A Read and a Re-Read

This weekend I had the opportunity to chat about A HANDFUL OF STARS with a young reader in my acquaintance. She'd added it to her list of summer reads. She liked the length, the story, the characters. I'd read it so long ago, I had to reread parts of it so I could have a halfway intelligent conversation.

 


And then tonight on a delightful walk, I thought about Cynthia Lord and some excellent advice she gave to a roomful of writers a few years ago.

When I went back to my blogpost about that conference (see above for link), it cracked me up. I named no names and kept my details to a minimum. But it was a remarkable event for me and I'm forever indebted to Naomi Milliner (who has just published her first and fabulous middle-grade novel) for setting me up with a critique with the agent who now represents me and has been a friend since that first morning we chatted.  

Some things have a way of working out really well, don't they? How lucky for me!

Cynthia told us to get in touch with feelings from your younger self. To sit and remember. Not necessarily the same, specific event or action or moment that evoked those feelings, but the embarrassment when you wore the wrong dress to a party or your big brother caught you doing something you shouldn't have, or the way your heart ached when your parents split or your grandmother died. Or as my friend Susan recently told me when I reached out with wringing hands to vent about how hard it is to write strong emotions: 
 
 ...the trick is to get in touch with the emotion from our memories. Really in touch, with a time in our lives that recalls the same sort of joy, anger or pain that our characters are experiencing. So in touch that if we need to write pain, we’re willing to hurt all over again to express honesty on the page.

This writing emotion things is harder than it sounds, Cynthia and Susan! 

But I've been thinking about it as I read another book, filled with strong emotions as well as humor. Gary Schmidt is one of my favorite authors. I've loved everything I've written by him. THE WEDNESDAY WARS is one of my favorites. How's this for a first line:

Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junior High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun.
Me.

And now, there's a new middle-grade novel to read and enjoy. 
Have you read this one? 

 

Cricket? (the game not the bug)  A butler?
Really, Mr. Schmidt, where do you get your amazing ideas.
But it's not all candybars and laughs. There are some really sad things happening in Carter Jones's world. 

I've read a lot of interviews with this author. This one, about Writing the Hard Stuff, via SCBWI, says a lot.  

I'm still thinking about what he says concerning the trust he gives his readers:  "... the reader has a lot of work to do to figure out what is going on, and so has to become invested in doing part of the work of the novel."

If you don't know what SCBWI is, and you're even remotely interested in writing for kids, click on the link and check out the website. Those funny initials stand for the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, by the way.

So, it's Monday again. Almost September. 
Hats off to my teacher and librarian friends who are saying goodbye to summer. I so look forward to hearing what you're reading with your students and to seeing the photos of your classrooms and your new libraries and your clever displays to inspire your readers. Enjoy!

 


 

Have a Super Summer!

I am in awe of two teachers who pulled off one of my best ever Skype Q&A sessions on their LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.
(Okay, officially it was Facetime, not Skype, but it worked equally well, if not better than Skype...)

Their students were literally out the door! I mean, who would even attempt this? Two super teachers from Syracuse, that's who.

These same teachers from Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School were the first Skype visit I ever had, way back in spring, 2012. They've shared GLORY BE with their sixth graders and we've Skyped ever since. What a treat.

Today the questions were serious, funny, thoughtful, and challenging. I'm still thinking about the boy who asked if I could change places with one of my characters, what would I do differently. 
Or whether I saw the "times" as the antagonist/ villain. 
And how about that age-old question, asked by every writer: How do you know when your book is finished?  

(See below for more of the questions, just emailed to me.)

I suspect these kids are great readers and I hope they (and their fabulous teachers) and ALL you amazing teachers and librarians out there have a summer filled with books, friends, and maybe even time to write.

(When they asked what I would recommend for their summer reading, I just happened to have these books on the table right next to my computer!)

SUPER QUESTIONS:

After reading Glory Be, I felt that Emma kind of replaced the mom role to Glory.  Did you mean to do that?

What gave you the idea to make JT so mean? 

What made you decide to bring fact and history into your book instead of having it all fiction?

Have you written any other books?

How did Frankie's back story come to life or Who inspired Frankie's back story?

How do you know when your story is the way you want it? 

In the process of making your book how did you give (develop) Glory's personality?

Why did you choose July 4th as Glory's birthday?

How do you organize yourself for your book?

Were you a big fan, like Glory, of the Beatles, Elvis and Nancy Drew?

A Dog's Way Home, and a Giveaway

I'm a sucker for dogs. And I guess that goes for dog books also. But I've just finished Bobbie Pyron's A DOG'S WAY HOME, and I'm here to tell you, you don't have to love a dog to love this book.

I marked way too many passages to quote here, but this is a small sample:





"He could not know the many miles and vast wilderness that lay between him and his home with the girl. A dog does not measure distance in miles or even days. A dog only knows that every footfall, every heartbeat, brings him closer to his heart's desire. Anyone seeing Tam trotting with his easy gait along the side of the road would see a dog going home."

Except that he's not. Not yet.

Tam, the Shetland sheepdog, is about to have the biggest adventure of his young life. The middle-grade novel is told in alternating chapters, Tam and his owner, Abby.  Abby's a great character, too. Without giving away too much-- because this book is filled with heart-stopping worries about both the dog and his girl, here's a bit about Abby. She's in a bus station, all alone, drinking a Coke, which her Mama would never let her have because they eat the enamel off your teeth. But then, of course, her mother appears to bring her home:

"My heart beat in my throat. Sweat popped out on my arms... I was in for it now. I braced myself for the kind of tongue-lashing only Mama could give. Instead, she sat down next to me and took my hand... I looked away. I guess I wasn't such a good liar."

Kathi Appelt, another writer who knows a little about dogs and their stories, says it's a "Triumphant story about faith and hope and never giving up, especially on the ones you love."

And guess what. Today's somebody's lucky day. Just leave me a comment and you could be reading this great novel in no time flat. I'm giving away an AUTOGRAPHED copy of the paperback! I'll keep the giveaway open for a week.

Just what you need to jumpstart your summer reading. Read aloud with your 9 to 12-year-old. Read to share with your classroom next fall.

Read because it's just a terrific dog book. No, just a really good book.

This one will keep you up, turning pages fast. On the beach, in the mountains, on the front porch swing. Dog lovers and all others.

Click here for Bobbie Pyron's website.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Or better yet, just leave me a quick comment and you could be reading it all! The whole book!
Go ahead, you have until Wednesday, June 27th, when I'll get the cute pup across the street to draw the lucky reader out of her dog bowl.

Summer's almost here!

New Jersey, here we come.

I'm packing up and heading north. And the annual debate begins. Just how much can I take and what do I dare leave behind for a few months.

Books I must read. Writing notes. Computer, iPad, all those cords.

Today I'm going through my books. This is what I'm now reading and rereading and cannot be without. Two of those are ARCs, irreplaceable. One is a book I ordered specially for potential character research. I cannot leave these in Florida. No way.

But that's only the beginning. I need my writing files. I need my Junk Poker shoebox, ready for my class visit to Pat's 4th graders. Seriously. That Buster Brown shoebox is valuable. If only to me.

                 And I need summer writing possibilities- more books, notes, character studies!

Already packed in tote bags. But there's more to come... Oh, dear.

(I may have to deep-six the clothes, but I cannot do without my books and my files. That's that.)

Possibly Related Posts:

Leaving New Jersey 

The Splitters

How's your summer reading coming along?

A few days ago-- okay it was a few weeks ago-- a friend asked what I'd recommend for her to read. She had some surprising time on her hands and was looking for something wonderful.  I promised I'd think about it, but I let her down. I never made that list.

Now the summer's halfway over. (Sorry, Sally!)

All I've been reading this summer so far is kids' books. Really good ones.

My friend has kids and she reads to them a lot. But that's not what she wanted.

So instead, I've been thinking about books I WISH I WERE READING. From what others have recommended to me.

And here goes:

1. Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning

Another friend loved it. Here's a bit of what they say about it on Book Page:

... 2005 novel about an American group whose Asian excursion goes horribly, horribly wrong. Reading along as the travelers experience increasingly alarming misadventures will make any bumps in your own travel plans pale by comparison. ..Saving Fish from Drowning was a departure for Tan, and one that struck a discordant note for some of her fans, but I enjoyed every stop on this multicultural itinerary. —Lynn Green, Editor 

2. Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Almost embarrassed to admit I have yet to read this. And it's even downloaded on my Kindle. Oh, dear.

3. Ann Pachett  The State of Wonder

If I had to list a Top 10 Favorite Books of all Time, BEL CANTO would make the cut.

4. Geraldine Brook's Caleb's Crossing.

At least half my reading friends have said this is a terrific summer book.

5.  The list is already overwhelming me just writing it, but I really think I'll like this. It reminds me of my own grandmother's daring and my husband's grandmother's Wyoming adventures.

Nothing Daunted, a new book by Dorothy Wickenden.

6. Come to think of it, I have started my summer reading.

I read Shanghai Girls on an airplane trip because Book Club diva Kathy Patrick interviewed Lisa See about the sequel and it sounded like a perfect summer book. And because it was on my shelf as I dashed out the door to the airport. I liked it enough to read the sequel now.

7. And I'm reading Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. Because I needed a little eccentric in my summer, I also downloaded this one to my Kindle.  I'm actually enjoying it, in a weird and wacky way. 

So I guess I can say I've officially tackled my Summer Reading list. And it's not even August yet.

Hope this helps, Sally and all my friends who've asked. I know it's late- but better July than December? 

Anything that's an absolutely Not To Be Missed book that I've overlooked?

What I'm Reading Now...

I'm contemplating a post about Summer Reading. But really, isn't everybody writing about books doing that this month?

Instead, for now, I'll tell you what I'm reading.  For once, there's not a single kids' book in my stack. That will soon be remedied when I pick up Fanny Billingsly's CHIME later today.

I'm reading three books at once. Which I don't truly recommend. It just happened.

1. John Hart's new thriller/ psychological mystery. IRON HOUSE.
So far, all I can say is Wow. Page turner!

2. BEACH TREES by Karen White.
Set in post-Katrina New Orleans and Biloxi. Enjoying it a lot. About halfway through.


 
3. THE PHANTOM LIMBS OF THE RALLOW SISTERS
Reading this one on my Kindle because I downloaded the beginning for "free" and got hooked. I've just started so not sure whether I'll be recommending it or not, but here's another reviewer's take on it.

The weird thing about Kindle books? You never know what the jacket looks like. So when I googled the book to get that link just now, I see the cover. Do I love it? Hmmm.
Then again, the cover on CHIME made me think I didn't want to read it. Then I read all the raves.

So not putting cover art on my list of ways to choose books.


Related post: Welcome Summer! 
Edgar Awards: John Hart

Welcome Summer!

I hope writing in the summer isn't like that assigned Summer Reading List some of the students in my realm complained about.

In June, they usually looked upon it with enthusiasm, a new project, a clean slate. Titles much discussed, purchased and carefully laid out, perhaps packed in camp trunks. By mid-summer it had barely been tackled, but the goals were still in place. Then, a few weeks from the dreaded deadline, a sudden push to complete the requirements: three books read in a week!

Actually, most of the readers in my world, myself included, loved nothing better than to curl up with a good book. It was just the required reading of Silas Marner we dreaded.

So with that in mind, I tackle my summer writing project, vowing it will be more Gone With the Wind than Robinson Crusoe (never a favorite of mine). At least in my enthusiasm to embrace it!

Do you have summer writing goals? Or is summer just another season, with more diversions? Is your stack of Writing Books To Read handy? Ready with pristine notebooks to embrace a new idea? Write away! And here's hoping you find a nice hammock, a cool upper bunk, a big shade tree while you're at it.