Hitting the Road with SUPER! (Where I’ll be Fall 2012 edition!)

SUPER is finally out in stores and to make sure you all buy at least three copies a piece (one to give, one to read, and one to enclose in a hermetically-sealed case for all time) I will be hitting the road this October and November!

October 14th:  New York Comic Con - Panel Discussion and signing.

October 18th: Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL

October 19th: The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL

October 20th: Illinois School Library Media Association 2012 Conference

*October 24th: Harleysville Books, Harleysville, PA

Nov. 4th: McNally Jackson Books w/ Gotham Writers Workshop, New York, NY

Nov. 14th: Wachtung Booksellers, Montclair NJ

Nov. 15th: RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison CT

* note the date of this event has been updated

Keep checking this site because there are more appearances to come!

Pre-Order this book!

Hey, do you know what comes out in just two weeks? Guess? Okay, here’s a hint – SUPER, the sequel to my award-winning novel POWERLESS! (subtle, I’m not)

You can pre-order at your favorite local bookstore, or by following any of the bookstore links on the book page.

And don’t forget, Halloween is right around the corner, and that means millions of trick-or-treaters going from door to door asking you to fill their bags with copies of my books . . .
Don’t ruin a great American tradition!

First Official SUPER Fan Letter (redacted)!

A couple of weeks ago, I ran a contest on my email newsletter to win an advanced reading copy of SUPER (what? you didn’t know about it? Sign up here to stay informed!) Among the winners was Maddie from Minnesota and this weekend Maddie sent me a very nice letter to tell me what she thought of it. So here it is (with just a little FBI-style redaction to prevent major plot spoilers!)

 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

 

Matthew Cody,

I couldn’t (and still can’t) believe I was one of the names drawn from your mailing list to read Super! I received it in the mail on Monday and quickly read to chapter ten. The next day I finished it. I really liked it. My favorite part was definitely when everyone XXXXXXXXXX, but it was funny when Georgie XXXXXXXXXXXX.

I think Super is right up there with Powerless on my reading scale. I’m rereading it again. I liked XXXXXXX dramatic XXXXXXX, and the XXXXX, and Theo Plunkett–there was lots of good suspense. And the final conclusion, XXXXXXXXXX.

I liked it so much, that I ended up drawing the front cover! ↴ All in all, Super was an awesome book!

 

Your fan,

 

Maddie

POWERLESS nominated for the 2012-2013 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award!

A big thank you to the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association for nominating POWERLESS for the state’s Young Reader’s Choice Award! It looks to be in very good company (ie: stiff competition)

I hope I get the chance to meet as many of the Pennsylvanian young readers as I can! Especially those young readers in Noble’s Green, PA!

POWERLESS wins the 2012 Rebecca Caudill Book Award

Some terrific news for POWERLESS! My little-book-that-could has won the 2012 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award!

As a Caudill nominee, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last year talking with the teachers, librarians and students who make this award possible and it’s truly an honor to be chosen as this year’s winner, especially measured up against the rest of the awesome nominees!  Check out all of the them here: 2012MasterList

I understand that I’ll get a plaque with my name on it, which I will undoubtedly mount upon a helmet for all to see, but until then this post will serve!

Thanks all! And to Rebecca Caudill, whose memory has inspired such a great tradition!

SUPER arrives on September 25th!

 

The advanced reading copies are out in the world, so it’s time to reveal the cover to the sequel to POWERLESS!

SUPER will hit the bookstores in September, and if you’re curious here’s the back cover copy:

“Daniel Corrigan is as regular as can be, especially when compared to the Supers: kids in his new hometown with actual powers like flight and super strength. But Daniel’s not powerless. Only he was able to stop the Shroud, a supervillian bent on stealing his newfound friends’ powers. And thanks to him, his friends got to keep those powers. 

Now Daniel himself is starting to display powers, while at the same time, his friends are losing theirs. His friend Eric thinks Daniel is just becoming a Super himself, a late-blooming one. But Daniel worries there may be something more sinister at work, since his power-stealing ability is uncomfortably like the Shroud’s. Of course, the Shroud is gone now . . . or is he? And could Daniel himself be his new vessel? “

 

What do you think?

Things I’m Doing in 2012: Spring Edition (Updated! Improved!)

Here’s the updated list of Cool Things I’m Doing Soon. If you happen to be in any of these areas, please come by and say hello!

March 21-15th, Virginia Festival of the Book

Matthew Cody at Charlottesville Day School
Thu. March 22nd, 2012 – 9:00 AM

Matthew Cody visits with CDS elementary and middle school students

Powerless at Albemarle High School
Thu. March 22nd, 2012 – 12:45 PM

Matthew Cody (Powerless and The Dead Gentleman) chats about writing novels and comics with Albemarle High students. Open only to the AHS community.

Matthew Cody at Buford Middle School
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 9:00 AM

Matthew Cody discusses writing about books and comics with Buford students. Open only to the Buford school community.

Matthew Cody at Walton School
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 12:30 PM

Matthew Cody chats with Walton students about his books and comics. Open only to the Walton school community.

Sweet Reads
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 6:00 PM

Meet many of the young adult and children’s authors participating in the Festival. Celebrate literacy and literature at the Charlottesville Catholic School! Enjoy a dessert reception and chat with the authors. Open to the public.

Location:
Charlottesville Catholic School
1205 Pen Park Rd
(434) 964-040

Hosted by Charlottesville Catholic School.

Young Adult Fiction: Heroes, Demons & Bad Roommates
Sat. March 24th, 2012 – 2:00 PM

Jenny Hubbard (Paper Covers Rock), Matthew Cody (The Dead Gentleman), Wendy Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu), and Jon Skovron (Misfit). Open to the public.

Featuring:
Matthew Cody, Jenny Hubbard, Wendy Wan-Long Shang, Jon Skovron, Bella Stander (moderator)

Location:
Village School
215 E High Street
(434)984-4404

March 25th-April 1st, 2012 NYC Teen Author Festival

The NYC Big Read (I’ll be joining a whole HOST of great authors reading all over NYC)
Thurs. March 29 10am, High School of Art and Design, at 1075 2^nd Avenue

Symposium- The Writer as Time Traveler: Writing the Past While Sitting in the Present
Fri. March 30th, 3:00-3:50 PM

Matthew Cody
Jennifer Donnelly
Leanna Renee Hieber
Suzanne Weyn

moderator: David Levithan

Location: 42nd Street NYPL

April 2-5th, Chicago Schools Tour

These visits are open only to students. Hopefully if you live in the area, I’ll be visiting your school!

April 2nd, A. Vito Martinez Middle School

April 3rd, Jane Adams Middle School

April 4th, Lukancic Middle School

April 5th, Palos Middle School

Things I’m doing in 2012: Winter/Spring Edition

The new year is here folks and it’s getting off to a busy start! I thought it’s be useful to post what bookish things I’m doing in the first few months of the glorious year of the Mayan Apocalypse. On the days not listed, just assume I’m sitting in a coffee shop and staring bleary eyed at my computer. I do live the glamorous life.

January 11th: Gotham Writer’s Open House, Academy of St. Joseph’s NYC. I’ll be doing a FREE Children’s Book Writing class from 8:15-9:15pm.

January 15th: Housing Works Bookstore, NYC. FREE One-hour Children’s Book Writing class sponsored by Gotham Writer’s Workshop. 11am – 12pm

March 21-25th: Virginia Festival of the Book, Charlottesville VA. Schedule posted here.

April 2-5: Chicago School Tour: Four schools in four days! Not open to the public, but I am considering doing a Chicago bookstore visit at the end of the tour so stay tuned!

One other very cool thing I’m doing this winter is a creative writing workshop with the excellent students at Holland Brook Elementary. Over the course of this four week residency, I’ll be running a writing workshop with the fifth graders and while it’s not a public event, I’ll certainly be posting some highlights from the experience here on the ever-popular news page!

Have a happy winter everyone!

Virginia is for Lovers (of Powerless?)

Even more very nice news – Powerless has been selected as a 2012-2013 Reader’s Choice Nominee!

This means that my little book will be making its way into more classrooms and into the hands of more readers than ever before. A big thanks to the Virginia State Reading Association for this honor.

I hope to meet some of the great educators and readers this spring when I come down there for the Virginia Festival of the Book! (details forthcoming on this visit)

Independent Bookstores Heart THE DEAD GENTLEMAN, and the feeling’s mutual!

A few weeks ago we got the nice news that The Dead Gentleman had been chosen by Amazon as a Book of the Month. A very nice honor and I’m grateful.

But THIS week I learned that the American Booksellers Association is including my little book on this Winter’s Indie Next List - and that’s just totally awesome! The Indie Next List is put together by the front lines, the many, many wonderful independent bookstores across the country and therefore it has special meaning to me (it should also help sell a few books)

Here’s my favorite line from the review written by Ellen Klein of Hooray for Books!

“This fantastic time-travel tale with a scary twist is great for reading with a flashlight under your bedcovers!”

That’s exactly how I picture readers with my book!

So please, please, please – take the time to do some holiday shopping at your local independent bookstore this year.

Oh, and buy The Dead Gentleman while you’re there.  It’s good.