The Yarn
November 16, 2017 by Betsy Bird
If, best beloved, you are invited to see Jack Gantos speak, you do it. You do it even if you have to pay money. Even if you are a cheapskate who spends most of her days finding ways to avoid shelling out cold hard cash for authors, you do it. You do it because you […]
June 29, 2014 by Betsy Bird
No time to dilly-dally, people! We’ve most of our peers and betters living it up in Las Vegas. Let’s soothe our sorrows of not attending ourselves in some lovely videos then, eh whot? First off, you may have known that there was a recent Boston Children’s Book Trivia Night. But did you know there was […]
May 26, 2013 by Betsy Bird
Can you think of a better way to kick off? Not I, said the fly. Yes, the world’s most confused woman (not me) is celebrating her 50th birthday. I am pleased to report that Harper Collins is allowing me to reveal this video today. The strange thing about Amelia B is that she seems to […]
February 2, 2012 by Betsy Bird
And then it’s February. How the heckedy heck did that happen? Looks like 2012 is already establishing itself as the Blink and You’ll Miss It year. Well, let’s get to it then. First and foremost was the announcement of Battle of the Books 2012. Or, as I like to think of it, the place where […]
September 18, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Writing huts! We all have them. And by “all” I mean “Laurie Halse Anderson”. But famous authors of the past also have had magnificent writing huts and one of them belonged to Roald Dahl. Now Dahl’s granddaughter Sophie is leading a fund-raiser to restore and relocate the hut. I would think she need only appeal […]
August 27, 2011 by Betsy Bird
According to all reliable sources a hurricane is about to wipe out the city of New York and all its denizens therein. With that in mind I feel it is time to ponder the ponderable. We’re all gatekeepers here, yes? Librarians, parents, teachers, etc. Our job, as we see it, is to separate the wheat […]
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June 5, 2011 by Betsy Bird
I was pleased to see that CNN provided a quick look at 826Valencia (the first of the 826 tutoring centers around the country), quick though it might be. I do wish it offered some more practical advice on finding tutoring for kids, which is not an easy thing to do. Still, it’s a good start. […]
April 30, 2011 by Betsy Bird
Dead End in Norvelt By Jack Gantos Farrar, Straus and Giroux (an imprint of Macmillan) $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-374-37993-3 Ages 10-14 On shelves September 13, 2011 What makes Jack Gantos tick? It’s a question that haunts every book he writes, from the simplest Rotten Ralph to his own YA autobiography Hole in My Life. It’s a […]
October 10, 2007 by Betsy Bird
I Am Not Joey Pigza By Jack Gantos Farrar, Straus & Giroux (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.00 ISBN: 978-0374399412 Ages 11 and up On shelves now A good author has the ability to piss off their fans. Pissing off fans is a delicate art, though. On the one hand, if you can emotionally engage your […]
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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