Return from Vacation
Jan. 6th, 2008 04:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alanajoliWe had a lovely Christmas and New Year's off in the arctic lands of Michigan, staying with my family. While delightful, this led to a very long cold that persists in hanging on, so I've been a little slow getting back into the swing of things! I'm looking over some guest blogs that have come in and getting ready to figure out a posting schedule (as well as deciding my best course of action for pestering the folks who were excited about writing guest entries but haven't yet). I've been reading some books for review for FlamesRising (Happy Hour of the Damned by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mdhenry, which is going to get a very good review), some books for School Library Journal (the best series of mythology books for kids that they've yet sent me!), and some books just for fun (Skullduggery Pleasant, which is a delightful Irish YA fantasy novel with some of the best banter since Firefly was on the air).
In the news this week, the United States has decided to follow the example of the U.K. and has formed a "national ambassador for children's books" position much like the Children's Laureate in Britain. It is a two year appointment, supported by the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council. Their selection for the first author to fill this position? None other than "Guys Read" founder and proponent of helping more young people become readers-for-life, Jon Scieszka. Long a favorite of mine (since the days of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and the beginning of his "Time Warp Trio" series, which I was theoretically too old for when they came out, but I don't quibble over the details), Scieszka is amazingly enthusiastic at doing outreach for reluctant readers. I was lucky to write the update essay on his work in 2005 for the Something about the Author series, and reading about what he's been working toward—not just with his own work, but with trying to bring in other writers to encourage reluctant readers, especially boys, to get hooked on reading—really impressed me. If anyone will do a great job as the first person in this position, he's at the top of the list. (Right up there next to him is Rick Riordan.) So congrats, Mr. Scieszka!
mdhenry, which is going to get a very good review), some books for School Library Journal (the best series of mythology books for kids that they've yet sent me!), and some books just for fun (Skullduggery Pleasant, which is a delightful Irish YA fantasy novel with some of the best banter since Firefly was on the air).In the news this week, the United States has decided to follow the example of the U.K. and has formed a "national ambassador for children's books" position much like the Children's Laureate in Britain. It is a two year appointment, supported by the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council. Their selection for the first author to fill this position? None other than "Guys Read" founder and proponent of helping more young people become readers-for-life, Jon Scieszka. Long a favorite of mine (since the days of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs and the beginning of his "Time Warp Trio" series, which I was theoretically too old for when they came out, but I don't quibble over the details), Scieszka is amazingly enthusiastic at doing outreach for reluctant readers. I was lucky to write the update essay on his work in 2005 for the Something about the Author series, and reading about what he's been working toward—not just with his own work, but with trying to bring in other writers to encourage reluctant readers, especially boys, to get hooked on reading—really impressed me. If anyone will do a great job as the first person in this position, he's at the top of the list. (Right up there next to him is Rick Riordan.) So congrats, Mr. Scieszka!
