#BookADay: BEWARE THAT GIRL by Teresa Toten (Doubleday Canada)

If you are looking for a great summer read (and esp if you enjoyed GONE GIRL or WE WERE LIARS), I *strongly* encourage you to get a copy of psychological thriller BEWARE THAT GIRL by Teresa Toten (Doubleday Canada). Don't start reading it at night, because you will be up waaaaayy too late. Love the dark edge and unpredictability (you THINK you know the implication of the title...), the mystery within mystery, the satisfying conclusion. For teen and above.

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Comic: Grammar Breakup

It's never too late to start: William Steig didn't start writing until he was 61

William Steig didn't start writing kids' books 'til age 61, went on to write 30+. More proof that it’s never too late to start.

Sources:

William Steig biography, via Norman Rockwell Museum Illustration History

William Steig biography, via Macmillan website

Wikipedia entry on William Steig

RUBY ROSE book launches today! Plus some giveaways, free bookplates and dancing in the street

Woohoo, RUBY ROSE, OFF TO SCHOOL SHE GOES! dances into the world today!!!

Ruby Rose loves to dance while she's brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, and even on her way to class. But there's NO DANCING at school! Or...is there? With a little luck and a lot of rhythm, Ruby Rose finds a way to get everyone up on their dancing feet. A perfect back-to-school book for budding dancers!

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#BookADay: THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH by Martha Brockenbrough

Holy cow, did I love THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH by Martha Brockenbrough (Arthur Levin Books, 2015). I found myself slowing down my reading about 3/4 way through because I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END. And I was inspired to do some fan art (see image). The romance was so original and genuinely moving. Love the premise and also the twist on the usual character portrayal of Love and Death. This is definitely going on my "books I look forward to rereading many times" shelf.

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts. 

How I'm Finding Ways To Read More Books This Summer

One of the reasons I love Donalyn Miller's Annual Summer #BookADay Challenge is because it always forces me to reevaluate my reading habits. I love to read but sometimes I find that reading gets put on the back burner more often while other activities take priority. Sometimes these activities, especially family-related and work-related, NEED to take priority, but I find there are still ways to find more time to read. I'm sharing these here in case one or more might help others.

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Comic: Savvy Princess Writer

Comic: Writers On Vacation

This comic wasn't, um, inspired by my own experience. Nope, not one bit.

#BookADay: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE by Laini Taylor

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts. 

#BookADay and *Giveaway*: DRAW THE LINE by Laurent Linn (Simon & Schuster, 2016)

#BookADay: DRAW THE LINE by Laurent Linn (Simon & Schuster, 2016). An amazing debut YA novel that handles difficult issues (including hate crimes, bullying) with sensitivity and authenticity. Loved the geeky humor throughout! Loved the main character's superhero comics, and that the superhero refuses to fight hatred with hatred. Loved how the friendships progress throughout the book, and how the main character develops. Just LOVED.

I have an extra copy of the book, so am having a GIVEAWAY. To enter, just post a comment at the end of this blog post or on Facebook in response to my giveaway post. I'll choose a random commenter next week. Open to anyone in Canada or the U.S.

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Advice For Young Writers, Fortune Cookies and THE FIRST LAST DAY: Three Questions with Dorian Cirrone

Congrats to my friend Dorian Cirrone on the launch of THE FIRST LAST DAY (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster) today! Can't wait to read this.

Dorian Cirrone was a dance teacher, a choreographer, an assistant city editor for a daily newspaper, and a college English instructor before becoming a writer. Her middle-grade novel THE FIRST LAST DAY will be her fifth published book. She has also published short stories and poetry.

I so enjoyed meeting Dorian at a SCBWI Florida Regional Conference (a fantastic event, strongly recommended) and had fun collaborating on a food doodle with her as well as talking kidlit/YA. You can see our collab at the bottom of this pic:

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#BookADay: MY LIFE BEFORE ME by Norah McClintock (Orca)

Just finished MY LIFE BEFORE ME by Norah McClintock (Orca Book Publishers, 2015). Inspired by a talk at CANSCAIP by Norah and some of the other SECRETS authors, I bought the whole set of SECRETS books last year. I was intrigued by the premise and also liked the fact that each of these YA books is standalone. I was also inspired to do a bit of fan art (see attached image).

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#BookADay: I LOVE CAKE by Tammi Sauer and Angie Rozelaar

‪#‎BookADay‬: I LOVE CAKE: Starring Rabbit, Porcupine and Moose by Tammi Kippes Sauer and Angela Rozelaar (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins). Now that I've had the privilege of meeting Tammi in person, I can see her joyous personality throughout this story, and I love Angela's adorable characters. This is such a fun story, and now I am desperately craving CAKE. :-)

More info about I LOVE CAKE on the HarperCollins website.

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts. 

How does Penguin Random House senior art director Guiseppe Castellano find illustrators?

Aspiring children's book illustrators should check out Guiseppe Castellano's blog post, "The Search For Illustrators." Lots of useful and interesting info here about how to connect with people in the industry, whether or not you're an illustrator.

Comic: Writer's Block....?

Advice For Young Illustrators, Office Corners and THE STORY CIRCLE: Three Questions with Wendy Martin

Thanks to Wendy Martin for making Inkygirl.com a stop on THE STORY CIRCLE / EL CIRCULO DE CUENTOS blog tour!

A transplanted New Yorker now living in Missouri, Wendy Martin has worked as an illustrator for more than 25 years. She has written and illustrated several picture books for children, including An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child, which was a finalist for the 2009 COVR Visionary Awards. You can find out more about Wendy and her work at her website, her blog, on Twitter and on Facebook.

THE STORY CIRCLE is a new picture book written by Diane Gonzales Bertrand and illustrated by Wendy Martin, coming out from Piñata Books (an imprint of Arte Publico Press) on May 30th, 2016.

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Comic: Punctuation breakup

#BookADay: BASEBALLOGY by Kevin Sylvester (Annick Press)

BASEBALLOGY and Kevin are responsible for turning me into a baseball fan (especially a Toronto Blue Jays fan). Even if you're not a fan of baseball, you will find these facts fascinating....and who knows? This book might convert you. And if you ARE a fan, you NEED TO READ THIS BOOK.

More about the book on the Annick Press website.

You can find out more about Kevin on his website and Twtter.

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts. 

Comic: Sometimes it's good to write without a safety net

#BookADay: OH NO, ASTRO! by Matt Roeser and Brad Woodard

#BookADay: OH NO, ASTRO by Matt Roeser and Bradley Woodard (Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2016). Just read this for the first time, laughed out loud. This would make such a great gift for budding young astronomers and scientists. Not only does it have great info but it is SO FUN to read aloud, packed with action and adventure and clever humor.

One of the best first lines ever: "Everyone knows that asteroids are a rather rambunctious group." :-D

Lovelovelove Brad Woodard's retro-looking art style.

This is Matt's first book, and I can't wait to see what he writes next!

More info about OH NO, ASTRO! on the publisher website.

p.s. A great companion middle grade book (or when your young space fan seeks MG): Kevin Sylvester's excellent MiNRs series. The second MiNRs book comes out this fall.

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More info: Donalyn Miller's Summer Book-A-Day Challenge | Archives of my #BookADay posts.