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Kwame Alexander: Collaborative Summer Library Program Summer Reading Champion for 2017

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Kwame Alexander Named 2017 Summer Reading Champion for Nationwide Campaign

Newbery Medalist, poet, educator, and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander has been named the 2017 National Summer Reading Champion for the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP).

“Serving as Summer Reading Champion gives me the opportunity to reach more teachers, more librarians and more parents, and share what I feel is one of the secrets to the success of the future: the mind of an adult begins with the imagination of a child,” Alexander says. “Books open up doors of possibility and potential and purpose—and allow children to imagine a better world for themselves and for us.”

CSLP is a nonprofit consortium of states that work together to provide an annual unified summer reading theme and professionally created,  evidence-based materials for member libraries to enable them to provide high-quality summer reading programs to their communities at the lowest possible cost. They reach approximately 16,000 member libraries nationwide, representing the District of Columbia and all fifty states, plus American Samoa, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Mariana Islands.

The 2017 theme is “Build a Better World.™” CSLP has created a comprehensive array of resources for libraries to use in their summer reading programs,  including program ideas, booklists, posters, clip art, and activities for four age groups, from babies to adults. The early literacy manual is available in both English and Spanish, and the slogan is also promoted in Spanish (“Construye un mundo mejor”™). Alexander plans to provide a top ten list of reasons to join a library summer reading program and will also create a list of his favorite recommended summer reads for 2017.

“Being a poet as well as an author, Kwame Alexander’s words are energetic and rhythmic and I don’t know of any reader, young or old, who isn’t spellbound and totally engaged by his books,” says Sharon Rawlins, CSLP President. “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Kwame Alexander as our  champion. He really knows the power that words have to transform readers. His quotes are so inspiring, too. One of my favorites is: ‘Books are amusement parks and you have to let kids choose the rides.’”

A regular speaker at schools and conferences throughout the U.S., Alexander is the author of 24 books, including Booked and The Crossover, which  received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Paterson Poetry Prize. Kwame Alexander writes for children of all ages.

Award-winning author Kate DiCamillo served as Summer Reading Champion previously, in 2015 and 2016.

Teacher/Parent PSA Video:

Student PSA Video 1: 

Student PSA Video 2: 

Happy Reading! 

Author Guest Post: “Bridging the Gap Between Middle Grade and Young Adult” by Janet McLaughlin, Author of Haunted Echo and Fireworks

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“Bridging the Gap Between Middle Grade and Young Adult”

Making Friends With Billy Wong is a wonderful middle grade novel by Augusta Scattergood. The Mara Dyer novels by Michelle Hodkin make intriguing reading for young adults. But what about that elusive group in between—the kids who are too old for MG but not mature enough for YA?

There are different delineations for the age of a ‘tween. For clarity’s sake, I’m talking about the twelve to fifteen-year-old child. For me, this age group is the most intriguing. Tweens are both wise and naïve at the same time. They are testing their boundaries, but most still think twice before defying parents and teachers outright. They are discovering who they are; where they fit in the world; and the excitement, joy, and pain of innocent first love.

Unfortunately, books for this age group can be hard to find. It’s a tough sell to agents and publishers, because they don’t have a specific place for them in bookstores. There are no “‘Tween” shelves that I’m aware of in libraries. Many writers know this so they concentrate on the more accepted and defined groupings. But there are those of us whose hearts can’t be denied. We simply love writing for tweens.

I write for this age group because teachers and parents tell me they need “clean teen” for their kids to read. Because I know that the younger avid reader loves books that feature older version of themselves. Because parents of older reluctant readers tell me that, though their kids don’t like to read, they actually finish my books. Because an inner-city teacher whose class I once visited told me her kids reading scores went up on a state test and the only reason she could think of was my book combined with my visit made an impression on them.

These accounts are rewards in and of themselves. They keep me in my seat in front of my computer. They keep me writing.

So, where do you go to find books in this elusive category? Searching the Internet for lists of books for ‘tweens is helpful. However, as the category is defined by different parameters by different groups, you have to be discerning. Most lists include both MG and YA books. Goodreads has one of my favorites, a Listopia called, “Awesome Books for Tween Girls.” The books are read and reviewed by readers, many of whom are parents, which I like. I couldn’t find an “Awesome Books for Tween Boys.” Hopefully some day they’ll remedy that.

In the meantime, ‘tween readers may be interested in one of these highly regarded books: “The Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian,” an Amazon Bestseller by Sherman Alexie; “Criss Cross,” a Booklist Starred Review by Lynne Rae Perkins; and “Every Soul a Star” a  School Library Journal Starred Review by Wendy Mass. There are many others available online and in bookstores. Search using “clean teen” or “books for ‘tweens,” and you’ll find them.

About the Author:
Janet McLaughlin has been involved in the communication field most of her adult life as a writer, editor and teacher. Her love of mysteries and the mystical are evident in her novels. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Florida Writers Association. She lives in Florida with her husband, Tom, and along with her writing, enjoys playing tennis, walking, traveling, and meeting people.
 
About the Books:

 

Haunted Echo: Book One of the Soul Sight Mysteries

Sun, fun, and her toes in the sand. That’s what Zoey Christopher expects when she joins her best friend and fellow cheerleader Becca on an exotic Caribbean vacation. What she finds instead is a wannabe boyfriend, a voodoo doll, and Tempy – a tormented young ghost whose past is linked to the island grounds.Zoey has always seen visions of the future, but when she arrives at St. Anthony’s Island to vacation among the jet set, she has her first encounter with a bona fide ghost. Forced to uncover the secret behind the girl’s untimely death, Zoey quickly realizes that trying to solve the case will place her in mortal danger. Shaken and confused by a menacing threat and by her budding feelings for the too-cute, too-nice Chris, will Zoey find a way to survive this vacation and put Tempy to rest?

Fireworks: Book Two of the Soul Sight Mysteries (Coming Soon!)

Dreams aren’t real. Psychic teen Zoey Christopher knows the difference between dreams and visions better than anyone, but ever since she and her best friend returned from spring vacation, Zoey’s dreams have been warning her that Becca is in danger. But a dream isn’t a vision—right?Besides, Zoey has other things to worry about, like the new, cute boy in school. Dan obviously has something to hide, and he won’t leave Zoey alone—even when it causes major problems with Josh, Zoey’s boyfriend. Is it possible he knows her secret?Then, one night, Becca doesn’t answer any of Zoey’s texts or calls. She doesn’t answer the next morning either. When Zoey’s worst fears come true, her only choice is to turn to Dan, whom she discovers has a gift different from her own but just as powerful. Is it fate? Will using their gifts together help them save Becca, or will the darkness win?Discover what’s real and what’s just a dream in Fireworks, book two of the Soul Sight Mysteries!

Thank you to Denise for connecting us with Janet!!

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Author Q&A!: Tracey Hecht, Author of The Nocturnals, on Creating Worlds, Researching Animals and Still Finding Time to Read

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Author Tracey Hecht on Creating Worlds, Researching Animals and Still Finding Time to Read

The Nocturnals Series Summary: The Nocturnals features three unlikely friends: Dawn, a serious fox, Tobin, a sweet pangolin and Bismark, the loud mouthed, pint sized sugar glider. The stories all play out in their nighttime world with teamwork, friendship and humor in every adventure.

The Fallen Star, the newest Nocturnals book: In The Fallen Star, Dawn, Tobin, and Bismark awaken one evening to a disaster: all of the forest’s pomelos have been mysteriously poisoned! As the Nocturnal Brigade sets out to investigate, they encounter Iris, a mysterious aye-aye, who claims monsters from the moon are to blame. While the three heroes suspect a more earthly explanation, the animals of the valley are all falling ill. And then Tobin gets sick, too! The Nocturnal Brigade must race to find answers, and the cure, before the pomelo blight threatens to harm them all.

About the Author: Tracey Hecht is a writer and entrepreneur who has written, directed, and produced for film. The American Booksellers Association chose her first book in The Nocturnal series, The Mysterious Abductions, as a Kids’ Indie Next List pick. Last year, in partnership with the New York Public Library, she created a Noctural Read Aloud Writing Program for middle graders that has expanded worldwide. She splits her time between Oquossoc, Maine and New York City.

Q&A

How did you create the world of The Nocturnals?

I wanted to create a world that children were usually excluded from—nighttime! And once I decided on nocturnal animals, the rest came from there. What surprised me was how much I like the research. Learning about unusual animals is one of the most fun things about the series. I love using the physical traits and unique characteristics of the animals to help develop characters and enhance plot. The details I learn about the nocturnal world are constantly engaging and inspiring me.

Why did you choose the pangolin, fox, and sugar glider for your three main characters?

I chose a fox because they’re such interesting and cool animals. A pangolin because they are so unusual and physically captivating. And the sugar glider because…well, that’s a secret!

What are you currently reading?

Everything. It’s a problem. I keep books everywhere, in the car, on the kitchen table, in my bags etc, so it’s a long list. I don’t worry about that one book traveling with me everywhere (and of course which I’ll inevitably forget someplace). I am currently reading several middle grade fiction books, Booked, The Wild Robot, a friend’s manuscript, and I just finished The Poet’s Dog.

Do you have a personal favorite book of all time? If so, can you share it and tell us why?

This question gets posed a lot and for me it’s impossible. I love so many, and add favorites to my list almost weekly. But I guess if I had to pick one it would be Charlotte’s Web. Don’t you think?

Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to the publication of?

I am excited about so many middle grade and YA books. I’m excited to read the new Jerry Spinelli book and I want to read The Metropolitans aloud with my son.  I’ve heard a lot about Short too so I want to read that.  And of course, The Nocturnals third book, The Fallen Star is coming in May so that’s fun.  As for YA, there are too many to list.  But I’ve never read The Uglies and my friend says it’s a must—so I’ll get all those too.

What’s next? Any upcoming book projects in the works that you can tell us about? 

We’ve just published Book 3 in The Nocturnals, The Fallen Star.  The outlines for Books 4 and 5 are almost finished and we’ll start in on those soon (spoiler: the brigade goes aquatic!!). And excitingly, my two writing partners and dear friends Sarah Fieber and Rumur Dowling are concepting a new series, one for YA and one more an early reader for The Nocturnals.  Lots of good stuff.

To Learn More about The Nocturnals and Tracey Hecht Visit: 

Website: www.nocturnalsworld.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nocturnalsworld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nocturnalsworld
Twitter: @fabled_films
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29633704-the-fallen-star
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwz4zncz5EShG0IBK_pkMrg
Read Aloud Blog: https://nocturnalsworldreadaloud.tumblr.com

Thank you to Wiley at Saichek Publicity and Tracey Hecht for providing the Q&A!

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Author Guest Post: “Using a Book as a Stepping Stone to Exploration” by Steve Schatz, Author of The Adima Chronicles

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“Using a Book as a Stepping Stone to Exploration”

A good book serves as a stepping stone to further explorations. Before I wrote The Adima Chronicles, I spent many years teaching teachers how to use writing and technology to support their students’ learning across the curriculum. Here are two of my favorite activities:

I. Creation and Origin Myths

A powerful way to use stories to encourage writing is to use them as a springboard for other activities. After reading how the rhino got its wrinkled skin or how the leopard got its spots in Kipling’s “Just So Stories,” for example, most students are primed to imagine just about anything. From these imaginations, they can make up their own stories about how something came to be like it is. This writing activity also can be extended by adding illustrations and using the internet and resource books to discover the evolution of the animals the students have written about.

This basic idea also can be easily adapted for older grades. For example, my first book in The  Adima Chronicles, “Adima Rising,” creates a parallel world. The rules of this world, and the interaction between the world of light and our usual world, are a crucial part of the story. Older students can use this idea as a springboard for world building by creating their own worlds, including that world’s people, creatures, actions, and natural rules. Teachers can further expand this exploration through science—if a being can jump across a ravine, how strong would it have to be or how weak would gravity have to be?

II. Research

Books also can serve as stepping stones to understanding other cultures and beliefs. In “Adima Rising,” there are many references to Rory’s anthropologist father and past cultures in the Americas. This is a rich starting point for an exploration into the advanced technologies of ancient cultures. In the forthcoming second book, “Adima Returning,” there is a great deal of information about Kachinas. Teachers could use these books as stepping stones to historical research.

Areas to consider:

  • Differences between Kachina dolls, Kachina dancers, and Kachinas.

  • History of Pueblo Bonito.

  • Artists of the Southwest.

  • The decimation and near extinction of buffalo herds.

  • Anthropological finds in Peru.

  • Advanced cultures in South America.

  • Religious practices of different cultures.

Together, these activities foster creative thinking and independent learning—two skills children and teens need for academic success.

Happy reading and writing! Additional lesson plans and suggestions for research are available on www.AdimaRising.com. Want to purchase Adima Rising? Visit www.AbsoluteLovePublishing.com.

About the Author: Steve Schatz grew up in New Mexico, where, as a teen, he dug a kiva in his back yard, He has traveled all over the US, discovering how other people see the world. He has been a tour guide, party clown, TV producer, business owner and, for the last several years a professor of learning theory. Always interested in things spiritual, a life changing experience brought him to the idea for Adima Rising and spiritual guidance during the tricky parts. He spends most of his time writing in a little house in a little town next to Yokum Brook. Steve Schatz can be reached at steve@stevewrites.com and www.AdimaRising.com.

About the Books: 

BOOK ONE of The Adima Chronices: ADIMA RISING

For millennia, the evil Kroledutz have fed on the essence of humans and clashed in secret with the Adima, the light weavers of the universe. Now, with the balance of power shifting toward darkness, time is running out. Guided by a timeless Native American spirit, four teenagers from a small New Mexico town discover they have one month to awaken their inner power and save the world. Rory, Tima, Billy, and James must solve four ancient challenges by the next full moon to awaken a mystical portal and become Adima. If they fail, the last threads of light will dissolve, and the universe will be lost forever. Can they put aside their fears and discover their true natures before it’s too late?

BOOK TWO of The Adima Chronicles: ADIMA RETURNING (Coming SOON!)

The sacred cliff is crumbling, and with it the Adima way of life. Battling time and evil forces, four friends must race to move the cliff before it traps all Adima on Earth–and apart from the Spheres–forever!

Adima Returning, the spellbinding second book of The Adima Chronicles, mesmerizes from beginning to end as Rory and his friends travel the light web and multiple planes of existence to gain help from the creatures who guard the Adima’s most powerful objects, the Olohos.  There is only one path to success: convince the guardians to help. Fail and the cliff dissolves, destroying the Spheres and all Adima.

Like the exciting adventures of Adima Rising, Adima Returning will have your senses reeling right up until its across-worlds climax. Will the teens be able to prove the impossible possible (and save the world!) once again? Join the Adima adventure, and explore a world where teens can lead the way to a new reality.

Thank you, Steve, for the post, and Denise, from Absolute Love Publishing, for getting it to us!

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Author Guest Post: “How Do We Know What Someone Else Is Feeling?: Body Language, the Big Horse Book, and Imaginative Leaps in Bramble and Maggie” by Jessie Haas

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How Do We Know What Someone Else Is Feeling?: Body Language, the Big Horse Book, and Imaginative Leaps in Bramble and Maggie

“Use your words,” kids are often told, when they’re melting down in tears or possibly hitting. Words are crucial so other people can understand what we’re feeling.

But what if the “person” you are trying to communicate with is from a species that doesn’t use words? Not space aliens—I’m talking about animals.

Most of us are familiar with how cats and dogs express themselves. Kisses and wiggles translate well, and I still remember my shock as a toddler when I was pestering the extremely gentle family dog, and he barked at me. I knew just what he meant!

Horses have feelings too, and figuring them out has been a big part of my life, as a horse-lover and an author. Usually my horse books are written from a human point of view, but the Bramble and Maggie books also incorporate the horse’s perspective. From Horse Meets Girl onward, the Bramble and Maggie books have been praised for incorporating both points of view without being anthropomorphic.

How does Maggie know what Bramble is feeling? She relies her ‘big horse book,’ which she carries everywhere. It is a source of such advice as “Don’t fall for the first horse you see.” Sometimes this is conveyed in the art, to keep the printed text clean and clear. At other times, when carrying the book isn’t practical, Maggie remembers what it says. From the beginning of the series, the ‘big horse book’ has allowed me to convey sophisticated information in bite-sized nuggets, and forms a counterpoint to Bramble’s more direct communication style (beautifully captured by illustrator Alison Friend).

InHorse Meets Girl, when left alone on her first night at Maggie’s house, Bramble kicks her stall repeatedly. Maggie consults the book. Learning that “. . . horses are herd animals. They like to be with other horses,” she tells Bramble a story, sings her a song, and when informed in no uncertain terms that that’s not good enough, she curls up in a sleeping bag outside Bramble’s stall. I have a horse, Maggie thought. And she has me.

In Give and Take Maggie saddles up for her first ride. ‘Bramble knew about rides. The rider sat in the saddle. The horse did all the work.’ Bramble does want to explore and meet the neighbors, but she has some stipulations. ‘Neither of them should be boss all the time. There should be some give and take.’ She holds her head high, refusing to be bridled. Maggie pulls out the big horse book, and gets an idea. ‘“If you put your head down, Bramble, I’ll give you a carrot.”

Bramble sniffed the air. Did Maggie really have a carrot?

Yes.

Bramble lowered her head. Maggie gave her a carrot, and Bramble took it. She let Maggie put on the bridle. This was better. Give and take.’

In Spooky Season, Bramble indulges in dramatic leaps of pretend fear to express the exuberance of an autumn day, causing Maggie to fall off (why do they call it Fall?).

‘Maggie knew what her big horse book said. If you fall off a horse, get right back on, before you have time to get scared.’

It’s too late for that. Maggie’s already scared. But Bramble communicates her concern, standing patiently, making her eyes soft and gentle. “I have to, don’t I?” Maggie said. “I hope you’re saying you’ll be good.” That’s exactly what Bramble is saying, and she makes good on that promise again on Halloween, when not even the spookiest ghost can scare her.

In the newest Bramble and Maggie book, Snow Day, a big storm is coming. “Does that horse need a blanket?” the neighbor asks. ‘“No,” Maggie said. “Her long hair will keep her warm.” That was what her big horse book said.’

But after dark, as the storm moves in, Maggie worries. Mom and the big horse book reassure her that horses lived through the Ice Age, and are adapted to cold. “Bramble is as safe and warm as we are,” Mom says.

But Bramble finds the storm exciting. She can’t stay still—and thanks to a not-quite-shut stall door, she’s soon outside. After taking a walk, she decides against going back indoors. ‘ . . . she liked it out here. The snow settled on her back, as thick as a blanket. It kept her warm. Bramble turned her tail to the wind. She put her head down.’

I’m now the author of my own ‘big horse book,’ (The Horse-Lover’s Encyclopedia, Storey, 2017). I know all about how horses are heated by the fires of their own digestion, insulated by layers of hair that create air pockets, kept dry by oils on their coats. They are northern animals. They were shaped by the Ice Age.

Still–I spend a lot of time and energy providing shelter for horses, only to see them horses standing out in the storms, backs to the wind, looking miserable. They can’t be miserable. They have the option of shelter. So why do they do that? Body language doesn’t tell me, and neither does my ‘big horse book’. All I’m left with is an imaginative leap.

‘She was stronger than the storm. It was just air and snowflakes.

She was a horse. ‘

About the Book: Bramble the horse and her devoted girl, Maggie, face a major snowstorm in their fourth adventure.

The sky is white, the air is cold, and snowflakes are falling, tickling Bramble’s back. By bedtime, Maggie and her family are ready for the storm: they’ve shopped for supplies, covered Bramble’s hay with a tarp, and filled the bathtub with extra water. But Bramble is too excited to sleep; she wants to be out in the white, wild world. Luckily for Bramble, she has a shaggy coat to keep her warm. And luckily for Maggie and her family and friends, when morning comes, Bramble can help dig through the deep snow that has most of the neighbors stuck in their homes. Soon the snow day becomes a block party complete with marshmallows, cocoa, and lots of friends. Chapter-book readers of the horse-loving variety will relish the camaraderie and enjoy the equine exploits in this cozy wintertime tale.

Review and Author Q&A here on Unleashing Readers about the first three Bramble and Maggie books!

Kellee’s Review: There is a very specific time in a kid’s life where they are ready to begin reading longer books, but not ready to tackle chapter books yet. This is where Bramble and Maggie fits. These early chapter books will are perfect texts to help lead kids to longer chapter books. The work well for their targeted age level in that they never speak down to readers and have excellently paced stories that hold readers’ attention and will help them feel successful.  On top of all this, the Bramble and Maggie stories are just so sweet! I love all the different adventures they go on and the lessons they learn like overcoming fear, conquering loneliness, and gaining responsibility. Readers will adore these books.

Ricki’s Review: Kellee hit the nail on the head. As I was reading, I thought to myself, “Why didn’t I have these books available to me when I was transitioning to chapter books?” I remember being devastated that my books no longer had pictures in them, and I resisted the longer texts for this reason. This series is engaging, educative, and fun! The words repeat in ways that will help students learn the vocabulary, particularly the more difficult words that relate to horses. Each book delivers a strong message, and the bond between Bramble and Maggie is one which will connect with readers. When I think about these books, I will always remember Maggie dragging her sleeping bag to the stable to sleep beside Bramble. I can’t wait to share these books with my pre-service elementary school teachers. They will have a special place in classrooms.

Curriculum Guide

Interview with the Illustrator

Thank you, Jesse for this post!

RickiSigandKellee Signature

Author Guest Post: “Journey” by Michael Cottman, Author of Shackles from the Deep

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“Journey” by Michael Cottman

My journey to write Shackles From The Deep started when I was a boy growing up in Detroit and watching a popular television show called Sea Hunt, a 1960s adventure program about an underwater detective.

From the time I was a kid, I wanted to scuba dive and explore the ocean’s depths. And because National Geographic embraces adventure tales like no other company, this was a perfect publishing partnership.

I wrote Shackles From The Deep in a conversational way for young readers to share the story of the Henrietta Marie, a sunken 17th century slave ship. This is more than just the story of one ship – it’s the untold story about millions of African people taken as captives to the New World.

I traveled to three continents to piece together a trans-Atlantic puzzle. I reviewed shipping records and slave-ship captain’s logs in London. I retraced the route of the Henrietta Marie slave ship and scuba-dived the ship’s ports of call in Jamaica, Barbados, and West Africa.

During my research, I learned amazing things:  Today, the Henrietta Marie is believed to be the world’s largest source of tangible objects from the early years of the slave trade.

The Henrietta Marie is the only slave ship in America that has been scientifically documented and where more than 20,000 artifacts were recovered, including the largest collection of slave-ship shackles ever found on one site.

I also learned the shackles were discovered in 1973 by Moe Molinar, a black underwater treasure hunter who was searching for the Atocha, a Spanish galleon that had sunk nearly 400 years ago filled with gold, silver and $400 million worth of jewels.

Treasure hunters didn’t know what to make of these relics. Then in 1983, maritime archaeologists, intrigued by the mystery, revisited the site and came upon a ship’s bell. As they chipped away at the limestone encrustation a name and a date emerged: Henrietta Marie, 1699.

Beneath the sea, on the wreck of the Henrietta Marie, I ran my hands through the sand and held the tiny glass trade beads that were used by the Henrietta Marie’s crew to trade for African people.

The story of Shackles From The Deep also introduces young readers to the unprecedented partnership between members of The National Association of Black Scuba Divers (I’m a lifetime member) and white maritime archaeologists who explored the Henrietta Marie together for a common purpose and forged lifelong friendships along the way.

After all, the global institution of slavery is our collective history.

But because of slavery, it is nearly impossible for African Americans to pinpoint the origins of our ancestors.

We cannot always identify a country in Africa where they were born, let alone a city or village. We can only know they came from somewhere on the west coast of the enormous continent.

Are my people Ibo from Nigeria, or Fulani from Mali, or Wolof from Senegal, or Ashanti from Ghana? I may never know.

What’s important, however, is my appreciation for the African culture — my culture, too — and my need to draw strength from the African people who came before me and survived.

And we continue to honor them.

In 1993, I joined members of The National Association of Black Scuba Divers to place a one-ton concrete memorial on the site of the Henrietta Marie shipwreck.

The bronze inscription on the memorial is a powerful testament to the human spirit: “In memory and recognition of the courage, pain and suffering of enslaved African people. Speak her name and gently touch the souls of our ancestors.”

Shackles from the Deep: Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy
Author: Michael Cottman
Published January 3rd, 2017 by The National Geographic Society

Summary: A pile of lime-encrusted shackles discovered on the seafloor in the remains of a ship called the Henrietta Marie, lands Michael Cottman, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and avid scuba diver, in the middle of an amazing journey that stretches across three continents, from foundries and tombs in England, to slave ports on the shores of West Africa, to present-day Caribbean plantations. This is more than just the story of one ship it’s the untold story of millions of people taken as captives to the New World. Told from the author’s perspective, this book introduces young readers to the wonders of diving, detective work, and discovery, while shedding light on the history of slavery.

Critical Praise: 

“The idea of identity is at the center of this fascinating narrative nonfiction book…This truly multidisciplinary volume….engagingly explores a wide scope of topics, including the history of slavery, marine archaeology, and contemporary racial discrimination, culminating in a dive down to the wreck itself. Every bit of this concise, detailed book feels personal, and Cottman’s exploration and investigation of the wreck is rich with intrigue and poignant, thought-provoking questions.” -Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“Cottman weaves his personal story of discovery with history of the slave trade, helping readers understand why a sunken slave ship from the 1700s still matters. His emotional attachment to the artifacts, including child-sized shackles, deepens the storytelling in this highly readable narrative.” –Kirkus

“Accessible and very personal account….(a) chilling exploration of the slave trade.” -Publishers Weekly

“Cottman’s personal journey, fraught with reminders of the trials and injustice his own enslaved ancestors must have endured, is compelling” -BCCB

About the Author: Michael H. Cottman, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, is a former political reporter for the Washington Post. Cottman has appeared on National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Tell Me More” with Michel Martin and also the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2000 to discuss his (adult) book The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie. Cottman also serves as a special consultant to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for a national multimedia project, “Voyage to Discovery,” an education initiative that focuses on the African-American contribution to the maritime industry spanning 300 years and efforts to teach students of color about careers in marine biology and oceanography. Visit his website at http://www.michaelhcottman.com/.

Thank you to Michael for his post and to Barbara from Blue Slip Media for providing the resources!

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Author Guest Post and Giveaway: “A Recipe for Storytelling: Take One Real Life, Add a Spoonful of Fantasy, and Stir” by Carter Roy, Author of The Blazing Bridge, the third book in the The Blood Guard series

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“A Recipe for Storytelling: Take One Real Life, Add a Spoonful of Fantasy, and Stir”

 

Late last summer, after I’d turned in the manuscript for the third Blood Guard book, The Blazing Bridge, I mentioned to a longtime friend that I’d finished the trilogy. “That’s great!” she chirped; “now you can write a real book.”

“Excuse me?” I replied and made a face like this

She explained. To her mind, fantasy adventure for middle-grade graders is mere “escapist literature,” and it doesn’t count as real—not like stories about normal people. “You had a rough childhood,” she said. “Why not write about that?”

But as far as I was concerned, I was already writing about my childhood. Only in disguise. Because even though fantasy literature on its surface is about another world, at root it is always about this one—the world we live in. Otherwise the stories would have no hold on us at all.

Not to get maudlin, but when I was growing up, my family—like many families—fell apart. There was never enough money; my older brothers were always getting into trouble; my dad turned out to be a not-so-good guy; and my parents divorced—which forced my mom to move us kids around from one home to another to another as she tried to find us an affordable and safe place in the world.

In a very different form, that material made its way into the Blood Guard books. A feud between two parents. A discovery that a father is someone other than who his children thought him to be. A constant need to uproot one’s life and relocate. All of these things were drawn from actual life, but transformed into backstory for an action adventure tale. Why? Because these novels were for the twelve-year-old me as much as anyone, and that kid liked his stories to move. The magic, the action, the jokes—those are the spoonfuls of sugar that make the medicine go down. (The “medicine” in this case being the ugly truth that my dad was, in fact, a very bad guy.)

Twelve-year-old me wouldn’t face the truth about my dad for years. But I might have done so a lot sooner … if only I’d been able to if I’d been able to read about it in a fantasy novel.

 

About the Book: Ronan Truelove’s best friend, scrappy smart aleck Greta Sustermann, has no idea that she is one of the thirty-six Pure souls crucial to the safety of the world. But Ronan’s evil father has figured it out—and he’s leading the Bend Sinister straight to Greta. If they capture her, she’ll suffer a fate far worse than mere death. But to get to Greta, they’re going to have to go through Ronan first.

Standing with Ronan are plucky hacker Sammy; witty, unkillable Jack Dawkins; and a sharp-tongued woman named Diz, who drives a dangerously souped-up taxi. One breathless close call after another leads to an ugly showdown: Ronan alone against his father, with the fate of Greta, his friends, and the entire world hanging in the balance. Will Ronan be able to rise up and prove once and for all that he has what it takes to join the Blood Guard?

By turns heart-stopping and hilarious, The Blazing Bridge brings the Blood Guard trilogy to a surprising, clever, and altogether thrilling conclusion.


About the Author: Carter Roy has painted houses and worked on construction sites, waited tables and driven delivery trucks, been a stagehand for rock bands and a videographer on a cruise ship, and worked as a line cook in a kitchen, a projectionist in a movie theater, and a rhetoric teacher at a university. He has been a reference librarian and a bookseller, edited hundreds of books for major publishers, and written award-winning short stories that have appeared in a half-dozen journals and anthologies. His first two books were The Blood Guard and The Glass Gauntlet. He lives with his wife and daughter in New York City and can be found at www.carterroybooks.com or on Twitter @CarterRoyBooks.

 

Giveaway!

Thank you, Carter for this inspirational post! And thank you, Barbara from Blue Slip Media, for connecting us with Carter!

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