Welcome!

Welcome to the Bookshelf Detective, a site packed with tricks and tips for readers and writers of children's literature. Thank you for visiting!
Cheers,
Kim Tomsic

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Middle Grade or YA Critique with Tricia Lawrence from Erin Murphy Literary Agency #KidLitForHaiti



KID LIT FOR HAITI:  Tricia is offering a critique of the first fifteen pages of a novel (middle grade or young adult).

I met Tricia Lawrence at an SCBWI conference J and was truly impressed with her both personally and professionally. In panels and workshops, Tricia spoke with knowledge and excitement about the publishing industry. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I am certain she works hard for her clients. I was most impressed when I listened to her provide critiques at the first-pages breakout session. Her feedback to participants was spot-on, but her input was delivered with a gracious touch. She always found something positive to say, while also providing the necessary criticism and fix-suggestions.
Tricia is the "Pacific Northwest branch" of EMLA—born and raised in Oregon, and now lives in Seattle. After 19 years of working as a developmental and production-based editor (from children’s books to college textbooks, but mostly college textbooks), she joined the EMLA team in March 2011 as a social media strategist.
As associate agent, Tricia represents picture books/chapter books that look at the world in a unique and unusual way, with characters that are alive both on and off the page, and middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction that offers strong worldbuilding, wounded narrators, and stories that grab a reader and won't let go.

Tricia loves hiking, camping out in the woods, and collecting rocks. She loves BBC America and anything British. She has way too many books and not enough bookshelves. You can find Tricia's writing about blogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and other social media topics (for authors and the publishing industry at large) 
If you’d like to know more about Tricia, visit my interview here.


Details on critique:  You’re bidding on a FIFTEEN PAGE manuscript critique (middle grade or young adult manuscripts only) from Tricia Lawrence to be exchanged via email. If you win, please format your manuscript in Times Roman, double spaced, one inch margins. 
How do I bid?
Place your bid in the comment section by increasing the previous bid by a minimum of $10 increments. Remember--all proceeds go to a 501 c 3 charity and benefit students in Haiti. Please include information about how I may contact you if you are the winning bidder; you can ask me question at  ktomsic@gmail.com
When does the Auction for a critique with Tricia Lawrence close?
**This Particular Auction will close on December 15, 2014**


Official UPDATE: Auction items close on their respective date at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

here's the math time for U.S. residents (you can simply Google the time comparison if you live somewhere else in the world) :
 Pacific Time is one hour behind mountain time; central time is one hour ahead of mountain time; eastern time is two hours ahead of mountain time so:
11:59 om MST = 10:59 pm Pacific Time or 12:59 am Central Standard Time or 1:59 am Eastern Time
What are other items on the Kid Lit for Hait (#KidLitForHaiti) Auction?

To Visit a full list of all the auction items featured on Kid Lit for Haiti: PLEASE CLICK HERE

What happens if I win?

I will contact the winning bidder (as long as you remembered to provide your contact information!). You will make your donation at this donation link and then you will email a copy of your receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com Then I will put you in two in touch 

How do I know when new auction items are posted to this blog:
You can receive emails when new auction items are listed. Simply enter your email address in the upper left corner of this blog where it says "Follow by email". You will only receive an email when a new post is created on this blog.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Set of 8 Books for Book Club or Classroom by Denise Vega #KidLitfForHaiti



KID LIT FOR HAITI: Hello Bookclubs!! Denise Vega is donating a set of 8 books to use for a book club or classroom—auction winner’s choice of a set of eight copies of one of the following:

ACCESS DENIED (and other eighth grade error messages),
ROCK ON (a story of Guitars, Gigs, Girls and a Brother)

The books may be hardcover or paperback, depending upon author’s stock. Author will ALSO include either unit plans (for a classroom) or discussion questions (for a book club).





CLICKHERE (to find out how I survived seventh grade) was the 2006 Winner of the Colorado Book Award and bestselling title in the Scholastic Book Club.  This book is loved by readers and librarians alike (check out the rave reviews on Goodreads!) Imagine if all your personal thoughts about crushes, fears, enemies, and even kissing practice ended up on the Internet for everyone to read. That's what happens to Erin Swift when her super-secret blog and all of her musings on navigating the treacherous waters of seventh grade--including her feelings about herself, her best friend Jillian, her crushes, and growing up--are accidentally uploaded for the whole school to see!
Written with warm, knowing humor, this story perfectly captures seventh grade life.
(Fiction for readers 8-13)

Computer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader. Even worse, there's a new girl at MollyBrownMiddle School who is determined to remake Erin in her bad-girl image, and former crush Mark "Cute Boy" Sacks has been acting strange lately.

But as Erin's school year once against hurdles toward disaster, a personal tragedy forces her to realize that things, and people, aren't always as bad as they seem. Can she save what's left of eighth grade before it's too late?



   

FACT OF LIFE #31: Winner of the Colorado Book Award for Young Adult fiction, Cybil nominee. Fact of Life #129: Some people put you where they want you to be, not where you actually are.16-year-old Kat Flynn believes in going with the flow. She practices yoga, works with her mom at Abra’s Midwifery, and watches the Perfect Couple in the hall at school. But when she finds herself in the middle of the Perfect Couple’s drama and some drama of her own (including an unexpected romance), Kat has to decide whether going with the flow is really the best way to come back to herself. (Fiction for readers 8-13)
Colorado Book Award *  Colorado Authors League Award       “… Told in Kat’s passionate voice, this coming-of-age novel, with its romantic subplot, snappy dialogue and strong secondary characters, will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen.”  —  KIRKUS REVIEWS…

ROCKON:  Ori Taylor is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the Band To Be Named Later, a garage band he started with his friends. After years of being known only as the kid brother of sports star Del, Ori is looking forward to stepping out of his older brother's shadow, learning to perform in public, and rocking the Battle of the Bands contest. Oh, and maybe finally working up the nerve to talk to a girl in person instead of just over e-mail. But when Del suddenly returns from college, he expects Ori to step back into his role of little brother, just when Ori is starting to come into his own.

With his confidence wavering, will Ori be able to overcome his stage fright and lead the band to rock glory? Will the Band To Be Named Later ever get a real name? Will their best performances remain in the garage? (Fiction ages 12-17)

Denise Vega's deft exploration of brothers, bands, friends, and crushes promises to have readers tuning in page after page, because among all the ups and downs of being a teen, one thing's for sure: We all just want to rock on.

Denise Vega

Denise Vega earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA and graduate degree at Harvard (I love bragging on behalf of Denise, since she never brags herself). She served as the RMC SCBWI Co-Regional Advisor for a decade where she not only organized our group of writers and illustrators (and avoided cheese at all costs), but she also taught many writing workshops.

I first purchased a Denise Vega book out of sheer love for Denise; now I purchase Denise Vega books out of sheer love for her writing! In addition to middle grade and young adult titles, Denise also has the following picture book titles:
Grandmother,Have the Angels Come (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009)
Build a Burrito A Counting Book in English and Spanish (Cartwheel Books, 2008)
And coming soon:
If Your Monster Won’t Go to Bed (Knopf/Random House, Spring, 2017)
And…(we’ll let you know!)


You’re bidding on  a gift from author Denise Vega and she is willing to ship ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD—a set of 8 books to use for a book club or classroom—Auction winner gets to choose a set of eight copies of one of the following:

ACCESS DENIED (and other eighth grade error messages),
ROCK ON (a story of Guitars, Gigs, Girls and a Brother)

The books may be hardcover or paperback, depending upon author’s stock. Author will ALSO include either unit plans (for a classroom) or discussion questions (for a book club).

How do I bid?
Place your bid in the comment section by increasing the previous bid. Please include information about how I may contact you if you are the winning bidder; you can ask me question in the comment section or at  ktomsic@gmail.com

Want to know when new things are posted to this blog?
Stay up to date on new auction items by entering your email in the upper left corner of this blog--you'll only receive an email if this blog has a new post!

When does this auction for 8 books from Denise Vega close?
**This Auction Item closes on December 15, 2014**

As Denise would say--CLICK HERE 

What happens if I win?
I will contact the winning bidder (please! provide your contact information!). You will make your donation at this donation link and then you will email a copy of your receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com Please also email your shipping address! Then I will send this information to Denise.

Want to know more about Denise? Visit her FAQ link  click here  
Want to visit an indie bookstore: try Tattered Cover or Boulder Book Store

Official UPDATE: Auction items close on their respective days at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

here's the math time for U.S. residents (you can simply Google the time comparison if you live somewhere else in the world) :
 Pacific Time is one hour behind mountain time; central time is one hour ahead of mountain time; eastern time is two hours ahead of mountain time so:
11:59 om MST = 10:59 pm Pacific Time or 12:59 am Central Standard Time or 1:59 am Eastern Time


Silver Membership in the Popular 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Event #KidLitForHaiti


Linda Silvestri,
 an extraordinarily talented illustrator
 


KID LIT FOR HAITI:  Julie is offering SILVER MEMBERSHIP for 2015 in the super-popular annual event--   12x12 picture book writing challenge (an $80 value).


What is 12 x 12
Picture book writers and illustrators become members of 12 x 12 to get access to all the benefits of a writer’s conference — learning from experts, craft advice and assistance, the fellowship of community and the opportunity to submit completed, polished manuscripts — without having to travel. In 12 x 12 you get the motivation and accountability you need to get those drafts finished, all with the support of the friendliest writing community on Earth. 12 x 12 is a global community, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here, you will be encouraged and supported as you attempt to write one picture book draft a month, AND to revise one and submit one manuscript as additional, optional goals. There will of course be more outstanding featured authors who help and who also give away fabulous prizes to help you in your craft. All members will be able to join the 12 x 12 Facebook page, which serves as a support network, a question and answer pool, and a place to share resources. PLUS we have a brand new online forum, upgraded from the 2013 version, where members can share information and critique each other’s work. 12 x 12 has three membership levels –JULIE IS GIVING SILVER MEMBERSHIP to the winner of this auction (all money from this auction goes to support the 501 c 3 charity called The Friends of Haiti Inc. so we can support students in Haiti).
The SILVER membership in the 2015 Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 year includes:


  • Full access (view and post) to the Main 12 x 12 Forum and Critique Connect (where you can find critique partners)
  • Access to the members-only 12 x 12 Facebook Group
  • Ability to view the Events, Member Books, Videos/Trailers and Help An Author Out (HAAO) sections of the 12 x 12 Forum
  • Opportunity to win craft-related prizes from the monthly featured authors
  • Full (view and post) access to the Events and Video/Trailers sections of the Membership Forum
  • FULL (view and post) access to these additional sections of the 12 x 12 Forum: Query Corner (get feedback on your query letters), Pitch Perfect (get feedback on loglines and pitches), and Manuscript Makeover (get feedback on the first 250 words of your ms)
  • FULL (view and post) access to the BRAND NEW Marketing and Platform-Building sections of the Membership Forum. G

Who is Julie Hedlund:
Julie Hedlund is not only the founder and creator of the exciting 12x12, she is also a Children’s book author. She’s had two books published as interactive storybook apps for the iPad by Little Bahalia Publishing — A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS and A SHIVER OF SHARKS. A printversion of TROOP was released in fall 2013. 

Julie is the creator of JulieHedlund’s Template for Storybook App Proposals and the founder and host of the very popular 12 x12 picture book writing challenge, with more than 500 members. She is a monthly contributor on Katie Davis’ BrainBurps About Books children’s literature podcast, a PAL member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and a contributing editor on the subject of 21st Century Publishing
for 
Children’s Book Insider (CBI). She has been a speaker at SCBWI, O’Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing, and other industry events.

How do I bid?
Place your bid in the comment section by increasing the previous bid. Please include information about how I may contact you if you are the winning bidder; you can ask me question at  ktomsic@gmail.com

When does this auction close?
**This Auction item will close on December 15, 2014**


Official UPDATE: Auction items close on their respective date at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

here's the math time for U.S. residents (you can simply Google the time comparison if you live somewhere else in the world) :
 Pacific Time is one hour behind mountain time; central time is one hour ahead of mountain time; eastern time is two hours ahead of mountain time so:
11:59 om MST = 10:59 pm Pacific Time or 12:59 am Central Standard Time or 1:59 am Eastern Time


What are other items on the Kid Lit for Hait (#KidLitForHaiti) Auction?


To Visit a full list of all the auction items featured on Kid Lit for Haiti: PLEASE CLICK HERE

What happens if I win this auction?

I will contact the winning bidder (remember to provide your contact information!). You will make your donation at this donationlink and then you will email a copy of your receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com Then I will put you in touch with Julie so she can grant your Silver Membership access 

How do I know when new auction items are posted to this blog:
You can receive emails when new auction items are listed. Simply enter your email address in the upper left corner of this blog where it says "Follow by email". You will only receive an email when a new post is created on this blog.

Signed Advanced Reader Copies from Kate Messner #KidLitForHaiti



KATE MESSNER 
 

KID LIT FOR HAITI:  Kate is donating signed advanced reader copies (ARCs) of her two January 2015 books, ALL THE ANSWERS (Bloombery) and RANGER IN TIME (Scholastic). She will mail the books directly to highest bidder; bidder must have U.S. mailing address.

I became a huge fan of Kate Messner after I heard her speak at an SCBWI awards ceremony. Her beautiful book OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW won the Golden Kite Award for nonfiction picture book text.  Kate Messner has a colossal fan-base—she has almost a million views on her TED talk “How to Build a Fictional World.”

More about the books you’ll win in this auction:

ALL THE ANSWERS: What if your pencil had all the answers? Would you ace
every test? Would you know what your teachers were thinking? When Ava
Anderson finds a scratched up pencil she doodles like she would with any
other pencil. But when she writes a question in the margin of her math
quiz, she hears a clear answer in a voice no one else seems to hear.
With the help of her friend Sophie, Ava figures out that the pencil will
answer factual questions only – those with definite right or wrong answers
– but won't predict the future. Ava and Sophie discover all kinds of uses
for the pencil, and Ava's confidence grows with each answer. But it's
getting shorter with every sharpening, and when the pencil reveals a scary
truth about Ava's family, she realizes that sometimes the bravest people
are the ones who live without all the answers...

RANGER IN TIME: RESCUE ON THE OREGON TRAIL: Meet Ranger! He's a
time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble . . . and always
saves the day! Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but
can't officially pass the test because he's always getting distracted by
squirrels during exercises. One day, he finds a mysterious first aid kit in
the garden and is transported to the year 1850, where he meets a young boy
named Sam Abbott. Sam's family is migrating west on the Oregon Trail, and
soon after Ranger arrives he helps the boy save his little sister. Ranger
thinks his job is done, but the Oregon Trail can be dangerous, and the
Abbotts need Ranger's help more than they realize! 

More about Kate:

More about Kate from her publishing house bio:
“Kate Messner grew up in Medina, a small town in western New York. She received her bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University and spent seven years as a television news producer and on-air reporter before returning to her family's passion of teaching. "I grew up in a family of educators, but it took me a little time to find my way to the field," Kate says. "Somehow I felt the classroom was calling me, so I went back to school to get my teaching degree."
Kate's been teaching middle school English in Plattsburgh, New York, since 1996. She says that her favorite part of teaching is reading and writing with her students. "My classroom is very workshop oriented, so we're all on this reading-writing journey together. We share books, conference about our reading, recommend titles in person and on Goodreads, and spend lots of time reading and reflecting."
Her first national book for young readers, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., was published in 2009; since then, she's written more than a dozen other books for young readers. "I write every night at home and I share both my successes and my struggles with my kids," says Kate. "I bring in revision letters from my editors so they get a good look at revision in the real world and know that it's not just a classroom exercise."
Kate is a National Board Certified teacher. She lives on Lake Champlain with her husband and two kids and loves spending time outside--cross-country skiing and skating in the winter, and hiking, swimming, biking, and kayaking in the summer.”

This auction item: signed advanced reader copies (ARCs) of Kate Messner’s two January 2015 books, ALL THE ANSWERS (Bloombery) and RANGER IN TIME (Scholastic). She will mail the books directly to highest bidder; bidder must have U.S. mailing address.

How do I bid?
Place your bid in the comment section by increasing the previous bid. Please include information about how I may contact you if you are the winning bidder; you can ask me question here or at  ktomsic@gmail.com

When does this item auction close?
**This Auction will close on December 12, 2014** at 11:59PM

Official UPDATE: Auction items close on their respective date at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST)

here's the math time for U.S. residents (you can simply Google the time comparison if you live somewhere else in the world) :
 Pacific Time is one hour behind mountain time; central time is one hour ahead of mountain time; eastern time is two hours ahead of mountain time so:

11:59 om MST = 10:59 pm Pacific Time or 12:59 am Central Standard Time or 1:59 am Eastern Time

What are other items on the Kid Lit for Hait (#KidLitForHaiti) Auction?


To Visit a full list of all the auction items featured on Kid Lit for Haiti: PLEASE CLICK HERE

What happens if I win an auction item?

I will contact the winning bidder (remember to provide your contact information!). You will make your donation at this donationlink and then you will email a copy of your receipt to me at ktomsic@gmail.com Then I will put you in touch with Kate  

How do I know when new auction items are posted to this blog:
You can receive emails when new auction items are listed. Simply enter your email address in the upper left corner of this blog where it says "Follow by email". You will only receive an email when a new post is created on this blog.

Blog Archive