MotherReader

That was fun, right? I hope everyone shrunk their TBR pile a little bit more and had a blast doing it. Let’s see how we did.

Please link to your final summary post with Mr. Linky here no later than noon EST on Monday, June 8th. If you supported a charity or cause in connection with your reading, please note that in the comments. I’ll announce the winners Monday afternoon or evening, depending on how long it takes to sort things out.

Thanks for playing!

48 Hour Book Challenge Participants

1. CindyinTempe 2. Rebecca 3. Jen (NerdGirlTalking) 4. LiyanaLand! 5. Paulina 6. Anna 7. Briana (What Bri Reads) 8. Steph (Reviewer X) 9. Susan B. Evans 10. Wendy 11. Katy 12. Becky 13. Lazygal 14. Bibliovore 15. Shannon 16. Amanda (A Patchwork of Books) 17. Melissa (Book Nut) 18. Ami 19. MotherReader 20. Christina @ Flip the Page Book Reviews! 21. SBBO 22. Scott: HPL YA 23. Charlotte 24. tammy 25. Lori 26. Sharon Hrycewicz 27. Jennie (Biblio File) 28. Saints and Spinners 29. Tasses 30. Jen Robinson 31. lakereader 32. iAlessa 33. Sarah-GreenBeanTeenQueen 34. Paige Y. 35. Bethany (Lessons From the Head) 36. Imelda 37. Steph 38. Sandra

39. The Brain Lair 40. Tricia (Miss Rumphius) 41. Jess (The Joys of Reading) 42. Becky (One Literature Nut) 43. Kerri (Bookends) 44. Kristi (The Story Siren) 45. Kristin 46. Monique (The Little Reading Nook) 47. Dreadful Penny 48. Amanda 49. Shannan 50. Megan 51. Kay @ Infiniteshelf 52. Jess (Active Voice) 53. Sondra Eklund 54. Blog from the Windowsill 55. Sherry at Semicolon 56. Erica (The Book Cellar) 57. Reyna 58. Diane ~ The Book Resort 59. Mary Ann (Great Kid Books) 60. beth 61. Erika 62. Laura 63. Abby the Librarian 64. Elisabeth Reads 65. Sandra (Fresh Ink Books) 66. Leah:) 67. Jill (NerdGirl Talking) 68. M 69. Camille @ BookMoot 70. Kathrin 71. Lady Schrapnell 72. Ms. Yingling 73. Rasco from RIF 74. Military76Brat: Celebrate Life w/Bargains 75. Kimberly @ lectitans 76. MillyMarie

77. Shonda 78. Leila 79. Susan 80. Mandy 81. Trisha 82. Kristin 83. Jessi (casual dread) 84. Lawral 85. Karen Healey 86. Mary Lee 87. Crystal F. 88. misskate 89. Natasha @ Maw Books 90. Sarah (TheReadingZone) 91. Emily's Reading Room 92. Muttix 93. myza 94. Little Willow 95. Pippi's Postings 96. Melissa Wiley 97. Franki 98. Lindsay (NerdGirlTalking) 99. Andromeda Jazmon 100. Juli 101. Vasilly 102. Gwen Frankenstien 103. Amy Planchak Graves 104. Cindy(cindysloveofbooks) 105. msmac 106. Courtney 107. Karen at Literate Lives 108. Lizzy 109. Eva 110. Julie 111. Rebecca (Lost in Books) 112. Heather

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The continuing schedule:

4:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Sleep
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.	Networking time
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Breakfast
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Networking time
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Blog
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Read MagicKeepers: The Eternal Hourglass
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Blog
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Break
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Try audiobook; complete failure
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Break for DC KidLit Book Club
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Blog
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Read The Summer I Turned Pretty

I know I’m jumping the gun on my summary, but I want to get the Finish Line post up and then go back and complete my last book for the challenge.

So I’ll have eight books read, and a total of thirty hours spent reading, blogging, and networking. I’m happy with my total hours which reached my personal goal. I was less happy with my number of books and wondered why I was reading so slowly. But I forgot that I took full advantage of the networking time — which seemed appropriate as the host — so it’s more like twenty-five hours. Then take out the blogging time, and it’s more like eight books in twenty hours, and that’s more like it for my reading pace.

I am so glad I added in the social media option this year. Personally, I liked the breaks to see what others were doing — even though I was only able to visit a fraction of the participants. I loved skimming the Twitter feed, which made me feel more connected to the community as I did the reading. We’ll be keeping that. Overall, I had a great time reading some great books alongside great bloggers. Who could ask for more?

Oh, I’ve decided to do my reviews of three of the books during the week because I have more to say than I can capture on little sleep. So this week you’ll be hearing about Secret Keeper, by Mitali Perkins, Cold Hands, Warm Heart, by Jill Wolfson, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han.

There was a two-week blog tour for MagicKeepers: The Eternal Hourglass, by Erica Kirov, so I feel like I’ve seen the book everywhere. Good thing that it has an appealing cover — and story.

Nick is living in a third-rate hotel with his father, a fourth-rate magician in Las Vegas. But on Nick’s thirteenth birthday, his circumstances change completely as he finds himself living among a family of magicians. Real magicians, not those illusionists putting on stage shows. And the family is his own extended relations exiled from Russia. Nick finds out about his own powers and the secret that he carries that threatens him and his new family.

I liked the inclusion of Russian culture and history in the book. Houdini also makes an appearance as we learn the back story of a lost magical relic. The writing is engaging and lightly funny. There may be comparisons to Harry Potter, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s probably good, as it may draw readers to this great title. This Middle Grade series will be particularly good for kids who like the idea of the Potter books, but may not be ready to tackle the longer and darker ones. Personally, I’ll be watching for the next book.

For more information, check out the website and blog.

Up at 8:30 a.m., but lounged in bed with seventh grader talking about Catching Fire. We also talked about how realistic My Life in Pink and Green was in terms of boy/girl relationships that I’ve seen. Seventh grader told me about some couples in her grade that she’s seen kissing in the halls. I tried not to have a heart attack.

I don’t have a schedule to post, having only been awake a few hours, but I do have a plan. So far, I spent about an hour visiting blogs, now I’m blogging for a bit, and then it’s back to the books. Since I’m doing well on time, I’m going to attend the DC Kid Lit Book Club this afternoon, and then come back for the final couple hours of reading.

If you’re still with us and need a break, here’s one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen. And because it’s embedded on my blog, you can count the viewing time in your total time. I know — you’re welcome. (And thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the link.)

I’ve spent the last few hours with this book, but it’s too late for me to write anything and still be careful to not give away any part of it. So, before I get some much needed rest, here’s a quick reaction to Catching Fire from my seventh grader, that I will now echo.

While she was reading and I was on another book, I asked her a question as she was on the last pages. She shushed me. I laughed. A few minutes later she closed the book and uttered the following:

Whoa. That got freakin’ awesome. The first part was boring, then about three-fifths in it gets exciting, but the last twenty pages are so exciting and amazingly... whoa.

Personally, I wouldn’t call the first part boring, but maybe a bit slow. I agree with the rest, but especially the whoa.

My continuing schedule:

7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.	Break
8:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.	Blog
8:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.	Networking time
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.	Blog
10:00 p.m. – 12:00 mid	Read My Life In Pink and Green
12:00 mid – 12:30 a.m.	Blog
12:30 a.m. – 3:30 a.m.	Finish Catching Fire
3:30 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.	Blog

Now I’m at twenty-three hours and six books so far. Still have tomorrow to go. Those last two hours with Catching Fire raced by, but I’m more than ready for bed.

My Life in Pink and Green, by Lisa Greenwald, was just the book I needed at this stage of the 48 Hour Book Challenge. Light and a quick read.

For Lucy, the family-owned pharmacy has always been a second home to her. Now a seventh grader, she even helps out with the workload. Unfortunately, as business has taken a downward turn, both the family’s finances and the pharmacy itself are in danger. But Lucy isn’t one to just give up, and tries to save the day with her love of makeup and the environment.

Lisa Greenwald does a wonderful job capturing tween insecurities and new crushes. With the characters’ involvement in the Earth Club at school, ideas for helping the environment are included naturally in the book. In fact, since Lucy gives information on makeup application during the book, and tips are part of every chapter title, girls can also come away with a healthy look at cosmetics, too. So in one book you get information on going green, looking beautiful, talking to boys, and taking initiative. That’s a bargain!

If you’ve read Walter Dean Myers’ book Monster, you’ll be excited to see that he’s written another book in the same screenplay format. Unfortunately, you’ll probably be disappointed upon actually reading it. It’s not easy for me to say this, because I respect Myers and what he’s brought to the canon of Young Adult literature, but Riot is no Monster. Not even close.

Monster used the screenplay format to bring the reader into the action. The language was real, and the story was gripping. I remember listening to it on audiobook — something I rarely do — and sitting in my car outside my house because I couldn’t leave. It was masterful.

Riot tries to apply the same technique, but falls flat. The action jumps from scene to scene with no sense of flow. Myers’ grip on contemporary language — the book is set in 1863 — is stifled and the dialogue is stiff. The story incorporates too many characters, scenes, and timelines to work with the style.

The book is about days of violence against African Americans when Irish immigrants, angered by the draft for the Civil War, find another minority to attack. Riot mostly follows Claire, a biracial teenage girl, but also zooms in on her family, her friends, soldiers in the street, and an Irish immigrant couple.

The subject seems interesting for a book, but the format was all wrong. It was hard to follow and hard to stay engaged with the characters. But the worst offense was the language, which didn’t sound realistic at all. It also felt like it was mixing modern terms with the historical. The one that stood out the most for me was the continued use of the characters referring to themselves and to others as black. I don’t have the research, but was this term in common usage in 1863? Overall, the dialogue simply didn’t sound like things people would say. Here’s a excerpt from Claire’s argument with her mother:

If it’s my skin that makes me unsafe, can I take it off and put it in a drawer until the streets are calm again? If it’s my skin that puts me in the sights of murderers, can I change it the way I would change my dress or my apron? Where is the “safe” you’re talking about? And if I’m black and you’re white and that makes me a target, where is this “family” you’re talking about? Where is it, Mum? Where is it?

You can get away with this kind of dialogue in a play, which has its own stylistic conventions of speech. It could have worked in a standard book, where we could follow Claire’s thoughts as well as her words. But for a screenplay, the language is almost painful to read.

Sorry. I wanted it to be good. What can I say?

My continuing schedule:

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Blog
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Read more Catching Fire
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Try three different books
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Give up; need a nap instead
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Read Riot
7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.	Break for dinner/TV time

I’m at the halfway mark and have fifteen hours, four and a half books so far. Not my best work. Actually, I’ve felt more focused when I’ve had more things on my weekend schedule because I had to get out of the house and do something completely different. I’d come back more refreshed and excited to read again. Today it’s been harder to keep up my energy.

I know that I’m going back to Catching Fire later tonight, after my seventh grader finishes it. Now I need to pick a book that I’m excited about. Or maybe something funny. How are you pacing yourself?

I don’t really need to review this book, do I? Is there anyone left that hasn’t read The Hunger Games that is going to read it? Didn’t think so.

I remember at one of our DC Kid Lit Book Club meetings, Susan Kusel brought out the ARC for this new Suzanne Collins book and told us that it was going to be big. Not my thing, I thought, and turned it down. So oops. Could have been on the front of that wave, but nooooo.

After everyone was talking about it, I broke down and read a copy from my library. I still wouldn’t call it my kind of book, but I did find it quite the page turner — especially about halfway through, when the actual Hunger Games began in the story. I enjoyed the book, but didn’t love the book. I also didn’t have the sense of needing to know what happened next that’s driven the ARC of Catching Fire to be such a hot item.

I bought a copy during the week because my seventh grader had heard about the Catching Fire buzz at school, and when she realized I had it, she knew she had to read it. Bragging rights. One problem: She hadn’t read the first book. That’s how she ended up spending a lot of Friday reading The Hunger Games and most of today on Catching Fire. I told her that I should have signed her up for the 48HBC, because she’s doing as much reading as many participants.

For me, I wanted to read The Hunger Games again because I was afraid that I’d have forgotten some of the important parts as I moved to the new book. My book retention is terrible. On the second reading, it didn’t hold up for me. It was fine. It was still fast. But the sense of surprise was gone, and with that, the energy of the book.

What do you think? Is this a book you can read again, or is the magic gone the second time around?

Everyone should have signed in by now, and it certainly seems that way with more than one hundred participants! I’m so happy!

I started last night at 7:30 p.m., but didn’t post because I don’t know how to make the Starting Line post “sticky,” as they say. And then this morning, life got in the way for a bit. Now it’s all back on track.

My schedule so far:

7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.	Read Secret Keeper, part of The Hunger Games
11:30 p.m. – 12:00 mid	Break
12:00 mid – 12:30 a.m.	Networking time
12:30 a.m. – 2:30 a.m.	Read The Hunger Games
2:30 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.	Networking time
3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.	Read Catching Fire
4:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Sleep
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.	Networking time
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Dance recital rehearsal stuff
11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Read Cold Hands, Warm Heart
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Write post
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Networking time

So that gives me twelve hours and three and a half books as of 2:30 p.m. Decent start. Slower reading for me than usual, but I’m just not rushing it. I haven’t felt like writing reviews, which has always been how I broke up my reading time in past challenges. I think that having the time to check blogs and Facebook and Twitter has been giving me enough of a break from reading. I’m really glad I thought of adding the networking aspect into the challenge and am enjoying popping by the participants’ blogs. After this next networking break, I’m going to spend some reviewing time. And get a turkey sandwich. And a Coke. Two Cokes.

You’ve read the rules. You’ve cleared your schedule — well, except for that graduation/recital/tennis lesson. You’ve stacked your books and stocked your snacks. Let’s go.

When you start your reading, sign in with Mr. Linky here. Keep track of your time — which includes reading, blogging, and some connecting (as stated in the rules).

On Sunday, I’ll have a Finish Line post where you can leave the link to your final summary page. As a backup, link to the Finish Line post in your final summary.

Have fun, read well.

48 Hour Book Challenge Participants

1. LiyanaLand! 2. Shannan 3. Charlotte 4. Cindy's love of books 5. Susan 6. Kristin 7. Military76brat: celebrate life w/bargains up and going 8. Rasco from RIF 9. Katy 10. Amanda (A Patchwork of Books) 11. Laura 12. Pippi's Postings 13. Rebekah 14. Susan B. Evans 15. Sarah-GreenBeanTeenQueen 16. Rebecca 17. Courtney 18. Sherry at Semicolon 19. Lawral 20. Scott: HPL YA 21. Tasses 22. Denise von Minden 23. Sandra 24. Jules (Bookworm Jules) 25. Shannon Bailey 26. Ami 27. Kristin 28. Eva M 29. Anna 30. Becca 31. Melissa 32. Ms. Yingling 33. Jess 34. Bibliovore 35. misskate 36. Lady Schrapnell 37. Crystal F. 38. Cindy Deatsman 39. Saints and Spinners 40. lakereader 41. Becky

42. Andromeda Jazmon 43. Jen Robinson 44. Sarah (TheReadingZone) 45. JessicaLeigh 46. Paulina 47. Julie Johnson 48. Sandra (Fresh Ink Books) 49. Mary Schwander 50. Emily's Reading Room 51. Blog from the Windowsill 52. Lori 53. Julie 54. Shonda 55. Kristi (The Story Siren) 56. Dreadful Penny 57. Briana (What Bri Reads) 58. Muttix 59. Paige Y. 60. MillyMarie 61. Tricia (Miss Rumphius) 62. Jen 63. Amber (NerdGirlTalking) 64. MotherReader 65. iAlessa 66. Jennie (Biblio File) 67. The Brain Lair 68. SBBO 69. Kimberly @ lectitans 70. Jess (Active Voice) 71. Imelda 72. Amanda Blau 73. Bill at Literate Lives 74. Sharon Hrycewicz 75. tmdahle@centurytel.net 76. Natasha @ Maw Books 77. Darcy 78. Kerri 79. Monique @ The Little Reading Nook 80. Juli 81. Sondra Eklund 82. Mandy

83. Karen at Literate Lives 84. Becky (One Literature Nut) 85. Kay @ Infinite Shelf 86. Megan 87. Beth 88. Reyna 89. Diane ~ The Book Resort 90. Heather 91. Elisabeth Reads 92. Erica (The Book Cellar) 93. Mary Ann (Great Kid Books) 94. Amy Planchak Graves 95. Trisha 96. M 97. Lazygal 98. Leila 99. Bethany (Lessons From the Head) 100. Liz Burns 101. Steph 102. Steph (Reviewer X) 103. Camille@BookMoot 104. Rebecca @ Lost in Books 105. Kathrin 106. Jessi (casual dread) 107. Vasilly 108. Jill 109. Lindsay 110. Melissa Wiley after all 111. Booking It 112. Christina @ Flip the Page Book Reviews! 113. Abby the Librarian 114. Karen Healey 115. Erika 116. Leah 117. Lazygal 118. Little Willow 119. Gwen Frankenstien 120. msmac 121. TrendyBrandyKids Boutique

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Okay, let’s go over how it works. There are three changes from previous years.

First is that winners will be based only on time commitment, not number of books. So if you are heading into the 20+ hours club, track your time carefully.

Second is that time will be allowed for visiting other participant blogs, Twittering progress (be sure to add the #48hbc tag), or supporting each other on Facebook. For every five hours reading/blogging, you can add one hour of 48HBC networking. (Or if you prefer to think of it, one out of every six hours can be social time.)

Third, blogs may connect their reading to a cause. More details on this are available at the end of the rules.

Here are the basic guidelines:

1. The weekend is June 5–7, 2009. Read and blog for any 48-hour period within the Friday-to-Monday-morning window. Start no sooner than 7:00 a.m. on Friday the fifth and end no later than 7:00 a.m. Monday. So, go from 7:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday... or maybe 7:00 a.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Monday works better for you. But the 48 hours do need to be in a row. That said, during that 48-hour period you may still have gaps of time in which you can’t read, and that’s fine. (In the middle of the three different challenge weekends I’ve had to go to work, attend a ballet recital, and drive for a Girl Scout event.)


2. The books should be about fifth-grade level and up. Adult books are fine, especially if adult book bloggers want to play. If you are generally a picture book blogger, consider this a good time to get caught up on all those wonderful books you’ve been hearing about. With the change in the way prizes are awarded, graphic novels can be included in the reading. One audiobook can also be included in your time and book total.


3. It’s your call as to how much you want to put into it. If you want to skip sleep and showers to do this, go for it. If you want to be a bit more laid back, fine. But you have to put something into it or it’s not a challenge. Twelve hours is the benchmark for winning prizes.


4. The length of the reviews or notes written in your blog are not an issue. You can write a sentence, a paragraph, or a full-length review. The time spent reviewing counts in your total time.


5. New this year: You can include some amount of time reading other participant’s blogs, commenting on participating blogs and Facebook pages, and Twittering about your progress (remember the #48hbc tag!). For every five hours, you can add one hour of networking. This time counts in your total time.


6. On your blog, state when you are starting the challenge with a specific entry on that day and leave the link to that post at the Starting Line post (via the trusty Mr. Linky).


7. When you finish, write a final summary that clearly indicates hours — including partial hours — you spent reading/reviewing/networking, the number of books read, and any other comments you want to make on the experience. It needs to be posted no later than noon EST on Monday, June 8th. Also, check in at the Finish Line post on MotherReader that will be posted Sunday and please link to that post from your final summary post.

Many bloggers wanted to connect the 48HBC to a cause, but I didn’t feel comfortable choosing one for everybody. What I’ve suggested, for those who wish to do so, is to connect your personal readathon to a Greater Good of your choice. I plan to donate $1 per hour read to the fund for Bridget Zinn, and welcome others — perhaps those not able to do the challenge this year — to sponsor me. Other participants can contribute to this cause as well, or to something else that moves you. It can be based on sponsors, comments, books read, or something else entirely. You can also choose not to participate in this aspect of the 48 Hour Book Challenge, though you may find a way to support others’ efforts by leaving comments (if that’s what is being tallied).

If any other questions come up, please comment on this post and I will respond in the comments. Good luck, have fun, and happy reading!

Want to know what you’re playing for? Well, the person who spends the most time reading and blogging will win a trophy in the form of a Jefferson Cup donated by Reading Is Fundamental. The winner will also receive an original sketch from Jeff Kinney of Diary of a Wimpy Kid fame.

The grand prize winner will also receive an assortment of signed books, MotherReader-crafted jewelry, T-shirts from Threadless, a flower doll donated from Alkelda’s Etsy Store and a few little surprises. Retired champion Midwestern Lodestar donated $10 Barnes and Noble gift cards for first, second and third place winners — who will also receive T-shirts, an assortment of signed books, jewelry, and extra fun stuff. Some prize winners will be drawn at random from among all the participants to win personalized, signed books, including Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin; The Summer I Turned Pretty, by Jenny Han; Wolverine: Worst Day Ever by Barry Lyga; and a kid’s package with a T-shirt donated by Terry of Reading Tub and a signed book of poems from Bruce Lansky.

The donated prize books include Trading Faces, by Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy; Cold Hands, Warm Heart, by Jill Wolfson; Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass, by Erica Kirov; The Art of Reading, by RIF; Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom, by Eric Wight; Abigail Spells, by Anna Alter; 1000 Times No, by Mr. Warburton; and Moonpowder, by John Rocco.

At BEA I collected these signed books: On the Brink of Bliss and Insanity, by Lisa Cerasoli; Unreasonable Men, by Paul David Pope; Crazy for the Storm, by Norman Ollestad; Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, by Brandon Mull; Swim the Fly, by Don Calame; and The Dragon of Trelian, by Michelle Knudsen. I also have these signed ARCs: Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Stage Fright, by Meg Cabot; Invisible Lines, by Mary Amato; Black is for Beginnings, by Laurie Faria Stolarz; Once Was Lost, by Sara Zarr; Forest Born, by Shannon Hale; Timelock, by David Klass; Riot, by Walter Dean Myers; Eli the Good, by Silas House; and The Doom Machine, by Mark Teague.

The unsigned ARC I found on a table, Catching Fire, has generated the most interest, and I didn’t know how to award this prize. After questioning my readers and searching my soul, it ended up being TeenReader who made the decision with this comment, “Hey, if I don’t get to keep Catching Fire then I want it to go to the person who worked the hardest to get it.” So, unless another copy comes through for a random prize, the Holy Grail of ARCs will go to the winner of the 48 Hour Book Challenge.

Edited to add: W00T! Colleen has donated her copy! So one will be given to the winner AND one will go out in a random drawing for 48HBC finishers!

No, not my donation of Catching Fire. Yours.

As in, would anyone be willing to donate their copy of Catching Fire to the 48 Hour Book Challenge so one could be given out to the winner AND one could be given as a random prize to one of the participants? A long shot for me to ask this question? Probably. But think of all I do for you. (I wouldn’t be a Mother if I couldn’t play with guilt.)

I’ll be back after a trip to the DMV (horrors) with a repeat of the 48HBC rules (pretty much the same), a list of participants (long), and — at midnight — the Official Sign-In, brought to you by Mr. Linky (assuming I can figure it out in time).

Oh, today at BookLights, I’m talking about the three hottest items in kidlit/YA at BEA. I think you can guess at least one.

Edited to add text from Booklights:

Last weekend I attended Book Expo America (BEA) and had a blast. I met some wonderful authors, got tons of signed books, and shipped home a forty-pound box of goodies. For today's Thursday Three, I'm covering the hottest titles in Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Picture Books.

Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
People lined up in the early hours of the morning to get a ticket to Suzanne Collins' book signing. Others scouted out the 10:00 a.m. Scholastic distribution of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC), not wanting to wait until the September release to read the sequel to Hunger Games. But I didn't realize how hot this title was until I came home and saw bids on ebay reaching over $100. (ARC's specifically say that they are Not For Sale, often on the cover.) A few book blogs offered their copies to readers in random drawings and pulled in over two hundred comments. This book is Twilight-hot. And I picked up an abandoned copy off a lunch table at the convention. Crazy.

Meet Rebecca
by Jacqueline Dembar Greene
American Girl released a new historical character, Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish-American immigrant living in New York City in 1914. Contrary to the Catching Fire fever, this new series by American Girl slipped under the radar for most people I talked to, but it was an entirely pleasant surprise. At the book signing on Sunday morning I was very excited to meet the author and express my delight at a series chronicling the Jewish immigrant experience. I brought the book home and can't wait to read it. The doll is super-cute too. Forget my kids, I want her myself. Seriously.

Big Frog Can't Fit In
by Mo Willems
Another hot ticket was for the new Mo Willems' title, even though it's not available yet. Folks stood in long lines to get Mr. Willems signature on the promo piece for the new pop-up book. I can appreciate the excitement as I'd buy it if Mo illustrated the AIG collapse. (Actually, that might help me understand it.) So not seeing the book yet, all I can say is that the frog is apparently large and doesn't "fit in," one may guess both figuratively and literally. Hence, the pop-up.

I hadn't made it to New York in time for Mo's signing, but as chance would have it, I ran into him on Saturday on the exhibit floor. We talked a bit, and I got my signature and he said the first frog doodle. Or maybe he meant the first frog on a T-shirt. Either way, I'm happy.

In an email, Mr. Warburton mentioned working with Mo Willems on “Codename: Kids Next Door” and asked if I’d be interested in looking at his new book, 1000 Times No. Hey, he had me at with Mo.

Actually, while the Mr. Willems reference might have caught my attention, it was the book trailer that made me certain that this was a book I’d need to see. In fact, now that I’ve read the book, I appreciate the video even more for giving the pronunciation of all the different nos featured. (And props to the kid who nailed them all. Or so I guess, not speaking Rapanui myself.)


But let me back up. Mr. Warburton’s 1000 Times No is a tribute to the oppositional toddler. That is to say, all toddlers. As mother asks Noah (get it? No-ah) to leave, the diapered child pulls the thumb from his mouth and says, “No.” As mother urges, the boy’s responses continue in the negative, but now in cowboy, Inuit, Arabic, Japanese, robot, Hindi, Greek, Dutch, Zulu, and more, escalating to an entire chorus of every form of the word we’ve seen in one resounding “NOOOOOOOOOO!” But hold it, what if mom was asking about something good? Maybe yes?

The illustrations are engaging, starting simple and growing in complexity with each page turn. The cartoon style is enhanced by the watercolor treatment of the bold black outlines and the exaggerated shapes of the characters. There are plenty of fun things to catch along the way, like the cartoon on the diaper that matches the expression of the toddler. And what’s up with that rooster-blanket?

I’ve been seeing great reviews all over the Interweb. There’s Fuse#8’s detailed post (who also noticed the changing cartoon on the diaper) and Pink Me’s experience with the book and an actual difficult toddler in the library. (Been there.) Becky enjoyed it, and Seven Impossible Things features tons of the artwork today. Of course, I can’t forget the most important endorsement, as Mo Willems talks about working with Tom and has to admit that he likes the new book. He must mean it, because they were hanging out together some at Book Expo America. I have photographic proof!

My only complaint about this book is that I can’t keep it, because I promised it as a prize for the 48 Hour Book Challenge. It’s a good prize, especially since Mr. Warburton kindly drew a Noah sketch on the title page.

Well, I’ll always have the shirt.

Okay, so maybe I didn’t quite get how much everybody wants the ARC of Catching Fire. Reviewer X has more than two hundred fifty comments from people hoping to win a copy. LibrariYAn got more than four hundred submissions in her contest asking for new readers to comment, with the book going to the person who sent the most folks over to her blog. People got to BEA super early, waited in line for an hour, and I just picked up an abandoned copy at a lunch table.

It seems obvious to me now that my ARC of Catching Fire should be a prize in the 48 Hour Book Challenge. But here’s the question: Should it go to the winner of the challenge or should it go to a random participant in the challenge as one of the “door prizes”? I’m torn, because I want to reward the winner with something very special, but I also want to provide incentive for the bloggers who signed up for the 48HBC — more than one hundred participants so far — to commit to the challenge as best as they can. What do you think?

On Saturday morning, I awaited the arrival of Liz Burns to drop off her suitcase at the hotel. Then Carlie Webber, Liz and I took a cab (after a quick Starbucks break) to the Javits Center. I thought I had a plan for the morning, but it kept falling apart as I missed the people I had planned on seeing and was distracted by signings I had not planned on attending. I know that I missed the signings that I had looked at — Jan Brett, Peter McCarty, and Sarah Dessen. I did make the signings for Walter Dean Myers, Peter Reynolds, and some lady who wrote an eBay book.

I spent some of this day wandering through the publishers’ booths. Like I said before, not a lot of ARCs. I was able to pry Neil Gaiman’s Blueberry Girl away from the HarperCollins people. They were giving away coded cards that let you read some of their new offerings online. Hmmm. Wonder if this will be a trend. The Holiday House people were very nice. They couldn’t give me the books I wanted to see then, but promised to send them later, which was actually better for my shipping rate.

So I’m walking around without an agenda, and a particular voice catches my attention. I turn around, and call, “Mo?” He turns, and says, “Blogger!”

He was there with Tom Warburton, a new author of the book 1000 Times No. Tom and I had communicated by email, and I have the book to review this week. Mo introduced me as his #2 fan, since apparently a kid near his current home has that award. I reassured Tom that the restraining order had been removed long ago, and that it was all good now. Mo and I talked about kids, busy schedules, his DC ventures, and the KidLitosphere Conference in October. Tom and I talked about his book, his promotion efforts, and the BEA experience. They both signed my shirt, adding a little artwork. I even got a picture taken. And in case you’re thinking it — no, I did not stalk Mo. I didn’t even think he’d be there that day. It was simply fate.

During a quick lunch with a four-dollar soda, I sat at the same table as some publishing reps. I told one lady how jealous I was of her Catching Fire ARC on the table. She told me that it had been left there, so I could have it. Score!

At 2:00 p.m. I ran to the Book Blogger Panel. I’ll remember it as the meeting where I talked no less than three times, without being on the panel. Is that wrong? Perhaps. The panel was adult book bloggers, though some also review children’s and Young Adult books. Natasha of Maw Books mentioned KidLitosphere Central as a directory of children’s and Young Adult literature blogs and had me stand up. Of course, once I was already standing, it seemed quite natural to talk about the site not only as a directory, but also as a way to connect bloggers and authors. And I may have mentioned the conference. I think I also added my voice to the discussion on blog tours, referencing Chasing Ray. I know for sure that I disagreed with the concept presented that having lots of comments is a way to indicate a healthy blog. I did get some positive feedback from that position. It’s discussed, along with other issues of the panel, at Babbling About Books, Mrs. Giggles, and at Tea Cozy. All in all, a lively discussion of book blogging for fun and profit.

After the panel, it was a few more author signings — Sara Zarr, Michelle Knudsen, Ann Haywood Leal, Mark Teague, and Laini Taylor. Liz Burns and I hung out around Scholastic, talking to Laini Taylor, Jim Di Bartolo, and David Levitan. I had them all sign my shirt. We stopped by the Girl Scout booth, where I picked up some bookmarks, and headed to the shipping area, where I packed up all my books and sent them out. Back to the hotel for dinner, a short rest, a little lipstick and then off to the Geektastic party.

Little, Brown hosted the event in the private room of the Lucky Strike Lanes to celebrate Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelluci. Yes, there was bowling. But not by me. David Levithan and Scott Westerfeld (pictured) seemed to be having a good time knocking down the pins. Laura Lutz was playing for the worst position on the board. Sheila Ruth was up against Wendy Mass, Sara Zarr, and I think Alvina Ling. I lost track of that game, because there were far more interesting victory dances at the other one. I talked to most of the “geeks” — Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, David Levithan, Holly Black, Sara Zarr, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Tracy Lynn, Kelly Link, and Cassie Claire — and had them sign my T-shirt. I told Justine Larbalestier how much I enjoyed Liar — and had her sign my shirt.

When the establishment began the process of kicking us out, I grabbed the ARC and made sure I got as many signatures as I could. Then Liz and I walked back to the hotel, stopping for a cookie on the way and discussing Liar in detail.

Sunday doesn’t need a whole new post. I said goodbye to Liz and headed over to BEA. I went to the signing for the new American Girl book, for Erica Perl’s book, and a poster from Jerry Pinkney. I reported to the Blogger Booth at NetGalley at 11:00 a.m. and talked to the folks who came by. Terry was sweet enough not only to stop by, but to donate T-shirts for 48HBC. I ran into Heidi on the shuttle bus, but we talked a bit more at the booth. I didn’t know that Sarah was working BEA, but she took time off to say hello. Ron from GalleyCat and Beatrice stopped by — though not particularly to see me. I had a few discussions about Kidlitosphere Central, and then at noon I was out of there to meet a friend in the village.

After a three-hour visit that included lunch and quality — if not quantity — toddler time, I was back on the bus to DC. I dozed most of the four-hour ride and made my family come into the city to pick me up. I was too tired to face the Metro.

Now I’m excited to get my box of books from UPS. I’m excited to count down the days — DAYS — until the 48 Hour Book Challenge. And I’m excited to show you my new prized possession. (Click to make it bigger and see the signatures.) Yes, I went to New York City and all I got was this T-shirt.

I’m back from BookExpo America and oh, so weary. I’ll take you through the experience for those who want to know what it was like. For those who just want the highlights, I’ll be doing a separate post that will also list the books that I have for prizes for the 48 Hour Book Challenge.

I took the bus from Washington, DC, and highly recommend it for anyone who wants a decent but economical trip between the cities. It was a four-hour ride, with one fifteen-minute rest and food stop. I had two seats in which to stretch out and doze off. I arrived in NYC around 1:00 p.m., walked to the Javits Center, and checked my luggage there. I headed directly to the children’s books and autographing area.

Now, something I didn’t know about BEA is that the books are free. At ALA, the published books are usually about ten bucks. But here, both the ARCs and the hardcover books could be signed for no charge. Love this! My books are being shipped, so I can’t confirm, but I’m pretty sure that on Friday I got books signed by Bruce Lansky, Craig Hatkoff, Meg Cabot, David Klass, Nick Bruel, Brandon Mull, Darryl Hagar, Mary Amato, Silas House, John Rocco, Don Calame, and Shannon Hale.

Most of these books I had signed to give as prizes for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, so I asked the authors to sign to “You’re a Winner!” Many of them looked at me as if to question my personal self-esteem issues, but that just gave me the chance to explain about the 48HBC and my blog. I also came up with the brilliant idea — if I do say so myself — of having them sign a T-shirt that I’d made to promote KidLitosphere Central. All of the authors were happy to sign the back of the shirt (I wasn’t wearing it), I got to talk about KidLitosphere Central, and I got my own signature to keep since I was giving away the books. Perfect.

There were many authors that I wanted to see at their signings, but the lines were so long that I had to be economical with my time. Also, there were a lot of conflicts within the schedule, making it that much harder. I would have loved to see Gordon Korman, David Lubar, Katherine Paterson, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, John Agee, Amy Hest, and Rosemary Wells. I also missed Suzanne Collins, but I got the ARC of Catching Fire anyway.

Along with the autographing tables, I was checking out the displays of the children’s publishers. I talked to a few reps, ran into a few peeps, and took a few ARCs. The ARCs were slim pickings, but I hadn’t been planning on a big haul anyway since I’d have to pay to ship them home. Walking around by Scholastic, I saw Laini Taylor by her pink hair, and talked with her, Jim Di Bartolo, Barry Lyga (who had tried to escape from me earlier — Hah!) and Arthur Levine.

I ran into Trish of Hey, Lady! (I recognized her red hair. Distinct hair is very helpful at BEA.) We chatted, and then met up again at the Bloggers Booth sponsored by NetGalley, where I saw Amy of My Friend Amy and Julie of Booking Mama.

Then I hit the wall. Went to my hotel, where I ended up walking in at the same time as Barry Lyga. And he thought he could escape me. Hah! He was on the phone at that moment with Robin Brande, so I said hi (I owe you a call, Robin!). I checked into the hotel, and took a much-needed nap.

On the way to Kid Lit Drink Night, I grabbed food from the street vendors and ate on the way. Barry was already there and we talked for a while before it got too loud and crowded. I saw Betsy Bird immediately, wearing a lovely sundress — the only one dressed appropriately for the tropical temperature of the bar — but as the hostess she was too busy for long chats. She brought me over to me two bloggers Pink Me and Pinot and Prose. I said hello, turned around to grab a drink before settling in for a chat, turned back, and they were gone. So it’s possible that upon meeting me, they decided to make a run for it or they think that I blew them off. I don’t know which is worse. Sheila Ruth from Wands and Worlds and Terry from Reading Tub also made the party, but I’m pretty sure that I was nice to them.

I also got some talking time with authors Erica Perl, Rebecca Stead, Michelle Knudsen, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Bonnie Wayne, Melanie Hope Greenberg, Kekla Magoon, Dawn Stephens (whose signing I was too late for, sorry!), Aileen Leijten, Fran Cannon Slayton, Julia DeVillers, Ann Haywood Leal, and Megan Crewe. Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein and I spent a few minutes on the bar stools chatting about picture books, the industry, and hair products. (Her hair is so shiny!)

Bloggers Natasha Maw, Amy, and Trish came over from the BEAtweetup party. Author/Illustrators Brian Floca and Eric Wight came from the ABA Not-A-Dinner party. Eric and I had emailed about his new book, so it was great to meet in person. Especially as he was such an interesting person. We also shared Jeff Kinney stories. Brian told me a little about his new book Moonshot, but was more interested in chilling out than networking.

The party died down around midnight, and I walked home, picking up a black-and-white cookie on the way. I spent most of the walk kicking myself for not bringing my camera, so if anyone has any pictures of the Kid Lit Drink Night to share, let me know. I’d be ever grateful for some record of the day and/or night.

Later: Geektastic and Being Mouthy