EMMANUEL’S DREAM: THE TRUE STORY OF EMMANUEL OFOSU YEBOAH

• Author “read-aloud plus” now available by request! Please email me for details.
• Download the free Emmanuel’s Dream curriculum guide, which includes CCSS alignments, critical thinking discussion questions, and reproducible activity sheets.
• “Meet the Author” at TeachingBooks.net: Book Reading | Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah.
• There’s a free reproducible crossword puzzle based on the book at TeachersPayTeachers.com.
• Check out related picture books for young changemakers on my Pinterest board.

The TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE series

• Video: The story behind the TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE stories
• Video: Introduction to TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
• An Educator’s Guide to Support Information Literacy
• The Two Truths and a Lie: STEM Game and Research Activities
• A Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive! Word Search Puzzle

BE A CHANGEMAKER: HOW TO START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS

• Read my blog post on how to Empower kids and teens during COVID-19
• Download the FREE Be a Changemaker Workshops guide
• Watch the You Can Be a Changemaker video webinar.
• Watch the Be a Changemaker intro video.
• View or download the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English Language Arts (ELA) Literacy strands and/or the full CCSS report here.
• Check out even more books for tween and teen changemakers on my Pinterest board

MY DOG IS THE BEST

• Watch the author read-aloud video
• Download the free storytime and canine craft kit
• Watch the book trailer video

Again, my goals here are to be as helpful as possible for YOU to continue leading #AtHome learning, so please email me if there is anything specific I might be able to do, including ways to connect with your students. We’re all in this together, even while we’re apart. So, until we meet again, stay safe, #StayHome… and stay sane. xoxo

Beachside Nonfiction Workshop

I started out the month at the Beachside Nonfiction Workshop with Candace Fleming & Jennifer Swanson. It was amazing! The faculty were all stellar, the location was gorgeous, and the attendees were lovely. It was fun hanging out with other nonfiction geeks for an entire weekend. We all struggled to answer the “So, what do you write?” question, however, since we can usually just get away with “Nonfiction,” and have that be the end of it! I didn’t take nearly enough photos, but here’s the view from my hotel balcony…

Yes, it was hard work. There were a lot of sessions, and they were mostly master level, plus networking and critiques. I came away with so much useful information and new ideas to apply to my works in progress. There were obviously some other perks, too!

Seattle Reading Council Appearance

In the middle of the month, some of the members of my critique group (and all agency-mates at Erin Murphy Literary, as it turns out!), did an appearance at the Seattle Reading Council. It was a billed as a “Books and Chocolate” event… what could be better?! We each talked about our books and process and then took questions. The crowd was mostly teachers and librarians, so it made for a wonderful evening of sharing book love (and chocolate!) among likeminded new friends.

School visits

I had an elementary school visit where I got to talk to several third-grade classes about my writing journey, grit, and writing with emotion, as well as several fifth-grade classes about evaluating sources and spotting fake news. It was an awesome visit with super-engaged audiences, but alas, no photos. You’ll have to take my word for it!

I have another visit coming up early in June (the last one of the school year!), so I’ve been making sure everything is ready for that one, too.

SCBWI-WWA Spring Conference

Finally, I attended and helped with the SCBWI Western Washington’s spring conference, Imagine That! It was a great weekend: hearing from inspiring speakers, getting feedback on one of my works in progress from a powerhouse editor, and catching up with author and illustrator friends in the industry. I’m still soaking it all up and processing what was said! Good stuff.

Book Releases!

Along with all of that I’ve been getting ready for the Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries paperback release on May 21 AND preparing for the upcoming new release of Two Truths and a Lie: Forces of Nature on June 25th! I’ve designed and ordered postcards and swag, scheduled social media announcements, and made other plans to get the word out.

Works in Progress…

And, of course, there are those works in progress, too! Earlier this month I submitted both a nonfiction picture book revision and a graphic novel proposal to my agent. I’m currently revising a nonfiction picture book, a fiction picture book, and a middle-grade nonfiction manuscript. I’m also working on a brand-new nonfiction picture book draft and a young-adult nonfiction proposal. Busy, busy!

Yes, I do love my job. More so every day, in fact! =D

A.

1. There’s an abandoned cruise ship loaded with crazed, cannibal rats drifting around somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Beware!
2. A banyan tree in Pakistan was put under arrest by a British army officer in 1898 and is still in chains today. Pardon, anyone?
3. It’s illegal to chew gum in Singapore.

B.

1. Ben Franklin wrote a treatise on why scientists should try to find a way to make farts smell better.
2. Dog Island is an island oasis dedicated to letting dogs live out their wilder natures, undisturbed by humans. Be free, Fifi.
3. There’s an annual festival in Spain centered around throwing tomatoes at people. Food fight!

C.

1. The oldest known dental fillings date back to between 12,740 and 13,000 years ago, and they were filled with, essentially, tar. Ew.
2. It’s illegal to own a pet turtle in Iceland, and 1 in 10 children there grow up to become authors.
3. I was once trapped in an elevator, alone, overnight. Scary!

 
If you don’t know all of the answers, go do some research and see if you can figure them out! But be careful… things might not always be what they seem at first glance, and truth often is stranger than fiction.
For even more trivia fun, check out this post from MentalFloss on National Trivia Day last year. I especially love the one about Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (I’m a huge fan of their new Urban Bourbon flavor!)
If you enjoyed these true (and not so true) trivia facts for National Trivia Day, or want to check your answers, make sure to check out the book: Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries!
Do you have any favorite trivia tidbits? Please post them in the comments below (and be sure to warn us if they might not be 100% true)!

• June 19: Brilliant fantasy author (and dear friend) Janet Lee Carey hosted us on her blog, Library Lions Roar, with a fun interview plus a video (which is only slightly cringe-worthy). 😉
• June 20: Heidi Grange posted a lovely review of Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries on Geo Librarian.
• June 21: Beth posted her thoughts about the timeliness and relevance of the book on A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust.
• June 21: Ammi-Joan and I shared some ideas for how parents can talk to their kids about information literacy and the importance of knowing the truth on Medium at Roadmap to Reality: Helping Kids Find Their Way in a World of Fake News.
• June 26: This was release day, so it’s only appropriate that it was the featured title on The Official Tumblr of Walden Media.
• June 26: Nicole gave it a rave review on Bluestocking Thinking.
• June 27: Kellee gives a glowing review, shares some sneak peeks at the content, and even offers some read-alikes in her post on Unleashing Readers.
• June 27: Ammi-Joan and I teamed up for a post on the Nerdy Book Club blog about incorporating summer reading into all kinds of family activities.
• June 27: Kirsti Call shares her review (including a nice endorsement from her 7‑year-old son!) over at Writers Rumpus.
• June 28: Kristen posted her short-but-sweet review on The Book Monsters.
• June 29: Mia Wenjen posted her honest review on her blog at Pragmatic Mom.

Many, many thanks to the hard-working bloggers who help share the book love and get the word out to book buyers and readers! Also, thank you yet again to the excellent folks at Walden Pond Press who put this event together. xoxo
You can find out more about the book and grab your copy here or here.

This is the window display that greeted us when we arrived at Brick and Mortar Books! So nice!!

They had loads of books ready for sale!

The signing line starts to form.

Fun signing books!

Signing line in progress.

Brick and Mortar even had a full end cap display!

What a great day! A huge thank you to Brick and Mortar Books for being such an amazing host and to everyone who was able to make it. Brick and Mortar Books still has signed copies of all of the books, so feel free to stop in if you need any for your collection! =D