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Announcement
I'm no longer blogging here (or anywhere), but I have been using the livejournal sign in to comment occasionally on other people's blogs.
I'd love to connect with other kid-lit lovers and writers @kelcrocker via Twitter. Find me here. -
Plot=Trouble
Although I enjoy and can appreciate all genres of literature for children and teens, I tend to lean toward contemporary YA fiction. That's probably the reason I hesitated, until now, to begin the much-ballyhooed His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. I knew I'd read it some day, but why hurry ( Read more... ) -
Three GOOD Things
1. "Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend" by carriejones. I just ached with Belle. She and the other characters are so alive! I want to do this.
2. "Shark Girl" by Kelly Bingham, who, like the fabtabulous carriejones, is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. How did she write so convincingly about what it's like to be a ( Read more... ) -
Honest Writing
Have you been watching PBS' 11-part series, America at the Crossroads? I saw part of one episode last night that looked at Osama Bin Laden, and I happened to see the second of two shows tonight, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience. The show featured poetry, a graphic novel, fiction, nonfiction and essays by current and former ( Read more... ) -
Trying to curb nastiness in the blog-o-sphere
The NYTimes reports that some high-powered techsters are proposing various guidelines for responding to blogs. How sad that this is even necessary! Here's the story.The online forums I'm involved in seem to be filled with people who express their opinions without putting others down-or getting all violent, for example-for thinking differently. ( ( Read more... ) -
Robert San Souci Sightings + GATORS WIN!
Well, I didn't drive The Famous Visiting Author yesterday after all. I arrived at school in my fresh-smelling (old) car at the appointed time and discovered that he'd left a couple of hours earlier. Apparently he'd finished early and understandably wanted to rest up at the hotel before his evening session-Sundaes with San Souci-at the school, and ( Read more... ) -
Driving Mr. Author Man
I've been blown away by what my son's elementary school has been doing to prepare for a weeklong visit by children's author Robert San Souci, starting tomorrow. I can brag because I've had absolutely nothing to do with it. (For some reason, the link isn't working. Here's San Souci's website: Read more... ) -
You are invited: Cyber Birthday Party!
Tomorrow is saraharonson's birthday, but I'll be on the road for about 12 hours. So I'm sending out this invite a bit early. Come to a party for her here ( Read more... ) -
Bong Hits 4 Jesus: The US Supreme Court Will Hear a Landmark Student Free Speech Case
What's Kenneth Starr been up to? Apparently opposing a high school kid with a . . . a . . . oh my God, no! A . . . signI've always been proud that three Des Moines students-protesting the Vietnam War-stood their ground in the case that led to the landmark 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found students (and teachers, by the way) do not "shed ( Read more... ) -
Yay! An article about YA that seems actually researched
Teens buying books at fastest rate in decades ( Read more... )