Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Write a Book on Leadership
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she is writing a book that will focus on leadership rather than politics. “I didn’t want to write a book that hauled over the internal politics of the last five years, and then someone convinced me that I didn’t have to,” Ardern wrote on Instagram. “That maybe it might be worth expanding on some of things I talked about in my valedictory instead – like the idea you can be your own kind of leader and still make a difference. And so that’s what I’m planning to do.” Ardern did not announce a release date for the book, but she did say that she was working with a team of publishers — Penguin in New Zealand and Australia, Macmillan in Britain, and Crown in the United States.
Colleen Hoover Addresses Controversy Around It Ends With Us Casting
It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover is addressing the casting controversy surrounding Sony’s adaptation of her best-selling novel. Fans seem disappointed that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been cast in the lead roles, when the actors are considerably older than the characters they are betraying. In It Ends with Us, Lily is 23 and Ryle is 30. Lively, who is playing Lily, is 35 and Baldoni (Ryle) is 39. Hoover said that despite the backlash, she is “extremely happy” with the casting choices and that she actually wanted to age the characters up in the movie. “Back when I wrote It Ends With Us, the new adult [genre] was very popular. You were writing college-age characters. That’s what I was contracted to do. I made Lily very young. I didn’t know that neurosurgeons went to school for 50 years,” Hoover explained. “There’s not a 20-something neurosurgeon. As I started making this movie, I’m like, ‘We need to age them out, because I messed up.’ So, that’s my fault.” Fans have also criticized Lily’s outfits in the upcoming film. To that, Hoover said, “I don’t remember describing outfits at all. I don’t care what they have on.”
Authors of Gay Penguin Book Banned in Florida School Sue Over Don’t Say Gay Law
The award-winning children’s book, And Tango Makes Three, which features a same-sex penguin couple, was recently banned from Lake County School District in Florida due to LGBTQ+ content. Now the authors of the book, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, along with the families of several students, are suing the school district and Florida’s board of education. According to The New York Times, Richardson and Parnell’s lawsuit argues that the Don’t Say Gay restrictions violate their first amendment rights to free speech. Furthermore, they claim the school district “cited no legitimate pedagogical reason for its decision” to ban the book. Richardson said that Tango is similarly age-appropriate to the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings. The only difference? Tango has two dads. Richardson told The New York Times, “There is no substance to any claim that it’s harmful or inappropriate at any age for children to learn that we [LGBTQ+ people] exist.”
How to Get Free Books for Your School Library (And How to Use Them to Host a Book Fair)
Some tips from a school librarian on getting access to free books for your school library, and using those books to put on a book fair.