Twenty books per age category are chosen by librarians, then it’s up to students to read and vote for the winners.

Good luck, Callie!

I wanted to share a picture of myself in front of their office, where I met editors, designers, marketing wizards and all kinds of folks who love books as much as I do.

Anyway, the Scholastic building looks like just the kind of place I would have imagined as a kid, when I first started to dream of being a writer.

Who doesn't love a big red dog?

selected for the Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year list,

nominated for Maryland’s Black-Eyed Susan Award, and

nominated for New Hampshire’s Great Stone Face Children’s Book Award.

Yay Callie!

How cool is this?

Callie Boone has been nominated for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice 2011 Diamond Willow Award.

Click the link to read more and check out the rest of the nominees. . .

I’m pleased as punch!

The gang's all here!

I’ve just returned from a lovely visit to Seattle, where I dropped in on a local book club,  who’d just read “After All, You’re Callie Boone”.

They were kind enough to let me listen in on their discussion, then had some great questions for me, like:

Q: Why is Callie Boone a diver?

A: I wanted Callie to be training for something she’d ultimately have to do alone. No matter how much she practices and how much help she gets from the people around her, when it comes to the competition, and she’s standing at the edge of the diving board, it’s all up to her.

Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A: Since I was a little kid. I loved to read and I always wanted to see my own book on a library shelf.

Q: Do you like writing?

A: Yes. I love it, and it’s a very big part of my life. It’s kind of a funny hobby, though, because writing a book involves spending a lot of time alone, but after it’s finished, a writer has to switch gears and start talking about the book with readers, interviewers, etc. Something that had been very private  suddenly becomes public!

Q: Do you use people you know as characters?

A: Sometimes there are bits and pieces of friends and family in the characters.  Sometimes I use real arguments that I may have lost in real life. The fun thing about fiction is that I can think about what I wish I’d said, and  re-write the moment.

The gang's all here. . .

The staff was great and they even let me sign their “Author Table”, which is loaded with tons of autographs. I was pleased as punch to be a part of it.

Callie's favorite expression seemed like a good fit. . .

There might even be a free book in it for you. . .

http://amy-baskin.blogspot.com/2010/06/winnie-mack-book-giveaway.html

Yes, there will be cupcakes.

When: Thursday, June 24th from 4pm-6pm

Where: A Children’s Place Bookstore  (4807 NE Fremont St, Portland)