Five Questions for Tim Wynne-Jones by Elissa Gershowitz and Sam Bloom from The Horn Book. Peek: “For years I had wanted to write a World War II book to honor my father, whose experience of the war in Europe scarred him.”
Someone Is Publishing Your Idea by Mary Kole from Kid Lit. Peek: “…you can’t really know a book from a paragraph of description. The voice, the tone, the plot, the sense of humor, the lightness or darkness, the literary quality. All of these things happen in the execution, not the pitch.”
Publisher Eileen Robinson of Move Books from Emma D. Dryden at Our Stories, Ourselves. Peek: “I want to help children see themselves in books, be changed by them, and find confidence and solace in reading, giving them an experience that might inspire them or help them inspire others.”
Redefining Heroism by Jennifer Bohlman from Disability in Kidlit. Peek: “There are very few chronically ill fantasy and science fiction heroes because it seems impossible for ‘chronically ill’ and ‘hero’ to describe the same person.” See also Thinking Critically, Thinking Positively by Corinne Duyvis from Nerdy Book Club.
Comment on the #17Days of Mindfulness Challenge at Shadow Mountain’s Facebook page for a chance to win Silence by Deborah Lytton.
What Does Thanksgiving Make You Think Of? by Angie Manfredi from Reading While White. Peek: “…at my library, instead of another story about sharing maize, we make a conscious effort to spotlight and celebrate books by Native American authors. You can too…” See also Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City from Rich in Color.
Review & Recipes: The Little Kids’ Table by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle and Mary Reaves Uhles from Jama Kim Rattigan at Jama’s Alphabet Soup. Peek: “They all know that deep down, the grown-ups would gladly trade their fancy dishes for a chance to sit at the table that always has the most FUN!” Note: Do you like picture books and/or food and/or art and/or…? Jama’s Alphabet Soup is an adorable, creative and informative blog. Highly recommended!
Richard Van Camp’s Whistle: a recommendation by Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children’s Literature. Peek: “He felt so real, and people with troubles like his require me to slow down and think about young people.”
Cynsational Giveaways
- Signed copies of Surviving Santiago by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Author sponsored. U.S. only.
- Bookplate-signed copy of The Safest Lie by Angela Cerrito. Publisher sponsored. U.S. only.
This Week at Cynsations
- Angela Cerrito on The Safest Lie
- Danica Davidson on Attack on the Overlord
- Tonya Bolden to Receive Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award
- “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” Trailer
- Book Trailer: Bears Make the Best Reading Buddies by Carmen Oliver, illustrated by Jean Claude
More Personally
Congratulations to Greg Leitich Smith on the release of Borrowed Time (Clarion, 2015), a companion book to Chronal Engine. From the promotional copy:
In this time-travel dinosaur adventure, Max Pierson-Takahashi and his friend Petra return to the days of the dinosaurs, where they must survive attacks from mosasaurs, tyrannosaurs, and other deadly creatures, including a vengeful, pistol-toting girl from the 1920s.
The fast pace, mind-bending time twists, and Greg Leitich Smith’s light, humorous touch make this an exciting, fun choice for readers looking for adventure and nonstop action.
Central Texans! Join us for the book launch party at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 at BookPeople in Austin.
In other exciting news, I look forward to joining fellow Austin YA authors P.J. Hoover, Mari Mancusi and Cory Putnam Oakes for the advanced screening of “Mockingjay, Part 2” on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Alamo Drafthouse South in Austin. Cory is hosting a giveaway of official film merchandise!
Personal Links
What College Costs This Year
Hollywood Sexism
A Teacher’s Job
“Concussion” Movie and the NFL
U. of Missouri’s Business-Minded Ex-President
We Need Diverse Books on Scholastic Book Club Collaboration
Thanks for the nice shout out!! 🙂