Sarahbrannen's Blog

Forthcoming books

sarahbrannen — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:10:57 +0000

Islandport Press tells me that The Pig Scramble should go to press this week, which is quick! I only delivered the final art at the end of March. It will be a while before the advance copies arrive, but it’s worth waiting for: coming home to a find big box on your doorstep, full of shiny new copies of your latest book, is the very best part of the whole business.

I just finished the dummy for Tooth Truth and sent it off to Scholastic Press. The utterly wonderful Arthur Levine is the author. I still don’t know the publication date – I’m guessing spring of 2013.

Tomorrow: the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I can’t wait to see everyone!

Disinvitations

sarahbrannen — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:14:37 +0000

Here’s a blog about YA author Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Impulse) being “uninvited” to the 2011 Teen Lit Fest in Humble, Texas. http://petehautman.blogspot.com/2010/08/nasty-thing-in-corner.html

This kind of thing has happened to me, as well – more than one public school has asked me to do a presentation or a program, and then taken back the invitation when they realized what Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is about. (I’ve done some presentations at private schools which were well-received by all).

One author after another has withdrawn from the festival – I suspect this is going to have some major fallout.

Stay strong, everybody!

The Young Turks

sarahbrannen — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:54:59 +0000

The Young Turks are not ok with a teacher reading Uncle Bobby’s Wedding in first grade. They think that maybe it would be ok to read the book in high school if they got authorization from the school board, first. They think the teacher should be suspended for reading my book to first grade students.

I do think they should have actually read my book before determining what punishment would be appropriate for reading it in school! They clearly hadn’t.

New illustrations

sarahbrannen — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:43:15 +0000

I’ve just posted some new illustrations on my web site - have a look! I’m trying to let my weirder side come out. It has occurred to me that I’ve been reining myself in a little lately.

Candles

sarahbrannen — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:13:07 +0000

We had just finished dinner last night when the power went out. We moved into the living room, put another log on the fire and lit a bunch of candles. Then what? Those that could started reciting poems, mostly of the humorous sort with an occasional uplifting Robert Frost mixed in. The kids asked what was so funny about the sort of limerick that starts “There was a young man from Nantucket.” After confused guessing about “bucket,” “pluck it,” “WHAT?? I don’t get it!” light dawned. And they died. Fell over on the couch, shrieking. You know how the verger reacts when she finally gets one of Geraldine Granger’s jokes? Like that.

When I drove home it appeared that the power was out in a whole quadrant of town. Instead of the stupid fake candles in windows, you could see people sitting around their tables by real candlelight. No streetlights, no traffic lights, a little light snow falling. Aaron Neville on the car radio singing Ave Maria. Perfect.

Jacket art

sarahbrannen — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:11:20 +0000

Here’s a great post by Cindy Lord about the jacket art for her new book. It takes a huge amount of effort to get the details right, and most people will never know. But I will! I can’t wait to see how it looks when the book comes out.

Falsettos in Concord

sarahbrannen — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:12:20 +0000

Here’s a little review I did of a superb production of Falsettos at a local high school last weekend. Thanks to Dana Rudoph of Mombian for running it.

More good books for kids

sarahbrannen — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:38:59 +0000

Here are the books I’ve Tweeted lately:

Basho and the Fox, by Tim Myers, illustrated by Oki Han.

A Place for Butterflies and A Place for Birds, by Melissa Stewart, illus. Higgins Bond.

The Fledgling by Jane Langton

The Great Potato Plan and The Secret Tunnel by Joy Wieder

The Little Red Elf by Barbara McGrath, illus. Rosalinde Bonnet.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.

Hero by Perry Moore.

Good children’s books for gifts

sarahbrannen — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:02:16 +0000

I’ve been posting some chidren’s book recommendations on Twitter, so I’ll try to keep track of all of them here:

Rules, by Cynthia Lord, for young teenagers. Rules is about a 12-year-old girl with an autistic younger brother, and it’s funny, poignant and true. (Scholastic, 2007)

The Daddy Longlegs Blues, a picture book by Mike Ornstein, illustrated by Lisa Kopelke. I’m recommending this mostly for the delightfully quirky illustrations of a whole band of bugs, although the verse is also terrific. (Sterling, 2009)

And, if you’re into creepy creatures, get the real story on Daddy Longlegs in A Daddy Longlegs Isn’t a Spider, by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by John Himmelman (Windward Publishing, 2009)

I’ll try to post lots more recommendations in the next two weeks.

Coming Out Day

sarahbrannen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:15:41 +0000

It’s October 11, National (and international) Coming Out Day.

Because I wrote a picture book about a same-sex wedding, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, I’ve been asked a number of times, in interviews, whether I am a lesbian or in a same-sex relationship. I used to refuse to answer, out of solidarity with my gay friends. It seems so unfair that gay people get asked this question, and, whoever you are, it’s intrusive and nobody’s business!

However, my gay friends have asked me to start answering the question, so I’ve decided to come out as straight. There’s even a label I can put on: I’m an ally. We feel that it’s important to make it clear that there are straight people passionately committed to gay rights and marriage equality.

I’m not comfortable discussing my personal life in public and I don’t think anyone cares about it. However, I’ve taken a lot of heat for my book and read some very nasty things about it, and myself, in public forums. And I guess that really does make me an ally, because I’ve shared some of the unpleasant things that are a constant part of my gay friends’ lives.

I’ve shared wonderful things too, of course, and I’ve gotten wonderful letters from people, gay and straight, telling me how much my book means to them. It has most definitely been worth it.

And now I’ve shared another experience that I never expected to have, that of coming out in public!

So, happy October 11, everyone. I’m proud of all of you.