The participation of young people made a critical difference in the outcome of the recent presidential election. CIRCLE, The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, reports:

An estimated 23 million young Americans under the age of 30 voted in Tuesday’s presidential election, an increase of 3.4 million compared with 2004…. This year’s youth turnout rivals or exceeds the youth turnout rate of 52% in 1992, which is the highest turnout rate since 1972 (55.4%).

Likewise, back in the 1950s and 1960s, young people played a critical role in charting the future of our nation. During the civil rights movement, children and teenagers bravely faced down police dogs, staged lunch counter sit-ins, and filled jails while parents who couldn’t risk getting fired went to work.

In a recently-released transcript of a 2004 interview, Barack Obama commented on the influence of the civil rights movement on his worldview.

The way I came to Chicago in 1985 was that I was interested in community organizing and I was inspired by the civil rights movement. And the idea that ordinary people could do extraordinary things.

With that in mind, I want to shine the spotlight on a book for young readers called Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights by Belinda Rochelle. In just 85 pages, this little book shows how ordinary young people achieved extraordinary things. A review from Reed Business Information says:

While adult leaders’ contributions to the civil rights movement have been well chronicled, those made by young people have not received as much attention. Rochelle relates the pivotal roles played by young African Americans in nine major events, including the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the lunch-counter sit-ins at Woolworth in North Carolina.

Published a decade ago, this book is simple, straightforward, and compelling. The author includes interviews with the courageous students who risked a great deal to improve our world. One chapter is devoted to the story of 15-year-old Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine, who integrated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Eckford says:

Every day it was something, and often I cried because of the torment that my parents and I went through.

Another chapter describes what happened to 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, who lived in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Colvin says:

When I refused to get out of that bus seat, I knew that I was going to be arrested. The bus driver and the policeman thought that it was just about a bus seat. It wasn’t just about a seat. I felt the Jim Crow laws were unfair.

Readers may be surprised to learn that Colvin did this months before seamstress Rosa Parks did the same.

Witnesses to Freedom will remind young people—even those too young to vote—of the important role they can play in civic and political life.

I’m truly tickled that A Thousand Never Evers is included on the Amazon Editors’ picks for Top 10 Middle Readers! It’s thrilling to be in such wonderful company with the other authors on this list. Here it is:

1. The Underneath, Kathi Appelt

2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, JK Rowling

3. Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson

4. My One Hundred Adventures, Polly Horvath

5. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Jeanne Birdsall

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney

7. The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan

8. A Thousand Never Evers, Shana Burg

9. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, Trenton Lee Stewart

10. Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out

The Texas Book Festival was incredible. Seriously!

Before the event opened to the public, there were a variety of parties and activities so that authors and moderators could meet and mingle. I went to the tour of the LBJ Library, but as soon as I met David Ebershoff and Paula Yoo, I dropped poor LBJ like a hot potato. I mean, he’s not really that interesting compared to this:

David, author of The 19^th Wife, told me about how he spent four years shuttling between his home in New York and Utah, where he researched polygamy for his highly-acclaimed book.

And when someone asked the tour guide whether it was legal for LBJ’s staff to tape his telephone conversations, author Paula Yoo was fully equipped with the answer. Come to find out, Paula not only released a novel for young readers titled Good Enough, but also wrote for the hit TV show The West Wing.

The next day, Saturday, the Texas Book Festival was officially underway. Let me tell you, it was truly an honor to sit on a panel with Shelia P. Moses, author of Joseph and several other award-winning novels, and Austin’s own Varian Johnson, author of My Life as a Rhombus.

The topic of the panel was how we create protagonists different from ourselves. Our thought-provoking moderator was Don Tate, a children’s book illustrator. Don posted a detailed account of our panel discussion on his blog.

The next day, Sunday, I raced out of the house bright and early. I wanted to make sure to get a good seat to hear Kathi Appelt, a beloved Texas author whose book The Underneath was recently nominated for the National Book Award. Kathi and I had a chance to chat before her session, and I immediately understood the buzz –not just about the book but about Kathi.

During her session, Kathi made several excellent points about writing, but if there’s just one I’ll remember years from now, it’ll be this: Writers are like crows. We fly around looking for the shiniest objects we can find. We bring them back to our nests and weave them into our stories. How beautiful! How true!

After the talk, I went out to the children’s tent where I finally got my own signed copy of Kathi’s book. While there, I saw fellow Austinite author Philip Yates working diligently to sign A Pirate’s Night Before Christmas for a long line of folks.

Then my husband and son met me in the Children’s Entertainment Tent, where we listened to the most rocking band—I’m not kidding—Super Pal Universe. All the band member are in middle school or high school. There were a hoard of three to five-year-olds grooving in the mosh pit up front. In between songs, band members took turns reading to the audience from P.D. Eastman’s famous picture book, Are You My Mother?

Without a doubt, this year’s Texas Book Festival offered something for everyone, big and small. A huge thanks to Clay Smith, the Festival’s organizer, and the legions of volunteers who came out to make sure everything ran smooth as butter.

This week, I went to a Halloween party for the Awesome Austin Writers hosted by adored YA authors Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith. Because I love this group so much, I thought I’d cook something extra special, never mind that I burn toast and leave my noodles to boil until all the water has evaporated.

What could be more Halloweeny and pitch-perfect for a bunch of children’s writers than caramel apples?

Plus the recipe says they only take ten minutes, plus another 25 for the caramel to harden in the fridge.

Well, being a total non-cook, I completely fell for this scam. Ten minutes? Try ten hours! Plus an additional hour-long visit to the chiropractor, because there’s no way not to throw your back out after you stab 70 apples with flimsy Popsicle sticks.

But let’s back up a second. I don’t put all the blame for my ordeal on the recipe. There are many guilty parties in this frightening tale.

First of all, upon rereading, I have to admit that the recipe does say to buy unwrapped caramels. But the grocery store offered a free package of caramels with each bag of apples I lugged home. Why would I notice if the caramels are the wrapped or unwrapped type when they are the free type and the Dow has just plunged another 500 points?

Picture this: I get home from the grocery store. My fingers work away through an hour-long Oprah show, and I still don’t finish unraveling all those sticky little squares.

Next, I wash and dry all 70 apples. Another hour.

When it’s finally time to plunge the Popsicle sticks into the hearts of these shiny red things, I’m ready. It feels good on a couple of levels. It’s only on the next-to-last apple stab that my rib pops out of place and my husband, Oren, enters the picture.

Read the rest of this entry »

November is book festival time. People nationwide stop and celebrate books. And personally, I’m gearing up for a busy month of speaking to kids, parents, and teachers, as well as meeting other authors. If you’re in Texas, I’d love to meet you at one of these upcoming events:

1. TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL

When: Saturday, November 1st, 2008, 3:30-4:30pm

Where: Capitol Extension Room E1.016. Texas State Capitol Building in Austin.

Details: Join authors Varian Johnson, Shelia P. Moses, and me for what’s sure to be an intriguing panel discussion. In a session titled “I Haven’t Been Myself Lately: My Life as a Writer,” we’ll reveal what it’s like to write protagonists different from ourselves.

2. JEWISH BOOK FAIR

When: Sunday, November 9th, 2008, 10-11am

Where: JCC, Austin

Details: I can’t wait for this year’s Jewish Book Fair at the JCAA in Austin! My father, Harvey Burg, and I will be speaking together about the Jewish connection to the civil rights movement. This event is targeted to students in grades 5 to 8 and their parents, yet all are welcome.

3. HOLIDAY PARTY AT BOOKPEOPLE

When: Thursday, November 13th, 2008, 6:30-9:30pm

Where: BookPeople, 6th & Lamar, Austin

Details: The Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Books Writers & Illustrators will host its annual holiday party from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Picture book, middle grade, and young adult authors will sign their books and chat with readers. Children, tweens, teens, parents. teachers, librarians and literature lovers of all varieties are invited!

4. TEXAS STATE READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

“Travel the World and Back: Read!”

When: Friday, November 14th, 2008

Where: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Austin

Details: I’ll be speaking about why I wrote A Thousand Never Evers, and how to engage students in the study of civil rights. The whole lineup looks great this year!

5. CHOICES IN LITTLE ROCK WORKSHOP

Presented by Facing History and Ourselves

When: Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Where: Houston Holocaust Museum

Details: Educators, trust me, if you can get to Houston, you won’t want to miss this! We’ll explore the Facing History and Ourselves resource book, Choices in Little Rock–a collection of teaching suggestions, activities and primary sources that focus on the desegregation of Central High High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. In the afternoon, I’ll speak about civil rights education and my book, A Thousand Never Evers.