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1 Vanessa Purdom Upcoming McConnell Center Events McConnell Conference Poster Sessions Author Spotlight McConnell Conference 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels Good Enough to Eat SLIS CATS meeting Connecting with Characters Contest September is Hispanic Heritage Month Student Section On the Blog and in the Center About the Center The McConnell Center was lucky enough to interview Vanessa Purdom this month. We interviewed Vanessa about her new book The Caramel Apple Election. Vanessa is a graduate of the University of Kentucky. The Caramel Apple Election is her first book. It cen- ters on teaching children basic concepts about voting and the importance it plays in our society. You can buy Vanessa’s book at http://bit.ly/ VanessaPurdom or at Joseph Beth. The book also has a homepage at, www.caramelappleelection.com, where you can find ideas about holding your own mock election and resources to help with lesson planning. What was your biggest motivation for becoming a children’s author? My two daughters, Anna (11) and Sa- vanna (8), have been my biggest moti- vation. When the girls were younger, one of our favorite things to do was to create stories, out loud, together. I would set the scene and then we would take turns adding our own unique parts to the adventure. I also really enjoyed reading when I was a child and wanted to instill a love of literacy in my girls. Writing this book was sort of the next story in our long line of creative story adventures. What inspired you to write a children’s book about voting and elections? The idea was born when I was volun- teering in my daughter’s first grade classroom. There was a really negative campaign in our town and I had heard some negative comments from the 6 year olds. I wanted to counter the nega- tive comments, (that kids were obvious-

September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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Vol. 2, Iss. 2. Contents: Vanessa Purdom, Upcoming McConnell Center Events, Author Spotlight, McConnell Conference, 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels, Good Enough to Eat, SLIS CATS meeting, Connecting with Characters Contest, September is Hispanic Heritage Month, Student Section, On the Blog and in the Center, About the Center.

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Page 1: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

1

Vanessa Purdom

Upcoming McConnell

Center Events

McConnell

Conference Poster

Sessions

Author Spotlight

McConnell

Conference

100 Best-Ever Teen

Novels

Good Enough to Eat

SLIS CATS meeting

Connecting with

Characters Contest

September is Hispanic

Heritage Month

Student Section

On the Blog and in the

Center

About the Center

The McConnell Center was lucky

enough to interview Vanessa Purdom

this month. We interviewed Vanessa

about her new book The Caramel Apple

Election. Vanessa is a graduate of the

University of Kentucky. The Caramel

Apple Election is her first book. It cen-

ters on teaching children basic concepts

about voting and the importance it

plays in our society. You can buy

Vanessa’s book at http://bit.ly/

VanessaPurdom or at Joseph Beth. The

book also has a homepage at,

www.caramelappleelection.com, where

you can find ideas about holding your

own mock election and resources to

help with lesson planning.

What was your biggest motivation for

becoming a children’s author?

My two daughters, Anna (11) and Sa-

vanna (8), have been my biggest moti-

vation. When the girls were younger,

one of our favorite things to do was to

create stories, out loud, together. I

would set the scene and then we would

take turns adding our own unique parts

to the adventure. I also really enjoyed

reading when I was a child and wanted

to instill a love of literacy in my girls.

Writing this book was sort of the next

story in our long line of creative story

adventures.

What inspired you to write a children’s

book about voting and elections?

The idea was born when I was volun-

teering in my daughter’s first grade

classroom. There was a really negative

campaign in our town and I had heard

some negative comments from the 6

year olds. I wanted to counter the nega-

tive comments, (that kids were obvious-

Page 2: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

2

ly hearing from “Mom & Dad”) with a fun and positive voting and election

activity. I searched the internet for books that told a story about voting and

found nothing for elementary aged kids. At that point, I decided to turn my

apple election classroom activity into a children’s book about voting and

elections.

What will children love most about your new book The Caramel Apple

Election?

Kids love the idea of a book that includes a snack, in combination with a

fun learning activity. Each year during the fall, kids will look forward to an

apple election in their classrooms and communities. They also really love

the “I Voted” Sticker templates in the back of the book and searching for

the eagles on almost every page of the book. It is so much fun to watch the

kids get excited anticipating the announcement of the winner of the caramel

apple election.

Do you believe your time at the University of Kentucky influenced your decision to become an author? Were

there specific classes or events that occurred during your time at UK that solidified your desire to write?

Absolutely!

I would have never ventured to Lexington or survived UK, if it wasn’t for Emmett “Buzz” Burnam and Joyce

Beatty. Buzz ventured over 170 miles to my small high school in Greenville, Kentucky to talk to my school

about UK. Ms. Beatty was a spectacular mentor and made me feel like the sky was the limit, in terms of my

ability and the opportunities that a degree from UK would avail.

When I decided to pursue my BS in Communications at UK, I found non-stop encouragement and support

from Drs. Harrington and Lane. I was especially interested in the research and writing courses offered by the

College of Communications. If I had not been accepted to law school, I would have certainly pursued a doc-

torate in Communications.

Last but not least was Dr. Kenneth Foon. I worked as a clinical trials coordinator at the UK Markey Cancer

Center for several years. Dr. Foon gave me a chance to pursue a wonderful career in cancer research. I jour-

naled my experience working with investigational therapies and cancer patients, often reflecting on the bril-

liance and compassion exhibited by Dr. Foon.

Thinking about this question and reflecting on all the people that shaped my experience and desire to write,

brought back memories of my English professors at UK. I still remember Rhonda Seabolt, my ENG102 teach-

er. She had flaming orange hair and flaming red lipstick and the ability to inspire lots and lots of creativity.

What is the most important concept about voting that you would like your audience to grasp?

That democracy is not a spectator sport. If you want to make your voice heard, get involved in the voting and

election process. Within the book, children are not only voting in the caramel apple election, they are having a

discourse about the concepts, volunteering to help with the election and witnessing that their vote really made

a difference in the election.

It’s great that your book is easy to buy on amazon (http://bit.ly/VanessaPurdom). Are there any plans in the

future for an e-book version?

Yes, my publisher and illustrator have been discussing the steps and formatting necessary to proceed with an e

-book. We all realize that pursuing this format is another great way to give the public access to the book.

Page 3: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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September 6 at 6:00 p.m.

SLIS CATS meeting

http://bit.ly/SLISCATSMeeting

September 29 at 7:00 p.m.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

by Emily M. Danforth

http://bit.ly/

MiseducationofCameronPost

October 1 at 4:30 p.m.

Good Enough to Eat: Come Devour

a Banned Book

http://bit.ly/GoodEnoughtoEat

October 13 at 7:00 p.m.

McConnell Board Game Night!

http://bit.ly/McConnellBoardGame

Would you like to present a poster

at the 2013 McConnell

Conference? The 45th McConnell

Conference will be at the

Lexington Embassy Suites Hotel

on March 1-2, 2013.

The deadline for sign ups is

September 28, 2012.

Please direct questions to

Dr. Reynolds at

[email protected].

Poster session sign up information

can be found here.

http://bit.ly/McConnellPoster

McConnell Conference

http://cis.uky.edu/lis/mcconnell-

conference

Guidelines

Poster must be on a tri-fold

freestanding board. Boards must be

in black or white.

Content must be clear and concise

Must have content that pertains to

children’s library services, early

literacy skills, or other topics that

are pertinent to youth literature

Poster may be accompanied by

handouts and/or business cards

Poster must include a title, the

presenter’s name, and contact

information.

It is recommended that the presenter

include graphs, charts, and visual

cues.

Please RSVP on our Facebook pages

or the new form found here for these

events so we

know

approximately

how many are

coming or if we

need to

reschedule.

~Thanks!

Page 4: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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Boy + Bot is a story of unlikely friendship and miscommunication between Boy and Bot. A boy finds

a robot in the forest one day. They instantly become friends. However Bot’s power gets turned off and a crazy

adventure ensues to wake Bot up. This story is loveable and will be adored by children who will laugh at the

conundrum that Boy and Bot find themselves in. Dan Yaccarino’s illustrations make this story come alive. It is

his illustrations that make this book a worthwhile read for children. The illustrations are painted with clean and

clear lines and objects have a defined space. The colors are vivid in blues and reds. Boy + Bot has many

enticing illustrations and it contains simple words that many early readers will be able to follow. The words

are in bold print which will also help early readers follow along. This book is for children up to eight years

old. However, even adult will love this book. This is a story that parents can read to their children and a story

many early readers will be able to follow. Boy + Bot is a cute story about two friends. One of them just

happens to be a robot.

Dyckman, A. (2012). Boy + Bot. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Read A-Likes

DiPucchio, K. S. (2011). Clink. New York: Balzer + Bray.

Lester, H. (2011). Wodney Wat's wobot. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Scieszka, J. (2009). Robot Zot!. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Yaccarino, D. (1996). If I had a robot. New York: Viking.

Every month leading up to the

McConnell 2013 Conference, the

McConnell newsletter will feature a

new book review from one of our

2013 guest presenters. These

reviews will introduce you to our

authors and some of their work. If

you have any books from our 2013

presenters you would like us to

review, please send suggestions to:

[email protected]

Boy + Bot

By: Ame Dyckman

Illustrated by: Dan Yaccarino

Page 5: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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NPR this past month took a poll of

the 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels as

voted by you. They received

75,220 votes. Below is the top five

books as voted by viewers. If you

wish to see the entire top 100 Best-

Ever Teen Novels you can go to

http://bit.ly/BestYA.

1) Harry Potter

Series by

J.K.Rowling

2) The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

3) To Kill A

Mockingbird by Harper

Lee

McConnell Conference

March 1-2, 2013

Embassy Suites Hotel, Lexington, KY

http://cis.uky.edu/lis/mcconnell-

conference

4) The Fault In Our

Stars by John Green

5) The Hobbit by J.R.R.

Tolkien

Check out Dan Yaccarino’s interview

with The Horn Book

http://bit.ly/DanYaccarino

Page 6: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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Are you interested in youth

outreach? Do you want first-hand

experience with planning

programs and events for children

and teens? The SLIS CATS group

is the Children and Teen Services

organization on campus that is

devoted to youth literature and

outreach to the surrounding

community. Our first meeting will

be September 6th at 6:00 p.m. in

the McConnell Center. All new

and continuing students are

welcome to join in our meeting!

Come devour a banned book on October 1, 2012 in the McConnell Center. This event is in honor of Banned

Books Week from September 30th to October 6th. Banned Books Week is an annual event that celebrates the

freedom to read as well as the importance of the First Amendment. This year marks the 30th anniversary of

Banned Books Week. The McConnell center will be celebrating with our Good Enough to Eat Contest.

Entrants will choose a banned or challenged book and create edible art that is based on that book. Event

attendees will vote on the entries to select Best Overall, Best Book Representation, Most Creative, and Most

Edible.

To visit our Facebook page, http://bit.ly/GoodEnoughtoEat

To enter the contest, register now at http://bit.ly/GoodEnoughtoEatRegistration

Please RSVP for this event at http://bit.ly/SLISCATSMeeting

or at

http://bit.ly/McConnellRSVP

Page 7: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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Starting on September 15th Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated world

wide. Hispanic Heritage Month is dedicated to recognizing the important

contributions Hispanic culture has made to the United States. Below is a

list of YA fiction with themes centered on Hispanic culture.

Martinez, W. J. (2008). Rogelia's house of magic. New York: Delacorte

Press.

Monroy, L. (2008). Mexican high: A novel. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

Peña, M. (2008). Mexican whiteboy. New York: Delacorte Press.

Peña, M. (2009). We were here. New York: Delacorte Press.

Pérez, A. H. (2011). What can't wait. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda LAB.

Voorhees, C. (2008). The brothers torres. New York: Hyperion.

We are excited to announce the 2013 Connecting with

Characters Contest. All kids in preschool through

12th grade in Kentucky or a neighboring state can

enter. Sponsoring libraries and schools must register to

participate by November 30, 2012. Entries must be

received by January 18, 2013. The Contest is in

conjunction with the 2013 McConnell Conference for

Youth Literature, which will feature Jack Gantos, Dan

Yaccarino and Selene Castrovilla. We hope that the

Contest will provide an opportunity for the youth of

Kentucky and the surrounding states to connect with

the works of these wonderful contributors to the world

of literature for youth.

Participants could win a signed copy of Jack

Gantos’s Dead End in Norvelt, the 2012 Newbery

Medal Winner! There are also great titles available by

Dan Yaccarino and Selene Castrovilla. More

information is forth coming but be sure to check out

our website at http://cis.uky.edu/lis/mcconnell-contest-

2013

Page 8: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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Are you in LIS 610 or LIS 613 this

Fall? Come use the McConnell

Center! We can help you find books

to use for your class.

Hours

Monday & Tuesday 10 a.m.—3p.m.

Wednesday & Thursday 12 p.m.—

5p.m.

Or by appointment contact

[email protected]

STUDENT SECTION INFORMATION FOR SLIS STUDENTS

Are you interested in attending the YALSA

Symposium in St. Louis this November.

Listed below is a short synopsis about the

conference and registration information. We

will be staying two nights at the hotel. The

rooms are $105/night. However, we will be

sharing rooms so this cost can be cut

considerably. If you are interested in

participating in the symposium, please

contact Dr. Reynolds at

[email protected].

Join the discussion on Facebook

http://bit.ly/UKYalsa2012.

For more information also check out

YALSA’s website at

http://yalitsymposium12.ning.com/.

Synopsis

YALSA’s 2012 Young Adult Literature

Symposium will gather together librarians,

educators, authors and publishers to explore

what lies ahead for young adult literature,

including trends in content, format and

interaction. In an era where trends can rise

and fall in the blink of an eye, how do we

find the next Big Thing? How will the

changing face of today’s teen drive

changes in content? What, besides words,

will be in the digital future of young adult

literature?

Can looking into the past of the genre help

us determine where we might be headed in

the years to come? What factors play a role

in determining what will become the Next

Big Thing? Join YALSA as we explore

what the future has in store for young adult

literature and what or who may transform it.

Fees

Early bird registration is open through Sept.

16, 2012. Until then, registration costs:

$195 YALSA and Missouri Library

Association and Missouri Association of

School

Librarians Members

$245 ALA Personal Member

$300 Nonmember

$50 ALA Student Members

Advanced registration begins Sept. 17

and runs through Oct. 9. Rates after

Sept. 16 are:

$245 YALSA and Missouri Library

Association and Missouri Association

of School

Librarians Members

$295 ALA Personal Member

$350 Nonmember

$50 ALA Student Members

Page 9: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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On the Blog:

ARC Read & Review 2012! We

have the following titles available

for anyone who wants to read and

review them for the McConnell

Center blog at http://

youthlitmatters.wordpress.com/

New Books in the Center:

Juvenile Fiction

The Magician’s Apprentice by

Kate Banks, illustrated by Peter

Sís

Minnie McClary Speaks Her

Mind by Valerie Hobbs

A vital gathering place for books

and ideas, the McConnell Center

is committed to identifying

excellent literature for children

and adolescents and to bringing

this literature to the attention of

those adults who have an

academic, professional, career, or

personal interest in connecting

young readers with books.

We maintain two main, non-

circulating collections:

Our Current Collection includes all

books sent to us for review by

publishers during the current year.

The Permanent Collection is

several collections of books

maintained in the Center as a resource

for students and librarians. It includes

the Basic Collection, the Award-

winning Collection (Caldecott,

Newbery, Printz, Morris, Pura Belpré,

Sibert, and Orbis Pictus Awards), the

Kentucky Collection (notable

Kentucky authors and books about

Kentucky), the Reference Collection,

and the Periodical Collection.

Our Fall 2012 hours are Monday &

Tuesday 10 p.m.–3 p.m. and

Wednesday & Thursday 12 p.m.–5

p.m.

Please visit our website for more

information:

http://cis.uky.edu/lis

mcconnellcenter

Young Adult Courtship and Curses by

Marissa Doyle

Holding on to Zoe by George

Ella Lyon

Before You Go by James Preller

Auracle by Gina Rosati

Picture Books

The Chandeliers by Vincent X.

Kirsch

Frankenstein by Rick Walton,

illustrated by Nathan Hale

In the Center:

Join us for the McConnell Center

Board Game Night!

Our next event will be a

discussion of The Miseducation of

Cameron Post on September 29

at 7:00 p.m. Find us on Facebook

to RSVP for this event.

http://bit.ly/

MiseducationofCameronPost

You can find the McConnell

Facebook Group here:

http://on.fb.me/

McConnellReadingGroup

You can now RSVP for Center

Events via the following form:

http://bit.ly/McConnellRSVP

Page 10: September 2012 McConnell Newsletter

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