INK Sisters Write

Dear Kim, Focus on books. Focus on books. Look to ALA and focus on books. That's my mantra today. Does it work for you too? ALA Midwinter is a hive of book buzz right now with just a few days until the announcements of the annual ALA Youth Media awards. From http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/ymapk It is an exciting time for the children's book world as we await to see if our favorites will wear foil seals. Award committees may miss one or two of our favorites, but overwhelmingly do a nice job of highlighting the very best in children's literature each year.  What a task serving on such a committee must be, equal parts heavy responsibility and utter joy. I'm always pleased when the committees help me find new books to love, like Dan Santat's BEEKLE or THIS ONE SUMMER by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. Both were so far from my radar. So I say, THANK YOU, COMMITTEES for bringing them to me! I don't read enough m...

Dear Kim, Here comes a big one. The book that I've been talking and talking about finally lands on our blog today. H is for Ashley Hope Perez and her historical tragedy, Out of Darkness . H is for Ashley Hope Perez Cover missing Printz Honor seal. Say what you want about prologues, Kim, but reading the prologue to Hope Perez's award-winning historical fiction is a litmus test to see if you can emotionally handle this haunting novel. If you can pull through the prologue without your heart crumbling to nothing, you might be strong enough to continue reading.  "Within the great circle," she writes, "men crawl over the crumpled form of the collapsed school. They cart away rubble and search for survivors. For their children. Mostly, though, they find bodies." The prologue continues, describing the hours and days just after the explosion. The prologue ends with, "More than grief, more than anger, there is a need. Someone to blame. Someone to make ...