And The WINNERS Are . . .

ALEX AWARDS

THE BOY WHO COULDN’T SLEEP AND DIDN’T HAVE TO

BREAKING NIGHT

GIRL IN TRANSLATION

THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW

THE LOCK ARTIST

THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE

THE RADLEYS

THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS

ROOM

THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN

SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARDS

Picture Book: THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN

Middle Grade: AFTER EVER AFTER

Young Adult: FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB

STONEWALL BOOK AWARD

Award: ALMOST PERFECT

Honor: WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON

Honor: LOVE DRUGGED

Honor: FREAKS AND REVELATIONS

Honor: THE BOY IN THE DRESS

CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARDS

Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement: DR. HENRIETTA MAYS SMITH

John Steptoe New Talent: VICTORIA BOND AND T.R. SMITH (ZORA AND ME), SONIA LYNN SADLER (SEEDS OF CHANGE)

Illustrator: DAVE THE POTTER

Honor: JIMI SOUNDS LIKE A RAINBOW

Author: ONE CRAZY SUMMER

Honor: LOCKDOWN

Honor: NINTH WARD

Honor: YUMMY

ODYSSEY AWARD

Award: THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY

Honor: ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN

Honor: THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

Honor: REVOLUTION

Honor: WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON

EDWARDS AWARD

TERRY PRATCHETT

MORRIS AWARD

FREAK THE OBSERVER

YALSA NONFICTION AWARD

JANIS JOPLIN

PRINTZ AWARD

Award: SHIP BREAKER

Honor: STOLEN

Honor: PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ

Honor: REVOLVER

Honor: NOTHING

BELPRE AWARDS

Illustrator: GRANDMA’S GIFT

Honor: FIESTA BABIES

Honor: ME, FRIDA

Honor: DEAR PRIMO

Author: THE DREAMER

Honor: OLE FLAMENCO

Honor: THE FIREFLY LETTERS

Honor: 90 MILES TO HAVANA

ARBUTHNOT LECTURE

PETER SIS

BATCHELDER AWARD

Award: A TIME OF MIRACLES

Honor: DEPARTURE TIME

Honor: NOTHING

SIBERT MEDAL

Medal: KAKAPO RESCUE

Honor: BALLET FOR MARTHA

Honor: LAFAYETTE AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

WILDER AWARD

TOMIE DePAOLA

CARNEGIE MEDAL

THE CURIOUS GARDEN

GEISEL AWARD

Award: BINK & GOLLIE

Honor: LING & TING

Honor: WE ARE IN A BOOK!

CALDECOTT MEDAL

Medal: A SICK DAY FOR AMOS McGEE

Honor: DAVE THE POTTER

Honor: INTERRUPTING CHICKEN

NEWBERY MEDAL

Medal: MOON OVER MANIFEST

Honor: DARK EMPEROR

Honor: HEART OF A SAMURAI

Honor: ONE CRAZY SUMMER

Honor: TURTLE IN PARADISE

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!!!

Two Years Ago . . .

I was sitting in the audience in Philadelphia, listening to the Newbery Award winner being announced.



It was a thrilling moment because for children's book authors, winning the Newbery Medal is akin to receiving a golden ticket. Book sales skyrocket, speaking requests flood in and your book gets into the hands of many, many more readers.

This year, I felt just as excited, even though I read the list of winners on my home computer. A complete list of winners can be found here.

Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!!

BOOKMANIA!

Big top thanks to Jennifer Salas, uber-librarian at the Blake Library in Stuart, for inviting me to participate in Bookmania (pdf file) last weekend!

This was the second weekend in a row that I participated in a literary event with a Big Top theme. Strange coincidence, but fun.

To begin the Friday night party, Kenny Mikey juggled, while green-haired Riley Roam greeted guests from atop stilts. "Hello, down there!" she said. There were dog acts and people acts and tiny hamburgers and hot dogs served on tiny trays. Cartoons played on the ceiling while people mingled and met the dozens of authors participating in the event.

The celebration honored the late Phil Kavanaugh (Mr. Funnybones), a man who was instrumental in bringing arts and amazing performers to the Blake Library in Stuart and a sense of joy wherever he went. Hubby and I had the pleasure of meeting his lovely wife, Meg, who is working on a new project to involve kids in doing meaningful work to help the environment.

We also met Annie Barrows, the author of the adult book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and the children's book series, Ivy and Bean.

The next morning launched the main event -- Bookmania (pdf file)!

Authors' talks were so well-received that there was an overflow room with a TV to accommodate the huge number of book lovers in attendance.

Upstairs, Kidsmania took center stage -- a mixture of author talks and performances that had kids cheering. Suzy Hammer, aka The Bookworm, performed magic, told stories and did a fabulous job hosting the day's events.

Marianne Berkes read from her picture book, Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme, and let children hear the sounds the animals made in her books.

Jan Day donned cowboy hat and whip and read from her book, Kissimmee Pete and the Hurricane: A Tall Tale.

Here's a photo of Janeen Mason, showing the children how she draws. She then let the young artists create their own masterpieces.



Then I told stories about my childhood that lead me on a crooked path to become a children's book author. After reading a section from my book that features a certain California governor -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, I signed books for the children . . . and a few adults.


Then Riley Roam and Kenny Mikey performed their interactive, audience-participation show, The Great Pizza Contest and signed copies of their new book -- The Great Pizza Contest. Riley's mom, Fyllis Nadler, created the illustrations for the fun new book.

Cathy Supran, second grade teacher at Jupiter Farms Elementary, is a big fan of Page Turner Adventures' school shows. Here's Cathy and baby Thomas with performer Kenny Mikey.


It was an honor to be part of such a wonderful event. If you couldn't make it this year, mark your calendars for next year.

And whether you're clowning around this weekend or not, here's hoping you have loads of fun!

All best,
Donna

Happy Holiday Gift-Giving Guide

This holiday season, unless you’re a person who does this, you’ll probably spend your gift-giving dollars with care.

While planning your holiday shopping list, here are a few thoughts . . .

1) If you live in Palm Beach County, consider adopting a family for the holidays. You’d provide a gift card for a holiday dinner, toys/books/clothing for the children and practical items for the parent(s). Angela Feaman (Family Charity Foundation) coordinates this effort. To adopt a family, contact Angela at feamana@palmbeach.k12.fl.us.

2) All booked up? Consider donating books to an area school, your local literacy coalition, a children's hospital, etc. If you live in Palm Beach County, consider donating a new book for children ages 6 months to 10 years to the Wood Memorial Book Drive. We've participated in this effort for over a decade. It’s gratifying to deliver hundreds of books to the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition for children in time for the holidays. If you have a book you’d like to contribute, please contact me.

3) Monetary banks aren’t the only ones in trouble these days. Food banks across the country are suffering. We’ve been delivering bags of food to the hungry in our area for over two years and find the bags lighter than ever these days. Last weekend, one man politely asked if we could find one box of cereal for him for the week. I was able to do this only by taking it out of someone else’s bag. PLEASE contact your local food bank and donate canned soup, vegetables, fruit, beans, tuna, jars of peanut butter, boxes of pasta, cereal, etc. on a regular basis. You can find a food bank in your area here.

4) Are there animal lovers on your list? You can adopt a manatee for them here. (Manatees are the only 1,200 pound creatures I know of who are vegetarians, except for hubby. Just kidding, Honey.) How about becoming a foster parent to an orangutan here? Or help out a family in need by sponsoring an animal for their livelihood here?

5) If you want to buy actual gifts for people, may I suggest some from people I know?

a) For a lovely, handmade towel to wrap your favorite child in after bath time, try My Favorite Towel by my friend, Pamela.

b) For high quality furniture and accessories, check out Style and Form. My sister and her husband are offering huge price reductions on EVERYTHING just in time for the holidays.

c) For delectable handmade soaps that smell divine and are great for your skin, visit Naked Lady Soap.

d) Do you know how handmade dolls are created? Neither did I until I read an article by my friend, Sandy. Suffice to say, the process if very labor (and love) intensive. And Sandy created these masterpieces while successfully battling stage IV ovarian cancer. To purchase one of Sandy's elegant, collectible dolls, visit her here.

6) If you’re like me, you'll be giving books this holiday season. May I suggest these gems from friends:

a) If you have a turtle lover on your list, check out Turtle Girl here, a beautiful story, by Carole Crowe.

b) When the sky's the limit, give this rhyming non-fiction book to your young star gazer: Going Around the Sun: Some Planetary Fun by Marianne Berkes and Janeen Mason can be purchased here.

c) If you're looking for a young adult novel that's sure to please, grab a copy of Skin Deep by E.M. Crane here for the finicky teen on your list.

d) Did you miss the hilarious new release from comediane, Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant, Not Guilty by Reason of Menopause? Grab a copy here; you can use it to cool yourself in the event of a hot flash.

e) Kieran Doherty's Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival and the Salvation of Jamestown recently came out in paperback. To order this exciting read, click here.

f) For a fun middle grade read, pick up Mary Hershey's 10 Lucky Things That Have Happened to Me Since I Nearly Got Hit by Lightning here. Mary's other books are a hoot, too.

g) Mary and I seem to be in competition for world's longest title. Which reminds me, there's a certain middle grade book about a klutzy spelling bee champ whose mother is, um, running for president. You can pick up a copy (or twelve or three hundred or a class set) here.

Have I left out any great books? What about any beautiful hand-crafted products? Is there a charitable organization you'd love more people to know about?

Please share your suggestions in the comment section and have a happy, healthy holiday season!

Warmest regards,

Donna

What a Year!

2008 has been an unprecedented year so far, filled with ups and downs.

1. On a personal note, my father-in-law, Jake, passed away early in the year. His absence still haunts me. In other difficult news, a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing treatment. Another dear friend, Cary, lost her six-year struggle with ovarian cancer. It's been hard on her husband, Rey, and 16-year-old daughter.

2. This sad backdrop contrasts sharply with what's happened professionally. My first novel came out this past February, only two weeks after my father-in-law's passing. I was grateful to celebrate with friends and family. And my second humorous novel sold to the talented and lovely Stephanie Lane Elliott at Delacorte Press. I also had the joy of attending the ALA this past January and sitting in the audience as the Newbery Medal and others were announced.

3. On a local level, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series! Even though we live in South Florida, we're a Philly Phamily at heart and couldn't have been happier about this much-anticipated win. Well, we'd have been happier if Grandpop Jake were still around to share in the celebration.

4. On a more global level, the Olympics were absolutely inspiring. Who couldn't be moved by seeing people from all over the world giving their absolute best?

5. And on a personal, professional, local and global level, I'm excited that after this historic campaign and election, we have a new president and can move forward.

As this year draws to a close, I'm delighted to wake each day with loving family and friends and a shared sense of purpose, community and hope.

Three blogs, one tip and a CONTEST!

Every day, I check several blogs that inspire and offer useful information. Here are three that I highly recommend:

1) Shrinking Violet Promotions hosted by Mary Hershey and Robin LaFevers. This blog offers a bevy of marketing and promoting tips with a generous serving of grace and generosity thrown in for good measure.

2) Cynsations hosted by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Queen of Giving Back to the Children's Litature Community. On her blog, you'll find oodles of interviews, book giveaways and more useful information than you can shake a number two pencil at.

3) Alice's CWIM Blog hosted by Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, shares news and musings.

And here’s one tip to promote your work and have fun in the process: When doing an event at a school or participating in a book signing, hold a drawing for a book or appropriate giveaway. For example, Debra Garfinkle might give away a rubber chicken because of this and this. Ask only for the person’s first name and e-mail address on a slip of paper. After the event, choose a winner, e-mail a congratulations note and ask for a mailing address. Send the prize and then -- here’s the important part -- put each of the e-mail addresses you received in a database that you’ll use to send e-mail notices when you have exciting book news, like a new book coming out.

Now, the CONTEST: Share a blog, Web site or tip in the comment section below and I’ll choose one winner to receive a paperback children’s book. The winner will be announced Monday, June 30^th.

Good luck and thanks in advance for sharing!

Donna

DOING THE HAPPY WRITER DANCE!

I just finished revisions on my new middle grade novel!

Can you hear my sigh of relief from there? I’ll be doing the Happy Writer Dance as soon as I do the following:

1) Introduce myself to my children. “Hi, boys! Remember me? I’m your mom.”

2) Catch up on the 500 plus e-mails I need to delete, er, um, answer.

3) Play outside. “Oh, look, it’s March already!”

4) Enjoy a long overdue game of Scrabble with hubby. (Yes, he’ll probably win. Again!)

5) Return phone calls, especially that one from Oprah. Don’t I wish?!

6) And most importantly . . . clean the house. Yeah, right!

Although I can’t show you my happy dance, I’ll share these smile-inspiring happy dances, courtesy of John and Hank Green, Nerdfighters extraordinaire.

I know someone else who should be doing the Happy Writer Dance: E. M. Crane. Her young adult novel, SKIN DEEP, came out yesterday. I read an advance reader copy and loved it so much I cried. No wonder it won the Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel, No wonder the only revisions she needed to make were changing a character’s name! And the people who populate her wonderful novel stayed with me loooong after I closed the book.

A big THANK YOU to Jean Westmoore, who wrote a nice review of my book in the Buffalo News. Here’s the last line of the review: “This entertaining novel offers believable middle school situations, a rip roaring finale and a funny, memorable heroine.”

Ah, more happy dancing.

Do you have something to Happy Dance about? A bit of good news? A recent accomplishment? Someone else’s accomplishment? If so, post a comment on this blog and YOU might be chosen to be a GUEST BLOGGER. Won’t that be fun?

Looking forward to reading your Happy Dance moments. For now, though, I’m going to celebrate finishing my new novel, E.M. Crane’s exciting novel release and my book’s review in the Buffalo News . . . by cleaning the house, um, taking a nap!

Keep those pages turning,

Donna