Every once in a while, I finish a book and have to share it with others. Immediately.
The last book I felt that way about was A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness. Perfect. Before that, it was THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie. True and heart-breakingly hilarious.
I just closed another book and must share.
ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell.
When I first saw this cover, I thought it was a picture book with thumbprint characters. It's not.
This young adult novel is about Eleanor, a misfit on the outside, who defies the world and falls in love with Park. Park, who feels like an outsider, sees beneath Eleanor's odd clothing, big red hair and large frame. He's attracted to her like Romeo was to Juliet.
Eleanor lives in a dire and dangerous home. I worried for her and hoped for her the entire book. I stayed up way too late several nights. Just one more chapter. Just one more . . .
This novel is written beat by beat, moment by moment, feeling by feeling -- simply and honestly.
Fairy Godsisters: Robin LaFevers, Thalia Chalta, Valerie Hobbs, Lee Wardlaw and Mary Hershey
wHo can apply: YOU with your shiny SCBWI membership (Make haste to www.scbwi.org to join/renew if needed)
wHaT: $1,000.00 toward conference tuition, manuscript or portfolio critique, and a bit of mad money during your LA stay.
wHeN: Conference runs from August 2 -5, 2013
wHeRe: The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles CA
wHy:
We are five very fortunate authors for children and young adults who
have been generously mentored, guided and supported by a host of
talented individuals. We can't think of a better way to thank them than
by easing the way for others. The National Conference is a game-changer.
hOw:
To enter, write at least one but no more than three haiku telling us
why we should pick you for this year's conference. (A haiku is a
three-line poem, featuring a total of 17 syllables: 5 in the first line,
7 in the second, and 5 again in the third.) Have some fun with this!
Email your entry to fairygodsistersink@gmail.com by April 15th. Winners will be announced on May 1st. Questions, just ask!
Please feel free to share this info with your SCBWI buddies everywhere.
Last week found me in Fort Worth, TX doing a series of school visits.
My first host, Maggie, and I began the week by walking a lovely trail along the Trinity River.
We made a new friend along the way . . .
Mark and Maggie
Mark and Donna
Then the fun, er, work began the next day at Trinity Valley School . . .
I spoke to 7th and 8th graders in an auditorium, an eager group of creative writing students and 5th and 6th graders.
Donna with Trinity Valley Students
Alex, Donna and Anna
What a delightful day!
The next couple days I spent with Paula Tyler of the Fort Worth Library Foundation. Paula is brilliant and gracious. She advocates for young people in need in so many ways. I learned much from her and her husband, Ron.
We visited SIX schools over two days.
The kids were amazing! One group of eager young readers at Sellars Elementary gathered round while I spoke in the library from a rocking chair. Afterward, they ran up for hugs and autographs, and one little girl timidly approached and said, "I made this for you last night . . ."
Books Bracelet, being modeled by son's friend, Mercedes
I wore that bracelet every day and showed it to the students at every school.
The next day, we learned that these enthusiastic young book club members weren't the strongest readers in the school. For the most part, they were the students who needed the most help with their reading skills. Each of them read at least one of my books. They had excellent questions and were wholly engaged. What a testament to the power of a dedicated, creative, caring school librarian. I'm talking to you, Ms. Johnson! Your group of students were an author's dream!
At Wedgewood Sixth Grade School, the daughter of school librarian, Cheryll Falcone, created this amazing illustration of Hammy the Hamster from How to Survive Middle School.
Donna, Cheryll Falcone, Hammy the Hamster and Paula Tyler.
My last school visit was with the lovely ladies at the Young Women's Leadership Academy. These serious, dedicated, smiling girls inspired me much more than I ever could have inspired them. What a spectacular experience! I wish I had a photo of the sea of enthusiastic young women in their red school shirts. Several e-mailed me later to tell me of the books they were writing!
Between the school visits, Paula gave me a tour of Fort Worth.
My only regret is that I didn't have a book to put in the hand of every eager student who asked after the presentation how s/he could get a book. It's hard to see kids who are so excited about reading not have enough access to the books they want to read.
My host, Paula, said the Library Foundation would provide some copies to the school libraries that needed them.
I wished these kids could have their OWN books -- something I could never afford as a kid.
It made me grateful for organizations like Kids in Need -- Books in Deed, created by Julianna Baggott and David Scott. These wonderful folks will be providing a book for EVERY student at my upcoming visit to a Title I school in Palm Beach County next month.
I'm thankful I said "YES" when invited to Fort Worth last year. I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences in Texas, my gracious hosts and the wonderful librarians, educators and children I had the great pleasure to meet.
EACH of the three winners will receive the following prizes:
3 signed copies of OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN
30 signed bookmarks
$30 to spend at the bookstore of your choice
Congratulations to the following randomly selected winners: 1. JENNIFER, whose comment was: "Hooray for First Book! Thank you and the others who donated to such a worthy cause! And hooray for OLIVIA BEAN!"
2. JULIE.STEPHENSON, whose comment was: "How perfect. Olivia Bean is on my never-ending Titlewave "wishlist."
Thank you for this opportunity. I am sharing with all my ELA teacher
friends."
3. JESSICA, whose comment was: "I emailed three teacher friends! Can't wait to Skype!"
If you are a winner, please contact me at dgep (at) hotmail (dot) com. I'll need your mailing address to send the prizes.
Thanks so much for participating in The Week of Giving!
We're celebrating OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN'Spaperback release this week by GIVING!
Today, we're giving away not one, not two, but THREE prize packages!
There will be signed bookmarks
There will be autographed books
There will be cash to buy books!!!
But first . . .
A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our last blog post and voted for which children's literacy organization should receive a $200 donation.
Imagine my purple banana seat bicycle with the basket for books parked in front.
S.R., a teacher at a Title I school, matched my donation! Thank you, S.R.!!!
Paul Grecian, photographer and friend, added $25 to the total. Thanks, Paul!
That means the organization with the most votes will receive $425.00!!!
* Drum-roll, please. *
After totaling votes from blog comments, we had a tie. Fortunately, one person wasn't able to post a comment and sent her vote via e-mail, which broke the tie.
So, the recipient of the $425 donation will be . . .
Join the celebration as OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN comes out in paperback!
Available at your local bookseller and online.
We're celebrating all week by GIVING!!!
Growing up, my favorite book was . . .
I never owned a copy until I was an adult, because we couldn't afford to buy books when I was a kid. I'd borrow it from the Northeast Regional Library of Philadelphia again and again.
If you're thinking of buying a copy, won't you consider donating it to a young reader, a local elementary or middle school, a public library, a children's hospital or a children's literacy organization?
If you want to make a bigger impact, how about providing a copy for every 4th, 5th or 6th grade student at a Title I school? (Bonus good karma if you support your local indie bookseller with your purchase.)
Image from: childrens-books.lovetoknow.com
Thank you in advance for your support!
Now, it's my turn to GIVE!
Because I'm passionate about opportunities to get kids reading, I will donate $200.00 to a children's literacy-based organization.
5. THE READING CONNECTION -- Dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk children and families by
helping them create literacy-rich environments and
motivation for reading.
6. KIDS NEED TO READ -- Provides inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and
literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving
disadvantaged children.
PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE for one of these six organizations in the comments section. (The organization with the most votes will get the $200.00.)
And drop by Friday, when a BIG GIVEAWAY will be announced!!!
Amazing Addendum:Within an hour of this blog post, an educator from a Title I school in Orlando, who understands firsthand how important it is to get books into kids' hands, decided to match the $200 donation to one of these six organizations. So vote, people. Vote! (Thank you S.R. for your generosity.You inspire me . . . and made me cry a little.)
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?
It's a strange letting go of a family that's taken residence in one's mind for months and welcoming a new one in.
Being in the midst of writing a novel is like being gainfully employed -- knowing what you're going to do each day. Having purpose.
Finishing the novel is like being unemployed. Laid off. Thank you very much for your services. There's the door.
I remember hearing Jodi Picoult say as soon as she finishes a book, she begins a new one. That same day.
I wish I could do that. I can't.
After I've given all my energy to a book, I'm emotionally spent. Empty.
The
time between books is for refilling, for noticing stories and great
character names and connections between things I care about. It's time
to let ideas light up my mind. To take furious notes. To read piles of
books, hoping to be sparked by inspiration.
The
time between books is for reconnecting with friends, taking long walks,
spending time focusing on my family's needs, doing mundane jobs I've
long neglected at home.
But the time between books is sometimes uncomfortable.
I want to be productive. I want to write every day, but I'm not yet ready. I have to fill the well, gather momentum and the willingness to lose
myself in another family's story -- a family that will feel so real,
I'll worry for them, lose sleep over them and root for them even though I know the odds are against them.
I'm more like Linda Sue Park, who finds herself trolling the want ads for teaching jobs when she's between books.
Writing days are hard sometimes. Frustrating other times. And sometimes they are smooth sailing with fat page counts. Sometimes filled with exciting discoveries and heartbreaking happenings. Sometimes they are slogging through the muck of a sluggish mind. Other days, the fingers can't fly fast enough to keep up with the story.
Writing days -- good, bad or ugly -- are where I belong, where I'm always headed.
The days spent writing are the ones I feel most at home with myself and with the world.
Postscript: I wrote this post last night. This afternoon, my agent called with brilliant revision suggestions for Death by Toilet Paper. So, it looks like I'm happily employed again. For now.
