Amberly Media Center

Children’s Literature Web Guide : Authors and Illustrators
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html
–find links to author web sites.

Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literaure
http://www.dawcl.com/
–search the winners of dozens of awards by location, setting, historical period, and other keywords.

Guys Read
http://www.guysread.com
–search by author, subject, or books like your favorite book. (titles tend to be middle school and above)

KidsReads
http://www.kidsreads.com/
–reviews, features, author info.

Learning About the Author and Illustrator A-Z
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/AuthorSite/authora.html
—-find links to author web sites.

Meet The Author USA
http://www.meettheauthor.com/
—-video podcasts of authors introducing their latest books, most are adult authors, but some children’s and young adult authors (especially those that write fantasy and scifi) are included.

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Additional Author Sites

Andrew Clements
http://www.andrewclements.com/

Eoin Colfer
http://www.eoincolfer.com/

Kate DiCamillo
http://www.katedicamillo.com/

Neil Gaiman
http://www.neilgaiman.com/

Anthony Horowitz
http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/

Erin Hunter
http://www.warriorcats.com/

Kevin Kammeraad
http://www.tomatocollection.com

Jeff Kinney
http://www.wimpykid.com/

Ann M. Martin
http://www.scholastic.com/annmartin/

Mercer Mayer
http://www.littlecritter.com/

Megan McDonald
http://www.meganmcdonald.net/

Stephanie Meyers
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Jonanthan Rand
http://www.americanchillers.com/

Rick Riordan
http://www.rickriordan.com/

J. K. Rowling
http://www.jkrowling.com

Gertrude Chandler Warner
http://www.boxcarchildren.com/index.cfm?CategoryID=2

Betty Ren Wright
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3143

Can’t Find Your Favorite Author?
Click on the Comments link above to suggest an author to add to the additional list.

• Gotta Book-30 Poets in 30 Days
  http://gottabook.blogspot.com/

• National Poetry Month
  http://www.poets.org/

• To subscribe to Poem-A-Day Email
  http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php

• Poetry Teachers
  http://www.poetryteachers.com

• Poetry4Kids
  http://www.poetry4kids.com/

• Magnetic Poetry
  http://www.magpo.com/kidspoetry/playonline.cfm

• Shel Silverstein.com
  http://www.shelsilverstein.com/

• Jack Prelutsky.com
  http://www.jackprelutsky.com/

The Penderwicks are back from their summer vacation and we get to see what school is like for the four sisters–Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. Skye and Jane are on the same soccer team and one of my favorite scenes is when Skye tries very hard to keep her cool on the field when the referee misses a foul on her sister. We also get to meet Mr. Penderwick who has just received a letter from his wife that his sister was given by Mrs. Penderwick when she died. The letter encourages Mr. Penderwick to begin dating and of course the girls are afraid of having one of those wicked stepmothers they’ve read about. The sisters put together an elaborate “Save-Daddy Plan” that naturally has hilarious results.

The Penderwicks books remind me of one of those great movie comedies with an ensemble cast of great actors.

I put off reading this first book of the third series about the clans of Warrior cats until it came out in paperback. As in the other two series, the main action focuses on a new generation of cats trying to prove themselves and understand their place in the clan. Firestar’s grandchildren–Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Jaypaw– are eager to begin their apprenticeships and get into lots of mischief along the way. Jaypaw is the main character in this book as he struggles to prove that even though he is blind, he can help Thunderclan. To compensate for his lack of sight, Jaypaw is gifted with both an amazing sense of smell and hearing. And when he becomes apprenticed to the medicine cat, Leafpool, he also discovers he can enter other cat’s dreams. And don’t forget: these cats are also the grandchildren of Tigerclaw, so there’s bound to be trouble.

This is an ever growing list of children’s book authors who write web logs. Some posts are about their books, some maybe about other topics that interest them. I have a long list of others that I will be adding as I have time. Send me a comment if you know of any others I should add.

Laurie Halse Anderson
http://halseanderson.livejournal.com/

Holly Black
http://blackholly.livejournal.com/

Meg Cabot
http://www.megcabot.com/diary/

Shannon Hale
http://oinks.squeetus.com/

David Lubar
http://davidlubar.livejournal.com/

Lisa Yee
http://lisayee.livejournal.com/

A young newspaper report gets the chance of her career: to tell the untold story of the world’s greatest violin player, Paolo Levi. Levi is known for being difficult to interview and will walk out on any reporter who asks him why he refuses to play the music of Mozart.

But this interview is different. Levi has decided it is time to tell the tragic but inspiring tale of his parents who he learns are survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. His parents survived because they were musicians who were forced to play the music of Mozart to calm their fellow Jews as they arrived at the camps.

This may end up being next year’s Newbery Medal winner. A brief and powerful combination of words by Morpurgo and watercolor paintings by Michael Foreman.

They’re always making that extra trip down the hall to the library. They show up early in the morning and they stop by after school. They always have great reading recommendations for their friends.

THEY ARE THE LIBRARY MANIACS!

….and they deserve recognition. So here they are, a list for each grade from first through fifth of the students who have the most books checked out during the first half of the school year. But it’s not too late if you’re not on the list. Make the updated list by February 29th and you will be eligible for a FREE BOOK at our March Book Fair.

READ ON, MANIACS!

• 5th Grade Maniacs
• 4th Grade Maniacs
• 3rd Grade Maniacs
• 2nd Grade Maniacs
• 1st Grade Maniacs

Every Friday I print and laminate a set of five bookmarks created by students at Amberly. The demand for the template has been so great I’ve decided to put it online so you can print and create a bookmark design at home.

When I have the time in coming weeks, I would also like to add some of the favorite designs to the blog.

• Bookmark Template

 …..well, unusual.

…and many.

With the additions of an award for Young Adult literature, an award for early reading books, a brand new award for best audiobook, and other new awards, the traditional Caldecott Medal for best children’s illustrator and Newbery Medal for best children’s author can almost get lost in the excitement.

This year even a quick glance at the Newbery and Caldecott medal books could generate a buzz. In sharp contrast to previous years, the “skinny book” is the Newbery Medal winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz,  and the “fat book” is the Caldecott Medal Winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Good Masters! is a beautifully illustrated series of (mostly verse) monologues that reveal the lives of young people in 14th century England.

Hugo Cabret is also historical fiction, using words and eerie drawings that often act as a “flip book” to tell the story of an orphaned French boy who discovers the intertwined secrets of his inventor father and an elderly toy seller.

Both books challenge young people to “read” in new ways. Good Masters! is designed to be read aloud and performed and Hugo Cabret is designed for interaction, play and study. Together, these two winners send a strong message that children’s literature is alive and well, and ready for the Internet generation.

For a complete list of 2008 award winners, click here.

…a new book!

Can you guess what the Pigeon wants next? Here’s a contest where you can draw your own picture of what the Pigeon wants.

If your picture is selected, Mo Willems will come visit Amberly! Click here for details.