Good news: Major Mama Drama was recommended to K-5 students.



Bad news: Despite what the review says, Peter Pan/Wendy/Plays aren't even mentioned in the story. (Posted on a Denver Public Schools site.)

Their review:

"Katherine can’t believe how insistent her mother has become about her trying out for the part of Wendy in the school production of Peter Pan. Her mother keeps pulling out photos and old costumes from when she played the part of Wendy. She keeps talking about making it a family tradition. How is Katherine ever going to break it to her mother that she doesn’t want the part of Wendy?
Books in this series, Katherine the Almost Great, are full of family drama and fun. These books are for middle elementary age readers who are ready to step up from beginning reader books to easy chapters. Scattered pen and ink drawings add interest to the story but don’t overwhelm.

(It does sound cute but I digress...)

The blurb on my book:

Major Mama Drama: Katharine knows her mom’s super-duper secret and thinks it’s a super-duper dud! Mrs. Carmichael is the new cook at Liberty Corner School—Katharine’s school! When her mom blows her kisses, bans fries from the menu, and delivers sour milk to her classroom, Katharine’s stomach does a flip-flop belly drop. Can Katharine survive her major mama drama?

At least they correctly summarized (and recommended!) The Red, White, and Blue Crew.

While seeing UP two weeks ago, I saw the trailer for this movie. (Coming out in 3D in September.) I LOVE this book. It's clever and fun and makes me laugh.



After seeing the trailer, I'm not sure what I'll think about the adaptation. Here's a link to the trailer.

http://www.cloudywithachanceofmeatballs.com/

I've read this book at least 50 times as a librarian, teacher, grad student in a kid lit courses, and as a mom. Each time I read it, I always came away with a new discovery. Okay- to be honest, it was usually due to an observant student. For example, after at least 3 dozen readings, a kid remarked how he thought the "Look Out" written in Alphabet Soup was funny. I had NEVER noticed it! Seriously. The whole book is a visual feast. You can see part of the words here:



I don't see 90% of movies adapted from books I've read. I can't bring myself to see the ones that I felt such a strong emotional connection with like Because of Winn Dixie. I didn't even watch the made-for-TV movie Pictures of Hollis Woods.

Against my will, (those five year olds can be ruthless!) I saw The Polar Express. I didn't think I'd like it. That was an understatement. Blah. Ick.

Will I see this one? Yes. It's just a fun romp for me. I'll take it for what it is and hopefully enjoy it. Will you see it?

Yesterday, I got to be involved with a photo shoot for my cheerleading series for Enslow Publishers.

Give me an F!
Give me an U!
Give me an N!

Okay- you get the picture.

Months ago, I was asked about the possibility of getting some of the girls from my squad together for a shoot. I sent a letter out to the girls and these are the ones that were able to make it. (Boy, it's tough scheduling with softball, dance recitals, etc.! These girls have busy lives!)


My daughter is the third from the left.

My lovely editor, Mary O'Connor, came along with Nicole diMella, the Photo Editor at Enslow. We were so glad the rain held off and actually had sunshine for part of it. (NJ is water-logged these days.) This photo was taken at the end. At this point, the sun was long-gone and we were FREEZING!



Here's Nicole in action:



I wasn't sure what to expect, so I brought extra clothes and lots of props like cheer trophies, spirit stick, etc. The girls liked changing for the second set of shots. This was snapped while Nicole was getting the next shot ready.



The girls were great through the 90-minute shoot. Hundreds of pictures were taken. We can't wait to see how they turn out. Nicole was terrific and patient as can be. Some shots had to be taken multiple times so each movement could be taken. (Like a jump.)

Special thanks to my good friend and co-coach, Ellen. Although I don't have a pic of her to share, her feet will make it into the book wearing funky spirit flip flops!

After the shoot, Mary, Nicole, fellow Enslow writer writerlinda and I went out to dinner. We talked for hours and had lots of laughs. As soon as we left the restaurant, the downpour came.

I feel really lucky that I'm part of the Enslow Family!

Dear April~

I just checked this out of the library ten minutes ago:



As always, I look at the author bio first. Since I "know" you from LJ, I already knew the background of Torched. But what exactly did I discover? Umm..just the tidbit that ROALD DAHL helped you get your first story published in a magazine at age 11! Whoa. Very cool. Spill the beans. Details, April. Details.

If he could see you now...

Best~
Lisa

http://www.booksnj.org/

If you are in the area of Paramus, NJ on Sunday, come out and meet 93 authors (childrens and adult)...

Or...

If you have a book coming out, bookmark the info for next year. I think it's going to be a great day.

It's been heavily advertised in the NYT and in every paper/magazine in the area. Here's an article I saw today:
http://www.northjersey.com/entertainment/Celebrating_a_comeback_for_books.html

From the article, a mind-boggling number:

"Arlene Sahraie sees blood pumping through the veins of the 75 libraries she helps run. Their total circulation vaulted over the 10 million mark last year."

Wow! TEN MILLION books?

Arlene rocks and has done an amazing job organizing this event. Thanks, Arlene!

Do your kids sign up for your library's program? Mine do. They read every day anyway so they figure why not get some prizes for it.



Yesterday I volunteered in my daughter's school and was lucky enough to hear the sales "pitch" for the program. They had the teen librarian come in from our public library.

When she initially asked how many people planned on joining, not too many hands went up. After her talk, hands shot into the air. Lots of kids were hooked after she 1. shared that graphic novels count and 2. showed some very cool new books. Some kids were sucked in after they heard that they've graduated to the TEEN section where little kids are forbidden to enter.(Several kids cheered upon hearing that tidbit.) MANY were lured by the loot:











Each week you go and log in your minutes, you get a ticket to drop in a bucket for the prizes above. It keeps kids going back. Let's hope the Mullarkey luck continues!

All kids get books, baseball tickets for local minor league team, and Applebee dessert coupons just for signing up and reaching milestones like 500 and 1,000 minutes. It's really amazing! Can you imagine all the work that the librarians put into this? Just to get the sponsors must be so time consuming. Last year, almost 3,000 kids signed up. The Library rocks!

John joins the adult program every year which has great prizes as well. This year, I'm thinking I should sign up and make it a

1. Matthew's been down that we haven't seen UP yet. Going today. Yea!

2. Yesterday I had my LAST school visit of the year. This is SO EXCITING! Love them, but...

3. Came home yesterday to a million little flags on my lawn. That can only mean one thing: the pool and deck guys are getting ready to turn our backyard into Camp Mullarkey. We can't wait!

4. I knew the time would come but didn't know it would come on like an avalanche: Sarah discovered the Twilight series. She's read all of them and paid for two herself. (Um...isn't the last one way way too old for her? Sigh.) I confess that she's so addicted and yes- she even stayed home from school to read one. She never wants to stay home and well- she REALLY, REALLY needed to finish it! I understand. Been there. Done that.

5. The number one question I am asked in small groups during school visits: Do you know Jeff Kinney? I wish! His impact on getting kids to read has been, IMO, just as great as JKR and SM. He rocks!

for school visits! Although it was a three hour drive, it was an easy I-did-not-get-lost- drive! Yea!

I visited Nellie Stokes and Simpson Schools. Here's the very enthusiastic media specialist at Stokes, Laura Wright, and her adorable kids that she had visit in the afternoon. What cuties!



Laura had everyone dress up in beach clothes and gave everyone leis. Here's the kindergarten class I met with. A fun group of kids! See that chair I'm sitting in? They asked me to sign in. But...I forgot! Sure enough, when I was at Simpson the next day, Laura brought this massive rocker over for me to autograph. (All visiting authors/illustrators are asked to sign it. A cool idea!)



Here's Laura with her principal, Christine Alois. As soon as I met her, I knew Christine was a dynamic principal. Very hands on and very proud of her students and staff. What my dad would call a "mover and a shaker." She was warm and "real" and adored by her staff. Although I only spent the day (and dinner and an evening event) with her, I was thoroughly impressed with her on so many levels. Not surprisingly, the day I left, she was named Delaware's Principal of the Year. Well-deserved. CONGRATS, Christine!



Dover Air Force Base was across the street from my hotel. It seemed like everyone I met was from a military family. Walking through the school, I saw lots of areas like this:

These areas are used for kids who need a mentor in their lives. They meet here and talk several times throughout the year. The connections made are strong and powerful. Many of the mentors throughout the years have been volunteers from the base. However, since September 11th, the teachers have been taking over the mentor roles since many of the former mentors have been called to active duty.

I had the pleasure of meeting Jane Stewart, the media specialist at Simpson. It was a treat to finally meet the person I had been emailing back and forth with for months. When I have a few minutes, it's always fun to look through the library and discover new books. Jane had been working on processing book fair materials so I got to see what was "hot" at the fair. Always a good way to add to my reading list! (Lots of graphic novels and The 39 Steps seemed in demand.)



Look what caught my eye as soon as I stepped into Laura's library:



Staff members pose with their favorite books. Of course they end up being the most circulated books in the library. If I were still in the library, I would "borrow" this fantastic idea.

Here's another idea I'd want to implement in school: all teachers who retire make a stepping stone for the garden. Lovely!


One of my favorite parts of visiting schools is getting to read the letters/cards kids write. Often, it's in conjunction with a contest to have a 20-minute Q&A Dessert Time with me. With permission from Mya, here's her letter (love the comment about my website) that made me smile:



Dear Lisa Mullarkey,
It would be an honor if you would spend twenty minutes with me so we could chat and talk face to face. I have read your fantastic books. Another little thing I would like share with you is that I think you are a very talented person because your books are so wonderful. I have been on your website. It was a very fine piece of grateful work. And the pictures are just magnificent. One of your magnificent pictures that was very sweet to me was Sharkey Mullarkey. It was just so kind of your class to give him to you. And don't get me started on the awesome recipes! We'll I just can't! The Moon Rock Pizza one is so cool. How did you come up with those lovely recipes? Well, that's all I can say in twenty minutes. Thank you for taking the time to read my message/letter. Tick,Tock. Ding Dong Man. Gotta go! READING TIME!!!
Stoke Colt,
Mya

Thanks, Mya! And thanks to all of the students and staff members who made my visit so special. Delaware rocks!

What the Mullarkey Family bought today...



Hope all my friends and family had a wonderful Mother's Day!

A year ago, I posted about Matthew winning a contest to be bat boy at the Somerset Patriots (minor league team) game. He got to meet the manager, Sparky Lyle (in 1977, he became the first AL reliever ever to win the Cy Young Award) and sit on the bench for a while. I posted this picture which I love.



Last week, John went to a diner and when he looked to the left, was surprised to see the picture on a promotional Patriots box. They were having the contest again. John entered both kids.

EXACTLY a year later, Matthew's name was picked again! He was bat boy for the same game: the game for which my daughter's softball league got to walk the field beforehand.

When Matthew walked into the dugout, everyone recognized him. The hair I thought. Nope! Apparently, Matthew is a STAR! He's featured on all the promotional videos/ads for the Patriots. (I guess the contest had a disclaimer on the back.)

Anyway, here are some 2009 pics:









He had a blast. Yep- right up until the point when we got home at 10:30 and he got sick- over and over again. We sure hope Sparky didn't catch it!

Although Cranford is only about 45-minutes away, I had never been to this lovely town. I've heard about the charms of Cranford for years from my fabo friend and colleague of 19 years, Maureen. Before Maureen and I taught together, she taught in Cranford. Here's a picture of Maureen (well, her feet anyway!) and the cover of Bent Out of Shape. (Katharine has math troubles)  Hmmm...see any similarities???


Yep- she's featured in this (and others) with her bunny slippers. If you want to read the dedication and contents page, click on the picture. 

.

For years, I've heard all about her "Cranford Friends" and finally got to meet one: The highly energetic and bubbly librarian: Robin! Robin invited me to speak to her Pre-K-2 kids thanks to Maureen's recommendation.  Here's Robin and her lovely, invaluable helper, Barbara.



I love Robin's "Got Books?" shirt, don't you? They're standing in front of "Mullarkey Mail" where I got to pick letters and answer questions for the kids.  Very cute idea, Robin!

WARNING:  If you ever walk into a school and see a welcome sign that every student signed...



Be careful of this question:  "My name is _______Did you see my signature on the poster?"

Be prepared for giggles when you say, "I sure did!  What nice handwriting you have."  The laughs came after _____ said he was absent and wasn't there to sign it that day!"

Oops!  Tricky kid...

Here are some Pre-K and K students acting out a story and trying to pull a message out of a bottle that's stuck in sand.  The favorite hats by far?  Nemo and the shark!



This is my new friend, Madison.  Although book orders were going home AFTER my visit, Madison didn't want to wait that long.  She went to B&N and paid full price (ouch...library bound books are very expensive!) and gave me these to autograph. 


Thanks to ALL of the kids who brought in books that day!  What a surprise!

Robin splits her time between this school and the 3-5 school down the street.  She makes it look oh, so easy-breezy!  Really!  I loved my day at Walnut thanks to Maureen, Robin, and 1 very cool school filled with eager readers and writers!

I know a school visit is going to go well when kids email me before I visit. Some kids tell me they're excited about my visit, some ask if I can bring extra books because their "mothers" forgot to send the order form back, while others give me a full description of what they'll be wearing so I'll know them when I see them. Whitman kids did all three!

When I arrived, a few students and the amazing librarian, Carol Sabol, welcomed me to Whitman. Although it's been a week since my visit, the flowers still look lovely on my kitchen table. Thank you!


Here's a close-up of one of the cards. On the front are things I've mentioned on my website like my (crazy!) fear of cats and love of decorating cakes. This student has a good sense of humor AND a future as an illustrator!


One teacher had this boy stand up and asked, "Doesn't he look like Crockett?" Yep! He sure does!


During the fifth grade presentation, we played Rejection Collection. Here are the winners. One teacher also won a prize when her student was able to name the stages of the writing process.


Willow and Elly emailed me prior to my visit and made me feel so welcome on the day of my visit. (Elly and I had dessert together. Yum!)


Carol did a fantastic job organizing my visit. At the staff breakfast, all the teachers told me how much they appreciated all she did for them. As one first grade teacher said, "She's a keeper." Judging from her interactions with students, I know they feel the same way. Thanks to all of Whitman for a wonderful day!

P.S. The principal, Mr. Cardile, seems amazing. I enjoyed talking to him and breakfast and lunch and knew immediately that HE sets the positive tone of the school. I'll have to post a very cool story he shared about Kent Brown soon.(Pic taken from district website.)

Last Tuesday, I got to meet the ultra cool kids at Birches Elementary School in South Jersey. I met Ale, the media specialist, at a NJ Library Media Specialist Conference in November. I was thrilled to be invited to her school.



Ale did a great job getting the kids excited about my visit. As a librarian, I know how much work goes into a visit. Ale made it look easy-breezy. She's amazing! She's super organized and CALM. She didn't seem fazed at all when my computer suddenly went POOF in the middle of a presentation. Nope- I panicked. Not her. (Umm...make sure you PLUG IN your laptop since the battery only lasts so long!)

For the first time, girls ruled the contest...not a boy in site at lunch! It was so much fun to talk to this group. They asked such great questions and had lots to say about books and authors they love.(Cindy Lord (two girls were in the middle of RULES,) Dan Gutman, Lauren Myracle, Barbara Park, Lemony Snicket) Lots of the girls wanted to be authors, illustrators, and teachers except for one girl who sat to my left: she was sure she'd be an orthodontist. Considering what I just paid for Sarah's braces, I told her she'd be rich!


I love when the kids share their books with me. The girl pictured below is an author AND an illustrator. I told the group how much I admire those who can write and draw! Hats off to all of you!


I signed bookmarks for all of the girls. ABDO did a great job with these. Aren't they cute? No flimsy paper here. These are built to last! When a school orders books, ABDO gives them two packs (25 per pack) of bookmarks for free. I've noticed that they're often given out at lunch/dessert to the winners of a contest. (I sign the back if it's for a boy.)


I'll never get over the fact that the kids want MY autograph. Me? "But you're an AUTHOR!" they say. I get it. In fact, I get it so much, that I make THEM autograph something for me because I collect author and illustrator's autographs, too. This always sends them into giggles and it takes them a minute to realize I'm serious. Someone then rushes to get a pen and the autographing session begins. Here are the ones I got at lunch. Lucky me!



Later that night, Ale and the other media specialists took me out to dinner before my evening presentation to parents: The Reluctant Reader: Squash the Resistance. After my presentation, I was ready for bed. I had to get up early for another visit in the district...

Thanks, BIRCHES, for a fun-filled day! You kids rock!

Part of a letter from a student:

"You probably know since you were a teacher, but kids can get bored at assemblies very easily... But you had my full attention the whole time!"



Whew! That makes me feel better about the girl who fell asleep during my last presentation two years ago...

I was updating a bio for a conference I'm speaking at in October when I realized I'll have ten books coming out in 2010. How in the heck did that happen? (It happens fast with educational publishing!) Four cheerleading books from Enslow, a math workbook from Carson-Dellosa, and five books for ABDO. (I'm rewriting classics for ABDO that will be illustrated: Tom Sawyer, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, The Wind and the Willows, Peter Pan, and The Red Badge of Courage.)

Only if every year could work like that: 2025: 25 books! 2050: 50 books!

A girl can dream...

Thanks for the extra pixie dust, Tink!

I think you'll be glad you watched this...
A good reminder that...well, just watch.

Very thankful for...

* Sarah making Competition Cheerleading!!!!



* The flowers pushing out of the ground. It reminds me that you can't rush things. "Blooming" happens at its own pace.

* Getting asked to work on more books with ABDO/Magic Wagon. I'm thrilled! More details soon...

* Springtime in the Park at Hershey. Yea! Can you say CHOCOLATE??

* Reading a post of a fellow LJer that slowed me down this week and reminded me that life can change all too quickly. Enjoy the moment. Now.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking to the K-5 students at Greenbrook School.

As soon as I walked inside the school, I felt a special sense of community and pride in that community.



Everywhere I looked, something caught my eye. Even the sign-in sheet was special! I looked for a pen for a good 60-seconds before the secretary smiled and told me that the flowers in the pot were the pens. How cute is this?



Then I ran into these sweet second graders:



The PTO sponsored my visit and found me through Kim Norman's site Author By State blog. Thanks again, Kim! (http://authorbystate.blogspot.com)

Here are two PTO moms with Mrs. Holliday, the principal, who is in the middle. I could immediately tell that she was a very hands-on principal who had a great rapport with everyone. The PTO moms raved about her. I really enjoyed having lunch with her and the other PTO moms. A special thanks to PTO member Subuha Din (on the right) for inviting me to Greenbrook, organizing the day and making sure everything went smoothly. (And I loved how they popped each autographed book into bags to make passing out to kids easier.)



The kids were proud to show me their artwork.  The pics on bottom are sculptures from a second grade class. I so admire artistic people!  When I told a group of students how much I loved looking at their artwork , one asked me if I wanted to borrow hers for a book of mine.  "For free," she said.  I told her she was very generous but should hold onto it and use it in her own book one day.


The kids couldn't have been sweeter at Greenbrook. As I said to Mrs. Holliday, it all starts at the top and trickles down to the students. I'm so glad I got to visit your lovely school, Mrs. Holliday. Your students rocked!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the K-5 students at Haledon Public School. (It's a K-8 school.) I met Cathy Eng, a super dynamic and enthusiastic librarian, at a conference in November. Cathy worked hard to prep the kids and make me feel so welcome.




The kids were great! I loved the questions they asked! Heck, I even loved the stories they told during the Q&A part of my presentation. I've seen some presenters stop a child when the child starts to tell a story instead of ask a question. Not me. I've realized that sometimes it's those same kids that never have a voice or really just need/want to make a connection by simply sharing a story.

One of my favorite parts of every visits is meeting with a small group of kids who have won a contest to have dessert with me. Yesterday, I met with about 20 students. It's really a treat to get to know the kids a little better in a smaller setting.

Ms. Wood had 100% of her students enter the contest. That, I believe is a reflection of her enthusiasm and dedication. Since everyone in her second grade class entered, I visited their class to say hi and have a quick Q&A. I got to ask them questions this time! (I also answered a few they had!)


I love walking around the schools I visit and seeing all the amazing projects and activities going on. Lucky me: Haledon was having a door decorating contest. Aren't they amazing?




As I was leaving, I walked up a flight of steps and my heart skipped a beat when I saw this:


It was a wonderful day with the kids and Cathy! Cathy, the kids are so lucky to have you sharing your enthusiasm and love of books with them! I know about a 1,000 kids who completely agree with me. You rock!

* Sarah is trying out for cheerleading this week. Please send her a good vibe or two. She's cheered before but never tried out for competition. She came home last night after practice and said, "Mom, my heart will be crushed if I don't make it." Crushed hearts stink. Big time.

* Our newspaper is shrinking daily. Newspapers are in such a sorry state and it saddens me. At this point, I seem to know the news long before I open the paper at 7 each morning. "Should we cancel?" asked John after they got rid of several weekly sections we enjoyed. "Not yet." Then, they combined several local news areas. Our area is hardly a blip now. The final straw for John? The sports writers were let go and sports is now AP only. This is a major paper that's reduced to minor coverage. I can't bring myself to cancel yet. I've been reading a daily newspaper for the last 35 years. Is an end of an era coming?

*Matthew just finished two books by one of his favorite authors. Both are in a "series" of sorts. He loved one and really disliked the other. Okay- hated the other. When he reads a book he doesn't like, he gets so agitated and immediately wants to write the author and ask him a million questions. Questions I know the author wouldn't really want to get. Matthew seems to take "a clunker book" personally. You know that Mom guilt often used on kids? The "look" followed by "I'm so disappointed in you. I expect more from you." That's what Matthew does. But with authors. Author guilt. EEK!

*Last night, I firmed up plans to be the keynote speaker at The Ocean County Reading Council's 31st Annual Fall Conference at Georgian Court University. It's next October and I'll speak for an hour. I was thrilled to be asked but found myself wondering what the other 30 speakers spoke about. I'm sure they were smart, engaging, charming and funny all at the same time. How will I ever measure up? Will there be an regular attendee in the crowd giving me the dreaded "Author Guilt?!" Eek!

*Last Saturday, my mom turned 70! We had a party for her here. I have five brothers and sisters and it's hard to get everyone together. Usually, one or two people are missing. Not this time. Everyone- every kid- made it! Here we are! And my mom got a pretty cool present: she's going to be a grandmother AGAIN! (My brother's first!)