I recently found out I'm on the American Booksellers Assocation NEW VOICES of 2011 committee. The goal of the committee is to pick 10 middle grade and 10 young adult authors whose first book (in any genre) came out this year.
It's just dawning on me what a momentous task this is. To be fair, I did agree, even volunteered, to do this. I thought "Hey, I read tons of books each year. I love discovering new talent to follow. This will be fun." But as the books have started trickling in, I'm seeing the future more clearly: This is going to be a lot of work.
I've started reading and so far so good. Let's see if I can keep up the pace AND continue reading some of my favorite authors who have books out this year too.
And speaking of keeping up, I finished the electronic version of Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Jennifer Choldenko. It was wonderful. So nice to visit Alcatraz again. This time, there are more convicts, more intensity, and we finally meet Al himself. As usual, Choldenko tells a good story that is both suspenseful, well-developed and accessible for kids of many ages.
Keep reading.
Good luck with your mountain of reading. I did one of those CBC bibliographies one year (mine was children's books that adults will also enjoy) and the books Just. Kept. Coming. In. It was astounding.
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