Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Comics Contest

For more information CLICK HERE!

Listening Library Launches a Judy Blume Contest

Tell us your most memorable Judy Blume moment and you could win an iPod Touch and a personal message from Judy herself!

Can you remember the day you finished Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and felt like finally this was a book about girls just like you?  Or reading Superfudge and identifying a little too easily with the plight of having an annoying little brother like Fudge?

Judy Blume’s books have touched generations of kids and teens as they’ve grown up to share these stories with their own children, and now Listening Library is asking parents and kids alike to share their favorite Judy Blume memories in the Judy Blume Journal! 

To celebrate the release of five Blume classic audiobooks (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Freckle Juice & The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo, Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself, Deenie and Iggie’s House) for the first time on CD, we’re giving away a grand prize of an 8GB iPod Touch, a $200 audiobook collection and a personal message from Judy Blume to the writer of the best journal entry, as selected by Judy herself.

Visit www.judyblumecontest.com to submit your entry, read others’ memories and vote on your favorites for a chance to win.  The five finalists will be selected based on the number of votes for their entries, so share with friends and encourage them to vote for your journal entry!  

Contest is open to all legal residents of U.S. and Canada (excluding Québec) who are age 13 years or older as of January 3, 2011.  All entries must be received by 11:59 EST on February 18, 2011, and must be be in the entrants' own, original words. No quoting of other material is allowed unless attributed. In the final round, Judy Blume will select the three Finalists, a Runner-Up, and Grand Prize Winner from among the five finalists based on the entries’ creativity, originality, emotional appeal, and poignancy.

  

About Listening Library

After publishing its first audiobook in 1955, Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, Listening Library grew into one of the biggest names in the youth audio industry, releasing over 100 titles a year.  Listening Library titles have earned more than 200 ALSC and YALSA Audiobook Awards, 55 Audie® Awards and two Grammy® Awards with bestselling series like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. Our backlist also includes dozens of Newbery and Printz award-winning authors whose titles we are proud to publish on audio.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham with the “Ham it up” video contest

Seuss fans can enter to win a cash prize, a year supply of Ham I Am! products, Seuss memorabilia, books and more!

CELEBRATE THE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. SEUSS’S GREEN EGGS AND HAM

 WITH THE “HAM IT UP” VIDEO CONTEST

To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. have launched the “HAM It Up” video contest, calling for fans across the United States to channel their own Sam-I-Am and submit a video capturing their interpretation of a scene from the book. The grand prize winner will receive a $2,000 cash prize, a year’s supply of Ham I Am! products, a beautifully framed 50^th Anniversary Green Eggs and Ham print, a flip camera and a Dr. Seuss library of books. Originally published in 1960, Green Eggs and Ham has sold over 13 million copies in North America.

The “HAM It Up” video contest kicks-off on September 21 and will end on November 3, 2010.  Details on how to enter and official contest rules are available on Seussville at http://GreenEggsContest.seussville.com.  Entrants can submit their video by upload, in-browser recording, or via a YouTube url. The contest platform will display videos within a player so that they are shareable and embeddable. Entrants are encouraged to promote their video to friends and family to boost their ratings. The general public will decide which participants best tapped into their inner Sam-I-Am during a public voting period. The videos with the most votes will be judged by the Random House Children's Books team and Dr. Seuss Enterprises to determine the best overall acts. Prizes will be awarded to one grand prize winner and ten runners up based on the following criteria: creativity and originality, representation of the contest theme and public votes. The ten runners up will receive a $100 grocery gift card from the National Pork Board, framed Dr. Seuss art, and a Dr. Seuss library of books (please see contest website for official prizing details). http://greeneggscontest.seussville.com/greeneggsham/

Dr. Seuss fans can also add to their bookshelves with two new releases! In honor of the 50^th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham Random House Children’s Books released a limited edition of the title on August 24, 2010. This PARTY EDITION includes a foiled-cover and features the complete original text and art at the regular edition price of $8.99. Random House will also release a board book, DO YOU LIKE GREEN EGGS AND HAM? on October 26, 2010 (Ages 0-3 / $9.99). This latest addition to the Dr. Seuss Nursery Collection title is filled with interactive fun for baby, and includes a plastic green egg that children can squeak, spin, and see themselves in with the mini-mirror on the back.  

Besty Red Hoodie Blog Event Day Four - A Writing Contest from Gail Carson Levine

I have a treat for all you writers out there today. Gail Carson Levine, who has written an excellent book about writing for children called Writing Magic, has kindly created a little writing exercise contest for you. This is her challenge:

When I talk to children about “Little Red Riding Hood,” I suggest they picture themselves in the place of Little Red.  Then I ask if they would listen to the wolf and leave the path.  They all say they wouldn’t.  I challenge them.  “What if the wolf was as clever as the smartest person you know?  Might he trick you into doing what he wants?”  They start weighing the possibilities.  I go on.  “What if the grandmother was your real grandma?  Would she let herself and you be eaten?”

This happens to be an excellent exercise in character development for writers of any age or experience, to replace fairy tale characters with real ones.  The real people by their natures force old stories to change and become more complex.  After all, even in a story you can’t make your brilliant best friend say something stupid or your stubborn cousin suddenly turn compliant.

The most important task in expanding fairy tales is to slow the action way down.  Imagine that the heroine just flung a cloak of invisibility around her shoulders.  What does the cloak feel like?  What’s the fabric?  Is there a label?  Wait!  Back up!  Can she even see the label, or does the cloak vanish the moment it’s touched?  What are her sensations as it envelops her?  Does invisibility happen instantly or creep up?  Can she continue to see herself even though others can’t?  And so on.

So here’s the challenge: In “Little Red Riding Hood,” Little Red meets a talking wolf.  Talking animals appear in many fairy tales, and they’re a source of wonder that you’re about to explore.  You’re Little Red approached by the wolf, who wants to delay her so he (or she) can get to Grandma’s first.  Write his opening line.  You can continue and write the whole scene, a short story, a novel.  Go for it.  But for the contest, his first statement is all that counts.

Please email your response to this challenge to me at editor@lookingglassreview.com. Five of you will be chosen to receive autographed copes of Writing Magic and Betsy Red Hoodie.

The Alison Dare Double Blog Dare Tour and Contest

Alison Dare has been seen in pursuit of Baron

von Baron is Ashland,Oregon (note Mount Ashland

in the background)

Tundra books has released two graphic novels about Alison Dare, a young teen who has unusual parents and who has tends to have rather extraordinary adventures involving dastardly villains, lamps with genies in them, walking mummies and more. Here is my review of one of the titles.

Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures

J. Torres

Illustrated by J. Bone

Graphic Novel

Ages 8 to 11

Tundra Books, 2010, 978-0-99776-934-4

   Alison Dare has a very unusual family. Her mother is a world famous archeologist, and her father is a librarian who is secretly the Blue Scarab, an honest to goodness super-hero. Most of the time Alison is in school, but every so often she gets to go on special trips with her mother, Dr. Alice Dare.

   In the first adventure in this collection, Alison is on an expedition with her mother in the Sultanate of Shahrazad and she is bored to tears. Alison’s mother is busy working so Alison decides to take a peek at some of the things her mother has stashed on one of the tents. Inside a crate she finds a lamp which she rubs, thus summoning a genie. Alison knows that she has three wishes - as per tradition - and her first wish is to summon her friends Wendy and Dot. The girls are not, for some bizarre reason, delighted to be whisked away from the lives to join Alison in an adventure. They do warm up to the idea though when Alison accidentally summons 1001 knights. The knights lavish Alison and the girls with lovely clothes, fantastic foods, and other delights. Things are looking up, until the knights decide that Alison’s mother is an “interloper” who should be removed.

   In the second adventure we find out how Alison’s parents met and how her father, who was a scholarly librarian, was turned into the Blue Scarab, a superhero with all kinds of fantastic powers.

   Finally, there is the story of “Alison Dare and the mummy child.” In this thrilling adventure, Alison goes to the museum to see her mother’s new exhibit and to set up a family picnic there – she is hoping to bring her estranged parents together. Instead Alison finds herself in a power struggle between her parents and Baron Von Baron, a ‘bad guy’ who wants to take over the world (isn’t that what most of them want to do?).

   Readers who like an exciting story that is full of evil doers, superheroes, and a sprinkling of magic and archeology, will greatly enjoy this book. With tongue-in-cheek jokes and completely outrageous plots, the three stories in this book are highly entertaining and enjoyable.

You are invited to enter the Alison Dare contest hosted by Tundra books. This is what you have to do to enter:

1. Save the image above to your computer and then print it out.

2. There are two different poses for Alison Dare, but you only need to choose one (although if you wanted to do both, go for it!).

3. Please cut out the Alison Dare figure you have chosen. Feel free to colour and decorate.

4. Put Alison Dare in front of a famous landmark, in an exotic location, or in the face of danger. You can also be creative with common everyday objects.

5. Take a photo (or photos) of Alison Dare! There is no limit.

6. Send your photo of Alison Dare and witty caption to tundra@mcclelland.com before June 30, 2010.

You can see my Alison Dare photo at the beginning of this post!

Please visit the Blog Tour webpage to see what other bloggers are doing.

Here is some information about the author and illustrator of this exciting series:

J. TORRES is a Shuster Award-winning, Eisner Award-nominated writer whose credits include adaptations of Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E and CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation, the comic book series Teen Titans Go and Wonder Girl for DC Comics, as well as the graphic novels Lola: A Ghost Story and the YALSA-listed Days Like This for Oni Press. He has also written for children’s magazines, books, and television. The author lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario.

J. BONE is an Eisner Award-nominated illustrator of several critically acclaimed comic books and graphic novels, including Spiderman: Tangled Web, Batman / The Spirit, and Paul Dini’s Mutant, Texas. J. Bone lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Bedtime for Mommy - A contest

Bloomsbury Books sent me an email recently announcing that they are holding a contest inspired by their book Bedtime for Mommy. 

Here is the information about the contest:

Bedtime Story Contest

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 – read to me!

Send in a photo of your child reading to you (jammies on, preferably!), and you
could win your own delightful bedtime for mommy—or daddy—story time session.

In Bedtime for Mommy, New York Times bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal puts her signature twist on a time-honored childhood experience, turning the bedtime routine on its head. A child puts Mommy to bed – but Mommy procrastinates by stretching each nighttime ritual: brushing teeth, laying out clothes, and, of course, reading one last book (Anna Karenina?).… The gentle humor of the story, paired with award-winning artist LeUyen Pham’s cheerful illustrations, is sure to solicit plenty of “read it one more time!” requests come bedtime.

Reenact the story in your own house and take a photo of your kids reading to you---or whatever their own spin on the bedtime routine may be—and you could win a bedtime story phone call from Amy Krouse Rosenthal along with a bedtime basket of goodies (cocoa, cookies and more!) from Dylan’s Candy Bar® and a selection of read-aloud favorites from Bloomsbury. Three winners will be selected at random by the author from entries received between April 15, 2010 and October 31, 2010. How do you enter? Email your photo to childrens.publicity@bloomsburyusa.com, subject line “Bedtime for Mommy Contest”, along with your contact information.

The 2010 Doodle for Google contest

The 2009 Doodle for Google winning doodle

On February 3^rd Google launched their third annual ”Doodle 4 Google” contest, a competition open to all K-12 students in the U.S. to create their own Google “doodle”. Applicants will design a doodle based around the theme “If I could do anything I would…”.  The winning doodler will have his or her artwork viewed by millions on the Google homepage, win a college scholarship, earn computers for his or her school, and have his or her winning design exhibited in the Smithsonian’s, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises President Susan Brandt joins an esteemed panel of expert jurors to pick finalists for the 3^rd annual “Doodle 4 Google” contest. The panel includes leaders in the animation, illustration and cartoon industries. “Dr. Seuss created a legacy of work inspiring children to dream and use their imagination to accomplish real life goals. I am honored to join this panel of experts in choosing the finalists for this wonderful contest.” Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.

Teachers must have their students registered by midnight PDT March 17, 2010.

Parents and students should direct their teacher to this website to register: www.google.com/doodle4google.

Doodle submissions must be received by March 31, 2010.

Young Adult Novel Contest - Write a pitch

Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with

ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win both exposure to editors, and a one-on-one chat with one of New York’s TOP literary agents Regina Brooks.

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, as well as Sundee Frazier—a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. As an agent, she is known for her ability to turn raw talent into successful authors.

ADDITIONALLY: The top 20 submissions will all be read by a panel of five judges comprised of top YA editors at Random House, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Penguin. All 20 will receive free autographed copies of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. Of the 20, they will pick the top five submissions and provide each author with commentary. ONE Grand Prize Winner will win a free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer’s Workshop.

Please submit all entries via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php. One entry per person; anyone age 13+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET),

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo

In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

So apply now! http://bit.ly/1PYGaN

JUDGING

YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Soucebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to four winners and a grand prize winner—all five will be provided commentary on their submissions.

An Essay contest for kids. Go to Florida to meet Winter the dolphin.

MEET WINTER THE DOLPHIN

ESSAY CONTEST

Winter the Dolphin has been an inspiration and hero for children and adults alike. When Winter was just three months old, she was rescued from a crap trap which had seriously damaged her tail. It wasn't clear that she would survive but she did. However, the damage to Winter's tail was so extensive that it fell off. To everyone's amazement, a prosthetic company stepped in an fitted Winter with a prosthetic tail. Now Winter is using her new tail and thriving.

Scholastic wants to hear about an animal that has most inspired your children by having them tell us about their favorite animal hero in 200 words or less.

One grand prize winner and his/her guardian will receive a trip to visit Winter at her home in Clearwater, Florida, one night's stay at a hotel, $500 travel voucher, a Winter prize pack and a Nintendo DS Game system! 10 runners up with receive a copy of Winter's Tail, a Winter's Tail Nintendo DS game and a Winter plush doll!

HOW TO ENTER
Send entries to:
Scholastic's Meet Winter the Dolphin Contest
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

Each entry must include student's name, age, and grade; teacher's name; and school name, address, and phone number.

All entries must be received by November 30, 2009. Winners will be announced on or around December 14th. No purchase necessary. Open to legal residences of 50 United States and D.C. ages 6-14 as of November 30th 2009. Void where prohibited. Click here for complete contest rules.

Back-to-school event for adults

For those of you who will soon be getting back into the swing of sending a children or children to school, here is an event that you might like to participate in. On August 16th MommyTalk.com will be hosting a Back-To-School Bash for grownups. As MommyTalk says "Getting ready for back to school isn't easy. We deserve a bash, don't we?" Up until August 15th you can enter a back-to-school contest and on the 16th you can join other grownups online for a celebration. For more information take a look at the event page.

Three Contests - Get out your pens and cameras

There are two contests which both end on August 31st which young people - and the adults in their lives - might be interested in. One is the Samsung Hope For Education contest. Contestants need to write a 100 world essay about "“How has technology educated you on helping the environment and how or why has it changed your behavior to be more environmentally friendly?” For more information about this contest visit the contest website. Winners will receive computers hardware and software and cash for their schools.

The second contest is perfect for young people who fancy going into the movie business. Laurie Halse Anderson is inviting anyone under the age of twenty-one to create a book trailer for her books Speak and Twisted. You can find the relevant information on Laurie's blog. The winner will win a 8GB ipod Touch.

There is also third contest which I only just found out about. Holly Black - of Spiderwick fame - is hosting a contest which ends on June 29th. Contestants have to create a lolcat on one of three subjects. Visit Holly's Blog for more information. Winners receive a signed DVD of the new (ish) Spiderwick film.

If you have heard of a contest which my readers would like to know about please drop me a line and tell me about it.

Contest From Lobster Press

I wanted to let you know that Lobster Press, a marvellous independent publisher based in Montreal, Canada, is hosting a contest. For those of you who have youngsters who like food and cooking this might be a perfect opportunity for you to share one of your favorite recipes with others. The winner of the contest will recieve Yum: You're Ultimate Manual for good nutrition and four other Lobster Press books. For more information visit the contest page on the Lobster Press website. A review of Yum will be appearing on the Through the Looking Glass website in due course.