Wednesday Afternoon Visits: January 13: Kidlitosphere News and Views

There is a lot going on around the Kidlitosphere this week. Here are a few highlights:

MotherReader reports that this is National Delurking Week (the graphic is one that she downloaded from Paper Napkin in 2007). The idea is to encourage people to take a few extra minutes to leave a comment on blogs that they visit regularly (instead of just lurking silently in the background). Fits in well with the 2010 Comment Challenge, doesn't it? (I'm continuing to enjoy the Comment Challenge, by the way. I find that once I start leaving comments as I go through my reader, it's impossible to stop at just five. And I love receiving comments on my reviews. Kind of motivates me to publish some more.)

In the End-o-the-Week Kid-Lit Roundup, Paul from Omnivoracious links to an interesting Economist article about the global economic impact of the Harry Potter series. Most of the article is about the market side of things. But I liked this part: "even at their clumsiest the books are well-plotted and full of invention. They also avoid the temptation to sneak ideology into children’s heads by wrapping it in fantasy. C.S. Lewis’s children’s books, to which Ms Rowling’s are often compared, are spoiled by creeping piety. Philip Pullman’s suffer from strident anticlericalism. Although the Harry Potter series endorses traits such as bravery and loyalty, it is intended above all to entertain. It has, hundreds of millions of times."

Terry Doherty is looking for suggestions and ideas for the upcoming 2010 Share a Story - Shape a Future literacy blog tour (March 8-13). I'm hosting Friday, Reading for the Next Generation. Terry explains: "Jen has invited guests to answer some of the things parents wrestle with, like being the opposite reading personality of their child, or feeling pressured to create a reading superstar, among others." I this description inspires you to want to write something, please do drop me a line. [Logo by Susan Stephenson, The Book Chook.]

James Kennedy emailed me about a gallery show that he's organizing in Chicago for fan art for his novel The Order of Odd-Fish. You can find the call for submissions here. He says: "It'll be not only an art show, but also a costumed dance party and theatrical hoo-hah. I'm working with the Chicago theater group Collaboraction to decorate their cavernous space to portray scenes from the book (the fantastical tropical metropolis of Eldritch City, the digestive system of the All-Devouring Mother goddess, the Dome of Doom where knights fight duels on flying armored ostriches, etc.)." Doesn't sound like quite my sort of thing, but it definitely seemed like something that readers would be interested in.

Another email request came to me this week from Nick Glass of TeachingBooks.net. Nick wanted me to mention "the Coretta Scott King Book Award Online Curriculum Resource Center—a free, multimedia, online database for educators and families featuring more than 250 original recordings with award-winning authors and illustrators and hundreds of lesson plans." He says "It is a great reading resource as teachers, librarians, and families plan for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month. The resource center includes more than nine hours of originally produced audio with Coretta Scott King Book Award (CSK) authors and illustrators talking about their books in two- to three-minute clips." And speaking of Black History Month, at Wild Rose Reader Elaine Magliaro shares her list of resources for Black History Month.

At the Reading Tub, Terry just announced the January I Can Read Carnival. She explains: "The first carnival (or MEME if you prefer) for celebrating Easy Readers and Short Chapter books is here at the Reading Tub. I am really excited about the chance to regularly collect books that will engage and excite new and developing readers. I Can Read! is a three-day, mid-month carnival whose host rotates each month. To see the list of hosts, check out the list on the right sidebar... If you have a post that reviews an easy reader or short chapter book or offers ideas for helping new readers, we’d love for you to participate in the carnival. Your post can be up to one year old, so posts back to January 2009 can be included in this inaugural event." 

Congratulations to Mitali Perkins and Melissa Wiley, each asked to write the foreword of a reissue of a favorite childhood book (both books part of the Betsy-Tacy series). Melissa says: "Can you hear me smile? I am so honored. I’m pretty much over the moon!" I especially identified with Mitali's response: "Anyone have a time machine? I want to find nine-year-old Mitali scouring the NYPL shelves for anything Maud Hart Lovelace and tell her the news." That's how I've felt (on a smaller scale) with merely emailing with favorite authors from my childhood. My heartfelt congratulations to nine-year-old Melissa and Mitali, and their successors.

At Galleysmith, Michelle has the scoop about an upcoming conference for book bloggers. This is not to be confused with KidLitCon (now in planning for the 4th annual conference), but is a broader conference for all sorts of book bloggers. Michelle says: "the first annual Book Blogger Convention is open for business! Being held on Friday, May 28th, 2010 participants are welcome to join us in New York City for a great day of food, fun and education."

At Presenting Lenore, Lenore recently announced: "I would like to continue supporting international book bloggers and have decided to start the International Book Blogger Mentor Program. Any book blogger who blogs in English about books and lives outside the US and Canada can apply. Each month I will pick one blogger to send 2-3 of my most recent review copies to. Upon request, I will also look over the reviews you write for the books and suggest improvements. Once you post your first review, I will feature you and your blog on Presenting Lenore." Nice display of community spirit, I think.

And in another display of community spirit, Sherry Early shares 12 Tips for New Bloggers at Semicolon. Seems to me that Sherry's tips will be useful to all bloggers, not just new ones. For example: "Title your book reviews with the title of the book and the author. This tip may seem self-evident, but it’s tempting to try to come up with catchy titles for books reviews. However, when someone searches for a review of X book on Google, they won’t be as likely to hit your blog if you called your review “A Look at the Newest Great American Novel” instead of X book by Z author." It's all good stuff!

At Chasing Ray, Colleen Mondor questions a Heavy Medal blog discussion by Jonathan Hunt about Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, a discussion criticizing Stead's decision to include a non-white character without identifying the specifics of the character's racial background. Colleen says: "What bothers me about this is the double standard at play here. A Caucasian character can be described as white with no one blinking an eye but Julia must be more than her skin color because it is not specific enough."

Quick hits:

• The 2010 Sydney Taylor Book Awards were announced this week. Tasha Saecker has the scoop at Kids Lit. Also, via email from Heidi Estrin, "a blog tour featuring winning authors and illustrators will take place February 1-5, 2010. The schedule will be posted on the Association of Jewish Libraries' blog People of the Books at jewishlibraries.org/blog."
• Justine Larbalestier has an excellent post on how to conduct an author interview (and how not to).
• Betsy Bird has an extra chock-full edition of FuseNews at A Fuse #8 Production today. Betsy also has an informal poll going about whether or not we children's and young adult book reviewers are sexist in our selections. I counted up my reviews from last year, and must admit to having reviewed many more titles by women than men (though this was never a conscious plan).
• In a timely post, Mitali Perkins shares a list of children's and young adult books set in Haiti. Tricia also adds to the list at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
• Also at The Miss Rumphius Effect, Tricia suggests some fun reads in honor of National Puzzle Month.
• Becky from Becky's Book Reviews has direct links to all of the posts in Shannon Hale's fabulous How To Be A Reader series.
• Melissa at One Librarian's Book Reviews has a thoughtful little piece on the books that stay with us. She says: "I wonder about those memorable books of my formative years.  Were they so powerful because of the age I was when I picked them up?  Or do they have a timeless nature that can affect people at any age?"
• Sara Lewis Holmes muses on what makes a good magazine at Read Write Believe.
• And last, but not least, Episode 8 of The Exquisite Corpse Adventure is now available, with a contribution by Tuck Everlasting author Natalie Babbitt.

Hope that gives you some food for thought. Happy reading!

Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1148479165]

Holy cannoli Jen! What a day around the kidlitosphere. There is so much to be tickled with and it is so great to see such thoughtful discussions on the table.

[Jen Robinson]

I know, Terry. It's simply crazy! I find it goes like that, though. It's like, doing interesting things, or thinking about interesting issues, is catching.

[Abby]

Thanks for a great round-up, Jen! (I had no idea that there were so many children's books set in Haiti..!)

[Jen Robinson]

I was a bit surprised about the children's books set in Haiti, too, Abby. Pretty cool, though.

[Melissa Wiley]

Jen, I so enjoy these roundup posts of yours. Helps me keep plugged into kidlitosphere happenings even when I'm pressed for time. And I know these uberlinky posts are extremely time-consuming to write! And thoughtful commentary on top of the links--truly impressive, the work you do. Thanks for your time and enthusiasm.

And thanks for the kind words about the Maud Hart Lovelace foreword! Very exciting indeed.

[Mitali Perkins]

Thanks so much, Jen. I think we would have been friends when we were nine, don't you?

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks so much, Melissa. Feedback like this, coming from someone who does know how much work these things are, means a lot. And of course I'm happy for you about the Maud Hart Lovelace Foreword. It seems like a perfect fit!

Mitali, we would definitely have been friends when we were nine. But better late than never!

[Marge Loch-Wouters]

Thanks Jen for all your darn work!!! I am inspired by your dedication and your generosity in leading us to so many critically important posts. You are one of my blogging sheroes!

[Stephany Hughes]

OK, I admit it...I am a lurker. It is mostly because I don't want to make a blunder by something I say. I will try to be braver from now on. By the way, your review of "They Never Came Back" really caught my interest. I'm pretty sure I will be reading it soon. I also appreciate your hard work. I am so glad I heard about your blog this past year. I am a passionate reader and you have helped me renew my interest in YA fiction and discover some great new (and not so new) writers. Thank you for your comment on my blog earlier this week...it really brightened my day. I am new to blogging and feel like I don't really know what I'm doing, but decided to give it a try because I am the go-to person within my circle of friends for reading recommendations.

[Brian Shephard]

OK, Jen; I'm coming out of hiding to thank you for such a fun post. I especially like the Economist article about economic juggernaut J.K. Rowling.

To echo the compliments above, yours are the best roundups around! Thanks.

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks so much for your nice feedback, Marge, Stephany, and Brian. You've all brightenend my day tremendously! And Stephany, I'm so glad that the comment helped. I'm enjoying your new blog. I think you should keep it up as long as you feel like you're enjoying it.

[Jeff]

Like others I am a lurker, but I wanted to thank you for this and many other great posts. Thanks for the time you put in to keep us informed. I counted a couple of months of reviews on my blog and it's about 50-50. Like you said, nothing conscious, just the way it turned out.

[Jill]

I'm also making the "delurker" rounds and I luv your blog. You feature a lot of great content, plus I'm always on the lookout for that next "good book" both for myself and my daughters!

I'm not too far from you :) I'm in the Sacramento metro area.

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks so much for de-lurking, Jeff and Jill. Jeff, I wonder if it's a gender thing - you being interested to read more male authors. I do think that I'm going to try to read more books by male authors this year, but I won't go crazy with it.

Jill, I hope that I'm able to help you find great books for yourself and your daughters. Thanks so much for taking time comment! Glad that we're almost neighbors.

[aquafortis]

How cool for Mitali and Melissa getting to write those forewords! I'd be so tickled if I got to do something like that. Fabulous.

There's so much going on to support book bloggers these days--I'm not surprised that "book people" are generally also generous and supportive people, but it's still exciting to see.

[Jim]

I just realized--something like 10 days into the comment challenge--that I've been commenting on almost all new-to-me blogs and ignoring my frindz like you. Thanks for your amazing round-up work!

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks for popping in, Sarah and Jim. I've really enjoyed the mix of comments from friends old and new.

[angela cerrito]

Wow, what a great list of resources. I agree, I cant stop at 5 comments either. It doesn't take long to let the bloggers you read know that you're out there!

[Jen Robinson]

No, it doesn't take long at all, Angela. Thanks so much for stopping by!

[Paige Y.]

The 12 Tips for New Bloggers was excellent, a must read for anyone who blogs or is thinking about starting to blog. I can always use a refresher course on what makes a good blog.

[Jen Robinson]

Glad you found that useful, Paige. I thought that Sherry did a great job. And I agree - useful for new bloggers or experienced bloggers.

[Michelle]

There is so much greatness going on around the blogosphere it's impossible to gush enough to cover it all!

[Lenore]

Great links as always! And thanks for mentioning IBBMP - it's getting an amazing response so far!

[Jen Robinson]

It is amazing, isn't it, Michelle? I find that the greatness tends to come in bursts. This has been a good interval...

Lenore, you are very welcome. Glad you're getting such a great response!