Thanks to Claudia Mills and FSG for inviting me to kick off the Zero Tolerance blog tour!
Go for the Cringe
by Claudia Mills
Like many authors, I fashion my books as a patchwork stitched from varied scraps of memories, although there may not be a single scene, character, or even line of dialogue taken intact from real life. Still, the emotional core of a book tends to start with some remembered childhood experience. Usually that core originates in some memory that continues even decades later to make me cringe.
I drew the actual incident that triggered Zero Tolerance from the local news, when a nearby middle school took action to expel an honor student who brought the wrong lunch to school, an incident that received extensive media coverage. I saved no newspaper clippings; I don’t have that kind of careful filing system for book ideas. But I held onto the story nonetheless. Years later, when I sat down to write Zero Tolerance, that incident stored in my writer’s brain helped unearth an adolescent memory stored in my writer’s heart.
Here is the memory at the heart of Sierra’s story.
Many years ago, as a student at North Plainfield High School in central New Jersey, one spring I took issue with the school’s practice of locking all the school doors after the closing bell (both from inside and out) even though extracurricular activities were going on at that time. What if there were a fire? How could students exit the school? It seemed to my adolescent self such a metaphor for school-as-prison. So I complained to my friends. I complained to a few teachers. And then one of my friends took it upon herself to send a letter to the local paper protesting the locked doors—and signed the name of our much-disliked P.E. teacher.
When the letter appeared in print, I was horrified. A budding writer, I knew how important it is that we can own the words that appear over our signature; I knew what a wrong thing my friend had done. Worse, I knew I would be taken to be the author of the fraudulent letter. I knew I would be blamed, or even punished, when I myself had done nothing wrong. I still remember the terrible helplessness I felt as I waited to see how the teacher would respond, for any attempts I made to clear my name would be taken only as further evidence of guilt.
What ended up happening was... nothing. Life is so often less interesting than fiction. The school year drew to a close, and I tried to suppress that painful memory as best I could. But it resurfaced as I grappled with how to tell Sierra’s story. Readers of the book will know that Sierra ends up sending a fraudulent letter to the newspaper signed by the much-disliked school secretary. And while she is clearly at fault for doing so, she spends most of the book being punished for something she clearly deserved no blame for doing.
Many other snippets from my real life found their way into the book. A sixth grade best friend who excelled at analyzing every utterance or gesture of the boys we liked. A teachers’ assistant at my sons’ elementary school who was inappropriately bossy toward the students. A friend of mine who is an ardent though unrecognized playwright. A comforting cat.
But the heart of the book is the dark memory of a letter that never should have been written. The heart of the book is a memory that still lies heavy on my heart. So my advice for other writers, and for myself as a writer, is and will continue to be: don’t be afraid to go into those dark places. Sometimes you can write the book you need to write only if you let yourself go for the cringe.
Larry+Harwood+(2).jpg "Claudia Mills (c) Larry Harwood")
CLAUDIA MILLS is the author of many chapter and middle-grade books, including
7 x 9=Trouble!;
How Oliver Olson Changed the World; and, most recently,
Kelsey Green, Reading Queen.
She also teaches philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
To learn more, visit her website:
claudiamillsauthor.comEnter to win a copy of the book using the Rafflecopter widget below!
Follow Claudia on her her blog tour! Check back for new posts between now and Sept 17.
- Wed, Sept 4 - Read Now, Sleep Later AND SLJ Teen giveaway
- Thurs, Sept 5 - proseandkahn
- Fri, Sept 6 - The Book Monsters
- Mon, Sept 9 - Once Upon a Story
- Tues, Sept 10 - Pass the Chiclets
- Wed, Sept 11 - The Late Bloomer's Book Blog
- Thurs, Sept 12 - Mother Daughter Book Club
- Fri, Sept 13 - The Children's Book Review
- Sun, Sept 15 - Nerdy Book Club
- Mon, Sept 16 - Geo Librarian
- Tues, Sept 17 - A Life Bound by Books
a Rafflecopter giveaway
In case anyone is wondering, the question you need to answer in the Rafflecopter (for the Commenting points) is
"Sierra ends up bringing something to school that she shouldn't have. More often than not, we forget to bring something to school we should have! What's the thing you kept forgetting to bring? For me, it was clean gym clothes :("
Thanks to Claudia Mills and FSG for inviting me to kick off the Zero Tolerance blog tour!
Category: Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
Keywords: School controversy, friendship, family, values, morality
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Source: Library; Netgalley
Synopsis:
Seventh-grader Sierra Shepard has always been the perfect student, so when she sees that she accidentally brought her mother's lunch bag to school, including a paring knife, she immediately turns in the knife at the school office. Much to her surprise, her beloved principal places her in in-school suspension and sets a hearing for her expulsion, citing the school's ironclad no weapons policy. While there, Sierra spends time with Luke, a boy who's known as a troublemaker, and discovers that he's not the person she assumed he would be--and that the lines between good and bad aren't as clear as she once thought. Claudia Mills brings another compelling school story to life with Zero Tolerance.
Review:
I was initially drawn to read this by the great cover art by
Vera Brosgol (author-illustrator of
Anya's Ghost -- note, not all her artwork is SFW ;) Sierra's worried brows striking just the right gesture of uncertainty towards the green apple on top of her head, William Tell-style, with the subtle background behind her forming a target. The symbolism of the apple is so clever--not just its part in setting off the events in the book, but also the reference to
apples for teachers, that iconic fruit for teacher's pets. I started this late one night and finished around 3 am, earning it the
Stay up all night rating!
Careful plotting and great characters are what make this middle grade novel by Claudia Mills so compelling to read. The book centers not necessarily around the zero tolerance policy that Sierra unwittingly breaks, but around the idea that right and wrong aren't always clearly defined. For a goody-two-shoes like Sierra and the other good girls she hangs around with, everything seems black-and-white... until she gets suspended and put on a track towards expulsion.
Her perspective shaken off its axis, Sierra starts to see people differently: Mr. Besser, the school principal she had previously viewed with an almost worshipful eye; her lawyer dad, who might not be handling the situation in a completely above-board way; and her friends, especially a cute boy named Colin who sticks up for her, but maybe not for the reasons she wishes he would. Then there's the hyperactive Luke, perennially suspended but not exactly bad-to-the-bone. Sierra starts to make impulsive, spiteful decisions she will later regret. As the consequences start to pile up, she needs to re-balance her views of good and bad if she is ever going to be able to make things right again.
There are a couple of words used that might make this objectionable for parents (assuming it's assigned for school reading), however I think Sierra's attitude towards swearing and how it changes throughout the book is a great way to broach the topic with tweens and younger teens (who, lets face it, probably swear a lot more than their parents think they do). Counterbalance that analysis with the school's creed: RULES - RESPECT - RESPONSIBILITY - RELIABILITY, and you've got quite a lot to talk about. The author provides
a discussion guide with activity ideas on her website.
I think this would make a great family tv-movie. Nick Offerman would make a great Mr. Besser; Joel McHale and Alison Brie could play Sierra's dad and mom. I don't know of any young actresses that could really pull off the various emotions and attitudes that Sierra goes through, do you?
Lastly, Sierra's mom keeps trying to keep her spirits up. She's affectionate and loving, but most noticeably (as most good moms do) she keeps feeding Sierra comfort foods. As the book goes on and Sierra becomes more and more disgusted by her own actions, she develops aversions to particular foods. I can't say I blame her! If only she hadn't brought that knife to school by accident... So below, I've included some ideas for apple nachos--if you're a kid, have an adult help you with the chopping and heating parts. You can vary the amounts as you wish, but for a lot of the toppings just a tablespoon of each will do. Recipes for the sauces follow. I'll try to update this post with more photos when I can make the other variations. And please, remember to leave the knife at home!
Enjoy!
Apple Nachos
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| "The Sweet Sierra" |
Ingredients:
An apple, any variety
A lemon
Assorted toppings
Equipment:
A knife
A cutting board
A mixing bowl
A serving plate (or a container with an air-tight lid if you're taking it to school)
Makes 1-2 servings
- Wash and dry an apple. You can peel the skin off if you want to, but I like to keep it on unless it's a variety that has a bitter or waxy skin.
- With an adult's help, chop the apple into quarters. Carefully cut out the core with the stem and seeds, then slice each quarter into thinner slices. These are your "chips".
- Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl.
- Toss the apple chips in the lemon juice and let them soak for a minute. This will stop them from turning brown right away. Drain and pat the apple chips dry with a paper towel.
- Arrange the slices on a plate and add your choice of toppings. You can drizzle the sauces on or put them on the side for dipping.
- Eat it right away, or take it to school with you.
Suggested Toppings:
The Sweet Sierra (pictured above)
the sweet and sour variation
Dulce de leche or caramel sauce + raisins + mini chocolate chips + shredded coconut
Media Circus
the nutty variation
Peanut butter sauce + raisins + chopped pecans + banana slices
The Principal Besser
the school lunch variation
Nacho cheese (yes, apples taste great with cheese!)
+ diced tomatoes, olives, and jalapeños (optional)
The Gerald Edward Shepard, Esquire
the fine dining variation
Extra-virgin olive oil + balsamic glaze or vinegar
+ pine nuts + crushed dried basil or oregano + parmesan cheese
(You can toss a little crushed garlic in there if you're really feeling brave)
The Cornflake
the French toast variation
Maple syrup + crumbled shredded wheat or other cereal +
cinnamon sugarThe Angie Shepard
the tough cookie variation
Cookie butter sauce + slivered almonds + dried cranberries
The Comfort of Friends
the hot chocolate variation
Chocolate syrup + mini marshmallows + whipped cream*
*You're going to want to eat this right away, unless you for some reason have access to a refrigerator at school. You can also toast this combo after adding marshmallows but before adding the chocolate syrup and whipped cream!
***
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp half and half, heavy whipping cream, or milk
1/2 Tbsp butter
Tiny pinch of salt
A few drops of vanilla extract
In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together all the ingredients except the vanilla. When the sauce has melted and blended together (about 1 minute), stir in the vanilla. Turn off the heat and keep stirring all the while to help it cool down. When it is no longer very hot, pour over apple nachos.
***
Peanut butter sauce
2 Tbsp peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 Tbsp half and half, heavy whipping cream, or milk
1 Tbsp white or brown sugar
Tiny pinch of salt
1 tsp maple syrup or light corn syrup
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together all the ingredients until well blended. Turn off the heat and keep stirring all the while to help it cool down. When it is no longer very hot, pour over apple nachos.
***
Cookie butter sauce
1 Tbsp half and half, heavy whipping cream, or milk
1 Tbsp white or brown sugar
Tiny pinch of salt
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together all the ingredients until well blended. Turn off the heat and keep stirring all the while to help it cool down. When it is no longer very hot, pour over apple nachos.
***
I used a Granny Smith apple for The Sweet Sierra variation since it's a little tart -- it balances out all the sweet stuff and I thought this represented Sierra's character changes throughout the book. I used Gala apples for all the rest but you can use any kind you like or have available. I also used Mallow Bits for the hot chocolate variation, but use regular mini-marshmallows if you're going to toast it.
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Larry+Harwood+(2).jpg "Claudia Mills (c) Larry Harwood")
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Yup, gym clothes and a clean towel, Yuck!
My lunch bag and the empty containers.
Haha... gym clothes, yes and homework!
sometimes lunch
Usually papers that my parents had to sign. -_-
girly things....
I played in the band, and was awful at remembering to bring my flute to school