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March 28th, 2008 More great news! Aliens Are Coming! has been picked as a Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Awards! If you watch the movie Underdog look closely... because you may find one of my paintings! (It's in the top upper right corner above the chair. The real painting is 20 times the size).
Lastly, I've rounded up a few folks to sew me some alien dolls. Check back very soon for details on how to make your own!
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More great book news! Sttrong Man has been picked as a New york Public Library 100 Best Books for 2007 for Readig and Sharing! Strong Man also got picked as a Booklist Editor's Choice for 2007. Strong Man also got picked as a NYP Guild
City Hawk made it into Newsweek!
And don't forget to bid THIS WEEK on my snowflake for Robert's Snow. Robert's Snow snowflake auction is coming soon!
Go to www.robertssnow.com Bid on my snowflake and box this December! All proceeds will go to the Dana Farber foundation __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Strong Man is in the Society of Illustrators Original Art the show will be this November - check back soon for more info __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lots of Events -- readings and signings -- coming your way: Check back soon for exact times, directions, etc. September
29 October
6 October
13 October
20 November
7 November
12 November
13 November
17 November
17 or 18 December
6 December
7 December
15 December
16
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6/5/07: Strong Man is coming this month!
Look for Strong Man June 12th! In order of the book's publication, I'm throwing it a little party June 9th in Brooklyn, NY. All are invited. Please send me an email if you're interested and I'll send you the information! In other Strong Man news, the book has gotten its first two reviews.... and they're both starred! "A sunny account of Atlas's life and career." - Kirkus Reviews "A cheerful introduction to a cultural legend." - Booklist ______________________________________________________________________________ 5/8/07: More good news for ALIENS! Aliens has made the The state of Maine's Children's Choice Chickadee Award list for 2007-2008. There are only 10 books on the list, so that's not too shabby!
City Hawk Made the gossip column!
My book on Pale Male made it into the New York Post's gossip coumn last week…sandwhiched wonderfully between Dylan and "bikin-i-emails." Yes!
Also, City Hawk will be having its own website - www.palemalebook.com There's nothing on it yet but there will be so stay tuned! ______________________________________________________________________________ 3/19/07: Lots of praise for ALIENS this year! Here's a rundown- Aliens is a CBC-IRA Children's Choice for 2007 Aliens is an American Library Association Notable Book for 2007 The School Library Journal has selected Aliens as one of the Best Books of 2006 Aliens Are Coming has been selected by Kirkus Reviews as an Editor's Choice for 2006 Aliens has been chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing for 2006 American Booksellers for Children has chosen Aliens as a Best Book 2006 Aliens is a Grand Canyon Readers' Award nominee for 2008 Aliens is on the Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Grades 3-6 2007 - 2008
I'll be speaking soon... April 19th Donnell Library @ 20 West 53rd Street in the Central Children's Room reception from 6:00 - 6:30 talk starts at 6:30 This is open to the public so come on by! I have no idea what I'm going to say as of yet so cross your fingers!
Some book updates- STRONG MAN - THE STORY OF CHARLES ATLAS will be published this summer. Look for it in stores this June! CITY HAWK - THE STORY OF PALE MALE will be in stores this September, published by Simon and Schuster Two books in a row! Lots of work! I'm tired! Rush out and buy both so that I don't have to keep doing two books in a row!
______________________________________________________________________________ 11/30/06: Even more good news for ALIENS! Aliens has been chosen as one of the School Library Journal's Best Books for 2006!
Picture books: Harder than they look I will be doing my first panel discussion with my Knopf editor this Sunday, December 3rd at from 1-2 20W 44th street
RISD book sale Come say hello Saturday December 9th at the Rhode Island Convention Center! I will be signing and selling my books and some prints as well.
10/28/06: More good news for ALIENS! The book has been picked as Kirkus Reviews' Editor's Choice for 200^
10/28/06 Lots of news to report! Steal Back the Mona Lisa is being published in Egypt, which is pretty exciting. I hope they do an edition in Arabic! Aliens Are Coming! has been chosen as one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. A piece from the book is being displayed at the Donnell Library in the Central Children's Room so check it out if you're in the area! What does this…
and this…
have to do with one another? This article appeared in the Arizona Daily Star–– "George Upside Down" In a column last week in the Washington Post, former Republican congressman turned MSNBC host Joe Scarborough provided Republican candidates with some advice on how to win. The piece is titled "Save Yourself, Blame Bush," and Scarborough writes: "This year, maybe Democrats can beat something with nothing. As for Republicans, their only chance of survival is blasting the president for mistakes of the past and attacking the Democrats for their failings of the future." The strategy seems to have worked for District 8 Republican Randy Graf, who wasn't shy in his criticisms of Bush during the primary. When rival Steve Huffman tried to blast him for once hanging the president's picture upside down, few seemed to care. In fact, Graf's loyal supporters took the whole thing in jest. When he returned from D.C. last week, they presented him with a framed copy of "George Upside Down," a children's book by author Meghan McCarthy. POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
That made my day! What a funny thing. I'm finally involved in politics!
A few weekends ago I did a two day signing at the Scituate Art Festival. Thank goodness it didn't rain this year! The crowds were good. I, of course, wasn't very organized and showed up way past noon every day even though the day started at 10. My RI signing buddy Erin - www.lilycopublishing.com - really kicked some butt on the book sales! I'm always very impressed with her sales tactics and marketing force. She had a tent, a crew of sales folks (her friends) she was dressed up, she had decorations and even some smoke out of a cauldron! I should have taken a picture of her setup and I should hire her to market my books! All I had the first day was a rickety table and no chairs. I must thank my parents for sitting with me and bringing down a tent on day #2! Sitting at the table is always interesting because I see folks I haven't seen in quite some time. I also had to endure watching my mother run into the road about every five minutes or so and listen to her say things like "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Anne! Anne! It's Anne! I went to high school with her! She looks the same!" and then she'd run away to chat and leave me to fend for myself. I also saw fellow RISD grad Liz - www.lizdubois.com She lives where a big apple orchard used to be. My parents would take us kids to get apples and eat pie and drink hot cocoa in a wooden paneled building that had Indian carvings all over the place. Now Liz has moved in! It's all very cool. If you go through her site a bit you can see what she's done with the building.
And lastly, a spread from Steal Back the Mona Lisa! is now hanging at the Society of Illustrators. Stop by and check it out!
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9/30/06 Next week I will be signing and selling books in Rhode Island at the Scituate Art Festival. The festival runs for three days from Saturday the 7th through Monday the 9th (Columbus Day Weekend). Come by and say hi! In book news STEAL BACK THE MONA LISA! has been picked as a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection. I have the certificate (complete with gold sticker) to prove it! I will also be signing in New York sometime in the near future, so stay tuned....
8/31/06 I'm doing a booksigning at the North Scituate Public Library this Saturday! (8/26/06) If you live in RI then please stop by! They're planning lots of events because it's their centennial party. I'm looking forward to the dunking booth, but I have always had a fondness for throwing baseballs. Check out all the festivities here. Good news! My book STEAL BACK THE MONA LISA! has been accepted into the prestigious Society of Illustrators Original Art show. The show will be up for the month of November so if you're in the city, check it out. Go to the Society of Illustrators website for more details.
4/28/06 There is lots of book news to report, and admittedly, this section needs some major updating! The first big book news is that I've acquired a new publisher. Simon & Schuster has bought two of my books (okay, it's not official YET, but good enough). Pale Male and Seabiscuit - will be published by S&S in fall 07 and perhaps fall 08 (not sure yet). I'm very excited about both projects because I get to turn my newly acquired nonfiction writing/illustrating skills and apply them to these wonderful animals! Both stories, in a way, are survival stories but the two main characters couldn't be more different. Stay tuned for more information shortly! A biography on a strongman/weightlifter/entrepreneur will be published summer 07 by Knopf. I don't want to say too much about the project just yet, but stay tuned for more information on that as well. The book will be as exciting as any great comic book, only real! How to be an Astronaut has also been bought (okay, this is also not official yet because I haven't signed on the dotted line but I'm sure I will!) by Knopf and will be published in 08. I'm also very excited about this project and think it'll be a new challenge for me. Last, but certainly not least… Steal Back the Mona Lisa! will be published this October. It's a great adventure story packed with lots of humor and mayhem! The great news is that it has been picked by the Junior Library Guild and will be in their fall catalog. In other book news… Aliens Are Coming! has gotten a good bit of attention. Please go to the MOSTLY finished website - www.AliensAreComing.com (a few details still need to be added) to read the starred reviews and to download some really cool stuff for kids!
______________________________________________________________________________ 2/34/06 Aliens Are Coming is in stores now! Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, saying "It's a lighthearted but well-researched glimpse into one of our country's quirkier collective moments." "Using a 1930's art style, and a palette comprising mostly muted grays and reds, McCarthy evokes an era gone by, at the same time creating a cozy nostalgia.…this is packed with age-appropriate thrills and scares." - Booklist For more information than you'd EVER want to know about the book and the history behind it, go to www.AliensAreComing.com. There you will find coloring pages, directions to make slime, aliens madlibs, the entire 1938 broadcast, newspaper clippings, kids' drawings of aliens, a discussion guide, and much, much more!
Its official release date was February 14th…yup, Valentine's Day. My publisher used this date to its advantage and created these humorous holiday cards to send their clients.
In other book news… Who do you call when a couple of crooked crooks steal the world's most famous painting? SECRET AGENT JACK! Brave Jack isn't afraid to dangle from windows… speed along dangerous roads… or leap from planes. But can our hero rescue the Mona Lisa from the crooked crooks before it's too late?
Steal Back the Mona Lisa! is in the final proofs stage. Below is the cover….
Here are a few finished interior spreads….
______________________________________________________________________________ 12/12/05 The Robert's Snow 2005 auction ended with a bang! Many of the people involved gathered in Boston Sunday night and were glued to dozens of laptops (it looked like some sort of laptop convention!) to watch the last few hours of the ebay auction unfold. We all had a great time. Thanks to Anna Alter and her gorgeous apartment, we could celebrate in style! Jarrett Krosoczka also provided us with some video entertainment ––it was a montage of Robert's Snow past and present. The total earned is $100,120.91, which will be donated to the Dana Farber institute, thanks to of course Grace Lin and all the artists and other volunteers. My snowflake sold for 535.00. A big THANK YOU to the person who bought it ! I am greatly honored to see that quite a few people put in a bid on my snowflake. Hopefully the money earned will help find a cure for Grace's husband Robert and everyone else who is afflicted with cancer.
Above is my Robert's Snowflake creation for 2005. I knew this year's auction may be the last, so I put in a lot of time to create it. I decided to make a box for the snowflake to go in, and believe me, it's darn difficult to cut wood without a saw! I don't know how I managed (well, I do... it involved much pain and blisters and a quickly dulled utility knife). I even obsessed over which type of fabric should go in the inside. I settled on a nice, velvety blue material. I will miss my Dog in a Box, but I'm sure it went to a good home. ______________________________________________________________________________ November The Adventures of Patty and the Big Red Bus... has been chosen for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show! The show will be up during the month of November. I have chosen the below illustration to hang in the gallery. For more information go to www.societyillustrators.org
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Check out ROBERT'S SNOWFLAKES, a book featuring all of the great snowflakes from last year's Robet's Snow auction. The book will be released in September and is published by Viking. All the proceeds will go toward Cancer research! My reindeer snowflake is on the Santa themed page.
Robert's Snow 2005!
______________________________________________________________________________ Thanks to whoever bought this lovely Show Dog illustration at the BEA!
______________________________________________________________________________ Show Dog is an IRA- CBC Children's Choice pick for 2005!
This is what the International Reading Association says about how the "picks" are chosen: "Each year, 10,000 schoolchildren read and vote on the newly-published children's and young adults' trade books that they like best. About 700 books are sent to five review teams located in different regions of the United States. Each team consists of a children's literature specialist, who acts as the Team Leader, and one or more classroom teachers or school librarians, plus 2,000 local schoolchildren. Throughout the school year, the books are read to or by the children; their votes are tabulated in March by the Team Leaders and the Children's Book Council, and the approximately 100 most popular titles are announced at the International Reading Association Annual Convention."
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I'm honored to be the "Author Spotlight" for February, on the Random House Kid's website. I think I look like a dork in the photo, but I'll get over it. Actually, I look like a dork in EVERY photo. Click below to check it out!
Don't forget to look for THE ADVENTURES OF PATTY AND THE BIG RED BUS in stores March 8th. I'll be posting some PATTY coloring pages and other items soon. ______________________________________________________________________________
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Check out the snowflake illustrator auction for cancer's cure this fall!
(click above to go to the official website) Yup, there will be a Robert's Snow illustrator auction in 2005! Stay tuned for more information this fall. About: The snowflake auction is spearheaded by Grace Lin, whose picture book entitled ROBERT'S SNOW (coming this fall), is a story Grace told to her husband, during his months of chemotherapy and surgery. After her book's acceptance, her husband's cancer went into remission. However, it has returned and so Grace has rallied her fellow illustrators to help fight for a cure. Now over 100 of us will be donating snowflakes and all the proceeds will be given to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Many big name illustrators are participating so please check it out! And bid on a snowflake! The Eric Carle Museum will be showcasing some of the snowflakes as well as The Society of Illustrators. Also, stay tuned for additional locations where the snowflakes will be displayed ... they may be coming to a town near you! Events Stay tuned for great Robert's Snow events in 2005! The Society of Illustrators opening last fall (November 11th) was a big success! Lots of people came––two of my editors attended... one of my designers... my editor's assistant... some fashionably late friends... fellow RISD grads... etc etc. I think everyone there had a really great time. Unfortunately, Little Miss Photo Documentation brought her camera, took one picture, and then swiftly forgot that she had the camera with her. Perhaps it was the wine. Below is the one and only photo she took.
Fellow authors & illustrators from the Robert's Snow Committee... from left to right–– Anna Alter, Jarrett Krosoczka, Linda Wingerter, Grace Lin, and Katie Davis See how nice they all look? That's why I'm glad I'm not in the picture. I would have surely ruined it!
Below is my contribution to the 2004 auction– It sold for over 350 dollars! A BIG thanks to the individual who bought it!.
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THE BOOK SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE IS GETTING REDESIGNED. CHECK IT OUT! It includes book reviews, new "see inside this book" features, and more! _______________________________________________________________________________ A new book has been sold! 
This is a sketch of the proposed cover. Ride along with Jack by speeding car, by plane, and by boat, as he tries to save the Mona Lisa from the Crooked Crooks! Will Jack stop them from defacing the famous painting in time? There will be plenty of 007 action in this book, plus some fun facts in the back, such as the day that the Mona Lisa really was stolen! The book is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2006, published by Harcourt. To read more about this story, go to the what's cooking? section. _______________________________________________________________________________ |
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