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The Wright Stuff!

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I was so excited to return to Arthur E. Wright on Friday June 17th for my second visit to a fantastic classroom (and probably my last school visit of the 2010-2011 year!). As I told you all, I may not always be the best at remembering names, but I recalled a lot of faces (and it was nice to see a few students who I hadn’t met last time!). AND….my eyes and ears are ALWAYS open when I do a school visit. You are all a HUGE part of the inspiration that works its way into my books.

This class is FAMOUS for its great sense of humour, and you didn’t disappoint! I was laughing so hard by the end and having such a great time, the teacher had to remind me that it was your recess time and time for me to go! 🙂

I’m glad you’re enjoying reading No TV? No Fair! – and I was THRILLED to hear that some of you are taking the “let’s unplug” challenge throughout the week. I loved hearing about the many activities that you are trying out, especially as the weather turns so beautiful. (Think about it – right now is the exact same time of year that Chloe and her family decided to go “offline” – it’s like you’re actually living in the story! 😉 ). It’s awesome to hear that several of you are writing stories and books of your own. How wonderful – I can’t wait to read them one day!

I hope that each and every one of you has a terrific summer, and also that you might consider coming to one of my summer creative writing workshops through the Winnipeg Public Library (more details are coming soon on my blog!).

Thanks for being such fantastic hosts – keep on reading and writing!

Karin 🙂

Creativity in Full Bloom at Prairie Rose School

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I had so much fun visiting Prairie Rose School on Wednesday, February 16! (Did you know that this school was built on the site of what was once Prairie Rose Dairy Farm? How cool is that – and the perfect backdrop for a discussion about “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” 🙂 )

First of all, I would like to thank the teachers and librarians who organized the visit, the two students who showed me around the school and made sure that I got to the appropriate classrooms, and of course all the amazing students and teachers who invited me to read and chat with them! The school even presented me with a lovely  thank you gift full of tasty treats – well, THANK YOU!

What can I say about the impressive students at Prairie Rose? First of all, they had GREAT ideas! In each class, before reading Chapter One of “No TV? No Fair!”, I asked them what they thought the book was about and what might happen in it. I heard so many different and creative ideas, I thought “wow – they could all write their own books, and they would be fantastic!”. I was thrilled to hear that many of the students actually do have an interest in creative writing, and maybe even being published. We talked a lot about how important it is to edit, edit, edit and make sure that our writing is the best it can be – students had great ideas about how to do this, and I was happy to share some of my tips, too. To all you budding writers, I say: Follow your dreams, work hard, be patient, and always remember to write for the love of telling a great story!

Speaking of great stories, when I asked students what they liked to do instead of watching TV and playing on the computer, students couldn’t wait to share all of their hobbies and pastimes – reading, basketball, snow angels, snow forts, playing with brothers and sisters, drawing, music – the list goes on and on. This is obviously a very talented bunch with a lot of energy…way to go!

In each class, we shared many laughs as we read “No TV? No Fair!” and imagined what Chloe would do without her TV and computer for a whole month (yikes!). In one class, we also talked about how there is also a serious side to consider whenever we’re using the computer. Being safe is “key”, of course . Also, we talked about how being kind and thoughtful to others is just as important online as it is offline. Excellent points – thanks for a great discussion!

Thanks again for a super visit. It’s always inspiring to meet young readers, and makes my job of writing books even more fun. I hope we meet again soon…enjoy the rest of I Love To Read week, Prairie Rose –  and have a good year!

Karin 🙂

Lights! Curtains! and Laughs! at Arthur E. Wright

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On February 8, I visited Arthur E. Wright school   – this makes visit number 3 – woo-hoo! I always feel welcomed here, and this time there wasn’t even a fire drill! (the students from last year know what I mean!) – and thank goodness for that as it was AT LEAST -40 out there – yeesh!!

This was a super fun visit, with a cool twist. I’ve been having an awesome time introducing my latest book (“No TV? No Fair!”) to students at various schools, but this time I got to read a couple of the later chapters of “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” with a class that’s almost finished the book…I don’t often get to read these chapters, so that was super fun! I’m glad you are enjoying the story (and think that Mike’s costume in the chapter “Dress Rehearsal Disaster” is as funny as I do – that’s one of my favourite scenes in the whole book!).

This class definitely has a sense of humour! I loved your questions, and the funny stories that you shared. I also loved hearing about your favourite books and authors – it’s so cool to hear how much you love to read!

I’m so glad we had time to chat after the reading. It was really nice to get to know each of you a little bit better. Sounds like I’ll be back in a couple of months to read from “No TV?”…I’m already looking forward to it!!

Keep on reading throughout I Love To Read Month (and after that, of course!).

till we meet again….

Karin 🙂

Always a Good Day At Greenway!

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Imagine my surprise when I stepped through the doors to Greenway School, and there stood a funky, colorful, flashing sign saying “Welcome, Karin Adams!”.  This school certainly knows how to welcome its guests – thank you to teacher organizers and hosts, and all you fantastic students for instantly making me feel at home! (Student volunteers who led me from class to class also made sure I didn’t get lost in this beautiful two-storey building – thank you! 😉 ). This was my second visit to the very awesome Greenway School, and it was just a superb as the first.

One thing that I noticed right away in the classrooms I visited was this amazing, positive energy – a real passion for learning and trying new things! From grade one to grade six, I was met by class after class of attentive listeners who were also bursting with ideas and questions to share when we chatted.  It was also super cool to see posters in many of the classrooms with tips about observing, writing, and editing one’s creative writing work. I know that you had questions for me, but I learned a lot from you, too!

I also noticed a passion for creative expression. I loved how many students “mimed”  Chloe’s facial expressions and body language as I read from “No TV? No Fair!”. Not only does this tell me you were “into” the story, I could tell that there is a huge love for drama and acting at this school – which is very, very cool (I adored acting and putting on shows with my friends at school – I actually still take theatre classes, and  as you know, “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” is all about a super fun show). Also, there was gorgeous artwork all over the halls and classroom walls (keep reading “No TV? No Fair!’ and you’ll see that Chloe would LOVE Greenway!)

Thanks once again for having me at Greenway – till we meet again!

Karin 🙂

Fun at Chapters In Winnipeg

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Hello Winnipeg and Manitoba Readers (and folks I met from out of town, too!).

Just a big HELLO to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting at Chapters Polo Park last Sunday. It was exciting to be a part of the hustle and bustle as people prepare for Christmas. There was a beautiful Christmas tree,  live music, the wonderful smell of coffee filling the air, and hundreds of people looking for books! It’s great to see that the love of books is alive and well in Winnipeg!

I chatted with so many people throughout the afternoon, and my six hour visit absolutely flew by! I met young readers, parents and grandparents, fellow writers, friends and family who stopped by to say hello, and even old friends who happened to come by – it was a pleasure to meet you all, and talk about writing and my books. Thank you for picking up copies of “No TV? No Fair!” and “Lights! Curtains! Cows!” – I hope that you or the people you plan on giving them to enjoy the stories!

A big thank you to the terrific staff at Chapters for organizing the event, for your enthusiasm for local authors, and for making me so comfortable at the store.

Happy reading!
Karin 🙂

No TV? No Fair! – A Number One Bestseller!

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Following a terrific launch event at McNally Robinson Booksellers (Winnipeg), my new book “No TV? No Fair!” is their number one bestselling book for young people this week! What a an awesome start for this story!

The news was released on Saturday, May 22, 2010 in the Winnipeg Free Press:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/entertainment/books/Winnipeg-Bestsellers-94605984.html

I want to thank everyone who picked up a copy this week (and told your friends about it, too)! I really hope you enjoy the story and the characters as much as I do (some of my favorite personalities are in this one, for sure!).

Being on McNally’s bestseller list  is a great honour for an author. Icing on an already delicious cake if I may borrow that metaphor for a moment…I certainly hope it means that even more people will come across “No TV? No Fair!” and spend some time with Chloe, Mark and Mr. Z!

Thanks to all my readers and friends – you’re the best, and you’ve made my week!

Karin 🙂

“No TV? No Fair!” – It’s Here!

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No-TV-No-Fair-Small-ImageIt’s finally here! My second book No TV? No Fair! has arrived and I’m so excited. You might think that since this is my second book, that somehow I might not be as giddy as when my first book came out  – NO WAY! This whole dream that I’m living – getting to write stories I love for young people (the best-ever audience) – just keeps getting better and better! Receiving my copies of the book was like waking up on your birthday – awesome!

In No TV? No Fair! ten-year-old Chloe Lambert’s parents decide that the family is going offline for one whole month: no TV, no computers, no video games. At first, Chloe and her teenage brother Mark are stunned, flabbergasted, and angry – NO FAIR! How are they going to survive!?!?!? Soon, Chloe discovers that she actually likes to do other things, like art, and listening to stories about the olden days told by her friendly neighbour, Mr. Z.  But what will happen when Chloe takes the rule too far and tries to ban all machines forever?

Find out by reading No TV? No Fair! today! Click here for more information about No TV? No Fair!

(Psst…Have you ever tried going without TV, computer, or your vids? Was it your choice, or did somebody else decide? What was it like? What did you do instead?)