The Places You Will Go

Hot Men of Children's Literature VI: David Larochelle

David Larochelle has the best smile of any author I have ever met.

Actually, I haven't met David but I feel I have. We've emailed and he very generously sent my children an authographed copy of his picture book The End.

David's also written one of my very favourite picture books, The Best Pet of All (illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama).

Absolutely, Positively Not is David's YA novel about a boy who's coming to terms with his sexuality.

To read more about David and his work, go to his website at davidlarochelle.net.

Hot Men of Children's Literature V: Markus Zusak

Just when you thought this category should be called Hot Short-Sighted Men of  Children's Literature ...

Markus Zusak.

His books so far:
Bridge of Clay (2009), The Book Thief (2006),  When Dogs Cry (2002), The Messenger (2002), Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2001) and The Underdog (1999).

Hot Men of Literature IV: John Green

John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns.

This is the third bespectacled writer whom I've chosen for my Hot Men of Literature series. I think this says less about my taste in men than it does about writers being short-sighted and not fond of contact lenses.

(I think Green looks like a geeky version of John Mayer and and a much more attractive version of Mayer too. And, for some strange reason, I hear Your Body is a Wonderland in my head when I think of Looking for Alaska - not that I even like that song whereas I really like the book.)

You can watch Green answer questions from readers on YouTube here and here.

Hot Men of Children's Literature III: M. T. Anderson

M.T. Anderson is the author of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party, which won the 2006 National Book Award for Young People, and was named a 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book.

In 2008, Anderson published The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves.

His other books include Feed and Whales on Stilts; and, with illustrator Kevin Hawkes, picture books Handel, Who Knew What He Liked and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World.

Hot Men of Children's Literature II: Brian Selznick

I started this in January this year and then forgot all about it!

So, after nearly a year, my next pick is Brian Selznick, American illustrator and author.

Selznick won the 2008 Carnegie Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, an illustrated novel that functions like a picture book: the story is told equally with words and pictures.

Hot Men of Children's Literature: Oliver Jeffers

In Tots to Teens today, I linked Fuse #8's final entry for her Hot Men of Children's Lit series. I'm starting my own list on this blog and choose Oliver Jeffers as my first Hot Man :-D!

Jeffers is an artist, designer and illustrator. He has written and illustrated four picture books: How to Catch a Star (2004), Lost and Found (2005), The Incredible Book Eating Boy (2006) and The Way Back Home (2007).

Jeffers is also a founder-member of the art collective OAR, along with Rory Jeffers, Mac Premo and Duke Riley. OAR's exhibitions so far include 9 Days in Belfast, book and the award winning BUILDING.

Jeffers was the official World Book Day illustrator for 2007.

He is from Northern Ireland and has a degree in visual communication from the University of Ulster. He lives in Belfast.