Linda Urban is My Hero

Today I got to spend the day at the Kids First Conference in Des Moines.  Yea!  It is so rare that I get to escape the library for something like this because with only two people working full time, it is hard for either of us to get away.  I was super excited to go today because the author of one of my very favorite books was doing the speech over lunch.

Linda Urban is the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect, which I discovered way back when I was working in Illinois.  I have read it several times since then, and it gets better every time.  The book is so amazing that I have talked about it before and will probably never stop raving about it.   A Crooked Kind of Perfect is the rare kind of book that makes me do “the happy cry” as I like to call it.  Now, I do the happy cry all the time during movies.  Any Disney animated film, Jane Austen adaptation, Ramona and Beezus, The Holiday, Enchanted, are just some that come to mind.  But there are very few books that make me so joyful that I burst into tears (I do cry at sad parts of books all the time, but that is different).  There are only a few that can do that including Keeper, Greetings From Nowhere, and A Crooked Kind of Perfect.

I told Linda while she was signing my book that I loved her book and she said, “And I love YOU!”  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  I also told her about the happy cry thing and she seemed really pleased.

Her speech was really really good.  I have heard quite a few authors speak, and I would have to say she is one of my favorites.  She talked about her background and how she became a writer.  She said that A Crooked Kind of Perfect started out as a picture book, which is kind of hard to believe after reading it.  I am SOOOOOOO glad that she ended up writing the novel and didn’t give up when she got her rejection letter saying “This Is Not A Picture Book!”

She was very funny and down-to-earth and talked about how she still isn’t satisfied with the final version of her book and that when she reads it out loud to people she changes some of the words 🙂

So in conclusion:  Linda Urban = pure awesomeness.  I was sitting at a table of people who hadn’t read her book and every single one of them left the room dying to pick it up.  That is the sign of a great speaker.  We also found out that her next book Hound Dog True comes out in the fall and already has a starred review in Kirkus (she didn’t mention this herself, someone else brought it up).  Can’t wait!  Can’t wait!!!!

Jen

P.S.  I am so mad that I left my camera in the car today.  I totally wanted a picture of me with my new BFF!

Authors Who Are Awesome: John Green

There are certain things I love about living near “The City.”  And when I say “The City” I mean Naperville, IL.  Because Naperville is home to one of the best book stores in the entire country…Anderson’s Bookshop.

Last Friday I went there with my friend Abby to see one of her favorite authors, Mr. John Green.  I went along because even though I hadn’t read any of his books yet, he is young and hot and I’m always up for a road trip.

There were probably around 130 people crammed into the store to hear him speak and he bravely stood on a chair the whole time so that those of us in the nosebleed section up near the cash registers could see him.  Needless to say he was charming, well spoken, hilarious, complex, intelligent, and emotionally deep.  We waited around so he could sign Abby’s book and he was so friendly when we got up there even though he had literally signed 80 books before hers (probably more because some people were clutching all three of his titles).  He talked with Abby and then thanked me for coming even though I was just a straggler who hadn’t even bought one of his books.

I don’t remember everything he talked about when he was up there on that chair (I know it was all great) but I do remember he talked about the “in your pants” game.  I think it is from his book An Abundance of Katherines, but I am not sure, I am reading that one next.  But anyways, the way you play the game is you add “in your pants” to the end of any book title.  Mr. Green pointed out that two of his books work very well:  Looking for Alaska in your pants and An Abundance of Katherines in your pants.  I have been looking at my bookshelves and found some others:

Shel Silverstein’s The MIssing Piece in your pants

Andrew Clement’s Things Hoped For in your pants

Mary Higgins Clark’s Remember Me in your pants

Lesley Blume’s Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters in your pants

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women in your pants

Oh my, it never gets old!  (Have I mentioned I have the maturity level of a fourth grade boy?)

Anyway, John Green is awesome.  Period.  He won the highest award in YA lit (the Printz) with his first book!!!!  And his second book got a Printz Honor (so close).  He has a new book out now called Paper Towns that is getting GREAT buzz.  Go to his website here and make sure to check out his YouTube channel because he is hilarious!  Also go to Abby’s blog to see a pic of her with Mr. John Green himself.

Jen