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Some of you may know that today is National Coffee Day. I've, personally, been trying to ignore the free/discounted offers around New York City since I'm trying to cut back, and decided to distract myself by putting together this quick video post about coffee and caffeine. Now, I would be reimiss if I did not first mention the fantastic book Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine by Stephen Braun. This is a

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Local Portland author Daniel H. Wilson has done pretty well for himself. As the Oregonian reports: “Spielberg bought the rights to Wilson's first novel, Robopocalypse: A Novel before it was finished and announced that he would direct it himself next year. Spielberg had a nice chat with Wilson about their mutual love of all things robot and then had his screenwriter and production designers give Wilson their considerable expertise as the novel was being finished. The editor of "Robopocalypse" is Jason Kaufman, who acquired a book called "The Da Vinci Code" for Doubleday and knows a thing or two about commercial fiction. Kaufman thinks Wilson can be big -- Dan Brown big, Michael Crichton big -- and is doing all he can to make it happen.”

The more recent word is that DreamWorks and Fox are teaming up to co-finance the film.

And Robopocalypse was featured on the back of every name tag at BEA. And two more of his books (non-fiction) have been optioned for film.

Read more here from the Oregonian.

Doubleday had a contest for the book trailer, with a prize of just $750. Seems like a pretty good deal to get a nice book trailer for not that much money. Plus it helps build buzz. A clever idea, at least until everyone starts doing it.

This was the winner:

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Random Acts of Publicity DISCOUNT:
$10 OFF The Book Trailer Manual. Use discount code: RAP2011 http://booktrailermanual.com/manual

Create Buzz by Connecting with Readers

Interview with Deborah Sloan of Deborah Sloan & Company, “A marketing and promotion firm for books and their creators.”

• ATTEND the Random Acts of Publicity event on Facebook.
• Read the FAQ.

1. One of the main services you offer to authors is Kids Buzz. Can you explain what it is?

   KidsBuzz is a program that lets children’s and teen authors’ voices shine in an affordable, and effective, way. KidsBuzz puts you directly in touch with readers, reading groups, booksellers, librarians and teachers allowing you to offer trailers and videos, excerpts, phone chats or visits, curriculum tie-ins, material for newsletters, info about contests and freebies, mentions of new reviews and awards — anything and everything you want to buzz directly to the people who buy, read and sell your books. This is YOU saying what you want to share with your readers.

   Readers want to hear from authors and illustrators — after all, you know your books better than anyone else, you have interesting behind-the-scenes stories that makes readers what to read — and buy. And once they’re interested, people talk — and others listen. Look at the power of Facebook: often we’re more influenced by what our friends have to say that the most seasoned critic (though we’ll take those positive reviews when we get them for sure!). We’ve run notes from bestselling authors as well as up-and-coming authors and illustrators. Many authors and publishers have had such good success, they’ve booked spots for their other titles (more than 60% of our KidsBuzzers have come back for more!).

2. Kids Buzz is a newsletter for librarians and readers (parents, grandparents, teachers, etc.), booksellers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing industry folk and more. Do you suggest that author maintain their own mailing list and send out newsletters?
   
   ABSOLUTELY! There are many readers who become author groupies and what to know anything and everything about their favorite authors and illustrators, what’s coming up, when new books will be published — and these fans are your ambassadors and e-newsletters are terrific ways to reach them. They will spread the buzz to their friends, family, colleagues and help that groundswell of interest every authors wants. Many authors have e-newsletters (that are run via sites like Constant Content and Mail Chimp, for example) which makes it easy to handle subscriptions) and sharing info with your readers when YOU feel it’s worthwhile, in YO
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Publishers Weekly took a look at the big YA buzz books of BEA.

Reading the story, I felt a kind of proprietary pride. Because of the five featured books, I have connections to two.

One is Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick. When it sold, I read the description in Publishers Marketplace ("Pitched as Ferris Bueller's Day Off meets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with a dash of John Green: in which a high school senior finds out that the homely Lithuanian exchange student he is forced to take to the prom is actually a trained assassin who has a busy night ahead of her in New York City…and she needs his help to get the job done") I immediately felt a) jealous b) that I have to read this book.

I liked the description so much that I tracked down the author and sent him a congratulatory message. And it turns out he used to be repped by the same agency where my agent once worked, so she knew him. And I must have not been the only one who thought it sounded great - movie rights sold right away.

The second is Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The Portland community is so blessed to have Laini as part of us. We have celebrated with Laini as she has gone on to be a finalist for the National Book Award. And we got a sneak preview of the cover last month.

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A lot of my friends call me the Queen of Networking and make jokes about how the Six Degrees of Separation to Marley Gibson. Well, Kevin Bacon I'm not, but over the years, I have put myself out there over the years getting to know people, talking about my writing, and promoting my upcoming books.



So, what is networking? And what does it mean to “market” oneself? Well, let’s look at some definitions:

Networking: To interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support.



Marketing: Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives.



Everything we do in our writing career is the equivalent of marketing and networking. And to get published, you have to offer the business (the publishing world) your product (your manuscripts). You can never get bought if you don’t complete manuscripts and send them out into the world for judgment, rejection or acceptance. Your manuscripts are what you have to offer and what you bring to the market. We all have something unique in our writing and who we are.



When we look at our writing life, we should look at ourselves – Susie Writer – as a company. And that company is offering as a product: Manuscripts by Susie Writer. And your target audience for your product is agents and editors . Or, if you’re already published, your target audience is obviously your readers and booksellers. If you can think in these terms, then you’ll see that everything you do as a writer, every story you craft, every conference you attend, every contest you enter...it’s all part of your company’s marketing plan.

Here are some ways to network you, your books, and reach that teen audience you desire:

1. Conferences: if you can afford it, attend as many conferences as you can. First of all, it’s good experience to get out and amongst other writers who share your goals and desires and understand your dreams. Also, at conferences, you have the opportunity to meet agents and editors in an environment specific to pitching, sharing ideas and getting requests. It’s also good to get your name and face out there. See and be seen. Meet your fellow writers and put names to faces. Depending on what you write, there are also conferences like Book Expo America, DragonCon, ComicCon, etc., where you can drill down to a more targeted audience to tell them about your book.
2. RWA Meetings: in this industry, getting involved in Romance Writers of America is a beneficial thing all the way around. Go to meetings, mingle, meet people, sit with new friends like we’ve done today. Go to other chapter meetings for fun. Your circle of friends and colleagues will grow and you’ll continue to get your name out there. And because you're writing YA books, these contacts you meet are likely to have young children who could act as readers for you or help spread the word like an advance team about your upcoming books.
3. Entering Contests: if you’ve polished and shined your manuscript and think it’s got a chance of finaling, why not toss your manuscript into a contest? If you final, you get your name and your manuscript title and genre on loops galore, in the RWR and most times, on the chapter website. People starts seeing your name and the titles of your work and will soon be looking for them on the shelves. More and more RWA chapters are having YA categories and are recognizing the growth in the genre. If you don't enter, offer to judge and help other writers out with their craft.
4. Website: no matter what stage you are “at” in your writing career, I highly recommend a web presence of some sort. Yesterday's post addresses this more thoroughly. A live journal, a blog or a simple website. Purchasing domain names is cheap through GoDaddy.com and server space per year runs about $30-50 depending on the provider. Also, once you’re published, you’re going to want a website, so why wait? Published authors should use their website as the best, most effective marketing tool they possibly can. Host contests, message boards, giveaways, post news on where you’re speaking, when you’re book’s coming out, what’s coming up. That is your marketing space that you pay for and you should make the most of it. Create a writer’s blog (they’re free) if you’d like, but make sure the information is fresh, interesting and keeps people coming back. Before you know it, you’ll have built a fan base. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a web designer (or be lucky enough to be married to one, like me!), but you can find templates and free software on the web to help you get started. You can even team up with fabulous other writers to blog together. Hmmm...wouldn't that be a great idea? LOL!!
5. E-mail Loops and Message Boards: Now, while loops can suck you into the frenetic lives of others with “disease of the week” or “my husband doesn’t understand me” or what not, you can make loops work for you. Don’t get sucked into the politics or bitchiness that loops sometimes spawn. Instead, use your time on the loops to network, get your name out there, be helpful to others, show your knowledge of a particular subject. And always, sign your name. If you have a blog or web address, include it. Some lists have upwards towards 800+ people or more...this is an excellent opportunity to get traffic to your site and introducing yourself “cyberly” to others. Again...these women you meet online can talk up your books to their kids and their friends' kids. Also, get your name out on MySpace and Facebook where teens hang out and visit. You'll be amazed at the response you'll get from your audience that way.
6. Become an “expert” in something: you might think this is easier said than done, but think about it...everyone in this room is an expert on something. It may be DNA research or behind the scenes at a television news station, but it may also be surviving cancer, mastering calligraphy, how to bake a kick ass birthday cake or the nitty, gritty details of gardening. Everyone’s got a platform they can stand on and give help out on. Make a list of the things you know about or do well and drop that information into conversations, share at meetings or volunteer through e-mail or loops. You never know who you’ll be helping, whose book you might appear in the acknowledgments for and then how that can return to you. I think of Simone and how she speaks to school groups all the time (we'll have to get her to blog about that one day) -- she puts herself out there and gets her name in front of her audience.
7. Write articles: once you find that thing you’re best at, write an article about it. Did you have a particular light bulb go off in your head about creating the perfect hero...write about it. Do you have knowledge of starting your own website...write about it. RWR is always looking for submissions, as are many – all I dare say – of the RWA chapter newsletters. Whenever you write an article for an RWA newsletter, chances are pretty high that the editor will post your story to EditorLink to be picked up by other chapters. Get your name out there by writing something you know that will help or interest others. Don't just submit to the RWA. Find teen publications that might be looking for short stories or advice on something or contributions. This would be a great way to reach out to teens through their own channels.
8. Be professional: just as you would in a “real” job, take things seriously. Be the best person you can be. Don’t backstab or snark behind people’s backs. Or, if you absolutely have to do it, do what Niki Burnham says and “keep it in the vault.” Always be professional in every sense of the word. Present yourself professionally. Dress well. Groom. Take care in your appearance when you’re out and about meeting people. It’s said that people take six seconds to make a decision about you upon a first meet/first impression. Now, that’s definitely wrong, but it’s how things work. So, always make sure you’re putting your best foot forward...in person and on e-mails and loops and blogs.
9. Relationships: form trusting, giving relationships with your writer friends. Help your critique partners, nurture a new writer, support a friend who’s battling the demons of self doubt, help promote other writers with reviews and book recommendations on Amazon or B&N (nice ones!), congratulate people off list on accomplishments to start forming new friendships, hell, even pitch your critique partner’s book to an editor and help her get a six-figure deal...what...it happened?
10. Follow up: After meeting editors, agents, new writer friends, finaling in a contest, do good follow up. Send e-mails letting people know it was nice meeting them. Send thank you letters to judges in contests. Send hand written notes to editors and agents you meet at conferences. It goes a long way to setting you apart from the pack, showing you were “raised right” and that you have manners. Chances are, they’ll remember your name again in the future. Good follow-up is key to making the networking opportunities work best for you. If your teenage fans take the time to write you a letter or send you an e-mail, don't let it go unanswered. Let them know you appreciate their support! Never take great feedback from anyone for granted.
11. Be Yourself: above and beyond every thing...remember to be yourself...you are a unique and wonderful individual and if you put yourself out there, people will want to get to know you, support you, help you, cheer for you. Remember...karma does come back to you. Just be the best person you can possibly be and you’ll be rewarded.
    
    
    
    

I hope this information is useful and helpful to you. As always, please feel free to ask any questions and we'll be happy to answer (the best we can) and help out.

Thanks for reading today!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available Now! Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available Now! Puffin Books)
GHOST HUNTRESS SERIES (Coming May 2009, Houghton Mifflin)

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Okay, I'm stepping up to talk about websites for young adults (or the young at heart).


APPEARANCES ARE EVERYTHING
Okay, not really... but they count.

• Follow basic design principles.
• Pick a color scheme appropriate to your voice.
• Overcrowding in schools is bad enough. Make sure there’s plenty of “white space”
• Make navigation easy.

FRESHEN UP BEFORE YOU GO OUT IN PUBLIC
How to turn your standard, basic pages into something teen-worthy. (The links go to examples on my own website.)

• Write a bio that people want to read. Make it fun and consistent with your voice.
  
• Value added book pages that give the readers a behind-the-scenes view.

BEYOND THE BIO AND THE BOOKSHELF
Pages for professionals that might be interested in deeper information about your books.

• Teachers
• Schools
• Librarians

It’s all in good fun. Teens want fun content they can use on your page and off.

• Quizzes, polls, and games.
• Wallpapers, screen savers, and buddy icons.

NOT ANOTHER AUTHOR PAGE
You can have more than just your author page. Look for possible bonus websites in your book.

• Characters -- Your characters are people, too. (Sort of.) They can have pages just like real teens.
  
  • Blogs -- Have a character keep a blog that corresponds with the action of the story.
    
  • MySpace -- Get them a MySpace page where fans can friend their favorite characters.
    
• Schools -- Blur the division between reality and fiction. Give the school in your book a real website. (Bonus Fun: If it's a private school, include an application that fans can fill out and send in to your mail box.)
  
• Miscellaneous
  • Countries -- Did you create a fictional country in your book? (Like Meg Cabot's Genovia.) Make an official country website.
    
  • Myths -- If you incorporate myth in your story, why not give those ancient deities an online presence. (Think Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter website and forum.)
    

Websites for a teen audience benefit a lot from lateral thinking. Don't just do what every other author does. Look for ways to make the world of your books come to life in the virtual world.

Remember, we're taking questions this week. Now is the time to ask everything you ever wanted to know about marketing your YA book!

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. "an effervescent, fast-paced read" -- Publishers Weekly
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (coming May 2009)
http://www.teralynnchilds.com

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The final stop on the Buzz Girl train of Blatant Self Promotion is the amazing Marley Gibson. I've known Marley since I first joined the Chick Lit Writers of the World chapter of RWA, of which she was a--if not the--founding member. The last time I "saw" Marley was at the 2007 RWA national conference in Dallas last July. [here's a pic of us together at the Penguin party]

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Buzzing to say...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE HALE!!!

Here's Marley's latest news:

1. She turned in GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING to her editor at Houghton Mifflin. The three book GHOST HUNTRESS series is about a transplanted Chicago teen begins to experience a psychic awakening after moving to a small Southern town. She then forms a ghost hunting team to investigate and possibly battle belligerent ghosts. THE AWAKENING is a May 2009 release, with THE GUIDANCE following in Fall 2009 and THE REASON in May 2010.



2. Marley's debut books (yes, that's right, there's more than one) in the SORORITY 101 series come out May 1st! In ZETA OR OMEGA? readers will meet Jenna, Roni, and Lora-Leigh and follow them through sorority rush at Latimer University, and will follow them through more adventures in THE NEW SISTERS. [psst... I had a sneak peek at ZETA OR OMEGA? and it's awesome!]

3. The first review of SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA? comes from The Compulsive Reader. And it's lovely!

4. Marley has also extended an invitation to all BuzzReaders to join her author group. If you join before April 30th you'll be eligible to win some really cool Lia Sophia jewelry. [she promises not to spam you or flood you constantly with newsletters]

Hugs,
TLC
OH. MY. GODS. -- Dutton, available May 1st!
teralynnchilds.com

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Our apologies to Poetry Friday, which we love and adore, but we started this tri-review in mid-August. O yes, we did. It’s taken us this long. No more delays then. Here is 7-Imp’s absolutely riveting current tri-review. Go get your popcorn now, and come back, read, and enjoy.

Jules: Mo Willems, picture book creator extraordinaire, has graced the world of children’s lit with a new beginning reader series, the Elephant & Piggie books. And heaven bless him, because they are very funny and clever and . . . Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s just say they’re All Mo All the Time -– each and every book.

If you missed the first two -– My Friend is Sad and Today I Will Fly!, both released in April of this year by Hyperion -– then, run! Don’t walk! Run to the nearest bookstore or library, especially if you have those so-called emerging readers in your home, because the books -– met with rave reviews all-around -– are . . . well, as Booklist put it, they are “{a}ccessible, appealing, and full of authentic emotions about what makes friendships tick . . . {they} will put a contemporary shine on easy-reader collections and give Willems’ many fans–whatever their age or reading level–two more characters to love.” In July of this year, the following two books in the series, I Am Invited to a Party! and There Is a Bird on Your Head!, were released (also by Hyperion, whom we thank for review copies of these titles).

And how can we discuss Mo’s new beginning reader series without, arguably, the biggest Mo fan in the kidlitosphere, Pam Coughlan, a.k.a. MotherReader? So, we invited her to a tri-review of these titles and are thrilled she said yes.

MoReader, we are happy to have you here! I could go on and on about why I think these books work so well, but I’m sure we’ll all get into that. I’ll add quickly now before letting you really begin here that the very first time I read one of these, my three-year-old daughter was with me. We had picked up My Friend is Sad at the library and were really excited, as we’d been waiting for it. We sat down right there at the nearest table and took a gander, and we immediately were doing those nerdy hyperventilating laughs -– in a library, no less -– because it was almost painfully funny. So, we just packed up to take them home where we could laugh louder. I think that one’s my favorite, since the slapstick genius of all the Elephant & Piggie titles is at its best in that book, in my humble opinion.

What do you think? As a Hugely Huge Mo Fan, are you just crazy about them? Disappointed, by chance? Are they all you thought they’d be? (more…)

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{Note: Please see the post below this one for today’s Robert’s Snow schedule}

For our final post over at ForeWord Magazine (we’ve been guest-blogging all month and have enjoyed it), we offer a co-review of Haven Kimmel’s latest novel, The Used World (Free Press; September 2007; review copies), which is made of awesome-ness (that’s not a very eloquent way to describe an eloquent book, but it’ll have to do for now). Eisha and I adore Haven’s books, and if you do, too, head on over to this week’s “Shelf Space” column to read our co-review, if you’re so inclined. We may — at a later date — post the co-review itself here at 7-Imp, but for now if you want to read it, you’ll have to click once. That’s not too much effort, no? Enjoy.

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{Note: Please see the post below this one for today’s Robert’s Snow schedule}

Hi there. It’s post number three here in our fledgling tri-review series, in which we discuss the merits and/or pitfalls of a new title with a blogger whom we have invited to come play with us (these things are way more like book discussions than traditional reviews, as you can tell by the length of these posts). We kicked the series off with a discussion of Cat Weatherill’s Snowbone with Betsy Bird, a.k.a. Fuse #8; continued with a discussion of Gabrielle Zevin’s Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac with Jen Robinson; and are currently enjoying a discussion of Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie beginning readers with none other than MotherReader (to be posted soon) . . .

And this week we’re happy to have Roger Sutton, Horn Book editor and blogger, with us to discuss Perry Moore’s new novel, Hero. We’d like to thank Roger for joining us to discuss the new book.

{Note: Beware — Plot spoilers included below}.

Jules: Hero, the first novel by film producer, screenplay writer, and director Perry Moore and just released last month, is “the coming of age story of the world’s first gay superhero,” as the publisher (Hyperion) likes to put it. (And I have to quickly share Fuse’s thoughts on the matter in her post about Moore’s September book release party, because it made me laugh out loud: “And though I didn’t know it before I read the book, I LOVE gay teen superheroes! They’re the bestest superheroes out there”).

(more…)

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Leonardo’s Shadow:
Or, My Astonishing Life as
Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant
by Christopher Grey
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
September 2006
(review copies)

For the most part, we tend to cover only new titles here at 7-Imp (which mostly bums me out, but hey, we gotta have a focus; it’s hard enough to keep up), but I’m a bit slow in getting to one, published at the end of last year, that I want to make sure we tell you about, despite the fact that I’m, uh, approximately one year behind on the review. To boot, you can consider it an attempt on my part to try to compensate for the fact that we probably don’t cover enough historical fiction here at 7-Imp.

Here’s a book summary, taken straight from Grey’s site, so as not to goof and reveal too many plot spoilers:

“Milan, 1497. The height of the Renaissance. And for young Giacomo, servant to the famous Leonardo da Vinci, it’s the most difficult time of all. His master has been working on the Last Supper, his greatest painting ever, for the past two years. But has he finished it? He’s barely started! And the all-powerful Duke of Milan is after the artist to have it done by the time of the Pope’s visit next Easter. If Leonardo won’t hurry up, however, there’s a rumor that a young genius — Michelangelo — may be invited to finish it instead. Which means that Leonardo won’t be paid, and his debts are now so large that Milan’s shopkeepers are planning drastic measures against him.

It’s all down to Giacomo, and whether he can come up with a brilliant solution. But will his Master go for it? After all, Leonardo still doesn’t seem to trust him. He refuses to teach Giacomo how to paint, and he does not offer to help him find his true parents, or to explain the significance of the medallion, ring, and cross that he was carrying when Leonardo saved his life. But with the secret arrival of a powerful stranger, Giacomo is about to discover much more than the answers he has been looking for. And he will also receive an invitation to help arrange a meeting that could change his life — and the future course of history.”

(more…)

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Mokie & Bik
by Wendy Orr
with illustrations by Jonathan Bean
Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers
June 2007
(review copies)

Jules: “Mokie and Bik lived on a boat called Bullfrog. They lived in it, on it, all around it—monkeying up ladders and down ropes, over the wheelhouse and across the cabin floor.” This is our introduction to Mokie and Bik, the two young children of this most unusual chapter book, who climb and crawl and generally scamper their way around this houseboat, while their father is off working his day job as a “parrot” (who will come home with a “pirate on his shoulder”) on his “ship-at-sea with clouds of sails on five tall masts and brrr-ooping broop for fog, and he salty sailed around the world.” The children live with their mother, an artist, who I thought was so savagely cool and who is depicted in my favorite illustration of the book with “her easel and her Art” and “roaring brrr-oaring down the road” on a “botormike,” telling the children, “{a}sk me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” And their nanny, Ruby, lives with them; she can usually be found telling the children to “get out from underfoot!” The illustrations have been done by Jonathan Bean, an illustrator for whom I have already declared my great love this year (here and here and here and here and here. Whew).

Eisha, what did you think? The language in this title, I should add for those who haven’t read it yet, is quite distinctive. But I really fell in love with it:

Every morning, as the sun came up, when Mokie and Bik were still in their bunks in the bow, they heard Erik the Viking’s seagull boat chug-chug-chugging out to sea while the seagulls squawk wawk rawked and Erik shouted “No fisk yet for pesky gulls!”

(more…)

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Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
September 2007
(advance reading copies)
Note: The U.S. cover is pictured here;
the U.K. one, below

We’re here to discuss Gabrielle Zevin’s second YA novel, her first one being 2005’s Elsewhere (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), a 2006 ALA Notable Book and a Quill Book Award nominee, in which the afterlife is portrayed as a place where its inhabitants age in reverse until they reach infancy and are then sent back to Earth and reborn. She has also written one book for adults, Margarettown, and several screenplays.

In this novel, we meet seventeen-year-old Naomi, who takes a tumble down her high school steps one day after losing a coin toss with her best friend and co-editor of the yearbook, Will, over who should go back into the building to get the yearbook’s camera. She wakes to find that the past four years of her memory have been wiped clean and that she’s being assisted in the ambulance by a rather handsome fellow student about whom she knows nothing. Thus begins her journey of self-discovery as she tries to put back the puzzle pieces of her life, trying to remember Ace, her boyfriend; the complicated relationship she had with Will; why her parents are divorced; and why it takes her father a good while to tell her he’s now engaged. There’s also the issue of her mother’s new family, including a half-sister Naomi doesn’t remember at all.

We’re happy to host Jen Robinson for this, our second tri-review, the first one being fairly recently with Betsy Bird of A Fuse #8 Production and linked here, if you missed it. It was a pleasure to chat with Jen about this book. She’s a very astute reader, that one. Not to mention she graciously put up with our busy schedules while this was composed (we started this review one month ago!).

Watch Out: Some spoilers in the review below . . .

* * * * * * *

Jules: Jen, we’re excited to have you tri-reviewing with us! What did you think of the novel? I, for one, really enjoyed it, though I admit it took some convincing for me to swallow the premise. I was scared of the whole amnesia set-up – in a this-is-a-bad-soap-opera-narrative kind of way. But kudos to Zevin for making it work. It quickly became entirely believable for me, and I was really wrapped up in what I thought were such honest and perceptive characterizations. And, of course, Zevin is using memory loss as a way to explore issues of – the very nature of – identity; I guess making it a temporary and partial amnesia worked better for me. A full-fledged one might have been harder to swallow. And, though I’m getting ahead of myself here, I found the ending to be pitch-perfect and perfectly charming. Yes, I used the over-rated “charming” in a review, but it really fits here.

Did you like it? And how did it compare to Elsewhere for you? I have yet to read that one, though the premise sounds fabulous to me. (more…)

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Punk Farm on Tour
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Knopf Books for Young Readers
October 2007
(advance proofs)

*** Note: Scroll down below this co-review for a
kickin’ announcement
(via author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka) which will make you Punk Farm fans really squealy-happy . . .

Jules: They’re back! Cow, Sheep, Pig, Goat, and Chicken, that is. When we met the gang in 2005 in Punk Farm (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Eisha and I were both impressed with the droll humor of the book and the explosive, dynamic, all-around rockin’ illustrations by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. In that title, the gang rocks out with “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” while Farmer Joe sleeps. This time, Farmer Joe heads out for the Tractor Society Conference in Reno, but meanwhile, back at the farm . . . well, the gang sneaks out on a cross-country Punk Farm concert tour, no less. Unfortunately, their beat-up, worn-down old tour van is threatening to ruin their plans, and Krosoczka uses this premise to give us a glimpse into Punk Farm’s current tour hit, “The Wheels on the Van” (thanks to some quick thinking on the part of Sheep).

Eisha, you told me in an email that Punk Farm on Tour=awesome, and I’d have to agree. Would you like to elaborate?

eisha: Happy to, Jules . . . (more…)

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Jules: We at 7-Imp, as you may know, are fond of co-reviews, our euphemism for flappin’ our gums about a book. We are happy today to have a guest co-reviewer – our tri-reviewer, we suppose – Betsy Bird of A Fuse #8 Production. Yes, she agreed to be the the Mo to our Curly and Larry; the Groucho to our Chico and Harpo; the Bart to our Maggie and Lisa; the Harry to our Ron and Hermione; the Gleek to our Zan and Jayna. Oh, you get the idea, and someone stop us now . . .

And you may notice this is numero uno in a new series, ’cause we thought it was so much fun that we’ve got another one lined up soon. And another one after that. And another one. Someone stop us again . . . Really, the chance to talk books with some of our favorite bloggers? We couldn’t pass up the idea.

Back at the beginning of this year, I reviewed Barkbelly by Cat Weatherill and noted that a sequel would be forthcoming. Betsy read the review (indeed, she had reviewed the title herself) and left a comment, asking if we imps were game for reading said sequel, Snowbone (Knopf Books for Young Readers; July 2007; with cover and interior art by Peter Brown), when it was released. And, since I have the memory of an elephant when it comes to my to-be-read piles, I reminded Eisha and Betsy of this pledge these six months later, secured some review copies, and we all three read away at (about) the same time. And now we’re here to yak it up about performance storyteller and UK author Cat Weatherill’s sequel to her ‘06 story (’05 in the UK) about a boy hatched from a wooden egg who flees his loving home (with human parents) after a dreadful accident at school, beginning a quest for his real home and family.

{Note: Snowbone Spoilers revealed below} . . . (more…)

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