When a Young Reader Posts about Your Book on Their Website

Meet Bridget

Bridget and the Books: A girl who loves to read

I met an amazing young woman during a story time signing at Literati Books last week. Her name is Bridget and she is on fire for reading! Not only is her high-energy personality great fun to be around, she’s well-read and quite knowledgeable about all of the latest books on coming out on the kidlit scene today. I was thoroughly impressed by her ability to make connections between pertinent subject matter and contemporary resources. For instance, Althea Gibson is one of the girls with guts featured in my book. After I read Althea’s passage, Bridget instantly popped up with a connection between the passage and Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance. Well done, Bridget!

I was also enamored by her delightful father, whose pride for his daughter radiates throughout his entire being. He actively supports for Bridget’s love and reading and blog production by traveling around the city assuring that she can meet authors, face-to-face. He keeps her focused, enthused, and nutritionally fortified. I really enjoyed getting to know him, too.

Take a moment to access Bridget’s blog. Enjoy reading the vast number of author interviews she’s got listed there. (She’s invited me to contribute an interview to her blog. I’ll share my post once it goes live. ) Appreciate her generosity as she directs readers to consider the platforms other cool kids are creating. Read five reasons why Bridget had to says readers will like Girls with Guts.

Learn more about Bridget and the Books by accessing her Facebook page and on Instagram. Contact information and book review deets can be found on her website. She’s adorable firecracker! You’ll love her.

Adventures of a Debut Author - A Lesson in Networking with Kris Remenar

I’ve been snooping around discovering ways that clever Kris Remenar has been promoting her darling Groundhog’s Dilemma (Charlesbridge, 2015). She’s one smart debut author, I have to tell you.  

I invite you to take some time to peruse her exceptional website. Of course, being a librarian, Kris has a wealth of resources at her fingertips.  Take a moment and see how generously she shares her knowledge and expertise. I like the way the website reflects her likeable, charming personality, too. Nicely done.

My sleuthing uncovered an insightful Let’s Get Busy podcast Kris did with her acclaimed illustrator (and husband!) Matt Faulkner. The interviewer is Matthew Winner, elementary library specialist and cofounder of All the Wonders. I am so glad to have discovered this resource. After you’ve scoured Kris’ website, pop over to check it out. All the Wonders is packed with podcasts, videos, crafts, and projects. Oh, man! My head is spinning with ideas galore!

Friends, these folks will be good to get to know when my (our) time draws near.

In addition to the cool podcast, the talented and wonderful author Vicky Lorencen sponsored a Groundhog’s Dilemma giveaway. Giveaways are great to generate enthusiasm for new projects. I’ll find out how Vicky managed it. It’ll be good for a debut author to know, right?

Kris also asked the ReaderKidZ to do a review, which is printed below. We jumped at the chance to do so! Truth be told, Kris and Matt have created a masterpiece.  Groundhog’s Dilemma is a book that kids and their parents will, undoubtedly, want to read over and over again. On the surface, the story and illustrations are engaging and great fun. Dare to go a little deeper and the reader will discover the tenacity it takes to be true to oneself.

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Fair-minded Groundhog is caught in a conundrum. The seasonal prediction he makes on Groundhog Day pleases some of his friends, but not all. Bear and Hare want six more weeks of winter. Squirrel and Sparrow, most definitely, do not. Groundhog explains that he’s not in control of the weather. Instead, he merely “Calls it like he sees it.”

When springtime eventually arrives, the animals of the forest resort to manipulation and bribery hoping to influence Groundhog’s future shadow-watching declarations. His social calendar overflows with invitations to baseball games, dining opportunities, and entertaining experiences unlike those he’s ever known! Truth be told, he enjoys the attention. However, come February 2, there will be a price to pay. Will Groundhog be able to truthfully state what his shadow reveals or will he be swayed in efforts to please others?

Groundhog’s Dilemma (Charlesbridge, 2015) explores themes of friendship, integrity, and honor is the most delightful ways. Debut author Kris Remenar’s sparse, tongue-in cheek text is hilarious, lively, and perfectly complimented by husband Matt Faulkner’s incredibly detailed illustrations. Groundhog’s Dilemma is both funny and poignant, one that readers will enjoy time and time again.