How to use this Page

Virginia Readers' Choice Elementary list is for Grades 3-5. That means third graders can either read off of the primary list or the elementary list.

Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop

The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (my review here)

The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hartkoff

Phineas L. MacGuire...Erupts! by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Punished by David Lubar

Rules by Cynthia Lord (my review here)

The Winners Walk by Nancy Ruth Patterson

All right! We've got a winner in Melissa Walker's Violet contest. The winner...is... WindyCindy! Congratulations! Please send an e-mail to jessica [@] jessicaburkhart [dot] com with your name and address so Melissa can mail your book.

Tomorrow, I've got author S.A. Harazin right here with a new contest, so don't despair if you didn't win.

I hope you're all enjoying the different guests on my blog and I'm pretty everyone agrees that prizes are fantastic. :)

Please welcome author Melissa Walker!


What’s the message you hope readers gain from reading either VIOLET BY DESIGN or VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY?

I don’t know if there’s a message, necessarily, but I do know that I want the books to be about more than stacked heels and It bags (although those are always fun to throw in the mix). The fashion world has serious sides—the weight issue, the competition among girls, the sometimes over-the-top party scene—and I hope that watching Violet struggle with navigating those things will resonate with readers.


What’s your writing process like?

When I’m really working on a book with a deadline, I eat breakfast, then write. I don’t allow myself to have lunch until I have 1000 words on the page. They don’t have to be good words, but they have to be there. I do that five days a week; afternoons are spent working on magazine stories. Of course, I let myself enjoy the perks of being freelance sometimes! But in general, I am pretty consistent with the 1000-word rule.



Do you have a favorite part of the writing process?

I like the part when I’m done. Seriously. The other parts are hard.



Does your background in teen magazines help you write novels?

Definitely! I honestly think it was the ELLEgirl audience who inspired me—they were such smart, funny girls and I got to the point where I wanted to write more for them.


What’s your must have fashion item?

It’s not very exciting, but I have seven little black dresses. Is that overkill? I even went swimming in one after a friend’s wedding—and then I wore it to a book party! So I guess that one’s my favorite. It’s a Luella Bartley dress from the very first Target designer series, and it’s resilient.



What’s next for you?

I’m finishing up VIOLET IN PRIVATE, the third book in the series, and I’ll hopefully start working on a new idea soon… um, when I think of one. I’m open to suggestions!

Here's Melissa in her little black dress!

Thanks for stopping by! Melissa is generously giving away ONE signed copy of Violet by Design. If you want to enter, leave a comment here or on LiveJournal within the next 24 hours. So, you've got until 10:15am on Thursday (3-6). Good luck!

Just a quick announcement: On Wednesday, March 5, we've got a special guest stopping by! Melissa Walker is going to be chatting it up about her newest book, Violet by Design, and offering a giveaway. Melissa's giving one lucky person a signed copy of Violet by Design. To enter, check back here on Wednesday and get the details.