Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 12

Yesterday I did a school visit at a very small school in Downeast Maine.



Here I am with the whole Whiting Village School, PreK-8!



The kids were delightful and sweet and even invited me to go sledding at recess with them. If I hadn't worn a skirt, I totally would have!



Thank you, Island Readers and Writers for another great visit!

I'm in Machias, Maine for two days of school visits with Island Readers and Writers that has turned into three days!  Yesterday, I spend the day on Beals Island and today I was scheduled to visit Whiting Village School. But we had a storm come through last night and today, school is cancelled. So I have a writing day at the inn and will go to Whiting tomorrow.


Me with the 7th and 8th Graders and their whoopie pies

At my school visit on Beals Island, the kids had done amazing projects for Touch Blue. There was lots of art and writing and the kids even made whoopie pies from my mom's recipe! They were fabulous (both the kids and the whoopie pies!).



And one boy asked his grandma if he could bring in the blue lobster that she had caught some years ago and had mounted. Island Readers and Writers gives each child a free book. The older kids had all read Touch Blue. I was signing their books and that boy asked me if I would sign it to his grandma, the catcher of the blue lobster, because he wanted to give her his book.



Such nice kids, every one of them.

One of the really wonderful things about my last two school visits was that in both cases, the principal was really excited and involved with my visit. Not only did I meet them, but they came to my presentations and talked to the kids about writing themselves.

It says a lot when the principal does that. Here's a blog entry from the principal at Groton, MA.

A spine poem is a poem made up of book titles. I created one yesterday. Read the titles from the top to the bottom.



If you want to try one, School Library Journal is currently collecting them to post on April 1st for National Poetry Month.
Here's the link to enter your spine poem:  http://100scopenotes.com/2014/03/07/be-a-part-of-the-2014-book-spine-poem-gallery/

A peek inside Hot Rod Hamster Monster Truck Mania at Scholastic's Story Hour Website.

A couple weeks ago, I received a Groupon deal for a monster truck show about an hour from my house. I thought that kids will probably ask me if I've ever been to one, and I haven't. I got the details for the book from watching YouTube videos and from websites. So I decided to go! I bought two tickets, hoping I could talk someone else into coming with me.

My editor agreed to come!  So a week from today, we'll be at this monster truck show! I'm hoping to get some fun photos for my school visits!

1.  I had such a fun visit yesterday at Sea Road School in Kennebunk, Maine. One of the classes even gave me this cute duckie with their own rules written on it.

Here are a few:

Homework before games. -Abby
Don't put girly stickers on your brother's door. -Morgan
If you make a mess, clean it up. -Lucy
If someone does something for you, say thank you! -Hope

2.  It is so nice to see the sun out! I've been seeing robins and lines of geese flying north. I'm hoping they know something the weatherman doesn't!

3. One of my favorite booksellers reviewed Half A Chance. Kenny at DDG Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, said:

"Sitting down to read and review Cynthia Lord's third novel, Half a Chance, I was well aware that I had developed a strong personal bias in the author's favor from having worked closely with her on various book related enterprises. In order to counterbalance this bias I resolved to be virulently negative and unfair toward the book."

4.  I got my first email from a kid about Half a Chance this morning. She said, "I JUST CANT EVEN TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THAT BOOK!" It made my morning. :)

5.  I'm tired of snowbanks and ice. Today I have to go back to work on my novel that is set in the summertime. So I'm going to look at this photo until I feel it!

I had a wonderful visit with the children of Groton, Massachusetts on Tuesday.  I visited the Florence Roche Elementary School and shared Hot Rod Hamster with the first and second graders and Rules and Touch Blue with the third and fourth graders.



Principal Liz Garden made me feel so at home!  It's a lovely school with great kids and teachers! I even got a group hug from an entire class!  It was a wonderful day. :)

I also stopped to see my mom and I took her out to a favorite restaurant in New Hampshire. While there, I saw these adorable toad houses and had to have one.



We don't get many toads in our yard, but I might set it up over a chipmunk hole and leave the front door wide open for the chipmunk to come and go.

This little garden shed house reminds me so much of the Frog and Toad story, "The Garden." So in honor of World Read Aloud Day, here is the story. 

One interesting part of having a book published is that when other people read it, sometimes they'll write about it, and they will say what it's about.

As the author, you'd think nothing they said would surprise me. But it often does. In fact, it has happened with every book. A book is really an incomplete thing. I heard Gregory Maguire (Wicked) speak once and he referred to that as a "C" trying to become an "O." That last curve to complete the circle is supplied (or not) by the reader.

And when the reader completes it and shares it back to the world, sometimes what they say surprises me. That's when I know that a book has its own life apart from me. I have never thought of Half A Chance as an environmental book, but yes, of course, she's right.

"[Half a Chance] encourages readers to see things from other people's perspectives, to appreciate and protect the environment and to find the courage to reach out and speak up."

Review below

"Sitting down to read and review Cynthia Lord's third novel, Half a Chance, I was well aware that I had developed a strong personal bias in the author's favor from having worked closely with her on various book related enterprises. In order to counterbalance this bias I resolved to be virulently negative and unfair toward the book."


Me and Kenny and the store giraffe at DDG Booksellers in Farmington, Maine

One of my favorite booksellers reviews Half A Chance.  Words on Words: Half A Chance.

Beals Island, photo by Island Readers and Writers

Tuesday, March 4, School visit, Florence Roche Elementary School, Groton, Massachusetts

Thursday, March 6, School visit, Sea Road School, Kennebunk, Maine

Wednesday, March 12, School visit, Beals Island Elementary School, Beals Island, Maine

Wednesday, March 12, Library "Meet and Greet," Peabody Memorial Library, Jonesport, Maine. Open to the public.

Thursday, March 13, School visit, Whiting School, Whiting, Maine

My Downeast Maine events are all sponsored by Island Readers and Writers.