Thursday, November 26, 2009

Kasper goes to the Silver Birch Awards


I'm very excited by the news that the third volume in the Kasper Snit trilogy, 'Ten Lessons for Kasper Snit,' is a nominee for the Silver Birch Express Award. That means thousands of kids in Ontario schools will get a chance to read it and vote for it--or some other favourite.

The first two Kaspar Snit books were also nominees. Third time lucky? Well, I won't hold my breath--especially since the ceremony isn't until May. But I'm going to have fun along the way.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Andrea Martin...and me?


Yesterday I had the pleasure of hearing Andrea Martin read an hour-long version of 'Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang' before an audience of enthralled kids and adults at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Of course I watched Andrea on the great sketch-comedy TV show SCTV years ago (my friends and I were ardent early fans), but she has gone on to become a Broadway actor, winning a Tony and many other awards. Her voices were hysterically funny, especially for the Hood Fang himself (across between Yoda and Nathan Detroit, I'd say). The organizers were kind enough to invite me and afterwards we had fun signing books together. Of course I was under no illusion as to who the real draw was!