Go to sleep. Wake up. Pinch self. Indeed, self is awake. Self is not dreaming. Since self is not dreaming, self should pack self’s suitcase.
So, I left the farm in the rain…
And arrived in SUNNY Chicago!
The city was in full bloom…
The view from my hotel is a little different than the view from my kitchen window…
Saw this while riding the bus and it sort of reminded me of a little old book called “Holes”….
I got to meet my “shelf buddy” Jacqueline Houtman… get it? Houts… Houtman…. we’re on the bookstore and library shelves beside one another! Check out her debut novel “The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.”
Then, just because I got an award myself, I got to hang with some big-time stars!
Here is Kirby Larsen (Hattie Big Sky, Random House, 2007) with editor Stephanie Elliott.
And, me with Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me, and winner of this year’s Newbery Medal.
I didn’t actually get to “hang out” with Henry, but I did get a picture before his body guard told me to move on. I resisted the urge to stick my thumb out and say, “Heeeeyyyyy!”
It was strange and exciting to see my name so many places…
And a little creepy to see my face so BIG…
I was lucky enough to get to share the special moment with new friends, teachers, and librarians from all over, and with some dear old friends, Judy, Paula, and Barb.
All too soon, I was in the air. A quick 30 minutes later, I was landing in Fort Wayne. But, oh, it’s going to take a little longer than that to get me down from Cloud Nine!
THANK YOU, International Reading Association, for selecting The Beef Princess of Practical County as a 2010 IRA Children’s Book Award Winner for Intermediate Fiction. And, THANK YOU, Random House, for making it possible to be in Chicago to pick up the award in person.
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