Author: hatfield13

IRA Day Two: Skyping Authors, Signing Authors, and Book-Spotting

This morning started early, with a really great tomato-mushroom-spinach omelet and a cab ride to a convention center that was already swarming with excited teacher-librarian-reader-author-publisher types. My presentation on Skype author visits was part of the Teachers’ Choice Symposium; here’s our whole crew.


From left to right: Kate Klimo, Shannon Hale, me, Kathy Erskine, Marjorie Podzielinski and Suzanne Jenson from the Teachers’ Choice Committee.

Kate started us off with a great talk about websites and how they’re great for interacting with young readers.  Then Kathryn shared some thoughts on blogs, social networking, newsletters (she is a busy lady!), and virtual visits, and I wrapped up with a presentation on my experiences with Skype Author Visits as both a teacher and an author.  Then, the funny and wonderful Shannon Hale Skyped live with 4th and 5th graders in Texas and Kansas to show everyone how it works.

Shannon is always a delightful speaker; she shared one of her elementary school stories and unfurled a long, long scroll of rejection letters from her early writing days.  And the kids were terrific; their nervousness at facing a room full of educators faded quickly, and it was fun to watch them enjoying the visit.

I also got to meet Katherine Sokolowski, another teacher whose class I’ve met via Skype! (A special shout-out to Mrs. Sokolowski’s class!  She told me you asked her to bring you along to the conference on a field trip – I would have loved to meet every one of you in person!)

Then it was off to the Walker/Bloomsbury booth to sign books.  Look who came to visit us!


That’s Shannon, Mitali Perkins, and me…


LJ buddy   stopped by, too, along with  , who was signing his new SMART ALECK’S GUIDE TO AMERICAN HISTORY later on.

All that talking and signing left about an hour for me to roam the exhibit hall and ogle beautiful new books.  I spotted a few famliar covers!


Look,  !


Tara Kelly’s  HARMONIC FEEDBACK was there, too!


And  ‘s CHAINS, which I’m reading with my 7th graders right now.  See the bound manuscripts next to it? That’s the sequel, FORGE, which I drooled over, to no avail.  (If you got one, please don’t tell me because I’ll have to take you off my friends list in a fit of jealousy.)

I’m looking forward to tonight’s publisher dinner with the Walker/Bloomsbury folks, then morning school visit (*waves to kids at Westmont Junior High*) before my flight home.  I am going to just pretend I did not hear that weather forecast for 6-12 inches of snow in Northern NY.

IRA Day One: Rain, Dinner, & Big Plans

Technically, the International Reading Association Convention in Chicago starts today, so today should be Day One, but since I arrived in town yesterday, I’m taking liberties.  Getting here itself was a bit of a trick, since Chicago was so rainy and foggy yesterday that the tops of the skyscrapers were swallowed up in clouds. My flight was delayed about an hour and a half, and from what I’ve seen on Twitter, I was one of the lucky ones. So many tweets from authors & teachers stuck in airports! I hope everyone trying to get to IRA makes it today!

Last night, I attended a publisher dinner with the awesome Walker/Bloomsbury folks, some amazing teachers & librarians, and author/illustrators Matt McElligott and Kevin O’Malley, all of whom were delightful.  Two of the educators who joined us, Suzanne Jensen and Marjorie Podzielinski, were familiar faces because I Skyped with their students earlier this year.  It was so much fun to meet them in person, and today, we’re presenting together, talking about Skype author visits as part of the IRA Teachers’ Choice Symposium. After my part of the presentation, Shannon Hale will be doing a live Skype visit with kids in Kansas and Texas. And authors Kate Klimo and Kathy Erskine will be presenting, too – I can’t wait!  (A couple LJ friends who know Kathy in person have told me that I must hug her for them when I see her. I am hoping she is the kind of person who will not be troubled by hugs from a stranger. Fair warning, Kathy, if you are reading this!)

So today, our symposium is from 11-1:45.  Shannon Hale and I will be signing in the Bloomsbury/Walker booth from 2-3.  I plan to spend a couple hours ogling new books on the exhibit hall floor after that and will try to take some photos to share later on.  Tonight, there’s another publisher dinner, where I’ll finally get to meet fellow Walker author Danette Haworth, whom I’ve known online since before either of us were Walker authors. I love that about the children’s book community; even when you are far away from home and don’t "know" anyone, you still find friends.

More to come (with pictures!) later on!

Thankful Thursday (with particular gratitude to the ABC!)

Just as I was about to leave school today, I checked my email, and author Katie Davis had forwarded an announcement from the Association of Booksellers for Children.  Her only additional note: "OMG!! Kate!!!"  

I scrolled down and discovered that THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. was one of four books for middle grade readers chosen for the E.B. White Read Aloud shortlist!  The E.B. White Read Aloud Award is a project of the Association of Booksellers for Children, to honor books that are terrific to share aloud and has long been a source of inspiration for our Messner family read-alouds.

So I stared at Katie’s email for a few minutes.  Then I checked the ABC website, you know, to see if she’d just made the whole thing up.  She hadn’t.  You can check out the E.B. White finalists for picture books and books for older readers here.

Whatever happens, I’m so, so honored to have GIANNA Z. included and recommended as a book to share out loud with families and classrooms.  And as one of my Twitter friends so wisely observed, "Any time your name is even used in the same sentence as E.B. White’s, it’s a very good day."    

GIANNA Z.  is in some amazing company on the list, along with Kristen Clark Venuti’s LEAVING THE BELLWEATHERS, Emily Bearn’s TUMTUM AND NUTMEG: ADVENTURES BEYOND NUTMOUSE HALL, and Grace Lin’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, which I’ve been reading with my daughter as our bedtime read-aloud. 

In fact, I blogged about it this morning…a full eight hours before I knew that either Grace’s book or mine was on the shortlist.  Weird, huh? 

Somewhere, I suspect E.B. White is smiling.

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON by Grace Lin

There have already been many, many amazing reviews of this book, and there’s that shiny Newbery Honor seal on the cover, too, so I’ll just say this. 

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON may be the most perfect bedtime read-aloud ever.   The characters, the rich, beautiful language, the magical and quiet moments…it is just a treasure.  My daughter and I have been enjoying it so, so much, and every time we close the book, I find myself glancing at how much is left, sorry that it will be over one of these nights.  

Thanks, Grace Lin… this is one of those shared stories she will remember forever.

Good News Tuesday

I am declaring today Good News Tuesday.  (Blogs are lovely that way, aren’t they? You can just decide on such things late in the day, and even if no one’s reading, it feels official.)  Here’s my thought…

Good news comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and sometimes, we forget to celebrate the small stuff.  So this is an invitation to do that. If you have some good news to share -any kind of good news – post it in the comments, okay?  Here’s my contribution:

Good News Item #1. The tulips waited.

I was afraid they’d bloom while we were away last week and we’d miss them, but here they are.

Good News Item #2. Donalyn Miller is working on a new book about reading for teachers!  If you don’t know her name yet and you work with kids and care about reading, you might want to grab a pen…   Her first book, THE BOOK WHISPERER, is an incredible resource for teachers and librarians (parents, too) who want to help kids become lifelong readers.  Happy news came via the Twitterverse today that she’s working on a new book called FOREVER READERS, due out in Spring 2011. 

Good News Item #3. Bonnie Shimko’s new middle grade novel THE PRIVATE THOUGHTS OF AMELIA E. RYE just got a starred review from Booklist!  And it’s out now – I loved this ARC so much that I shared my thoughts here right after I finished reading.  You can have your very own copy now.  It’s amazing, so that’s good news indeed.

Good News Item #4.  I’m getting ready to go to the International Reading Association Conference in Chicago, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m talking about Skype author visits as part of a panel, along with Shannon Hale, Kathy Erskine, Kate Klimo, and members of the IRA Teachers’ Choice Committee.  I’ll be signing THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. and ARCs of SUGAR AND ICE at the Walker/Bloomsbury booth from 2-3 on Monday, attending a couple publisher dinners (where I finally get to meet fellow Walker author Danette Haworth!), and visiting with middle school kids before my flight home on Tuesday.  If you’ll be at IRA, too, would you include that in your comment?  I’d love to find time to say hi!

What else can we celebrate along with the tulips today?  Good news of all shapes & sizes welcome!

Florida Wildlife, Part 2: Kayaking with Alligators

On the last day of our Florida trip, my daughter and I did something we’ve been talking about for a while — took a guided kayak tour in the Everglades.  My friend Loree Griffin Burns ( ) had recommended the guides her family used this winter, and we drove to Everglades City to meet them.

We launched the kayaks in the Turner River and set out paddling.  As a rule, we tried to stay fifteen feet away from the alligators sunning on the banks so we wouldn’t disturb them. 

Sometimes, though, that wasn’t possible when the river was only a few feet wide. 

We were warned to give this next gator a little extra space… The guides know him as "One-Eyed Willie" because he’s blind in one eye, and they keep a close eye on him because he’s unusually aggressive toward paddlers sometimes.  He is also enormous (and a little grumpy-looking…but maybe that’s just me.)

Thankfully, Willie was off in the weeds when we paddled by and didn’t seem at all interested in visiting.

The guides took us to a cypress dome…a spot in the swamp where the cypress trees grow tall and create an open area among the reeds. 

It’s full of Bromeliads, cypress knees, and nursery logs like this one…

A  nursery log is a fallen tree that provides a perfect ecological setting for seedlings as it decays. It looks like a big window-box in the swamp, doesn’t it?

We got out of our kayaks and hiked through the water a bit here to get a closer look at the nursery log and some orchids.  The mud and debris at the bottom almost sucked off one of my shoes.  Back on the broader part of the river, one of our guides pushed our kayak closer to shore. "Look on that log," he said.

These little guys were only a little over a foot long. Our guide said they’re about a year and a half old and completely on their own.

As we headed toward salt water, the river began to narrow, and we entered a mangrove tunnel that required us first to break our paddles in half, then put them away all together, duck down, and pull ourselves from branch to branch.

The mangrove tunnel was full of Bromeliads – the biggest I’d ever seen.

There were fewer alligators here, but we did meet a couple green water snakes along the way.

This osprey was "yelling" at us a little as we paddled back to the boat ramp – I think he was ready to have his river back.  We were just thankful to have shared it for a few hours.

Out on the river, it was easy to see not only how special but also how fragile this ecosystem is.  We left with a new appreciation for efforts to keep it the magical place that it is.

Time and Space…and a few birds & reptiles

Visiting family in Southwest Florida last week gave me some much-needed quiet time outside.  There are so many special places in this part of the world…so different from the ecosystems here at home, and I love the way Florida nature feels so quiet and so loud all at once.

Want to wander in the swamp with me a little?  Come on…I’ll bring the sunscreen & bug spray…


This great blue heron was wading in Myakka River State Park. I loved his reflection.


Turtles sunbathing just off the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Fakahatchee Strand.  Note the second one in line with his arms and legs stretched out.  I think he looks like he is playing Superman…or doing yoga.

Later, we took a walk on the Naples Fishing Pier and saw this brown blob coming our way…

Can you tell what it is?  How about now?

Now?

Stingrays.  There must have been more than a hundred in this school.  They swam right up under the pier, turning and swirling as if they were in a ballet.  Or a poem,maybe.  At any rate, they were magnificent.

best tracker


Friday Five

It’s been a busy week, so I’m sneaking in under the wire with five quick things on a Friday…

1. SeaMonsters…  I had a phone conference this week with the editor for SEAMONSTER’S FIRST DAY, one of my picture books with Chronicle.  We talked about the illustrator sketches, which are so funny and awesome they make me bounce up and down a little every time I see them. Also, I love that my job involves having serious conversations about what a sea monster’s belly ought to look like.

2. Tractors…  I’m reading Marina Lewycka’s A SHORT HISTORY OF TRACTORS IN UKRAINIAN, which is a book I probably would never have picked up on my own (because, really… tractors?) but the band director at my school recommended it.  That’s enough for me, since he is also the person who told me about Elizabeth Kostova’s THE HISTORIAN, Jean Hegland’s INTO THE FOREST, and another book, the title of which has eluded me, but it was gorgeous, rich, full of longing, and set in a circus in Venice.  Anyway, TRACTORS is turning out to be not about tractors so much as family and forgiveness, our weaknesses as human beings, and our strengths.  It’s making me laugh, too.

3. Audio Books… Confession: I am kind of an audio-book failure. I start listening with the best intentions, but Inevitably, I end up drifting off somewhere else in my mind, only to tune back in after several minutes have passed and I am hopelessly lost.  Until this week, when I popped in this CD during my drive to a couple school visits.

If you haven’t already heard people raving about Jandy Nelson’s THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, it’s a YA novel about a girl whose sister has died suddenly, and she finds herself feeling both crushed with grief and filled with passion for two different boys who fill totally different roles in the new life she’s trying to navigate.  It’s funny and sad and joyful, full of music, and life-affirming, and after I finish, I’m going to have to go get the print version, too, because I love it so much.

4. Number Four is a secret. Sorry. Forget I mentioned Number Four.

5. Vacation… My school’s spring break started today, so I’m  looking forward to a week of family, reading, and playing outside. I’m taking a bit of an Internet break, too, so the blog will be quieter than usual. I hope you have a great week, full of good books, good news, and sunshine.

Thank you, Saranac Elementary School

Today was one of those amazing, amazing author visit days. I talked with kids about books, was given beautiful artwork, had a fabulously fun lunch with some fourth graders, laughed a lot, and even cried a tiny bit…  I’ll tell you why in a minute, but first, a HUGE thank you to the teachers, librarian, and kids of Saranac Elementary.


All these hands are up in response to my question about long car rides & whether anyone has ever asked "Are We There Yet?" (Sometimes writing a book can feel that way, too!)

When the third and fourth graders got to the gym, one of their teachers approached me with a copy of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.  "We have four pages left, and we wondered if you’d like to read the end."   She didn’t have to ask twice.


It was so special to get to finish up the book with these students, and they had great questions & observations about Gianna and her family.

Then it was off to a special lunch in Lisa Napper’s fourth grade classroom, where the kids had some surprises ready for me. Lunch, cookies…and art!

The class had read all three of my books in preparation for our visit today, and each student chose a scene from Spitfire to draw.  There are definitely some budding illustrators in this group!

After lunch, Mrs. Napper showed me something that gave me goosebumps.  If you’ve read The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, you know that Gianna’s grandmother is struggling with memory issues and (mild spoiler ahead) her family makes a memory book — a sort of scrapbook to help her remember the things that are slipping away from her.  The scrapbook in my novel came from my imagination; I pieced it together in daydreams and notebook scribbles. 

But when Mrs. Napper was reading that chapter of Gianna Z. aloud to her class, she recognized that memory book.  She made one for her own grandmother.

Mrs. Napper’s Nana was 98 when she died.  Turning the pages of this book, I couldn’t help feeling a little sad that I never had a chance to meet her.  She was clearly a beautiful, beautiful woman and so very loved.  But like Gianna’s grandmother, she was having problems with her memory.  This book gave her back the story of her life, one loving page at a time.

She read it every day.

And yes…this is the part of the day that made me cry a little.  It is a beautiful, beautiful book, and I’m so thankful that Mrs. Napper brought it in to share with me and her students…and gave me permission to share it with you.

Thanks, Lisa…and Rebecca…and all the teachers and kids at Saranac.  It was a day I won’t forget.

Thank you, Colchester Middle School!

As an author, you know a school has really gone out of its way to make sure you have a great visit when you pull into the parking lot and find a shiny red music stand marking your spot…

Colchester Middle School rolled out the red carpet, too, when I visited to give presentations for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.  Every student had read at least one of my books, and they were a terrific audience. 

I always love giving presentations to big groups and answering questions, but sometimes the quieter moments that happen as kids are leaving are some of the most memorable.  Today, I had a chance to visit with a handful of writers who stayed behind that extra minute to tell me about the projects they’re working on, the hopes they have for their stories, and the problems they’re facing along the way.  Many were challenges I’d faced in revising my own books, and I was reminded once again that those of us who write are kindred spirits, no matter how long we’ve been at it.

And one last note, just for the Colchester kids reading this…  First of all, thank you.  You guys were awesome today, and I loved spending time with you.  And second, I know that we ran out of time during the Q and A period in a couple of your groups.  If you were one of those people with your hand still in the air when it was time to go back to class and you still have a question you’d like me to answer, please leave a comment here or drop me an email using the link on my website, and I promise to send along an answer soon.   Thanks again for a great day at your school!