Anastasia Suen – Page 53 – Booktalking #kidlit

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

by Victoria Griffith (Author) and Eva Montanari (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Alberto loved floating over Paris in his personal flying machine called a dirigible. He would tie it to a post, climb down, and spend the day shopping or meeting friends for coffee. But he wanted to make his invention even better.

Snippet: A crowd gathered around, excited to see the handsome Brazilian in person. “One day you’ll all have a flying machine!” he called out.

BONUS! See the silent video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmySnehKmvs]

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Chapter Book of the Day

Mammoth Bones and Broken Stones: The Mystery of North America’s First People

by David L. Harrison (Author) and Richard Hilliard (Illustrator)

48 pages

Booktalk: Who were the first humans to reach North America? When did they arrive? How did they get here? Archaeologists have different opinions. Look at the evidence and see where it leads….

Snippet: In such a vast area, where do we look for signs thousands of years old of the first people? Traces of them lie in caves, buried in the earth, or even beneath the sea.

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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is 100 Scope Notes

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October 2011 Online Workshops

The October 2011 workshops will begin on Wednesday, October 5th.

Which workshop is best for you?

New to children’s books?

Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.

Ready to write?

Write and edit your book in the Intensive Picture Book Workshop or the Children’s Novels Workshop.

An online workshop does not have a physical meeting place or classroom hours. You will have 8 weeks to complete the 6 lessons in this online workshop. Turn your lessons in as you complete them, the next day…or on the due date two weeks later.

The October workshop dates are October 5-November 23.

The October workshops end on November 23rd, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The workshops begin again on January 4th, 2012.

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My NEW book, The Zombie Project (The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128)

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Animal Fights
by Catherine Ham (Author)

Booktalk: Animals fight for many reasons–to protect territories, offspring, and mates, and sometimes just to warn against bad behavior–and in many different ways in this poetry collection.

Snippet:
Charge!
Rhinos are massive and lumpy
And really most horribly grumpy

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Chapter Book of the Day

The Deadliest Jobs on Earth (Blazers)
by Connie Colwell Miller (Author)
32 pages

Booktalk: Freezing waters. Dizzying heights. Bullets flying through the air. It’s just another day in the office for some workers. Read about some of the deadliest jobs on the planet.

Snippet: Freezing waters. Spinning blades. Armed criminals. These are just a few dangers workers face around the world. Every day, people risk injury and death while on the job.

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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Read Write Believe

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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Chapter Book of the Day

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My NEW book is here!
Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8
Copyright © 2011 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Sillies

Picture Book of the Day

How Do Dinosaurs Laugh Out Loud?

by Jane Yolen (Author) and Mark Teague (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A lift-the-flap board book to answer the age old question, once and for all, How Do Dinosaurs Laugh Out Loud?

Snippet:

Where do dinosaurs shop?

LIFT THE FLAP

At the dino-store!

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Chapter Book of the Day

Nana Takes the Reins

by Kathleen Lane (Author), Sarah Home (Illustrator) and Cabell Harris (Contributor)

142 pages

Booktalk: Nana decides she wants to go to the rodeo to become a bull rider. But a run-in with bad guys Tuff and the Ruffies spins her day in a new direction. Before you can say “yee-haw,” Nana’s grandchildren, Eufala and Bog, join in on the wild adventure.

Snippet: “Bull riding!” exclamed Nana. “What fun! I haven’t ridden a bull in years. Nana felt around on the table for her scissors and accidently picked up a Fudge Freezie wrapper instead.

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September 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

The September 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature
is online at Texas Librarian.

Thanks, Elaine! It looks great!

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Literary Links

Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grants = $2,000-$5,000 per school! (deadline Oct 14)

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Fandango Stew

by David Davis (Author) and Ben Galbraith (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Luis and his grandfather Slim star in this fun Wild West version of Stone Soup. They sing as they cook….

Snippet:

“Chile’s good,

so is barbecue,

but nothing’s finer than

FANDANGO STEW!”

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Chapter Book of the Day

Marty McGuire

by Kate Messner (Author) and Brian Floca (Illustrator)

160 pages

Booktalk: Marty McGuire would rather spend recess catching frogs in the pond than playing dress-up with the other girls in third grade. So when her teacher casts Marty as the princess in the class play, Marty’s absolutely, positively sure that there’s been a huge mistake.

Snippet:

I take one…two-three…four little steps to the end of the log. I lean down. I stretch out my slippery, shimmery arm.

The bullfrog blinks.

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5 Great Books About Cats

Ali Cat Finds a Home

by Dandi Daley Mackall (Author) and Janet McDonnell (Illustrator)

Katy finds a stray kitten and learns to take care of her. Level 1 easy reader

Cat Traps

by Molly Coxe (Author, Illustrator)

Cat wants a snack, but a trap leads to trouble! Level 1 easy reader

Mac and Cheese

by Sarah Weeks (Author) and Jane Manning (Illustrator)

Mac and Cheese are city cats who are opposites. Level 1 easy reader

Ringo Saves The Day! : A True Story

by Andrew Clements (Author) and Ellen Beier (Illustrator)

A woman adopts a cat and the cat saves her life. Level 2 easy reader

The Cat in the Hat

by Dr. Seuss (Author, Illustrator)

Have you read this classic easy reader to a child today?

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Literary Link

Common-Core Study Methodology Questioned #curriculum (via @educationweek)

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Mysteries!

Picture Book of the Day

Argus

by Michelle Knudsen (Author) and Andrea Wesson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Sally’s class is doing a science project, and Mrs. Henshaw is handing out eggs for hatching. “Mine looks different,” says Sally.

Snippet: “Now, Sally,” said Mrs. Henshaw, “don’t be difficult. Some eggs just look different.”

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Chapter Book of the Day

The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece

by Michael D. Beil (Author)

320 pages

Booktalk: Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are back in an all-new Red Blazer Girls caper. In book three, Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan’s dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and mystery follows…

Snippet: The gears in Margaret’s brain are spinning so fast she makes a whirring sound as she opens her mouth. “But that doesn’t make sense. If he died in 1961, how could it possible have been painted after 1961?”

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My Book of the Week

The Zombie Project by Anastasia Suen

(writing as Gertrude Chandler Warner)

The Boxcar Children Mysteries #128

Copyright: 2011
Dewey Decimal Class: Fic
ATOS Level: 3.4
AR Quiz Number: 146116
Library Binding / Paperback
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

While at the Winding River Lodge, the Aldens hear about a zombie living in the surrounding forest! As the signs of zombie attacks start to mount, the Boxcar Children recruit the help of a reporter and some locals. But is someone hiding information? Or should the Boxcar Children really be afraid of things that go bump in the night?

Activities:

Write your own zombie story this October. I’ve created a Silly Zombie Story Writing Workshop for you to use. This 4 page writing workshop kit has an instruction page, two planning pages (one was completed by Frank E. Stein, so you can see what kind of story he was planning) and a blank author/illustrator page for you to use. Happy writing!

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October 2011 Online Workshops

The October 2011 workshops will begin on Wednesday, October 5th.

Which workshop is best for you?

New to children’s books?

Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.

Ready to write?

Write and edit your book in the Intensive Picture Book Workshop or the Children’s Novels Workshop.

The October workshop dates are October 5-November 23.

The October workshops end on November 23rd, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The workshops begin again on January 4th, 2012.

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Literary Link

Jury Duty Screening Consists Of A Questionnaire – And Now Your Tweets, Too (via @alltwtr)

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

Mule Train Mail

by Craig Brown (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Anthony the Postman delivers the mail, but he doesn’t drive a mail truck. See how he does it…

Snippet: Anthony the Postman doesn’t wear a uniform. He wears a cowboy hat, chaps and spurs.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Explorers of the New World: Discover the Golden Age of Exploration with 22 Projects (Build It Yourself series)

by Carla Mooney (Author)

128 pages

Booktalk: Delve into the expeditions of Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, John Cabot, Hernán Cortés, and more. Using common household items and minimal supervision, kids enjoy 22 hands-on activities to help them learn about these legendary explorers and their voyages during the Age of Exploration and Discovery.

Snippet: Most of the projects in this book can be made with little adult supervision, using materials you already have at home or can easily find at a craft store. So get ready to step back into time and discover the men who were the explorers of the New World and the kings and queens who sent them on their journeys.

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Nonfiction Monday

Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is True Tales & A Cherry On Top

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Literary Link

Publishing Innovation Awards for ebooks, enhanced ebooks, and apps: deadline Nov 1. (via @loreenleedy)

Fascinating piece from National Geographic about teen brains. (via @tashrow)

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My NEW picture book Road Work Ahead is here!

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Road Work Ahead

by Anastasia Suen (Author) and Jannie Ho (Illustrator)

Booktalk: When a family sets out on a trip to Grandma’s, their journey proves to be more like a visit to a construction site. Sidewalks are being poured, streetlights repaired, roads resurfaced. The noise of jackhammers, whistles, and horns fills the air. Boys and girls alike will love seeing the big machines at work. Anastasia Suen’s simple text and Jannie Ho’s bright, up-beat pictures make this one road trip to remember.

Snippet:
Road work ahead.
Move over. Go slow.
Jackhammers crack.
Look at them go.

Yes, this is my new picture book, a picture book poem that was 25 years in the making (and it’s only 120 words long)! The illustrator and I have been out on tour with the book all week.

September 19-23 Road Work Ahead blog tour

Monday 9/19 – Fiction Notes, EverythingMom
Tuesday 9/20 – The Reading Tub
Wednesday 9/21 – Great Kid Books
Thursday 9/22 – Imagination Soup
Friday 9/23 – Check It Out

We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of the bloggers who hosted us this week! What a GREAT group! Each one focused on a different aspect of the book…Darcy wanted to know about the 25 years of revision, Carrie reminded us that kids like to watch construction, Terry and I talked about growing readers, Mary Ann’s kindergarten classes created art, Melissa explained the benefits of play, and Jone asked her students to review the book.

We have more activities for the book on our Road Work Ahead Facebook page. (Visit Jannie’s blog to see how she worked on the sketches and created the cover.)

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Chapter Book of the Day

Dirt Bikes (Edge Books: Full Throttle)

by Lori Polydoros (Author)

32 pages

Booktalk: No other motorcycle can take a beating quite like a dirt bike. These lightweight speedsters combine strong suspension systems with high powered engines and superb handling. Find out how today’s riders push their tough bikes to new limits in racing, freestyle, and beyond.

Snippet: Forty dirt bike riders twist their throttle grips. Their bike engines roar. A flagman gives the 30-second warning, When the gate falls, the bikes blast off like rockets.

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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Picture Book of the Day

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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

This week’s STEM Friday Round-up is hosted by Rasco From RIF
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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Trains!

by Charles Reasoner (Author)

Booktalk: See what the busy truck does all day in this board book.

Snippet:

It’s the start of a big busy day.

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Chapter Book of the Day

The Romeo And Juliet Code

by Phoebe Stone (Author)

304 pages

Booktalk: Felicity’s glamorous parents have a secret. When they leave her with distant relatives in Maine, Felicity hopes they won’t leave her long. Her new Uncle Gideon hides things. Her Aunt Miami is star-crossed. And Derek, a kid her age, refuses to leave his room.

But Felicity needs Derek’s help. Gideon is getting coded letters from Felicity’s parents, and she’s sure they’re in trouble. Can Felicity crack the code, heal the family and save her parents, all while surviving her first crush?

Snippet: I barely heard them. I was watching that letter halfway under the door. And then just as I was about to turn round and go downstairs, the letter moved. Someone pulled it under the door and picked it up.

My heart started racing and thumping and spinning, carrying on inside me like a tiny bird in a new cage. I was scared and nervous and pleased all at once. It was a nice feeling to realize that I had run a test and it had worked. I had proved that Derek existed. He was in there. It made me think that I can be a clever girl, even though I can’t do long division.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axBm1muUnhc]

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September 2011 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

Our September 2011 host is Texas Librarian.
Please send in a link to YOUR post by September 26th.
The carnival will go live on September 28th.

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Literary Links

My new book Road Work Ahead is on tour at Imagination Soup today!

Kindle Books Now Available At Local Libraries! (via @galleycat)

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Grandpa’s Tractor

by Michael Garland (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: Grandpa Joe brings his grandson Timmy back to the old family farm…

Snippet: Grandpa Joe and Timmy were going to see the old farm where Grandpa Joe used to live when he was a boy.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories

edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

384 pages

Booktalk: Read your favorite authors’ stories about bullying–as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, as perpetrators.

Snippet:

End of the World

by Jessica Brody

Everybody asks

But no one wonders why.

I laugh as you pretend

to take interest in my life,

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5 Great Firehouse Books

Clifford The Firehouse Dog

by Norman Bridwell (Author, Illustrator)

Clifford helps out his brother, the firehouse dog. Picture book

Dear Dragon Goes to the Fire House

by Margaret Hillert (Author) and David Schimmell (Illustrator)

A boy and his class (and his pet dragon) visit the firehouse. Level 1 easy reader

Firehouse!

by Mark Teague (Author, Illustrator)

Edward the dog visits the firehouse and tries to become a firefighter. Picture book

Flat Stanley and the Firehouse

by Jeff Brown (Author) and Macky Pamintuan (Illustrator)

Flat Stanley wins a trip to the firehouse. Level 2 easy reader

Little Critter: Going to the Firehouse

by Mercer Mayer (Author, Illustrator)

Little Critter and his class go on a trip to the firehouse. Level 1 easy reader

BONUS! See the Firehouse! video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsmV1wwt-PI]

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Literary Links

My new book Road Work Ahead (Viking) is on tour at Great Kid Books today!

EverythingMom reviews Road Work Ahead. “The text uses simple vocabulary in a fun rhyme making it easy for beginner readers.”

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8

Close to the Sea

Picture Book of the Day

New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story

by April Halprin Wayland (Author) and Stephane Jorisch (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A boy named Izzy celebrates Jewish New Year at the water’s edge…

Snippet: Izzy loves this changing time of year. Some days sunglasses, someday sweaters. Apples, honey, the sound of the shofar, and his favorite part of Rosh Hashanah:

Tashlich!

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1tgkBMiBGM]

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Chapter Book of the Day

Chasing the Nightbird

by Krista Russell (Author)

208 pages

Booktalk: Fourteen-year-old Lucky Valera is a seasoned sailor on the crew of the whaling ship, Nightbird. But when his estranged older brother suddenly kidnaps him off the docks and forces him into servitude at the mill, his life takes a dramatic turn for the worse. The Underground Railroad looks like the answer, but plans go awry. How can Lucky find freedom?

Snippet:

New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1851

If it were true that seagulls possessed the souls of dead sailors, Lucky Valera wondered which of his shipmates was diving at him from the June morning sky.

BONUS! See the video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzGQnZBGVZ0]

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Road Work Ahead blog tour underway!

September 19-23 Road Work Ahead blog tour

Monday 9/19 – Fiction Notes, EverythingMom
Tuesday 9/20 – The Reading Tub
Wednesday 9/21 – Great Kid Books
Thursday 9/22 – Imagination Soup
Friday 9/23 – Check It Out

* Visit the Road Work Ahead Facebook page for news and activities *

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Literary Link

The Children’s Authors Who Broke the Rules (via New York Times)

Banned Books Week is 9/24 – 10/1 — check the YouTube page for new videos throughout the week! (via @harpercollins)

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My NEW book is here!

Read and Write Sports: Readers Theatre and Writing Activities for Grades 3-8