sherylbooks

Dragon Boat Racing

27 Aug 2011 1 Comment

by sherylbooks in Events Tags: Dragon Boat races, The Gorge Water Way, Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club

coming in from our winning race. I'm 4th back on the left

I’ve really been missing dragon boating, as our team is finished the season. But this morning there were dragon boat races on the Gorge Waterway here in town. Even though our team was not participating, myself and a few of the female members of our mixed dragon boat team helped fill out an all women’s team that was short of paddlers. It was a beautiful day for racing, and we had so much fun. We even won our first race despite the fact that half of us usually paddle on one team, and half of us usually paddle on a different team. We did lose our second race, but the beer garden and the sunshine helped to cheer us up.

Two publishers, two best sellers!

25 Aug 2011 5 Comments

by sherylbooks in News, Publishing News Tags: A Pod of Orcas, best seller, children's books, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Jessie's Island, Marsha Skrypuch, Orca Book Publishers, Sheryl McFarlane

It’s always nice to get a bit of good news. Just heard through a writer friend, the wonderful Marsha Skrypuch, that A Pod of Orcas is Fitzhenry and Whiteside’s number one selling title…and that includes both adult and children’s books! Hurray! Not only that, but Orca Books number one seller is another one of my picture books, Jessie’s Island, which has been a continuous best seller for the last 19 years!

Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO – World – CBC News

24 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by sherylbooks in News Tags: Apple CEO, end of an era, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is stepping down as Apple’s CEO. It is likely due to poor health as he’s been on a medical leave, but the fact that he won’t be front and centre any more is a really big deal. In so many ways, I grew up with Apples. I used MAC’s when I completed my education degree, and used Apples in my first few years of teaching. The very fist computer I ever purchased was an Apple that used 5 3/4 inch floppy discs instead of a hard drive. This man, along with a few others, changed the face of communication…and it all started in a garage! This is truly the end of an era. Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO – World – CBC News.

NYT article on Boys and Reading

23 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by sherylbooks in For Educators, For Parents, Help for writers, News Tags: Art Slade, Boys and Reading, guys who write for kids and teens, Jon Scieszka, M. T. Anderson, NYT, Walter Dean Myers

Here’s an interesting article on boys and reading in the NYT. The thing that puzzles me though is that there are some really fabulous male writers these days who are writing for kids and teens…Walter Dean Myers, M.T. Anderson, Art Slade, and Jon Scieszka to name a few. Why are we still not doing well in keeping boys reading?

A touch base post to let you know that I won’t be posting until next week

16 Aug 2011 3 Comments

by sherylbooks in News

Arrived home from a trip to LA that was wonderful in all ways, professionally, and vacationally…I like making words up! Quite a lot of gardening, and writing to catch up on before friends arrive…Met them several years ago in Spain when teaching at an english language school. It will be great to catch up, but probably won’t have much time for blogging as one of my daughters will be home for a quickie visit in between…Check back next week when I report on a few more highlights of the 2011 SCBWI Conference and the trip home. Later, Sheryl

Check out the 2011 Chocolate Lily Short-List for a good summer read

13 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by sherylbooks in Award News, For Educators, For Parents Tags: awards, children's books, Summer reads

Yes, summer is starting to wind down. If your children are starting to complain about being bored, here’s some great titles to keep them busy the for the rest of the summer… BC’s Chocolate Lily short-list for children’s books.

Novels:
Hannah and the Spindle Whorl by Carol Anne Shaw (Ronsdale Press)
Silver Rain by Lois Peterson (Orca Book Publishers)
Follow the Elephant by Beryl Young (Ronsdale Press)
Ghost of Heroes Past by Charles Reid (Ronsdale Press)
No Moon by Irene N. Watts (Tundra Books)
Dear George Clooney Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen (Tundra Books)
Liars and Fools by Robin Stevenson (Orca Book Publishers)

Grade 3 to Grade 5 Chapter Books
Emily by Julie Lawson (Penguin)
The Ballad of Knuckles McGraw by Lois Peterson (Orca Book Publishers)
Ben’s Robot by Robin Stevenson (Orca Book Publishers)
Black Dog Dream Dog by Michelle Superle (Tradewind Books)
No Pets Allowed by Irene N. Watts (Tradewind Books)

Picture Books
Singing Away the Dark by Caroline Woodward, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Simply Read Books)
Great Lakes and Rugged Ground: Imagining Ontario by Sarah N. Harvey and Leslie Buffam, illustrated by Kasia Charko (Orca Book Publishers)
Stanley’s Little Sister by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin (Kids Can Press)
The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Greystone Books)
Where are You Bear? by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Sean L. Moore (Owl Kids)
Compost Stew: an A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals (Tricycle Press)

24 hours in San Francisco

11 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by sherylbooks in News Tags: cable cars, Leaving LA, Rolando, San Francisco

After the LA SCBWI conference the plan was to drive home via San Francisco and wine country. Before we headed out, we tracked down The Formosa, the bar featured in a few scenes from LA Confidential. It looks pretty much the same. If you have’t seen that movie, it’s soooo good, so get your butt out to the vid store and do it. It just happened to be on Route 66, another icon of American culture So cool.

We stayed at a funky little hotel on Knob Hill. Not much of a view, but so much character, including this very cool elevator. We wandered the piers, discovered a wonderful book store called Book Passage (get it). Picked up a few more books, cuz you know you can never have too many, and just enjoyed the walk and sunshine.

One the things I love about traveling is meeting and chatting with new people. We met Rolando, a wonderfully friendly operator of the cable car we were riding. Watching him was fascinating…braking a cable car traveling down one of SF’s scary hills is hard work, and Rolando was clearly proud of the work he does! My tourist tip of the day is to take the California St. Cable Car. It’s not nearly as busy as the Powell St. Line; although it is a little shorter.

Later we caught some great Jazz at a little club and had excellent Ethiopian food. Our one day in SF was a treat.

SCBWI 2011:chocolate and inspiration in 3 action-packed days

08 Aug 2011 2 Comments

by sherylbooks in News, Writing Life Tags: 2011 SCBWI LA, Canadian children's writers, Laurie Halse Anderson

Elizabethanne Stilborn, Lizann Flatt, & Debbie Ohi

There were a surprising number of Canadian writers and illustrators who made it down to LA for the SCBWI 2011 Conference. I ran into lots of familiar faces: Linda Bailey, Dean Griffiths, Marsha Skrypuch, Kari-Lynn Winters and lots of others including three new friends to the left.

Since it was the 40th anniversary (hard to believe, I know) the most exquisite chocolate dessert in the shape of a book was served. The conference ended a high note for me with Laurie Halse Anderson, one of my very favourite young adult authors.

Her first novel, Speak is one that continues to stay with me years after reading it. Halse Anderson spoke about the power of art to disturb the universe. It was the perfect inspiration to sum up three wonderful days, and she challenged us all to go out and shake things up with our writing.

Gary Paulsen: That librarian never knew

07 Aug 2011 Leave a comment

by sherylbooks in News Tags: Gary Paulsen, librarians, mentoring, teachers

Gary Paulsen is an amazing storyteller. His stories are so true to life. He talked about how, as a street kid whose parents were alcoholics and who had failed every subject and didn’t know how to read, he went to the library of his home town to keep warm. The librarian offered him a library card and gave him a book. It was the beginning of a life long passion for reading and writing. ” Everything I’ve become I owe that woman (the librarian),” says Paulsen. It’s interesting how many writers have similar stories about teachers or librarians. So all you teachers and librarians out there, take heart. Governments and school boards may not appreciate you, but you are making a difference, not only in the lives of kids who you share books with, but in the lives of all the children who read books by the authors whose lives you impacted when they were children.

Judy Blume

06 Aug 2011 2 Comments

by sherylbooks in News

Judy Blume was so inspiring and wonderfully down to earth. She had so many interesting things to say, but one thing that really struck me is “In the beginning writing not only changed my life, it saved my life.” Listening to her speak makes me want to run out and reread all of her books all over again.