Laurie Calkhoven has agreed to offer her new book to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment to get in the running. Reblog, or tweet, or talk about it on facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you before drawing the winners on Christmas Eve and announcing the winner on Christmas Day.
Laurie Calkhoven’s Journey to Publication and Description of Book:
WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD grew out of author visits to schools in the tri-state area. I had written a book for Scholastic Nonfiction group called I GREW UP TO BE PRESIDENT. The book was popular with teachers and with students and often generated a lot of questions on my visits. Kids loved hearing about the presidents’ childhoods as well as what they achieved in office, and the odd wacky story (Taft getting stuck in the bathtub, John Quincy Adams’ skinny-dipping in the Potomac) was welcome too. I made a point of telling them that presidents had all started out as ordinary boys who grew up to be extraordinary, and that they had the same opportunity. Every time I talked about it, I mentioned that one day there was going to be a girl in that book.
I got tired of waiting. Why not write a book about ordinary girls who grew up to be extraordinary, I thought. And so I did. I put together a proposal and sent it to my editor at Scholastic, and happily she and her colleagues liked the idea as much as I did. Beginning with Pocahontas and taking us all the way through to Misty Copeland, WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD is about 50 influential and inspiring American women who did just that—change the world.
I can’t wait to share this one with students, too.
Laurie Calkhoven has always loved books and reading. When she got her first library card and was set free among the picture books, she wanted to be a librarian. Later she learned that that were actual people who created those magical books on the shelves, and she decided to be one of them. After a twenty-year career in book publishing, she did! In addition to her nonfiction, Laurie has written five novels for American Girl and historical action/adventure novels for her own series, Boys of Wartime. She lives in New York City and can frequently be found at the library.
Congratulations Laurie!
Talk Tomorrow,
Kathy
Oh my gosh, I would love to win this book! THanks for the chance.
LikeLike
By: mona861 on December 14, 2015
at 5:22 am
The book looks amazing, and important! Thanks for writing it, Laurie!
LikeLike
By: Lynne Marie on December 14, 2015
at 7:36 am
Bookshelves need this book! I can’t wait to read it.
LikeLike
By: Carleen M. Tjader on December 14, 2015
at 8:09 am
Thank you for the opportunity to win your book – it looks amazing!
LikeLike
By: writeknit on December 14, 2015
at 8:25 am
This looks wonderful. Thanks for the giveaway!
LikeLike
By: jama on December 14, 2015
at 8:28 am
I’m glad you didn’t wait, Laurie. Very empowering!
LikeLike
By: Nancy Tandon on December 14, 2015
at 8:29 am
Sounds like a great book!
LikeLike
By: Sylvia Liu on December 14, 2015
at 9:26 am
This book looks awesome. I can’t wait to read it. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy!
LikeLike
By: Angela Turner on December 14, 2015
at 10:30 am
Hear us roar! Thanks for sharing the giveaway. 🙂
LikeLike
By: Wendy Greenley on December 14, 2015
at 11:00 am
I’ve always loved books that champion “girl power”. I would love a copy. I’ve also tweeted and posted this on FB.
LikeLike
By: darlenebeckjacobson on December 14, 2015
at 11:09 am
Thank you for introducing me to the work of Laurie Calkhoven. I would love to read her book about strong women!
LikeLike
By: Annina Luck Wildermuth on December 14, 2015
at 11:41 am
As a non-fiction author, I always keep updated about new releases, and can’t wait to read your book (whether I win or not)!
LikeLike
By: Nancy Furstinger on December 14, 2015
at 11:50 am
Congratulations Laurie! Can’t wait to read it!
LikeLike
By: Kim Pfennigwerth on December 14, 2015
at 11:59 am
What a great idea for a book. I hope it gets a strong following in schools – for both girls and boys.
LikeLike
By: kristinbartleylenz on December 14, 2015
at 1:39 pm
Congratulations on the new book Laurie! What a great and inspiring topic.
LikeLike
By: Lauri Meyers on December 14, 2015
at 2:31 pm
Congratulations, Laurie! The book looks amazing – I’ll have to add it to my Follett order list for my students. They’d love it. 🙂 (Kathy, I’m tweeting & FBing, too.)
LikeLike
By: Leslie Z. on December 14, 2015
at 3:02 pm
Fantastic topic! Scholastic made a good decision with this one!
LikeLike
By: carrie a. pearson on December 14, 2015
at 3:14 pm
Oh wow! What a fabulous book!! Thank you for championing girls and women in this way!
LikeLike
By: tphumiruk on December 14, 2015
at 8:57 pm
I can’t wait to hand sell it where I work!
LikeLike
By: Susan E. Harris on December 15, 2015
at 5:22 am
Lovely book. My students in my elementary school library would love to read this.
LikeLike
By: gerin123 on December 15, 2015
at 7:49 am
Sounds like an amazing book. I know two girls who I will definitely be buying this for!
LikeLike
By: pathaap on December 15, 2015
at 8:43 am
This book sounds AMAZING for all children to read (but especially girls). I so agree with you when you tell children we all start out ordinary but they all can grow up to do extraordinary things. Being extraordinary is not only for certain children. I can’t wait to see the book!
LikeLike
By: barbara kupetz on December 15, 2015
at 11:01 am
Looks Fantastic! A must read for young women and men! The cover looks beautiful, too.
LikeLike
By: pamela stetson on December 15, 2015
at 3:52 pm
Congrats, Laurie. I would love to win a copy of your newest book. Great topic.
LikeLike
By: whitneystewart2013 on December 15, 2015
at 6:19 pm
I’all definitely be reading this. Hope I win this copy.
LikeLike
By: Sally Valentine on December 15, 2015
at 10:24 pm
Looks and sounds awesome!
LikeLike
By: Debbie Dadey on December 16, 2015
at 10:47 am
Way to go cousin! Congrats!
LikeLike
By: Lila Kempers on December 16, 2015
at 10:02 pm
Laurie Calkhoven is the best!! Talented writer, wonderful friend — and she’s done awesome workshops for NJ SCBWI — and I’m so excited that she’ll be on faculty at January’s FL SCBWI conference in Miami — cuz I’ll be there too! (Will need to get my autographed copy then…)
LikeLike
By: Connie Colon on December 19, 2015
at 9:40 am
Always a need for a book like this.
LikeLike
By: Natasha Wing on December 21, 2015
at 10:45 am
I love what you did for the cover, will share on Facebook
LikeLike
By: b4painter on December 22, 2015
at 8:39 am