Most Popular Books by E. L. Konigsburg

In TalkTalk E. L. Konigsburg presents a selection of speeches she has given over a period of 25 years. In her introduction to the first speech, and to the book as a whole, she explains: "While each of my books has been written because I had a story I wanted to tell, these speeches were written because I had something I wanted to say. The audience for the former is children; for the latter, adults.... I recognize -- with a measure of amused detachment -- that some were written as a reaction to trends; others, to fads. I have given these talks in cafetoriums, auditoriums, and the public rooms of Holiday Inns. Even though I have not always been on a stage when addressing an audience, I have tried to set the stage. Between talk and talk, I have written passages connecting the speeches to the time in which they were written and to one another. And that is TalkTalk." Always a thought-provoking speaker, she has chosen nine speeches that capture the essence of her years as a writer for children. When brought together, they enrich one another and provide a chance to look back at what children''s books have been, to observe where they are now and to offer an insightful look at what books may continue to mean to children in the years to come. Written by an outstanding author, these speeches, individually and together, represent a vision of the need for books and the role books have played and should continue to play in the lives of children.

When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, 13-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.

ALA Notable Book "Horn Book" Fanfare Winner of the International Children''s Literature Association''s 1999 Phoenix Award * A retired college president is determined to best a young beachcomber * A store manager accuses a boy of shoplifting * A tour guide strikes a bargain with an enterprising orphan * A boy recovering from a broken arm befriends an elderly woman in an old folks'' home * A widow and her son seize an opportunity presented by a pair of antiques dealers In each of these extraordinary short stories from the perceptive pen of E. L. Konigsburg, a chance meeting between two people casts a shadow on what things have been and what they can become, and changes a life forever.

Spending the summer in Florida with her stepfather''s sister who operates a "meals-on-wheels" van, twelve-year-old Chloë and her aunt become involved in a controversy surrounding the wearing of T-back bathing suits.

The many sights of New York provide daily distractions for Amy Elizabeth and Grandma as they attempt to find the time to go see Bloomingdale''s.