13 Things I’ve Learned From My Teen

Mar21 by sudiptabq

My oldest daughter recently turned 13. (I’m sure that’s a recordkeeping error, as I am in no way old enough to be the mother of a 13 year old.) She has been a joy, a pain, a source of contentment and of frustration. Meaning, she’s a regular teenager.

Oldest children are typically described as conscientious, reliable, organized and even dominant. Unlike many oldest children, mine tends to be the opposite of most of these things. She’s emotional and emotionally needy. She’s flaky and more interested in fun than victory. She’s disorganized to the point of messy. She asks ridiculous questions and feels no disgrace if she doesn’t know the answers. And despite being firmly entrenched in middle school, she wears whatever she wants (including an array of My Little Pony hoodies, complete with manes), ignores “cool” or “trendy” to pursue her own interests (my kid skips study hall to play more violin!), and she laughs loudly and often, even when people stop and stare.

She’s taught me more about life than I’d ever expected. Here are 13 things I needed my child to teach me:

1. Battles should be chosen wisely.

I’ve seen her do this with her brother and sister – if she thinks she’s going to win, she bares her claws. If not, she lives to fight another day. That taught me a valuable lesson. If the standard was, “you break a rule, we have a fight,” my teen and I would be fighting all the time. And nobody wants to live like that. Instead, I cut her slack on the messy room and the unfolded laundry, and save my fight for the really important things.

2. Housekeeping is overrated.

In the theme of choosing one’s battles, my teen has taught me to view housekeeping appropriately – meaning, there is almost always something more valuable to do with your time. At the end of the day, does it matter more to make sure beds are made or to make sure you’ve had a 10 minute conversation you’re your child (even if the only answers you get are monosyllabic)?

3. Ask questions.

I’ll be honest, sometimes her questions are a little over the top. Sometimes, a little irritating. Sometimes, my response is to scream, “your phone has Google! Go look it up yourself!” But the fact that she constantly asks questions means she is constantly curious – and constantly willing to be educated. Many of us would benefit from those qualities.

4. Be unafraid of failure.

Oh, does my kid fail. Sometimes several times in a row. And yet, she keeps putting herself out there. Would that we all had that kind of courage.

5. If people are staring at you, assume it’s because you’re doing something right.

Like I said, my teen laughs loudly and often. (She actually has this witch laugh that she loves to show off.) She fails at things and she asks aggravating questions. And when people stare at her for doing all those things, she acts like she is the star of the show, instead of shrinking away in embarrassment. It takes a lot of self-confidence to pull that off, and she does. Consistently.

6. Keep hugging.

My oldest may be 13, but she cuddles like a toddler. I’ll be honest – sometimes, that’s annoying, and I often find myself wanting to talk to her about respecting personal space. But then I realize that (1) she already knows that, because she doesn’t go around hugging strangers, and (2) that I should be as comfortable showing my love for the people in my life as she is. So I hug her back, and thank the universe for sending me someone to teach me this.

7. There’s always room for ice cream.

My teen is never one to forego a pleasure. Already, she understands that life is too short for that!

8. Having fun is more important than looking like you’re having fun.

I know I’m biased, but my teen is gorgeous. I wish I’d looked like her when I was her age. And yet, she is completely oblivious to her beauty. At an age where other girls are worrying about their hair and makeup and just looking good, my kid is out there having fun. If anyone cares that her hair isn’t perfect while she’s doing that, it certainly isn’t her.

9. That I never understood love before I had kids.

I think kids sometimes think of their hearts as being finite like a house – the more people you love and have in your heart, there less room there is for each person. After you have children, you realize what it means for love to be infinite, and how unconditionally you can actually love.

10. That I never understood fear, either.

Before I had my daughter, I worried about things that could happen to me. Now, those don’t even make my top ten list of things I worry about. I can’t watch a crime procedural on TV without thinking, “That’s something I wasn’t scared of…until now.”

11. They’re my dreams, but it’s your life.

This one was a tough one. The day she was born, I decided that my daughter would have the “perfect” life. At least, perfect by my definition. So I enrolled her in ballet and karate, I took her to art museums and to fancy restaurants, I bought her everything trendy and “cool” I could think of (or read about). I did my best to Disney-princessify her, and yet, over time – well, ballet has been replaced by cheer, karate with soccer. Art museums are out, orchestra is in. And trendy and cool? No interest whatsoever. But she is awesome exactly the way she is, and while I would’ve loved to have a frilly, fancy sidekick wanting to explore fashion, art, and culture, I couldn’t be happier that she is following exactly the path she wants to be on.

12. Feeling like you’re part of the group gives you the strength to forge your own path.

I truly believe that giving my kid a childhood filled with lemming-like activities helped make her unique. Adulthood is about individuality – but you can’t teach a child to be an individual by forcing them to be different than their peers. That’s because childhood is about assimilation, feeling like you belong. And it’s only when you feel like you fit in that you can build the confidence to stand out.

13. Democracy is fine for government, but families are corporations.

The more social studies my teen learns, the more outspoken and confident she gets, the more she believes in democracy and wants everything to be a vote. Well, I wasn’t born yesterday. In our house, we are no democracy. We vote on equity share of the mortgage. Which means I have controlling interest of everything.

Five Reasons to Read Aloud

Mar14 by sudiptabq

Last week was Read Across America week, and I and many other authors participated by reading to kids all around the world. World Read Aloud Day was March 5 — for me, the day was filled with virtual visits to classrooms from Maine to California. I got a bonus day of reading on SNORING BEAUTY’s book birthday (March 4). By the time I was done, I had connected with over 40 different classrooms. It was AWESOME!

In honor of Read Across America, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone why reading aloud to kids is so important.

1. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to build literacy skills. Children can listen to and comprehend books that are much harder than the ones they can read themselves. By hearing more complicated stories, plots, and concepts, they build their vocabulary and increase their interest in books and reading.

2. Taking time to read together demonstrates how you feel about reading. Children learn from the adults in their lives. They model their own behavior on what they see. If you want your child or your students to value reading, show them that you make time to read. If you take it a step farther and not only block out time in your busy day to read but to read to them you will show them in your actions how important reading is. That is a lesson that will stay with them.

By the way, for all you math geeks (like me!) just 15 minutes of reading to your kids each day means that over the course of the year you will spend an extra 91 hours, 15 minutes with them.

3. It forms connections. There are many difficult topics that we have to discuss with children today. As a parent, it can be awkward to launch into some of these conversations. But when you do it in the context of a book or a story that you are sharing, it opens up the lines of communication. As a bonus, it teaches children that when they need guidance in life, they can turn to books.

4. It makes kids smarter. We already talked about literacy skills. But reading aloud lets you introduce your child to all sorts of topics that he or she may not run into in a school curriculum for years. One of my favorite things to do with my own children is share interesting news articles with them. We’ve talked about everything from impressionist art exhibits, to giant squids, to baseball history, to (most recently) the possibility that there may be a terrible conflict with goats in our future. (It turns out the goat war is unlikely.) The result is my kids are not only able to converse on a wide variety of topics, they are interested in cool things, too.

5. It’s just fun. In my life as an author, I may never win huge awards or make tons of money. But I’ve had the great privilege of connecting with hundreds of kids and getting them excited about books. If that doesn’t make you happy…well, you need to look up the word ‘happiness’ again.

@sudiptabq introduces herself to our @hcpss_DLES PreK kids https://t.co/tXoxWnbanT

— Matthew Winner (@MatthewWinner) March 6, 2014

Marissa Christie, Super-clever-go-getter

Mar5 by sudiptabq

Marissa Christie’s official title is Senior VP of Marketing and Communications at the United Way of Bucks County, but she’s more commonly known as the woman who succeeds at everything she goes after! I met Marissa years ago and was immediately impressed by her intelligence and her willingness to think outside the box. We’re so happy to have Marissa here today at Nerdy Chicks Rule to talk about mentoring, advocacy, and gourmet snacks…

As Senior VP of Marketing and Communications at the United Way of Bucks County, you work on projects to help the community. What are your favorite things to advocate for?

That’s a hard question! I really care deeply about all of the projects I oversee, but I think right now I am most passionate about the Bucks County Women’s Initiative. It’s a great group of women who come together to make a difference in the lives of girls. We raise money and fund things like the #girlSTEM Conference to connect girls with women who work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math professions; a program called Empower U. that helps low income girls get fit; and Teens Leaning In to help young women learn confidence and leadership.

What kind of opportunities are out there to help empower girls to be smart (or, as we like to call it, nerdy)?

There are so many opportunities, formal and informal. Informally, I think my best tip is to find women who are doing interesting things and then ask a lot of questions. When I was in my 20s, I met this author at a book store. She really impressed me, so I asked if she would have a cup of coffee with me after her book signing. I asked a lot of questions and through that process, I got some really great, really empowering advice.

It may be a little nerdy, but sometimes you just need to say: “Hey! You’re interesting and you are accomplishing cool things. How can I do that?” Most people – especially women who have had great mentors themselves – will give you all kinds of helpful information and contacts.

That’s really great advice. Too many people don’t ask for help — when help is often just a question away! Moving on, though, what is one of your favorite achievements that you can credit to being a nerdy chick?

I was recently named one of my community’s “Forty Under 40”. It’s a list of successful, dynamic people who make a difference. I know I am on that list because I work hard and always focus on learning things that make me better at my job. Nerdy, but true!

That’s so awesome! But let’s change gears for a second…Tell us about a fictitious nerdy chick you admire and why you admire her.

Oh, man. There are so, so many. I guess one of my all time favorites is Meg from A Wrinkle in Time. She is so smart and so mathematically gifted, but she’s also really in touch with her own emotions.

Do you have a personal “theme song,” perhaps one that speaks to your inner nerdiness?

I love a lot of music, but I guess what probably speaks to my inner nerdiness most is my fondness for anything from the musical Into the Woods. I really like the song “Moments in the Woods.” Part of it goes:

Oh! If life were made of moments,

Even now and then a bad one!

But if life were only moments,

Then you’d never know you had one…

Tell us a four-word descriptive phrase you would like people to associate with you.

Super-clever-go-getter.

Love it! If someone gave you $75 and you could only spend it on you, what would you do with it?

I’d spend it on expensive gourmet treats at Whole Foods..

You are so smart — that’s a perfect thing to do! Can you tell us one thing you buy at the grocery store that you cannot live without?

Too hard! I literally eat anything and I am just not fussy.

Well, I guess we finally stumped you. 🙂 Thank you, Marissa, for joining us today. We really enjoyed talking to you!

To learn more about the fabulous programs Marissa works on, visit the United Way of Bucks County. And on March 13, 2014, Marissa and I will be at the Bucks County Women’s Initiative’s Shaping Futures: Mind, Body & Spirit event which will help to fund all sorts of pro-nerdy initiatives throughout the Bucks County area. Come join us!

The Long Road to BEAUTY

Mar3 by sudiptabq

The night before her book release,

The skies were cold and dreary.

And in her house

The author groused,

“The wait has made me weary!”

That opening is an homage to my newest book, SNORING BEAUTY, which will be celebrating its book birthday tomorrow. It’s strange for me to call it my “newest” book in that it was one of the first picture books I ever wrote way back near the beginning of my career, in 2005.

“Fun for reading aloud, and children will be happy to help with the multiple snoring sounds.” – Booklist

Let me remind you guys about 2005:

Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch over his love for Katie Holmes (they are now divorced).
George W. Bush declared, “I’m the decider.”
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was the top grossing movie, despite it grossing out Star Wars fans everywhere.

That’s how long I’ve had to wait to see this book come to life. And this is how I’ve felt about it:

“This journey has been very slow!

For nine long years I’ve waited!

My kids have grown,

I’ve had six phones!

My patience has abated.”

As an author, I suffer under the delusion that the book is mine – that I am in control of its destiny. (Even after over a decade in the industry, that delusion persists.) But the truth is that there comes a point when the fate of most books is more outside the author’s hands than not. I’ve been very lucky – in the intervening years, I’ve written and published many other books. I didn’t have to wait day after day for the SNORING BEAUTY box – there were other boxes to fill the time until this book’s time had come. But that doesn’t mean the wait was easy. Think about when you miss someone terribly. The presence of other people you love may distract you from missing him, but it never truly takes it away completely. You still find yourself staring longingly out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him coming to your door. That’s what it was like to wait for this book to go through the production process.

But this is how I felt at the end of that loooooooooong process:

But then she takes a single book

And rifles through the pages.

“It does look grand!

I understand

Why this has taken ages!”

I know I’m biased, but SNORING BEAUTY is a beautiful book. Jane Manning’s art is perfect and it looks almost exactly as I’d imagined it. I’m very proud of it and it seems to be getting a warm reception. While it is never fun to be patient, in this case the old adage is true – good things come to those who wait. Now there’s only one more thing to wait for: tomorrow’s official release date.

I can’t wait.

Some fun SNORING BEAUTY facts:

This is not my first animal-kissing-human book. I’m not sure what that says about me.
Most of the time, my kids fight over who the book is dedicated to. This time, my girls (either of whom could be B.) are fighting to establish that the book is dedicated to the OTHER. The funny thing is that neither of the girls is really B! (The real B., by the way, does snore – I have it recorded! – and is beautiful.)
The whole wedding day concept was not part of the original story. All that came out of the revision process as a way to but the focus on Mouse and increase the urgency of waking Beauty that night.
I have a checkered history when it comes to mice. Check out my secret things to learn more.

The Nerdy Shopper: Unlock your Spidey Senses

Feb26 by sudiptabq

Today, we have a lovely guest blogger, Melanie Conklin. Melanie is a product developer turned middle-grade author, now represented by Peter Knapp of Park Literary Group. In between books, she spends her time doodling and chasing after two small maniacs. She is also a founding member of Kidliterati.com, and writes a consumer blog called Consumerisms.

Welcome, Melanie — thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

Nearly every day, there’s a new consumer safety scare making headlines: tainted spinach, recalled beef, unsafe strollers and car seats. It’s pretty scary to see a headline and think, Oh no! Is that the one I bought?

It’s even scarier to stand in front of a shelf at the store and ask: Is this product safe for my family?

The good news is, most food products are monitored for safety, and a great number of watchdog organizations are eager to spread information to consumers. But when it comes to non-food products, there is much less regulation than you might expect of the products sitting on the shelf.

As a product developer, I’ve seen what happens behind the curtain at the companies producing your consumer goods. Most companies set out to create products with the consumer in mind. Some of those companies lead the way with innovative, thoughtful designs, such as Medela (a leading maker of breast pumps with whom I’ve worked). But other companies are keeping a closer eye on their bottom lines than your family’s needs.

How can you shop better (and safer)? By unlocking your Spidey Senses!

Yes, I know, shooting gooey webs from your wrists doesn’t sound all that awesome, but let’s focus on Spiderman’s other amazing ability: observation. His senses are heightened, which allows him to pay close attention to his environment. In combination with strong intuition, this Spidey Sense allows our superhero to conquer all.

How do you apply this to shopping? By taking the exact same steps: don’t read what an advertisement or label promises. Instead, trust your senses.

Examine products closely. Look for defects in the material and construction, like white creases in colored plastic, which indicate a high likelihood of breakage. Do not assume that because it’s on the shelf, you must disregard your own observations. Many products are produced with expectations of a high recall rate.
Use your sense of smell. I’m always amazed by the average consumer’s ability to disregard what their nose is telling them about a product. The next time you consider purchasing an item that may need to “air out,” think about what you’re inhaling. There are usually other options: metal, glass, and wood materials pass the sniff-test with flying colors. Your nose will point you in the right direction.
Trust your intuition. I’ve heard many consumers disregard what their gut is telling them about a product. It’s easy to say, what do I know? But the truth is, you know when a product fails: certain shoelaces drive you batty, or your tongs don’t work unless you squeeze them the right way. You are not imagining these failures. On the contrary, companies are often AWARE of their shortcomings and counting on you to overlook them. Take a moment to call a consumer feedback line, or drop an email. You’d be amazed at how many products are altered because of consumer feedback, and how few people report or return faulty items. You’re also quite likely to get a refund or replacement product for free!

The next time you go shopping, remember that you are in control of what’s on your shelf. Trust your Spidey Senses to guide you to the right purchases—and if those purchases don’t exist, remember, it’s not you. It’s them. Give companies your feedback and demand better products. You deserve them.

The Education of the Nerdy Chick: A Chat with Margie Myers-Culver

Feb19 by sudiptabq

This week, we are talking to Educator-Blogger-Literacy-Advocate-Extraordinaire, Margie Myers-Culver. Margie began teaching as a school librarian in 1973. She says, “It has been the single best decision I have ever made.” She has worked at all grade levels, loving each for their unique characteristics. She continues to this day to believe the learning experience shared with her students is a give and take, where each is both student and teacher. Her blog is Librarian’s Quest.

As a librarian and teacher, we wanted Margie’s thoughts on The Education of the Nerdy Chick, especially when it comes to reading. Thank you, Margie, for talking to us today!

We asked Margie to finish some of our sentences — here’s what she had to say:

“The differences between girl readers and boy readers are…not how reading recommendations have ever been made in any of my school libraries. When a class, group or individual student enters the library, they have always been greeted by a variety of book displays around the room based on genre, themes or format, not according to gender. Booktalks feature a wide range of fiction and nonfiction titles with a mix of reading levels. Students are encouraged to get any book which interests them. Tastes in reading are like thumbprints, each individual is unique.”

“Girls can be reluctant readers, too. To get girls to read, I…address them as I do all readers. A mantra learned in college has served me (and many, many others) well over the years; …the right book for the right reader at the right time. Readers are advised according to their individual wants and needs. I ask them:

about their activities outside the school day,
what their favorite thing to do is when they have free time,
is there a dream or goal they want to reach, perhaps we can find a title on that topic,
what was the last book they read or had read to them which will remain in their hearts forever.”

“It’s extremely important for girls (all readers) to know you care about them as individuals; that you sincerely want to know as much about them as possible so you can pair them with a book they will enjoy and remember. There is nothing better than hearing a book you recommended to one student being recommended by them to another. In that moment you know a flame has been kindled. I want to keep that flame fanned with titles as often as I can for as long as I can. It’s about trust and connection. For many years I hosted brown bag lunch book groups with girls. This past summer I had a very small group of girls who would come to my home as I read books aloud to them. We even Skyped with one of the authors.”

“It can be hard for younger girls to embrace their inner Nerdy Chick. But what is great about when that happens is…it’s as if a load has been lifted; they are free to be themselves, to bravely follow their heart. It’s almost magical to watch. It spreads from one girl to another and to another. Sometimes they will read the same book together. Or sometimes they will explore subject areas or genres they have not previously visited.”

“When a Nerdy Chick comes into my library, I notice…the air of confidence they carry. Now they not only know what they want and need but they are able to voice it too.”

“Even Nerdy Chicks need guidance. To help her expand her reading interests, I…would suggest she join an online reading community like Biblionasium or Scholastic’s The Stacks. I would share my own book community experiences using Goodreads (and as a member of the Nerdy Book Club). We all have, as Donalyn Miller, teacher and author of The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child and Reading in the Wild: The Book Whisperer’s Keys to Cultivating Life Long Reading Habits, calls them, book gaps. I might invite her to join a challenge or start one of her own. Again I would share my own experiences with online challenges and reading outside my main interest area. Each year reviewing journals publish their best books of a given year. I would refer her to those also.”

“As a Nerdy Chick, I…was the student who knew the answers and bravely raised my hand even when I knew I would be teased as being some kind of brainiac. I have always talked about books and reading with anyone who would listen. No one is immune to my suggestions including complete strangers in bookstores who look like they need help. Even one of my former students in his mid-twenties who has been doing some painting for me, remarked as he was leaving today, “You can get anyone excited about reading.” I was booktalking the graphic novel series Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale.

“Once a Nerdy Chick always a Nerdy Chick. Come join the flock!”

Once again, a big thank you to Margie for joining us. Want to read more of her brilliant thoughts? Follow her on Twitter. And go find your right book today!

Oh, and in case you thought we forgot…

We have a winner in the original art giveaway! Everybody put your hands together for

@BookishAmbition!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

The Quotable Nerdy First Lady

Feb17 by sudiptabq

The saying goes, Behind every great man there’s a great woman.

It’s not clear who came up with that, though we certainly hear it all the time and in many variations. (My personal favorite variation is A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.) On Presidents’ Day, we wanted to honor the women who have supported the man in the Oval Office – while these First Ladies were not elected to their positions, without them, their husbands’ presidencies would have been very different. Let’s hear it for the women behind the Presidents.

“It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people’s business.”

-Dolley Madison

“It’s always been my feeling that God lends you your children until they’re about eighteen years old. If you haven’t made your points with them by then, it’s too late.”

-Betty Ford

“If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.”

-Abigail Adams

“The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom.”

-Lady Bird Johnson

“You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk.”

-Rosalynn Carter

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

“Choose people who will lift you up. Find people who will make you better.”

-Michelle Obama

The Quotable Nerdy Book: Valentine’s Edition

Feb14 by sudiptabq

On Valentine’s Day, there are so many ways to say I love you — and when you can’t find the right words yourself, there are so many people you could quote! Here are some of our favorite passages from children’s books that express that lovin’ feeling or to comfort the brokenhearted…

On the meaning of love:

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

On what love should feel like:

Pooh's Little Instruction Book

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.”― A.A. Milne, Pooh’s Little Instruction Book

I Like You

“I can’t remember when I didn’t like you
It must have been lonesome then
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
And that’s how it would happen every time.”

―Sandol Stoddard Warburg, I Like You

When your Valentine is your child:

You're Lovable to Me

“No matter what your feelings are, whatever they may be . . . I’m your mama. You’re my bunnies. And you’re lovable to me.” ―Kat Yeh, You’re Lovable to Me

For the brokenhearted on Valentine’s Day:

“I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. Once for all; I love her none the less because I knew it, and it had no more influence in restraining me, than if I had devoutly believed her to be human perfection.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

To understand a broken heart:

File:Peter Pan 1915 cover.jpg

“All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

On why you should always believe in love:

Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“You should never, never doubt something that no one is sure of.” – Roald Dahl, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

Happy Valentine’s Day to all our readers!

REMINDER: Remember to enter the ORANGUTANGLED giveaway and Corrine Jackson’s giveaway!

ORANGUTANGLED Book Birthday! (and Giveaway!)

Feb11 by sudiptabq

We have a winner in the original art giveaway! Everybody put your hands together for

@BookishAmbition!

Thanks to everyone for entering!

Have you ever had a day that starts out bad…and then gets worse and worse and worse? One of those days where you know it’s one disaster after the other no matter what you do? And you know that fighting it won’t make it better…but you fight it anyway?

It was a day like that that inspired ORANGUTANGLED. I’m proud to announce today is this darling book’s birthday!

In honor of this book, we have a very special giveaway.

Illustrator Aaron Zenz has very graciously created an original piece of ORANGUTANGLED artwork.

(I’ll tell you the truth — I want to cheat and just declare myself the winner so I can keep this gorgeous piece.)

I’m sure you’re all wondering How do I win???

This is how:

1) Required. Fill out the entry form below. (Don’t forget to hit ‘Submit’!)

2) Copy one of the following blurbs and post it to Facebook or tweet about it. Here are your choices:

ORANGUTANGLED is here! Original art #giveaway! http://goo.gl/KXLKJa @SudiptaBQ @AaronZenz

(This one links to this blog post)

Have you ORANGUTANGLED? http://goo.gl/WDQHL0 @SudiptaBQ @AaronZenz

(This one takes you to Sudipta’s ORANGUTANGLED page)

Meet @AaronZenz on @MatthewWinner’s great Busy Librarian podcast http://goo.gl/35eQTw @SudiptaBQ

(This links to the Busy Librarian’s podcast with Aaron)

ORANGUTANGLED is here! http://goo.gl/ctLX6h @SudiptaBQ @AaronZenz

(This takes you to the publisher’s ORANGUTANGLED page)

3) Every post or tweet will count as one entry (make sure you make your Facebook posts are public so we can give you credit! Even better, tag Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Children’s Book Author on the Facebook posts!). Keep spreading the word, increase your odds of winning.

The contest will close on February 17, 2014 at 11:59pm. At that time, we will gather up all the entries and choose a WINNER!

GOOD LUCK!

REMINDER:

Do you like winning? Want to win more? Check out Corrine Jackson’s giveaway, too!

Top Ten Nerdy Valentine’s Day Gifts 2014

Feb7 by sudiptabq

It’s another gifting holiday. This one’s a biggie. Valentine’s Day is about love. If you’re giving a gift on Valentine’s Day, it’s to someone you love. So you’ve got to be thinking,

“What does the nerd I love want more than anything else?”

The Nerdy Chicks are here to help!

Here are some suggestions to help you find a gift to maximize your love quotient…

1. The past, the present, and the future… Journal

How do I love thee? Let me write down the ways…If your nerdy Valentine is one to write to Dear Diary, this journal should make her day. (And grammar jokes! Who can resist a grammar joke?)