Schechter Selected by School Library Journal

Jennifer Reeser · #1 01-06-2023, 08:06 AM

School Library Journal has selected Eratosphere's own Robert Schechter for its list of 39 Exceptional Titles to Start the New Year.

https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com...wame-alexander

His book, published by Word Galaxy, an imprint of Able Muse Press, is one of only three poetry books along with authors Kwame Alexander and Paul Janeczko. It has also received a starred review, stating:

"In this volume of mostly rhyming poetry, Schechter celebrates the power of a unique perspective through playful poems that delight in turning things topsy-turvy. While the plethora of poems dazzle in their variety, several themes recur. There are poems about an “I” who dreams about everything from how time will feel at different ages, to having an adjustable nose, to what it would be like to see through someone else’s eyes. There are poems that twist up language like a Rubik’s cube, to see what kinds of Ogden Nash-esque absurdities emerge. And there are sensory poems about the world around us and our bodies, exploring everything from how relative the idea of “big” is to how special the five senses are. For child readers, these poems may spark big reflections on how amazingly quirky the world is and how elastic language can be. Sprinkled throughout, Federico’s monochromatic pen-and-ink illustrations are bold and full of movement. They tend to match the subject matter of the poems exactly, often marrying the straightforward with the gleefully surreal. Schechter’s language and rhyme schemes range from simple to tongue-twistingly complex. Children and adults alike will enjoy bouncing through the vivacious rhythms and the breadth of surprising, marvelous ideas. These are for reading out loud, to laugh at, to muse on, and to grow up with."

https://www.slj.com/review/the-red-e...ren-and-others

Bravo, Bob, this is so well-deserved! I am just thrilled for you, Alex Pepple, and the press.

John Riley · #2 01-06-2023, 08:29 AM

Congratulations, Robert. I had a small YA nonfiction publishing company for nearly thirty years and remember waiting for School Library Journal reviews to come in for our books. I know they're not overly generous with their stars. Things may have changed, but when we received a star the book moved out of the warehouse much faster.

Rick Mullin · #3 01-06-2023, 09:40 AM

Extremely well deserved. Congrats Robert!

Roger Slater · #4 01-06-2023, 10:47 AM

Jennifer, thank you so much for blowing my horn for me! I'm thrilled, obviously, not just for myself but also for Able Muse/World Galaxy Press. There aren't many small presses whose books get reviewed in SLJ, Kirkus Reviews, or Publishers Weekly at all (they only review a fraction of what is sent to them), but in the last month or so Alex has had two. My book in SLJ and Kirkus (starred review), and Jennifer's book in Publisher's Weekly. No matter how much they like a book, they won't review it unless they also approve of the press and its distribution channels, so this is quite a feather in Alex's cap.

John, it's certainly logical to think this will help with sales, since thousands of librarians and booksellers rely on SLJ in deciding what to order. Even a review without a star (over 90% of all their reviews) is reputed to boost sales. Another potential benefit is that trade reviews can influence what the major newspapers and magazines decide to review after publication. However, it's not hard to find books that got great reviews in the trades but did not end up selling well, so I'm not going to count my chickens just yet.

Thanks a lot, Rick!