Saturday, May 31, 2008

Printz: Some Internal Stuff

And I'm back highlighting the policies & procedures of the Printz Award, all wording taken verbatim from the YALSA site. As usual, I'm posting without commenting; and since all this is available on the public YALSA website, it's no big secret. Still, I think some of you may be interested in stuff like voting.

Straw Votes
At the discretion of the chair straw votes may be conducted periodically. The sole purpose of such votes is to guide discussion by revealing levels of support for individual titles.

Voting Procedures
Members must be present to vote. Proxies will not be accepted. Following discussion, balloting will begin. Paper ballots will be used and tallied either by the chair or her/his designee(s). On each ballot each member will vote for her/his top three choices. First choice receives five points; second choice receives three points, and third choice receives one point. Members are reminded that, at this point, they are voting for the winner, NOT for honor titles. A separate ballot will be conducted for honor titles. To win, a title must receive five first‑place votes and must also receive at least five more points than the second‑place title. If no title meets these criteria on the first ballot, any title receiving no votes is removed from consideration and a period of discussion of remaining titles follows. A second ballot is then conducted. Balloting continues in this fashion until a winner is declared.

Honor Books
All nominated titles are eligible for honor book consideration. Following the selection of a winner, a straw vote is conducted. Any title receiving no votes is removed from consideration. A formal, weighted ballot will follow. Based on the results of this ballot, the committee will decide if it wishes to name honor books and, if so, how many.

Annotations and Press Release
The committee is responsible for writing a press release and annotations for the winning title and honor books. Both the annotations and the press release will include discussion of the literary merits of the titles. The annotations and press release must be written prior to the Monday awards press conference. Immediately after the press conference, the committee must provide the Best Books for Young Adults Committee with winning and honor book titles, bibliographic information and draft annotations, for automatic inclusion on the final Best Books list.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

2008 Kidlit Bloggers Conference

The 2008 Kidlit Bloggers Conference will be held on September 27 in Portland, Oregon. Full details are at the Portland Kidlit blog, started just for the conference. If you think you can make, please go to the Portland Kidlit blog and leave your name; they need a rough headcount for planning purposes. This isn't a now or never, signed in blood sign up; it's a give us an idea for planning purposes whether we need a place that is small, medium, or big.

Here are my posts reporting on last year's conference, which was fabulous.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Supernatural Rubber Chicken: Fowl Language


Supernatural Rubber Chicken: Fowl Language by D.L. Garfinkle, illustrated by Ethan Long. Reviewed from ARC provided by author. Publication date: June 2008

The Plot: The best thing about some books is the title says it all: Supernatural. Rubber. Chicken. I mean, c'mon, it doesn't get better than that, does it?

OK, twins Nate and Lisa, 10, are given the Supernatural Rubber Chicken by their older brother, surfer dude Dave. They don't believe him when he says that the chicken has magical powers; I mean, he is a surfer dude who lives in Arizona.

But then they discover that the chicken really does have powers. Not only that? He talks. Or should I say, complains. And -- his name is Ed.

The Good: A fun, silly read.

What grown-ups will like: the twins' mother is a children's book writer who spends all her time at her computer. Whatever the kids say, including Dave leaving for a surfing trip, is greeted by an absent minded "great dear" as she types away at the Next Great Children's Novel, which, of course, will have a dead dog.

The chicken's magic power is to grant the wish of a super power...for someone else. Which is a nice twist, and I look forward to seeing what happens in other books. Here, for instance, Nate and Lisa each have a friend that they want to help out. Lisa wins, but because the wish is granted to the first person who touches the chicken after the wish is made, there are, of course, unexpected and wacky results.

Here's an example of the humor; a description of a classmate. He had to wait a long time for Dan the Dawdler, who still had to put away his binder, tie his shoes, and think about the meaning of life.

Oh! And I almost forgot. Ed talks; but only Nate and Lisa can hear him. So when other people are around, it's a problem. Lisa is on the bus, and Ed is complaining:

"Concern!" Ed shouted. "You're only concerned about yourself. You couldn't care less about a helpless old bird, could you? No one cares about me. Wah! I feel tears building up behind my beady eyes."

"Oh, little chicken," Lisa said in a gentle voice.

Lisa's [bus] seatmate said, "It's not nice to call me a little chicken just because I'm scared of a spelling test."

Links:
Review at Periphereia

YA reviews! and a link

Because I have been neglecting what I have to read for Popular Paperbacks...

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard

And also, I so do not get the Borders.com "Teen" book designations.

ASL Story Hour and Dogs

Follow this link to a MTV report on an American Sign Language story hour at the NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped. Check out the dogs!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

YA Literature Symposium

YALSA's YA Literature Symposium is a biannual event, with the first one ever being held this year.

Topic: "How We Read Now."

Dates: November 7–9, 2008

Location: Nashville, Tennessee at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.

Here is the list of programs, including preconference. I point your particular attention to this one:

Explaining and Exploring Fandom, Fan Life, and Participatory Culture, presented by Liz Burns and Carlie Kraft Webber. Yep, that's me and Carlie! (Carlie and I? how about, that's us!)

I'm excited; excited about the presentation, and excited about the YA Lit Symposium, excited to see other bloggers on the program list (hi, Mitali! hi Goddess of YA Literature!)

The event is conveniently located during a weekend; tho, if you're like me and just cannot say no to anything YA Lit, you'll also want to be there for the preconference on Friday.

Register before September 1 for the early bird rates for this event. (True confessions; I still have to register. I also still have to make airline reservations. I have, however, made hotel reservations.)

YALSA members get a discount; but here's the thing. If you join YALSA at the same time as you register, the total paid is the same as non YALSA members. (NonYALSA registeration rate = (YALSA registration rate + ALA/YALSA membership).

If you're going to pay the higher fee as a non-YALSA member, why not join at this point and get the benefits of YALSA membership?

Don't work in a library? There is a category for non-library types: it's the Trustee/Associate rate. This application (warning, it is a PDF) has the specifics.

As the conference gets closer, I'll post more; including, hopefully, having some kind of blogger get together.

If you think you're going, let us know; and if you have any questions/comments/thoughts on our fannish program, let us know.

Edited to add: The Program is up, in a PDF, with a full description of all programs and presentations along with times.

Our presentation:

A teen's experience with a book doesn't just begin on page one and finish with the book's conclusion. From birthday parties and proms to fanfiction and role-playing games, teens find many ways to recreate a book's universe in their lives, forming fandoms. Avid fandomers Liz Burns and Carlie Webber will demystify the weird and wonderful world of fandom and show you how to use the elements of participatory culture to plan interactive, teen-friendly programs for your libraries and classrooms. Included on the panel will be a representative from Narrate Conferences, Inc., an organization that plans Harry Potter symposia.

The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie


The Life Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty. Personal copy.

Bindy Mackenzie is the most successful girl in Grade 11. She works hard, and she has the grades and the class standing to prove it. It's not just in school that she excels; she also works three jobs. And she cares about her fellow students—why, last year Bindy held lunchtime advisory sessions!

So what if her parents have moved to the city, leaving her to live with an aunt and uncle? So what if her mother never responds to her emails? So what if her father requires a "business proposal" before "investing" in whatever Bindy wants to spend money on? As her father OKs proposals such as buying cheap things to resell at higher prices to classmates, he tells her again and again that she is smarter, and better, than everyone else. And Bindy believes him: Isn't the proof in her grades and accomplishments?

So what if she's quirky. Bindy does some of it deliberately, to show that she is well-rounded, such as her multicolored nail polish. Other stuff she does for fun, such as transcribing all the conversations around her onto her laptop. And then there's her little habit of comparing people to animals.

But still, Bindy doesn't need anyone. She does quite well by herself. So when she is forced, FORCED, into the new "Friendship and Development Project" (she notes the acronym FAD), with a group of people she has nothing in common with (they are coarse of language and not the brightest), she is upset. It is a waste of time, time spent better studying.

It gets worse after the first group project: anonymously comment on the other people in your group. The nicest thing said about Bindy is "fastest typist." She's also called "too smart" (how can one be too smart, she wonders) and "talks like a horse." Bindy gets angry and resolves to get even. And just as she takes her schoolwork seriously, she takes revenge seriously.

Except...revenge isn't as sweet as she thought it would be. And when things start going wrong in her life—not only does she stop handing in papers, she stops caring about doing well, and, oh yeah, there's the fact that someone may be out to kill her—Bindy discovers that she may need friends after all.

Bindy is a makeover book, with its protagonist evolving from an isolated, arrogant, lonely teen to someone with friends and who knows how to be a friend. Along the way, a mystery or two is solved. Makeovers are tricky—we don't really want everyone to be alike, and we don't want to say that there's only one right way to do things. Bindy is cautioned by her brother Anthony to not lose herself or disappear. What works is that Bindy doesn't; Bindy is actually a pretty cool teen. What's not cool, though, is her ingrained habit of judging everyone, and finding them wanting. And letting them know that. Why Moriarty is a genius is she takes this unlikable character and makes her lovable. You root for her, you cringe as she makes some serious missteps, you cheer her accomplishments.

This is a companion book to Moriarty's other books, The Year of Secret Assignments and Feeling Sorry For Celia. All take part at the same school, and there are overlapping characters. Chronologically, Feeling Sorry For Celia takes place first and Bindy last. This is one of those sets that doesn't have to be read in order, but, because Moriarty is a wonderful author, you'll be happy that you've read all three.

This review originally appeared in The Edge of the Forest, Issue 10, December 2006.
This was one of my my Favorite Books of 2006 (see sidebar)

Links:
I Have A Bed of Buttermilk Pancakes (Jaclyn Moriarty's blog) (oooh, there will be another book in this sequence!!!)
Propernoun review.
So many books, so little time review.
Confessions of a Bibliovore review.
Bookshelves of Doom mini review.
Page Numbered review.
TeenReads.com review
Moriarty Madness for Aussie Day (highlighting all titles by the author) at Finding Wonderland.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Wanted: Bicycle

Any suggestions?

I'm not sporty girl; this isn't for racing. I'm looking for a bicycle for just around town, to the beach, stuff like that. So a basket will be added.

I'm thinking something that looks a wee bit retro. Maybe what Jessica Fletcher or Miss Marple would ride, only, not so heavy. And not expensive.

Thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations?

Thanks!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Juno


Juno DVD, via Netflix. Rated PG-13

The Plot: Juno's junior year starts when she discovers she is pregnant. During the following year, she deals with the reactions of her best friends, the baby's father, her family, and also chooses an adoptive family.

The Good: I think by this point the world has either watched or heard of Juno, so I'm just going to ramble about a few things. So yes, tons of spoilers, if you don't like it, stop reading.

Language: this is one of those love it/hate it movies; is the language real or artificial? Readers, I loved it. I thought it was smart and witty and spot-on. That Juno has surrounded herself with similar people makes sense. At least in terms of Juno, it reminded me of something I learned in English class lo those many years ago -- or maybe it was History. Or maybe I read it in a book. You do the research. Anyway, it was a time during the 17th/18th centuries when it was very cool to go around and say pithy and witty things (ala Oscar Wilde, but I'm pretty sure I'm thinking pre OW), and how people sat at home figuring out things to say when they went out at night.

Now, I'm not saying Juno is sitting home scribbling one-liners to work into conversation. But, I am saying that Juno obviously self-identifies as the smart, quirky loner (look at her choice of phone), and is aware of her language choices.

Audience. While arguably a "teen movie" because Juno is a teen, this is more than a teen movie. An adult watching picks up on things that Juno or other teen audiences may not, in particular, her relationship with the maybe-adoptive father, Mark. The Juno/Mark interaction was spot-on of a girl who thinks she knows what she is doing not being aware of her impact on others because, well, she doesn't have that life experience, as her stepmother points out.

More on Juno/Mark. From her point of view, I think she saw Mark as bit of a fantasy version of her future self; and also, somehow, by linking him back to his "cool roots", a way of making sure her baby had the cool parent Juno describes to her best friend at the start of the adoption process. And, of course, that fantasy is equally what Juno wants for herself as well as who she wants to be.

Message. One of the debates I'd read about this movie concerns its stance about teen sex, abortion, and adoption. Juno is a great film because there is something in here to offer support to almost any side for those issues. It is also nuanced enough and true to the characters and plot, so that it never becomes a "message" movie.

Music. Loved the music, bought the soundtrack. Thought the soundtrack did fit Juno. But I have to disagree that this is the type of music Juno listens to. Juno tells Mark her favorite music is 70s punk; shouldn't the soundtrack have some of those songs? I mean, we never actually see / hear Juno listen to her so-called best music ever. Much as I adore the soundtrack, I wonder what the movie would have been like had it contained the type of music Juno said she likes. Would it have been angrier? Darker?

Happy Ending. This is not a movie about teen pregnancy; it is a movie about a teenage girl, Juno. And she is strong willed and self assured enough that despite many things (including when her own belief that she is always right), she gets her own version of a happy ending. Her baby gets a family; Juno continues with the life she wanted; she gets the boy; she makes her music.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

SBBT: Other Thursday Stops

Thursday, May 22nd
Elisha Cooper at Chasing Ray
Dar Williams at Fuse #8
Jennifer Bradbury at Bildungsroman
E. Lockhart at The YA YA YAs
Mary Hooper at Miss Erin
Charles R. Smith at Writing and Ruminating

and, of course, we had Mary Pearson here!

Stop by Chasing Ray for the round up with quotes.

SBBT: Mary Pearson



Ask me what my three favorite books of 2008 are so far, and I'll tell you, in no particular order, they are Paper Towns by John Green, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by today's SBBT interviewee, the awesome Mary Pearson.

Carlie: Your latest book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, is a big departure from your previous work, A ROOM ON LORELEI STREET. What inspired you to create Jenna
and her futuristic world?

Mary: I think all of my books are a departure from the previous ones, but this one did actually make a time jump to about fifty years in the future so I guess that does make it a bit unique from all the others. A couple of questions were the motivating sparks for this story: How far will medicine advance fifty years from now, and also, how far would a parent go to save their child?

I asked myself both of these questions several years ago when my own daughter was diagnosed with cancer. After I got over the initial shock of her diagnosis, I quickly became grateful that there was such good treatment available for the type of cancer she had because just fifty years earlier she probably would have died from it. And that led me to wonder what treatments might be available in another fifty years. And then while she underwent treatment at the hospital I saw a lot of children who were going through even more intense and longer treatments, and not just what these kids were going through but what their parents were going through too. Again, it made me wonder how much a parent would be willing to put their child through in order to save their life. How far would I be willing to go?

These were just wonderings--not ideas for a book--but I think the questions that niggle at our hearts have a way of surfacing in our work. And a few years later exploring these questions through another family and a different situation gave me the safe distance that I needed. Of course, Jenna's family and situation were unique and the story took on a life of its own with new
questions and themes emerging as the story unfolded. I think many of these questions are timeless ones that we all revisit throughout our lives. What makes us human? What makes me, me? How am I different? Do I fit in? Am I enough? The particulars of this story also gave me a lot of opportunity to explore the gray areas of science and ethics, spirituality, morality, and choices. I think we all imagine what choices we would make in an impossible situation,
but until we are actually facing it, I am not sure we can ever really be sure of the paths we will take.


Carlie: Wow, that was incredibly informative! Thank you for sharing that with us. What are your plans for future books?

Mary: I have a finished manuscript that I recently sent off to my editor that I will probably begin revisions on in June for publication in Fall '09. It's a larger than life type of story about four teens who take off on an unauthorized road trip. It's fun and outrageous, and again, a departure from my other books. After the intensity of my last two I think I needed something like that.

Carlie: Now for some fun: Finish this sentence: People might be surprised if they knew I was good at...

Mary: Roof repairs. Actually, I'm the handy person around the house. I grew up with a dad who could fix anything and never met a tool he didn't like, so taking my dad's lead I will attempt almost anything. I remember when a tree branch fell through our roof and when I went to Home Depot for supplies the sales guy took one look at me and said, "you'll never be able to fix it." Ha!
That was the wrong thing to say to me. After that I think I would have fixed it myself if I had to cut each shingle with my teeth.

Thank you for your wonderful answers, Mary! We'll all be looking forward to your next book.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

SBBT Tour

Other Wednesday stops in the SBBT 08* Tour

A good first stop is Chasing Ray, because Collen always has a great quote for each interview:

Wednesday, May 21st
Delia Sherman at Chasing Ray
Ingrid Law at Fuse #8
Polly Dunbar at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Tera Lynn Childs at Bildungsroman
Siena Cherson Siegel at Miss Erin
Barry Lyga at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy (hey, that's here!)

Edited to add: Kelly Bingham at MotherReader



*And thanks to all those who didn't mock me for saying 09 yesterday!

SBBT: Barry Lyga

When Liz asked me who I wanted to interview for Tea Cozy for the Summer Blog Blast Tour, I had two immediate answers: Barry Lyga, author of Boy Toy, which was my favorite book of 2007 and Mary Pearson, author of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, one of my favorite books of 2008. You'll see Mary's interview here later this week. For today, Barry kindly answered our questions, even though he is in the throes of revision.

Carlie: Congratulations on winning the Cybil Award for YA fiction! Tell us how it feels to win.

Barry: Obviously, I'm honored and touched that someone thinks highly enough of my work to give it an award. It's a great feeling!

At the same time, I've always worried about becoming so invested in awards that I lose sight of what's important -- the work itself. So when I won the award, it also had the odd side effect of making me more self-critical than ever, very much on alert that I don't let the writing suffer.

But, hey -- now I can put "award-winning" in front of my name, and God knows I love gerunds. :)

Carlie: Can you talk a little about your upcoming book, HERO-TYPE?

Barry: Sure. It's sort of complicated to boil down because there are a lot of thematic threads, more so than in either of my first two books. It's about heroism and patriotism and -- more importantly -- PERCEPTIONS of those ideas. I guess the best way to describe is that it's about a kid who's in the right place at the right time, and the world calls him a hero. Then he's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and suddenly he's a villain. And the book is really his struggle to figure out which one is real and why it matters.

Carlie: Here's my favorite question to ask authors: What's one book, written by someone else, that you wish you had written?

Barry: Oh, no question about it: Godless, by Pete Hautman. I am just endlessly impressed by that book. It's funny and it's serious. It's scary and it's heartfelt. It tackles a huge issue -- religion -- but it does so on a comprehensible, human scale. And it's SHORT! You can read it an afternoon, but in that afternoon, you'll laugh out loud, get choked up, and find yourself with a new understanding of organized religion. That's pretty damn impressive, especially in two hundred pages.

Thank you, Barry! (And I confess, Pete Hautman is probably my favorite YA author ever.)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

SBBT: D.L. Garfinkle

Back in 2006, I interviewed D.L Garfinkle. Now, two years and multiple books later, Debby returns, this time as part of the Summer Blog Blast Tour 08.

Liz B: Debby, welcome back!

Debby: Thank you! I don't feel I've been away, though, as an avid reader of your blog.

Liz B: Thank you!

Back in 2006, Storky had just come out. Now it's only two years later and wow – look at all the titles! Stuck in the '70s and the Band series.

Debby: I feel so lucky, having so many books published. But I never want to work as hard as I did in 2006. I was writing like a maniac. I had five novels published last year.

Liz B: Can you tell us about your newest books, the Supernatural Rubber Chicken series?

Debby: The Supernatural Rubber Chicken chapter book series is for children ages six to ten. The first two books, Fowl Language and Fine-Feathered Four-Eyes, come out on June 10. The other titles so far are Poultry in Motion, Keep on Cluckin', and Chick Magnet. So much fun! There will be at least six books in the series and they can be read in any order. My main goal in writing these books is to make kids laugh, but there's also a little lesson-y stuff too-- just a little.

The Supernatural Rubber Chicken series features ten-year-old twins who receive a rubber chicken that can grant superpowers. Ed, the rubber chicken, is cranky but has a decent heart. Pop culture fans like you might compare him to Dr. House. Older pop culture fans like me might compare him to Lou Grant. I also created a lot of fun secondary characters such as Dave the surfer dude; Mrs. Crabpit, the mean, stinky teacher; and, under the write what you know principle, the twins' mother, who is so busy writing books that she ignores her children.

Liz B: You had me at "keep on cluckin'". What got you interested in writing for a younger age group?

Debby: I have three school-age children. I had written books for teens, which my oldest child enjoyed reading. One day, my youngest child said, "When are you going to write a book I can read?" And so I did. My kids have helped me come up with ideas for the series and have critiqued all five books I've written so far.

I've also enjoyed reading funny chapter books to my children, such as Junie B. Jones, Captain Underpants, and My Weird School, and thought it would be fun to try writing some myself. And it is fun!

Liz B: What are you working on now?

Debby: I'm revising the fifth Supernatural Rubber Chicken book as well as revising a young adult novel involving sex, politics, and religion. I have to be careful not to accidentally write a scene of the rubber chicken making out with a politician.

Liz B: What's your favorite part of the book process: writing, rewriting, or editing?

Debby: I really, really despise drafting. Blech! I love to revise when I feel like I know what I'm doing. When I don't know what I'm doing, well, revising still beats drafting.

As to suggestions from editors, I usually get indignant the day I read a revision letter from my editor, thinking that she doesn't know what she's talking about, that my manuscript was just fine before she got hold of it. But a few days and maybe a few glasses of wine later, I feel grateful that the editor's wise comments will help me improve my manuscript.

Liz B: How has your life as a writer changed since Storky was first published?

Debby: I think I get more respect when I tell people I'm published. Before, I was a homemaker with a writing hobby. Now I have a "career."

And though I still spend most of my time schlepping my kids to their activities and nagging them to do their homework and figuring out what I can microwave for dinner, I do have my glamorous moments, which I adore. I've given a lot of author talks and writing workshops, sometimes speaking to entire schools. My publisher just flew me to Atlanta for the International Reading Association conference, where I spoke to reading teachers and signed hundreds of advanced reading copies of the first Supernatural Rubber Chicken book. I felt like a star! My first book, Storky sold in four languages and just came out in audio format. So cool! But the best thing about having books published is getting great fan emails from kids and teens.

Liz B: Will you be at ALA this June?

Debby: Yes! On Saturday of the conference, I'll be signing my Supernatural Rubber Chicken books. I'm thrilled that this year ALA is only about 25 minutes from my house.

Liz B: And, of course, what is your favorite area of pop culture?

Debby: So hard to choose! Probably reality TV these days. My family watches Survivor, American Idol, and Amazing Race together. We're teaching our kids how to lie, cheat, and backstab to get what they want. Isn't that lovely.

Liz B: I'm also going to sneak in one more question. This is a virtual interview, but if it were real – coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Or something else?

Debby: I'd die without coffee, so I have to choose that. But I'm also not one to turn down an offer of tea or a mug of hot chocolate,

Liz B: Thanks!

Debby: That was fun. Thank you.

Find more SBBT Interviews:

Tuesday, May 20th
Ben Towle at Chasing Ray
Sean Qualls at Fuse #8
Susane Colasanti at Bildungsroman
Robin Brande at HipWriterMama
Susan Beth Pfeffer at The YA YA YAs

Updated to add Kelly F's interview with Jennifer Lynn Barnes at Writing and Ruminating.

Thanks to Little Willow for the coding!

Plus, Chasing Ray has a daily round up with highlighted quotes for each interview.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Are You Ready for The Summer?

Or, at least, the Summer Blog Blast Tour of 08?

Organized once again by Chasing Ray, here is the schedule:

Monday

Adam Rex at Fuse Number 8
David Almond at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
R.L. Lafevers at Finding Wonderland
Dave Schwartz at Shaken & Stirred
Elizabeth Scott at Bookshelves of Doom
Laurie Halse Anderson at Writing & Ruminating
Susan Beth Pfeffer at Interactive Reader

Tuesday

Ben Towle at Chasing Ray
Sean Qualls at Fuse Number 8
Susane Colasanti at Bildungsroman
Robin Brande at Hip Writer Mama
Susan Beth Pfeffer at The YA YA YAs
Debby Garfinkle at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Jennifer Lynn Barnes at Writing and Ruminating

Wednesday

Delia Sherman at Chasing Ray
Ingrid Law at Fuse Number 8
Polly Dunbar at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Tera Lynn Childs at Bildungsroman
Siena Cherson Siegel at Miss Erin
Barry Lyga at At Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Thursday

Elisha Cooper at Chasing Ray
Dar Williams at Fuse Number 8
Jennifer Bradbury at Bildungsroman
E. Lockhart at The YA YA YAs
Mary Hooper at Miss Erin
Charles R. Smith at Writing and Ruminating

Friday

Varian Johnson at Finding Wonderland
Jincy Willet at Shaken & Stirred
John Grandits at Writing & Ruminating
Meg Burden at Bookshelves of Doom
Gary D. Schmidt at Miss Erin
Javaka Steptoe at Seven Impossible Things

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

ALA Question

Are you going to ALA? Are you a member of YALSA?

If so, please email me! It's lizzy.burns at gmail.com

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Buffy Quote of the Week

"What's this? Just sitting about watching the telly when there's evil afoot?"
-- Spike, ep: Doomed

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Jezebel Defines YA

"Fine Lines will from now on define "YA" as any book read in one's own company from the time one learns to read to the time one pays one's own rent."

Fine Lines, Jezebel's Weekly Retro book review.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Printzess Carlie

Congratulations to Carlie Webber, a member of the 2010 Printz Committee!

Full YALSA election results are here and here.