MotherReader

Yes, it’s Festivus, the holiday for the rest-of-us, and now is the time for the airing of the grievances. You have free space in the comments for whatever is getting in your craw. I’ll start:

The director who didn't give my daughter the part she totally should have had. Still mad.

My mom - who doesn't read this blog - calling with problems that I can do nothing about from two hundred miles away. Misplaced keys? Can't program the phone? Lost the cat leash? Maybe try calling a local friend, neighbor, or my brother who lives in the same city.

Aging, like in general. My friends and I are dealing with multitudes of issues with elderly parents. And frankly, I'm not too happy with not being able to get myself off the floor without groaning. Aging sort of sucks.

Myself, for leaving so much to the last minute and generally being adverse to getting the work done.

So how about you? None of your people are likely to see your grievances all the way over at my blog, so go nuts. Talk about your boss, your neighbor, your drama queen of a friend. Tomorrow we can get back into the spirit of the season, but now it’s venting time.

I realize I haven't been posting, but it wouldn't feel like the holidays if I didn't update and share my traditional 150 Ways to Give a Book. They are all MotherReader-approved titles — i.e., Good Books. There are a lot more choices for younger kids, as that’s the group we adults most fear disappointing with giving “only” a book. And picture books are kind of easier to do. After the book and gift selections, I’ve also included ways to wrap a book, and book-themed gifts to include for a variety of ages. There are a few new 2014 titles mixed in with older ones — though there aren’t many classics, as I’ve tried to select books that kids would be less likely to have on their shelves.

Sometimes I choose the hardback when the paperback is also available, so check if that is important to you. I’ve also linked to the fun extras through Amazon, for example, to save you shopping time, and because I get some small credit for your purchases through the Amazon Associates program. But know that you can find cheaper alternatives for some small things — paints, pens, journals, etc. — at a local discount store. On the other hand, doing all your purchases online and having them sent to your door is priceless.

I'm always looking for new ideas, so leave suggestions in the comments. I hope you'll share this link as you promote giving books as gifts for the holidays and that you find some great ideas for your own friends and family. Enjoy!

Multi-Age

1. Give an experience like a trip to a zoo, aquarium, museum, aviary, arena, or city. Put the passes, tickets, or homemade gift certificate with a relevant book to make it feel more tangible.
2. Take a road trip with Ask Me so you can use the driving time to ask each other the interesting questions from the book.
3. Give a book with a movie theater gift card to see the upcoming film.
4. Give a book with a gift card to rent the movie. Include a box of microwave popcorn.

5. Give One Hen — How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference with a loan to Kiva or a donation to Heifer International to buy chicks.
6. Pair any book with another book from the bargain section, maybe something silly or crafty or gimmicky.
7. Pair a detective book with a magnifying glass.
8. Match poetry books with word beads or magnetic poetry.
9. Pair a picture book with a related stuffed animal.
10. Give an interesting, insightful book with a restaurant gift card and a date to discuss the book together over a meal.
11. Honor the book enthusiast with necklace along with a new title.
12. Celebrate writing too with special journals from Tara Books, an independent press based in India.

Picture Books

13. Learn letters with ABC, Baby Me! board book or The Sleepy Little Alphabet and letter links.
14. Or work with numbers (and colors) with 10 Hungry Rabbits and magnetic numbers.
15. Or let them battle it out with 123 vs ABC and bath toys

16. Give The Day the Crayons Quit with a pack of fat crayons and a stack of copy paper from an office supply store.
17. Or go with Art and Max or Blue Chicken with a paint set.
18. Pair The Curious Garden with gardening tools and seeds.
19. It’s almost dessert when you give The Cow Loves Cookies with a cookie counting game.
20. What else can go with Extra Yarn but extra yarn? Well, and knitting needles and instructions.
21. Pair Kite Flying and/or Kite Day with a new kite.
22. Give Bats at the Ballgame with a bat and ball. You can throw in a coupon book for practice sessions.
23. Take a bedtime book like Little Owl’s Night, A Bedtime for Bear or Sweet Dreams and add a night light.
24. Or choose A Full Moon is Rising or Moonlight with glow-in-the-dark moon and stars — or go high tech with this Moon in my Room.

25. Get moving with Giant Dance Party with Kids Dance Party CD.
26. Keep up the music by giving Drum City with an old-time tin drum.
27. Pair Bubble Trouble with touchable bubbles.
28. Ballet dancers will love the classic Angelina Ballerina or the slightly edgyVampirina Ballerina (or both) with a fancy tutu or two… two.
29. Give little superheroes SuperHero ABC along with a superhero cape.
30. Encourage a future Iron Chef by giving Rainbow Stew or Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon with a cooking set.
31. Silliness ensues with Pigs to the Rescue and the Pass the Pigs game.
32. Take it outside with Chalk with 3-D sidewalk chalk.

33. Pair Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site or Building with Dad with toy construction vehicles.
34. Give The Monstore with the monster game.
35. Who can resist that match-up of Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek with Lincoln Logs?
36. Give your little dragon-lover Hush Little Dragon or Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood with a cute dragon.
37. Is there a doctor in the house? There will be with picture book Doctor Ted along with a doctor kit.
38. Future firefighter instead? Give Fire! Fuego! along with Firefighters A to Z and firefighter gear.
39. Pair picture book Crafty Chloe with a selection of craft supplies.
40. What else can go with Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum other than lots of bubble gum.
41. Cat lovers can enjoy picture books Here Comes Santa Cat, Katie Loves the Kittens, and Won Ton with a cat card game.

42. Or let the dogs out with Dogs, Here Comes Trouble!, and If You Give a Dog a Donut and dog themed dominoes.
43. Add a car to a child's train set, but include Steam Train, Dream Train or Elisha Cooper's Train.
44. Nature lovers will enjoy Birdsongs along with a guidebook like Backyard Birds and some binoculars.
45. For more nature, pair A Butterfly is Patient with a butterfly garden kit.
46. Give your favorite girly-girl Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy with dress-up jewelry and/or a fancy poodle.
47. Give your rough little boy Pirates Don’t Change Diapers along with genuine pirate gear.
48. Another nighttime choice is Goodnight, Little Monster with an Ugly Doll.
49. Give picture book The Moon with a special flashlight and a promise for a nighttime walk or two.

50. Or for a different angle with that flashlight, pair with Blackout and prepare for indoor fun with the lights out.
51. Take fun picture book Fold Me a Poem and pair it with an origami kit.
52. Picture books A Sick Day for Amos McGee or Panda-monium at Peek Zoo would be perfect with a zoo animal collection or game.
53. Or head down to the Farm, adding a Lace and Trace Farm Set.
54. 999 Frogs Wake Up goes nicely with Flingin' Frogs game.
55. For a western theme, give A Night on the Range or Every Cowgirl Loves a Rodeo with a cowboy hat.
56. Take a special book, like Wow! It Sure is Good to Be You (which is about an aunt loving her far-away niece), and make a CD recording of you reading it.
57. Pair Duck and Goose with a bright ball.

58. Celebrate the season with the beautiful Dusk and appropriate lights or decorations.
59. The funny wordless book Once Upon a Banana is a perfect fit with a stuffed monkey — but show your sense of humor by throwing a banana into the gift bag.
60. Another wordless book choice is the visually stunning The Tree House, which works surprisingly well with Littlest Pet Shop brown bear and polar bear.
61. Give The Snow Globe Family with a snow globe.
62. Pair Lilly’s Big Day with dress-up clothes.
63. Or another dress-up option is the Ladybug Girl books with wings and antennae.
64. Pair Bubble Bath Pirates with a cool rubber duck.
65. Give the wonderful The Day the Babies Crawled Away with a baby doll.
66. Everyone needs Mo Willems’ book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, maybe adding a toy bus.
67. Pair classic A Bargain For Frances with a tea set.

Early Elementary

67. Pair a nonfiction book about dinosaurs, like Boy! Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs, with a bunch of plastic ones.
68. Give Instructions with a book of classic fairy tales, and make time to read them together.
69. Introduce a folktale with Maneki Neko: the Tale of the Beckoning Cat and giving lucky cat bank.
70. Pair silly beginning reader book The Monster in the Backpack with a cute backpack (monster additional).
71. Give beginning reader books Amazing Sharks! and National Geographic Readers: Sharks! and throw in a shark on a stick.
72. Take to the ice with book choices Katie Kazoo, On Thin Ice and passes to the local ice-skating rink.

73. Give a title from the Soccer Cats series with a soccer ball.
74. Pair Toys Go Out with a red bouncy ball, or a plush stingray or buffalo.
75. Pair Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs with a kazoo.
76. Give early chapter book series books Rainbow Fairies or Flower Fairies with lovely little fairies.
77. Blooming fashionistas will appreciate Paper Fashions (Klutz) (all thirty-five Amazon reviews gave five stars!) along with Fashion Kitty.
78. Combine sweet Jenny and the Cat Club with a red scarf (don’t worry if it’s too long — so is Jenny’s) and a black cat.

Elementary

80. Satisfy a sweet tooth with The Candymakers with a candy making kit.
81. Pair Operation YES! with green army men.
82. Be a hero and give Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set with Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths.
83. Pair fantasy book The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda with a Stars Wars 'Ask the Force' top.
84. Give What the World Eats with a promise for an international dinner out or in.
85. Pair Every Soul a Star with The Kids Book of the Night Sky and plan a date to look at the stars together.
86. For business-minded kids, pair The Lemonade War with a coin counter bank.
87. Expand the idea of giving with The One and Only Ivan with an adopt-an-animal program at your local zoo.
88. All the elementary school kids will love The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but you can pair it with tin wind-up toys for extra flair.
89. Give Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little with um, Stuart Little.

90. You can’t go wrong with the funny poems and outstanding art in Frankenstein Takes the Cake along with a cake-baking session, followed by reading the book together. As a matter of fact, throw in Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and make a whole day — and meal — of it.
91. Speaking of the amazing Adam Rex, give the hilarious book The True Meaning of Smekday with a the related T-shirt Regarding Stickyfish Teams, I Favor the Bigfield Fighting Koobish.
92. Give Kimchi & Calamari with a promise for a dinner out Korean style, or Italian style, or both.
93. Wrap up A Crooked Kind of Perfect with excellent toe socks.
94. Perhaps Fabulous Hair with a collection of hair accessories will make someone smile.
95. Pair a diary-format book like My Explosive Diary (2nd/3rd grade), Amelia’s Notebook (4th/5th grade), or The Princess Diaries (6th/7th grade) with a journal and fun pens.

96. For a boy, how about the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul with the Do It Yourself Journal?
97. Have fun with Clarice Bean Spells Trouble and a game of Scrabble.
98. Pair Phineas MacGuire... Erupts! with a science kit, or the next book in the series, Phineas MacGuire... Gets Slimed! with the slime science kit.
99. Look to fantastic nonfiction, giving Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon with a homemade coupon for a visit to the Air and Space Museum (okay, this might only work around Washington, D.C.) or astronaut ice cream.
100. Give a drawing book like Draw 50 Aliens or Draw 50 Animals with a couple of nice sketch pads.
101. Pair a spy-themed book like Harriet the Spy (chapter book) or The Real Spy’s Guide to Becoming a Spy (nonfiction) with rear-view sunglasses and/or a fingerprint kit.
102. Bigger girls like stuffed animals, too. How about Hoot with an owl or The World According to Humphrey with a hamster?
103. Select a magic book and fun magic tricks.
104. Pair D.I.Y.: Kids with a gift card to a local craft store, and maybe some shopping and crafting time together.

105. Match the book and the movie, like The Spiderwick Chronicles with the DVD.
106. Pair a theme book like Katie and the Mustang with a horse charm and a satin cord from a craft store.
107. Or maybe Fairy Realm with a charm bracelet.
108. Give the first books of The Series of Unfortunate Events with a brass telescope.
109. Pair The Art Book for Children with watercolor paints or an art set.
110. Give National Geographic's Book of Animal Poetry, Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart or Poetry Speaks to Children with hot chocolate, a mug, and a gift certificate for time to read it together.

Teen

110. Give the companion books Goth Girl Rising and The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl , and throw in How to Draw Comic Book Heroes and Villains.
111. Pair a book that you and a teen can enjoy with a gift card to Starbucks and a promise to talk about the book over coffee. Some suggestions? Liar, Candor, or The Adoration of Jenna Fox have interesting issues.

112. Give Beauty Queens with a small makeup kit, and a healthy dose of irony.
113. Rock out with Beige along with a mix CD of the songs in the chapter titles (or an iTunes gift card).
114. Buy a tween Better Nate Than Ever along with tickets to a show.
115. Pair House of Dance with ballroom dance lessons.
116. Give delicious book A La Carte with personal cooking lessons.
117. Match casino gambling themed Drop with a deck of cards and a family game of penny poker or blackjack.
118. Pair King Dork with a CD of The Mr. T Experience.
119. Treat a tween to Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf along with pink nail polish, lipstick, post-it notes, and special bubble bath, as mentioned in the book.
120. Pair The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting and/or the completely unrelated YA fiction Chicks with Sticks with yarn, knitting needles, and a promise for some lessons.
121. Give Ductigami: The Art of Tape with... well, rolls of duct tape.

Adult

122. Give nonfiction book The Beekeeper's Lament with real honey from a whole foods store.

123. Buy two copies of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World  — one for you, one for a friend — and make a lunch date to talk about the book and one’s personal quest for happiness.
124. Pair Life is Sweet with chocolate, any kind.
125. Give This I Believe II with the first book This I Believe and a journal to capture great revelations of inner truth.
126. Recapture that one exciting election year when we had hope with Dreams From My Father and Life’s The American Journey of Barack Obama.
127. Match travel memoir-themed books with the... um, drink of the region. Like In a Sunburned County with Yellow Tail wine from Australia or The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific with coconut rum. (Adults only for this gift, obviously.)
128. Colbert fans and soon-to-be converts need the new book, America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't along with the greatest gift of all, the DVD A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All.
129. Give The Devil Wears Prada, Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office, and This Little Piggy Went to Prada in a Prada bag (from eBay! C’mon, a girl can dream...)

Wrap a Book

130. Wrap your book up in solid paper and tie a cool scarf around it. I love this blue and white striped one, which would look great with silver paper for Hannukkah.
131. For just a little something extra, make these headbands the ribbons around your wrapped package.

132. Try reusable shopping bags — wrap in one, attach another in its pouch as a gift. These bags fold up into little strawberries. Cute!
133. Or tuck a book or two in an Peace Love Books tote.
134. Wrap a cookbook in photocopies of your favorite recipes. A knitting book with your own favorite patterns. Or hey, wrap a book about finances in dollar bills.
135. Wrap your book up in a clever Threadless t-shirt. Want a literary theme? The Pictures and Coversations one is particular cool.
136. If you’re going the book gift card route, give it in a recycled newspaper change purse.
137. Maybe you just want to attach a little something to the gift for fun. I suggest a keychain, bookmarks, an ornament, bangle-bracelets, locker magnets, or lip gloss. You can find these online, but personally, I go to the very back of Claire’s stores where they often have incredible discounts on such little things.
138. Okay, I listed keychains, but here are some reading-themed ones like this one.
139. And yes I mentioned bookmarks, but not a Reading Ninja bookmark.
140. Don’t have the time or energy to deal with the mall? Find a little booklight to tie on the package. I like the look of this one

Add a Book-Themed, Handmade Gift

141. Give recycled book postcards like these Paris Ladies.
142. Everyone isn’t on GoodReads, so here’s a little reading journal.
143. For home, locker or cubicle cabinets, some reading-themed Bottle Cap Magnets.
144. Bibliophiles don’t need to hide their love of the page with a Bookish necklace.
145. Or proclaim a love of words on your ears with Shakespeare earrings.
146. A sweet art print for people who love to read.
147. Or for another take, a print of a favorite animal on vintage book pages, especially one for book lovers
148. Maybe give a tote to carry those tomes, but one with book club tribute.
149. Maybe give a book loving mugs with literary tea.
150. Send out some love to the ereaders with a special cover of words.

The last couple of weeks, I've been doing much of my kidlitosphere work behind the scenes selecting the judges for this year's Cybils awards. I'm very excited to introduce the panels for Fiction Picture Books, and we're going to have a great time sorting through over two hundred expected nominations to bring you the best titles. Get in your nominations and make us work for it!

I just wanted to say that if you weren't selected this year as a Cybils judge, don't take it personally. Please understand that the category chairs balance a lot of factors in putting together panels that can represent different perspectives and experience. Many times we were passing on former judges to let someone new have a chance. Other conversations had us comparing how many librarians versus authors we had in a category. We might "give up" an experienced candidate to other category that needed more institutional knowledge. A blogger with tons of reviews might balance a less prolific blogger. An impassioned statement of why a candidate wanted to participate in the Cybils might trump their less passionate reviewing. Or not. In putting together panels we're looking for a mix of experience levels, different perspectives, blogging frequency, community participation, thoughtful reviewing, positive referrals, and application statements. Even the state where you live can become a tie-breaker.

And all these factors don't even getting into the various preferences of the category chairs. For me, an enthusiastic statement on the application can be more compelling than in-depth reviews. The Young Adult category, on the other hand, may pass on a candidate that uses a lot of jacket-flap copy. Some of us look first to the "kidlit-related actives" part of the application, while others are noting the Twitter handle.

So while we certainly applaud all this year's judges, not being selected isn't a value judgement. Looking ahead, if I were to give any advice, I'd suggest to apply early in the process, use the two discussion questions to tell us about yourself, make sure you submit sample posts that are relevant and show off some level of book analysis. If you didn't make the Cybils judging, please try again next year. And certainly participate in Cybils 2014 by nominating your favorite titles.

This past Saturday I staffed my library's booth at the local fall festival. I have two takeaways from the experience. One, never to accept the booth location downwind from the barbecue. It's hot and you'll be soooo hungry. Two, children do not know nursery rhymes. Or kids songs. Or much about books.

To encourage visitors to our booth, we had a trivia game to win a free book from our book sale donations. Given that we had brought a very very lot of books, we were very very disposed to the kids answering correctly. This turned out to be harder that expected.

The five year old who didn't know the story of Little Red Riding Hood had a hard time picking out the wolf as the bad guy. A preschooler couldn't identify "wool" as the product that the black sheep might provide. I gave up on asking the color of Madeline's dress or even - most sadly for me - what the pigeon wanted to drive. (THE BUS!)

The older kids were spotty in their knowledge, but I got better at sifting through my question choices to find easy ones. I thought the kids would know the author of Fudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I thought teens would know the author of Twlight. These were the questions I thought were fairly easy - and were multiple choice, by the way - but instead revealed the Book Bubble that we occupy where everyone is a reader.

I helped at this festival last year as well, finding the same thing, and it changed the way I do story times. I stopped looking for clever ways to incorporate fall leaves into "Old MacDonald" and started just singing "Old MacDonald." I went back to the basics with songs and rhymes. I brought in more classics that I hadn't been using because I figured everyone knew them already. Spoiler alert: they didn't.

Another thing on the songs and rhymes. I've noticed a difference in the participation of the kids and parents from when I started doing this. Ten years ago I had more kids sing along a bit, and definitely more parents. Now the kids look at me blankly as if they've never heard "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and the parents are looking at the handout for the words.

My fellow storytellers, I love all that is new and exciting in our book world, but it might be time to go back to the basics. What do you think?

I didn't intend to take a summer-long blog break. It just sort of happened. Some part of it can be attributed to a big life change of sending my eldest to college. I will admit that I spent time sort of staring at her as if she were a great work of art. And really, it's not far from the truth. But my girls didn't dominate my attention in the way they did when they were children - negotiating playdates, refereeing squabbles, fixing snacks, and making endless trips to the pool. They were self-sufficient. The eldest with her job and college-bound friends. The younger with music/theater classes and play rehearsal. But I relished the time I could spend with them, even if it was simply sharing the same room.

A bigger part of my blog absence is due to working at the library among children's books, which seems counter to expectation. But this was the busiest summer for me that I can remember. Mostly because we were continually understaffed and my work shifts were intense. When I wasn't answering endless questions at the information desk, I was shelving yet another influx of the new returns and replenishing the displays that I had just filled that morning. I'd leave the day tired and literally sweating.

While it was exhausting, I was happy to see so many library patrons and summer reading participants. I was excited to help kids find books they wanted, and I loved the attention from kindergarteners who stared at me wide-eyed before shouting, "You came to my school!" I was a minor celebrity in this little world of books.

But sometimes it could be draining, with a fair number of the summer crowd who were starting from scratch in the library. Now they wanted to know what their kids should read. But when I asked what they had been reading or liked to read, I got blank stares. Many of the parents - a diverse selection - had absolutely no idea. Occasionally I'd hit on a series like Magic Tree House or Harry Potter that helped me make a suggestion. When able, I'd turn to the child and could always find something suitable.

I was glad that they were using the library. I loved finding the books that they liked. But the interactions left a lingering discomfort of the parental role in reading. And these were the ones who came to the library and asked for help. Has recreational reading been completely outsourced to school and the teachers?

Knowing that these parents, the ones who cared enough to come to library, didn't know about books or what their child might be reading made it hard to write about books. Maybe, I wondered, no one really cares. The parents don't want to leaf through suggestions. They want lists, preferably by grade and/or Lexile score. They aren't interested in which books transcend the genre. They want to know the DRA level. They often didn't want to know what was good, just what was here - on the shelf.

So much of my summer was bittersweet. Spending time with my girls who are growing up and moving on. Spending time among my favorite books, knowing that the specifics of quality that I invest myself in finding is probably less important to most parents that what book has the right Lexile score or happens to be handy.

How does that change what I'm doing? I don't know. If my revelations and soul-searching was bittersweet, well, I tend to focus on the sweet. So I'll do that

Last year I was so organized that I shared my booktalks online, while this year I've been lucky if they are mentally rehearsed before I go into the school. I've had a lot on my mind.

But whether or not I have a graduating senior or need to plan the Girl Scout bridging ceremony for over a hundred girls, our booktalking season is upon us. Quite late this year as our kids are still in school. In fact, that senior doesn't even get to do the graduating part until June 23rd. Crazy, right? It's especially frustrating as other high schools were done yesterday, but we all have to take our turn with the local university facilities and we are last. It's ridiculous.

So far I've gone into two elementary schools to talk about the summer reading program and booktalk some titles, and it's gone well. I had a great partner both times, which really helps. We have different kinds of books, and we can take turns with the introductions and the talking. I'm not thrilled to be heading out tomorrow alone for a four hour stretch with no breaks and seven class sessions. Is that how other public libraries do it, I wonder?

Later I'll share some of the books I talked about this year. My "hooks" weren't as good as usual, but there were definitely some titles that caught their attention. It was great luck being able to pitch a soccer book - Keeper, by Mal Peet - during the World Cup games. Lots of interest there!

What a weekend! With all the reading and reviewing done over the last couple of days, I feel like we're all winners. Am I right? But there were some noteworthy 48HBC achievements to be recognized and to prizes to award, so let's get started!

With 38 hours and 34 books read, the Champion of the Challenge is one Ms. Yingling! She wins the opportunity to donate a set of forty multicultural titles to a school or library of her choice through the generosity of Reading is Fundamental. Since she was a big prize donor of books and is so reluctant to receive back, she'll be getting a surprise prize package from yours truly. Both congratulations and thanks go out to her!

Coming in at 35.5 hours and 13 books read and reviewed is The One and Only Marfalfa. Beth at Library Chicken gives up 32 hours and reviews eight books for the challenge, and close behind with 30 hours of reading and reviewing is Alex at Randomly Reading. They will all be receiving an audiobook from Robin Brande and a collection of books contributed by Ms. Yingling!

And now for some prizes selected at random, just for playing:

The winner of five multicultural picture and chapter books from MotherReader is:
Sprout's Bookshelf!

The winner of a set of four diverse young adult books from Kelly at Stacked is:
A Random Hodge Podge of Bookishness!

And the winner of the second RIF multicultural book collection, along with an author signed Cupcake Cousins and tote bag designed by Tiffany Gholar, is:
Library Mama!

We had eighteen members of the 20 Hour Club:

Always in the Middle - 25.25 hours
As Inclination Leads Me - 21.5 hours
Book Challenge Blog - 20.5 hours
By Singing Light - 20 hours
Charlotte's Library - 20.25 hours
Confessions of a Bibliovore - 25 hours
Library Chicken - 32 hours
Love Notes to the Future - 24.5 hours
More like Flowers - 20 hours
MotherReader - 22 hours
Ms. Yingling Reads - 38 hours
No Boys Allowed - 24.5 hours
The One and Only Marfalfa - 35.5 hours
Quietly 20 hours
Randomly Reading - 30 hours
ReadSpace - 21.75 hours
The Sphere Also Gazes Into You - 25 hours
Technically a School Media Specialist - 20 hours


Thanks to all for being part of the 48 Hour Book Challenge!

You made it! Yay you!

When you finish your 48 hours, sign in with Mr. Linky below with the link to your final summary, which should include the number and/or titles of books read and the amount of time spent on the challenge. Rounding to the quarter hour will do just fine. Given different starting times over the weekend and time zones, the absolute end is set at Monday, June 9th, at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and all final summary posts should be up by then. Winners, prizes and such will be announced on Monday afternoonish.

Thanks to everyone who participated, supported, and promoted the 48 Hour Book Challenge!

Got in five solid hours of reading and blog reading/responding last night with two books, both of which broke my heart a little. The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, by Brenda Woods reminded me of my niece, as she is biracial raised in a white family. At seven, I haven't heard her express the concerns or thoughts of Violet Diamond, but I've always thought I was prepared to address them. Reading this book, I'm not as ready as I believed myself to be. It was just so open about things, it took me off guard. But in a good way. Really enjoyed it.

After reading Zane and the Hurricane, I felt like going back to read Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It was a good decision, because it filled the lyrical and emotional gap I found wanting in the first book. That said, Zane's story is a better account of what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A good pairing should be enough, but I realized that I had Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere in my small ARC pile, so we're going for three Katrina books in one weekend. I'd watch Beasts of the Southern Wild again to complete the experience, but I don't need to cry on my birthday.

Yup, it's my birthday. One of the reasons I started doing 48 Hour Book Challenge around this time of year to spend my birthday reading. Not a bad plan, right? I've started with a light title this morning, Tua and the Elephant, and now it's time for some YA.

Wondering if you could still join us even now? Sure, why not? From where I sit you could do a block from now through the early morning and get your twelve hours in on time. Nothing like last minute Sunday plans. Here's where to start.

Edited to add:
I'll do an official summary later, but I'm finishing my time now with five hours and two books this afternoon. Meg Medina's Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass was a tough read, but a well-done and well-needed book on bullying. I ended with a real treat, Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin. Beautiful cover, beautiful book. Absolutely loved it. So that's 22 hours, and nine books. If I'd had more time, I would have spent it on reviews and reading blogs. But I'll be checking in tonight and tomorrow on that part, so it's all good.

If you're going to host a reading marathon thing, maybe don't make it around your daughter's senior prom. Because while you might think that after she heads out the door - a sparkling princess in a gabbing group of giggly girls - you'll have the evening to relax and read as you wait for her post-midnight pick-up call, you won't. Well, there will be the time to read, if you can avoid the pictures already coming up online and if you don't drift off mid-paragraph wondering if they'll play her jam.

So while I put in five hours of reading time on Friday evening, with two middle-grade titles completed it was not my speediest reading. Reviews come later, but I'll mention the titles, Zane and the Hurricane and The Garden of My Imaan, and that I enjoyed them both.

This morning I woke up and found myself analyzing Facebook pictures with the Teen and her best friend, as we talked about the current style of prom dresses, who is really dating as opposed to who needed a date, and which couples are just the nicest people.

I can really only claim another five hours so far today, with another two books down and a little writing to show for it. (Did I mention that new pictures from my senior Girl Scouts are coming out all day? It's very distracting.) While The Servant by Fatima Sharafeddine left me a little cold, I was surprised by the depth and insight of The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong, by L. Tam Holland. I'd expected the first title to have a literary feel, and it read rather dry. Interesting, but the third person point of view through me off. The cover of Holland's book led me to think I was in for fun, and while there was humor, there was a lot more hurt and heart within. Honestly this afternoon, I would have preferred something light and fluffy, but I can't be annoyed at a book for being too good.

I did break in the middle of today's reading to run up to my library, where one of my books I had earmarked for this weekend had come in from a hold, and because after reading Zane and the Hurricane I had a craving to revisit Ninth Ward. So after a bit of writing and dinner, that book is up next along with the library book I retrieved, The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, by Brenda Woods. I also have some fantasy on deck.

I'm holding off on posting my reviews so I don't crowd out the official 48 Hour Book Challenge posts. Oh, and if you are just tuning in, you are welcome to play along. At this point there isn't the whole weekend to work with, but enough to carve out at least the twelve hours that officially counts you as a participant. Sign-up at the 48HBC Starting Line and get reading!