Giveaways

Books of Ore Giveaway

By on April 5, 2016   /   For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Giveaways  

Books of Ore, by Cam Baity and Benny Zelcowicz, is  a new trilogy bound to interest  lovers of fantasy and adventure.

books of ore 1Book  One introduces Phoebe Plumm, whose life revolves around trading pranks with irksome Micah Tanner and waiting for her renowned father, Dr. Jules Plumm, to return home. Chief surveyor for the Foundry, a global corporation with control of metal production and technology, Phoebe’s father is in the field for months at a time. But when a sudden and unexpected reunion leads to father and daughter’s being abducted, Phoebe and would-be hero Micah find themselves stranded in a stunning and volatile alien world—one that has been ruthlessly plundered by the Foundry for centuries and is the secret source of every comfort and innovation the two refugees have ever known.

books of ore 2

Book Two,  out in early April, finds Phoebe and Micah a long way from home and engaged in a struggle with no end in sight. Phoebe’s father is gone, Micah struggles to keep a vow he swore he’d never break, and their enemies are closing in fast.

Book 3 publishes next year! Meanwhile, to celebrate Book 2, the authors are giving away Book 1 and Book 2 to two different winners. To enter, please leave a comment below. Only U.S. residents are eligible for this contest–thanks!

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Interview with Laura Shovan + Giveaway

By on March 23, 2016   /   Author Interviews, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Giveaways  

As we look forward to National Poetry Month, I thought it would be a nice time to have a poet on the blog. Laura Shovan is a celebrated poet whose debut novel in verse, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, comes out on April 12th. Read through to the end for an opportunity to win it!

Laura Shovan

Photo credit: Karen Leigh Studios.

Why is poetry appealing to kids?

Children love the idea that words can create pictures in their minds. I sometimes play a game with them where I say, “An elephant is not standing on your teacher’s desk.” And we all laugh about the elephant who suddenly appeared in our imaginations, in spite of the word “not.” Prose has imagery too, but the white space of poetry allows those images to breathe. The pause we naturally make between one line and the next gives the reader time to absorb the sensory images and ideas, and to make connections.

For kids who haven’t discovered poetry yet, what are some good places to start?

I love Calef Brown’s books for early experiences with poetry. At home, we started with his Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks. The poems are short and funny. They include quirky rhymes and great characters, like Olf the terrible pirate (“terrible” as in really bad at being a pirate) from Brown’s book Dutch Sneakers and Flea Keepers. Nursery rhymes are great, as are tongue twister books such as Charlotte Pomerantz’s The Piggy in the Puddle and Dr. Seuss’s Fox in Socks, which both feature wordplay.

As children move through elementary school, I like poetry books on subjects they are interested in, such as Marilyn Singer’s Echo Echo for fans of Greek mythology, Jeff Moss’s dinosaur book Bone Poems, and Laura Purdie Salas’s A Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems about Pets. Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog is a wonderful introduction to novels in verse.

Can you recommend some exercises to get kids writing poetry?

The first thing I recommend is to focus on a single poetry-writing skill in each workshop, at least with elementary schoolers. One of my favorite workshops to begin with is onomatopoeia poems. I ask students to write about a place they know well, or an activity they like to do, using as much onomatopoeia as they can. We make it into a riddle poem. The poet will read his draft out loud to the class and everyone guesses where he is or what he is doing in the poem.

The fun part about this workshop is that, as we move ahead and write other poems, the onomatopoeia words stick. The children naturally incorporate them into their later writing. This and other writing prompts for kids are included in the back of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY.

Can you share any stories about your work with kids and poetry?

I hope you don’t mind a sad story.

I was doing a fourth grade poetry residency one winter. There was a boy in the class whose mother had died. He hadn’t been participating much, but sat with an aide in the back of the room. Then one day, he wrote a poem wishing his mother could come down from heaven and scold him for not doing his chores. All of the adults started tearing up. I found out later, it was the first time he had talked about his mother’s death at school.

There is something about making space in the school day, or at home, for writing poetry, that allows young people to open up. I think it’s because the writing task is different from the usual school assignments, which focus on analysis, persuasion, and earning a grade. When we ask children and teens to write about their experiences, the things they feel deeply about, we’re letting them know that they are valued not only as students, but as full human beings. That’s a powerful thing!

last fifth grade cover

Laura Shovan’s engaging novel, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, is a time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year. The students grow up and move on in this big-hearted debut about finding your voice and making sure others hear it. To win a copy of this lovely story, leave a comment below by midnight EDT on Friday. For two entries, tweet about this giveaway! (Please make sure your email address and twitter profile are included in your comment.)

Laura Shovan is former editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Laura works with children as a poet-in-the-schools and is currently serving as the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society’s Writer-in-Residence. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her novel-in-verse for children, will be published in April 12 (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House).

Katharine Manning is a middle grade writer who has loved poetry since a teacher handed her Gwendolyn Brooks’s We Real Cool in fourth grade. You can read her middle grade book reviews, including of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, at Kid Book List. You can also find her at www.katharinemanning.com and @SuperKate.

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Author Nancy Castaldo Talks about her New Nonfiction Book and a Giveaway!

By on March 7, 2016   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Giveaways, Nonfiction  

Today I am so excited to be interviewing

Author Nancy Castaldo

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about her awesome new STEM book:

Although it has only been out a few weeks, Nancy’s book has garnered some FANTASTIC reviews:

* “A terrific, engrossing resource.”
—Booklist, STARRED review

“An impassioned call to action…”
—School Library Journal

“Castaldo delivers a sobering global status report—and a call to action…Well-crafted and inspiring.”
—Kirkus

“Castaldo breaks down threats like climate change and disease, while providing a greater sense of interconnectivity in nature and within world communities.”
—Publishers Weekly
Congratulations on the success of your new book, The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, and How There’s More of Less to Eat Around the World (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016).  The book looks fantastic! I can’t wait to read my copy.

 

How did you come up with this idea?

Thank you! There wasn’t one spark that fueled the idea for this book – there were many! My daughter was working at a local farm store and completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She had come up with a 30-mile diet in which you ate food produced or grown within 30 miles of your home. It was eye-opening to realize the benefits of this for both the health of the environment, the local economy, and us!  It brought food front and center at our house. As an environmental educator I was well informed about issues of the environment – including loss of habitat and endangered species, but I began to learn about endangered seeds, endangered crops, and the crisis we’re facing. Soon it seemed that everywhere I turned there were issues with our agriculture and native plants — from war-torn Iraq to the fields in Iowa.  What’s the best way to get the word out? A book, of course!

 

What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

The research for THE STORY OF SEEDS took me to California, the Hudson Valley, and all the way to Russia in the middle of winter.  I tasted heirloom watermelon, discovered jeweled-colored corn, visited seed banks that store our future food, and celebrated biodiversity in our fields, farms, and tables. I met the most dedicated seed scientists and activists along the way!

 

Was it hard to get a publisher interested in this idea?

I am so lucky to have an editor who championed this book along its path. Without her it might not have happened.

 

When did you start writing? What drew you to nonfiction?  

I have been writing since I was a kid. My first published piece was a poem in Seventeen magazine. I was 16!  Before I was writing books, I was writing magazine articles for a variety of publications – from the Sierra Club Wastepaper to Family Fun. During those days, I was also a contributing editor for Berkshire Magazine. It was great fun to explore topics and stories and share them in this form. Books followed.

 

Why books about science?

I write mostly about science because I am an environmental educator and my undergrad work was in biology and chemistry. I love being outside and learning about the world around me. Sharing it through writing is the icing on top!

 

What part of science to you like the best?

I enjoy writing most about how we (humans) interact with our environment.

 

You’ve been writing for a few years, can you share some of the different books that you’ve written. Any favorites among them?

My first book was published in 1995, so it has been a few years! I have written activity books that explored various ecosystems, a historical fiction picture book about pizza, a National Geographic title about polar bears, and a middle grade titled, SNIFFER DOGS: HOW DOGS (and THEIR NOSES) SAVE THE WORLD.  It’s impossible to pick a favorite. I will admit, though,  that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of writing and photographing SNIFFER DOGS. It does hold a special place in my heart, as do the dogs and handlers I met along the way.

                                

Is there a particular age range that you enjoy writing?

I have written for the very young set to young adult readers. I enjoy it all. Every story dictates how it will be told. Some are meant to have young readers and some older readers. It really depends on the story.

 

In your school visits, what do you talk about? Do you get the kids interested in science and the environment?  

I love taking to students about research. It’s the lifeblood of nonfiction and the part I love the best. Learning how to conduct research is a life skill that they will be able to use in every aspect of their life.  The environment is awe-inspiring. Through tales of research both in and out of the field I strive to inspire kids to explore the world around them. My goal is to empower them to make a difference wherever they live.

 

Any upcoming books or projects that you are currently working on that you can share with us?

I’ve had a blast working on my upcoming BEASTLY BRAINS. It’s all about animal intelligence and is due out early in 2017. I’m currently at work researching the next book for middle grade readers. Let’s just say that I’ll be doing a lot of traveling in the coming year to meet some rare creatures.

Cover Reveal!!

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Anything you’d like to add?

With the amount of research I need to conduct for my books my school visits are limited these days. Teachers should contact me as early as they can to book a visit. When I am not available to visit a school in person, there is always Skype!  I love meeting students and chatting about science and research any time I can!

Thanks for hosting me!

My pleasure, Nancy. I love to see the success of great middle-grade STEM books!

To learn more about Nancy,  go to her website at NancyCastaldo.com

For all you teachers and librarians out there, be sure to check out the

THE STORY OF SEEDS curriculum guide.
You can find it here:

 

Nancy has generously offered to giveaway an autographed copy of her book. Leave a comment below to be entered.  If your comment has something to do with seeds or planting you get a double entry!

 

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Jennifer Swanson is the author of over 25 books for children. Her titles focus mostly on STEM/STEAM topics. You can find more information about her at www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com 

 

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