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Lynn:  Pandas are so familiar to us today that it is hard to realize that in 1934 hardly anyone in the West had ever seen one.  We wait in long queues to see them in zoos, watch them on live cams and the World Wildlife Federation has adopted its image as their symbol.  The fascinating [...]

Lynn: One of the reasons I love to travel is discovering the differences in our world:  sights and sounds, food, architecture, customs, cultures and even the small details of everyday life.  But just as fascinating are the delightful similarities that link us all and sometimes those are some of the best memories of a trip.  [...]

Cindy: The word from France is that the Focus Group loved the visit to Leonardo Da Vinci’s home last week. Here’s the report for those of you interested in traveling vicariously with me: Lynn:  First we mastered the mysteries of the French washing machine and left our laundry spread over two drying racks on the [...]

Cindy: As I said last week, while Lynn is spending the month in France I am soothing my travel lust with literature. To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story (Roaring Brook 2011) is just the ticket! I admire adventurous people and these two young adults spin a good tale about their travels. Casey [...]

Cindy: It sounds like Lynn and the focus group are having enormous fun in France and still keeping up on their reading…They are currently reading The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies, which they love but Lynn says is gorier than she would have guessed. It is a mystery and they are having a LOT of discussion about [...]

Lynn: Cindy and I write Bookends separately, I from my kitchen and Cindy from school or home.  We plan in person or by phone and it works pretty well but we’re adding a new challenge to this arrangement.  I am heading to France for 25 days on a family trip so working remotely is now [...]

Cindy: While Lynn is booking a real trip to Europe this summer, I have to pacify myself with a virtual trip through The Last Little Blue Envelope (HarperTeen 2011).  Those of you who followed Ginny’s European scavenger hunt in the first book, Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, will remember that her backpack was stolen in Greece [...]