A Family of Readers

I'm not the adventurous type. I like to know, ahead of time, what the plan will be. I like to follow a GPS so I don't fall off the beaten trail.

Younger reading
Planet Kindergarten

Every once in a while, though, I try to push the envelope. I attempt something on my own that might be a little uncomfortable. So when my building librarian, @readerroberts, encouraged me to head into the city for the ALA Midwinter convention, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity.

I planned a Cub Scout trip into Philly on the train just a few months ago, so I felt almost ready to strike out on my own. Little steps, right? Chris, my younger son, and I ventured out into the brisk January air on Saturday morning and headed to the train station. We had empty bags, a little cash, and excitement about finding some new books to devour. That's all we really needed, right?

Getting from East Market Street station to the Convention Center proved smashingly easy. We didn't even need to go outside! I wasn't sure how much "exhibit browsing" my 4th grader could handle, so we didn't set any particular goal for ourselves on how long we would stay.

As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. J was so excited to check out every book stall, and thrilled to chat with Cindy Minnich's "Jr. Librarian". The two of them led the way most of the day, becoming almost embarrassingly hooked on gathering "book swag". J was a trooper, and had no problem going up to anyone to talk about the books they had on display.

He gathered his own stash of ARCs, plopped down in stalls to browse books, and generally made a charming impression (almost) everywhere he went. There WAS that time he blew a horn and startled everyone nearby.... (Seriously, WHO hands out horns at a library convention?).... but other than that..

I went in with modest goals -
-- a short list of ARCs I'd like to acquire

I LOVE this lady! She's my
Batty About Books soul mate

-- meeting up with several Twitter pals (Kathy Burnette aka @thebrainlair, Cindy Minnich, Aly Beecher)
-- finally chatting face to face with the lovely Kellie Celia from Walden Pond Press
-- taking some Lego Leia photos for my weekly Star Wars post
-- possibly returning Sunday to get in line for Tom Angleberger's book signing

Oh yeah, we went back!

I came out with a wonderful weekend of reading fun with my son AND more books that I could comfortably carry. (I did, honestly, try not to be a "book hog". People kept recommending books - and handing them to me - and it would be simply rude to turn them away!)


Maybe I even have the courage now to hit the Convention Center for the next Philly Comic Con? Hmm.... maybe

I'm participating in the Slice of Life Challenge, hosted by the amazing educators at Two Writing Teachers. We write and share on Tuesdays. Stop by to see what others are posting!

Also - if you stop by and comment, and you are also slicing - PLEASE feel free to include your URL in the comments. With over 200 people slicing, it is often hard to go find your specific link on the Two Writing Teachers page, and I'd love to come read YOUR slice too!