Monday, August 26, 2019

Book Scavenger Future


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 ScavengerThe 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!
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Thanks again to Macmillan Kids Publishers

and of course thank you to

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Twitter: @jabertie

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