Bookroo Unboxing, Update and Coupon

Hi guys!

Recently Jane Tanner over at Bookroo reached out to me and said they had loved working with me and would I like to review another Bookroo box for them?

Yes! I would! I loved working with Bookroo, too.

I asked which kind of box they'd be sending, because now they send three kinds and I have kids that would be interested in all of them:

1. Board Book Box (3 per month)
2. Picture Book Box (2 per month)
3. Junior Box (2 chapter books every two months, still in beta testing)

They sent picture books! Woohoo! Right answer! (There really wasn't a wrong answer.)

So, when I got my Bookroo box this time I did something SUPER FANCY and turned on my phone camera for an unboxing! Hahaha. Oh, you guys. I do have aspirations to actually be super fancy, but right now we're just workin' with what we've got.

Here's the video:


We had fun making this video, and we've had fun with the books, since then. The books they sent were Rock-a-Bye Room by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Amy Bates, and Land Shark by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Ben Mantle.

Land Shark is about a boy who wants a pet shark for his birthday. It really got all of us laughing, ages 4, 7, 9 and adult. And Rock-a-Bye Room is a super sweet bedtime poem. The illustrations are beautiful and imaginative, and I've enjoyed reading it many times to Jubilee at night. After I started my Creativebug class, I noticed all the gingham that was painted in this book and I was like, "Wow. I respect that so much more now."

But. I feel like a book subscription box has to be about MORE than just sending me good books. I have to be getting good books at a good price.

So. It's time to find out if this Bookroo box passes the "cheaper than Amazon" test. (I'm hopeful, because the last one I checked did.)


Here's the link to Rock-a-Bye Room on Amazon. At the moment, it costs $16.88 in hardcover.



Here's the link to Land Shark. At the moment, it costs 11.48 in hardcover.

Add it together and this box would cost $28.36 + shipping from Amazon.
From Bookroo, you'd get it for $17.99 + shipping. And the price only gets cheaper if you subscribe for multiple months! And it comes with the cutest gift wrapping and awesome extension ideas.

Gah! No wonder Bookroo loves working with me! I get started talking about them and I gush! There's more:

I recently went through all of our books and got rid of ... probably 100 or 150 of them? I don't know you guys. Two diaper boxes full, plus a big reusable grocery bag, ok? I just was running out of room on my walls and walls of bookshelves. And these were good books, so I donated them to our local book bank (which gives them to kids for free). Did I donate either of these two? No. Did I donate either of the last two? No! These guys pick gooood books! "hidden gems" is how they advertise it, and they're right. 

Ok, I've got to stop talking about Bookroo now. The baby needs a dry diaper for the third time during the writing of this post.

priorities

Oh shoot I almost forgot to give you the coupon code! Ok here it is for 15% off. code:BOOKS2LOVE

Have a lovely day! And if you know anyone who edits videos in exchange for books, let me know. ;-)

Joke time!

Every Monday night we have family night at our house. And, as part of our family night we have a couple of minutes called Joke Time. We take turns being in charge of Joke Time each week and, let me tell you, it's a fun thing to have in your life.

Well, a few weeks back I got an email asking if I'd like to review a new joke book put out by National Geographic. Yes I would! Levi, my second grader, is big into jokes. Plus we've got Joke Time to think of every week. Sometimes I would try to quickly look up a new joke on the internet, but honestly having a book handy is a little safer, if you're looking for something the whole family can enjoy. (That said, I do have a favorite spot for corny jokes on the internet: Rinkworks.)

So. This new book is called Just Joking Jumbo. It pairs pictures of animals with jokes, funny dialogue and a few facts. The book has 10 chapters with titles like "Far-out Space Silliness," "Hilarious History," and "Nutty Nature."



Puns, question and answer jokes, riddles and knock-knock jokes are all mixed together in a hodgepodge that makes it easy to open the book to any page and find something fun. And I think the full color interior and creative layouts make it really fun to browse through.

But Alysa! Aren't joke books just a frivolous waste of time though? Shouldn't my kid be reading a real book?

No. Let me explain.

There are three reasons I like joke books: I like that they promote 1. independent reading, 2. comprehension and 3. fluency. If your 7-year-old wants to tell you a new joke without spoiling it, he has to read it on his own, think it is funny, practice it, and then present it to you. I can't think of any other type of book that is quite as good for that particular set of skills, and offers success and positive feedback so quickly.

The other thing I like about joke books is that then my kids spontaneously tell me jokes! When Jubilee (age 4) saw I was writing a post about this book she told me her favorite joke from it.

Jubilee: What state is aaalways chewing?
Me: What?
Jubilee: Massachusetts!

For your viewing pleasure, I have a video of Levi telling his favorite one, too.

I thought about giving Just Joking Jumbo as a wrapped gift to Levi this Christmas. It's almost too big to fit in a stocking, but I suppose one could . . . Anyway I decided I'd rather let him enjoy it now. But here's the Amazon link if you want to shop for it or for other joke books or whatever.   

Aaaand just in case you haven't seen it yet, here is a hilarious sketch from our favorite sketch comedy group, Studio C. We all watched this together around Halloween, and it came up at the absolute perfect moment during Joke Time last Monday night.

I died laughing.

On Centenarians (and Books)

I saw the link to this interview of Beverly Cleary on Ms. Yingling's blog and a couple of other places as well, and finally watched it tonight.

         

Lovely! She seems like a lovely person. My own grandmother will be turning 100 this fall, so I can't help but be a little bit interested in centenarians. I wish I could go visit my grandmother, so I hope she lives at least until Christmastime, when we plan to visit Arizona. Her own mother lived to 102, and they say Grandma Carmen is going strong, so I'm optimistic.

Grandma Carmen and me, on my wedding day in 2006

One of the most memorable conversations I've had with Grandma Carmen was just a couple years ago. I called her up on the phone, and we talked about Gone With The Wind, which I was reading for my book club at the time. She, of course, remembers when it came out and the splash that the book and later the movie made. We had a great time talking about it.

Anyway, did you enjoy any of Beverly Cleary's books? I remember loving Dear Mr. Henshaw, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and the Ramona books -- though I don't know if I read all of them. I particularly remember the scene when Ramona calls Beezus a "pizza face," riffing off of the insult "pie face" and Beezus is reduced to tears because she is sensitive about her new acne. Ramona wasn't thinking of Beezus's complexion at all, but such is the way of sisters.

I haven't read any Beverly Cleary books in years, but I bet I'd love them still! What's your favorite? and do you think you'll live to be 100?

_____________________
p.s. On the subject of aging, I thought this book was very very well done.

Give the Perfect Gift at the Baby Shower: 7 Proven Board Books

Hi, everybody!



Books are such a great gift for baby showers, aren't they? I mean honestly, especially when I was about to have my first child, I had been out of the world of board books for so long. Having a couple of really good ones handpicked by friends was totally great. That was how I discovered Sandra Boynton! I don't even remember who it was that gave me her book Barnyard Dance, but I'm forever indebted.

I've shared some book recommendations before, for those who want to give a book at a baby shower. (That post is here.) But what makes a book a good choice for a shower gift?

1. It's got to be enjoyable for the parents to read. Parents will be reading this book for years before the baby-of-honor can read independently. 
2. It's got to be developmentally appropriate. Rhyming develops kids language skills. Picture cues and repetition help them learn to read. High contrast helps with eye development. 
3. It's best if they don't already own it. Obviously. 

With those guidelines in mind, I teamed up with Michelle, a friend of mine who was in 4-H with me back in the day, and is now an Usborne Books consultant. My recs link to Amazon, and hers link to her Usborne page. Here are the recommendations we came up with!

Time for a Hug - A mama rabbit and her little bunny spend the day together doing all kinds of things, and pausing frequently for hugs. This one will grow well with a child. It's fun to read to them, and also a good one for them once they begin to read. I discovered it through Bookroo (a monthly box that sends either board books or picture books). I wrote more about Bookroo here, and Bookroo would also make a great shower gift!

Little Blue Truck - A friendly truck helps others, and later gets the help that he needs. I discovered this book when I was shopping with my friend Nicole and she started gushing about how much her toddler loved it, and saying that she enjoyed reading it to him. I gave it to Camille at her baby shower this past year and a few weeks ago she told me, "I have to tell you, that is my son's favorite book!"

How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight? - Different animals each ask their babies how many kisses they want, and the book counts from one to ten. My kids (ages 5 and 2) love this book so, so much. I give it the side eye a little bit, just because some of the featured animals don't actually care for their young. But I recommend it anyway because it gives me a chance to talk about that with my older kids, plus it's so sweet and the rhyme scheme is very nice and it always ends in kisses.

Moo Baa La La La - Animals each make their sounds. I decided I couldn't just say ALL Sandra Boynton books were perfect shower gifts, because that's not helpful if you're just trying to pick one. This one is a super solid choice and is still a pleasure to read even though I've had it for years and years.

Now it's time for Michelle's books! Here are three picks from the Usborne line, and Michelle's take on them:

That's Not My Train - Any of the board books in the "That's Not My..." Series are great. These books have bright, bold, pictures and touchy-feely patches on every page. The pages are really thick and durable! My baby has loved them ever since he was just a couple months old and my three-year-old loves them too because he can "read" them since they have a predictable pattern. (That's not my train, it's roof is too rough..., that's not my train, it's wheels are too squashy...). There are over 30 in the series.

Baby's Very First Slide and See books - There are three titles in this series: Under the Sea, Animals, and Farm. These are really fun and interactive. They have pieces that slide, finger trails so that little ones can practice fine motor skills, and bright pictures! This is another book that has kept my son's attention since he was a newborn!

On the Farm - This is a fold out board book so it is perfect for brand new babies! You can stand it up on the floor and they can look at it while they do tummy time. It's color on one side and black and white on the other. My one-month-old nephew is already enjoying this book, but my three-and-a-half year old likes it too! Usborne has a similar book called 123 Counting.

Michelle even has a video of herself talking about these awesome books. The whole thing is five minutes, but she covers these three books in the first two minutes. I loved seeing the slides in action!

If this list is missing a great book, please add it in the comments, below!

And I'm curious: If you've been on the receiving end of a baby shower, what was your favorite gift? My favorite non-book gift might have to be the Mei Tai carrier some friends got for me. I like it a lot. 

"Create More" one day at a time.

A photo posted by Alysa Stewart (@everead) on Jan 9, 2016 at 9:09am PST

Hello there! I just wanted to pop on for a minute and tell you what I'm up to.

A couple of years ago a great phrase came to my mind when I was making New Years Resolutions:

Create More, Consume Less.

Though it's been a little while, this little mantra has stuck with me; and when I decided to write about drawing it came to mind. I love the feeling of creating something, so I've really been enjoying participating in a class on creativebug.com It's called "Daily Drawing Challenge: 31 Things to Draw" and the instructor is Lisa Congdon. Every day in January a new short video of her goes live and she demonstrates how to draw something. The class is ongoing, so you can join any time you're reading this, but I will say it has been very fun to participate as each day is rolled out.

A photo posted by Alysa Stewart (@everead) on Jan 7, 2016 at 6:01pm PST

I'm drawing daily and posting the work on my Instagram.

A photo posted by Alysa Stewart (@everead) on Jan 11, 2016 at 6:51pm PST

I've been super good about it for a couple of reasons:
1. If you post along with the challenge every day in January, you can win a prize (some fancy pens and art paper). I am highly motivated by prizes.
2. I got myself a buddy. When I knew I wanted to do this challenge, I also knew I would shortly feel discouraged if I didn't feel accountable to someone else. Sure, there's a teacher in the class, but it's not like she's handing out grades. I took Gretchen Rubin's quiz and it said I'm an "obliger" and I kind of believe it. So I asked Melissa Wiley if she'd be my buddy for the class. She and I were on a Cybils committee together a few years back and since then I've just fallen in love with her blog. It was through her that I discovered creativebug and Lisa Congdon's work, which I love. She said yes, and even though she's been out sick for a good chunk of the challenge, just knowing she was my buddy was enough for me.
3. I love that it is a short, daily exercise. I'm really jiving with that right now.

A photo posted by Alysa Stewart (@everead) on Jan 16, 2016 at 3:23pm PST

So above are a few of the pages that I've done so far, and you can see them all (and more) on my instagram account. Check them out! Share your thoughts with me! Because I love feedback and comments. You can leave comments here or on instagram or whatever floats your boat.

At the moment I've got to go get my boys from the bus stop. After that I'll need to do some more Cybils reading and today's daily drawing challenge. Talk to you soon!

related books:
Better Than Before
 by Gretchen Rubin (Have read parts of this, but haven't yet reviewed it)
Fortune Favors the Brave
 by Lisa Congdon (haven't read this, but I want to!)
Fox and Crow Are Not Friends
 by Melissa Wiley (my review)
*These three links are affiliate links and if you make any purchase on Amazon after clicking through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Win-win. :)

Christmas Book Giveaway!

Hey everybody! How's it going? The 2015 Holiday Recommendations post is still going strong, so feel free to request more recommendations, if you need them. I'm having a lot of fun with these. We have ages 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, and adult covered! Anybody have a 7, 12, or 14 year old in their life?!? Haha. You can totally repeat ages by the way, I'm just going for a straight, or a royal flush or something.

As for today, I have a Christmas book giveaway!

 

This book looks like a great one to put under the tree. Here's the trailer for it:



What do you think? It looks like something I could use to discuss not only Christmas, but also forgiving others, asking for forgiveness, and creativity. I wouldn't be surprised if the book inspired my boys (ages 5 and 7) to make their own unusual nativities.

If you want to win this book, sign up for my newsletter! I'll be honest and say that at this point I pretty much only use the newsletter to let subscribers know about giveaways, and to then be able to get in touch with them easily to give out the prizes. I do reserve the right, however, to send awesome emails that don't have giveaways in them . . . just in case. And of course you're welcome to unsubscribe anytime being on my email list is no longer useful to you.

If you're already signed up, just reply to the email, and I'll put your name in the hat. ;)

Put your email here for a chance to win A Rare Nativity:

You should get a  confirmation email from me via MailChimp. Confirm your subscription and you know you are entered.


This giveaway will end on Sunday, December 13, 2015. Click here to read the Everead Giveaway Policy.

Merry Christmas!

New YA Non-Fiction: Symphony for the City of the Dead

When I think back on the reading I was required to do in high school, it's mostly fiction that comes to mind. The non-fiction texts I read back then were pretty much exclusively textbooks (though I did read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl in 9th grade). Was the market devoid of YA non-fiction? It's possible. I mean, what's the difference between non-fiction for adults and non-fiction for "young" adults a.k.a. teens?

I don't know if I can fully answer those questions, but I have read a non-fiction book for teens I want to talk about.

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad
by M. T. Anderson to be released 9/22/2015
I received an uncorrected proof from the publisher, with the understanding that I would review it.

There are three main reasons I wanted to read this book, when the pitch for it came up in my inbox:

1. M.T. Anderson - The man won the National Book Award for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party (historical fiction) and I tried to read that book but I gave up on it. I also tried to read by him, Feed by him, but put it down early. (That one is YA sci-fi.) Anyway, lots of authors I like (including John Green and Shannon Hale) like M.T. Anderson's books and promote them, so I've been looking for one that works for me.

2. Shostakovich - I am not the Stewart family expert on composers. That would be my husband, Jacob. So when I read "Shostakovich" it rang a bell but I couldn't pull up any particular music in my head. And I wanted to fix that.

3. Cover Art - It has a really nice cover. I liked it even better, the further I got in the book.

So. Did Symphony for the City of the Dead work for me? Was it the M.T. Anderson book I could finish? Yes! A few chapters in I told Jacob, "reading this book is like listening to NPR." And by that I meant that 1. it was enjoyable 2. it made me consider political stuff and musical stuff from a new perspective 3. the human element was big, and 4. I felt smarter after doing it.

Anderson includes quotes, cites sources, adds maps and images, but successfully makes the book a flowing narrative. Admittedly, I couldn't see the maps. I got a galley, so I just got a grey rectangle with the words "Map to come" in it. But it was always placed right around when I was thinking, "you know, I could really use a map..." I'm confident that the finished book will have excellent visuals.

I appreciated that Anderson discussed the sources he was drawing from. In particular, he talked about a biography of Shostakovich that was once thought to be an autobiography, but has since been discredited a bit. "Take this with a grain of salt," is his basic message, but he goes into all the details. If the book were written with an adult audience in mind, would that be glossed over? I hope not. Would a discussion of the validity of the source throw off the pacing of the book? I've seen it happen. Anderson does a good job of hitting all the targets and still keeping things moving.

I was glad Symphony for the City of the Dead was written for a teen audience, because I think that kept it from being too gory. I super appreciated that. I'm the sort of person who avoids horror movies at all costs, and only watches war movies that are rated OK for 13-year-olds. Sometimes when you're reading a book that quotes from first-hand accounts of war, you get a detailed account of violence that becomes seared in your brain and haunts you. After reading this book I did not have nightmares. I did want to fill my basement with a year's supply of non-perishables, because Anderson did a great job of portraying the horrors of war and Hitler's siege of Leningrad (the longest siege on record). There was one passage that I skipped, I confess, which talked about the torture of one of Shostakovich's friends. But other than that, I didn't feel compelled to skip any of the book, despite all the sufferings described.

Do I now have a piece of music to associate with Shostakovich? Yes, I do. The book talks about several of Shostakovich's symphonies and other pieces in detail, and of course hinges around Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, which is the Leningrad Symphony. But it's actually a different piece of music I hear when I think of him. The day after I finished the book, I happened to watch Fantasia 2000 with my daughter, and when Bette Midler announced that the music for The Steadfast Tin Soldier animation was Shostakovich I cheered. I love that one! And holy moly I like it even more now that I know more about the man who wrote it.

For your listening pleasure, here's a video of two guys playing it (one is playing the orchestral reduction).


Besides gaining familiarity with Shostakovich, I learned irreversibly the difference between Lenin and Stalin (which I think someone had explained to me before, but the details had become muddy in my mind). I got that now. I know who Lenin is. I know who Stalin is, I know who Shostakovich is, and I already knew who Hitler was, too, but I learned more about him also. Speaking of which, Symphony for the City of the Dead gave me a whole new perspective on WWII since I've never read anything from the USSR at the time. They call it The Great Patriotic War, by the way, not WWII.

I highly recommend Symphony for the City of the Dead, if it sounds interesting to you. Here is a summary of each part of the book:

Part One deals with the situation in Russia/USSR before WWII and the early life of Shostakovich.

Part Two deals with the German invasion and the siege, and makes up most of the book. It discusses the later works of Shostakovich, his family life and his politics during the war. 

Part Three deals with Cold War and post-war stuff, and perceptions of Shostakovich after that. 

I wonder if the Fred Astaire movie I loved, Silk Stockings, was inspired by Shostakovich at all. If so, it's in very poor taste. Ha! It definitely features a composer with nervous mannerisms and wears glasses. It definitely simplifies the politics of the time, and insults the Communist Party. A product of it's time (1957), I'm sure. Still, I loved that movie as a child. Great dance moves.

Anyway, if you'd like to shop for Symphony of the City of the Dead, here is an affiliate link where you can do that. When you make purchases after clicking on my affiliate links, I get a small commission. Should I go back and link the other books I've mentioned? I'll go back and do that, too.

And, if you're looking for more YA non-fiction, I can recommend The Year We Disappeared. I mention it on my list of Books for a 14-year-old Boy.

Have you read any YA Non-fiction? Tell me about it. 
Share me your recommendations. 

A couple bookish things

1. A good book related talk:
Have you seen this TED talk by Mac Barnett? I loved it! I enjoyed it so much I had to share bits of it with the rest of the family. In it he talks about his book Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, which I have not read (but which looks very fun).

Text (above) and this image are affiliate links.

He says that under the dust jacket, the cover is an advertises a free whale for those who send in a self-addressed envelope. In his TED talk, Mac Barnett explains what exactly they send the kids who write in requesting a free whale. :D (Hint: It's not actually a whale . . . unless you've got a good imagination.)

Thanks for sending this my way, mom!

2. Perhaps you like theater, as well as books?
Another little thing you might be interested in: one of my friends is a professor these days and he asked me to spread the word about this research project. The survey is really short (took me 5 minutes or less), and you can opt in to a $30 cash prize drawing if you complete it. Quick, potentially lucrative, and for good causes! (Namely: nerdiness and theater) Take the survey here, and tell 'em Alysa Stewart sent you.

Austenland Trailer!

The official movie trailer for the Austenland movie is here! Yay! It debuts August 16th in N.Y. and L.A. with other cities to be announced.



It is based on the book Austenland by Shannon Hale, of course!

Funny thing: Benjamin just said, "What's Austenland mom? Is it Alice in Wonderland, but Austenland?" "Haha! Kind of."

Heaven is Here

Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson

This is a fascinating memoir.  Stephanie Nielson tells the story of her life, including the plane crash that burned over 80% of her body.

I was curious. I had heard of Stephanie Nielson, or Nie Nie, before I read this book -- Amy (our fab logo designer) has followed her blog for a long time. Like myself, Stephanie is Mormon, and we Mormons know that not everyone is Mormon, so we're naturally curious about what other Mormons are up to. My friend Rachel (you guessed it, she's Mormon) offered to lend me the book, and I jumped at the chance. I had wanted to know Nie Nie's story in her own words (not second hand, not in a news article or magazine) but I didn't want to read the vast archive of her blog. So the book was perfect for me.

The book has three parts: the first gives background, the second takes us through her dark days of early recovery, and the third shows us life after the hospital. The crash happened in August 2008, and the book ends with some good closure; but Stephanie's story (and surgeries) are far from over.

It has solid writing and pacing. Stephanie conveys her experience with a delicate balance of detail and distance. I never felt like I was prying into her personal life, and somehow still got all the information I wanted. Though at first I wasn't sure that we needed so much background about her life before the crash, as I read on I was convinced. Her recovery was more moving to me because of the context that the first section gives.

Stephanie had really put all of herself toward fulfilling her dreams -- dreams of motherhood and domestic bliss. She pursued her goals ferociously. It seemed to be working out for her, until after the crash --  all of her lovely eggs had been in one basket and upon awaking from a medically induced coma of three months, she felt wholly incapable of living. It is gratifying to see her slowly and steadily overcome depression and regain physical strength.

The book changed the way I look at Stephanie, literally. "I hate to say it, but it's hard for me to look at pictures of her" said my (Mormon) friend Kate. I knew exactly what she meant. But after reading this book I can look at photos of her. Probably because I know why she looks the way she does. To look at her is not as confusing as it was before. Hearing her explain her appearance to her kids helped me comprehend. And I know that pictures of her now look much better than they would have in her early recovery days. She's looking great! And by the end of the book you can tell she thinks so, too. She's not in denial, she says in so many words that she is disfigured. She has felt discouraged about her appearance, but the bottom line is she knows where she has been.

This book was powerful for me because Stephanie and I share the same faith. (We're members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Also I know the settings of the book well -- Mesa and St. Johns, AZ. Salt Lake City and Provo, UT.  I definitely felt a personal connection. I can't speak for anyone else, because, simply put, I am me. That said, I think this book would work as well for someone who doesn't share our faith or geography.

Recommended.

_______________
p.s. Stephanie's popular blog can be found at nieniedialogues.com
Her sister Courtney blogged Nie updates while she was asleep
My favorite Nie Nie video: A New Life
My Thank You to Nie Nie!
An affiliate link, if you want to buy Heaven Is Here from Amazon.

Cybils season! +Hunger Games teaser trailer

Hey everybody! Here is the link to the Cybils site, just in case you want to volunteer to be a judge. I've loved it, three years running.  Crossing my fingers for four.

Also here is a link to the Hunger Games teaser trailer. Just in case you haven't seen it.

Rapunzel's Revenge Book Trailer Voting

You can now vote for your favorite trailer at Shannon Hale's blog!  Somehow my maiden name is with my entry, but it works.  It's a good name.  Yeehaw!

Rapunzel's Revenge Book Trailer

My entry into the Rapunzel's Revenge Book Trailer Contest is live! And I still chuckle at the funny parts even though I watched the footage at least 50 times. :D What do you guys think?

Contest info here and here. I will let you know when the voting begins!

Especially for Anna

...who is reading The Catcher in the Rye for her English class right now. Three links:

Catcher in the Rye intro

Catcher part one (through ch 15)

Catcher part two (through end)

John Green, award winning young adult novelist and self proclaimed nerd, made these videos. None is longer than 4 min.

Where the Wild Things Are---the movie!

It recently came to my attention that this classic children's book is going to be made into a movie. I am both intrigued and worried. Do we have another Jumanji on our hands? A movie where the directors take only the basic idea of the book and run completely wild with it? Because really, there's not much to the plot of this children's book---even less than Chris van Allsburg's classic. Max gets sent to his room without dinner. He imagines an island inhabited by Wild Things over whom he becomes king. Then he leaves, even though they don't want him to. The end. I'm not seeing what the real driving angst in this film is going to be. Come October of this year, I guess we'll find out! Here's hoping for a good one!

Gaiman interviewed by Colbert

I quite enjoyed this little clip of the most recent Newbery winning author. Here he is interviewed by comedian Stephen Colbert and assures him that after the books opening line (which Colbert recently made fun of), "it gets better." :)

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/221843/march-16-2009/neil-gaiman



Thanks to Leila for posting this.

I got a good laugh

from this video. Thanks to Robin for posting it. And for reminding us that it isn't true, at least mostly.

Banned Books Week

This week is . . .you guessed it. . . Banned Books Week! (What gave it away? Was it the post title? Poll time.) What does that mean? Well it means that lots of people are celebrating the "freedom to read" by reading a banned book.

This week does NOT celebrate the banning of books. If it did I wouldn't be taking part. Every author, librarian, and teacher I have heard speak on this subject is against book banning. I am too. Not only do I think book banning violates the first amendment, I also think it is counterproductive and a monumental waste of resources.

Think about it: If, instead of trying to get a book banned, a book-banner put all that effort, time, and money into getting a book they liked promoted, everyone would be happier. Say instead of shouting from the rooftops (and local newspapers) "Don't read Book X!" they shout "Read Book Y!" Then instead of the librarian being in fighting stance, the librarian is on their side. Instead of people reading Book X to see what all the fuss is about, they're reading Book Y for the same reason. Instead of sounding anti-constitutional, they sound pro-education. No one will have time to read Book X because they're all reading Book Y. People are picketing the library with signs that say "Bring author Y here!" "We want author Y!" It's like a librarian's and an author's and an educator's and a parent's dream! Good books for all! Just ignore the ones you don't like. Stop worrying about protecting the community from bad books -- show them a good book and help them love it!

Yay, books! Good books for all!

A video via Bookshelves of Doom

Rapunzel's Roundup: The Extended Edition

So, word on the street is that many Shannon Hale fans out there would have loved to witness the dramatic reading I described in the Rapunzel's Roundup post below. Luckily, I just happen to have an even longer video of the beginning of the dramatic reading. Due to popular demand, I'm posting it now, so here you have it--Rapunzel's Revenge: the Extended Edition!

Rapunzel's Roundup: A Utah Author-fest!

To celebrate the release of their graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge, Shannon and Dean Hale, and their illustrator Nathan Hale, along with the King's English Bookstore and SLC Public Library system hosted a fabulous event in Salt Lake City last weekend. The event was star-studded with appearances made by six YA authors from Utah (not counting Shannon and Dean Hale) which resulted in a book-signing frenzy extraordinare. Okay, so perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but hey, call it poetic license.
Shannon, Dean, and Nathan, with a few props and a friend or two did a dramatic reading of some key scenes in Rapunzel's Revenge after which each of the guest authors were introduced and asked about their past and present novels and projects. Highlights include watching Dean stage a cross-dressing Jack, Nathan's wild boar impression, Shannon's struggle to control her home-made Rapunzel braids, James Dashner telling everyone his ideal "reality" could be a reality in which nobody wears clothes (how many disturbed mothers of young children do you think complained to the library afterwards?), Sara Zarr constantly laughing at James Dashner's whispered commentary, Jessica Day George's comments on how much more fun and free it was to write her own fairytale instead of re-writing somebody else's, Kimberly Heuston celebrating two weeks of being an officially full-time author, Mette Ivie Harrison's cool bookmarks publicizing the sequel for The Princess and the Hound, and my involved "teacher" conversation with A.E. (Ann) Cannon.
Of course, being me, I walked out with a very large stack of books and a very empty wallet, but how can you pass up these kinds of opportunities? I am now the proud owner of signed copies of Sara Zarr's highly acclaimed Story of a Girl, James Dashner's The 13th Reality (with "Teacher's Rock!" written in silver sharpie on the inside cover), Rapunzel's Revenge with a cool picture of cowboy boots from Nathan Hale and a message from Dean Hale that says I'm cooler than anybody knows backed up by Shannon Hale, A.E. Cannon's A Loser's Guide to Life and Love signed specifically for my future students, Jessica Day George's first original fairytale Dragon Flight, and Mette Ivie Harrison's The Princess and the Hound which is swiftly becoming a favorite. Bottom line: watch for some major book review action from my side of the country!
Now, Alysa told me to shamelessly take pictures, but my camera was not exactly cooperating, and I was more concerned with juggling my books and getting everything signed, and talking to the authors as opposed to blinding them, so what you see is what you get. There's one of Shannon and Dean busily signing away, one with Sara Zarr, me, and Mette Ivie Harrison, and a short video (I hope it works) of part of the dramatic reading performance.
 Note: a longer version of this video is available on the post Rapunzel's Roundup: Extended Edition. :) Also, I've added an affiliate link below, so you can shop easily. - Alysa 10/16/2015.