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STEM Tuesday– Pre Launch Giveaway BOOK Blast!

By on October 31, 2017   /   Book Lists, Curriculum Tie-in, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Giveaways, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction, STEM, STEM Tuesday  

 

Hello STEM Tuesday enthusiasts!

We know you are all anticipating our first post for next week. Our topic this month is ZOOLOGY!   We have some fabulous books that we are highlighting. It will be SO exciting!

See last week’s post HERE   for all the details if you missed it.

But since it’s difficult to wait, we thought we’d get you all in the STEM mood by offering some great  book giveaways, generously given by our very own authors on the STEM Tuesdays team.

If you want to enter to win, simply write a comment below telling us why you think STEM ROCKS!  or maybe a STEM topic you would like to see covered, a STEM book that you really love, or maybe  just give us a thumbs up because you are a STEM enthusiast, too.

 

Enough talk, let’s get to the PRIZES :

Multiple winners! Each one wins  ONE  of these amazing books!! 


by Nancy Castaldo 

Beastly Brains (HMH BFYR)      In Beastly Brains, Castaldo delves into the minds of animals and explores animal empathy, communication, tool use, and social societies through interviews and historical anecdotes. Researchers from Charles Darwin to Jane Goodall have spent years analyzing the minds of animals, and today’s science is revolutionizing old theories and uncovering surprising similarities to our own minds. Humans are not alone in our ability to think about ourselves, make plans, help each other, or even participate in deception. You’ll think differently about the animals on this planet—maybe it’s their world and we’re just living in it!

 

    by Mary Kay Carson 

The Bat Scientists (HMH BFYR)    Dr. Merlin Tuttle and his colleagues at Bat Conservation International aren’t scared of bats. These bat crusaders are fascinated by them, with good reason. Bats fly the night skies in nearly every part of the world, but they are the least studied of all mammals. As the major predator of night-flying insects, bats eat many pests. Unfortunately bats are facing many problems, including a terrifying new disease. White-nose Syndrome is infecting and killing millions of hibernating bats in North America. But Dr. Tuttle, with the help of his fellow bat scientists are in the trenches—and caves—on the front line of the fight to save their beloved bats.

 

   by Amber J. Keyser 

Anatomy of a Pandemic (Capstone Press)     Sickness is a fact of everyday life. But when sickness spreads from person to person rapidly, a deadly pandemic could result. Find out the causes behind major pandemics of history such as the Spanish flu and the Bubonic plague. Then go behind the scenes to meet the people who are working hard every day to stop pandemics before they start.

 

 by  Jennifer Swanson

Everything Robotics (NGKids)   They fix spacecraft, dance, tell jokes, and even clean your carpet! From the tiniest robo-bees to gigantic factory machines, robotics is all around you. This technology isn’t just for science-fiction anymore — it’s real and more relevant than ever. With stunning visuals and energetic, impactful design, readers won’t stop until they’ve learned everything there is to know about robotics.

 

   by Michelle Houts 

Lucy’s Lab: Nuts About Science (Sky Pony Press)   On Lucy’s first day of second grade, she’s excited to meet her new teacher, Miss Flippo, and find out everything’s she’s going to learn about this year in school. And when Miss Flippo tells the class that they’re going to have their very own science lab, complete with lab coats and goggles, Lucy can’t wait to start exploring…Lucy discovers that science is everywhere you look, and a lab can be anywhere you look.

 

  by Heather Montgomery 

How Rude! (Scholastic Nonfiction)    Some bugs litter. Some pass gas. Some bugs throw their poop! Discover ten of the rudest, crudest bugs around. Full of scientific facts, humor and just the right amount of yuck, How Rude! will make you scream “gross!” Featuring a countdown of the top 10 bad bugs who just won’t mind their manners. One part illustration and one part photography, How Rude! is hilarious, informative, and seriously gross!

 

  by Carolyn DeCristofano 

A Black Hole is NOT a Hole  (Charlesbridge) What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.

 

Finally, We want to hear from YOU! If you have an idea for a STEM topic of the month, a book that you’d like considered for our lists, have an idea that you’d like us to explore, or just want to drop us a line encouraging us in our endeavors, feel free to email us at stemmuf@gmail.com .

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Indie Spotlight: Kids Ink Children’s Books, Indianapolis

By on October 30, 2017   /   children's bookstores, independent bookstores, Indie Spotlight  

Always a delight to learn about a thriving independent children’s bookstore! We’re speaking today with Shirley Mullin, owner of Kids Ink Children’s Books in Indianapolis, Indiana
MUF: Kids Ink has been open for over three decades, riding out even the bookstore blues of ten years ago. What’s your survival secret? Have you made adaptions over the year that helped?
Shirley: We have made constant adaptations to changes in the book industry, the economy, and our customers. We’ve been constant in basic principles ie Kind, Fair, and Honest. We also have always emphasized customer service focusing as much as possible on the children and young adults asking them if they have read a book that they really like. Or, asking what interests them.

Beyond that, however, we have adapted our business to stay viable. We are constantly look for new markets. Several years ago we started supplying books for several title programs which has been successful. We offer not only the books but our expertise in choosing titles. This often involves taking books to the district for a “show and tell, ” helping them decide what works for the curriculum. We are currently beginning to experiment with pop-up stores in some of our larger retirement communities offering holiday shopping and gift wrapping at the facility.
Maintaining our presence at major educational events has also been important either selling books tailored to the event or providing information about the store.Finally, we have expanded our assistance to schools helping them find and book authors…often linking schools together.   We then supply the books for the school to sell.

MUF: Describe the atmosphere you try to create in your shop. What are some special features of Kids Ink?
Shirley: We have always had a train table and have sold trains.   The past few years we have sold Brio. The train gives children a focus point and something engaging while their adults shop. It is not unusual for us to be called the Train Store.
We do our best to maintain the store as a bright cheerful place. All the fixtures are white so the books and toys stand out. Because we are about 20 percent books, our displays are interesting with perhaps a raccoon puppet and a book with a raccoon title or a Playmobil Knight package with a book about knights.Our front window is large and attracts attention most recently with banned books and now featuring the up-coming John Green book.
But the most important component of atmosphere is the staff. We try to make sure that we are able to greet everyone courteously and respond to their questions. We greet everyone who walks through the door and try to be aware of when they need suggestions.

MUF: Kids Ink is a small shop, so your books must be curated. How do you decide what books and related items to carry?
Shirley: Terri orders all the sidelines/toys. She has a good eye for what our customers want. We only sell real quality toys with emphasis on “playability,” safety, and good construction. (I am quite able to order toys that never sell!) I personally order all the front list. I read all of the picture books before ordering and many of the novels and non-fiction. For all of them, I think about who might want this book and/or who should need this book. Sometimes there is a book that is about a subject or event that hasn’t been requested but the book is important and needs to be read.
For non-fiction, I look at who wrote the book. Are they qualified to write about this topic? I favor non-fiction that has good elements like Table of Contents, Index, Bibliography and Suggested Reading.
Most important, I watch for books that are inclusive of gender, race, and sexuality. Diversity is very important to me and all of the staff.

MUF: As middle-grade authors, we’re curious to know what titles, new or old, fiction or nonfiction, you find yourself recommending most often to readers ages 8-12?
Shirley: Books by Jeanne Birdsall, the Penderwicks, Kimberly Brubacker Bradley’s The War that Saved My Life, Rita Garcia Williams titles, Pam Munoz Ryan titles, Jason Reynolds, Ghost and Patina.Non-Fiction varies a lot depending on what the child finds interesting. We have a lot of requests for biographies, books about animals, and weather.

MUF: Do you have any activities coming up that would be of special interest to middle-graders?
Shirley: Sarah Cannon, a debut novelist will be signing on 12/2/17 from eleven to one for Oddity. Her book will be of interest for this level.

MUF: If a family is visiting Indianapolis from out of town, would there be family-friendly places near your shop where they could get a snack or meal after shopping? And if they could stay longer, are there some unique family activities or sights they shouldn’t miss?
Shirley: We are next door to The Flying Cupcake, a marvelous place incredibly popular with all our customers. Then next door to that is Father Bryne’s Pizza with unusual grilled thin crust pizza. Across the street is a long established Illinois Street Food Emporium which is known for chicken salad croissants baked daily in house as well as a Grater’s Ice Cream store. In addition, our corner contains shopping for everyone…a jewelry store, a boutique with unusual home items, an art store, clothing store, and a Starbucks.
Even better, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is twenty blocks from the store. It is the largest children’s museum in the world.

MUF: Thanks, Shirley, for sharing news  about your fine shop.  Readers, have you visited Kids Ink yet?

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Fast Drafting

By on October 27, 2017   /   For Teachers, Writing  

How many words do you write each day…500, 1000, 2000 or more? I love the thrill of watching a first draft come to life. The more I learn about the craft of writing, the harder it is to stare at a blank page and figure out what to write…the rules all scream so loud, they muffle my creative side. There’s plenty of time for editing, but if I can’t lock my internal editor away for a bit, I’ll never have a first draft to whip into shape. That’s why I love fast drafting so much. 

Here are some fast drafting tips:

  • Do as much pre-planning as you can before you start your novel—which can include plotting, characters sketches, schedules, maps, research, etc.
  • Leave notes for yourself every time you leave your computer—some exciting things that should happen soon, and an idea of where to start when you come back. You can even type the first sentence or two in the next chapter (although you might get sucked in and finish writing it before you leave).
  • Create a block of uninterrupted writing time. An hour is great, but if that doesn’t work for you, a half hour, twenty minutes, even ten minutes several times a day can help you reach your goal.

                  * Go to the bathroom, grab water or your favorite drink, then turn off                         the phone and put a do not disturb sign on your door if you can. Set                         a timer and write, write, write!

                  * Don’t go back and revise your novel—this is a fast draft and your job                       is to keep going. You can put notes to yourself inside the text, plus                           keep a notebook of things that pop up that you need to know, like                             new character traits, more in depth setting info, etc.

                * If you think of something you need to do that isn’t related to your                             novel, quickly jot it down so you won’t forget, then get back to your                           novel ASAP. It isn’t going to write itself.

               * See if anyone wants to do a Word War with you. My favorite kind is                          when you share your current word count, start at the same time, and                        write, write, write! At the end of that period, you check in with                                  everyone and share your word counts. This also can work if you all                            promise to time yourselves for a set amount during the day and then                        share the results. You can even have a day long Word War! Plus, you                        can offer a prize to the winner—it could be a critique of a certain                                number of pages, their name as a character in your book, or anything                      you all agree on.  

If you’d like some extra motivation to write your novel ASAP, it’s almost time for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Don’t worry, it’s not too late to prep for it. Years ago, I had just finished revising a middle grade manuscript and was brainstorming the synopsis when I suddenly had a spark of an idea for another novel. The ideas started flying faster and faster, so I rushed to my computer to jot them down. It was the 7th of November, and I had already missed a week of NaNoWriMo. I didn’t think it would be possible to complete the challenge, but I figured the extra motivation would help me write faster than I had in the past. After jotting down some plot ideas and character sketches, I started typing, typing, typing…and couldn’t believe that I had completed my first draft (and more than the 50,000 words to win the NaNoWriMo challenge). Wahoo! It was such an amazing feeling.

Teachers and children who love to write: there’s a fun and encouraging NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program that kids can do on their own or as part of a class project.

Even though many middle grade novels are less than 50,000 words, I use the incentive to help flesh out my story and overcome weaknesses. Yes, a lot of it gets cut…but it’s still an incredibly helpful part of my process. Here are some ways you can do it for your novel:

  • Think about the area you often lack in your drafts. I’m usually dialogue heavy, but scarce with setting. So during NaNoWriMo, I make sure I zoom in closer to anything my character sees, hears, smells, etc. A lot of it gets cut during revisions, but some gems pop up that I probably wouldn’t have without this added challenge to myself.
  • I allow backstory to flow into my fast draft, which helps me get to know my characters even better. I start an orphan file to put in everything I delete during revisions, but if I have lots of great back story, it deserves a file of its own, in case bits of it could be tweaked and worked back into my novel.
  • If you reach the end of your novel but are a bit short of 50,000 words, think about what you’ve written and what might be missing from your manuscript—then write any scenes that come to mind. Not happy with the ending? Then write an alternate ending. And beginnings are so hard to nail, especially in early drafts. You can add some brilliant new beginning fast drafts, too.

I’d love to know what does and doesn’t work for you when fast drafting a novel.  

Whatever methods you use to fast draft, don’t forget to have fun. Writing a new novel is exciting, and it’s incredible what gems you can create when you stifle your internal editor. Don’t strive for perfection or try to use all your amazing editing tools. That will only tongue-tie your mind. Let the words flow—then you can switch gears, dig in deep, and start editing. Happy writing!

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