Well, I’m home after dragging back bags and bags of ARCs, pounds of candy and a boatload of pens and pencils from the exhibits.  PLA was wonderful with lots of sessions that really inspired me, but they weren’t about children’s librarianship or books.  I got to go to the great sessions on library management, and really they were great. 

But when I hit the exhibits, I was all about the children’s and teen books.  The last time I went to a national conference it was ALA a few years ago.  At that time, if you mentioned you blogged it was met with confusion if not disdain by the people at the booths.   That has completely changed, and now if you say you are a blogger you get the ARCs from behind the curtains, the business cards to contact them further, and the small presses are thrilled to see you.  Of course there were a few publishers who still don’t get it.  Harcourt is one of those, though it may have just been the person running the booth.  She informed me that they don’t do ARCs though they had some at their table and I pointed out that I get ARCs and review copies from some of their subsidiaries already.  But she insisted that it was too expensive to send ARCs out to just anyone.  I have to admit I got steamed at that and started to cite my number of hits per day and such.  No effect.  She was done with me.  And frankly, I don’t expect a copy of the one ARC I got her to write my name down for to appear anytime soon.

But I came away from the exhibits and from most booths with an incredible number of books.  Here are the ones I am looking forward to most:

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (I’ve already started this and if the writing holds through the book this may be better than the amazing Wicked Lovely.)

Playing with Fire by Derek Landy (the sequel to Skulduggery Pleasant)

Looks by Madeleine George.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli

Lamplighter by D. M. Cornish

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Peeled by Joan Bauer