A Special Saturday Trifecta: Annie and Helen by Deborah Hopkinson and Raul Colon

Mr. Colby Sharp and I are celebrating the first trifecta of the 2012-2013 school year with Annie and Helen. It is an outstanding picture book biography that tells the story of two inspiring women: Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller.

I think young readers will enjoy Deborah Hopkinson's lyrical language and Raul Colon's memorable watercolor illustrations. Teachers will appreciate that the back matter includes an author's note, photographs of Annie and Helen, suggestions for further reading, and Helen's first letter home.

Please head over to Mr. Sharp's blog to read his review of Annie and Helen. Don't forget to come back here to read my interview with award-winning author Deborah Hopkinson. OK?

Mr. Schu: It seems as though every generation is interested in learning more about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller. When did you first become interested in their lives?

Deborah Hopkinson: I think you’re absolutely correct. I remember being fascinated by Helen and her accomplishments, and so were my two kids. But it wasn’t until I saw a news article in 2008 about a re-discovered rare photograph of Annie and Helen with her doll that I began to imagine a picture book about them. It was then that I realized that Annie had lived in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, the town I lived in until I was four years old.

Mr. Schu: If you could sit down with Annie Sullivan and ask her one question, what would you ask?

Deborah Hopkinson: I think I would ask her if, in that spring of 1887 when she first set out to take a job teaching a little girl, if she could ever have imagined where it would take her, and that it would earn her a place in history.

Mr. Schu: What is one thing that surprised you while researching Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller?

Deborah Hopkinson: While I certainly knew that Annie Sullivan was a dedicated teacher, I was amazed to realize how young she was -- just 21 in the spring of 1887 – and how innovative her teaching methods were for the time। Something else surprised me too: the rapid progress Helen made. When Annie arrived in March, Helen didn’t understand how to use language. By July, she had written a simple letter!

Mr. Schu: My friend Donna and I visited Ivy Green a year ago. Touring Helen’s house, walking around her property, and seeing the water pump was deeply moving. Did you do any of your research at Ivy Green?

Deborah Hopkinson: I wish that I could have. Because I have a full time job in addition to writing, I don’t get to do as much on-site research as I would like. I would love to visit there someday.

Mr. Schu: What do you hope young readers learn from reading Annie and Helen?

Deborah Hopkinson: I think one of the things literature helps us do is become more empathetic. I hope that by learning more about Helen, young readers feel more compassionate to people who struggle to learn, whatever their obstacles may be.

Mr. Schu: Reading is...

one of the best things about being a human being!

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about…

Deborah Hopkinson: My new books! Next year I will have two new books. Knit Your Bit, A Story of World War I, which was inspired by the Central Park Knitting Bee of 1918, comes out in Spring 2013.

Then next fall, my middle grade novel, The Great Trouble, A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, will be out. It takes place in 1854 during a terrible outbreak of cholera in London. I hope readers will find out more about my books by visiting my website. Thank you!

"Helen was like a small, wild bird, throwing herself against the bars of a dark and silent cage."

"Annie spelled into Helen's palm all day long. Like someone on a windy peak trying to kindle a fire for warmth, Annie kept hoping for a spark to catch."

"Annie made the world their classroom."

I am giving away one copy of Annie and Helen.

Rules for the Giveaway

1. It will run from September 1 to 11:59 PM on September 5.

2. You must be at least 13.

3. Please pay it forward.

The third part of today's trifecta will post tomorrow. Please visit Nerdybookclub.com to read Deborah's post.

September 3^rd: Bakers and Astronauts

September 4^th: Two Writing Teachers

September 5^th: Cracking the Cover

September 6^th: Teach Mentor Texts

September 7^th: Nonfiction Detectives

September 8^th: Booking Mama

September 9^th: Children’s Book Review

September 10^th: Random Acts of Reading

September 11^th: 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Author Kim Baker

Kim Baker is a writer who loves to read, bake, explore, and connect with her readers. I invited her on Watch. Connect. Read. to discuss her debut middle-grade novel, Pickle.

I wrote the words in red, and Kim wrote the words in black. Thank you, Kim!

*Pickle is about a group of kids who form a pickle making group at school as a front for their secret prank task force (the Prank and Trick Association, or other P.T.A.). Their pranks are more silly than mean-spirited, and then a rogue prank makes it about more than just getting a laugh. My editor says it’s Frindle meets Fight Club for kids. It’s genially subversive, just like I was at that age (Ok, I’m still like that).

* Tim Probert’s illustrations are such a great match for Pickle! I think he really captured the characters and tone of the story. It’s funny, because I intentionally didn’t put much physical description of the characters in the book, but he drew them pretty much just like I pictured them- without the two of us ever communicating. I think Tim did a great job.

(Image taken from here.)

*On Pickle’s book birthday I will be busy! It’s the day before my kids go back to school, and my launch party at my neighborhood bookstore, Secret Garden Books in Seattle, will be that night. We’ll be making candy sushi and green Twinkie-like things that may or may not resemble pickles. It will be an experiment.

*I spend a lot of time thinking “What if?” I think most writers do this, but I really go nuts. For Pickle, I’d been chewing around a story idea with a secret society for kids, and what that would entail, but it wasn’t working. I love Improv Everywhere (a NYC grown up “prank collective”) because their pranks are more about entertainment and absurdity than typical victimization pranks. I thought, “What if a secret group of kids did something like that?” and “What if there was an authoritarian principal who didn’t really appreciate fun?” Then things just went from there.

*I think you should read these funny books:

(Hmm. How long can this post be?)

Growing up my favorites were Bunnicula by James Howe and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. There have been a lot of great, funny books in recent years. Such as…

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger

The Fourth Stall series by Chris Rylander

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung (It’s not out until October, but it’s hilarious!)

And how great is it that a funny book won the Newbery this year? I read Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos with my son, but we couldn't do it while his sister was napping because he laughed so hard it would wake her up.

*Reading is such a fascinating balance between universal truths and individual connection. It’s a solitary activity (usually), but reading gives us a bond and comprehension of humanity. And it’s fun!

*Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about why I chose for Ben, Pickle’s protagonist, to be Mexican-American. My mom is Mexican-American and I grew up around that side of the family. When I was a kid there were only a few books with Latino characters, and most were about dramatic, cultural issues (e.g. immigration). I wanted to make a story for a kid like me just doing regular stuff, who happens to be Mexican-American. His culture comes into the story in a natural way. I think (hope!) there will be more and more contemporary books with different cultures. And I’m thrilled that Macmillan chose to put him front and center on the cover! I hope kids can connect with that aspect in a way that I never got a chance to when I was that age.

I am giving away two copies of Pickle.

Rules for the Giveaway

1. The giveaway will run from August 31 to 11:59 PM on September 4.

2. You must be at least 13.

3. Please pay it forward. :)

Videos of the Day: Brian Farrey and the Newest Erin Hunter

I predict Brian Farrey's The Vengekeep Prophecies and the newest Erin Hunter will be popular with my fourth- and fifth-grade students. I'll share the following book trailers during next week's "YOU MIGHT WANT TO PLACE THESE BOOKS ON HOLD" session. Happy watching!

The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey. On sale: 10/23/12

The Empty City by Erin Hunter. On sale: NOW

HarperKids, my students and I appreciate that you make book trailers for many of your books. Thank you!

Way Too Much of a Good Thing

When I started reviewing books in the mid-1990s, I made no distinction between hardbound and paperback crime/mystery novels.

In fact, I found the general critical consensus on ignoring paperbacks to be elitist and rather offensive. Before I was a critic, I was a reader and, like most fans, I bought paperbacks. Most of the hardbacks I read were ones I took out of the library.

So it made sense,

Your Not-So-Permanent Library?

Leaving books to descendents upon one’s death is no big deal. But as The Wall Street Journal points out, it’s a trickier legal matter -- at least for the time being -- to hand down e-books:
Someone who owned 10,000 hardcover books and the same number of vinyl records could bequeath them to descendants, but legal experts say passing on iTunes and Kindle libraries would be much more complicated.

Ivy and Bean Blog-a-Bration (Week 3)

One of the best parts of my week is when I hop from blog to blog reading the Ivy and Bean Day Blog-a-Bration posts. I'm thankful for the creative and inspiring ideas educators and bloggers are sharing. You're all making me a better teacher-librarian.

This week I am celebrating Ivy and Bean: Break the Fossil Record, the third volume in Annie Barrow's bestselling and award-winning series.

I asked random students to share what they liked about Break the Fossil Record and the Ivy and Bean series.

*"Ivy + Bean: Break the Fossil Record is my favorite book in the series. I've read it twice."

*"I like to read the Guinness Book of World Records. It is fun to skip around. Ivy and Bean like to read them, too."

*Last year, my class acted out this book on Skype. I played Ivy."

*Mrs. Aruba-Tate is a nice teacher."

*I borrow World Records books from our school library. Ivy and Bean love world records."

*"The illustrations are funny. I have an Ivy and Bean poster hanging in my bedroom."

*"I want to read Ivy and Bean: Make the Rules. I'm going to ask my grandma to buy it for me."

*"Ivy and Bean Day is a lot of fun."

Chronicle has generously agreed to give away a paperback copy of Ivy and Bean: Break the Fossil Record and three sets of Ivy + Bean Mini Notes.

Rules for the Giveaway

1. The giveaway will run from August 29 to 11:59 PM on August 31.

2. You must be at least 13.

3. Please pay it forward.

Coquette Maman
In the Pages
Kid Lit Frenzy
Media Darlings
One Page to the Next
Roundtable Reviews for Kids
Ruth Ayres Writes
Sharpread
The Children’s Book Review
The Family That Reads Together
The O.W.L.
There’s A Book
Van Meter Library Voice

The winner of Ivy + Bean: Break the Fossil Record (Book 3) will be entered into a drawing to win this AMAZING package:

A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows
1 Ivy and Bean Paper Doll Play Set
1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory
1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows
Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz (not pictured, but they are so cute!!)
Set of Ivy and Bean stickers

Mr. Schu's Birthday Giveaway

It's my 31st birthday, and I'll give away The One and Only Ivan

and Wonder

if I want to. You would give them away too if they inspired you.

1. The giveaway will run from August 28 to 12:01 AM CDT on August 29.

2. You must be at least 13.

3. Please pay it forward. :)

A Long-Unpaid Debt

Here’s a funny little story. Judith Freeman, author of such books as The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved, says that Republican U.S. presidential nominee Willard Mitt Romney owes her family money -- and has for more than a century.

“The financial connection,” explains the Los Angeles Times, “was between Romney's great-grandfather Miles P. Romney and Freeman’s

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/27/12

Jen and Kellee host a weekly meme called "What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA." It encourages you to share what you read during the previous week and to plan what you're going to read/review during the current week. Thank you, Kelly and Jen, for hosting this fun meme.

Unusual Creatures. By Michael Hearst. Illustrated by Arjen Noordeman, Christie Wright, and Jelmer Noorderman. Chronicle, 2012. Interest level: Grades 3-7.

Pretend you asked me to share five adjectives that best describe this book: UNIQUE. INFORMATIVE. WELL-DESIGNED. ENGAGING. FUNNY.

Bad Apple. Written and illustrated by Edward Hemingway. Penguin, 2012. Interest level: K-2.

Yes, you asked for five adjectives about this book, too. COLORFUL. SWEET. DIDACTIC (IN A GOOD WAY). SIMPLE. TIMELY. (Because it deals with bullying.)

The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Written by Elizabeth George Speare. Houghton Mifflin, 1958. Interest level: Grades 5-9.

I talk more about The One and Only Ivan in the video, so I'll share five adjectives about it. POIGNANT. CONCISE. POETIC. THOUGHT-PROVOKING. A MASTERPIECE. (I realize masterpiece is a noun.)

Onion John by Joseph Krumgold

Yesterday's Book Purchases

Adding books to my school library's collection is one of the best parts of my job. I have an open purchase order with Anderson's Bookshop, which means I visit the bookshop every week (sometimes every day) to pick up a handful of new titles for my students. I like having an open purchase order with Anderson’s for three reasons.

1. I'm supporting a local independent bookshop.

2. I often call Anderson's throughout the day if a student requests a specific title that we do not carry.

3. Anderson’s is a magical place.

Yesterday afternoon, I selected the first books for the 2012-2013 school year

(The numbers in the photograph match the books below.)

1. Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show by Michael Buckley and Dan Santat. Interest level: Grades K-3.

2. Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer. Interest level: Grades K-2.

3. Dog Gone by Leeza Hernandez. Interest level: Grades K-1.

4. Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes. Interest level: K-1.

5. Big Nate Makes the Grade by Lincoln Peirce. Interest level: Grades 4-7.

6. One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale. Interest level: Grades 3-6.

7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Interest level: Grades 4-8.

8. Freedie Ramos Makes a Splash by Jacqueline Jules. Interest level: Grades 1-3.

9. The Boxcar Children Beginning: The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm by Patricia MacLachlan.