tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43727661562826946702024-03-04T23:28:55.277-05:00Wizards WirelessChildren's books, comic strips, Harry Potter and lots moreSusan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.comBlogger343125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-71508318481051428012019-01-09T18:37:00.002-05:002019-01-09T18:39:04.619-05:00So long, and thanks for all the booksIt’s been such a pleasure writing this blog. When I started in 2007, I wasn’t sure who exactly I was writing to, except that I had lots of things I wanted to say. I have been stunned at how many of you have tuned in to listen.<br />
<br />
I’ve learned a lot over the years and hopefully this blog has reflected it. The most amazing part of the journey has been the friendships I’ve developed with readers and others in the blogging community.<br />
<br />
I’m not going away completely, just moving to a <a href="http://susankusel.com/">new author website</a> and a <a href="http://susankusel.com/blog/">new blog</a> over there. I’m going to leave Wizards Wireless online for the time being if you want to read the old posts. <br />
<br />
Thanks for joining me for the last 12 years and I hope to see you again soon.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-58025772980331745362017-01-24T09:28:00.000-05:002017-01-24T11:07:50.988-05:002017 ALA Youth Media Awards news stories<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
Here are some exciting news
stories from yesterday’s American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. The
full press release and award list can be found <a href="http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2017/01/american-library-association-announces-2017-youth-media-award-winners">here</a>.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Award sweep<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>March 3</i> won FOUR awards. That means that four separate committees in four separate rooms, across multiple ALA divisions (YALSA, ALSC and EMIERT) and multiple age group requirements all came to the same conclusion that <i>March 3</i> was the very best of all their eligible books. Not one of the four committees gave it an honor; all four gave it their top prize. Unbelievable. And, don’t forget, <i>March 3</i> also won the National Book Award. Truly, an unprecedented sweep.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Caldecott Hat Trick<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The 2015 Caldecott Medal went to <i>Beekle</i>, published by Little, Brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2016 Caldecott Medal went to <i>Finding Winnie</i>, published by Little, Brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The 2017 Caldecott Medal went to <i>Radiant Child</i>, published by Little, Brown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sensing a pattern? It is a very big deal for a publisher to win the Caldecott Medal. To do it two years in a row is unbelievable. To do it three years in a row is mind-boggling. Truly Little, Brown has upped the ante. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Graphic Novels<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Ten years ago, when <i>American Born Chinese</i> won the Printz Medal, it was an enormous turning point. Yesterday, a decade after that moment, the second graphic novel won the Printz award. Also yesterday, a graphic novel won the Sibert, the Belpre, the YALSA Nonfiction Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. There was even an Odyssey (audio book) honor for a graphic novel. In the last few years, both the Newbery and Caldecott committees have honored graphic novels. Now, there are almost no awards left that haven’t recognized a graphic novel. It’s a new world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Small publishers<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Yesterday was a big, big day for publishing houses that
don’t usually win. It was so joyful to hear names like Chronicle,
Charlesbridge, Abrams, Carolrhoda, Orca, Top Shelf Productions and Enchanted
Lion be announced. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest story was the Newbery Medal. Workman Publishing
publishes terrific books, many of which you’ve probably heard of. But they only
recently started published middle grade books and they never show up on the
award lists. To see them carry off the biggest prize of the day was an
absolutely incredible thing. I can’t begin to imagine what it means to the
publisher. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fathers and sons<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Javaka Steptoe, who won the Caldecott and Coretta Scott King
Medals yesterday, is the son of two-time Caldecott honor and Coretta Scott King
recipient John Steptoe. John Steptoe died in 1989 but wouldn’t it be wonderful
if he could find out what his son accomplished yesterday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Prior to this, the one that has always impressed me was the <span style="color: #242424; font-family: "times new roman";">Fleischmans</span>. Sid <span style="color: #242424;">Fleischman</span> won the Newbery Medal in 1987, and then a mere 2 years later in 1989
his son Paul <span style="color: #242424;">Fleischman</span> won the Newbery Medal. What an amazing thing.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Popular authors<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Bestselling and popular authors rarely win awards. It was so
lovely to see Rick Riordan and Sarah Dessen get recognition yesterday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jason Reynolds<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This talented new writer is gathering up hardware at an
incredibly rapid pace. Only two years ago (although it seems like it’s been much
longer), he was a debut author and won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
Last year he won two Coretta Scott King honors. Yesterday, he added the
Schneider Family Book Award, a Coretta Scott King honor and one of his
audiobooks won an Odyssey honor.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think he’s trying to collect
the whole Youth Media Awards set. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ashley Bryan<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Speaking of collecting the whole
set…<o:p></o:p></div>
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The nonagenarian took home one
of the big prizes yesterday, a Newbery honor. He also picked up two additional
Coretta Scott King Award honors, one for writing and one for illustration. For
anyone keeping score at home, Ashley Bryan has also won the Wilder Medal, the
Virginia Hamilton Award, the Arbuthnot, two Coretta Scott King Awards and seven
CSK honors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s wo<span style="font-family: inherit;">rth noting that both Ashley Bryan and Jason Reynolds
have the same editor, Caitlyn Dlouhy of </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Atheneum,
an imprint of Simon & Schuster.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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For all the hubbub last year over a picture book winning the
Newbery Medal, it seems to be passing unnoticed that a poetry picture book won
a Newbery Honor yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Elephant and Piggie<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The <a href="http://guessinggeisel.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-elephant-in-room.html">Geisel
domination</a> of Elephant and Piggie isn’t quite over, even though the series is. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We
Are Growing</span></i><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">! </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "times new roman";">A Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie Like Reading! book carried the
day. The beloved pink and grey folks only make a cameo in this one, but it
looks like their Geisel reign has not come to an end. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Non-Fiction<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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A picture book biography won the Caldecott for the second
year in a row, but it doesn’t happen very often. Only a handful of non-fiction
books have won the Caldecott, so it is still a big event.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, for only the second time, the same book won both the
Sibert Medal (up to age 14) and the YALSA Nonfiction Award (ages 12-18). I
think it’s an enormous thing that both nonfiction committees judged <i>March 3</i> the
best book of all their submissions, despite having different age requirements. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Your reactions<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts. Did I miss something exciting or unprecedented that happened? Tell me in the comments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-51060399283590058232017-01-21T06:18:00.000-05:002017-01-21T06:18:34.780-05:00Demystifying the phone calls<div>
One of the exciting things about the ALA Youth Media Awards (including the Newbery and Caldecott Medals) is that after the winners have been decided, the committees pick up the phone and actually call the winners. These calls have long fascinated me and I’ve asked every honoree I’ve ever met what their phone call story is. Often, these stories are part of award acceptance speeches or featured in press interviews.<br />
<br />
After hearing so many of these wonderful stories, one detail has emerged over and over. The people getting these calls really have no idea what to expect. They’ve heard rumors and they all think they know what time the call will happen, but the reality turns out very different.<br />
<br />
Here’s a little information about the phone calls, in case you're wondering what they are like or are hoping to receive one. </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>It's already over</b></div>
<div>
If you are reading this post on Sunday, you can stop worrying about if they will pick your book. The decision has already been made. It needs to be made by Saturday night. On Sunday morning the committees work on the press release. On Sunday afternoon they keep their mouths shut while everyone asks them what won. On Sunday night they make a futile attempt to go to bed early to be up in time for the phone calls. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>They call when they call</b><br />
<div>
<div>
I hear so frequently that people expect calls at a specific time, and when the phone doesn't ring at that time, they think all is lost. Don't worry so much about the exact time. There's a lot going on the morning of the press conference. Maybe at the time you were expecting the phone to ring the committee is getting their press photo taken. Maybe another committee is using the phone. Maybe your voicemail picked up and they decided to try you again after they finished calling everyone else. If your phone is supposed to ring, it will ring. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The calls do not take your time zone into account</b></div>
<div>
The press conference is typically at 8 am. So, let's say the committee you're hoping for makes their calls at 6:30 am. That's 6:30 am in whatever time zone the conference is being held. If the conference is on the east coast, and you are on the west coast, it is not out of the realm of possibility for you to get a call at 3:30 am. They call when they call. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Not all of the committees call on Monday morning</b></div>
<div>
The Caldecott and Newbery committees call on Monday morning before the press conference, but committees like the Sibert, Geisel, Schneider, Wilder, etc. call Sunday afternoon or evening and sometimes even on Saturday. Different committees are on different schedules.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The caller ID might surprise you</b></div>
<div>
If ALA Midwinter is happening in Boston, you might reasonably expect your phone to say Boston Convention Center when the call comes through. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. The calls my committee made, which were placed from a phone in the convention center, came up as "Unknown Caller." Sometimes committees call from cell phones, so your caller ID will read whatever state the person who owns the phone is from. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you have an eligible book, answer your phone the whole weekend of Midwinter. Maybe you won't win a medal, but you might win a free cruise.<br />
<br />
<b>There are a lot of people on the phone</b><br />
This is not an intimate chat. You are called by the chair of the committee, as the rest of the committee stands huddled around listening on speakerphone. The Newbery and Caldecott committees are each composed of 15 people; the other committees are smaller.<br />
<br />
<b>The calls are short</b><br />
They tell you your book won or received an honor, listen to your wonderful reaction, congratulate you and then it’s time for them to call the next person. It’s not a half hour chat with the committee.<br />
<br />
<b>You get a call for each award</b><br />
If your book wins a Geisel and a Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott (or an honor) expect three phone calls. Each committee works separately and doesn’t talk to the other committees. The committee calling you has no idea what other awards your book may have received until they find out at the press conference with everyone else.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The calls happen according to a script</b></div>
<div>
Your part of the call and what you say is spontaneous, but what's happening on the other end of the line isn't. The chair of the committee is reading from a script. If you ask a question such as who else won or who you can tell, the chair reads the answer from the Q and A section of the script. That being said, the emotion coming from the committee is very real and genuine and shines through.<br />
<br />
Here’s a glimpse at the phone calls I was lucky enough to be a part of in February 2015.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4Gk0NXZv43k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Gk0NXZv43k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<b>The other end of the phone</b><br />
For me, this was one of the most magical parts of being on the committee. The committee I was on chose a record setting six honors, which meant that including the winner, we got to make seven phone calls. After a few calls, I felt like we were calling everyone in the world to tell them they had won a Caldecott Honor.<br />
<br />
I later found out what was going on at the recipient’s ends of the phones- who was sound asleep, who had recently moved, who was on vacation, etc. but that morning those calls were about spreading pure joy. Being able to tell this enormous piece of good news to each person who picked up the phone was incredible and unforgettable.<br />
<br />
The calls are just wonderful. If your phone rings, enjoy every second. And if it doesn’t ring, read <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2016/01/to-those-that-didnt-get-phone-call-today.html">this</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-64886858937999787722017-01-19T10:07:00.003-05:002017-01-21T06:31:46.581-05:00The Room Where the Caldecott HappensI saw <i>Hamilton</i> on Broadway without knowing a note of the music. When the song <i>The Room Where It Happens</i> started, I was so surprised. How could Lin Manuel Miranda have written a song just for me?<br />
<br />
For over a decade, I have always talked about wanting to be in the room for the Caldecott Medal.<br />
<br />
Now that I’ve been there, I know that actually, it’s a lot of rooms.<br />
<br />
The room where you decide to run for election to the committee or fill out your volunteer form.<br />
<br />
The room where you see your name on the ballot.<br />
<br />
The room where you find out you’re finally, at long last, on the committee.<br />
<br />
The room where you meet all the other committee members for the first time.<br />
<br />
The room where boxes and boxes of books pile up that you are expected to read all of.<br />
<br />
The room you sit in by yourself, reading book after book, again and again and again. Prepare to spend a long time in this room.<br />
<br />
The room where you have dinner with your committee the night before the discussion starts and the camaraderie and excitement is electric in the air.<br />
<br />
The room where you talk and talk and talk and talk until a winner emerges.<br />
<br />
The room in your hotel the night before the announcements where you wonder what the rest of the world will think about your committee’s decisions.<br />
<br />
The room in the press room that your whole committee jams into while you call the winners and honorees and change their lives.<br />
<br />
The room filled with your colleagues from around the country as your winners are announced and cheers and gasps are heard.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The room where you triumphantly stand with your committee and the publisher and put the golden sticker on your book together.<br />
<br />
The room where you have breakfast with your committee, each one of them now lifelong friends and say goodbye after one of the most intense weekends of your life.<br />
<br />
The room where see what your committee did written about in <i>The New York Times</i> and you cry because you never knew you would be involved with something so important.<br />
<br />
The room where you read your own child the winning book for the first time.<br />
<br />
The room at the Mock Caldecott filled with children you’ve been teaching about the medal, where you get to proudly read them your winning books.<br />
<br />
The room at a nice restaurant where you meet your winner and hear what the medal truly means to them. Bring tissues to this room.<br />
<br />
The room where the committees and honorees gather before the banquet and you talk and hug as if you’ve known each other all your lives.<br />
<br />
The room where your winner gives a beautiful speech in front of a thousand people and thanks your committee.<br />
<br />
The room you sit in now, working on the next project and the next award, surrounded by artwork from those special books and pictures of those special people.<br />
<br />
If you are a member of an awards committee- I hope you enjoy all the rooms coming your way this week. It’s an unforgettable ride.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-9512618153643998502017-01-13T05:00:00.000-05:002017-01-13T17:25:09.522-05:00Press conference reactionI have been lucky enough to attend the press conference for several years where the winners of the Caldecott, Newbery and all the other Youth Media Awards are announced. It happens on the Monday of the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting, very early in the morning. In case you haven’t been I thought I’d tell you a bit about what goes on at this exciting event.<br />
<br />
ALA has a live webcast which people tune into from all over the country. The camera angle is fixed on the presenters that announce the awards and if you are watching at home, you can’t see what is going on in the crowd. So much is going on. There are standing ovations. There are gasps. Committees honor their winning books with creative props- for example the Caldecott committee for <i>Locomotive</i> all blew train whistles.<br />
<br />
I have tried many times to take pictures but have never been able to accurately capture the size of the crowd and the level of excitement. This event is usually the one time of year that I really use Twitter- in an effort to convey what is happening in this most exciting of rooms. The reactions are fantastic and I find they really vary from year to year and book to book.<br />
<br />
Here's a few different kinds of reactions I've noticed over the years:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Happy applause</b><br />
<div style="font-family: times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
This is normal. The typical reaction. Lots of nice, upbeat applause. Often accompanied by whoops and cheers. You can judge how happy the crowd is about the book by the length of the applause. If it keeps going through the announcement of the title, the illustrator, the author, the publisher and the brief book description- you know the winner is a really big deal.<br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">The gasp</b></div>
Gasps are more likely to occur when records are set or surprisingly procedural events happen and not for specific books. "The committee chose <u>not</u> to give an award in this category this year." GASP.<br />
<br />
It's like when a baby is screaming and you don't really notice, unless it's your baby and then the sound rings in your ears. I have been to several press conferences where there have been gasps. I'm sure I've been among the gaspers. But when the gasp was for MY committee and the choices we made.... well, I will forever remember that sound. "The Caldecott committee has chosen <u>six</u> honors." GASP.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Thank goodness, they got it right</b><br />
This was the year of <i>The Lion and the Mouse</i>. To me, it felt like the whole room tensed up every time an honor was announced. Honors are always announced first, and as happy you might be when you hear them, it means that a book declared an honor has also lost the medal. When the medal was finally announced (there were only two honors that year, but I swear it felt like an eternity) I thought the crowd would rush the stage if anything but the words "<i>The Lion and Mouse</i>" came out of the announcer's mouth. When the right words were finally spoken, I felt as though a sigh of relief settled around the room.<br />
<br />
<b>The single shout</b><br />
A brave soul jumps up and screams with joy. This isn't a full standing ovation- just a single ovation. I'm always impressed with these. Anyone who jumps up, by themselves, in a room of over a thousand people, REALLY loves a book.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Awkward pause</b><br />
<div>
This means, "are you sure? Did the announcer really say what we all just think they said?" This is when a book is well known but out of the buzz and unanticipated as the winner. A brief moment of “Really? That's the winner?" And then, "Hey, THAT'S the winner!" Then followed by normal applause.<br />
<br /></div>
<b>Dead silence</b><br />
Yes, this happens. "And the Newbery Medal goes to _______." And then not a sound in the room. Awkward.<br />
<br />
Actually, what is really going on is this. NOBODY HAS HEARD OF THE BOOK. They don't hate it... they just don't <u>know</u> it. This happens for books that come out late in the year, usually by first time authors and have no buzz. (cough, <i>Moon Over Manifest</i>, cough). And then, everyone turns to each other and says, "WHAT just won the Newbery?? Did anyone hear the title?”<br />
<br />
<b>Late realization</b><br />
This happens a lot. A winner is applauded and celebrated, and only after that award is over does the crowd realizes the highly predicted book that didn’t win. “Wait, if <i>The One and Only Ivan</i> won, that means <i>Wonder</i> lost.” And then "Why did <i>Wonder</i> lose?” makes for a great post-awards announcement breakfast conversation.<br />
<br />
<b>I'm screaming too loudly to notice</b><br />
That was this past year. I was so thrilled that <i>Finding Winnie</i> won, which I thought was a brilliant and beautiful book, that I was standing up, yelling and applauding with my hands over my head. The Caldecott committee could have brought in a live bear cub and done a dance with it and I wouldn't have paid any attention.<br />
<br />
It was also <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2008/01/ive-never-been-so-happy-to-be-wrong.html">my reaction</a> the year of <i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i>, which was the last year I watched on the computer, instead of in person. I screamed so loudly and for so long that I had no idea that Hugo received historic applause until I went back and watched it again later in the day. I completely missed that anyone else but me was cheering.<br />
<br />
<b>Advice</b><br />
If you have the chance to attend the press conference, I have some advice for you.<br />
1. Get there very early- a long line develops well before the doors open.<br />
2. Sit as close to the front as possible. You can’t sit too close, because many of the front seats are reserved for award committees, but if you arrive early you should have no problem.<br />
3. There is no need to write down the names of the award winning books. Press releases and copies of ALA’s newspaper <i>Cognotes</i> with pictues of the winners are always handed out when you exit the press conference.<br />
4. A few days before, make reservations at a restaurant for breakfast following the press conference. Almost everyone goes from the press conference to breakfast, and it always overwhelms the nearby restaurants. A reservation (with some friends to discuss the results) can be a lifesaver. Trust me on this one.<br />
<br />
Have you ever been to the press conference? What did you think? What was your reaction?<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-72574330388483045192016-06-09T22:55:00.002-04:002016-06-10T13:06:06.489-04:00Forever and always: Newbery and Caldecott confidentiality<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Currently,
members of the Newbery and Caldecott committees serve with the understanding
that they may never tell what happened during the deliberations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">However, there
has been a recent conversation about whether there should be a <span style="color: #1d1d1d;">statute of limitations on confidentiality. Should
committee members be allowed to tell part or all of what happened in the
discussions? Should there be a period of years after which the records can
open? This month’s edition of <i><a href="http://www.slj.com/">School Library Journal</a></i> has <a href="http://www.slj.com/up-for-debate/should-awards-committee-conversations-remain-confidential-up-for-debate/?utm_source=Publishers%20Weekly&utm_campaign=6605f40578-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-6605f40578-304536333"><span style="color: #420178;">three wonderful articles</span></a> about the issue.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I am
fascinated by this conversation. Riveted. And here’s the crazy thing.
I agree with all three points of view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I agree with <a href="http://www.slj.com/2016/06/opinion/debate/awards-ufd/i-could-tell-you-about-the-newbery-and-caldecott-committees-but-i-cant-up-for-debate/"><span style="color: #420178;">K.T. Horning</span></a> that there is an amazing
potential for researchers. I don’t want to know who said what, but I would love
to know the larger issues. How did those brave committees who bucked trends do
it? How did they come to consensus? What was the thought process in the room
when <i>The Invention of Hugo Cabret</i> or <i>A Visit to William Blake’s Inn</i>
won? And once and for all, wouldn’t it be wonderful to find out why <i>The Secret
of the Andes</i> beat <i>Charlotte’s Web</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Forever is a
long time not to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I agree with <a href="http://www.slj.com/2016/06/opinion/debate/awards-ufd/let-book-awards-committee-members-blab-up-for-debate/"><span style="color: #420178;">Ed Spicer</span></a> that it would be freeing to tell
everything. It would be marvelous to tell a creator that just because their
book wasn’t honored doesn’t mean it wasn’t under consideration, that no one
loved it or fought for it. It doesn’t mean it isn’t a great work of art.
Former committee members can’t answer questions about why a particular book
did or didn’t make the final cut for the rest of their lives. And
when questions arise about unusual choices committees make, it is a long time
not to be able to defend yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Forever is a
long time to keep a secret.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I agree with <a href="http://www.slj.com/2016/06/opinion/debate/awards-ufd/why-you-dont-want-to-know-more-about-the-newbery-and-caldecott-up-for-debate/"><span style="color: #420178;">Dan Santat</span></a> that it can be better not to know.
The magic is preserved. Do we really want to know that a classic book
barely squeaked by? Do we want to know all the reasons those fifteen people in
that room rejected one book and anointed another? Do we want to know which book
lost by a small margin? Do we want the creators to be concerned about all their
decisions and choices when they create their next book?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Forever is a
long time to doubt yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">There’s an
additional issue for me. If we lifted the veil, what would we reveal,
especially for the recent committees? The process is so secret that ballots are
destroyed and official notes aren’t kept. If we opened the files for recent
pivotal years, would we find the answers we’re looking for?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Ideally, I
would love an oral history interview project or written accounts from each of
the fifteen people in the room- in case the veil does lift sometime in the
future. If there is a commitment to revealing information at some point, the
sooner we start recording it, the better, before everyone who was in the room
forgets the finer details. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The year I was on the Caldecott committee, one of our committee members gave us all lovely blue scarves, which we wore during the deliberations and announcement. I felt that every time I saw a blue-scarfed person that weekend, I was seeing a true friend. Each blue scarf represented one of the fourteen other people in the room. They were the fourteen safe places in tag, the fourteen people I could talk to about what really happened- not what everyone on the outside thought happened. They still are- those fourteen special people who are forever keeping the same secrets I am.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I am on
another award committee where part of the process shortly before the awards
ceremony at the annual conference includes committee members telling why
certain books lost. After the secrecy of an ALA committee- this openness feels
strange to me. I find it really challenging to tell a room full of people what
I think. I feel paranoid that someone is audio recording the session and
I’ll be thrown off the committee for revealing secrets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Having being
on several award committees, I can tell you that after a while what you say in
the room, in the e-mail chat or on the conference call stops mattering. The
committee voted and the committee as a group made a choice- and it is now your
job to promote that book and that award.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I was one of
the fifteen people in the room the year <i>The Adventures of Beekle</i> by Dan
Santat won the Caldecott Medal. It’s my book. It doesn’t matter what was
said in the room. It doesn’t matter what the vote tallies were. Seeing the
Caldecott Medal on the cover will always make me smile. Reading it to a child
who hasn’t heard it yet will always make me choke up. I will always get goose
bumps on the last line. It will always be my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What are your
thoughts? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-67629077738898753252016-04-30T23:51:00.001-04:002016-05-01T08:30:44.862-04:00Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Several years ago, I tuned into the Tony awards telecast
eager to find out whether<i> Ragtime</i> was going to beat <i>The Lion King</i>.
(It didn't.) I made my new boyfriend watch the whole thing with me, even though
he didn't care at all about the results. The next day at his work, his
colleagues were talking at lunch about what they had watched on television
the night before. "Anyone watch the World Cup?" someone asked.
Several people had. "How about the NBA playoffs?" Again, a lot of
murmurs of agreement. My boyfriend said, "Hey, did anyone watch the
Tonys?" Dead silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I've always loved that story because I think it's a fairly good
representation of the Tonys in popular culture. They have a very limited
audience- you have to physically go to New York and see the original
productions. You really can't tell who is going to win Best Choreography
if you listen to the cast album. This is completely different from the
Oscars, because you can see the nominated movies anywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Also, that boyfriend is now my husband, and I still make him
watch the Tonys with me every year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">This year, I'm particularly excited to find out how <i>Hamilton </i>will
do at the Tonys. </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt;">Let's start with this question: How many Tonys can </span><i style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt;">Hamilton</i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt;">
actually win?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">It's eligible for the following 13 categories:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYbhhRRWG-LZstZyu1GoZ28fazcGY2Yocb60i44ujN69nO5fff0XERmtHU0hCzI9PZeycbaJdTNTzuloe7cXamVCkCL1VWXZ081WhP5kighy_OA_5A9Ucf0UCl2KU3PJATz85NjEBFQbS/s1600/Tony_Award_Medallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYbhhRRWG-LZstZyu1GoZ28fazcGY2Yocb60i44ujN69nO5fff0XERmtHU0hCzI9PZeycbaJdTNTzuloe7cXamVCkCL1VWXZ081WhP5kighy_OA_5A9Ucf0UCl2KU3PJATz85NjEBFQbS/s200/Tony_Award_Medallion.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">1. Best Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">2. Best Book of a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">3. Best Original Score</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">(These three categories can only be won by new musicals).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px;">4. Best Orchestration</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">5. Best Direction of a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">6. Best Choreography<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">7. Best Scenic Design of a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">8. Best Costume Design of a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">9. Best Lighting Design of a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">10. Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">11. Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">12. Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">13. Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a
Musical<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">(These ten categories can be won by either new musicals
or revivals- which means the field is much larger for these awards.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The current record is held by <i>The Producers</i>, which
won 12 Tonys and was nominated for 15. <i>The Producers</i> <b><u>won
every single category for which it was nominated</u></b>, which is a rather
incredible acheivement. The three nominations that <i>The Producers</i> didn't
win were in the acting categories because multiple actors from the show were
nominated for the same category. The one category it didn't win, is also the
only one it wasn't nominated for: Leading Actress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Tony Administration committee <a href="http://www.playbill.com/article/tony-administration-committee-rules-on-eligibility-for-hamilton-and-9-other-broadway-shows-com-371474"><span style="color: #85231a; text-decoration: none;">has ruled on
eligibility</span></a> for certain parts in <i>Hamilton</i>, and whether they
belong in the Lead or Featured Actor categories. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie
Odom, Jr. and Phillipa Soo will all be considered in the Lead categories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">If <i>Hamilton</i> gets nominated in all thirteen categories- then it is within striking distance to go for the record. <i>The
Producers </i>only had three eligible performer categories, but with the
decision to put Phillipa Soo as a Leading Actress, <i>Hamilton</i> now has all
four performer categories available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Also, don't be surprised if it receives more than thirteen
nominations. <i>Hamilton</i> is likely going to have the same problem
as<i> The Producers</i>. If multiple actors get nominated in the same category
(which I would expect), it won't be possible for <i>Hamilton</i> to
win all of its nominations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">How many possible Tonys could Lin-Manuel Miranda personally go
home with? If he was nominated for every available category <b><u>and</u></b>
he won all of them, I see four Tonys on the list above that could wind up
on his mantel. Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best
Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and Best Orchestrations (which
he collaborated on). The award for Best Musical is given to the producers- and
he didn't produce the show. But the possibility of seeing the same person win the composing <u>and</u> writing award <u>and</u> an acting award <u>and</u> an arrangement award- that is incredibly exciting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsDzgA-fZczigc0xZavR3J2W6TN1ZNXS5mQ2CCmUlMyeu5dLKcP7Q32t1hF1z8bHo33vZ531qHjWmC2F6O0RtK1N2CUxDzZ71CT1qyMBQMEhHBvV8MzocA86hu_qx5FTFzqAZio74UPx2/s1600/Norah+Jones+Grammys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsDzgA-fZczigc0xZavR3J2W6TN1ZNXS5mQ2CCmUlMyeu5dLKcP7Q32t1hF1z8bHo33vZ531qHjWmC2F6O0RtK1N2CUxDzZ71CT1qyMBQMEhHBvV8MzocA86hu_qx5FTFzqAZio74UPx2/s200/Norah+Jones+Grammys.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I have an image in my head from when Norah Jones won so many Grammys
in the same night that she could barely hold them all. I keep thinking about <a href="http://www.grammy.com/photos/norah-jones"><span style="color: #85231a; text-decoration: none;">this picture</span></a> every time I
think about what a photo of Lin at the end of the Tonys might look like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">In The Heights</span></i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> was nominated was for 13
Tonys and won 4. Lin-Manuel Miranda was personally nominated for two: Best
Score (which he won) and Best Actor (which he lost). (As a footnote, I'll
mention that <i>In the Heights</i> was also nominated for Best Sound
Design, a category that no longer exists.) But <i>Hamilton</i> is a
whole different ball game. It's a hit, it's a hit, it's a palpable hit. A crazy
lottery, standing room only, sold out forever hit. A show doesn't have to be a
monster hit like <i>Hamilton</i> to win Tonys, but it doesn't
hurt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">For me, a lot of the drama is going to be in the Actor
categories. Ignoring the other shows for a moment- if it was a match-up between
just Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Leslie Odom, Jr. (Burr)-
who would win? (Oh, the irony, given that the show itself is a match-up between Hamilton and Burr.) Common sense probably tells us Lin, but I have to say that
Leslie was show-stoppingly phenomenal. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">What about the Featured Actors? The
ensemble work was all exceptional and it is difficult to rank one above
another. If I absolutely had to, I would say Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson)
and Chris Jackson (Washington) were the true standouts. So was Jonathan Groff
(King George III), even through he was only on stage for a few moments.
Okieriete Onaodowan (Mulligan/Madison) was also terrific, but there may not be
enough room in the nominations. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">On the actress side, both Phillipa Soo (Eliza) and Renee Elise
Goldsberry (Angelica) were outstanding, so I'm glad they won't have any other
competition in their categories from others within the show. There's a small possibility that Jasmine Cephas Jones
(Peggy/Maria Reynolds) will get nominated as a Featured Actress, but I think her part is probably too small.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">We can't ignore those other shows forever. <a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/broadway/spotlight/index.html"><span style="color: #85231a; text-decoration: none;">Here's a list</span></a>
of eligible new shows that will be vying very hard not to be shut out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The Tony nominations will be announced on Tuesday, May 3 and the
Tony Awards will be on Sunday, June 12.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt;">Wait for it.</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-41569613441086822792016-04-04T15:37:00.000-04:002016-04-12T08:53:23.052-04:00We're There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F5GrZQ3g2b4ZXrNE_CCnU1PZVk-QjRCiOcF-JKvV1BKntGg2Xtb_Kdhacx7neMkMlhZe9JACwFNXW46bMcm4YmrTBTiNbDtiFZm6zvAu6ubPhMCwAgAngBdVEpaSfLmma4sK9QLxrmtD/s1600/Are+We+There+Yet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8F5GrZQ3g2b4ZXrNE_CCnU1PZVk-QjRCiOcF-JKvV1BKntGg2Xtb_Kdhacx7neMkMlhZe9JACwFNXW46bMcm4YmrTBTiNbDtiFZm6zvAu6ubPhMCwAgAngBdVEpaSfLmma4sK9QLxrmtD/s320/Are+We+There+Yet.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
I read hundreds of new picture books every year. Some are dreadful. Most are good. A few are great. And occasionally, a very special book makes you want to grab people on the street and tell them about the amazing new book you just read.<br />
<br />
Like this one.<br />
<br />
<i>Are We There Yet?</i> by Dan Santat accomplishes so much between the covers of a picture book.<br />
<br />
It's daring, dynamic and filled with a multitude of meanings. The art blends several styles simultaneously. The colors are bold, brilliant and constantly surprising. It's beautiful, fun, silly, and touching all at the same time.<br />
<br />
The constant change from gorgeous full page spreads to small graphic novel panels is arresting. The devices used to keep the reader going in the right direction are creative and well-employed. It's very fun to hand this book to other people and watch the book turn around and around as they figure out how to read it for the first time.<br />
<br />
And the details! How I love all the tiny, little creative details hidden in nearly every page. The color contrasts. The facial expressions. The endpapers. The outfits the parents wear. What is hidden underneath the dust jacket. On and on and on. Every time I read it, I find so many more fantastic details.<br />
<br />
Try reading this one aloud. There's so much brilliance in the text. The overarching words about the road and where life may lead you could almost be taken out and read separately from the pictures and still be poignant. And the speech bubbles are in the language that children speak and are funny on another level.<br />
<br />
I don't want to call it a follow-up to <i>Beekle</i>, because I don't want to compare the two books at all. It feels like every time a successful author has a new book, it is inevitably compared to their past achievements. I thought it might be refreshing to talk about the new book without the comparisons.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: I've probably read and studied <i>Beekle</i> far more than the average bear (or human) since I was a member of the committee that awarded <i>Beekle</i> the Caldecott Medal, so truly, this isn't about a lack of familiarity with <i>Beekle</i>.<br />
<br />
Give this book a try. Take your time.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-29863215128142998252016-03-09T17:39:00.003-05:002017-01-19T10:51:18.857-05:00Keep Your Eyes on the Prize<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqWHCWuxTTyIM3HW9uZ7Xj1Dt73fL8FyItCqwRJun5kZWOQjFfWBobRGrLyefCEPqPVuOEx6WBBg6t6S69K8D4WspnO3_OXYldF82AJlsdPg19NybEDbMPL8UeVyxakctKjGU5R1gA2T2/s1600/Hamilton+poster+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqWHCWuxTTyIM3HW9uZ7Xj1Dt73fL8FyItCqwRJun5kZWOQjFfWBobRGrLyefCEPqPVuOEx6WBBg6t6S69K8D4WspnO3_OXYldF82AJlsdPg19NybEDbMPL8UeVyxakctKjGU5R1gA2T2/s1600/Hamilton+poster+cropped.jpg" /></a>The Pulitzer Prize, that is.<br />
<br />
What does the list of shows below have in common?<br />
<br />
2010: <i>Next to Normal</i><br />
1996: <i>Rent</i><br />
1985: <i>Sunday in the Park with George</i><br />
1976: <i>A Chorus Line</i><br />
1962: <i>How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying</i><br />
1960: <i>Fiorello!</i><br />
1950: <i>South Pacific</i><br />
1932: <i>Of Thee I Sing</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
They represent the eight times the Pulitzer Prize in Drama has been awarded to a musical instead of to a play. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.... roughly about once a decade.<br />
<br />
As the awards for <i>Hamilton</i> start to pile up, and with the 100th class of Pulitzer Prize winners being announced on April 18, I think it's time to start talking about the possibility of not just Tonys for Hamilton, but a Pulitzer.<br />
<br />
The writing of <i>Hamilton</i> stands out from the writing so many plays and musicals. But unless you're in the room where it happens, and have done all the work the judges have, <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2016/01/predicting-unpredictable.html">it's really hard to make predictions</a>. So, no hard feelings, Pulitzer folks, if it doesn't happen- but I won't be surprised if the list above becomes a list of nine.<br />
<br />
UPDATED:<br />
2016: Hamilton<br />
<br />
There are now nine musicals in the club. Nine! I knew it.<br />
<i><br /></i><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-28766697163885241492016-02-24T18:15:00.000-05:002016-02-24T22:29:19.259-05:00A librarian is a librarian is a librarianThere are all kinds of librarians.<br />
<br />
There are librarians who work for the government. For the military. For businesses. For colleges. For religious institutions.<br />
<br />
There are law librarians. Music librarians. Art librarians. Film librarians. Medical librarians.<br />
<br />
There are those who work in cataloging. Technical services. Circulation. Shelving. Reference. Archivists. Interlibrary loan. Library accessibility.<br />
<br />
And many, many more types of libraries and library career paths.<br />
<br />
And yet, whenever I'm at a conference, talking with a vendor or someone who has just found out that I'm a librarian, I always get asked the same question: "School or public?"<br />
<br />
When I answer that I'm neither, that I am in fact, a synagogue librarian, I get a look as if I've said I'm a librarian on the planet Neptune.<br />
<br />
I'm used to explaining what I do over and over and over (and if you'd like to know, you can read more about a typical day in my library <a href="http://jewishlibraries.org/blog.php?id=320">here</a>.) But here's when it gets frustrating. When I see awards or grants limited to certain kinds of libraries or librarians and restricted to others. I wish that me, my patrons and my library were eligible just like all the other libraries and librarians out there.<br />
<br />
I value all kinds of libraries, librarians and library employees. I hope you do too.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-24380734127439682032016-02-18T20:15:00.003-05:002016-02-18T22:46:13.593-05:00The Importance of Being a MentorThe first time I attended an American Library Association (ALA) Annual conference I was completely overwhelmed. Which sessions should I attend? How was I going to fit everything into one weekend? How would I make any sense of this enormous association? I was attending graduate school at the time, didn't know anyone, and didn't know where to start.<br />
<br />
I applied to the New Member Round Table (NMRT) conference mentor program and was matched with a librarian named Kris Springer. Kris met me on the first day of ALA Annual, at an incredibly early hour of the day, and explained to me how to navigate both the conference and the association. She told me about her experience on the Newbery Medal committee, and told me that I could one day be on a committee at that level. I got goosebumps and thought she was crazy. She helped me when I needed it and stayed in touch through the years.<br />
<br />
It's now ten years after that first conference. I've been a conference mentor and a career mentor as much I've can. Sometimes officially through NMRT and sometimes unofficially when someone is at the start of their career and has questions. I've met with people I'm mentoring at conferences when I've had a loose schedule, and conferences where I've barely had a minute of free time. It's a priority to me and one of the most rewarding things I've done in my profession.<br />
<br />
At the ALA Midwinter convention last month, I was so proud of all these wonderful librarians and so honored to have the privilege to watch how far they've come.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDcPwzdKdWRzE80NeQC8RqMjYFs0Ee6OD4-lTtDm72eZCU-eR52oinBPbmiMutQxoh66LokDrSDKU2mkfRpzCVuGdy_rf1hhjZRSTOzFPfiH4kOhjULZIZFziB1ShitmzLIhkPDA23s1s/s1600/Amy+Forrester+Geisel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDcPwzdKdWRzE80NeQC8RqMjYFs0Ee6OD4-lTtDm72eZCU-eR52oinBPbmiMutQxoh66LokDrSDKU2mkfRpzCVuGdy_rf1hhjZRSTOzFPfiH4kOhjULZIZFziB1ShitmzLIhkPDA23s1s/s320/Amy+Forrester+Geisel.JPG" width="177" /></a>For me, the most emotional moment was watching Amy Forrester. I met Amy several years ago when she was in library school and attending her first ALA Annual conference. I told her the things one usually tells a first time attendee; how to take the shuttle bus and to listen to all those people who tell you to wear comfortable shoes. Over the years, I watched her become a confident and skilled children's librarian. I was overjoyed when she was appointed to the 2016 Geisel Committee. It was really overwhelming for me watching the Geisel committee, which she was a part of, announce their choices to the world at the press conference. I am so proud that she and her committee recognized outstanding books for beginning readers and may have changed the lives of some of the creators and readers of those books. I wish you could have heard me cheering.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Kris, for getting up so early a decade ago; for your advice and for the advice of all the other mentors who have helped me out. Thank you to all the people I've mentored- for being such wonderful professionals who I'm so proud of, for all I have learned from you, and for some inexplicable reason, listening to my advice.<br />
<br />
I never realized that anything I was saying was helpful until I read this incredibly touching <a href="http://www.ala.org/nmrt/news/footnotes/august2014/mentors-fan-girl-moments-mermaids-caldecott-awards-dinner">post</a> from Amy Steinbauer. Thank you, Amy, for letting me know that I'm making a tiny difference. I'm looking forward to great things from you!<br />
<br />
I hope this post inspires you to mentor someone in your profession. Whether officially and through an association, or by simply having lunch with someone new to the field, listening to their experiences and trying to answer their questions.<br />
<br />
To all those children's and young adult librarians I have mentored, I look forward to the day when I get to watch your Newbery, Caldecott or Printz committees reveal their choices. I'll be cheering loudest!<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-84249168504052633042016-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:002016-02-02T07:25:03.971-05:00Caldecott-versaryToday is the one year anniversary of the day the 2015 Caldecott committee announced our winner and honors.<br />
<br />
Things I have learned in the last year:<br />
<br />
-You can walk into a windowless hotel room with fourteen acquaintances and walk out two days later with fourteen lifelong friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLfUXIPa4oONe_LnlbimgXSJAs9fAQs0nUiBSC1O-azoT82E1kV_rzrrkyPgMexPrhwP3r_XIIqcQ-SwbCy0jeZN_sfvMTotPcrVjhe52HLMFYN2VHkk_g8SegJllgPARUqhwvYWC9ohP/s1600/books+in+a+circle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLfUXIPa4oONe_LnlbimgXSJAs9fAQs0nUiBSC1O-azoT82E1kV_rzrrkyPgMexPrhwP3r_XIIqcQ-SwbCy0jeZN_sfvMTotPcrVjhe52HLMFYN2VHkk_g8SegJllgPARUqhwvYWC9ohP/s200/books+in+a+circle.jpg" width="200" /></a>-The only people who truly understand what you went through are the ones who were in that room with you.<br />
<br />
-Forever (which is the length of time that you will be keeping your mouth closed about what happened during the deliberations) is a really long time.<br />
<br />
-Getting to be on a phone call where you hear someone's life change is an incredible experience.<br />
<br />
-It is challenging to go from one of the most intense experiences of your life and a crazy press conference full of celebration to driving a carpool the next day.<br />
<br />
-Reading a <i>New York Times </i>article announcing the winner is enough to make you cry because you were in the room where it happened.<br />
<br />
-You can't say if you voted for the winning book, but every single person will ask you if did.<br />
<br />
-If anyone finds out you were on the 2015 Caldecott committee, they will inevitably ask to see your tattoo (which you didn't get).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
-You should never read the comments section of anything that discusses your winners.<br />
<br />
-The generosity, graciousness and appreciation of the winners will overwhelm and humble you.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-Fifteen minutes during lunch is not enough time to tell a group of fifth graders about the experience of being on the committee. </div>
<div>
<br />
-Having the ability to give away hundreds of books to a school that needs them is a wonderful feeling.<br />
<br /></div>
-Sitting in the front row at the banquet, seeing your name on the big screen and hearing your committee being thanked by the medal winner standing at the podium is a goose-bumpy and teary experience.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
-Everyone in the children's book world is best friends with Dan Santat and they are all thrilled that he won the Caldecott Medal. (Seriously. Is there anyone who has only a casual acquaintance with Dan? How many best friends does Dan have?)<br />
<br />
-The first Midwinter after you've been on the committee is hard. You know everything the committee is doing, and what time they are doing it, but you're not doing it too.<br />
<br />
-If there are people left in the world who don't know you were on the Caldecott committee, your friends will make sure they find out.<br />
<br />
-Being able to simply read and appreciate a beautiful picture book and not have to read it over and over and analyze it and tie yourself into knots writing a nomination for it is a nice thing.<br />
<br />
-As overwhelming as it is to see your porch covered in boxes of submissions, you miss them when they stop coming.<br />
<br />
-Reading the winning books to your own children is one of the most special feelings in the world.<br />
<br />
-There is nothing like the thrill of seeing a Caldecott Medal on the cover of a book, and knowing exactly how it got there. It never gets old.<br />
<br />
-Figuring out how to be vague in a blog post like this one is hard work.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-66125686168701010652016-02-01T13:31:00.004-05:002016-02-18T22:37:53.478-05:00Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4wCKdZONRODk3r4Fx6iA0JDAY4-RvOhDRGrfgULw0eiEf0e-hRu00XkIe8CCacxvRQREWLhNSRacHTKlm_xiJ0F6nqAwGbTcEEZ0j47Sht53lEP1oVH4181KNTQUWLiBoLowqrOzVRsb/s1600/Hamilton+doors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4wCKdZONRODk3r4Fx6iA0JDAY4-RvOhDRGrfgULw0eiEf0e-hRu00XkIe8CCacxvRQREWLhNSRacHTKlm_xiJ0F6nqAwGbTcEEZ0j47Sht53lEP1oVH4181KNTQUWLiBoLowqrOzVRsb/s320/Hamilton+doors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I hesitated in
writing this- because what is there to say about a show that is already a hit?
What is there that has not been said? I've tried to stay away, as
much as possible, from all the hyperbole. I didn't listen to the cast album. I
only read one review of the off-Broadway production. I wanted to find out about
it for myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">My favorite
class in college, which I took my first semester because I couldn't wait any
longer, was a history of American Musical Theater. We talked about landmark shows
such as <i>Showboat</i>, <i>Oklahoma</i>, <i>West Side Story</i> and <i>Company</i>. If I was taking that
class now (or better yet, teaching it), I would add <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hamilton</i> to that list of game changers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Why? </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">It's not
enough that it's a hit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">It's easier to
like a show when the lines at the box office go down the street and the tickets
take a year to get... just as it is easier to like a book that already has a
Caldecott or Newbery Medal on the front. Someone else has already told us that
this is something extraordinary. The stamp of approval has already been
given. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What <i>Hamilton</i>
has done is to bring the rhythm of popular music back to the theater. The kind
of music that is playing in clubs and on the radio is now playing on Broadway.
How wonderfully refreshing. Broadway, which in recent years has been criticized
as elitist and apart from popular culture, is now being brought back into it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">But, <i>Hamilton</i>
is not all hip-hop or rap. It combines so many musical styles, often within the
same song, that it is mesmerizing. It would probably be a shorter list
to say which musical traditions are not in <i>Hamilton</i>, rather than the ones that
are. And the lyrics are brilliant, incredibly tight, interwoven and
multi-layered. And <i>Hamilton</i> is not a regular book musical, where there's a song
and then a scene, and back and forth. It's an opera. There are only a few lines
that are spoken without a beat or rhythm behind them. Call it a hip-hop opera
if you like, but an opera it is nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If <i>Hamilton</i>
reminds me of anything, it's of another landmark show that is currently playing
in the Broadway theater next door. <i>Les Miserables</i>. Also an opera. Also
about a revolution, the difference between the rich and the poor, and breaking
into the ruling class. Also based on a very, very long book. (<i>Hamilton</i> is based
on an 800 page biography.) Also with a turntable- although <i>Hamilton</i> has a
double one. And there are echoes of the melodies of </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Les Miserables</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> sprinkled
throughout <i>Hamilton</i>. Plus, if <i>The Story of Tonight</i> doesn't thematically
make you think of <i>Red and Black</i>, then I don't know what does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The difference
between the two shows is that when I listen to <i>Les Miserables, </i>I always
feel as if I’m hearing the same song over and over. It seems as though there is
a melody that has been written to be used between major numbers, and the words
change but the tune stays the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>Hamilton</i> isn't
like that. There are 17 songs in each act (which is unusual, because the second
act is typically shorter) and each of these 34 songs are distinct, unique and
complex. There are musical patterns and phrases that are repeated, but not
whole songs and melodies. Compare that to when I saw Andrew Lloyd Webber's
show <i>Whistle Down the Wind</i> during an out of town tryout. All but one
song in the second act was a reprisal of a song in the first act. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The<i> Hamilton</i>
subject matter is incredibly intriguing as well. Here's a musical told from the
point of view of an often-overlooked Founding Father. Having been fascinated with Alexander Hamilton since ninth grade American History, I was happy to see him finally get his due. But while telling the story of someone who has been marginalized, it also has a
go at people such as Thomas Jefferson who are typically lionized. What an interesting change of pace. There is one historical question that the musical doesn't address, however- was Hamilton eligible to be President since he was born outside of the United States? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The references
are so far reaching and varied as to be astonishing. There's not a lot of
people who can quote the Lovin' Spoonful and then the Declaration of
Independence a few sentences later, as seen in the song "The Schuyler
Sisters." And as it takes Broadway a little further, it also refers back
to it. Gilbert and Sullivan's <i>The Pirates of Penzance</i> is directly
quoted, as is Rodgers and Hammerstein's <i>South Pacific</i>. Also,
Shakespeare, the Bible, Socrates, fairytales, and nursery rhymes. It's a
brilliant homage to what has come before. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I can't quite
remember when I first heard the name Lin-Manuel Miranda. I feel like I've known
about him for a long time. Obviously, through<i> In the Heights</i> and
the publicity and Tonys for that. But the thing that made an impression is this
video from his actual wedding which was circulating around on social
media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KgZ4ZTTfKO8" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">This knocked
me back. Here was a talented Broadway actor who had gone to the trouble of
recreating one of Broadway's most famous songs, and a rather complicated one at
that, at his own wedding reception. Weddings are stressful events, with lots of
built-in craziness. He had clearly gone to a lot of effort while the events of
the wedding were swirling around him, to find time to <i>rehearse, </i>with
his future father-in-law, his father, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. And
managed to keep it all from the bride. And it came off brilliantly. And paid
homage to Broadway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Who is this guy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Then I watched
the 2011 Tony Awards with the fantastic Neil Patrick Harris. What struck me the
most was the closing rap at the end, which summed up all the events that had
just occurred during the show. The performance by Neil Patrick Harris was
incredibly impressive, but I was amazed by the writing, which had great rhyming,
solid rhythm, funny jokes and heartfelt thoughts about Broadway tying it all
together. And it had clearly been done on the spot. I later read that Lin-Manuel
Miranda had been the one in the basement during the Tonys writing the closing
number. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>Who is this guy??</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">A musical has
three parts that have to be written: the music, the lyrics and the book. The
division of labor varies depending on the creators. For Rodgers
and Hammerstein musicals, for example; Richard Rodgers wrote the music and
Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyrics and the book. Stephen Sondheim writes the
music and the lyrics for his shows (with the exception of his first two), and
has collaborated with several different book writers during his career.
Usually, there is then another composer, called an arranger, who adapts the
music for different instruments in the orchestra. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p>T</o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">here are only a handful of all the creators of musical theater who have been
able to write the book, music and lyrics all themselves, and have produced a
hit musical in the process. Meredith Wilson (</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Music Man</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">) is one. Jonathan Larson (</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Rent</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">) is another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">One of the
many things that made <i>West Side Story</i> a landmark musical is
that it required the chorus to sing, dance and act. Before then, there were two
different choruses: the singing chorus and the dancing chorus. But now,
performers have to be triple threats, that is they have to master three
separate disciplines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">For <i>Hamilton</i>,
Lin-Manuel Miranda has written the book. And the lyrics. And the music. And
collaborated on arranging the music. Plus, he's the lead in the show. He acts.
He sings. He dances. He's a septuple threat. SEVEN disciplines. I can't think
of <u>anyone</u> in the history of musical theater who has done this
before. Not even him- for <i>In the Heights</i> he didn't write the
book or work on the arranging. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><u>Who is this guy</u>?? </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">And why is he writing like he's running out of time?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUFN_hzALczrtecE2h7sB_YNztD-HylHlsrSQtRlxi3rCqB-5Sckg9NqSuyvkHIYFj0cb5lsLDbKjCPaTdvcyaTO1WKHsh4aPZcWrTN5roLdMBitkqJIpdS3qxBLRxgvS2PBnAq30cBn-/s1600/Lin-Manuel+Miranda+Hamilton+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUFN_hzALczrtecE2h7sB_YNztD-HylHlsrSQtRlxi3rCqB-5Sckg9NqSuyvkHIYFj0cb5lsLDbKjCPaTdvcyaTO1WKHsh4aPZcWrTN5roLdMBitkqJIpdS3qxBLRxgvS2PBnAq30cBn-/s320/Lin-Manuel+Miranda+Hamilton+picture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Something else impressed me about him. I've been to a lot of Broadway shows and seen a lot of stars. I've seen them race out of the theater after the show into waiting cars with police protection. Or sign a few programs of the people standing at the front and then call it a night. Not this guy. Lin-Manuel Miranda went the length of the entire line of people waiting to see him, in freezing weather, shaking hands, having conversations, and taking pictures with every single person including me and my husband. My camera jammed at exactly the wrong minute, he waited for us to fix it while everyone else was clamoring to talk to him and then took the picture himself. I imagine that he must go through the line after every show. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">What a mensch. </span></div>
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<i><b><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">WHO IS
THIS GUY???</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Whoever he is,
he's extraordinary. There's no doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">As
amazing as Lin-Manuel Miranda is, and it is obvious that the </span><a href="https://www.macfound.org/fellows/941/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #420178;">MacArthur
Foundation made an excellent choice</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">, this is not a one man show. The
ensemble work is fantastic, with every actor and actress making memorable
performances. The off-stage talent is crucial, and the collaboration of the
director, designers, musical director, and choreographer comes together to make
the whole show a success. A perfect example of this are King George's songs. If
you only heard the cast album, you would think the songs were funny, catchy and
enjoyable. To understand how truly hysterical they are, you would have to see
Jonathan Groff's deadpan performance, Paul Tazewell's elaborate costume, Howell
Brinkley's lights that come in at the right moment and Thomas Kail's great
direction.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA9I6tMhmzH33BkA9SjSHa5ufVlIL2XeQfX_zwFdc1XUc_Uo2b-JSI1dlevbjje8FUGjSt8ogJ_h8XiolZiy_lg6WylvS2svycWMFf-zlwMLY0CXb9LI-A8AmdO8iB4S0qmRIMX64anne/s1600/Hamilton+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA9I6tMhmzH33BkA9SjSHa5ufVlIL2XeQfX_zwFdc1XUc_Uo2b-JSI1dlevbjje8FUGjSt8ogJ_h8XiolZiy_lg6WylvS2svycWMFf-zlwMLY0CXb9LI-A8AmdO8iB4S0qmRIMX64anne/s1600/Hamilton+door.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Even the marketing and publicity in <i>Hamilton</i> is notable. The primary logo is black- which means our eye is drawn to a lack of color. The color is completely contained in the gold background. Hamilton stands on the top of an iconic star from the American flag, which is missing its fifth point. Hamilton's body creates not only the star's final point, but also the letter A, his first initial. The images of <i>Hamilton</i> are everywhere. Not just on the marquee like most shows, but on the walls of the theater and the stage door. All over Penn Station. Inescapable, convincing us that <i>Hamilton</i> is the show to see. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If I could say anything to the people involved with <i>Hamilton</i>, or to someone who has won a Newbery or Caldecott Medal or otherwise achieved great success, it would be this. Try, as hard as you can, not to be encumbered by past success. Success can be just as paralyzing as failure. They don't all have to be life-changing hits. Just keep doing work that you're proud of. That's all anyone can ask. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I hope you get a chance to see it. Do not throw away your shot. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-38401540232119997282016-01-23T12:13:00.000-05:002016-02-18T22:52:15.764-05:00CaldebuttsMy young son loves <i>The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend</i> by Dan Santat.<br />
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And, for the first time, I'm going to be completely honest about why.<br />
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It's not the stunning artwork. It's not the incredible multi-layered story. It's not that I was a member of the committee that awarded it the Caldecott Medal. (WHY NOT??!! WHY ISN'T IT ANY OF THESE THINGS???!!)<br />
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It's the fact that you can see Beekle's butt.<br />
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Now, the casual reader probably only saw this Beekle butt, the main event.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-B8S_UrIk6y3bxcAoXmgKiQDUupIunz8L4piKS2dooQboiazqg2HnXYYnc42-fJt8yfpkfIATgNMhWkWWZgz7Wg_Evun5aOyI_quB7Es6vdNT4c76ZpwtVO0yEwhuvnxWAcrnpHYC9OB/s1600/Main+Beekle+butt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-B8S_UrIk6y3bxcAoXmgKiQDUupIunz8L4piKS2dooQboiazqg2HnXYYnc42-fJt8yfpkfIATgNMhWkWWZgz7Wg_Evun5aOyI_quB7Es6vdNT4c76ZpwtVO0yEwhuvnxWAcrnpHYC9OB/s200/Main+Beekle+butt.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
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But the true, careful observer can find a lot more than that with a little patience.<br />
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Here is a tiny Beekle climbing the tree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZPcC3UdhSRhWQbKMKTMLOKlYTcNd3_uehazf-vI52wI_uOpGvxrt5Eu6R_bjsfENBdXaOuXNDSm5nHcG733DKdX-J2SCOTSKC7s0qEB19w-biGPfF2WCykrWhZ7pBlV05ux-F_rbr71z/s1600/Beekle+climbing+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZPcC3UdhSRhWQbKMKTMLOKlYTcNd3_uehazf-vI52wI_uOpGvxrt5Eu6R_bjsfENBdXaOuXNDSm5nHcG733DKdX-J2SCOTSKC7s0qEB19w-biGPfF2WCykrWhZ7pBlV05ux-F_rbr71z/s200/Beekle+climbing+tree.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsHbZbHBfQL6NpgsJNt9GbuBfsyiJPwqCEl_z21x_E_NVHGPPTzdMrPHKjkwIvKHTTM8RdsgxgXV_Qc5lPf7cHt0V_Tp9BIfbxw6kf0EQ8u1OrlkC8THmy-P6GyzWn1bOeenb6eesXMCA/s1600/Beekle+handing+paper+stylized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsHbZbHBfQL6NpgsJNt9GbuBfsyiJPwqCEl_z21x_E_NVHGPPTzdMrPHKjkwIvKHTTM8RdsgxgXV_Qc5lPf7cHt0V_Tp9BIfbxw6kf0EQ8u1OrlkC8THmy-P6GyzWn1bOeenb6eesXMCA/s200/Beekle+handing+paper+stylized.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Ong5T8EyQo4P4RIuQbb3mqSB8MBx9rkoUz2-9mFRaZV0ejf6k9qbhuo8Gh2rktRd1kPpNSqBaa9OTcjfbnza2ClFzpjzUH7KohbhIM-eHFyOG7pNMeLxnLV3Yrz5fBscZZi-VigUkzl/s1600/Beekle+handing+paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74Ong5T8EyQo4P4RIuQbb3mqSB8MBx9rkoUz2-9mFRaZV0ejf6k9qbhuo8Gh2rktRd1kPpNSqBaa9OTcjfbnza2ClFzpjzUH7KohbhIM-eHFyOG7pNMeLxnLV3Yrz5fBscZZi-VigUkzl/s200/Beekle+handing+paper.jpg" width="181" /></a>We also get a glimpse at Beekle's tuckus as he hands the paper to Alice, and in a later stylized version.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKXLP-2Ga84d6nEclmFS342ofBKb53I8w9SDdt6LUxouKkA3PKxgqwh1hVP1oShkYxQ1M1YPpbxL-ochdvIH1mXS7qybOr9TG7kAUqaF2ciVjvIIRUyA8Sdrke0wmttt6KbW40J_RTsd2/s1600/Beekle+case+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKXLP-2Ga84d6nEclmFS342ofBKb53I8w9SDdt6LUxouKkA3PKxgqwh1hVP1oShkYxQ1M1YPpbxL-ochdvIH1mXS7qybOr9TG7kAUqaF2ciVjvIIRUyA8Sdrke0wmttt6KbW40J_RTsd2/s200/Beekle+case+cover.jpg" width="145" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gZEW_PJuYeccTHn7GjegjZ0KzKyYuPBgjIfMur5lpv3yQQfePF8ZCakpB7jc1XhPZwfuroKgcKDjf9XGj9RETgskBQeuD4P3dNJwL2EttPeeP6sA55gFx_e8P9SZI5NzjaWc34jDElfL/s1600/Beekle+back+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gZEW_PJuYeccTHn7GjegjZ0KzKyYuPBgjIfMur5lpv3yQQfePF8ZCakpB7jc1XhPZwfuroKgcKDjf9XGj9RETgskBQeuD4P3dNJwL2EttPeeP6sA55gFx_e8P9SZI5NzjaWc34jDElfL/s200/Beekle+back+cover.jpg" width="129" /></a><br />
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And it's the final image- on the back cover, as well as under the jacket.<br />
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Over the years, I have seen a number of posterior-related titles, starting with <i>Captain Underpants</i>, and in recent years titles such as <i>Chicken Butt </i>by Erica Perl and <i>Veggies with Wedgies</i> by Todd Doodler have crossed my desk. My son thinks these are brilliant works of art. They make him laugh harder than any other books on our shelf. Seriously.<br />
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The 2015 Caldecott committee set several records. The most honor books. The first graphic novel. And also, if you were paying attention, the first Caldecott Medal book (that I know of) featuring a butt. My kids are the proudest of this record.<br />
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Caldebutt scholars may argue for the inclusion of <i>No, David! </i>by David Shannon (featuring full nudity, no less!), <i>In the Night Kitchen</i> by Maurice Sendak and <i>King Bidgood's in the Bathtub </i>by Audrey Wood which certainly hints, if doesn't downright show anything. Those are honor books, and I'm talking about Medal books.<br />
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Now, <a href="http://100scopenotes.com/2016/01/21/finding-winnie-s-butt/">Travis Jonker has pointed out</a>, that to some, there is now a second Caldecott Medal winner that features a butt. This one is on the cover, no less. (I see knees). Look at Travis' post for more.<br />
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Thank you to Travis, for his post, that freed me emotionally to write this one, and to Angela Reynolds, my fellow Caldecott committee member, for the truly awesome title.<br />
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And, whatever the reason, I'm glad my son loves Beekle; no ifs, ands, or butts.<br />
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UPDATE: Alas, the 2015 Caldecott committee did not set the Caldebutt record after all. There's a great porcine posterior image in David Wiesner's Caldecott Medal book <i>The Three Pigs. </i>Who pointed this out? My son, of course.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-1404033466375820472016-01-14T00:00:00.000-05:002016-01-14T07:09:18.663-05:00Sticker Shock<div>
This week was big in the children's book world. Enormous. The American Library Youth Media Awards <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/2016-alsc-book-media-award-winners">were announced</a> on Monday, January 11th, giving out nineteen awards which included the Newbery, Caldecott and Printz. </div>
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Monday morning was euphoric. The children's book community came together to celebrate and support the winners. <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2016/01/q-about-2016-newbery-and-caldecott.html">Huge dramatic things happened</a>. Records were set. Everyone was abuzz. I was excited to see what the next day would bring.<br />
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Tuesday morning made me sad. Sadder than I want to admit. I picked up four major newspapers. Two omitted the announcement entirely. One buried it halfway through the lifestyle section and devoted three paragraphs, that were clearly all from the press release. And one put a few paragraphs in the back of the children's section, again mostly from the press release. </div>
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Now compare that to the Oscars.</div>
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NPR devoted three minutes of original reporting to it, which was a lot more than most, and for which I was grateful. Most of the articles that I saw that were original and well written came from trade journals, which were great but probably unlikely to be seen by the general public.</div>
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Not one talk show, of the endless numbers of shows out there who interview people and celebrities- had even a few minutes to spare to talk to these wonderful, witty, and charming award winners. Or even to talk about them. If you're aware of one that did, please let me know. </div>
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Yet, there was plenty of space for celebrity news and gossip. </div>
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Last year I was really crushed. I was on the Caldecott committee. Not everyone in my life could really wrap their head around what that meant, but I assured them it was important enough that it would be in the newspaper the Tuesday after the announcement. I said this for months during all the time when I was too busy reading and working on the Caldecott to have time for anything else. It's important enough, it will be in the paper, I kept saying. </div>
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Tuesday came. The Newbery Medal winner happened to be a local author (which was terrific, don't get me wrong) but resulted in my local paper, a major award-winning metropolitan newspaper, devoting their two paragraphs about the awards to him and ignoring the Caldecott completely. They didn't even have room for one sentence announcing the winner in an extremely newsworthy year when the Caldecott broke several records. The next day at work, all I heard was questions and doubt. It must not have been important enough. It wasn't there. </div>
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A Caldecott Medal winner once told me they received about nine press calls on the day of the award announcement. At the time I thought that was a lot. Nine calls.<br />
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But is it a lot? Think in broader terms. How many calls and interview requests does an actor who wins an Oscar receive? How about a quarterback who just won the SuperBowl? I'm willing to bet it's more than nine.</div>
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What's wrong with making our heroes and role models people who are talented writers, artists and book creators? Why are we telling our children that they have to read if we are not modeling and celebrating the importance of reading in our society? What kind of examples are we setting?</div>
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I'm hoping next year that Tuesday morning brings a ray of hope. </div>
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If you saw an article from a major newspaper that featured original reporting and did more than quote a few sentences from the press release, please put a link to it in the comments to cheer me up. In fairness, some papers wait until their Sunday editions to do more in-depth stories. </div>
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In the meantime, I hope you read these great stories from <a href="http://publishersweekly.com/">Publisher's Weekly</a> about the <a href="http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/69123-celebrating-with-champagne-and-donuts-sophie-blackall-on-her-2016-caldecott.html">Caldecott</a>, <a href="http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/69124-a-huge-huge-shock-matt-de-la-pe-a-on-his-2016-newbery-medal.html">Newbery</a> and <a href="https://secure.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/69125-an-amazing-honor-for-an-oddball-book-laura-ruby-on-winning-the-2016-printz.html">Printz</a> winners. </div>
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</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-85241233337554989642016-01-11T21:46:00.000-05:002016-01-11T23:32:14.441-05:00Q & A about the 2016 Newbery and Caldecott Medals<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
<a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/2016-alsc-book-media-award-winners">2016
American Library Association Youth Media Awards</a> were very exciting in the
world of children’s literature. Boundaries were pushed. Records were set. And
you may be left with some questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question:
How do you spell the name of that big award that is given every year for
the <span style="color: #242424;">most distinguished contribution to
American literature for children?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Answer: Newbery. Newbery. Newbery. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>NOT</u></b> NewBERRY. It is named for </span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">eighteenth-century
English bookseller John Newbery, and he only had one R in his last name. </span><span style="color: #10131a; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What won <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberymedal">the
2016 Newbery Medal</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Answer: <i>Last
Stop on Market Street<b>,</b></i></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> written by Matt de la Peña,
illustrated by Christian Robinson. It is 32 pages and it is a picture book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: Wait; how did a PICTURE BOOK win the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Newbery
Medal</u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">?</i> I thought that
award was for novels. Isn’t the Caldecott Medal for picture books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Answer: Both the <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyterms/newberyterms">Newbery</a>
and the <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottterms/caldecottterms">Caldecott</a>
criteria define children as “persons of ages up to and including fourteen, and
books for this entire age range are to be considered.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Picture books were always eligible for the Newbery. This is just
the first picture book to win. This also means that an illustrated book for
older kids, up to age 14, is eligible for the Caldecott.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: So what won? The words, or the pictures?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Answer: For the Newbery Medal- the words won, and the Newbery Medal will be
given to Matt de la Peña, the author. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, the ALA Youth Media Awards were very good to <i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Last Stop on Market Street. </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It also won a <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal">Caldecott
Honor</a> and a <a href="http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards">Coretta Scott
King Illustrator Honor Award</a>. Both of these awards are for the art and will
be given to Christian Robinson, the illustrator. The book won three awards in
all.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: What won <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal">the
2016 Caldecott Medal</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Answer: <i>Finding
Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear</i></span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">,
illustrated by Sophie Blackall, written by Lindsay Mattick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: I thought Sophie Blackall is Australian and Lindsay
Mattick is Canadian. Isn’t the Caldecott an American award? Wouldn’t that make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Finding Winnie</i> ineligible?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Answer: </span><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The <a href="http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottterms/caldecottterms">Caldecott
criteria</a> states "the award is restricted to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>artists</u></b> who are citizens or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>residents</u></b> of the United States. "</span><span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Since the Caldecott Medal is only given to the artist, not the
author- it is only the artist that needs to be eligible. So, it doesn’t matter
where Lindsay Mattick lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sophie Blackall is currently a resident of the United States,
which makes <i>Finding Winnie</i> eligible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Question: I’ve got more questions!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Answer: Ask them in the comments. I’ll try to answer them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt;">P.S. Newbery. One R. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-80673924602323580962016-01-11T07:30:00.000-05:002016-01-11T20:27:27.706-05:00To those that didn’t get a phone call today<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you really wanted your phone to ring this morning.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you were hoping to be woken up by a happy speakerphone
full of people telling you how they had just changed your life.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you charged your phone last night, just in case.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you got excited when the phone rang, even if it was a
wrong number.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
I know you waited until the press conference was over and all the awards were announced to be sure, because maybe they forgot to call.<br />
<br />
I know you composed a rough draft of your acceptance speech in your head.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you won't admit to anyone how badly you
wanted it.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you tell people that you don’t really care
about the awards… because they are not why you make books for children.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know that the phones of some of your friends did ring today
and that you’ll congratulate them for all you’re worth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe this was supposed to be your year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe all your friends told
you would win.<br />
Maybe your book won all the mock awards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe your book got a lot of starred reviews.<br />
Maybe your publisher said it was a sure thing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe this was the book you’ve worked on forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe you believed in this book more than any other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe it was close.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe there were four phone calls and your book came in
fifth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe there were committee members who were deeply in love
with your book and fought for it, but the other votes just weren't there.<br />
Maybe if different people were on the committee this year, the result would have been different.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe lightening just didn’t strike. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>Maybe your life didn’t change today, but I promise you, your books are changing the lives of the children who read them.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope your day comes and you get to hear the phone ring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope you keep making wonderful books.<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
For a few more award related posts from the perspective of someone who has been there: <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2016/01/predicting-unpredictable.html">here's</a> why I stopped predicting the Caldecott and Newbery Medal results and <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-is-like-to-be-on-book-award.html">here's</a> how book award committees differ from each other.<br />
<br />
To vote for the ALA Youth Media Awards that made you the happiest today, see the poll on the sidebar.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-6147320912919783212016-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:002016-01-13T10:21:32.255-05:00What is like to be on a book award committee?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As we approach this year's announcement, our attention is focused on the big book awards such as the Caldecott and Newbery. But there are dozens of
awards of all shapes and sizes. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After serving on a lot of award committees, I can tell you
that the experience varies greatly depending on the award.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Here's some of the questions I get asked a lot:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How do you get on
the award committee?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you get nominated, and then selected by a
nominating committee to be on the ballot, and then win an election. Or you get
appointed by the head of the association to be on the committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you fill out an application and send in writing
samples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you tell the chair of the committee that you’re
interested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How do you get
eligible books to read?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are sent in large boxes that arrive from publishers of all sizes on your doorstep full of hardcover, first editions of all the
books they’ve published that season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are sent in occasional envelopes from publishers and directly from self-published authors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you spend countless hours in the library and
searching relevant databases and review journals desperately trying to find
eligible books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How do you decide
on the winners?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes everyone on the committee comes together from all
over the country, and are sequestered for several days in one room until they
emerge with the results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you meet several times over the course of a year
for short meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you use e-mail or Skype, but never actually meet
or talk to other committee members in person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What do the authors
and illustrators think about being given your award?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes it literally changes their lives. Sometimes it
lets them afford to be a full-time author or illustrator when they couldn’t
before. Sometimes they cry or exclaim in joy or are at a loss for words when you tell them they’ve
won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are honored and touched. They hadn’t heard
of your award before but they are delighted to be recognized and truly
appreciate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they don’t even know they’ve won until they
Google their name. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How does the
public find out about your list of winners?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are announced with great fanfare at a giant
press conference in front of over a thousand people who scream and cheer while
others tune in to the big moment online from all over the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are read at a small conference in front of
people who have never heard of any of the books on your list but applaud
politely at the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes they are announced in a press release that you
send to everyone you know in the hopes that someone will notice your wonderful books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">How is the award
presented?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes it is given at a beautiful banquet in front of people from every part of the children’s literature world, while the winner
gives a carefully crafted and lengthy speech, which is later published and studied by graduate students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes the winner speaks for a few minutes at an event
honoring many books and award recipients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes the winner gets the award in the mail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What can you say
about the award process?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes it’s all an enormous secret and you can’t breathe
a word of any of it. People hang on everything you say; even the tiniest
detail, and you can never, ever, ever let a real piece of information about
what actually happened escape your lips. Or else. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-Sometimes you can reveal why certain books won and why
others lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-Sometimes even if you could tell every single detail about
the whole entire process, the award is so obscure that no one, probably not
even the winning author, would be interested.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What remains the same?</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-No matter the prestige of the award, book award committees are a lot of work. They involve reading and analyzing an enormous quantity of books, staying as impartial as possible, and making difficult choices. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-You have to work together with your committee and recognize that other people have different points of view. The book you love, others may hate and vice versa. It's not an individual decision but a group compromise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">-They help shine recognition on quality books for children and ideally get great books into the hands of readers. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-81336772806840135512016-01-06T17:56:00.002-05:002016-01-09T08:33:01.053-05:00Unpredictable<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I used make predictions about which books would win the
Newbery and Caldecott.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I even got pretty good at it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But then, a crazy thing happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I got on the Caldecott committee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To quote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Into the
Woods</i>: “<span style="color: #1f1f1f;">I know
things now, many valuable things, that I hadn't known before.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know now that
until….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-your porch has filled with boxes of books that all have to be
read and evaluated carefully…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve spent a year reading during every ounce of time you
have, during evenings, weekends, during time you would have spent with your
family…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve read and analyzed every single book eligible for your
award to the best of your ability…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve weighed and debated over and over which books should
be nominated…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve carefully researched and written nominations with all
the intensity of a graduate school thesis…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve sat in a
room for hours and hours and hours and discussed books with people who knew
them just as well as you did….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve taken a
book </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you loved </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">off the table…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-you’ve stared at
a small piece of paper asking for your choice for the medal- and you knew that
choice mattered….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve pushed
aside all the stars, mock results and commentary and voted for the books you
truly thought deserved to win…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-your committee
has reached a consensus….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve been on a
speakerphone call and heard the exact second when a person’s life changed
completely….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-you’ve held the
hands of the other committee members as your winners were announced and as the
crowd literally gasped at your decisions…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">…. there are a
lot of things that are hard to know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now that I know
what these things feel like, I find it hard to second-guess the work and decisions
of someone else who knows too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">There are books
I like, books I love, books I hope will win… but I haven’t done the work these
committees have, and I haven’t read and studied the full field of eligible
contenders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I wish the
members of all the America Library Association Youth Media award committees the
best of luck as they prepare for their discussions and decisions this weekend. You’ve
worked incredibly hard. Enjoy the phone calls and accolades!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And be sure to
read <a href="http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/2014/01/dear-committee-member.html?spref=fb">this</a> on Sunday. It says everything I want to tell you the night before the
announcement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I look forward
to applauding your choices Monday morning. I will try not to gasp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you'd like to follow me as I tweet live from the <a href="http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/11/thousands-join-free-ala-youth-media-awards-webcast">press conference</a>, join me at <a href="https://twitter.com/susankusel">@susankusel</a></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Of all the prediction posts I wrote over the years, <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-eve-of-caldecott-awards.html">this one</a> is my favorite.</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-63629003874666508332012-08-28T09:00:00.000-04:002012-08-29T18:59:00.121-04:00Wonderful WonderA few months ago, I was invited to a small children's book preview event, where twelve authors were going to talk about their new or upcoming books. I tried to read as much as could before attending the event... I always like to be as familiar as possible with an author's work before meeting them.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW1Yrz077l-AAtqbboafsqbYmuOwNlu7L2hYRQFD6GUV9EpPFnAKIh76TndiJbg8hwMGSkEIcdN5ZPSkO7nZjCaJdFSsqYU1LZVD-Fl6CkmTbf-d_jdxkvEtYslqK9CaGiS3Tdz5huhRs/s1600/Wonder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW1Yrz077l-AAtqbboafsqbYmuOwNlu7L2hYRQFD6GUV9EpPFnAKIh76TndiJbg8hwMGSkEIcdN5ZPSkO7nZjCaJdFSsqYU1LZVD-Fl6CkmTbf-d_jdxkvEtYslqK9CaGiS3Tdz5huhRs/s320/Wonder.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
One of the books, <i>Wonder</i> by R.J. Palacio, only became available at my library the day before the event, so I found myself in my hotel room the night before with a long unread book. I figured I'd read the first chapter or two just to get a sense of the setting and the characters. I loved it. So I read another chapter. And another. Until it was four hours later and I'd read all 315 pages without stopping, writing down questions along the way. And then I just sat there in awe.<br />
<br />
The next morning, I was surprised and delighted to find author R. J. Palacio sitting at my table. I told her how much I loved the book, and that I had a long list of questions to ask her. I think this put her off a bit, because it took her a few hours to start talking to me again. But she did- and we ended up having a lovely conversation. And she even answered all my questions. <br />
<br />
I've waited a few months to post this because I wanted to let this book sink in. When I think about it, I can't help associating it with that mad, frantic rush I read it in. But really, <i>Wonder</i> is a book to savor and to enjoy over time. The craftsmanship, the exquisite turn of many a phrase, the humor, the way the author captures the essence of middle-schoolers... it's really something to slow down and appreciate. <br />
<br />
I almost don't even want to tell you the plot because I don't want you to categorize or dismiss the book before you read it. Ostensibly, it's about a boy named August Pullman who has a facial deformity and who is starting public school for the first time. But it's really a lot more than that, and there's so much to learn as we see the world from Auggie's viewpoint. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When it comes time to making my 2013 Newbery predictions, you can bet that <i>Wonder</i> will be on the top of my list. Whether it'll win or receive an honor is really dependent on this year's committee and the other books published this year. I'll be on the edge of my seat at the press conference on January 28, 2013 at the American Library Association Midwinter meeting in Seattle and I'll bet many of my colleagues will too.</div>
<br />
<div>
The other award that many people have predicted Wonder will win is the <a href="https://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/schneideraward/schneiderfamily.cfm">Schneider Family Award</a> which is given to an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. But as Palacio reassures us multiple times, Auggie's facial differences do not make him disabled. So the question is, will the book be considered as an embodiment of disability? Auggie does, however, have trouble hearing- and the issue of his partial deafness is dealt with in a funny and endearing way, so if the book does get recognized by the Schneider committee, it may be due to that. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd also love to see it win or get nominated for the National Book Award, particularly since most of the winners in the Young People's Literature category lately seem to be written for young adults. It would great to see a younger book win some accolades. </div>
<br />
<div>
As most of you probably know by now, R.J. Palacio is a pseudonym. To learn more about the author (whose actual name is Raquel Jaramillo) click <a href="http://bit.ly/Ps8VD9%20">here</a> for an article from <i>Publisher's Weekly</i> about her and how she wrote the book.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Random House has launched an anti-bullying campaign based on <i>Wonder</i> called "Choose Kind." There's more about it <a href="http://choosekind.tumblr.com/">here</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Of all the books I've read so far this year, nothing has stayed with me like <i>Wonder</i>. Nothing else has made me both laugh and cry at the same time. It's a book I hope everyone has a chance to read.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-69134022517515622432012-01-22T23:36:00.000-05:002012-01-22T23:36:25.291-05:00Last minute predictionsIt's about eight hours until the announcement of the American Library Association's youth media awards. Excitement is in the air here at ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, Texas.<br />
<br />
Who will the Caldecott? Who will win the Newbery? (Who will win the other 16 awards being handed out?)<br />
<br />
Excellent questions.<br />
<br />
I've been making predictions for the past several years, and I've got to say this is a particularly tricky year. Obviously, every year is completely up in the air, but some years are a bit more predictable than others.<br />
<br />
This isn't one of those years. <br />
<br />
I'll throw out some names for the Caldecott: <br />
<i>-</i><i>Wonderstruck </i><br />
<i>-Blackout </i><br />
<i>-Me, Jane </i><br />
<i>-Balloons Over Broadway</i><br />
<i>-Grandpa Green</i><br />
<br />
and some for the Newbery:<br />
<i>-A Monster Calls</i><br />
<i>-Inside Out and Back Again</i><br />
<i>-Amelia Lost</i><br />
<i>-Our Only May Amelia</i><br />
<i>-Breadcrumbs</i><br />
<i>-Shades of Gray</i><br />
<br />
but honestly, I think it's anyone's ball game. I think it's going to be one of those years where the winners are announced, and everyone at the press conference whispers to their neighbor: "What? What was that book?"<br />
<br />
You may notice that I left the presumptive Newbery favorite <i>Okay for Now </i>off my list. I think it's a wonderful but flawed book.... and while I'd be delighted to see it win, I just don't think it's going to make it. Also, I put <i>Wonderstruck</i> only on the Caldecott list, because I think the illustrations are far and away the strongest part of the book. <br />
<br />
We shall see. It could very well be none of the ones I listed above. Whatever it is, I can't wait to find out. <br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-51896433035267616072011-10-03T08:18:00.000-04:002012-08-29T15:19:55.480-04:00America is Under AttackKids surprise me. Especially my kids.<br />
<br />
Several months ago, I read an advance copy of a great non-fiction picture book about September 11th called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/1596436948/wizarwirel-20">America is Under Attack</a></i> by Don Brown. Thoughtful, well illustrated, and full of both intriguing and heartbreaking facts, it drew me in and stayed in my thoughts long after I finished it. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKrMyXbngiY0wSBsye4BkMpsfoAF9VmWu9vWcyVvBzKlesw4bhzczaeIdnfKXy2HOsyv5Y6db69u9N-z1OK4xVidXkBABh6xyZEbE7kUc7PXDk7f3YCHhllFGOhSKHKeJjwQdvpf5wR-_/s1600/America+is+Under+Attack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKrMyXbngiY0wSBsye4BkMpsfoAF9VmWu9vWcyVvBzKlesw4bhzczaeIdnfKXy2HOsyv5Y6db69u9N-z1OK4xVidXkBABh6xyZEbE7kUc7PXDk7f3YCHhllFGOhSKHKeJjwQdvpf5wR-_/s320/America+is+Under+Attack.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<br />
Recently, I was giving a presentation to a group of adults about upcoming children's book highlights for fall 2011. I mentioned the book, along with many other upcoming favorites. The adults looked at me in a shocked way. They asked why would anyone want to talk to kids about something like that.<br />
<br />
I had shied away from talking with my son directly about the attacks. We had read <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2007/07/man-who-walked-between-towers.html">one of my favorite books</a>, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN/0761317910/wizarwirel-20">The Man Who Walked Between the Towers</a></i>, and had talked about it abstractly but without much detail. Then, the 10th anniversary of September 11th happened, and the subject was almost impossible to avoid. We live minutes away from the Pentagon, and the topic was on the radio, in the newspaper and on television every day,<br />
<br />
I explained the basic facts as best I could, and then pulled out <i>America is Under Attack</i>. We read it slowly, pausing whenever needed. He asked thoughtful questions and digested what I was telling him. I was grateful to have a book that presented the facts in a clear and direct way. <br />
<br />
One of the better books on the subject, <i>America is Under Attack</i> highlights a number of different stories that took place in the towers that day. The pictures are clear and bold without being shocking or overly graphic. The variety of stories humanizes the event and fills it with various characters. The footnotes in the back are both helpful and informative. <br />
<br />
And it was just the right book for my son, who was relived to finally have the facts. He had been so confused about it, he said. He only knew parts of it, and was glad to have the whole story and know what had actually happened. A few weeks later, he surprised me by going independently to his school librarian, asking for more books on the subject. In the end, I was impressed. Who knew a 7 year old could be so mature?<br />
<br />
I was grateful to have just the right book for both the adults in my presentation and the child in my life.<br />
<br />
See <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/891859-312/ten_years_after_interview_with.html.csp">here</a> for an interview <i><a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/">School Library Journal</a></i> did with author Don Brown, and <a href="http://media.us.macmillan.com/teachersguides/9781596436947TG.pdf">here</a> for a discussion guide from <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/RoaringBrook.aspx">Roaring Brook Press</a>, the publisher of America is Under Attack. <div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-85751908223573597852011-07-20T21:48:00.002-04:002011-07-20T21:50:46.915-04:00No More BordersOver twenty years ago, I walked into the most amazing bookstore. It was enormous, easily three times the size of any bookstore I'd been in before. Books were everywhere, piled high from floor to ceiling. I didn't know there could be so many books in the same place. This was before big box stores. Before the store turned into a big corporation. It was just a neighborhood bookstore back then, but the biggest and most exciting I'd ever seen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Nqp73YyvE7rKgW0CNXA9wmHxNauws0yOhcQE5sRfyrkkOyaeXxaebQq_oriK7wScgcWzWcLiOMQMcFWOsusCz9hyokoUXdFSM6Vox-zYHIbWQYngJzKKjQOKHbljyS7Ei_dfAwS-i4R_/s1600/Borders+Logo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 47px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Nqp73YyvE7rKgW0CNXA9wmHxNauws0yOhcQE5sRfyrkkOyaeXxaebQq_oriK7wScgcWzWcLiOMQMcFWOsusCz9hyokoUXdFSM6Vox-zYHIbWQYngJzKKjQOKHbljyS7Ei_dfAwS-i4R_/s200/Borders+Logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631616834922213442" /></a>Over the years, I visited that store many times. I watched it move to a larger space, and become even bigger, and if possible, more exciting. I listened to authors, browsed foreign newspapers, read comic strip collections over by the coffee bar and so much more. I found all kinds of books I didn't know existed, including a series about a wizard named Harry. And a few years after that, I waited in line at midnight to buy the 4th book in the series.<br /><br />Say what you will about Borders. Yes, it was a big corporation. Yes, it took business away from the small, local bookstores I support so avidly. Yes, it grew too quickly and probably sacrificed some quality along the way. But, despite that, it got people excited about books. And it never ceased to amaze me that the public could support the existence of such a large place... just dedicated to books.<br /><br />Well, that time has come and gone. Borders <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303661904576454353768550280.html">is being forced to liquidate</a>, after all hopes of salvation from bankruptcy have fallen apart. 11,000 employees are losing their jobs and nearly 400 bookstores are closing. And that's bad news for all of us in the book business.<br /><br />I'll miss that exciting store that always made me smile. How about you? What are your thoughts about the end of this major chapter in the book industry?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-79612004087396500462011-06-23T08:56:00.008-04:002011-06-23T17:18:07.897-04:00Announcing PottermoreJ.K. Rowling has made her big announcement! <a href="http://www.pottermore.com/">Pottermore</a>, coming in October, will be all manner of things Harry Potter. According to Rowling, the website will be a place where "the digital generation will be able to enjoy a safe unique online reading experience built around the Harry Potter books. " Also included will be numerous new details about the Harry Potter world. Plus, the website will also sell both Harry Potter e-books (which have never before been available) and digital audio books.<br /><br />See the video below for Rowling's announcement. The animation in the pages of the book is nothing short of amazing.<br /><br /><object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i5DOKOt7ZF4?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i5DOKOt7ZF4?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="427" height="260"></embed></object><br /><br />What all this means, I'm not exactly sure. It combines many of the elements speculated about when Pottermore was launched, including a online interactive experience, the Potter encyclopedia and e-books. We'll have to wait and see what happens in October.<br /><br />In the meantime, one thing is clear. Rowling is the master of suspense.<br /><br />Update: There's a lot more information about the website in <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/47717-pottermore-web-site-to-sell-e-books-in-october.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+Children%27s+Bookshelf&utm_campaign=d5bc919953-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email">this article</a> from <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com">Publisher's Weekly</a></span> about J.K. Rowling's press conference this morning.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372766156282694670.post-41936819081569754832011-06-16T16:37:00.004-04:002011-06-23T09:20:48.150-04:00More Potter!Just when you thought it was all over, J.K. Rowling has one more surprise. She has just launched a new website called <a href="http://www.pottermore.com/">Pottermore</a>, with no real hints as to what it might be. There's even <a href="http://www.youtube.com/JKRowlingAnnounces">a countdown clock</a> where you can watch the minutes tick by until she makes an announcement about her next project. You can also follow Pottermore on <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/pottermore">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/morepotter">Facebook</a>. Here's an unofficial preview shot... you can find more <a href="http://www.facebook.com/morepotter#%21/morepotter?sk=photos">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ7EKn1-GGrU9NhHc5ThXJ1fOB1tz3E1bVM9idCGu_qXj_4lIpSRkbe03ieuF5v3BJu2xYPKW7Ix5V-qpFldH_0SvUq60m3jctqKxi1f_scIjHIS-eX_toNQvOk_U1GqlQbbmiYYsaz_0/s1600/POTTERMORE1-506x550.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJ7EKn1-GGrU9NhHc5ThXJ1fOB1tz3E1bVM9idCGu_qXj_4lIpSRkbe03ieuF5v3BJu2xYPKW7Ix5V-qpFldH_0SvUq60m3jctqKxi1f_scIjHIS-eX_toNQvOk_U1GqlQbbmiYYsaz_0/s320/POTTERMORE1-506x550.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619212410427783330" border="0" /></a>What could it be? J.K. Rowling's spokespeople have announced that it isn't related to more books... but I'm holding out hope that it could be the long-waited Harry Potter encyclopedia, or an online version thereof. Other rumors are going around that it's a social networking online game site. We'll see. In a few days, we'll find out from the master of suspense herself.<br /><br />What are your guesses?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Update</span>: The announcement has been made! See <a href="http://wizardswireless.blogspot.com/2011/06/announcing-pottermore.html">this post</a> for more details.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align:middle;border:0"/></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/WizardWirelessNetwork" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p></div>Susan Kuselhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613470998029847177noreply@blogger.com2