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GONE TO CHICAGO!
...and a giveaway
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SPELLBINDERS AUTHORS TRAVELED TO CHICAGO TO TALK ABOUT
POETRY, PLOTTING, AND PROSE
A
total of nine children's authors participated in an all-day panel
pre-conference institute at the 2012 International Reading Association
in Chicago yesterday, Sunday, April 29th. The institute was organized by
Spellbinders' own Carolee Dean, a high school speech-language
pathologist and young adult author. The focus of the Sunday panel was on
"Rekindling the Reading Fire - Using the Story Strategies of
Professional Authors to Inspire a Love of Reading and Writing."
Carolee started the day discussing The Secret Language of Stories, the twelve-step story analysis method she uses to both plot her novels and teach writing to students of all ages.
The
morning concluded with Spellbinders authors Kimberley Griffiths Little
and Caroline Starr Rose leading writing workshops. Kimberley presented "The Secret Story Diary" and Caroline followed up with a revision activity she calls "Stick Man Character Development" where she gave practical suggestions for diving deeper into character descriptions.
The
afternoon involved several breakout sessions focused on recognizing the
plotting strategies, literary devices, and other tools frequently used
by authors, strategies useful to students for improving story
comprehension and plotting original stories.
Afternoon panel topics included:
"Content Area Literacy: Making History Come Alive"
by Carolyn Meyer, author of numerous historical novels including
CLEOPATRA CONFESSES (Simon & Schuster) and THE WILD QUEEN (Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin); and Spellbinders' Caroline Starr Rose, author of MAY
B. (Schartz and Wade).
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"Social Issues in Contemporary Fiction and Verse
Novels: Recognizing Literary Devices and the Implications for Struggling
Readers" by Spellbinders' Carolee Dean, speech-language
pathologist and author of 3 young adult novels including COMFORT
(Houghton Mifflin) and TAKE ME THERE (Simon Pulse); Spellbinders'
Caroline Starr Rose, former middle school teacher and author of the
verse novel, MAY B. (Schwartz & Wade); Lisa Schroeder, author of 4
verse novels including CHASING BROOKLYN and THE DAY BEFORE (Simon
Pulse); and April Halprin Wayland author of Girl Coming in for a Landing
(Dell Yearling Books).
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"Brave New Worlds in Fantasy and Magic Realism: Inspiring Literacy by Sparking the Imagination"
by Spellbinders Kimberley Griffiths Little, author of THE HEALING SPELL
and CIRCLE OF SECRETS (Scholastic Books) and Kersten Hamilton, author
of the Goblin series which includes TYGER, TYGER (Clarion).
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"Social and Cultural Influences: Approaching Plot Through the Intersection of Character, Setting, and Time"
by Uma Krishnaswami, author of THE GRAND PLAN TO FIX EVERYTHING
(Ahteneum Books for Young Readers); April Halprin Wayland author of GIRL
COMING IN FOR A LANDING (Dell Yearling Books); Esther Hershenhorn, author of S IS FOR STORY: A WRITER'S ALPHABET (Sleeping Bear Press).
***The competition to get into this conference was stiff, and
it was a great honor to have all of our Spellbinders authors
participating. It was a lot of work, but we are also having a blast in
Chicago, so be sure to join us next week for our final issue of the
school year***
SPELLBINDERS LUNCH - CHICAGO STYLE - May 7th Issue!
AND... if you'd
like to win a copy of THE YEAR WE WERE FAMOUS, the book featured in last
week's Classroom Connections, simply leave a comment at the Spellbinders blog. Contest closes May 7th.
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Carolee Dean has made numerous
appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events,
and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music
therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has
spent over a decade working in the public schools as a
speech-language pathologist.
Her
first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was
named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and
was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. Take Me
There is a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers.
Her upcoming paranormal verse novel, Forget Me Not, will be published by Simon Pulse in October of 2012.
She conducts teacher trainings on
inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories"
and "Random Act of Haiku."
 Caroline
Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New
Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other.
She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and
middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana.
Back in New
Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time.
To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.
 Kimberley
Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The
Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly
acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by
Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as
well  as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.
She
lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her
husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a
favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative
Diary", a highly successful writing  workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences.
Tuesday, May 1
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
International Reading Association Conference
Chicago, Illinois
"The Secret Language of Stories"
Carolee Dean
Wednesday, May 16
Bloomers, Buckboards, and Buffalo Chips presentation
7:00pm
The Library Center
Springfield, MO
and
Saturday, May 19
3:00pm
George Washington Carver National Monument
Diamond, MO
Caroline Starr Rose
November, 2012
YALSA Literature Symposium
"Author Research Panel"
Carolee Dean
Kimberley Griffiths Little
and two other authors
St. Louis, Missouri
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