Tag: GEEGER THE ROBOT GOES TO SCHOOL

GEEGER THE ROBOT: FIELD DAY pub day (plus more Geeger the Robot news)!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

Today is a big day for me — and for Geeger the Robot, too. The sixth and final book in my early chapter series is officially here!

Starting today, you can get your hands on the book wherever you prefer to do so — your local independent bookstore or library, or from the online retailer of your choice. As always, if you want signed and/or personalized (and doodled in, too!) copies of the book — and/or any of my books — place your order through my local independent bookstore, the wonderful Silver Unicorn. (Click HERE to order the latest Geeger from the Silver Unicorn. And click HERE to browse all my books at their shop.)

All six of the Geeger the Robot books.

Field Trip is, in my opinion, the best of the Geeger the Robot books I’ve made. I did my darnedest to pack the thing full of as much humor and heart as possible. It’s the first one in which we see Geeger venture out of the now-familiar comfort and safety of Amblerville Elementary School and out into the wider world. It’s adventure, brimming with excitement and delight and surprises — but those surprises turn out to be both good and bad. And maybe it was in part because I was sad to be saying goodbye to Geeger, but the ending of the book . . . well, it’s the only one of the Geeger books that I’ve gotten teary-eyed while finishing. I think I really stuck the landing.

In other Geeger the Robot news, the first book in the series — Geeger the Robot Goes to School — was recently named an Amazon “Teachers’ Pick.”

What does it mean for a book to be a Teachers’ Pick? It means that it joins an elite list of books that have been praised and celebrated by hundreds of educators and librarians, and have also been positively reviewed by Amazon’s own in-house editors. It also means that that nifty little banner will now permanently fly above the book on Amazon.com.

Completing this series has been a bittersweet thing. Never say never, I suppose — but just in case this is the last Geeger adventure I get to share with my readers, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone and anyone who has read, shared, and/or otherwise supported these books of mine. They have been an absolute blast to make, and have brought me some of the most rewarding moments of my career so far. I’ve lost count of the number of messages I’ve received about one or another of the Geeger books being a young reader’s first chapter book they’ve ever read on their own — and the books were carefully constructed and designed to lend themselves to being just that. Like all my work, I hope the Geeger the Robot books either convince or confirm for kids that reading can be an enjoyable, rewarding experience, and I hope the reading of the books helps them grow into more capable, confident, and eager readers. To have been informed on countless occasions that the books have done just that is a true gift. I’m grateful to every person whose had a hand in helping make those moments happen. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

~ Jarrett

Draw the Author Contest: Part 2 — The Winners!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

In case you missed the announcement on social media, I wanted to share here that I have, after much difficult deliberation, chosen the winners of my second Draw the Author Contest!

What does this mean?

It means that Jacob and Josh will have their portraits of me published in Books 5 and 6 of my Geeger the Robot early chapter book series — becoming, as elementary schoolers, PUBLISHED ILLUSTRATORS. I can’t wait until they get to walk into a bookstore or library, pick a book up off the shelf, and see their artwork printed inside of it. It’s such an honor and pleasure to get to help make that moment happen.

Thank you, thank you again to the hundreds of kids who entered the contest. Every single drawing brought me a great deal of joy. And they were ALL wonderful in their own ways. Choosing just two was, truly, extremely challenging.

If you want to see the winning portraits from my last Draw the Author Contest, check out the first four Geeger books — Geeger the Robot Goes to School, Geeger the Robot: Lost and Found, Geeger the Robot to the Rescue, and Geeger the Robot: Party Pal. You’ll find a portrait drawn by a different kid in each book.

Congratulations again to Jacob and Josh! And stay tuned for more news about the next two books in my Geeger the Robot series!

~ Jarrett

Go, Geeger!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 4 Comments

I’m thrilled to share that Geeger the Robot Goes to School is on the Massachusetts Book Award’s 2021 Must Read list in the Picture Book/Early Reader category! Thank you to the Massachusetts Center for the Book for reading, considering, and ultimately including my book. It’s an honor to be on the list, especially as Geeger is among so many incredible other books (you can check out the full Must Read lists here). Because of this nomination, more kids all across my home state will be introduced to Geeger and his pals, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

This also marks the second state book list that Geeger the Robot Goes to School has made it onto, as last month I learned that the book had been included on this year’s Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. list (you can read more about that here).

Go, Geeger!

~ Jarrett

GEEGER THE ROBOT GOES TO SCHOOL on the SSYRA Jr. List!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday, Geeger the Robot had a very good day.

At 10 o’clock yesterday morning, I learned that Geeger the Robot Goes to School had been included on this year’s Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. list. What does that mean? It means that kindergarteners, first-graders, and second-graders all across the state of Florida will be reading Geeger the Robot Goes to School this coming year, along with the 14 other book that were named to the SSYRA Jr. list. Then, in April, all those kids — tens of thousands! — will vote to decide which book is their favorite. The book with the most votes gets the award.

Two years ago, another one of my books — EngiNerds — was on the SSYRA list (not the Jr. list, but the one for third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders). I was honored, of course, and excited — but I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea just how creative, energetic, and enthusiastic Florida librarians, educators, and KIDS are — and especially when it comes to BOOKS. Because of EngiNerds‘s inclusion on the list, I met hundreds of educators and librarians and connected with thousands of kids that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met and connected with. Getting a book on an SSYRA list is kind of like getting invited to a year-long party — and everyone at the party is a big ol’l BOOK NERD.

Here are the other books keeping Geeger company on the the SSYRA Jr. list.

I’ve read — and loved! — about half of these other books, and being on the list along with them makes the honor all the more awesome. I plan to read the rest over the course of the year (or, you know, maybe just over the course of this weekend…). But anyway, I can’t recommend them enough. And I can’t recommend enough that you check out the SSYRA lists for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8. The committees put together some truly exceptional lists. (You can find those lists, plus past ones, and learn more about SSYRA in general by clicking HERE. More info about SSYRA Jr. can be found HERE.)

Thank you to the SSYRA Jr. committee for including Geeger the Robot Goes to School on this year’s list, and thank you to the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) for all the work they do to create such a robust and joyful culture of reading in their state and its schools. Let the party begin!

~ Jarrett

Preorder Giveaways!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

The next few weeks are going to be a busy and exciting one for me. And, not only because of the holidays — but because, over the course of the next eight weeks, I’ve got THREE books coming out! The first, Give This Book a Title, is my very first activity book. That comes out on December 15th. Just a few weeks later, on January 5th, the second book in my Geeger the Robot early chapter book series, Geeger the Robot: Lost and Found, pubs. After a month later, the third novel in my EngiNerds series, The EngiNerds Strike Back, hits shelves.

To thank my fans and supporters, I’ve launched preorder giveaways for each of these releases:

— If you preorder Give This Book a Title, you can be entered to win a custom work of art by me — to be clear, that’s a work of art that YOU get to customize. I’ll work with you to come up with and execute something you want, either for yourself or someone in your life.

— If you preorder Geeger the Robot: Lost and Found, you can be entered to win 50 (yep — that’s fifty) copies of the first book in the Geeger the Robot series, Geeger the Robot Goes to School. And every single one of those copies will be signed and doodled in!

— If you preorder The EngiNerds Strike Back, you can be entered to win 25 copies of each of the first two books in the EngiNerds series, EngiNerds and Revenge of the EngiNerds. And as above, all of those copies will be signed and doodled in!

How do you enter these giveaways? Just send proof of preorder to LernerPreorder@gmail.com. If you preorder multiple titles, you can send proof separately or together — doesn’t matter! We’ll figure it out. And, as always, if you do your preordering from an independent bookseller, you’ll be entered into the giveaway for that title TWICE!

Preordering books is hugely, HUGELY helpful for creators. So to all of those who have and plan to preorder: thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

~ Jarrett

GEEGER is here!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 7 Comments

Today’s the day!

Geeger the Robot Goes to School is officially here!

I have worked tremendously hard on this early chapter book series, striving to find the perfect balance of silly and (slightly) serious, comforting and challenging, entertaining and enlightening. I hope these books help get kids hooked on reading, and leave them feeling more confident in their abilities to get through and delve deeper into longer-form narratives.

You can find Geeger the Robot Goes to School wherever books are sold or loaned (and if you can’t, for some reason, just ask your bookseller and/or librarian to get a copy for you!), and you can already preorder the second book in the series, Geeger the Robot: Lost and Found, which hits shelves on January 5th, 2021.

And don’t forget that you can join me next Wednesday, September 30th, for the Geeger the Robot Goes to School virtual launch party! It’s being hosted by the Silver Unicorn Bookstore, and more information and the link to join can be found at the Silver Unicorn site or my APPEARANCES page.

Lastly: THANK YOU once again to everyone who preordered Geeger the Robot Goes to School, and THANK YOU to everyone who goes out and gets their hands on a copy today and beyond!

~ Jarrett

GEEGER is coming!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ Leave a comment

My next book, Geeger the Robot Goes to School — the first book in the Geeger the Robot series — comes out just one week from tomorrow, and there are a couple things I want to share with you about that.

The first is that I’m hosting a (virtual) launch party with one of the many wonderful independent bookstores in my area: the Silver Unicorn in Acton, MA.

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 30th, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST. I plan to share a bit about the book and its creation, read a brief passage, do a drawing demo, and answer any questions guests have for me. Want to join? Head to the Silver Unicorn’s EVENTS page, find my event, and click the link provided on the bottom of the event description.

The second thing I want to tell you about is that I’m doing a preorder giveaway with the Silver Unicorn. So, if you order the book between RIGHT NOW and next week, when the book officially hits shelves, you will be entered to win a PRIZE. You probably want to know what the prize is, huh? It’s a custom work of art by yours truly! I will work directly with the winner to conceive of and create a work of art specially and specifically for them (or someone that they wish to get some artwork for).

If you want to enter the preorder giveaway, find Geeger the Robot Goes to School on the Silver Unicorn site (or just click HERE) and purchase your copy. The bookstore is keeping track of orders, and will randomly select a preorder-er as the winner of the prize. I will announce the winner at the launch party on the 30th, and will then get in touch to start the art-making process.

And to all of you who have preordered or plan on doing so: THANKS! I cannot wait to share this book with you. I hope you all like Geeger, and that you’ll stick around to read about all his adventures at Amblerville Elementary School!

~ Jarrett

“Welcome, Geeger!”

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

GEEGER THE ROBOT GOES TO SCHOOL hits shelves in less than two months, and more reviews are rolling in! Here’s some of what Kirkus Reviews had to say about the book:

Geeger Kirkus promo.JPG

If you want to check out Kirkus’s full review of the book, you can do so here!

As always, preordering is HUGELY appreciated. And if you decide to preorder GEEGER THE ROBOT GOES TO SCHOOL and/or GEEGER THE ROBOT LOST AND FOUND, I highly encourage you to do so from your local independent bookstore. If you don’t have one in your community, consider using IndieBound.com or Bookshop.org. And if you want your books signed and personalized by me, you can always order from MY local indie, Porter Square Books!

THANK YOU!

~ Jarrett

“For all my teachers, both past and present”

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 1 Comment

Geeger dedication.JPG

This week is Teacher Appreciation week, and so it seems like a particularly good time to share the dedication to my next book, Geeger the Robot Goes to School:

For all my teachers,
both past and present

Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to have many incredible teachers — both in the classroom and outside of it. And because this first book in the Geeger the Robot series is, among other things, about Geeger learning just what school is all about, it felt right to give him an incredible teacher. Once you get a chance to read Geeger the Robot Goes to School, I hope you’ll agree the Ms. Bork of Amblerville Elementary School is one of the good ones.

The book hits shelves in a few months — on August 25th — but is available for preorder now wherever books are sold. As always, I encourage you to preorder and purchase books from your local independent bookstore. If you don’t have one in your area, two other great options are online retailers IndieBound and Bookshop. I’ve placed links to my books on both sites below:

IndieBound

Bookshop

THANKS!

~ Jarrett

Draw the Author Contest: the WINNERS!

~ Jarrett Lerner ~ 2 Comments

Draw the Author Contest Announcement

Six weeks ago, I launched my Draw the Author Contest to find a new author portrait for my upcoming series of Geeger the Robot early chapter books. The contest was only open for three weeks, but in that time, I received hundreds of submissions from kids all over the country (and a couple dozen from kids abroad, too!). Looking through the submissions was both delightful — there was so much talent on display! — and stressful — how was I going to choose just one of these amazing drawings?! I mean, I knew the decision was going to be tough. But I didn’t quite realize it was going to be this tough.

In the end, after poring over the submissions for several days, I decided that I, in fact, couldn’t pick just one drawing. But I figured I could pick, say, four drawings. And there just so happens to be FOUR books in the Geeger the Robot series. And so, my publisher and I decided to include a different portrait in each of the four books.

Now, without further ado, I present to you the winners of the Draw the Author Contest…

Appearing in Book 1 of the Geeger the Robot series will be this portrait by kindergartener Noah:

noah.jpeg

Appearing in Book 2 of the Geeger the Robot series will be this portrait by 3rd grader Annabelle:

annabelle.JPG

Appearing in Book 3 of the Geeger the Robot series will be this portrait by 6th grader Dominic:

dominic.jpg

And appearing in Book 4 of the Geeger the Robot series will be this portrait by 5th grader Ariah:

ariah.jpeg

THANK YOU to every kid who entered my contest, and THANK YOU to every adult who shared the contest with their students and/or kids. I am BEYOND excited to be able to feature these incredible kid creations in my books.

~ Jarrett