ALA CONFERENCE IN SAN DIEGO: Book Signing of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

American Library Association at the Convention Center, San Diego, CA

I had a great day yesterday at the American Library Association conference at the Convention Center in San Diego, California. The exhibit halls were filled with hundreds of booths and the aisles crowded with librarians and library people from all over the country. 

With Andrea Brown in the Charlesbridge booth at ALA

In the afternoon, for more than an hour, a steady stream of people came as I signed copies of the new paperback edition of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 in the Charlesbridge booth. Many thanks to Donna Spurlock, Director of Marketing, for setting up the signing and to Lindsay Atkins for making sure that everything ran smoothly. And thanks to my agent Andrea Brown for assisting at the signing table as I signed books and chatted with librarians. I was pleased to hear how much they enjoy using my books with kids.

With Lindsay Atkins in the Charlesbridge booth at ALA

The evening before I attended a lovely party at the home of Kelly Sonnack celebrating Andrea and the agency she has built over the last forty plus years. I was one of Andrea's first authors when it was just Andrea. Now the Andrea Brown Literary Agency has grown to fifteen agents with hundreds of authors! Congratulations Andrea!

With Andrea Brown

BOOK SIGNING AT ALA in WASHINGTON, DC

In the Junior Library Guild booth at ALA in Washington, DC

I had a great day on Saturday at ALA in Washington, DC, signing KEEPER OF THE LIGHT in the Abrams booth and PLANTING A GARDEN in the Charlesbridge booth, and cruising the aisles of the exhibit hall to see all the publishers' new books! 

In  the Abrams booth at ALA

Many thanks to Nina Greuner, publisher of Cameron Kids, and everyone in the Abrams booth for hosting me in the booth and keeping the signing line going smoothly. 

In the Charlesbridge booth at ALA

And thanks to Donna Spurlock, Meg Quinn, Lindsay and Jaliza, and everyone in the Charlesbridge booth for coordinating my signing there. At both booths we ran out of books before the hour was over! It was great meeting librarians from so many places.

I also stopped by the Junior Library Guild booth and posed for a photo with PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 which was a Spring selection.

Everyone in the convention center was required to be vaccinated and wear a mask (although I took mine off briefly for the photos.) Everyone, including me, seemed happy to be at a live, real person event!

YOSEMITE: CSLA Conference 2018--Elevating Learning Through Reflection

Yosemite Valley

I had a great weekend at the California School Library Association conference at Tenaya Lodge just outside Yosemite National Park, presenting with Jeri Ferris and Kathy Krull and hiking and sightseeing in Yosemite Valley with Gretchen Woelfle.

The theme of the conference was Elevating Learning through Reflection. It was great to spend time with school librarians and other authors. Virginia Loh Hagan did a great job keeping all the authors organized and well fed! There were twenty-eight of us!

Lobby of Tenaya Lodge

The author events were all on Saturday and included presentations, panels, autographing, a mix and mingle with librarians, culminating with the Young Reader Medal dinner followed by more autographing.

At book signing after my presentation

With librarian and Jeri Ferris

The California Young Reader Medal was awarded this year to author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen for their book Sam and Dave Dig a Hole. Mac Barnett was the featured speaker at the dinner. Jon Klassen couldn’t make the dinner and had sent a video but, unfortunately, technical difficulties prevented it from being heard. Mac compensated by giving a very entertaining and inspiring speech for the both of them. Tables were decorated with charming centerpieces made by students at a nearby school.

Centerpiece: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole

I went to the conference with fellow author Gretchen Woelfle. We went a day early so we could do some sightseeing. We hiked to the Vernal Falls bridge--more uphill than I planned but we both made it. The weather was perfect and the park wasn't crowded. It was truly inspiring and a wonderful addition to the conference.

With Gretchen Woelfle at the tunnel view of Yosemite Valley

SCBWI CONFERENCE LA: My Workshop--Creating Eye-Catching Nonfiction for the Very Young

Hope to see you at the Summer 2016 SCBWI Conference, July 29-August 1 at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The schedule is jam packed with amazing keynotes, workshops and more. My workshop is called Creating Eye-Catching Nonfiction for the Very Young in the nonfiction track. My session is on Sunday morning, July 31 at 11:15 am in the Millenium Boardroom.
Hope to see you there!

The SCBWI conference is a rare opportunity to meet and network with the most influential group of the key decision makers in children’s publishing.

A brilliant array of children’s book authors and illustrators will inspire you with their knowledge and vision, and help you bring your craft to a new level.

CSLA Conference, 2016, San Diego, CA: Doorways to Diversity

Last weekend I participated in the CSLA Conference, in San Diego, celebrating the 100 year history of the California School Library Association at the beautiful Bahia Resort Hotel.

View of the bay from the Bahia Resort Hotel

Saturday was the day focused on authors and there were thirty-eight of us, with all author events coordinated by Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagen who made sure that we were treated like superstars all day long, including a delicious lunch and pre-dinner reception in her suite overlooking the bay, and arranging for hosts to make sure we were in the right place at the right time. Although the 7:30 starting time for my presentation turned out to be a tad early for most people, I enjoyed meeting lots of librarians at the author Speed Dating event (a little like human bingo) later in the morning, and at the California Young Reader Medal dinner in the evening, where we heard excellent speeches from CYRM winners Audrey Vernick and Jennifer A. Nielsen. Altogether it was a good day celebrating the love of books and reading!

With author Alexis O'Neill at the signing table after the CYRM dinner

LITERACY: PASSPORT TO THE WORLD, California Reading Association PDI at Sonoma State University

Caroline at the Signing Table

I just got back from the California Reading Association PDI at Sonoma State (November 1-2) where I gave a talk and did a book signing. It was a great event and I met many teachers and librarians--at my session, the signing table, at the author meet and greet, on the exhibit floor, and at the California Young Reader Medal dinner on Saturday night where Alma Flor Ada was the featured speaker.  My talk, Think Outside the Book, focused on links to Common Core and on projects and activities teachers and kids can do in the classroom to reinforce reading and enhance the content of the book.  In my handouts I included links to many projects, most of which can also be found on this blog and on my website.

Caroline with the Heinemann representative

I always enjoy going to CRA.  It was a full program and with so much going on, impossible to attend everything but I did as much as I could.  In the exhibit hall I had the chance to meet the rep for Heinemann, which publishes the Fountas Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention program.  My new book, Octopus, Escape Artist of the Sea, is part of that reading program.

Gretchen Woelfle

I want to thank Nancy Rogers-Zegarra and Lynn Gurnee and all the hardworking CRA committee members for all the organization of the conference.  I also want to thank Sandra Yoon for coordinating the author signing and making the colorful posters for our spots at the signing table.

Patricia Newman, Alexis O'Neill, Marsha Diane Arnold

The program included fifteen other children’s book authors and it is always fun to talk and compare notes.  Coincidentally, three of the other authors Alexis O’Neill, Gretchen Woelfle, and Jeri Ferris were once students in my writing class at UCLA.  Now they are all well known and prolific authors and we are colleagues.

Jeri Ferris

At the CYRM dinner numerous people received awards, including my good friend Jeri Ferris who was honored with the Armin Shulz Literacy Award for promoting social justice in her books.  The first place winners of the CRA student writing contest were invited to the dinner and read their essays aloud.  The youngest of the prize winners, a first grader, concluded his essay: “I like books because reading makes me happy.”  Reading makes me happy too.