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You are currently browsing the First Book Blog weblog archives for May, 2007.
Archive for May 2007
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First Book Podcast with Joshua Prince
May 31st, 2007
Jen W.
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I recently had the privilege of speaking with Joshua Prince, author of I Saw an Ant in the Parking Lot, from Sterling Publishing.Joshua is one of the many authors who will be doing a book signing at the First Book booth at BookExpo America, the annual book industry convention that is being held this week in New York City. If you’re attending BEA, please stop by our booth tomorrow at 1:00 to meet Joshua Prince, or anytime through Sunday to meet the First Book staff!
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Chicago..My Kind of Town
May 30th, 2007
Erin T.
Leave a Comment »This is my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who smile at you
- Frank SinatraI think old Blue Eyes had it right when he sang “My Kind of Town.” Chicago is a great city, and a First Book team recently experienced the vitality, altruism and hospitality of it first hand.
On May 17, First Book co-hosted a reception with Encyclopædia Britannica at their world headquarters to celebrate the national launch of the Encyclopedias for All campaign. Through the Encyclopedias for All initiative, corporations and individuals are able to provide encyclopedias and online resources to students in need in classrooms nationwide.
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Harry Potter Until Dawn
May 30th, 2007
Clarissa P.
Leave a Comment »The final Harry Potter book is coming soon, and 1,700 lucky fans will get to spend the night with author JK Rowling on the book’s release date. At London’s Natural History Museum, Rowling will read from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and sign books in a marathon overnight autograph session starting at midnight on July 21.
Attendees will be chosen by random from anyone who applies by June 11 — but I’m sure many of you will be disappointed when we tell you the drawing is only open to residents of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
But stay tuned to the First Book Blog to find out what we have planned here at the office — I’m sure you’ll find at least a few of our staff members waiting in line at the bookstore when the clock strikes midnight.
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Take the Cheerios Book Donation Challenge!
May 29th, 2007
Mary Beth F.
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The book The Tiny Seed begins and ends in which season?To answer this and other questions about your favorite children’s books, visit the Cheerios Book Donation Challenge, and help place new books into the hands of children in need!
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Don’t miss the ‘Stupid Smelly Bus’!
May 25th, 2007
Diane N.
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Everyone’s favorite fictional first grader, Junie B. Jones, is coming to life this summer in the fourth annual ride of THE JUNIE B. JONES® STUPID SMELLY BUS TOUR! From late May to early July 2007, Junie B. and her faithful bus driver Mr. Woo will be traveling in their hot pink bus to 25 cities as part of a national tour featuring a live theatrical performance scripted by author Barbara Park.
We are pleased to announce that, through the generosity of Random House Children’s Books, for every attendee at select Borders store locations, one new copy of a Junie B. Jones book will be donated to a child in need through First Book.
At each event, Junie B. will perform for fans, “stamp” their books with her signature stamp pad and hand out Junie B.-themed souvenirs. The events are free and open to the public and are recommended for children ages 5 and up.
You can view the bus tour schedule or learn more about Junie B. on our website.
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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
May 25th, 2007
Stephanie R.
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This week, the literary world celebrated the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I, like most of you, knew him as the creator of literature’s ultimate detective, Sherlock Holmes. What I didn’t know about him until recently is that he was involved in the real-life legal battle leading to the creation in 1907 of the Criminal Court of Appeal in Great Britain. The story begins with Geoge Edalji, the son of the parish vicar in Great Wyrley at the turn of the 20th century. Reverand Edalji was a Parsee convert to Christianity and, seen as an outsider and labeled a “Hindoo”, was the target of a campaign of harassment for more than 20 years. The situation came to a head in 1903 after a series of threatening letters were delivered to the reverend and a number of local farm animals were brutally maimed. In an act of pure racism, the local police immediately targeted the young lawyer George as the guilty party. In a sham of a trial, George was found guilty and sent to prison.
Upon his early release three years later, George found himself unable to practice law and, in an act of desperation, contacted Conan Doyle. The author had been following the case in the papers and became immediately convinced of George’s innocence. Thanks to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes-like detective work, George Edalji was eventually pardoned, although never received any compensation for the time he spent in prison.
All of this I learned from a fascinating book (where else?) called Arthur & George by Julian Barnes. The book is historical fiction, but the details of the case seem quite close to the historical accounts I found with a little help from Google. I hope you pick it up, or take a moment to look up the case (try The Plebeian for a synopsis of the only detailed account of the case). Without Arthur & George, it’s possible that we might still be left with a direct appeal to our Head of State as our only recourse in the case of a false conviction.
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First Book Volunteers: Learning, Giving, Inspiring!
May 24th, 2007
Katie B.
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One of the unique aspects of First Book’s work is that anyone can get involved locally, in one of hundreds of communities across the country. Volunteers come together to form an Advisory Board, a committee representing a community or campus, to raise awareness and funds in order to provide new books to local programs serving children from low-income families.
There are many opportunities to serve, from helping on a one-time basis to becoming an ongoing Advisory Board member or chairperson.
This week, the great work done by First Book Advisory Board volunteers is being highlighted on The Literacy Site. Be sure to visit the site today and while you’re there, click to help fund new books for kids in need (it’s easy and free!).
To learn more about how to get involved with First Book locally, check out our web site.
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Memorial Day Reading
May 24th, 2007
Nicole T.
3 Comments »It’s tradition at First Book to find out what everybody is reading over long holiday weekends. Erin and I are running out at lunch today to pick up the new A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hoseini, the much anticipated follow up to The Kite Runner. What’s on your reading list this weekend?
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Advisory Board Hero of the Month: First Book-Greater Detroit
May 23rd, 2007
Erin T.
Leave a Comment »On Thursday, April 26, the First Book-Greater Detroit Advisory Board led by co-chairs Pandora Brown, Charlene Harper and Bomani Gray partnered with harpist and author Diane Dunn to bring the magic of reading to children at Robert Burns Elementary School.
In addition to donating 300 copies of her book, The Adventures of a Harp Mouse, to the school, Ms. Dunn read to a group of 20 children. The Advisory Board also provided each child with funny eyeglasses and mouse ears. The theme, “Focus On Literacy,” was understood by all those gathered for the event and a good time was had by all. Congratulations to another inspiring group of First Book volunteers.
Do you want to be a hero too? Learn more about First Book Advisory Boards and how you can help get books to kids in your community.
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Stories from the Road: Lynda & Jena’s Adventures in New Mexico
May 17th, 2007
Lynda L.
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Lynda, Mary, and Jena (L to R)This trip started off with a late night — I actually stayed up until 4:00 am so I could get to the airport in time to catch a 6:30 am flight to Albuquerque. After a quick drive to Santa Fe for the kick-off of the MANA Literacy Project, I returned to Albuquerque to get ready for the American Indian & Alaska Native Child Care Conference the next day.
But first, I met up with Jena and we headed to dinner at the High Finance Restaurant & Tavern on top of Sandia Mountain, more than 10,000 feet above sea level, and a 2.7 mile tram ride to get there! It was somewhat scary going up and seeing the sights on the way but it was even more scary returning after dark, knowing what was out there but not being able to see anything on the way down. OOOOOOH!
