WONDERS OF THE WORLD

WONDERS OF THE WORLD, by Brian Yansky, (Flux, 2007). Eric's father introduced him to the "wonders of the world"-- stories of (mostly) made-up adventure and world travel. But when Eric was twelve, his father left, never to return. His mother remarried, and they moved to Omaha.

At seventeen, Eric runs away, to escape his mother's new life and maybe find his father. Now, Eric is living on the streets of Riverton, a cesspool of gangs, junkies, murder, and sex for hire. He manages to eke out a miserable existence panhandling, along with a handful of other street kids. But then he and his ex-girlfriend attract the attention of Bluebeard, the thuggish and vicious crime boss who runs much of the vice in Riverton. Desperate to find a way out, Eric just may have a chance if only he can escape the evil Bluebeard.

Told with sardonic humor, WONDERS OF THE WORLD is quirky, gritty, and riveting, with a great voice and terrific story. Sometimes grim, sometimes hopeful, WONDERS OF THE WORLD is an amazing, compelling read. Highly recommended.

See an interview with Brian Yansky at Cynsations.

THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE

THE MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE, by J.B. Cheaney, Knopf Books for Young Readers (2007). Twelve year-old Veronica Sparks is on a road trip across Kansas with her grandfather (a wind prospector) and hyperactive younger brother. Her attempts to take control of her own life are thwarted by her brother's impulsiveness and her grandfather's threats to take them all back home. And then her brother disappears...Warm, funny, richly drawn, and satisfying. And, hey, there's a human cannonball!

WHEN FISH GOT FEET, SHARKS GOT TEETH, AND BUGS BEGAN TO SWARM

WHEN FISH GOT FEET, SHARKS GOT TEETH, AND BUGS BEGAN TO SWARM: A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Long before Dinosaurs, written and illustrated by Hannah Bonner, National Geographic (2007). Ever wonder what the world was like before the dinosaurs? In this lively picture book, author/illustrator Bonner tells of the Earth during the Silurian and Devonian periods of the Paleozoic Era, from about 430 million years ago to about 350 million years ago.

Filled with fun facts about the evolution of fish, the development of forests, and how animals got feet. A quirky and engaging introduction to the development of life on land.

WHALE PORT

WHALE PORT, by Mark Foster, Ill. by Gerald Foster, Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books (2007). Ages 10+. In this 64-page picture book, the father and son Fosters explore the history of New England whaling through the fictional town of Tuckanucket, from the earliest European settlers through modern regentrification. The book is structured to include an overarching narrative, with breakouts explaining each picture in greater depth. The drawings themselves are incredibly detailed, including many cutaways and perspectives. A fascinating look at a now-defunct era in the history of America and technology.

They either read my blog or...

I have unfairly maligned them. Who? Abercrombie and Fitch. Passionate readers of this blog (if any exist) will recall that back in 2005, I posted on "trusting your audience," using A&F as an example of a store from up north that, unfathomably, tries to sell wool and sweatshirts here in central Texas in September (when the average temp. is still in the mid-90s).

Well.

A couple months ago, Cyn and I went to the mall (sadly, yes) to do some clothes shopping. I needed a pair of khaki trousers and was having a hard time finding any that fit (The customer base seems to be several inches shorter than I).

Finally, in desperation, after visiting four stores, I decided to go into A&F. Now, I have never actually owned an article of clothing from A&F and it's been a number of years since I have been in the place (and never at this particular mall) and so was completely astonished. No, not at the fact that the store has the look-and-feel of a just-out-of-college pick-up joint where they also happen to sell clothes, but at the fact that the ONLY long pants they had were jeans, and these were outnumbered by about twenty to one with shorts.

Shorts. In late September in Texas. Imagine that.

It's that time of year...

Can you believe Christmas is only a month away?

Cyn and I are recovering from an intense fall of out-of-town events and speaking engagements. These have included Wrangling with Writing, Star Lit, Kansas Book Festival, National Book Festival, Texas Book Festival, Sam Houston State University Children's and YA Literature Festival , and the Native American Heritage Festival in Norman. Oh, and Cynthia finished up a revision of her novel Eternal.

We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. Breakfast was hearts of palm with salmon sashimi with deviled eggs. A light mid-afternoon snack involved cheese and smoked salmon. Dinner was a roast turkey with giblet-bread stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet corn, and cranberry sauce.

Our last event is a signing of Santa Knows at the Barnes and Noble Westlake at 1 PM on December 2. See you there!

SHSU and Texas Book Festivals

This weekend was a whirlwind of books and authors and festivals. On Friday, Cyn and I drove up to Huntsville for the Sam Houston State University Children's Book Festival. We had dinner in The Woodlands (where we also stayed) at Macaroni Grill with the conference organizers, workshop leaders, and the other keynoters, Joan Bauer and Mo Willems.

We were up at 6:30 the next morning for breakfast and the drive to Huntsville (where they have a 70 foot tall statue of Sam Houston). After a quick set up, Cyn gave her morning keynote speech on gothic fantasy and Tantalize. Joan Bauer followed with a moving discussion of Story and her trip to Kazakhstan.

We then retired for lunch and book sales and signing, while the workshops were going on. After lunch were more workshops and then I delivered my keynote, followed by Mo's speech, which included a discussion on the entirety of the picture book as a work of art (He also showed how to draw Pigeon).

After more book sales and signings, we packed Mo into the car and high-tailed it back to Austin for the Texas Book Festival. After only one wrong turn, Cyn arrived in the nick of time for the "Not for Required Reading" panel at Alamo Drafthouse. Other panelists included Austinites April Lurie and Brian Yansky; and Sherman Alexie, Adrienne Kress, Perry Moore, Neal Shusterman, and Jacques Couvillon.

The theatre was sold out and the crowd was enthusiastic. Attendees included authors Linda Sue Park, Mark Mitchell, Frances Hill, Kimberly Willis Holt, and Gail Carson Levine. Several of us (Linda Sue Park, Neal Shusterman, Varian Johnson, Lindsey Lane, Brian Yansky, April Lurie) then went for a late night dinner at Magnolia Cafe.

The next day, Cyn was on a panel titled Tough Girls, with April Lurie and Adrienne Kress
and moderated by Julie Lake. The conference room was overflowing and the crowd was treated to insights into the authors' creative processes and behind-the-scenes looks at their books.

By this time we were completely exhausted, but later in the evening, we briefly stopped by a party hosted by Cyndi Hughes at Nuevo Leon.

Many thanks to everyone involved in organizing both festivals! We had a terrific time and your work is greatly appreciated.

Star Lit

This weekend we spent in Georgetown and Plano. Friday, Cyn spoke at the Annual Meeting of TLA District III. The audience was receptive and enthusiastic, and we got the chance to tour the new Georgetown Public Library. Very impressive facility.

After that, we drove up to Dallas for the Star Lit Festival, a fund-raiser for the Dallas Bethlehem Center. We stayed arrived in late afternoon at the Hotel Adolphus and spent the evening at a welcome reception at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Next day got up early to attend the "Breakfst with the Authors" event, then spoke to two packed sessions at the St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Plano. Other authors/illustrators/advocates in attendance included Kimberly Willis Holt, Will Hillenbrand, Laura Numeroff, Dee Scallon and Daniel Myers, Bryan Collier, Kim Brown, and Tracy Dockray. It's a terrific event - highly recommended, especially for families with children.

Many thanks to the folks at Star Lit, especially our escort par excellence, Hope, and Star Lit chair Jeff Morton.

The World in 1908

The last time the Cubs won a World Series:

Mark Twain was still alive.
Leo Tolstoy was still alive.
Geronimo was still alive.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were still alive.

Edward Teller was born in January.
Rex Harrison was born in March.
Lyndon Johnson was born in August.
Simon Wiesenthal was born in December.

Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States.
Nicholas II was Czar of Russia.
Wilhelm II was Kaiser of Germany.
Edward VII was King of Britain and Emperor of India.

It was the first year of production for the Model T.
The following year, Bleriot would be the first to fly a heavier-than-air aircraft across the English Channel.
In three years, IBM would be founded as the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation and the New York Public Library would be dedicated.
In four years, RMS Titanic had its maiden voyage.
In six years, Wrigley Field opened.

Wait 'til next year.

Kansas Book Festival

Cyn and I are just back from Wichita, where we spoke at the second annual Kansas Book Festival. We arrived on Friday afternoon, and stayed at the Hotel at Old Town, a restored turn-of-the-century warehouse (highly recommended!). That evening, we had the pleasure of dining at Larkspur (also highly recommended!) with Kimberly Willis Holt and Pulpwood Queen Kathy Patrick (who, alas, was not wearing her tiara).

Saturday we gave a reading of Santa Knows to a group of brownies and then spoke on a panel called "All in the Family," about our writing for older audiences. We weren't able to attend a lot of the talks, but we caught part of Richard Uhlig and J.B. Cheaney's talks. Other author sightings included Roderick Townley and Lois Ruby. Later that afternoon, Cyn spoke on a panel moderated by Cyndi Hughes called "Kansas on the Literary Map."

Our book signings were hosted by the lovely, vibrant, and entertaining proprietors of Emporia's own Town Crier Bookstore. We also had the chance to speak again with the scintillating folks from the Kansas Center for the Book (see photo above).

Many thanks to all for organizing a terrific event. May it be merely the second of many!