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Maureen Lasley, LitFest Director, with 8th graders
from Vista Middle School, 2004
A Look Back...
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Kevin O'Malley
Printable Author Book Sale Order Form "I guess I was in fourth grade when I decided to do children's books. I was not a particularly good student. I would tell one kid to bang erasers over another kid's head, and then I would laugh. They sent me to the library which was the "time—out" place if you were outrageous. They put a stack of books in front of you, and for years I thought picture books were either about girls picking flowers or long—dead white inventors. I couldn't stand them. Then I read Where the Wild Things Are, and it changed the way I looked at books—When I saw Where the Wild Things Are, I thought, "Boy, a guy who gets to draw monsters!" I would love to do this forever because when I get calls or letters from kids who say, "I am this person," or, "I love that book," that's the reward. That's the payoff. When you go to a school and they love you, that's the reward. I visit schools as often as I can. I actually enjoy performing more than doing books because when we're doing the retelling of a fairy tale, or we're lampooning Disney for its horrible vision of women and the Ken dolls that are the heroes, the energy just fires up. I start laughing until the tears come out of my eyes. I love it intensely." Selected Books Written by Kevin O'Malley
Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery written by Kevin O'Malley Hero of the planet Jurassica! Fearless leader of the intrepid crew U.D.S. Megatooth. Whenever trouble rears its ugly head—no matter where in the solar system—Captain Raptor will be there! From the vivid imagination of Kevin O'Malley and the unparalleled talent of Patrick O'Brien comes the first age of dinosaurs in outer space! The twentieth century saw cats in space, pigs in space, and toads in space, but you've never seen nothing like . . . Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery. -- www.walkeryoungreaders.com
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude written by Kevin O'Malley Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl who had to tell a fairy tale to the class, but they couldn't agree on the story. Will they all live happily ever after? -- www.walkeryoungreaders.com
written by Kevin O'Malley
written by Kevin O'Malley Kevin O'Malley takes a classic nursery rhyme and turns it into a mind-teasing Sherlockian mystery. Follow Inspector Owl as he gathers clues left by the villain in each spread, then put them all together to solve the mystery. Dan Greenburg
Printable Author Book Sale Order Form Dan Greenburg has known success as a humorist, a novelist, a journalist, a screenwriter, and a playwright. Now he has turned his considerable talent to writing several series of books for younger audiences. Inspired by his own son Zack, for whom the hero of one of the series, The Zack Files, is named, Greenburg has combined his love of humor, his interest in things paranormal, and his talent for writing to create books that kids like Zack will want to read. He is also the brain behind the Secrets of Dripping Fang, Weird planet, and Maximum Boy series. He has spent much of his adult life nervously seeking dangerous adventures to write about.
Dan Greenburg's sixty-six books are available in twenty-three countries. His bestselling titles for adults include How to be a Jewish Mother and How to Make Yourself Miserable. He's written movies, Broadway musicals, TV shows, and articles in most national magazines. He's appeared as a stand-up comedian at The Improv comedy club and on national television. As an author he's appeared on The Tonight Show, Today, Larry King Live, and Late Night with David Letterman. Dan lives north of New York on the Hudson with wife Judith, son Zack, and many cats. Selected books written by Dan Greenburg
written by Dan Greenburg When Cody is 14, he runs away from home, leaving behind his abusive mother, and flees across the country. He doesn't stop until he hits Texas and the Sam Houston Tiger Ranch. Under the guidance of Sunny, the ranch's owner, he cares for the animals in ways he never imagined. He feeds them a diet of raw, bloody meat. He cleans out their cages. He takes them for exercise. He finds out how to get a tiger to back down, and when he should back down himself. But there is another lesson Cody has to learn—sometimes people are harder to handle than tigers. -- www.randomhouse.com
Zack Files #1: Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box written by Dan Greenburg Zack takes home from the local animal shelter a scruffy tomcat who not only talks but claims to be the reincarnation of Zack's Great-Grandpa Julius. -- www.titlewave.com
The Secrets of Dripping Fang #1: The Onts written by Dan Greenburg Ten-year-old orphan twins Wally and Cheyenne Shluffmuffins have a hard time at Cincinnati's Jolly Days orphanage, but things get much worse when the Mandible sisters offer to share their home in the Dripping Fang Forest. -- www.titlewave.com
Weird Planet #1: Dude, Where's my Spaceship? written by Dan Greenburg When their spaceship crash lands on Earth, Ploo is captured by the Army and taken to the mysterious Area 51. While her brothers, Lek and Klatu, try to rescue her, Ploo uses her ESP to make a new friend. -- www.titlewave.com Other books by Dan GreenburgThese books will be sold by the Tehama Co. Dept. of Education at LitFest (March 19), the author visits (March 19-23), and the Author Dinner. The Zack Files, books 1-30 J. C. Greenburg
Printable Author Book Sale Order Form "I just want you to be normal!" my mother used to say pleadingly--and often. She said it when she found me digging for dinosaur bones in the backyard. She said it when she found the orchid plants I was growing under my bed. (That was before I knew plants need light!) She said it in the grocery store when, instead of asking for candy or cereal, I asked for a Venus Fly Trap. Poor Mom. She wanted a normal kid. I wanted to see platypuses and figure out how flies walk across the ceiling without falling off. And just how giant is a Giant Gippsland Earthworm anyway? With all these questions spinning around in my head, I never had a boring moment. I also loved to write. So when I graduated from college, I found the perfect job for me. I became an editor of science books. I worked on books about volcanoes and stars and weather and math. I especially loved helping authors who wrote about living things. The biologists were such fun!. And they, too, loved to ask questions. Now here was the best part about my job: If I had a question about anything, I could call an expert anywhere in the world to find an answer. Experts are people who love to study things like earthquakes and ants and octopuses. Experts are people who want to tell you what they know about what they love! After many happy years of working on other people's books, I decided it was time to write my own. I had learned a lot about things that interested me: why spiders don't stick to their own webs, why insects can never grow as big as the ones in horror movies, what the inside of the earth is made of. And I still had a TON of questions. Maybe there were kids who were interested in the things I was interested in. That's when I came up with the idea for "Andrew Lost." Now there are two favorite parts of my work as an author. I still get to call anyone in the world to ask questions. For example, a little while ago, I needed facts on blue whales, the biggest creatures that have ever lived, for Andrew Lost in the Whale. I called two experts. We had interesting conversations about what a blue whale's tongue looks like and whether a 10-year-old could squeeze through a whale's intestines. My other favorite part of being an author is visiting schools and talking to kids about everything from the cute creatures that live upside down in our eyelashes to the giant squid that lives in the deepest ocean. If you asked me how to guarantee that your life would be interesting, I'd tell you this: Come up with some questions and look for answers. You'll meet some terrific people, have lots of fun, and you will never ever be bored. Selected books written by J. C. Greenburg
written by J. C. Greenburg When Andrew's latest invention, the Atom Sucker, goes haywire, Andrew and Judy are shrunk down to microscopic level! Andrew and Judy find themselves lost on their neighbor's dog, where they encounter everything from colossal fleas to crab-like eyelash mites. Now they have to find their way back to the Atom Sucker and get unshrunk before it's too late! -- www.randomhouse.com
Andrew Lost #14: With the Bats written by J. C. Greenburg Thanks to an invention mishap Andrew, Judy, and Thudd have been shrunk down to the size of bugs. That's a serious problem when they get lost in a deep, dark, and bat-filled cave. Bats love to eat bugs! Will Andrew, Judy, and Thudd find a light at the end of the cave? Or is that really a glowing insect just waiting to eat them? -- www.randomhouse.com Other books by J. C. GreenburgThese books will be sold by the Tehama Co. Dept. of Education at LitFest (March 19), the author visits (March 19-23), and the Author Dinner. Andrew
Lost #2: In the Bathroom Wendelin Van Draanen
Visit Ms. Van Draanen's Website Printable Author Book Sale Order Form Books have always been a part of Wendelin Van Draanen's life. Her mother taught her to read at an early age, and she has fond memories of story time with her father, when she and her brothers would cuddle up around him and listen to him read stories. Growing up, Van Draanen was a tomboy who loved to be outside chasing down adventure. She did not decide that she wanted to be an author until she was an adult. When she tried her hand at writing a screenplay about a family tragedy, she found the process quite cathartic and from that experience, turned to writing novels for adults. She soon stumbled upon the joys of writing for children. Feedback from her readers is Van Draanen's greatest reward for writing. "One girl came up to me and told me I changed her life. It doesn't get any better than that," she said. Van Draanen hopes to leave her readers with a sense that they have the ability to steer their own destiny-that individuality is a strength, and that where there's a will, there's most certainly a way. Her first book was published in 1997, and since then her titles have been nominated for State Award Master Lists all over the country. Now in its tenth installment, the Sammy Keyes Mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Children's Mystery four times in six years, with Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief bringing home the statue. Additionally, she has won the Christopher medal for Shredderman: Secret Identity, and the California Young Reader Medal for Flipped. Her books have been translated into many foreign languages, and have been optioned for film and television projects. She lives in California with her husband and two sons. Her hobbies include the "Three R's": Reading, Running and Rock 'n' Roll. Written by Wendelin Van Draanen
written by Wendelin Van Draanen From May until November, Holly writes in her journal, by turns fierce, angry, scared, heartbroken, defiant. Her teacher gave Holly the journal in the hopes of allowing her to work through her mother's overdose and stays in a succession of foster homes. But Holly has more immediate issues—hunger and shelter and not being cold. Running away again from an abusive foster family, she makes her way by stealth and cunning to Los Angeles. She writes poetry in her journal, too—vivid and wired poems.... She refuses to see herself as homeless, but as a gypsy, making a home where she can—libraries and schools are among her favorite places to hide. As her situation gets increasingly desperate, readers long for Holly to find a bath and a hot meal and someone to care for her. -- Booklist (Sept. 1, 2006)
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief written by Wendelin Van Draanen
written by Wendelin Van Draanen Winner of the 2002 California Young Reader Medal for Middle School/Junior High! The first time she saw him, she flipped. The first time he saw her, he ran. That was the second grade, but not much has changed by the seventh. She says: "My Bryce. Still walking around with my first kiss." He says: "It's been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort." But in the eighth grade everything gets turned upside down. And just as he's thinking there's more to her than meets the eye, she's thinking that he's not quite all he seemed. This is a classic romantic comedy of errors told in alternating chapters by two fresh, funny new voices. Wendelin Van Draanen is at her best here with a knockout cast of quirky characters and a hilarious series of misunderstandings and missed opportunities. But underlying the humor are two teens in transition. They are each learning to look beyond the surface of people, both figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and who they want to be with. -- www.randomhouse.com/kids/vandraanen/
Shredderman #1: Secret Identity written by Wendelin Van Draanen Alvin Bixby: Hulking, knuckles of steel, hideous breath, foul temper. Kids call him: Bubba. Nolan Byrd: Puny, power walker, math genius, can't keep shoes tied. Kids call him: Nerd. Bubba has been the bane of Nolan's existence for five long years. So when Mr. Green asks the class to become reporters, Nolan decides he'll write an expose—on Bubba. He doesn't want to sign his name to it (that'd be suicidal), so Nolan creates a secret identity for himself on the Internet. He launches Shredderman.com as a place where truth and justice prevail—and bullies get what's coming to them. This hilariously triumphant story is for any kid who's ever dreamed of unleashing their own inner superhero! -- www.randomhouse.com/kids/vandraanen/ Charlie Price
Printable Author Book Sale Order Form "I was raised in Colorado and Montana, and I lived in Italy, New York City, Oakland, and Mexico before settling in Northern California. After I graduated from Stanford in the early 1960's, I had a dual career in education and mental health. Working in a variety of schools and hospitals, I grew to deeply admire the courage of those who lived and worked with mental illness on a daily basis. I admired the young people I came to know—their triumphs, as well as the valiant way they dealt with hardships and failures. "I am married to a lovely woman who has surpassed my dreams for the past thirty years. Moreover, I hereby attest and confirm that my daughter, Jessica Rose, is always right." Charlie Price, in addition to writing and working with therapeutic groups, is a trainer, an executive coach, and a consultant who conducts business workshops and troubleshoots for private and public agencies. He is an avid reader, a pretty fair free-throw shooter, and a hopelessly addicted fly fisherman. Written by Charlie Price
written by Charlie Price
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Students enjoying pizza snack, 2004 LitFest 2007
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