Laura's Bookshelf: PAPER WISHES

Happy Poetry Friday. We are Broadway bound this week!

The *STAR*
of this week's Poetry Friday production
is Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

One of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other children's and YA authors in the class of 2016. We’ve had a great time sharing each other’s Advanced Reader’s Copies (ARCs). Among my favorite books so far is the historical middle grade novel PAPER WISHES, by Lois Sepahban.

PAPER WISHES is available for pre-order.

“What does a historical middle grade novel have to do with Broadway?” you may ask. I shall reveal all.

I read Lois’s book in September. It is the story of Manami, whose family is forced to relocate to a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Manami focuses much of her grief on the loss of her dog, Yujiin, whom she feels guilty about leaving behind. The dusty camp and prison-like living conditions physically and psychologically cause Manami to stop speaking. 

I found this character’s spare first-person voice to be poetic and deeply moving -- her halting inner monologue reflects Manami’s reluctance to speak out loud about her pain and fears. PAPER WISHES is a beautiful book about a dark period in American history.

Not long after I finished PAPER WISHES, my friend and fellow musical theater lover Timanda Wertz and I had tickets to see a new musical in New York City. ALLEGIANCE is about ... a Japanese American family that is relocated to a World War II era internment camp. 

I have been following this show’s journey to Broadway for several years. It is the creative brainchild of actor George Takei, whose family was relocated to an internment camp when he was five. (Read about it in this NY Times article.) Takei is one of the stars of the show.

What serendipity to have Lois' wonderful book fresh in my mind when Timanda and I went to see this play. I nearly flipped out: the first big number is about writing wishes on slips of paper and releasing them into the wind! There were so many echoes between Manami’s story and this big Broadway musical: the connection to family, people making gardens and growing their own food in the camps, and how baseball became an outlet for young people there.

We had a great trip to New York, I finally met my editor and, for the first time in my life, I waited outside the backstage door for autographs.

PAPER WISHES is available in January. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A moving debut novel about a girl whose family is relocated to a Japanese internment camp during World War II--and the dog she has to leave behind.

Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family's life on Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It's 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but even worse is that they are going to have to give her dog, Yujiin, to a neighbor to take care of. Manami decides to sneak Yujiin under her coat, but she is caught and forced to abandon him. She is devastated but clings to the hope that somehow Yujiin will find his way to the camp and make her family whole again. It isn't until she finds a way to let go of her guilt that Manami can accept all that has happened to her family. 

PAPER WISHES is a middle grade novel, appropriate for third grade through middle school. Younger children may enjoy it as a read aloud. Either way, be prepared to answer a lot of questions.

In this time, when our country is debating the definition of citizenship and whether we have enough empathy for war victims to provide them refuge, PAPER WISHES is an important book to read with children.

Who will like it?

• History buffs.
• Readers who are interested in (or living) bi-cultural or first generation experiences.
• Kids who will recognize the strong bond Manami has with her grandfather.
• Groups who want a safe platform for discussing a complicated moral issue like xenophobia.

What will readers learn about?

• What it was like to live in a Japanese internment camp. 
• How to cope with loss, grief, and racism.
• Hope is possible, even in the most difficult circumstances.

The poem I'm pairing with PAPER WISHES isn’t officially a poem. Instead, here are the opening lines from the song “Gaman,” which is featured in ALLEGIANCE.

“Gaman” from Allegiance

Words and Music by Jay Kuo

Gaman is a word to be spoken and heard

In this place where each face tells a story of pain.

Gaman we must say as we get through each day

We will bear any nightmare with a simple refrain.

Gaman. Gaman. Sturdy and sure. Keep faith and endure.

Gaman. Gaman. Hold your head high. Carry on. Gaman.

Learn more about the Japanese word “Gaman,” and listen to amazing Lea Salonga singing the song (<3 and="" has="" history.="" in="" insights="" into="" lea="" moment="" musical="" nbsp="" o:p="" salonga="" she="" some="" the="" this="" u.s.="" video.="" wonderful="">

Guest Post for 9/11: Talking MG and Loss with Kerry O'Malley Cerra

Coping with loss is a difficult issue in middle grade. Critics have asked: Do 8 to 12-year-olds really need another book about losing a beloved pet? A parent? (Check out this Dead Parent Society of Middle Grade page on Goodreads.) But these books can be powerful reflections for young readers, providing guidance and a model for how to survive grief.

In the shadow of yesterday's 9/11 anniversary, I'd like to welcome middle grade author Kerry O'Malley Cerra to Author Amok. Kerry is guest posting, courtesy of the Bookish Babes blog.

The Thing about Loss and Middle School Kids…

By: Kerry O’Malley Cerra- Author of the middle-grade book Just a Drop of Water

When I agreed to write an article focusing on grief and loss in the middle school years, I was excited. Then I sat down to write it and wondered what I’d gotten myself into. Kids—like all people—are complex creatures, but throw in hormones and bewilderment of where they fit in with the world and any parent will confirm that it can be a touchy three to four year span. Suffering a loss during these already emotional years can escalate a pre-teen’s grief exponentially.

I’ve heard the phrase, “Kids are resilient,” more times than I can possibly count. As a former educator, the words were sometimes thrown around the teachers’ lounge each time a student-related tragedy occurred. This isn’t to say those teachers were heartless—quite the contrary. They showed genuine anguish right along with the kids. But in the back of the teachers’ minds, they assumed that in the end the kids would bounce back.

This mentality often freaked me out. What if a kid didn’t bounce back? What if one suicide spawned another? What if the loss of a parent, friend, boyfriend, pet, or home made the black hole in a student’s heart deepen until it completely sucked them in? Sadly, I’ve seen it happen.

Loss, especially when encountered during the fragile pre-teen and teen years, can be all-consuming. At an age where a simple change of schools can be traumatic, a loss of life can feel like an insurmountable obstacle in getting back to living. It’s just too big, too heavy, too much for an adolescent to deal with alone.

You see, the thing about grief, in my experience, is that it has only one cure: hope. When things seem like they cannot possible get any worse, hope carries a person through darkness. The thought that someday—even if it’s far down the road—things will eventually get better can be the difference between life and death. A drug addict enters rehab because they have hope that things can get better. A child in despair over the loss of a pet or over a bad breakup eventually gets back to their daily routine, because there is hope that tomorrow it might not hurt as much. There’s hope that the grief will dissipate over time.

I researched many hours trying to find a middle-grade book in which the main character—despite some sort of loss or experiencing some form of grief—didn’t bounce back by the end. While I did find a few young adult books like this, and I did find some open-ended middle grade books, I didn’t find a single one that left the main character completely broken. Even the legendary, heart-wrenching books Old Yeller and Bridge to Terabithia take a slight turn for the positive at the very end. In the former, Travis eventually adopts one of Old Yeller’s puppies and names it Young Yeller. In the latter, Jesse, though distraught over the loss of his friend Leslie, manages to build a bridge for himself and his sister to cross over to Terabithia safely. Both of these books provide a hopeful ending. It seems that all middle-grade novels do. And, I began to wonder why. At first it seemed too neat. Too unrealistic. I had, after all, seen kids whose happy endings never came.

But it hit me that books for this age group have a job…to give hope. A kid who is experiencing a traumatic event doesn’t need to read a story with a depressing ending. They need to root for the characters’ lives to get better so they, themselves, will have hope for the same outcome. This is probably why I love middle-grade so much. It’s probably why I’ve felt compelled to write for kids this age. With their whole lives still ahead, the world is theirs for the taking, and with hope, they have a chance to make of it what they want.

And on that note, I want to share some of my favorite middle-grade novels that deal with themes of loss.

Loss of a loved one:

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Loss of a lifestyle and/or home:

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez

Chained by Lynne Kelly

Shooting Kabul by NH Senzai

Loss of childhood innocence (forced to see the world in a new way):

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

Nature Girl by Jane Kelley

Loss of friends:

Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall

Pack of Dorks by Beth Vrabel

Personal, physical loss:

El Deafo by Cece Bell

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Thank you for a thoughtful post, Kerry. These books are great resources.

Kerry O'Malley Cerra is the author of the award-winning, middle-grade novel Just a Drop of Water. 

Find it on Indiebound.

Inspired by a deeply personal experience following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, this book has won a Florida State Book Award, the Crystal Kite Award, made the Maine state reading list, and was named to VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction for Middle Readers’ 2014 list. Though she'll always consider Philly her home, she currently lives in Florida with her husband, kids, and three poorly behaved dogs.

Let's close with the trailer for Kerry's book, Just a Drop of Water.

Jack Strong Takes a Stand

Hello, Writerly Friends.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from book marketer Susan Raab. The first line was:

Raising tween boys is a challenge. Humor helps. Best is when you can illustrate the possible error of their ways.

My guy has graduated from 'tween to full on, learning-to-drive, tight-lipped teenager. Which is why this logline was so appealing. Raising tween boys is a challenge. Was I ready to laugh about it? Yes, I was.

Boy, did Susan know her audience.

The email wasn't about a parenting or self-help (or "Help, I'm losing myself to parenting!") book. It was for a new middle grade novel, JACK STRONG TAKES A STAND, "About a teen who stages an on-couch sit-in (and school boycott) rather than let his parents subject him to any more unwanted activities." Hmm.

Read more about Jack at the MacMillan website.

As a  newly minted educational consultant, have I seen parents who overschedule their kids in the name of getting into a good college? Does a dog have fleas?

Thanks to Susan for sending me a copy of JACK STRONG, by Tommy Greenwald for review.

Jack Strong is an upper-middle class, suburban middle schooler. He has a crush on Cathy Billows, is awesome at cello, and less-than-awesome at baseball. But those are just the things Jack cares about. Jack's eyes-on-the-prize father is looking ahead to college. Dad thinks loading Jack up with community service, Chinese classes and test-prep tutors is the ticket to getting in to a good school.

Writerly friends, Jack has a clearly defined problem, which makes for an appealing protagonist. Jack's schedule a little bit over the top, but I don't think middle grade readers will mind the hyperbole. It makes the situation funnier.

Jack's packed schedule opens the book.
Illustrated by Melissa Mendes.

Even when Jack's little league team wins the local World Series, his father makes him skip the celebration. Tennis lessons are more important, right? Wrong. Jack decides to stage a sit-in, camping out on the family couch until he's allowed to quit everything but cello and baseball. Drama ensues.

You'll get the point from Tommy Greenwald's book trailer:



Okay, so you may know a family like Jack's. Especially if you live in an upper middle class suburb. But I'm here to say two things to the Mr. Strongs of the world:

1. Well rounded is out. Passionate is in.

True statement.

Even when I was teaching high school 15 YEARS AGO, we had a top student -- a Julliard violinist -- who was rejected by an Ivy school. Why? They said she was "over packaged." This means that the girl's schedule had been carefully, and too-obviously (according to the admissions office), constructed to make her look like an appealing college candidate. She was charming and bright, but that was overshadowed by the uber-student persona on her application. 

What I'm hearing from admissions counselors now is this: high schoolers should follow Jack Strong's lead. Colleges are looking for depth. They want kids who are passionate about one or two things.

My guy is all-tech, all the time. He could use some exercise, but he'd rather add the Cyber Security team to his schedule than make time to play Ultimate Frisbee. The schools that find my teen's focus appealing, rather than limiting, are exactly the kinds of colleges where  he'll feel most comfortable.

Which leads me to...

2. Getting into college is not like American Idol.

That's right. Getting into college is neither a competition, nor a popularity contest. There are something like 4,500 colleges in the United States. Chances are, there are a lot of really fabulous schools you have never heard of. One of them could be the perfect fit for your 'tween (if you're starting early, like Mr. Strong), or teen.

And fit is what it's all about. You'll hear this from guidance counselors, admissions officers, and educational consultants like me. Would you wear a Prada coat that made your hips look enormous? Me neither. The same goes for schools.

Take the time to look past name brands. Are the students at school X people your child would feel comfortable hanging around with? Are most of the classes big lecture halls, or small enough that students get to know the faculty? How's the food? The dorms? (Swarthmore's dorms have co-ed bathrooms. No joke. Are you comfortable with that?)

For kids, JACK STRONG TAKES A STAND is all about standing up for yourself. A kid should be a kid, gosh darn it! A little Xbox and a few rounds of Gin Rummy with Nana make for great downtime. The book is funny and sweet, and Jack is inspiring without being angelic.

For parents, I see JACK STRONG as a cautionary tale. Is your middle schooler involved in six different, unrelated activities? It may be time for a heart to heart. Which activities does the 'tween really dig, and which ones are starting to feel like a chore? What's negotiable (e.g. I chip in and help my kids with laundry if they have stacks of homework), and what's not (most high schools require community service.) Now is a great time to open up a dialogue.

Meanwhile, here are some couches I wouldn't mind camping out on if I ever went on strike:

Jack could store his music, Chinese notes, and baseball schedule in this couch.
www.unclutterer.com

www.freshome.com

www.designswan.com
Does this one look too much like a certain famous ogre?

www.trendhunter.com
Maybe if the couch was shaped a little less like a book shelf.

At the Baltimore Book Festival with Middle Grade Author Elissa Brent Weissman

Fellow authors, how would we survive without our writerly friends? From helpful manuscript feedback, to hand holding when a rejection arrives, to bringing you octopus cupcakes on your birthday, we all rely on our author buddies.

Octopus cupcakes created by my writer
friend Barb Dell and her daughter.

That's why I love literary events. They are a chance to hang out with the writing community. At festivals like CityLit in Baltimore, or a local SCBWI conference, I love putting mom stuff aside for a few hours and focusing on WRITING with friends who share my love of all things word. Expanding my literary circle with new friends is pretty awesome too. Especially when it's people like novelist James McBride, who I had a lovely chat with at this weekend's Baltimore Book Festival.

One of my newest literary buddies is middle grade novelist Elissa Brent Weissman.

I think I picked her up (using that favorite pick-up line of writers everywhere, "So, what do you write?") in an elevator last April when we were both speaking at CityLit Festival. We agreed to stay in touch. Finally, over the summer, Elissa and I met for coffee. She has four books out. Right now, I'm reading Nerd Camp, which is so much fun.

Elissa is visiting Author Amok today with a post about the Baltimore Book Festival. The three-day festival was this past weekend.

One of the highlights for me is always the Children's Bookstore Stage. I've taken my children to see favorite authors Tom Angleberger, Libba Bray, and Michael Buckley in past years. But what's it like to be *on* the stage at a big book festival? Elissa reveals all...

On stage at the Baltimore Book Festival.
Elissa Brent Weissman is on the right.

One of my favorite things about writing for children is getting to interact with young readers. If you’ve been to a reading or talk by an author of adult books, with mostly grownups in the audience, you’re probably familiar with the awkward silence that ensues when it comes time for questions from the audience. (I, too, am an adult whose brain gets wiped clean when it comes time to ask questions of authors, even my favorite ones!) But asking a roomful of kids if they have questions makes almost every hand shoot up, and every question is better than the last.

Kids have a natural curiosity but also a naiveté about etiquette-required boundaries, which makes for some shocking, yet refreshingly honest, questions. I’ve been asked how much money I make, how much money I have, and even if I get driven around in a limousine. If adults were to ask me these things, I’d have no trouble being honest in my responses: I don’t make much money, but I have enough to keep writing books anyway, and apart from my senior prom, I drive myself in a station wagon. But with kids, I hesitate. I love that they think of authors as celebrities—not because I want to think of myself as a celebrity (though I’ll admit I once got a rockstar-worthy welcome when I entered a classroom, and it was quite the rush!) but because authors, on the whole, are better role models than a lot of the high-earning, high-spending, limousine-driven celebrities out there. I don’t want to give kids false expectations, but I do want them to consider writing books to be a glamorous and desirable profession.

The authors' limo to the Baltimore Book
Festival must have gotten lost in the woods of Patapsco Valley State Park.

That’s why I was so excited to get an email from a young reader recently with a fantastic question. “Do authors get to hang out with other authors?” she asked. “Published authors, I mean?” I was able to answer with a resounding, enthusiastic, and completely honest YES! In fact, I told her, in addition to interacting with young readers, hanging out with other authors is my other favorite thing about writing for children.

Elissa's first book was a
light look at school politics.

I’m writing this less than 24 hours since I presented on a panel at the Baltimore Book Festival, and I’m still riding high on how much fun it was. I love doing book festivals because the atmosphere is so vibrant. Yesterday, with its perfect weather and all-star lineup, was especially vibrant. There were people everywhere, eating and talking and carrying books. Authors and booksellers and readers were roaming and chatting and hanging out. The Children’s Bookstore tent, where I presented, was packed with kids, parents, and children’s book lovers. (It was nothing, however, compared to the night before, when over 300 people crammed in to see Tomie DaPaola!)

As an author, panel presentations are especially great because having multiple authors increases the odds of a bigger audience. My panel was called “Savvy Girls: 5 Middle Grade Novelists and their Savvy Female Heroines.” I discussed my newest book, The Short Seller—about a twelve-year-old girl who becomes a stock-trading whiz—alongside Elisabeth Dahl (Genie Wishes), Erica Perl (Aces Wild), Shawn K. Stout (Penelope Crumb), and Tracey West (a.k.a. Coco Simon, author of The Cupcake Diaries). 

Elissa's fourth middle grade novel came out this year.

Our panel was moderated by librarian extraordinaire Paula Willey. She was ready with a fun guess-the-quote contest for the kids in the audience (with prizes we’d all brought!), plus some “embarrassing questions” for us, which came as a surprise, but we were all game to answer. (Side note: It’s strange talking on stage at the festival. Even though you have a mic and can see that the audience seems to be listening, the speakers are beyond the stage, so it’s hard to hear yourself over the crowd outside the tent.)

After presenting, we made our way to the tables to sign books and chat one-on-one with the audience. One of the highlights for me was the arrival of a big group of people wearing matching Ins- π-red (“inspired” with the symbol for pi!) shirts and carrying copies of my book Nerd Camp. They were members of a mother-son book club who’d read Nerd Camp, and after I signed all their copies, we had a great discussion about that book.

It’s still hard for me to believe that I’m one of the people on stage; at heart, I’m one of the star-struck fans, giddy with excitement at seeing such talented people in the flesh. And to think that I get to spend time with them, goof around and talk shop, it’s… unbelievable. I’ve done a number of events with three of the “savvy girls” on my panel, so seeing them again was like seeing old friends. I’d never met Tracey West before, but she was lovely and engaging. 

I went to dinner Friday night with some other presenting authors and illustrators—imagine the opportunity to hang out with Natalie Standiford, draw cats with Kevin O’Malley, and chat with Adam Rex! After my panel, I ate a cookie and drank champagne in the beautiful author hospitality mansion (no joke—it’s in an old Mt. Vernon mansion) with good friend Elisabeth Dahl and new friend Jonathan Auxier. In other words, I spent the weekend floating on a cloud.

Writing books is a solitary, even lonely, pursuit. Sharing them at events like this—outside, on a sunny fall day, surrounded by readers and writers—makes all of the time you spend staring at a blank screen or a rejection letter worth it.

So, YES!, I told the young aspiring writer who emailed me. We may not make a ton of money, and we may not have a ton of money, but authors DO get to hang out with other authors, and it’s the most exhilarating, enjoyable, inspiring experience. Better, hands down, than a ride in any limousine.

Elissa (center) goofing with her writerly friends at BBF.

Elissa Brent Weissman is the author of multiple novels for middle grade readers. Nerd Camp won the 2011 Cybils Award for middle grade fiction and was a best summer novel for kids in The Washington Post. (Look for Nerd Camp 2.0 summer 2014!)  Her most recent book, The Short Seller, was a must-read in Girls' Life magazine and was featured on NPR's "Here and Now." Learn more at www.ebweissman.com.

UPDATE -- A NERDY GIVEAWAY!

Those Ins-π-red t-shirts inspired the nerd in me. In honor of Elissa's guest post, I am giving away a hand-knitted Pi Bookmark. Leave a comment by 12 AM on Friday, October 5. I will post the winner on Poetry Friday. Good luck and may the Pi be with you.

UPDATE #1 -- An even NERDIER GIVEAWAY!!

Our guest blogger, Elissa, is sweetening the giveaway pot with a nerdy gift of her own. A comment on this post might win you...(wait for it)... a NERD CAMP t-shirt of your very own.

Thanks, Elissa!

To whet your appetite, here is a totally adorable kid's review of NERD CAMP.

Pitch Madness!

Yowza. It's Pitch Madness today.

Writers started Tweeting their book pitches to agents and editors at 8 AM. By 8:20, I had a message that Twitter was lagging due to traffic.

What is Pitch Madness, you ask? All questions will be answered here: http://brenleedrake.blogspot.com/2013/08/after-madness-twitter-pitch-party-912.html

Zoltar predicts you will be Tweeting in the near future.

I'll be Tweeting my middle grade novel-in-verse pitch for THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY throughout the day. Want to read a sample? There's a poem from the novel at my post on the life-sucking misery that is high school summer reading with a dyslexic child.

What does a 140 character book pitch look like? Here is one of mine:

Popular Ashlie Hawk loses 5^th grade election to lame Save Our School campaign. Her secret: Dad is behind plans to demolish school #pitmad

Don't pitch more than once an hour, though -- that's against Pitch Madness etiquette.

Stop by and check my pitches out. I'm @LauraShovan. Liked my pitch? Here's a synopsis of the novel.

THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY

By Laura Shovan

Fifth grader George Furst must be the only kid in Columbia, Maryland who can’t wait to go back to school. His parents are divorcing and school is the only place that feels normal. But the first day at Emerson Elementary brings news. The building is slated to be torn down in June. Worse still, his teacher, Miss Hill, wants “the last fifth grade” to record their entire year in poems for the school-wide time capsule.

George runs for class president on a “Save Our School” campaign. When Renata (Rennie) Rawlins, the smartest girl in class, and not-quite-a-U.S.-citizen Norah Hassan join George’s ticket, his main opponent is not happy.  Ashlie Hawk thought she’d intimidated all the girls into voting for her. It’s easy to make campaign promises, George learns, but how is the new class president actually going to save Emerson? When George, Rennie, and Norah pass a petition around, Ashlie refuses to sign. “My father is on the Board of Education,” she informs them. “He’s designing the new school.” If Ashlie is playing Board of Ed spy, George’s plan to save Emerson is doomed. Then, on a field trip to D.C.’s Newseum, George’s friends spot a familiar face in a Civil Rights era photograph.  That protestor looks exactly like a picture of Miss Hill, one she keeps on her desk. Their teacher was willing to get arrested for a cause forty years ago, but will she help save their school now?

            With Miss Hill’s guidance, George stages a sit-in at the Board of Education. If the kids in Room 5-H have learned anything this year, it’s that you have to use your voice if you want to be heard. George and his friends refuse to leave unless the Board gives them the floor. Even Ashlie shows up to plead their case to her father. However, the contracts are already signed. It’s too late to save Emerson. George and the fifth grade protestors come up with a compromise. Leave one wall of the old school standing. There, they can store the time capsule, and paint a mural telling future students the story of Emerson’s last fifth grade.

See you tomorrow for Poetry Friday. I'll have an interview with YA novel-in-verse author Holly Thompson. And, AND... I have a copy of her beautiful new book, The Language Inside, to give away!

Summer Reads: A Tale Dark & Grim

If it's made of paper and words, my ten-year-old will read it.

Mystery and fantasy are her favorite genres. She devoured the entire Sisters Grimm series, by Michael Buckley. So I was excited to pick up a book for her at ALA called, A Tale Dark & Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz.

It comes out from Dutton in November. The ARC I picked up is marked "Ages 10 up/ Grades 5 up," but my daughter found it way scary. I'll have to read the book myself to see what bugged her, but I'm guessing this one is more fantasy/horror than fantasy/adventure.

Here's my daughter's feedback:

What was your overall impression of the book?
It's a tie between likes and dislikes. It involved quite a bit of blood and some stuff that people would think very disgusting and horrifying. What I liked about it, though, was that in some parts it was very humorous.

The story in one sentence?
Hansel and Gretel's true creepy life, including adventures like getting their heads cut off and killing a dragon.


Who were your favorite characters and why?
The three ravens can tell the future and they're in a way like narrators. They were cool. I liked that they could tell the future. That was a really neat idea.

What was your favorite part of the story?
When they killed the dragon, I liked that part. I can't tell you about it, because it would ruin the whole book.

What did you like about the cover?
It looks interesting. It's not an every day thing to see two trees with ghoul faces and a girl holding a sword with blood on it.

Would you recommend to a friend? What would you say?
I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody unless they don't get scared by violence and blood and stuff like that. If they're okay with that stuff, I'd say this is a pretty good book for them.

Mom says: You may want to check out another review here, or read the book yourself before handing it to kids on the younger end of 5th grade. You know best what your individual child can handle.

Miss J's Score: Two scoops.

Summer Reading Score Cheat Sheet
Empty Cone – Didn’t like it.
One Scoop – It was okay.
Two Scoops – Pretty good.
Three Scoops – Great book.
Sundae – I want to read the whole series. Now.

News You Can Use

It's been a big week at Author Amok. Let's do some announcements, events and a Poetry Friday sneak peek that you won't want to miss.

Announcements

1) Have you read Laura Miller's review of The Hunger Games in the New Yorker? It's a thoughtful review, not just of Suzanne Collins' series, but of the dystopian genre and why it works for YA readers. Miller's comparison of the Capitol city and the games themselves to the hungers and cruelties of high school is spot on.

One disappointment with the article -- Miller didn't mention The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. My middle schooler ate up the book and its sequel. It's dystopian, but very funny and scathingly satirical (adults run around worrying about "The Emergency" but no one can say what the emergency is or how long it's been in existence). I think Stewart's balance of humor and disaffection is perfect for middle grade.

2) Speaking of Middle Grade, there's a new blog championing MGs. From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors promises can't-find-it-anywhere-else interviews with MG authors, giveaways, fun book lists, and an insight into real kids' opinions about MG books.

3) Not exactly an announcement, but I'm reading Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan. All it took was the flap copy for me to proclaim this is the perfect book for my world history/modern technology/fantasy novel loving almost-eighth grade son. He took one look at the maps and agreed. Now he's bugging me every night, "Are you done? Can I have it?" No -- get your  paws off my book!


Events
1) The Columbia Festival of the Arts kick off this weekend with Bookfest at Lakefest. Stop by the Maryland Writers Association tent on Saturday and say hello. If you get there around 1 PM, I'll be doing a family poetry craft -- Poetry Pops...concrete poems shaped like whirly pops.

2) Steampunk was the talk of last month's Balticon SF/F convention. If you're free June 18, I'm hosting a "Craft & Crit" -- we'll discuss Leviathan while catching up on our craftworks-in-progress. (I'm finishing up my son's socks.) Leave me a comment if you'd like info.

3) June 22 is a big fundraiser for CityLit Project, publisher of my chapbook. I'll be reading from Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone. A $40 ticket buys you dinner, the reading and you're supporting the arts in Baltimore!

Sneak Peek
Tomorrow is Poetry Friday.

I was dismayed and disappointed that the next state on my 50 state tour does not have a poet laureate. You'd think Nevada would join the poetry party. I thought Las Vegas never met a good time it didn't like.

I have soothed my mood by asking a truly fabulous Nevada poet to visit tomorrow...bestselling YA novelist Ellen  Hopkins. She's going to share a poem.

Are you jumping up and down with excitement? Me too!

See you tomorrow.