Ninjas in the Library
We had an awesome Deadly Flowers event at the Portland Public Library last Saturday! Our fearless and stealthy readers hunted for clues in the stacks (learning just a tad about the Dewey Decimal system in the process), figured out a rope puzzle (not easy!) and practiced sneaking up silently on a blindfolded partner (no peeking!). And of course many left with signed copies of Deadly Flowers and the brand-new Deadly Wish.
All this was courtesy of the excellent game kit created by the brilliant Kirsten Cappy of Curious City. To recreate this event, download the kit and buy yourself a few dozen Japanese Kit-Kats for snack (we had them in raspberry, strawberry, and green tea flavors). I guarantee you an adventurous event!
Read MoreNinjas In the Stacks!
Beware the library ninja!
Don’t forget to drop by the main branch of the Portland Public Library this Saturday, 10/14, at 2:00, for an adventurous event to celebrate the launch of Deadly Wish. There will be a stealthy scavenger hunt through the stacks, ninja tattoos, Japanese snacks (green tea Kit Kats! Really!), and signed copies of Deadly Wish to purchase.
(Drop by the exhibit of art by Maine treasure Dahlov Ipcar while you are here. Gorgeous art in pop-off-the-wall color!)
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Jinmenju
I need a separate category for “demons I could not fit into either Deadly Wish or Deadly Flowers.” Like the jinmenju–peaches with faces. They hang upon the boughs of trees and giggle at you as you walk past.
That’s it. That’s all they do. If they laugh too hard they fall off the branches. I guess you might eat them then (they are said to be sweet), although I don’t know who would want to.
Not exactly terrifying, but there’s just something about them. I wish I’d had my characters in an orchard at twilight so that peaches could laugh at them.
Read MoreNinjas Are Here!
It’s here, it’s here–the very first hot-off-the-press copy of Deadly Wish. Mark your calendars for the release date of September 26th.
Ninjas, bandits, pirates, thieves, and delightfully creepy demons–all here!
Read MoreWhat To Read When
Pam Allyn’s What to Read When is a great resource for parents and teachers trying to find that just-right book for a certain age or interest. What a thrill to find one of my own books included! Amazing Snakes is listed under “Research Books” for five-year olds. I love the idea of my books helping to inspire a love for science and a fascination with the natural world.
Allyn says, “What better way to introduce our kids to the value of exploration and research than to seize their interests and passions early on and and introduce them to books that will help them puzzle out the answers to their most fervent wonderings.” I couldn’t agree more!
Read MoreThe Speech
Deadly Flowers won a snazzy award from the Wisconsin Library Association, which I am so very happy about…but maybe we can all sit around in a circle and read the book instead of me having to get up and talk about it?
It is so weird that I can happily work away at a novel for years, but ask me to write a speech about how or why I wrote said novel and my insights into the writing process and what it makes me think about the human condition, and all I want to do is crawl under my desk whimpering. Why is that?
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews