Missing my People

This week brought to the forefront of my mind that I miss my people. 

We taped our 40th (?) #AuthorFanFaceOff episode featuring an 8th grader from Illinois with the sweetest smile ever vs. the amazing and wonderful, Rita Williams-Garcia.  I look forward to seeing "my people" every Monday. Our show gives so much joy to both the young challengers (although sometimes it may be hard to tell), the authors and to us, the hosts. The line up continues to be stellar.  Shameless plug--please subscribe and share if you don't already. 

This week reminded me how much I miss sitting side by side with my people and getting wow-ed by a keynote speaker. We learned about Jacqueline Woodson in third grade.  We watched her read The Day You Begin, illustrated by our Castleton Elementary School friend, Rafael Lopez, and researched her from one of my favorite databases, FactCite.  I love her recitation of the book. It never got old, even on Friday.  Unrelated but related, the fifth grade ELA teacher was looking for a new read aloud.  I met up with her with a pile of amazing books in my hands (many AFF episodes and or authors: One Crazy Summer, The Crossover, 14th Goldfish, The Parker Inheritance) and some not. Coincidentally, she chose Woodson's Harbor Me. Who knows? Maybe someday she will move into the AFF category...

Tuesday I was on a virtual panel through School Library Connection with four AH-MAZING school librarians.  It really made me wonder how I landed there, honestly. But I reminded myself the message from Woodson's reading of The Day You Begin that we are all fabulous. So yeah, great to be with my people on the panel and "see" folks in the chat, too.  Don't worry if you missed it! Check it out here.

It's been a long while since I took my hair down with my fellow librarians.  Slight tangent here--Just on the topic of hair, one third grader told me this week that it is time for me to see my hairdresser. Indeed, my hair needs to be colored and the appointment was rescheduled twice but alas, Wednesday is the day! From the mouths of babes, eh? Thursday night, the New York Library Association sponsored a fundraiser with Big Ditch Brewing Company in Buffalo.  It was fun to see familiar faces, including a guy who was in my very first graduate school class. At the time, I wasn't sure I was ready to take the leap into librarianship.  He and the other cool, smart and kind folks in that class definitely had an impact on my new career path.

I miss book festivals and conferences with my people. About an hour before it was to begin, I registered for the "Anderson's Book Shop Children's Literature Breakfast" yesterday morning and am so glad I did.  I multi tasked and only missed about 15 minutes of the whole event. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is amazing period. Dan Santat had me laughing out loud in my not-Prius while I was driving to not buy some quinoa. Gary Paulsen had us all in tears. And the conversation between Meena Harris and Andrea Beaty was inspiring. I plan to spend a lot of money on books later today.

Today is Sunday. I am looking forward to this week (and not just because I am planning to get my hair cut and colored with turquoise highlights).  We have two great AFFs scheduled Monday and Tuesday.  My second grade lesson plan is about Teresa Carreno, a Maragita Engle book illustrated by Rafael Lopez. My Newbery Navigators chose to begin reading one of my all time faves, Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead. So even though I may not be seeing my people in person, this week's virtual challenges alongside the written and illustrated pages of friends will definitely do for now.

BONUS:

The 38th Episode with Lisa Graff and three former students of mine:

The Day You Begin:

From Dan Santat's Twitter, a glimpse into A New Day by Brad Meltzer (book birthday Tuesday!):

A NEW DAY by me & @bradmeltzer comes out this Tuesday (March 2)

Sharing an early draft where SATURDAY, who is styled after the Dude from the movie, #TheBigLebowski, was actually drawn as @thejeffbridges in the 1st draft. Publisher came back with notes saying it was too weird 😂 pic.twitter.com/c51Ab1wZWt

— Dan “DANley Tucci” Santat😷 (@dsantat) February 27, 2021

I {HEART} Rebecca Stead

I'm excited to share that 2020 is the year of another Rebecca Stead book. THAT is a reason to celebrate.

And tomorrow is her book birthday.  Late last night, last minute me decided to throw a virtual party Tuesday afternoon.  Sour gummy bears, 7Up cake and ice cream sandwiches will be served.

Fingers crossed at least one person shows up.  Otherwise, the free book giveaway will be mine and I'd prefer to share the book love. No, I don't have a copy of the book. Yes, I read it via NetGalley (a belated thank you, NetGalley) and yes, my new plan is that I will use my gas, entertainment, coffee (fill in the blank incidentals money I am not spending) to start giving away books at my parties.

This book I finished on a plane (seems so long ago) TO Spain (was that really just February break?). Not the first time I cried on a plane and I hope it won't be the last.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I love New York and Stead's books are always love letters to my native city.  We need that more than ever right now.

This is the story of Bea, her divorced parents, her Dad's new relationship and upcoming wedding to Jesse, Jesse's daughter in California, Sonia, and Bea's therapist, Miriam all wrapped up beautifully in only the way Rebecca Stead can put a bow on it.

Today, many of us are anxious. In normal circumstances, do we all give ourselves permission to worry?  Not always.  In the chapter, "Drop Everything and Worry" Miriam teaches Bea how to worry. A lesson many of us could use.

"Life is like a trip. A very long one. And what matters most is the people you travel with...With the right people, you carry your boat and it doesn't feel that heavy."

Stead has such a way with words.  She is a Newbery winner after all.  But these words. Right now. The journey we are taking, inside with our loved ones and Zooming, FaceTiming, Skyping, etc with the ones outside, my hope is that it's keeping your boat just little lighter.

"...Some songs were slow and some were fast, and every time one ended I closed my eyes and thought, one more. Please one more."

Me. Every time I read a new Rebecca Stead book. So for the sake of all of us, another one comes out in the world tomorrow.  Happy Book Birthday, The List of the Things that Will Not Change. 

Oh, and if you can find a box of ice cream sandwiches in the store, grab them, put them in the freezer and take them out at the end (with your box of Kleenex only arms distance away). You'll be glad you heeded my advice. The only thing you'll be sorry about is that the book is over.

In unison now, "Please one more."

Audio Sample

Here is a sample of the audio to whet your appetite:

And, just in case you are new to Rebecca Stead... 

• Newbery winning book, When You Reach Me.  This was my daughter's favorite book for a very long time.  Here is an audio excerpt:

Book Recording | When You Reach Me on TeachingBooks

If you pick it up, here is an extensive reader's guide from the publisher.

• The book I have two personal signed copies of, Liar and Spy.  Not sure why this book resonates with me so much but it does.  I have multiple library copies so it is my go-to book group book for grades 4-6.  Here's a reader's theatre script to play around with at home.

 

(Princeton Book Festival, September 2016)

• For older middle grade the thought provoking, Goodbye Stranger.  Here's an audio excerpt:

Book Recording | Goodbye Stranger on TeachingBooks

• And the co-written book with the amazing, Wendy Mass, Bob.  

Princeton Book Festival, September 2018

One last time: Happy Book Birthday to The List of Things that Will Not Change.  One thing that will never change with me? My love for Rebecca Stead's writing. Ahhhhh....xo💗

Princeton Book Festival #PPLBookFest

Previously in my life....(last weekend)

It's hard to explain to anyone who isn't a book person what it is like to walk into a book festival or the floor of the ALA or AASL exhibit hall and see swarms of your idols, your rockstars, your people. That happened to me again yesterday at the Princeton Book Festival.  Yes, it is nearly 200 miles away. Yes, yesterday in particular, it was a little challenging getting down there because the thruway was actually closed for one whole exit and we had to take a detour but it is only 20 minutes from my grandmother's home and close enough for my son to meet up with a camp friend.  That all said, it is a win-Win-WIN situation.  I like that very much.

The first person we met was Denis Markell.  A debut novelist (you know I like my debut people) whose book I recognized thanks to Junior Library Guild.  I am always telling authors how lucky they are to get on JLG's list because for people like me who don't have an assistant in the library, I heavily rely on JLG for collection development.

A little further down in the tent was a woman who gave me goosebumps.  I was SO nervous, I couldn't speak intelligently.  NEWBERY winner, Rebecca Stead.  I actually knew she would be there so I "broke in and entered" Mrs. Kelliher's 5th grade classroom and "stole" her copies of When You Reach Me and Liar and Spy so Rebecca could sign them. I was in awe and couldn't speak coherently. One year a 4th grade teacher used her Scholastic points to purchase multiple copies of Liar and Spy so I could run a book group with her students.  I love that book. LOL I love that book so much that now I have TWO copies.  I had no idea that I already had my own copy back at school that I bought another one for Rebecca to sign. It's all good...

OMG! OMG! OMG!

  

Meeting Melanie Conklin and Gita Varadarajan was like meeting old friends.  Even though we hadn't met before we were already connected.

I told Chris Grabenstein that we were coming so he had a present set aside for me!  Woohoo!  The audio of Welcome to Wonderland: Home, Sweet Motel.  Zack and I started listening to it and it is super fun!  Book birthday:  October 4!

Leaping with Newbery honor winner, Joan Bauer! I read Soar in Ocean City, MD this summer.

I bought two copies of Kelly Barnhill's book (one for me and one for Zack) because it's definitely on my short list for Newbery. 

 

This guy, Brian Biggs, was fun!  He's got a whole series of board books and community helper books based on "Tinyville Town" (the newest one not out yet is about a librarian!).  I bought this one thinking I might share it at one of our assemblies this year.  We had fun leaping, especially since Zack was not in the mood to be photographer anymore.

Ahhh...the incomparable Caldecott honor Lauren Castillo!  I nearly scared her off her seat when we first met but have never leapt together!  We finally got our first leap in at the festival!  So fun!  I'm looking forward to more in the future! Lauren must have been practicing because look at the air on that one!

So I haven't read this book yet but want to!  I have been recommending it to sixth graders, though! And I've been following Karen Romano Young on Instagram so it was fun to meet. I bought the book and added it to my forever growing TBR pile!

A series of leap pictures with Ame Dyckman, Zachariah O'Hora and Adam Lehrhaupt! So fun!  I had prepped Ame through Twitter since we had leaped together once before at the Meltdown in Northhampton.

After we said goodbye to Zack's friend, the festival was winding down but I wasn't ready to say ciao to Princeton yet.

Wait! Didn't my friend Rachel from the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga, tell me about these new books:

Check it out! I spied them at the Bookhouse in Albany!

Yes!  And she loves them!  Well, John Marciano and I got talking first about Madeline (and Madeline's says Merci) and then about so much more--Middle grade fiction, emerging and new readers, Troy, NY, book camps, focus groups...we probably could have talked for longer but Zack was getting a little impatient with me, especially when he had to take ONE more leaping picture of his mother.  Oh, the life of a leaping librarian's son.

It was another well worth visit south in spite of the thruway being closed for an exit.  But we made the best of it with our nice detour through the small towns of Sullivan County, only sadly arriving to the festival over an hour after we had anticipated.  That's ok.  Many books purchased later and new friends made, we are happy and looking forward to our third annual trip down in September 2017.