SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

October 29, 2018 by Travis Jonker

5 Things That’ve Happened with The Very Last Castle (And a Special Giveaway)

October 29, 2018 by Travis Jonker   1 comments

The Very Last Castle was published on October 9. All kinds of completely cool and unexpected and heart-wrenchingly kind things have happened since then. Thank you. Thank you. I mean it. It means a lot.

Here’s what I’m going to do: put all that stuff in this post and then if you want to check it out you can.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Also, I want to give away a couple copies (see below).

Thing 1: This Note

Kid Note

I’m seriously considering spelling “known” like Kairi does (“noune”) from nou on.

Thing 2: A Star

Star

Kirkus gave The Very Last Castle a starred review. I was taken by surprise with this news. It snuck up on me and made my day.

Thing 3: In the Wild

The Very Last Castle in the Wild

Teachers and librarians and booksellers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (see above) have shared that they’ve read the book. This has been incredibly meaningful for me.

Thing 4: On Film

Colby Sharp made a video about how his students reacted to the book. It was really cool to hear how the story went over with his 5th graders.

Thing 5: Book of the Month

Best Books of the Month

Amazon selected The Very Last Castle as a Best Book of the Month. To be on a list with these other picture books is completely surreal.

Because of all these things, I want to give two signed copies away. But there’s something extra:

Screen Shot 2018-10-28 at 10.16.49 PM 9781419725746_cc947 copy

That’s right – the winners will receive the book AND a panda backpack clip, like the one Ibb (the main character) has in the book.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

How To Say Goodbye in Cuban: Excerpt Reveal PLUS Q&A with Daniel Miyares

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Godzilla: Skate or Die | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Happy Birthday, Anne of Green Gables. I have a present for you…, a guest post by Rex Ogle

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

Behind the Scenes of a Caldecott Honor Winning Book: Molly Mendoza and Aida Salazar Discuss JOVITA WORE PANTS

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

My School Visit was Cancelled. I Fought Back and Won. | Opinion

Sophie Blackall and Julie Flett in Conversation | Children's Book Week 2025

Author A. A. Vacharat on YA Debut ‘This Moth Saw Brightness’ | 5 Questions and a Rec

Tiffany D. Jackson Empowers Teens Through Gripping Page-Turners

Calista Brill and Nilah Magruder Tell All About 'Creaky Acres,' Their New Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carolyn Davis says

    October 29, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    Love this book and Ibb!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025