Long Beach Wild: The Book

Finally. This baby has been a long time coming. (In fact, at times I referred to it as the Long-Suffering Beach Book.) Anyhow, it's here and I'm happy to finally be sharing the news. Here is the cover of Long Beach Wild: A Celebration of People and Place on Canada's Rugged Western Shore.



The official release date is April 10, although I am doing a little pre-release event on March 21 as part of the Pacific Rim Whale Festival. It's at 12:30 at the Long Beach Lodge and I will have some books for sale.

There's lots more to say about Long Beach than I could fit in the book, so I've set up a website specifically devoted to Long Beach news. I'm posting about the book and events, but, more importantly, other news and stories about Long Beach. (Hopefully I'll soon have people contributing their own memories. How about you?) Here's the link to the Long Beach Wild website.

Farewell, YES Mag and KNOW

As I mentioned last post, these two fabulous magazines are done. I'm angry and sad. Angry at how it all came to a screeching halt thanks to the new owners and so very sad for Shannon Hunt and David Garrison who started YES Mag on a table in their basement suite 16 years ago and built the company to two excellent, award-winning science magazines for children with a healthy subscriber base in Canada and beyond. I loved my six years working for KNOW, helping launch a new magazine taught me an awful lot. I'm sorry for my colleagues who are now out of work, but they're a talented bunch and will, no doubt, spring back. And then there were the dozens of artists and writers I had the pleasure of working with over the years. Here is a post from one of those talented people, Glen Mullaly, who I worked with on almost every issue of the magazine.

I am also very sorry for our fabulous and loyal readers who so appreciated that science was not dry and dull, but interesting, endlessly engaging, and, a lot of the time, a whole lot of fun.

YES and KNOW magazines R.I.P.

Yes, the rumour is true. I'm still in a bit of shock. More soon.

Bribing Kids with Banned Books

An interesting take on how to entice kids to read. Give them banned and challenged books.

The Joy of Books

The Joy of Books, indeed. What happens in your local bookstore at night?



This is what the owners of Type wrote re. the video:

After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating books at Type bookstore in Toronto. Everything you see here can be purchased at Type Books. Grayson Matthews generously composed the beautiful, custom music. But none of it could have been done without all the volunteer hands who shelved and reshelved books all night, every night.

Thanks to Patricia Storm via Quill and Quire.

A Book Cover Love Story

Such a great short film for bibliophiles (and lovers of bookstores, cheesy love stories, Paris, fabric art and such). (Disclaimer: The last few minutes aren't for children!)

Spike Jonze: Mourir Auprès de Toi on Nowness.com.

You can read more about how the film, Mourir Auprès de Toi, came to be over at director Spike Jonze's site.

Thanks, once again, to the fabulous Brainpicker for putting me onto this. You should subscribe to her feeds and support her. Really. Her compiling of all things fabulous is so good.)

Like I Need Another Project

But this is a short one! A project to celebrate (or perhaps, mark, is the better word) my half-century on this planet.

The Elements of Style (rap version)

Terrible moustaches, good advice.

Ampersand Love

Ah, I love a beautiful ampersand. I can't decide which one on this link I love more though, the tattoo, the eye chart or the book cover?

The Great Sci/Why Giveaway

Want a chance to win a children's science book? Head on over to the Sci/Why blog — a blog hosted by a group of Canadian writers of science books for children — and take the quiz.

Bat in Hat

Last year I received a very interesting gift and it spurred the start of a new Christmas tradition around here:



Yup, that's a bat in a "hat" on the top of our tree.



It's a very cool bat puppet that my sweet sister got me last Christmas. (By artist Susan Cain of Hornby Island.) The hat is actually a sock I knit for one of my girls when they were little. It makes a good stand-in for a Santa hat.

So what's on the top of your tree this year?

PS This is the beauty that the bat replaced.



What do you think? Did we make the right decision?

(Apologies for the poor quality of the photos. I have a new camera and am too impatient to read the instructions.)

Kids Need Books (and many don't have them)

This is a pretty startling report from the UK.

So I learn with despair of the latest findings from the National Literacy Trust which show that a third of all children – nearly four million – do not own a single book.

It's a simple thing we can all try to do something about. (One easy idea that we started at our local school -- where I suspect this issue is a reality for some children -- is to set up a bookshelf near the front door of the school. We ask people to drop off gently-used children's books. The children can take a book if they'd like. What they do with it then is up to them. They could keep it, return it, share it with someone else. It doesn't matter.)

A New Year, A New Cover

I'm excited to finally be able to share this, the cover of my forthcoming book: Long Beach Wild. You can find out more here. The release date is April 2012. Details on launches and parties coming soon!

YES and KNOW on Sale

Yes, I am biased here, having been Managing Editor of KNOW for six years, but they are wonderful magazines. And a bargain at full price, but here is your chance to get YES Mag or KNOW (or both!) at 40% off.

For the first time in 15 years, the publisher is having sale. A big sale! Until November 23, you can save 40% on a subscription! Learn more here. Act fact. It might be another 15 years before the next sale.

Red Cedar Shortlist 2011-12

Congratulations to all those on the Red Cedar Award shortlist, especially to my best bud Jude Isabella for her book, Hoaxed: Fakes and Mistakes in the World of Science.

If you know some young people who live to read, consider starting a Red Cedar club. This is a kids' choice award and the books are always stellar.

Slice Me Some Truth, Baby

Congratulations to my prof. from UBC, Luanne Armstrong, for the launch of Slice Me Some Truth, published by Wolsak and Wynn. If you're in Vancouver tomorrow evening, check it out!

Project Bookmark

I love this idea. Great work, Miranda. I know you've been working hard on it.

Know any Young Aspiring Writers?

Then here's a contest to check out.

Mini Review

Here's a mini review of my latest children's book, Motion, Magnets and More. A mini-mention, but these days, a few lines (and a hot link) is better than no mention at all!

Oh, wait. Here's another one.

Obviously I need to do some Googling.

Mapping Banned Books

I love maps, but I don't love the fact that people ban books. In honor (?) of Banned Books Week, here is an interesting - and interactive - map that shows books that were banned or challenged in the US. (Sadly, no similar map for Canada, but we're not immune to the practice!)Click on the balloons to find the info. behind each of the challenges.