Hi, I'm Jen Robinson, and I'm thrilled to be here blogging at Booklights. A bit of background: I'm originally from outside of Boston, but have lived in the San Jose area for the past 9 years. I'm a fan of the Red Sox, chocolate in all forms, and complex television dramas like LOST and 24. I have a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, and I co-own a small software company.

But here's what you really need to know about me: I was a tremendous bookworm as a kid. I would read anywhere - up in a tree, on the roof, on a raft in the middle of the lake - you name it! As I grew older, I never stopped reading whenever I could, and I never stopped reading children's books (though I've been known to also read grown-up titles from time to time, especially mysteries). I think that many of the highest quality titles available today are published as children's books.

I've always felt compelled to share the joy of reading with children. To that end, I started my own blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, in late 2005. I write about children's and young adult books, children's literacy, and raising readers. I'm an active participant in the community of people who blog about these topics, commonly known as the Kidlitosphere, and am the Literacy Evangelist for the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils). Here at Booklights I plan to share children's literacy and Kidlitosphere news and ideas, along with book recommendations. I welcome your feedback!