I told myself that while I was at ALA, I wouldn't pick up arcs. Then a school marketing person handed me two arcs, and publishers gave some to me, and you know how it goes! The result is that I've been reading a bunch, and now that it's summer and my commute is simply from my bed to the lake, I actually have some time to blog.
The first up, is Ellen Potter's new book
Otis Dooda: Strange But True. Potter has stepped out of her wheelhouse with this illustrated novel for the younger set, but since Potter is writing it, you know the writing is tight.
Otis and the rest of the Dooda family are making a move to NYC. They are moving into the 35 story Tidwell Towers, which impresses Otis since it looks like it's made up of LEGO blocks! Otis notices the automatic door and thinks that moving is "kind of cool, like we were moving into a Price Chopper Supermarket!" (p8) The automatic doors aren't the only thing that is different from Otis' old place...there seems to be a kid skulking in a potted plant in the lobby. It turns out that he gives everyone the shakedown for candy and other goods when they come into the building, and if you don't pay up he curses you!
Otis finds this out the hard way, refusing to sacrifice his homemade LEGO lie detector. Otis gets the details when he befriends Perry, a kid on his floor with the strangest looking and smelliest dog you've ever seen. One of the great things about Tidwell Towers is that there are lots of kids, and before long Otis is hanging out with Perry, Cat and Boris and they are hatching plans to put the kibosh on the plant guy.
What follows is an often hilarious tale of the often dysfunctional apartment slash big city life. As I said, this isn't what I would necessarily expect from Potter, however, I know at my library I have daily requests for "something with lots of pictures, like
Wimpy Kid", and this fits the bill. Strange parents, a creepy older brother, rats and poodles, friends with parents with odd jobs, and trying to dodge the inevitable summer enrollment in classes all come into play. The humor is sly and horse read oriented at the same time, and readers will likely laugh out loud along the way.
Stacy DeKeyser is the author of The Brixen Witch, a new Middle Grade release with a witch, a curse, and lots and lots of rats! I invited Stacy to the Café to talk about her latest release. Check out what she has to say!
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.
[Stacy DeKeyser] Book nerd; loves dogs; consumes too much sugar. Whimpers upon realizing she’ll never get to read all the books she’d like to.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you tell us a little about The Brixen Witch?
[Stacy DeKeyser] It’s kind of two stories combined into one: a story about a village with its own witch, built on the bones of the Pied Piper legend.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?
[Stacy DeKeyser] I’d wanted to write a story about a mountain witch for years, ever since visiting the Italian Alps in 2000, where there are local legends about witches. But I could never figure out what her story should be.Then, in 2009, I stumbled across a mention of the Pied Piper legend, and how it may be based on real events. I’d always known that, of course, but this time I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The tragedy and lopsided cruelty of that story haunted me. Most fairy tales tend to be dark, but this is one of the few where NO ONE lives happily ever after, and NO ONE gets their comeuppance. It bothered me, and so I wanted to write my own version of the story.
As I researched, I came upon Kate Greenaway’s illustrations of the Robert Browning poem, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin." Greenaway’s version of Hamelin looked just like the village in the Italian Alps with the witch. Something clicked in my head, and I knew I had found a way to write the witch’s story too.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three words best describe Rudi?
[Stacy DeKeyser] Serious. Kind. Brave.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are three things Rudi would never have in his pocket?
[Stacy DeKeyser] Keys — Because his house is never locked.
Marbles — He’s a little too serious to play with marbles.
A handkerchief — He’s a boy. He knows what sleeves are for.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] If Rudi had a theme song, what would it be?
[Stacy DeKeyser] You know that song about conquering your fears and meanwhile discovering who you’re meant to be? Yeah! That’s the one.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What are your greatest creative influences?
[Stacy DeKeyser] My mom, Dori Chaconas, who has been writing and publishing since I was a kid, and who showed me that even "regular" people can write books and be published.
Jonathan Stroud, who can weave plot and character seamlessly. A master.
Richard Peck, who says "No one but a reader ever became a writer." Because he’s talking about me.
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What three things do you need in order to write?
[Stacy DeKeyser] A beverage (preferably caffeinated)
Background music (preferably instrumental; preferably with a Celtic flavor)
A deadline (preferably imposed by someone else)
[Manga Maniac Cafe] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?
[Stacy DeKeyser] I loved The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud . That book is satisfying on every level: It’s expertly plotted and yet the story never feels forced; the characters are vivid and real. It en
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
I love Holly Black’s Curse Worker series, so I am counting down the days until Black Heart hits store shelves. This is a fantastic series so far, so give it a try if you haven’t already.
| Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love. |
In stores April, 2012
Subscribe in a reader
 |
| We got HATS! Part of the crowd models their storytelling hats at lunchtime. |
It's over - a week of games and stories and a LOT of fun. Thursday, I was so tired. I admit I was looking forward to the last day. On Friday, as we worked through a final practice - with the microphones - and as we talked about our stage names ("Marshmallow Fluff", "Crystal Chandelier", "Hog Wild", "Knock Your Socks Off") I realized that I did NOT want this workshop to end. I
like these kids - and the teen volunteers - and the adults who helped me, too. I even liked playing Beat the Bunny.
 |
| Homemade trolls! How many stories involving trolls do you know? |
I reviewed their homework from the first day - to come up with a curse and a counter curse. Most of the curses had people being changed from themselves into something else. Here are a few of my favorites:
Aishani was turned into the ugliest t-shirt ever and could not be turned back until a young woman bought her. Like that would ever happen!!! Project Runway, look out. Aishani is on her way.
In Vidhya's curse, a Princess is turned into a book and cannot turn back until someone reads the book and likes it. This one is close to my heart because books are awesome!
Ethan gets turned into a soccer ball and has to be kicked into the same goal by the same player in the same game 10 times. WHAT!!!! Poor Ethan!
Gwen becomes a clock and will be turned back when a celebrity buys the clock. Alas, the purchase must happen within three days. That time restriction makes this curse almost unbreakable.
Nandini's curse falls on a mean mean man. Everything he touches turns to stone, especially his money UNTIL he is nice to everyone for an entire year. Nice going, Nandini! Take THAT, mean man!
Jules' curse involved a vampire. The vampire turns someone into a bee. The bee has to make honey for the vampire to get turned back into a person. Anything with a vampire - or honey - in it is especially effective.
There were others and the Teen Tellers and adults had some curses that reflected more on real life. (Miss Jeannie turned into a bag of mulch! Hmmm, what's on
her mind, I wonder?)
Expect actual live footage of wild tellers-in-training sharing tales and playing Beat the Bunny. in the next post.
