It’s time for another contest! In honor of our new YA novel Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby, we want to hear about your favorite survival stories. From current events involving Chilean miners to books that detail how to get out of the Everglades alive with only a can of Spam and […]Read more "Survival Story Contest"

With the Middle East in tremendous turmoil, check out TFCB’s Visual Geography Series and its various Middle East titles to better understand what’s fueling the unrest in the region. You’ll also find useful, free downloadable materials and additional links to further information at the VGS website. It’s a great way to get a start on […]Read more "A Region in Turmoil"

Kirkus just called Ashley Hope Peréz’s What Can’t Wait “Un magnifico debut.”  Couldn’t agree more. You can hear more about Ashley and the novel in this interview with Indiana Public Media. http://wfiu.indiana.edu/podcasts/audio/artsInterviews/11/110202-perez.mp3 I think my favorite part of the interview is Ashley talking about her students in Houston. This was a novel born of real […]Read more "Why What Can’t Wait couldn’t wait"

Publishing sometimes has its own language, and I’d like to share a few of the more interesting and unusual terms I’ve learned over the years. bleed: This has nothing to do with blood! A photo or illustration bleeds if it extends past the edges of the book (whether top, side, or bottom—or all). A full-bleed […]Read more "Bleeding in the Gutter: Publishing Terminology"

I wasn’t at SCBWI in NYC, but I’ve heard from many people that Sara Zarr hit a keynote homer. Not really a surprise, I suppose. Steve Brezenoff wasn’t officially at SCBWI either, but, he borrowed one of his character’s juvie shoes, and now you can read his take on Zarr’s keynote. (Rumors you may have […]Read more "Advice by Any Means"

Graphic Universe’s editorial director, Carol Burell, just got back from the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême (or Angoulême International Comics Festival as it’s known in English). Bande Dessinée, or BD, is the French term for comic. The festival (now in its 37th year) is held annually in the town of Angoulême, located in […]Read more "The Latest News from Angoulême"

By TFCB author, Ann Downer (Domenica invited author Ann Downer to write a post about researching her new title for TFCB’s Spring 2011 season. The book is called Elephant Talk [cover below] and it looks at the many incredible ways in which elephants communicate with each other and with other species. So don’t worry if […]Read more "The Tale of the Elephant’s Tail"

Until now, I haven’t given much thought to book and food pairings. Perhaps that’s just because the right book hadn’t come along. In Clara Morgan and the Oregon Trail Journey by Marty Rhodes Figley, eleven-year-old Clara struggles to make biscuits for her family as they travel on the Oregon Trail. Biscuits aren’t her only challenge […]Read more "Books with Biscuits"

I just recently saw the movie The Social Network, a fictionalized telling of how Mark Zuckerberg brought Facebook to the (inter)national stage. I thought it was a captivating and well-made movie—especially well written. (Watch for Aaron Sorkin’s cameo, too!) But what fascinated me most about the movie was the glimpse back it gave, of that […]Read more "The Social Network Era"