Children's Lit Newsletter 1/22/2025

I’m so excited to announce I’m going to be partnering with Reach and Teach in San Carlos!!! I have known Craig and Derrick (the owners) for ages and have always admired what they and the store stand for. As they told me, their mission can be stated simply, "Books, Toys, Fair Trade Gifts for a more peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive world”

I love that the people I shared this with earlier said, "What a perfect partnership! They are such a great match for your passions and values."

I’ll be helping curate their Children’s and Young Adult inventory, as well as working together on Book Talks, Events and more. SO.. PUBLISHERS’ REPS, please reach out to me, I’d love to work with you.

SCHOOLS AND CORPORATIONS: Hire me to do a Book Talk to your students, teachers, parents, etc. (contracted separately) and 10% of ALL SALES (using your specific, created for your event, coupon) will go back to your organization, or in the case of corporations, to the non-profit of your choice.

HAVE Y’ALL SEEN ALL THE COOL STUFF AT THE STORE?!?!? I’d say about half the gifts we gave the offspring and their partners this year came from the store. Games, puzzles, table top hockey (https://shop.reachandteach.com/product/klask-2-player) and a toy from my childhood Shoot the Moon https://shop.reachandteach.com/product/shoot-moon-dark-wood AND, let's not forget all the environmentally positive products!! https://shop.reachandteach.com/green-lifestyle-products

We had a very fun day after gifts were opened (and very loud, some of us….um, me, can get a little competitive)

I AM SO EXCITED for this new chapter!! Feel free to reach out with any questions, or if you want me to meet you at the store for personal shopping, I’d be happy to. But, if you want to know about games, puzzles, etc. talk to Derrick. He is as nerdy about those as I am about books. :-)

https://www.32auctions.com/kidlitforlosangeles

The annual ACL Performers’ Showcase offers the opportunity to meet and evaluate a variety of children’s performers active in the Bay Area. The 36th Performers’ Showcase will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at the Fremont Public Library.

Attending the Showcase? The 2025 Performers’ Showcase is coming up on Saturday, February 1st at the Fremont Public Library. This all-day event is a great chance to see a wide selection of our location Bay Area performers who are available for Summer Reading events at your libraries. We will have many new names as well as returning performers so you’re sure to see some new folks this year along with some familiar faces.

Audience registration is now open! You can purchase tickets online or by mail.

Please email us at pshow.acl@gmail.com if you have any questions about the Showcase.

FROM

Matt Brennan

Deputy editor, entertainment & arts | Los Angeles Times

Friends, readers and contributors —

With the devastating fires that have shaken L.A. in recent weeks still not fully contained, and the long recovery only just beginning, I have hesitated sending this note. We at The Times, both as journalists and residents, know all too well that our city is reeling, and in our work and lives every day, our hearts go out to those affected.

As deputy editor for entertainment & arts, though, it is also my task to help put on a treasured community event: The L.A. Times Festival of Books.

If you’re not familiar with the festival, it’s the largest book event in North America, attracting 150,000 visitors to USC campus to see the nation’s biggest authors. This year, I am once again editing the annual special section / festival program we publish in the lead-up to the event, scheduled for April 26-27. And as 2025 marks the 30th edition of the fest, the section's theme is The Best Books of the Last 30 Years, as well as an array of essays and features about poetry, young adult fiction and the literary landscape of 1996.

If you have the capacity and interest in doing so at this time, we would love it if you would participate in the project by filling out the survey here. (And please feel free to circulate the survey to any publishing industry friends you think would like to participate.)

Our list will be carefully curated based on recommendations from authors, editors, critics, scholars and other experts in the field. This is our first list of this exact kind, but to get a sense of the tone and style, here is last year’s online version, the best Hollywood books of all time.

We would love to hear back from you by Monday, Feb. 3. The form should only take about 15 minutes of your time, though there is an open-ended space for additional thoughts. We may request permission to excerpt and publish your comments as part of our final package, so we hope you will sound off on your favorites.

Thanks again for your continued support of the Festival of Books.

https://www.librarygirl.net/post/the-reader-s-heart-guest-dashka-slater

THIS LOOKS PHENOMENAL!!!!!

This free webinar will equip you with actionable insights to elevate your teaching practice with elementary and secondary students.

Expert authors Katheryn Russell-Brown (She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm), Aixa Pérez-Prado (Mercedes Sosa: Voice of the People), and Michael Genhart (Edie For Equality: Edie Windsor Stands Up for Love) will lead an inspiring discussion on how to teach about civics, leadership, and youth activism with children's books.

Attendees will learn effective, pragmatic strategies to:

• Educate about the value of community through captivating, engaging biographies centering pivotal historical figures;
  
• Use the medium of children's biographies as a springboard to learn about social studies;
  
• Navigate productive conversations about civic engagement in the classroom; and
  
• Support young readers in recognizing their voice and power to make a difference in their community.

• Registration link: https://www.leeandlow.com/educators/webinars/the-power-of-connection-community-civics-in-childrens-books/

LINDEN TREE EVENTS!!

Book Launch with Cindy Chang In conversation with Booki Vivat
Sunday, February 9 at 1pm

UPCOMING EVENT AT HICKLEBEE'S!!

Another out of this world story with Chiara Colombi, author of Rocket Ship, Solo Trip as we follow Rocket on a new adventure with new friends! Perfect for any young NASA fans or the galactically curious. Stick around for a celestial book signing and presentation by the author herself at Hicklebee's. Copies of Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams as well as the first adventure, Rocket Ship Solo Trip are available to order at Hicklebee's in store, online, or over the phone.

When: Saturday February 8, 11:00am

Where: Hicklebee's Bookstore

1378 Lincoln Ave,

San Jose CA 95125

What: Presentation and Book signing

Panel Discussions and Author Book Signings

More info and registration here:

https://smcl.org/yanovcon/

The Peninsula Libraries' 10th annual Young Adult Novelists Convention (YANovCon) will take place Saturday, February 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at the Redwood City Public Library (1044 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063).

We’re excited to kick off the 10th annual YANovCon convention with a Writing Workshop for Teens, led by novelist Kara H.L. Chen. Following the workshop, author Abigail Hing Wen will be joining as our keynote speaker in this free half-day celebration. The day's events include a teen-led Q&A session followed by three different panel discussions on topics related to this year's featured theme: Coming of Age in a Digital World.

This year's YANovCon proudly features the following award-winning, notable, and new young adult novelists:

Kara H.L. Chen / Josh Galarza / Anna Gracia / Carolina Ixta / Stacey Lee / Jessica Parra / Grace Shim / Shannon Takaoka / Lala Thomas / Maggie Tokuda-Hall / Edward Underhill / Dale Walls / Abigail Hing Wen

The day concludes with author book signings, with books available to purchase on site thanks to our wonderful partnership with Linden Tree Books.

Anticipated Schedule:

Writing Workshop for Teens, hosted by Kara H.L. Chen: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Intro/Welcome: 12:00 - 12:15 PM

• 2025 Teen Short Story Contest Winners Announced

Keynote Address with Abigail Hing Wen: 12:15 – 12:45 PM

Session 1:1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

• Topic: The Evolution of Friendships in a Digital Age: How Online Communities Support or Challenge Traditional Friendships
• Moderator: LaLa Thomas
• Panelists: Grace Shim, Anna Gracia, Edward Underhill, Jessica Parra

Session 2: 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

• Topic: Managing Mental Health in the Digital Age
• Moderator: Jessica Parra
• Panelists: Carolina Ixta, Josh Garza, Dale Walls, LaLa Thomas

Session 3: 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

• Topic: Creating Authentic Characters: Bridging the Gap Between Reality and Technology in the Art of Storytelling
• Moderator: Anna Gracia
• Panelists: Jessica Parra, Stacey Lee, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Shannon Takaoka

Book Signing with All Authors: 3:45 - 4:30 PM

MARIA VAN LIESHOUT at Books Inc. Alameda

01/23/2025

7:00pm - 8:00pm

Books Inc. Alameda
1344 Park Street
Alameda, CA 94501

I'll be there with some of the amazing facilitators from the Children's Literature DeCal at Berkeley. Come say HI!!

The backstory, the research, and more were fascinating to learn about. If you weren't sure if you should make the time to go hear her, this is a resounding DO IT!! (If you have the spoons. Self care always comes first. No pressure.)

I cannot wait to read Maria Van Lieshout's new graphic novel!! I actually bought 3 copies in Dutch for my Flemish Family (so they get to read it first!)

DOESN'T THIS SOUND AMAZING?!?!?

Fictionalized but based on true events, Song of a Blackbird has two intertwined timelines: one is a modern-day family drama, the other a thrilling tale of a WWII-era bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters.

In the present day, teenage Annick is desperate to find a bone marrow donor that could save the life of her grandmother, Johanna. She turns to her family history and discovers a photograph taken by Emma Bergsma.

Decades earlier, Emma is a young art student about to be drawn into what will become the biggest bank heist in European history: swapping 50 Million Guilders' worth of forged bank notes for real ones—right under the noses of the Nazis! Emma’s life—and the lives of thousands, including a young woman named Johanna—hangs in the balance.

In this stranger-than-fiction graphic novel, Maria van Lieshout weaves a tale about family, courage, and the power of art. Deeply personal yet universal, Song of a Blackbird sheds light on an untold WWII story and sends a powerful message about compassion and resistance.

Hey all!!

Recently I have given Book Talks to students and parents that can focus on Engaging Reluctant Readers, Diversify Your (home or school) Bookshelves, and Great and Engaging Books (for various ages/grades). They've been well received and participants leave with TONS of information (and quite a few win prizes). I do these in schools or libraries, but would love to be hired by companies as a 'Perk' for their employees who have children in their lives. So, using my 'Social Capital' (that's you all) to spread the word.

I also work with teachers to help find great books that fit (and expand) the curriculum (otherwise known as my idea of a good time).

Please feel free to spread the word and send people my way: sharonlevin @ mindspring.com

We now return to our regular programming.

I'm only as good as my sources, so please do feel free to share events, good news, etc.! Please e-mail me at sharonlevin at mindspring dot com and put For the Newsletter as your subject line.

I'm always happy to feature giveaways. There is NO paid advertising in this newsletter - I do not require anything to feature a giveaway. I'm just happy to do it.