Greg Mortenson Coming to Vancouver!

I was thrilled to learn that Vancouver Kidsbooks will be hosting Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, on January 14, 15 and 16 for 3 speaking engagements.
You can see all the details here: http://www.kidsbooks.ca/kidsbooksevents.htm?&
Greg is a gifted speaker and will talk about the schools he has built in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you live anywhere near Vancouver, this is a great opportunity to listen to an inspiring person! I just booked my tickets!

Global Bookmark Exchange

If you have not yet participated in my global bookmark exchange with your school, now is the time! I have several schools in different countries looking for buddies.
All you need to do is let me know how many students and in which grades, want to make bookmarks. I will send you a match.
Bookmarks need to be handmade. Students can decorate them any way they like, but should write one sentence about their favorite book, in English and in any other language they may speak. They then mail their bookmarks to another country. You can use this activity to study the country, to send letters, pictures, flags.etc. Sometimes students even become pen pals.
You can also check out the books that other kids recommend and find out what they are reading in other countries!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Time to Write

The November rains are here. It's pouring... But it's nice to be home with a fire going. I made home baked bread and soup and now it's time to write! I'm putting the final touches on a novel on which I have been working for a long, long time.
I also collected about 40 boxes of books from different donors on Salt Spring Island. The books will be going to a new school in Uganda which Rotary International has helped to build.

Here is a fun interview with fellow Salt Spring writer Phyllis Smallman:
http://lettheshadowsfallbehindyou.blogspot.com

Phyllis writes adult mysteries. Her book Magarita Nights is in our booklovers' B & B.
If you are a writer, you will enjoy reading her interview.

Librarians & Teachers Everywhere!

Hello from Charlotte, North Carolina. I am speaking at the convention of the American School Libraries Association. There are some 2,500 t/l's here and it's fun to see old friends (from Teipei, Atlanta, Oregon and other places) as well as meet new friends. I'm staying with author Carol Baldwin in Charlotte. I'm looking forward to sharing the stories behind My Librarian is a Camel and My School in the Rain Forest tomorrow.

Write on Salt Spring

The brilliant fall colours are getting less as golden leaves now line the roads. But.. you don't have to shovel rain! And this past weekend my husband and sons went golfing in the sunshine. I feel pretty lucky to be writing with a view like this...
A deer wandered by this morning, looked in the window and continue his/her quest for greenery.

Teaching The Story - in North Carolina

In just a few weeks I will be presenting at the American Association of School Libraries annual conference in Charlotte, NC. Fellow writer Carol Baldwin has kindly offered me to stay at her house. Carol has written a wonderful book for teachers: Teaching The Story. Check it out here: https://www.maupinhouse.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=198

Paper Tigers

Recently I met Corinne from Paper Tigers, a book related website for educators. Check out the site: http://www.papertigers.org/wordpress/index.php
It has a wealth of information about multicultural books and how to use them.

My Books

Here is a slideshow of my book covers.
You can order any of these titles from Amazon or from your local bookstore.
If you have any problems, let me know!
Happy reading.

10 Questions

I just had an interview posted here: http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/ten_questions_with_margriet_ruurs

Hope you enjoy reading it!

10 Questions

I just had an interview posted here:

Hope you enjoy reading it!