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A Clatter of Jars is Lisa Graff's follow up to 2013's, A Tangle of Knots. I reviewed A Tangle of Knots in 2013, and declared, "If you read no other middle grade fiction book this year, you will have made a good choice." The magic doesn't wear off in A Clatter of Jars, a deftly woven, magical realism story set in the same world as the preceding book, where many people possess Talents - from the mundane (ability to understand frogs) to the powerful (telekinesis). I particularly enjoyed this story because it features a boy who we may assume has some sort of spectrum disorder, and it has a subtle Lord of the Rings reference.
I often tell kids at the library that it's OK to start with a second book in a series if the first book is unavailable. (I don't like to see them go home empty-handed!) Most authors do a fine job of catching the reader up on prior events. However, because of the rich details of the world Lisa Graff has created, A Clatter of Jars is best read after A Tangle of Knots.
About the Book: The anxiety of finding one’s own place and friends in kindergarten without the comfort of having her fraternal twin sister nearby at first overwhelms Dee until she realizes even without her fraternal twin sister, Dee and her classmates for the most part are in the same boat.
My thoughts:
This is a super cute picture book about two twin sisters, Dee and Deb, who go to kindergarden for the very first time. The story focuses on Dee. She's anxious about being separated from Deb, as they go on their separate classrooms. However, Dee soon finds out that mostly all of the other kids in her class have the same worries she has, and she ends up making a very good friend, soon realizing that she can have other friends besides her twin sister Deb. The little girls are adorable. This is a very simple story written for ages 3-6. If you have twins in your family who are soon attending school, this is the perfect book to read to them and discuss first day jitters and separating issues. Recommended!
About the Author:
About the Author:Multi award-winning children’s author, Donna McDine’s creative side laid dormant for many years until her desire to write sparked in 2007. Her latest release Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters joins the four early reader children’s picture books, A Sandy Grave(January 2014), Powder Monkey (May 2013), Hockey Agony (January 2013) and The Golden Pathway (August 2010) all with Guardian Angel Publishing. Join McDine as her adventures continue as she ignites the curiosity of children through reading. She writes and moms from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI.
written by Claudia Tapper with Geoff Rodkey Little, Brown and Company 4/07/2015 978-0-316-29779-0 236 pages Age 8—12
“This brand-new series by a popular screenwriter is a pitch-perfect, contemporary comedy featuring twelve-year-old fraternal twins, Claudia and Reese, who couldn’t be more different…except in their determination to come out on top in a vicious prank war! But when the competition escalates into an all-out battle that’s fought from the cafeteria of their New York City private school all the way to the fictional universe of an online video game, the twins have to decide if their efforts to destroy each other are worth the price.
“Told as a colorful “oral history” by the twins and their friends, and including photos, screenshots, chat logs, online gaming digital art, and text messages between their clueless parents, The Tapper Twins is a hilariously authentic showcase of what it’s like to be in middle school in our digitally-saturated world.”[publisher]
Review Claudia and Reese, age 12, twins, are at war, with each other. Who started the war depends on whom you ask, Claudia or Reese. They cannot agree on anything. Claudia decides, after the war is over, to document what happened. She writes using all at her disposal, including photos, interviews, online screenshots, and her mostly-absent parents’ phone text messages. I love her description of her and Reese,
“We are, unfortunately, twins. I am twelve years old. Reese is six.”
Reese interjects whenever he can. Like any war, it starts when one side (Reese), accuses the other side (Claudia), of doing something wrong (farting in the sixth-grade cafeteria), which harms others (a few sixth-grade princess sensibilities, many noses, and Jens—Claudia’s secret crush). Embarrassed and angry at such a terrible accusation—she claims innocence—Claudia is out for revenge. The War has begun.
Claudia tries several ways of embarrassing her brother, but Reese does not embarrass easily. Claudia begins by placing a large, dead, stinky fish in Reese’s backpack, but even after several days, and others complaining of the awful smell, Reese doesn’t notice. When he learns of the fish, he fires back. Then Claudia returns his fire, and back-and-forth, until someone is tragically hurt. The fighting is both online and off for some digital-age humor. Claudia also allows others to comment in her “Officially True History of the War between the Trapper Twins (Claudia and Reese).” These interjections into Claudia’s history of war help the story gel into a humorous middle school tale. Readers meet Claudia’s secret Norwegian crush (Jens), the twins’ Upper East Side private school friends, the snobby Princesses, and the twin’s parents.
Rodkey, who wrote the excellent Chronicles of Egg series (reviewed here: bk1, bk2, bk3), knows his readers well and understands how siblings fight. I loved the first book of this new series, which delves into cyberbullying as part of the twins’ fighting. Even though Claudia writes the history, she comes off as the antagonist, rather than the victim she sees herself to be, making it easy to favor Reese. Still, the sibling fighting feels natural, not forced. That the twins are more alike than they believe and never really lose their sibling-love is also true to form. If you have siblings, you just might recognize yourself in either Claudia or Reese.
The Trapper Twins will have readers laughing, happily rolling their eyes, and smiling throughout its witty story. Those who like the Dork series, or the Aldo Zelnick Alphabet Novels (example here), will love The Trapper Twins even more. The Trapper Twins series continues this September with book 2: The Trapper Twins Tear Up New York. The prologue and first chapter are at the back of this book to give you a taste of the next. I cannot wait to continue this series. I love Rodkey’s writing and his wit.
When Beverly Stowe McClure was in eighth grade, her teacher sent her poem “Stars” to the National High School Poetry Association, and she was soon a published writer in Young America Sings, an anthology of Texas high school poetry. Today, Beverly is a cum laude graduate of Midwestern State University with a BSEd degree. For twenty-two years, she taught children to read and write. They taught her patience. She is affectionately known as the “Bug Lady” because she rescues butterflies, moths, walking sticks, and praying mantis from her cats.
Most of the time, you’ll find Beverly in front of her computer, writing the stories little voices in her head tell her. When she’s not writing, she takes long walks and snaps photos of clouds, wild flowers, birds and deer. She also enjoys visiting with her family and teaching a women’s Sunday school class at her church. Her articles have been published in leading children’s magazines. Two of her stories are in CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ANTHOLOGIES, and she has nine novels published, two of them award winning novels at Children’s Literary Classics and other competitions.
A: One summer, on a visit to our son and his wife in South Carolina, we went to Folly Beach, not far from where they lived, to watch the sun rise over the water and lighthouse. It was a beautiful sight. But what caught my attention more than the sunrise was the lighthouse sitting in the middle of the inlet. It was deactivated years ago, but was used during the Civil War. A lighthouse must have a ghost, right? My mind started chasing different scenarios as to who the ghost was and why he was a ghost. What kept him from finding rest? A blockade runner worked nicely, since the ships came into the harbor bringing supplies to the city. Other ideas popped up, too. Pirates were quite active in the area although in earlier years. But, if they were ghosts they could have been around for years. So I added a couple of pirates to the story. And what’s a good ghost story without a cat? My MG/Tween novel APirate, a Blockade Runner, and a Catwas born.
Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist.
A: Thirteen-year-old Erik Burks is a typical young teen. He plays baseball and likes to hang out with his friends. When his dad leaves home, Erik’s life changes in ways he could never imagine. First, his mom takes Erik from Texas to South Carolina where they move in with her sister. Second, he meets the weird twins that live down the street and that claim they’ve seen a ghost ship in the harbor. Third, Erik doesn’t believe that ghosts exist. Fourth, he soon discovers he might be wrong.
Q: How was your creative process like during the writing of this book and how long did it take you to complete it? Did you face any bumps along the way?
A: I had fun creating Erik and the twins, typical teens, if you count a girl who can read mind dreams typical. The ghost pirates are based on real pirates, and I did a lot of research to learn about them and their ships so the historical facts would be accurate. I am a slow writer and it took probably two years to write and edit the story. No major bumps along the way. I had visited some of the places in the story, like the lighthouse, and tried to remember what they were like.
Getting the pirate language just right took some research too, but was a lot of fun. Avast, matey. I discovered fascinating information about the two pirates that ended up in the story.
Q: How do you keep your narrative exciting throughout the creation of a novel?
A: I try to put the characters in exciting circumstances. In novels for MG readers, the kids like action. They’ll stop reading if they’re bored. Forget description unless it moves the story along. I let the characters get in trouble so the reader will wonder if they’ll get out of it. At this age, friendships are important. And they need trouble. Lots of trouble. Ghosts are just right to cause trouble, along with a cat that Erik hates, and the feeling is mutual.
Q: Do you experience anxiety before sitting down to write? If yes, how do you handle it?
A: Sometimes, I look at the blank screen on the computer and think, Okay, where do I start? Will anyone like this story? Can I even write it?The only way to deal with anxiety is to start typing. Yes, there will be many changes, at least for me. I usually rewrite the beginning a jillion times. If I don’t get those first words down, I’ll never have a story. So I go for it and hope I’m headed in the right direction.
Q: What is your writing schedule like and how do you balance it with your other work and family time?
A: I’m a morning person. Usually I work on my WIP from 9:00 AM to 11:30 or 12:00 noon. Then I take a lunch break and maybe check emails or look at blogs. (I’ve done some mail early in the morning before I started writing.) Around 2:00 PM I do edits if I have a manuscript that’s been sold, or else I check my blogs and post on other blogs. Evenings, I write reviews, do critiques for my critique groups (I’m in two), and whatever else needs to be done.
I’m retired from my teaching job, so I have no outside work to interfere with my writing. I’m a playmate for my cats, but other than that, my time is my own.
Q: How do you define success?
A: Success to me is writing novels that help young people enjoy reading, and if they take anything away from the story that makes their lives happier or more understandable, that’s an added bonus.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers whose spouses or partners don’t support their dreams of becoming an author?
A: It’s hard when your family doesn’t support you, but I feel we each have the right to pursue our dreams. I’m not saying neglect your significant others. Don’t neglect yourself either. Let them know how important your writing is to you. They may surprise you and understand. If they don’t, find time when you’re alone, or make time to be alone, even if it’s only 30 minutes or an hour. Maybe while they’re at work, or anytime they go out for whatever reason. Don’t give up. Follow your dreams. You only have one life.
Q: George Orwell once wrote: “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” Do you agree?
A: Oh, yes. A writer has to be driven; otherwise, why would we sit in a chair for hours a day, typing our hearts away, for pennies a day (at least in my case)? Perhaps we’re a little insane. And the beauty of it is we don’t care. We’re doing what we love.
Q: Anything else you’d like to tell my readers?
A: Just thank you for hosting me today. Thank all you awesome readers for your comments and thoughts. You’re the ones that keep us writing, you know. If you have a chance, stop by my blog and see what’s happening. http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com.
0 Comments on Interview with Beverly McClure, author of 'A Pirate, a Blockade Runner, and a Cat' as of 9/22/2014 9:00:00 AM
Having two kids under five is busy enough; constantly picking up after them, the daily hustle and bustle, and the shouts, shrieks and laughter that goes with sibling shenanigans. But what about young, lively, always busy, curious twins? Now that would be a handful! Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner make a great award-winning team, already […]
Watson, Jude. 2014. Loot: How to Steal a Fortune. New York: Scholastic. (Advance Reader Copy)
After my book club meets tomorrow, my Loot will be long gone. Here's a quick preview before it's snatched up.
It begins with a foreboding prophecy regarding stolen semiprecious moonstones:
You will be caught tonight and made to pay. Death by water, before the moon is set. Before the passage of thirteen years, the two birthed together will die together.
Two of the prophecies have already come true. Two thieves are dead.
Now, 12-year-old March, son of a thief, must figure out the mystery with no other assets than a getaway bag, some cryptic clues, and remembered advice from his deceased father,
Never trust a guy who says, "Trust me." Never give your real name to a cop. Never let someone steal your getaway car.
If you think nothing can go wrong, you'd better think again.
March, his twin sister, and fellow foster home escapees, Izzy and Darius, will match wits with jewel thieves, fences, cops, and millionaires in a desperate search for answers and the mysterious moonstones. This is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller with plenty of plot twists and intrigue—a globe-trotting trek with its roots in the underbelly of New York City.
Due on a shelf near you June 24, 2014. For grades 3-7 272 pages
0 Comments on Loot: How to Steal a Fortune - a review as of 6/25/2014 9:27:00 AM
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop has such an appealing cover and title that I pulled it immediately onto my short stack of books to read, without any real idea of what it was about. It wasn't quite what I expected (the chocolate shop in the book is long closed, and was never called The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop in the first place), but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop is an adventure set in a modern-day version of London in which magic lurks around every corner, carefully hidden from non-magical folk. But no, it's not a Harry Potter knock-off. It's a lighter concoction, with a vain immortal talking cat, parents who are self-absorbed to the extent of missing, well, everything, and a villain who ends up being more pathetic than scary.
The story begins when eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily move with their parents into a house that their dad has just inherited from his great uncle. The house includes the workshop for the chocolate shop that the uncle used to run with his triplet brothers. Oz and Lily soon learn that the family was brought to house so that they, together with a magical young neighbor, could use their innate magic to help stop a crime. The whole thing is over-the-top ridiculous (eleven year olds working for a secret division of MI6, an invisible elephant ghost?), but quite entertaining. There are a couple of more serious elements to the story, but nothing as dark as you'll see in most current middle grade fantasy.
I found the characterization in The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop to be a little thin - I never had much of an impression of Caydon, the neighbor who joins Oz and Lily in their quest. Even Oz and Lily won't stay with me as characters, I don't think. But Saunders is great at building worlds that kids will find appealing, and that goes a long way. Like this:
"For a long moment they stood in silence, gazing around a large room that looked like a dusty cave crammed with extraordinary objects. It was dominated by a large, deep fireplace with a grill like a barbecue. A big metal cylinder, festooned with cobwebs, loomed in one corner and in the middle of the room was a long bench with a marble top. On top of this stood a flat, smooth stone with an ashy grate underneath it..." (Page 9)
"This was amazing. He was in a cavern, its roof hidden by thick black shadows. The desert of darkness was punctuated by little puddles of lamplight, showing groups of furniture like rooms in an invisible house. At the far end of the space Oz saw a laboratory gleaming with glass tubes and jars. One pool of light contained a carved wooden bed covered with a faced green quilt; another contained a white bathtub like a boat, half hidden behind a screen covered with pictures of castles." (Page 79)
Although Saunders wraps everything up neatly at the end of The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop, it would be a shame to let her Secret Ministry of the Unexplained (SMU) (not to mention the talking roses on Lily's wallpaper) fade away. Perhaps we'll see other adventures for Lily, Oz, and their talking cat. I, for one, would not be able to resist reading them.
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (@RandomHouseKids)
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
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This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links (including linked book covers) may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).
Later today I will attempt (and I will fail) to write about the brilliance of The Orchardist, a first novel that has kept me reading through dark hours. It takes time to find the words for books you so profoundly love, for books that matter as much as this one surely does. I need to find that time.
Between now and then, I share this glimpse of two women who moved me in other profound ways. Their shoes matched, too. Their bags. Their ways of looking at the green and gray world around them. They never let each other go. I met them in the Boboli Gardens, but that's a lie. They only had eyes for each other.
2 Comments on a perfect twinning, six decades on, last added: 10/11/2012
Beth-- I am so excited to see you mention The Orchardist-- I have just requested it at the library and will hopefully have it in my hot little hands for the weekend.
And thank you for your dramatic predawn glimpses of Italy-- a feast in my reader each morning you were gone.
Jessica Warman is the author of Beautiful Lies, which just hit store shelves. Jessica recently dropped by the virtual offices to chat about her new book and writing influences. Check out what she has to say.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Jessica Warman] Introvert w/ a wonderful life doing what I love. Born w/an itch for trouble. Mouth like a trucker. I grow on people. Crazy like a fox.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about Beautiful Lies?
[Jessica Warman] Sure! The book is about a set of identical twins, Rachel and Alice, who have always had an incredibly powerful bond. When one of them goes missing, it is up to the remaining twin to figure out what happened, primarily by tapping into this bond. I’ve been told by more than a few readers that it’s a pretty scary book, which pleases me to no end.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Jessica Warman] My family has a strong history of what I’d suppose you’d call clairvoyance. A number of people on my mom’s side of the family have either worked as psychics or else claimed to be psychic. That being said, I’m extremely skeptical about these kinds of things, but it fascinates me nonetheless. My idea for the concept came from sorting through many of the family stories I’ve been hearing all my life, and then putting my own spin on it. Some of the characters mirror members of my own family pretty closely. As for the twins, my husband’s sisters are red-headed twins. They’re gorgeous and smart, and they also have an incredible bond – they were my inspiration for Alice and Rachel.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Rachel?
[Jessica Warman] She’s secretive, guarded, and kind.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Alice would never have in her purse?
[Jessica Warman] The first one is definitely black licorice! Also, a picture of herself and her boyfriend together, and a to-do list.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Are you more like Alice or Rachel?
[Jessica Warman] I’m definitely more like Alice. I’ve always been pretty wild, especially when I was a teenager. But I’ve also mellowed quite a bit with age, to the point where I understand there’s a time and place for certain kinds of behavior. No matter what, though, I think the maniac in me will always be in there somewhere, waiting for an appropriate time to shine.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Jessica Warman] David Foster Wallace is my favorite writer of all time, hands down. His work – especially his nonfiction – is just the greatest stuff I’ve ever read. People talk about art “changing their life” all the time, but in this case it’s true: his writing has changed my life. It’s made me a better person. It has enriched my life in ways I never could have anticipated, and made me feel whole in ways nothing and nobody else has ever been able to do. He was a genius, and we should all support his legacy by reading his work.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Jessica Warman] 1) Complete silence. I mean no noise whatsoever, not even the sound of a kitten purring, or rain falling.
2) I have to be well-rested. I’m nonfunctional if I don’t get enough sleep.
A little doodle of a sweet pair of doves, one pale blue and the other light pink, cuddled in an embrace shaped like a heart. It started out as a pencil sketch in my moleskine that I scanned and then digitally painted in Corel Painter, then played around with in Photoshop to create a pair of separate blue and pink hearts as well:
I've used them to design cards and matching gifts for ...
Don't you love the cover? It's actually a picture I took of woods by a stream in Scotland. It was magical, really. And I thought it would be perfect for COURTLY MASQUERADE. :)
I loved reading fantasy when I was growing up. The world of royalty, the treachery and deceit, magical and mythical creatures. I've written several books that deal with the various worlds of a fantastical nature. In this one, it's strictly a magical world. In some of the others, I enjoyed adding the creatures that caught my imagination--centaurs, ogres, griffins, dwarves, Amazons, and a couple of my own mythical creations.
Today, most of my work is more of a urban fantasy nature--the fantastical living in our contemporary every day society. But I still love to fall into a purely historical fantastical world too. What about you?
Arabella, Duchess of Foxmoor Castle, is given a mission by her cousin, Princess Lynet--make the prince she's betrothed to give up any notion of wedding her. But Arabella faces danger at every turn when she discovers her magical talents mean others believe her to be "The One" who will fulfill the prophecy to take down the most evil wizard of all time. Arabella shouldn't have used her magic.
She shouldn't have given into her spoiled cousin.
She shouldn't have escaped Lord Conlan.
Or stolen from the Dark One.
But she did.
Have a super Thursday!!! The weekend is almost here!
Terry
0 Comments on Courtly Masquerade is up on Smashwords! as of 1/1/1900
Gutman, Dan. 2011. The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable. Read by Michael Goldstrom. Harper Audio. 6 hours, 8 minutes.
Mission Unstoppable is book one is a new series about twins, Coke and Pepsi McDonald, and their adventures as secret members of a highly-classified program known as The Genius Files. Brilliant children from around the country have been chosen (based on their standardized test scores - a reason to do well!) to be part of a group charged with solving the problems of the world - or in this case, saving the world! With trademark Dan Gutman humor and wisecracking, the story follows Coke and Pep on a cross-country summer trip with their parents, who are unaware of the Genius Files project and the dangers the kids face. Someone is trying to kill them and they're in a race against time to reach the world's largest ball of twine and save the world! Narration is third-person with frequent asides to the reader, "Go ahead. Look it up. I'll wait."
What's not to like? There are some stereotypes here - a mysterious woman with an Eastern European accent (why must they always sound Hungarian?), incompetent sanitation workers make a cameo appearance (but Mr. McDonald may be partly to blame for their error), the "bad guy" is the health teacher (it's always health or gym, isn't it?), Mom and Dad are relatively clueless (well, in fairness, perhaps we really are!), but these are minor issues in a book that will likely find a broad audience.
What's to like? Mission Unstoppable is very current employing the Internet, texting, GPS, etc. Mrs. McDonald is the primary bread-winner in the family, making a living with her funky website, "Amazing But True," which prompts the many stops at quirky Americana sites. The story encourages map skills and geography in a fun way. The siblings may fight, but they genuinely like each other.The nonstop action, adventure, and high-tech gadgets and explosions will make this a popular choice for reluctant readers - especially boys. Reader Michael Goldstrom speaks clearly and in a very measured manner, again making this a good audio choice for reluctant readers.
The only thing I would have liked better would have been a less affluent family. It is assumed that all families have a Rand McNally Atlas at home and the McDonald twins bemoan the prospect of a cross-country trip in an RV. These are things that would not ring true to many (most?) of the children I see in the public library.
Still, a solid beginning for a new series. Dan Gutman is a perennial favorite, especially for summer reading assignments. Get them hooked on this series, and perhaps they'll keep reading all year!
Lin, Grace. 2010. Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. New York: Little Brown.
Twins Ling and Ting are not exactly the same, but they're close - at least, that is, until you get to know them. Ting is more fanciful. Ling, more disciplined. In "Making Dumplings," Ling remarks that dumplings look like old Chinese money.
"We should make a lot of dumplings," Ting says. "Then we will have a lot of money." So, Ling rolls and Ting mixes. "I will close my dumplings tight," Ling says. "Then our money will not get away."
Ting stuffs her dumplings until they're fat and lumpy.
"I will put a lot of meat in my dumplings," Ting says. "So we will be very rich."
In the end, it doesn't matter. The girls laugh. They have made "dump-Lings" and "dump-Tings!"
The delightful illustrations have Grace Lin's distinctive combination of simplicity and joy. Each page of this easy reader contains a half-page illustration and minimal text. Each chapter is printed on different, complementary colored pages, helping newly independent readers to an easy transition between chapters. Also aiding the reader is the bad haircut that Ting receives in the first chapter! Her botched (but still cute) bangs make the twins easily distinguishable from one another throughout the rest of the book.
Readers of this early chapter book will be treated to six short stories in which they will get to know Ting and Ling, and receive a small taste of Chinese American culture. They will see that Chinese Americans are the same, but not exactly the same, as any other Americans. And they will see that though they are twins, Ling and Ting are as different as any other two sisters!
Ling & Ting - they're twins, they're sisters, and they're funny. I hope we see more of them.
Grace Lin's site offers a wealth of useful information - recipes, coloring pages, lesson plans and more. Her publisher's site offers a downloadable Educator's Guide specifically for Ling & Ting.
The only thing lacking for Ling & Ting? Leveling information - Lexile, Flesch-Kincaid, please, give us something to work with, Little Brown. Oh how I wish publishers would all get on the same page when it comes to Easy Readers!
A question I'd like to ask Grace Lin:
Is there any significance to the giant cupcake?
Grace Lin's jacket flap author photos are just plain fun. And here's a fun little trailer for Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same.
Twin sisters Ling and Ting are twins, but definitely not the same. Sure, they look the same, up until the end of the first chapter when a sneeze on the barber’s chair changes that. But they like different things, have different skills, and approach projects in different ways. At the same time, the girls are obviously great friends as well as sisters despite their differences. In short friendly chapters, readers get to know these young sisters and will be able to happily identify with both of them. This is an early reader with depth and something to say. It never loses its friendly, lightness and still offers an amazing amount of story.
Lin excels at creating universal characters and these two twins are definitely that. She also has woven Asian culture into the story in ways that make sense for the story. Her superb choices in the book work very well. Lin also did the art for the book, which has the same engaging style as the story itself. The art is filled with bright, bold color and will serve new readers well as they read this book.
Highly recommended, this is an impressive easy reader. Let’s hope that Ling & Ting return for many more adventures. Appropriate for new readers, ages 4-6.
I finally finished up the piece for my brother and his wife in honor of their impending twins (who are due in August). Overall I think it came out pretty good. Hopefully they like - at least pretend to like it.
Either way is fine by me really.
0 Comments on WORK COMPLETED - LADYBIRDS as of 1/1/1900
So my brother and his wife are going to have twins - twin girls in fact. Instead of buying them a super-expensive gift to celebrate the joyous occasion, I've opted to go the cheapo route and paint them a pretty picture for the nursery.
I'll try to convince them it'll be worth something one day...
It won't.
Anyway, I started on it last night.
It may not look like much at the moment, but I'm liking the early direction and have high hopes.
I'll cross my fingers and you cross yours. Deal?
Steve
0 Comments on WORK IN PROGRESS - Lady Birds as of 1/1/1900
My four-year-old daughter woke up yesterday morning and announced, with terrific enthusiasm, that she wanted to "write a book for Dr. (Martin Luther) King." After much concern about how to make "the outside part of the book" and time spent on selection of workspace, paper, and appropriate markers, she sat down to work, turned to me, and said, "Now what should I write?"
Our next topic is the first of the "Six Traits of Writing." Of course it all begins with the IDEA.
It occurs to me that my daughter's writing process is much like mine -- and many of my students' -- and probably at least some of yours. I get an idea. I get excited. I sit down to write. I discover I have no clue where I'm going. And that, alas, may be the end of that.
In my exit conferences with students at the end of the semester, they tell me almost universally that they feel that topic selection is the most important part of the writing process. When I give assignments, I always tell them that I want to "feel their passion" (in a PG sense, of course). If they don't have so much to begin with -- which is often the case, let's face it, when dealing with an assigned essay -- I think one of my most important jobs is to help them do so.
Often students are able to identify a general idea about which to write ("world hunger"), but when it comes to distilling their paper into a thesis or, as we say in fiction, that one-sentence pitch -- homing in on exactly what they want to say is often the most difficult part. I have frequently been asked where I get my ideas. A better question might be how to decide whether an "idea" is worth writing about.
I have at least five unpublished novels in a drawer, to say nothing of the unfinished ones. Mind Games is (so far) my notable exception. What makes it different is, I'm quite sure, something that happened before I ever put a word to paper. I chose a topic that mattered not only to me but would also, theoretically, be of interest to parents, teachers, kids, and/or editors (not necessarily in that order).
The first series books I read as a kid were The Bobbsey Twins. Thanks to Bert and Nan (Freddie and Flossie, not so much), I spent most of my childhood wishing I were a twin. Another book that had a big impact was And This is Laura, by Ellen Conford. I was certain I had a latent case of ESP. After all, there was that time I dreamed a gerbil lost its tail in my hand (eew), and this very same disgusting circumstance happened in real-life the next day. So in eighth grade, when it came time to pick a topic for the science fair, I chose ESP. I read about the Minnesota Twin Study (fascinating!). I was even able to use identical twins as subjects. I did not conclusively prove anything -- but of course it is impossible to DISPROVE that something like ESP exists.
My grandmother used to dream of her old house at 305 Broomall Street in Chester, and the next morning she would tell my mom to play that number in the Pick-3 lottery. And more often than not, she w
3 Comments on Ideas on Ideas, last added: 1/21/2010
Some of us would like an old Days script...and Marlena being possessed by the devil - classic storytelling. In fact, I'm watching Days as I type this. :)
I love this post about ideas. I have a wild imagination and combined with my kids' fantastical observations, I always have plenty of ideas to play with. But it's the ones I'm most passionate (PG, of course) about that make it onto my computer.
I love the story about your daughter. I write about children's books, so I am glad to have found your blog via the comment challenge! I'll be back soon.
Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford said, on 1/21/2010 6:17:00 AM
Michelle, I was actually a writers' assistant during the Satan storyline (which was really interesting except for the fact that it went on for so long and research showed that one's eyes do not glow when one is possessed -- I'm serious. It was my job to do research). I was going through adult confirmation classes at the time and had to keep asking the nun who ran them for info about exorcisms. Good thing she was very cool!
Vanessa, thanks for popping in. Now I'm going to pop over to your blog. Hope to "see" you soon!
My Sister, The Ghost #1: Twin Again Young Adult Paranormal by Linda Joy Singleton Cover art: Richard Stroud
Meet Melody, Miranda’s ghost twin!
Melody has been living it up in “Ghostland” ever since she was two. But now she's back on earth and turning Miranda’s life upside-down. Not only does Miranda get blamed for all of Melody’s pranks, but this “ghost sister” has a plan to get their mother remarried to the father of Miranda’s worst nightmare, bully Heather Drew. Miranda has to stop Melody’s “helpful” matchmaking, but does she stand a chance against a sister who can fly, freeze time and zap objects? Purchase from Wings Press http://www.wings-press.com/Bookstore/My%20Sister%20The%20Ghost%201%20Twin%20Again.htm
My Sister, The Ghost #2; Escape From Ghostland Young Adult by Linda Joy Singleton
MIRANDA’S GHOST SISTER IS BACK--AND THE FUN BEGINS AGAIN. A visit from ghost twin Melody is just what Miranda has been hoping for. Especially now that she’s stuck with that bully Heather for a stepsister. Fun-loving Melody is on the run from all the silly rules in Ghostland and needs Miranda’s help to keep their Grammy from catching her and bringing her back to the other world. But when Miranda tries to keep her wacky twin’s whereabouts secret without lying to Grammy, the mischief and mix-ups begin. The trouble is, while Miranda is working things out with her ghost family, that sneak Heather is busy trying to make herself Mom’s favorite daughter.
Page to Screen (Neil Gaiman signs on to produce a live-action adaptation of "The Graveyard Book") (MTV Movie Blog)
- Blog the vote! (Across the kid litosphere bloggers speak out about why voting matters. The master list of participants is up on... Read the rest of this post
The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop
Jessica Warman is the author of Beautiful Lies, which just hit store shelves. Jessica recently dropped by the virtual offices to chat about her new book and writing influences. Check out what she has to say.
[Jessica Warman] She’s secretive, guarded, and kind. 
[Jessica Warman] 1) Complete silence. I mean no noise whatsoever, not even the sound of a kitten purring, or rain falling.
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Beth-- I am so excited to see you mention The Orchardist-- I have just requested it at the library and will hopefully have it in my hot little hands for the weekend.
And thank you for your dramatic predawn glimpses of Italy-- a feast in my reader each morning you were gone.
Oh my gosh...I love them.