In this Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Lily wishes she could be like the other girls in her class. But how can she? As the only sensible person in her family, she never has time to hang out with friends. Someone has to stay home to look after her brother. Maybe she should fall in love! What could be less sensible that that? When her grandmother invites the whole family to a party, Lily cannot imagine how they will make it through the day. Her mother is always bringing home strange people. Lily doesn't even know her father. Her grandfather has disowned her brother. Her brother has a new girlfriend that no one has met. To top it all off, that day when her eye caught Daniel Steadman's just for a moment, she felt all woozy inside. If that was love, she isn't sure she likes the feeling. As the party approaches, all Lily can hope for is one whole and perfect day. Is it too much to ask?

A happy-ending story in which sensible sixteen-year-old Lily finds a way to bring her 'freakish' family together for one whole and perfect day. 'A warm, engaging read about family and love and friendship and the ties that bind.' - Maureen McCarthy

A lesson in being content. Ruby's plans for a perfect day with friends ends up more special than she could have imagined!

Astutely observed and deftly witty, One Perfect Day masterfully mixes investigative journalism and social commentary to explore the workings of the wedding industry-an industry that claims to be worth $160 billion to the U.S. economy and which has every interest in ensuring that the American wedding becomes ever more lavish and complex. Taking us inside the workings of the wedding industry-including the swelling ranks of professional event planners, department stores with their online registries, the retailers and manufacturers of bridal gowns, and the Walt Disney Company and its Fairy Tale Weddings program-New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead skillfully holds the mirror up to the bride's deepest hopes and fears about her wedding day, revealing that for better or worse, the way we marry is who we are.

This is the fourth volume sponsored by the United States Board on Books for Young People, following Children's Books from Other Countries (1998), The World Through Children's Books (2002), and Crossing Boundaries (2006). This latest volume, edited by Linda M. Pavonetti, includes books published between 2005 and 2009. This annotated bibliography, organized geographically by world region and country, with descriptions of nearly 700 books representing more than 70 countries, is a valuableresource for librarians, teachers, and anyone else seeking to promote international understanding through children's literature. Like its predecessors, it will be an important tool for providing stories that will help children understand our differences while simultaneously demonstrating our common humanity.

Children's book awards have mushroomed since the early twentieth-century and especially since the 1960s, when literary prizing became a favored strategy for both commercial promotion and canon-making. There are over 300 awards for English-language titles alone, but despite the profound impact of children’s book awards, scholars have paid relatively little attention to them. This book is the first scholarly volume devoted to the analysis of Anglophone children's book awards in historical and cultural context. With attention to both political and aesthetic concerns, the book offers original and diverse scholarship on prizing practices and their consequences in Australia, Canada, and especially the United States. Contributors offer both case studies of particular awards and analysis of broader trends in literary evaluation and elevation, drawing on theoretical work on canonization and cultural capital. Sections interrogate the complex and often unconscious ideological work of prizing, the ongoing tension between formalist awards and so-called identity-based awards — all the more urgent in light of the "We Need Diverse Books" campaign — the ever-morphing forms and parameters of prizing, and scholarly practices of prizing. Among the many awards discussed are the Pura Belpré Medal, the Inky Awards, the Canada Governor General Literary Award, the Printz Award, the Best Animated Feature Oscar, the Phoenix Award, and the John Newbery Medal, giving due attention to prizes for fiction as well as for non-fiction, poetry, and film. This volume will interest scholars in literary and cultural studies, social history, book history, sociology, education, library and information science, and anyone concerned with children's literature.

Covering the genres popular with today's teens—fiction and nonfiction, including poetry and graphic novels—this resource provides 110 great book choices for young adult reading, interactive booktalks, and individual writing activities. All educators and library professionals need practical resources with easily accessible information and activities that can be immediately applied. Teen Talkback with Interactive Booktalks! is such a resource, supplying ready-to-use, interactive booktalks and curriculum connections for more than 100 recently published young adult books. This unique book is an invaluable tool for motivating teens to read. It shows how to make booktalks interactive and get teens participating in the presentation, rather than passively listening. Book selections include titles published from 2008 to 2012 organized in seven categories: Issues, Contemporary, Adventure/Survival, Mystery/Suspense, Fantasy, Heritage, and Multiple Cultures. Complete bibliographical information for each selection is included along with a literary classification as well as an age/grade level and gender designation. The read-alouds passages include talkback questions to facilitate discussion, and related works are supplied as suggestions for additional reading choices.

Help maximize your existing collection with this browsable volume containing titles that serve double-duty with their appeal to both teens and adults and cover genres spanning crime novels, romance, horror, science fiction, and more. An indispensable reference for libraries, this book takes the guesswork out of crossover readers' advisory by allowing you to easily guide teens who enjoy reading adult books and adults who enjoy reading teen stories. Chapters written by genre experts will help you better understand each genre's appeal to teens and adults as well as list dozens of titles that lend themselves to both groups of readers. The approach will help you maximize your collection while better serving your patrons. The work is divided into two parts: the first part covers adult books for teens, while the second section delves into teen books for adults. Chapters include a definition of the genre, appealing features unique to the category, the factors that make the works suitable for crossover, a listing of relevant titles and annotations, and trends on the horizon. Genres covered include urban fantasy, mainstream, historical fiction, graphic novels, and nonfiction.

Packed full of inspirational articles from successful writers, illustrators and publishing experts, the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook once again serves up the best independent advice to writers for children of all ages. Covering all aspects of the publishing process, across the full range of formats and genres, it will appeal to self-published writers as well as those seeking an agent-publisher or crowdfunded deal. Inside are up-to-date contact details for literary agents, publishers, prizes and grant-giving bodies, societies and creative organisations that support writers and illustrators. Universally recognised as the first port of call for all writers wanting to improve their work and their chances of getting published, this Yearbook contains an 'impressive raft of advice and notes on every aspect of the business' (Quentin Blake).

The annual, bestselling guide to all aspects of the media and how to write and illustrate for children and young adults. Acknowledged by the media industries and authors as the essential guide to how to get published. The 70+ articles are updated and added to each year. Together they provide invaluable guidance on subjects such as series fiction, writing historical or funny books, preparing an illustration portfolio, managing your finances, interpreting publishers' contracts, self-publishing your work. Foreword by Sally Green, author of the award-winning YA fantasy trilogy: Half Bad (2014), Half Wild (2015) and Half Lost (2016). NEW articles for the 2018 edition on: - Writing for reluctant readers by Jon Mayhew - Writing for teenagers by Holly Smale - Choosing the right agent by Gill McLay or the Bath Literary Agency - Plotting: getting started with your YA novel by Sarah Mussi - Writing adventures in the real world: children's non-fiction by Isabel Thomas All of the 2,000 listings of who to contact across the media have been reviewed and updated. The essential guide for any writer for children.