Get Ready! Get Set! CYBILS!

Let the nominations begin! October 1st - October 15th = Two weeks of of opportunities for you to nominate your favorites in children's literature. There are nine different genres and you can make a nomination in each of the nine. But only ONE, so choose wisely.

The CYBILS website has all the information you need to know, so click on the link and...

Get Ready! Get Set! CYBILS!

Blog you later!

Ali B.

The Wicked and the Just

I finished The Wicked and the Just. The fact that I finished it while waiting for a throat culture and a migraine shot thankfully did not diminish my enjoyment. And, I believe that my willingness to read this remarkable book while in eye-twitching pain should serve as testament to the quality of the writing and the story. Folks, I've gotta really love what I'm reading to read it through a migraine.

J. Anderson Coats is the author of The Wicked and the Just, and she did her homework. This well-researched work of historical fiction takes place in Wales during the thirteenth century. It's about two young women, one Welsh and one British, who live two very different lives in a Caernarvon, a settlement in Wales ruled by the King of England.

The story is told in alternating points of view - Cecily, a spoiled English brat, and Gwinny, a poor Welsh servant. You don't have to delve far into the book to realize that there is more to the headstrong protagonists than the roles they play. Cecily can be just and Gwinny can be wicked.

When Welsh rebels attack the British townspeople of Caernarvon in a violent uprising, Cecily is forced to serve her servant, and Gwinny becomes the master. How they adjust to these new roles is what made me fall in love with these strong and multidimensional heroines. The plot is fascinating from a historical standpoint, but it is the character development that drives this story.

I recommend The Wicked and the Just to history buffs and lovers of great characters.

Blog you later!

Ali B.

I'm judging the CYBILS

I am absurdly excited to announce that I have been chosen as a first round judge (panelist) for the 2012 CYBILS. C-Y-B-I-L-S stand for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards. I will be a panelist in the Middle Grade Fiction category. My favorite! (insert squeal of delight)

What does it mean to be a judge for the CYBILS? For me it means that I get to spend three months (October-November-December) happily digging out from under an avalanche of books. Great books! Not-so-Great books! Sad books! Happy books! Funny books! Serious books! Long books! Short books! Books! Books! Books! I'm dedicated to reading (or at least partially in some cases) about 150 Middle Grade books. BOOKS!

How do books get nominated? Anyone can nominate a book. But you can only nominate one book per genre. Eligible books are those published after the last contest ended and before closing of nominations for this year. Nominations will be taken between October 1 - 15, 2012. Check back here for a nomination link on October 1st. Wow, I wrote nomination a lot in this paragraph.

The finalists will be announced on January 1st and the winners on February 14th.

Did I mention that I'm a judge for the CYBILS?

Blog you later!

Ali B.

Between Shades of Gray

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch."

Between Shades of Gray is the harrowing story of Lina, a Lithuanian girl, separated from her father and deported from her homeland along with her mother and younger brother. Their crime? Being anti-Soviet.

Abused, starved, and broken, Lina is taken to Siberia along with countless other prisoners, to live out their sentences as slaves. Given little to survive on and with no access to medical care, many of the deportees did not survive the cruel cold of an arctic winter.

Those that did survive were forced to work for the Soviets for no pay and meager rations. If they couldn't work, they were murdered or had to rely on the kindness of others to carry on.

Ruta Sepetys is the author of Between Shades of Gray. The story is a personal one. Sepetys is the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, and her book is a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of people who suffered and died when Stalin purged the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

This summer I had the pleasure of hearing Ruta Sepetys speak at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' conference. She was being honored with The Golden Kite Award. Sepetys is not only a gifted writer, but a charismatic and inspiring speaker.

Her message above the signature on my copy is simple: Hope. Love. Freedom! Thank you, Ruta, for your story. Lina is a character for the ages.

Blog you later!

Ali B.

Top Ten Tuesday

I'm joining in the fun of Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Daisy asks the question, "What are your top ten favorite books read during the lifespan of your blog?"

Here's my list: 


Okay For Now - Gary Schmidt

Wonder - RJ Palacios

Inside Out & Back Again - Thanhha Lai

The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau

Small as an Elephant - Jennifer Jacobson

I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen

A Penguin Story - Antoinette Portis

I'm Here - Peter H. Reynolds

Divergent - Veronica Roth

The Fault in our Starts - John Green

That was hard!  Narrowing my list to ten was a challenge - I've read and blogged about some extraordinary books.  My list of favorites is dominated by Middle Grades Fiction - no surprise there.  But I also included two exceptional Young Adult novels and three beautiful Picture Books.  

I look forward to the next Top Ten Tuesday challenge.

Blog you later!

Ali B.

A Penguin Story

I recently attended the 2012 Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference in Los Angeles.  Inspirational!  What a pleasure it was to listen to and learn from the best in children's literature - Gary Schmidt, Tony Diterlizzi, Clare Vanderpool, Patricia Maclachlan, Lin Oliver and on and on.

I write middle grades fiction, so I wasn't sure what I would take away from the Illustrators Panel.  I love I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen and recently enjoyed the illustrated middle grades book, Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin, and since both of them were on the panel, I decided to attend. It was fascinating to hear about the process of bringing text to life through illustrations.

Antoinette Portis was also on the Illustrators Panel.  She is the author/illustrator of Not a Box and Not a Stick.  During the panel she told a funny story about the creativity and business behind her book, A Penguin Story.

A bought this elegant and simple story for my daughter.  Ms Portis was kind enough to sign it for my six-year-old, and it has quickly become one of my kiddo's nighttime favorites.

The book tells the story of a penguin named Edna who has grown weary of her world of blue, black and white.  She takes off on her own in search of something different.  Edna stumbles upon a group of Arctic scientists with their orange equipment, jumpsuits and bright orange plane.  Just like that, the penguin and her friends have a new color in their lives, and Edna sees a world of possibilities.

Blog you later,

Ali B.

Gregor The Overlander

My lovely and eloquent ten-year-old son likes sharing his opinions on books.  He also enjoys being interviewed.  Having just finished Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, he suggested I ask him some questions and post the answers on Literary Lunchbox.  He's not shy, my kid.

Before the interview started he promised to make his answers sound professional.  Phew!

Can you please give me a synopsis of Gregor the Overlander?

What is a synopsis?

Okay, can you please give me a summary of Gregor the Overlander?

It is about a kid named Gregor who falls into an air duct and is transported to a world that is ruled by giant spiders, cockroaches, rats and bats.

What is the name of this other world?

The Underland

Who are the main characters?

Gregor - a human boy (the protagonist)
Boots - Gregor's two-year-old sister
Vikus - another human who got lost in The Underworld
Queen Luxa - queen of the bats
Temp - a boy cockroach who is a friend of Gregor's and thinks Boots is a princess
Tick - a girl cockroach who is a friend of Gregor's and thinks Boots is a princess
King Gorger - king of the rats. (the antagonist)

Who are the bad guys?

The rats are the bad guys, but the spiders can be a little bit irritating, too.

Were the characters believable?

Yes.  I could imagine them in the real world.

Who is the audience for this book?  

I believe people going through adolescence.  I think they'd enjoy a book like this.

To whom would you recommend this book?

I would recommend this book to fans of The Hunger Games series because it was written by the same author.

If you were to compare Gregor the Overlander to another book or series, what would it be?  Why?

I can't compare this book to any other because it is so unique and mysterious.  It does remind me a bit of The City of Ember.

Gregor the Overlander is the first book in a series.  Will you read the rest?

I will read the rest because the ending left me in suspense.

Any final comments?

Gregor the Overlander is a very, very good book.  I hope some of my friends read it so we can improve our relationship by talking about this book.