Episode #94: CHOP SUEY! Phishing, Publishing News, Caldecott Predictions, and Book Recommendations!
Welcome to the inaugural Chop Suey episode! Once a month, the Book Friends Forever will have an odds n’ ends episode where random topics will be discussed. Today’s episode will cover phishing, publishing news, Caldecott and Newbury Award winner predictions, and book recommendations from Alison Morris. Grace and Alvina first catch up on each other’s lives:
“How have you been?”
Alvina has been feeling like she’s been in a state of transition for a long time and is looking forward to settling in. Grace had some fraud drama with her bank that ended POSITIVELY thank goodness!
Chop Suey Topics:
The first topic is “Why on earth is someone stealing unpublished book manuscripts?!” It has been happening for over three years. What is the end game here and what is the point of it all?
The next topic is publishing news! Christian Trimmer is moving to MTV Books. What’s the new vision? Emily Meehan is moving to Sterling Books. What kind of changes will be made there? Inkyard Press announces a middle grade publishing program. Grace and Alvina discuss all of these top level publishing moves and wonder what kind of effect they have on the authors and the books.
The “What Should We Be Reading?” segment with Alison Morris:
Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.
Alison will join us once a month for book recommendations in the “what should we be reading?” segment! In this episode, she focuses on books that are coming out this month. 2021 has been full of great books so far.
Picture Book Favorites:
Outside Inside by LeUyen Pham
Puppy In My Head by Elise Gravel
Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued.
Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia D. Williams illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara,
The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy by Kekla Magoon and Laura Freeman
Middle Grade Favorites:
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen Af Venable and Stephanie Yue
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
Caldecott and Newbury Award Predictions:
By the time this episodes aires, the winners will already have been announced! Grace, Alvina, and Alison talk about books they believe will be contenders and books that they WISH will be contenders. Here’s a list of all the books!
The Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade.
The Old Truck by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey.
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall.
The Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Flemming and Eric Rohmann.
The Bear and the Moon by Matthew Burgess and Catia Chien.
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora.
Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball by Jen Bryant and Frank Morrison.
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier
When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohammad and Victoria Jamieson.
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender.
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks.
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team. by Christina Soontornvat.
Story Sharing with Grace:
Grace’s incident with her bank reminded her of a Buddhist story called “Heaven and Hell”- A zen parable on self-awareness.
“What are you grateful for?”
As usual, the book friends are sharing what they’re grateful for at the end of each episode. This week they have reasons to be grateful for their loving and helpful life partners.
Other books and media mentioned in this episode:
Thanks for listening to the inaugural “Chop Suey” episode! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
Please consider joining our Patreon membership! If you become a Patreon member of this podcast, you can hear all of the others questions Grace ask authors on the Kids Ask Authors Random Questions series! She asks authors very silly and fun questions with some interesting answers. This week, find out how author Megan McDonald answers, “If you had to wear one Halloween costume for the rest of your life, what would it be?!”
Alvina can be found on Instagram @alvinaling and @planetalvina on Twitter.
Grace can be found @pacylin on both platforms.
