
"Hilarious . . . Readers with a finely tuned sense of the absurd are going to adore the Technicolor ride."
—Booklist
"Fantasy done to a clever, grotesque, nonsensical turn." —Chicago Sun-Times
"A work of mischievous imagination and outrageous invention." —Time Out Chicago
"One of the more singular young adult fantasies—or fantasies, period—I've run across . . . Funny, bizarre, action-packed, and even thoughtful, and stocked with a gallery of larger-than-life characters." —Green Man Review
Email: kennedyjames@gmail.com
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Reading the first two chapters of work-in-progress The Magnificent Moots at the Beauty Bar (1444 West Chicago Ave, Chicago) for Curbside Splendor's Two With Water reading series. With Brandon Will, JW Basilo, Maggie Ritchie, Mason Johnson. 7 pm.
February 15-17, 2012
Appearing at the Downers Grove Book Festival in Downers Grove, IL. Further details TBA.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Doing a presentation about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Capitol Hill Library (10723 S.W. Capitol Highway Portland, OR). 2-3 pm.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Speaking about The Order of Odd-Fish at the Rockwood Library (17917 S.E. Stark Street, Portland, OR). 5-6 pm.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Doing a presentation about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Northwest Library (2300 N.W. Thurman Street, Portland, OR). 5-6 pm.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Doing a presentation about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Kenton Library (8226 N. Denver Ave., Portland, OR). 7-8 pm.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Doing a presentation about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Troutdale Library (2451 S.W. Cherry Park Rd., Troutdale, OR). 4-5 pm.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Doing a presentation about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Fairview-Columbia Library (1520 N.E. Village Street, Fairview, OR). 4-5 pm.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival screening in Portland, Oregon! Here's how previous screenings went in New York City and Chicago. The screening will be at the Central Library (801 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland, OR) from 3-5 pm. Here's info if you want to submit a film for the Portland screening. More details, including special guests, to come!
March 22-23, 2012
Visiting author workshop at B. B. King Museum Spring Camp, in Indianola, Mississippi. Details TBA.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Visiting author workshop at Sunflower Freedom Project, Sunflower, Mississippi. Details TBA.
Friday, April 20, 5-7 pm
Doing a Dome of Doom writing seminar / dance competition at the Mighty Twig (900 Chicago, Evanston, IL). 5-7 pm.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Appearing at 7th Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival in Rochester, NY at Nazareth College. Details TBA. 9am - 5pm.
Friday, June 8th, 2012
Leading a "Dome of Doom" at the Cliff Cave Branch Library (5430 Telegraph Rd., St. Louis, MO 63129-3556). 2 pm.
Friday, June 8th, 2012
Speaking about "Real Japan for Anime Fans" at the Florissant Valley Branch Library. (195 South New Florissant Road, St. Louis MO 63031). 6:30 pm.
I am interviewed by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal’s Fuse #8 blog. Check it out if you want to read about my opinions on Zork, my life in the convent, and why The Jeffersons is superior to Catcher in the Rye. Many in the comments section deem this the “Best. Interview. Ever.” Dare you disagree?
I am interviewed by the lovely Senfaye on A Maze Of Books. Read it if you’re curious as to why I chose to end the interview by saying “I hate you”—and why when Senfaye asked “What’s your favorite food?” I replied “Your skull.” It’s scandalous!
I am interviewed by Amy Alessio for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Read about my experiences as a junior high school science teacher—in particular, of how the entire faculty was mysteriously menaced by a obscene note-writing student known only as “The Foggy Wiener.” I also talk about my participation in Japan’s violent “Naked Man” Festival, and how I discovered the President of the ALA is a whimsical hobo.
Order of Odd-Fish Week on Murphblog. Check out Paul Michael Murphy's monster five-part interview with me! Part One, the road to publication; Part Two, on writing; Part Three, I reveal the thing I will always find funny; Part Four, the "lightning round"; Part Five, a Create-Your-Own-Odd-Fish-Specialty contest (entries are in the comments section); and I judge the winner of the contest.
I am interviewed by Melissa at the Book Nut blog. I talk about the difficulties of getting The Order of Odd-Fish published, my high school friend who was the inspiration for Jo, the idea of an “urban Narnia,” and the origin of the All-Devouring Mother character. Melissa also posted a glowing review here.

My feud with Neil Gaiman. It all started when I revealed Gaiman's dark secret: that he is 2 mm tall and all his books are written by bees. The feud escalated when I tackled his doppelganger at the American Library Association and won the Newbery from him, fair and square. It was resolved when I confronted the real Neil Gaiman in person before an audience of hundreds, revealed his true origin of his lustrous black hair, and serenaded him with Katy Perry's "Firework."
The Classroom Guide to The Order of Odd-Fish. I've put together a 44-page Teacher's Guide / curriculum for Odd-Fish! It's a treasure trove of creative project ideas, discussion questions, chapter worksheets, and further resources. It also features fan art by enthusiastic teen readers of Odd-Fish. (This art was featured in a fan art gallery show in Chicago in April 2010.) You can download the teacher's guide for free here.
It's a mixtape for The Order of Odd-Fish. Listen to a stream of the songs I chose for an imaginary "movie soundtrack" for Odd-Fish, and read why I chose them. Lots of different stuff: French ye-ye, Kinshasa street bands, pseudo-classical, puzzling blippity-bloopity music, and more.
I used to be in a band called Brilliant Pebbles. The drummer Philip and I quit the band in September 2009, but Monika and Sam are continuing on. We had been variously described as "melodramatic video game music," "moon-man opera," and "gypsy sex metal." It's over now, but I loved being in this band. You can download our EP from Amazon here.
There's an audiobook of The Order of Odd-Fish. It's masterfully read by the Audie award-winning Jessica Almasy, whom I was lucky enough to interview here.
The Brothers Delacorte. I team up with fellow charming and mysterious Delacorte authors Daniel Kraus and Adam Selzer to solve baffling international crimes and taste sophisticated titillatations.
Email: kennedyjames [at] gmail [dot] com
Twitter: @iamjameskennedy

Bentley Holmes-Gull. The designer of this web site!
Matt Bird. Screenwriter and guru behind the Cockeyed Caravan blog, a treasure trove of insightful writing advice. I check it daily.
Elizabeth Bird. Children's librarian at the 42nd Street New York Public Library who writes the must-read Fuse #8 blog for the School Library Journal.
Freya Trefonides. My niece, protégée, and terrific writer in her own right.
Jonathan Messinger. Chicago literary man-about-town who runs small press Featherproof Books.
Paul Hornschemeier. Graphic novelist responsible for Mother Come Home, The Three Paradoxes, etc. and artist behind the cover of the Odd-Fish paperback.
John Huston. Otherwise known as Dark Yellow. Reporter, writer, and occasional Neil Gaiman impersonator.
Jessica Hopper. Author of The Girls Guide to Rocking and music critic.
Laini Taylor. Author of the tremendously enjoyable Blackbringer, Silksinger, and Lips Touch.
Amy Alessio. Author, librarian, and teen coordinator at the Schaumburg Township Library in Illinois.
Daniel Kraus. Fellow Brother Delacorte, author of Rotters,, The Monster Variations, and documentarian.
Adam Selzer. Another Brother Delacorte and author of Andrew North Blows Up the World and many other books.
Paul Baxendale. Genius behind the FinderMaker blog. He finds things and makes them into other, better things.
Sensawunda. "Happily Bixxerfouping Since 2009." What? Exactly. Adam Callaway's an up-and-coming writer of the weird and wonderful.
Murphblog. Teacher, writer, drinker of chocolate milk. Also master of the epic five-part interview form (1 2 3 4 5 + 6).
Terry Trueman. He won the Printz, and he'll never let you forget it. He still owes me $134.43.
Margo Gremmler. Writer, SCBWI-er, friend.
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