230-Books Giveaway by Class of 2K10

The Class of 2K10, a group of 23 debut middle grade and young adult authors, is banding together to help nonprofit book clubs obtain brand new, hot off the presses books for their reading groups. This gigantic 230-book giveaway will begin on October 10^th, 2010, to mark 10-10-10 for the Class of 2K10. It will end on November 11, 2010.

The idea was spurred by author and blogger Teri Brown, who runs a book club at a low-income community center. Ms. Brown asked to be contacted by authors willing to donate 8 to 10 copies of their book, adding that she knows it can be a challenge, but that the girls in her club love their book club and “want more than anything to have it continue this year.”

“It can be difficult for authors to manage multiple copies on their own,” Leah Cypess, author of Mistwood and a member of the Class of 2K10, said. “We felt this was something unique we could offer as a group.”

Five book clubs around the country can win a prize pack of three to six sets of books written by authors from the Class of 2K10. The pack includes TEN copies of each book, and in some packs one of the books will be signed by the author.

The contest is open to all book clubs in the continental US associated with a nonprofit institution, a school, or a library. To enter, book club members or organizers need only comment on the giveaway post at the Classof2K10 blog (www.classof2k10.com).

CONTACT: Leah Cypess at LCypess@gmail.com.

The prize packs are:

Middle Grade Fantasy Pack: (1) The Carnival of Lost Souls by Laura Quimby, (2) Under The Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan, (3) The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter

Middle Grade Realistic Pack: (1) Fairview Felines: A Newspaper Mystery by Michele Corriel, (2) Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr, (3) Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham, (4) The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman, (5) Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal Pack #1: (1) 13 to Life by Shannon Delany, (2) Freaksville by Kitty Keswick, (3) Mistwood by Leah Cypess, (4) Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen, (5) Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready, (6) Under My Skin by Judith Graves

Young Adult Realistic Pack #1: (1) Change of Heart by Shari Maurer, (2) Faithful by Janet Fox, (3) Losing Faith by Denise Jaden, (4) The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

Young Adult Realistic Pack #2: (1) Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz, (2) Party by Tom Leveen, (3) Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards, (4) The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard, (5) Split by Swati Avasthi

YA Fiction to DIE For

Author Judith Graves will be speaking at:

Northern Lights Library System Conference,  September 18, 2010: Elk Point, AB, Canada: “YA Fiction to DIE For” a quirky look at the road to publication from singer/songwriter to author of paranormal YA fiction and co-president of the Class of 2k10, a group of 23 debut YA and MG authors from across North America.

Judith is the acclaimed author of the Skinned Series. Book One, Under My Skin, is available now. Watch for Second Skin in 2011. And the third book in the series, Skin of My Teeth, will be out in 2012.

Visit the St. Agnes Branch of the NY Public Library today at 4 pm

New York Public Library (St. Agnes Branch)

When: Thursday, May 27, 4pm – 6pm

Where:  New York Public Library (St. Agnes Branch) (map)

Description:  See authors Judith Graves, Kitty Keswick, and Bonnie J. Doerr along with other members of the Class of 2k10, who'll be there for a reading and a panel.

See Leap Authors at Voracious Reader at 4 PM Today

Leap Books authors along with other members of the Class of 2k10 will be appearing at The Voracious Reader at 4 pm today, May 26, 2010.

Here's the press release:

Teen Event - Meet the Class of 2K10
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
4:00pm - 5:00pm

Meet 13 of the hottest debut authors of middle grade and young adult fiction. Arriving from L.A. to the U.K., Alberta to Arizona, they have historical fiction, supernatural thrillers, and everything in between. Free pizza!

For more information go to their website.

Ages 10 and up

Here's the store window:

Be sure to check out the three Leap Books in the window!

Leap Authors Appearing at Books of Wonder at 6 PM Tonight

Join Leap Books Authors and 12 other members of the Class of 2k10 at at Books of Wonder :

MEET THE CLASS OF 2K10! . TUESDAY MAY 25th, 6 - 8 PM

SWATI AVASHTI ALEXANDRA DIAZ JERI SMITH-READY JENNIFER R. HUBBARD KITTY KESWICK JUDITH GRAVES JANET FOX BONNIE J DOERR JAME RICHARDS SHARI MAURER LEAH CYPESS IRENE LATHAM RHONDA HAYTER SHANNON DELANY ERICA PERL Split Of All the Stupid Things Shade The Secret Year Freaksville Under My Skin Faithful Island Sting Three Rivers Rising Change of Heart Mistwood Leaving Gee's Bend The Witchie Worries of Abbie Adams 13 to Life Vintage Veronica

If you'd like to keep up with authors Kitty Keswick and Judith Graves as they travel around New York, check out their videos.

They've arrived...

Authors Judith Graves and Kitty Keswick are now in the Big Apple. Bonnie J. Doerr will be arriving on Monday. You can catch up with them at the following places. For additional details check out the posts below.

More information will posted each day, so you can be sure to see them if you live in NY or are there for BEA.

Here's one more event where you can find them:

 And if you'd like to meet some of the other authors in the Class of 2k10, here's another opportunity to see them at the Mulberry Street Branch:

Nab an Autographed Leap Book at Books of Wonder

Books of Wonder, "New York City's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore, as well as the city's leading specialist in children's literature both new and old," is hosting 15 authors from the Class of 2K10:

Books of Wonder located at
18 West 18th Street New York, NY

Here's their press release:

Books of Wonder is thrilled to welcome 2010’s class of debut authors in a HUGE event featuring 15 talents on Tuesday, May 25^th, from 6-8pm! SWATI AVASHTI will shock us with Split about a troubled 16-year-old with a disturbing past; LEAH CYPRESS will fixate our attention on an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell in the ever-spooky Mistwood; SHANNON DELANY will freak us out with a monstrous adventure in 13 to Life: A Warewolf’s Tale; ALEXANDRA DIAZ will excite us with Of All the Stupid Things, a tale that follows a high school drama involving promiscuity, gossip, and abandonment; BONNIE J. DOERR will sail us off to the Florida Keys for a love story wrapped up in a mystery in Island Sting; JANET FOX will enchant us with Faithful, a tale of star-crossed lovers with Yellowstone National Park as their romantic backdrop; JUDITH GRAVES will take us for a roller-coaster ride complete with magic, beasts, and all sorts of paranormal activity in Under My Skin; RHONDA HAYTER will regale us with The Witchie Worries of Abbie Adams about a young witch trying to keep her unusual abilities a secret; JENNIFER R. HUBBARD will alarm us with The Secret Year about a puzzling relationship that leads to an unexplained death; KITTY KESWICK will bring in Freaksville, a high school mystery involving two lovers with freakish talents; IRENE LATHAM will inspire us with Leaving Gee’s Bend about 10-year-old Ludelphia, a visually impaired sharecropper trying desperately to help her sick mother before it’s too late; SHARI MAURER will show us that lost love can in fact be rekindled in Change of Heart; ERICA PERL will introduce us to a fashion-minded but friendless 15-year-old who works in a vintage boutique in Vintage Veronica; JAME RICHARDS will regale us with Three Rivers Rising, a tale about sixteen-year-old Celstia trying to find the right guy in the screwy world of society; and JERI SMITH-READY will spook us with Aura, a girl who can speak to ghosts, not excluding her dead boyfriend in Shade. Beginning at 6pm, these 15 talents will introduce their titles, take questions from the audience and then sign copies of their exciting new titles. Ages 10 and up. 6-8pm.

Please click on the book images below to pre-order signed copies*

     

Countdown to BEA

  

Photo by thephotoholic

It's almost here. Leap Books authors are descending on the Big Apple for BookExpo America. Meet Kitty Keswick, Judith Graves, and Bonnie J. Doerr in person. They, along with fellow authors in the Class of 2k10, have many appearances and booksignings planned. All this week we'll give you sneak peeks at the venues where you can find them.

This is a quick rundown, but we'll highlight each of the places in a separate post so you'll know what to expect and when.

Monday, May 24th - Judith Graves at the Teen Author Carnival from 5-8 PM at the Jefferson Market Library.

Tuesday, May 25th - 6 PM - Class of 2k10 booksigning at Books of Wonder

Wednesday, May 26th - 10 AM - Class of 2k10 reading and panel at New York Public Library (Mulberry St. Branch)

Wednesday, May 26th - 4 PM - Class of 2k10 book signing at The Voracious Reader Bookstore in Larchmont, NY.

Thursday, May 27th -  4 PM - Class of 2k10 reading and panel at New York Public Library (St. Agnes Branch)

See you then!!

Children's Book Week

This week (May 10-16) is Children's Book Week. It's a great time to celebrate literature, authors, and books.

The American Booksellers Association began Children’s Book Week in 1919. In 1944 the Children’s Book Council (CBC) took over the role of promoting reading and literacy through Children’s Book Week activities. Each year in May, CBC sponsors a nationwide week of events to encourage children and teens to read. A list of these events, as well as related online activities, can be found at the Children's Book Council website. To read more about the history of Children's Book Week, go here.

As a member of the Children's Book Council, Leap Books supports Children's Book Week. Leap Books authors will be featured at a program at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC, on May 16, 2010 from 1-3 pm.

If you can't make it to North Carolina this weekend, come out to see our authors at BEA in NY the end of May. More later about the fabulous events our authors have planned as they descend on the Big Apple. Or meet author Bonnie J. Doerr at the Bookfest in NC the following weekend (June 5, 2010) or at ALA in Washington, DC, the end of June or in Harrisburg, PA, the weekend of June 26. Stay tuned for more info on these and other upcoming events.

Californians will have an opportunity to see author Kitty Keswick in person, and Canadians can meet author Judith Graves at many venues throughout the provinces this summer. Our authors are on the road, so we'd be glad to stop at a location near you. If you want to be sure we get to your town, contact Cathleen Cartwright, Public Relations Assistant, to book an author visit. Or if a visit is too pricey, ask about a Skype visit. Our authors love to visit schools, libraries, bookstores, and book clubs--either in person or virtually.

Wow, Check Out Voracious Readers' Window!

If you're heading to NY for BEA (that's BookExpo America, for those of you who aren't familiar with this huge gathering of the book world), take a gander at this window. Pictures of all the Class of 2k10 authors and their books are on display. How cool is that?

And best of all, you'll see 3 Leap Books titles in that window. Isn't that fab?? Freaksville by Kitty Keswick, Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr, and our newly arrived Under My Skin by Judith Graves. You can meet all three authors in person at BEA or at the Voracious Reader (details below). And be sure to get an autographed copy of all the hottest debut books of 2010.

Thanks for the great publicity, Voracious Reader! And we hope you have a whole host of hungry readers mobbing your store for this event on May 26.

When Did YOU Know?

When did you know you know you wanted to be writer? Book Lovers, Inc. posed that question to the Class of 2k10. Lots of fun answers at http://book-lovers-inc.blogspot.com/2010/01/interview-iwth-class-of-2k10-when-did.html

How 'bout you? Has the writing bug hit you? Most voracious readers have a secret (or not so secret) desire to become writers. So tell us about it. What was the first thing you ever wrote that made you feel proud? What are you working on now? Does anyone else know you want to be a writer?

Just remember, if you answers any of these questions, you'll have a chance to win some fun prizes from author Bonnie J. Doerr. (See the post below for details.) All commenters will be entered in our drawing.