Hey Worthy Readers!
Life has been epic since we learned my wife is pregnant. Our baby boy Ryan is due so soon, so before I disappear from this blog for weeks at a time maybe months. I wanted to make sure I followed up with my favorite author again.
Ladies, gentlemen and Book Scavengers of all ages. Here is, once again, a new interview with the one and only Jennifer Chambliss Bertman! Questions in bold answers are plain.
Please list four highlights
of the last four years, since Book Scavenger was first published.
There
have been so many wonderful moments! Here are four that come to mind:
1
Book Scavenger was chosen as the Youth One Book, One Denver
selection in 2016, and there were so many fun activities and events organized
by the City of Denver Arts & Venues and the Tattered Cover bookstore. It
was a thrill to be a part of that!
Eating
It’s-Its at the Wave Organ in San Francisco with a class who was reading The Unbreakable Code (both It’s-Its and
the Wave Organ are featured in that book). The Wave Organ was the last stop on
a Book Scavenger-themed scavenger
hunt the teacher had planned for her students around San Francisco.
Hearing
from readers whether it’s in person, in a letter or email, or from something shared
on social media. It’s always a highlight to know somebody out there has
connected with my book so much that they took the extra step to reach out and
let me know what it meant to them. A mom recently wrote to thank me because her
daughter did not like reading until she discovered my books and is now an avid
reader—how wonderful is that?! I keep all the letters that have been mailed to
me, and have a collection of quotes that were especially meaningful to hear.
Like this from a young reader named Nolan: “Your book changed my idea of books.
Before I thought books were for reading and educating, not a game.” I love
knowing that my books helped Nolan see reading in a new light.
Celebrating
Book Scavenger’s fourth birthday with
you and other readers at Books Inc. this past June!
 | ||||
| Cheenie, Jennifer and me at Book Scavenger Turns 4 event |
Please list four read-a-likes,
preferably series, for Book Scavenger readers?
How
about four series AND four stand-alone?
Series:
1)
The
Winston Breen series by Eric Berlin
2)
The
Winterhouse series by Ben Guterson
3)
The
Omega City series by Diana Peterfreund
4)
The
York series by Laura Ruby
Stand-alones:
1)
Harlem’s Charade by Natasha Tarpley
2)
Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock
Ring by Angela Cervantes
3)
Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach
4)
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald.
How has the Book Scavenger GAME made an impact for you and for readers?
I can't speak for the readers,
but for myself it has been inspiring! I launched the game in 2015 with the
intention of it being a fun way to share a love of reading and favorite books. Planning
out the game and launching it was scary—kind of like throwing a party and
hoping someone would show up. But I knew that if I had read Book Scavenger when I was a kid, I would
have wanted the game to be real (who am I kidding—I wanted it to be a real
thing as an adult too!) and I didn’t want to disappoint readers who might feel
the same. So I took a chance and had a website put together for the game and
waited to see what would happen. And people came! And played the game! And
they’re still playing the game four years later.
In 2016 I added tracking
numbers to the site. Since then, there have been almost 10,000 tracking numbers
assigned to a variety of books!! That’s
nearly TEN THOUSAND books readers have hidden through the game all over the
world. Unbelievable! I love knowing that there are so many people out there who
want to have fun with books, just like me.
How has Book Scavenger been used in schools and libraries over the years?
How has the website helped readers?
Book Scavenger and the sequels have been
chosen for All-School Reads, as classroom read-alouds, for book clubs, named to
over twenty state reading lists, used for book reports and school projects, they’ve
been the theme for Reading Weeks and library events, and more.
On both my author website and the Book Scavenger website I have a list of
resources for
teachers, librarians, and book clubs who would like to incorporate Book Scavenger into their programming.
It’s an ever-evolving list, so things continue to get added to it.
What's next for your
writing?
I’m
working on a funny middle-grade mystery that has an entirely new cast of
characters. I can’t say much about it at this point in time, other than it’s
been a lot of fun to work on. I hope Book
Scavenger readers will stay tuned and check it out when it’s published in
2020.
How can Book Scavengers most
effectively promote the series and the game going forward?
Well,
first I want to say that I appreciate people just reading my book, period.
There are a lot of books out there to choose from, so if you decided to spend
your time with Emily and James and Mr. Griswold and friends—thank you! I really
can’t ask for more than that, and wouldn’t expect more from readers. Reading
purely for the pleasure of reading is an awesome, awesome thing!
However,
I do know that feeling when you discover a book and love it so much and you
want everyone else to read it and love it just as much as you do. (The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
by Karina Glaser is one of those for me!) So if you’re wanting to spread the
book love for my books or someone else’s, here are some things you could do:
·
Post
a review on websites where book buyers seek out information. The review can be
as simple as “Great book!” Of course, providing a little more info on why you
liked the book or who you would recommend it to is helpful to other readers,
but this can also be as simple as, “Great mystery!” or “Super funny!” or “Too
scary for my 7-year-old brother but I am 11 and liked it a lot.”
·
With
a series, make sure to post reviews for the books beyond the first one. I often
hear from readers who want me to write a sequel to Book Scavenger and don’t realize I’ve already written two! Reviews
help draw attention to books.
·
Start
a Book Scavenger club at your school!
Activities could include hiding/finding books for the game, creating cipher
challenges, or making bookstumes.
·
Suggest
Book Scavenger for your book club
selection.
·
Ask
your local librarian if you could write a Shelf Talker to recommend the book to
other patrons. (A Shelf Talker is a couple sentences about why you like a book
written on a decorative card that can be displayed in a library or bookstore.)
·
Check
to see if your local library has copies of the book you love. If they don’t,
request it! Libraries often decide what to add to their collections based off
what their patrons are interested in reading.
Please
also subscribe to my author newsletter, which is the best way to hear the
latest Book Scavenger news and any upcoming opportunities. Plus, I always try
to include fun stuff like giveaways, or pictures of my pets, or a puzzle or
game! Find the newsletter sign-up and more at my website
www.jenniferchamblissbertman.com
  |
| Book Scavenger and Jennifer Chamblis Bertman |
Jennifer
Chambliss Bertman is the author of the New York Times--bestselling Book
Scavenger series (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt) which includes Book
Scavenger, The Unbreakable Code, and The Alcatraz Escape. Book
Scavenger was an Indie Next Top Ten pick, an Amazon Book of the Year,
a Bank Street College Book of the Year, an NCTE Notable Book, and has been
nominated for over twenty state award and honor lists, among other accolades.
The series will be translated into twelve languages. To learn more
about her, visit her website at www.jenniferchamblissbertman.com
or follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/jabertie,
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jabertie/,
or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jenniferchamblissbertman/.
Thank you Worthy Readers! i hope to have a blog by end of the year with update, but no promises! until next time Know you are worthy and that "Negativity has never been a friend to anyone!" Read to each other!
---------------
Thanks again to Macmillan Kids Publishers
and of course thank you to
Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Twitter: @jabertie
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