Today, TeachingBooks.net welcomes author Jesse Klausmeier as she stops by on her blog tour to discuss her new book Open This Little Book (Chronicle, 2013).

I have always loved concept books. Whether the concept was ABCs, one-two-threes, or primary colors—you name a concept book, and chances are, I loved it.

Ever since I was five-years-old, I have wished there was a book filled with smaller books inside of it. That is: a book within a book, within a book, within a book, etc. As a child I felt that this kind of book should exist. I even made a prototype by putting one of my bedtime books inside another, inside another. (This was also my attempt to extend nighttime reading with my parents. Clever, eh?)

And then, at the age of five-and-a-half, I took it to the next level when I wrote and mocked up a first draft/book dummy of Open This Little Book.

Fast forward 20-some-odd years: I still passionately believed in the concept of a book within a book. I began to research concept books and could not believe this style of book didn’t already exist—still! So, I decided to create the book.

My research reminded me that concept books have very few words, often include repetition, and sometimes invent a brand new tactile experience and/or book format, such as Dorothy Kunhardt’s Pat the Bunny (S&S, 1940). Finally, concept books usually focus on just one concept.

I felt strongly that the text of Open This Little Book should have layers of concepts: from colors to animals, from sequencing to small motor skills. The overarching concept is that there’s a whole other world within books.

These are the two books, side by side, 25 years apart. As you can see, the vision of Open This Little Book was very vivid at a very young age.

Beyond the text, illustrator-extraordinaire Suzy Lee and I collaborated on how her illustrations could deepen the conceptual layers for older readers. Suzy’s illustrations show us that we bring a bit of ourselves to every story we read, and afterwards, we take away something new that enhances the way we view the world around us. Books introduce readers to characters that can become lifelong friends. There are always more books to read, more friends to make, more perspectives to experience, and more ways we can influence the world around us.

Open This Little Book is my love-letter to books. My greatest hope is that it inspires kids to become lifelong readers—and to write their own stories.

TeachingBooks.net is delighted to welcome award-winning author Steve Sheinkin as our featured guest blogger.

Each month, we ask one distinguished author or illustrator to write an original post that reveals insights about their process and craft. Enjoy!

“The Case of the Missing Story”

by Steve Sheinkin

Photo © Erica Miller

I was describing my research and note-taking process during a recent school visit, when a boy raised his hand and said, “Sounds like you do homework for a living.”

That got a good laugh—at my expense. Though I didn’t mind, I didn’t want to leave students with such a dreary impression of the life of a nonfiction writer. So in visits ever since, I tell students that what I do is a kind of detective work. Yes, I concede, a nerdy kind of detective work.

I start with a mystery—people I don’t know enough about to describe, a story I don’t know enough about to write. From there, I search for clues. The journey begins with books and usually in libraries. For Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook, 2012), for instance, I dug into surveys on the subject, such as Richard Rhodes’s classic The Making of the Atomic Bomb (S & S, 1986). Rhodes’s exhaustive study had far more information than I could possibly use, but it also contained clues, in the form of characters briefly mentioned, or story lines only alluded to.

A small sampling of the “witnesses” called in the case. 

This is exactly what happened when I reached page 455, where Rhodes mentions an obscure side story starring Norwegian commandoes sent behind enemy lines to sabotage Germany’s bomb project. This was the first I’d heard of the mission, and I had to know more. Following the author’s information to the source notes, I saw that Rhodes’s main source (his star witness, you might say) was Knut Haukelid, one of the Norwegian commandoes, who’d written a memoir called Skis Against the Atom (W. Kimber, 1954). Searching online, I found used copies of the book for sale and the location of libraries that owned it. Reading Haukelid’s gripping account, I realized he was a key to solving the case, or rather, my way into a global thriller that would be informative, and hopefully, a page-turner.

Clues in the text reveal fascinating new pieces of history.

It’s not always that simple. My next book will tell a little-known World War II civil rights story, set at the segregated naval base Port Chicago, in California. The main characters, young African-American sailors who risked everything to challenge injustice in the military, are no longer alive. The key witness is a Berkeley professor named Robert Allen, who, decades ago, tracked down and interviewed many of these men.

This bulletin board helped me figure out how to structure the Port Chicago story.

When I flew to Oakland to interview Allen, I got the kind of lucky break all detectives need. Dr. Allen drove me around the Bay Area showing me sites that played a role in the story, and generously offered me access to his priceless collection of oral histories. Only with this material could I begin to piece that mystery together.

Each book presents a new challenge, a different kind of mystery to solve. And the best part is that I get to pick which cases to work on. Can’t say that about homework!

- An original article by Steve Sheinkin

This material may not be used without the express written consent of Steve Sheinkin. All images courtesy of Steve Sheinkin.

More online resources about Steve Sheinkin:

Hear Steve Sheinkin share the pronunciation and story of his name. Listen now

Hear Steve Sheinkin share the backstory for and read an excerpt from Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. Listen now

See all online resources for Steve Sheinkin.

Each month we share information about special, free, and enjoyable opportunities for you that we feel support the mission of TeachingBooks. This month, we hope you enjoy learning about the following opportunities (in order of deadline):

WIN A FREE COPY OF Missing Mommy: A Book About Bereavement (Elementary)

Honest and straightforward, this touching story explores the many emotions a bereaved child may experience, from anger and guilt to sadness and bewilderment. Ultimately, Missing Mommy focuses on the positive—the recognition that the child is not alone but still part of a family that loves and supports him.

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is giving away 5 copies of Missing Mommy by Rebecca Cobb. To enter to win, send an email to kidsschoolandlibrary@macmillanusa.com with the subject line of “Missing Mommy Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: April 24, 2013 (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

CELEBRATE SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY WITH A FOLGER GIVEAWAY (High School)

The Bard turns 449 on April 23rd. Celebrate with the New Folger Library Shakespeare! The Folger Library, along with Simon & Schuster, is giving away two sets of the Shakespeare’s most widely-taught plays: Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, and Julius Caesar.

To enter to win, complete this entry form.

Visit folger.edu and http://series.simonandschuster.com/Folger-Shakespeare-Library for more information on the Folger editions. Find lesson plans, like this one, on TeachingBooks.

Deadline: April 24, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Danny, Who Fell in a Hole (Elementary & Middle School)

Danny finds himself stranded at the bottom of a giant construction hole, armed with nothing but his school backpack, his wits — and the company of a poetry-spouting mole …

Groundwood Books is giving away 5 copies of Danny, Who Fell in a Hole. To enter to win, send an email to news@groundwoodbooks.com with the subject line of “DANNY CONTEST” and please include your mailing address.

See the book guide.

Deadline: April 30, 2013 (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Steam Train, Dream Train & a train whistle (Elementary)

Chronicle Books is giving away 3 copies of Steam Train, Dream Train and a custom train whistle! From the team that created the #1 New York Times Bestseller Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. Toot Toot!

To enter to win, complete this entry form.

Deadline: April 30, 2013 (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Indivisible: Poems for Social Justice (High School)

Enter to win a copy of Indivisible: Poems for Social Justice edited by Gail Bush and Randy Meyer. This anthology has over 50 works of poetry by 20th century writers on issues related to social justice and includes a foreword by rapper and social activist COMMON.

Norwood House Press is giving away 5 free copies of Indivisible. To enter to win, send an email to info@norwoodhousepress.com with the subject line “Indivisible” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: May 10, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman (Elementary)

The Matchbox Diary by Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, has received four starred reviews. According to Publishers Weekly, The Matchbox Diary is “a powerful introduction to the American immigrant story, and fine inspiration for a classroom project.”

Candlewick Press is giving away 10 copies of The Matchbox Diary with a poster and Teachers’ Guide featuring Common Core connections. To enter to win, send an email to anne.irza-leggat@candlewick.com with the subject line of “The Matchbox Diary Contest” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: May 10, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

WIN A FREE SUBSCRIPTION FOR Text2Reader (Middle School)

Text2Reader is a monthly Language Arts program for grades 6-
8. Receive one full year (8 editions to retrieve online). Each issue is 
aligned with Common Core.

Orca Book Publishers is giving away 1 subscription for Text2Reader. To enter 
to win, send an email to text2reader@orcabook.com with the subject line of
”T2R & TeachingBooks.net” and please include your mailing address.

Learn more about Text2Reader at: http://www.text2reader.com

Deadline: May 15, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

 

 

 

 

TeachingBooks.net is delighted to welcome award-winning author Katherine Applegate as our featured guest blogger.

Each month, we ask one distinguished author or illustrator to write an original post that reveals insights about their process and craft. Enjoy!

 

“Researching The One and Only Ivan“

by Katherine Applegate

Photo courtesy of the author

I love doing research when I’m working on a novel, and not just because it’s a great way to procrastinate. Research can be as vital to a work of fiction as it is to nonfiction. It fleshes out your backstory. It helps you make serendipitous connections. It lets you know—truly know—your characters and setting.

It was a pre-Google world when my husband, Michael Grant, and I wrote Animorphs (a middle-grade series published by Scholastic about kids who could turn into animals). We relied on a bookcase full of well-worn nonfiction books about animals, insects, birds: anything morph-able. When we couldn’t find the right book, we would rush to the public library. I recall spending hours thumbing through the card catalog like a forty-niner sifting through a stream for nuggets of gold. Ideas were there: possibilities, connections.

But that was then. The One and Only Ivan (HarperCollins, 2012), my novel based on the story of a gorilla caged in a Tacoma, WA, mall for 27 years, was written in a digital world. Want to know if these creatures eat mangoes? Care to see what they look when they play tag? Like to gaze into the eerily familiar eyes of a newborn gorilla? No problem. There are websites and apps that will provide you with those facts and visuals.

Illustration © Patricia Castelao

Still, it was the old-fashioned kind of research that most informed my writing of Ivan. I spent a day at the Tacoma Public Library archives, searching through yellowing articles about the real gorilla. I went to the mall where he’d lived in solitude for so many long years. And of course, I traveled to Zoo Atlanta to see the real Ivan. It was a rainy day, and Ivan, not a big fan of damp weather, didn’t venture outside. It didn’t matter. Just being there was heart-stopping. The magnificent animal, who’d endured so much, the one who’d inspired my story, was a few feet away, and that was enough.

A copy of the novel “signed” with Ivan’s thumbprint.
Photo credit: John Schumacher

The One and Only Ivan was published in January 2012, and Ivan passed away in August. But research, like laundry, is never really done. There are always more questions to be asked. I flew to Atlanta to attend Ivan’s memorial service. I met his keeper, his saviors, his friends. It was moving and haunting at the same time. How could a single Western lowland gorilla, one whose life had been so truncated and altered, have touched so many human lives? The book is done, but the questions continue. The research never ends, and that’s a good thing. It’s a lot more fun than laundry.

- An original article by Katherine Applegate

This material may not be used without the express written consent of Katherine Applegate. All images courtesy of Katherine Applegate.

More online resources about Katherine Applegate:

Hear Katherine Applegate share the pronunciation and story of her name. Listen now

Hear Katherine Applegate share the backstory for and read an excerpt from The One and Only Ivan. Listen now

See all online resources for Katherine Applegate.

Each month we share information about special, free, and enjoyable opportunities for you that we feel support the mission of TeachingBooks. This month, we hope you enjoy learning about the following opportunities (in order of deadline):

WIN A FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE DIGITAL BOOK APP It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! (Elementary)

Reviewed by paleontologists at the Smithsonian Institution, the It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! digital book app tells the story of the fiercest predator in all the land and its quest for food. The app provides fascinating information about the prehistoric world, with amazing graphics and powerful sound effects.

Oceanhouse Media is giving away 5 copies of It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! (app is for Apple devices only). To enter to win, send an email to info@oceanhousemedia.com with the subject line of “TeachingBooks.net T-Rex Contest Entry.”

Click here for a Teacher’s Guide for It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Deadline: March 27, 2013  (Open to US and international addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Testing (High School)

In Cia’s dystopian society it’s an honor to be chosen for The Testing. But it’s not enough to pass the Test. Cia will have to survive it.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is giving away 5 copies of The Testing. We will also include a Testing bracelet and a package of tattoos. To enter to win, send an email to amanda.barsuhn@hmhco.com with the subject line of “The Testing Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Click here to see the Educator’s Guide.

Deadline:  March 27, 2013   (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar (Elementary)

It’s easy to take a cookie out of the cookie jar: just reach in. But how does it get in there in the first place? It’s more complicated than you might think. George Shannon and Julie Paschkis take us on a delicious cookie journey, showing how many hands work together so that one hand can take the cookie out—and so that you can take a huge yummy bite!

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is giving away 5 copies of Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar by George Shannon, illustrated by Julie Paschkis. To enter to win, send an email to kidsschoolandlibrary@macmillanusa.com with the subject line of “Cookie Jar Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: March 27, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

  

WIN A FREE SIGNED COPY OF Being Henry David (Middle and High School)

Albert Whitman Teen is giving away 5 copies of Being Henry David. To enter to win, send an email to online@albertwhitman.com with the subject line of “TeachingBooks.net giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Seventeen-year-old “Hank” has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything–who he is, where he came from, why he’s running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. “This compelling, suspenseful debut, a tough-love riff on guilt, forgiveness and redemption, asks hard questions to which there are no easy answers.” STARRED, Kirkus Reviews

Click here for the discussion guide.

Deadline:  March 31, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind (Elementary)

Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind is the second in a series of chapter books featuring a charismatic and funny central character. An only child with active, loving parents (and a most impressive lint collection), Jasper John Dooley is a true original.

Kids Can Press is giving away 5 copies of Book 2 in the series, Jasper John Dooley: Left Behind. To enter to win, send an email to libraries@kidscan.com with the subject line of “Jasper John Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline:  April 1, 2013   (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Windblown (Elementary)

Using the same small scraps of paper over and over again to create a new animal on each page, Édouard Manceau has created a timeless cumulative tale that will delight and enchant children as they try to figure out just who the pieces of paper belong to…

Owlkids Books is giving away 3 copies of Windblown. To enter to win, send an email to owlkids@owlkids.com with the subject line of “They belong to me!” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline:  April 1, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Girl of the Wish Garden (Elementary)

This beautifully written story, loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Thumbelina,” was created in response to the gorgeous award-winning art of Nasrin Khosravi.

Groundwood Books is giving away 5 copies of The Girl of the Wish Garden. To enter to win, send an email to news@groundwoodbooks.com with the subject line of “WISH GARDEN CONTEST” and please include your mailing address.

Click here to see the book trailer.

Deadline: April 3, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Open This Little Book (Elementary)

Open this book and you will find … another book … and another … and another. Debut author Jesse Klausmeier and master book creator Suzy Lee have combined their creative visions to craft a seemingly simple book about colors for the very youngest readers, an imaginative exploration of the art of book making for more sophisticated aficionados, and a charming story of friendship and the power of books for all.

Chronicle Books is giving away 3 copies of Open This Little Book and a poster. To enter to win, please visit http://budurl.com/OTLB

Click here to see the book trailer.

Deadline: April 3, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A SKYPE AUTHOR VISIT WITH Ethan Long, author of The Wing Wing Brothers (Elementary)

Enter to win a visit with the amazing Ethan Long during Mathematics Awareness Month in April! Tell us how you use The Wing Wing Brothers books to help meet your curriculum objectives—and make math fun!

One Grand-Prize Winner will receive:

• A free 30-minute Skype school visit with author-illustrator Ethan Long
• Signed copies of The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular! and The Wing Wing Brothers Carnival De Math.
• A set of ten Holiday House math books—all aligned with the Common Core State Standards

 Two Lucky Classrooms will receive:

• Signed copies of The Wing Wing Brothers Math Spectacular! and The Wing Wing Brothers Carnival De Math.
• A set of Holiday House math titles—all aligned with the Common Core State Standards

To enter to win, go to the Holiday House Books for Young People’s Facebook page and tell them how you use the Wing Wing Brothers books in your classroom. Feel free to get creative and post photos. Have you made your own Wing Wing Brothers puppets to help teach your classroom how to add and subtract? Or have you used any particular method the characters use in the book?

Deadline: April 10, 2013  (Open to US and Canadian addresses)

 

WIN A COMPLETE SET OF THE NEW iMATH series (Elementary) 

iMath is a 30 book leveled reader series created to align with the Common Core (10 books in each level – K-2, 3-4, 5-6).  This storyline approach uses real life situations and open-ended questions to strengthen critical thinking skills and promote discussion.

Norwood House Press is giving away 2 complete sets of their newest series, iMATH. To enter to win, send an email to info@norwoodhousepress.com with the subject line “iMath Contest” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: April 15, 2013  (Open to US addresses only)

 

ENTER TO WIN ORIGINAL ART FROM Patricia Polacco (Elementary)

Patricia Polacco loves teachers! Show how much you appreciate Patricia Polacco by entering for a chance to win original art.

Penguin Young Readers Group and School Library Journal are giving away original art from Patricia Polacco and a classroom set of her books. To enter to win, go to slj.com/patriciapolaccosweepstakes and fill in the entry form.

Deadline: April 30, 2013  (Open to US addresses only)

 

TeachingBooks.net is delighted to welcome award-winning author Roch Carrier as our featured guest blogger.

Each month, we ask one distinguished author or illustrator to write an original post that reveals insights about their process and craft. Enjoy!

 

“The Hockey Sweater”

by Roch Carrier

Photo courtesy of the author

Forty years ago, when I was a young writer, and enjoying some success with my first novel, La Guerre, Yes Sir! (Éditions du jour, 1968), I was invited to write a story for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). I wanted to write about the moment that I felt, for the very first time, that I was my own person—not my mother’s son, not my father’s son—but me, petit Roch. That moment occurred the day I put on my leg pads, my shoulder pads, my ice skates, and my Montréal Canadiens sweater. Suddenly, I was as tall as my mother and I had a hockey stick to fight with my big brother.

But another story came. The story I related for that broadcast was when, as a 10-year-old living in a very small village, I arrived at the skating rink wearing the jersey of our sworn enemies, the Toronto Maple Leafs. How did that happen? My mom had ordered a new hockey sweater from a catalog. What arrived? The jersey of our rivals.

Image from The Hockey Sweater (Tundra, 1984)

I wrote the story in French, my mother tongue, but it was translated into English. I read the story on the Canadian radio network and later learned that they received bags of letters about the story.

The Hockey Sweater played many times on the air and was printed in a collection of short stories. It was also made into a wonderful animated film by Sheldon Cohen, and then, by the same artist, an illustrated children’s book (Tundra 1984). There is even a quote from The Hockey Sweater on the Canadian five-dollar bill. In 2009, images from the International Space Station depicted the Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk reading the illustrated version of the book.

Image from The Hockey Sweater (Tundra, 1984)

In May and June of 2012, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra commissioned Abigail Richardson, a great Canadian composer, to write music for the story. I read The Hockey Sweater nervously to almost 40,000 children and their parents. The enterprise was highly successful; there will be more performances across Canada.

How did this all happen? I don’t know. As a writer, I would like to think that there was some magic in my words, but in the end, I know it just happened. My listeners and readers made it happen. Many thanks to all of them; they gave me so many opportunities to connect with people who had their own, often touching, stories to tell me—stories that also deserve to be told. While it’s not my habit to advise young writers, if I had to (under duress), perhaps I would say: Write as you speak—about what you know.

 

- An original article by Roch Carrier

This material may not be used without the express written consent of Roch Carrier. All images courtesy of Roch Carrier

More online resources about Roch Carrier:

Hear Roch Carrier share the pronunciation and story of his name. Listen now

Hear Roch Carrier introduce and read an excerpt from The Hockey Sweater. In English / In French

See all online resources for Roch Carrier.

Each month we share information about special, free, and enjoyable opportunities for you that we feel support the mission of TeachingBooks. This month, we hope you enjoy learning about the following opportunities (in order of deadline):

WIN A FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection #1 FOR YOUR APPLE DEVICE (Elementary)

The Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection #1 contains five Dr. Seuss titles in one interactive book app. Enjoy The Cat in the Hat, The FOOT Book, and many more.

OCEANHOUSE MEDIA is giving away 5 copies of their best-selling book app, Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Collection #1, in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday . To enter to win, send an email to info@oceanhousemedia.com with the subject line of “TeachingBooks.net Contest Entry.”

For more information on Oceanhouse Media’s Dr. Seuss book apps, click here.

Deadline: March 4th, 2013 Open to US and international residents. (App is for Apple devices only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping (Elementary)

Kids Can Press is giving away 10 copies of Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping. To enter to win, send an email to libraries@kidscan.com with the subject line of “Scaredy Squirrel Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: March 4th, 2013 (Open to US and Canadian residents)

 

WIN A FREE COPY & SIGNED POSTER OF Flora and the Flamingo! (Elementary)

In this wordless picture book, Flora and her new feathered friend engage in a pas-de-deux that goes from suspicious to synchronized, and ends with a splash!

Chronicle Books is giving away 3 copies of Flora and the Flamingo & a signed poster. To enter to win, please visit http://budurl.com/TBFandtheF

To see the book trailer and book demo click here.

Deadline: March 5th, 2013 (Open to US and Canadian residents)

 

WIN FREE COPIES OF BESTSELLING Jean Marzollo & Chad Phillip’s new math books aligned with the Common Core Standards (Elementary)

Help your little readers learn math with the chance to win copies of bestselling author, Jean Marzollo’s new math books that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for kindergarten and first grade in mathematics.

Holiday House is giving away 3 sets of Help Me Learn Numbers 0-10, Help Me Learn Addition, and Help Me Learn Subtraction! To enter to win, “like” Holiday House Books for Young Readers on Facebook and leave a comment on our Facebook page describing a technique you use to help your students understand math concepts.

Deadline: March 7th, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Summer of the Mariposas (Middle and High School)

Summer of the Mariposas is a YA fantasy that retells Homer’s The Odyssey. Lee & Low Books is giving away 3 copies of the title. To enter to win, send an email to general@leeandlow.com using the subject line “Mariposas Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

To see the discussion guide click here.

Deadline: March 8th, 2013 (Open to US addresses only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF Operation Oleander (Middle and High School)

Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan, near where her military father is deployed. But when a car bomb explodes as her father and fellow soldiers are delivering Operation Oleander supplies, is it all Jess’s fault?

HMH Books for Young Readers is giving away 3 copies of Operation Oleander. To enter to win, send an email to OpOleanderGiveaway@gmail.com with the subject line of “Pick Me!” and please include your mailing address.

To see the discussion guide for Operation Oleander click here.

Deadline: March 15th, 2013 (Open to US residents only)

Today, TeachingBooks.net welcomes author Bret Hartman as he stops by on his blog tour to discuss his new book Cadillac Chronicles (Cinco Puntos, 2012).

My first young adult novel, Cadillac Chronicles (Cinco Puntos Press, 2012) tells the story of sixteen-year-old Alex Riley and an ornery old man speeding south in a Cadillac. Alex wants two things: to find his father and a girlfriend with a decent set of breasts. Lester, an old man with an old man’s personality, just wants his freedom. On their wild ride, they both discover what it means to finally find a real friend.

My big struggle writing Cadillac Chronicles came long after I finished the first draft. In fact, that first draft (written in 2007) was titled Worthy Companions Incorporated, and it wasn’t even YA. I was so attached to the manuscript that I wasn’t able to realistically consider its faults.

Enter the struggle. By this I mean months and months of rejection. I tried not to think about it. I renovated our kitchen. I worked my day job as a psychologist. I kept up with husbandly and fatherly duties. I wrote here and there (not enough) and I kept checking my inbox for that elusive contract. Rejection slowly gave way to silence.

But then, just as I was ready to bail on the entire project, I took another look. My moment finally arrived. I thought, Wow, this would make a great YA novel—if I could just rewrite it in Alex’s voice! (Okay, so I’m a little slow … and a lot stubborn.)

It wasn’t a simple makeover. I lost count how many revisions it took to get it right. And there were plenty more rejection slips heaped onto the previous pile. I lost count there, too. Still, I never gave up. I believed it was a hell of a good story. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one.

TeachingBooks.net is delighted to welcome award-winning author Russell Freedman as our featured guest blogger.

Each month, we ask one distinguished author or illustrator to write an original post that reveals insights about their process and craft. Enjoy!

“A New Look at the Abraham Lincoln-Frederick Douglass Relationship”

by Russell Freedman

Photo courtesy of the author

I first wrote about Abraham Lincoln ages ago. My book, Lincoln: A Photobiography (Clarion, 1987), was researched during the 1980s, and in 1988, it won the Newbery Medal—the first nonfiction book to receive that award in more than 30 years.

At the time, Lincoln’s brief but telling friendship with Frederick Douglass was not a subject that had received much attention in the vast and ever-expanding Lincoln literature. Photobiography includes several references to Douglass’s meetings with Lincoln and to his changing opinion of the president, but it does not delve into the parallels in their lives or the implications of their friendship.

Frederick Douglass around 1847. Madison County Historical Society, Oneida, NY

That was then. As new evidence comes to light, our understanding of the past keeps changing. Recent years have seen the emergence of a group of scholars who have examined in considerable depth the Lincoln-Douglass relationship and its consequences for the conduct of the Civil War and for race relations in America. I became aware of this view when I read Garry Wills’s essay, “Lincoln’s Black History,” in the June 11, 2009, issue of The New York Review of Books. That led me to John Stauffer’s June 4, 2005, Time Magazine essay, “Across the Great Divide,” and, finally, to the books cited in the bibliography of my Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), which have advanced the study of Lincoln and emancipation by treating Frederick Douglass as an equal protagonist.

While I was writing Photobiography, I followed the Lincoln Trail, visiting all the significant sites in Lincoln’s life, from his log-cabin birthplace in Kentucky to the rooming house across the street from Ford’s Theatre where he died. For Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, I went to Douglass’s last home, Cedar Hill in Washington, DC.  The 14-room house and its contents have been preserved as a National Historic Site. Douglass’s library, with more than a thousand books and the rolltop desk where he wrote many speeches and his final autobiography, serves as a poignant reminder that he was entirely self-taught.

Frederick Douglass in his library at Cedar Hill. National Park Service

As I stood at the doorway to that library with its floor-to-ceiling shelves, I could imagine Douglass selecting a book and settling down to read. From time to time, he must have recalled those distant days in Baltimore, MD, when he was forbidden to read, an enslaved, determined child who owned one book, a single volume that he kept hidden from view and read in secret.

- An original article by Russell Freedman

This material may not be used without the express written consent of Russell Freedman. All images courtesy of Russell Freedman.

More online resources about Russell Freedman:

Hear Russell Freedman share the pronunciation and story of his name. Listen now

Hear Russell Freedman share the backstory for and read an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Listen now

See all online resources for Russell Freedman.

 

Each month we share information about special, free, and enjoyable opportunities for you that we feel support the mission of TeachingBooks. This month, we hope you enjoy learning about the following opportunities (in order of deadline):

WIN A FREE ADVANCE READING COPY & GOODY BAG for Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (Middle School)

Meet “detective” Timmy Failure, star of the kids’ comedy of the year, created by New York Times best-selling cartoonist Stephan Pastis.

Enter to win one of five Timmy Failure goody bags by emailing Anne.Irza-Leggat@candlewick.com with the subject line “Timmy Failure” and please include your mailing address.

Visit http://timmyfailure.com/ for information about the book, Stephan Pastis, news & reviews, fun stuff, and more.

Deadline: January 22, 2013 (Open to U.S. and Canadian residents)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Poetry Friday Anthology (Elementary)

The Poetry Friday Anthology: Poems for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core includes 36 poems for each grade level, K-5 (a poem-a-week for the 9 months of the typical school year). This book also includes activities that connect to the Common Core standards.

TeachingBooks.net is giving away two copies of The Poetry Friday Anthology by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. To enter to win, please email danika@teachingbooks.net with the subject line “Common Core and Poetry” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: January 24th, 2013 (Open to U.S. and Canadian residents)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (Middle and High School)

Susin Nielsen peoples The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen with a cast of fabulous characters, dark humour, and a lovable, difficult protagonist struggling to come to terms with the horrible crime his brother has committed. This novel was the winner of the 2012 Governor General’s Award for Best Children’s Text!

Tundra Books is giving away three copies of The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen. To enter to win, send an email to tundra@mcclelland.com with the subject line “Henry K. Larsen Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

Deadline: January 24th, 2013 (Open to U.S. and Canadian residents)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Tooth Mouse (Elementary)

Kids Can Press is giving away ten copies of The Tooth Mouse. To enter to win, send an email to libraries@kidscan.com with the subject line “Tooth Mouse Giveaway” and please include your mailing address.

To download a Baby Tooth Tracker chart, click here.

Deadline: January 31, 2013 (Open to U.S. and Canadian residents)

 

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best, Valentine Ever (Elementary)

Leon makes the perfect valentine to express his love for Zoey Maloney, but this valentine has other ideas. “Love is yucky, kid!” the card yells and leaps out the window. Will true love triumph?

Dial Books for Young Readers is giving away five copies of The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best, Valentine Ever. To enter to win, send an email to yuckyvalentine@gmail.com with the subject line “Pick me!” and please include your mailing address.

Click here to download a free Valentine Activity Kit based on the book.

Deadline: January 31, 2013 (Open to U.S. residents only)

 

WIN A FREE COPY OF The Amelia Bedelia 50th Anniversary Edition (Elementary)

Amelia Bedelia will be 50 years young in 2013, and you’re invited to her birthday party! The celebration kicks off on January 29, 2013—Amelia Bedelia Day. Greenwillow Books is giving away 50 copies of the special Amelia Bedelia 50th Anniversary Edition of the I Can Read classic, now with a beautiful foil cover.

Click here to enter to win and to download a Party Kit, which includes decorating and hosting tips, name tags, activities, and a make-your-own-bonnet craft!

Deadline: February 1, 2013 (Open to U.S. residents only)

 

NOMINATE YOUR CLASS for OWL Magazine’s Ambassadors for Change Classroom of the Month!

OWL Magazine and Free the Children want to know what your class is doing to make a change in your community or around the world. Are you and your students organizing a fundraiser or planning a special project for a cause? To enter your class, tell your story and send a photo to change@owlkids.com.

OWL Magazine will highlight a class of the month starting in January 2013. Nominations are welcome from students, parents, and teachers.

Deadline: None (Open to all)