.

No, no, no...

2007-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

To the person who got here with a google search: ferdinand the bull gay.You are stupid.Ferdinand is not gay. Nor is he straight. He is a bull. And let me tell you, the average bull is likely to fornicate with just about anything that fits when he has a mind to. But I do not think he forms romantic attachments.Not even Ferdinand.I wonder if you are assuming that anyone who likes flowers is gay.

The no-review review...

2007-12-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you about my favorite Chanukah picture book because....As far as I know, no truly amazing Chanukah-book-for-kids has yet been written. And I don't mean an acceptable book. I don't mean a "Wee-ell, it's pretty good, and the pictures are nice, and if we don't give them something they'll read Frosty the snow-man or How Little Bun-Bun Went to Jesus Land..." I mean GOOD! Nothing GOOD

Cures for Heartbreak...

2007-11-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Margo Rabb's Cures for Heartbreak kicks total tush.I do not, as a rule, read a lot of YA fiction, and I'll admit I only read this one because it landed in my lap and (full discoslure) I happen to know Margo. A little bit.But wow.Because of my recent resolution to stop overthinking, I will not pick it apart. I will just say this-- I cried.This is a book like life, a little messy and a little

Lots of Good Books...

2007-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

So, I was going to review The Mysterious Benedict Society, but I crashed my car, and while I was embroiled in that insanity, I began reading the Neddiad...Then I was going to review the Neddiad, but I crashed our other car!!! Two cars!!! And while I was embroiled in *that* insanity, I began reading the Canning Season (although the hardback cover is tons better than the paperback you can see on

More excuses...

2007-11-12T18:30:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I had TWO car accidents. TWO! And I know I'm way behind on my blogging, but did I mention that I had TWO CAR CRASHES???!!!And then, on top of that insane mess, I FINALLY got permission to show you THIS! It's the cover of my book (done by the remarkable Greg Call). MY BOOK< "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains", coming out next August from Random House. So really, I can't be expected

Soon, soon...

2007-10-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

I really want to blog about the Mysterious Benedict Society. But I crashed my car, lost my Grandma, and discovered that both my sons have fevers. All in one day.So it'll have to wait.Say a little prayer?

Dumbledore is gay!!!

2007-10-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

So, the kidlit threads and blogs are alive with the Gay Dumbledore saga... and in fact, it's fascinating.One big question is HOW we teach when we have "secret information" from a living author. Information not in the text (though there's nothing in the text to refute).Another issue is whether Rowling chickened out. Whether she should have/could have been more opaque, more detailed in her exposure

Young Readers' Guide to Contemporary Poetry...

2007-10-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

What would people think of such a thing? A truly contemporary list of poets who might interest young (let's say high school) readers. And tips on how best to teach and best use their work?Last I checked, ee cummings was still being taught as "wacky new poetry".

My kind of blog...

2007-10-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a fan of finding adult themes in kidlit. And (as we all know) I'm a freak for Edward eager. So THIS BLOG is pretty much rocking my little world. "Collective Farming Experiment" indeed!I'll be adding Oz and Ends to my daily reads...

Kids and Poetry...

2007-10-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

Speaking of poetry... what do people think of it?Now, stop yawning! That isn't funny!Okay, that's a leetle funny, but seriously... I was interviewed the other day, and they asked a question about the first poems I can remember loving. And this was, for me, a very easy question. Because poetry, when I was little, when I read formal poetry and loved the sing-song quality of it... poetry was IT!

Poems!!!

2007-10-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

I try not to use this blog to promote my various (and scattered) non-kid-related projects. But I'm just soooooooo excited about this, I can't keep from announcing that ...MY BOOK OF POEMS IS HERE!And while it is decidely NOT for kids (there are naughty words) the cover was done by the wildly talented artist who is illustrating my picture book.So that's something... kiddish.I know not everyone

It would seem...

2007-10-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

It would seem that a revolution began this week, at the first EVER Kidlitosphere Conference. There's all kinds of fun coverage online.(there's a ton of other folks blogging it, but I'm in need of sleep, so you'll have to play link-link-link to find them!) I love conferences. I love kidlit. I love bloggers. I love Chicago.So this pretty much sounds like heaven, and I'm sad I missed it.But next

The Dark is Rising...

2007-10-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

In the form of a movie...Dark days ahead for fans of Susan Cooper, I fear...Yes indeed... if you read this blog... you're into kidlit, and if you're into kidlit... I probably don't have to tell you that Susan Cooper's AMAZING series, The Dark is Rising, has been made into a movie. Out this week! The movie is called called "The Seeker" and I'm not going to blog about it here. Because it is

Literacy!!!

2007-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

SUBMIT a text to the PICTURE BOOK CARNIVAL!I don't fully understand how this works yet myself, but I'm all for literacy, picture books, mentoring, anf bloggers!I think the gist is that they're compiling a list of picture books that help promote reading/writingskills in kids, along with ideas for how/why to use the texts... SUBMIT!

Grumpy Bird...

2007-09-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've been trying not to write too often about picture books, in part because I figure you don't need me to tell you that Hop of Pop will make your child happy (though it will also resound in your brain like a drill after umpteen consecutive readings), and in part because it seems cheaty to "review" books that're only 800 words long.But you really need to check out Grumpy Bird, and I've been

The Outsiders...

2007-09-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

There's a really wonderful piece of writing today in the New York Times Book Review, a bit about S.E. Hinton and her insanely good book, The Outsiders (and if you've never read it, I think you somehow missed your teen years). I was not (in my own teen years) and am not now, especially interested in YA books. But The Outsiders was different-- more in a club with Catcher in the Rye than the

Ferdinand the Bull...

2007-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight I'm thinking about politics. Because I wrote a bad scene today, a scene in my new book, a chunk of clunky dialogue about war, which I could NOT get right. So now I'm wondering whether our political leanings have any place in children's literature. I'm not sure...I mean, on the one hand, I feel like they absolutely do. Like children's literature is the best place to help educate our

Madeleine L'engle...

2007-09-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Read my reflection on the amazing Madeleine L'engle over here, at Salon.com !L'Engle once said, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." And this line of hers, which has been taped above my desk ever since I decided to try to write for kids, still rings true. It shows such deep respect for children,

Narnia in pictures...

2007-09-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

(the only cover I've ever known)Bookslut's Heather Smith takes on Narnia-art, and hits the nail on the head.Though honestly, I'd loooooove to see Hilary Knight take on "spooky bunny noir Watership Down". In fact, I'd love to see Hilary Knight take on anything. Edward Gory and Edward Eager too. I'd like to see any of those three illustrate ANYTHING. The Joy of Cooking. The Bible. My mother's

Jesus Christ and the Deathly Hallows...

2007-09-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I have managed to hold off this long on HP7. And not only have I managed to hold off on reading the book, I've managed to hold off on reading the press surrounding the book, including all spoilers and reviews. Honest to gosh, I went in with no sense of what I was about to read. So I don't know whether or not I'm "supposed to" love it or hate it.But I love it. I totally do.

Quick bit...

2007-08-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Via Jacketflap... I stumbled accross Jen Robinson's great post on Zilpha Keatly Snyder, who wrote many of my favorite childhood books, most especially The Egypt Game-- which is notable for being a non-magical book that manages to feel magical. A magic-ish book that also addresses "real" issues and carries serious emotional weight. But now that Jen has written about it, I won't need to!Thanks,

Orphans and England...

2007-08-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

What is it about the English orphan that so captures the attention of the American kid-lit reading public? I'm not sure why, but suddenly this morning I could not stop thinking about the Shoes books, by Noel Stretfield. Remember Ballet Shoes?(Egads! Amazon-shocker. Could that cover--the one above--be any more different from the cover of my youth?)Ballet Shoes, the finest of Streatfield's books,

Ladies and Gentlemen... We Have A Winner!!!

2007-08-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

The winner of the "Name My Dastardly Villain" Contest is the fabulous Christy Lenzi, who is perhaps a bit dastardly herself!I'll be using the name she so generously provided, Wichita Grim, in my upcoming novel, Any Which Wall, alongside any other name Christy likes.Thanks, Christy!!!(Now, if only folks would enter my "rewrite my crappy 4th chapter" contest. Sigh...)

The "Name My Dastardly Villain" Contest: SHORTLIST...

2007-08-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally found some time to write, and I need to pick a name at last. So I've been culling thought the amazing 200+ names people sent me, and I've narrowed the field a bit. Anyone have an opionion? I'm liking:Jed ScratchettDuck BarnesHorace NoosethrottleWichita Grim Benjamin Blackwater"Pinkeye"HigginsRed KilljoyEzra Retch Hannibal HogswallerCecil DregrootEly DarkwaterCornelius

2007-08-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm in Baltimore right now, trying to work on the new book, while my very generous mom babysits Mose. And while I'm here, I'm also pawing through my old picture books down in the basement. Guess what I found?Rain Makes Applesauce!Remember this one? No? Well perhaps this eloquent Amazon reviewer will refresh your memory:THIS BOOK IS JUST A BUNCH OF NONSENSE SENTENCES & THE DRAWINGS ARE STRANGE

Oh, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle!!!

2007-08-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

Remember Mrs. Piggle Wiggle? The portly widow with the trim ankles and the box full of magic cures for all the REALLY awful ailments children catch?I find myself thinking about her lately, as my son heads into the "mines" phase of childhood development. "MINES, NO, MINES!" he screams as he grabs for a toy that is absolutely NOT his and which he has decidedly NOT been playing with. And I think,

Books in Prison???

2007-07-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that when kids visit their parents in prison, they can't bring toys with them? I guess maybe because some toys are potentially dangerous or something, but in any case... the poor kids! Just sitting around with nothing to do while Daddy gets brought down from wherever-he-is. No dolly for comfort. No gameboy for distraction. Imagine a skinny kid, alone on a metal folding chair or

Apologies and classics...

2007-07-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

I want to apologize for the lapse in posting. Between the two small children (one of them colicky), the ongoing sinus infection, the bout of pinkeye, and the book deadline, I'm not doing a lot of reading...But what I am reading, I'm loving. Remember Mister Dog?With words by Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) and pictures by Garth Williams (he brought Little House on the Prairie to

A Little Gloat!

2007-07-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm guest-blogging over at the Happy Booker today.Miss fancypants, that's me.See you there?

2007-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

This week I read Laura Ruby's The Wall and the Wing . A dark-but-funny book I'll file under "orphans and magic."It's a quick read, the story of a girl named Gurl, raised in an orphanage, lonely as can be. Gurl finds a friend in a boy named Bug, and together Bug and Gurl unravel the mysteries that lurk at the very core of their universe (why people have learned to fly, why neither of them can

Politically Incorrect ( and totally out of print)...

2007-07-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take a second today to talk about a book I LOVE, but that you're unlikely to ever have the chance to read. Since no bookstore near you stocks it.Because the book, BEAUX, is long out of print, and too historically placed, too offensive on its surface (however well written), for anyone to ever bring back from the dead. Though you might find a first edition on ebay if you

The End???

2007-06-24T18:03:00.000-07:00

This moment, it happens to every writer... the split-second gasp of recognition and frustration, the sudden discovery of a book they wish they could have written.Or--more than that--the discovery of a book they think they *might* have written eventually. If they pushed themselves to the limit... and of course, if someone else hadn't beaten them to the punch.Well, this week I found such a book. A

Baby!!!

2007-06-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry to miss posting this week, but I gave birth to an amazing baby boy on Monday, and don't have the time to blog just yet. Too busy snuggling.Though I will assure you that Lewis Abraham (see above) and I *are* reading . N.E. Bode's book, the Nobodies. I'm enjoying it a lot, and Lewis thinks the pictures are *just* "blecftchhhh!"Whatever that means.

Hale and Hearty...

2007-06-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl at last, after loving The Princess Academy . And I have to admit that all the attention Hale has received in the last few years is well deserved.Hale is a meticulous writer, and her prose is full of lovely similes, gorgous descriptions, really creative character details(which is to say that she shows, rather than tells.. when it comes to internal

The Magic of Eager...

2007-06-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

It had to happen sooner or later (inane spouting and rambling about how I love Edward Eager), so it might as well happen now... After all, I'm re-reading a few of his books this week, as I begin tinkering with the first hundred pages of my next novel. I need it, a good dose of Eager. Regularly.There are many levels on which Eager was a complete and total genius. Many. And I'd happily debate (

The "Name My Dastardly Villain" Contest...

2007-05-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

UPDATE!Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I'm so excited about all the submissions. As I'm about to have a baby (in like, a week) I'll not get to these until July, but please know that every name has been counted, and there WILL be a group of finalists, and a winner! Hurrah!Okay, I've never done a contest of any kind before, but I'm stuck on something. So I'm turning to the small (but

Danger Danger...

2007-05-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

This week, I came home from the library with a stack of old friends (Knight's Castle, Pippi Goes Aboard) and a stack of new reads (Peter and the Starcatchers, The Wide Window). (One of the perks to writing for kids is that you call this kind of reading "research")And I had every intention of reading the Dave Barry Book. Really I did. But despite the awful new cover (why do publishing houses do

2007-05-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

This week I read two very different books, and both are well worth a mention. But for different reason. One is worth a mention because I think it's pretty special and wonderful, and the other one....just isn't.The wonderful book? Olivia Kidney (and the sequel to Olivia Kidney is equally great, btw) by the quippy, funny, imaginative Ellen Potter.Olivia is a very real little girl living in New

Back in Print...

2007-05-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

In a lot of ways (although I'm not sure anyone will be able to tell) "When the Sky Is Like Lace" is the book I had in my mind when I was writing "Inside the Slidy Diner" (Tricycle, 2008).Not because the two books are really much alike, but because "When the Sky is Like Lace" doesn't really tell a story, so much as it describes a place, time, or state of mind. Because it leans on language, and

A Little Bit Dark...

2007-05-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, my mother told me that a friend of hers--a woman she knows from church-- had written a book for children. I yawned. I expected a self-published tale of floopsy the bunny, who teaches kids about the importance of literacy or something...Then I discovered that THIS, A Drowned Maiden's Hair, was the book! It sounds absolutely wonderful. Dark and coldly Victorian. But also sweet and

The Best Book of All...

2007-04-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

I realize that one should never claim to have found the "best" book, but for years now, I've come back again and again to The Thirteen Clocks, by James Thurber. I read it at least every six months (no kidding), and find something new each time I pick it up. I owe a great debt to Steve Gettinger, who bought me my copy long ago... This is a book of poetry, of wordplay, of silly songs and

Not that she needs the publicity, but...

2007-04-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying that when it comes to old-fashioned prose for the kiddles (and kiddle-like adults), Kate Dicamillo leads the pack... But while everything she has written is good, Edward Tulane is a new kind of good (by which I mean an old kind of good). It's a quiet kind of book, a paddle down a slow-moving stream. Not recommended for anyone who requires constant adventure, not EXTREME

"Now, what am I to do with this creature..."

2007-04-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little story...Last week at the library, I asked the librarian to help me find a good book for a young reader. "Please, I need a good book for a young reader..." I said.The librarian blinked. "What kind of book.""Well," I said, "This young reader (yeah, the young reader *is* me, and it's a stretch to call myself young I suppose, but I'm not OLD exactly)" enjoys fantasy..."The