Wee Ones magazine praises the Santa Knows. (Dutton, 2006) for the “bright illustrations,” “comical and expressive faces,” and calls it a “sweet story.” Read the whole review.

Also Wee Ones is sponsoring a book giveaway (scroll for info)! Enter the contest to win a Christmas collection of books–Santa Knows, My Tiny Book of Christmas, Christmas Turtles and Christmas in the Candle Factory.

What’s more, Santa Knows (Dutton, 2006) is a “cute takeoff on the Grinch story,” according to Nancy Williams at MyShelf.com. She adds, “With great color illustrations by Steve Bjorkman, your children will love this story.” Read the whole review.

Thanks to Andrew at red-hot, smokin’ Flux for highlighting my recent interview with Christine Kole MacLean on How It’s Done (Flux, 2006) and his kind words about me, this blog, and my home town YA scene: “…am I the only one who thinks that Cynthia is the Gertrude Stein of Austin, Texas, which is the new Paris for YA authors?” To learn more about my local YA writing community, visit: Lila Guzman, Varian Johnson, April Lurie, Ruth Pennebaker, Greg Leitich Smith, Jo Whittemore, Lori Aurelia Williams, Brian Yansky, and Jennifer Ziegler. Plus, Libba Bray, Alex Sanchez, and Rob Thomas are one-time residents. Visit Austin SCBWI and learn more about Texas authors. See also Forthcoming (2007) YA Novels by Texas Authors: A Preview from GregLSBlog. Note: Varian will be on board shortly thereafter in ’08, and I’m not sure when Libba‘s third installment of her gothic fantasy historical will be released, but I’m guessing soon, too.

Thanks also to Laurie Halse Anderson over at Mad Woman in the Forest for the shout out and linkage about the cover art placement of my Indian Shoes (HarperCollins, 2002) and Greg Leitich Smith‘s Tofu and T. rex (Little Brown, 2005) on the cover of the Fall 2006 ALAN Review. Laurie mentions that she has an article in that issue, so don’t miss it and check out all of her news!

More News & Links

“Jennifer DiChiara Makes Dreams Come True”: an interview by Angela Miyuki Mackintosh from WOW! Women on Writing.

“Cohn and Levithan Team Write Entirely by E-Mail”: An Exclusive Authorlink Interview with Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (Knopf) by Susan VanHecke of Authorlink. November 2006

In the category of author/illustrator/storyteller, U.S. nominees for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2007 are: Russell Hoban, Maira Kalman, Peter Sis and Gary Soto. The Swedish government founded this international prize in Astrid Lindgren’s name to honor her memory and promote children’s literature. The award, of five million Swedish crowns, is the largest for children’s literature and the second-largest literature prize in the world. In total, 133 candidates from 52 countries have been nominated; 104 in the category of author/illustrator/storyteller. The winner will be announced in March 2007. Katherine Paterson won the award in 2006.

2006 NYPL Books for the Teen Age from TeensReadToo. Highlights include: Airball: My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkrader (Roaring Brook, 2005)(author interview); Memories of the Sun: Stories of Africa and America by Jane Kurtz (Amistad, 2003)(author interview); Margaret Bourke White by Susan Goldman Rubin (Abrams, 1999)(author interview); and When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (Yearling, 2004)(author interview).

Eighth Carnival of Children’s Literature: Halloween from Scholar’s Blog. Note: Cynsations is a proud participant in the carnival.

Hale’s Unlikely Heroes Resonate with Readers of All Ages: an interview with author Shannon Hale by Dee Ann Grand of BookPage.

KidStuff on Martha Stewart Living Radio: “The Children’s Book Council is pleased to sponsor the children’s book segment on “KidStuff” on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius 112.”