Mr. Mineo brings home the silver

This is a wall in my office displaying Parents' Choice Awards I have won in the past.

That empty space on the lower right has just been filled!

On the Road to Mr. Mineo's has won a Parents' Choice Silver Award. 

Aloha!

How to Steal a Dog is on the Hawaii Nene Book Award's Recommended List for 2013.

Go, Dog, go!

  

This is the fifth year in a row!

It was runner-up last year.

I won the Staalberry Award

Ms. Staal's class gave The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester a Staalberry Award!

Thanks, y'all!!

A little toot

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester has been nominated for the Virginia Young Readers Award 2012-2013

Toot toot

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester has been nominated for the Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award 2013

and

the South Carolina (my home state) Children's Book Award 2013

 

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

This great video was made for The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis in connection with its nomination for the South Carolina Children's Book Award.


I love it.

Sakura Medal

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester has been nominated for the Sakura Medal, an award voted on by students in international schools in Japan.

Love that Gracie

When I was awarded the William Allen White Award for the state of Kansas, the student who introduced me was the adorable Gracie Schmidt.

When I arrived the first night, she presented me with boiled peanuts (made from scratch by her and her mother.)

Gracie did a great job at the award ceremony.

Last week, she sent me this picture of herself when she discovered BOILED PEANUTS by the roadside.

Massachusetts Must-Reads 2011

The Massachusetts Center for the Book has named its 2011 Must-Reads. The Massachusetts Book Award will be chosen from this list.

I'm delighted to see The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester on it.

Owen Jester Book Talk

Nancy Keane's book talk of The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester for the New Hampshire Great Stoneface Award Committee.

One for THE DOG

How to Steal a Dog won the Indiana Young Hoosiers Award
in the intermediate division

Woo Hoo!!

Mississippi Magnolia Children's Choice Book Award

I'm happy to report that The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis has been nominated for the 2012 Mississippi Magnolia Children's Choice Book Award.

An Award for Owen Jester

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester has been named one of 2011 Best Books for Kids by Page Ahead.

From their website:

"Page Ahead is the leading provider of children's literacy services in Washington State, serving more than 55,000 children in need every year.

We serve children, families and communities, with new books for children, literacy support for families, and reading resources for communities."

What an honor!

Kansas Part 2

The day of the William Allen White Award ceremony.

Here I am backstage with my student presenter, Gracie Schmidt:

Waiting for our turn:

(l to r) Gracie Schmidt, me, Mikey Hughes, Cindy Kadohata



Gracie introducing me:

Me saying something brilliant:

Me, saying something else brilliant:

The William Allen White Award medal!

Thank you, Kansas!!

Kansas Part 1

My trip to Emporia, Kansas to accept the William Allen White Book Award for How to Steal a Dog was fantastic.

The day started with a tour of the beautiful campus of Emporia State University - decorated for the occasion.




A lovely dinner the first night, when I met Cynthia Kadohata, whose book, Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam, won the award in the Grade 6-8 division.

Cynthia Kadohata (left) and me

After dinner, Cindy and I went to chat with students who were attending a sleepover the night before the award ceremony. I got to meet the student who would be presenting me with my award, the lovely, adorable, funny, smart fifth grader Gracie Schmidt. Gracie presented me with a basket of HOMEMADE boiled peanuts. (She had read that one of my fond childhood memories was when my grandfather grew peanuts and my grandmother boiled them.)

Gracie Schmidt (left) and me

Boiled peanuts!

A band played in front of the auditorium:

Getting ready for the ceremony:

Off to Kansas

I'm headed to Kansas to proudly accept the William Allen White Award for How to Steal a Dog.

Thank you Nashua readers!

I was presented with the Gate City Award for How to Steal a Dog.

This is an award voted on by the 3rd and 4th graders of Nashua, New Hampshire.

I am honored and flattered.

Thank you, Nashua readers!

(l to r) Liz Ullrich of Amherst School, me, Linda Vaughan of Birch Hill School

Here is the beautiful award (shaped like the Granite State of New Hampshire) on my shelf in my office, next to my cute little Willy dog.

They like me!

They really like me!

Three cool honors for THE DOG:

Winner of the William Allen White Kansas Children's Book Award.

Winner of the South Dakota Prairie Pasque Children's Book Award.

Runner-up for the Colorado Children's Book Award (along with my pal, Kirby Larson.)

These are really special honors since they are chosen by real, live children.

Characters with disabilities

I'm proud to be included on this list of books for middle school students that show characters with disabilities in a positive light.

Me and Rupert Goody won the Dolly Gray Award in 2002.

Donations inspired by How to Steal a Dog

I was so touched to see that Shutesbury Elementary School in Shutesbury, MA is gathering donations for the Amherst Survival Center as an activity to honor How to Steal a Dog on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list for 2010.













Great job, guys!