Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 49

ALA Midwinter Kid/YA Lit Tweetup

Coming to Boston for the ALA Midwinter conference? If you're a tweeting librarian, author, illustrator, publisher, agent, editor, reviewer, blogger, or anyone interested in children's and YA lit, join us on January 16, 2010 from 4-6 in the Birch Bar at Boston's Westin Waterfront Hotel.







The brilliant Deborah Sloan found a venue that's connected to the Conference Center so we won't have to don winter woolies. We'll chat about books, share program ideas, see old friends, and, if you've been...

Surfing Outside Your Zone

One of the many gifts of new media is an increased democracy in the public square (with thanks to our public libraries, who fight to narrow the digital divide). In her School Library Journal cover story about blogs, Betsy Bird quotes editor Cheryl Klein: "Book blogs have created community—a place where we adults who take children's literature seriously can discuss it seriously and at length, in a forum open to the whole Internet."



Virtually, as in life, it may be easier to affiliate with peo...

BOOKS WITH FLAIR: Personalized Kid/YA Gifts

Kid/YA Authors and illustrators! If your local independent bookseller carries your traditionally published books, ask if they'll gift-wrap and ship personalized copies as presents.



Here's my idea: if they agree, we'll list our books by suggested age and genre at BOOKS WITH FLAIR. Customers will call in (and pay for) an order to the bookstore along with the request for a signed and/or personalized copy. Bookstores will either send signed stock or, if we're open to personalizing, will let us k...

BOOKS WITH FLAIR: Personalized Kid/YA Holiday Gifts

Kid/YA Authors and illustrators! If your local independent bookseller carries your traditionally published books, ask if they'll gift-wrap and ship personalized copies as holiday presents.



If they agree, leave a note in the comments to this post with the title of your most recent book, your name, publisher, genre, suggested age of reader, along with your local indie's name, URL (if they have one) and telephone number. So your comment will look like this:



SECRET KEEPER | Mitali Perkins | Del...

Straight Talk on Tough Times For Writers

A trio of agents were tweeting yesterday about how tough it's been to find a market for a good story. I chimed in (of course) to ask Colleen Lindsay, Elana Roth, and Lauren Macleod a few questions.

I thought it might be helpful to share their answers here, along with some input from Nancy Mercado, executive editor of Roaring Brook Press, and few other authors as well (my tweets are in red, and I edited the conversation slightly to make it more blog-friendly).

It all started with Colleen...

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award

Unlike some ethnic book awards, the Rivera Award doesn't depend on the race of the author. It's given annually "to the author/illustrator of the most distinguished book for children and young adults that authentically reflects the lives and experiences of Mexican Americans in the United States."

This year, two books tied for the top honor (descriptions quoted verbatim from the official Rivera Award site):

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The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans
by Carmen Tafolla

In this wonderfully creative...

Mitali of Orchard House

What is it about dead authors' desks that I love? A highlight of my trip to France a few years ago was seeing firsthand where Victor Hugo stood to write, overlooking an archetypal Parisian square.

And some of you might remember my trek to Green Gables last summer, where I delved into all things L.M. Montgomery, relishing the view from the room where she wrote. (THE BLYTHES ARE QUOTED, her last book about Anne, releases today, by the way.)

Today I took my beloved visiting mother-in-law to Orchar...

College Days

I'm flying to California for a "big" college reunion, so I won't be back on the Fire Escape until next Wednesday. I'll probably be tweeting a bit, but for now it's time to meander down memory lane.

I'm picturing the 17-year-old version of me standing in the dorm parking lot on the first day watching my parents' taillights disappear. I remember thinking: Now how am I supposed to kiss them good night?

What I didn't know is that over the next four years I'd find a faith that changed me, meet the m...

Thank You Love Notes

... from 8th graders who have participated in a writing workshop are a good way to commemorate The National Day of Writing today (kindly remember that these are all "sic"):

"The way that you present your lectures is so methodical and engaging."

"After meeting you last week I have been totally craving Sweet Tarts."

"I loved how you gave your impression of your parents. It cranked me up."

"Never had I heard an author speak of dating trouble and video games. You helped me realize that not all...

All Things Kidlitospheric

I don't get lonely on the Fire Escape. How could I, when I'm surrounded by a host of supportive bloggers who love books for kids and teens? If you haven't been introduced to the Kidlitosphere yet, this is a good time to start. What does this virtual community offer?
Comprehensive list of bloggers who love Kid/YA books, including group blogs.

A list of authors and illustrators who blog with up-to-date links.

Monthly carnivals of children's literature with links to great blog posts.

Poetry...