Book Candy

Cynthia Leitich Smith and Debbie Reese to Appear in Kalamazoo!

Fans of children's and YA literature:  you should consider this opportunity to take part in the KPL Youth Lit Seminar on November 5, 2010 featuring noted children's and YA literature author Cynthia Leitich Smith and literary scholar Debbie Reese, an expert on Native American YA literature.  Students can attend for $10 (without lunch) or $20 (with lunch).  In addition to hearing the work and ideas of these fine authors, you'd also have the chance to listen to a talk given by WMU's own Beth Amidon and Maria Perez Stable.

Author Laurie Halse Anderson Speaks About Censorship

 Over the weekend, YA author Laurie Halse Anderson came to defense of her book Speak, which was recently banned in a high school in Missouri.  On her blog, Ms. Anderson discussed how social media changed everything!  You can read her post here.

Nikki Grimes on Books and Readers

Thanks to my Children's Literature Association colleague Dr. Kate Capshaw Smith for drawing my attention to this thoughtful post by poet and fiction author Nikki Grimes:  "Color Me Perplexed," a commentary on the way that adult influence can sometimes keep children away from meaningful reading experiences.  I particularly appreciated Grimes' sense that reading is one of the safest ways for children and young adults to learn about cultures other than their own.

Photo courtesy of http://www.hungermtn.org/color-me-perplexed/