Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Springsanity 2013 - where you'll find me in the upcoming weeks



Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain was published last week, Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked will be published NEXT week! Not to mention School Lunch Superhero Day is happening on May 3rd and there will be a board book edition of Good Night, Monkey Boy publishing later in May!

It's Springsanity 2013!

May 4, 12 PM - Houston, TX - Houston Public Library - Children's Book Celebration

May 10, 4 PM - Dedham, MA - The Blue Bunny Bookshop, Platypus Police Squad release party!

May 16, 7 PM - Decatur, GA - The Little Shop of Stories

May 17, 4 PM - Richmond, VA - BBGB Books

May 18 - Knoxville, TN - Children's Festival of Reading

May 19, 2 PM - Naperville, IL - Anderson's Bookshop

May 23, 10 AM, 12 PM & 2 PM - Platypus Police Squad Virtual Launch Party!

May 31, New York, NY - BookExpo America

June 12, 6 PM - Worcester, MA - Worcester Public Library Summer Reading Kick-off! (Book sales will benefit the Joe and Shirl Art Scholarships!)

June 22 - Nantucket, MA - The Nantucket Book Festival

June 26 - Ames, IA - Iowa Reading Conference 

June 29 - Chicago, IL - ALA

July 13, 3 pm - Washington, D.C. Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked has been chosen as the signature summer reading selection for the DC Public Library!!



Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked will be available on May 7th!


The board book edition of Good Night, Monkey Boy is on sale May 14th!


Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain is now available!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Earn your Platypus Police Squad badge!



Young readers can earn their Platypus Police Squad badge with "Zengo and O'Malley's Rookie Rules Activity Kit." It's a great intro to my new world where platypuses are cops, a shady panda runs the town and a koala will pour you the best root beer float in town!  

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Wild Things and Reading is Fundamental

Bidding is now live to support Reading is Fundamental! Here is my Wild Things tribute piece.https://cloud.bidpal.net/Portal/bpe21365/catalog/item.html?id=46&categoryId=5


NEA promotes School Lunch Superhero Day to its members!



I am so grateful that the NEA (National Education Association) is promoting School Lunch Superhero Day to their members! They just published a great article/interview on their news site, NEA Today!

Read all about it: http://neatoday.org/2013/04/24/lunch-lady-author-lets-celebrate-school-lunch-superheroes-on-may-3/

First Book and School Lunch Superhero Day




I am so excited that First Book is involved with School Lunch Superhero Day.

If you are at a Title 1 school, you can get brand-new books for next to nothing through First Book. There is no reason for you to be paying full price for books to stock your bookshelves. In honor of School Lunch Superhero Day, First Book has set up a Lunch Lady marketplace page. Check it out and if you're working at a Title 1 school, get signed up with First Book!


http://www.fbmarketplace.org/slshd

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

LL9!



Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain is the 9th book in the series and publishes today!



The race is on for a new student council president, and the Breakfast Bunch is rallying for Hector! The competition is already heavy, but the race heats up when school security is at stake: student and staff high-tech gadgets are disappearing left and right. Whoever the culprit is, this is one stealthy thief—and the school is so busy with the election that he gets away with it every time. Luckily some of Lunch Lady's own culinary gadgets have eluded the crook, but will they be enough to catch this sticky-fingered bandit? And will Hector be able to pull off a victory?

Sunday, April 21, 2013

For teachers in Massachusetts and everywhere

On Monday, teachers and students across Massachusetts will return to school after what was a spring break filled with fear and anxiety. I created this piece after the horrific events at Newtown Elementary, but I thought folks might want to be reassured that they are making the world a better place each and every day through their work with our kids. If you'd like a high resolution of this image to print out and post in your classroom or teachers' lounge, please feel free to do so. This is for you: www.studiojjk.com/preserve_wonder.jpg


make magic, make wonder © Jarrett J. Krosoczka 2012

Saturday, April 20, 2013

For Boston



For some time, I've been planning a blog post about the namesakes for the two heroes of my upcoming book, Platypus Police Squad. Of course, I had planned a lighthearted post about my two buddies who are cops--one in Watertown, MA, one for MIT. As you are well aware, it was not a lighthearted week here in Massachusetts. Or in New England, The United States, or the world.

I couldn't be more proud of these two men, who I've known since our teenage years, who wear a uniform, brandish a badge and keep our streets safe. They, and their colleagues, are what make our country great.

When I name characters, I often take parts of names from friends as starting points of inspiration. You'll see part of my friends' names in each lead character and their full names in the acknowledgements in the back of the book, thanking them for answering my many questions about the police force.

While they were both an invaluable part in my writing the book, I am more thankful for, and proud, of the work they did this week. They did it amongst a climate of inconceivable anxiety.

And they will do it tomorrow. And the day after that.

Nothing brought me greater joy this week than seeing Facebook photos of these officers holding their children on Friday night. C.M. and C.Z., you and your colleagues are true American heroes and I salute you.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Peter Reynolds on today's Book Report! 5:40 ET/2:40 PT on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live!




Today on The Book Report with JJK: Peter H. Reynolds, author/illustrator and champion of creativity! Learn about his amazing books that inspire the imagination like Ish and The Dot and his newest book—The Museum. In this photo, Peter inducts me into the Dot Club as a previsionary member. (I'll become a full member once I add my own dot to the celbridots campaign. Which I will be doing soon!)

Tune in at 5:40 ET/2:40 PT on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, channel 78!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Talking Platypus Police Squad with Mark Lynch and his granddaughter




For the past twelve years, Mark Lynch has interviewed me on WICN's Inquiry. He's a good and honest interviewer. But nothing could have prepared me for this interview with his ten-year-old granddaughter. (She drafted these questions herself, and dang is she smart!) 


Learn about the genesis of Platypus Police Squad and stick around for a 10-year-old who ponders how my TED Talk may have changed my career.

Listen here: http://www.wicn.org/podcasts/audio/jarrett-j-krosoczka-platypus-police-squad

NPR's Backseat Book Club!





I am beyond thrilled that Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute is May's selection for NPR's Backseat Book Club! I'll be traveling down to DC in May to be interviewed by the Michel Norris!

Your kids can submit questions for me here! You can also submit stories and photos of your school lunch staff!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Nick Bruel of Bad Kitty fame on today's Book Report!

Nick Bruel​​ is on today's Book Report with JJK! And did you know that you could vote for Bad Kitty in the Children's Choice Book Awards?! All that and more today at 5:40 ET/2:40 PT on Kids Place Live, SiriusXM channel 78!



Monday, April 08, 2013

Copies of Platypus Police Squad are in!


And I'm so psyched about how they turned out!

They're on my bookshelves now, but won't be available for your bookshelves until May 7th!


And now for something slightly different


Look for this Wild Things cover piece on the auction block at Reading Is Fundamental's Annual Gala on May 9th!


Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Judy Schachner on today's episode of The Book Report with JJK

Skippyjon Jones's mommy, Judy Schachner, will be today's guest on The Book Report with JJK! Judy was in town from Philadelphia and came by the studio for a little radio chat. Ralph didn't throw any softballs at her. Nothing but hard-hitting questions from my pug!

Listen in today at 5:40 pm EST / 2:40 pm PST on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, channel 78!


1 month to School Lunch Superhero Day!



You can celebrate School Lunch Superhero Day by simply giving your school's lunch staff a thank you card. For more ideas and info on the day, please visit www.schoollunchsuperheroday.com.

Monday, April 01, 2013

A note on the publication date for Lunch Lady and the Video Game Villain


For all of the Lunch Lady fans who had April 9th marked on their calendar, I'm sorry to report that my publisher had to move the publication date back by a few weeks. Something about needing a little more time in-between printing the books and actually get the books distributed to stores. BUT copies were released early to The Odyssey Bookshop for Meltdown and they will be available for my April 10th event at Kids Ink in Indianapolis, IN.

If you're eager for LL9, you could always click on the above links and call the stores. Indies always ship, just sayin......

*wink*wink*

:)
JJK