Welcome back

If you're a regular reader of Wizards Wireless, you may have noticed the glaring lack of posts here for a long, long time. That's because I've been blogging over at Booklights for PBS Parents.

Sadly, Booklights is coming to a close. But while I'll miss writing over there, I'm also really excited about writing here again.

And for you comic strip fans, I've also started a new blog called Comic Strip Art.

Welcome back and stay tuned! I've got a stack of wonderful books I can't wait to write about.

Where have you gone, Wizards Wireless?

Not too far. Just down the road to PBS Parents. I'm posting weekly at Booklights, a blog about inspiring a love of reading in your child.

That's where you'll find my annual post about the Caldecott/Newbery banquet, complete with an impromptu interview with Neil Gaiman. Here's my banquet post from last year, and here's one of my very first blog posts: the 2007 banquet.

The other two Booklights bloggers are Jen from Jen Robinson's Book Page and Pam from MotherReader. I feel honored to be included with such high caliber writers.

I've been trying to keep up Wizards Wireless, but the demands of work and family (plus the PBS blog) have been taking up most of my time. Don't worry, it isn't going away, though. Look here for my Harry Potter posts (coming soon: my thoughts about the movie of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.)

I had so much fun running the Harry Potter Giveaway contest. I've notified the 5 lucky winners, but all of your answers were fantastic.

Now I've got a question for you. I can repost Booklights posts on Wizards Wireless a month after the orginal post runs. Should I do that? Or are you more likely to read them on Booklights? See the poll on the sidebar and give me some guidance.

The real me

Wondering who I am? After a year and a half of blogging, I'm finally posting my name and photo on Wizards Wireless.

My name is Susan Kusel, I'm a children's librarian in Arlington, Virginia, and I look like this:

The real debate is: where do I put my polls now? Above the picture and info on the sidebar or below it? I can't find a Blogger template that uses three columns.

Revealing my name is pretty much a moot point, because if you Google me, you'll find this blog. But, I just read the third recent link that referred to me as "the children's librarian who blogs at Wizard Wireless" and I couldn't take it anymore. So, the time has come to fully step out of anonymity. I think it's the right decision for me.

Also, on the sidebar, you'll find out a few things about me. As long as I was going for the big reveal, I thought it was a good idea to post a bit of information about me and Wizards Wireless.

I said I don't do reviews on this blog, but actually I have done a couple. To clarify, if I do a review, it'll be about a book I've picked on my own and never an unsolicited one. (Excepting the Harry Potter Lexicon, which I'll be writing about shortly.) That being said, if you want to send me picture books, comic strip collections or books about Harry Potter, I won't complain. And if you've got any original comic strip art kicking around, I'd be happy to take that off your hands anytime.

Have you wrestled with the issue of using your real name on your blog? What conclusions have you come to?

Also, tell me who you are. I honestly have no idea who reads this blog and am always surprised when someone mentions something I blogged about in real life. Leave a comment in this post, join the Wizards Wireless Facebook page, or add Wizards Wireless to "Blogs I Follow" under your Blogger Profile. It would be great to find out who my audience is!

As always, I'm so glad you stopped by.

An Annoucement/ Plea for Help

I'm delighted to finally be able to share some very exciting news. Starting in mid-January, Jen Robinson, MotherReader and I will be working together on a children's book blog for PBS! Topics will include getting kids interested in reading, early literacy and reviews across a variety of genres.

It's really an amazing opportunity and I'm so honored that PBS wants me to be a part of it. None of it would have been possible without Gina Montefusco from PBS and Jen Robinson who have been the driving forces behind this project.

We're trying to come up a terrific name for the blog. Got any good ideas? Please, please, please send them my way. I'm usually good about this kind of thing, but this time I'm drawing a blank (probably because it's PBS and a lot of people will see it). I know you creative folks out there in the Kidlit world can come up with something perfect.

P.S. This blog isn't going away because I'll be writing for PBS only once a week. And yes, I promise, I'll start updating Wizards Wireless again. Sorry for the long drought.

Change of topic

Many people have told me that they think of Wizards Wireless as a bookseller blog.

But, when I first started writing it,

I was a library school student.

Then I became a bookseller.

And now I'm about to start a new job as a children's librarian.


It'll be interesting to see how the blog changes as I change careers.


But, it will still be about what it's always been about:

Children's Books,


Comic Strips,


and Harry Potter.

I want to say

to all my regular readers.

Feel free to drop me a line.


There will be a brief hiatus but I'll

soon.

Resolutions and Reflections

Happy new year! I've been doing some thinking about this blog recently and the direction I want to take it in. I've rounded up some of my favorite posts... and I've thought a lot about the topics I'd like to write more about.

Here are my blog resolutions for 2008:

• To start writing profiles about wonderful independent bookstores that specialize in children's books and terrific libraries with great children's departments. My first profile was about Powells bookstore in Portland, Oregon, but there are many more libraries and bookstores I'd like to write about. I'm also seeking guest bloggers... see this post if you're interested in writing a profile.

• To wrap up the series of posts that are currently in progress; particularly the chapter by chapter analysis I've been writing about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the clues about the entire series that are hidden in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
  

• To write more in-depth glimpses about clues and motifs scattered throughout the Harry Potter books, such as this post about the vanishing cabinet and this one about the barman at the Hogshead and his goats. Both of those posts were written before Book 7 was published, so I'd like to write some new ones.

• To write more reviews of my favorite children's books, such as this review of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers and this review of Knuffle Bunny. And nothing gives me a bigger thrill than hearing from the authors whose books I've reviewed. That's been one of the most rewarding (and most behind the scenes) aspects of blogging.

• To write more about comic strips. I have a few profiles up about comic strips so far, such as this one about Unshelved and this one about Doonesbury, but I'd like to write a lot more about the comics. I'd also like to start reviewing comic strip book collections.

• To try to create comic strips myself. I discovered a wonderful web tool called ToonDoo that allows even the artistically challenged (such as myself) to make their own comic strips. I've written two strips (this one and this one), but I want to do much more with it.
  

• To become more involved in the Kidlitosphere (the group of bloggers who write about children's literature). I've been reading and commenting on many wonderful kidlit blogs and I'd like to do much more of that. I've started submitting posts to Poetry Friday, which has been great fun, and I've written three original poems so far: A Good Mom, Freedom and Book of Memories. I'm also hosting the January Carnival of Children's Literature and am enjoying seeing the submissions come in and discovering new blogs.
  

• To continue conducting polls. The results always surprise me, such as this poll about dreadful dinner guests from the Harry Potter books or this one about favorite Caldecott winners.
  

• To share lessons I've learned such as this post with advice for beginning bloggers or this one about how to buy a book for a baby.

• To write more about the back stories of children's books that I love such as this post about Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. There are so many books that have fascinating histories such as Curious George and The Little Engine that Could and I'd like to write more about them.

• To start providing links to Book Sense, Powells and independent bookstores instead of (or in addition to) links to Amazon. See my next resolution for an example.
  

• To write about my favorite books about books such as Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children or K.T. Horning's From Cover to Cover.
  

• To continue blogging, to continue connecting with wonderful people in the kidlit community, to continue to talk about children's books, comic strips and Harry Potter and to continue to have fun sharing my thoughts.

As for personal resolutions, I like the ones that Adrienne posted at What Adrienne Thinks About That. Particularly resolutions #5 and #8. Now, those are goals that I'll have no trouble achieving.

My Dinner with Grawp

Wizards Wireless is going out of town for a few days to a place which might (gasp) not have an Intenet connection... if you can imagine such a thing. Blogging will resume when we return.

In the meantime, be sure to vote for which Harry Potter character you would NOT like to have dinner with.

Grawp is currently in the lead... quite understandably. Aragog is a close second (also understandable because you'd probably like to eat dinner, not be dinner.) Also in second place are Fenrir Grayback and Dolores Umbridge. Third place is currently a rather large group containing Barty Crouch Sr., Mundungus Fletcher, Morphin Gaunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, Percy Weasley and Lord Voldemort. Definitely not a charming group of dinner guests.

Dear Wizards Wireless

I thought I'd share the answers to a few questions that have come my way recently.

Question: Do you ever talk about anything other than Harry Potter?

Answer: Yes. Really, truly, I do.

Question: Aren't you sick of talking about Book 7?

Answer: Nope. Not yet.

Question: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in July. It's currently October. Why are you still putting spoilers on the top of the Book 7 posts? Surely everyone has read the book by now and the plot details are fair game?

Answer: Every week at least one person tells me that they haven't finished the 7th (or 6th or 5th) book yet... and even though it's been months since the book was released, they're still trying as hard as possible to avoid spoilers. I feel that the Harry Potter books (like every other book) are best if you find out the plot by reading the story and not because someone told you. I found it magical to read the Harry Potter books for the first time, and I respect those who want to find out the ending for themselves. There is information about the 7th book on this blog, but I try mightily to put spoilers on all posts that might give away significant plot details. Book Six was spoiled for me... see this post... so I try not to do that to anyone else.

Question: What happened to the chapter synopsis posts you were doing of Book 7?

Answer: Grad school happened. But I plan to start writing the chapter posts again soon. Thanks to Liz at By the Nightlight who told me how much she enjoyed reading them... and inspired me to start up again. If you've missed them so far, (I'm up to Chapter Ten) click on the heading on the sidebar under Labels titled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows chapters."

Or follow these links: (but only if you've finished Book 7)

• Introduction and Chapter One
• Chapters Two and Three
• Chapters Four and Five
• Chapters Six and Seven
• Chapters Eight and Nine
• Chapter Ten

And, although it's not a formal chapter summary yet, I did do a post on the epilogue:

• Why Did I Like the Epilogue?

I also started a new series of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows discussion questions. Feel free to add your opinions in the comments section, or you can use the questions for a book group or class discussion. And they work great as conversation starters with other people who have finished the book (not that I've ever done this, or anything. =)

You can find the discussion questions either by clicking on "Harry Potter discussion questions" on the sidebar (aren't I creative?) or by following these links:

• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 1
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 2
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 3
  
• Harry Potter 7: Discussion Question 4

No one has replied to Question 3 yet... which surprises me because I thought it was a nice, meaty topic.

Question: Why do your book reviews link to Amazon?

Answer: Because I like Amazon's customer reviews, and I think they provide good feedback about a book. They also offer a different perspective than professional reviews. But I also strongly support independent bookstores and you'll find links to approximately 100 independents that specialize in children's books listed on the sidebar. For more independent bookstore resources see this post and this one.

Any other questions (other than: "Shouldn't you be doing homework right now?") I'd love to hear them.

The Great Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Controversy

I love seeing which Google searches cause people to click on my blog.

The two most popular searches that seem to keep reappearing are "knuffle bunny pronunciation" which I explain in this post, and "parsley grinder" which I briefly mentioned in this post about The Higher Power of Lucky.

And then there are questions I'd be happy to answer, but I find out about them after the person has already clicked away. For example, there was a search done for "the substance that burns Hermione when she opens her hate mail." The answer is Bubotuber pus, if anyone's looking for it. By the way, you haven't lived until you've heard Jim Dale say "bubotuber pus" in the American audio version of the 4th Harry Potter book.

My favorite search is the one that just showed up today: "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy." There's a controversy about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? The book or the rhyme? What on earth is it about? I'm dying to know. (I even googled it myself and came up empty).

The only thing that I can think of that should be controversial is the board book version of this fabulous title. It's titled Chicka Chicka ABC, and only 5 spreads are included (the hardcover book has 12 spreads.) Even my son (when he was one and a half) recognized that over half of the book was missing and asked for the rest of it. The poor alphabet falls down from the coconut tree but never gets back up. How depressing.

By the way, if you've never read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with a child, I can't recommend the experience highly enough. It's a compulsively readable book about the alphabet. (You didn't know there was such a thing, did you?) It's got an addicting rhythm structure and is a surefire hit with the 1 to 3 year old crowd.

And if you know about the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy (sure to be being debated in the great halls of academic learning at this very moment) please tell me what it could possibly be. Any theories?

UPDATE: I've now gotten 10 hits for "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom controversy" after I mentioned my curiosity about it on a listserv. There's no issue with the book that I know of. I didn't mean to create a controversy where there wasn't one!

Teaching through Harry Potter?

My blog is a teaching tool!

My friend Cate (who is a computer teacher) used Wizards Wireless as part of webquest she put together for her students.

And author Esme Raji Codell was kind enough to include Wizards Wireless on a post recommending teacher friendly websites.

What a compliment! Aw shucks. I'm blushing.

Dear Wizards Wireless

"I haven't finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet. Are your posts about the book safe to read or will it spoil the whole book for me?"
Sincerely, Harry Potter fan

Good question! I know there are lots of people who haven't finished the book yet.... because work or kids got in their way, or they are slow readers, or they're reading the other books in the series or... they're just not done. (Or they're planning on reading the book whenever they get around to it.) And I have to say that I admire all of you who have been able to slowly savor the book and not gulp it down in one weekend like I did. If you are in the "currently reading HP7" category, here's how I've organized the posts on this blog:

Posts labeled "Harry Potter" are general comments and news items about the Harry Potter series. They don't contain spoilers (or at least, I don't think they do). If they do, there is a spoiler warning at the top.

Posts labeled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" are part of my chapter by chapter commentary about the seventh book. Yes, there are spoilers, but only for the specific chapter the post is about. For example, if you read the post about Harry Potter 7: Chapter Five... it would only include information about the book up until (and including) the fifth chapter. So, these posts are safe to read if you haven't finished the full book yet. Since I haven't finished the commentaries yet... there is currently no information past the tenth chapter.

For those of you looking to avoid Harry entirely, there are lots of other posts on this blog about children's books and comic strips. More to come!

Blog maintenance

I've added several new lists to the links section including:

-A hugely expanded list of independent children's bookstores. See this post for more about it.

-A much longer list of comic strips.

-A few of my favorite blogs.

In other blog news:
I'm working on the Harry Potter chapter-by-chapter posts and should have more up soon. I've been busy doing frivolous things like writing papers and studying for final exams.

Speaking of which, my fall semester of graduate school starts very soon, so blog posting may slack off a bit.

I've been experimenting with polls for the last month... although the poll feature has been acting very odd. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Sorry about that.

Thanks for reading Wizards Wireless. I never knew blogging could be so much fun.

Short post

This is an extremely short post to say that:

• My summer class is starting tomorrow, so my posts may thin out a bit while I concentrate on grad school.
• Only 4 more days until Harry Potter!
• See, I told you this would be a short post.

Blog feedback

I've been delighted with the responses I've gotten to this blog (and how many people seem to be reading it!) It's been an eclectic mixture of people looking for books for babies, older fiction, Harry Potterisms, etc. I've been trying to vary the subjects as much as possible (i.e. not too many Harry Potter posts, a range of age levels on the books I'm reviewing, etc.)

Please keep the feedback coming... it's fantastic... and it gives me an idea of what age range(s)/interests to write reviews for.

There are experienced children's librarians reading this site (wohoo!!!) as well as people who are brand new to children's books. All of this is a rather round-about way to say some that some of my posts may be rather introductory for those who are new to it. If you're an old hand, go ahead and skip the next post on the ALSC awards.