I’m excited to hit the road and visit a bunch of schools and bookstores–with some fabulous author friends–to share The Disaster Days. Here’s what’s scheduled for public events so far:
For more information and updates, check out my Events page!
A picture is worth a thousand words–but unfortunately, I was having so much fun sharing The Last Grand Adventure with readers that I barely took any (other than of books) during my events!
If you missed the AASL webinar I did with school librarian extraordinaire Eileen Makoff and dynamite authors Sara Holbrook and Jo Hackl, you can still listen to it here, on the AASL website: Author Ideas on Integrating Fiction into the Middle-Grade and Middle-School Curriculum.
I had a great time with author friends Michelle Schusterman and Kirsten Hubbard (aka Fox & Coats) at the Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY–their new series Secrets of Topsea is sweet and zany and so creative.
Later that weekend, I headed down to DC to the awesome Arlington indie One More Page, where Lauren Magaziner, Jonathan Roth, and I had a fun panel:
Lauren also spotted Audrey hanging out at the Amazon bookstore in DC:
The following weekend was nErDcampNJ, which was full of engaging and inspiring talks and workshops. It’s also a super fun chance to meet up with other kidlit authors in real life:
I’m back at home now, working on a new project and resting up for some of the events I have planned this summer–hope to see you there!
Books of Wonder MG panel: May 19
Bethany Beach Books: June 11
Amelia Earhart Festival: July 21
(For more info and updates, check the Events page of my site.)
It’s been a busy couple of months–more on that soon! But I’m belatedly excited to share a few more snippets from trade reviews for The Last Grand Adventure:
“Informed by history, Behrens’s narrative treasures family relationships and celebrates courage.” —Booklist
“Normally unadventurous twelve-year-old Bea (“I left my adventure journal empty and my worry journal full”) is a sympathetic narrator as she frets about her place in her newly blended family and her grandmother’s wavering memory. The tantalizing thread of possibility about Amelia Earhart and the letters she—or somebody—has been writing to Pidge adds alluring mystery.” —BCCB
“Historical fiction lovers are in for a treat with this heartfelt tale of discovery and hope. . . . This story has much to love, from the touching development of Bea and Pidge’s relationship to Bea conquering her fears and discovering the appeal of adventure. . . . VERDICT An excellent purchase for readers who enjoy a strong dose of adventure and solid character development in their historical fiction.”—Darla Salva Cruz, School Library Journal
I’m blushing, SLJ! It’s always a great feeling when a reviewer seems to really get the story you were trying to tell. I’m grateful to these reviewers for their thoughtful and insightful reviews.
The Last Grand Adventure will be out next week, and it’s only fitting that I hit the road to share Bea and Pidge’s story with readers. Here are the places I’ll be in March and April:
More events for the summer are in the works: I’ll be at Bethany Beach Bookstore in June and I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be at the Amelia Earhart Festival in Atchison, Kansas, this July! I’ll keep the Events page of my site updated with all the details.
This past Saturday was #nErDcampLI, the annual literacy “unconference” for teachers, librarians, educators, and authors. And it was so much fun!
I woke up at 5:20 a.m. to make my train. I was not aware that it is still dark out at that hour, but the sunrise I watched from the LIRR made the early hour not just worthwhile but gorgeous.
I like that my book is reflected in the window. Always reading!
There were so many great sessions led by educators and teachers. I participated in two–a workshop on getting your students writing with the fabulous Lauren Magaziner, and a big Q&A with a bunch of MG authors. I also got a chance to see Booki Vivat‘s fantastic art in action.
New profile pic?
And the author meet-and-greet was a great chance to connect with readers and share the book love.
Authors in the Boyd School’s Publishing Center–of course! (Photo from the amazing Kristen Picone)
The whole day was inspiring, educational–and super fun. Huge thanks to all the volunteers who make this day happen. Can’t wait for next year!
Booki, Lauren, and me
Three sleeps till nErDcampLI! This “unconference” is always so much fun, and it’s filled with literacy ideas and discussion–and #booklove. The workshops and keynotes start at 8:00, and the author meet and greet runs from 2:00-3:30. Check out all the amazing authors and illustrators who will be there–and stop by and say hi if you’d like a signed copy of When Audrey Met Alice or Summer of Lost and Found!
November started off with an amazing day of literacy and learning: #nErDcampLI! This was my first EdCamp experience, and it was awesome. I got to listen to amazing educators and experts speak about topics in literacy and kidlit–like this fantastic session on the importance of back matter that Susannah Richards led.
One of the things she encouraged authors to do is include more back matter on their websites–especially book-creation timelines. I’m hoping to add something for that to the Resources page of my site soon!
The event was held in the wonderful Jericho Middle School, and I loved wandering the halls to see the work that students had posted. This was my favorite sign:
A very wise student wrote that. 🙂
The following week was the election, and like many people, I’ve been processing the results since. It’s no secret to those who have read When Audrey Met Alice that I believe a woman’s place is in the White House. I took this picture on my way home to watch returns on Tuesday night.
More than ever, that is true. Our votes matter, and so do our voices. I’m working harder than ever to use mine to express what I believe in.
Now it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here–have a happy and safe holiday, and eat lots of pie!
I spent January and February speeding through the stack of MG/YA ARCs I picked up at ALA Midwinter. And if these ten books are any indication, 2016 is going to be an amazing year for kid lit. Here’s what I read, and in one(ish) sentence, I’ll tell you why I loved it:
Ravenous: I raced through this adventure-ful fairy tale reimagining–and I adored Greta, who is one brave, determined sister.
The Key to Extraordinary: Every word of this book is beautiful, and my heart felt so full after the pages I spent in Blackbird Hollow.
Up to This Pointe: A story that seamlessly blends ballet, Antarctica, and grief–it’s utterly original, the voice is perfect, and I loved it.
I Woke Up Dead at the Mall: Quirky, dry-witted, and poignant–and points for an awesomely unique title.
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary: Diverse and in verse!
Makoons: The latest in The Birchbark House series, this was an engaging and informative story of family life on the Great Plains.
Tru & Nelle: Harper Lee and Truman Capote as kid detectives: Yes.
The Darkest Corners: Compulsively readable, and the ending–DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!
Counting Thyme: Thyme and her family–and all the wonderfully drawn characters–will stay with you for a long time.
Wanderlost: Sweet and swoony story of the power of travel to change you.
Which books are you looking forward to this year?
Last weekend, I hopped on Amtrak and headed up to Boston for the ALA Midwinter conference. (The ride is actually pretty scenic, as the train hugs the coastline through Connecticut and Rhode Island, so you can see the ocean, ferries and fishing boats, and charming towns like Mystic along the way.) It was a quick trip–I got in on Friday afternoon and twenty-four hours later I was already chugging back to New York. But what a great twenty-fours hours they were!
On Friday I got to meet up with some fellow New Leaf Literary authors and our agents, Suzie Townsend and Pete Knapp. Here’s Team New Leaf:
We spent our evening enjoying wine and chocolate at a shmancy party with some fantastic librarians. And I mean enjoying it–the spread involved a make-your-own chocolate crepe bar! But the best part, of course, was getting to talk about books with our librarian friends. I love hearing about what they’re reading, what library life is like, and which books their readers adore.
The next morning, I got breakfast with the Aladdin/Simon Pulse team before heading to the exhibit floor. I’d say being on the floor is like being a kid in the candy store, but as a child my excitement level would’ve been at the same height for a candy store or a bookstore. It was so fun running around seeing all the shiny new titles on display and running into other book people. I gathered enough ARCs that I have a huge bruise on my left shoulder from the tote bag–but it’ll heal, and it’s worth it. (Once I finish them, I have a school librarian in mind to share them with.)
To top it all off, I had just enough time before my train to run into Faneuil Hall and grab a slice of Boston Cream Pie for the road. When in Boston, right? 🙂
Last weekend I made the trip to Columbus, Ohio (a lovely city!) for the AASL National Conference. My husband and I drove from NYC, and even though we aren’t really car people anymore, it was fun to wind through the Pennsylvania mountains and catch some late fall color. You can see the pretty red leaves behind this shot of a Summer of Lost and Found sampler:
Which was this gorgeous tree:
On Friday morning, Gayle Rosengren and I did our presentation, “Making It Real,” for a great group of school librarians. We shared historical-fiction programming ideas that appeal to many different types of learners, and if you’d like to hear about them, send me an email! I’m happy to share our slides and handouts, including a list of recommended MG historical fiction. Here’s an example of the LIBRARY planning template that Gayle created:
After our presentation, Gayle and I headed over to the Authorpalooza signing booth. I wish I’d thought to have someone take our picture, but sadly I was too focused on chatting with the awesome school librarians. 🙂 I do have some pictures of When Audrey Met Alice at AASL, though!
After the conference wrapped up for the day on Friday, I had just enough time to pop over to North Market for celebratory Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream–which was the perfect finish to a great day. And, of course, I had to pick up one of these for the road home!
Happy Halloween!
Fall has been flying by. I’ve been busy with revising a new project (which feels like it might finally be coming together), working on a short story, and copy edits. Apologies to my production editor, but I did end up making quite a few tweaks to the end of Summer:
But now the copy edits are complete, and Summer is actually available for preorder and digital review copies are up on Edelweiss! You can request a DRC here.
And links to preorder at various retailers are all here, on Simon & Schuster’s website: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Summer-of-Lost-and-Found/Rebecca-Behrens/9781481458962
During copyediting/revising breaks, I’ve been cooking. My husband and I challenged ourselves to eat an unprocessed, plant-based diet for 22 days. It was hard, but we did it–and came away with some new favorite recipes, like this green lentil soup garnished with avocado and tomato. So nice on a chilly fall night–and I found you can get a lot of writing work done in the kitchen, while it simmers.
This week, I’m heading off to Columbus, OH for AASL 2015. Gayle Rosengren and I have worked hard on our presentation, and we’re looking forward to sharing our ideas about MG historical fiction! If you’re at AASL, please stop by and say hi. I have some shiny new postcards for Summer to hand out, too!
I’m going to AASL 2015 in Columbus!
Friend and fellow Class of 2K14 author Gayle Rosengren and I are presenting on Friday, November 6 from 11:20-12:20 (Room C212). Here’s a little about our presentation:
Making It Real, authors Gayle Rosengren and Rebecca Behrens will suggest creative ways for librarians to help bring history to life as they prepare students to meet Common Core State Standards. Strategies include multimedia displays, interactive library programming, writing workshops, author Skype visits, and outreach with local historic sites. The authors will provide tools such as a multimedia planning template that can be filled out for any title, book talks, and recommended media lists.
We’ve had a lot of fun creating this presentation, and hope you’ll join us if you’re attending the conference.
We’ll also be in the Author Signing Booth from 1:00-1:30 on Friday. Stop by and say hi! I’ll have my first pieces of Summer of Lost and Found swag, and plenty of When Audrey Met Alice bookplates, stickers, and more.
It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to a close. It really does feel like yesterday that I was welcoming 2014–and eagerly anticipating my February 4 book birthday.
It has really been a delightful experience sharing Audrey’s and Alice’s stories.
Author copies arrive!
Author copies on a shelf [they’re all gone now–in libraries, where they belong :)]
Signing at my launch party
A great panel at Books of Wonder, my indie home
Class of 2K14 celebrating after ALA in Vegas
Barnes & Noble panel with Tara Dairman, Polly Holyoke, and KA Holt in Fort Worth, TX
Awesome panel at The Book Spot in Round Rock, TX
Working on an Amelia Earhart story with young writers at the NYSL
WAMA projects by the great students at St. Francis Academy
I’m so grateful to all the people who have supported me along the way, to all those who work tirelessly to get books produced and shelved and sold and checked out and taught, and most of all to readers. Because of all the wonderful moments along the way, the best have always been about them.
First up in 2015 is finishing revisions for my second book, Summer of Lost and Found (which might be undergoing a slight title change–more on that in the new year). Then I’ll be back to work on a brand new story.
Have a safe and happy new year!