Variations on a Theme
Well, it’s Saturday and the temperature is 142 degrees. Earlier this week we were wearing sweaters. Now we’re sweltering before the weather gods. What have we done to anger them so? I will go burn an offering of highly combustible plastic to appease them so that they bring back the San Francisco-like conditions. In the meantime, swallow these chunks of frozen fun.
- Jay Asher, YA novelist and Disco Mermaid, currently has upon his blog his favorite post. It is the post in which he describes how he recently turned his wife into a recording artist. Awwwwwwwwwwwww.
- Looks like the fun book The Scary States of America by Michael Teitelbaum now has its very own blog. Recently on child_lit there was a good question as posed by one Melissa Henderson. "I know that there have been adult fiction based on blogs and adult non-fiction based on blogs. What about kid fiction? And what about creating this author/character that kids can interact with via online interactive tools? Or is this some sort of previously-been-done promo in new techno-clothing?" Good questions, those.
- Sure Mike Lupica may have a new sports series out for kids, but as a patron pointed out to me the other day, where are the girl sports series? Do you know how much money a series about a girl on a soccer team could make? Mucho dollaros, my friend. I don’t feel like writing it, but one of you authorial types should get on it pronto. Spit spot.
- I can’t go (Rutgers engagement), but if you want to attend NYPL’s BookFest this year, all power to you. Lois Lowry will be the keynote speaker alongside names like William Low, John Grandits, and J. Otto Siebold. Plus oodles of kaboodles of sherry (which Matt Phelan will attest to if you ask him). Go wild, chickens. For a mere $50, all this can be yours.
- Minh of Bottom Shelf Books gets profiled at 7-Imp. He may well be the very first one-namer kidlit blogger out there. Looks like he also takes the Pooh’s name in vain (Pooh is just glad that the Mary Poppins umbrella got what was coming to it first). And Oooooooooo! Minh totally is crushing on Saints and Spinners. Bottom Shelf Books and Saints & Spinners, sitting in a tree . . . . you know the rest.
- My co-worker has a beef with spunky red heads. Too damn many of them in children’s books, says she. She’ll be pleased to note then that according to the Kiki Strike blog Ananka’s Diary, red heads are doomed to die out in the next 100 years. Thanks to Jen Robinson for catching it.
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Children’s Illustration linked to a great Flickr set of classic 50s artist/illustrators. Some kidlit names you might recognize include Jim Flora, Alice & Martin Provensen, and Harry McNaught amongst others.
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And finally, Siobhan Dowd has passed away at the age of 47. Her book A Swift Pure Cry had already garnered a certain amount of attention this year. I was sorry not to have read any of her book. For obituaries you may go here, here, or here. Her website will also be taking money for the Siobhan Dowd Trust in the coming days.
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About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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As for girls sports books, there’s actually a brand new series out called “Pretty Tough.” The first one is about sisters on a soccer team, and each successive book will be about a different sport.
There’s also a YA book coming out in March called The Comeback Season, which isn’t about a girl who plays sports exactly, but about a die-hard fan of the Chicago Cubs, who meets another die-hard fan, a boy, when she skips school to go to Opening Day…
Both good choices for sportier girls!
Individual sports I’ve heard of, but is there any series for kids out about a girl on, say, a soccer team, softball team, etc? “Pretty Tough” is close, but I’m thinking more along the lines of Babysitter’s Club in the field. For that particular type of book, there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent. Thanks for the suggestions, though!
Julie Swanson’s GOING FOR THE RECORD isn’t a series but it’s a great girls soccer book.
What about Anno?
Wow. I nominate Minh as a Hot Man of Children’s Literature.
Also, Catherine Murdock’s books are good for sporty girls — Dairy Queen and The Off Season. Can’t think of any other series ones though…