Be a Friend & Come Celebrate

Several months ago, Salina Yoon reached out to Alethea (Read Now, Sleep Later) and I about helping with her book launch party. Of course, we were thrilled to be able to assist with this very special event. We quickly reached out to a number of our friends to create a planning committee and also reached out to Danielle and others wonderful booksellers at Vroman's Bookstore to provide a space for the event. After weeks and months of brainstorming and planning, we are so excited that BE A FRIEND is out in the wild for everyone to read. And we can't wait for a chance to celebrate with others in person. 

Check out the book trailer for Be A Friend:

If you are in the Pasadena or Southern California vicinity, I would like to invite you to come join us on Saturday, January 16th at 6 p.m. at Vroman's Bookstore.  If you come, bring a friend and wear black & white. And join us for refreshments, art, and fun activities. Salina will be talking about her newest book, and signing copies of it. You won't want to miss it.

If you are unable to join us, I hope you pick up a copy of BE A FRIEND at your local indie bookstore.  Post photos of you reading BE A FRIEND with a friend using the hashtag #BeAFriendBook 

You can also enter to win a signed copy of BE A FRIEND. Winner must have a US or Canadian mailing address and be 13 years or older.  To enter, please complete the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday: Mock Sibert, #NFPB2016 Challenge, and more

As I shared before, when I first began the nonfiction picture book challenge, I simply wanted to close a personal book gap I had. I read very little nonfiction for children and knew that needed to change. Since starting the challenge in 2012, I have read nearly 750 nonfiction books for children. I suspect that my original book gap is no longer a book gap but has turned into a reading habit. My goal for 2016 is to read 150 nonfiction titles - preferably ones released in 2016. 

Additionally, I recently signed up for an ALSC Online course called THE SIBERT MEDAL: EVALUATING BOOKS OF INFORMATION. As part of this six week course, we will read all of the Sibert Winners (not the honor books). My plan is to continue with the honor books once the class is finished in February. 

As I look to 2016, I am celebrating my fifth year of hosting the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Reading nonfiction has become an essential part of my life and I am thankful for the community of authors who write nonfiction, and the readers who are participating in the challenge have become a wonderful source of information and new titles, as well as, on-line friends & even in person friends.

In the comments, I would love to hear about an ideas or suggestions you have for the Wednesday nonfiction posts. I can't promise I can respond to all of the suggestions, but I will certainly consider every one and try to incorporate what I can. 

If you would like to participate in the challenge in 2016, here are the details:

 1. Set a goal as to how many nonfiction picture books (or nonfiction MG or YA books)  you would like to read over the course of 2016. Maybe you want to read one a month or one a week. Will they all be from 2016 or will you be reading ones previously published? Do you have a gap with a particular area of nonfiction? The important part is to set a goal that will be fun and not stressful.

2.  My nonfiction book reviews and posts will be on Wednesdays but I may start posting on a second day in order to fit everything in.  There will be a link if you want to connect up one of your reviews or progress towards your goal. If you post on Mondays (Nonfiction Mondays) or Fridays (STEM Fridays), please feel free to link up on Wednesdays with us, we would love to get to know more bloggers talking about nonfiction.

3. There will be interviews, guest posts, giveaways, and new release posts.

4. If you would like to participate in this challenge, please link up your blog or GoodReads Shelf using the Widget at the very bottom of the post. Please know that you can join in at anytime throughout the year.

5. If you tweet about what you are reading as part of this challenge, please use the twitter hashtag #nfpb2016.

6. You are welcome to grab the image at the top of the post to use in your weekly posts.

ALA Youth Media Awards are happening on Monday, January 11th at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here for more information and a link for the live webcast. 

YMA Pajama Party

ALA is hosting a YMA Pajama Party this year. For all of the official rules, click here.  Start planning on what pajamas you will be wearing while viewing the awards, and get those cameras ready.....

Post your photos (best pajamas, best snacks or beverages, or best reaction shots) to the YMA Pajama Party Facebook Event or on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #ymapjparty and #alayma. Everyone who submits a photo will be entered in a random drawing to receive a selection of 2016 Youth Media Award-winning books (and possibly some other great books we have laying around the office). 

Mock Sibert Announcements

If you posted your Mock Sibert predictions or hosted a Mock Sibert Club at your school, please link up below and enter the giveaway. (You are welcome to link up twice - once for the challenge and once for the Sibert.)

Here are my predictions:

Winner: Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown (HMH Books for Young Readers) 

Honor:  The Octopus Scientist by Sy Montgomery (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Honor: Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin (Roaring Brook Press)

Honor: The Great Monkey Rescue: Saving the Golden Lion Tamarins by Sandra Markle (Millbrook Press) 

For fun, I am doing a Sibert Giveaway.  Here are the rules:

1. You must complete a Mock Sibert post with your own predictions (or the predictions of your class) by Sunday, January 10, 2016 and add the link below and a comment in the comments section.

2. A Winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, January 12th and announced on Wednesday, January 13th here on the blog. 

3. You must be 13 years or older to enter (or have a parent enter on your behalf). 

4. You must have a US or Canadian mailing address or if the book is available through Book Depository and they deliver to your country, please feel free to enter. 

5. Winner will receive a copy of the 2016 Sibert Winner (or if you already own that book then one of the honor titles). 

6. Special prize: If more than one of my predictions are correct, then the winner will receive a complete set of the 2016 Sibert titles (winner and all honor books selected this year). 

7. Please do not add personal information like your email or mailing address in the comments. 

Link up below to enter the #NFPB2016 Challenge and/or to share your Mock Sibert posts: 

Happy Book Birthday: The Tiara and the Terrace

The Tiara and the Terrace
by Kristen Kittscher
HarperCollins (January 5, 2016)
Audience: Grades 5 to 8
Fiction * Mystery * Friendship

About the book: 
In this funny, clever novel, perfect for fans of Pseudonymous Bosch and Gordon Korman and a companion to The Wig in the Window, tween sleuths Sophie Young and Grace Yang go undercover at Luna Vista's Winter Sun Festival to catch a murderer before he—or she—strikes again.

Sophie Young and Grace Yang have been taking it easy ever since they solved the biggest crime Luna Vista had ever seen. But things might get interesting again now that everyone is gearing up for the 125th annual Winter Sun Festival—a town tradition that involves floats, a parade, and a Royal Court made up of local high school girls.

When Festival president Jim Steptoe turns up dead on the first day of parade preparations, the police blame a malfunctioning giant s'more feature on the campfire-themed float. But the two sleuths are convinced the mysterious death wasn't an accident.

Young and Yang must trade their high tops for high heels and infiltrate the Royal Court to solve the case. But if they fail, they might just be the next victims.

Check out the Official Book Trailer:

The Tiara on the Terrace spotted live: 
Several years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Kristen Kittscher at a YA event that I was a part of in Pasadena, California. Since then, I have had a chance to work with her on other local author events and to also support her books. 

Recently, I got to hang with Kristen and the gang at the Live on Green event in Pasadena. 

Kristen Kittscher with YA author, Ingrid Sundberg, and Once Upon a Time Bookseller, Romy. 

Kristen in a deep conversation with young fans.

A photobooth was set up by Russell Gearheart Photography.

Photobooth in action.

Then on Sunday, January 3rd, I was able to attend her book launch party for The Tiara on the Terrace. 

Kristen with fans.

More fun with the photobooth.

Kristen talking about her new book, The Tiara on the Terrace.

Kristen talking about her research and visiting the Wrigley Mansion in Pasadena. She based the Ridley Mansion in her book on the Wrigley Mansion.

Refreshments included root beer floats. If you don't know why, read the book. 

A view from above. Kristen spoke to a full house at the Armory Center in Pasadena.

Kristen talking with one of the young actors from her book trailer.

Many books were signed. 

Photo Credit: Alyson or Alethea (Read Now, Sleep Later)

Congratulations Kristen on the success of your book launch! Pick up a copy of The Tiara on the Terrace from your local indie bookstore or contact Once Upon a Time in Montrose, CA for an autographed copy. 

About the author: 
KRISTEN KITTSCHER is a former middle school English teacher and author of tween mystery The Wig in the Window (Harper Children’s, 2013) which garnered a starred review from School Library Journal and was named to ten Best of the Year lists. The 2014 James Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence and a graduate of Brown University, Kristen frequently presents at schools, libraries, and festivals. She lives with her husband in Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade—the inspiration for her most recent novel, The Tiara on the Terrace. Visit kristenkittscher.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@kkittscher).

Happy Book Birthday to The Tiara and the Terrace! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of The Tiara on the Terrace. Winners must be 13 years old or older and have a US mailing address. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - January 4, 2016

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys.  Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye of Unleashing Readers decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

As part of my New Year's goals, I am looking to get back into a regular routine and posting weekly.  

Since much of my reading this past week was connected to re-reading for the awards, I have a limited number of books to share this week. However, I do have some reminders and news to share....

Be a Friend by Salina Yoon (Bloomsbury, January 5, 2016) - If you are in Pasadena, California on January 16, 2016, come on by Vroman's Bookstore at 6 p.m. to meet Salina and celebrate the book launch of her new book.

2016 Mock Sibert: If you or you and your students held a Mock Sibert, it's time to link up. Stop by on Wednesday to share your posts with everyone. Check out these posts too: Mock Sibert Part II & Mock Sibert Part III  

Stop by Wednesday to Sign-Up for the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

And here are a couple of titles to check out:

Comics Squad #2: Lunch! by Various (Matthew Holm, Jennifer L. Holm, Cece Bell, Jeffrey Brown and more) - Release Date: January 26, 2016 (Random House)

The Tiara and the Terrace by Kristen Kittscher (HarperCollins, January 5, 2016)

Apollo: The Brilliant One by George O'Connor - Release Date: January 26, 2016 (First Second)

So, what are you reading?

Celebrate This Week: Clarity & Courage

This winter break has been a good time to reset and work on some personal goals. One of those goals has been to reorganize my home and do away with clutter. When I get busy, I create piles. When I don't have time to sort and discard things, I become overwhelmed. During this past two weeks I decided to tackle this issue head on by tackling one room at a time. A few months ago, I turned a storage closet/pantry into a laundry room.  As a result, I lost a lot of storage and I had piles of stuff cluttering up the dining room/living room space. Just before break, a thin layer of my living room ceiling came down further resulting in stuff being moved and more piles being created. If the first set of piles from the displaced objects from the pantry weren't enough, now I had even more chaos. And when I have that much chaos, I never feel like I can relax. Even reading wasn't interesting because I was overwhelmed by the need to organize and could not relax enough to enjoy reading. This was a big problem. 

So, as I head back to work on Monday, I have a newly decluttered kitchen and an organized laundry room. I have bags to take to Goodwill for donating, and I have a few boxes heading back to work. Even a few things to share with teachers. I also have a plan for tackling the other piles that are crying for attention.

While I celebrate making significant headway with this winter break goal, I am also thinking about my "one little word".  I have pondered using the word "declutter", but that doesn't seem to feel right.  The word "clarity" popped into my head. I like it because with clarity comes focus and hopefully some direction. 

However, I have also been toying with the word "courage".  I have been feeling blocked in a number of ways for the past couple of years and I sense that fear of taking some big risks may be a root cause to the stagnation. Courage is the opposite of fear. Now, I have a bit of a dilemma since the goal is to have one little word not two. I have been trying to see if there is a connected word that overlaps clarity and courage?! 

For this week, I will celebrate crossing a few things off my "to do" list. I will celebrate the start of 2016 with an eye towards clarity and a focus on courage. And next week, I will hopefully celebrate one little word. 

Happy New Year!

Thank you Ruth Ayres for hosting Celebrate This Week!