Monday, December 12, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- Winterling by Sarah Prineas

If you've ever read The Magic Thief trilogy by Sarah Prineas (my blogging friend Myrna Foster reviewed them in October -- at this post), you might be familiar with the story of the changeling girl.  A chance comment by a bookseller in Ohio inspired Sarah Prineas to turn that story into Winterling.  A bookseller!  How cool is that?


Winterling by Sarah Prineas (HarperCollins, January 3, 2012, hardcover, 9780061921049, $16.99, for ages 10 and up).

Source: advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from the publisher):  With her boundless curiosity and spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn't belong.  She hears the call of the wild wood, of the secrets it whispers to her.  But when her grandmother reveals clues about the disappearance of her father and his mystical bond to her mother, Fer begins to unlock secrets about the the parents she never knew.  Led to a reflecting pool that uncovers the Way, Fer finds an enchanting, dangerous land.

In this place cloaked in wonder, where pucks transform from boys to horses, Fer feels a strange magical attachment.  But with her mother gone, everything has spun out of order and evil has imprisoned the place in ice. Now it is up to Fer to face down the powerful Mor, who has cruelly overtaken this world and its people, and discover the legacy she carries within.

Why I liked it:  Gorgeous writing and sure-handed worldbuilding.  The author has a fertile imagination and it shines through.  And though the summary sounds a bit like The Snow Queen, this is very much an original fairy tale.  And amazingly, nearly all the characters are female.  In fact, Fer (short for Jennifer) has to save the puck boy from a nasty fate.  Yay for powerful heroines!

What most impressed me, though, was the lushness of the sensory details.  Nature, both beautiful and terrible, is all important here. Except for a few scenes, this book takes place outside, and you can really feel the icy cold and picture the leaves, the moss, and the pond.  

Have you read any original fairy tales that impressed you?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn

Sheri Larsen at her blog

I'm working extra hours as we zoom toward Christmas, and I still have some shopping, baking, and decorating to do. So I'll be back on January 2nd with the first of several interviews with some of the debut authors of the Class of 2K12!  Enjoy your holiday! And Happy New Year!

Friday, December 9, 2011

I Need a Friend Like This...

According to Alex Palmer at Writers Digest, Harper Lee worked as a reservation clerk at Eastern Airlines for eight years, writing only in her spare time (sound familiar?).  

Then a generous friend gave her a Christmas gift equal to a year’s wages.  The condition?  That she would take a year off and write whatever she wanted.  Harper Lee finished the first draft of To Kill A Mockingbird that year.

Imagine, if you will, what the world would be like without that generous gift...  



Wishing book contracts to all my writer friends this winter!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- Becoming Naomi Leon

Welcome, new followers!  It never ceases to amaze me that I acquire new followers even while I'm on a blogging break.  Thank you!  Speaking of the blogging break... I managed to write more than 4000 words and I'm thisclose to finishing the rough of my second MG novel!  Yay!  Hope you're all accomplishing great things too.





Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan (Scholastic, May 2005, paperback, 9780439269971, $6.99, for ages  9 to 12).

Source: paperback from a friend

Synopsis (from Indiebound): Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for one. Then there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as "nobody special." But according to Gram, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. And with Gram and her little brother, Owen, life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in California is happy and peaceful...until their mother reappears after seven years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover and proclaim who she really is.

Why I liked it:  So many reasons!  The characters are wonderful, the details authentic, the situation heartwrenching. When Naomi and Owen's mother Skyla wants to take only Naomi back, not Owen, you quickly realize just what kind of person Skyla is.  And Naomi will have to learn to speak up if she doesn't want to lose Owen and Gram.  I cheered when Gram makes the decision to take the trailer and head to Mexico to seek the children's long-lost father.  The ending was not at all what I expected, but I found it realistic and satisfying.

This is also a great read for this time of year!  I've never been to Mexico, but after reading this, I'd love to go. I learned a lot about Las Posadas ("the inns"), a nine-day Advent celebration revolving around Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay.  Different families play host each night from December 16 to December 24, and the neighborhood children go from house to house, being turned away until they reach the designated house. There, they are welcomed with food, drink, and pinatas.

Image source


If you're looking for a multi-cultural read for Christmas, look no further.  What middle grade books have you read that revolve around a holiday?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit 
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn

Sunday, November 27, 2011

A winner! And an MMGM message

Yes, we have a winner! 





The recipient of a pre-order of CRACKED by Pennsylvania author K.M Walton is:


COREY SCHWARTZ


Congrats, Corey!  Expect an email from me.  

Thanks to the rest of you for entering, and you can all be winners by buying a copy of CRACKED from your local bookstore on January 3, 2012.  It's coming from Simon Pulse, and my review plus an interview with Kate Walton can be found at this post. I'm thrilled for Kate and excited that in only five weeks you'll all be able to read this amazing book.
_______________________________________

Please Note: If you came to this blog looking for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, I'm taking a blogging break to enjoy some time with my family (and uh, maybe get some writing done).  I'll be back next week.  In the meantime, please visit the following talented people. Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit 
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn

Friday, November 25, 2011

YA Friday giveaway reminder!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

It's your last chance to enter to win a pre-order of a SIGNED hardcover of CRACKED by K.M. Walton! Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm TONIGHT.



Go to this post for more info and to enter.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- I have CABIN FEVER!



Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6: Cabin Fever, by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books, November 15, 2011, Hardcover, 9781419702235, $13.95, ages 8 to 14).

Source: book purchased from store where I work (I own all of these books, believe it or not!)

Synopsis (from Indiebound):

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

Why I liked it:  Okay, okay, I'll admit it!  These books are even funnier than the Origami Yoda books that I raved about last week.  There, I said it.   But tell Yoda, you must not.

Please.

Nothing makes me giggle out loud the way Wimpy Kid books do.  Here's my review from 2009 of the first four books in the series.  In this latest installment, which is more like a series of vignettes than a novel, Greg inexplicably seems as if he's about 9 years old (and I believe he's supposed to be in 8th grade!), because he's still worried about Santa!  But the Santa Scout made me snicker because it's such a great parody of Elf on the Shelf.   My apologies to anyone who loves Elf on the Shelf, but I find it creepy! Creepy, I tell you!  And I'm sure the Santa stuff in Cabin Fever has a great deal to do with the target audience for these books, which apparently is getting younger and younger.  I do have customers buying these for 7 or 8 year olds now.  But it didn't start out that way.

What's making you giggle these days?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit  
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn



Don't forget my latest YA giveaway!  Go to this post for more information and to enter.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Giveaway reminder for a pre-order of CRACKED by K.M. Walton

REMINDER:  My giveaway for a pre-order of a SIGNED hardcover copy of  CRACKED by K.M. Walton is still going on!  Giveaway closes at 11:59 pm EST on Friday, November 25.  Enter HERE for a chance to win!  Kate will be having her launch party at the bookstore where I work in early January, so I will be buying a signed copy to give away.

And even more exciting news:  Kate herself is holding a contest for a live action book trailer for CRACKED.   Go to this post on her blog for more info.  If you know any film students or budding filmmakers, tell them about the contest!  They could win $500 in cash! 




*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Now I'll leave you with a comic that made me laugh out loud, especially since I first saw it the same day I noticed my hometown had already put up their Christmas wreaths on every lamppost.  

That was Monday November 15!! 

Image source

Monday, November 14, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- Darth Paper Strikes Back


Darth Paper Strikes Back, by Tom Angleberger, Amulet Books, August 2011, 9781419700279, $12.95, ages 8 and up.

Source:  book purchased from bookstore

Synopsis (from Indiebound):

The hilarious, clever, and much-anticipated follow-up to the breakout hit, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda!

It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . .


Why I liked it:  Kidding, are you?  HILARIOUS, these books are.  Hmm.  Yes.  HILARIOUS!


If you've never read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, you should run right out and read that first.  Darth Paper works best as a sequel to that first book.  But both stand out as very funny books more for boys, though girls can certainly enjoy them too. They're all about life in middle school.  Classes, teachers, cafeteria food,  humiliating school dances, the whole bit.  Specifically, the conflict here is whether or not Origami Yoda is real, or it was just Dwight saying all those wise things that helped so many people.  The books even include helpful instructions on how to fold your own origami Yoda or Darth.

As a bookseller, I can tell you I've hand sold zillions of these books, especially to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid who are looking for something else in the same vein.  The pages of Darth Paper look like crumpled notebook pages (you find out why eventually), complete with handwritten notes and little drawings.  These books are perfect for Star Wars fans, especially anyone who's ever pretended to talk like Yoda or Darth Vader.  C'mon, admit it.  You've done this.  At least once. 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit  
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn


Remember my YA giveaway for a pre-order of CRACKED by K.M. Walton!  Go to this post to enter.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Winners! And YA Friday, Pennsylvania authors Part Four -- CRACKED by K.M. Walton

 First, I must announce the winners:

The winner of the signed hardcover copy of Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King is


 DONNA GAMBALE


The winner of the signed hardcover copy of Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck is:

NATALIE AGUIRRE
  
Congratulations! Expect an email from me asking for your mailing address.

____________________________________________________

(If you didn't win, never fear.  Today's YA Friday will also include a giveaway!)


CRACKED by K.M. Walton  (Simon Pulse, 9781442434424, January 3, 2012, $16.99, for ages 14 and up)


Source: advanced reading copy from publisher (Thanks to my awesome sales rep, Tim Hepp)

Synopsis (from the publisher):  Victor hates his life.  He's relentlessly bulled at school and his parents ridicule him for not being perfect. He's tired of being weak, so he takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills -- only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor.  He's the opposite of weak.  And he's tired of his grandfather's drunken beatings, so he tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, things go from bad to worse.  Until they discover they just might have something in common: a reason to live.

Why I liked it:   This book made me gasp and cry and laugh.  Bullying is a hot topic right now, and the author alternates between two points of view, the bully and the victim, and somehow manages to make them both sympathetic characters. Victor and Bull quickly became real teens to me, and I was pulled into their double story with a kind of horrified fascination.  I like how K.M. Walton shows that bullies are often bullied themselves, without justifying the bully's actions.  Bull's home life sucks.  But then so does Victor's, even though Victor has everything Bull doesn't have -- money, a nice house, plenty to eat.  What does all that matter when your own parents are distant and uncaring?  

The already fast pace picks up even more when both boys wind up in the same psych ward, with the two storylines converging in an impressive way that made me race to finish the book.  The author has clearly done her research; the details are amazing.  

  
I have two treats for you: an interview with the author and a giveaway of a signed pre-order of the book!  (Remember, it pubs January 3, 2012.)


Kate Walton lives in my hometown (Yes, I'm very lucky! Not only is she an amazing writer, she's also a lovely human being!) and she graciously agreed to an interview.


1) I understand you started out writing picture books. How did you get from there to writing CRACKED, a book for mature teens?

I think the short answer to this question is: life. I was twenty five when I wrote my first picture book and in my first year of teaching second grade. I had yet to experience teaching middle school. Not to say that a twenty-five-year old couldn’t write a novel like CRACKED but, I couldn’t have. I wrote CRACKED after ten years of teaching and working closely with adolescents. Watching them label each other and make assumptions based on appearances or rumors was something I battled against every single day I was in the classroom (even when I taught second grade).  

Also, back when I was twenty-five, there was no burgeoning young adult market of which to speak. I was deep into Danielle Steele and Sydney Sheldon books at that time. Not until many years later when I read Sherman Alexie’s THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY OF A PART TIME INDIAN, Libba Bray’s GOING BOVINE and John Green’s LOOKING FOR ALASKA did I realize that I wanted to try writing a contemporary YA. I didn’t know I could be that real in a young adult book. The books I read growing up were all fine, well and good, but they were filtered through the lens of the adult writer. The main characters in Alexie, Bray, and Green’s books weren’t filtered by anything. They were real. They were authentic. I never once heard the adult author’s voice creeping into those characters.

I wanted to try and write a book like that.


2) Tell us a little about your journey to publication. How did you find your agent? Did you have to query dozens of agents or just a few? And how long did it take your agent to sell your book to Simon & Schuster?

It took 2.4 years to land my wonderful and brilliant agent, Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown Ltd. Even though we’ve been a team now for a little over a year, I still can’t believe I have her as my agent. I guess it’s because I worked my fingers to the bone trying to land an agent and amassed 148 rejections—on three different novels. I gave up one day and even wrote a blog post about it, and then, less than a week later, I got two full requests—one of them from Sarah!

I signed with her in early August 2010 and she sold CRACKED in mid October 2010. I like to think that my years spent querying, learning, taking classes, researching, going to conferences, putting my work online for critique and participating in a crit group made me a better writer, and in turn, made CRACKED the best it could be. I paid my dues on the back end of my journey towards publication, and I’m glad I did because it made the “landing an agent” and “getting a book deal” parts all the sweeter.


3) Those of us who are unpublished hear a lot of scary things about line edits. How much editing did you have to do before your editor was satisfied?

Let me start by saying that I love revising. There’s something about going back into the story, making it better, that gives me a mad case of satisfaction. Also, my editor, the genius otherwise known as Annette Pollert, is one heck of a mind to have on your side. She, hands down, made me a stronger writer.

Her line edits were a mix of genuine compliments, questions and suggestions. Every page of my manuscript had notes and marks on it. I rolled my sleeves up and took it page by page. And sweet mother was I satisfied at the end of the process.

4) To quote "Lost": "The most important part of your life was the time you spent with these people." Do you feel that Victor and Bull are real people? (They seem real to me!) At what point in writing the book did they take over your life and start telling you what to do? How much time would you estimate that you've spent with them over the last few years? And has your family been understanding about it all?

Um, I’m kind of loving that you quoted LOST, which is my favorite show of all time!

Victor and Bull are real to me. They’re living, breathing human beings inside my head. I call them “my boys” or “my people” all the time. They took over their stories from the moment I started writing the novel. See, I’m a pantser, and I honestly don’t know the nitty gritty parts of my novels until I start writing. And when I start writing a book I typically do not stop until I’m finished. The story just sort of flies out of me. It’s weird. CRACKED was exactly like that. I started writing after school let out in the summer of 2009 and had a completed first draft by the end of August.

My husband and sons have been the foundation upon which I write. They believe in me, support me, cheer me on, hug me, wipe my tears, read my work. Love me. The whole process would have been awful without those three in my corner. I also have been loved and supported by many other very important people (I have a rather large corner) my mother, three younger sisters, cousins, in-laws and friends. I’ve been blessed to have layers upon layers of support. It’s quite a parfait.

5) Part of your novel takes place in a psych ward. How did you do the research for that? It must have been intense.

My younger sister is a clinical social worker in a hospital and my cousin is a drug and alcohol counselor. I consulted both of them to make sure my psych ward scenes were accurate and authentic. To be honest, the research wasn’t all that intense. However, the writing of those scenes was intense inside my head. As I said, Victor and Bull were real people, and I knew those moments were going to be raw and painful and exhilarating to write. I hope the reader will be able to feel those same emotions!

6) What's your next novel about? Have you gotten a contract for that yet?

It’s another contemporary YA, and I was recently allowed to share the news that it has in fact sold to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse! Here’s the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement:


CRACKED author K.M. Walton's untitled next novel, in which an overweight teen's life starts spiraling out of control when she is bullied and abused, to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse, by Sarah LaPolla at Curtis Brown.

7) If you could give only one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

I used to give the advice of “never stop writing” but I’ve revised my advice to “write to become a better writer.” I believe there is a huge difference. If all you do is write and write the same way in which you’ve always written, well, then you’re not growing as a writer. How does one hone their craft (and I do mean craft – writing is an art form, one that must be studied)?  Take classes, research the craft, read in the genre in which you write, spend the money to attend writing conferences and get quality critique feedback.

Push yourself every single time you sit down to create something new. 

That's great advice, Kate!  Thanks.  And thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions!

Thank you very much for having me on your blog, Joanne. Your questions were wonderful and thought provoking!


And now for the giveaway!  Kate will be appearing at the bookstore where I work in January, so I will be buying two signed copies, one for me and one to give away!  This one's easy. To win this pre-order, all you need to do is be a follower and leave a comment on this post!  This giveaway is open internationally and will close at 11:59 pm EST on Friday November 25.  You must be at least 14 to enter. Winner will receive the book in January. 

Monday, November 7, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- MAY B. by Caroline Starr Rose

I had something else planned for today, and then Random House surprised me last Wednesday by posting my guest blog post a little earlier than they'd originally scheduled it.  About a month or so ago, they kindly asked me (as a bookseller) to blog about ANY upcoming book in the Random House family I wanted to blog about. And no, I didn't get paid for it!

So for this MMGM, please go to Random Acts of Reading to read my review of MAY B. by Caroline Starr Rose (coming January 10, 2012 from Schwartz & Wade, 9781582463933, $15.99, for ages 8 to 12). 



And in a few weeks, I'll be interviewing Caroline, along with other Apocalypsies!  Stay tuned for that.

Caroline Starr Rose
You can visit Caroline on her website, Caroline by line.  She even has a wonderful new book trailer for MAY B.  Go to this post to see it!



Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog 
Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit  


Don't forget my giveaways!  You have until Wednesday November 9 at 11:59 pm EST.

Enter here to win a signed hardcover copy of 
Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck

Enter here to win a signed hardcover copy of 
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

Friday, November 4, 2011

Giveaway reminder and What I've Read So Far: An "I Dig Reading Challenge" update

I'll be back next Friday with a new YA Friday post of an upcoming book by a local author!  But for today, I'm doing something different.

First, a reminder about my TWO ongoing giveaways:

Enter here to win a signed hardcover copy of
EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. King

Enter here to win a signed hardcover copy of
SECRETS AT SEA by Richard Peck



Now I want to shine a blog spotlight on:


Katharine Owens over at The Insect Collector (isn't that a great title for a blog?) started the I Dig Reading Challenge and I'm here to catch up on the last six (!) months.  (See this post for January through April, books #1 through 43.)  Most of these are ARCs, unless otherwise noted:

Here's what I read in May:
44. Dogsled Dreams -- Terry Lynn Johson (I won the book from Natalie Aguirre)
45. Brimstone Key - Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
46. Liar Society -- Lisa and Laura Roecker
47. Possession -- Elana Johnson
48. Sharks and Boys -- Kristen Tracy
49. The Friendship Doll -- Kirby Larson
50. The Name of the Star -- Maureen Johnson
51. Second Fiddle -- Rosanne Parry (again, won from Natalie!)

(And for those books, I gave money to Philabundance)


Here's what I read in June:
52. Bigger Than a Breadbox -- Laurel Snyder
53. 8th Grade Super Zero -- Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (free copy from the author! Thanks, Bemi!)
54. The Summer I Learned to Fly -- Dana Reinhardt
55. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick -- Van Allsburg, etc
56. Relic Master -- Catherine Fisher
57. Juniper Berry -- Kozlowski
58. The Emerald Atlas -- John Stephens

(I gave money to the Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, for the people in Joplin affected by the devastating tornado)

And in July I read these books:
59. Forever -- Maggie Stiefvater
60. The Centaur's Daughter -- Ellen Jensen Abbott
61. The Help --  Kathryn Stockett (paperback purchased for vacation reading)
62.  a manuscript of a YA novel by one of my CPs
63. City of Lies -- Lian Tanner
64. Cold Kiss -- Amy Garvey

(And I gave money at church to help the people affected by the drought in East Africa)


In August I read:
65. The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- Muriel Barberry (paperback purchased for vacation reading)
66. Supernaturally -- Kiersten White
67. Mostly True Story of Jack -- Kelly Barnhill
68. The Future of Us -- Jay Asher/Carolyn Mackler
69. A Need So Beautiful -- Suzanne Young
70. Everybody Sees the Ants -- A. S. King
71. The Fox Inheritance -- Mary Pearson
72. Bad Taste in Boys -- Carrie Harris
73. 13 Gifts -- Wendy Mass

(And I donated to First Book)

Here's what I read in September:
74. Imaginary Girls -- Nova Ren Suma
75. Secrets at Sea -- Richard Peck
76. The Beginning of After -- Jennifer Castle
77. Starstruck -- Cyn Balog
78. Year Without Autumn -- Liz Kessler
79. The Wave -- Todd Strasser (old paperback)
80. Pie -- Sarah Weeks
81. Island's End -- Padma Venkatraman
82. Impulse -- Ellen Hopkins (paperback I purchased)
83. Goliath -- Scott Westerfeld

(I made a donation to the Sunday Breakfast Mission)

And finally, October's reads:
84. Hound Dog True -- Linda Urban
85. Crossed -- Ally Condie
86. Invisible Inkling -- Emily Jenkins
87. Legend -- Marie Lu
88. The Lost Songs -- Caroline B. Cooney
89. May B -- Caroline Starr Rose
90. Cracked -- K.M. Walton
91. Winterling -- Sarah Prineas
92. Under the Never Sky -- Veronica Rossi
93. Darkfall -- Janice Hardy
94. Liesl & Po -- Lauren Oliver
95. Darth Paper Strikes Back -- Tom Angleberger
96. Variant -- Robison Wells

(And I gave to breast cancer research)


See, I'm still keeping a list (as I've done since 2002) of what books I read.  But now I'm doing some good with that list. If you haven't followed The Insect Collector yet, get on over there.  And join the I Dig Reading Challenge. There's no obligation. You can give as much or as little per book as you want.  Even a dollar per book can help someone.  And you don't have to let anyone know how much you're giving.

I think it's safe to say I'll definitely make my goal of 100 books read in 2011.  Do you have a reading goal? How many books have you read so far this year?

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NaNoFiMo anyone??

No, that's not a typo.

And it doesn't stand for Fie-on-you, National Novel Writing Month!  It's for those of us who are already in the middle of a rough draft of a novel to try to FINISH it!  See Shelley Moore Thomas's very funny post about that here.

My son and a zillion other people are participating in the lunacy that is NaNoWriMo (Yay, Eric!  You can do it!!  Here's a link to Eric's NaNo page for anyone who wants to cheer him on or see what his book is about).  Good luck to you all.

Tara Lazar over at Writing For Kids (While Raising Them) and thousands of picture book writers are happily coming up with new ideas every day for PiBoIdMo.  I participated last year and dreamed up 34 shiny new ideas.

There's already a NaNoEdMo and a NaNoRevisMo.  And probably a bunch of others I've never heard of.

Why not a month for finishing a novel you've already started?  Who's with us?  No formal sign-up here.  Just do it.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - A Ghost Story that's not just for Halloween! AND pics of Richard Peck visit AND a giveaway!

Whew!  That's a lot to pack into a blog post.  But I'll try to do it all as briefly as possible so you can get on with your day.  Oh, and Happy Halloween.  Feels more like December here in the Northeast US!  Hope y'all didn't lose power.

First, the MMGM feature:  LIESL & PO by Lauren Oliver, illustrated by Kei Acedera (9780062014511, HarperCollins, October 2011, for ages 8 to 12).



Source: advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from Indiebound): Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.  

Why I liked it:  The writing is gorgeous (which one would expect from Lauren Oliver); the language is luminous and lovely.  And the story is moving.  It reads like a fable or an original fairy tale (the plot hinges on several amazing coincidences). And despite the gloominess of the subject, there is quite a bit of humor. This is a very unusual ghost story because it's more about loss and grief and finding unexpected friendships than about scaring the reader.  In fact, Po is my favorite character.  It's nearly impossible to say much more about this book without spoiling the plot.  Just go read it!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger (and if you haven't congratulated her yet on her amazing book deal, hop on over there). Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming (and go congratulate her on her agent!)
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog 


NOW...

 ...for part two of this post.  If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I'm a bookseller as well as a writer, and last Monday evening Richard Peck visited the store to sign his new novel Secrets at Sea. He was charming and personable and a true gentleman. His speech was funny and entertaining.

And yes he did talk quite a bit about writing.  He didn't start writing until he was 37 (which made writer Kim Wheedleton very happy).  He writes a book a year and has written 40 of them.  And believe it or not, he still writes all his books on an electric typewriter.  Richard said, "It has to look like a book" right from the beginning.  He writes each page six times, then when he thinks it's just right, "I take out another 20 words," because you can always take out 20 words.

The cure for writers' block, according to Richard Peck, is to just "stay at the desk."  He used to think he needed to go for a run, but that didn't solve it.   He also said writers should read the newspaper, because that's where a lot of his ideas come from. In fact, he spoke at length about Three Quarters Dead, his most recent YA novel (which creeped me out) and he said he got the idea from a news story about five teenagers who died in a car accident because the driver was texting.  You can imagine what he thinks about technology!  He also admitted he couldn't write it at night because it was too scary!

There aren't many quotes here because I didn't have a chance to take notes. When I'm in charge of a signing, I'm in full bookseller mode.  I'm there to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the author and the audience are comfortable and happy.  (And if you're a writer and you're reading this post, I'll be that way when YOU get a book published and come to the store!)

He took the time to answer audience questions and then signed as many books as people wanted signed (some had heavy bags full!).  Here are a few pics (and thanks to Michael Gettel-Gilmartin for reminding me to take a camera).

After I introduced him, Mr. Peck started out behind the mic:


But then he quickly decided he didn't care for that, because he wanted to get close to his audience (which was a nice mix of excited kids and adult writers and teachers).





 Afterward, he signed tons of books and posed for photos:



And when all the customers had left, he gladly posed with me:



So, as a reward for reading this far and looking at my (*cough*) awesome pics, you get to enter a giveaway!  I have one SIGNED hardcover copy of Secrets at Sea (here's my review) to give away!

That means for the first time I will have two giveaways going on at once: this one for MG fans, and one for YA fans (see this post from Friday about A.S. King and Everybody Sees the Ants).

If you'd like to enter to win the signed copy of Secrets at Sea, simply be a follower and leave a comment. All ages may enter.  International entries welcome.  This giveaway will close at 11:59 pm EST Wednesday November 9, 2011.

Good luck!

Friday, October 28, 2011

YA Friday -- Pennsylvania authors edition, Part Three! EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. King -- plus a GIVEAWAY!

Yes, you read that very long title correctly.  There will be a GIVEAWAY of a SIGNED hardcover copy of Everybody Sees the Ants.  But first, the review:



Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (Little, Brown, 9780316129282, October 2011, $17.99, ages 15 and up).

Source: advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from the publisher and Indiebound):  Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Why I liked it: This book blew me away.

I had no idea you could do things like this in a YA novel.  Or that a YA novel could encompass so many themes (bullying, war, the effects of torture, the long suffering of MIA families, feminism, family issues) and especially that they could all mesh so well. A.S. King is an amazing writer. But the best part of this novel is the character of Lucky.  He's totally believable and real, and despite all the crap that he's been through, he stays positive and utterly likeable. 

Oh, and it's funny.  Really.

There are three things I especially love about this novel that aren't mentioned in the publisher's synopsis at all (you can only fit so much into a synopsis):

1) The character of Ginny and what she does with her hair.  Yes!
2) The touch of magical realism when Lucky brings something back from each dream.  
3) Lucky's unusual coping mechanism of seeing ants.  When the ants gave Lucky a standing ovation, I laughed, I cried, I cheered.  For a book that tackles some very tough issues, this is one amazingly uplifting tale.

Yes, A.S. King (also known as Amy) lives in Pennsylvania.  In fact, she's been to the bookstore where I work at least three times now.  Most recently, we even sat down and talked together, while she ate red beans and rice and I, um, didn't.  She graciously agreed to answer a few questions for me.



1) You have stated that EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS is not a book about bullying so much as an anti-war novel. Which anti-war novels have influenced you the most?  

Well, I didn’t mean to say it wasn’t at all about bullying. It certainly is a book about bullying, but for me, when I step back from it, it’s a book about torture and how our society has an absurd habit of ignoring everyday torture instead of trying to do something about it. My favorite anti-war novels are Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

2)  Oh, I love Slaughterhouse Five!  One of my favorites of all time.  Amy, the jungle dream sequences in your book provide some intense and moving moments between Lucky and his Granddad Harry. How did you come up with this storyline?  

Coming up with this idea was no different than coming up with any other book idea for me. I’m inspired by the non-fiction I read and the Vietnam War is something that has always fascinated me. Then, when I started to learn about the National League of POW/MIA Families, I was blown away by what those families go through. When I started to write Lucky, a boy who felt emotionally abandoned by his own father, I realized that he knew more about how to help his father, Vic, than Vic himself did—and that was why he turned to Granddad Harry in his dreams.

3) What made you think of using the ants as Lucky's coping mechanism? Why ants instead of, say, spiders? Or birds? Or dragons? 

 I help run my community swimming pool and ants are one of those things that show up at a swimming pool. They’re not there a lot…but if you drop a French fry, give it an hour and there will be ants. Since Lucky started seeing the ants as he was beaten at ground level at the pool, the ants appeared and were his friends from that moment forward. Also, there are no dragons at my pool.

4) Oh, very funny, Amy!  What advice would you give aspiring writers, especially those struggling to publish young adult novels?
 

I’m horrible at advice because many writers want so many different things from their efforts, so I’ll offer this. Write well. Try your best to write well. Write a lot. And try to keep the writing separate from the publishing. The first question I got this week from a room full of 5th graders at the New York Public Library was, “Are you rich?’
I shook my head no and said, “I am not even close to rich.”
To which they answered, “How old are you?”
And I said “How old do you think I am?”
And they all called out numbers that started with twenty to make me feel better about not being rich. Anyway, it played well for me 30 minutes later when I asked them, “So, since you know I’m not rich, then why do you think I do this?”
All of them got the answer on the first try. “You like it.”
I said, “I love it. I’d do it 12 hours a day every day if I could.”
As hokey as that sounds, it’s the best advice I can give anyone about writing. Love it.

5)  That's wonderful advice.  Thanks, Amy!  Now... tell us your favorite guilty pleasure. C'mon. Please??
 

This is such an impossible question for me. I rarely do things that make me feel guilty in that way that a guilty pleasure does. I’m really not trying to be difficult.  So, okay, I feel guilty when I eat more than one bowl of tortilla chips at night. That’s it. I don’t buy anything that makes me feel guilty. The only other thing I do that makes me feel guilty is work too much because I don’t see my family enough. So I don’t think that counts and we’re back to tortilla chips. We could call the answer to this question “Confessions of a Boring Tortilla-chip Eating Nerd.”

Thank you for having me on the blog, Joanne! And for your years of support. I am grateful more than you know!

Thank you, Amy!  It was a pleasure having you at the store.

And now...

(drum roll, please)

 I have a SIGNED hardcover copy of Everybody Sees the Ants to give away!  This giveaway is open internationally.  You must be at least 15 to enter.   Giveaway ends Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59 PM EST.  To enter, simply be a follower and comment on this post.  

Extra point for tweeting!   But please let me know (I'm @booksnbrains).  

Another extra point for mentioning on your blog.  

Another extra point for mentioning on Facebook (yeah, I'm on there too - and go play Gardentopia while you're at it -- I know the designer).  

Good luck!  Has anyone read any of A.S. King's other novels?  Here's my review of Please Ignore Vera Dietz, which went on to win a Printz Honor award.  

(*coughs*)  Attention, everyone:

I'm sticking my neck out and predicting that Everybody Sees the Ants will also win at least a Printz Honor. What book do you think will win?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- Richard Peck (again!)

In honor of Richard Peck's visit to the bookstore tonight (!) to sign Secrets at Sea (see my review here), I'm presenting a brief retrospective of some of his middle grade books, with blurbs courtesy of Indiebound.  (And my apologies to anyone who saw an unfinished version of this on Friday -- for the first time in my blogging life, I hit "publish" when I meant to hit "preview.")

Richard Peck has written more than thirty novels and won every award you can think of. He's the first children’s author to have received a National Humanities Medal.  What follows is just a sampling of his middle grade books:



Each summer over the nine years of the Depression, Joey and his sister Mary Alice--two city slickers from Chicago--make their annual summer visit to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town. Soon enough, they find it's far from sleepy and Grandma is far from your typical grandmother.

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Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.


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Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town and futures with the twentieth century. And motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee's life upside down. Here Lies the Librarian, with its quirky characters, folksy setting, classic cars, and hilariously larger-than-life moments, is vintage Richard Peck--an offbeat, deliciously wicked comedy that is also unexpectedly moving.
   _______________________________________________________


One of the most adored characters in children's literature is the eccentric, forceful, bighearted Grandma Dowdel, star of the Newbery Award-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn't over. It's now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel: a minister and his wife and kids. Soon Mrs. Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them, and they will quickly discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.  (Here's my review from November 2009.)

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Thirteen-year-old Rosie Beckett has never strayed further from her family's farm than a horse can pull a cart. Then a letter from her Aunt Euterpe arrives, and everything changes. It's 1893, the year of the World's Columbian Exposition-the "wonder of the age"-a.k.a. the Chicago World's Fair. Aunt Euterpe is inviting the Becketts to come for a visit and go to the fair! Award-winning author Richard Peck's fresh, realistic, and fun-filled writing truly brings the World's Fair-and Rosie and her family-to life.

_______________________________________



Blossom Culp is the outspoken outcast of Bluff City, always getting into trouble. No one wants to cross her, especially now that she's revealed that she can see the Unseen. Then Blossom herself is stunned, because her lie turns out to be truth. She actually does have second sight . . . and she is "on board" the sinking Titanic.
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When Alexander notices an eerie light out in the barn, he thinks his friend Blossom Culp is trying to spook him. But one night, Alexander comes face to face with the ghost of a drowned girl who brings a cryptic message. Is there time for Alexander to act on her words?

_________________________________________

Do I have a favorite Richard Peck novel?  That's a tough call.  VOICES AFTER MIDNIGHT (sadly out of print) is my favorite time travel novel.  Ever.  Of the books still in print, I'd have to say A YEAR DOWN YONDER is right up there on my list, but I also adore the Blossom Culp novels.  And what I love about SECRETS AT SEA is the mouse characters, certainly a switch for Mr. Peck. 

If you haven't read any books by Richard Peck, well, get busy!  And if you have, which book is your favorite?  

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger (and if you haven't congratulated her yet on her amazing book deal, hop on over there). Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Sherrie Petersen at Write About Now 
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at Novel and Nouveau
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty
Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads
Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist
Jennifer Rumberger at her blog