Nova's To Read List

On Thursday, December 1st YASD held their Annual Luncheon with guest speaker Nova Ren Suma. Nova is the YA author of 17 and Gone and The Walls Around Us among other well reviewed titles. She shared the adoration she has for librarians and the importance of our work. She professed that within the title The Walls Around Us there is a hidden love letter to librarians. One of the main characters, who is in a juvenile detention center, has a book cart she holds dear to her heart. These books are her window to the outside world and give her hope for the future. Nova ended her inspiring speech with a list of new books on her book cart that she feels are critical to the future. Here are the titles she shared!

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1. Here We Are: 44 Voices Write, Draw, and Speak Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen

Former librarian Kelly Jensen edits this collection of essays, stories, comics, and more that introduce the reader to what it means to be a feminist. Nova Ren Suma is in there!

2. The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi

College student Karuna Riazi writes the first release from Simon & Schuster's Salaam Reads imprint. Farah and her friends get sucked into a board game where they must solve puzzles to save her younger brother who is held captive inside.

3. The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera 

After being punished by her parents, Margo must figure out a way to get her social stock back on the rise instead of being tarnished as she works off her bad deed in a Bronx deli.

4. When the Moon Was Hours by Anna Marie McLemore

In this tale of magical realism the love between Miel and transgender Sam blossoms much like the gorgeous roses on Miel's wrists. As their love blooms the four Bonner girls, the sly red haired sisters in town, believe the roses are the key to solving their romance woes, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get them.

5. American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Fabiola has just emigrated to America and as she and her mother make their way through customs her mom is detained. Now she must navigate relationships with her extended family and the streets of Detroit by herself. All seems well until a Vodou spirit appears to throw her off course.

6. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Pulled right out of today's headlines this debut novel follows 16-year-old Starr after she is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her friend by a cop.

SLJ: Graphic Novelists Reflect on School Visits

There is so much planning that goes into an author visit on our end, but have you ever wondered what it is like for the author? George O'Connor, a frequent visitor to our very own Authors Unlimited, teamed up with School Library Journal and creative cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki to share a few pointers and experiences of what it is like for the author on the day of the visit! Take a look at the cartoon George made below and click here for the whole article.

http://www.slj.com/2015/10/books-media/graphic-novelists-reflect-on-school-visits/#_

Media Monday: Wimpy Kid in Latin!

As you can see that one and only Wimpy Kid or in this case "Inepto Puero" had a bit of makeover for his newest edition. The first installment of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been translated into Latin. At an Abrams preview on Thursday, August 13th the man who translated this popular title came all the way from the Vatican to talk about it. Monsignor Daniel Gallagher works as the Pope's Latin secretary! What this means is that he translates many of the Pope's works into Latin. According to the back of the book these works even include the Pope's tweets! Through a series of events this project landed in his lap and he jumped at the chance. 

The new Latin edition has already sold out in Europe, Monsignor Gallagher believes that this has mainly been due to the fact that those who are passionate about the language will want this most recent piece of translated children's literature for their collection along side Winnie Ille Puu aka Winnie the Pooh and Cattus Petasatus aka The Cat in the Hat. The Monsignor hopes that this will lead to a new group of people wanting to learn the language. He thinks that the adventures of Greg Heffley would lend themselves well to classroom Latin studies. As per Jeff Kinney, Greg is now rocking a wreath on his head and a brand new toga. Looking good! If you wan to know what the first page of Commentarii de Inepto Puero sound like watch the video below of Monsignor David Gallagher reading his Latin translation!

Media Monday: Author Tad Hills

Author and Illustrator Tad Hills - creator of the adorable Duck & Goose books

stars as himself in this short video that explains his life and process as an author and illustrator - and stars the real life Duck and Goose!

Mocking the Caldecott

No, not really! We did, however, hold our annual MOCK Caldecott today at SCLS-YS. A group of over 30 enthusiastic librarians convened to discuss and critique some of the best picture books published this past year. Our first task was to narrow the list of 16 titles down to a more manageable 8. Thanks to our volunteers who served as "picture book champions" and talked up their titles, in a mere one minute and 52 seconds per title, to be precise! Tiffany Russo-Malone, Kristen Stroh, Kelly Sheridan, Emily Lazio, and Kim Androlowicz joined me in championing the following titles:

Then the voting began, and the top eight titles remained, and were discussed for the next hour: 

After an intense hour of discussion, our two groups reconvened and everyone voted individually for their first, second, and third place titles. As in ALSC voting - our votes were weighted. First place votes carry 4 points, second place 3 points, and third place 2 points each. The winning title needed at least 8 first place votes, and needed to beat the next highest point bearing title by at least eight points. With votes coming in scattered across the field, I began to get a little nervous as I tabulated, but a clear and decisive winner emerged for the Mock Caldecott Gold Medal!

The group then took additional votes to determine the mock honor books:

Tune in - or better yet, come join us in person on January 14th as we tackle the MOCK NEWBERY!

But first tell us - did we get the Mock Caldecott right? What was YOUR choice for the SCLS Mock Caldecott winner?

Author at YSS: Charles R. Smith Jr.

Last week on Thursday afternoon YSS held its membership meeting where attendees welcomed their new board and were able to meet powerful poet and photographer Charles R. Smith Jr. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his book My People, he shared his experiences in growing up and how it led to him becoming a writer. He shared that as a child he wanted to become an astronaut. When he went to the library at his school he told the librarian his dream of one day going into space. She handed him a book about Guy Bluford who was the first African American to ever go to space. He said that seeing someone like him taking off into the stars made him realize he could do anything. Although he never made it out of our atmosphere he did join the yearbook committee. 

While this wasn't what his eighth grade self had in mind it did lead to his passion. Here he had to not only write, but take photos. He had a new dream and has been perusing it ever since. When he moved to New York from Los Angeles he wanted to become a photographer for book covers, but was given the chance to write! Not only does he write poetry and prose, but he has recently completed an opera called Bounce: An Opera in 4 Quarters. Smith finished writing the piece so quickly he is actually a year ahead of schedule! The thing that was most exciting was this wasn't a dry PowerPoint presentation of his past works. The audience was able to have the experience of Smith reciting his poetry and giving life to the words that we had only once read on a page. This incredible talent of rhythm and rhymes made this an exceptional visit. 

To hear Charles R. Smith Jr. reciting his poetry click here.

Mike Lupica at Simon & Schuster

Self proclaimed "king of the reluctant readers" Mike Lupica made a special appearance at the Simon & Schuster Winter 2015 preview on Friday, October 17th. He spoke about his latest project The Only Game which will be the first installment of his new Home Team Series. The books will focus on a group of four friends: Jack, Teddy, Cassie and Gus. Each novel will follow the life of one of the friends as they are published. This first installment will focus on Jack who will actually be giving up baseball to right something he feels he is responsible. Lupica said, "An act of bravery for a child is overcoming something you're afraid of," he continues, "There is a scene in this book on one of those suspended bridges over a body of water which is one of my favorite scenes I have ever written in a book. There is a moment of awakening for two characters. [These books will focus on] loyalty, friendship and teamwork - the things that I value." He also shares that he loves writing kids as realistically as possible so they are relatable to his readers. When talking about his characters and content he says, "If there is one theme that runs from book to book it is that anybody can get knocked down. It is how you get back up that tells the world about your qualities." This title will be available February 17, 2015. 

Steve Sheinkin visits Northport-East Northport

Non-fiction writer Steve Sheinkin was the guest of honor at Northport-East Northport's 23rd Annual Speaking of Writing Distinguished Author Visit on Monday October 20th. He spoke to local middle school classes about how he ended up becoming a writer and his writing process in general. He said, "I never thought I would be doing this: writing non-fiction? I thought history was really boring." When he was a little boy he and his brother (pictured above) would spend their time creating. "We liked to write and draw comics. We also liked to write and perform skits like on Saturday Night Live," he shared with the crowd. After he tried his hand at moving making, his film received a one-star review, he took a job writing text books. He quickly learned that the text book writing business was very cut and dry. His bosses simply wanted the facts and the flourishes he would add would quickly be scrapped by the editors. 

He took all those bits and bobbles they left on the floor of his office and made them into his first books of historical follies (Two Miserable Presidents, King George: What Was His Problem?). He quickly found that he loved writing these non-fiction books that gave him the freedom to inject the tidbits that he found most interesting. He sees every thing he researches as a case to solve. "You start with an assignment or idea, do some research and name your sources. Imagine a paper that took a year and a half to write. It's sort of like detective work. Sort of nerdy detective work, but still!" Sheinkin shares that his movie making background is still alive and well in his writing process. He has a dedicated wall of his office where he storyboards his books with different color index cards, photos, and more! Sheinkin's most recent book The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights is a National Book Award Finalist. Sheinkin is working on his next project, which focuses on Vietnam, at his home in Saratoga Springs, NY!

Thanks Steve!

Meet the Authors! Holly Black and Lois Ehlert

The Suffolk Literature Conference will be here tomorrow, with our guest authors Holly Black and Lois Ehlert. We are so excited to have worked with the CLASC executive board on this endeavor, and can't wait to hear what Holly and Lois have to share with us tomorrow. In order to hold you over until tomorrow, here are two videos featuring them!