Maggie 2 Joins the Club!

Back in the beginning of the year, I was thrilled to announce that The Melting of Maggie Bean was featured in the Scholastic Book Club. This was very exciting for many reasons, the biggest of which was that I LOVED the SBC when I was a kid. I used to save my allowance, spend hours poring over the colorful pamphlet, and count down the days until my ordered books arrived. It was like getting to look forward to Christmas every month! So, many years later, you can imagine just how happy I was to see my Maggie Bean among the offerings for today's young book-lovers.

And NOW, I'm thrilled to announce that today's young book-lovers will have the chance to pick Maggie Bean again, because Maggie Bean Stays Afloat will be featured in the SBC next month!

What a way to kick off the new year!

'Tis the Season...for Christmas TV!

I must admit, I'm one of those people who doesn't mind jumping the gun on the holiday season. I'm secretly thrilled when the artificial Christmas trees go up before the Halloween candy has been cleared from store shelves. I've been known to play "Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys in early November. And this year, for the first time ever, we put up our Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving instead of the week after.

But there is one holiday tradition I ALWAYS wait for the right time for: Christmas TV specials.

Thanks to the magic of DVD, now you can watch Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Charlie Brown and most of your other favorite holiday characters any ol' time you want. It can be a hundred degrees outside in the middle of July, and you can be curled up in the air conditioning watching Linus take the auditorium stage as he gives his touching speech about the true meaning of Christmas. Personally, I appreciate the option, but find that watching those shows at any time other than when they're scheduled on network TV during the holiday season just feels...wrong. Maybe it's the festive commercials. Or the fact that it's nice watching them on TV now, just as I did with my family when I was a kid. Or maybe I like the idea of participating in the tradition at the same exact time so many families around the country are. Whatever the reason, I wait. It can be tough--especially when the tree's up and I've already started shopping--but I do it.

Two of my favorite Christmas TV specials are on this week: Charlie Brown and Garfield. One has been around for more than 40 years, the other for more than 20. I've seen both more times than I've seen any other show or movie, and can even recite their lines. And this week, I will enjoy them just as much as--if not more than--I always do, year after year.

Because what puts you in the holiday spirit better than this?