Great Minds *Don’t* Think Alike Contest Winners!

Hello, everyone!

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I’m sorry for the delay. My computer froze and I had to find another one to use. 😦

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HUGE thanks to all of you who entered my Great Mind *Don’t* Think Alike contest! I can honestly say that the judges and I were completely blown away by your work and making the final choices was very hard – hence the extra prizes added 🙂

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First of all, there were hundreds of kids who entered – which made me SO HAPPY! You were also amazing. Truly. I may take some time off from riding this summer to invent a teleporting machine so I can come congratulate you all in person! 😊

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The winners were chosen by taking several things into account – the projects themselves, the difficulty levels, the time it would take to create it, how unique/out of the box it is, personal notes written by the student and, finally, notes written from the entrants’ teachers. Some of these pictures do not do the projects justice; some have intricate stories attached to them. Each judge gave a rating to each project. When the ratings were all added up this is how it shook out…

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So, without further adieu

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DRUM ROLL…

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School visit

We loved this sculpture of a fish created with different kinds of cut-up soda cans. WOW!

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Bookmarks for everyone in the school (link below to student made video) 

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFcT3ab85Hg

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Standup cardboard Tree and Fish Post-it notes

We loved this. There is SO MUCH GOING on here. This artist is obviously bright and has a wonderful imagination 🙂

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Signed classroom set of Fish in a Tree books

Loved this idea and the likenesses are so cool!

Created out of clay. INCREDIBLE!! Love the sentiment as well ❤

Created out of clay. INCREDIBLE!! Love the sentiment as well ❤

Fantastic! Obviously someone very creative and bright! 🙂

 

Signed FISH IN A TREE for both student and his/her teacher

Isn’t the layering here gorgeous?! This is one talented kid!!

 

Powerful!!

These girls did project about their own brains and then showed us how they are connected. WOW!

Swag for Everyone in the Class

What a COOL story! We loved it. And a ton of work went into writing it. 🙂

Loved this so much. Lovely story behind this picture 🙂

Picture of class full of kids. People are drawn as individuals and placed in slots. Can be moved around. 🙂 Other cool notes as well!

50 hand-signed bookmarks

Incredible poem! ❤

This girl made her own yarn out of cotton balls! How innovative is that?!

Roller coaster out of cardboard. Cool details when able to zoom in.

Signed poster for class

Depiction of random thoughts. This artist is so talented, I had to include a signed book along with it. LOVE this.

 

The following classes did not have any individual winners but there were enough projects submitted from the classes that were so good, I want to recognize them as being fantastico. The following classes will receive small swag packs:

Mr. Nguyen – Greenwood elementary

 

Ms. Vargas – Garfield elementary

 

Melissa Vantil – Westside Christian school

 

Kathy Iwanicki – Seymour school

 

Nicole Weaver – Tariffville school

 

Mr. Deary – MacArthur elementary school

 

Kim Loveland – Tariffville school

 

PRIZES WILL BE MAILED by the middle of this coming week.

CONGRATULATIONS to EVERYONE!

Great Minds Don’t Think Alike FIAT Contest/Celebration

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Well, I have had quite a week. A week that dreams are made of. Not only was the paperback of FISH IN A TREE released, but I also went on a national tour visiting multiple states around the country. I HAD A BLAST!

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I was nervous beforehand. I didn’t know what to expect. I worried about how well I would do.

 

Well, I can’t speak to how well I did. But, I can tell you that I was able to connect with thousands of kids and their teachers and although I am pretty exhausted, I had an incredible time! The school visits were so much fun! Many of the kids had read one or both of my books and that was great. But it was extraordinary, mostly, because they were just kids. Bubbling over and rattling off questions and such a delight. And, boy, some asked some pretty stellar questions.

 

So, I’m feeling all kinds of grateful for my readers AND for the release of the FISH IN A TREE PAPERBACK which has the COMPLETE SKETCHBOOK OF IMPOSSIBLE THINGS in the back (24 illustrations!). LOVE! ❤  SO…I thought I’d launch a giant national contest to celebrate the paperback being released this week!

As some of you know, there are a couple of things in FISH that mean a lot to me. One of those things is… <DRUMROLL>

SO, I’d like to actually SEE how great minds are NOT thinking alike out there!

 

Students in grades 3-8 can write, sculpt, build, create – absolutely ANYTHING that you can dream up to show me how your brain works wonderfully! This is how you enter:

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1)   KIDS—CREATE SOMETHING FANTASTICO that is uniquely YOURS! Then take a picture(s) or print a copy of your creation.

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2)      On the BACK of your paper, NEATLY print your

Name:

Grade:

Teacher’s Name:

Teacher’s email address:

School name:

School address (including zip):

Two sentences about your MASTERPIECE:

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3)  Have your teacher fill out this registration form  

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CLICK HERE for the registration form.  (If this is missing, you will not be entered.)

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Staple your photograph(s) to the registration form and mail BOTH to:

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Lynda Mullaly Hunt

PO BOX #248

West Dennis, MA 02670

 

~~LAST DAY FOR RECEIPT OF CONTEST ENTRIES IS MAY 12, 2017.

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***It would be fantastico if you could please spread the word on FB and Twitter 🙂 THANKS!

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**WINNERS will be announced the week of May 22, 2017

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 ***NOTE–MATERIALS  CANNOT  BE RETURNED. No exceptions. Send NO ORIGINAL work.

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Judging will be in the following grade level categories:

3^rd and 4^th

5^th and 6^th

7^th and 8^th

 

And HERE are the prizes: (When there are three identical prizes listed it means there will be one winner for each age group.)

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***SUPER PRIZE*** (Just ONE!)

1)      An AMAZING, BIG official cardboard stand-up of THE TREE for your school along with THE FISH post-it notes for everyone to add each of the special gifts (or goals or whatever else you dream up! 🙂

***FIRST PRIZES***

2)      A CLASS SET (25 copies) of signed FISH IN A TREE paperbacks to share with your classmates. There will be some extra goodies, too 🙂

3)      A CLASS SET (25 copies) of signed FISH IN A TREE paperbacks to share with your classmates. There will be some extra goodies, too 🙂

 

4)      A CLASS SET (25 copies) of signed FISH IN A TREE paperbacks to share with your classmates. There will be some extra goodies, too 🙂

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***Second Prizes***

5)      ONE signed book for the winner, one for his/her teacher, and a box of swag for the rest of the class (~25)

 

 

6)      ONE signed book for the winner, one for his/her teacher, and a box of swag for the rest of the class. (~25)

 

7)      ONE signed book for the winner, one for his/her teacher, and a box of swag for the rest of the class. (~25)

 

8)      FISH IN A TREE Bookmarks (digitally signed) for everyone in your school.

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***THIRD PRIZES***

10)  A set of 50 hand-signed bookmarks.

 

11)  A set of 50 hand-signed bookmarks

 

12)  A set of 50 hand-signed bookmarks

 

13) A signed poster for your classroom

14) A signed poster for your classroom

 

15) A signed poster for your classroom

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***GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!!***

***16) A FREE author visit from Lynda in the fall of 2017! We can hang out and talk about books and grit and how great minds don’t think alike. I hope you will think it’s a silver dollar day! All hotel, travel, and author honorarium are covered.

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ADULTS – this is for the kids! Execution/neatness will not necessarily be a winning factor so please let the kids do this on their OWN. Creativity, out-of-the box thinking, effort, humor, ingenuity, the ability to make me and the other judges say WOW or laugh out loud matter far more than a polished product.

Teachers – another contest for YOU will be in the fall. Stay tuned for that 🙂

Thank you! Have a Silver Dollar Day 🙂

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~~LAST DAY FOR RECEIPT OF CONTEST ENTRIES IS MAY 12, 2017.

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**WINNERS will be announced the week of May 22, 2017

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 ***NOTE–MATERIALS  CANNOT  BE RETURNED. No exceptions. Send NO ORIGINAL work.

 

 

 

 

 

Middle Grade Authors Love Teachers Giveaway #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers, 2017

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Hello, Teacher and Librarian WORLD CHANGERS!

A TOAST! To you.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS!  Welcome to my third annual Middle Grade Authors Love Teachers and Librarians Giveaway!

It’s no secret to those of you who know me that I just adore and respect teachers and librarians who are out there every day with kids–reaching out to them with just the right book or just the right conversation and changing lives. As is often said in children’s literature circles, books offer both mirrors and windows to readers. We often discover things about ourselves and/or who we want to be through reading (mirrors). We also learn about the world–other cultures, ways of life, opinions and learn to empathize with others (windows) which is more important than ever. For some, a book offers a friend and the ability to revisit that friend as needed. Yes, we write the books. but YOU put those books into the hands of kids every day. We are a TEAM.

So…to express this appreciation and love for ALL of you heroes/teachers/librarians out there, I have banded together with some author friends (HUGE THANKS to these authors for their kindness and generosity!) to offer one GIANT giveaway for one lucky winner. The winner of this giveaway will receive a signed copy of every single book below–each mailed to you in separate packages by their authors/illustrators. There are many you’ll recognize, I think 🙂 Please feel free to click on each cover to see more information about the book and its author.

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Directions for entering are at the bottom.

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POISON by Sarah Albee will be an Advanced Reader Copy.

 

AND – IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THESE, PUFFIN BOOKS (Penguin) will donate a box (unsigned) of Penguin Classics! You won’t be sure what’s inside. It will be like a delivery from Santa 🙂

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So a pretty cool line-up of signed middle grade novels, huh?

Okay–so to enter the MIDDLE GRADE Giveaway to win ALL of these books:

1) Make a comment on this blog about anything book-related or kid-related. Or teacher/librarian related. Or anything-under-the-sun related. *Please provide twitter handle or e-mail address with your comment* Also, if you share elsewhere online (Facebook, Google+, etc.) please let me know here.

2) Share to Twitter with the hashtag #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers  I know–long hashtag But it will help us find your entry! Please include link, if possible!

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Rules: ***Giveaway ends on Monday, February 20 at 11:59PM. Winner will be announced the following morning.

1) This is to show our appreciation for teachers and librarians, specifically. Therefore, the winner must have a school mailing address and be presently employed at that school. (Sorry–only US and Canadian winners this time.)

***2) We know that teachers do not always get the appreciation they deserve. (They deserve parades and serenades and major awards.) This giveaway is a reminder that WE appreciate you. Yes—we write the books, but YOU are in the trenches every day. YOU get the books into the hands of our readers. Together, we are creating life-long readers. For that…we are most grateful.

THANK YOU for visiting our giveaway!

Lynda and the gang 🙂

 

 

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY! Order Signed Books for Holidays :-)

THANKS TO Jack and Allie’s Bookstore for partnering with me to offer signed books for the holidays.

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If you would like to order ONE FOR THE MURPHYS (hardcover or paperback) or FISH IN A TREE and have me sign and/or personalize it, please order by DECEMBER 10^th to give Barbara at Jack and Allie’s Bookstore time to order books, get them signed, and shipped (Free shipping thanks to Barbara at Jack and Allie’s!)

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Books available for personalization:

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~One for the Murphys (paperback)  $7.99

• Puffin Books, Paperback, 9780142426524, 256pp.

~One for the Murphys (hardcover)  $16.99

• Nancy Paulsen Books, Hardcover, 9780399256158, 224pp.

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~Fish in a Tree (hardcover)  $16.99

Nancy Paulsen Books, Hardcover, 9780399162596, 288pp.

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How do you order?

CALL Jack and Allie’s at 860-375-8465

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E-mail Barbara@jackandallies.com  and please write BOOK ORDER in subject line

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~~~~PLEASE SPECIFY if you would just like a signature or a personalization. THANK YOU!

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FREE SHIPPING to USA and only $5.00 to Canada  (THANKS Barbara at Jack and Allie’s!)

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THANK YOU. Wishing you all a blessed holiday season.

Runneth Over

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I’m on deadline and should be writing my novel right now but I am just SO DARN GRATEFUL, it’s just spilling out of me. I woke up today to find this on the header of the NYT Best Seller’s page. WHAT?! This is crazy.

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Also, last week, I attended The American Library Association’s conference where I received The Schneider Family Book Award. This is an award that means a great deal to me as I have followed all of its winners since 2007 when RULES by Cynthia Lord won. I loved that book

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so much. Because it won the Schneider, I’ve taken note of the Schneider winners every year since and you know what? The list of winners are among my favorite authors EVER. I have learned so much from authors such as Leslie Connor, Nora Raleigh Baskin, Joan Bauer, Kimberly Newton Fusco, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and Cynthia Lord. And, it turns out that these very talented writers are truly stellar people. Seriously folks. How did this happen?

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If this wasn’t enough, I recently won the Crystal Kite Award, an award given by the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators). Again, this award means SO MUCH to me because it is won via votes from other writers and illustrators in one’s region. AND this organization transformed my life. I don’t mean the writing thing. Yes, that was cool and a very welcome and amazing and unexpected treasure but it’s the people of SCBWI who I treasure most. The people who have stood by me through rejection and success. The people who are STILL my go-to people. I adore you. I have so many things to be grateful for in this career, but you top the pile.

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So, I really want to give back today. I want to help other children’s writers who are trying to figure it out and who are still waiting for publishing lightning to strike. It’s a long haul, I know, but we really ARE all in this together. (You may be interested in this from my website about the vulnerability of writing)

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SO WRITERS…In the comments section below, post your title, genre, and first line. Then include your Twitter name (preferred) or e-mail. I will choose a couple and reach out to those writers to send me the first five pages. I’ll read them and contact the writer with some feedback about character, beginning, pacing, etc.. It’s likely I’ll ask for a phone # as I’d rather have a two way chat rather than write an e-mail.

Also, please RT / share this to spread the word – I would very much appreciate it J

Yours truly,

the ever-grateful, I can’t believe all that’s happened, goofball,

Lynda

Lifesavers Don’t Always Come in Rolls – Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!!

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Three years ago, I visited a class whose teacher told me that I “needed to speak with them.” She’d said she had a lot of “Carleys” from my first book, ONE FOR THE MURPHYS. I’d been scheduled to speak to them for 45 minutes. I was there for 2 1/2 hours. And, yes, there were a lot of kids struggling with life’s circumstances. I could see it in their body language, their questions, and how some averted their eyes when stories relating to resilience came up. How I’d had to dig down and find my own when I was their age.

When I left, several followed me into the hallway. It was fun and lively and they made jokes as I walked backwards to face them. Then their teacher called them back and I turned to go. And then I heard my name.

I turned to look into the eyes of a boy as tall as me with dark, wide eyes. He took a deep breath and when he exhaled, his body sagged. He shook his head a bit and finally said, “I’ve been through an awful lot.”

I didn’t ask what. Instead, I gave him the room to share what he wanted. The little he did share broke my heart. One of the things that struck me was how his teacher had obviously been helping with far more than English, math and history. She was helping him lay a foundation to navigate the future. After we talked for about ten minutes, he said to me, “My teacher tells me that I can’t be thinking of myself as a victim.”

I held his shoulders and looked him in the eye and said “No. You will not be a victim. You will grow up and do great things in the world. You will use these experiences to help others. You will not be a victim. You…will be a conqueror.”

He nodded once and he swallowed hard. I could see he was already working on that.

I have since met several kids like this and as I think of them, I always think of their teachers as well. For every talk I’ve had with a child, there is an adult nearby. Circling from afar. Glancing over. Checking in. These kids have emotional safety nets in these teachers and I am grateful for them every single day. I wonder if these teachers realize that they are saving lives.

I’ve met teachers who buy books and food and jackets for kids in need. Teachers show up at author events two hours from their homes because their students couldn’t get there otherwise. And then they thank me—this always floors me. And then there are the teachers who are not able to do these things outside of school but do a darn good job of teaching and igniting curiosity in their kids. They take their calling seriously. They make kids want to come to school—which opens huge doors. I had such a teacher.

Having been a quiet, disheveled student whose standardized test scores said I was illiterate I showed up to sixth grade expecting to fail. Again. I had been in the lowest reading group since first grade and spent a lot of time looking around the room and wondering why I couldn’t do the things the other kids could do. I had begun to wonder what would become of me.   

And then I met Mr. Christy, my sixth grade teacher. He smiled when I walked into the room. He set high expectations and then ensured my success. He lifted me from one life path and set me on another. He changed the trajectory of my life by changing my perception of myself. He did this by focusing on the child rather than the student—and the student flourished. Regretfully, I didn’t have the words to thank him at the end of the year; I think eleven-year-old me was overwhelmed. Even though he has now passed away, I hope he knows that I’ve finally written him that thank you note. It’s 288 pages long and entitled, FISH IN A TREE.

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Giveaway for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day:

TEN winners will be chosen ~ I will give away one signed hardcover of your choice (One for the Murphys or Fish in a Tree) to ten different winners. Each winner must be able to provide a school address. After all, it IS a Teacher’s Appreciation giveaway.  I will happily personalize it as well.

To enter, please leave a comment below and/or tweet / Retweet with the hashtag #OFTM which will help me find your entry.

Giveaway ENDS on Thursday, May 12 at 11:59 PM.

 

Middle Grade Authors Love Teachers Giveaway #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers, 2016

Hello!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS! ❤ ❤ ❤

It’s no secret to those of you who know me that I just adore and respect teachers and librarians who are out there every day with kids–reaching out to them with just the right book or just the right conversation and changing lives. As is often said in children’s literature circles, books offer both mirrors and windows to readers. We often discover things about ourselves and/or who we want to be through reading (mirrors). We also learn about the world–other cultures, ways of life, opinions and learn to empathize with others (windows). For some, a book offers a friend and the ability to revisit that friend as needed. Yes, we write the books. but YOU put those books into the hands of kids every day. We are a team.

.

So…to express this appreciation and love for ALL of you heroes/teachers/librarians out there, I have banded together with some author friends (THANKS to you all for your kindness and generosity!) to offer one GIANT giveaway for one lucky winner. The winner of this giveaway will receive a signed copy of every single book below–each mailed to you in separate packages. Several are new releases, so the winner will be ahead of the game reading-wise in 2016! You may click on each cover to see more information about the book and its author.

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Directions for entering are at the bottom.

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So a pretty cool line-up of signed middle grade novels, huh?

Note: Ten of these books are 2016 releases. Therefore, there may be a delay in receiving a book that has not been released yet. When the author has them in hand, you will get one! Promise 🙂

Okay–so to enter the MIDDLE GRADE Giveaway to win ALL of these books:

1) Make a comment on this blog about anything book-related or kid-related. Or teacher/librarian related. Or anything-under-the-sun related. 🙂 *Please provide twitter handle or e-mail address with your comment* Also, if you share elsewhere online (Facebook, Google+, etc.) please let me know here.

2) Share to Twitter with the hashtag #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers  I know–long hashtag 🙂 But it will help us find your entry! Please include link, if possible!

 

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Rules: ***Giveaway ends on Saturday, February 20th at 11:59. Winner will be announced Sunday morning.

1) This is to show our appreciation for teachers and librarians, specifically. Therefore, the winner must have a school mailing address and be presently employed at that school. (Sorry–only US and Canadian winners this time.)

***2) We know that teachers do not always get the appreciation they deserve. (They deserve parades and serenades and major awards.) This giveaway is a reminder that WE appreciate you. Yes—we write the books, but YOU get the books into the hands of our readers. Together, we are creating life-long readers. For that we are most grateful.

THANK YOU for visiting our giveaway!

Be well, read well,

Lynda

 

 

Hope to See You at #NCTE15

Hey, Book Lovers and NCTE Adventurists!

I am SO excited to be attending NCTE15 in Minneapolis this week. Here is my schedule, just in case you’d like to attend something and say hello!

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th:

12:00 -1:00  SIGNING IN PENGUIN YOUNG READERS BOOTH – BOOTH #316

4:00 – 5:15  PANEL: “I HATE READING!: PEDAGOGY & ADAPTATIONS IN SHAME-RESILIENT CLASSROOMS” w/ Lisa Graff, Kara DiBartolo, Cheryl Mizerny, and Justin Stygles.   ROOM M100E

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21st:

8:00 – 9:15 AM  “GLOBAL READ ALOUD – MAKING CONNECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD, WITHIN COMMUNITIES, CLASSROOMS, AND OURSELVES” with SHARON DRAPER, KATHERINE APPLEGATE, KATE MESSNER, JENNI HOLM, MICHELLE KEDZIERSKI, AND PERNILLE RIPP.  ROOM 101D

10:00 – 11:00  SIGNING WITH ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP  — BOOTH #950

4:15 – 5:30   MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT: USING INCLUSIVE LITERATURE TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING, RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPASSION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES with Gigi McAllister, Alyson Beecher, and Cynthia Lord.  BOOTH 101E

WOW! What a wonderful time we all have in store! I m SO hoping to see you at NCTE 🙂

Lynda Reads FISH IN A TREE #GRAFIAT Chapter 51 and Answers Questions re: End of Book ~ Also Reads “Dear Readers” Letter at End

Please Share Your Questions for My Last #GRAFIAT Video

Hey, GRA Fish in a Tree Readers!!!

So, I have not filmed the LAST GRA video for FISH IN A TREE, so let me have your questions in the comments section here! I’ll choose a bunch and film the last one to be posted on Wednesday. (I will also read the last chapter for you)

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am SO grateful for each and every one of you. You have each given me a Silver Dollar Month!

Lynda