More Zorgamazoo Projects at EJ Sand P.S.

A couple weeks ago I blogged about how flabbergasted I was to see a whole school’s worth of 4th and 5th graders reading Zorgamazoo in their classrooms — and doing language arts project featuring the book. (I will freely admit there’s a distinct feeling of gratification that comes with seeing your book land smack in [...]

Pics from Mabel’s Fables’ Halloween Spookfest

Finally came into possession of a few snapshots from the Halloweener event hosted by Penguin Canada and Mable’s Fables bookshop. Those in attendance heard spooky readings from Sean Cullen (who also played host), Matthew Skelton and myself.
Incidentally, it was a special pleasure to meet Sean (I spent my high school years giggling at his surreal [...]

A Wonderful Visit to Britannia PS

Last week, I visited Britannia Public School in Mississauga. At the entrance, I was greeted by a small placard, propped up on a metal tripod. Welcome Rob Weston, it said…

Wouldn’t it be grand if every day could start like this, I thought, I’ve never had students make me a welcome banner before! In the front [...]

Zorgamazoo Shortlisted for the 2010 Silver Birch Award

Good news everyone! Zorgamazoo has been shortlisted for the 2010 Silver Birch. It’s one of the Forest of Reading awards run by the Ontario Library Association and it’s voted on by actual readers, which is always nice to see.
I’m extremely excited and honoured to have been shortlisted — and to be in such good company! [...]

Zorgamazoo, Chapter 4 (for your listening pleasure)

Good news everyone. Chapter four of Zorgamazoo is now up and running, making it acoustically simple to follow along at home.
Here’s part one:

For the rest of chapter four, plus the preceding chapters one, two and three, click here (or on the Audio tab up top).
Happy listening!

Shelf Elf Gives Zorgamazoo the Thumbs Up!

A teacher friend of mine (thanks, J!) passed on a link to this recent blog-posting by a middle-school teacher. The Shelf Elf describes herself as a former “harpist, pastry chef, children’s bookseller,”  and I was quite flattered by the praise she heaped on Zorgamazoo; it’s one of the kindest reviews I’ve read.
Many thanks. Very much [...]

Word on the Street (Toronto)

September 27, 2009 5:00pm.
Word on the Street is the biggest book festival of the year, held simultaneously in multiple cities across the country.
Here in Toronto, I’ll be presenting Zorgamazoo in the Children’s Reading Tent at 5pm…and sharing the day with a ton of other wonderful kid’s writers. The full line-up is here.
If you’re planning on [...]

The World Machine!

After the Burlington Book Camp, one of the campers asked about my inspirations for Zorgamazoo. I revealed where the general idea came from, but didn’t have time for more detail.
Notably, chapter four features an intricate lottery machine called The Hero-Selection Divining Device. While I was writing that particular passage, I drew inspiration from Franz Gsellmann’s [...]

Blurry Pic from the Eaton Centre Reading

A couple weeks ago I did a Zorgamazoo reading the Eaton Centre Indigo store here in Toronto. Much to my surprise there was a fairly good showing, with more than thirty people in attendance.
Here’s a pic of the revelry, evidently snapped with an arthritic hand. Hard to believe I was wearing a thick blazer in [...]

Zorgamazoo: Read it quietly to yourself at your own peril.

So a few readers have complained that Zorgamazoo is a book that demands to be read aloud. They lament that it forces you to read: Every. Single. Word.
Um, that’s the point. The book is, quite ostensibly, a read-aloud novel.
It’s meant to be enjoyed in boisterous increments, chapter-by-chapter, an aural gift from a reader to an [...]