So … last Friday, I received my 20th starred review (my 8th star for #TheBridgeHome – which includes 3 for the audiobook that I read aloud). Such an honor – I’m so GRA-teful!

Ordering copies: I hope those of you who want to give your voices a bit of a rest as you read will consider listening to and downloading the audiobook. It was fun creating it and you can read more about my first ever whole novel read aloud experience here. If you are at a Title 1 school or cater to a population that is socioeconomically underprivileged, you may be eligible to order copies of the book at a reduced rate via FirstBook. All others may purchase via local indies or online (such as directly through Penguin Random House).

#GRA19 #GRABridge schedule: I’m thrilled and excited and honored that #TheBridgeHome is a Global Read Aloud, and I cannot wait to meet readers from around the world! Thanks so very much to all of you who’re reading it. During GRA: 

1. I plan to post once a week on this site. I’ll take questions here, as well. So sign up to follow this blog using the button on the left and you’ll get an alert each time a post goes up. 
2. Please respond with your questions to my posts by Wednesday 5:00 p.m. (US EDT), with your SCHOOL’S NAME and LOCATION (state and country).
3. I’ll select as many questions as I can and respond to them through weekly videos, which I hope to post by 1:00 p.m. on Fridays (US EDT).
4. I’ll also post a weekly activity challenge on this blog and on twitter. Two of the challenges will be in conjunction with judged competitions (judged by Ms. Ripp and her class) and the rest will be combined with a twitter giveaway if possible. 

For now:

1. Follow me on twitter (see the button on the left) if you’d like a chance to win a free Skype visit. I will be doing a final Skype visit giveaway this Thursday-Monday on twitter. 
2. If you have questions regarding background information on India or other general topics relating to the book or ideas/questions on discussing tough topics with young audiences or anything else, please feel free to post your questions below. To post questions, you will need to click on “recent posts” (to the left) and then you will be redirected to  screen with this post and will be able to leave comments in a box. Sorry about this extra step, but it’s a precaution to avoid spam.
3. I’ll do my best to try and answer them by creating my first #GRABridge video by Wednesday next week. This will also serve as a trial run for me, to test and ensure there are no hiccups or bugs in the system.

Finally, speaking of horrid things like spam, please ensure that you NEVER fall prey to phishing. In this day and age when  our identity theft is a problem, I feel I must reiterate the fact that I would NEVER ask for any personal information from you (other than that you may at times need to provide a personal email if you need a reply). I will NEVER ask you for your password or any kind of sensitive information. I truly hope that together with my interns and other computer experts who have helped me create and manage this site, I have installed more than enough anti-theft software, but please remain vigilant and guard your privacy. If it seems like I have written you a message please double check that it is, in fact from me – note, for example that I do NOT send attachments so please do not open any attachment that may seem to be from me. If any trouble or suspicious activity appears to arise, please immediately contact me and/or my publisher or the organizer of GRA, Ms. Ripp.

Thanks so much, everyone, and here’s to a trouble-free, wonderful, enjoyable and epic #GRA experience! Do check out the many resources available for your classroom on my website’s resources page (#GRABridge tab, top left).