Sid Fleischman, a statesman of children's literature, died at age 90. I can still remember reading The Abracadabra Kid and thinking, "this is what it takes to be a writer." I heard him speak a few years ago at a NESCBWI conference in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was in his late 80s, but was spry, witty, charming, and regaled the crowd with magic tricks. I will miss him.