Spring can be great, don't get me wrong. I love the flowers, and the pretty clothes. I like the way people start coming outside again, as though, along with the bears, we've been hibernating all this time. But what I don't like are the stressful things spring brings, like my kids final projects and final exams. What I'm living for are those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer.
Now I know, when you're a grown up, life doesn't change that much in the summer. You still have to work (in my case that's writing), walk and feed the dog, and make sure everyone is where they need to be when they need to be. But somehow, when you take the schoolwork out of the occasion, the whole family is calmer, and the writing comes easier.
This summer brings a lot of new events for me. First off, there's the launch of Appleville Elementary, a brand new series for first graders from Scholastic, written by yours truly. I can't wait to see that first book (entitled First Day) in stores. And then there's the new How I Survived Middle School book, Into the Woods, which also comes out on June 1. And then in August, there Katie Kazoo Switcheroo, Going Batty, which will is a totally crazy book.
As for reading, I'm hoping lots of you will join the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. The How I Survived Middle School Series is part of the challenge, and I'm hoping it brings new readers to Jenny's World. You can get all the details at scholastic.com
Good luck with exams, papers, and packing camp trunks, and anything else spring brings.
xo
N