Clementine and the Spring Trip Blog Tour & Giveaway with Guest Post by Sara Pennypacker



Today, I am excited to welcome Sara Pennypacker to Kid Lit Frenzy.  I love her Clementine series and often recommend them to students.  

Hi Alyson, and thanks for inviting me to stop in and guest post. You may end up sorry you did, but it’s too late now. I’ve been on a blog tour for my newest Clementine book, CLEMENTINE AND THE SPRING TRIP, for a week now, and many of the blogs have been interviews with lots of good questions. This has made me want to turn the tables, so I’ve decided to interview you...

First of all, Alyson, do you know you live near Marla Frazee?!?! (I figured this out because you often seem to stop in at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, which is where Marla lives.) If you already know this, do you stalk her? Because I sure would. She’s a genius and I am so lucky she illustrates my Clementine books and will be illustrating my next series (starring Waylon, a boy in Clementine’s class.) I would spy on her to try to figure out how she gets so much emotion and humor into her drawings.

Look at this one here, where Clementine is telling her father how much she misses her cat:

Illustration © Marla Frazee

Or this one here, where she’s being a bit dramatic about how she likes her eggs:

Illustration © Marla Frazee

Also, I would try to find out what Marla does to make her hair look so awesome.

Because I’m such a big fan, if I lived near Marla I would be tempted to bust into her house on Sunday mornings and make her heart-shaped pancakes, just to thank her for making such wonderful art, but that’s the kind of thing that’s well-intentioned in theory but a little creepy in actuality, so it’s good I live 3000 miles away.

Ahem. I have signed books at Vroman’s twice now...were you there? If not, will you come the next time?

To entice you, here’s my favorite Vroman’s story: While I was taking a little break from signing, a woman came up to ask Marla if there was any vomiting in the Clementine books. I’m not kidding! Marla was, of course, a little taken aback by the question, and replied, “Well, I didn’t illustrate any.” Unfortunately, the woman left before I came back to the table, so I didn’t get to educate her. Yes, there is vomiting, because it’s kind of a big deal to elementary school kids! In fact, in the first book, Clementine very responsibly doesn’t spin her little brother in the wok a second time because it makes him throw up. And in THE TALENTED CLEMENTINE, there’s an accident onstage at the talent show that our hero quickly closes the curtain on. Mostly I wish I’d been there to ask the woman, “What kind of a crazy question is that? Weren’t you ever a kid???” Now don’t you wish you’d been there, too, Alyson?

A favor: May I please steal the word Frenzy?

Of course you don’t own it, but the truth is I hadn’t realized what a fabulous word it is until coming to your blog, so I’d owe you. I love that it has a Z in it, and that it sounds like “Friend-sy” but most of all that it conjures up such an energetic, crazed image. In return, I will give you a writing tip to pass on: It’s always funny to connect two words that are usually opposites. For instance, Clementine might notice that her mother is “frenzying very calmly” or that Margaret was “in a frenzy to calm herself down.”

Would you like me to talk a little about the CLEMENTINE series, and about the newest book? You would?

Great! In case you don’t know them, the Clementine books are about a third grade girl who possibly has just the slightest, teensy issue with attention. I base her on my own son (who lives in LA now, so is another neighbor of yours!) who got his own attention issues from his mother, I’m afraid. While the books are funny, I’m very serious about two things when I write them.

First, kids like this, while presenting some challenges, are often extremely empathetic, gifted artists, and creative problem solvers – three things the world could use more of.

Second, all the adults in Clementine’s world are functional, supportive, caring and present. The smart author avoids adult characters like this, because there’s more reader sympathy for the main character who’s an orphan, or neglected or mistreated. Also because it’s harder to drum up dramatic tension in a story when everyone around is helpful to the main character. But I really felt there was a need for contemporary fiction about healthy family dynamics, and that it could be compelling if told truthfully with a lot of humor. Bringing these perfectly ordinary, yet beautifully extraordinary, people to life on the Clementine pages has been the biggest joy of my writing career.

While the Clementine books are funny first, they also explore real issues kids her age often encounter: sibling rivalry, missing pets, worries about one’s place in the family, etc. In the newest book, the sixth in what will be a series of seven, CLEMENTINE AND THE SPRING TRIP, I decided to push Clementine’s sense of fairness a little. On a field trip, she encounters a chicken and can no longer avoid an unpleasant injustice – people eat animals! – and must work out her response. As with all the books, I loved writing this one – Clementine and her friends and family are so much fun to hang out with!

I will be in your area next summer, Alyson. Will you have a literacy café with me, where you and I eat cake and get frenzied about books?

You will? Excellent – I can tell you and I would have a lot to talk about, and we may have to order seconds on the cake, to keep us fortified. BTW, I like to bake cakes, not just eat them – here’s a picture of me with a chocolate zucchini cake, mascarpone frosting:


I will send you my California dates when I have them...

Oh Sara, yes, I have met the wonderful Marla Frazee several times at Vromans, and she also visited my school.  Also, I would be more than happy to attend one of your book events at Vroman's or another store in Southern California.  And, I would be honored to host a Literacy Café for you to celebrate you and Celementine.  Thank you for this delightful post. - Alyson

Bio
Sara Pennypacker (www.sarapennypacker.com) was a painter before becoming a writer, and has two absolutely fabulous children who are now grown. She has written several books, including the Clementine series, all illustrated by Marla Frazee, The Amazing World of Stuart, Sparrow Girl, and Summer of the Gypsy Moths. She grew up in Massachusetts and splits her time between Cape Cod and Florida.

For additional stops on her blog tour check out the dates below:

Mon, June 17: GreenBeanTeenQueen - http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
Tues, June 18: Once Upon a Story - http://www.novalibrarymom.com/
Wed, June 19: Mother Daughter Book Club - http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/
Thurs, June 20: Media Darlings - http://www.mdarlings.com/
Fri, June 21: Sharpread - http://sharpread.wordpress.com/
Mon, June 24: Children's Book Review - http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/
Tues, June 25: Kid Lit Frenzy - http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Wed, June 26: There's a Book - http://www.theresabook.com/
Thurs, June 27: As They Grow Up - http://www.astheygrowup.com/
Fri, June 28 Bookingmama http://www.bookingmama.net/


Thank you to Disney Hyperion and Blue Slip Media for arranging the blog tour and for giving away a copy of Clementine and the Spring Trip for a giveaway (US/Canada).  Please fill out the rafflecopter below to enter to win a copy.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Monday! What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA - 6/24/13





It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Jen & Kellee from Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.


Since I can't talk about what I read last week (that's the nature of award reading), I will share with you what I am planning on taking with me on my trip (Los Angeles to Chicago/ALA to Connecticut and back to Los Angeles).

What I am planning on reading with my ears:


Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz (Brilliance Audio, April 9, 2013)


Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal (Listening Library, June 11, 2013)


The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher (HarperCollins, June 18, 2013)

What I am planning on reading in the traditional sense:


Sidekicked by John David Anderson (Walden Pond Press, June 25, 2013)


The Real Boy by Anne Ersu; Illustrated by Erin McGuire (Walden Pond Press, September 24, 2013)


Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (Katherine Tegen Books, March 12, 2013)


Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, June 11, 2013)


Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (Disney-Hyperion, September 10, 2013)

Of course, I am also shipping to Connecticut a box of books to read that I can't talk about until sometime in the future (as in 2014).

So what are you reading that you can talk about? :-)  

The Wig in the Window Book Launch Party

After months and months of waiting for Kristen Kittscher's The Wig in the Window to be available for everyone to enjoy, over 150 people gathered together at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena to celebrate.  And celebrate we did. 


There were yin and yang cookies to celebrate the characters Sophie Young and Grace Yang.  The cookies were very delicious and made by Lara Fiedler. 


Colleen from Vroman's introduced Kristen Kittscher.  For a debut author, Kristen never appeared nervous.  She was charming, and funny, and very appreciative of all the wonderful folks who helped make the evening a reality. 


I loved that there was a dramatic reading of one of the passages from the book.  This was a very fun alternative to the traditional reading of a section of the book. It really made it come alive for everyone.


The "real life" Young and Yang were in the audience complete with wigs.  Along with the animated book trailer, Kristen showed the original interview video. 



Ingrid Sundberg didn't need a wig for the evening.  Her beautiful hair matched the cover colors of the Kristen's book.  Ingrid was working with Russell Gearheart who provided a photo booth for the evening.  For some amazing photos from the event, check out Russell Gearheart Photography's event page here.

I was so glad to have been a part of such a wonderful evening and to celebrate with Kristen on the release of her book. If you haven't added The Wig in the Window to your "to-read" pile, please consider picking up a copy at your local independent bookstore. 

Nonfiction Pictue Book Wednesday - Barbed Wire Baseball

Author: Marissa Moss
Illustrator: Yuko Shimizu
Publisher: Abrams (April 9, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy - Purchased
Audience: Ages 8-11
Keywords: Nonfiction, World War II, Japanese American Internment, Baseball

Description from GoodReads:
As a boy, Kenichi "Zeni” Zenimura dreams of playing professional baseball, but everyone tells him he is too small. Yet he grows up to be a successful player, playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941, Zeni and his family are sent to one of ten internment camps where more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry are imprisoned without trials. Zeni brings the game of baseball to the camp, along with a sense of hope.
 
This true story, set in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, introduces children to a little-discussed part of American history through Marissa Moss’s rich text and Yuko Shimizu’s beautiful illustrations. The book includes author and illustrator notes, archival photographs, and a bibliography.

My thoughts on the book:
Earlier in the year, I was searching for books to use in several elementary schools to celebrate the Fred Korematsu Day.  Korematsu became know for standing up for the rights of Japanese American citizens who were unfairly held in Internment Camps in the United States during World War II.  As a result, when I heard about this book and that it also focused on Japanese American citizens who were interned, I was definitely looking forward to reading it.

Author, Marissa Moss tells the story of Kenichi "Zeni” Zenimura, who despite his small stature dreams of playing baseball.  His is a story of perseverance, and a story of what a community can do despite the situation they find themselves in.  Though Moss has chosen to focus her story solidly on Zeni's work at creating a viable playing field for baseball and pulling in all of those in the Internment Camp to make it a reality, there are references to what life was like at the camp for those who were held there.  Moss provides readers with a story of hope and what hard work can do for an individual or a community.

Along with Moss' ability to make the story of Zeni and those in the camp come to life, Yuko Shimizu's illustrations provide the just right feel and look for the text.  This is one book where you can read the story without the illustrations and it would be good.  You can look at the pictures and get a sense of the story without reading the words.  But when you put the two together, it becomes something special.  This is how I felt about the work of Moss and Shimizu.

At the end, readers will discover some information about Kenichi "Zeni" Zenimura, as well as, additionally resources.  I also enjoyed reading the author's note and artist's note at the ends.  This is one book to definitely add to multiple lists from baseball to history to civil rights.  I encourage you to go out and pick up a copy to read and to add to your school or classroom library.   

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:


The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger Blog Tour - Interview & Giveaway


Today, I am excited to welcome author, Jenny Meyerhoff to Kid Lit Frenzy.  She answers some questions about her newest book The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger, about her writing and more.  Thanks Jenny for stopping by and chatting.

Can you share with readers a little bit about The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger?

Louie wants to be a stand-up comedian, but he’s got one big problem. He’s afraid to do his act in front of other people. He’s just fine when he performs in his closet in front of tennis shoes and baseball caps. He’s even got an amazing catch phrase…Barftastic! It means amazing times fantastic plus unbelievable. Squared. For Louie, life is barftastic, until his dad decides Louie should perform in the school talent show and Louie’s best friend starts spending all his time with the new kid. Louie wonders if doing well in the talent show will make all his problems go away. He just doesn’t know if he will kill (that’s comedian talk for do really, really awesome) or if he’ll bomb (that’s comedian talk for stink worse than the tuna sandwich you accidentally left in your lunch box over spring break.)

On your blog, you mentioned that you got the idea for this book from something that happened with your son? Were there other ways that he and his friends influenced the story or characters?

All of my kids (and their friends) are large influences on my writing. I steal character first names and last names from their friends. I’ll often ask to borrow bits of dialogue that I overhear. And the experiences that are happening in their lives often wind up in the book I’m writing at that moment, from a friend who hasn’t lost any baby teeth, to square dancing lessons in gym, to being homesick at camp. In the case of The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger, my son was also my first reader and gave me lots of great suggestions, like changing the word girl-illas to girlzillas. I also may have borrowed some of his most embarrassing moments, but I’ve promised him never to reveal which ones. ☺

Louie wants to do stand-up comedy, but struggles with stage fright. Do you have anything on your list of fears you would like to conquer?

I don’t have stage fright the way Louie does, but I often feel that way about my writing. I don’t want to let anyone see it. That’s kind of a problem if you want to be a published author. Letting people see what you wrote is an essential part of the job. So every day, I work on my fear of letting my work out into the world and trusting, that it will somehow find the readers it is meant for. I do have lots of other fears—jumping from airplanes, fighting tigers, and accidentally going grocery shopping in my underwear, for example. But I do not plan on conquering any of them.

If you could spend the day with any fictional character (not one of your own), who would it be and what would you do?

I’d like to make myself thirteen again and send myself to Avonlea to hang out with Anne of Green Gables, and all her friends. I’d be game for any of her adventures: acting out dramatic poems, thinking up scary stories in the haunted woods, or serving ourselves up a “grown-up” tea. I hope she’d find me a kindred spirit!

Where do you like to write and what does your writing space look like?
 


I mainly write in my office, which is a converted storage space in my husband’s business suite. I find it challenging to write at home with consistency and used to write at cafés. I still do that now sometimes for fun, but I love my cozy little room, filled with inspirational pictures and sayings. When I walk in the room and shut the door, the real world disappears and the worlds I create are all that remain.

If you could claim credit for another children's book (one written by another author), what book would it be and why?

I’m going to go with Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery, again. I’d love to create a character as lovable as Anne. Anne is flawed, but charmingly so. Even though she’s always making mistakes, readers are rooting for her to find love and happiness on every page. I think that’s one of the reasons the book is so enduring.

Who would you credit as having the most influence on your work?

The authors I read over and over growing up were Judy Blume and Shel Silverstein and I think that their styles and aesthetics just seeped into my cells. I don’t know if I would be a writer at all if I hadn’t read their books to shreds.

Can you share about any future projects that you are working on?

Right now I’m focused on the second book in Louie’s Barftastic life. It’ll be out next spring. It’s still a work in progress, so for now I’ll just say, Halloween, square-dancing and coupons.

What top 3 books do you recommend for 8 to 12 year olds for summer reading?

I am going to recommend two series that the 8-12 year olds in my house are reading. These books are being read over and over, which is about the best recommendation I can think of!

The Charlie Joe Jackson books by Tommy Greenwald. Funny and a little bit subversive in just the right way.

The Astronaut Academy Books by Dave Roman. Awesome graphic novels!

And lastly, I recommend Dorko The Magnificent by the hilarious Andrea Beaty. This book about a boy magician pairs great with Louie Buger! Those two could hold one heck of a talent show.

Author Bio: 
Jenny Meyerhoff is the author of a young adult novel, Queen of Secrets, and three books for young readers--Sami's Sleepaway Summer, Third Grade Baby, and most recently, The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger, a story about an aspiring stand-up comic with an unusual catch phrase. Unlike Louie, Jenny is not a comedian, but she does know a lot about barf. After all, she’s a mom. Her three kids love fluffernutters, comedy and reading. Jenny lives in Riverwoods, Illinois with her funny kids and her delightful husband. For more information, visit her website: www.jennymeyerhoff.com. 

Check out all of the stops on the blog tour:

Tues, June 4 Green Bean Teen Queen - http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/
Thurs, June 6 The OWL for YA and Hooked on Books - http://owlforya.blogspot.com/
Fri, June 7 Dear Teen Me - http://dearteenme.com/
Mon, June 10 Mother Daughter Book Club - http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/
Tues, June 11 Geo Librarian - http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com/
Wed, June 12 The Children's Book Review - http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/
Thurs, June 13 The Book Monsters - http://www.thebookmonsters.com/
Fri, June 14 Ms. Yingling Reads - http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/
Sun, June 16 Nerdy Book Club http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/
Mon, June 17 As They Grow Up http://www.astheygrowup.com/
Tues, June 18 Kid Lit Frenzy - http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/
Wed, June 19 Mundie Kids - http://mundiekids.blogspot.com/
Thurs, June 20 There's a Book - http://www.theresabook.com/

Thank you to Blue Slip Media for The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger Giveaway for participants with US mailing addresses.- Enter below: a Rafflecopter giveaway