Another Take on Publicity

This cracks me up more everytime i watch it.



As someone obsessed with a book coming out and doing what I can to publicize it in non-overbearing ways, this is the funniest thing ever. I think the part I love the most is that his only friend on myspace is Tom, the guy in the T-shirt.

The thing about all this stuff is that in some ways it was like learning this whole new language. I remember my agent trying to explain myspace to be and I was like "why would anyone want to do that?" And now I have to admit I kind of love it. It's such a fun, easy way to connect to readers and librarians, not to mention other writers. But it's also time and work and I love this guy's take on it!

Thanks to Nancy Viau for the link.

#daphne

The New Golden Age of YA Lit???

Well, it's official. There's a boom in YA literature! Read all about it in this article from NEWSWEEK.

Then come back here and let's discuss why we think this boom exists... and what those of us involved in the world of YA literature can do to keep it going! (Because we must keep it going!)

:-)

--Coe

Is It Procrastination or Writer's Block?

Slate has a really interesting article talking about the differences between procrastination and writer's block, as seen through the struggles of Capote and Ellison.

After reading it, I think it's safe for me to say that I've almost never suffered from true writer's block. Certainly, I've reached points where I didn't know exactly what was coming next, but they've never lasted for very long. I think I'm a pretty good brainstormer, and even if I take a few wrong turns, the right path arrives in front of me eventually.

I think my problem lies more on the procrastination side. Some people procrastinate out of laziness. Not me. I put off writing because of fear.

I suffer from a truly paralyzing level of self-doubt and self-loathing I have about my writing. It zaps my inspiration, my confidence. Some days, I feel almost afraid to sit down at my computer, fearing the bad writing that is sure to pour out. A telling quote from the article:

"The procrastinator thinks, 'If I never finish, I can never be judged,' " says Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University.

Now, I'm not sure I have it that bad. I am currently working on revisions for my new YA called SAME DIFFERENCE, and while I am really nervous about how the manuscript will turn out, I am also excited for it to be born to the world! This one is a much more personal story than ALFA was. Maybe that's part of the problem...or the saving grace. Depends on how I look at it, I guess.

What about you? Are you a procrastinator, or just a victim of writer's block?

-=siobhan=-

At the Agent's Desk: An Interview with Alyssa Eisner Henkin

Alyssa Eisner Henkin is a Children's Book Agent at Trident Media Group and she represents two of the Longstockings, Daphne Grab and me. Alyssa is smart, personable and all around awesome.

Thanks for chatting with us, Alyssa!
xo
Lisa GW

1. Tell us how you became an agent.
I had been an editor for about six years when it occurred to me that my favorite part about my job was the initial enthusiasm of signing up a project and enabling my publishing colleagues to see a projects’ potential and its place in the market. It was that passion and also the entrepreneurism inherent in agenting—the ability to have my hand in dozens of projects that I believed in—that drove me to the other side. And so the next year I made the job switch.

2. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of the job?
I love signing on a client who I believe in, seeing the enthusiasm in editors’ e-mails or hearing the lilts in their voices when I pitch a book and they say “that sounds awesome”! And of course I love the sale and being a part of the wonderful books that result.

3. Have you ever not taken an author on because you met them in person and didn't like them?
No.

4. Have you ever taken someone on not because you loved their stuff, but because you knew it would sell?
I’ve never taken on a project that was commercial but not well-written (in my opinion!). But often when I see the commercial potential or timeliness of a project, it fuels my enthusiasm.

5. Is a deal for more money always a better deal? Why or why not?
Sometimes it is. Sometime it’s not. It totally depends on the subsidiary rights at hand, the sales expectations, the royalty escalations, and a slew of other variables.

6. When you take on a client, it's generally with the intent to represent them for their career and not just one project. Therefore, what happens if you "fall out of love" with an author's work? Has that ever happened to you?
I’m new to agenting and thus I haven’t had to encounter this yet. But I think it’s important that agents advise clients in such a way that marries the authors’ creative passions as far as what they are dying to write next, while still being mindful of the sales climate in which they are writing.

7. What is a sure sign that you have gotten an awesome manuscript? And what is the surest sign that you are going to pass?
Awesome is when I blink back tiny tears of optimism and potential in regard to what I’m reading. Pass is when I just can’t get into the writing. It’s such a subjective business.

8. Are you currently looking for new clients? What is your submission policy?
Yes. I’m actively looking for more mystery, adventure, and narrative nonfiction for young adults, and anything else that I fall in love with. I urge potential clients to send me a query letter via e-mail (my e-mail can be found on the Trident website) and if it sounds like a right fit for me I will request the manuscript, or a partial of a manuscript.

Note: For some reason Blogger/my computer at school is not agreeing with me and changing the fonts as I have requested. Sorry there are a few different fonts in this post...

An Interview with Agent Rebecca Sherman

Over the coming weeks, The Longstockings will be interviewing several agents on the nitty-gritties of their job. Rebecca Sherman is a Senior Agent at Writers House and a very fine lady indeed. (Disclaimer: She's my agent so I can say stuff like that.)

1. Tell us how you became an agent.
I began my career in publishing the day after Labor Day in 2001 as Susan Cohen's assistant. After years of working with Susan, I took on my first clients, then became a Junior Agent when I began to sell my own projects (including Caroline Hickey's CASSIE WAS HERE) as I continued to assist Susan, and on June 1st, 2006 with a stocked client list of my own and enough sales under my belt, I stopped being an assistant and was promoted to Senior Agent.

2. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of the job?
It may sound cheesy but I truly love my job. I get to be involved in
all stages of an author (and/or illustrator's) career. I love working
with a client editorially before submission, being the one to connect an
author with an editor, and enjoying all the steps that follow (seeing
the advance reader's copies, final books, reviews, etc.).

My least favorite aspects of the job are waiting as editors are
considering a manuscript or coming up with an offer and rejection. I
know rejection is tougher for the client, but it still hits me hard
when a project I love gets negative feedback.

3. Have you ever not taken an author on because you met them in person and didn't like them?
No, I haven't had this particular experience. Of course, the quality of
the work itself is of utmost importance in my decision-making. However,
it is important to me that clients are communicative and collaborative.
If I have a sense that a client wouldn't be a team player with me, I
have to wonder if they would be able to work with an editor. It is
something that I think about, but if I absolutely love a manuscript, I
would talk to the potential client about my expectations beyond the
page and see how they react before deciding not to take them on.

4. Have you ever taken someone on not because you loved their stuff, but because you knew it would sell?
Perhaps early in my career, but I have found that as much as I have
studied the market and know what publishers and editors are looking for,
you can never be 100% certain that something can sell. I would hate to
be stuck with something that is difficult to sell that I can't really
stand behind. When projects prove to be difficult to sell, but that I
love, I am determined to keep trying to find it a home. I know the
latter is a much better position to be in and with a client list that
keeps me busy, I only take on projects and clients that I feel strongly
about, that I cannot say know to.

5. Is a deal for more money always a better deal? Why or why not?
It is always nice to get a big advance, because it signifies that a publisher is greatly invested in the book(s) from the start. There is a greater chance of marketing and publicity supporting a book that is noted from the start to be a "big" book. However, with more money comes more responsibility. A book that sold for a higher advance has a great chance of not earning out its advance and making a profit for a publisher, which can make it very challenging to make the second deal. As an agent, I am not interested in one deal, but in the client's entire publishing career, and I always want to see that career growing. If a client only intended to publish the books sold in the first deal, then the most money would be the best deal. For clients who plan on a career in publishing, my goal is to reach a number that accurately matches the value of the work presented and shows a commitment from the publisher. For most of my clients who plan to publish many books, I want to reach a number that can be earned out.

6. When you take on a client, it's generally with the intent to represent them for their career and not just one project. Therefore, what happens if you "fall out of love" with an author's work? Has that ever happened to you?
I have never fallen out of love with a client's work completely, but I
have been sent projects that I didn't feel were as strong as previous
works by a client. In all cases, I am working for the client to do
what I believe is best for their career. In these cases, I give my honest
feedback and explain why I don't think that the proposed work should be
their next book. If a client feels strongly that the project should be
presented to editors, I am happy to submit it so that the client has
feedback from editors as well. Being an agent is NOT about my ego,
and I would have no problem being proven wrong.

7. What is a sure sign that you have gotten an awesome manuscript?
When I cannot stop reading the manuscript despite an overloaded inbox and ringing phone. Audible gasps at art are a great sign that I have received awesome illustrations.

And what is the surest sign that you are going to pass?
If I feel like I have read the manuscript before, but
better, I am going to pass. I don't want to see a lesser than version
of Harry Potter or Gossip Girl or another story of the author's dog. I
always point to books like PUNK FARM by Jarrett Krosoczka as wholly
original work which is what I am looking for. I fall head over heels
for projects that could only come from the mind of that creator. I definitely skew towards humor and originality over edgy or trendy.

8. Are you currently looking for new clients? What is your submission policy?
While I have a client list that I am very happy with and keeps me busy, I always want potential clients to send material to me that could be a match. In other words, I never want to miss the opportunity to work with a client who writes or illustrates material that I fall in love with.

I accept email and snail mail submissions. (Read my guidelines here.) In all cases, please note if it is a multiple submission. If another agent expresses interest, email to tell me and give me an appropriate amount of time to consider your submission before jumping to accept an offer elsewhere.

Thanks for stopping by, Rebecca!

*caroline hickey

Scully+Mulder=?

Okay, I saw this on Gawker today and I had to share.

Book publisher HarperCollins UK will soon launch their new social-networking-ish website, called Authonomy, where eager lil' beavers can upload their work and show it to people. (Every old organization, from the NYT to Forbes, has seen fit to start a social network these days.) Your work is reviewed by the other yokels on the site, but as the publisher says, "Readers will be able to support their favourite manuscripts, with HC guaranteeing to consider the most popular for publication." Explains the Guardian:

"The idea is that aspirant scribes can upload up to 10,000 words to the site and then have their masterworks judged by what HarperCollins refers to as "keen, talent-spotting readers" - other people, that is, who have registered on the network."

I have to say, I'm not so into people putting their work on the internet for others to read or judge-- and I don't mean fanfic, I guess I'm talking more about putting stuff up that you want to get published. On a lot of levels: if it's good, people will read it and if it's a super high concept kind of idea, people could intentionally or unintentionally take it. Also, if it's good, it might still not be ready for people to see it just yet, and people could prick holes in your enthusiasm just when you're really taking off. If it's not so good, people might pump you up and tell you it's the hotness when it's just not, and that's not terribly helpful. I've made this mistake of showing people stuff when it's not ready, when the only eyes looking at it should be mine, and it can really set you back, creatively and spirit-wise. But when you are ready: Having likeminded writers read your stuff and critique you, honestly and at times even harshly, that to me is helpful and will put the writer on the path to publication. To me, this whole website idea sounds like The Bachelor or something, all these high-heeled women trying to get married to this "perfect" good looking rich guy, and it's like a one in a million shot, and even if you win, it ain't all roses and champagne toasts.

The Guardian goes on to say, "Being realistic, I think Authonomy may end up being a nice polite way for the publishers to say that they're not accepting unsolicited submissions anymore. If the launch goes well, I'd wager that anyone asking about submissions will be directed to hit the site, keeping editors' (and editorial assistants') desks clear for them to get on with the books agents have sent them, the ones they are genuinely interested in."

It's just, where's the quality control with this kind of thing? People could be posting X Files: The Next Generation, and maybe you've got the next staggering work of genius, and then what, you're lumped in with all the rest? It seems like false hope to me, just like Bachelor, because I can't see Harper taking it all that seriously.

What do yall think? Agree or disagree? A crap idea destined to fail? A potentially good idea that will be the next big thing, thus proving me wrong? To that, I say, par for the course, my friends.

A Life Long Love

On Sunday we had some friends over for brunch and after eating way too much we collapsed in the living room where one friend remarked on my huge collection of teen and MG books. He was particularly intrigued by my Lois Duncan collection which I think is pretty impressive because it contains several volumes I bought back in the late seventies/early eighties when I first read her books. And as those of us growing up in that era know, there was nothing quite like those painted covers of guys with feathered hair and girls with the Farrah Fawcett look. He pulled one off the shelf, a book so worn from over reading that it had a shredded spine and frayed edges, and asked me to tell him the plot.

As it happened he’d chosen my very favorite Lois Duncan, THEY NEVER CAME HOME. I’ll never forget the first time I read it: my family was camping on Cape Cod, I was reading by lantern light and I was shivery all over because I was living and breathing the most thrilling book ever. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the layers of the mystery unfolded and I shouted out loud when the big reveal came, causing a dog at the next camp site to start barking. I barely noticed since 99% of me was in New Mexico with Joan Dreyfus as she came closer to uncovering the truth.

So I started telling my friends the story, trying to tell it well since it’s one of the best books ever, and all of a sudden I got that shivery feeling again. I’ve read that book at least a thousand times, literally, in the twenty some-odd years since I read it for that first time, yet my heart started pounding as I described the moment of that big reveal. After all these years and all the time we've spent together, the story still has a hold over me and amazes me with just how awesome it is.

So what titles still make your heart beat faster when you talk about them?

#daphne

Stephanie Meyer on NPR

In case you missed it, Stephanie Meyer was interviewed on NPR. (Click here to listen.)

I found this segment interesting even though I haven't read any of the books. (I know, I know, shame on me!)

Anyway, here are some of the highlights:

-- Stephanie says she wrote TWILIGHT just to remember a dream she had. She never really thought of it as a book!

-- She thinks passion is only heightened by restraint.

-- Even she (who has sold, like, a billion books!) is apprehensive about her new book THE HOST, which is a departure from her vampire books. She hopes her readers aren't disappointed in a book that's not about Bella and Edward.

To read an excerpt of THE HOST, click here (and scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Enjoy!

:-)

~Coe~

I'm going on a cruise and I'm bringing....

Remember that game "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing...?" And you'd start with A and say apples, B bananas, etc.

Well, I'm going on an extended family cruise (grandparents, aunt, parents, brothers, husband) next week and I kind of feel like I'm playing that game. But with books! I want to bring a good variety of awesome books with me to read. But I want to bring current stuff and I feel like I am out of touch with what has just recently come out. So I need your help!

What books should I bring with me on this cruise?

xoxo
Lisa GW

Moral

To whoever found our website by Googling "moral of Cut by Patricia McCormick":

The answers you seek are easily found. Read the book.

I mean, seriously. It's not even that long, it's a moving, exciting story, and the moral--to the extent there is one--isn't exactly hidden.

That goes for whoever was looking for "summary of Shug by Jenny Han" a while ago, too.

--Kathryne
(the English teacher)

Video Alert!

Can't wait to read ALIVE AND WELL IN PRAGUE, NEW YORK by our very own Daphne Grab? Well, you're not alone! (The book doesn't officially come out until June.)

In the meantime, check out the new book trailer. It will surely whet your appetite!




:-)
~Coe~

Reading is fun

I have to go to Barnes and Noble at least twice a week for my library job-- picking up this book or that book for a student or teacher. You'd think I'd get sick of all the book buying I have to do. I do, but not when it's books for moi! I just bought three new books and when I put them on my shelf (mantle, coffee table, anywhere there is space) I realized I've bought like a million books and haven't read them. I just like buying them.

Here is what is on my shelf, brand new, waiting to be read:

Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munroe
The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

Okay, so what should I get to first?? Unless recommended otherwise, I am heading straight for Percy Jackson. And then... um, I'm working on my revision. Okay, I'm working on my revision and taking reading breaks and wearing my Reading is Sexy shirt. I'm happy it's going to be a rainy day weekend, perfect for reading and writing! I mean, writing and reading!

xoxo
Jenny H

sneak peak

My second book KENDRA is coming out in October -- and I finally have a cover!!!





It's starting to feel like a real book now!
:-)

~Coe~

Another rewarding moment in the 7th Grade

There's this kid--we'll call him Herbert because that's not his name, but it does capture the old-fashioned grandpa-ness of his actual name--who strikes fear into the hearts of pretty much every teacher in my middle school. I get along with him pretty well, but then, I don't teach him. I just chase him out of my room when he wanders in, having driven his actual teacher sufficiently nuts to give him a hall pass.

When I was hired the principal told me that one of my jobs was to "model good reading behavior." This is not as easy as it sounds, but every now and then I get opportunities, like today when I was sitting and waiting in the hallway for a sixth-grade teacher to let me in to teach Creative Writing. The sixth-grade teacher instead said his science lesson was way behind, and could we skip writing this week? I said "sure," and, having a random twenty minutes to spare and no desire to spend ten of them getting back and forth to the basement English Office, took out a book and continued sitting in the hallway.

A lot of kids stopped by while I was in the hall. Pretty much everyone wanted to see what I was reading (Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, a Longstockings favorite), which was a lot of fun. One sixth-grader from one of my other classes thumbed through the book while I read her essay contest entry. A kid from the class I was about to teach stopped by on his way to and from the bathroom and asked was I coming in now, and if not now when, which was gratifying, even if it was just that he was ready for Social Studies to be over.

And then Let's-call-him-Herbert stopped by, his arms full of Field Day posters. "You're reading?" he asked, disbelief dripping from his voice. "For fun? But why?" he asked.

Good grief. I haven't gotten that question in that tone of voice since I was a seventh-grader, myself. I've completely forgotten how I used to answer. "Why don't you like it?" I asked.

"Because," Herbert said. "Ew."

Somehow, I managed not to laugh at that. Okay, I may have grinned a little. To my complete surprise, though, Herbert didn't just wander off and finish hanging up his posters. "No, really," he said. "Why do you like it?"

It was hard not to get teary as I gave an honest answer. "Herbert," I said, "for the last fifteen minutes nobody's asked me for anything. I've been able to totally lose myself in someone else's world, and someone else's problems and triumphs." (Triumph, by the way, was a recent word in the 7th-grade vocabulary book.) "I haven't had to think about myself at all."

Herbert's eyes narrowed. But not like they usually do, with Herbert, when he's looking for the lie in what you've just told him, or trying to figure out just how to express how angry you've just made him. His eyes narrowed like he was thinking about that. And then they got wide again. "So reading must be easy for you," he said.

"Yeah," I said, and then it was really hard not to start crying, as I realized what that question meant for Herbert. "Reading's always been easy for me."

Herbert grabbed the book away from me and opened a page at random, and it really wasn't easy for him. No wonder he doesn't like reading, if he has to puzzle out each word separately, like that. "It's not really a seventh-grade book," I said (lied). "It's more for high-school kids."

"What's it about?" he asked.

"A girl who works on a farm, and plays football," I told him. "I just got to the part with her first game."

And Herbert nodded, and I nodded, and the 6th-grade teacher invited me in, and Herbert went off to finish hanging up his posters.

If you're in middle-school, it's really not cool to admit you like to read, so Herbert probably had never had anyone tell him what's fun about it. And I got to have an honest conversation about why reading's not fun, with a kid who's not worried I'm going to give him a bad grade. Herbert reminded me of why my new, desperation-fueled attitude of "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it" doesn't help my students, not nearly as much as showing them the real reason I love reading will.

--Kathryne

ALFA Doppleganger

At a recent school visit outside of Pittsburgh, I was mid-presentation when I spotted a DEAD RINGER for one of the models on the cover of ALFA. I almost choked on my watermelon Jolly Rancher!

Here's the cover shot of Katherine...

And here's Kate and me wearing our best snarky pouts

Isn't that an INSANE likeness?

Though, truth be told, Kate was such a sweetie and a delight to talk with all day. Kate and her friends took me on a walk around their high school and also taught me what a "porp" was. (don't ask...it's going in the next book)

-=siobhan=-

When You're Stuck...

When I'm stuck, I'll pretty much try anything. I've been carrying around my WIP, reading and rereading it, and I've gotten some small ideas but not the big AH-HA that will carry me through to the end of the book. And I have a deadline to turn in new chapters to the Longstockings in just two weeks! So there's no time to dilly-dally.

I searched online for some writing exercises to help me get moving and here's one I found that I plan to try today. It just might help me get inside my character's head a bit more.

Dreams are very useful in fiction, as well as fun to write. Sometimes we use dreams to give verisimilitude– they are, after all, a part of life. They can also be used to show a character's mood or even to make a point, as a sort of allegory in the mind of a character. Write a dream for a character in a piece of fiction you are writing or planning.

Try it and let me know if it works for you!

*caroline "stuck at page 120" hickey

Breaking News!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Longstocking, Daphne Grab, who has just sold her second novel!

Here are the details from today's Publishers Marketplace:

Daphne Grab's HALFTIME, The Wonder Years meets Dairy Queen, about a twelve year old football fanatic who doesn't actually play the sport until his long lost half-brother, and the best college football player in the league, shows up in time for middle school team tryouts, tackling bullies, and talking to girls, to Jodi Keller at Delacorte, in a pre-empt, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group (NA).


HALFTIME is an awesome novel and I can't wait for it to enter the world. Congratulations again, Daphne!

Woo-hoo!!!

:-)
~Coe~

ALFA Giveaway!

There's a nice ALFA giveaway on Teenreads.com. CLICK HERE to enter for a chance to win one of five free copies!

-=siobhan=-

ALFA Reading in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Hey friends,

I just wanted to mention that I'll be reading at the Park Slope Barnes and Noble on Thursday May 8th at 6:00PM.

And it's not just the Siobhan show! NYT Bestselling authoress Aimee Friedman will be reading from her fabulous new novel, The Year My Sister Got Lucky, as well as Suzanne Weyn from her epic love story, Reincarnation.

If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

-=siobhan=-

Marissa Doyle Visits

Marissa Doyle's THE BEWITCHING SEASON has just come out and is getting a lot of attention, including a starred review from Booklist. She stopped by to tell us about how she came to write a book about twins that is and isn't and isn't taken from her "real life."

If you’d told me fifteen years ago that I’d one day be writing books about twins, I would have shaken my head at you-- twice. Write books? Well, yeah, I’d had ideas kicking around and had scribbled out some scenes and sketchy synopses, so maybe…but twins? Er…no. I didn’t know anyone with twins, there were no twins in my family, and though we were in the middle of growing our family I’d always said that the last thing in the world I wanted was twins. I simply couldn’t imagine what taking care of two infants at once would be like, but I guessed it would involve very little sleep, among other things. And I happen to like sleep.

Be careful of what you say out loud. Fate can have a quirky sense of humor. And as it happened, learning I was having twins turned out to be a relief after a long weekend of anxiety after getting back some seriously weird pre-natal blood test results and being sure that there was something very physically wrong with the child I was carrying.

So fifteen years later, I have teen-aged twin daughters and two forthcoming books about twin sisters. And of course the first question out of some peoples’ mouths when they hear that is, “Are the twins in your books just like your twins?”

The answer is no. And yes.

My daughters are nothing like Persy and Pen Leland in Bewitching Season…but the nature of their sisterhood is. Twins can have a relationship that goes far beyond being siblings. Can you imagine what it’s like growing up with your best friend by your side 24/7? Having someone who’s almost like a second you, who knows and understands almost everything about you? Not all twins have this kind of relationship, of course--I’ve known twins who loathed each other--but mine do, and so do my characters.

I think this is just another manifestation of something writers face--how and what we integrate our personal lives and experiences into our fiction. I don’t think non-writers always understand that we can use aspects of our lives and emotions we’ve experienced in what we write without being autobiographical. We’ve talked about this a little in the Class of 2k8--how we may write about situations and circumstances that we ourselves have lived through…and yet what we write isn’t us, it’s the people we’re writing about.

Have any of you writers struggled to explain this to your non-writing friends?

Thanks for stopping by, Marissa!

To learn more about Marissa check out her website or head to the Class of 2K8 where she is a co-president.

**
daphne

How many fonts do you know?

Via a designer friend at work, I bring you this typography test. I got 13 out of 35, which I thought was pretty dang good, considering I was mostly just guessing... Anyone else care to tackle the fonts???

~lisa graff~

children are being left behind...

It's been pretty well understood by now that the No Child Left Behind Act is a dismal failure. A joke. President Bush signed this into law, supposedly to make schools perform better, make them more accountable, yadda yadda yadda. What it has done, for the most part, is change the entire focus of education away from actual learning to testing, testing, and more testing. If the material won't show up on a standardized test, well, it's not going to get taught!

Ahhh. Remember those trips we used to take in elementary school? Remember music lessons and art? Well, for a lot of kids, those things are a distant memory, or they're done so infrequently it makes no impact on them whatsoever.

Remember independent reading time?

In case you missed it, author Jordan Sonnenblick has written a wonderful essay in School Library Journal about this topic. As a friend, I know how much Jordan has wrestled with whether or not to return to teaching eighth grade English. Jordan is a great teacher, and it's something he's really loved, but he's made the decision not to return to the classroom. And the No Child Left Behind Act is the main reason.

In the essay he writes:

"No Child Left Behind has done to my school what it has done to untold thousands of urban schools. Our arts programs are gutted, our shop courses are gone, foreign languages are a distant memory. What’s left are double math classes; mandatory after-school drill sessions; the joyless, sweaty drudgery of summer school. Our kids come to us needing more of everything that is joyous about the life of the mind. They need nature walks, field trips, poetry, recess."

He adds:

"What I loved most about teaching middle school English was the books, the stories, the poems. I loved putting great thoughts into the hands of my students, and watching what I really, truly saw as a holy communion between child and author, with me as the officiant. And it kills me to know that if I went back, I wouldn’t have much time to teach literature, which is increasingly seen as a frilly extra. So I’m leaving the classroom because my colleagues were right: going back without time for books would kill me. But it hurts very, very much to know that, in my absence, the classroom is killing my peers and my would-be students anyway."


:-(

The schools are losing motivated, qualified teachers, and the kids are not being taught as many books as they used to. Those of us who are involved in the world of books for children and teens should really be disturbed by this. And ours should be a voice added to the many protests (and petitions) of the No Child Left Behind Act.

~Coe~

Now I know how to say "nomadic vampires" in Spanish

Which is "vampiros nomades," just in case you were wondering...

I learned that interesting factoid from this fun MTV clip about the cast and characters of the Twilight Movie, which is inexplicably subtitled in Spanish. 

Estan listos para comer algun ser humano?

~lisa graff~

I'm too sexy for this shirt

Legs splayed? Check. Shirt unbuttoned to navel? Check. Seductive leer? Check. Gratuitous bottom of foot shot? Check.

Shel Silverstein, how you do make me blush! Now that's what I call a sexy author photo! Clearly, I will have to take the hotness up a notch or ten for my next author photo. Will it endear me to the Gossip Girl crowd? Perhaps. Or will they go running for the hills (or Bloomies) when they see the bottoms of my feet?

XOXO
Jenny