Read it and weep (for joy)

Grace Lin is blogging about her experiences at ALA this year.

Whether she is describing a lovely vacation trip or her Newbery dinner dress hunt, her accounts make you feel like you are there. Gracenotes readers feel like they are a close friends who are privileged to share these moments with her.

Grace admits there were moments she had to try very hard not to cry at the luncheon Little, Brown gave in her honor. Read her eloquent words about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

If you do not tear up, there is no hope for you. I am awash.

So so so so so happy for Grace.

Author: Grace Lin

Oh, oh, oh, look at Grace Lin's Small Graces painting for the month of February.

Grace is sponsoring the Foundation of Children's Books, through a monthly auction of her original artwork.

Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure

In 2004, Grace Lin and her husband Robert Mercer were inspired to begin Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Beautiful, one-of-a-kind snowflakes were created by children's book illustrators and auctioned to raise money for cancer research.

Sadly, in August 2007, Grace lost her Robert to cancer. In honor of Grace and Robert, the kidlitosphere will be featuring the artwork of some of the illustrators who contributed their talent and time to this year's auction. Three separate auctions will showcase these exquisite original works of art. The first auction begins on November 19.

You can see these treasures here.

Grace Lin describes her snowflake on her blog a solitary grace.

This is the schedule for this week's features. Thank you to Tricia and Jen Robinson for building the links for us to use.

Monday, October 15

• Randy Cecil at ChatRabbit



• Michelle Chang at The Longstockings



• Kevin Hawkes at Cynthia Lord's Journal



• Barbara Lehman at The Excelsior File



• Grace Lin at In the Pages

Tuesday, October 16

• Selina Alko at Brooklyn Arden



• Scott Bakal at Wild Rose Reader



• Alexandra Boiger at Paradise Found



• Paige Keiser at Your Neighborhood Librarian



• Janet Stevens at The Miss Rumphius Effect

Wednesday, October 17

• Rick Chrustowski at laurasalas



• Diane DeGroat at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup



• Ilene Richard at Something Different Every Day



• Brie Spangler at Lectitans



• Don Tate at The Silver Lining

Thursday, October 18

• Brooke Dyer at Bookshelves of Doom



• D.B. Johnson at Lessons from the Tortoise



• Erin Eitter Kono at Sam Riddleburger



• Sherry Rogers at A Life in Books



• Jennifer Thermes at Through the Studio Door

Friday, October 19

• Graeme Base at Just One More Book



• Denise Fleming at MotherReader



• Jeff Mack at AmoXcalli



• Jeff Newman at A Year of Reading



• Ruth Sanderson at Book Moot

Saturday, October 20

• Linas Alsenas at A Wrung Sponge



• Theresa Brandon at The Shady Glade



• Karen Katz at Whimsy Books



• Judy Schachner at Kate's Book Blog



• Sally Vitsky at Shelf Elf: read, write, rave

Sunday, October 21

• Matthew Cordell at Just Like the Nut



• Maxwell Eaton III at Books and Other Thoughts



• Roz Fulcher at Goading the Pen



• Susie Jin at sruble's world



• Susan Mitchell at Check It Out

Please take time out to visit all of these blogs, and read about these fabulous illustrators. And, if you're so inclined, think about bidding for a snowflake in the Robert's Snow auction. Each snowflake makes a unique gift (for yourself or for someone else), and supports an important cause.

Sadness: Robert Mercer

Grace Lin's husband, Robert Mercer, passed away this past week. A tribute to him appears at Blue Rose Girls. Our hearts go out to Grace and her family.

In 2004, Grace and Robert were inspired to begin Robert's Snow for Cancer's Cure to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Beautiful, one-of-a-kind snowflakes were created by children's book illustrators and auctioned to raise money for cancer research.

In lieu of flowers, Grace and Robert's friends and families have requested that donations be made, in Robert’s name, to:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund
Attn: Lauren Nash
10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor
Brookline, MA 02445-7226
Please make checks out to "Robert's Snow."

The Robert's Snow online auction will be held in November and December 2007. Gail Maki Wilson has a post at her blog Through the Studio Door listing some of the artists who have created a snowflake for auction. You can get an early look at many of the snowflakes and the process of creating them.

Travelogue

RRRiordan is blogging from London. He met Amanda Craig of the Times and will be interviewed for BBC by Jacqueline Wilson! Living the Dream! (He will not get to Oxford this time, Michele.)

Meg Cabot is blogging from Paris (and other points) and got to meet Neil Gaiman in Leipzig. Paris is really so beautiful around Easter time. Actually, when is Paris NOT beautiful? Check out the chocolate Easter egg.

Neil Gaiman has been shadowing Meg Cabot and is a "a really cool dad" because MC gave him a stack of her books autographed to his daughter, Mandy.

Robin Brande is back from an author tour and visiting with her readers all across the country. Librarian, Susan Geye at North Crowley High School in Ft. Worth, Texas presented her with the most amazing gift. Read her post to find out what it was. What a terrific idea for visiting authors. Texas librarians are awesome!

Maureen Johnson has returned from London and has an entirely entertaining account, "BRIEF ENCOUTERS WITH FAMOUS PEOPLE." Monday, March 19, 2007, of her flight home with Sigourney Weaver.

Lisa Yee is in Michigan for a school visit and got to meet Jim (Happy Bunny) Benton at a book signing. Earlier in March, she also got to meet Carol Burnett and John Lithgow signed her napkin.

Linda Sue Park has been traveling to Hong Kong and Taiwan and is posting photos.

Grace Lin is back from Hong Kong and brought home a beautifully tailored blue dress.


And finally,

Hopefully, John Green is home from the hospital.

Get well, John.

Spring Break

This week is spring break and we do not have any travel plans. I am weird because I don't really like Spring Break. It just causes problems for blood sugar levels here.

I may attempt an excavation of a foreign land, (the entling's bedroom) and squint at paint chips for another room but beyond that my goals are modest and involve crafting some reviews of the fantastic books I've been reading.

I have been virtually traveling with author/illustrator Grace Lin at pacyforest as she travels through Hong Kong. She is posting lots of pictures. What a treat!