Book Scavenger Website Update!

You may have noticed the Book Scavenger website has a new look! I can hardly believe it, but it’s been over six years since I launched this website and the game for the publication of Book Scavenger in 2015. Six years!!!

At the Book Scavenger launch party at Linden Tree bookstore.

Back then, I had no idea if anyone would read Book Scavenger, let alone want to play a version of the game in the book. But I kept thinking about how if I had read Book Scavenger when I was a kid, I would have wanted the game to be real. And the first thing I would have done after finishing the book would have been to look it up and see if it was. So I wanted something to exist for other readers like me.

To launch the game, I asked my publisher if they’d be willing to give me 50 advance copies of Book Scavenger with the plan to giveaway one copy to a reader in each of the 50 states, with the hope that the recipient would read the book, like the book, hide the book, and then post a clue on the website for others to find. My publisher loved the idea, and so we did the giveaway. A book went to each state, and I waited. Soon enough–copies were hidden! And then found! And more were hidden and found, and so on and so forth until now nearly 20,000 tracking numbers have been requested and books have been scavenged in Iran, Australia, Japan, Canada, Spain, China, France, Chile . . . so many different places around the world!

I am so grateful to all of you–the young readers, the teachers, the librarians, the parents, the booksellers, everyone who has embraced my books and continues to recommend them to others. There have been times I’ve thought maybe I should retire the website and game because it does take a bit to maintain, and I often feel like I’m falling short there, but then I get a nice message from one of you, or see a new hidden book post, and I’m reminded of my kid self, the one I wrote Book Scavenger for and the one I had in mind when I launched the game, and I think, I can’t stop now. As long as you are out there enjoying my books and wanting to play the game, then I want to try and keep it going for you the best that I can.

 

So after six years, I decided it was time for a refresh. Take a look around–there’s some new content and a few fun surprises for you to find as well . . . A huge thank you to Websy Daisy for designing the website for me!

 

I hope you like it!

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

How Well Do You Know Book Scavenger?

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, author of the Book Scavenger series, competes against a big fan of the series in this 25th episode of Author Fan Face-Off, hosted by author Steve Sheinkin and school librarian Stacey Rattner. How well would you have done with these Book Scavenger trivia questions?

September Book Love and Giveaway Game

Hi Readers! This is Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, the author of the Book Scavenger series. In an effort to support independent booksellers and spread some book love, I’ve decided to do a fun, new giveaway for my newsletter subscribers. Each month, my newsletter will feature a different independent bookstore and a few books I think Book Scavenger readers might enjoy. There will be a simple challenge to complete (the challenge for September is making up a caption for a funny photo of one of my cats), and everyone who participates is entered to win a book of their choice from my selection. (I’ll order the book for the winner from the featured bookstore and have it shipped direct to you. At this time, only United States addresses will be eligible to win as shipping costs are currently too high outside the US. I’m sorry!)

This month, the bookstore I’m spotlighting is Book People in Austin, TX. Book People is an amazing multistoried store, the kind of space I could easily spend hours browsing. I was lucky enough to visit Book People twice on my book tours. (That’s me in the photo below–they had those cutouts for an event for The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Adam Rex, a book that my son and I love reading aloud, so I had to take a picture for him.)

Here are the books I’m recommending this month (click on the titles to learn more about them or purchase through Book People):

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat. I was blown away by this book! My favorite read of the year. Just read it. It’s amazing.

Keep it Together, Keiko Carter! by Debbi Michiko Florence. This one is next up on my To Read pile and I can’t wait! Three friends are starting 7th grade with big goals for themselves, but some drama comes into play and soon Keiko’s best friends aren’t talking and she’s caught in the middle.

The Vanderbeekers: Lost and Found by Karina Yan Glaser. The fourth Vanderbeekers is here!! I love this family and their many pets and reading about their adventures living in Harlem.

The Artifact Hunters by Janet Fox. This one is great for readers who like their stories a little scary. It’s suspenseful and beautifully blends fantasy into a realistic World War II setting. This is also a follow-up to the novel Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, but I don’t feel like you need to read the books in order. (But definitely read Charmed Children, too, if you like spooky stories. It’s goooood.)

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone.  If you like the way my Book Scavenger series incorporates historical nuggets into an adventurous story, then I’d definitely check this one out. Funny moments, fast-paced–a great read.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley. A very fun, well-paced mystery that reminded me a lot of my favorite board game Clue! Loved it.

Sound like fun? I hope so! If you are not already a newsletter subscriber, you can sign up here and look for my next newsletter to arrive in October.

Of course you don’t have to enter the giveaway or subscribe to my newsletter, but I do hope you’ll check out these wonderful books by borrowing them from your library or purchasing them from Book People or anywhere books are sold.

Thanks for reading the Book Scavenger series, and thanks for playing the game!

 

Book Scavenger T-shirt?

Hello readers! This is Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, the author of the Book Scavenger series. Question . . . If I were to make Book Scavenger t-shirts available for sale for a short period of time, would you be interested? They would look like this (possibly a slightly different blue for youth sizes).

UPDATE! T-SHIRTS ON SALE October 22-November 4!  Visit this page to place your order. Shipping within United States only. (Postage would be twice the cost of the shirt to ship internationally, which I’m guessing would be a dealbreaker for most, so limiting to the US this time is simpler for me as I’m handling all the logistics myself.)

 

(FOUND) A book is now hiding in Richburg, South Carolina United States

Hidden on: 05/29/2019

Title: The Ugly Duckling

Author: Unkown

Tracking Number: G615

Location: BP Gas Station, Richburg SC, Exit 65, Richburg, South Carolina/ / United States

Clue:

go bbehind thee gash puimp annd thed bootk whil theere. Dthe boouk ism therep. Sso gratb ite and rrun.

Note: This not is not part of the clue, but give the book to the gas station owner after it is found. PLEASE!

 

(FOUND) A book is now hiding in Archie, Missouri United States

Hidden on: 05/29/2019

Title: Projekt 1065

Author: Alan Gratz

Tracking Number: 8376

Location: Archie Library, Archie, Missouri United States

Clue:

Behind the flusher is where it is located. But be careful or you will miss it. Good luck.

 

A book is now hiding in perry, utah United States

Hidden on: 05/28/2019

Title: Because of Winn-Dixie

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Tracking Number: 8731

Location: Three mile-creek elementary, perry, utah United States

Clue:

bf vku hlskus tpxlfq vku hteo

p.s. pg. 72

 

A book is now hiding in Rexburg, Idaho United States

Hidden on: 05/28/2019

Title: The Computer Nut

Author: Betsy Byars

Tracking Number: none

Location: Smith Park, Rexburg, Idaho United States

Clue:

Where you watch people play on left field.

 

Help Celebrate Book Scavenger’s Birthday!

Sunday, June 2, marks four years since Book Scavenger has been published!

Want to help celebrate Book Scavenger’s birthday? Here’s something easy you can do: Hide a book!

Any children’s book—it doesn’t have to be part of the Book Scavenger series. Chose a book you’d like to share with others!

Here’s what you do:

Once you’ve chosen the book you’d like to hide . . .

  1. Print out a game plate here.
  2. Get a tracking number for your book here.
  3. Write the tracking number on the game plate and secure that to your book.
  4. Put the book in a plastic bag to protect it.
  5. Pick a public hiding spot and hide your book.
  6. Submit a Hidden Book form.

 

That’s it! If your hiding spot is some place where people not playing the game might find the book, leave a friendly note asking for the book to be left alone unless they want to play the game. Something like this:

“Hi! This book is part of a game called Book Scavenger. Please leave me here if you don’t want to play the game. Someone will find me soon!”

 

When your hidden book post is on the Book Scavenger website, share it with others to celebrate Book Scavenger! Examples:

Happy birthday, Book Scavenger! To celebrate, I hid The Train of Lost Things by Ammi-Joan Paquette.

Book Scavenger is turning 4! To celebrate, I hid Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence.

 

If a book is hidden near you, go see if you can find it! If you do, fill out a “Found a Book” form so we can update the Hidden Book post.

 

Also, if you’ll be in the San Francisco Bay Area on June 9, please come celebrate Book Scavenger in person at Books Inc. in Palo Alto at 2:30! There will be games like Pin the Cowlick on James, you can pose as Emily and James in a Book Scavenger photo booth, and there will be more fun and games too!