Book Lists

5 Tips for Making the Most of a Convention

By on November 20, 2017   /   Book Lists  

I know some of you are at NCTE as I’m writing this. I was at AASL last week.

When your publisher sends you to a convention, you’ll likely be on a panel, sign some books in the convention hall and maybe go to a nice publisher-sponsored dinner with teachers, librarians and/or booksellers. The first time I went to one of these conventions, I did what I was there to do, then basically hung out in my room the rest of the time. I didn’t know there was more to do. Now I understand that conventions are an opportunity for personal and professional networking. Here are some tips for making the most of the convention experience:

  1. Business cards. Of course you’ll bring some to hand out. And if you have school visit brochures, bookmarks and any other swag, you’ll bring that, too. But you’ll also collect business cards. You think you’ll remember why each person gave you their business card, but trust me. You won’t. That’s why it’s a good idea to write a little note to yourself on the back of a card when you receive one. Then don’t forget to follow up when you get home.

  • Meet your fellow panelists ahead of time, if you can. Most of the time I meet my fellow panelists when we sit down at the microphones. But our moderator last week asked that we all meet an hour before the presentation, so we could “get to know each other a bit.” This was really nice! Not only did conversation flow more naturally during the panel, I struck up a conversation with one of my fellow panelists that has continued via e-mail since we’ve gone home.

 

  • Visit publisher booths. All those lovely galleys they’re handing out? You can take them, too! Even if you’re not a teacher or librarian. But don’t just take the galley and walk away. Pay attention to which books each publisher is featuring. Talk to the people in the booths. Ask them which books they like and why. Listening to a marketing person give an elevator pitch is a good way to learn how to craft your own as a writer.

  • Talk to convention attendees. You know you have something in common: children’s books. If you’re in line to get a book signed, talk to the people in line with you. Ask what their favorite books are. If they’re teachers or librarians, ask how they use books in the classroom.

  • Have fun! If someone gives you a ticket to the rodeo, go to the rodeo! It’s another opportunity to connect with convention attendees.
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Nevermoor–a Giveaway

By on November 16, 2017   /   Book Lists  

About the book:

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she’s blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks–and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It’s then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart–an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests–or she’ll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

About the author: 

Jessica Townsend lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, but has lived on and off in London for a few years. She was a copywriter for eight years, and in a previous role, was the editor of a children’s wildlife magazine for Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is her first novel, and the first in a series. You can follow her on Twitter:   @digressica

About the giveaway ( in partneship with Little, Brown) :

To enter, leave a comment below. One winner will receive:

  • a copy of Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
  • a branded Nevermoor lapel pin
  • and a branded Hotel Deucalion pen and notebook

 

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Hurray for Book Conversations!

By on November 13, 2017   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Nonfiction, Op-Ed  

Retiring from my school’s library after 10 years meant many things: freedom from lesson plans and the frantic pace of the school year with all its events and deadlines, freedom to write, to publish, and also to garden and bake.

It also meant solitary time with books I love. Alone time with books is great, but there is a downside…No sharing a favorite title face to face with an eager reader or finding just the right read for a less than eager one. I missed this part so very much the past 3 years.

I am back in the library a few hours a week this year (you can check out what I’m doing there HERE). Now I have the best of both worlds.

While I’m not delivering instruction in library classes anymore, I am a fellow book lover in the room sometimes when kids – and teachers- come to visit.

Over the summer, I tried to think of a way to jump start these conversations even with my limited time on campus.

Enter the whiteboard prompt.

I made a loose promise to myself that I will erase and replace these about once a week. For each one, I just write a question/invitation or a finish-the-sentence kind of prompt, then walk away. If I want to share, I don’t do that until there are comments up already.

The first prompt I wrote didn’t get any love at all. I try snap a photo to capture each one, but I missed the first one. I just wrote a question/invitation, or a finish-the-sentence kind of prompt, then walked away. I’ve made a loose promise to myself that I’ll erase and replace about once a week.

 A favorite book you read recently was:

Maddi’s Fridge

The Fallout

The Queen of the Tearling

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes

The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow

Book Scavenger

The Dark Tower

House of Hades

All Things Wise and Wonderful

All the Light We Cannot See

Percy Jackson

 Look at this list and you won’t be surprised at the YA books that these middle school kids shared, but they are passionate consumers of other books as well, both picture book and middle grade novels. A seventh grader who shares that they just read a picture book about hunger and food insecurity? That’s a conversation that I am excited to have.

 The next prompt was a book you would recommend to your teacher:

Clockwork Scarab #supergood

All Creatures Great and Small

The Golden Compass

All the Light We Cannot See

The Giver

Little Brother

Robert Heinlein (various)

 I see some great MG titles here, don’t you?

The next was during a busy week, but what a fun list it produced.

My Favorite Re-read is…

Airborn

The Sandwich Swap

The Horse & His Boy

 The board stayed blank for several days, and then  a fascinating list came from the next prompt!

A book that blew my mind:

Godel, Escher, Bach

The Fault in Our Stars

The Kane Chronicles (The Red Pyramid)

The Golden Compass

Bone Clocks

Danny, the Champion of the World

 I wasn’t sure what to write this week, but a first grader who came to the library reluctantly with an assigned group chose not to check out. Instead, he spent time with a non-circulating pop-up book.  All at once, a discovery inside prompted him to ask me this question: “…Who knew that books could have such secrets within?”

Even though I’m only there for a short time each week, I feel that I am part of the conversation again.  I’ve seen parents and teachers add their picks to the board.

This is what I missed: not being part of a community of readers. You’re part of my community, too. Maybe you can answer the question I posed after my first grader’s quote. What have you discovered about books lately?  

 

 

 

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