The Joy of Children's Literature

The Scott O'Dell Award for historical fiction goes to Bo at Ballard Creek written by Kirkpatrick Hill and illustrated by LeUyen Pham (find it at your local library here ). The Charlotte Zolotow Award for best picture book text goes to The Dark written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Jon Klassen (find it at your local library here ). Congratulations to these authors and illustrators!

World Read Aloud Day and Virtual Author Visits Imagine a world where everyone can read... This statement is the campaign call to action by LitWorld, a non-profit literacy organization and sponsor of World Read Aloud Day . Celebrated the first Wednesday of March, World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) advocates for worldwide attention to the human right of literacy and importance of reading aloud and sharing stories.   From the website: World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read

From NPR: If there's one thing kids are scared of, it's the dark. In his latest children's book, The Dark , Daniel Handler — who writes under the pen name Lemony Snicket — takes on darkness itself, with the story of a young boy who confronts his biggest fear. Handler is known for his dry wit and matter-of-fact take on the mysterious and macabre. In his A Series of Unfortunate Events books and , the protagonists confront twisted characters and dastardly villains. "I can't think of a story that doesn't have something terrible in it," he tells NPR's Neal Conan. "Otherwise, it's dull. So when I embarked into the world of picture books, my first thought was to do something about the dark. "I think the book is probably a little bit scary. I also hope it's interesting." Handler talks about his own childhood fears and the process of writing his latest book.

Katherine Applegate's Newbery Award winning book The One and Only Ivan is NPR's June Backseat Book Club selection. Yesterday, NPR conducted an interview with Katherine. Enjoy! PS: Katherine Applegate will be at the National Book Festival this year!

Several years ago, I took my son (who was around 10 at the time) and the students in my children’s literature course to an author appearance by Christopher Paul Curtis . His book, Watson’s Go To Birmingham – 1963 had been chosen for the citywide read program . By all accounts, it was an amazing event! Christopher Paul Curtis read aloud the first chapter (which is hilarious), discussed his inspiration for writing the story, and answered questions.  Afterward, as we stood in line to get his autograph, many of my students commented that they had never met an author before. My son was also enamored. He asked Curtis to sign a poster of the book and to take a picture with him. Later, he hung the poster on his door. As he grew into a teenager, almost everything about his room changed – all except the poster of Curtis on the door. He didn’t want to take it down. It represented an important moment in his life; one that made a lasting impression. Meeting an author is a wonderful

2 Free Audiobook Downloads Each Week from Listening Library    Listening Library is proud to team up with AudioFile Magazine to support SYNC. Beginning this month, SYNC offers FREE audiobook downloads of Young Adult audiobooks and Summer Reading Classics! Watch for Listening Library's IRISES by Francisco X. Stork available June 21 – June 27 and THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND by Jonathan Stroud available June 28 – July 4. To find out when you can download titles to listen to on the run this summer, visit www.AudiobookSync. or text syncya to 25827.