The Year of the Boy

Without any intention to do so, the last three books I've selected to read all have the word "boy" in the title.

The Boy who Went Magic by A. P. Winter
The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Boy, the Bird, & the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods

This morning I thought to myself, "Hmm. What are the odds? Is that a thing this year?" So I checked my reading "To Do/Done" lists to see if there were more books. I found

Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes
Blue Grass Boy : The Story of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass Music by Barb Rosenstock

I suppose 5 titles out of hundreds is probably not a "thing," it's just a curious coincidence. And perhaps a blog post. Happy Wednesday, everyone.

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The Shoe that Didn't Drop

I suppose I've read too many YA novels. Teen angst. Murder. Betrayal. Lies. Or maybe I've been watching too much TV. Yesterday I finished Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins. Not that Perkins is known for stories with tragic events, but in her latest, there's the ocean and a warning to not go out too far. (The girls are safely recovered.) There's an opportunity for two sisters to become enemies, each one jealous of the other. Yet by the end of the book, they are closer than ever. The parents are present--and smart, and funny, and love each other. So why then, was I so worried? THE COVER IS BLUE! For those of you who've been following me for a while, you know my theory: books with blue covers make you cry. Often they make you sob. I remember when I first connected the dots in 2016 that by the time I got to When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin, I was terrified to read it. The cover is blue, the title is blue and there is a DOG on

November: National Novel Writing Month

Who will write the next Great American Novel? PBS recently sponsored the Great American Read , featuring 100 of our favorite novels. What makes a novel great? Is it characters, plot, setting or resolution? Is it what we learn about ourselves as a result of reading it? Is it the feeling we have when we think about it? Is it the impact a novel makes on the world or the reader? Every author has a different explanation on the process of writing. In a TeachingBooks.net movie, Lois Lowry talks about how she doesn't use an outline , but allows the story to move and shape with each new event. Kate DiCamillo shares how she reads her draft aloud --which may contribute to why her books are great read alouds. And then there is the question of where do stories come from? Jack Gantos keeps journals --boxes and boxes of journals as idea sparkers . David Weisner's newest book, I Got It , came from an idea he had as a child--what happens in your mind can seem much longer than what happen

I'm Back!!

On the road again... After years of publishing on other blogs and websites, I'm back to writing my own. Here you'll find my thoughts on leadership, tips and tricks for busy librarians, and other ideas for implementing in your program. Find out what books I'm loving. Since I'll still be traveling a good bit, I'll probably post some travel tips as well. I'm excited about my next chapter. I hope you'll come along for the journey. Follow me @libdeborahford. Email me at dfordsalyer@yahoo.com

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