Here's the schedule of my appearances at this terrific event:

Date: Saturday, June 9th
Time: 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM
Program: Panel Discussion: Blue Balliett, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Linda Sue Park, moderated by Steve Edwards
Location: Grace Place/2nd Floor

Date: Sunday, June 10th
Time: 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM
Program: Newbery Award winning authors Richard Peck author of "Secrets At Sea" and Linda Sue Park, author of "A Long Walk To Water"
Location: The Mash Stage

And here's a link to the whole shebang:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/printersrowlitfest/

Looking forward to a whole weekend of NBB--Nothing But Books! :-)

The last two in-person school visits of the year: Bell Elementary in Chicago, and Apex Middle School in North Carolina.



At Bell Elementary:



Back row, with librarians Eileen Aldrin and Donna Wojcik. Front row: Book-club students.
If the student in the middle at the front looks a wee bit peculiar, it's because he's wearing a costume in honor of my visit. Here's a closeup:




Any guesses?

Eileen and Donna did an *awesome* job getting the students at Bell ready for my visit--they knew my books inside out!



At Apex Middle School: The Battle of the Books team that won their county and regional Battles, and took sixth place at the State level:




With Carole Daley, media assistant, and Donna McAlonen, media specialist.



Many thanks to both schools for a great finish to the 2011-12 school-visit year for me!


READING: Just finished POTSDAM STATION, by David Downing (adult spy thriller). Just started THE JEWEL OF THE KALDERASH, by Marie Rutkoski (middle-grade fantasy).

On April 21, my son got married to the lovely Stephanie Veale. I'm still in something of a daze; it's not often that you get to experience a Perfect Weekend.

For now, just one photo, taken at the wedding brunch on Sunday: the newlyweds with the women on my side of the family, all of us wearing Korean hanbok. Stephanie's is a special bridal hanbok. My mother and my cousin Natalie are wearing hanbok handmade by my grandmother some sixty years ago.





From left: Daughter Anna, sister Julie, me, niece Margaret, Sean & Stephanie, my mom, niece Emma, cousin Natalie, cousin Jeesun, cousin Yoonjung.


Link to the announcement in the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/fashion/weddings/stephanie-veale-sean-dobbin-weddings.html?_r=1&ref=weddings

O happy day...

I'm behind on blogging my reading and don't have time to catch up now, but I simply MUST blog about a book I read recently.




NO CRYSTAL STAIR, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Carolrhoda)

The subject: Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller. The object: a compelling story and an important one.

A novel in more than 30 voices. A biography. A social history. A documentary. An ode to an ordinary, extraordinary, flawed and fascinating man. At first I wondered if the disparate bits (some chapters are only a paragraph or two in length) would hold together. They do more than that. Great risk, great reward: I ended up feeling that this daring technique was the best way--the only way--to get at the truth of this story.

If the book is not in your local library, DEMAND it. Politely, of course. ;-)

I've never read anything quite like it. Early days yet, but so far it's my pick for book of the year.

Last week: Girls' Middle School in Palo Alto, The Carey School in San Mateo, and then a performance of A SINGLE SHARD onstage at the Seattle Children's Theatre:





Presenting at Girls' Middle School with uber-librarian Walter Mayes (aka Walter the Giant storyteller).






With my cousin Jeesun and her daughter Yoonjung (Christine), who came to my presentation.






With Jennifer DeSousa, librarian at The Carey School.







In Seattle, waiting for the play to begin! With (from left) Ed Porter, Philip Cushman, Jim Averbeck, and Karen Cushman.





After the performance: onstage with the cast answering questions from the audience.






More family! My cousin Caroline, with Janey, and my aunt Chung (at right) drove down from Vancouver to see the play with me. At front, Shyla.







My SCBWI peeps! From left: Sundee Frazier, Jolie Stekly, Joni Sensel, Sara Easterly.






Booksigning in the theatre lobby, chatting with Bob Evans, SCT board member and fan of both the book and the play. :-)







A nice long line! (The booksigning was Sara Easterly's idea--thanks, Sara!)




I'm a fan! From Seattle Children's Theatre, from left: director Linda Hartzell, Jason "Tree-ear" Ko, front of house manager Oliver Trimble, and Joe "Crane-man" Yang. (Joe is the understudy and played Crane-man in the performance I attended.)


What a GREAT trip! Thanks to everyone who made all my events such a pleasure!

Minneapolis / St. Paul, Feb. 24-25

Friday, Feb. 24, 4:00-5:00pm
The Red Balloon Bookshop
891 Grand Avenue, St. Paul
Talk and signing
http://www.redballoonbookshop.com/


Saturday, Feb. 25
HUBBS children's literature conference,
University of St. Thomas
1000 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis
http://www.stthomas.edu/education/events/HUBBs/Hubbs%202012.html

A great day for children's literature fans: I'll be speaking along with Christopher Paul Curtis! The afternoon will feature a host of breakout sessions. Booksale & signing too.


Bay area, California, March 8 & 9
School visits to the Girls School in Palo Alto and the Carey School in San Mateo.


Seattle, Washington
March 10, 5:30pm
Seattle Children's Theatre
201 Thomas Street, Seattle
http://www.sct.org/browse/Production.aspx?prod=9090

I'll be attending the 5:30pm performance of A SINGLE SHARD--I can't wait! The script was written by Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Robert Schenkkan. Booksale & signing.

Two kinds of loot today, bought and borrowed. It was the opening day of the Friends of the Library sale at my local branch. Here's what I came home with:

Purchased from the book sale:

I SAW ESAU, edited by the Opies, illustrated by Sendak. Gorgeously produced nursery rhyme collection.

COLORS OF THE MOUNTAIN, by Da Chen. Adult memoir.

MIRIAM'S KITCHEN, by Elizabeth Ehrlich. Food book about growing up Jewish.

Boswell's LIFE OF JOHNSON, Modern Library Edition, published in 1917!

LET ME FINISH, by Roger Angell. Another adult memoir.

ESSAYS OF E.B. WHITE. Got a theme going there with these last two books: White was Angell's stepfather.

Interesting that I ended up with almost all adult memoir or biography titles. There's an antidote for that--here's what I borrowed from the library:

SOLDIER BEAR, by Bibi Dumon Tak. MG fiction, Batchelder winner, finally in from the reserve list. (Still waiting for STALIN'S NOSE and WHERE THINGS COME BACK.)

Three titles I've heard a lot about and want to read: BREADCRUMBS, by Anne Ursu; THE GIRL WHO NAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING, by Catherynne M. Valente; THE CHESHIRE CHEESE CAT, by Deedy & Wright.

Two picture books: THE HOUSE THAT BABA BUILT, by Ed Young (love his work), and THE ELEPHANT SCIENTIST, by O'Connell and Jackson (love elephants).

Two adult mystery titles by Michael Pearce, recommended by a friend who knows what I like in a mystery.

Big sigh of contentment as I contemplate all these riches... Wishing everyone happy reading!