Sydney Taylor Book Awards

I am verklempt.

My Young Adult novel, Gottika  (Dancing Cat Books) has just been named a 2015 Sydney Taylor Notable Book.

Here is the complete list of winners, honor books and notable books. Congratulations to all!

Writing - and Selling Kids Books - Workshops for Pre-Published and Professional Authors

Yes, I teach writing  and business skills. Usually over beer or coffee when I rant at my friends. But I also present at writing conferences and SCBWI chapter meetings and the like. In fact, I'll be doing several workshops next week at the When Words Collide Conference in Calgary. If you're in the Calgary area, please come by! It's an awesome program! Kidlit and YA Writers Amanda Sun, Claire Eamer, Karen Bass will also be presenting.

Here are the the most popular workshops I offer. Please keep me in mind if you or your organization is looking for a professional speaker. I also do a hilarious prezzie on humor writing, if I do say so myself.

> Basic Business Skills for Writers. ROI. B2B. Profit Centre. Supply Chain. Qualifying the Customer. If these and other business-related phrases strike fear in your heart, this workshop is for you. Learn the business basics you really need to jumpstart your writing career. Note: This class is not about the publishing business. It focuses on the skills you will need as a sole proprietor of a freelance writing business.




> The 17 Celestial Secrets of Writing Nonfiction. The Common Core Curriculum specifically mandates nonfiction books for kids. What makes nonfiction work? How do you pitch and present a nonfiction idea to agents or editors? This all-true workshop gives you the info you need to make the sale.



> Writing Picture Books - Picture Books are Opera on the page. Your books needs all of the elements an opera has - compelling character, great plot, action and drama, set design, costumes, music and dance - even if features a Pigeon. Learn the basics of how to create a compelling Carmen, a terrific Tosca, and a powerful Pigeon in 32 perfect pages.



> Poetry Primer. You've all heard it - no one buys poetry. It's not true. What they won't buy is BAD poetry. And chances are your poetry isn't up to scratch. In this workshop, you'll learn the common faults most beginners make when writing rhyming verse, and how to make your verse sparkle like a brand new espresso machine (and pack the same punch!)

Who Is That Masked Avenger?

Who is that masked avenger? I have no idea, but if you want to know who the heck I am, I've just updated my biography.

Here it is.

Helaine Becker is the bestselling writer of more than 50 award-winning children’s and YA books: fiction, non-fiction and verse. Her chapter book series, The Looney Bay All-Stars, has sold over 175,000 copies to date; A Porcupine in a Pine Tree was a Canadian National Bestseller in 2010, and the #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER in 2011. It also received the Libris Picture Book of the Year Award from the C.B.A. She also is a three-time winner of the Silver Birch Award: for Boredom Blasters in 2006, and Secret Agent Y.O.U. in 2008; What's the Big Idea? received the Silver Birch Honour Award in 2011. The Insecto-Files was awarded the first ever Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children – an award that included a $10,000 cash prize. The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea won the Outstanding Youth Book Award from the Canadian Science Writers Association in 2013.




Helaine is in high demand as a presenter and performer at schools across North America. She has twice been selected for the Canadian Children’s Book Week Cross Country tour, travelling to both Yukon and Nunavut to present to school children. She has been a featured speaker at the Frye Festival in New Brunswick, Aloud International Children’s Festival in Ontario, Weaving Words Conference in Alberta, Literacy for Life Conference in Saskatchewan, and the Red Cedar Awards in British Columbia. She was also a featured speaker at the 2009 Orange County Children’s Book Festival in Costa Mesa, California and the 2010 Women’s Writers’ Festival in Irvine, California.



Helaine is also a highly motivational speaker and instructor for writers. She has taught seminars for CANSCAIP's annual Packaging Your Imagination Conference in Toronto, Calgary's When Words Collide Conference, and has been invited to speak at the San Diego SCBWI regional chapter next winter. Workshops and seminar topics include:



> Basic Business Skills for Writers. ROI. B2B. Profit Centre. Supply Chain. Qualifying the Customer. If these and other business-related phrases strike fear in your heart, this workshop is for you. Learn the business basics you really need to jumpstart your writing career. Note: This class is NOT about the publishing business. It focuses on the skills you will need as a sole proprietor of a freelance writing business.



> The 17 Celestial Secrets of Writing Nonfiction. The Common Core Curriculum specifically mandates nonfiction books for kids. What makes nonfiction work? How do you pitch and present a nonfiction idea to agents or editors? This all-true workshop gives you the info you need to make the sale. Helaine's published 18+ books of nonfiction for children, many of them multi-award-winning.



> Writing Picture Books. Picture Books are Opera on the page. Your books needs all of the elements an opera has - compelling character, great plot, action and drama, set design, costumes, music and dance - even if features a Pigeon. Learn the basics of how to create a compelling Carmen, a terrific Tosca, and a powerful Pigeon in 32 perfect pages. Helaine has published 9 picture books including the Canadian #1 national bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree.



> Poetry Primer. You've all heard it - no one buys poetry. It's not true. What they won't buy is BAD poetry. And chances are your poetry isn't up to scratch. In this workshop, you'll learn the common faults most beginners make when writing rhyming verse, and how to make your verse sparkle like a brand new espresso machine (and pack the same punch!) Helaine has published 6 books written in rhyming verse, including the #1 Canadian national bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree, and the brand new Ode to Underwear.


Helaine is also an active supporter of literacy initiatives. She volunteers regularly for ABC Life Literacy, First Book, Librarians without Borders and the Canadian Institute for the Blind.




A New York native, she has lived happily in Toronto for more than 20 years. She has been on the executive board of CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors and Illustrators), and is a member of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, The Writers Union of Canada, SCBWI and the Canadian Science Writers' Association. She is married with two teenage sons and has the cutest dog in the world, Ella.

Crystal Kites Awards Announced!

THE SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE ANNUAL CRYSTAL KITE MEMBER CHOICE AWARDS




The SCBWI is excited to announce the winners of the 2013 Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards for our fifteen regional divisions:



Africa

• Neil Malherbe - The Magyar Conspiracy (Tafelberg Publishers)



Australia

• Meg McKinlay - Ten Tiny Things (Fremantle Press)



California/Hawaii

• Katherine Applegate - The One and Only Ivan (HarperCollins Children’s Books)



Florida/Georgia/South Carolina/North Carolina/Alabama/Mississippi

• Augusta Scattergood - Glory Be (Scholastic)



Kansas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Tennessee/Kentucky/Missouri

• Sharon Cameron - The Dark Unwinding (Scholastic)



Middle East/India/Asia

• Benjamin Martin - Samurai Awakening (Tuttle Publishing)



Minnesota/Iowa/Nebraska/Wisconsin/Illinois/Michigan/Indiana/Ohio

• Aaron Reynolds - Creepy Carrots (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)



Nevada/Arizona/Utah/Colorado/Wyoming/New Mexico

• Jean Reagan - How to Baby Sit A Grandpa (Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children's Books)



New England (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island)

• Jo Knowles - See You At Harry's (Candlewick Press)



New York

• Kate Messner - Capture the Flag (Scholastic)



Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey/Wash DC/Virginia/West Virginia/Maryland

• Ame Dyckman - BOY + BOT (Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children's Books)



Texas/Oklahoma

• Lynne Kelly - Chained (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.)



The Americas (Canada/Mexico/Central & South America)

• Jennifer Lanthier - The Stamp Collector (Fitzhenry and Whiteside)



UK/Europe

• Dave Cousins - Fifteen Days without a Head (Oxford University Press)



Washington/Oregon/Alaska/Idaho/Montana/North Dakota/South Dakota

• Kim Baker - Pickle (Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan Publishers)

About the Crystal Kite Awards

The Crystal Kite Awards are given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize great books from the seventy SCBWI regions around the world. Along with the SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, the Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children’s book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers.





About SCBWI

Founded in 1971, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is one of the largest existing writers’ and illustrators’ organizations, with over 22,000 members worldwide. It is the only organization specifically for those working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia. The organization was founded by Stephen Mooser (President) and Lin Oliver (Executive Director), both of whom are well-published children’s book authors and leaders in the world of children’s literature. For more information about the Crystal Kite Award, please visit www.scbwi.org, and click “Awards & Grants.”

"The Action Begins with the First Sentence and Never Stops!"

School Library Journal reviewed Trouble in the Hills and gave it such a great review I'm jumping up and down in my seat!

Here's what they said:

"In this exciting adventure set in the Canadian Rockies, the action begins with the first sentence and never stops. After arguing with his father, high school student Cam Stewart jumps on his bike and pedals quickly up a trail. A reckless ride is his way of handling his anger at his father, whom he feels constantly badgers him. While on this ride, Cam falls over a cliff, landing on a rock jutting out from the mountain. Badly hurt, but still able to move, he tries to get to safer ground. After another error in judgement, he is thrown into a fast-moving waterfall but saved by a young woman who appears to be running away from someone. Becker keeps the plot moving as Cam and Samira struggle to survive the elements, and more. Drug running, human trafficking, and an innocent romance all factor into making this story a hit with teens. Including reluctant readers. Because of its graphic language, this one is meant for older readers who enjoy extreme sports, and survival stories."

Thanks, SLJ!

BTW, if you want to see a sneak preview of the book, check out the live-action trailer on youtube. It was produced by the folks who I work with on the TV Show, Planet Echo, and it really captures the heart-pounding chase scene on which the novel opens.

Live Action Book Trailer Unveil!

Finally, it's done! The trailer for Trouble in the Hills. Live action. Featuring handsome leading men, one stunning leading lady, helicopters, explosions, and---

Oh, just watch it. :)