I’m on my way #alamw16

Today is mostly a travel day.

Lucy was dropped off at Sniff Dog Hotel last night.

She was sad & trembly, which made me sad, but I know she will be well cared for and have a good time. We arrived as people were picking up their dogs from daycare. I hope Lucy greets me as excitedly as the dogs we saw greeted their people.

When I got home from dropping her off I packed my bag, had dinner and did some more rereading. I  will also be rereading on the plane.

I arrive in Boston around 4 in the afternoon, which will give me time to check into the hotel and the conference before I go off to the first of two receptions Friday night. This is a stretch for me, the introvert, and we shall see if I make it to  and survive both.

The Morris Committee meets Saturday afternoon, at which time we will debate the merits of our five finalists and decide which one rises to the top.

I think, at some point, we make a conference call to the winner. I hope I’m right about that. If I am, I will definitely tell you how it went.

My next post will be from Boston!

Re-reading

Like the students I teach, I’m rereading a lot right now. They are rereading Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” and  The Call of the Wild. We hit literary essay writing pretty hard the last few weeks, so, instead of having them write a paper, they are creating an info graphic to compare and contrast the two stories.  Core 1 cheered when I told them. They are drawing and cutting and leafing through both stories, looking for their text evidence.

I’m rereading the 2016 William C. Morris YA  Debut Award Finalists.

It’s only three weeks until I leave for Boston, where the committee will choose the best of these five to win the award. If you haven’t read them yet, take some time over the break (if you get one) and read them because they are all fantastic.

• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda written by Becky Albertalli, published by Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
• Conviction written by Kelly Loy Gilbert, published by Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group
• The Weight of Feathers written by Anna-Marie McLemore, published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press
• The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly written by Stephanie Oakes, published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers
• Because You’ll Never Meet Me written by Leah Thomas, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

 

YALSA’s 2016 Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge Begins!

Let the Challenge Season begin!

This year, I’m only participating in the nonfiction portion of the challenge since I am on the Morris Committee and cannot comment on them.

I’ve read a couple of the nonfiction finalists already, but will reread them, looking at them with new lenses.

Here are the five finalists:

Here is how the challenge works. If it looks like fun, you can sign up for it here.

Challenge objective

Read all of the 2015 finalists for the William C. Morris Award for debut YA authors, all of the 2015 finalists for YALSA’s Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, or both between now and the Youth Media Awards on January 11th.

Challenge rewards

Beyond experiencing the best of the best that new YA authors and YA nonfiction have to offer, everyone who finishes the challenge may use what they read toward our 2016 Hub Reading Challenge. The Hub Reading Challenge includes prizes (!!!), so by participating in the Morris/Nonfiction Reading Challenge, you’re getting a head start on reading some of the best books published this year and you’re giving yourself an advantage in trying to win those prizes. 

Challenge guidelines

• The challenge begins at 8:00 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 8 and ends at 7:45 AM Eastern Time on Monday, January 11. (And in case you’re wondering, the challenge ends on Eastern Time because the awards will be announced live at the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston.)
• Participants may count the reading they have done since the finalists for each award was announced last week. If you read one of the finalists before the announcement of the shortlist for that award, you must re-read it for it to count.
• Participants may read either all of the finalists for the Morris Award, all of the finalists for the Nonfiction Award, or both. The challenge cannot be completed simply by picking five titles between the two lists; participants must read the entire list of finalists for one or both awards.
• Just about everyone who doesn’t work for ALA is eligible to participate. That means non-ALA/YALSA members are eligible. Teens are eligible! Non-US residents/citizens are eligible! (More eligibility questions?

How to participate

• Ready to start reading? Great! Comment here announcing your intention to participate. If you’re going to be tracking what you read on your blog, Goodreads, LibraryThing, YouTube or some other site, include a link to your blog/shelf/channel/profile in your comment. If you’re not tracking your reading online, keep a list some other way.
• Still undecided? It’s okay to take your time. You may register for the challenge by leaving a comment here and starting your reading any time during the challenge period.
• The challenge is more fun when it’s social!  Encourage other fans of teen literature or librarians and library workers to participate. If you want to talk about the challenge on Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr, use the hashtag #hubchallenge.
• Every Sunday, we’ll publish a check-in post including a round up of blog posts, book reviews, or comments on social media using the hashtag #hubchallenge. Leave a comment letting us know what you’ve read since the last check-in post. If you’ve reviewed those titles somewhere online, include links to those reviews! Otherwise, let us know what you thought of the books in the comments. We are eager to hear your thoughts.
• If you’ve finished the challenge since the last check-in post, fill out the embedded form with your name and contact information. Please fill out the form only once.

The 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalists

After 10 months of reading, we are ready to announce the 5 finalists for the 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award, first awarded in 2009. This award honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.

Drumroll, please!

Because You’ll Never Meet Me written by Leah Thomas, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Ollie ​is allergic to electricity​ and lives in isolation with his mother. Moritz was born with no eyes​, has a pacemaker, and is bullied at school. ​They become pen pals and unlikely friends as they learn more about one another.

 

Conviction written by Kelly Loy Gilbert, published by Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group

Braden is firm in his convictions; he trusts his father, believes deeply in God, and is dedicated to a future playing baseball. His faith, truth, and justice are tested when his father is accused of murder.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda written by Becky Albertalli, published by Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

On the brink of coming out, Simon’s plans are derailed by a scheming classmate who learns about Simon’s email exchanges with a mysterious boy that Simon may just be falling in love with.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly written by Stephanie Oakes, published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers

After spending most of her life in the Kevinian Cult, Minnow loses her family, her freedom, and her hands. Now Minnow is behind bars, recounting her life in the cult and facing what really happened the night the camp burned down, leaving the Prophet dead.

The Weight of Feathers written by Anna-Marie McLemore, published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press

 

Lace and Cluck are from rival performing families. The troupes only cross paths once a year, but tensions mount and fights break out. When tragedy strikes during a performance, fate thrusts them together and the star-crossed pair are forced to deal with their families’ feuding past.