For Parents

An Interview with Author Jennifer Murgia, Director of YA FEST Junior, a new MG book festival

By on March 18, 2015   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, For Parents  

 

1- Can you tell us a little about the very first YA Fest Jr–which middle grade authors will be attending, what activities you’re planning, anything festival goers can expect?

YA FEST Junior is the Middle Grade “offspring” of YA FEST and will be hosted by the Bethlehem Area Public Library on Saturday April 25, 2015 from 12-3pm. We’re very excited! Riding on the heels of an 800+ attended Jeff Kinney event, the BAPL is already on young readers’ radar. We have no doubt this will be a well attended festival. Seventeen MG authors and illustrators will be at YA FEST Junior, each at a signing station that encourages both approachability and interaction with young fans.

Those in attendance will be: Brian Biggs, P.G. Kain, Cecilia Galante, Eric Wight, Aaron Starmer, Matt Myklusch, M.E. Castle, Donna Galanti, Debbie Dadey, Amie & Bethanie Borst, Paul Acampora, Margie Gelbwasser, David Lubar, Ty Drago, Todd McClimans and the very lovely Barbara Dee.

Visitors will enjoy meeting the authors and participating in a fun “game show” called Master Berk Theater hosted by library director and author, Josh Berk. Books will be available for sale on the premises through Moravian Book Shop. We will also offer Art and Illustration lessons where patrons will learn hands-on cartooning by Eric Wight and Matt Myklusch and be able to take home a keepsake sketchbook. Books donated by publishing houses nationwide will be raffled off.

For a complete lineup of appearing authors and activities please visit http://yafest.org

2-You’ve run two successful YA Fests, enabling teen readers to meet and hear some top YA authors. What made you want to expand to the middle grade world with YA Fest Jr?

The 2014 YA FEST proved to be a bit large for our venue. We had over 50 authors and well over 600 patrons visit us. Unfortunately, we recognized the need to cut back. I’m a firm believer that a festival such as YA FEST is a community event, drawing families with children of all ages. The younger set, those who are the true Middle Grade audience, should have their own festival and so I approached Josh Berk about hosting a very special event just for them. To instill the love of reading and encouraging a relationship between a child and a book is the drive behind YA FEST. Libraries are such special places and to have an opportunity to meet an author is a once in a lifetime experience that is now an annual reality.

3-What are the challenges in pulling off an exclusively MG book festival? Is it easier or harder to organize than a YA festival? 

The organization of a MG book festival is quite easy. With two YA FESTs behind me, it has been narrowed down to a very simple science. Not to mention the BAPL is the perfect venue as a portion of the money raised via book sales will be given to the library to help fund their new children’s wing. In fact, the area the festival will be held in is scheduled for demolition. We can’t wait to see the renovations!

4-Why do you think there are so few book festivals exclusively for middle grade readers?

This is my personal opinion, but I do feel that Middle Grade is harder to promote. This is a genre that relies on the backing of schools and libraries to give it a push. However, some school districts are in the midst of budget cuts and only have access to a few author visits throughout the year. The Scholastic Book Fair continues to be a main player in reaching young readers, but a large-scale event with multiple authors is not something that is a common occurrence.

YA FEST and YA FEST Junior are free to the public. A percentage of sales is then offered in the form of a fundraiser for the hosting venue. Authors donate their time to attend. Publishers donate books to raffle off. Children make memories at these events—they meet the creators of their beloved characters and discover new stories and adventures. It’s really a winning event for all involved.

5-Unlike many YA readers, middle grade readers are often supervised by parents, teachers and librarians. How do you appeal to adults at the book festival? How do you appeal directly to kids?

I would hope that that anyone bringing their child to the festival is a booklover. If the adult has a deep appreciation for reading I would hope that they, too, are as excited about the event as the children. In fact, they may be more excited! Knowing their children will have an engaging time, meeting authors, meeting illustrators, is rewarding. There will also be many books raffled off as prizes, so the opportunity to walk away with several books is enticing. Children will find the event to be a large, kid friendly atmosphere with activities. We’re certain YA FEST Junior will be so much fun that it will appeal to children who struggle with reading or have yet to discover a love for it.

6-How has the Bethlehem (PA) Public library partnered with you on the festival, in addition to providing  space for the event? Are you getting support from other businesses or institutions in your community?

The Bethlehem Area Public Library has a phenomenal staff. Author Josh Berk recently became the director there and working with him is always fun. My fellow festival planner Ashley Supinski and I have met with Youth Services Department Manager Dana Hoy, and she will lead an active group of teen volunteers to help us out for the day. Our neighborhood indie bookstore is very excited to help out and I will be asking the nearest hotel in town about offering a discount for our authors visiting from a distance.

7-How are you getting the word out about the festival?

We’re relying on a good number of ways to spread the word about YA FEST Junior. Special event posters and banners have been created and have been hung up in the library as well as the bookstore that will provide the titles available for sale. All social media pages will share the news. This includes YA FEST’s media, the BAPL and Moravian Book Shop. The attending authors will post the festival on their event pages and websites.

Several press releases will go out to the local papers and local television station.  Exclusive invites have been sent to fifteen local elementary and middle schools.  We are also slated to be a feature article in LVStyle Magazine’s April issue.

8-How do you envision YA Fest Jr developing in the future?

As long as have a willing venue available to us I see great things for this festival. I would love to see YA FEST and YA FEST Junior unite into one festival again, so that’s certainly something to consider. Looking ahead, I would really like to see this become a traveling festival where local schools vote to host the festival and it then is held in a school auditorium or cafeteria. Each year may be a different school, or perhaps in a different county, and a special unveiling of where it will be will be announced.

Barbara Dee is the author of The (Almost)  Perfect Guide to Imperfect Boys, Trauma Queen, This Is Me From Now On, Solving Zoe, and Just Another Day in my Insanely Real Life, all published by Simon & Schuster.

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Leaping Into Literature: How Books on Dance Fueled My Passion for Reading and Writing (Book Giveaway)

By on March 16, 2015   /   Book Lists, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Nonfiction  

I’ve had two artistic passions in my life: dancing and writing. After spending more than twenty-five years in dance studios, studying and then teaching ballet, tap, and jazz, I realized my stronger passion was for prose rather than pirouettes. Yet, I’ve always loved to read books on dance. In fact, I can still recall the excitement I felt back in elementary school when I first discovered Noel Streatfeild’s novels Ballet Shoes and Dancing Shoes. I tore through them and went on to read more of Streatfeild’s books: Skating Shoes, Theater Shoes, and others. Back then, my interest in dance brought me to Streatfeild’s books on the library shelves. But once I found them, that passion led to another–the love of reading and writing.

Just as one artistic pursuit influenced another in my life, perhaps these books on dance will have the same effect on you, your child, or your student. And, for those who prefer sitting in the audience: these books will give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes of all those jetés, jives, and jazz hands.

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Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

This novel was originally published in 1937 and is still going strong. It’s about three British orphans, Pauline, Petrova, and Posie, who turn to the performing arts to support their new family. The story relates their successes and failures as they come to find their true passions. It was made into a movie with Emma Watson in 2007.

51jB6c7gSaLDancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Twenty years after Ballet Shoes, Streatfeild published this novel about orphans, Rachel and Hilary, who join their Aunt Cora’s dance troupe, Wintle’s Little Wonders. Misunderstandings, high drama, and a spoiled cousin named Dulcie, who is anything but the sweetness her name implies, infuse this story with humor and heart.

81xUxysTEYL._SL1500_To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel (illustrator)

This graphic novel is a memoir of the author’s desire to be a professional ballerina. It portrays the journey from her childhood in Puerto Rico, where she dreamed of becoming a dancer, to her eventual debut with the New York City Ballet.

91t2npP8+9L._SL1500_Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Thirteen-year-old Nate dreams of starring in a Broadway show. When he learns about an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, he shuffles out of Jankburg, Pennsylvania and hops on a bus bound for Broadway. With a little help from a long lost aunt and his friend Libby at home, his journey to the Great White Way is eventually a rousing success.

81-i-FyC5ZL._SL1500_Five, Six, Seven Nate by Tim Federle

This companion novel to Better Nate Than Ever finds Nate on Broadway, rehearsing for E.T.: The Musical. But as the second understudy for E.T., Nate finds the road to stardom littered with struggles as well as successes. From Nate’s determination to make his one spoken word (“Blurb”) a showstopper to his eventual performance, his hilarious narration doesn’t miss a beat.

51rBYphzWHLBallerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer by Michaela and Elaine DePrince, illustrated by Frank Morrison

This Step into Reading book is the true story of Michaela DePrince’s journey from war-torn Sierra Leone to the United States, where she was adopted by an American family and began her ballet training. The story depicts how her strength and perseverance resulted in the fulfillment of her dream of being a ballerina. Michaela was also featured in the film documentary First Position.

51yDdgkZmzLAlicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by Raul Colón.

This beautifully illustrated biography of Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso tells her story of overcoming partial blindness and reaching stardom in both Cuba and the United States.

 

51MSasopx9LIsabelle by Lawrence Yep

One of the popular American Girl series, this book features Isabelle, who starts her first year at Anna Hart School of the Arts. Along the way, she learns not to compete with others, but to find her own personal best if she wants to succeed as a dancer.

51QQXkhcrQLSugar Plum Ballerinas by Whoopi Goldberg

When Alexandrea Petrakova Johnson moves from her small town in Georgia to Harlem, her mother forces her into ballet lessons. After several bouts with rivalries, clumsiness, and stage fright, Alexandrea eventually finds success on the stage. This is the first in a series, written by actress Whoopi Goldberg.

51xnyvk59yLBallet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca.

In this award-winning book, the authors tell the behind-the-scenes story of Martha Graham’s 1944 dance composition, Appalachian Spring. The story describes how the collaboration between Graham, composer Aaron Copland, and set designer Isamu Noguchi led to this iconic work.

If you have a favorite book about dance, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section. Two lucky winners, drawn from comments made from now until March 18 at midnight, Eastern Standard Time, will receive a signed copy of either Better Nate Than Ever or Five, Six, Seven, Nate.

Dorian Cirrone is the author of several books, including the young adult ballet novel, Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You, as well as the forthcoming middle-grade novel The First Last Day  (S&S/Aladdin, May 2016). Subscribe to her blog for writing tips and giveaways at: doriancirrone.com/welcome/blog

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Encouraging Young Readers, A Librarian’s Perspective

By on March 11, 2015   /   Book Lists, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers  

What goes on behind-the-scenes in a library is a mystery to most of us. Some, who perhaps haven’t visited a library since their childhood, envision grumpy librarians sitting behind a desk shushing rowdy library-goers. Others imagine all sorts of secrets and adventures, leading such fabulous books as Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians, and The Haunted Library series.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

In the real world, today’s librarians work their magic for our children every single day. This winter, I had a great talk about inspiring kids to read with Joanna Nelson, Teen Services Coordinator and Librarian for the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With 14 locations, PPLD serves a community of almost 600,000 people.

Joanna’s job includes:

  • determining the vision and goal of the teen team
  • planning district-wide programming (summer reading programs, author visits, etc.)
  • teaching students how to research using library resources
  • conducting 1-3 minute booktalks in the classroom

MUF’s own Dori Butler writes this great middle-grade mystery series.

Q: Have you noticed any differences in the types of books that get read or in the popularity of reading since the explosion of ebooks?

A: Surprisingly, teens generally prefer paper books to ebooks. We have more than 640,000 eMaterials (ebooks, audiobooks, emagazines, movies) titles for all ages, but that is just 9.1% of the total number of items that check out. So, since the beginning of 2014 we have checked out 6,434,522 physical items. Since the beginning of the year 647,797 ebooks/audiobooks have been checked out.

Q: Do you have a recent favorite middle-grade book?

A: Wonder by R.J. Palacio blew me away. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman was written in 2012 and I really enjoyed that story. Another series I love, but is older is Alcatrez vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians

Q: Have you noticed any recent trends in children’s literature?

A: There are a couple of trends I’ve noticed in teen literature. First, teens LOVE series! They can’t get enough of the characters and stories that authors create. The characters become their friends and they want to know more. Second, dystopian is incredibly popular right now. I think this is because teens overcome huge challenges that they have to work to solve – and it makes their lives seem relatively better.

Q: You’re also an adjunct professor for the University of Denver Masters of Library and Information Science program. – What advice do you give your students about connecting with teen readers?

A: The class I teach at DU is the Young Adult Materials and Services class. Most of the students are going to work in libraries (school or public), but I do get a few students who will be English teachers.

Connecting with teens is about being honest – with them and with yourself. Teens can tell when someone isn’t genuinely interested in what is important to them. Teens appreciate straightforwardness and it is fun to banter with them, but it can be good to avoid sarcasm (not in all cases, but sometimes teens take things quite literally).

As far as Readers’ Advisory goes, it is really important to not pass judgment on what anyone (no matter the age) is reading. My opinion is that if someone is reading, that is excellent! Finding someone’s next good book isn’t necessarily about what they’ve read in the past. It is important to use a variety of interests to get teens a book they will enjoy. I encourage my students to read a variety of genres, watch teen movies, play video games – and know about books that are about sports, graphic novels, difficult issues and more. It is so important to welcome teens to reading no matter where they are coming from.

Q: How has the recent “We Need Diverse Books” campaign come up in your work and does it influences how you choose books for your classes?

A: Diversity in books is a huge issue. It does come up in our work regularly – even before this campaign started. The collection development team here at PPLD makes every effort to get good quality, diverse books. In teen services at PPLD, we create displays for minorities for Black History Month in February; Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15); and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. We highlight fiction and nonfiction written by or about people of the respective ethnicity. For non-ethnic specific celebrations (Poetry Month, Women’s History Month, etc.), we include people of all ethnicities. We’re also working on building and updating more book lists that are diverse.

For my class, I try to focus on diverse issues and diversity. I only get to assign 5 books per class, which makes it difficult to touch on everything. So, the assignment requires that they read a variety of books on a variety of topics geared towards a diverse audience.

Thank you for your time, Joanna! And thank you to librarians everywhere who help us celebrate and appreciate books!

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