Summer reading with Al Roker

So, I'm just going to come out and say it. Required Summer Reading is wrong. Very wrong. This isn't to say summer reading is wrong, no way. But the requirement is. And don't even get me started on the kind of summer reading assignment that involves a report at the end or even the dreadful write-reflections-as-you-read kind. Summer reading ruins the joy and pleasure of reading for kids. It's what makes kids hate reading, and we don't want that, do we?

But, I recently heard about Al’s Book Club for Kids and this is an interesting idea. It's more of an incentive than a requirement. And hey, Al Roker is cool. I bet kids like him a lot. And those lucky kids who get to go and meet with Al in Rockefeller Plaza for their monthly book club meeting are definitely going to have a blast. It would be cool if kids away at camp could check in with the book club via email (if the camp allows that) or even real letters. I'm excited to hear more about Al's Book Club throughout the summer, and see how it progresses.

Bottom line: summertime is for fun. And reading is fun. And as long as the reading isn't a super stressful required assignment, summer is the perfect time for reading.

What'd you think?
*Lisa GW*


P.S. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is the book club's first selection. You can read more about that here.

Coe Booth aka SUPERSTAR

I am thrilled to report that Coe Booth's TYRELL won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Young Adult Fiction category!

Coe! I am so beyond excited for you right now. Seriously, I just want to tell everyone I know that you won, and also possibly yell it to strangers in the streets. This is unbelievably great, but not all that surprising because you and TYRELL are fabulous.

We're so proud of you!




xoxoxoxo
Lisa GW

How do you pronounce Zyryx anyway?

According to the rad Golden Compass Movie website, my daemon would be a jackal named Zyryx. This is because, based on my "profile," I am "responsible, modest, shy, humble, and flexible." I'm not sure all those things are true, or how exactly that leads to the jackal, but I'll take it. Jackals are cute.

See? Cute as a button. Just be nice to little Zyryxie-Wynxie, or he'll humbly bite your head off...

I am now requiring all the Longstockings to tell me what their dameons are. Go to it, gals!

Thanks to Read Roger for the link.

~lisa graff~

QoW: I love ya, Tomorrow...

Question of the Week: Describe your perfect writing day.

Well, one thing's for sure: yesterday wasn't it. Not Monday, neither. And I've got a bad feeling about today. On the whole, my writing days lately have been a lot like Siobhan’s. Maybe things'll clear up middle of next week sometime.

They're so frustrating, these sucky writing days--I spent hours staring at my WIP, but my mansucript doesn't look any different. Or else I spent so much time gearing up to write that I never really got around to writing, and then I can't figure out what I actually did with my day. But even though I hate days like that, I've come to accept that they pave the way for the days of 5,000-word brilliance.

Eventually, I'll realize that I'm not getting any work done at home. In desperation, I'll give up and head for Starbucks. I know, we Longstockings sound like shills for all the time we spend singing the praises of Starbucks writing days. But I have to say, that's where most of my best writing has taken place.

On a truly great writing day, I'll get up at about 7--that way, by the time I hit the 'bucks at 9:30, I feel as though I've had a nice, leisurely morning. I'll get a massive iced tea (summer) or peppermint mocha (winter) and go upstairs to join all of my fellow writers and students (and the occasional salesperson logging in from the road).

There's no TV. And you've just bought a very large drink that you see no reason to carry home. You can't keep taking "just a little break" to check your e-mail, because Starbucks makes you pay for their wifi and their neighbors have all password-protected their networks to keep coffeeshop writers from piggybacking. You're stuck. You made such a huge deal about getting out of the house to write (it helps if you live with somebody you can tell this plan to), and if you leave now all the other writers, who've been there for hours, will know what a wimp you are.

For me, this is when all the thinking and moaning and despair starts to pay off. I'm out of the house, I have no distractions or excuses, and I still don't know what to do next. And almost always, just when I've decided that I can't do this, this book is just not going to let me write it, I see the connection I've been missing. If it's a first draft, I know all of a sudden what will happen next; if I'm re-writing, I suddenly see how to fix what's not working. I think it's a combination of the freedom of hitting bottom--things can't get any worse--and the fact that, while I've been not writing, I've spent all my time thinking about the book.

--Kathryne

writers, get ready for your close-up...

Hey writers, here's another place to market your books! Meet the Author is a website devoted to showcasing short video clips of authors introducing their books to readers.

So far there are 870 video clips on the site. And while most of the authors write for adults (um, what's the matter with these people???), there are a decent amount of children and teen authors representin'. Here are just a few:

Scott Westerfeld (THE LAST DAYS)

Markus Zusak (THE BOOK THIEF)

Meg Rosoff (HOW I LIVE NOW)

Philip Pullman (LYRA'S OXFORD)

Ned Vizzini (BE MORE CHILL)

Meet the Author can either film the clip in their New York City or Los Angeles facility (for a mere $750), or post a video that was filmed by the author (for $190.) I'm not sure how popular the site is -- I know I've never heard of it before -- but it might be worth it. And, really, you have to appreciate all avenues for book promotion!

Check it out and see what you think!

~Coe

QoW: When All Things are Aligned

Question of the Week: Describe your perfect writing day.

Here are the elements that I need for the ideal writing day:

1-I like a solid block of time, not too little, not too much. In an hour I’m obviously not going to get a lot done, but if I have a whole day stretched on front of me, with nothing to break it up, you better believe I’m going to waste most of it. Perfection for me is about a 3-4 hour stretch before some kind of obligation- just enough time to feel pressure to get to it, but not so rushed that it’s not even worth starting. The best days for me are when my kids are off with their morning sitter for 3.5 hours, come home for lunch, we play a bit and then they nap for 3 hours.

1a- If I’m on a writing date I can get a lot more done in a long stretch because it’s so inspiring to see other people writing away (even if they are checking email, I assume they're writing pages of great prose.) See Lisa’s post for blissful description of just such a day!

2- Feeling good. If I’m depressed or distracted or exhausted it’s not going to be a good writing day. I can push it a little but they’ll be pages I just have to rewrite later. So now when I have insomnia, I’m freaking out that I’m ruining a writing day. You can imagine how this helps the insomnia.

3- That intangible thing that I totally can’t control that just makes the words flow and the ideas vibrant in my mind. There are days when every word I type seems stupid and I start to question the whole premise of the story. But on a perfect writing day, I’m just kind of living in the story and it all feels just right.

When all these elements come together, it’s the most satisfying thing ever. I just wish it happened more often.

#Daphne

Do You Back Up?

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
In the spirit of friendship and collaboration among those in the kidlit blogosphere, I urge each and every one of you to go out TODAY and buy yourself an external hard drive. Then back up EVERY WEEK.

If you use your laptop the way I do (that is, hauling it from place to place in your apartment, typing on the couch, the desk, the bed, the kitchen counter, and even hauling it to other places like the 'bucks to type), your laptop is in DANGER!

In danger of what? Of the internal hard drive coming loose, that's what! If this happens, you can lose EVERYTHING. All of your data, music, photos--every last little thing. In fact, this just happened to my dear friend, who has the same computer I do, and she had to pay an exorbitant amount of money to have a specialist in CA recover the family photos of her children.

So RUN, do not walk, to the nearest store and buy yourself an external hard drive! Do not lose your drafts, your edits, your lists of ideas and character names. For less than $200, you can buy a top notch piece of equipment and back up every week.

You will thank me someday. And hopefully send me tasty cupcakes.

*caroline hickey

QoW: Everlasting Battery

Question of the Week: Describe your perfect writing day.

First things first: a laptop with a battery that would never run out.

I'd wake up around nine-thirty, ten to find a beautiful, sunny day, around seventy degrees with no humidity. I'd stop for iced coffee, maybe a bagel, maybe some snacks and then I'd head over to Riverside Park.

I'd spread out a blanket, turn on my laptop and feel so happy that I don't need to plug it in. Then I'd start writing. I'd take occasional breaks to let the sunshine wash over me, take a quick snooze, read a few pages of the book I brought with me. Then I'd go back to writing.

The words would flow perfectly. I'd read over the past few sentences and love every syllable, every semi-colon. I'd smile as I write, loving my characters and my plot and my voice and my point of view and my tense.

Maybe some of The Longstockings would stop by. They'd all have everlasting battery laptops too. We'd put all of our blankets together and spread out, writing together, and taking occasional chatting breaks.

After we'd all accomplished our goals, we'd stop. We'd throw our blankets over our shoulders and go out for dinner, and maybe drinks. I'd suggest Jackson Hole because they have the best tuna melts ever and I really love tuna melts. I think we'd end up eating Chinese food though because it works for everyone. And I like Chinese food too.

As you can see, food finds a way into everything I do. I'm not embarrassed to admit it. But doesn't that sound like a great day? How can I find this miraculous laptop?

xoxo
Lisa GW

QoW: One Longstocking Takes On Pippi

QoW: Talk about a book you revisited recently. How did it stand up?

Okay, I know I’m a full-fledged member-in-good-standing of The Longstockings, but I hadn’t actually read any of the Pippi books in a long time. A very long time!

When I was little, Pippi was one of my favorite characters. I wanted to be Pippi. She dressed the way she wanted (eek!), she didn’t have to take care of her hair (double eek!), and, no, Pippi wasn’t a beautiful child, but she was a spirited and energetic one, and for that she was endearing.

What I really loved about Pippi was that she got to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She didn’t have those pesky parents around to drive her crazy. No, she got to have fun all day, when ordinary kids (like myself) were stuck in school. I also remember loving the fact that Pippi was a born leader. Here was a girl who took charge, planned the day’s adventures, and led her friends through all of them. She wasn’t self-conscious and unsure of herself like a lot of other female characters. She was comfortable in her own skin. Why, she was quite the pre-teen feminist role model! As a kid, reading the Pippi books was like living out a fantasy of what it would be like to live without parents, rules, and school! Talk about the ultimate freedom!

When I took the time to re-read PIPPI LONGSTOCKING as an adult, my general impression of the character remained unchanged but, truthfully, the novel itself didn’t hold up as well for me. The whole book seems like a collection of unrelated, rather predictable episodes in the life of this little girl. There’s no suspense at all because the reader already knows Pippi will triumph in the end. And, really, there’s no specific outcome the reader is even hoping for. So it’s all a little bit flat.

But, while the story doesn’t really withstand the test of time for me, I still really, really like Pippi’s zest for life; she wants to do instead of be. Even her dialogue reflects this. She doesn’t ask her friends if they should do something, she states, “Let’s go on a little picnic” or “I’m going to climb that tree.”

Pippi also does some rather “un-girl-like" things in this novel. She beats up five boys who are bullying another boy, then tells the victim to call her if those boys bother him again. That’s pretty cool for a girl to do! And at the circus, she challenges The Mighty Adolf to a wrestling match and wins! She also rescues two children who are trapped in a burning building and later thwarts the efforts of two burglars who want to rob her home.

Unlike a lot of “traditional” girl character of the 1950s, Pippi also speaks her mind. On her first (and only) day of school, she tells the teacher exactly what she thinks of school. She tells the teacher she shouldn’t keep asking the children questions when she (the teacher) obviously knows the answers herself. She is not a quiet, polite little girl who watches her words as young girls were (are?) often taught to do.

Even though Pippi came way before the “girls just want to have fun” movement, that’s exactly what she’s all about -- doing her thang! And that was refreshing to read when I was a kid, and it is still refreshing today!

~Coe~

LONGSTOCKINGS GO TO PROM

photos of the awesome 21 PROMS party (all proceeds from the night and the book benefit Advocates for Youth) have been popping up all over the web. by now, i'm sure that everyone has seen john green in his cuuuute seersucker suit, david levithan looking dashing in his father's tux, libba bray and hubby barry goldblatt in matching tuxedo shirts. it was a serious a-list event of who's who in children's lit.

so here's a few shots of us, cause you know, we were there, too.

a longstockings pyramid

jenny won the shiniest hair competition.
caroline showed off her best shimmy
and coe is driven to drink by the wonder of it all

i am programmed to look stupid.

it was a blast of an evening, even though *sigh* no one asked me to slow dance!

-=siobhan=-

QoW: From Guest Blogger, Jordan Sonnenblick

QoW: Talk about a book you revisited recently. How did it stand up?

If you really want to hear about a book I revisited, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but instead I think I'll just answer the question and throw in a couple of lame stylistic allusions.

It's interesting that this question should come to me this particular week, because I just finished my -- I dunno -- maybe fifteenth rereading of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. There are very few books I've ever read more than once: other than CATCHER, there's just some Kurt Vonnegut, the Susan Cooper DARK IS RISING sequence, ANGELA'S ASHES, and Daniel Pinkwater's SNARKOUT BOYS AND THE AVOCADO OF DEATH.

Oh, and CYRANO DE BERGERAC. I could read CYRANO daily and never get bored.

Anyway, CATCHER always stands up beautifully for me. In fact, it goes far beyond mere "standing up" and into a kind of perpetual rediscovery. Some things just strike me as eternally good: the Beatles, cappuccino, waterskiing, oxygen. Like, if you quit eating chocolate for Lent, and then took your first bite of Godiva on Easter Sunday, nobody would ask you "How did the chocolate stand up?" Because, well, duh.

So what is it that puts CATCHER in the same pantheon as John, Paul, George, Ringo, and caffeine? I think partly it's that, for some deep psychological reason, I just like melancholy things. And I don't think I've ever experienced such a perfectly realized melancholy tone in any other novel. The whole book, from page one, has this amazing balance of being bittersweet without being maudlin, ironic without snarkiness, bitingly critical of society without satire.

There are so many moments in this book that hit me every time, like the part with Allie's baseball mitt with the poems written on it. Or when Holden has breakfast with the two nuns. And every time I read the famous scene where Holden Caulfield finds the "F*** you's" in the stairs at Phoebe's school, I just want to genuflect at Salinger's feet.

The thing that gets me about this book is that a lot of people criticize Holden Caulfield for being a whiny, spoiled rich kid, and dismiss the book as a shallow expression of upper-class teen angst. I just want to shake those people and say, "Yeah, he's a whiny, spoiled MENTALLY ILL rich kid whose favorite brother DIED OF CANCER!" So I feel that Holden is entitled to some self-absorption.

So to all the would-be CATCHER critics: You're trying to make out like you're just thumbing your noses, but you're really getting the whole thumb right in there. That kills me. That just kills me.




Jordan Sonnenblick is the author of two critically acclaimed novels: DRUMS, GIRLS AND DANGEROUS PIE and NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER. If you haven't read his books, really, what's wrong with you??? Jordan's books are heartbreaking and hilarious. And totally unforgettable!

For more information about Jordan, check out his website and MySpace page.


Thanks for such a fantastic post, Jordan. Oh, and by the way, you are the first male honorary Longstocking!!! (But don't worry; we won't make you wear your hair in pigtails!!!)
:-)

Sorry, dearie, you're just not ugly enough to be a writer

There was an interesting tidbit on NPR this morning about a painting up for auction, which may or may not be a portrait of Jane Austen. According to the NPR piece, most of the experts seem to think the girl in the pic is not Ms. Austen. And why not? Well, for one thing, she's too darn pretty to be plain ol' Jane.

"The author of Jane Austen's novels couldn't possibly look like this, or they would be very different novels," author, poet and critic Clive James tells Renee Montagne.

"Jane Austen was not outstandingly beautiful or she'd be remembered as that," James says. "It's definitely not in the character of the books to be about a beautiful woman. They are about a woman who is not beautiful yet who has other virtues.

"Jane Austen was the person you didn't notice at the ball, but she noticed everything. That was her role."

Later in the radio piece (not excerpted on the website) this fellow goes on to say something along the lines of "We all wish Charles Dickens looked like Denzel Washington, but it just isn't so." I personally have never thought to wish that before, although now I'll be sure to.

James's line of thinking seems to be an extension of the old adage that you have to have had a miserable childhood to become a good writer. I've never fully bought into that, although a do think there's a smidgen of truth there. The best writers are those who are excellent observers -- and great observational skills often come from being stuck on the outside. And I suppose you'd be an outsider if you were, well, hideously ugly. But seriously people. Can't a writer be both talented and gorgeous? Or is it just not possible? What do we think?

~lisa graff~

Me vs. Harry Potter

Well, not me. But in a way, I guess all children's book writers both benefit and suffer for the glory that is Potter.

Anyhow, Sian Pattenden takes a look at the dark side in this hilarious article.

-=siobhan=-

Marketing Your First Book

Since my book is days (or hours or possibly even minutes) away from its arrival in bookstores and whatnot, I've been paying a lot of attention to what other new authors are doing to promote their books. Here's a list of some things that seem to be hot right now:

*Myspace pages
*Websites
*Blogs
*Group Promotion (Class of 2k7, ReaderGirlz, Blue Rose Girls, Longstockings, etc)
*Posting on message boards, commenting on blogs
*Blog tours

What do these things all have in common? They're all online! But what else are authors doing to help launch their new books? Postcards? Bookmarks? School Visits? Press releases? Signing drive-bys at bookstores?

Share your thoughts about interesting things you've seen recently. I saw this fun giveaway the other day on Laura Bowers site. Me likey!

What are the marketing "must-dos" for new authors?

*caroline hickey

QoW: It's me, Miles J. Benedict Jr.

QoW: Talk about a book you revisited recently. How did it stand up?

I'm not sure how I happened to re-read Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret a couple of weeks ago--I think I needed something to keep me busy and out of the way while my husband and sister built bookshelves in my living room, and it was the first thing to hand from the piles of books that had been taken off the old bookshelves. So I went into it with no expectations whatsoever.

Am I officially a grown-up, now that this time I thought the book was more about her teacher than about Margaret?

Not that I didn't feel for Margaret. When I was a kid, reading this book made me really uncomfortable: it was full of things I didn't 100% understand and I felt weird for not being on board with everything Nancy found so fascinating and I really wanted Margaret to go find some different friends. That really hadn't changed. I think this book should be required reading for anyone who has regular contact with pre-teens, especially parents. I was pretty amazed at how memories came rushing back as I re-read it, and it gave me a whole new level of sympathy for the kids in my life. It reminded me what they're up against.

But I'd entirely forgotten another character in the book: Miles J. Benedict, Jr., enduring his first teaching year in a sixth-grade classroom. And this time, he was my hero.

Those kids--not Margaret, of course, though she went along--spent all their time coming up with ways to make him feel bad. And even though Margaret reports that he seemed more afraid of them than they were of him, he pulls it together every time. They turn in tests with no names on them, and Mr. Benedict returns them with the names appended correctly. (I wish I could call him up and ask how he did that.) When the kids make "peep" sounds for no apparent reason, he rearranges their seats into a U-shape with nametags on. I, who have been reading a lot of books on classroom management lately, almost cheered out loud.

I had the same reaction to most of the adult characters in the book. I had remembered them as having been basically obstacles or facilitators of what Margaret wants, but over and over again I found myself understanding where they were coming from. I even sympathized with the "bad" adults, like Norman Fischbein's mother, who clearly did not understand what she was in for when she threw a dinner party for an entire class of 11- and 12-year olds.

Re-reading Margaret gave me a whole new appreciation for Judy Blume, one I don't think I had even when I was reading all her books as a kid. Now I have to go re-read them ALL.

--Kathryne

Hanging with the Bobwhites Again

QoW: Talk about a book you revisited recently. How did it stand up?

A few weeks ago I was at a used bookstore and saw about seven Trixie Belden mysteries with the old school covers I remembered from when I read them religiously, I think when I was around 8. I bought them and got all excited remembering how much I used to love them. I thought Trixie was so spunky and tom boyish, her romance with Jim made me swoon, the mysteries were gripping, Trixie’s brothers and Honey and Jim were this great team of sleuths together, and on and on. So I sat down and read them and yes, there were definitely a few surprises.

First of all, they were really young! I remembered sophisticated teens but Trixie’s 12 and a young 12 at that. I’ve reread a lot of books I loved as a kid and never had such a shock at the age thing- I’m not sure why it happened here but it felt so different from my memories.

Second, it’s weird I didn’t really notice this as a kid, but those books are jammed with quaint sayings and habits from the 1940’s. That being when they were written. I was constantly struck by things such as “phooey,” “jeepers,” “gleeps,” “she hardly ever joins in any fun,” (this one made me think of reindeer obviously.)

Third, that steamy romance with Jim wasn’t exactly steaming. You know, since they were a young 12 and the books were written in the forties and all.

Fourth and most embarrassing to admit, I’d forgotten a number of major characters. I remembered the gang as Trixie, her brothers Mart and Brian, her best friend Honey, and Honey’s brother Jim (adopted in the early books by Honey’s family.) So imagine my surprise reading book 4 when Di Lynch joined them. She was in all the rest of the books and I’d totally forgotten her. And I read almost all the books. Plus some guy named Dan joined them too.

None of these surprises were bad per se. Twelve is a great age for a book character, I’m a huge Beverly Cleary fan so I love me some jeepers, and a toned down romance isn’t a bad thing. I have to admit I felt like Di was an interloper at first but I got over it, especially when she and Mart got a little heat between them (a very G-rated heat.)

And there was much that was just as good as I remembered it. Trixie is still an awesome tom boy, there are some really cute scenes between her and Jim, the gang is totally fun and best of all, I still couldn’t solve the mysteries before the gang (this should probably embarrass me since it’s geared to fool 8 year olds.)

So all in all, it was a very positive revisit.

#daphne

Sopranos, anyone?

Did anyone see The Sopranos last night?

I'm not going to give away anything extremely juicy but if you haven't seen it yet and you're one of those people who can't stand to hear a single thing about a show before you watch it, you may want to come back and read this post later.

One element of last night's episode was the premier of Christopher's movie, Cleaver. The whole "family" was there and throughout, everyone was looking at each other, seeing themselves and others in the characters in Cleaver. Many people were offended and troubled by this. And Tony even spoke to his therapist about how, after viewing this film, he knew for sure that Christopher despised him.

So, here's my question. What should writers do about this? Obviously, even if a writer doesn't intentionally base a character on someone, there may be similarities. Does the writer take extra precaution as to not offend close friends and family?

And what about if a writer DOES want to base a character on someone specific? Should the writer not do that in case of offending? Should the writer tell the person?

Authors out there, weigh in. Have you struggled with this? What was the outcome?

Is this something that's just not worth worrying about?

*Lisa Gw*

Sucky Writing Day

it's not all joyous news about new books sold, wonderful reviews, and celebrated accomplishments here at the longstockings. sometimes we have to revel in the sucky. we have to own the fact that there are days, like say...friday april 13th, where everything we type is god awful crap.

that's where i'm at today.

struggling to figure out exactly what makes my main character tick, what the heck she's doing in the place i've put her. how can i make this a story people will want to read when the thought of sitting at my computer and typing another letter makes me want to drown myself in ice coffee?!?

ugh. who's with me? misery loves company!

-=siobhan=-

QoW: A party for Wanda

Question of the week: Plan a birthday party for a character.
I'm throwing a party for Wanda Petronski, from The Hundred Dresses one of my most ever favorite books. Wanda's had a hard knock life, she really deserves a special party. We'd invite Maddie and Peggy and the other girls from her old class.

It would take place in a room with bright white walls and pink chaises. There would be paints and glitters and liquid gold, and the girls would get to paint dresses right on the walls. The best part? There would be a magical seamstress who would secretly sew all the dresses and then the girls could wear the dresses they painted! Now that we're all dressed up, we would sit down to a lavish chiffon cake party with strawberries and cream and a liquid soda river with ice cream boats and moats that float around us. We'd be listening to The Cure and Kylie Minogue and Belle & Sebastian and dancing around with boas, and all the girls would think Wanda was so cool and they'd feel sorry for how they were mean to her way back when. For party favors, each girl would take home a real diamond tiara and a set of watercolors, and a box of gigantic Sour Patch Kids that dance around.

Happy Birthday Wanda!

xoxo Jenny

Sign on the Dotted Line

Miss Lisa Graff has a very interesting post over on her blog about autographing bookstore copies. It sounds like a savvy author could employ friends across the country to go into their local bookstores, claim to be the author, and sign copies to get face-out promotion. In fact, I think I've just revealed to you my launch plan for Cassie Was Here. Ta Da!

How many authors out there regularly pop into bookstores and ask to sign their copies? Coe? Jenny? Does it work?


P.S. There's also a great interview with Lisa over on Authorlink.

*caroline hickey

Stolen From GalleyCat

The Bookseller reports that former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has struck a deal with Macmillan to write a series of books for children. The six-book series will be targeted at children aged five to eight, and is set to launch at the rate of one book a month from May 2008. Each story will centre around nine-year-old Ugenia Lavender, an "incredible kid who has heaps of attitude and brainwaves like bolts of lightning", as she meets celebrities on her "contemporary" adventures. The advance was not disclosed but was for world rights. Halliwell will record a promotional song to accompany the series and will also read the audio editions.

Ewww! This is ridiculous.

QoW: Happy Birthday, Horrible Harry!

Question of the week: Plan a birthday party for a character.

Hey there, Harry, it's your birthday! And everyone deserves a good party, even if you are horrible. So here's what I propose for you:

Bowling party. You can't go wrong with bowling. Unless you try to whack Sid with the ball....

Okay, scratch that. We're going to the park for a barbecue. Classic. We'll play all the traditional birthday games -- pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, and that one I can't quite remember where you bob for clothespins or something. Weenie roast, cake, the whole shebang. All of your friends from 2B will be there, including your best friend, Doug, and even Song Lee (who loooooooooves you, just admit it). And, yes, I will be inviting Sidney, because that's fair. Don't worry, though. He's so afraid you'll throw him in the pond or stick leeches on him that he'll stay well away from you.

To spice things up a bit, I'll also be inviting some of your horrible contemporaries ... Junie B's a given, of course. She'll probably try to eat the whole cake before you even get to it, but that's just her way. And Gilly Hopkins probably thinks she's too old for birthday parties, but she'll have fun once she's there (just make sure she doesn't try to steal any of your birthday money). Bradley Chalkers will be thrilled to be invited (but if he signs your birthday card "Love, Bradley," don't make too much fun of him, okay? He doesn't know any better). And I bet you'd get along really well with Jeanie the Meanie too (although you might keep her away from the pinata bat).

And me? Well, while all you delightful, delectable, and decidedly devious kids are having a blast wreaking havoc all over the playground, I'll be sure to make myself scarce. Maybe I'll curl up somewhere with a book about kids who are always nice to everyone and never get in trouble. (Just kidding, that sounds BOR-ring! I'd way rather hang out with you guys.)

~lisa graff~

NEWS!

holy wow! i've sold a picture book, co-written and illustrated by the amazing J.OTTO SEIBOLD, to chronicle! we're old friends and have wanted to do a project together for crazy long time. i'm so happy it's finally happened and the story is going to be really super fun and spooky and halloweeny.

please note, this is NOT the official cover, but a glimpse of the potential awesomeness to come! i just had to share! *beams with pride*


hooray!

-=siobhan=-

QoD: Technical Matters

Okay, here's the Question of the Day, which Anonymous asked us yesterday:

Can I ask you guys a couple slightly more technical questions? Do you get your author photos done professionally? Or have a friend take them? What are your opinions on acknowledgement sections? Long or short? Who to thank?? I'd be interested to hear what you all think about these kinds of things...

I guess I'll answer first, but I hope to hear from everyone, especially the authors out there in the blogosphere!

First, let me say that I have never taken a good picture in my natural life! Never. So when I was told I needed an author photo (and after I whined and complained a lot!), I took a trip to my local bookstore and studied as many author photos as I could. I wanted to see what I liked, what really worked, and what didn't quite work. I had read a book on how to successfully publicize your novel and one of the things I remembered was that author photos should be taken seriously because (like it or not), people sometimes use it to determine if they want to buy the book. (I know, I know. That sucks, right?)

So, I sought out the help of a professional photographer. I wanted to look my best and be happy with my picture. Luckily, a friend of mine is a photographer and that helped me feel comfortable. The whole shoot was kind of fun, in a very, very silly way! But I really like the end result.

As for acknowledgments, that's another thing I had to research before writing mine. There are some people who have such clever (even funny) acknowledgments, but I didn't have the time. My editor called one day and said he needed it, like, NOW. So I thanked the people who really directly helped me with the book. That's it. I thanked my family and my friends who had read drafts or helped me when I was stuck. I thanked my editor, one of my teachers from The New School, and my classmates!

Some authors have pages and pages of acknowledgments, but I didn't want it to seem like I had to thank every single person I'd ever met. I wanted the acknowledgments to mean something. (Well, at least to me!)

And even though you didn't ask this, Anonymous, I guess I'll open the discussion to dedications, too. Dedications are always interesting to me. I dedicated TYRELL to my father who passed away while I was in the MFA program. My father was always extremely encouraging to me when it came to my writing, so it was only natural to dedicate the book to him.

To me, dedications are a lot more personal than acknowledgments. And as I write more and more books (hopefully!), I'd like them to stay personal.

So, fellow authors, who have you dedicated your books to and why? And what do you think of acknowledgments and author photos?

~Coe~

It's like pre-wedding jitters, but worse

What does one do in the days before one's book hits the bookshelves?

The whole process (18 months since deal done, 39 months since I actually began writing the book) has been slowly inching towards this time, and now that it's almost here, I have a strange sort of "so what?" feeling. Because I've gotten my copies, I've gotten most of my reviews, my website is up, I have a few school visits planned, etc., but where is the BIG RELEASE MOMENT? Is it when I see the book in the store? Is it when the text on my Amazon.com page switches from "pre-order now" to "order now"? Or is it my actual release date of April 12th?

The obvious answer of what to do, of course, is celebrate. But how can I let loose and celebrate when now I have to think about the most worrying part of the whole process (gulp), SALES?

I'm so overwhelmed I had to make lasagna. It's in the oven right now...

*caroline hickey

Book Review: Kimchi and Calamari are a Tasty Mix

As the mom of two kids adopted from Central Asia, I was super interested in reading Rose Kent’s KIMCHI AND CALAMARI, a book about Joseph Calderaro, adopted from Korea and raised by the Italian American Calderaros. All kids struggle with identity issues, but I think there’s a unique challenge facing a kid growing up in a family of different race and heritage. If you were adopted as a baby, how much of your identity is from your birth country and how much from the country you’re raised in? I think this is something that each individual answers in their own way, and it leads to some compelling questions. It’s exciting to see a book that takes on these questions and I think Kent does a great job creating an honest and rich examination of them.

One of the things I most appreciate in the book is that Joseph’s adoption is not a trauma or some big secret thing. He’s always known about it and the family is open about his roots and his adoption story. Joseph knows who his “real” parents are but he has a lot of questions and curiosity about his birth parents. And he’s also trying to figure out how being Korean fits into his sense of self. A school project on genealogy and a Korean family moving to town push these questions to the forefront for Joseph. Kent handles his journey with respect and humor- the answers don’t all tie into a neat package at the end but Joseph and his family grow a lot along the way and Joseph has a deeper understanding of who he is by the end. He achieves a level of comfort with his identity that is really satisfying.

And even though I’ve been all on the adoption bandwagon about this book, I don’t think its audience is limited to those interested in adoption. Identity issues are universal and Kent’s story has wide appeal. It’s got a great boy voice, a juicy love story and a nutty family, all of which combine for a super good read for all kids. My overall rating- two thumbs up.

## Daphne

QoW: Happy Birthday Emma-Jean!

Question of the week: Plan a birthday party for a character.


Emma-Jean Lazarus, it's your birthday. You're in luck because I (Lisa Greenwald, birthday party planner extraordinaire,) am planning your birthday party!

Type of party: Okay, this is simple. Sleepover. Thirteenth birthdays were made for sleepover parties and sleepover parties were made for thirteenth birthdays. I'll pick up DVDs of Clueless, Mean Girls and the TV series Freaks and Geeks. If you want to spice things up, later on in the night, you can call (I don't think you're the pranking type) Will Keeler.

Place: Your house. Vikram will do the cooking, Henri will be there to hang out and also to provide entertainment. Seventeen-year-old parakeets are very entertaining, you know.

Who: Okay, of course your peers will be there: Colleen, Kaitlin, Michele and Valerie. And we should invite Laura too, just to be nice, to be the bigger person. Don't you think?

Now, here comes the exciting part. Some new kids will be at your party. Kids you don't know yet, but kids that you'll really like. I just know it. We're also inviting Martha, Annemarie, and Bree. Bree is a little younger than everyone else, but she's awesome. You are going to love her.

When: Saturday, April 28th.

I'll take care of the RSVPs.

With love,
Lisa Greenwald (birthday party planner extraordinaire)

Wanna Procrastinate? Try This!

Interested in reading and writing reviews of books? There's a new website for doing just that.

REVISH!

Evidently it was launched on March 30th by a company in Scotland, and they must have some kind of deal with Amazon because all of the book reviews are linked to them.

Even though it sounds kind of similar to LibraryThing, Revish claims to be different. For one thing, it isn't a book cataloging site. Also, reviews on Revish have to be OVER a certain length. According to their FAQ page, they're not looking for one-line reviews!

In addition to reading and writing book reviews, with Revish you can also keep a reading list and reading journal (which can be shared with others, of course), and you can create and participate in discussion groups.

So check out this site. Anything that gets people reading and discussing books is a good thing, right? There can never be too many!

~Coe~

QoW: I've got a golden ticket!

Question of the Week: If you could spend the day with any author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would you two do?

I think I'd have to go with Roald Dahl on this one. Not only because he is one of my all-time, numero uno favorite authors ever, but also because we have tons and tons in common. For example, we both write books for children. And also, we both have the letter a in our first and last names. And he has a really cool website that he clearly did not design because he is deceased, and I have a really cool website that I clearly did not design because I am no good at designing websites. And he used to fly planes, and I have flown in planes. The list goes on and on...

So what would me and Roald do? Well, first we would obviously go paragliding. I 'd pick this activity partly because I've never been paragliding and I think it would be cool, but mostly because for the rest of my life I could tell people I'd been paragliding with Roald Dahl, and I'm pretty sure no one else on earth can honestly say they've done that.

Then, once we'd come down from the lovely blue skies, we'd relax back at his house with a nice spot of tea and some scones, which I believe Mr. Dahl--having a rad accent and all--would pronounce "scons." I would find this very endearing. We wouldn't discuss writing at all, because hello, sometimes a pair of awesome kid's book writers just need a break, you know? Instead we'd talk about our childhoods, and swap embarassing stories from our youth. He'd tell me all about how he had to be a toilet-seat warmer for the older kids at his boarding school (I read this in his autobiography, Boy, when I was about twelve, and I've been fascinated by the idea ever since), and I'd relate my equally emabarrassing story about how I wore M.C. Hammer pants during my performance in the fourth-grade talent show.

After tea, we'd go out to Roald's garden, and he'd teach me some gardening tips. He'd even offer me one of his prized orchids, to take home with me. I'd politely refuse several times, but he'd insist. "No, no, Lisa," Roald would say. "Take it." So I would.

When the gardening lesson was over, he'd give me a tour of the hut where he did all his writing, and he'd show me the table where he keeps his old arthritic hip bones (I am not making that up). I would think this was kinda gross, but wouldn't say anything for fear Roald would take his orchid back. Instead I'd just nod politely, and we'd leave the hut and go get a giant mound of chocolate to consume (Wonka Bars, anyone?) and he'd teach me how to play conkers. While I was (politely) kicking his butt at conkers, Roald would confess to me that he was thinking of writing a sequel to Matilda, entitled Matilda 2: Miss Honey's Revenge, and he'd ask me what I thought about that. We'd talk things over and eventually come to the conclusion that Roald's genius might be better channeled elsewhere. He would thank me profusely for offering such insightful knowledge, and I'd reply "Aw, shucks, it was nothing."


Sadly, after our game of conkers (score: 17-4, Lisa), it would be time for me to go home. Luckily, I'd always have my awesome Roald Dahl orchid to remember my gobsmacking killer day by (also, in this fantasy I don't have a crazy cat who eats orchids...).

~lisa graff~

Compelling Narrator!!!

Check it Out!

Our very own Caroline Hickey is featured on The Horn Book's Web Watch page! There are links there to her podcast and readers' quiz. And they even mentioned The Longstockings, so you know we're lovin' The Horn Book right now!

Oh yeah, Caroline has a beautiful website with lots of information on her first novel CASSIE WAS HERE, which will be in stores on April 12th (but can be pre-ordered now!)

No pressure, of course.

I'm just saying...
:-)

~Coe~

Dear Mr. Henshaw... never mind

There's been some talk over at Verla Kay about kids contacting authors directly through their websites. The consensus seems to be that kids should get parental permission before writing an author. This is something I've never really thought about. Since Shug's publication last year, I've had a lot of girls writing me emails and I always write back. I always accept Myspace requests and when I do school visits, I encourage them to look me up and shoot me an email. Since my readers are mostly 12 and 13, I guess I don't see a real need for parental permission. I remember I wrote fan letters to Jason Priestly and Leo DiCaprio, and I never got any permission from my mom to do so. Of course, I wasn't really expecting a letter in return (but I hoped, oh how I hoped!) and it's true that with the internet, there is more of an immediacy there. But writing letters to authors is a long held tradition, and a wonderful one, I think. Hello, Mr. Henshaw, a shout out to you! Isn't it sad that this is the kind of thing we as adults and authors and moms and dads have to worry about nowadays?

What do you guys think about this? Any parents out there with a point of view? Fellow authors?

~ jenny

QoW: A stranger I came

Question of the Week: If you could spend the day with any author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would you two do?

I've had this day planned since I was a kid, re-reading Dicey's Song and A Solitary Blue until the spines dissolved. Cynthia Voigt and I are going to spend some time in Crisfield, Maryland, where some of my favorite books are set.

Mrs. Voigt (I've never been able to call her Cynthia, even in my head) and I will meet up down on the docks, just at dusk. Out in the boat, she'll re-teach me everything I've forgotten from that one time I went crabbing down in Savannah. Back at the house (I assume there's a house somewhere I can rent for the weekend), she'll show me how to keep the crabs from killing themselves prematurely. I'll get the pot ready to steam them.

I will have stocked up on groceries, of course, hopefully from the little store that inspired Millie Tyding's place, assuming it's still there. So while the pot boils, Mrs. Voigt can put together the spices that will make the crabs taste the way I remember from family picnics. I'll have made my grandmother's chocolate pound cake for dessert the day before (it has to rest), but I'll mix up some muffins to go with our dinner.

Once the crabs are steaming, I'll make a salad and boil some corn on the cob. Mrs. Voigt will sit on a kitchen stool and tell me all about how she first got the idea for Dicey and her family, and give me good advice on managing my ninth-grade English class.

The conversation will continue over our crabby, corny dinner, where I will ask how she knows so much about growing up in small towns in or near the South. She'll tell me about going to Smith and which parts of Tell Me if the Lovers are Losers are really true, while I'll tell her how I got the idea for Uncle Jesus in my Gnosticism class at Barnard. We'll talk about why Our Town is still performed, and compare lesson plans for teaching Julius Caesar.

After dinner we'll sit out on the porch (of course my rented house will have a porch). We'll light some Citronella candles and watch the stars come out. I'll get out my guitar and we'll sing all the old songs we both love: "Will there be any stars in my crown," "Who will sing for me." In case she hasn't heard of Gillian Welch, I'll sing her "The Elvis Presley Song", and in case she doesn't know Dar Williams, I'll make sure I've got "You're Aging Well" ready.

She'll teach me the rest of the words to "When first unto this country, a stranger I came," and I'll have accomplished my lifelong dream of learning every song mentioned in the Tillerman Cycle.

--Kathryne

Siobhan's TV Debut! Monday April 9th!

hi friends of the longstockings,

i hope you'll check out my television writing debut for the Little Einsteins on Monday April 9th @ 8:00AM on The Disney Channel. the episode is about a lost baby monkey who "speaks music", and it features the classical piece Die Moldau by Bedrich Smetana (which i was able to write a few song lyrics for! hello ASCAP royalties!).

the last time i saw the episode was a very rough animatic a few months ago during testing. an animatic is basically a filmed storyboard with some very basic movement added to give you the most rudimentary sense of how the final episode might look. i can't wait to see how it looks now that the beauuuuutiful 2D/3D combo animation has been completed, especially for my super dramatic, high stakes, action-packed finale!

well, as super dramatic, high stakes, and action-packed as you can get for pre-school television.

thanks so much,
siobhan

Damn You, WSJ!

I'm dying to read the article at WSJ mentioned in today on GalleyCat. Apparently, writer Larry Doyle talks some smack on YA fiction after submitting his book, I LOVE YOU ,BETH COOPER to both YA and adult houses, and getting some very formulaic, package-y editorial notes from YA editors...which are apparently named in said article!

Here's a juicy, very inflamatory quote mentioned in GalleyCat's synop:

"If TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD or THE CATCHER IN THE RYE were published today, they'd almost certainly be young-adult titles," he says. "But then they wouldn't become classics, except in the sense that Judy Blume books are classics."

Dang, Larry!

Then Larry writes in and tries to clarify his smack...

"I have no disdain for children's literature, or literature read by young adults. I was wary of the prepackaged marketing of same, as a genre with specific conventions, then sold into a narrow channel of readership. That's why I brought up MOCKING BIRD and THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. They are both clearly children's and young adult books, but both were published as general fiction. As was A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. It was an adult best-seller and shipped routinely to servicemen."

As for why KING DORK was included in the piece, Doyle said he brought the book up "as an example of a book that I thought deserved wider recognition but didn't get it because of the marketing label.

Man oh man, I wish I could read the actual article, but WSJ requires paid membership! Annoying! Has anyone read this? Can they get me a copy?!

Interesting Post @ GAWKER

I found this post at GAWKER* to be pretty interesting. It's titled How Few Books Must One Sell For A Flop? and discusses equations of sales vs. print run and how all that works behind the closed doors of The Publisher.

What I learned: The scariest thing seems to be THE RETURNS FACTOR.

""I don't think they paid her a big advance, so it's really more about how bad the returns are, because that's where you lose the most money," a publishing insider."

Yikes. I think that I've only returned one book in my whole life. Who knew it was a big problem? Aren't most people buying books that they are pretty sure they want? Maybe this is less of an issue in children's lit...I just read everything I was bought from start to finish without question. Thoughts?**

*PS. I am loving all the juicy World of Publishing content Gawker is featuring lately! Le awesome!

**edited to address the fact that i am so NOT in the know that returns are from stores, not individual people. *blushes*

QoW: Me and the sisters Lee

Question of the Week: If you could spend the day with any author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would you two do?

I thought about this long and hard. As a children's writer, there is the possibility of meeting amazing, admired children's writers at conferences and conventions and the like. Like one time at a book festival, I saw Ann M. Martin. And I love Ann M. Martin! And one time, I went to a signing of E.L. Konigsburg. I love E.L. Konigsburg! She is my fave. That was a a great moment. So I thought, for this question, I will pick someone who is alive but I'll likely never ever meet. And that person is Harper Lee.

So here's how it happnes. I get a call from my agent telling me that Harper Lee read Shug (gasp!) and wants to meet me! ME! She wonders if I'd like to come visit at her sister's house in Alabama. I say, would I ever! She's arranged for me to fly down first class, so I do. When I get there, she's sitting on the porch with a pitcher of sweet tea. "Hey friend," she calls out to me.

I say, "hey friend!" Then we sit on the porch and talk and talk and talk. I ask her a million jillion questions about To Kill a Mockingbird and Gregory Peck and Truman. She wants to know about my childhood and my favorite movie star and who is my favorite writer. And I say, well, her and Margaret Mitchell of course. And Pat Conroy. And she says, ah, all Southern writers, you are a smart girl.

And then, her sister comes out with a platter of fried chicken and pimento cheese sandwiches and potato salad. We three eat right there on the porch, because they like to keep things casual. Her sister likes me too, they say, gosh, you are the cutest thing ever, we should really adopt her! I blush and say, thank you. Then her sister goes upstairs for a nap and Harper says, well, hey would you like to read something I've been working on? And I say, would I ever! She hands over her manuscript and it's a big wonderful novel and she says it's just between us though. And I read it and I love love love it, and Harper says I can keep it if I promise never to show anyone else. I promise. Then she says, gosh it's getting so late, you should just stay the night. And so I do, and I stay in a room with pictures of Harper and Truman from when they were kids, and flowers on the end table and fancy hats with plumes on display.

The next morning I wake up to the smell of biscuits. For breakfast we feast on biscuits with honey and butter and chicken apple sausage and eggs. I eat until I am ready to pop. The sisters are good cooks. Harper tells me I can come stay anytime, since I am now their favorite adopted writer-sister. So I do!

xoxo Jenny

QoW: My New BFF

Question of the Week: If you could spend the day with any author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would you two do?

Although there are a ton of authors I’d love to hang out with, I’m going to have to go with Beverly Cleary because she is my ultimate favorite. She’d invite me over to her place where we’d start the day with a little baking. She knows how to make killer pie (I know this from ‘Emily’s Run Away Imagination’) and we’d break the ice as she taught me how to get my pie crust off the counter and neatly in a pie dish (this is the part of pie making I suck at.)

We’d spend the next part of the day talking about cats. She is a major cat lover (see ‘Socks’ and her autobiography for details) and I worship my cat Bongo, so we’d have a lot to say here, from lap sitting habits to favorite toys to chase loudly in the middle of the night. I’d sing her a few of the songs I’ve composed about Bongo (I’m not going to own up to how many of these there are) and she’d applaud and confess that she too composes songs for her cat. This would be the moment I’d know we’d be BFF because I’ve never met anyone else with this (possibly insane) hobby.

Next we’d talk writing. She’d share her inspiration for all her incredible characters, like Otis Spofford and the sensational Ramona. I’d soak up her stories and use her wisdom to make my characters leap off the page and live with people well into adulthood, just the way she does. Or at least I’d try. And then we’d discuss in depth which of her characters most resembled us (I’d want to be like Ramona but she’d make me feel good about being more like Beezus.)

Then we’d go back to her place and eat pie for lunch. She’d tell me stories from her childhood and I’d be laughing so hard I’d barely be able to eat my pie. But I’d manage because it would be scrumptious.

At the end of the day we’d realize we still had tons to talk about (for example whether she was ever taken on a date in a Doggie Diner delivery truck) and we’d make plans to hang out again. We’d program each other’s numbers into our cell phones and promise to email that very night. When I got home I’d call all my friends and tell them about my day, and then I’d see that I’d already gotten an email from B.C. asking to have a double date with our husbands, who would also become BFF. I’d go to bed with a belly full of pie, writing inspiration to last twenty years and a terrific new BFF- it would be about the best day ever.

## Daphne

QoW: From Guest Blogger, Lisa Yee!

Question of the Week: If you could spend the day with any author (living or dead), who would it be, and what would you two do?

Hmmmm, which author? Which author? Harper Lee? Anne Tyler? Colin Firth? Thomas Wolfe? Wait! I know.

J.K. Rowling.

I imagine she’s sort of busy right now, but that’s okay. I’d go to her London house. Since it would be our first (but not last) time meeting, we’d break the ice by gossiping about knowing some of the same people.

“This is very Kevin Bacon,” I say.

Jo (as she has instructed me to call her) replies, “Excuse me?”

I explain Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, where everyone knows everyone else, then tell her that when I was in Detroit last week I ate a big plate of bacon for breakfast and was thirsty the rest of the day. When she glances at her watch, I loudly announce that we both share an editor Arthur Levine, plus her copyeditor, Cheryl Klein, is also an editor of mine.

This makes Jo feel more relaxed, and I pledge not to mention bacon or other salty breakfast foods for the “remains of the day.” Jo appreciates my literary allusion and confides, that she’s making dramatic last minute changes on HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Only, she’s stumped. Here, she’s been telling everyone she had written the ending eons ago, but like all, er, most, er, some, er a couple of authors, she really isn’t as far along with her manuscript as she wants her editors to believe.

“Would you mind taking a look at it,” she asks me.

I agree. Soon, we are brainstorming the ending together. “What about Neville?” I ask.

“What about Neville?” she replies. I detect a gleam in her eyes. Both of them.

Soon, we figure out the ending and she says that she is going to dedicate the book, and 10% of her royalties, to me. I demur, but she insists. Since I am a guest, I agree, not wanting to insult her.

To celebrate, we head to Harrods where on this particular day, everything is 50% off. Jo wants to get matching designer outfits, but I tell her that it’s better if we retain our individuality. However, I let her know that the same boots are okay.

After shopping and lunch, where I avoid bacon, we head to the 100 Acre Wood in East Sussex. I’ve been there a couple times before, so now it’s my turn to show her around. We march through the woods in our matching boots and visit Roo’s Sandy Pit, and Eeyore’s Gloomy Place, and we see Owl flying about. We play Poohsticks and I let her win. We visit Mike Ridley’s shop Pooh Corner and stock up on Pooh supplies.

As the day rushes by, Jo and I discuss books. We are both thrilled to discover that we are great fans of each others’ novels. She asks if Emily Ebers or Millicent Min or Stanford Wong could make cameos in the last Harry Potter, but I tell her it just wouldn’t be right. She is sad. But I cheer her up by shouting, “Did someone say ‘ice cream?’”

After homemade ice cream, made with farm fresh cream, we find ourselves at Charing Cross Road in London. That’s were all the great second-hand bookshops are. As we collect books from the shelves, burly men who look like movie stars trail behind and carry our finds for us. We are weary from the woods, so they carry us, too. When we try to pay for the books, we are told that everything is free. Plus we are given free book coupons with no expiration dates.

Back at Jo’s house, we relax. She gets a little anxious about her manuscript, but I tell her it’ll be fine. I even suggest it will sell well, and this cheers her up. Jo insists I come back to visit, and I assure her I will.




Lisa Yee is the author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-time. Her new novel So Totally Emily Ebers has just been released!!! Not only is Lisa a brilliant novelist, but this summer she will be the Children's Writer-in-Residence at Thurber House! Now how cool is that?

For more information on Lisa, check out her website and myspace page. However, if you do nothing else, you must read her LiveJournal. It's so totally hilarious!

Thanks, Lisa!!! :-)

A Writing Marathon!

Having trouble making yourself write? Want to help raise money to fund creative writing programs in NYC? You can do both with the NY Writers Coalition!

Second Annual NYWC Write-A-Thon
Saturday, June 9, 2007
10:30am - 6:00pm
Small Press Center, 20 West 44th Street, NYC

"Like a walk-a-thon, attendees will ask friends and family to donate in support of their day of writing. These contributions will help fund NYWC's creative writing programs for at-risk youth, the homeless and formerly homeless, the formerly incarcerated, seniors, and many others that aren’t heard from often enough in our society. Last year, NYWC held more than 600 workshop sessions at 35 locations throughout NYC."

For more information, click here.

*caroline hickey