NEW TO THE CCF SITE:

• Writing contest: 
  • Online contest entries - we continue to receive and post a good number of wonderful stories. Visit the CCF Contest Entries page to read our past winning entries. Next deadline is October 31st and the "first line" is all about "a dark and stormy night!"
• Children: 
  • It was a dark and stormy night - The theme of this month's writing contest is Halloween and we've chosen an appropriate first line for it. Without doing an Internet search, do you know where this first line came from? Who was the first one to use it? What does NASA have to do with it? Is it related to Halloween? First take our survey and then read more about this well known first line.
  • September was "Save the Tiger" month - The Save the Tiger Fund organization is a program of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and on their website they have a wonderful article that tells us how children in Russia celebrated Tiger Day in 2000 and how many conservation organizations around the world now hold the last Sunday in September as Tiger Day. 
• News: 
  • House Subcommittee's Vote could end books for the blind - The services that NFB provide are desperately needed, not only by blind Americans but by countless children with reading/learning disabilities that rely on the Talking Book program. Our hope is that word gets around of what's afoot in government chambers. 
• Resources:
  • Good books on writing - a list of suggested resources for writers and writing contest participants. I count these books as main resources in my “how to write” library.
• Reviews: 
  • How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-boyfriend - We received an advance copy Janette Rallison's book, "How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-boyfriend," and LOVED IT!!!!! Couldn't put it down. Read it all in one sitting.
• Writing: 
  • Can you get published if you're under 18? -  For the past year I've kept a profile page on myspace and have joined and participate in various writing groups. One such group is the Teen Lit group moderated by author Sarah Mlynowski. In one of the threads in the group Jessica M., a 14-year old yet-to-be-published writer from Lafayette, Louisiana had good questions on how do teens go about getting published. With her permission, we've posted the transcript of our conversation. 
• Education: 
  • Audiobooks: An educator's response - Yes, kids do need to physically practice their reading skills-- but for those who find reading an awful chore, children and YA librarian Angela J. Reynolds strongly advocates letting them listen to an audiobook as a reading assignment.
• Bestsellers:
  • Booksense Bestseller Lists - Links to the lists are updated regularly

REVISIT OLD FRIENDS: Some of our favorite articles posted over the years.

• Mice sing love songs to their mates - You probably know humpback whales sing, don't you? They're one of the largest mammals on earth and you can buy CDs with their songs in them. But did you know scientists have just discovered that one of the tiniest mammals on earth also sings love songs to their mates? Tiny little mice's love songs have now been recorded. Click on the title of this article and listen to their songs.