Children’s Writing Web Journal

For the past month, I’ve been so fixated on getting the CBI Clubhouse up and running that I’ve completely forgotten a whole host of things.  Shaving….sleeping….taking my vitamins…and the fact that I did an interview with the awesome Cynthia Smith for her also-awesome blog Cynsations.

So it was a lovely surprise to log on today and see the interview.  It’s also a nice reminder of what I look like when I had time to shave, sleep and take my vitamins.

Good times, good times.

Anyway, here’s the link so you can check it out.

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2009/01/publisher-interview-jon-bard-on.html

Amanda, the children’s librarian behind the terrific A Patchwork of Books blog.

1.  Tell us about your blog.  Why did you start it?  What has it added to your professional life?

My blog, A Patchwork of Books, focuses on reviews of children’s books, from infant to teen age levels. I began the blog in order to spread the word on books I love, with the hope that someone will find a gem in the midst of my reviews. My day job is as a Children’s Librarian, resulting in thousands of books being placed in my hands each year, some that many people may never have heard of. By blogging, I not only get to speak out about those books, I also get to find new titles; ones I’ve never heard of!

2.  Has running the blog changed your perspective or taught you new things about children’s lit?

Every time I read and review a book, I browse other blogger’s reviews of the same titles, looking forother perspectives. I enjoy knowing what others thought of what I just read. Sometimes we agree, sometimeswe don’t and that’s what makes the entire blogging experience fun!

3. As a librarian, what kinds of books would you like to see more of?  What kind would you like to see fewer of?

This is certainly not an easy question. I’m not sure there is any specific type ofbook I would like to see either more or less of, but rather I would enjoy simply seeingmore people reading any book! I do not believe there are any “bad” books, maybe a lot that I personally do not enjoy, but not necessarily books that there need to be less of in ourliterature world.

4. We tell our readers that they must write books for today’s children, and not simply write the kinds of books they enjoyed as a child.  What’s the best way for a writer to get up to speed about today’s young readers and their likes & dislikes?

Honestly, go to a library or a bookstore and read all the “most popular” titles. The ones on display or the ones deemed bestsellers. Browse kid lit blogs and see what the most talked about titles are in the blogging world. Do simple, reading research.

5.  What are your favorite books of 2008 so far?

I loved Peg Leg Peke by Brie Spangler and Bats at the Library by Brian Lies, both picture books. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was absolutely fantastic, a young adult book, and I also very much enjoyed Lizard Love by Wendy Townsend, a middle grade novel.

6.  If you could tell aspiring children’s writers one thing, what would it be?

Don’t preach! Having positive messages in books is a great way to help encourage children to develop good character, but when a message is overly preachy and incredibly obvious, that’s a definite turn-off. Blend the message in subtly to your plot and you’ll be successful.

Thanks Amanda!  be sure to get over to A Patchwork of Books for lots more great insight into the world of children’s books.

…..Abby the Librarian.    Abby’s blog is a must-stop for children’s book lovers.  She recently took a few moments to answer some questions for us:

1.  Tell us about your blog.  Why did you start it?  What has it added to your professional life?

I started my blog to join this great community of kidlit bloggers and it’s really grown a lot more than I ever thought it would. It’s become a place for me to hone my reviewing skills and share programs and ideas with other librarians and teachers. Through my blog I’ve “met” many great librarians, teachers, authors, and other children’s lit enthusiasts and our blogs provide an easy way for us to exchange ideas.

2.  Has running the blog changed your perspective or taught you new things about children’s lit?

It is so hard to write a negative review! I mean, it’s hard to write a constructive review of a book that didn’t work for me in some way. Some bloggers seem to do this with ease, but I’m always a little worried about offending someone. That said, I strive to share my honest opinions about books. Although negative reviews are hard for me to write, I know that negative reviews can be really valuable to people who select books and I think they can be useful to authors if they’re written in a constructive way. My goal is for my book reviews to be useful to someone and that sometimes calls for writing a review of a book I didn’t particularly like.

Also, this is really cliche, but one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. One thing that is obvious when looking at book reviews on the web is that just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean that other reviewers don’t like it or that kids wouldn’t like it. I try to include links to other reviews and I especially like linking to opinions that are different than mine.

3. As a librarian, what kinds of books would you like to see more of?  What kind would you like to see fewer of?

We’re constantly fielding requests for books that are “just like” Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I’m not looking for knock-offs, but books that are funny and feature well-developed plots and characters. I hate to divide books into “boy books” and “girl books”, but it does seem like we have a slew of Junie B. Jones-ian books about spunky girls and it would be nice to see more similar funny books with boy characters.

As far as books I’d like to see fewer of… I’m going to say books that are all about a Point. It’s fine to have a point and we certainly get requests for books about sharing, respecting others, etc. but when those books are obviously didactic, it’s a real turn-off.

4. We tell our readers that they must write books for today’s children, and not simply write the kinds of books they enjoyed as a child.  What’s the best way for a writer to get up to speed about today’s young readers and their likes & dislikes?

I think the best way for a writer (or anyone) to get up to speed about today’s young readers is to get involved with kids yourself. Volunteer at a school or youth center, coach a team… Get involved and talk to kids.

5.  What are your favorite books of 2008 so far?

Hands down, my favorite book this year has been The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It has a really well-built world, characters I really cared about, and it constantly surprised me. I absolutely could not put it down.

Other favorites are The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, which is beautifully written and doesn’t flinch about discussing violence in a book for young people; Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, which is a richly detailed historical novel about slavery during Revolutionary America; and George Washington Carver by Tonya Bolden, which is a really visually appealing biography about a man who was much more than “The Peanut Man”.

6.  If you could tell aspiring children’s writers one thing, what would it be?

Have a website!! That’s one thing I always look for when reviewing books. It doesn’t have to be a really fancy website, but we’re at a point where kids and many adults (parents, teachers, librarians, etc.) have grown up with computers and the internet. When they want more information about you and your books, they’re going to turn to the web. A website gives you a place to put biographical information, info about your books, the stories behind your books. And just as important as starting your website is keeping it up-to-date. When I find an author’s website and it hasn’t been updated since 2004, it makes me wonder why they bother having it.

Thanks Abby!  Go visit her blog at http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com