Milestone

This is my 100th post! Wow! When I started, I wasn't sure if I had enough to say to keep this blog going (but I see that I've proven myself wrong). I can't seem to stop writing.

Thanks to everyone who has been reading and commenting... blogging has been a fantastic experience and far more interactive than I could have ever imagined. It's still amazing to me that people who haven't met me are interested in what I have to say.

If you're just joining Wizards Wireless, here are my introductory posts which explain what this blog is about. Short answer: children's books, comic strips and Harry Potter. For longer answers, see these posts:

• Welcome!
• Who Am I?
• What's This Blog about?
  
• What Does Wizards Wireless Mean?

Updates to these original posts:

-I recently started a job as a children's bookseller, so this blog will doubtless be more current on new children's books than it has in the past.

-This blog seems to have developed a strong independent bookstore cheering section (which started well before the job mentioned above).

-The Wizards Wireless radio station was mentioned in the 7th Harry Potter book, but not really in a good way. But by that point I had already named my blog, so, oh well. I still like the name, though.

-Thanks to the recent Kidlitosphere conference, I had the opportunity to meet tons of other children's literature bloggers and feel much more connected to the kidlit community. I've added links to lots of new and wonderful kid lit blogs.

I also want to say a huge thank you to the blogs who have linked to or have posted about Wizards Wireless. I'm so honored! Thank you to:

• 2nd Gen Librarian
• A Chair, Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
• Bewitched Librarian
  
• Big A little a
• BookMoot
• Booktopia
  
• By the Nightlight
• Cheryl Rainfeld
  
• Confessions of a Bibliovore
  
• Jen Robinson's Book Page
  
• Just One More Book
  
• Mother Reader
• Pirate Ninja Mommy
  
• Pixie Palace
• Planet Esme
• Read Write Believe
  
• Sassafrass Corner
  
• The Monkey Speaks
  
• What Adrienne Thinks About That
• Word Power
  

If I missed you, please let me know so I can add you to the list.

And the biggest thanks of all goes to everyone who has read this blog. Thank you!

What does Wizards Wireless mean?

It's an obscure Harry Potter reference. So obscure, that it appears only three times in the books (if you've found more mentions, let me know!) It's the radio station that wizards listen to- and it seemed like the perfect name for a blog created via a wireless connection. All the major, non-obscure Harry Potter references like The Leaky Cauldron are already taken, so I thought I'd try something off the beaten path.

What's this blog about?

I get asked constantly for book recommendations for kids and thought I'd finally post them all in one place. A (growing) list will appear in the links and lists portion on the side of the page... but I also plan to discuss them- and why they made my list and what makes each one so good.

Most blogs about children's books highlight the up-to-the-minute current books... which I think is absolutely wonderful.

I have a somewhat different approach... to talk about books, no matter the publication date, that really connect with their readers (particularly if their readers are under the age of ten).

You also may have noticed that my blog is subtitled "Life, children's books and Harry Potter" so I may as well openly confess that I am a Harry Potter nut. Sadly, the last book of the series is coming out in a few short weeks, but I think there will be a lot of unanswered questions and interesting things to mull over- even after all the frenzy has died down.

I'm also a very avid reader of comic strips (the kind that appear in the daily newspaper) so I also plan to highlight some of my favorites- and talk about current developments (like: What the heck was Lynn Johnston thinking?)

So- there you go- reviews of children's books (and things related to children's books), Harry Potter, comic strips, and who knows what else.

Who am I?

Good question. I'm almost a children's librarian... currently slogging my way through grad school towards a master's in Library Science. I love children's books... and get excited about things like seeing David Wiesner in person. (who just won a THIRD Caldecott medal- the man is amazing).

I love talking about books, about Harry Potter (not very original- but they really are my favorite books), about kids (I have a very cute and adorable one), about books for kids... and we'll see what else comes up.

Welcome!

I think I'm the last person in the world to start a blog.

Why start now? I was sitting at a table in a bar this past Saturday (not something I usually do)... with 15 very cool people who were as interested in children's books as I am. What made it interesting was that virtually everyone present had a blog (at least 10 of the 15).... so people were introduced by the screen names- not their actual names.

I thought, what the heck, I can do this too. I have way too many opinions that I share with anyone who will listen. So I thought I'd give it a try... despite the fact that my 18 year old cousin informed me that "blogs are so three years ago."

So- welcome... and thanks for reading.