Double Giveaway! - The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. and Pie it Forward

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. is out now (yay!!!), so I've decided to celebrate with a double giveaway: a copy of The 14 Fibs AND, since pie is a big part of the 14 Fibs, a copy of Gesine Bullock-Prado's amazing cookbook Pie it Forward. We'll both sign/personalize our respective books to whoever wins 'em - you can have them both made out to you, or the cookbook to a child you love and 14 Fibs to you... or vice versa.

Sigh. Greg wants.

If you don't know Gesine's work... oh, geez. I mean, following her on Facebook or reading her blog means that, if you're like me, you'll whimper in longing as you marvel at the beauty of baked goods then swoon with the idea that you could actually make such things.

I'll have a convo with Gesine here tomorrow (and more pictures!), but now... the giveaway!

For your chance to win the books, leave a comment on this post - ideally mentioning your favorite kind of pie, just for fun. No multiple entries, please. Due to logistics and laws, entrants must be U.S. residents 18 or over. Void where prohibited, too.

Entries will be accepted until midnight Pacific time on Thursday, October 3rd. I will then use random.org to pick a winner (odds of winning are based on the number of comments not your favorite pie type).

Please make sure that the way you comment allows me to get in touch with you - if you are "anonymous" or have no contact info available, it will be very hard to collect your prize.

And with that... enjoy some pie and enter away!

Gratitude

The first copies of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. started showing up on doorsteps today... and maybe even some bookstores, though I've not spotted one in the wild (feel free to send photos :-)).

Obviously, I'm excited... but I'm also full of gratitude because it takes a lot of people for a book to reach this point. Supportive family. Editors and designers. And friends and connections of all sorts... including all of you who have been here with me at GottaBook. Yeah... I'm looking at YOU with gratitude today.

It was an added thrill for me, I must say, that the first person I saw mention getting my book (via the wonders of Facebook) was my friend Dan - a guy who's known me since my single digits. It's great to have a book out... but it's far greater getting to share the fun with people who mean a lot.

So, uh... thanks!

I'm Still With The Banned

Over the years, I've read so many books that have been banned... and oftentimes, I never even knew it. What often astounds me is how many of those books I've read aloud to rooms full of kids and never once had a complaint nor, to be honest in some cases, could I imagine why I'd get a complaint.

Yet raise issues people do (as is their right, by the way). That's why it's important to know what to do when it happens - because it's always a "when" not an "if".

So, as Banned Books Week begins, check out the ALA's page of resources and information and be prepared. And me? As I've said before, I'm with the banned.

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. Theme Song - book theme song lyrics

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. Theme Song
lyrics and music by
Andrew Huang

Gregory K., Gregory K.
One day you'll have your day.
You're getting through sixth grade in most creative ways....
It's the 14 Fibs of Gregory K.

Here is a boy
With a mom and dad
And a brother and sister,
And they all love math.
But he...
He has a little trouble with numbers

There's also a girl -
A girl in his class.
Her name is Kelly,
And she's always kicking him the calves.
It's sweet...
To keep him from the things he might blunder.

Gregory K., Gregory K.
One day you'll have your day.
You're getting through sixth grade in most creative ways.
All the things you face, just take it day by day....
It's the 14 Fibs of Gregory K.

If you haven't actually HEARD the song, take a listen in the trailer embedded below. I am biased, but I think it's just happy-making. I have always found song lyrics and poetry closely related, so I figured for this Poetry Friday, I'd share the former for a change. 

A lot of people have assumed I wrote the lyrics. I didn't. Andrew did. It actually never occurred to me not to have him do it - I mean, there was a reason I wanted him to write this song! Still, I gotta admit that I was amazed at how well he captured the feeling of my book by picking a couple simple details. And how it fits to the music? Yeah. Like this:




Happy-making, I tell you! Well, at least for me :-) I'll share more about Andrew/the song process another day. If you've never heard his music, though, don't wait for that post. Go listen to him now.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup will be over at The Opposite of Indifference. Will there be other lyrics? Go check and see!

"By any reckoning, a successful debut."

I promise you I won't post links or outtakes to every review or interview or the like as I launch my book. Honest.

Still, now that it's available to read online, I figure I can point you to the Kirkus Review review of the 14 Fibs of Gregory K.  And yup, the title of this post is the last sentence of that review.

I'm good with that :-)

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. Book Trailer!

I'm rather excited about the trailer for the 14 Fibs of Gregory K., in large part because it has an amazing song by Andrew Huang at its heart. I wanted the book to have a theme song, and, well, it does! And due to the title, I guess I do, too. Check it out and let me know what you think:




By the way... it looks like 14 Fibs comes out next week on the 24th!

(in case the video isn't visible to you in this post (or even if it is), you can watch the 14 Fibs trailer right on YouTube)

Book Review: Anti-Gravity - a book review poem/a science poem

Book Review: Anti-Gravity
by
Greg Pincus

This book on anti-gravity will never make you frown.
In fact, the only problem is you just can't put it down.


What's that you say? I'm not allowed a groaner (with science that is not 100% perfect, I suppose)? Of course I am! It might be the only one that's part of this week's Poetry Friday roundup (hosted over at Teach Mentor Texts), but you'll only know if you go check it out.

If you want to get all the poems hereabouts (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

In Which There Is Pie!

So. Uh. My first ever copy of the hardcover, actual book of The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. arrived the other day. There was additional squeeing.

And then, as I figure all authors do, I explored the book. Thing of beauty it is! And look. LOOK!!! On the book itself... there is pie! It's engraved right in there. Isn't it delicious looking?

Nina Goffi did the design of the book for Scholastic, and seriously... the little details from cover to cover, inside and out, really make the whole experience better than it would be with just my words. Huzzahs to her, I say. Huzzahs!

(It comes out in a couple weeks now. WEEKS. For those of you who have been hanging around here for years, weeks is a much shorter time to wait. Check with your favorite bookseller today, I say!)

Summer Reading - a reading poem/a school poem

Summer Reading
by
Greg Pincus

I read two dozen comic books. Three graphic novels, too.
I understood the signs so wasn't eaten at the zoo!
I read aloud each billboard as we drove on our vacation.
The packages our food comes in? I read their information.
I figured out which films to watch by reading their descriptions.
I read a lot of magazines (and got a few subscriptions).
I learned the rules of four new games by reading the instructions.
I devoured five new joke books (though I skipped the introductions).
I read the list of all the things I can't do at the pool.
I even read the packet labeled "Welcome Back to School."
I think I am a reader, though in class I get "those" looks...
'Cuz I didn't crack a cover of my summer reading books!


Ah, yes... summer reading. You know... let's not talk about that - let's talk instead about the fact that the Poetry Friday roundup is up over at Author Amok today! The roundup is purely happy stuff (as is, I've always believed, the very name Author Amok), so head on over and get your fill o' poetry goodies.

And if you want to get all the poems hereabouts (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Words With Wings!

It is always cause for celebration when Nikki Grimes has a new book out... and she does now with Words for Wings. So, yeah, I'm celebrating. But more than that, I'm saying you really oughta check it out - it is, in her typical fashion, awesome.

This is a novel of poems - compact, emotional, funny, expressive poems - telling the story of daydreamer... and maybe writer?!?!... Gabby. It's hard not to root for Gabby, a character who we learn about through her own words. Suffice to say, I'd love to see more books about her.

Now, what  struck me personally is how Words with Wings shares a few strong themes with my own book coming out - a kid who writes and a teacher who makes a difference. Maybe this is why it struck such a chord with me? Maybe. But I think it's honestly that the story is so well handled and so enjoyable that it couldn't help but strike a chord with me.

Have you read it? I'm curious what you think!

(this non-review stemmed from my enthusiasm from an advance reader copy, though the book is in stores now)

Party! Launch! Blog! More! Yay!

I'm lying if I tell you I'm not excited about the fact that The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. is coming out sooooooooon (let's call it October 1, shall we?). I mean, yeah, I am excited. Like a lot.

And so much fun stuff is gonna happen here and elsewhere in the weeks ahead - more blogging, new poems, a song for you, video(s), guests here at Gottabook who I want you to meet, perhaps even me elsewhere on other blogs, and, of course, surprises. Most of all, I hope - fun. And I am just so happy I get to share this stuff with y'all - you're like family, you know? In a good way, naturally!

I wish I could have a party wherever you live. Maybe some day. Still, for my LA area friends, here's a wee tease of something for sure: the afternoon of October 19 at the fab Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse. PARTY! OK, that's not really a tease, but it's not my formal announcement, either, I guess. Or it is. Just come if you can (and look for details soon).

I'll also be talking about ways you can get a signed book no matter where you live, figuring out ways to celebrate virtually, and, yes... MORE!

MORE! Though maybe fewer words in all caps. We'll see in time, I guess! More soon, but now I gotta book....

I Packed the Poetry

from writtennerd's etsy shop

While I don't talk about it much these days, I'm actually starting year nine of volunteer librarian-ing at my kids' elementary school. The last two years, the job wasn't much, as we frequently weren't able to get into our library space. As a result, this year... we're on the move!

The unfortunate part of the situation, besides actually physically moving the books, is that we're leaving a really wonderful set of rooms and downsizing. Still, having a room full of books you can't visit is, for me at least, in some ways more frustrating than not having books at all. So, we're packing up with the goal of also leaving a good collection behind in the original space and setting up our new, smaller-but-ours space, too.

We're lucky in that over the last eight years we've built a pretty solid collection and can create two viable collections. But geez... when there aren't duplicates of a book - particularly, I've noticed, a picture book - I do NOT want to leave it behind. I mean, some day a kid might pull Tell Me a Mitzi off the shelf, ya know?

Anyway, yesterday was particularly trying as I discovered that leaving any poetry book behind, even the many, many doubles (note: if you live on donations, you will get Shel Silverstein), was not something that was in my blood. It was an act of discipline to make choices, even knowing that we can access the books from either location. In the end, I admit it, I packed the poetry in a ratio that kept more of it with me.

And I'd do it again, too.

That said, let this be our secret, okay? Thanks. You're the best. (Oh, and all you amazing people who have donated books to the library or signed books when I've found you? Thanks again! All your books are staying with us, I guarantee!)

It's Poetry Friday, and Tara has the roundup over at A Teaching Life. Check it out for gobs of poetry joy....

You Can Be a Cybils Judge!

Yes, it's that time of year again - time to sign up to be on a Cybils panel! If you don't know the Cybils - the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards, well, it's also a great time to learn about 'em, I tell ya. You can even read about the early days before there was even an awards sticker that graces books....

If you blog about children's books (board book to YA) or children's apps, you're likely eligible to be a judge. And judging, I must tell you, is a lot of fun (and a great responsibility, cuz it's wonderfully serious business). I judged the poetry category for a few years and am still in touch with all my fellow panelists. Nuff said.

So, get thee hence and sign on up!

Well, I Guess I'm Interested....

I have to admit this amused me greatly - email from Amazon suggesting that I, G. Pincus, might be interested in Greg Pincus' poetry collection The Late Bird:

It's a fine book, but I already own it :-) 

I guess this proves that algorithms are only human....

Conference Time!

Ah, yes - it's about time for the annual SCBWI Summer Conference which, I'm happy to say, takes place in my own back yard. Not literally, of course, because there's not room for 1000 there. But close enough that I can drive to and from every night, saving hotel fees and food charges and the like.

Sadly, this year I'm not a paid attendee (schedule, time, time schedule, etc.), but I'll be there a whole bunch, hanging out in the hotel lobby or out on the patio or just plain old milling about seeing friends old and new.

If you're there, please say hello! And look for tweets with the #LA13SCBWI hashtag to keep up to date on the Twitter talk. (Plus, SCBWI's team blog's blog is always a great read!).

The Disability in Kidlit Blog

Just want to point out the Disability in Kidlit blog, in case you've missed it. Cuz it's great, ya see.

This isn't just about listing books where disability factors in. No. We're talking critical looks at representation, conversations about myriad issues/concerns, and well-written thought pieces by folks who know of what they speak.

The blog may only be active for the month of July, but I, for one, hope it continues. It reminds me of Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature blog... and that's a good thing.

We talk about children's literature being a mirror for kids, and it's important to examine how we're really doing in that regard when it comes to our portrayals of others different than "the norm" (whatever the norm might mean these days....). Check it out, I say!

In Which I See ARCs... and Squee

What's this?

Could it be?

Squee!!!!

 
Yes, it's ARCs (advance reader copies or galleys or uncorrected proofs or whatever you might want to call them) of the 14 Fibs of Gregory K.!

And I freely admit it's a great feeling to hold one. Can't quite imagine what holding the final book will be like. Makes me want October 1 to come sooner.....

This calls for pie!

 

It's the Fourth Anniversary of #kidlitchat!!!!

It's true - our chat this week (as always on Tuesday night at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific on Twitter) will be celebrating our fourth anniversary. Since chat is modest, it will not be all about it, of course, but focusing more on all the chatters and the industry itself.

Please come join Bonnie Adamson and me and chat your fingers off.

If you need some chat help, check out this great writeup by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. (As an aside, for those looking for a new chat-following tool, the site Twubs.com was recommended to me and worked well last week.)

Hope to see you there!

J. Patrick Lewis - Where is the Fourth of July?

Where is the Fourth of July?
by
J. Patrick Lewis

The Fourth of July
isn't what it used to be,
isn't what it used to be,
not even close to being close
to what it used to be back in the days of old.

Where is the Fourth of July parade?
The bands? Remember the bands that played,
picnics, cookouts, fireworks adventures?
Remember when Grandpa lost his dentures,
Granny made ice cream, the four uncles sang
(almost in tune) like a barbershop gang,

Saluting the flag? Dressed in red, white, and blue?
Kids riding bikes down the avenue?
Where is the Fourth of July of old?
I said to Gramps, "It's holiday gold!
July the Fourth is a household word!"
But missing his teeth, he said to me, "Son,
Ish only July da fird."

(©J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.)

It's always nice (and a bit of a thrill) to have J. Patrick Lewis stop by here at GottaBook and share a poem. And today it's a poem for the 4th... or the 3rd... or both!

Whether you celebrate Independence Day or not, I wish you a happy Fourth. As for me... I'll be watching the fireworks, saluting history, and enjoying friends and family. Sounds like the July Fourths of old, perhaps? Just no lost dentures....

Not that I'm excited about it or anything....

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. is due to launch three months from today!

Here again, because it makes me abundantly happy, is Linzie Hunter's fabulous cover:

You should stop by your favorite indie bookshop and encourage them to order gobs of copies, don't you think? Yes. Of course, you do. Don't know why I asked. Or you can pre-order it on Amazon, even.

But really what I encourage most is to hang out and be gleeful with me or with any other author you know who's got a book coming out soon. It's an exciting time, yet it's easy to forget to celebrate. So find an author and have some fun!