Junie B. Jones Creator Barbara Park Dies at 66. Photo: Pamela Tidswell Barbara Park. Children’s author Barbara Park, long appreciated for her stories that blend humor and heart, and best-known as the creator of irrepressible kindergartner Junie B. Jones, died on Friday, November 15, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Park was born Barbara Tidswell in Mount Holly, N.J. in 1947 and grew up there. She attended Rider College and, after transferring, she graduated from the University of Alabama in 1969. She was married later that same year and she and her husband Richard Park had two sons. Park has said that her writing career was largely born as a way to express her sense of humor. Operation: Dump the Chump was the first manuscript that Park sent out to publishers and after three rejections from various companies, Knopf acquired the book, along with two others. She continued to write warmly received middle grade novels and in 1992 launched her bestselling early chapter series with Junie B.
Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. It’s important for people to tell you what side they are on and why, and whether they might be biased. A declaration of members’ interests, of a sort. So, I am going to be talking to you about reading.
I’m going to tell you that libraries are important. I’m going to suggest that reading fiction, that reading for pleasure, is one of the most important things one can do. I’m going to make an impassioned plea for people to understand what libraries and librarians are, and to preserve both of these things. And I am biased, obviously and enormously: I’m an author, often an author of fiction. So I’m biased as a writer. And I’m here giving this talk tonight, under the auspices of the Reading Agency: a charity whose mission is to give everyone an equal chance in life by helping people become confident and enthusiastic readers.
And it’s that change, and that act of reading that I’m here to talk about tonight. It’s not one to one: you can’t say that a literate society has no criminality. Tears into Blood | Adam Gidwitz. Fairy tales turn tears into blood. This is why I write them. Yes, I write them because they are so funny and weird and beautiful. And because they make children clasp their hands together and stare at you so hard you think they might fall over. But I also write them because they turn tears into blood.What do I mean? Think of a difficult emotional situation. Say, you feel your father doesn’t love you enough. It doesn’t matter why—maybe he throws you around the room by your hair; maybe he’s leaving your mother. Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs (for free!) Welcome to the Authors Who Skype with Classes & Book Clubs List! I’m Kate Messner, the children’s author and educator who maintains this site.
I started it because I’ve found that virtual author visits are a great way to connect authors and readers, and I realize that many schools facing budget troubles don’t have the option of paid author visits. With that in mind, this is a list of authors who offer free 15-20-minute Q and A sessions with classes and book clubs that have finished reading one of their books. As an author, I offer Skype chats for all of my titles – check out the “Books” tab above for a list!
If you’re interested in booking a “virtual visit” with me, please visit my author-Skype page for current availability and directions for requesting a visit! How does a Skype virtual visit work? Click here to read a blog entry about my students’ virtual visit with the fantastic Laurie Halse Anderson. Authors Who Skype With Classes & Book Clubs (for free!) Kevin Henkes Live! Join us for an exclusive webcast with beloved children’s book author Kevin Henkes. Kevin Henkes is the creator of nearly 50 books for children. He has written both picture books and novels; his picture books include Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse; Chrysanthemum; and Kitten’s First Full Moon, a winner of the Caldecott Medal. Among his novels are the Newbery Honor Book Olive’s Ocean and the upcoming middle grade novel The Year of Billy Miller. Join us to hear Kevin talk about his work, his inspirations, and The Year of Billy Miller–an acclaimed and irresistible story about friendship, siblings, and the perils of elementary school.
And take this chance to ask him your questions live! Archive is now available! We encourage you to set up an assembly for this Livestream Event, so all of your kids, parents, and teachers will be able to watch and participate. Broadcasting LIVE from Bank Street College of Education in New York City Sponsored by: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and School Library Journal.