COSMIC GIVEAWAY!

Win a copy of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW by NATHAN BRANSFORD and illustrated by C.S. JENNINGS! This book is every bit as great as it sounds. "Space travel is all fun and games until someone breaks the universe." Substitute teachers and sprinklers. Planets that smell like burp breath. Space pirates.Yeah. So there you have it. And you CAN have it! I will send a copy of this hilarious book to the person who makes up the best planet and its inhabitants. Give your planet a name, describe it, and tell me who lives there. Contest ends June 10th, so GO!

WE WANT YOU!!

Have you read a good book lately? There are more great books than I can possibly read, so I need your help spreading the word. If you'd like to write a short (500 word max) guest review, email me at mlbrown90 @ att. net . OR, I'd really love to have you video yourself reviewing the awesome book you choose. Just please be sure the book is appropriate for 5th through 8th graders.

You do not have to be a kid to guest blog. In fact, look for LIBRARY LISA, one of my favorite children's librarians, coming to this blog soon! She is a reading machine!

I'm currently reading THE GREAT HAMSTER MASSACRE by Katie Davies. What are you reading? Hmmm?

STRETCHING

WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Congratulations, Katy! The names were too good for the Brownies to decide. So we had a drawing of all entrants. Thank you all for entering, watch the blog for our nest contest! Katy, email me at mlbrown90 @ att . net (squish that all together) and tell me which gift card you'd like!


Watch this video. It is so cool, you may have to watch it a few times. Then please come back from Slinkyland and read the rest of this post. There's a contest!

Is that cool or what? So what does that have to do with Writing News and Book Reviews? Lots! Almost everything I've had published was a stretch for me. I have a great husband (I call him my "Idea Man") who's always tossing me zany ideas and challenging me to step outside my creative comfort zone. You don't think I came up with a book titled REVENGE OF THE PINK GRANNY PANTIES all by myself, do you?


So let's do some mental stretching. Name these two slinky thingies. The Brownies will decide the winner. I'll announce the winner Monday, May 2. What do you win? How does a $25 gift card to TOYS R' US sound? (Sorry, couldn't reverse the "R" ;) Then you can buy your own Slinkies, or Sea Monkeys, or whatever. If you'd rather have a reading-related prize, you can have the same amount to spend at Amazon or Barnes and Noble!


Adults can play, too. We all need ssstttrrreeettccchhheeeddd now and then! (Just keep it kid-friendly!)

HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY, BEVERLY CLEARY! (And Happy 40th to ME!)

That's right! I share my birthday with my favorite childhood author, Beverly Cleary! I love all her books, but have a special place in my heart for Ramona, because I was always getting into messes myself as a kid.


For example: On my first day of class in a new kindergarten, I passed gas LOUDLY during story time. I was mortified, especially when a boy pointed right at me and said, "It was HER!" I flatly denied it, and the teacher kept reading, but my cheeks still heat up at the memory.


What about you? Have any "Ramonaesque" memories? What's your favorite Beverly Cleary book? What did you think of the movie, Ramona and Beezus?

FRITZED!

Check out my funny space story, FRITZED! in the April issue of STORIES FOR CHILDREN. All Peter wants to do is sleep in on Saturday morning. But his BOTler, Fritz, thinks it's Friday, and that Peter's his little sister, Paige! I LOVE the illustration. It's hilarious! (That pic isn't it, that's the Jetson family, and their maid, Rosie. Is it any wonder the girl who spent her afternoons watching the Jetsons and playing Princess Leia--hair buns over the ears and all--grew up to write space stories?)


Peter and Paige live on Mars. What planet would you live on if you could? (Remember, Pluto's not a planet anymore. It got demoted ;)

I'M BACK!!!

It's show time at the CHILDREN'S THEATER OF WELLINGTON which means my life has been consumed by all things acting this last month. And writing. And directing. REMOTE CONTROL is a ton of fun. Imagine a magic remote, and the chaos that ensues when a brother and sister use it against each other and bring their favorite T.V. characters into their living room. Throw in a gorilla with a belly ache and you get the picture. 


Any of you into acting? What shows have you been in? What shows would you like to be in? Got any great ideas for a play? (I'm always looking for fresh material!)

Speaking of acting, I just heard that Walden Media is making THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW by C.S. Lewis! I can't wait to see how they bring the book to life. It's my second favorite Chronicle of Narnia, right behind THE DAWN TREADER. And speaking of THE DAWN TREADER, did you see the movie? How do you think it compared to the book? 

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

Thanks to all who entered our Highlights Subscription Giveaway! View the video below to see who won. Winner, email me at mlbrown90 @ att dot net with your address. Happy Hidden Pictures!!!!