Calling Karen Halvorsen Schreck, author of Dream Journal (Hyperion, 2006) and Barbara Dee, author of Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life (McEdlerry/Simon & Schuster, 2006)(excerpt). Please send me an email! Note: Read a review of Karen’s novel (as well as several other new books) from Magic Tree Bookstore. See more comments at The Goddess of YA Literature. See also an interview with Barbara from TeensReadToo.com.

Congratulations to Laura Ruby, author of Good Girls (HarperCollins, 2006), which is a fall 2006 Booksense Pick. Read a recent Cynsations interview with Laura.

Congratulations also to Phyllis Root, on the publication of Looking for a Moose, illustrated by Randy Cecil (Candlewick, 2006)(inside spread)–one of the best read-alouds of the year. Read a Cynsations interview with Phyllis.

10 Days in Vermont by Uma Krishnaswami from Writing with a Broken Tusk. A brand new LiveJournal syndication of Uma’s blog is now available.

America is Drawn to Manga: Why Girls and Publishers Love Japan’s Comics by Coco Masters from Time Magazine. Aug. 6, 2006.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library have called for nominations for the 2006 June Franklin Naylor Award for Best Children’s Book on Texas History. Find out guidelines and procedures at their website. The 2005 winner was Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly by Anne Bustard, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (Simon & Schuster, 2005)(author interview) and the honor book was Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein (HarperCollins, 2005)(author-illustrator interview). Learn more about the 2005 award.

Take a sneak peek at the cover art for David Lubar‘s True Talents (Tor, 2007), a sequel to Hidden Talents (Tor, 1999).

The Native Writers’ Circle of the Americas has posted guidelines for the 2007 First Book Award Competition. See the website for details. According to Storytellers: Native American Authors Online, winners of the 2006 Native Writers Circle Awards have been determined. The 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Luci Tapahonso (Navajo). The First Book Award for Poetry was given to Rebecca Hatcher Travis (Chickasaw). The First Book Award for Prose was won by both Judy R. Smith (Quinnipiac-Mohican) and Frederick White (Haida).

Recent releases with noteworthy art include: The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, illustrated by Ryan Price (Kids Can, 2006), another in the YA-friendly graphic poetry series; Augustine by Mélanie Watt (Kids Can, 2006)(author-illustrator interview); and Moon Plane by Peter McCarty (Henry Holt, 2006).

The Official Zack Proton Intergalactic Web Site: your portal to everything you need to know about the Zack Proton books by Brian Anderson, illustrated by Doug Holgate (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

Salt Water Cowboys by Christopher T. Assaf of the Baltimore Sun. A must-see audio and photo essay for fans of Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Or, for that matter, anyone who loves horses. Note: if you’re on dial-up, turn off audio while it loads and then replay.

Attention Austinites: Jo Whittemore will be signing Curse of Arastold (Llewellyn, summer 2006), Book Two of the Silverskin Legacy trilogy at 2 p.m. Aug. 19 at Barnes and Noble, Round Rock (in La Frontera Village at IH 35 and 1325). Read a Cynsations interview with Jo about Book One of the trilogy, Escape from Arylon (Llewellyn, spring 2006). See also Jo’s LJ.

Who’s Moving Where? Editorial Staff Changes at Children’s Publishers from Harold Underdown at the Purple Crayon. See the latest in musical chairs and learn about a new company.