Ring Around the Blogosphere

My good people, don't make MotherReader track you down! The June 6-8 48 Hour Book Challenge is only a breath away now.

Having trouble deciding what to read? Want to crib some answers from others? Susan at Chicken Spaghetti is constructing her own Summer Reading List, and has graciously mentioned my novel. (Thanks, Susan, and Pooja, too!) For my own summer reading list, I've simply mined The Edge of the Forest's reviews and followed that up with Jen Robinson's Reviews That Made Me Want the Book (Did you know there's a new Claire Dunkle novel coming out? Jen did. The Sky Inside looks SO GOOD.)

From NPR's Tell Me More last week comes two young writers talking about their new book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. Twins Alex and Brett Harris, in 2005, started with they call a 'Rebelution. I hadn't heard of this before, but it's taking off in a lot of circles. The idea is basically that teens aren't slackers, and they CAN challenge themselves to do hard things. I like that, but I think that sometimes "hard" is a matter of perspective -- for instance, take this next story...

Via Ananka's Diary, we're introduced to a girl who has been kicked off her basketball team -- because she's a six-foot-one, twelve-year-old...girl. On an all-boy team. And better than most of the guys. (Her team mates are so cute, though. THEY seem to like her, even if their parents don't. The phrase 'greatness sprinkles' should be, like, up in lights around the world. Joey Alfieri - you're amazing.)

And please, don't call the WNBA. She wants to play for the NBA. Go 'head, Miss Jaime Nared. This is a girl who is doing a Hard Thing. She is being gracious -- if a little confused -- about the fact that the Powers That Be are currently barring her chance to play. She isn't copping an attitude, her parents aren't getting wild-eyed and vituperative on camera. Jaime just wants to play basketball, and she's clearly sticking to that desire. (Also, the guy on the Good Morning American interview CRACKED ME UP. He was so lost when she said "not WNBA." He was all primed with the 'someday you'll be older and play with the Big Girls' shtick. When she implied she had no desire to play with big GIRLS, he had no idea what to do next. Hah! Since I was the only girl on a guy's football team, I applaud this attitude like crazy.)

Hard things. It's all a matter of how you look at life...

Everybody and their blogger is talking about the Second Annual Kidlitosphere Conference being hosted in the lovely port city of... Portland, and attended by the kidlit blogospherati - including Colleen -the- Magnificently - Organized. I honestly can't wait to see what comes out of this Conference; last year, Anne Levy Boles led the gang in rethinking their reviewing practices and I'm sure this year will be no exception to new thoughts and new directions in the kidlitosphere. If you can go, go! And wave to everybody for me.