Karen Cushman
Newbery award-winning children’s book author
Will Sparrow’s Road is out today, and Publisher’s Weekly has given it a starred review plus named it one of the Best Books of 2012. I suggest you get a copy and see for yourself. If you are lucky enough to live on Vashon Island, come join me at Vashon Bookshop, Friday, November 9, at 6 PM. There will be
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” ― William Cullen Bryant October has come and mostly gone here in the northwest but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I tore a ligament in my right knee and had to cancel long-anticipated events in DC, Texas, and California. I’m mightily disappointed but as I sit here watching leaves turn color against the grey sky, I
On quiet afternoons, I love to sit curled up in a chair and read books about writing (really!). I’m a writing book nerd. Mary Kole, literary manager at Movable Type Management who blogs at kidlit.com, just sent me a copy of her new book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers. And
All you Pacific Northwesterners out there (you know who you are)—come join me at the Wordstock Festival (now the Portland Literary Festival) in Portland. I’ll be speaking at two events on Saturday afternoon, October 13. Both times I have the pleasure of sharing the stage with Katherine Schlick Noe, the author of the remarkable Something to Hold, winner of the
Katy Kellgren, who was so magnificent as the narrator of the award-winning audio book of Meggy Swann, has agreed to work her magic on an audio book for Will Sparrow’s Road. Thank you to Katy, and to May Wuthrich and Orli Moscowitz of Random House Listening Library. How did I get so lucky? Look for an excerpt on this website
The sheepdog trials returned again to Vashon Island. We had a lovely day watching border collies try to herd sheep. I know now why there is no metaphor saying “smart as a sheep.” They do not make it easy for the poor dogs. For those of you who think it rains here all the time, note the dry grass on
Finally, Sharon Creech’s new book The Great Unexpected is available. “In the little town of Blackbird Tree live two orphan girls: one Naomi Deane, brimming with curiosity, and her best friend, Lizzie Scatterding, who could talk the ears off a cornfield. Naomi has a knack for being around when trouble happens. For she knows all the peculiar people in town—like Crazy Cora
… every day you were someone else. No, actually still you, but in someone else’s mind and body. I have just finished an advanced reader’s copy of David Levithan’s new book, Every Day. At first I doubted he could pull it off. I thought he could not make me care for the narrator who was different every day. Or for
I just spent five glorious days at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in LA. I took my trusty cell phone, determined to get a plethora of splendid photos of all my favorite folk. Due, however, to my poor memory and even poorer photographic skills, this is all I came back with. Not even one photo of
So I was driving home from the Thriftway and there on the road ahead of me were two very big dogs. Not an unusual sight. Then I got closer. Seems the big dogs were actually small—very small—horses, just eating their way along the highway. Even for Vashon that’s an unusual sight. This is what passes for excitement on our island.
