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ILA & nErD CAMP 2016!
Nerd Camp: Where it's cool to be a nerd!
What a week of unbelievable experiences! On Saturday, July 9th, I attended the International Literacy Association conference in Boston, where I was extremely honored to sign FENWAY AND HATTIE for over 100 reading teachers and literacy specialists at the Penguin Young Readers booth. It was a thrill to meet and chat with these dedicated literacy professionals at my very first official signing at a major conference!
Afterward, I had the privilege of participating in a Penguin reception. Among the countless highlights was meeting Pernille Ripp, teacher, author of two great books for educators, and founder of the Global Read Aloud. My heart pounded when she asked me to sign FENWAY AND HATTIE for her, and it pounded even harder the next day when she posted online that she was already finishing it!
After a late night at ILA, I met a group of fellow Boston area & New England Nerdy Book Club friends for a trip out to nErD CAMP in Michigan from July 10-13! This annual gathering is a huge opportunity for teachers and librarians who share a love of books and reading to support each other, share resources, and get ideas to use in their classrooms and schools to foster the love of reading in kids.
The wicked nerdy New Englander group included: rockstar teachers/librarians Lesley Burnap, Melisssa Guerrette, Melanie Roy, Erika M. Victor, and Jason Lewis, and hilarious picture book author Josh Funk. We were joined in Detroit by adorable picture book author/illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and master librarian and wonderful friend Margie Myers-Culver. Later, I was overjoyed to meet one of my heroes, Rachel Harder, a 4th grade teacher from Kansas who works magic with her students.
It's hard to describe the Nerd Camp experience. While I had participated in the regional Nerd Camp Long Island last fall, this was my first time at the national Nerd Camp where more than 1,000 educators and 50 authors and illustrators attended. Basically, it's two days of celebrating books, meeting amazing people, hanging out with friends, being blown away by outstanding speakers, sharing ideas in break-out sessions, and just being nerdy together.
John Schumacher (aka Mr. Schu) and Margie Myers-Culver - two outstanding librarians - are quite possibly the fairy godparents of children's books.
I led a break-out session called "Writing Strategies for Teaching POV" (an evolved version of the session I facilitated at Nerd Camp LI) to an absolutely packed classroom! It was so much fun to demonstrate activities to help the teachers view the world from a dog's perspective. Their engagement and creativity levels were off the charts!
How awesome is this - one of the participants quoted me!!!
Following the two days of Nerd Camp, I was privileged to take part in Nerd Camp Jr. Over the course of just a few hours, 700 students from the local area attended small group sessions with authors and illustrators with the goal of encouraging a love of writing.
I worked with three groups of awesome 5th graders and got them thinking and writing from a dog's point of view. During the third session, a thunderstorm rolled in and the students started barking at it. Clearly, I did something right!
At one point I was lounging around the lobby when I heard some very familiar words. Turns out one of these awesome students was reading FENWAY AND HATTIE out loud! It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.
Nerd Camp was full of amazing moments like that - hearing inspiring stories from top reading advocates and fantastic authors like Raina Telgemeier and Kate DiCamillo, embedding myself with outstanding teachers and librarians like Margie Myers-Culver (whom I roomed with!), soaking up all the excitement and energy, listening to stories from rockstar teachers that literally gave me chills, and making countless new nerdy friends.
But my number one favorite moment by far was looking out over the gym and thinking about all the kids whose lives will be changed by these energetic, enthusiastic educators. Those kids who need extra nurturing or encouragement. Those kids who will see their teacher's passion and be inspired. Those kids who will be turned on to the joy of reading and it will make all the difference. That realization was just so... WOW.
I'm so glad I got to participate in Nerd Camp this year. Thank you to Colby Sharp and all the organizers of Nerd Camp for including me in this outstanding event. It was an absolutely incredible experience.
Colby Sharp's son sinks his teeth into the FENWAY & HATTIE postcard
Independent Bookstore Day 2016
On Saturday, April 30th, I was thrilled and honored to participate in Independent Bookstore Day - a special day to spotlight and celebrate independent bookstores and the important role they play in our communities.
Sign outside Buttonwood Books & Toys
First up, I stopped by Buttonwood Books and Toys in Cohasset, Mass. I read the opening chapters of Fenway and Hattie to young readers while they made "groovin" doggy bobblehead dolls. I also signed stacks of books! Many thanks to rockstar booksellers Kathy Detwiler and Bill Grace, who made this event not only successful, but a ton of fun. I had a total blast and I think the kids did, too.
Later, I visited my hometown bookstore, Westwinds Bookshop in Duxbury. I had a ball signing books and hanging out with Sally, the shop's resident black lab. What an awesome dog! Huge thanks to Brooke, Pat, and Grace for the warm welcome and for their outstanding support!
Top: Sally cozying up with Fenway
Above: The way cool display at Westwinds!
I'm so grateful to these and all the wonderful independent bookshops in our area. Not only do the stores and their helpful staff offer us fantastic titles to browse through and purchase, but they also host authors and other events, and support our communities in countless ways.
So if you don't already have a copy of Fenway and Hattie, or if you'd like to grab additional copies to give as gifts, please consider shopping at an independent bookseller. Visit Indiebound to see where Fenway and Hattie is available at a store near you or to order online. And if you'd like an autographed copy, my neighborhood bookstore, Henry Bear's Park, can help you out!
Fenway and Hattie Post-Launch News Round-up
Wowee! It's been a busy and exciting month since Fenway and Hattie hit bookshelves everywhere! Here are some highlights:
On Launch Day, I had a ball taking a copy of Fenway and Hattie to Fenway Park!
I started making the rounds - visiting local book stores, meeting fabulous booksellers, and autographing books! And there are so many more book stores I hope to visit soon. The Boston area is loaded with amazing booksellers!
Top L-R: Signing pre-orders at Henry Bears Park, Harvard Book Store, Porter Square Books, Bookends Winchester; Bottom L-R: Brookline Booksmith, Concord Bookshop, Wellesley Books, Willow Books
On February 24th, I was honored to participate in World Read Aloud Day by reading to two classes of 4th and 5th graders at Cyrus E. Dallin Elementary School. I'm so happy that superstar librarian Rebecca Aaronson agreed to host me!
I'm a big fan of serendipity! In early March, I was in New York City when on the spur of the moment I reached out to reading specialist extraordinaire Susie Rolander (pictured below) and luckily, she was available for a fun chat. I had a blast "talking shop" with and learning from this fabulous lady!
And no trip to New York is complete without a visit to the paradise for young readers, Books of Wonder! Lucky for me, picture book luminaries Sophie Blackall and Brian Floca were reading at BOW that day. Listening to Sophie read was incredible, and even more incredible was signing Fenway and Hattie alongside Brian! I was deeply honored to meet these two Caldecott winners, but honestly, the one who stole my heart that day was a dog named Deke.
On the shelf, with Sophie Blackall, signing beside Brian Floca, getting a kiss from DEKE!
In addition to actual visits, the book made some virtual visits, too. I'm so grateful to everyone who reviewed Fenway and Hattie or featured it (or me) online. Here are a few of the highlights:
- The Nerdy Book Club by rockstar teacher Jason Lewis
- The Chronicles of Middle Grade by Penguin Young Readers
- Kids Talk Kid Lit by Kurt Stroh
- Reederama by Jennifer Reed
- All the Wonders
- The Hiding Spot
- The Swanky Seventeens by Kristin L. Gray
- Coffee with a Canine
And while all of that was a lot of fun, best of all was taking time to celebrate the book launch with my family and friends.
First was a party at Henry Bear's Park where Boston radio goddess Pebbles helped me talk about and read from Fenway and Hattie. I'm extremely thankful to Henry Bear's awesome staff who welcomed us so warmly and even provided games for the kids!
And second, it was a dream come true when I was a guest author at the place where I discovered reading as a kid, the Duxbury Free Library. I had a great time sharing how I got inside a dog's mind, as well as reading and signing books to family and longtime friends. Huge thanks to everyone, especially children's librarian Nancy Denman who is a total, total pro! Her hard work really made this event a big success.
I am beyond fortunate to be part of an amazing group of 2016 debut authors called The Sweet Sixteens. Aside from sharing the journey to publication together and forming incredible friendships, we each sent an advance reader copy (ARC) of our books "out on tour."
Now that Fenway and Hattie is widely available in book stores and libraries, it was time to welcome my ARC back home. What a thrill to see it beat up (well loved!) and check out all the notes and doodles from these talented friends.
Whew! It's been an incredible month! With the official launch behind me, I'm looking forward to connecting more with readers and visiting schools. Look for information coming soon!
Fenway and Hattie Pre-Launch News Round-up
It's been an exciting few months leading up to February 9, 2016 - the date Fenway and Hattie hits bookshelves everywhere! Here's a quick round-up of what's been happening:
In November, advance copies of Fenway and Hattie were on display at AASL in Columbus and NCTE in Minneapolis - two of the biggest national conferences for school librarians and teachers.
In December, I visited an enthusiastic classroom of 3rd graders where we explored A Dog's POV. I'm looking forward to connecting with more schools this year. Stay tuned for complete school visit information!
Shortly before Christmas, master librarian Margie Myers-Culver featured Fenway and Hattie as the grand finale of her 15-part blog series dedicated to the memory of her beloved dog Xena. It was a tremendous honor and I'm extremely grateful to Margie for choosing my book as part of this special celebration of Xena's life.
Margie and her beloved Xena
What a surprise! My amazing editor Susan Kochan sent me a copy of The Real Book - hot off the presses - just in time for Christmas!
From January 8-11, 2016, I attended the ALA Midwinter conference right here in Boston. I signed more than 100 advance copies of Fenway and Hattie at the Penguin Young Readers booth, co-hosted a private party for librarians with 24 fellow Sweet Sixteens debut authors, and best of all, I got to meet the One and Only John Schumacher, aka "Mr. Schu," national Ambassador for School Libraries.
Meeting Mr. Schu was definitely a highlight of ALA!
And speaking of Mr. Schu, guess who hosted the premiere of the Fenway and Hattie trailer? It was an incredible experience working with Mr. Schu and sharing this fun video with readers. You can watch the video HERE.
I'm so thankful to Mr. Schu and all the teachers and librarians who are getting excited for the book. Just last week, reading specialist and proud Nerdy Book Club member Michele Knott featured Fenway and Hattie on her blog, "Mrs. Knott's Book Nook." It was awesome to see Michele recommend it as a mentor text for teaching inference and perspective.
And finally, thanks to Henry Bear's Park, you can order an autographed copy of Fenway and Hattie and have it shipped within the continental US (and elsewhere by arrangement). I'm so grateful to partner with my neighborhood bookseller - my favorite place to shop for books!
That's all the news for now! See you on the other side of February 9th!
Nerd Camp!
This fall, I participated in Nerd Camp Long Island and WOW was it ever fun! Nerd Camp is a professional development “un-conference” for teachers centered around reading and writing and of course, books.
Back in September, I wrote a guest post for the Nerdy Book Club blog about my fascination with point of view (POV). So when rockstar teacher Kristen Picone invited me to Nerd Camp, I immediately thought of leading a session on teaching POV in the classroom.
When we arrived at Nerd Camp, there was a blank session board. It was up to us to fill it in!
On November 7th, more than 400 teachers and two dozen authors gathered on Long Island, ready to share and learn and embrace our mutual nerdy-ness. The energy was incredible!
Top left: Arrival! Top right: Cake! Bottom: Author panel!
To say that I was excited and nervous about leading a session for a room full of teachers would be a HUGE understatement. But thanks to rockstar teacher Jason Lewis who helped me put together an interactive presentation based on the FENWAY AND HATTIE classroom guide, it turned out great!
Leading the session on POV - Photo courtesy of Kristen Picone
From the very first moment, those teachers were ON FIRE. Their enthusiasm for POV and the creativity they put into each exercise blew me away. When our hour was up, it took a long time for the classroom to empty out, even though it was time for lunch!
Aside from my POV session, my biggest highlight was hanging out with teacher friends – those I already knew plus the amazing new friends I made. Everyone was welcoming and friendly and eager to learn and share. And man, did we ever talk about books!
In the afternoon, I had the honor of participating in my very first author panel, as well as signing advance reader copies of FENWAY AND HATTIE that Penguin had very generously donated for the event. It was a thrill to sign books for the first time – almost all of which went to elementary school classrooms. And if that wasn’t enough, Penguin also provided printed copies of the F&H classroom guide for teachers to take home!
Top: My signing table! Bottom left: Fenway poster! Bottom right: Hanging out with fellow Putnam/Penguin author Corey Rosen Schwartz!
All in all, Nerd Camp was a phenomenal event that I will always remember. I’m so grateful to Kristen, Jason, and all the other Nerdy Book Club friends who made this incredible experience possible!
Hey, everybody! Meet Fenway! (And a special offer for teachers and librarians!)
Wowee! Now you can "meet" Fenway! The cover of FENWAY AND HATTIE recently made its debut on the blog of librarian extraordinaire, dog lover, and all around lovely human, Margie Myers-Culver. I am honored and grateful that Margie agreed to host the cover reveal and throw a few questions my way -- my very first interview. If you haven't seen it, go check it out!
And if you're an elementary school teacher or librarian, you can let your students meet Fenway, too! Send me your school's name and address and I'll be happy to mail you this FENWAY AND HATTIE postcard for your room or library while supplies last. (Shown below: Postcard front and back.)
Great news: Another FENWAY AND HATTIE Book is Coming!
Evil squirrels are bad enough. Wait till Fenway meets this guy!
I'm so excited that GP Putnam's Sons will publish FENWAY AND HATTIE in February 2016. And now I'm even more excited because Putnam will also publish FENWAY & HATTIE AND THE EVIL BUNNY GANG in Spring 2017!
In this sequel to the first book, Fenway thinks nothing could be worse than a Gang of Evil Bunnies, until Hattie brings home a cage with a bunny who poses the biggest threat of all.
I’m beyond thrilled to continue working with my brilliant editor Susan Kochan to bring another Fenway and Hattie book into the world.
Victoria J. Coe