Carnegie Medal time has arrived again. While this does enable me to have two days out of the library it also means a small amount of stress organising the trip.
I should explain what we do to shadow the Carnegie Awards here. Well as you know there are seven books on the shortlist this year. We have to select seven pupils - one for each book and take them over to a school where each kid designs (with 12 other kids from other schools) a play based on the books. The next day they perform it at a local theatre with authors and dignitaries judging.
This year is easier and yet harder at the same time for me. The event cincidentally occurs in Activities week in our school so most of the children are on other school trips abroad. The ones that stay behind have to help with ecoschools and from what I gather it basically means cleaning the school up!
Anyway so I have a finite group to choose from (some I won't touch with a barge pole but some are great) Unfortunately I may have to choose some of the first group to go with me. Woe is me.
The budget is also a bit of a problem at the moment. It's at the end of the year and the accoutns department get a bit ancy about spending money (even though I have enough in my budget!
The other librarians I'm told usually buy three books of each of the shortlisted titles. They then get the children to write reviews on each one and choose the best. i can't afford to do this so I've got them telling me their first, second and third choice and pulling their names out of a hat so I only have to buy one of each.
Then it's actually getting them to want to go. A couple were like "yeah yeah, I really want to go. Can I go? please, please, I'll be good!" Others were like "um, I'll have to tink about it, what else is going on that week?"
Interestingly enough when I mention that the alternative is to pick up litter in the school, they become strangely interested...
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
more rejections :-(
As readers of my blog may know, I wrote a children's/young adult book over the last summer holiday and I am now trying to get an agent.
I have to say getting an agent is 100 times harder than writing the thing itself. I loved writing the manuscript, I spent whole days doing it and when I showed it to the kids in the school I work in - well that was the best bit.
Except now is the crunch time. I had another two rejections today and I am feeling quite despondent. Only another nine chances for the agents and then I am going to send it to publishers.
The kids were asking today if I had it published yet. Bless 'em. I mentioned I had a couple of rejections today and one of them was quite indignant on my behalf. The weird thing was her favourite chapter was the sad one where I killed a puppy. In my defence, the death was essential for character development and it motivated her for what happened next. That this was the little girl's favourite part of the book? I think that is quite morbid. …but hey, at least she had a favourite part!
I have to say getting an agent is 100 times harder than writing the thing itself. I loved writing the manuscript, I spent whole days doing it and when I showed it to the kids in the school I work in - well that was the best bit.
Except now is the crunch time. I had another two rejections today and I am feeling quite despondent. Only another nine chances for the agents and then I am going to send it to publishers.
The kids were asking today if I had it published yet. Bless 'em. I mentioned I had a couple of rejections today and one of them was quite indignant on my behalf. The weird thing was her favourite chapter was the sad one where I killed a puppy. In my defence, the death was essential for character development and it motivated her for what happened next. That this was the little girl's favourite part of the book? I think that is quite morbid. …but hey, at least she had a favourite part!
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Always keep the key with you...
Some time ago we had the locks to the library and the computer rooms changed to the same key. Now I think this is stupid for a number of reasons but we won't go into that. Anyway, all the locks are the same and they gave us one key to hand out to teachers and/or sixth formers who needed to use the adjacent computer room.
Each time someone asks for the key we note their name down, smile and give them the key. We then go about our business, content in the knowledge that whoever signed it out is almost guaranteed not to be the person who hands in back in. Still, who are we to argue. I suppose by noting the first perosn to take the key they can follow a trail...
Back to the story. I was busy sorting out the new stationary I bought for the kids when the DT teacher walks in again after taking the key out only ten minutes before:
"Do you have another key"
I look quizzically at him "Why, what happened to the first one?"
"I was looking for some stragglers when they locked me out from inside the classroom. i can hear them giggling from the corridor."
I sigh and take my personal set of keys out and walk down to the offending room. I put the key in and try to turn it. It's stuck! The little so and so's had left the key in the lock on the other side.
The teacher shrugs and says"Oh well, seemes I've got a free then" and walks off to the staff room.
...just another day in a school.
Each time someone asks for the key we note their name down, smile and give them the key. We then go about our business, content in the knowledge that whoever signed it out is almost guaranteed not to be the person who hands in back in. Still, who are we to argue. I suppose by noting the first perosn to take the key they can follow a trail...
Back to the story. I was busy sorting out the new stationary I bought for the kids when the DT teacher walks in again after taking the key out only ten minutes before:
"Do you have another key"
I look quizzically at him "Why, what happened to the first one?"
"I was looking for some stragglers when they locked me out from inside the classroom. i can hear them giggling from the corridor."
I sigh and take my personal set of keys out and walk down to the offending room. I put the key in and try to turn it. It's stuck! The little so and so's had left the key in the lock on the other side.
The teacher shrugs and says"Oh well, seemes I've got a free then" and walks off to the staff room.
...just another day in a school.
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