Sherri Winston's Blog, page 10

The joy of singing!

I so clearly remember the summer of American Idol’s debut. I rushed into our office the next day as giddy as a sixteen-year old with a new driver’s license. One of the coolest things about the show is it reminded me how much I loved to sing. I’m not at all claiming I am a great singer, but growing up I enjoyed it to my bones. And like any pure entertainer I had favorites to “perform” while washing dishes or bagging leaves in the yard as a teen. Don’t scoff. My musical sets could include nursery rhymes, Christmas songs and Motown. My performance game was tight. Probably one of my favorite singers to mimic while getting our dishes squeaky clean was Natalie Cole. “This will be… an everlasting love!” In my later teen years I used all my breathing skills to mimic the vocal gymnastics of Teena Marie in Portuguese Love. We authors love remembering stuff that made us feel deeply or had an impact on us. Thank you, Idol. And good luck to all the fine young singers who took their performances beyond their bedrooms, showers or kitchen sinks and moved one step closer to make their dreams come true. Congratulations!

So, do you have a favorite song you like to belt out even if no one is looking? Go on. Share with me.

COUNTDOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS

At this time of year, everyone is posting lists of faves. Us book lovers get filled with holiday glee at the thought of books fresh from the book garden, or wherever great books are born. So here are a few goodies on my list of recommended must-reads:

Must Read:

Stunning tale of heartache and redemption.

Lost In The Sun (LISA GRAFF): Masterfully written and heart-achingly real. Trent starts middle school desperate to hit the restart button on his life. He craves a new beginning after a fifth-grade tragedy left one classmate dead and Trent feeling the weight of his friend’s loss. After all, he surmises, it was all Trent’s fault. How would you cope with causing the death of another kid? Trent’s struggle feels real and honest. The kind of book that makes you clutch your chest and shake your head while you’re reading it. A darned good book!

 

 

Monsters don’t stand a chance against the PIB!

Princess In Black and the Perfect Princess Party (SHANNON HALE): I mean, really? Who wouldn’t want to attend a perfect party in honor of a monster hunting princess? Welcome to the castle, y’all. Princess In Black is in the house. Is it wrong that I buy these books knowing I have no age-appropriate reader with which to share? The PIB (Princess In Black) delivers charm, hilarity and plenty of action. You may scoff, but her tales are a pure delight!

 

 

 

President of the Whole Sixth Grade (SHERRI WINSTON): Brianna Justice thought she had sixth grade all figured out. Until she was actually in sixth grade. Then everything she thought she was sure of–her friends, her future, her Self!–began to shift. How Brianna chooses to find herself and figure out her next move is an inspiration to anyone who has ever faced a challenge and then challenged themselves to figure it out. In a story filled with Ancient Roman facts, yummy cupcake recipes and a class trip from Detroit to Washington, D.C., Brianna Justice learns a few things about life. And maybe teaches a few things, too.

TIME TO HIT THE ROAD

I want to thank everyone who participated in my gofundme.com/sherri-winston fundraising campaign. I was overwhelmed by how many of you reached out and helped me toward my goal of donating hundreds of books to needy young readers. Even though anticipated donations fell short or never came to fruition, I’m sill going to donate as many as I can–approximately 400 books–purchased with my own funds and funds raised and donated by you.

I want to give these children more than a book. I want to give them courage and inspiration. I want them to look at that book and realize it’s not just paper and cardboard, but a dream that lived in me when I was their age, eating square pizza and drinking not-quite-cold chocolate milk. I want them to understand that I came from the most improbable of circumstances for an author–low-income, working class, broken home, even though I never ever thought my home was broken. I want these kids to hold this book and study its shape and edges. I want them to know that even if they never read a word, that book has power. Its existence proves that you can start in a small, distant place; a place of poverty and struggle; and you can capture the light in that place and hold it against your chest and follow that light into more light until you are lifted.

All I ever wanted to do was to write and illustrate books. Maybe working as an illustrator is a ways away, maybe its around the corner. But for now, I will hold this precious book and thank the Lord above for blessing me with this opportunity. For all of you who cared enough to send checks or go online and donate, from the bottom of my heart, It hank you. Your support will allow me to share my dream with young faces. Who knows, maybe I’ll even make a difference in some child’s life.

I can’t wait to try.

32 days until …

…the release of President of the Whole Sixth Grade (Little, Brown, $17.99) on Nov. 3.

Southfield Public Library

The story takes place in a fictitious suburb of Detroit, Mich., called Orchard Park. So while I was in Detroit visiting friends and preparing for the upcoming release of the book, including a fabulous party and book fair being held at the Southfield Public Library in beautiful Southfield, Mich.,  I saw this sign and couldn’t resist:

 

Only 33 Days Until …

A Christmas tree farm in Florida where you can go and cut your own tree. Great fun!

Attention Christmas Shoppers! Until President of the Whole Sixth Grade is published on Tuesday, Nov. 3, yours truly is doing a countdown. Wish I could get that rock band (Europe) in the Geico commercial to come and jam with me. “The final countdown…” Cue the smoke machine!

In A World …

 

 

In President of the Whole Sixth Grade, Brianna Justice hooks up with a kid called, “Click,” and they make stop-motion movies about life in middle school. I love Legos, so I tried making my own movie trailer. It’s hilariously flawed. I’m sure Brianna and Click do much better.

Good News REVIEWS!

Authors love, love, love it when reviewers say awesome things about their work. Check out this review for President of the Whole Sixth Grade courtesy of the American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine:

President of the Whole Sixth Grade
By Sherri Winston
November 2015/ $17/ Ages 8 to 12
ISBN 978-0-316-37723-2
Ebook ISBN 978-0-316-37722-5

When we last saw Brianna Justice she was on top of the world, fresh off the victory of being elected president of her fifth-grade class. But nothing bursts her bubble faster than starting middle school, where no one really cares about things anymore and everyone is trying to be someone else. Worse, two of her longtime BFFs have started blowing her off to hang out with a pair of nasty “popular” girls (the Peas). To top things off, Brianna has to contend with a rival who is determined to see her middle-school political career fail, and she only has a limited amount of time to raise money for the class trip to D.C. But Brianna has never been scared of a challenge, so she gathers up other allies and her trusty clipboard and gets to work. Brianna’s determination and follow-through make her a great role model, but the true value here is the very real depiction of the ebb and flow of middle-school friendships and the difficulties that come with growing up. An important resource for anyone who’s ever been in Brianna’s shoes.

Young Reporters Get the Scoop: Scholastic Mag is Recruiting!

My first political act in life was to attend a school board meeting when I was in eighth grade. I lived for each new edition of Scholastic Magazine back then and was a loyal reader. Then my middle school media specialist, a thin, tiny woman with unruly curls and oversize glasses, told me that the library was losing its Scholastic subscription. Well! I was appalled! How dare they try to remove one of the things that I held so dear.

The media specialist, Ms. King, informed me that she’d fought for keeping the magazine but nothing was done. Her advice: If you want them to keep it, maybe they’ll listen to you. Attend the school board meeting. Why on earth she thought they’d listen to me over her I hadn’t a clue. When I told my mom I wanted to go to the meeting, she scoffed. Even though I figured the grownups didn’t want to listen to me, I was offended when my mother dismissed the idea, too.

More determined than ever, I talked my Uncle Mac into driving me to the meeting. Omigod! Is there anything more boring than sitting in a room full of grownups arguing over a school budget for hours? And there wasn’t even any TV to watch. Still, I sat silently, trying not to pluck out my own eyeball from boredom, when finally the topic turned to  the school magazine subscriptions.

When the board member asked if anyone wanted to speak on the matter before taking it to vote, I tentatively raised my hand. Every grownup head in the room turned to look at me.

I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I do remember that when finished, I’d surprised even myself. After a short vote, I won. We got to keep our magazines, including Scholastic!

I love sharing that story with you people because it’s a small example of how we can make a difference at any age. Now Scholastic Magazine is offering kids an opportunity I’d have died for back in the day–a chance to become reporters for the magazine.

The application process for the Scholastic News Kids Press corps is now open for the 2015-2016 school year. Questions should be directed to kidspress@scholastic.com. Or access the application directly.  Download the 2015-2016 Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Application here.

 

Summer Reads

Bella the dog wishes she’d brought her favorite book while visiting the beach!

Now that Fourth of July has come and gone, many young people might be staring at the wall calendar, thinking, “I’m soooooooo bored! I miss my friends. I don’t have anything to do!” if that’s you (or a kid you know and love), fear not! Nothing passes time in the lazy days of summer like a good book. It’s a great time to discover books that are already a hit.

Frindle by Andrew Clement ($5, grades 3-7): Did you ever wonder where words come from? Well, Nick Allen thinks it’s pretty hilarious when he makes up a word just to get under his teacher’s skin. And when several classmates go along with it, the whole gag seems like a hoot. Nick is a bit of a troublemaker, a kid who likes a good time. However, once he invents a word that soon reaches far beyond his classroom, Nick discovers that some things you just can’t take back. No matter what. Frindle is a cool story and an easy read. Definitely worth taking along on your next car trip.

 

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and (illustrated) Jillian Tamaki ($9.99 paperback, ages 12-18): An easy read for a petulant teen. Um, er, I mean a world-weary teen filled with angst. Rose is eager to ditch her parents, who can’t seem to stop fighting. She and her friend, Wendy, are accustomed to hanging out together when Rose and her family come to town for summer vacation. However, neither of them is quite ready for the changes happening to them and to others around them. I loved this book because of its frankness. Also, because the illustrations perfectly pair with the story. The blueberry ink against cream-white paper creates the perfect tension for a broody moody summer. A sure hit for summer readers.

 

President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston ($7.99 paperback, ages 8 and up): Brianna Justice is more than a dreamer, she’s a planner. She isn’t just hoping to become a cupcake-making entrepreneur and millionaire–she’s taking steps to make it happen. After hearing her idol, Miss Delicious, speak at a fourth-grade assembly, Brianna becomes certain of one thing–she must become class president when she gets to fifth grade. Now it’s time for the election. Candidates are being selected and allegiances are being formed. Brianna thinks she’s a shoo-in for the election and has already made plans of what she will do as class president. Then it is announced that instead of being president of just fifth grade, the new president will represent the entire school and will be voted on by all grades. Scary, but workable. Brianna is all set to cruise into leadership, until a new girl arrives and says she’s always wanted to be president. Will Brianna risk her friendships, relationship with her parents and popularity at school to beat the newcomer? A book that has as many boy fans as girls, President of the Whole Fifth Grade taps into school rivalries, competition and the desire to earn money–all themes to which dudes and dudettes can relate.

SUMMER READING

A day at the beach is always better with a good book!

Looking for the perfect book for your kid reader this summer?

For Brianna Justice, President of the Whole Fifth Grade (and soon to be President of the Whole Sixth Grade), the future’s so bright, you gotta’ wear shades!

Ask yourself, what does school politics, dirty tricks and cupcake recipes have in common? Find out in President of the Whole Fifth Grade! The story features Brianna Justice, a precocious fifth-grader in a small community outside of Detroit, Michigan. Brianna wants to become a cupcake-making millionaire when she grows up, thanks to her idol, TV baker, Miss Delicious. So when the glamorous celebrity baker visits Brianna’s school and says she would never have made a success in her business without the skills she learned as president of her fifth-grade class, Brianna is like, “Well, I’ve gotta’ be President now!” So little Miss Thing launches the mother of all campaigns. She tells everyone she knows that the class president job is hers. And she would have walked away with it. Mmm, hmmph. Free and easy. Except for one thing: Jasmine Moon. Now what started out looking like a sure thing, isn’t so sure at all. How far will Brianna go to make her dream come true. Honey, it’s in the book. You gotta’ read the book!

*President of the Whole Fifth Grade, by Sherri Winston, is currently on the recommended summer reading list for the New York Public Library. It was formerly a Sunshine State Young Reader Award recipient in Florida, where it was also on the recommended reading list for grades 3 to 5; and it was a runner-up for Tennessee’s recommended reading list. President of the Whole Fifth Grade can be purchased online or ordered through your local bookstore.

*Coming soon–President of the Whole Sixth Grade (November).