105 Ways to Give a Book

Looking Forward

Posted by MotherReader at 11:37 AM
It’s most definitely wrong to do a post looking forward when this week is all about wrapping up. But maybe it’s because I’m so submerged in wrapping-up activities that I can’t stand to write about it too. The school year is closing out... or dragging out, as seems a more appropriate phrasing. The last day is Thursday, and the teen has her big Geometry final tomorrow and the tween has her last day of literature circle on Wednesday. Wednesday! Nothing like squeezing in the last bits of learning into the overworked, summer-ready brains of these kids. Both girls are exhausted and more than ready for the summer break. Me, too.

I’m wrapping up the Girl Scout troop finances for the year — or would be if I could just get in the last registration checks from parents. I’m ready to send out 48 Hour Book Challenge prizes, if I can just find the packing tape. I’ve finished my mom’s surgical consultation, to find out how much can’t be done now. Closing the book on anything is frustrating today, so let’s talk about the future.

Not far in the future, mind you, but to the next weekend of American Library Association festivities. Ah, I can’t wait. I won’t be there for everything, but I have some great events marked off on my schedule. And the book signings! I can’t wait to bring my copies along and meet some of these fabulous authors and illustrators.

The high point for me will be the presentation I’m doing on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. on Chidlren’s and Young Adult Book Blogs, with the idea being to share our incredible community with librarians. I’m working with Liz Burns and Travis Jonkers for a presentation that is going to be most excellent. Here’s the description:
Enhance collection development, keep current on trends and titles, and provide better readers’ advisory using the collective, valuable resource of book reviews, industry news, and author interviews of children’s and young adult literature blogs. Learn how to utilize this dynamic, online world of fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose, picture books and teen titles, authors and illustrators, writing and reading, publishing insight and programming ideas.
Doesn’t that sound like something you’d want to attend? You betcha! Then I’ll probably hit the variety of book signings, spaced out with publisher booth visits. I have a list of the ones I’m going to try to make, but here are some highlights: (The ** mark denotes books I own; the * shows books that are being given away as ARCs.)
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
It’s difficult for me to even spend so much time on these book signings with the sessions I’ll be missing. I’m interested in the 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. session Notable Books for a Global Society Awards AASL and positively fascinated by the 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. session Not So Extreme Makeovers, which plans to “take a positive spin on those oft-depicted items in the library staff member’s closet — focusing on enhancement rather than change.” Love it. Of course there’s always the Sixth Annual Book Cart Drill Team Championship, as emceed by Jon Scieszka and Mo Willems.

That evening, I’ll be attending the Newbery/Caldecott Awards Banquet in the table-hopping vicinity of seventy KidLitosphere folk — bloggers and authors I’ve known online forever. Like all of the Blue Rose Girls, for example. So awesome.

I’m thinking that I’ll be bunking with someone on Sunday night so that I can make a day of it on Monday as well. There are some book signings to attend, but a lazier schedule which may allow me more time to visit. I would like to go to the ALSC Awards Presentation and Membership Meeting where they present the Batchelder, Carnegie, Geisel, and Sibert Awards. I don’t have a full pass that day, but can someone slip me in?

So who’s going? What are you most looking forward to? And most importantly, where will I find you?

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 7 comments

I Know, I Know

Posted by MotherReader at 11:11 PM
I was going to come back after BEA and then 48 Hour Book Challenge and then Bloggiesta with all this verve and vigor. And posts. You know, like actual posts. About books and stuff. But what can I say? I’ve been overwhelmed with end-of-the-school-year events, including a variety of things with wrapping up the Girl Scout troops for the year. Throw in a little Drama and the continuing parent health saga, and I’ve had one heck of a month.

So next week. That’s the one to watch. I’ll be posting reviews, talking about BEA (finally, maybe), and preparing for the exciting ALA schedule ahead.

For now, entertain yourself skimming through the pages at Ripple — where artists contribute sketchcards and you contribute money to help the Gulf, and then you get the card to keep. Cool, huh? If you don’t find that special piece of art, but want to make a donation to help the wildlife, then consider selecting one of the pieces submitted by kids. You’ll certainly make someone’s day by choosing their artwork — and maybe inspire a future picture book illustrator! How about the work of this eleven year old?
Category: 0 comments

Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge: You Were Brave!

Posted by MotherReader at 10:13 AM
I’m so glad that I held the Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge asking you to stretch your comfort zone. So many brave entries! I’m proud of all of you for taking chances and shaking things up. I picked one winner at random, who will receive a couple of books, courtesy of the supplies of Book Blogger Convention, and that winner is... Vicki from Reading at the Beach! Congratulations!

While I’m happy to offer a prize, I’m most excited that I was able to pose a challenge that made all participants winners. I loved reading your comments of the many ways you all pushed yourselves. It was inspirational. Here are some of the things that you’re doing:
  • Starting a new feature/challenge/poll/contest
  • Emailing authors for interviews/guest posts
  • Emailing publishers for review copies
  • Asking bloggers to do guest posts
  • Connecting to local bookstores
  • Agreeing to do guest posts
  • Mixing up a set style
  • Posting reviews on Amazon
  • Writing a negative review
  • Sharing something personal
  • Taking a controversial stand
  • Facing the hard jobs of blogging
  • Promoting, marketing, and reaching out
Wow! Great job, everyone! I love the way that everyone who approached this challenge did so in a way that tackled their own soft spots. For me, my bravery was in what I did not do. After two extremely intense days that wiped out my time, energy, and emotional reserves, I decided not to participate in Bloggiesta on Sunday, as I had planned. Usually, I would worry about neglecting my blog or letting someone down or whether it was appropriate to run a challenge — and then personally bail on the event. And, to be fair, I remained a bit worried about those things. But for me, this weekend, the brave thing was to take care of myself on Sunday — even if it provided a sort of ironic twist to the very challenge I was proposing.

Thanks to everyone who played along. I hope this push to be brave carries over in your blogging for a long time to come. Blog on!
Category: 3 comments

Bloggiesta Mini-Challenge: Be Brave

Posted by MotherReader at 12:42 AM
I hadn’t intended to do a mini-Challenge for Bloggiesta, because I was swamped with Girl Scout stuff this week. It’s the end of the year and we need to wrap up the accounting and bridge over to a new level and reflect on the year and all that jazz. And as I reflected, it came to me in this real moment of clarity that my personal philosophy in running a troop is to stretch our comfort zones within a safe and supportive environment. Because it’s in that space where we grow as people — in testing our limits, trying new things, and taking the opportunity to be brave.

And it hit me that bloggers can sometimes use that push too. It’s so easy to go along, talking nicely about books or people or recipes or kids. And that’s not a bad thing. But are you stretching? Are you growing? Are you taking chances? Are you being brave?

Your mini-challenge is to be brave. Write a post that takes a stand. Allow yourself a negative review, not for snark value but to be honest. Reveal something personal about yourself. Start the online challenge or contest or project you were afraid to put out there. Try something totally new.

You don’t even have to post it yet to enter for prizes in the mini-challenge. I’ll take your word for it that you’ve drafted something; I won’t even hold you to posting it. I just want you to get that feeling of writing something that scares you a little bit. Let me know in the comments when you feel that you’ve met that challenge, and I’ll pick a winner (or winners) at random and send a couple of books as prizes. Plus a spy pen!
Category: 47 comments

Booklights, Bloggiesta, and Branding

Posted by MotherReader at 12:52 PM
I’m still recovering from the 48 Hour Book Challenge, with emails to write, packages to prepare, and books to clean off of my living room floor. I seem to have attacked the challenge with the organization of a teen getting ready for a big date — tossing books like T-shirts all over the room in search of the right one. I did well, in that I hit a run of eight great books. Amazing! But now I have to put everything back in order. Wah.

I do have a post up at PBS Booklights on books about bedtime. They aren’t the newest titles, and maybe not my absolute, all-time favorites, but some strong choices. Head over and add your suggestions to the comments.

This weekend I’ll be spending some time on Bloggiesta — writing up reviews (yes, of all those 48HBC books) and posts and presentations. If you need some time for blog housekeeping, head over to Maw Books to sign up.

Branding has come up again as a blogosphere topic. I saw it first with Maureen Johnson’s post — excuse me, manifesto — and I can just hear her whisper of “I am not a brand.” Important reading. Chasing Ray is taking up the topic, and wondering about the idea of blogger and author branding — like we can all be labeled like breakfast cereals. I’ll say that there are aspects of branding that are easy and helpful. My blog name, commenting name, and Twitter name are all MotherReader. No one has to think too hard about who I am in any of those places. But where I start to push back — or at least would ask us all to step back and think — is when I see that it is to publishers’ advantage that we be nicely, neatly branded. It certainly makes it easier for them to promote authors and to evaluate bloggers. And I’m not saying that it’s an absolute wrong. But is it good for the bloggers?
Category: , , 4 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge: Giving Back

Posted by MotherReader at 11:00 AM
A post so nice, I had to do it twice.

On Monday, I had the long wrap-up of the Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge with challenge winners, prize winners, Twenty Hour club members, and charity contributions. But as I’ve had a few corrections to those charity contributions, and as it was buried at the end of a long post, and as it is a very, very cool thing to highlight, I’m giving that part its own post. And this has nothing to do with the fact that I have to spend most of today wrapping up Girl Scout accounting and functions. Almost nothing.

A prize was given to the person who raised the most money for charity — Jennie of Biblio File, who collected $725.54 for Room to Read! She’ll get a lovely necklace from Hoolala donated in turn by Kristin of Blue Castle. Based on the number of finishers, I’ll be donating $100 to a project at this DC School through Donors Choose.

Many bloggers connected their personal readathons with a cause. As I know it now, here’s a list of Blogging for The Greater Good:
Visit the blogs above for more information about their specific causes. Since I wasn’t always able to determine the amount or exact cause, I am happy to accept corrections or additions to this list.

Thanks to the bloggers who supported a cause — and supported each other in raising money. Also props to all the authors and bloggers who contributed prizes, which gave us something to play for in this community event. One of those prizes, or rather three, are actually special donations of multicultural library collections for schools or other youth-serving organizations — as chosen by the top three winners! Special thanks to Carol Rasco from RIF for making this possible.

Of course, thanks to all of you who participated and made this such a special, amazing, fabulous event! Come back next year!
Category: 3 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge: Winners, Prizes, Donations, and Thanks

Posted by MotherReader at 4:05 PM
First, a repeat from the last post with the winners of The Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge are:
Absolutely amazing readers who will have to tell us more about how they stayed awake through all of those reading/blogging hours. And maybe how they kept people — like moms, for instance — from engaging them in hour-long phone conversations. I’ll be in touch with your about the super prize packages!

Now, more prizes! I have books for participants selected with the Random Integer Generator. Participants had to complete twelve hours of reading/blogging/networking to be eligible for prizes. In the order drawn, the winners are:
Prize winners, please write me at MotherReader AT gmail DOT com with your address, and the books you’d most be interested in receiving. If you’d like a personalized copy, please note to whom you’d like it signed; I’ll do my best to accommodate. (Choices include: signed copy of The Cardturner, personalized, signed copy of Seaglass Summer, personalized, signed copy of Operation Yes, personlized, signed copy of The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate; a personalized, signed book selection from Melissa Wiley’s Little House books and — in an ironic turn for MotherReader — author/illustrator signed copy of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.)

For the Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge we had almost a hundred people complete the challenge with fifty-five blogs listing totals of twenty hours or more. Here in order of their finish line sign-in are:

48 Hour Book Challenge Twenty Hours Club
  1. MotherReader 28.5 hours
  2. Over the Moon and Sun 41.5 hours
  3. The Fourth Musketeer 22.5 hours
  4. Lessons from the Tortoise 20 hours
  5. Books Like Breathing 43.5 hours
  6. Blue Castle 48 hours
  7. Reading Chick 22.25 hours
  8. A Patchwork of Books 26.5 hours
  9. The Dimly Seen 23.25 hours
  10. Teens@CPL 24 hours
  11. Book Nut 22.75 hours
  12. A Moment With Mystee 43.5 hours
  13. BookLoss 26.5 hours
  14. Bibliovore 24.5 hours
  15. Madigan Reads 31 hours
  16. The Literary Wife 22 hours
  17. A Room Without Books Is Empty 22 hours
  18. House of Crawford 22 hours
  19. Book Clutter 22 hours
  20. The Lost Entwife 26 hours
  21. Blog from the Windowsill 27.75 hours
  22. What We Read 26.5 hours
  23. Situations Where You May Need It 30 hours
  24. Two Canadian Readers 22 hours
  25. So Many Books... 27 hours
  26. Reading with Tequila 23.75
  27. Abby the Librarian 28.75 hours
  28. Charlotte’s Library 25 hours
  29. (LiyanaLand! 48 hours
  30. Reading and Writing from Red Stick 22 hours
  31. The Book Maven 23.5 hours
  32. Becky’s Book Reviews 25 hours
  33. Ms. Martin Teaches Media 26 hours
  34. My Favoritest 22 hours
  35. Stiletto Storytime 21.25 hours
  36. The Purpled One 48 hours
  37. Nomad Librarian 24 hours
  38. Musings of a Book Addict 24.5 hours
  39. Lost in the Library 23.5 hours
  40. Biblio File 33 hours
  41. Literate Lives 20 hours
  42. Lucy Was Robbed 20 hours
  43. The Infinite Shelf 22 hours
  44. Mama Librarian 30.5 hours
  45. Darkly Reading 21.5 hours
  46. Sonderbooks 26.75 hours
  47. Library Chicken 31 hours
  48. BookMoot 25.5 hours
  49. Trisha at The YA YA YAs 20.5
  50. Bookgazing 21.75
  51. Karen at GHHS Library 28 hours
  52. Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog 21.25 hours
  53. The Neverending Shelf 22.5 hours
  54. I’d So Rather Be Reading 24 hours
  55. One Librarian’s Book Reviews 24.25 hours
Many bloggers also connected their personal readathons with a cause. As I know it now, here’s a list of Blogging for The Greater Good:
Visit the blogs above for more information about their specific causes. Since I wasn’t always able to determine the amount or exact cause, I am happy to accept corrections or additions to this list.

Though I hadn’t announced this, we are able to give a prize to the person who raised the most money for charity — which is Jennie of Biblio File! She’ll get a lovely necklace from Hoolala. Based on the number of finishers who have signed out and those I know to have done the challenge but not yet signed out, I’ll be donating $100 to a project at this DC School through Donors Choose.

Thanks to all the authors and bloggers who contributed prizes. Special thanks go to Carol Rasco from RIF, who will be donating multicultural library collections for schools or other youth-serving organizations — as chosen by the top three winners! Another special thanks to Kristen from Blue Castle, who donated the most beautiful necklaces from Hoolala and coin purses made from fabrics used in the Shakespeare Theatre plays in DC. Thanks to all of the bloggers who mentioned, tweeted about, and otherwise promoted the 48 Hour Book Challenge. We would never have had such a fantastic turnout without your help. Thanks to the bloggers who supported a cause — and supported each other in raising money. Of course, thanks to all of you who participated and made this such a special, amazing, fabulous event! I couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t do it without you all!

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 12 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge: Winners!

Posted by MotherReader at 12:26 PM
48 Hour Book ChallengeEven though the contest is called the 48 Hour Book Challenge, it is hard for me to conceive of people reading for the entire time. It pretty much blows my mind! This year three people read and blogged for the entire forty-eight hours! No breaks that didn’t come with an audiobook soundtrack and no sleep. Crazyness.

The winners of The Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge are:
Absolutely amazing readers who will have to tell us more about how they stayed awake through all of those reading/blogging hours. And maybe how they kept people — like moms for instance — from engaging them in hour-long phone conversations.

Later today, I’ll have a second post with all the members of the Twenty Hours Club, the donations collected, and random prizes for players. Congratulations to this year’s remarkable winners!
Category: 4 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge: Finish Line

Posted by MotherReader at 12:57 PM
48 Hour Book ChallengeYou made it! On this Finish Line post, leave the direct link to your final summary page, which should include: the amount of time spent on the challenge, books read, amount collected for charity, and which charity it will benefit.

I decided to donate one dollar to my designated Donors Choose school for everyone who finishes the challenge, which means to me that you signed in as a participant, read/blogged some books, and signed in at the Finish Line. So perhaps that little extra incentive can get folks to record their time and complete the 48HBC all official-like. Given different starting times over the weekend and time zones, the end is set at Monday, June 7th, at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. All final summary posts should be up by then. That said, sometimes there are folks who need some nudging, so I won’t announce any winners until after noon on Monday, June 7th.

I decided not to have a separate kid sign-in, but if you have a child who put in challenge hours this weekend, let me know in the comments because I will have some prizes to send out.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and supported and promoted the 48 Hour Book Challenge! Read on!

Category: 49 comments

MotherReader 48HBC Update V

Posted by MotherReader at 8:05 AM
So I read eight books and spent twenty-eight and a half hours on the challenge. Certainly good, but not as much as I’d hoped for given how wide open my weekend was. In some ways the freedom was part of the problem, because it didn’t give me real mental breaks from reading or allow me to process the books. Which, in turn, led to my sad lack of reviews.

I tend to write my posts after going through them in my head while I’m doing other things, rather than sitting myself down in front of the computer and drafting the full version. But for the 48HBC, I can’t really count time showering and thinking about the book as real blogging time. It doesn’t seem right. Yet that is as much my process as it is for other people to take notes and craft them into a review.

I wanted to write about the books I read, because they were all great! Seriously, a wonderful run of books. But I think I’ll have to do the reviews throughout the week, as I’ll have time and mental space to give each the attention it deserves.

Before I began, I had a completely different stack of books I’d planned to tackle, mostly Young Adult titles. But as I read the first book about an eleven year old, it occurred to me that I didn’t want to enter the angst and turmoil and often-darkness of YA. Not now. Not for this weekend. As I realized that I had three books that were about eleven year olds, I decided to make that fifth/sixth-grade age my theme. I switched out the stack I had so carefully selected for a set of completely different books. It worked for me, in that I enjoyed the reading level and ended up loving all of the books. A pretty wonderful experience to have had so many awesome books in a row. Since I can’t leave you without any reaction, here are my overall thoughts on each:

Seaglass Summer, by Anjali Banerjee (2010)
Loved the strong characters, the soothing picture of the island life, and the sensitive handling of death — and life. Beautifully done.

The Dancing Pancake, by Eileen Spinelli (2010)
Another book with a sensitive handling of a difficult topic — separation — and realistic, accessible characters. My personal favorite is the cousin, for the funny and dead-on dialogue of a lively four-year-old boy. Delightful.

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm (2010)
Again, loved the characters. Loved the setting. Loved the humor and the conflict. Loved the few pages of history at the back that provided context. Wonderful.

Smells Like Dog, by Suzanne Selfors (2010)
This was a different book than I’d expected, but I was quickly captured by the humor and adventure. I enjoyed the ride.

How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog), by Art Corriveau (2010)
Well written boy-and-his-dog story, with a little mystery, a little pre-teen angst, and a lot of nicely placed humor. Almost makes me want a dog.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume (1970)
I choose this because of my eleven-twelve year old theme, wondering if this older book still held the wonders of this age. Yup. Lives up to my memory of it.

Also Known as Harper, by Ann Haywood Leal (2009)
Sadder than I was expecting somehow, but not without hope contained within the story and the characters themselves. Glad I found it again.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger (2010)
Funny and so real in its portrayal of the dynamics of middle school. Just excellent. And hello? A shoutout to the Kidlitosphere in the acknowledgements! How cool!

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 20 comments

MotherReader 48HBC Update IV

Posted by MotherReader at 4:21 AM
Last bit of time on the clock, it’s the overnight shift, and I’m out of Diet Coke. We’ll see how this goes.

8:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.Read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. Guys, why didn’t anyone tell me that the Kidlitosphere is thanked in the acknowledgements? Awesome!
9:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.Brief tweeting, then blog post updating.
9:30 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.Heading to the school early to pick up teen because the parking there sucks. Decide I’m going to bring my notebook — actual spiral notebook — to see if I can draft some posts while I wait, because I’ve written nothing so far. Nothing!
9:45 p.m. – 10:15 p.m.Yeah, that didn’t work. But I did bring a back-up book to read in the car.
10:15 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.Heard about the dance on the drive home, and sat through the retelling at home. She had fun, though the boys didn’t dance with the girls. Typical.
10:45 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.Post updating.
11:00 p.m. – 12:00 mid.Social Media time.
12:00 mid. – 1:00 a.m.Writing reviews. Kind of. Not going well.
1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.Dozing on the couch.
2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.Writing final summary.
3:00 a.m. – 4:15 a.m.Last Social Media time, checking in on the last thirty blogs.
4:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.Sleeping away the last hours of my time, I’m guessing quite happily.

Six and a half hours of the twelve-hour period.

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 4 comments

MotherReader 48HBC Update III

Posted by MotherReader at 9:23 PM
I’m going to continue to post these at the end of the twelve-hour periods, but write them as I go. Because why not? Also, I was actually up at 7:30 a.m. without even trying, but I spent that time checking emails and blogs.

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.Read How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog)
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Break for breakfast and shower.
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Blog post tweaking.
11:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.Help teen with early primping for tonight’s dance while listening to Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.Involved in general logistics of getting my teen out the door to study session before the dance.
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 a.m.Read Also Known as Harper.
3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.Can’t bellieve I’m taking time out to negotiate with our meat guy. Yes, we have a meat guy.
3:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.Brief tweeting, then back to Also Known as Harper.
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.Social Media time. Made it through comments on the first fifty blogs.
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.Take teen and some friends to the dance. So exciting to see the girls all dressed up. Then a dinner break.

Nine hours of this twelve-hour period.

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 5 comments

Special Bonus 48HBC Prizes!

Posted by Bill at 4:56 PM
48 Hour Book Challenge“FatherReader” here, with a special announcement. MotherReader’s still reading furiously (after yet another unscheduled interruption, which I suspect she’ll tell you all about later), so I thought I’d help alleviate some of her frustration (don’t worry — the kids are adjusting quite well to their cages) by posting a quick note about a couple of special bonus prizes for this year’s competition.

First of all, since we didn’t have time to solicit sponsors for MR’s Greater Good charity (what with all of the family drama going on of late), she’s decided to donate a dollar to her designated Donors Choose school for everyone who finishes the 48 Hour Book Challenge! So if you need some encouragement to do some reading and write up a final post, know that your work will be helping get schoolchildren the books they need!

RIFAnd second — speaking of helping get quality books into the hands of children — RIF will be donating not one, not two, but three multicultural library collections for schools or other youth-serving organizations — as chosen by the top three (domestic*) winners! We’re talking about approximately 50 hardback books (the list of titles can be seen in this PDF document)! (Special thanks to Carol Rasco for making the offer!)

And all of these are in addition to the excellent assortment of prizes for the winners and a bevy of signed books to be given to participants as “door prizes.” Books like The Cardturner, Seaglass Summer, Operation Yes, The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate, and — in an ironic turn for MotherReader — The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

So stay strong, and keep reading!

* The schools or organizations must be within the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii).
Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 5 comments

MotherReader 48HBC Update II

Posted by MotherReader at 11:19 AM
It’s weird to be writing these in present tense when I know I’m not posting them until tomorrow, but I like the immediate sound. I guess there’s also no particular reason to start a second update when I haven’t posted the first, but there’s something sad about only having one update, so I’m doing them in twelve-hour increments.

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.Started review posts for all three books.
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.Oh, Mom. Why must you call during my 48HBC time? Especially with, “I haven’t heard from you in a while!” Yeah, Mom, like since Tuesday.
10:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.Some social media time. Not like I earned it. Sigh.
10:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.Mood for writing posts broken by Mom’s call. Read Smells Like Dog instead.
1:30 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.Social media time.
2:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Five hours of this twelve-hour period.

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 4 comments

MotherReader 48HBC Update I

Posted by MotherReader at 11:17 AM
I signed in at 7:00 a.m. to make sure that the Mr. Linky thing worked, but actually started my own time at 8:00 a.m. after a cup of coffee and a skim of the newspaper.

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.Read Seaglass Summer
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Unscheduled break as I talked to my in-laws for an hour and then took a tour of my neighbor’s new addition. Seriously, an hour.
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Finished Seaglass Summer, wiped off leftover tear trails, started Update post.
11:00 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.Read The Dancing Pancake, which veers on the young side for the Challenge but I needed it after losing an hour after barely beginning 48HBC plus after getting weepy after Seaglass Summer.
12:40 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.A little weepy about The Dancing Pancake. I’m a mess lately.
12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.Mini Social Media time.
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.Never mind. Full hour of Social Media time now.
1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.Break. (Did I brush my teeth yet? Now’s my chance.)
2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.Reading Turtle in Paradise
2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.Talking to the teen after school. Good mommy. Bad reader.
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.After a brief tweet, back to the book.
4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.Reading, but hungry.
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.Snack and a little bit of Hannah Montana. (It was already on! Don’t judge me!)
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.Read Turtle in Paradise. Quick tweet.
6:00 p.m. – 6:05 p.m.Tabulate my time.
6:05 p.m. – 6:10 p.m.Check again. Yup 6 3/4 hrs + 1 social media hour.
6:10 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.Realize that all this tabulating and updating counts, thus making it 7 hours plus 1 Social hour. Eight hours total. Wahoo!
6:15 p.m.Time to pick up the kid from her field trip. Assuming that I’m beginning another long break now...

Eight hours of this twelve-hour period.

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 4 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge: Starting Line

Posted by MotherReader at 6:50 AM
48 Hour Book ChallengeYou’ve read the rules, stacked the books, and caged the kids. It’s time to read.

When you start your time, sign in with Mr. Linky here. Keep track of your time — which includes reading, blogging, and some connecting (for every five hours reading/reviewing you can take one hour of blog reading, tweeting, and general bookish socializing). To keep the Starting Line post at the top of my blog, I won’t start my personal posts until sometime Saturday morning.

On Sunday, I’ll have a Finish Line post where you can leave the link to your final summary page, which should include the amount of time spent on the challenge. With everything going on, I didn’t have a chance to post the prizes. Sorry about that. I can tell you that I have a lot of books, and I will certainly indulge the winners with a collection of signed books, ARCs, jewelry, and general fun stuff.

Have fun, read well.

Category: 67 comments

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

Posted by MotherReader at 4:04 PM
I had planned to write about Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention when I got back on Saturday, but personal events conspired against me. And boy, is that an understatement. With the 48 Hour Book Challenge starting tomorrow — TOMORROW! — I’m putting off my BEA/BBC coverage until next week — with the exception of today’s post at PBS Booklights, where I talk about three of the books I was most excited to find. Plus I share a picture of me and a man in Groucho glasses.

Off to prepare my reading list for tomorrow.
Category: 1 comments

Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge — Clarifications

Posted by MotherReader at 10:14 AM
First, a quick Public Service Announcement: School Library Journal has moved its blogs, including our beloved Fuse#8. Please take thirty seconds to mark the new address in your blogroll or blogreader, and check any other SLJ blogs that may have been affected. Thank you.

48 Hour Book ChallengeNow, here are a few questions that have come up for the Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge.


Do I need to have a blog to participate?
Pretty much. But if you set one up just for this challenge, you wouldn’t be the first to do so. Plus next week Maw Books is going to help get our blogs into shape with the mid-year Bloggiesta, so you might find that the 48HBC kicks off a new hobby for you.

Do you have to register with Mr. Linky before you can use it?
Not that I know of. You should only have to register with the Mr. Linky site if you are hosting this type of listing on your blog. Since you will simply be signing in on my blog with the Mr. Linky I’ve set up, you should be fine.

Can I count time reading to my child? Can my kids join in?
You can certainly count time reading aloud to your child — or to anyone, for that matter — as long as you’re using chapter books. Kids can always play along for the fun of it, but right now — off the top of my head — I’m thinking that I could make a few small prizes available to kid readers. They would have to keep track of their time (with adult help, perhaps), and write reviews/impressions/thoughts of their books on their sponsoring adult’s blog (you could do the actual posting). I’ll have a separate Finishing Line for kid readers and will select a few at random for prizes. We’ll give this a bit of a trial run.

How does this reading for charity thing work?
Any way you want. I’ve been reluctant to assign a specific method or charity, because I want to allow bloggers the freedom to choose — including whether they want to participate in this aspect of the 48HBC. You can donate a set amount per hour you read and even seek sponsors. You could donate based on the number of comments or books read or the total number of 48HBC finishers or something else I’m not thinking of. I’m supporting projects through Donors Choose, and specifically this DC school. You are welcome to help me meet their goal, pick another school local to your area, select something else entirely, or skip this portion of the 48HBC.

How can I contact you to donate prizes?
Write me at MotherReader AT gmail DOT com and let me know what you’d like to donate. I usually pull together a bunch of things — books, jewelry, notecards, T-shirts, etc. — to make prize packages for the winners. I also like to have a few authors who’d be willing to send a personalized, signed book to a blogger for a few randomly selected “door prizes.” I’ll also take critiques, illustrator art/sketches/doodles, an offer to name a character in a book after a winner, or an eReader. If you have contacted me and haven’t heard back, then I must extend my apologies — I’ve been a bit overwhelmed, and have not handled everything as smoothly as I would have liked. Assume I’m interested, and I’ll be checking back through my email this week.

Where are bloggers putting their small kids while doing all this reading?
One word: cages.
Category: 12 comments

Countdown to the Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge

Posted by MotherReader at 11:22 AM
48 Hour Book ChallengeWe are now days away from the Fifth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge, and ready to rock n’ read. The most important thing to note is that participants need to sign in at the starting line post here at MotherReader on Friday, June 4th. I’m repeating the rules today to allow for last questions, comments, or suggestions. It also gives us another chance to talk it up on our blogs and Twitter feeds, perhaps bringing more folks into our friendly fold.
  1. The weekend is June 4–6, 2010. 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 fourth and end no later than 7:00 a.m. Monday the seventh. 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. Graphic novels can be included in the reading. One audiobook can also be included in your time and book total.
  3. The top three winners will be based only on time commitment, not number of books. So if you are heading into the 30+ hours club or 40+ hours club, track your time carefully. International winners may be given gift cards instead books due to mailing costs, unless a U.S. address is provided.
  4. 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 — and some people do — 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.
  5. 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. Up to you. The time spent reviewing counts in your total time.
  6. New last 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.
  7. 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 at MotherReader on June 4th (via the trusty Mr. Linky).
  8. 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 7th. 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.
Last year we began to connect the 48HBC to charitable causes, and folks were able to connect their personal readathon to a Greater Good of their choice. While you may continue to select your own charity, I’m going to suggest supporting book and literacy projects through Donors Choose, a great resource that connects teachers in need of supplies to donors with funds to give. For myself, I plan to donate $1 per hour read to this DC school and welcome others — perhaps those not able to do the challenge this year — to sponsor me. Other participants can contribute to this cause and even this school as well, or to something else that moves you. Your readathon 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).

I continue to look for donations for winners’ prize packages and other “door prizes” to be awarded to participants selected at random. Past prizes have included original sketches from Mo Willems and Matthew Holm, signed and sketched books from Adam Rex, loads of signed books, t-shirts from Threadless, artistic blank journals, jewelry, gift cards, notecards, and more. Good stuff. If you’d like to contribute to the prizes this year, shoot me an email at MotherReader AT gmail DOT com.

Questions can also go in the comments, and I will respond in the comments and, if needed, with clarification in the final rules. Good luck, have fun, and happy reading!
Category: 9 comments

ABC Storytime: XYZ is for...

Posted by MotherReader at 8:41 PM
Finishing up the ABC Storytime with combined letters, because finding a book for X is simply too much work. Thanks for following along this year!

The Letters X, Y and Z

Song: “The Alphabet Song”

Book: Appaloosa Zebra, by Jessie Haas

Song: “The X Song”
(to the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?”)

Where is X?
Where is X?
Here I am.
Here I am.
How are you today X?
Very well, I thank you.
X away, X away.

(The first time you sing the song, cross your fingers to form the letter X. The second time, cross your arms.)
Book: The Yellow Tutu, by Kirsten Bramsen

Song: “Let’s Give a Yell for Y”
(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

Let’s give a yell for Y,
Let’s give a yell for Y.
Y is for you and for yellow too,
Let’s give a yell for Y

Yarn begins with Y...
Yawn begins with Y...
Book: Zee, by Michel Gay

Fingerplay: “Zebras in the Zoo”
(counting on fingers)

Five zebras in a zoo
The first one said, I need new shoes
The second said, I do too
The third one said, My name is Sue
The fourth one said, It’s nice to meet you
The fifth one said, How do you do?
Book: One Night in the Zoo, by Judith Kerr

Links to material on Amazon.com contained within this post may be affiliate links for the Amazon Associates program, for which this site may receive a referral fee.
Category: 2 comments