This Friday-an event with the Chesterfield County Public Library (Just outside Richmond, VA)

There is no doubt that I will have a BLAST on Friday with the librarians of Chesterfield County Library. Look at that cool flyer they made! And look at all of the super-fun tweets that they have been sending! If you live nearby, I hope to see you on Friday at 7 p.m.!

Here is the event page on their website:
http://ccpl-catalog.chesterfield.gov/record=g1003046&searchscope=0&SORT2=R

Come meet the creator of Lunch Lady Jarrett Krosoczka, Fri, 3/13, 7p, Career Tech Center@Hull pic.twitter.com/6xBHTcbzXq
— Chesterfield Library (@CCPLVA) March 9, 2015

This Lunch Lady fan is ready for Fri. night when she gets to see @StudioJJK live and on stage! http://t.co/gj78JWWkBN pic.twitter.com/wWW9sttsPF
— Chesterfield Library (@CCPLVA) March 9, 2015

@StudioJJK & @CCPDVa bring you Platypus Police Squad live on stage after Lunch Lady! http://t.co/gj78JWWkBN pic.twitter.com/n5KChaqnH8
— Chesterfield Library (@CCPLVA) March 6, 2015

J.G. Hening cafeteria staff joins forces with the Lunch Lady. Jarrett Krosoczka, Fri, March 13 pic.twitter.com/CppImq86JN

— Chesterfield Library (@CCPLVA) March 10, 2015

Tour Schedule Winter / Spring 2014

I have some exciting events lined up to support of Lunch Lady and the Schoolwide Scuffle. I'll be hitting some cities that I haven't toured in since 2005's Punk Farm and I'll also be getting to some exciting festivals and conferences! It's always a good idea to double check with the venue ahead of the event. And definitely check back, because dates may be added. I hope to see you at one of the events listed below! (But not all the events, that would be a little stalkerish. I mean awkward, right?) 

January 28, 4 pm- Shelburne, VT- Flying Pig Bookstore

January 29, 10 am, 12 pm & 2 pm EST- Everywhere in the world- Tune in to the free virtual webcasts!

January 29, 5 pm EST - Everywhere in the world! Tune in to The Absolutely Mindy Show on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live and call in to ask me questions live on the air! 1-866-328-2345

February 5, 7pm- Seattle, WA- Seattle Public Library

February 7, 3:30pm- Alameda, CA- Alameda Free Library

February 20, 6:30 pm- Boston, MA- Children’s MediaAssociation Children’s Book Event

March 10, 8 am- Hyannis, MA- (MSLA) Massachusetts SchoolLibrary Association

March 16, 11:30 am-Tucson, AZ- Tucson Festival of Books

March 17, Phoenix, AZ (More info to come)

March 25, 11:40 am, WI Dells, WI- WEMTA (Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology
Association)

March 29, Northampton, MA- MELTDOWN!

April 8, Peanut Butter and Jellyfish publishes!

April 8, Portland, ME (More info to come)

April 13, Los Angeles, CA- LA Times Festival of Books

April 26, Amherst, MA- Eric Carle Museum of Picture Books

May 3, Celebrate School Lunch Hero Day!

May 6, Platypus Police Squad: The Ostrich Conspiracy publishes!

An embarrassment of riches this Halloween!

I received an embarrassment of riches this Halloween. Some wonderful photos of folks dressed as my characters came through over social media. It's just beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I am so honored that folks took the time to put together these fantastic costumes!

Check out the awesomeness below!


Not only does Kairi make a fierce Lunch Lady, but she also has the creativity of Betty -- when she couldn't find a yellow apron, she made one! Color me impressed!

Spotted on Martha's Vineyard -- a Punk Farm scarecrow! I love it!!!

Public librarian Laura Lintz donned a yellow apron for Halloween, but nothing could top Ulysses the Pug's performance as Betty. I can certify that this is the first canine interpretation of one of my characters! My pug is jealous that he didn't think of that! (He has no shame, and will do anything for extra treats.)

Detectives Corey O'Malley and Rick Zengo turned up at the HarperCollins Halloween party. And just in case things got out of hand, Sergeant Plazinski was on hand to ensure that the Platypus Police Squad stayed in line. (The attention to detail here is mind-boggling!)

School librarian Cyndi Shinn has been a big supporter of the Lunch Lady books out in Nebraska. And on Halloween, she took it to the next level!

Check out Stella and her sister, Rosie! They are just adorable! (And the littlest lunch ladies that I ever did see!) I also appreciate their parents' dedication to theme by painting their walls yellow...

Andrew kept his neighborhood streets safe by serving justice and serving lunch in the Sunshine State! I love this costume!

Check out these INCREDIBLE story pumpkins!



4th grader Liam made this incredibly creative Lunch Lady pumpkin. I love the use of a mop head for the hair!

This Platypus Police Squad pumpkin looks so much like Detective Rick Zengo! Made by a 2nd grader at Sterling Community School, it is a perfectly shaped pumpkin for this character!

This was sent in by Mattea in Arizona. Mattea did a fantastic job on her pumpkin book report! I love it! Thank you so much, Mattea!

If you dressed up as one of my characters, or themed a story pumpkin around one of my books, I'd love to see photos!

Lunch Lady has a READ poster!

I was incredibly honored to have been asked to design a READ poster for the American Library Association. This iconic series of posters has been adorning library walls for years, and I'm proud to be a part of that tradition.

If you would like to order a copy of this poster (or the matching bookmarks) for your library or classroom, please visit this website: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=10803

Feed your imagination!

In Case You Were Wondering...

This is what art from 10 Lunch Lady graphic novels looks like.

Lunch Lady takes home 3 Kids' Comics Revolution Awards!

Lunch Lady took home multiple awards in the inaugural Kids' Comics Revolution Awards! I'm honored and humbled by everyone's enthusiasm. Awards voted on by the young readers themselves are always the best!

Lunch Lady won "Favorite Comic Book Hero," "Favorite Humor Graphic Novel" and "Best Hair in Comics." And how cool are these trophies?!

Check out the full list of winners here!


AND VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!!!

Summer Flashback: The School Nutrition Association's ANC!

The School Nutrition Association hosted their Annual National Conference where our nation's school lunch staff converged to talk about putting forth the best programs for our nation's kids! It was an absolutely wild experience to keynote to 2,500 folks!

Here's a peak at the room before it got filled with enthusiastic school lunch superheroes:

Hanging out with Lunch Lady and Lynette, Cindy, Shannon and Terry, who appeared on Food Network's Chopped. I had the honor of interviewing these ladies on stage!

I think Betty could create something powerful with this piece of culinary equipment.

I want to cosplay a Snap, Crackle and Pop next year. Who's with me?

Al, Lisa, Darius and me.

Quite possibly the longest book signing line I've ever had. I now know how David Hasselhoff feels whenever he visits Germany.

Thank you to all of the SNA members who welcomed Lunch Lady and me to your conference! We had a fantastic time in KC with you!

Summer Flashback: D.C. Public Library's Summer Reading Program

I was beyond honored to have learned that Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked had been selected as a signature selection for D.C. Public Library's summer reading program. I was psyched to travel down to our nation's capitol to meet with some fantastic readers!

The Mt. Pleasant branch of DC Public Library is a beautiful space!

 

A huge thank you to Politics & Prose and D.C. Public Library for having me at their summer reading program! And thank you to all of the families who came out and made it a spectacular event!

The DC Library had lots of books on hand for people to borrow. . .

and Politics & Prose had lots of books on hand if people wanted books for keeps. They brought some extra, so if you're looking for a signed book, they'll have some signed stock at their store.

I loved meeting all of the families that came out, but it was especially neat to meet this family. Ian (the oldest boy, on the right) was born a few months after Good Night, Monkey Boy was published. They had multiple copies of my 1st book that were 1st edition and 1st printing. I was beyond honored to learn that the book has held a special place in their family's reading life, as it's been used at bedtime over the years. That is such a privilege for me.

Summer Flashback: The Houston Public Library

Everyone at the Houston Public Library were so awesome. They even made giant Fish Stick Nunchucks!

I landed at IAH a day ahead of my event at the Houston Public Library and was greeted by a familiar face...

It was an unbelievable day at the Houston Public Library. These librarians went all out! Just crazy over the top! They decorated their hallways to look like the back alley of a ‪PunkFarm‬ concert.

Lost Elephant posters at the Houston Library! Listed on the tear-aways: call numbers to books about elephants!

At the Houston Library - kids could be any Lunch Lady villain they wanted to be!

Honey, I shrunk the Lunch Lady. Giant LL gadgets at the Houston Library.

The librarians feted art contest entrants with lunch and free books inside lunch boxes!

Dress up and rock with Punk Farm or visit the actual animals in the petting zoo!

The kids of the Houston Library will grow up to fill our libraries and rule our world!

Thank you Houston Library librarians and patrons for an incredible day!

Check out more of the awesomeness on the Houston Public Library's Flickr page!

Scenes from the Studio

Clearly I've been avoiding a trip to the art supply store.

Singing Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" to my pencil.

New beginnings. (midway)

Lunch Lady as an 8-Bit video game!

Have you ever dreamed of fending off cyborg substitutes with fish stick nunchucks? Well now is your chance. Presenting...the Lunch Lady video game!!!  http://www.randomhousekids.com/games/lunch-lady-legends

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!

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/

A new Lunch Lady video. A new Lunch Lady song. Now with real lunch ladies!!

What happens in the cafeteria when kids are in class? Not only does the school lunch staff fight crime, but they get their groove on! Check out the brand new Lunch Lady video below!

A HUGE thank you to Recess Monkey for putting together such a killer song! You can download the song here!

Thank you to the 

School Lunch Superheroes at:

Rock Springs Elementary

Lawrenceville, GA

York Elementary

York, NE

Latimer School

Weatogue, CT

Center School

Hopkinton, MA

Parkview Elementary

Roseville, MN

Veterans Memorial Elementary

Naples, FL

Canterbury Woods Elementary

Annandale, VA

Simonian Center for Early Learning

Sutton, MA

Over 300 kids made their own Lunch Lady gadgets out of items from their kitchens!

I've just visited with the students at Oak St School in New Jersey. And wow, what a creative community!

School librarian Sue Philhower greeted me in the parking lot as Lunch Lady!

PTO moms Elyse Rhead and Beth DiCesare "Vanna White" one of the many posters they created and plastered around school!

The kids knew how to pronounce my last name and were WAY psyched:

The projects that the kids had on display throughout the school were unreal. Check out this model of Lunch Lady's school:

Over 300 kids made their own Lunch Lady gadgets out of items from their kitchens! Seriously impressive.

Check out all of the fun projects that the kids at Oak St School made after the jump: