All the Fun Stuff Going On . . .

The past 5 months, I've had some late nights and long weekends writing and revising and re-revising DEATH BY TOILET PAPER.

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of hitting "SEND."  My agent, Tina Wexler, responded with an e-mail that every writer dreams of -- praise so generous it made me tear up.  Twice.

Now, I'll work with my editor, Michelle Poploff, and the awesome team at Random House to make this the best book possible.  I can't wait for its release next year!

I've been doing lots more than writing and revising these past five months.

There have been oodles of school visits, including the week I spent in Fort Worth, TX with incredible hosts, extraordinary students and . . . Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Eager Briscoe Elementary students

I've traveled the country virtually doing tons of Skype visits, like this one with 6th grade students in VA . . .

Thanks, Ms. Buchanan, for sharing your FUNderful students with me.

I've received lovely notes from students, including these thank you letters from Mr. Schu's students in IL and Ms. Luchie's students in ME from World Read Aloud Day. 

Thank You Notes from Mr. Schu's students.  (Dogs not included.)

Teddy guarding the thank you notes from Ms. Luchie's students.  (Thanks, Teddy!)

I created a fun OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN quiz for Random Buzzers that includes trivia and a chance for kids to earn Buzz Bucks and "buy" books with them.  Check it out!

Recently, I spoke at a luncheon with Jim Cummings.  He spent a year in Africa with no running water or electricity and counts it as the best of his life.  Jim has created an amazing project -- KIJANA EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE -- which connects children across cultures, provides educational spaces, puts books into kids' hands in Kenya and more.

Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative

There are only 4 days left to contribute to his Kijana Lwanda Maktaba Campaign.

There are great "thank you" gifts for even the smallest donation.  Won't you take a moment to donate?  I just did.  Kijana Lwanda Maktaba Campaign.

HERE'S WHAT I'LL BE DOING THROUGH THE END OF APRIL . . .

1.  APRIL IS FOR AUTHORS -- Saturday, April 27th at Palm Beach Gardens High School, 25 authors from around the country will give presentations, participate in panel discussions and sign books at this FREE event from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.   This is a wonderful annual event.  If you live in or near Palm Beach County, FL, be sure to stop by this Saturday.

2.  I'll be attending the 26th annual CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN'S LITERATURE in Ft. Lauderdale Friday.  I had spoken there a few years ago.  This time, I'm going to enjoy a great lineup of speakers, including the Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Walter Dean Myers.  Can't wait!

3.  And I'll be doing THREE days of local school visits. 

I'm excited about each of these visits, but especially about the last one because . . . Thanks to the generosity of Kids in Need, Books in Deed, a nonprofit organization, every one of the students I'll be speaking to at this Title I school has been given a copy of one of my books.  A brand new book to keep.  (Something I never had growing up.)

I can't tell you what it feels like to present to a group of low-income students who ask how they can get a copy of a book, only to be told there are no copies for them.  Kids in Need, Books in Deed is a great organization, and I've already made a donation to thank them for the important work they do here in Florida, getting books into kids' hands in conjunction with author visits.

After the whirlwind of activity the past 5 months and what's on the horizon for the remainder of April, I'm pretty sure on May 1st, you'll find me here . . .

CELEBRATING WORLD READ ALOUD DAY

It was my pleasure to participate in World Read Aloud Day 2013.

This initiative to increase global literacy and celebrate the power of words and stories to change worlds is the creation of Pam Allyn at LITWORLD -- a non-profit literacy organization, fostering resilience, hope and joy through the power of story.

Thanks to author extraordinaire, Kate Messner, who helps facilitate authors to read aloud to classrooms all over the world via Skype to celebrate this special day.

Thanks to Kate, I connected with amazing school librarian Mr. Schu a few years ago.  Check out the video on his blog post about World Read Aloud Day.  (There are books being given away at the end of his post.)

In keeping with tradition, I wore my bunny slippers while traveling around the country to classrooms in Maine, Iowa, Illinois and Texas.

Here's a photo of my first visit with the kids in Ohio, who created this FUNTASTIC video invitation for me . . .

Alas, a snow day cancelled school.  Deb Tyo, thanks for the apt photo.

School was open in Maine, where I got to hang out with some very cool 7th graders.  In this photo by Abigail Luchies, I got a chance to see what the students saw.  (My view, of course, was very different.) 

Love that the boy in the back row has his copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid next to him.

From Maine, I traveled to Illinois To meet Todd HiIlmer and some of his 6th and 7th grade students.

These kids were adorable!

Mr. Hillmer and his gang, sharing lunch, stories and fun trivia questions.

 I stayed in Illinois for awhile because Mr. Schu was in the house.

A few of his students read touching introductions for World Read Aloud Day.  This young lady in blue quoted something from Sharon Creech's Love That Dog that may or may not have made me cry a little bit.  All his students were engaged and inquisitive and appreciative and I so wanted to be there in person to give them all hugs.  (One of the disadvantages of Skype visits.)

Two minutes after leaving Illinois, I was visiting with Shannon McClintock Miller's students in Iowa.  (One of the advantages of Skype visits.)

Can you guess what's missing from this photo?

Photo courtesy of Shannon McClintock Miller

The pot-bellied pig, of course!  He was scheduled to be part of World Read Aloud Day festivities, but was unable to walk through the snow.

Don't worry, they found another way to add a whole lot of fun and shake up the day. 

Van Meter School Celebrating World Read Aloud Day With a Little Harlem Shake!

Had only fifteen minutes to get all the way to Texas.  Luckily, Skype got me there in about two seconds . . . and didn't lose my luggage!

Hello, Jane Jergensen's 6th graders at Kerr Elementary School in Allen, Texas!

The group was much larger than could fit on one screen!

I had the great pleasure of visiting Kerr Elementary in Allen, Texas last year, during a school visit.  And I was equally impressed with these kids during our Skype visit.  You should have seen the long line of kids waiting to ask questions; and such good quality questions!

After having lots of laughs in Texas, I ended the day with two classes of adorable kindergarteners back in snowy Illinois.

Library Guy, Jeff McHugh, was fun, friendly and funny.  He told me that when I showed the kids my giant purple pen and told them purple was my favorite color, one of the kids said, "Wow.  Purple is my fourth favorite color."

Loved these kids!  We had a lot of fun reading Kelly DiPucchio's Zombie in Love.  Thanks, Mr. McHugh for sharing this awesome, engaged group with me!

World Read Aloud Day was a blast!  Can't wait till next year.  Won't you join in by reading aloud to children in your community or, via Skype, to children around the country . . . or the world?