Everywhere Book Fest

I just flipped my calendar to May. The first event highlighted, circled and starred was happening tomorrow: The Hudson Children's Book Festival.  Sigh. The past few years I hadn't been able to make for one commitment or another and was excited that this year my calendar was clear.  I just didn't know how clear it would be.

BUT...we're ALL in luck. The Everywhere Book Festival is about to begin! I will try and keep this brief (ha! not my forte as you know) so you can actually clear your calendar, watch with kids and get pumped for #kidlit.  I heard that one of my 7th grade English teacher friends will be watching with students because a panel happens to occur at the same time as her regularly scheduled meet.  That's cool! Thanks for the idea. I will plan to do the same with my Reading Ambassador lunch today at 12:30.

"So publish this blog post already, Stacey," I say to self.

Here. Jump straight to this link for the schedule.  Or check out their YouTube channel for videos and more read alouds.

I know. I know.  I'm busy, too.
I'm already "booked" with meets with kids (lol--all puns intended) to watch Kwame Alexander's reading of his Acoustic Rooster (got your jazz keyed up?) at 10:30 on Facebook Live and Jacqueline Woodson's Pecan Pie at 11:15. The Festival's events will be recorded so we can watch on our own time (so are the Facebook events) but isn't it so much more fun to watch live? I always hope for a shoutout.

So many authors. So many illustrators. So little time. Really, not a bad problem to have. Today all I wish for you is that at least one person (I bet more!) inspires you. And you find time to listen to the birds, take a walk, bake bread and dance. That's my plan. (as soon as I find some bread flour). Happy Friday. xo

One Last Word

Speaking of dancing, last Saturday was #IndieBookStoreDay and I wrote this post.  Now more than ever Indie bookstores need you.  Please, if you hear about a book that you would like to read and purchase, I encourage you to get it from an Indie bookstore.  We all thank you. 😊

Finally, on that same note (more puns this Friday!) I leave you with this video that I promise will get you dancing, smiling, and tapping your feet.  I apologize in advance if the song is stuck in your head for the rest of the weekend.

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💗

Year #4 of Princeton Book Festival

It's hard to believe that for the past four years, my son and I have made the trek to attend the annual Princeton Book Festival #PPLBookFest, but we have and it continues to be worth it.  It doesn't hurt that my grandmother lives a half hour away so it becomes a weekend of books and Bubby.

We were very late leaving Castleton.  Why?  Because at ALA I was given an ARC of SWEEP by Jonathan Auxier and had not read it yet.  I began it Thursday and it had to be finished before I saw him at the festival.  Well, I stayed up late, woke up early and closed the book (after reading all the excellent back matter, too) at 9:00 am.  We were on the road an hour ish later. It was so good and I promise to blog about it before the big book birthday on Tuesday! So, yes, I was able to chat with Jonathan about it (Are you Jewish? No but...Trees in houses seem to be running themes in your books. This was not scary like The Night Gardener but crushed my heart in other ways.)

Jonathan is a tall guy and his leap is "off the page!"

I was THRILLED to see old friends:

Lauren Castillo with her newest book that got an amazing review in the NYT recently!

Anna Kang and Chris Weyant who will come to Castleton ONE OF THESE DAYS!

I met Ellen Potter at ALA in NOLA and now she is a New Yorker in the Syracuse area and a friend!  

Ame Dyckman ran out of Misunderstood Shark before I got there but we still got to take a leap!

The photo dedicated to Matt Cordell: Bob, Not Bob! authors Audrey Vernick and  TEXAN, Liz Garton Scanlon.

The incomparable Sophie Blackall who WILL be at CES someday soon, maybe even this year?
Looks like I'm squeezing her hand for dear life!

HAPPY to finally meet IRL some new friends:

Stella Diaz will be on my Newbery list!

I promised Abby Hanlon she will never forget this leap!

I love Shaking Things Up and Susan Hood's newest (and first middle grade) Lifeboat 12.
Plus, she's a Matt Cordell author, too!

Torrey Maldonado seemed to always have a crowd when I walked by. 

But I got lucky he was right behind me on the checkout line.

Tight will be on my Newbery list, too!

I've met Greg Pizzoli before but never really chatted.  He's the illustrator of Crunch, which I read to first graders on the first day of school.  "Did they sing 'Happy Birthday'?" he asked.  "They did!"
Who's mouth is open wider???

I'M STILL IN AWE when I chat with some folks who I wish were my friends:

Another Newbery list book.  Two years ago at the same festival I bought a copy of Liar and Spy (my favorite).
Then I came home only to find out I already owned a copy.  At least I remembered this year so as not to buy a third!

The only time I really saw my son smile yesterday was when he told Wendy Mass that The Candymakers is his favorite book.

Every time I see David Wiesner I tell him about our Surf City, Long Beach Island connection.
This time we talked about mini golf.  It didn't hurt that my son was wearing his Flamingo Golf t-shirt.

Susan Verde (also a Matt Cordell author) is our Gala author this year and our theme is "I am...ME!" piggybacking her "I Am" books with Peter H. Reynolds. We finally met IRL but of course, I never got a photo :-(.  I did get one with John Parra who illustrated Susan's latest book, Hey, Wall, that we will be featuring at our October Monthly Morning Assembly.

Shhh...Don't tell anyone (except me because I'd love to know that you read to the end of this post) but Mrs. Kelliher and I are going to dress up as the "I Am Peace" character for Halloween this year. I discreetly asked Susan if she had any of the hats and she told me that a woman made three of them and told her that she would never make any again. Hmph?! I guess they were really hard to sew or crochet?  Well, I put a query out on Etsy tonight to a woman who loves to crochet.  Stay tuned.

Check out this stack of books for my library:

All in all a wonderful day to be a librarian.

I am taking up a collection though.  Send all donations to the Princeton Police Department:

Dear Princeton Municipal Court, 
Please pardon my negligence in feeding the meter.  I was too caught up in leaping with a slew of superstars that I became irresponsible in my parking payment duties.

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.