SPELLBINDERS Educational Newsletter, October Issue 2010!

The SPELLBINDERS monthly Newsletter for Teachers and Librarians is back for the 2010-2011 School Year!!! (We run October - May) Subscribe at the link(s) below and receive it automatically by email.

Here is October's Issue - Enjoy!!!

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October, 2010  Feature Column - The Gift of Reading Book Drive  Carolee Dean    Alamosa Books, where you can drop off your donations (Paseo del Norte & Ventura) On Saturday, September 25th, Carolee Dean, Kimberley Little, and Lois Ruby participated in a book drive and author fair along with eight other children's authors/ illustrators at Alamosa Books, a new, independent bookstore in Albuquerque, NM. We chatted with teachers, ate barbecue along with a wonderful Cajun yam-pecan bread made by Kimberley, listened to music and talked about books.         Authors Kimberley Griffiths Little and Carolee Dean  at the 12-author event to kick off the book drive  (all the authors donated their own books as well).     The purpose of the book drive, The Gift of Reading, which will run through December 6th, is to collect new and slightly used books for youth at risk who are serviced through a variety of community programs. Books collected for the Metro Detention Center will be given to children of all ages who come to visit parents in the jail. Books donated to Peanut Butter and Jelly Therapeutic Programs will be distributed through their various programs, some of which provide support to children with incarcerated parents. Books donated to the Barrett Foundation will go to a local shelter for victims of domestic violence.        Book Donation Box! Please help us fill it up by December 6th!         Please help us make a positive impact on kids of all ages by donating books at Alamosa or by starting a similar book drive in your area. Get involved! It only takes one book to ignite the reading fire and change the life of a child at risk.                 October, 2010 Chris Eboch  Guest Column - Reach Readers with Series  Chris Eboch    How many of you grew up on Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys? Or perhaps the Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, or even the Magic Tree House, Sweet Valley High or Goosebumps? Adults may argue about the literary value of some of these series (and have been doing so since Nancy Drew debuted in the 1930s). But many of us know from our own experiences the excitement of discovering a series we love, and then devouring one book after another. Series can appeal to all readers-who doesn't love to return to favorite characters and settings?-but have special value for reluctant readers. Once a young reader gets through the first book, he or she knows what to expect from the rest of them. That makes the sequels less intimidating than other standalone books, since the reader is rejoining old friends in a safe situation. The characters, setting and premise are familiar, so understanding those aspects requires less effort. The young reader can focus on making sense of the language and understanding the plot. With each book read, the process gets easier and more fun. Perhaps without even knowing it, the child becomes a reader. For kids intimidated by the length or difficulty of the first book, hearing it read aloud may provide the confidence to tackle other books in the series. Even series that are not designed as reluctant reader books can appeal to hesitant readers. When I wrote my Haunted series for ages 8 to 12, I wanted fun, fast-paced books with lots of action and dialogue. Since the series features a 13-year-old boy narrator and his 11-year-old sister, I hoped that both boys and girls would read the book-girls at perhaps a younger age, since they tend to be stronger readers. My editor suggested that our primary market was reluctant reader boys. There's no reason strong readers couldn't enjoy it, but the manga-inspired cover may draw in boys who don't typically turn to novels, and hopefully the fast pace will keep them reading. Some publishers focus on books for children learning to read, sometimes identified as leveled readers. Typically these series divide books into four or five reading levels, each one slightly harder and introducing specific new concepts, such as compound sentences or chapters. These early readers are not specifically geared toward reluctant readers, but can be used with them, perhaps at a reading level lower than their grade level. Nor are they all series books, but series are popular, especially at the higher reading levels, for the reasons mentioned above. Young readers will find just about every genre they could want in series books: contemporary everyday or school stories (Junie B. Jones, Riverside Kids), fantasy (The Unicorn's Secret), historical fiction (Little House Chapter Books), animal stories (Sneaky Pony Series, Martha Speaks), horror (Fear Street), adventure (Andrew Lost), and lots of mysteries, with detectives both animal (The Buddy Files, Fribble Mouse Library Mystery) and human (Nate the Great, Cam Jansen). They'll find humor in series such as Captain Underpants, Amelia Bedelia and The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids. Young readers will even find characters familiar from TV and movies, such as the Disney princesses, Spongebob Squarepants, and Barbie. Interest level and reading level span the spectrum. For example, The Walker High Mysteries by Saddleback Educational Publishing have a young adult interest level but a 2.0 reading level. With this huge selection of books available, even the most reluctant reader should be able to find something to enjoy. Teachers, librarians and parents can help by encouraging struggling readers to read anything that appeals to them, from nonfiction and sports stories to graphic novels, pop culture and potty humor. Reading tastes can mature over time. The first goal is to help the child becomes a reader. Series can help. Resources for Reaching Reluctant Readers Children's literature specialist Esmé Codell offers booklets, activities and advice in How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike. Rip-Roaring Reads for Reluctant Teen Readers and More Rip-Roaring Reads for Reluctant Teen Readers are aimed at teachers and librarians but may also be helpful to parents. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), releases annual list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. The lists feature dozens of books, both nonfiction and fiction, geared toward teenagers who don't like to read.   Jon Scieszka's Guys Read has an extensive list of boy-friendly books. Several of the large publishers produce leveled readers. HarperCollins publishes the I Can Read Books, Random House has its Step into Reading line, Viking publishes an Easy to Read line, and Simon and Schuster has the Ready-to-Read and slightly older Ready-for-Chapters books. Scholastic's Little Apple paperbacks contain both books with a reading level identified and unleveled books. Smaller publishers that focus on reluctant readers include Capstone Press, Tea Leaf Press, Orca Book Publishers, and Lobster Press. An Amazon search for "Children's Books for Reluctant Readers" will turn up more suggestions, along with Listmania lists of recommended books from teachers, librarians and readers. Education World has articles on strategies for motivating reluctant readers.   Scholastic Press offers advice on reaching reluctant readers, with book suggestions from their own list.  Chris Eboch is the author of 12 books for young people. Her Haunted series for ages 8-12 follows a brother and sister who travel with their parents' ghost hunter TV show. Her other books include The Well of Sacrifice, a middle grade Mayan adventure, used in many schools, and two inspirational biographies, Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker and Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier, written under the name M.M. Eboch. See her website at www.chriseboch.com.   Join Our Mailing List! Kimberley's Book Buzz   Kimberley Griffiths Little   www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com         In keeping with our theme of literacy and The Gift of Reading and our quest to encourage kids in that 8-18 age range who are struggling to LEARN to read, struggling to read BETTER, or struggling to ENJOY reading, here are some titles with high interest and lower grade level readability. (These books would also be great for adults who are trying to improve literacy and their reading skills but want more sophisticated books than picture books or Step-into-Reading Level books.)   Books in Verse are becoming very popular the last few years. One reason is due to shorter paragraphs and sentences, lots of white space, fewer words per page, and fast action and plotting. A couple of examples here: I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder            What my Mother doesn't Know by Sonja Sones.           Puffin Books (Simon & Schuster) has been publishing some of the old classics with a whole new twist! As a GRAPHIC NOVEL. The word count is very low, lots of dialogue, illustrations and artwork to lure those new and reluctant readers. These Classic Graphic Novels are a great way to expose kids to classic books they would never read on their own. Here are a few titles to whet your appetite:   Frankenstein   The Red Badge of Courage         Call of the Wild   Dracula   Treasure Island   Edgar Allen Poe   Black Beauty   Mark Twain   And many more exciting titles! Puffin has also published award-winning books in an illustrated format called Great Illustrated Classics, for those kids whose attention span is short or need help with reading. They can be found through Amazon or Barnes & Noble or ordered from any bookstore. Many public libraries are acquiring them for their collections as well. Here are a few titles to get you excited: Popular Fiction: Redwall by Brian Jacques Science Fiction: The War of the Worlds H.G. Wells 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Sherlock Holmes King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table The Three Musketeers Newbery Winning titles: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate diCamillo Grimm Fairy Tales, Volumes 1-10 Nonfiction: Gettysburg by C. M. Butzer           Fairy Tales: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale   And then there is fast-paced Young Adult fiction with drama and cliff-hangers like these to entice kids who are good readers, but easily distracted by television and computers! Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles (and *any* title by Gail Giles is a gripping, dramatic story so definitely check her out.)            Enjoy a whole new way to read with your child or reluctant reader or student to get them excited about books!   Kimberley  Join Our Mailing List! Mass Email Services Provided By Peifer Computing Solutions Lois Ruby A Farewell from Lois   Lois Ruby   www.LoisRuby.com       Hello, and welcome back to Spellbinders, and happy new school year! Carolee and Kimberley are carrying on the Spellbinders tradition of sharing trends and new books and ideas on literacy that you can use to your heart's content.   I will not be a regular columnist this year, as I'm up to my flaring nostrils in other projects, and I'm not getting any younger.  But I'm told I may be invited to be a guest contributor now and then, and I'll look forward to chatting with you at those times.  Meanwhile, as Garrison Keillor says, be well, do good work, and keep in touch. (Gee, sounds good. Why didn't I think of that?) Lois   Carolee Dean The Secret Language of Stories   Carolee Dean   www.caroleedean.com         In keeping with this month's theme of literacy, I would like to share the following observations about illiteracy and juvenile incarceration from the Handbook of Language Literacy: Development and Disorders by C. Addison Stone et al. (2004, Guilford Press). -85% of incarcerated juveniles are marginally literate or illiterate. -Most incarcerated youth lag 2 or more years behind their same age peers in academic skills. -Poor literacy may lead to emotional difficulties such as low self-esteem and a sense of hopelessness. These difficulties may then lead to criminal behavior. -Teens with poor literacy skills are not prepared to enter the workforce. In addition, the January, 2010 issue of the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center: for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk reports the following: -Children with learning difficulties or simply poor academic achievement are over three times more likely to join gangs. - An estimated 35% of academically low-performing children become delinquent. -A disproportionate number of youths in detention and correctional institutions have not acquired adequate literacy skills. One of the themes in my new novel TAKE ME THERE (Simon Pulse, 2010) is the correlation between illiteracy and incarceration.   Experts argue about whether illiteracy is the cause of crime or simply a coexisting factor, but a correlation definitely exists. In my work as a speech-language pathologist in the public schools, I witness, on a daily basis, the frustration and despair of students who cannot read. Without a strong foundation in literacy, it is an uphill struggle to understand any other subject. A sense of failure permeates the school experience of children who cannot read. Most of these students have average intelligence, but they have not yet learned how to break the written code and use it to navigate the treacherous terrain of academics. One of the reasons I developed my twelve step story method, which I call THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF STORIES (SLOS), is because I wanted to give these students a simple language they could use to talk about stories. Children typically enter school with a great love of story. Unfortunately, by the time they reach middle school and high school, this love has been replaced with a sense of futility. We often don't talk about stories in a way that makes sense to them, and the questions we ask them seem far removed from what they experience in terms of how they connect with characters. The details over which they are quizzed often lack context and aren't the details they find important. It gets much worse when we ask them to write, because that's when their inability to spell becomes glaringly obvious. While they struggle with how to spell, they stall out on words and forget the ideas they wanted to convey in the first place. One of the first benefits I see when I start to talk with students about the structure of stories as described in SLOS, is that reluctant readers easily recognize the patterns in movies they've seen or stories they've heard. They actually become eager to volunteer examples because they understand the concepts and for once they can contribute something meaningful to a class discussion. Abstract ideas such as the affect of setting on character development become much more tangible when we talk about a character starting out in an Ordinary World and then traveling to strange and dangerous New World. It is then much easier to see how the obstacles faced on this exciting journey impact how the character grows and changes. Though it is true that many students with reading difficulties also have difficulty with oral expression, their ability to talk about ideas is still typically much stronger than their ability to write them down, especially when a structure is provided for the conversation. We all have stories inside of us, and one of the most exciting things we get to do as educators is to help students find the stories they long to tell. For a fun activity on how to generate interesting conversations about story settings, visit the blog on my website at www.caroleedean.com. If you have missed any of my previous articles explaining the twelve steps of SLOS, please refer to the previous issues of Spellbinders which may be found at http//:spellbindersbooknews.blogspot.com.

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Dearest Darling Friends . . .

I've been AWOL for three weeks, but haven't forgotten you. I've missed posting comments, chatting, reading your inspirational posts, being part of the crowd of writers - being a part of all of YOU! But I *have* skimmed your posts. Nearly every day.

The only excuse I can give is that I've been writing! Yes, think of it! I'm a writer and I'm writing!

I finished Armageddon Book Deadline, turned it into my editor and got my editorial letter a week ago.

Guess what? Now it's time for Armageddon Book Revision Deadline. Dum, dum, dum, dum. It's due in 10 days.

Do you feel that shaking? Those are my trembling hands gripping my laptop . . .

The GREAT news is that the line edits are extremely light and the editorial letter is only 2 pages long.

ME: "Dear Gorgeous Editor, I'm afraid the other 10 pages of your editorial letter fell behind your desk."

It took me 2 days to get up my nerve to look at the sticky-note line edits. I end up scrolling through dozens and dozens and dozens of pages WITHOUT A SINGLE MARK ON THEM! Dozens and dozens and dozens more only have a few tense problems, a word change here or there, a left-out comma, period, etc. I'M IN SHOCK.

ME: "Dear Gorgeous Editor, I'm afraid someone has attacked your computer with erasing ink."

GORGEOUS EDITOR: "Don't worry, there are no erasing ink viruses or missing editorial letter pages hiding in my office."

Here is the initial email after she read the manuscript for the first time. I'M IN LOVE WITH HER WORDS.

 . . . I've finished reading GHOSTS IN A BOTTLE, and I LOVE it!!! You did such a beautiful job; I can't believe how quickly you wrote this and how polished it is! In fact, it's so polished, that my notes are really minimal. I was sitting in my chair weeping for about thirty minutes as I read the last forty pages.

Congratulations--this is a LOVELY book!!

I'm still walking around in a daze. But I gotta get to work again! Hurry, hurry so it can go to copy-edits. And the official TITLE IS NOW: CIRCLE OF SECRETS

AND I found out that the very talented artist Erin McGuire has been commissioned to do the jacket art. I went to her website and I love her work! I'm so excited to see what she's going to do.

I have set a goal to blog every day this week and share pictures and cool links and stuff. I leave you with this one: 



We're having a stare-down. The gator wins. He's got bigger teeth.

Gators and Swamp and Danger, Oh, My!

Okay, I just gotta post this picture. What a gal! Amazing. This dude could have swallowed her whole three times over!



Scary!!! I can't even imagine hauling him over the side of the boat.

Here's part of the story

I've been watching this fascinating series called Swamp People about men in the Louisiana bayous and swamps catching up to 200  gators during the one month of alligator season.

It's on the History Channel. I love the stories and family of Troy. He's my favorite. And he reminds me of Livie's daddy from The Healing Spell even though Livie's daddy doesn't go gator hunting.

And in OTHER NEWS!!!

My book trailer just made the first cut for the School Library Journal Book Trailer Contest!!! Fingers crossed I make the final 4 in my category!!!

Mother/Daughter Book Clubs!

Mother/Daughter Book Clubs are the new, best thing about reading! Have you been in one? Are you currently in one? Do you want to start one?

This is THE WEBSITE (MDBC) you must go to if you want to start your own club with your friends or to find some great book lists and suggestions. The books on the MDBC website have been reviewed and vetted as some of the best for your club. Mother & Daughter themes and strong girl themes. Check it out!


I think Mother/Daughter Book Clubs are a very cool idea -  and what a GREAT way to bond with your daughter and discuss fun and important and interesting issues in your lives and the world. Books - one of the bestest ever inventions! As Richard Peck once said, "Books are BETTER than real life."

And don't think that it has to be Mothers and Daughters doing a club. It could also be Grandmothers and Daughters and Granddaughters and Sisters and Step-moms, etc. What a great way to spur conversation and discussion about so many topics with the girls and women in your life.

On the MDBC Website, you can also find Book Club Guides, like the very cool one my sister wrote for my book THE HEALING SPELL.

The Healing Spell is the featured book in the Mother/Daughter Book Club September Newsletter! I'm very honored! 

Mother Daughter Book Clubs have been greatly inspired by Heather Vogel Frederick's adorable series: The Mother Daughter Book Club published by Aladdin.

Book Four, PIES AND PREJUDICE, was released just last week! Cute title, huh?
Think about the friends in your own life and your daughter and her friends and try having a book club meeting this fall. If you do, please let us know how it goes and share your experiences and thoughts! 

TODAY!!!

TODAY, September 17th at 5:30 I'll be at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque for a Bayou Gumbo Book Party! Come eat gumbo, Cajun cakes and eclairs and take a ride in a pirogue! Book talk and signing, too. And alligator door prizes!!! Come have a good time!

Friday and the Gift of Reading!

I'm headed out the door soon for a quick trip out of state (tons of driving, unfortunately, but I get to see one of my very cute sons for his birthday tomorrow. Yep, he's a 9/11 baby) so saying goodbye until Tuesday. Taking my laptop with me becaues I am STILL working on this maddening second draft due Monday to my editor at Scholastic. I have this irrational/rational (?)  fear that I'm making the manuscript worse . . .



Here's a quick round-up of book signing events the next couple of weeks:

Wednesday, September 15th: Speaking and signing at the Albuquerque Retired Officer's Women's Club Luncheon at the Cooperage Restaurant. Very excited to meet them all! One of my brand new friends, Glenda, arranged this. She's not a writer, but a retired Stanford professor and SO supportive of my new book, The Healing Spell. (Click the link for some new wonderful reviews on Goodreads - I am SO thrilled!)

Friday, September 17th at 5:30 I'll be at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque for a Bayou Gumbo Book Party! Come eat gumbo, Cajun cakes and eclairs and take a ride in a pirogue! Book talk and signing, too.


Saturday, September 25th 3-5 p.m. I'll be back at Alamosa Books for a very special TWELVE AUTHOR kick-off to The Gift of Reading, a fund-raiser for high-risk kids with parents in the prison programs. Book donations will be collected at the store until December 5th and distributed to these kids for Christmas. Please click the links, this is a really super book fund-raising drive to help the cause of literacy.



Saturday, October 2, from 6-8 p.m. I'll be signing and partying at Deseret Bookstore in Albuquerque, NM. Girls Night Out evening!



Peeps - you really need to come to Albuquerque - so much to see and do! Balloon Fiesta is the first two weekends in October, too, and we're having gorgeous weather!

Something AMAZING!!!

I AM SO DANG THRILLED!!!

In an unprecedented move, Scholastic has negotiated with Nua Music to offer the full original music written and performed for the book trailer for my novel, THE HEALING SPELL as a FREE DOWNLOAD on their site! Yes, you can get the full 4 minute song, written and sung by Bet Fonua as an MP3 for your computer, I-Pod, MP3 player, Blackberry, etc! Wowza!

Here is the link to my page at Scholastic where you can listen to it right from the page and also get the correct links for download for a PC or a Mac.
"TREATER WOMAN" by Bet Fonua - original song for The Healing Spell novel ("Treater" is the English word for Traiteur which is French for people like Miz Mirage Allemond, the Cajun folk healer from my book who lives in the swamp.) 

The Healing Spell at Amazon
The Healing Spell at Barnes & Noble

The Healing Spell on Goodreads

The Healing Spell Book Trailer
Kimberley’s Website with a Southern Flair, plus Teacher's Guide and Mother/Daughter Book Club Guide

When you feel like immersing yourself in the Deep South, put on your headphones and enjoy!
Please feel free to Share, FB or Tweet! It's free to anyone for the next year!

A million thanks to Bet Fonua and Cindy-Rae Jones at Nua Music for your generosity and love!!!

Tuesday and holidays!

I am honored to be a guest blogger at THE COZY READER.  I wrote about the making of my book trailer.  Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the process as well as the fabulously talented people at Nua Music for their original music, sound design, voice-over actress and production work - AND the adorable and talented Shayne Leighton who helped me find many of the images.




Jessica, who runs The Cozy Reader, blogs about books and is a real sweetheart. Thank you, Jessica!

My family and I also finally got to spend some time together yesterday.

The Albuquerque Zoo is an awesome zoo!
And we went to the Biological Park Gardens and Butterfly Pavilion.



Flamingos!



Making the flamingos feel loved.



Playful kitties



Inside a waterfall!








Wish it was my own personal garden! But I can pretend - I'm a writer. :-)

Then we went and saw the Sorceror's Apprentice, a very fun movie. The place was packed. Tickets were only 75 cents apiece! I kid you not!  

So what did you do over the weekend???

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Special Announcement! You're Invited!!!        Friday, September 17th, 2010      5:30 PM      Alamosa Books      8810 Holly Ave. NE      NW corner of Ventura and Paseo Del Norte      Across from Trader Joe's      Albuquerque, NM  87122       You are invited to New Mexico's Award-Winning Author Kimberley Griffiths Little's "Bayou Book Party", at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque.  There will be gumbo, Cajun cakes, music, door prizes and a book talk, PLUS Kimberley will be autographing copies of The Healing Spell, published by Scholastic Press.     Everyone is invited!  Tell the teachers and librarians in your life, as well as your kids!     This highly praised novel follows Livie, an almost 12-year-old girl as she deals  with the tragedy that has left her mother in a coma as well as her own guilt as she tries to save her mamma before it's too late. Set in the rich Cajun bayou culture, Kimberley has woven a tale of magic, faith, and  the healing that comes from finding oneself.   ISBN: 978-0-545-16559-4 Amazon Barnes and Noble   Here's what the critics have to say about The Healing Spell:   "A special offering for readers seeking a challenge of the heart as well as the mind." - Booklist   "An interesting story with likable characters and a lot of heart" - Kirkus   "The fully realized sense of place adds dimensionality and atmosphere . . . intriguing." - Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books   "An incantational tale of Cajun magic" - Richard Peck, Newbery Medalist     Please visit Kimberley's updated website   Free Teacher's Guide   Free Mother/Daughter Book Club Guide   View the video Trailer for the book here!   And watch for our regular issues of Spellbinders starting in October! Join Our Mailing List! Mass Email Services Provided By Peifer Computing Solutions

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While reading your critiques and trying not to get depressed. . .

You whip out the credit card and jump up and down excitedly for a fabulous new book by one of your favorite authors - Barbara O'Connor, who hails from the South and writes the best MG novels ever.

Here is her newest book, launched just yesterday!

COVER LOVE! So perfect for Middle-Grade Readers!

My copy is on its way to me. TWO copies actually. One to keep and one to give away! And I may be buying more since I have nephews who love to read!
 
All you gotta do to win my extra copy of THE FANTASTIC SECRET OF OWEN JESTER is to tell me one of your favorite scenes from THE HEALING SPELL. 

Or tell me that you're going to give a child or teacher or friend or librarian THE HEALING SPELL for Christmas. Or just because! Because we love books - just because they're so fabulous!

Thanks for entering! Have a wonderful, book-alicious day!