Lois Lowry recently gave fans some insight into her latest novel, Son (2012)—it came about because the ending of her Newbery-winning, The Giver (1993, both Houghton), left too many unanswered questions.
KidLitCon 2012: Expanding the World of KidLit Blogs
By on October 3, 2012 Leave a Comment
Kid lit blogs are huge with librarians, but can they reach fans beyond our world? Greg Pincus, whose blog GottaBook features poetry and perspectives on children’s literature, shared his advice on using social media to find new audiences during KidLitCon 2012 at the New York Public Library on September 29.
KidLitCon 2012: The Changing Relationship Between Reader and Writer
By on October 1, 2012 1 Comment
Alyssa Sheinmel, Adele Griffin, and other young adult authors came together September 29 at the sixth annual KidLitCon in New York City to discuss social media, the obligations authors have to their fans, and the challenges of interacting with an audience.
KidLitCon 2012: Critical Reviewing in the Age of Twitter
By on October 1, 2012 3 Comments
Facebook, Twitter, and blogs have made authors and book reviewers more visible—but have they also suppressed genuine literary criticism? Several book bloggers gathered at the New York Public Library September 29 for a KidLitCon 2012 panel discussion entitled “How Nice is Too Nice?: Critical Book Reviewing in the Age of Twitter” to explore the impact of social media on the book industry.
Education Summit Questions Value of High-Stakes Testing
By on September 23, 2012 2 Comments
A group of educational leaders and innovative thinkers gathered in New York September 19 to discuss the value of high-stakes testing, trends in education, and the role of technology in learning. John Merrow, an education reporter for PBS’s NewsHour and president of Learning Matters, a nonprofit production company focused on education, moderated the symposium, “Education: The Next 25 Years, The Next 25 Minutes,” which was sponsored by the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education.
Editor Patti Lee Gauch Talks About the State of the Picture Book
By on September 19, 2012 2 Comments
What’s the secret behind a successful picture book? Although the best ones are often informational, they’re also mischievous, subversive, and exhilarating, says Patti Lee Gauch, a former editorial director at Philomel Books who has edited three Caldecott-winning books.
Award-winning Author Nina Bawden Dead at 87
By on August 24, 2012 Leave a Comment
Nina Bawden, one of the rare authors who could write equally well for both children and adults, died August 22 in London. She was 87.
Award-winning YA Author Mollie Hunter Dead at 90
By on August 20, 2012 Leave a Comment
Mollie Hunter, whose novels for young readers won accolades on both sides of the ocean, died on July 31 in Inverness, Scotland. She was 90.
Author/Illustrator Jose Aruego Dies at 80
By on August 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
Jose Aruego, best known for illustrating Robert Kraus’s Leo the Late Bloomer (Windmill, 1971), died August 9 in New York City on his 80th birthday.
Author, Illustrator Remy Charlip Dies at 83
By on August 17, 2012 Leave a Comment
Remy Charlip, dancer, actor, and an award-winning author and illustrator of more than 30 children’s books including I Love You (Scholastic, 1999) and Mother Mother I Feel Sick (Parents’ Magazine Press, 1966), died August 14. He was 83.
Children’s Book Author Jean Merrill Dies at 89
By on August 15, 2012 Leave a Comment
Jean Merrill, the award-winning author of The Pushcart War, one of the 20th century’s best social satires for children, has died. Merrill, 89, died of cancer on August 2 at her home in Randolph, VA.
SLJ SummerTeen: Who Will Mend This Broken Heart?
By on August 10, 2012 Leave a Comment
Why can’t teens get enough of romance novels? Because they fill readers with much needed hope and guidance, say a group of YA authors speaking on the August 9 SLJ online event SummerTeen panel, “Who Will Mend This Broken Heart?”
SLJ’s SummerTeen: The Rockin’ Women of YA
By on August 10, 2012 1 Comment
Maggie Stiefvater, A.S. King, and other YA authors came together August 9 to talk about possible sequels to their novels, the role of social media in their lives, and their different approaches to writing series.
