Remember that Book: CAPTAIN OF THE QUEENS

CAPTAIN OF THE QUEENS: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CAPTAIN HARRY GRATTIDGE, FORMER COMMODORE OF THE CUNARD LINE, AS TOLD TO RICHARD COLLIER (Dutton 1956). 

What I remember: Harry Grattidge was one of the last captains of the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth, once the premier ocean liners in the world and the pride of Britain's Cunard Line.  CAPTAIN OF THE QUEENS tells Grattidge's story from his days as a lowly cabin boy aboard a sailing ship, his coming of age at sea, and his rise to the highest rank at Cunard.

The rest of the recollection:  I read this in a volume of Readers' Digest Condensed Books and recall being completely captivated.  I don't remember exactly when I read it, but it would probably have been around 7th or 8th grade.  I was fascinated by ships and airplanes and spacecraft and really cool acts of engineering in general.

Queen Mary in 1945, in troopship livery

 A couple details stood out, though, that had nothing to do with the engineering itself.  The first was an anecdote about how the captain of a ship has to be on top of every detail, even those that seem the least important.  To illustrate this, Grattidge related a story of how he had to change the chaplain's Sunday hymn selection when the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were traveling aboard Queen Mary.  The hymn that got axed?  Crown Him with Many Crowns.

The other was on the order of "don't get cocky kid:"  On his first voyage as captain of Queen Mary, he ran her aground in harbor...

And now:  Still a fascinating and captivating read of a bygone era, telling Grattidge's life story wrapped around an account of his last voyage in 1953 as captain of Queen Elizabeth.  Although written for adults, I think it would still appeal to young adults who enjoy history or historical fantasy of the steam and diesel eras.

Writers and Illustrators and Dinosaurs: K.M. Walton

K.M. Walton is the author of TEACHING NUMERACY: 9 CRITICAL HABITS TO IGNITE MATHEMATICAL THINKING and her fiction debut, the forthcoming CRACKED (Simon Pulse, January 3, 2012).

An elementary and middle school teacher for more than ten years, she now writes full time, is married to her college sweetheart, and has two sons.

Below, she poses with her three year old nephew Alex, who is "crazy about dinosaurs."

Writing Community and Bastrop

You'll recall the wildfires that devastated Bastrop in early September.  Here are a couple pics along US 71 from when Cyn and I drove through later that month.

If anything, the photos understate the damage. That time of year, all the trees should be fairly lush and green.

It turns out that the Bastrop Public Library was hard hit: while the building itself didn't burn, many books were checked out and in children's homes which did burn down.  So, the Friends of the Bastrop Public Library and the Austin Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators are planning an outreach. 

During the Bastrop Public Library Open House, to be held December 10, the Friends will be giving each child who attends two books, tied with a ribbon.  In addition, the FRIENDS will be accepting monetary donations in pursuit of its mission to promote and advocate for the Bastrop Public Library. 

To assist, the Austin SCBWI is collecting money and book donations for the giveaway, through December 8.  Books can be anything from picture books to young adult novels. 

Details here.

The AIRBORN trilogy

The AIRBORN trilogy, by Kenneth Oppel, comprising: AIRBORN (HarperCollins 2004); SKYBREAKER (HarperCollins 2006); STARCLIMBER (HarperCollins 2009)(ages 12+).

At fifteen, Matt Cruse is the youngest, smallest cabin boy aboard the airship Aurora.  Beyond anything else, it is his dream to someday captain a vessel like the Aurora.

On one fateful trans-Pacificus crossing, the airship rescues an off-course balloonist, who babbles about seeing beautiful creatures in the sky, before he dies.

Some months later, Kate DeVries, the balloonist's beautiful and wealthy granddaughter, embarks on the Aurora, to see if she can track down the mysterious creatures and prove to the world her grandfather was not a madman.

Matt is more than willing to lend a hand, and the two begin to develop a tentative friendship, when the Aurora is attacked by a dirigible belonging to the notorious and murderous pirate Vikram Szpirglas...

AIRBORN is a rousing, swashbuckling adventure  and coming-of-age story.  The alternate steampunkish Earth, where dirigibles are the basis for air transportation and airplanes don't exist, is convincing and richly detailed.  Matt and Kate are believable and their relationship is complex and compelling.

Their tale continues in the equally terrific SKYBREAKER and STARCLIMBER.

Chicago Dinosaurs: Field Museum of Natural History

In honor of NCTE/ALAN being in Chicago this year, I thought I'd toss in a post about Chicago dinosaurs. :-).  If you have the time, check out the Field Museum:

Tyrannosaurus rex (background) with (unidentified) Homo sapiens.

The Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago): My hometown museum, still one of the best in the world. The Field Museum is part of a lakefront museum campus that includes the Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium and the Adler Planetarium. Just up Lake Shore Drive is the Lincoln Park Zoo, and a short drive south is the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Field is home to Sue, one of the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found, as well as a Daspletosaurus and a host of other, less carnivorous dinosaurs (like Parasaurolophus and Diplodocus).

Sue is prominently placed in the Stanley Field Hall (the main hall), with the elephant diorama and the big totem poles. On the balcony above the skeleton is the actual skull (the real one being too big to mount) and a mural depicting what Sue would've looked like in real life.

Sue close-up

Upstairs is the Evolving Planet exhibit, which takes you chronologically through the eras of life on earth. Dinosaurs on display include Triceratops, dromaeosaurs, stegosaurs, sauropods (including a juvenile Rapetosaurus), and hadrosaurs, such as Parasaurolophus. The classic Charles M. Knight murals still adorn the walls.

Triceratops and T.rex  face off

And sometimes in Chicago, you see dinosaurs in the oddest places: be sure to check out the brachiosaur at the United Terminal at O'Hare Airport (a duplicate of the one outside the Field).

Writers and Illustrators and Dinosaurs: Lita Judge

Lita at age 15 on a dig for the Royal Tyrell Museum

Lita Judge was born in Alaska, spent summers as a child in Wisconsin, and has a degree in geology.  She volunteered for two summers on a dinosaur dig in Canada (above) and is the author/illustrator of, among other books, BORN TO BE GIANTS: HOW BABY DINOSAURS GREW TO RULE THE WORLD.   

Lita sketches at the American Museum of Natural History

Lita's latest release is RED SLED.

Comic Con Austin recap

A few months ago, Cyn received an invitation for a complimentary table at Artists' Alley at Austin Comic Con.  This past weekend, Cyn and I manned the table...

Of course, we weren't the only members of Austin's youth literature community with a presence.  Jeff Crosby and C.S. Jennings also had tables in Artists' Alley.

In the exhibitors area, the Writing Ninjas of Texas had a booth, did some cosplay, and sold their books through The Book Spot.
 

Clockwise from top right: Madeline Smoot; Jessica Lee Anderson; P.J. Hoover; Joy Preble; Cory Putnam Oates; Mari Mancusi; P.J. Hoover; K.A. Holt; Joy Preble; and Jo Whittemore.

On the whole, there seemed to be quite a bit of steampunk, as well as a lot of DC and Marvel comics, and the occasional Star Trek and Star Wars among the costumes.

And, we sat across from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca of Star Wars)!

Check out Cyn's report here.

ONE COOL FRIEND

ONE COOL FRIEND, by Toni Buzzeo, ill. by David Small (Dial, January 10, 2012).  On a trip to the aquarium, Elliott, a very polite and proper young man, asks his father if he can have a penguin.  His father says "yes," not realizing Elliott was talking about a real bird.  So Elliott arranges for the smallest penguin at the aquarium to pop into his backpack and make it home with them...

ONE COOL FRIEND is great fun, with wry and witty dialogue, and text and illustrations that hilariously juxtapose Elliott's politeness with penguin-inspired chaos.  Perhaps the most entertaining use of flightless waterfowl in a children's book since Mr. Popper's Penguins.     

THE THIRD GIFT

THE THIRD GIFT, by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (Clarion 2011)(ages 6+).  This elegant picture book tells the story of a boy learning his father's trade, of gathering an aromatic oleoresin called myrrh.  On one outing, he harvests an particularly fine sample, which is then sold at market to three men from the east.  They are, it seems, gathering gifts for a baby and already have gold and frankincense...

THE THIRD GIFT combines exceptional text and art to present a story of an ordinary boy's association with the third gift to the Christ child.  An author's note provides additional context and background.  A perfect Christmas gift and story for the ages.

2012 Books by Austinites [updated]

Updated 17 November 2011.Updated 27 January 2012. Updated 6 March 2012. Updated September 17, 2012.

The Austin children's writing community will be having another good showing for 2012.  Here are some of the highlights (and go here for my updated Austinites' Books 2011 post):   

Picture Books

IT JES' HAPPENED: WHEN BILL TRAYLOR STARTED TO DRAW, by Don Tate, ill. by R. Gregory Christie (Lee & Low, Spring 2012).



I LIKE OLD CLOTHES, by Mary Ann Hoberman, ill. by Patrice Barton (Knopf, August 2012).

JUST AS GOOD: HOW LARRY DOBY CHANGED AMERICA'S GAME, by Chris Crowe, ill. by Mike Benny (Candlewick 2012).

THINK BIG, by Liz Garton Scanlon, ill. by Vanessa Newton (Bloomsbury, June 2012).

 A PIRATE'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, by Philip Yates, ill. by Sebastian Serra (Sterling, October 2012).

HOPE'S GIFT, by Kelly Starling, ill. by Don Tate (Putnam 2012).

Middle Grade/Tween

CHRONAL ENGINE, by Greg Leitich Smith, ill. by Blake Henry (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012).

THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY, by Nikki Loftin (Razorbill 2012).

WE'VE GOT A JOB: THE 1963 BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S MARCH, by Cynthia Levinson (Peachtree, February 1, 2012).

RETURN TO THE WILLOWS, by Jacqueline Kelly, ill. by Clint G. Young (Henry Holt, November 2012).

LAUGH WITH THE MOON, by Shana Burg (Delacorte 2012).

D IS FOR DRAMA, by Jo Whittemore (Aladdin MIX, August 2012).

JACOB WONDERBAR FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSE, by Nathan Bransford, ill. by C.S. Jennings (Dial 2012).

SUMMER AND BIRD, by Katherine Catmull (Dutton, October 2013).

Young Adult

DIABOLICAL, by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, January 2012).

DEAR TEEN ME, ed. by Miranda Kenneally and E. Kristin Anderson (Zest Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012).

SOUL BOUND (BLOOD COVEN VAMPIRES #7), by Mari Mancusi (Berkley Trade, March 2012).

BLOOD FOREVER (BLOOD COVEN VAMPIRES #8), by Mari Mancusi (Berkley Trade, September 2012).

SHORT STORIES

"Mooning over Broken Stars," by Cynthia Leitich Smith, in GIRL MEETS BOY, ed. by Kelly Milner Halls (Chronicle, January 2012).