Choose Your Own Adventure - the 2014 Youth Media Awards

Tonight the American Library Association's website has become a Choose Your Own Adventure game. 

Forgive the crappy screen shot. 

 

Readers, choose wisely!  You can be a Librarian/Librarian Fan, or go straight to the Youth Media Awards (which is the ultimate Choose Your Own Adventure if you think about it.  The best of the best in youth books, videos and "other outstanding matierals" as the website puts it)  We're talking the Caldecott, the Newbery, the Printz and Coretta Scott King Book Awards-- it's very exciting. 

Unfortunately, it's also at 8:00 in the morning EST, which is early.  Too early for this PST girl.  I plan on being deep in REM sleep then, but if you are an early riser, check out the webcast here.  (If you watch before go-time, like I just did, you'll be treated to a photo montage and awesome 8-bit-video-game vibey music!)




I imagine winning an ALA award is much like winning a Nobel-- the phone starts ringing waaay too early.  But in a good way. 

Congratulations to all of the winners.  Here's to another fabulous year of writing!

TXLA!

Well, I'm back!  The Texas Library Association Conference was A-MA-ZING.  Truly.  For starters, I think it was as large, if not larger than the ALA National Conference in Anaheim last year.  Secondly, my publisher pulled out all the stops for a delicious and hilarious dinner with a group of YA librarians on Thursday night.  Then there were signings and librarian speed dating, a teen book giveaway that blew my mind, and a post-dinner stroll through the Stockyards.  I felt like a freshman at orientation for the coolest college ever.  So much to see and do.  There are pictures, all trapped on my cellphone at the moment.  I will post them as soon as I figure out what I'm doing wrong.   Photos below!

In the meantime, Thank you to everyone at Penguin for making me feel like part of the family.  Special thanks to my Penguin author buddies DJ MacHale (Morpheus Road, and SYLO!), Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Grey and Out of the Easy), Marie Lu (Legend Trilogy), Ashley Edward Miller and Zach Stentz (Colin Fischer), and Robert Paul Weston (Zorgamazoo), and my panel mates Jennifer Echols (Such a Rush) and John Corey Whaley (Where Things Come Back).

And thanks to the best librarians in the world.  You make me glad to be a writer!

Me and DJ MacHale (SYLO, July 2013!)

Best cast ever!  Heal fast, Mr. J!

The stacks and stacks of books at the Teen Giveway Event. Droolworthy!

Apparently the water park next to the conference center has a colorful history

It's made of hats!

In the corner of every library convention-- fabulous clothes for librarians!

 

Dinner in the Stockyards.  How cool is that?



When you can't make stars, just hang 'em on the ceiling.

Miss Ruta, my awesome editor Shauna, and me.