 | Merci to our friends, ages 9 to 12 years old, in France for voting for Dying to Meet You (they call it 43, Rue du Vieux Cimetiere) for the top prize in the Prix Litteraire Ecolire, 2016-217. Thanks, too, to our French publisher, Albin Michel, for teaching Olive, Iggy, and Seymour to speak French! Here's the nice letter we received about the award. |
 This is where I'll be living in August. I'm heading back to North Easton, Massachusetts, to serve as writer-in-residence for the month of August at the Ames Free Library, one of the hands-down *best* small libraries in the whole U.S. of A. (That's not just my opinion. The American Library Association agrees!) Class schedule TBA. I'll also be teaching two classes at the Cape Cod Writers Center Conference the first weekend of August. Come for the crab cakes! Stay for the stories! More info at www.capecodwriterscenter.org.
 ★ Stay: A Girl, a Dog, a Bucket List
(starred review) Kate Klise, illus. by M. Sarah Klise. Feiwel and Friends, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-10714-5 Who says bucket lists are just for humans? Not the Klise sisters (Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake), who gracefully trace a girl’s growing awareness of her dog’s impending death. When Astrid’s parents bring their newborn daughter home from the hospital, Eli, a shaggy dog, is waiting patiently, her “first friend.” M. Sarah Klise’s evocative acrylics amplify the matter-of-fact narrative, showing Astrid growing taller and more active as Eli slows down. But Astrid takes a proactive approach to the inevitable, making a list, she tells Eli, “of all the things you should do before you get too old.” Together, they visit the library and movie theater (Lassie is playing), sleep under the stars, and even enjoy spaghetti and meatballs in a restaurant, but readers will gradually come to understand that the way Astrid and Eli have been spending their time is less important than the fact that they’ve spent it together. The Klises close with an image of girl and dog watching the sunset over the water, a moment that—like the book as a whole—is both emotionally restrained and full of feeling. Ages 3–5. (July) If you live in California or plan on visiting the Bay Area this summer, you've got to think about signing up for art class with Sarah. She recently led a group of kindergarteners in a workshop that resulted in this. Can you stand how cute these paintings are?   Not really. I'm much sillier. But I always think I look a bit Oz-like when i Skype with kids. If you're interested in Skyping with either Sarah or me, have your teacher or librarian get in touch with us. We'll try to set something up!
Want to be a writer? Here's some good advice from bestselling British novelist William Boyd. (Note: I never spend the time he spends plotting out my books, but maybe I'll try that sometime.)
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