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Newbery – When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Caldecott – The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Printz – Going Bovine by Libba Bray

YALSA Nonfiction – Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman

Sibert – Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

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JENNIFER ALLISON

JENNIFER ALLISON

Author: Kensington, MD Tel (301) 530 1190 E-mail: Jennifer@gildajoyce.com Website: http://www.gildajoyce.com
Books:	The popular Gilda Joyce mystery series for young readers features a teenage novelist and sleuth who travels to fascinating settings to investigate the unknown. Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop is set in Washington, DC’s International Spy Museum.
Fee:	Negotiable; please contact me to discuss.
Availability:	School assemblies, awards ceremonies, and writing workshops for K-12 students. Also available to speak at book clubs and for groups of homeschoolers.
Features:	Sources of inspiration – How do authors come up with ideas for stories? I’ll explore the process of generating ideas, revising manuscripts, working with a literary agent and editor, and creating illustrations and cover art. Students leave the presentation excited to read and with a feeling of confidence and enthusiasm about their potential as writers. How do authors write mysteries? A highly visual and interactive presentation introducing students to the secrets of the mystery writer’s craft: What makes a story a “mystery”? How real-life settings in their own neighborhoods can become inspirations for a mystery. How familiar objects can help the writer develop an intriguing fictional character. The writer’s craft – new ideas and helpful tips for writing and revision. Creating cover art and other secrets of publishing children’s books. Spy fiction workshop: "What writers and spies have in common” -- The answer: plenty! An eye for detail and an ability to build character from the inside out are two of the skills intelligence officers and fiction writers share. Combining some fun spy “tradecraft” skills with the writing process, we’ll take an adventurous approach to the creation of setting and character. I’ll also discuss the research process and sources of inspiration for my spy novel Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop, which is set in Washington, DC’s International Spy Museum. Writing workshops: Young writers will see that writing a short story or novel is a process that happens through smaller, manageable (and even fun) steps. I will lead them through a series of prompts to create vibrant fictional characters and intriguing settings. If time allows, we’ll work on dialogue, conflict, and the completion of a short story. Presentations -- Using PowerPoint slides, drafts of real manuscripts, and other props, I’ll give students a highly visual tour of the world of publishing and the writer’s craft. Presentations can be offered as assemblies for your whole school or grade level or combined with writing workshops for smaller groups.
Awards:	Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator: A School Library Journal 2005 Best Book of the Year, Featured in Booklist’s “Top Ten Mysteries of 2005,” Sunshine State Young Readers Award Selection 2006-2007. Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake: 2006 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction Selection for Middle School Readers, 2007 Edgar Award Nominee.