ALA

Saturday morning at 7 a.m. I got a phone call. I hate getting calls that early during the summer. During the school year it isn't so bad. Maybe someone needs a ride to school or someone can't volunteer in the library and they just want to let me know. But who needs to call that early in the summer? It can only be bad news. So with great trepidation I answered. It was Sonia. But there was no tremor of sorrow or unhappiness in her voice. She sounded excited..." Guess where I am?" she asked me. For a moment, I couldn't think of anywhere she could be unless she was on the way to Lansing. So I said I don't know. But then she pressed me and all of a sudden I got it! "ALA!" (the American Library Association is having their yearly conference in Chicago) I shouted. She was in the exhibits hall and that is a sight to behold! Publishers from all over the nation and even from other countries come to ALA to show off their latest publications. Authors come to push their latest books. Library software and hardware companies come to show how they can help libraries provide better service with their wonderful products. And there are library furniture and library clothing and library posters and bookmarks and library this and library that. You can wander up and down the aisles and not see everything in one day. There are too many people to see and talk to and so many books to look at. But there was Sonia, first in line to get Kate DiCamillo's latest book. And Ms. DiCamillo was there to sign them. Sonia was in heaven and so was I, vicariously. There were other authors with new books too. Richard Peck has a new book coming out and so does Gennifer Choldenko. Sonia got them all. She spent more than half the day there Saturday and Sunday and couldn't stay away even Monday. There is always the chance more copies of some books might show up. She was a picky scavenger, there was just one of her and books get heavy. But apparently, she made out a like bandit. I can't wait to get the package in the mail and read them all! Thank you, Sonia!