Reading on the Snow Drift

If you're packing for vacation--and we hope that you are--you've probably managed to sneak a book or two into your carry-on or suitcase. It's the time of year, after all, for a little more sunshine and a lot more heat. Before you head off to some sunnier shores or the family timeshare, take a moment to consider what you're taking with ya.

Recently, Josie Leavitt over at Publisher's Weekly, noticed a double standing in vacation reading. Many parents are picking up "potato chip" reads for their own beach bags, but filling their kids' backpacks with books just outside their reach. Why are adults allowed a tough-reading break, but kids are driven to push themselves even further than school is? It's called a vacation. Doesn't everyone deserve one from every facet of the hustle and bustle of daily life?

So why not allow our younger readers some time to read excellent books with the daring and adventurous and likable characters? If you're feeling like the vacation reader in your home could use some exciting variation at a level that's right up their alley, we have some great choices right here at Scarletta!



The Mighty Quinn

Quinn Andrews-Lee feels anything but mighty, and faces a dismal school year. His little sister outshines him athletically and socially, and he yearns for a service award his peers disdain. Not to mention charismatic bigot Matt Barker's goal in life is to torment Quinn and lure his friends to the dark side. When Quinn reports an act of vandalism, he finds himself accused of injuring Matt. Neally Standwell, a free-spirited new kid in Quinn's class, helps Quinn deduce who hurt Matt, but Matt would probably die—and would definitely lie—before admitting the truth.
Through events both comical and poignant, Quinn and Neally solve the mystery just as everything seems to go wrong and manage to thwart a bully without becoming one in turn. And at the end of the day, the fabled ability to belch the entire alphabet might very possibly trump any award ever presented at Turner Creek School.

Does The Weather Determine Your Book Choices? It Does For Me.

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” 
― Carl Reiner

It's snowing outside. That's nothing special, I do live in Minnesota. What is special is that there was no snow on the ground last night, and I woke up to several inches. This means two things, the first being that Josh told me that I am free to stay within the confines of my own home today. This leads to the second, which is that I'm also free to have access to my bookshelves all day. That means that the second my work is finished, it's time to make a pot of tea and enjoy some quality reading time. 

But what do I read? I'm currently reading several books, because I'm one of those people that loves to juggle texts. Do I pick up my current YA series, or continue my current historical fiction masterpiece? Well, let's look outside and let the weather decide for me. Is it snowing? Yes. Will any of my friends be attempting to interrupt my reading time? No. 

The answer is:

May We Have Your Submissions?

Hello, Hello!

It's been a while since we've crossed paths, bloggersphere. But I am here today to share some exciting news!

Over the last few weeks, we've been experiencing some exciting changes around the Scarletta offices. Today, I would like to share my excitement with one change in particular:

WE ARE RE-OPENING THE SUBMISSION PERIOD!

That's right, world, Scarletta is once again accepting submissions for Scarletta Kids, Scarletta Juniors, and Scarletta Press.  For the month of May, we will be eagerly awaiting your best Children's Picture Books, Memoir, Chapter Books, YA Literature, and Non-fiction.

Read On: Happy National Bookmobile Day!

It’s National Library Week and today we celebrate that glorious invention, the bookmobile! For over 100 years, mobile libraries have brought books to community members unable to make the trip to brick & mortar libraries.  Bookmobiles have brought together communities over the years—and are still rolling today!

And don't forget that in addition to a good read, your local library is a one-stop location for job advice, classes, readings, all-around hullabaloo—oh, and a sense of community. So renew that dog-eared library card, wander on by or happen across their website (or flag down a bookmobile) and show your local library some love, because it's clear that "Communities Matter @ Your Library!"

Libraries—especially the wheeled variety of course—certainly can take you places!

Coffee Boy?

It’s been two weeks in the office and no one—not one single person, not one single time—has asked me to get them a cup of coffee. I’ve yet to make copies of that finance report or pick up lunch down the street for the gang.  It seems to me that Scarletta has no idea how these internship things work.  For now, let’s keep it our little secret.

Instead, I have this whole little routine in the office that seems to go off without a hitch.  I sit at my own desk, with my own stack of mail, with my own (terrible, uncomfortable, utterly the worst) chair, and I do the work of a typical employee in an acquisitions role. Registering all of our submissions—both hard copy and electronic—occupies a good chunk of my morning. It’s fun to sift through our submitted materials and take a first look at all of the titles that come through our doors.  There are picture books, YA novels, memoirs, and even pamphlets—well, a pamphlet—describing the various types of vermin that inhabit our world, most of which we aren’t even fully aware of. After hundreds of paper cuts and under-the-breath questions like “why is this so sticky?” and “who uses this much tape?” it’s off to the Internet to catch up on book news.

Do you know how much information is on the world-wide-web?  

Spread the Love: Apply to Be a World Book Night Giver

Full disclosure: this is our please-apply-to-be-a-World-Book-Night-giver blog post. The deadline is fast-approaching (ok, it's tomorrow!), so if you've been having internal debates, or even external ones, about whether or not to apply, we're here to settle the argument and tell you to APPLY!
For those of you who don't know about World Book Night (or WBN), it takes place on April 23, and over the course of one night, thousands of givers hand out over half a million specially printed books to people who don't normally read that much. In places as varied as bus stops, coffee shops, shelters, and grocery stores, people go outside of their comfort zones to spread the love of reading and hand out a book to someone. It's a magical thing.
Last year was the first time it took place in the U.S. and it was a resounding success. Here are some of the quotes from WBN's website:

“Gave a book to a woman this morning, who took it with tears in her eyes. She told me that she rarely gets to the library and cannot afford to buy new books on her own. She graciously took the book, opened it up, smelled the pages, said ‘God bless you, my child,’ and walked away clutching her new found treasure. Makes me tear up too, thinking about what a difference we are making today!” – Adrian
“Tonight I had a high school boy say, ‘I’m new to the whole reading for fun thing,’ and then show me the books he got for #wbnamerica.” – Lauren
“I gave

The Kite Runner to a veteran who had been stationed in Afghanistan. He was very excited to read the book and ‘learn something about the place and gain some understanding.’ So rewarding. Thank you to the organizers, authors and publishers!” – Jennifer “Shared my books with ESL students tonight. They were so excited and a bit surprised that it was for ‘enjoyment,’ not ‘homework.’ Thanks for a wonderful idea.” – Kevin “It was great to walk back by where I had been and see people already reading!!” – Colleen

This year--with over 2,000 library and bookstore partners, and events that will be hosted around the country--things prove to be just as exciting. It really is a wonderful night and a great thing to be a part of, so like we said before, APPLY! In fact, we'll make it really easy for you, here is the link directly to the application. The only hard part is deciding which book to give...

Read Across America Day 2012

What a wonderful day! In case you haven't heard: Today is Read Across America Day AND it's Dr. Seuss' 108th birthday! It's only fitting that the two share a day since Dr. Seuss created more than 60 books before his death in 1991.

Read Across America day is hosted by the National Education Association (NEA). Of course, they promote reading 365 days a year (plus 1 for this year!), but today is a special day to promote reading and to motivate every child to become an avid reader. And this year, there's even a Dr. Seuss movie coming out just for the kids. The Lorax hits theaters today, and it's themes have generated this year's color scheme: GREEN. The Lorax calls for people everywhere to clean up their environments and to be wary of over-consumption.

Libraries pick Lexicon

The Virginia Beach Public Library recently named Penny Noyce's Lost in Lexicon a VBPL Staff Pick. They weren't the first, and they certainly won't be the last because Lost in Lexicon has something in it for all kids.

In spite of its somewhat obvious goal of encouraging reluctant children to enjoy and understand the many uses of words and numbers, Lost in Lexcon is actually an enjoyable fantasy.
In the course of their travels Daphne learns to use a compass and navigate on the Cartesian plane. She has some other mathematical successes and discovers she enjoys solving these problems.
Meanwhile, Ivan discovers that he needs to use words, sometimes in critical situations. Naturally he learns to enjoy the power of words and recognize their usefulness.

Lost in Lexicon is perfect for kids who love math, as well as writing and reading. But the story isn't solely educational, kids get so swept up in the adventure to find the lost kids of Lexicon that they forget they're learning.