Guest post: Sam Maggs, author of Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History

I'm pleased to have Sam Maggs on the blog today, author of Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History, which is in stores today.

From Goodreads:
Ever heard of Allied spy Noor Inayat Khan, a Muslim woman whom the Nazis considered “highly dangerous”? Or German painter and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, who planned and embarked on the world’s first scientific expedition? How about Huang Daopo, the inventor who fled an abusive child marriage only to revolutionize textile production in China?

Women have always been able to change the world, even when they didn’t get the credit. In Wonder Women, author Sam Maggs introduces you to pioneering female scientists, engineers, mathematicians, adventurers, and inventors—each profile a study in passion, smarts, and stickto-itiveness, complete with portraits by Google doodler Sophia Foster-Dimino, an extensive
bibliography, and a guide to present-day women-centric STEM organizations.

What to Read After Wonder Women

In my new book, Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History, I wanted to make as many stories of amazing women in STEM throughout history as accessible as possible. Of course, trying to fit profiles of twenty-five ladies (plus 35 more, in sidebars!) into one book means that I didn’t have the opportunity to write as much about each of them as one could – they all deserve their own film franchises and comic books and television shows, frankly.

Luckily, there are many incredible biographers whose work you can check out after finishing Wonder Women if you’d like a closer look into these ladies’ lives. Here are some of my favorites from my research days.

Around The World On Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride.

Peter Zheutlin, Citadel, 2008.

The full story of Annie Londonderry’s nineteenth-century cycling journey around the globe is told in exceptional fashion by Zheutlin, an actual relative of the pioneering woman herself. Annie, one of the first women to excel at self-promotion, is done justice in this biography that aims to shed light on why this young Jewish mother decided to take such an unusual path.

Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America’s First Female Rocket Scientist.

George D. Morgan, Prometheus Books, 2013.

When George Morgan struggled to get his mother’s obituary published because of a lack of corroborating sources, he began a lifelong journey to track down as much information as he could about her past. What he discovered was the story of America’s first female rocket scientist, a truly moving tale that Morgan writes partially fictionalized in the era in which it took place to really give the reader that mid-century feel.

The Life of Anandaibai Joshee, a Kinswoman of the Pundita Ramabai.

Caroline Healey Dall. Roberts Brothers, 1888. Available free online.

If you can take a little era-appropriate long-windedness and views on race, Dall’s biography of Anandibai Joshi is worth a read, if only to hear from Anandi in her own words transcribed by Dall. The first Hindu woman ever to set foot in America, and the first Indian woman to get a Western medical degree, Anandi accomplished more in her brief twenty-two years than anyone could ever hope.

Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions.

Michael Helquist, Oregon State University Press, 2015.

I think about how awesome queer birth-control advocate Dr. Marie Equi was at least twice a day, so get fully familiar with her inspiring and intense life story with this new biography – horse whips and all. Yeah, don’t you want to read about her now?

Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies.

Ben Macintyre, Crown/Archetype, 2012.

Elvira Chaudoir was just one of the many spies involved in Britain’s epic espionage double-cross during World War II – one that was instrumental in their success at Normandy – but she was the only bisexual Peruvian party girl heiress to be one of those spies. Learn all about Elvira (codename Bronx) and her associates’ antics in Macintyre’s thoroughly-researched book.

Nurse and Spy in the Union Army.

S. Emma E. Edmonds, W. S. Williams & Co., 1865. Available free online.

Though undoubtedly a little hyperbolic, Sarah Emma Edmonds’ autobiographical account of her time as a Union spy during the Civil War is not only fascinating because of all the spying, but also because she did it all while disguised as a man. And no one ever noticed. That’s some Alanna: The First Adventure business right there.

Do you have a favorite biography of a kick-butt woman in history? Let me know on Twitter @SamMaggs, and I hope you enjoy Wonder Women!

Visit  the other blogs in the Wonder Women blog tour:

Bibliophile Gathering on 10/3

A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust on 10/4

We Are Word Nerds on 10/5

Pop! Goes the Reader on 10/6

YA Bibliophile on 10/7

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs, illustrated by Sophia Foster-Dimino
Published: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 240
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Adult/Young Adult
Disclosure: ARC and finished copy provided by publisher

If you buy this book or any book through Amazon, it is my hope that you also regularly patronize independent bookstores, which are important centerpieces of thriving communities. While I am an Amazon Affiliate, that by no means implies that I only buy my books through their website. Please make sure you are still helping small, independent bookstores thrive in your community. To locate an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. 

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads welcomes Ruta Sepetys

Every year the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti district libraries choose one book for a program they call Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads. The purpose of choosing one book is "to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book."

This year the committee chose Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray, which if you know me at all, you know how much I adored this book. And not only did I love it, but despite the fact that historical fiction is a hard sell to students, this book got passed around like a hot potato last year in my classroom (and I'm sure it would this year too if I had a classroom). Kids couldn't read it fast enough to pass it off to the next reader. It was never on my shelf.

I heard Ruta speak in 2012 when Between Shades of Gray won the Amelia Elizabeth Walden honor at the ALAN conference at NCTE in Las Vegas. Her speech moved me to tears then as it did on Tuesday night when she addressed a full auditorium at Washtenaw Community College for almost two hours, talking about how the book came to be, and what it has meant to readers all over the world.

Ruta talked about some of the difficulties she had researching the book and all the emotions that

came along with it, how the voice of one woman she interviewed, Irena, came back to haunt her as her agent was looking for a publisher. One publisher passed on the book because they said, "Well surely if this really happened someone else would have already written about it." Irena's words suddenly rang in her ears: "Ruta, this book will never be published. History has forgotten us."

As Ruta talked about the difficulty of the process of interviewing survivors, eventually she realized she needed to stop asking questions and just ask, "What would you like to share with me?" One man said to her, "I have seen hell and it is white." That's when she discovered she would never get   responses that telling by asking specific questions and just had to let them tell their stories.

Other important takeaways from Ruta's talk:

• "I wrote the book, but it's not my story." Meaning, this story belongs to history and to the people of Lithuania.
• " Together, we're adding a chapter to history books."
• "History divided us, but we're united through reading." Referring to the fact that this book has helped bring conversations among cultures that might not have ever happened before.
• Good fiction has us ask questions but doesn't force answers.

The people in attendance asked such wonderful, thought-provoking questions, such as the man who wanted to know if the book, which is published in 30 languages and 46 countries, is published in Russian. It is not. Rather telling, don't you think?

I know I tend to say this at the end of every author event recap, but I always mean it: if you ever have a chance to hear Ruta speak, please do it. She is a passionate, dynamic speaker who will get you thinking about reading and history in new ways. Despite the fact the Between Shades of Gray is a work of fiction, it has helped bring an era of history out of the dark and into our consciousness.

Read my review of Between Shades of Gray.

Watch Ruta's heartfelt interview:

Author guest post: Rebecca Behrens

I am thrilled to have debut author Rebecca Behrens here on the blog for a guest post about her new middle grade book, When Audrey Met Alice.

First Daughter Audrey Rhodes is convinced that living in the White House is like being permanently grounded. Except with better security. What good is having your own bowling alley if you don’t have anyone to play with?

After the Secret Service cancels the party she'd spent forever planning, Audrey is ready to give up and spend the next four years totally friendless--until she discovers Alice Roosevelt’s hidden diary. Alice was a White House wild child, and her diary tells all about her outrageous turn-of-the-century exploits, like shocking State visitors with her pet snake and racking up speeding tickets in her runabout. Audrey starts asking herself: What Would Alice Do? The former First Daughter’s outrageous antics give Audrey a ton of ideas for having fun . . . and get her into more trouble than she can handle!

Rebecca is here today to talk about the audacious Alice Roosevelt, the inspiration for When Audrey Met Alice. I asked Rebecca, since this is a food and travel blog as well as a book blog, if Alice were First Daughter today, what would be some of her favorite Washington, D.C. haunts? 

Take it away Rebecca!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alice Roosevelt—both the real person and the character in my book, When Audrey Met Alice—was “simply mad for travel,” as the fictional Alice wrote in a diary entry on setting sail for Cuba. Adventurous Alice had a great time on that trip: going to parties and teas, visiting schools, betting on jai alai games, and stuffing herself with Cuban delicacies. Later in the book, she gets excited about a chance to visit New Orleans and stay Avery Island, the famous home of Tabasco sauce. However, Alice found plenty of ways to have adventures at home in turn-of-the-century Washington, DC, too. She’d have even more fun today in DC—and these would be some of her favorite places and activities:

Driving: Alice loved to zip around in her red runabout, racking up speeding tickets galore. Today she could cruise along the Rock Creek Parkway for a spin in town (I imagine she’d toot her horn as she passed under the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge), but rush-hour traffic might make it hard for Alice to drive as fast as she liked. Perhaps she’d avoid Beltway traffic altogether by taking a daytrip to the Skyline Drive, a National Scenic Byway that runs through the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. It would be a great escape during election season, when the drive shows off stunning fall foliage. Of course, the speed limit is 35 miles per hour. We can only hope that Alice would heed that.

Restaurants: Alice was an early foodie, so she’d love the dining DC offers today. From chili and fries at Ben’s Chili Bowl to Ethiopian injera and honey wine at Lalibela, there would be something for her every craving. Alice would have no trouble finding the food of her travels back at home, too. For more Cuban food, she could head to Mi Cuba Café in Columbia Heights for ropa vieja and a guava shake. In 1905, Alice Roosevelt accompanied Taft’s diplomatic trip to Asia, visiting Hawaii, the Philippines, China, Japan, and Korea. (She had a great time and did not disappoint with her own antics, which included watching a Sumo match, wearing a kimono—and jumping into a ship’s swimming pool fully clothed.) I think she’d be very happy with her options for Asian cuisine in DC today; in particular, she’d love the show at a "hibachi-style" Teppanyaki restaurant. Alice probably would try to get the chef to teach her the impressive knife skills on display; after all, she did cut her own wedding cake with a sword.

Dancing: Alice loved to dance, particularly the hootchy-kootchy, which was an early Western-coined name for belly dance. She’d enjoy checking out dance performances at the Kennedy Center today, and I also think she’d love to participate in some of the public dance programs available in DC, like Dance in the Circle, a dance festival sometimes held right in the middle of Dupont Circle. I can imagine Alice sneaking out of the White House to attend incognito—and stealing the show with her moves.

The Smithsonian: Alice wasn’t just hungry for experiences but for information, too. The Smithsonian Institute existed well before her time (the famous Castle building was constructed in the mid-1800s), but Alice would still love exploring all that the Institute’s museums have to offer today. In particular, I think she’d be fascinated by the National Air and Space Museum. After all, it was while Alice was living in the White House (in 1903) that the Wright Brothers achieved the first flight. And of course Alice would visit the National Zoo, considering the menagerie that lived with her in the Roosevelt White House. She’d be a huge fan of Bao Bao the baby panda (and probably would scheme about ways to get a panda cub back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Audrey Met Alice hits bookstores on February 4th from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Pre-order your copy today.
Read my review of When Audrey Met Alice.

I have been quoted!

On Friday Lenore Appelhans, author of Level 2 now renamed The Memory of After, sent me an email with this picture in it:

What's that you ask? Well, that is the inside of the book jacket for the Taiwanese version of Level 2, and in it, I have been quoted! I'm the third from the bottom.

I have no idea what that says because I don't read Taiwanese, but the fact that I have been quoted in an actual book - a book that I absolutely love and adore, just blows me away. Is that something I can put on my resume? "Blurbed in the Taiwanese version of Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans." I like it. It has a nice ring to it. :)

RIP E.L. Konigsburg

A tweet from John Green earlier this morning was the first news I heard of E.L. Konigsburg's passing.

This is incredibly sad news for me because E.L. Konigsburg is the author responsible for resurrecting my reading life.

On March 5th of last year I wrote a blog post on the Nerdy Book Club blog entitled "Returning Home to the Bookshelf." In that post I talk about how, as a child, I used to be a voracious reader but then high school ruined my love of reading by forcing me to read boring classics that bared little influence on my life or the life of my classmates.

From my Nerdy Book Club post:

But then one day when my husband and I were living in Germany, I found myself bored and tired of mindlessly surfing the Internet while my husband was at work, so I went over to the bookshelf, and picked up a book. I enjoyed that one so much, that I picked up another one a few weeks later. 

That first book I picked up was The View from Saturday. I still vividly remember finishing that book while delayed three hours in some random train station in Germany on our way back from a weekend trip to Prague. The name of the city where we were delayed escapes me, but sitting in that train station, book in hand, I was no longer in some Podunk train station in Germany; I was in Epiphany, New York with Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian as they taught me a beautiful lesson about friendship. I am not ashamed to admit that this middle grade novel was, and still is, one of the most profound books I have ever read.

So thank you Elaine Lobl Konigsburg. Thank you for From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Silent to the Bone, The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, and The View from Saturday. Your memory lives on in the the children's (and adults') lives you have touched and will continue to touch through your stories.

Happy World Read Aloud Day!

Last year during World Read Aloud Day my 6th graders paired up with their 3rd grade buddies and I read to them Audrey Vernick's newest (at the time) picture book So You Want to Be a Rock Star. Afterwards, the 6th graders read a book to their buddies.

Anyone who knows me knows what a huge fan I am of Audrey's books so this year I took a leap and asked if SHE'D read So You Want to Be a Rock Star to the 3rd and 6th graders via Skype. Because Audrey is a rock star when it comes to talent and graciousness, she obliged. But she did me one better: Instead of reading an already published book, she gave us a sneak peek at her upcoming picture book, Bogart and Vinnie.

After the read aloud, Audrey answered some questions the students came up with beforehand, but the answer that stuck with me the most is one I will be telling students for the rest of my teaching career. My 6th graders are currently working on a research project and one of my challenges as a teacher is to make research feel relevant because so often it feels like an exercise in futility.  "This is so boring!" and "When will we ever have to use this in the real world?" often ring through the classroom walls. Since Audrey has written a few nonfiction picture books, I wanted her to give her take on the research process. Her advice: find the story. Facts are important, but it's what you do with those facts once you've collected them that's of equal importance. Don't get so bogged down with facts that you forget that there's a story to tell. So from here on out, you will forever and always hear me telling my students to find the story.

That advice absolutely shows in Audrey's writing. I think you'll agree if you've read Brothers at Bat that she wrote about more than just an all-brother baseball team and found a way to make it about more than just baseball. As someone who is not a fan of baseball I can tell you that it is also a human-interest story and that great writing can transcend likes and dislikes. I normally hate fantasy novels but I love Harry Potter. I normally hate baseball, but in between the pages of an Audrey Vernick picture book, she makes me see why it's such an important part of American culture and history. Why? Because she found the story.

But let's not forget about Bogart and Vinnie. And while it might not be a nonfiction picture book, Audrey still managed to find the story based on her fascination with the idea of inter-species friendships.  In this book Vinnie, a happy-go-lucky, good-natured, yet clueless dog finds happiness and companionship in a giant, lazy rhinoceros. News of their unusual friendship spreads and they become a world-wide sensation. I'm already seeing the potential with this book to be a wonderful reading ladder to our newest Newbery winner The One and Only Ivan.

Audrey reads from Bogart and Vinnie

More Bogart and Vinnie

Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to Skype with us Audrey! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Bogart and Vinnie in June!

Two Days of Skyping with Authors

Many schools in the metro Detroit area were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to bitter cold temperatures. Our school, however, remained open, which I would normally be one of the teachers complaining about being in school while everyone else was still snuggled warm under their covers, but since I had scheduled author Skype visits for both Tuesday and Wednesday, I was actually happy to be getting up to go to school. 

On Tuesday we Skyped with the illustrious Jennifer Holm, winner of three, count 'em, THREE Newbery honors, and co-creator of the Babymouse and Squish graphic novel series with her brother Matthew Holm. We finished her Newbery honor book Turtle in Paradise as our read aloud right before Christmas break and so my kids had tons of questions for her about that book as well as everyone's favorite graphic novels, Babymouse and Squish.

Then on Wednesday we Skyped with Christopher Healy, author of the insanely funny The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, a book that absolutely needs to be made into an animated movie sooner rather than later.

Both authors were incredibly wonderful and gracious with my students and the kids were excited to ask their questions. And given the number of students who were reading both authors' books in the days leading up to our visits, it is proof positive of what Donalyn Miller says that "Kids read what we bless."

If anyone ever asks me why social networking should be part of a teacher's professional development, experiencing two days in a row of allowing my students to ask actual published (and let's not forget award-winning) authors questions will be one of the first examples I share with them. Developing relationships with authors and bringing them into classrooms on a regular basis is something you just couldn't do before social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Skype became so mainstream. When I started teaching almost seven years ago, I don't think I could have ever imagined how quickly the walls of the classroom would morph and change. Now the "social" aspect of social media has crossed over into the professional world and it's amazing to see what a positive impact these tools can have on our classrooms when we use them to extend those walls out into the world. For all you teachers who haven't signed on to Twitter yet, please do yourself a favor and start today! You will  be amazed at what it will do for the good of your classroom and your professional life.

Thanks again to Jennifer Holm and Christopher Healy for extending your talent and knowledge to my students!

Jennifer Holm answers student questions

BABYMOUSE!

Christopher Healy answers student questions

Christopher Healy answers student questions

Nudging and Nurturing: A Lesson in Patience

I don't know if anyone's noticed from the lack of activity on my blog as of late, but this has been an especially tiring year for me. I don't know if it's the seven year itch or if I'm just losing stamina, but there are many days I question how long I can do this job. Sometimes I wonder if I have it in me to make this a lifelong career. But then a moment comes along that reminds me why it is I do what I do.

Last year I had a student, we'll call her Angela, who was a reluctant yet compliant reader. She always read dutifully in class, but admitted to me in reading conferences that she didn't really read at home because she didn't like it. Throughout the year I continued to talk to her to try to nudge her along and get her to like reading more. Then during fourth quarter, I assigned her the book Princess Academy by Shannon Hale for a literature circle group. That was finally the moment when she came alive and showed a never-before-seen enthusiasm for reading. Her discussion was insightful and you could see the fire in her eyes when she talked about the story. I've never seen such a transformation in a student before. This was definitely a "home run" book for her.

But this all unfortunately happened at the end of the year. I knew I still had more work to do with Angela but I could only do so much in the time I had. In September, I made sure to continue to talk to her when I saw her in the halls and even tried putting other books in her hands, but the last book I gave her she had for a month and admitted to me she had yet to pick it up, often stating, "I haven't had time." (Student code for, "This doesn't interest me.")

Me with Shannon Hale

But then I met Shannon Hale at NCTE last week and she was signing copies of Palace of Stone, the sequel to Princess Academy. I immediately thought of Angela back home and knew what I had to do.

Upon my return to school yesterday, I summoned for Angela right before dismissal, which ironically was the moment she chose to hand me back the book she's had for the past month and said, "Yeah, I'm not going to read this." But when I handed her the brand new hardcover of Palace of Stone signed to her by the author, her eyes lit up. I said, "I remembered how much you loved Princess Academy and I want you to have this but you have to read it."

She stumbled away, speechless and I prayed that it would be enough to get her to take the leap and read it on her own.

This morning she saw me in the hall on her way to class and I noticed a small, shimmery red hardcover at the top of her awkward, teetering pile of books. She picked it up, showed it to me and said, "Look Mrs. Shaum! I'm reading it."

And suddenly I've been renewed again and reminded why it is I do what I do. This is by no means, however, the end of the story. No, it's really only the beginning. We're going to continue looking for that time she can't seem to find for reading.

Bookish Teachers Invaded Las Vegas for NCTE

Disclaimer: I have to immediately apologize for my lack of articulateness and overuse of superlatives like amazing, awesome, and inspiring throughout this post. For the past week I have been avoiding writing this recap because the sheer wonder of all that I encountered during my five days attending this amazing conference overwhelmed me. But alas, I go back to work tomorrow and I know if I don't do it now, I will continue to procrastinate and it will be Christmas before I can actually sit down to write a proper reflection. Also pardon my narcissism at the sheer number of photos of myself I posted in this recap. :)

Last year I attended the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) convention for the first time because it was in Chicago, a mere 4 hour drive from where I live. But since last year was such an amazing, inspiring experience, I knew that Chicago would not be my last NCTE experience and lobbied to make sure I could attend again in 2012. In fact, I was also lucky enough to attend the 2-day ALAN (Assembly for the Literature of Adolescents of the NCTE) workshop after the main convention as well.

This year the convention was held in Las Vegas and for some this might mean skipping sessions to hit the casinos, but I assure that I am not one of those people. In fact, I am proud to say that I did not gamble once during my entire stay in Vegas. Nerdy, bookish people and the vices of Vegas just don't mix.

That by no means implies that I had no fun; quite the contrary. I had so much fun and so many amazing experiences that I am often brought to tears remembering and reliving the time I spent hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones.

The festivities got underway on Thursday evening with a few pre-convention sessions to choose from. I chose to attend the Penny Kittle, Kelly Gallagher, and Jim Burke session with some Nerdy Book Club friends. Listening to these three inspiring teachers talk of their passion for teaching and what really consists of best practices helped to reaffirm that what I'm doing in the classroom really matters.

I continued to attend some wonderful sessions throughout the course of the conference, but the Thursday night pre-session is really the one I will take the most from.

The most memorable part of my time in Vegas, however, was getting to hang out with all of my Nerdy Book Club friends, some old, some new. Friday night was one I will never forget because Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp hosted a party for all NCTE attendants who were also Nerdy Book Club blog posters. Normally I am shy, awkward, and stand-offish at parties, but this was no ordinary party. I was in a room full of 60 people, all of whom were book-lovers. There wasn't a conversation I could join where I didn't feel like I belonged.

There were so many highlights from the Nerdy party, but here are some of the best:

Getting to hang out and talk with beloved Nerdy author Jenni Holm:

Meeting author RJ Palacio, who wrote one of my favorite books of 2012, and of all time, Wonder:

Watching author Jonathan Auxier give the best book talk/yo-yo demonstration ever (see the video here):

Hanging with my Nerdy friends from Michigan:

Brian Wyzlic, Niki Barnes, Colby Sharp and me

Finally meeting people in person I've tweeted with for the past two years:

Me with Katherine Sokolowski, Cindy Minnich, Paul Hankins, and Lea Kelley

Getting hugs from and talking with my teaching idol, mentor, and friend, Donalyn Miller:

In addition to meeting new Nerdy friends and hanging out with old ones, another wonderful part of the NCTE/ALAN experience is meeting and talking with authors and publishers.

I can't thank the publishers enough for being so generous with their time and showing their passion and excitement for their books. I am especially grateful to Kellie Celia from Walden Pond Press who spent time with me over dinner talking about books and teaching. Her enthusiasm for the books in her imprint was so infectious that I told her she must book talk with my class via Skype so my kids can hear another voice of an enthusiastic book lover.

Speaking of book talks and enthusiastic book lovers, I'll never forget standing in line for a Libba Bray signing with Danielle from Mercurial Musings. We spent our time waiting talking about books and I couldn't help but be completely swept away by the way she drew me into the book she was talking about. Even though she teaches high school, I think I need to some how find a way to get her to talk to my students about books. 

And then there were the authors. I cannot tell you overall what wonderful people YA and middle grade authors are. Some of my most vivid memories of NCTE and ALAN will be from the authors I met and conversed with.

I loved talking to Gabrielle Zevin, author of All These Things I've Done, about how even though people are calling the series a dystopia, it is so NOT. Gabrielle completely agreed with me and then went on to say that it's really a character story and she wrote it thinking it was more of a Dickensian family saga but that sort of label doesn't exactly sell books these days the way "dystopia" does. Because we bonded over the dystopia thing, Sherry Gick and Niki Barnes and I got her to secretly (shhhh...) tell us the title of the third book in the series but it's top secret so I can't tell any one. ;)

Gabrielle Zevin and I bonding over our mutual disagreement over genres :)

Proof that our conversation existed

More bonding at the ALAN author reception. :)

I'll also remember meeting Ruta Sepetys, author of one of the most important books of the decade, Between Shades of Gray. I introduced myself to Ruta at her Penguin signing and mentioned that I was the teacher of the kids of one of her dear friends from college. As soon as I told her who I was, she got up from the signing table, came around and gave me a big hug. We were able to connect again that evening at the ALAN reception where Brian Wyzlic and I made a case for why her publisher needs to send her back to Michigan when her newest book, Out of the Easy, comes out in February.

Me with Ruta Sepetys

Ruta's speech the next day at the ALAN workshop was so moving that it brought me to tears - the kind of tears you can't easily hide and spend the next 10 minutes trying to pull it together as you wipe them from your eyes. If you want an inkling of how inspiring it was, watch this video.

More NCTE/ALAN memories:

With Sherry Gick and Niki Barnes

With my girls Jen Vincent and Alyson Beecher

Jen and Gregory DFTBAing it up :)

With another one of my teaching mentors: Kelly Gallagher

With literary rock star, Sherman Alexie

With Shannon Hale

With Libba Bray

With Chris Crutcher

With the adorable Jo Knowles

Middle grade authors: Blue Balliett, Rebecca Stead, Jo Knowles, Kate Messner and Jody Feldman

Graphic novelists extraordinaire Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman

And of course, I can't forget about the books. I filled 2 carry-on suitcases and shipped a 43 lb box of books home. I can't wait to share this bounty with my students! Once again, thank you so much to the authors and publishers for being generous with their time and books, and as always thank you so much to my Tiwtter PLN, particularly the Nerdy Book Club, for making me a better teacher and person.

I know I have failed to mention a large number of people in this recap and for that I apologize. Even if I didn't mention your name, know that there are way more people that inspired me than were mentioned in this recap.

I can't wait to see you all again in Boston and meet more new friends!

Carrie Harris classroom visit take 2

Last year Carrie Harris, author of the epically funny Bad Taste in Boys and the soon-to-be released Bad Hair Day, came to visit my 6th graders at the end of the year to give an author talk. But I recently had a conversation with Carrie and told her I thought it would be awesome if she could come in October this year and do her Monster Prom writing workshop with my class before NaNoWriMo. Not only would it be awesome to have a published author come and do a writing lesson with them, but it would also help to give them ideas and motivation to do the Young Writer's Program of NaNoWriMo. And being the awesome person Carrie is, she agreed. So that is what happened in my classroom today.  And it was amazing. The kids were engaged and enthusiastic, and they came up with some brilliant ideas.

Carrie started the workshop by having students brainstorm types of monsters in groups. They were asked to defy convention and create new and unusual types or combinations of monster. Students wrote down their own ideas as well as the ideas from the people in their group. My favorite monster of the day was Santa Claws.

Next, they were to pick one of the monsters on their list and write interesting and unusual traits about their character: like maybe their vampire-like creature doesn't like blood and only eats organic produce.

I don't want to give it all away because, well, you just have to experience a Carrie Harris writing workshop to truly appreciate how much fun it is, but I am certain that based on their experience today, many more students than usual will be participating in NaNoWriMo this year. And given the fun, crazy ideas they came up with, I can't wait to read their stories!

My students hard at work making a welcome poster for Carrie

The epic zombie/monkey/ice cream post my students made