Check out the cover for Borrowed Time by Greg Leitich Smith (Clarion, Nov. 2015). From the promotional copy:
In this exhilarating time-travel adventure and sequel to Chronal Engine, Max Pierson-Takahashi and his friend Petra find themselves whisked back to the treacherous, dinosaur-packed Cretaceous Period.
Soon they discover they have more to worry about than dinosaurs when they encounter a girl from the 1920s with a revolver and one thing on her mind—to avenge the death of her father, Isambard Campbell, whom she believes was killed by Max.
Meanwhile, Max’s then-thirteen-year-old uncles, Nate and Brady, have inadvertently time-traveled from 1985 and have problems of their own as they face mosasaurs, tyrannosaurs, and other dangers. The two pairs must not only fight for survival, but join forces to find their way home to their respective decades. Mind-bending time twists and white-knuckle encounters with deadly creatures plus a realistic peek into the age of the dinosaurs make this a perfect choice for anyone looking for a survival story with nonstop action.
Congratulations to Greg, whose novel Little Green Men at the Mercury Inn (Roaring Brook, 2014) has been nominated for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award!
More News & Giveaways
Bombing Through It by Dave King from Writer Unboxed. Peek: “The actual process of getting the story down on paper has a unique intimacy and particularity. Stories are organic. You’ve got to let them grow as you write, even if you’ve already built a trellis.”
The Symbiosis of Science & Poetry by Sylvia Vardell from Poetry for Children. Peek: “…people who feel uncomfortable with science often feel very comfortable with language arts, so a poem might be the perfect way to introduce a science topic.”
How to Read with Rising Kinders and First Graders This Summer by Jill Eisenberg from Lee & Low. Peek: “…the ultimate goal here is to show our beginning and soon-to-be readers how reading can be a joyful, positive experience. This mindset will set them up for the best start to their school journey.” See also Let the Summertime Reading Hoopla Begin by Frances Lee Hall from ReaderKidz.
Lee & Low Announces 16th Annual New Voices Award Contest from Lee & Low. Peek: “The Award will be given for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color. The Award winner receives a cash prize of $1000 and our standard publication contract, including our basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor Award winner will receive a cash prize of $500.”
Depression Has No Straight Lines, Only Lies by Kelly Jensen from Disability in Kid Lit. Peek: “Depression feels like it needs a cause or a destination. The truth is, though, that depression is chemical; it’s a brain misfiring and miswiring in ways that don’t have an easy-to-point-to reason for happening.”
Nancy Sondel’s 13th Annual Pacific Coast Children’s Writer Workshop & Retreat will take place Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 in Santa Cruz, California. Faculty: HarperCollins executive editor Kristen Pettit and agent Stephen Barr of Writers House.
Writing During Summer Travels by Kristi Holl from Writer’s First Aid. Peek: “You may have activities planned (or planned for you) that don’t seem to show any gaps of free time. If so, look again.”
Cynsational Giveaways
- signed copy of The Neptune Challenge by Polly Holyoke (Hyperion, 2015), plus glass dolphin pendant and earrings
- signed set of books by Claire Legrand: The Cavendish Home for Boys and
Girls (Simon & Schuster, 2012), The Year of Shadows (Simon &
Schuster, 2013), The Cabinet of Curiosities (Greenwillow, 2014), and
Winterspell (Simon & Schuster, 2014) - signed copy of The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2015)
- signed copy of Dress Me! by Sarah Frances Hardy (Sky Pony, 2015)
Don’t miss the Kissing In America (by Margo Rabb (HarperCollins, 2015)) Audio Tour & Giveaway!
This Week at Cynsations
- Kristi Helvig on Incorporating Science into Science Fiction
- Sarah Frances Hardy on Writing a Companion Picture Book
- Amy & David Axelrod on The History of Magic & The Bullet Catch: Murder by Misadventure
More Personally
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| What This Story Needs Is a Pig in a Wig (HarperCollins) with Emma J. Virjan & Greg Leitich Smith. |
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| The lovely & brilliant author-illustrator! |
Congratulations to Varsha Bajaj (Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood (Albert Whitman, 2014)), SCBWI’s Crystal Kite winner for the Texas/Oklahoma region! See the full list of winners.
Congratulations to Vicky Lorencen for signing with Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, and congratulations to Erin for signing Vicky!
Personal Links
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| TX/OK Crystal Kite Winner! |
- The Avengers, Superhero Diversity & The United Struggle
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
- Meet Lupe Ruiz-Flores from WordMothers
- Spider Rain in Australia
- Four Rare Clouded Leopard Cubs
- America’s Best BBQ
- Texans Offer Sanctuary to Endangered Rhinos
- Girls Scouts Welcome Transgender Girls
- Girls More Likely to Be Bullied, Even As Overall Rates Decline
- What Would Your Name Be If You Were Born Today
- SpaceX’s Retro-Style Mars Tourism Posters
- Jumping Japanese Businessmen
- Hilary Clinton as Feminist Children’s Literature Hero
- Photos of Africa, Taken from the Sky
Cynsational Events
Join Cynthia at 11 a.m. May 30 in conjunction with the YA Book Club at Cedar Park Public Library in Cedar Park, Texas.
Cynthia will serve as the master class faculty member from June 19 to June 21 at the VCFA Alumni Mini-Residency in Montpelier, Vermont.
Library Service to Children (ALSC) program–“We Need Diverse Books: How
to Move from Talk to Action Panel”–at the 2015 Annual Conference of the American Library Association in San Francisco.
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| Learn more! |
Cynthia will teach on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts from July 8 to July 19.
Join Cynthia from July 30 to Aug. 2 at GeekyCon in Orlando, Florida. See more information.
Cynthia Leitich Smith will lead a YA Writing Retreat for A Room of Her Own Foundation from Aug. 10 to Aug. 16 at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Cynthia will lead a breakout session on “Diversity in Children’s and YA
Literature” Aug. 22 at East Texas Book Fest at the Harvey Hall
Convention Center in Tyler, Texas.
Cynthia will speak Sept. 19 at the Mansfield, Texas Book Festival.
Cynthia will speak Sept. 29 at Richardson Public Library in Richardson, Texas.