Fail once, try twice more. Although NBC’s Constantine may be gone after a graceless one-season bow, DC Comics is continuing their partnership with the rainbow peacock in an attempt to solidify their domination of superheroes on network television. They’ve already announced Lucifer, and today Deadline reported that NBC would be producing a new office comedy with DC called Powerless. […]
Who would you like to see flying through the sky to save the day? In ways big and small we all have someone in our life that is a superhero. To young readers, you yourself may be a hero—a teacher who protects a group of students during a tornado, a librarian who helps you find the perfect book that to turn you a reader…
Have your students and readers tell us about their real-life hero in 500 words or less and they could win a SUPER cool prize: Matthew Cody, the author of Super, Powerless and Villainous will write the winner of this contest into a short story as a SUPER.
Submit real-life superhero stories by December 20th, 2014 to:
Email: [email protected]
Snail Mail: Sadie Trombetta
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Matthew, along with four fantastic ace readers from Knopf Books for Young Readers, will select the winners. The grand prize is the short story and a full set of signed copies of Matthew’s books. Five others will receive signed copies of all of Matthew’s books. As a bonus, any teacher who submits stories from her entire class will be eligible to win a class set of Matt’s books, as well as some select additional titles from Random House. The winner will be selected by January 15th, 2015.
What to read, what to read?
There are a ridiculous number of books out there. It’s beyond intimidating. It is to me, at least. I’m not a particularly fast reader. I linger. I soak in the language and the story. I give up on a lot of books, not because life is short but because some books are damn long. And boring. I read from the bestseller list occasionally, and I check off a few cultural touchstones. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn √ The Fault in Our Stars by John Green √ Life by Keith Richards √ Rin-Tin-Tin by Susan Orlean √ A Song of Fire and Ice Vol. 1-3 by George R.R. Martin √√√ But most of the time, I flounder. I hardly ever know what to read next.
Sometimes I force noble projects upon myself. Read some classic mysteries, try some Booker Prizer winners, delve into some epic poetry from East Timor–you know, that sort of thing. I don’t always enjoy it. So recently I tried a different tack. I decided to go local. By local I mean I focused on books by authors I personally know, have met in my online social media adventures, or have heard about through the gossipy cabals that secretly rule children’s book publishing. I was so glad that I did.
Below I will share some of the engrossing and oft-overlooked middle-grade and young-adult books that I have enjoyed during the last few months. You can find their plot summaries anywhere, so I’ll focus on a few thoughts and feelings these books stirred in me. Perhaps it’ll inspire you to buy one or two for your friends, family or self. I realize this humble post won’t generate tons of sales for the authors, but if I can help at least one of them become a rich and ruthless media mogul with the ability to make and break men with a snap and a whistle, then it’s all worth it. So, without further ado…
The Boneshaker by Kate Milford. I knew of Kate’s book before I knew of her. That cover! A man with fire for hair! Burning fairgrounds! Miscellaneous creepiness! When I met Kate, I had to apologize. “I’ve been meaning to read that book,” I told her. She was kind. She didn’t say, “Well then get to it, Champ! I need more money for bourbon.” (Or perhaps she did say that–details are hazy). In any case, when I did get around to reading the book, I was greeted with an elegant slice of Americana. A headstrong girl learns to ride a very difficult bike while finding time to challenge the devil himself. Automata, demon dolls, guitar pickin’ contests, what’s not to like? The book has received the inevitable comparisons to Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes but I like to look at it as historical fiction run through a hand-cranked nightmare projector. Yes, it’s world building, but it’s also world restoration–wiping the mud off the weird bric-a-brac and giving it new uses. Kate has two companion volumes currently out: the novella The Kairos Mechanism and the just-released The Broken Lands.
Trapped by Michael Northrop. I’ve tossed back a few beers with Michael in my day. A fine lad with a gregarious laugh. He’s also the creator of a remarkably taut and realistic thriller. Growing up in the snowbelt of upstate New York, I know a thing or three about blizzards and the existential yearnings of suburban youth from cloudy communities. I also know more than enough about survival–we did, after all, have a “Survival Unit” in my seventh grade science class. So I can tell you that when Michael traps a bunch of teenagers in a snowbound high school, his details are spot on (n.b. Michael only traps fictional teenagers in snowbound high schools…as far as I know). I was expecting melodrama. What I got was far more surprising. Michael’s latest, Rotten, will be out in the spring and stars a rottweiler named Johnny Rotten. I just hope there’s a “never mind the bullocks”/neutering joke in there.
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. Nova is truly a friend to all writers (as her never-ending and always-fascinating blog series attests) and one of the most dedicated authors of young adult fiction out there. Her lyrical, haunting tale of ghosts and sisterhood and the recklessness of rural youths is unlike anything on the market. In a way, you could call it a romance, but it’s not the girl-meets-swoonworthy-monster-man treacle we’ve all tired of. It’s about the romance of power, of being a big fish in a small pond (or reservoir, in this case). It’s about the twists of love and jealousy that bind together and choke families and small communities. It’s about 350 pages long. Nova’s new novel, 17 & Gone, is on the horizon. I’ve read the first chapter. Beautiful, scary stuff.
The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill. I remember reading a fantastic early review of this book and since Kelly was someone I followed on Twitter, I thought I should check it out. I read the first chapter online and…gulp. This is the brand of middle-grade fiction that most people don’t know exists: dark, risky and intellectual. The set-up seems typical enough: new boy in town, mysteries to uncover. But when the perspectives start shifting and things get botanical and pagany, you realize you’re reading a story about the gnarly roots underneath, and not just the literal type. It’s a modern folk tale, but not in a jokey or revisionist way, which means it has guts to spare (as well as some tree sap). Kelly’s new fairy tale, Iron-Hearted Violet, is also getting great buzz.
The Dead Gentleman by Matthew Cody. Matt and I met when we were both debut authors, in the long ago year of MMIX (I’m pretty sure they only used Roman numerals back then). He told me that he was working on a book inspired by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne and featuring time travel, monsters in the closet and dinosaurs. I was obviously intrigued. When I finally had the chance to read the finished product, I was thrilled to find a yarn that was both pulpy and dripping with Victorian ambiance, a rip-roaring adventure of the old mold. If they make a movie of it, they should resurrect Ray Harryhausen to do the special effects. In case you haven’t heard, Matt’s Super is now out. It’s a sequel to his delightful anti-superhero tale Powerless.
The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith. I don’t know Andrew, but my agent recommended I check out one of his latest. The cover promises some sort of steampunky or sci-fi adventure, along the lines of this or this. But it’s not really like those other books at all (at least I don’t think it is). It’s a psychological horror tale, about how trauma lays waste to our worlds. People are undoubtedly calling it dystopian fiction, but that’s not accurate either. What’s disintegrating here is not society, but the mind. And the book has one of the most spectacularly tense openings of anything I’ve read in years. Andrew’s sequel, Passenger, just hit shelves. Not for the faint of heart or stomach I bet, but riveting I’m sure.
Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder. I’d been meaning to check this one out for a while, ever since I noticed it was being published around the same time as The Only Ones. But I lollygagged, and Laurel beat me to the punch by reading my book first and writing a lovely review of it. So I immediately went out and got a copy of hers. I fired through it in three evenings and found myself nostalgic for my early reading experiences. I was weened on the junior versions of magical realism like The Indian in the Cupboard and Laurel’s book certainly lives up to that tradition. But its real magic is its plainspoken and intimate portrayal of a family falling to pieces and it made me remember what I’ve always truly cared about in fiction: emotion, confusion, difficult questions that don’t always have answers. I’ve never met Laurel, but I’ve learned through her Twitter feed that she’s working on a prequel of sorts. If it’s as poised and well-crafted as this one, I can’t wait to read it. In the meantime, we can all pick up her picture book The Longest Night when it arrives in February, right before Passover.
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. I sat next to Rob at the Collingswood Book Festival in October. He was passing through, on his way north to join his wife for their wedding anniversary, and he only had a couple of hours to meet his fans. He was greeted by an enthusiastic class of local 5th-graders who were reading this debut novel and were desperate for the author’s autograph. He signed a few dozen copies and prepared to hit the road. I trusted the kids’ endorsement, so I also had Rob sign a copy for me as he left. I read the book a few weeks later, by candlelight during the Hurricane Sandy blackout. I understood immediately what made him such a rock-star to these kids (and to their teacher). Rob has written an ideal book for the classroom, a story about a variety of children with conflicting perspectives and motivations, about mistakes, about the importance of forgiveness and understanding. It’s a thoughtful tale and he continues it in his second book, Mr. Terupt Falls Again. Assign this one to your fourth or fifth grade class and you’re sure to have hours of discussions.
So there you have it, my admittedly biased holiday book-buying guide. Each of these novels is available in paperback, so they can be had for less than ten bucks. Stuff a stocking, why don’t you?
SUPER is finally out in stores and to make sure you all buy at least three copies a piece (one to give, one to read, and one to enclose in a hermetically-sealed case for all time) I will be hitting the road this October and November!
October 14th: New York Comic Con - Panel Discussion and signing.
October 18th: Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
October 19th: The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL
October 20th: Illinois School Library Media Association 2012 Conference
October 23rd: Harleysville Books, Harleysville, PA
Nov. 4th: McNally Jackson Books w/ Gotham Writers Workshop, New York, NY
Nov. 15th: RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison CT
Keep checking this site because there are more appearances to come!
Hey, do you know what comes out in just two weeks? Guess? Okay, here’s a hint – SUPER, the sequel to my award-winning novel POWERLESS! (subtle, I’m not)
You can pre-order at your favorite local bookstore, or by following any of the bookstore links on the book page.
And don’t forget, Halloween is right around the corner, and that means millions of trick-or-treaters going from door to door asking you to fill their bags with copies of my books . . .
Don’t ruin a great American tradition!
Here’s the updated list of Cool Things I’m Doing Soon. If you happen to be in any of these areas, please come by and say hello!
Matthew Cody at Charlottesville Day School
Thu. March 22nd, 2012 – 9:00 AM
Matthew Cody visits with CDS elementary and middle school students
Powerless at Albemarle High School
Thu. March 22nd, 2012 – 12:45 PM
Matthew Cody (Powerless and The Dead Gentleman) chats about writing novels and comics with Albemarle High students. Open only to the AHS community.
Matthew Cody at Buford Middle School
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 9:00 AM
Matthew Cody discusses writing about books and comics with Buford students. Open only to the Buford school community.
Matthew Cody at Walton School
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 12:30 PM
Matthew Cody chats with Walton students about his books and comics. Open only to the Walton school community.
Sweet Reads
Fri. March 23rd, 2012 – 6:00 PM
Meet many of the young adult and children’s authors participating in the Festival. Celebrate literacy and literature at the Charlottesville Catholic School! Enjoy a dessert reception and chat with the authors. Open to the public.
Location:
Charlottesville Catholic School
1205 Pen Park Rd
(434) 964-040
Hosted by Charlottesville Catholic School.
Young Adult Fiction: Heroes, Demons & Bad Roommates
Sat. March 24th, 2012 – 2:00 PM
Jenny Hubbard (Paper Covers Rock), Matthew Cody (The Dead Gentleman), Wendy Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu), and Jon Skovron (Misfit). Open to the public.
Featuring:
Matthew Cody, Jenny Hubbard, Wendy Wan-Long Shang, Jon Skovron, Bella Stander (moderator)
Location:
Village School
215 E High Street
(434)984-4404
The NYC Big Read (I’ll be joining a whole HOST of great authors reading all over NYC)
Thurs. March 29 (Time and Location TBA)
Symposium- The Writer as Time Traveler: Writing the Past While Sitting in the Present
Fri. March 30th, 3:00-3:50 PM
Matthew Cody
Jennifer Donnelly
Leanna Renee Hieber
Suzanne Weyn
moderator: David Levithan
Location: 42nd Street NYPL
April 2-5th, Chicago Schools Tour
These visits are open only to students. Hopefully if you live in the area, I’ll be visiting your school!
April 2nd, A. Vito Martinez Middle School
April 3rd, Jane Adams Middle School
April 4th, Lukancic Middle School
April 5th, Palos Middle School
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I think I liked the concept better when Marvel did it as a book called Damage Control. Based on the first two sentences I was already thinking great The Office with super powers and then I read that description under the picture. I guess we will see if viewers are into this or not.
I didn’t realize Bendis has taken Powers out of the police precinct and to a DC insurance company.
There was an awesome mini-series that Marvel did a few years back called “Powerless”. Michael Gaydos (Alias, The Black Mask) did some amazing art.
oops, I meant the Black Hood, not the black Mask. sorry
time for THE PRO!
LOL the title is how I’ve felt ever since Dan Didio started ruining all my favorite comics LOL
So DC gets to drink Marvel’s milkshake.
Marvel could have launched Damage Control after the first Avengers movie (a quick blurb at the end, perhaps on a newscast).
Like Six Feet Under, each episode starts with a cameo-battle… say, Hydro-Man battling Frog-Man… causing some collateral damage.
Damage Control then steps in, and that’s the A-Plot for the episode.
Meanwhile, the B-Plot runs the entire season, Each character gets a little development through the season.
Low production cost.
Fans watch and post for the cameos.
Marvel gets to test new characters for future episodes, comics, merchandising, movies…
The general public gets to watch a superhero show which doesn’t involve a lot of background knowledge, and they get to sit with the “cool kids”.
Instead, DC gets to do all that (if the pilot is picked up).
DC is beating the crap out of Marvel on television.
I think we see Marvel television mirroring Warner movies… they want to control everything, keep it all in-house, only on Disney channels.