Rebecca E. Hirsch's Blog: Rebecca E. Hirsch, page 3

Free Skype Visits - Sign up Now

These 15-minute online appointments are for classrooms in which every student has read one or more of my books and prepared questions in advance. The school library should have a copy or copies available in their school library for checkout following the event.

These sessions are available via Skype on a first come, first served basis. Time slots will be scheduled between 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the US Eastern Time Zone.

Cost – FREE

HOW TO SIGN UP
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Visit will focus on Plants Can't Sit Still (K-2), When Plants Attack  (3-6), The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery (3-6), or a general author Q & A.

Friday, December 13, 2019
Visit will focus on Plants Can't Sit Still (K-2), When Plants Attack  (3-6), The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery (3-6), or a general author Q & A.

HOW TO SIGN UP

February 5, 2020 (World Read Aloud Day)
This visit will feature me reading from one of my books—you choose!—and will include time for author Q & A. See Kate Messner's blog for sign up information, usually posted in mid-November, for this special event.

New Books in 2020

Hello and happy September!

I've got two new books coming in 2020. The first is Where Have All the Bees Gone? Coming January 2020, it introduces teens to bumblebees and other wild bees. It explores why bees are disappearing, why their disappearance matters, and what everyone can do to help.

Fall 2020 will bring a book about evolution's survivors, strange creatures that have been around and little changed for millions of years. The book is for middle grades, and the working title is Survival of the Fittest.

Garfield STEM, Plus New Books in 2020

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] Hello and happy September! It's the start of a new school year, and my Garfield STEM books are out. What a fun book project to be part of!

New in 2020 will be three books. The first is Where Have All the Bees Gone? Coming January 2020, it introduces teens to bumblebees and other wild bees. It explores why bees are disappearing, why their disappearance matters, and what everyone can do to help.

Then comes something new for me: a cookbook! It's Garfield's Ultimate Guide to Lasagna: Cooking Nature's Most Perfect Food. It was the most filling book I've written.

Finally, fall 2020 will bring a book about evolution's survivors, strange creatures that have been around and little changed for millions of years. The book is for middle grades, and the working title is Survival of the Fittest.

Giveaway ending soon

To celebrate publication of my new book, When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants, I'm giving away 10 signed hardback copies on Goodreads.

The contest ends soon.  So if you want to enter, you have until Friday, April 26—also known as Arbor Day. Click here to enter now.

Meanwhile, a big thanks to Kiss the Book Jr, which gave When Plants Attack its highest rating: Essential for libraries.

"Kinda gross, and very interesting, the full color captioned photographs show the plants up close and personal. We see the scientific process in action as specialists test why the plants do what they do"

You can read the full review here.

Fantastic news for The Monarchs Are Missing

The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery was named to the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature Best Children’s Books of the Year list!

Not only did Monarchs make the list, it was designated as a book of outstanding merit!

Click here to see the full Best Children's Books of the Year list.

Speaking of monarchs—the butterflies, not the book—they're on their way north right now. If you haven't already seen them, you can expect to see them soon. They usually show up in my Pennsylvania garden in June, right as the milkweed pokes its head out of the ground.

Yippee, It's a Giveaway!

This month my new book on the creepiest, scariest plants in the world, When Plants Attack, was published.

To celebrate, I'm giving away 10 signed hardback copies on Goodreads. I hope you'll enter!

To share my love of all plants—the creepy and the not-so-creepy—the giveaway starts today, March 28, also known as Weed Appreciation Day. It runs through April 26, aka Arbor Day.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Feel free to add When Plants Attack to your "to-read" shelf on Goodreads.

Monarchs on the Move

Spring weather is here and animals are on the move. The Horn Book has a list of 5 recommended books on animal migration, including The Monarchs Are Missing.

All the books on this list look fantastic. Here's the full list.

Hello, cedar waxwings!

For most of February and March, I have been dealing with a twisted hip, an injured back, and a string of writing deadlines.

I have managed to push through on deadlines, sometimes writing while standing, sometimes writing while lying flat on my back. Thankfully, I've been able to walk, which helps my back and hips feel better and also stems the frustration that comes from being laid low.

I was lying on the couch, typing away, when the cedar waxwings showed up not more than an hour ago.

Cedar waxwings are one of my favorite birds. They have a quiet beauty, with their masked faces and their brightly tipped wings and tails. Because they don't stay in one place, but roam in nomadic flocks, they are not regular visitors to my yard. So their arrival today felt like a special event. I'm not the only one who thinks so. My cat has been sitting at the window for hours, flicking her tail and gazing at them through the glass.

I feel blessed that even when I'm stuck on my back, nature comes close enough for me to see.

Happy spring, everyone!

Yippee, It's a Giveaway!

This month my new book on the creepiest, scariest plants in the world, When Plants Attack, was published.

To celebrate, I'm giving away 10 signed hardback copies on Goodreads. I hope you'll enter!

To share my love of all plants—the creepy and the not-so-creepy—the giveaway starts today, March 28, also known as Weed Appreciation Day. It runs through April 26, aka Arbor Day.

Feel free to add When Plants Attack to your "to-read" shelf on Goodreads.

Happy Book Birthday: When Plants Attack

March has arrived, and my newest book has slithered its way into the world. Please say happy birthday to When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants !

Last month for World Read Aloud Day, I talked with students from grades one through five in New York, Connecticut, Virginia, Michigan, and Calgary. I had a chance to share with them a few different books: The Monarchs Are Missing, Plants Can't Sit Still, Trapdoor Spiders and Other Amazing Predators and, of course, When Plants Attack.

I was delighted to receive in the mail last week thank you letters from students from one of the When Plants Attack classes. Thank you, West Woods Upper Elementary students! I loved reading your letters. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on books, writing, plants, and what you find fascinating about the world.

In honor of this special month, I'd like to announce A CONTEST! If you're interested in entering a drawing for a free hardcover copy of When Plants Attack, I'll be running a giveaway on Goodreads soon. Check back here soon for details, or connect with me on Goodreads. Meanwhile, you can read early reviews of When Plants Attack on Goodreads.

Happy March, everyone!