David Macinnis Gill's Blog: Thunderchikin Reads

Ah, Fall is in the air, and the turkeys are on sale at the supermarket, which can mean only one thing–NCTE & ALAN! Even now, thousands of English teachers are packing for their annual pilgrimage to the National Council of Teachers of English Convention and the ALAN Workshop.  Just the thought of it gets my blood pumping.  I myself am packing and doing all of those last minute things that you have to do to get out the door with all your necessary materials and clothes in one checked bag and...

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Visit HarperCollins Children's Books Booth #213 at NCTE

HarperCollins Children's Books

We're so excited about this year's NCTE Convention, which will be held in Philadelphia, November 20–22, 2009, with the ALAN Workshop following on November 23–24. Come visit us at booth #213 to check out our newest books, collect galleys and other giveaways, and meet our amazing authors. The NCTE signing schedule is as follows (subject to change):

Friday, November 20

Diane Zahler, 1:00-1:30 p.m.
Eileen and...

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Love NASCAR? Love books? Happen to be in Charlotte, NC on Friday, 11/6? Then come on by the AASL Author Pitstop! It's 12:45-2:15 in the Exhibition Hall, Charlotte Convention Center, 501 South College Street. Lots of YA authors will be there, signing books, and mocking one another. Take a look at all the authors working the Pits: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/c... Who knows, John Bemis (The Nine Pound...

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With Banned Books Week coming to a close, we in the YA community are watching in dismay as teachers and libraries are facing repeated–and sometimes, harassing–attempts to remove YA books from the shelves and the curriculum. Many folks have added their voices to the fight, and others, although they would like to help, are not sure what to say or to whom to say it.

Last summer, I discovered a letter on librarian James LaRue's blog. Mr. LaRue had written the letter in response to a challenge of o...

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The LA Times Jacket Copy blog has posted the following story:

Laurie Halse Anderson's 1999 young adult novel, "Speak," which was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Award and the National Book Award, was selected as School Library Journal's Best Book of the Year and received numerous other honors, was the focus of controversy in Temecula this week. The school board's trustees were deciding whether or not to add "Speak" to the list of books that may be taught in high school English classes, and ...

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Show Us Your Soul Celebration and Giveaway!

Soul Enchilada is all about Halloween and Dia de los Muertos (aka Day of the Dead). To celebrate the season, I'm giving away 13 copies of the audiobook of Soul Enchilada. Produced by award-winning publisher Brilliance and featuring the voice of debut reader Michelle Carmen Gomez, the audiobook brings the characters of Soul Enchilada to life. It's the perfect complement to the novel and a must have for the well-rounded library collection.

Here's how...

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Call for 2010 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Selection Committee Members

Those interested in serving on the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee may self-nominate by completing a self-nomination form. Members of the selection committee must be: 1) ALAN members and 2) classroom teachers, university professors, or librarians. To avoid potential conflicts of interest, authors and publishers are not eligible to apply.

To participate in the selection of the 2010 winner, please send completed ...

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Skype an Author Network is a site that lists many authors who are interested in doing virtual visits with school, libraries, and book clubs. I'm a member, and for the rest of 2009, I'm waiving my fee for visits up to one hour. More info below:

Presentations:

For Schools & Libraries

Author Talk and Q&A sessions– For students who have read his work, David will discuss his journey to publication and answer questions about specific works.

Classroom presentations — Writing is a process, especially for

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Fresh from the Twitter Feed are the winners of the 2009 Hugo Award winners, as voted on by the members of the SFWA, presented at WorldCon:

Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
Best Novella: "The Erdmann Nexus", Nancy Kress
Best Novelette: "Shoggoths in Bloom", Elizabeth Bear
Best Short Story: "Exhalation", Ted Chiang
Best Professional Artist: Donato Giancola
Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Kaja and Phil Foglio.
Best Editor: Short Form: Ellen Datlow.
Best Editor: Long Form: David G Hartwell
Dramat

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