OK, I realized today, while scheduling a couple upcoming posts, that it’s been way too long since I’ve done a Giveaway! That’s why I decided, to close out 2014, I’m going to run one on BOTH my blogs 🙂 Yay! The prizes are the same, so if you didn’t win one of the three I offered to celebrate my blog launches, here’s an opportunity (and there will be more next year) to give it another go! Continue reading
Seriously—can you imagine what it would be like without them? And in this day and age, libraries are not solely for the housing and sharing of printed material. Along with owning video and audio libraries, many serve as the sole source for computer and internet activity for a lot of people. In many cases local libraries are the hub of community activity! Continue reading
Born in England on July 9, 1713, at the age of 16, John Newbery left his home town and parents’ farm to work for a printer. So was his first step into the world of publishing. In 1737 he became co-owner of a publishing company. At that time, the books typically given to children were tedious and lesson-filled, or handed-down folktales written for adults. These were considered “tall” tales, so thought of more for children. Books such as Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe were among them, though young children weren’t capable of reading at that level. Newbery eventually came up with the groundbreaking idea to publish books designed specifically for children by making the books fun to read. It was risky and he could’ve ultimately lost his business if the idea failed, but he was confident children would like them. He was right. Continue reading
(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)
Nudged by Sheila at Book Journey, I recently completed (for the 4th time) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (CoS), the second book in the “Harry Potter” series, and I continue to be amazed by the storytelling skills Jo(anne) Rowling possesses. Her characters, world and plotting were (are) so well-constructed and clear in her mind (though I know she had to occasionally check on certain details as she wrote the latter books), everything stayed true from the first book through the last. This vividness has afforded us, as readers, the experience of knowing these characters and her wizard world as acutely defined and “real.” Continue reading
Writer Side UP! 