Ruby

The Ruby Notebook Reviews


* "A complex and satisfying novel that is both a mystery and a tender, wise meditation on love and self-identity." -- Kirkus, STARRED

"Shimmering dimensions of magical realism." --Booklist

"Blends romance and intrigue in an evocative setting." -- Publishers Weekly


Links to More Reviews of The Ruby Notebook




 *Read more about The Ruby Notebook here.*









Jade

The Jade Notebook Reviews


"A great blend of suspenseful mystery and romance." -- VOYA

"The lush descriptions, intermittent action sequences, and sprinkling of fantasy all come together to form an engaging reading experience." -- School Library Journal

"A graceful conclusion to Zeeta's story." - Kirkus
 
 
Links to More Reviews
 


*Read more about The Jade Notebook here.*

Lil Dude in Kindergarten and Book Recommendation

Hey guys!



So, my Lil Dude started *kindergarten* last week!  Can you believe it?  (This morning he's home sick with a cold, though, dressed in a Superman outfit and, at this moment, directing (bashing, actually) his remote control police car into my desk chair in an attempt to get my attention.

*time lapse*

Okay, situation under control now.  So, as I was saying, car-bashing aside, my Lil Dude is now becoming a Big Dude, *sniff sniff.*.... If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might remember this post I did just after we adopted him from Guatemala when he was nine months old.

On a different note, I thought I'd let you know about one of the many great books I've enjoyed this summer. Here is Jeannie Mobley's charming older-middle-grade novel, Katerina's Wish (ages 8-12)... such a sweet cover, isn't it?




Jeannie and I have much in common-- she also has an anthropology background, also lives in northern Colorado, and has the same agent as me (Erin Murphy).  Jeannie and I actually worked together in the anthropology department at the local community college (where she still teaches.)  I already knew quite well that she's a clever, hard-working, and warm-hearted person, so I wasn't too surprised to find those same qualities in Katerina, the loveable main character of her debut novel.

I was lucky enough to get a review copy over the summer... and I loved it! I'm in awe-- Jeannie is a master of historical fiction.  Here's the blurb I gave:


I adored this beautiful debut novel about a spunky Bohemian immigrant girl who dares to realize her family’s American dream through creativity and hard work.  The loveable characters, vivid setting, and magical folktales completely drew me into Katerina’s world, and I didn’t want to leave.

You can visit Jeannie's website here and see the starred reviews and honors this book has already received (and it's just coming out this week!)

I've read some other wonderful new middle grade books dealing with immigration this summer, like Natalie Dias Lorenzi's Flying the Dragon, which I plan to review here soon (stay tuned!)

Big congrats to Jeannie on her book release!  I'm planning on attending her launch party (open to everyone) at the Longmont Public Library from 3:00- 5:00 on Saturday, Sept 8.  Maybe we'll see you there...

And speaking of events, just a reminder to you Maryland folks-- I'll be on the Baltimore Bred panel of the Baltimore Book Festival  on Sat, Sept 29 at 5:30. Please come and chat if you're in the area! 

That's it for now!

xo,
Laura



Oprah and California Pics!



Hey, guys!

Just got back from a delightful week-long vacation to northern California. On my arrival home, I heard the happy news that The Queen of Water is an Oprah book pick for ages 12-14!  The book's in great company-- some of my all-time faves are also on the list, like Feed by MT Anderson. Very big honor!  The list was compiled by the ALA Children's Book Council and the Association for Library Service to Children (but I like to think that Oprah herself might feel inspired to read it, too.... :-)


Lil Dude

So, my vacation.  It was fun! We've had a hot and fiery and smoky summer here in Fort Collins, so a trip to the coast was just what my family needed.  The weather was deliciously foggy and cool-- I got to wear sweaters and scarves and jeans!  Bliss. I still managed to get sunburnt, though... on my bottom lip of all places! (Bright side: some people pay big bucks for this beestung look.)


Ian

Ian and Lil Dude and I met up with our dear old friend (from middle and high school) and her family, and explored beaches just south of San Francisco.  We spotted seals, sea otters, anemones, dolphins (or porpoises?), and all kinds of sea birds.  Oh, and this funny creature that kept popping up and disappearing, and reminded me of that game whack-a-mole (but no whacking occurred).



I love looking at and touching small things that make patterns, like these blue pebbles on a beach at Punto Lobos...


 And these succulents on the hills by the beach at Bean Hollow...

 

And these pretty, tiny treasures I gathered...


Ian enjoyed swinging giant ropes of kelp around, lasso-style...


Lil Dude spent hours playing catch with the waves.... he'd run back and forth with an exuberant smile, shouting "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!  Oh, dear!"  He can't pronounce his r's, which made it extra-amusing to witness.

 

Relaxing on the rock crags...


We swung by the Santa Cruz boardwalk so Lil Dude could go on some rides... brought back memories of my own childhood summer vacations in Ocean City, Maryland.  Rides, mini-golf, funnel cake, softserv vanilla cake cones with rainbow sprinkles, fresh-squeezed lemonade.


The drive along Route 1 is so breathtaking... we went a couple hours south of San Francisco-- down to Carmel-by-the-Sea, stopping lots along the way (including sweet Half Moon Bay, where I've done author visits). I'd love to drive farther south sometime, to Big Sur and beyond.


Lil Dude is such an enthusiastic traveler-- really bold and adventurous-- although his favorite parts of any trip are usually the hotel breakfast and pool. Here he is giving me a kiss on top of a  stone "castle" we found on the beach, where he declared me a queen and him a knight. He's precious... and believe it or not, he'll be starting kindergarten next week. Gulp.

 

I didn't bring my laptop on the trip, which was really nice... I just read and scribbled a bit in my notebook and thought and dreamt of my book-in-progress-- just what I needed.  Now I'm feeling like I have a better perspective on it, and more confidence that my brain can handle the intricacies of this story (I was starting to have doubts before...) I think the waves and wind and salt and sand did my brain some good.

Thanks for reading!  Oh, and if you're in the Maryland area, please come chat with me at the "Baltimore Bred" panel discussion (5:30, Saturday, Children's Stage) at the Baltimore Book Festival at the end of September!!!

xo,
Laura

Hints about my book-in-progress...

Hey guys,

So I just started using Pinterest to collect inspirational images for my book-in-progress.  Many of you have been asking for details about this next book (thank you for being curious!)  I've been a little mysterious about it, since my creativity seems to work better that way, at this stage at least.  Sorry about that... but I thought these Pinterest images could give you some intriguing clues to my next book.  Maybe you can imagine what the story might be...

There is chocolate.


There are jungle ruins.



There is a magical tree.


There are ancient secrets.


Here is my Pinterest link, in case you want to peruse more of these images, or if you're interested in connecting with me that way: http://pinterest.com/laureysr/ .

Thanks for swinging by.  Now I'm off to my son's preschool "Peace Party."  Apparently the kids came up with this theme on their own.  Sweet, isn't it? It made me remember when he was about two, and we rewarded him with a little sticker after we brushed his teeth.  I had a booklet of stickers, and one of the pages featured lots of tiny peace symbols.  These were his favorite. He'd let us brush his teeth, and then I'd tell him to pick out which sticker he wanted.  He'd smile big and shout, with happy abandon, "I WANT PEACE!"

Hope you're having a peaceful and joyful summer!

Oh, and Baltimore friends: I got confirmation that I'll be at the Baltimore Book Festival at the end of September.  My panel, called "Baltimore Bred"  is with some great kids and teen authors-- all of whom grew up in Baltimore!  Check my Events page soon for exact day and time. I'm so excited about this!

And another upcoming event, for my teacher and librarian friends-- the NCTE conference in Las Vegas in November.  I'll be speaking at the ALAN workshops-- yay!  More details to come soon on my Events page.

xo,
Laura

Old Town Book Fair Recap

Hello!

Thought I'd post a few pics of my panel-buddies at the first-ever Old Town Book Fair this past Saturday.  That's Amy Kathleen Ryan next to me, and Brenna Yovanoff with the supercute socks, and Becca Fitzpatrick on the other end. We're in front of the yurt where the panel was held-- my first yurt panel experience... very cozy, very hot.  (As in sweatlodge hot.) It was fun, though.  A nice crowd-- all the chairs filled-- everyone sweating profusely yet managing to appear interested in what we had to say.  (Thank you SO much to everyone who came-- I'm really glad no one passed out!)



I can't remember these guys' names, but they were a welcome addition-- not  at all shy, very cool and insightful! That's Sarah Paige Ryan on the left end, good friend, author, and former writing group member. Amy's on the right-- she's getting ready for her next book Spark to be released next week-- the sequel to Glow.  I was ecstatic that she gave me a review copy to read on Saturday... I devoured it.  I carried the book around with me everywhere Sunday, read more snatches of it whenever I could steal moments. If you thought Glow was a page-turner (it was, it was!) you have to read Spark-- it's even more heart-poundingly suspenseful.  The tension is incredible... and it just builds and builds and builds and you simply can't stop reading.  Now I have to wait another year to read the third book in the series... argh!


Here I am with Brenna Yovanoff-- the first time we met in person! She's extraordinary and fascinating in so many ways... After the panel, we hung out together (along with some other writers) at my favorite cafe-- the Little Bird Bakeshop. (Note, but don't linger on, the sweat stains on my dress in the aftermath of the steambath.)


One example of how extraordinary Brenna is: her necklace of pliers, wrenches, and an assortment of other tools... See how it evokes the deliciously creepy cover of her book The Replacement? Love it!  Then we got to see the cover of her upcoming book, Paper Valentine, which is just as gorgeous and atmospheric as her other covers.


Here I am with Becca, who also has a new book coming out soon... the last (I think) in her awesome Hush, Hush series... it's called Finale, and it looks fantastic.  This was my second panel with Becca-- she's such a great storyteller, both in her books and in real life. Plus she's warm and fun and has beautiful curly locks.


I'm hoping they do the Book Fair again next year! Lil Dude had a blast with his grandparents and Ian at the crafts area, making a fishing rod with yarn and a stick. (He enjoys any activity involving sticks.) 

Thanks for swinging by!  Oh, and if you're in the Ft Collins area, don't forget about The Queen of Water discussion with me *and my coauthor, Maria Virginia Farinango* coming up on Thurs, July 19 at 7 pm at Matter Bookstore/The Bean Cycle. Hope to see you there...

xo,
Laura