Giving birth! All the kids are doing it these days. And you know what giving birth means, right? It means having a little extra time to blog and get my non-work related projects done. Though, naturally, I wrote 50% of this post a day ago and then must have failed to save the darn thing. *sigh* C’est la vie, kids.
I was called upon recently to speak with a writer from the National Endowment for the Arts. The topic? Why Children’s Books Matter. Done in conjunction with Leonard Marcus’s exhibit at the main branch of NYPL I answer all sorts of questions. Mind you, it was a oral interview so I wasn’t able to parse my own speech. Read it and you’ll get a real sense of what it sounds like to talk to me (weirdo grammar and all).
- Let’s talk exhibits again. This time, those in Chicago. Particularly those in Chicago involving Edward Gorey. You lucky midwesterners. Thanks to Mr. Schu for the link.
- And going back to the topic of NYPL, I recently interviewed middle grade author Claire LeGrand. Claire is the organizing genius behind the upcoming Kids Authors Carnival happening this month on the 31st. Talking with me, she answered some of my questions about the carnival, the authors who will be there, and where the idea came from in the first place.
- Summer Reading is coming up. Want a reading list for your kids? ALSC came up with this one and it’s rather nice.
- Hat tip to Travis Jonker for the hat tip to my book (co-written with Jules Danielson and Peter Sieruta). It’s coming out in August fer sure, fer sure, and Travis included it in his 10 to Note Summer Preview 2014. Thank you, man!!
- Oh, I rather love this. 25 Movie Cameos by the Authors of the Original Books. Because there are children’s book adaptations included that I never knew about. Michael Morpurgo? Louis Sachar? They forgot Wendy Orr in Nim’s Island, Brian Selznick in Hugo, and David Levithan and Rachel Cohn in Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist but no one’s perfect. Love the snarky comment about Stephenie Meyer, by the way. Thanks to Cynthia Leitich Smith for the link.
- Woo-hoo! The next Kidlitosphere Conference (the greatest, biggest, best conference of children’s & YA literature bloggers) is nigh. Nigh, I sez, nigh! The focus is on diversity, the location is Sacramento and the guests include everyone from Shannon Hale to Mitali Perkins. Don’t miss it.
- New Podcast Alert: Little, Brown & Company’s School & Library division has their own podcast channel? Well, who the heck knew? Not I, said the fly. And then there’s the podcast Dear Book Nerd which appears to have some connection to the great and grand Brooklyn children’s librarian Rita Meade. I am so out of it.
- Kids aren’t reading! No way, no how, not happening. Unless of course they are. Common Sense Media recently decided that kids weren’t reading anymore and they went and made a huge deal about it. Two alternate takes on the study are worth noting. The first is from Forbes. The second, from Liz Burns. And quite frankly, I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s Liz’s take that I prefer.
Nothing I love more than a new children’s book prize. Particularly when I get to help to narrow down the contenders. The New York Historical Society was looking for great books of American history, either fiction or nonfiction for kids. The winner? The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. She gets a $10,000 prize and is the inaugural winner. Check out the other finalists here and an interview with Kristin about the book here.
The big news last week, aside from the birth of my baby Bird, was the Rush Limbaugh win at the Children’s Book Choice Awards. It wasn’t a surprise but it did make for some good think pieces. And Travis Jonker, bless his soul, rounded them up for you. Amusingly, I had to miss the banquet because of back pain. Had I attended I not only would have gotten to see that particular person give a speech but there was a fire scare that made everyone go outside. Methinks this was not the worst year to miss.
Wait just a minute there . . . there’s a children’s literature conference in Hawaii and I’m only NOW hearing about it? Man! Now there’s a place I’d love to speak. Pity I’d have to win a Newbery Honor to do it.
It was St. Martin’s Press that advertised this one originally. I don’t know where they got it, but it’s such a brilliant display that I just had to share it with you. Libraries and other bookstores take note (and copy at will!).
The Wardrobe, Architecture, and Aesthetic of a (Not So) Picture-Perfect Town
I’m a very visual person, so when I sat down to write Cavendish, once those first essential elements of my heroine (Victoria) and the story concept itself (creepy orphanage meets Stepford-esque town) were in place, I began engineering a visual backdrop against which I could tell my story. Essentially, I developed the Cavendish aesthetic.
I began collecting images on Tumblr, and seeking out movies that captured the kind of tone I wanted to convey with Cavendish. I thought about what these characters would wear, what their homes would like, what their neighborhoods looked like. What I ended up with is something like the lovechild of Tim Burton (specifically, Edward Scissorhands and any of his stop-motion animation films like The Corpse Bride) and Edward Gorey, with a dollop of the kind of awesome vintage fashion I wish I had the money for in real life.
In other words, creepy with style?
Below are some images, architecture, and fashion that particularly inspired me as I wrote.
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Belleville is all about Gothic architecture and creepy iron gates, immaculate cobblestone streets and perfectly groomed hedges, Victorian mansions and polished mahogany woodwork. I pulled these images from my Tumblr (credit is given when I could find it).
I imagine the inside of the Cavendish Home to look like those two above photos. Tiled floors and lots of winding staircases, walls covered in portraits and dark, heavy cabinets. And that’s all the respectable veneer you see before the Real Crazy begins . . .
The people of Belleville are very concerned with making sure everyone knows just how good they look. So as I wrote Cavendish, I imagined people walking about in clothes like these:
Mrs. Wright, Victoria’s mother, would totally wear this snazzy number when hosting their annual holiday party—which, of course, would be the absolute best holiday party in the whole town.
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I just know Mrs. Wright dressed Victoria in adorable clothes like this when she was a wee snotty thing.
Minus the quirky tights and blue shoes, I think Victoria would totally wear this on a weekend when she didn’t have to wear her Academy uniform. She would probably trade in the blue shoes for a nice practical pair of Mary Janes, or rainboots, since it’s been storming in Belleville so much lately . . .
Aw, look! It’s like a little Lawrence! I should note that this photo came from the website of a private school in the UK, as an example of how not to wear your school uniform. Tie loosened, shirt untucked, buttons unbuttoned . . . which is exactly how Lawrence prefers it! Much to Victoria’s horror.
Much better! “See?” Victoria would say to Lawrence, stabbing the photo with one finger. “This is what we’re supposed to look like.” And Lawrence would roll his eyes and purposefully dirty his clothes. Just to make her even angrier.
A peek inside Mrs. Wright’s closet. I’m totally jealous.
Mrs. Cavendish may be evil, but girlfriend is STYLIN’. She would totally wear this while going out shopping in town, and anyone who saw her would say, “Oh, there’s that Mrs. Cavendish. Isn’t she lovely? And such a good soul too, taking care of all those children.” Everyone else would just walk by in a daze, and not even notice she was there . . .
Something like this would be Mrs. Cavendish’s everyday wear, as she goes about her business petting bugs and torturing children. You know, same ol’, same ol’.
I don’t really know what’s up with this guy’s hair, but I know that it needs to stop. Also, this is the kind of suit our friend Professor Alban would wear.
And now for some of my favorite photos for inspiring Cavendish’s general aesthetic—these are photos from my Tumblr and screencaps from a couple of different films that I found especially appropriate.
This is from an Edward Gorey book, although I’m not sure which one. L
Belleville is like the town from Edward Scissorhands, except much wealthier and much less kitschy. Everyone has basically the same house and the same car because everyone is shooting for the same thing—trendy, impressive, reeking of money.
Instead, Belleville’s neighborhoods would look more like this group of houses from The Corpse Bride.
Ignore the creepy man posing Victor over there, and you’ll see what I imagine for the interior of Mr. Tibbalt’s house, except a good deal messier, of course. I also imagine the dorms in the Cavendish Home to have this dreary, prison-like feel.
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And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this visual tour of the
Cavendish aesthetic. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the book!
At the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, you will definitely learn your lesson. A dark, timeless, and heartfelt novel for fans of Coraline and The Mysterious Benedict Society.Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.)
But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t’ come out at all.
If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy.
To win a hardcover copy of
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, fill out the form below! Contest is U.S./Canada only. Contest ends September 23rd.
a Rafflecopter giveawayClaire Legrand is a Texan living in New York City. She used to be a musician until she realized she couldn’t stop thinking about the stories in her head. Now a full-time writer, Claire can often be found typing with purpose on her keyboard or spontaneously embarking upon adventures to lands unknown. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is her first novel, due out August 28 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. Her second novel, The Year of Shadows, a ghost story for middle grade readers, comes out August 2013. Her third novel, Winterspell, a young adult re-telling of The Nutcracker, comes out Fall 2014.
Make sure to check out the rest of the Cavendish Blog Tour here!
And go say hi to Claire at her: blog | twitter | facebook | tumblr | goodreads
Thanks so much for stopping by, Claire! Congratulations on your debut!
Dear Elizabeth,
First, Congratulations on your the birth of your little boy! I have a little boy who is now 11. (Remember how you helped me find the Three Investigator series?) I wish you so much happiness!!! Second, thanks for all the great sites to check out today! And, I love that display! Too funny!
I have to make it to that Jefferson Market event! It looks amazing!
Congrats on the new baby Bird by the way!
The fantastic photo of “It’s Blue” is from the Amazing Houston Indie Booksellers at Blue Willow Bookshop. As a former employee and current librarian I’ve answered that question many a time!!
The photo of the Blue display that went viral is from Blue Willow Bookshop here in Houston. They are fantastic! http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/. And congrats again on the newest Bird to your little flock!
Well that just makes perfect sense. Thank you Tara and Diandra for the clarification!
I saw that Lions of Little Rock had gotten the NY Historical Society award and was thrilled. I really liked that book and like the new cover a lot.