It’s been an author-heavy week at Chez Fox: we managed to get out to not one, but two back-to-back author events at my bookstore. The first was Kristopher Jansma, who was charming, intelligent, and very, very nervous. He read for 40 minutes (nearly a whole chapter!), which was okay but went on too long. When we finally did get to the Q&A, he was highly embarrassed at all the praise, but handled it gracefully.
My friend, Karen, was smitten.

Clare Vanderpool took this picture. How cool is that?!?

The next night, I dragged M to see Gabrielle Zevin, who was fantastic. She spoke rather than read (though she did read a couple of short passages). She talked about her idea of publishing (referencing that one scene in the Little Women movie), and about writing, and was funny, and smart, and charming. We had a grand time. I talked with one of our regular customers afterwards, who had been the evening before, and we both commented about how Zevin handled the event thing so much better. Perhaps it was a woman/man thing, but I’m chalking it up to experience: she’s been doing this for 10 years, and has figured out how to do it well.

As for the daughters, M discovered this:

I like this cover better than the one we have.

And plowed through the whole series on her days off. She loved it. Seriously. I was just jealous that she didn’t have to wait in between books. And it kind of made me want to revisit the series.

C finished this one:

Which she enjoyed because, duh, RACHEL HAWKINS. Also, she said it was a cross between Legally Blonde and Terminator. How she knows this is beyond me, since she’s never seen either movie.

A finished book reports and book projects, reading this on her teacher’s suggestion:

She cried. (Who doesn’t when reading this one?) And as a reward for finishing all her assignments, she decided to re-read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series before the end of the school year. (She also told me, “I just really like magic, mom.”)

K has been struggling with reading, and when we took her to the eye doctor, we found out why: the muscles in her eyes don’t track side to side very well for very long. She can read, but she gets headaches and her eyes go blurry if she reads for very long. Which is probably why she really likes graphic novels. We’re encouraging her to read in short bouts, and trying to get her to focus longer, and we’ll go back in a year to see what the doctor says. Still, it’s good to know that her disinterest in reading is not disinterest, but rather discomfort.

She and Hubby are about halfway through this (on C’s recommendation):

And she’s enjoying it very much.

As for my book group, we had three girls show up last month (no one had read the book, which makes it kind of hard to discuss), and that made me very happy. I don’t know how much bleed-over we’ll have this month for this one:

I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly, but I can see how it’d be challenging for kids to “get”. Maybe if people show up on Saturday, we’ll actually have a good discussion. I’m hoping that more kids come during the summer, but I’m not sure they will. We’re also planning a John Green summer for the teen crowd, especially since The Fault in Our Stars is coming out in June. (I know: not diverse. I did think of that. I have excuses, but they’re just that: excuses. Perhaps I can use this as a launching pad to get other people interested in other — more diverse books.)

And Blue Willow Bookshop has challenged our store to The Great Greene Heist Challenge,which I begged my bosses to accept. I want to do this partially because I really like Varian and his writing and I want to support him, but also because I think Wichita, especially, gets into a white/male rut. I want to prove — to myself at the very least — that we, an independent store in the middle of Kansas, can sell a bunch of copies of a diverse middle grade book. It’s kind of intimidating, but I believe we can do it. (If you want to help, pre-order the book here. We ship!)

Whew! That was a long post.  What have you (or your kids) been reading?

March was an extremely busy month for all of us. M finally came home. We had a nice trip to Kansas City for spring break. We had stuff going on every weekend. April doesn’t look to be much different; there’s just something about things picking up when things get warm outside.

I handed both M and C this one after I finished it, and wouldn’t tell them much more than “It’s a old-money rich family, it’s set on an island in the summer, and something terrible happened.”

A third of the way through, C said, “I’m only reading this because you won’t tell me how it ends!” and when she finished it, she tossed it across the room, only half in disgust. M, on the other hand, thought the ending was brilliant and Lockhart masterful. At the very least, it’s given the three of us something to talk about.

As a side note, C said her Language Arts class is doing a historical fiction book report and they were in the library looking for books. She helped several of her classmates find books, recommending Code Name Verity, Stealing Home, 47, and Bloody Jack.She picked out When Molly was a Harvey Girl for herself (which was a Cybils book a few years ago that I liked enough to keep) though we’ve also stuck Ten Cents a Dance on hold at the library for her. (One of the requirements was that they haven’t read it before, which bummed her out, because her favorite book is The Bad Queen.) She’s an awesome bookseller/librarian. 🙂

A has been working through the Fablehaven series. She’s actually quite glad she didn’t have to wait upon ending the fourth book; it was a bit of a cliffhanger. I have no idea what she’s going to read when she finishes the last one.

And K has discovered Dragon Breath.

She’s enthralled with the series, even asking for the books for her birthday. She thinks it’s awesome.

Our book for the book group this month is this one:

I haven’t been able to convince A to read it (I think K might like it better) so I’m hoping that more people will come. I gave a presentation to the elementary school librarians (if you’re interested, you can see the books I talked about here), which included a plug for my book group. And I actually got a flyer out to them as well. I’m crossing my fingers for Saturday.

Have your kids read anything fun lately?

Whew, January is done. That means — in spite of the snow that’s threatening to come (those up north: don’t laugh) — spring is that much closer. It also means things get busier and there are holidays (even the dreaded Valentine’s Day, ugh) to distract me from the Cold and Snow. Which is something.

What did the girls read this month?

Hubby and K read this:

Which K picked out (she has a very elaborate picking scheme when she doesn’t have her  mind already made up), and thoroughly enjoyed. She said she liked Elionwy the best, because she’s “good and awesome and a good fighter. She’s very funny and talks a lot, and even though she has a bauble, she stands up for herself.” But she also liked how Taran admitted to making mistakes at the end. She’s very thoughtful, my daughter.

A had a book report on Joan of Arc due, but she still found time to read

She really loved the first one, and so requested I pick up the second. She’s liking it — there’s more conflicts than there were in the first book, which she’s liking, and bonus: Seth is a LOT less annoying — but she’s reserving final judgement until she finishes.

And C, having seen this flow chart on Tumblr (and because Days of Blood & Starlight wasn’t as interesting as she wanted it to be)decided she wanted to go on a dystopian/post-apocalyptic bender. We requested a bunch from the library, but the one she picked up was

which she’s enjoying, though she has to constantly remind herself that it doesn’t quite fit in with the Uglies universe. She misses Tally and all the rest. Also, she’s decided that Westerfeld’s novels need to be illustrated: “He describes things that are hard to imagine.”

I think I’m going to start including by 3-5th Grade Book Group choices here, just so I have a record of them. The kids — probably predictably — really liked Fablehaven last month. We had a great discussion about choices and annoying boys and whether or not magic creatures are real. I also appreciated that Brandon Mull had a lot of cool things on his website (the kids love it when there are extras). This month, we’re reading one of my favorites as a kid:

Here’s hoping the kids like it.

I’m off today for our Book Club Sunday at work before the SuperBowl, and have gotten roped into talking about good Middle Grade/YA books for adults. I think I’ve worked up a good list of already published and soon-to come out books. I’l be sure to stick them up on the third Sunday as my list this month.

Happy reading!

I’m calling this the Christmas Books Edition. Because you did want to know what books Santa brought for the girls. Right?

Starting from the youngest, it was K’s year to get an American girl doll. One of the reasons I like those dolls is that the historic ones (at least) come with their own set of books. K chose Caroline, set during the War of 1812, and is happily enjoying the books that came with her.

All A asked for was books. But since she got the Percy Jackson series (her own copy) for her birthday, all that was really left was her own copy of the Harry Potter series. (For the record: that makes three complete sets of books here at the Fox house: a hardback, first edition [4-7 anyway. The others are hardback, but I’m not sure they’re first edition]; paperback old edition; and paperback new edition.) She was very happy!

And C got her favorite Marie Antoinette book: Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer. She actually put down Daughter of Smoke & Bone (which she had been reading) to read Bad Queen before the end of break, she was that happy to have it in her hands!

And M got a book as well, though it didn’t make it into the Christmas box we sent her…

It’s waiting for her when she gets back home.

What books did you get/give this year?

It’s December, and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least around our house. We spent all day yesterday putting up the Christmas decorations and getting out the music, which as played nearly non-stop. Also: C, A, and I spent most of the Thanksgiving break watching Dr. Who (After watching 9 and 10, I’ve decided I like the 9th. While I like David Tennant, his Doctor is too… frantic, which drives me nuts. Donna, however, is the best companion. So far.), which isn’t Christmas-y, but is fun, and explains why some of the books are the same from last month.

C was wandering around looking for a book to read (after bailing on a couple that didn’t hold her interest), and I reminded her that I picked up Ally Carter’s latest, United We Spy, a little while back. She was simultaneously embarrassed and happy: she’d forgotten she had this one in one of her favorite series to read!

A is still reading this one. She’s not done with it yet, not because she’s not interested, but because she keeps having to put it aside. She read The Christmas Carol (yes, the original, not an adaptation) for a book report for school and has tackled The View From Saturday (which she didn’t like at first, but eventually warmed up to) and Love, Ruby Lavender (she says it was sweet) for Battle of the Books. Mostly, though, she just wants to curl up and read Children of the Lamp. Also: we went to see Santa last night, and she asked for books. Lots of “real” books (he asked if she wanted books or e-books) for Christmas. That’s my girl.

K talked Hubby into reading Goblet of Fire out loud to her. She really loves listening to it (they’re only at the Yule Ball), and doesn’t miss a night reminding him to read to her. I think what she likes best is the Quidditch.

And now… on to Christmas!

Fall is upon us in full force, with the trees turning lovely colors (well, as much as they can in Kansas), and schoolwork piling on. Still, the girls manage to find time to squeeze in reading books for pleasure.

C decided that, in anticipation of the movie, she would reread this:

It’s her favorite of the series (“It’s like i, but better because you know what’s going to happen, and it’s not as scary!”) and she plowed through it in just a couple of days. And then she watched the final trailer:

and got even more excited: “They included that!! AWESOME!” Guess what we’ll be doing on November 22? (I think I probably should pick up tickets now, huh?)

A is up to her eyeballs in books. She’s reading The View From Saturday (which she is often confused by), Hoot (for our book group; she likes it and wishes she had more time to read it), and a Christmas book at school (for a book report; I don’t remember which one it is). But a couple days ago, C convinced A to read this one:

and A is hooked. Forget about everything else: THIS is the book she wants to devote her time to. She’s enthralled.

K has gone through the first two Great Brain books with Hubby, and enjoyed them quite a bit. But she decided she wanted a break from that and has gone back to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In addition she and I are reading this:

There’s a lot of difficult words in there for a 7-year-old, but I help her through those, mostly. She does get what’s going on, and she remembers things that I forget. She loves the action, and thinks Rapunzel is pretty cool. In other words: she looks forward to reading with me every night. And a parent can’t ask for anything more than that!

I’ll be in Austin for KidlitCon next weekend (YAY!!). I hope to see a bunch of you there!

I almost forgot about this; some months, the first Sunday creeps up on me too fast. We’re adjusting to M being gone, and even though we get to “talk” to her via Facebook and email, there are still times when we miss having her around.

As for the rest of them, they’re doing the usual: homework, bickering, spending too much time on the computer, and (of course) reading.

C is nearly done with this one, but has put it aside.

It’s not because she doesn’t like it, but rather because she doesn’t want Amanda and Leo’s story to end. From what she’s said, it’s quite a wonderful conclusion to the series.

A has joined Battle of the Books. It’s basically an elementary school competition here in town. Interested 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders read a list of books then create teams and compete, answering questions about the books read. Neither M or C were interested in doing this, but A seems to be liking it. Currently she’s reading

and says it’s “very emotional” right now. She’s not that far into it, though.

And Hubby has convinced K to read

None of the other girls have had any interest in this favorite series of his, and at first, K wasn’t that enthused. (And when asked, she said, “Not so good.”) But, she eagerly asks to read, and even though she’s a bit flummoxed wtih the 19th-century boy stuff, she’s entertained.

The big thing for us, though, is next weekend we’re driving to St. Louis to see Rick Riordan on his House of Hades tour. (Hubby’s not.) The rest of us are thrilled. Pictures forthcoming!

Until then… Happy reading!

I know, I know: it’s the second Sunday. But I got off this month, but I figured since there were five Sundays, it didn’t really matter.

So, what have my daughters been reading in the last month since school started?

M (this is her last one, since she’s taking off to India — hopefully, if her visa comes through *fingers crossed* — on the 23rd) had stalled out reading the Lumatere Chronicles. She read Finnikin several months back, and loved it with an enormous love, but found Froi to be, well, not Finnikin. But, she picked it back up a week or so ago, and stayed up until 4 a.m. finishing it. And requested I get her Quintana immediately. Of course, I support all book addictions, and I did so.

No word on what she thinks of this one so far.

C has stalled out. She finished City of Bones before we went to see the movie — which was a LOT of fun, by the way. We even forgave their mangling of the ending — but had no interest in continuing the series. She then picked up this one from my stacks:

And was raving about it. But… she’s stalled out on it. Said it turned weird, and she just can’t get the energy to finish it. I told her to bail, but then she can’t count it for the 25 books reading campaign they have at school, so she keeps trying to finish it. Too bad, though: it has such a hilarious premise.

A is in the middle of three different books. She was reading the second Hollow Earth book (having liked the first one), but then decided she wanted to read all the Grimms Fairy Tales. She was reading that one — and enjoying those — but then her fourth grade teacher assigned them a mystery book report, and she picked up a Nancy Drew

and is currently devouring that one. I approve, having read all the Nancy Drew books when I was about her age.

K and Hubby are still getting through the Percy Jackson series, being nearly through The Last Olympian. She’s pressuring him to read her Goblet of Fire next. In addition, she started reading aloud to me every night. I asked her to choose the book, and she pulled this one off the shelves:

Sometimes the words are a little above her ability, but I help her with those. Have I mentioned I love graphic novels for that reason? The pictures offset the more difficult words, so the comprehension is still there. That, and this one is so much fun to read and reread.

An update on my book groups: I’m abandoning the 6-8th grade one; no one seems interested. However, I’m in the planning stages — trying to put together a comprehensive proposal — of setting up a Teen Reader program/advisory board. The idea is that they read the ARCs and report back on them, but I also want it to be slightly more substantial than that, so they can get an idea how publishing and promoting and author events and all that work. It’s still pretty unformed, so I don’t know how fast it’s going to happen. And I need to figure out a way to get boys involved, too. My 3-5th grade group is going strong, though, and we’ve decided to keep it going with the hope of getting it to grow. I’ve got a flyer I need to get out to the elementary school librarians. Crossing my fingers that it works, because I don’t want it to die.

Another in a series detailing what my (bookish) girls are reading.

It’s the end of the summer — school starts for us in a week and a half — and the girls are actually quite excited to get back. Except for M, who doesn’t have to go back. Instead, she’s preparing to go to Durgapur, India the end of September. Which means a lot of paperwork, and going to her job every morning. She does, however, find time to read, plowing through most of the Infernal Devices series. But the book that has had the most impact in recent months is this one:

She had me pick it up because Vitoria Vantoch is Misha Collins’s wife, but ended up really liking it. Which led her to consider pursuing a major in women’s studies. Which she discovered she’s really excited about. In fact, she and C are kind of planning — someday — to write a book about the history of women through and the societal impact of fashion (C’s passion right now is fashion history). It’s exciting and impressive watching her discover this.

C, on the other hand, has not really picked up a book in the last month. She tried City of Bones, and got about a third of the way through before putting it down. She’s not bailing, she said, she just doesn’t have motivation to read during the summer. She’d rather watch TV. And she has: she’s gone through the complete series of How I Met Your Mother, Vampire Diaries, The New Girl, and Supernatural. In the last month.

A asked me to pick up this at the library:

And she’s been enjoying the series (she’s nearly done). Not as well as the Percy Jackson books, but enough to talk about it, and to spend free time reading.

And what started out as a desire to see a movie with The Sea of Monsters has turned into a full-fledged Percy Jackson obsession with K.

They’re more than halfway through Battle of the Labyrinth, and K is obsessed. (A has issues: she thinks K is a poser, and I have to remind her — on more than one occasion — that she is not the True and Only Percy Jackson fan in this family, and that it’s OKAY for more than one person to like the same thing.) She’s drawing fan art, and talks about the characters. It’s really hard to keep spoilers from her, though.

On a side note: reading the series to K has got Hubby interested in it again, and he’s picked up the second series out of curiosity. Gotta love it when that happens.