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“My advice on writing?” asked Joseph Bruchac, author of KILLER OF ENEMIES and sequel TRAIL OF THE DEAD, recently to a group of high school students gathered in our Lee & Low office.
“Read. Read a lot and read widely. Don’t just read on the Internet; read books. If you have a favorite writer, take a look at what she does and how she does it across her books. Also, write. Write a lot and write every day. My third piece of advice is revise—make writing worth reading.”
For our virtual author event, Joseph Bruchac called in to join the students from Grace Church School who were visiting our Lee & Low office in Manhattan. The students had read both books in Bruchac’s KILLER OF ENEMIES series and were interested in learning more about the main character Lozen, the world she lives in, and the inspiration behind the books.
During our conference call with Joseph Bruchac, students came prepared with their own questions, which included:
What was society and the world like before the coming of the Cloud? What was your vision of the world?
Luther’s chapters have a very different narration from Lozen’s chapters. What was the thinking behind this choice?
Whose side is the Dreamer on?
Did the Cloud make every One insane or are there some Ones who are still good?
Coyote has a particular place in much Native American folklore but TRAIL OF THE DEAD has a lot of sci fi/fantasy monsters and mythical creatures. Where does Coyote fit in?
Is Lozen’s journey similar to your own?
How long did it take you to write the book? What advice do you have about writing?
Great discussion with author Joseph Bruchac!Grace Church School students William, Sabina, Ufon, and Eleanor with librarian Sarah Couri
Looking to lead your own book discussion with teens?
Check out our Discussion Questions for KILLER OF ENEMIES series with a focus on the latest release, TRAIL OF THE DEAD:
Before the Silver Cloud, humans with computer-generated enhancements, called the Ones, controlled the world. Do you think author Joseph Bruchac’s vision of the future is convincing? Why or why not? What similarities do you see between the pre-Cloud world that the Dreamer described and our own world today?
What role does community play in TRAIL OF THE DEAD? How is Lozen’s community critical to her healing?
The Dreamer decides which books to save. Which book would you save?
Do you have theories on who Hally is? What do you think motivates Hally and what do you think Hally wants?
Author Joseph Bruchac alternates between first-person narration of Lozen to third person omniscient narration with Luther—why would the author do this? How does this build suspense? With whom does Joseph Bruchac want us to empathize? Does this affect our perception of Lozen as a trustworthy narrator?
Joseph Bruchac, as an adult, created Lozen (her background, voice, and perspective) and chose to write her as a teenager. She can be very opinionated, sardonic, and mocking. Do you think Lozen is a representative teenager? Why or why not?
Main character, Lozen, uses humor and sarcasm throughout the series. Why do you think author Joseph Bruchac uses humor in the telling of a post-apocalyptic tale? How is this story unique from other texts set in extreme and violent environments? How does humor and sarcasm help Lozen and the other characters cope or heal with their environment and experiences? In what circumstances in our world today do we see people using humor in difficult and stressful situations?
The ending of TRAIL OF THE DEAD is left open for a follow-up (or perhaps a conclusion). What do you hope to see as Lozen’s (and the other characters’) story continues?
Resources and activities for engaging students on the KILLER OF ENEMIES book series:
1. Author Joseph Bruchac reads from TRAIL OF THE DEAD, the sequel to his post-apocalyptic Apache steampunk, KILLER OF ENEMIES.
3. Have students write their own story after reading Tu Books publisher Stacy Whitman share how writers go about worldbuilding with the focus on post-apocalyptic settings.
4. Start an author study of Joseph Bruchac with his website and then explore his range of works, topics, and themes:
5. Have students blog about and map through Google Maps the journey and world of Lozen in KILLER OF ENEMIES and TRAIL OF THE DEAD. This project was designed by Dr. Lisa Hager, Associate Professor of English and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at University of Wisconsin-Waukesha.
6. Have students write their own book reviews to submit to the school newspaper or present to the class. Students can read the reviews of KILLER OF ENEMIES and TRAIL OF THE DEAD at the bottom of the book pages for ideas.
Diversity Gap in Children’s Books Infographic 2015 – click for larger imageTu Books Publisher Stacy Whitman
Tu Books publisher Stacy Whitman broadened the discussion with looking at the challenges in children’s publishing today. As a group, we analyzed The Diversity Gap in Children’s Books infographic.
What is the context of this infographic? What are student and general U.S. population demographics today?
What might some causes be for the lack of diversity in children’s books?
What might the impact of a lack of diversity among authors and characters be on students reading books that were either assigned or self-selected? What might it mean for a young child growing up and reading? What will she see? What will she not see?
How to bring a LEE & LOW author or illustrator into your classroom live or virtually:
Jill Eisenberg, our Senior Literacy Specialist, began her career teaching English as a Foreign Language for second through sixth grade in Yilan, Taiwan as a Fulbright Fellow. She went on to become a literacy teacher for third grade in the Bay Area, CA as a Teach for America corps member where she became passionate about best practices for supporting English Language Learners and parent engagement. In her column for Lee & Low’s The Open Book blog, she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.
0 Comments on Connecting Teens With the Authors They Love as of 1/1/1900
Our longtime readergirlz friend, Dawn Rutherford is here with us today. She's the terrific Teen Services Coordinator for Sno-Isle Libraries. Welcome Dawn
Tell us about Sno-Isle libraries We are an awesome library system just a bit North of Seattle with 22 locations spread over two counties. I’ve been working here for seven years, and before that I worked at King County and also Chicago Public. My job is to oversee all things teen at a system-wide level. This includes our great teen website, events like Teen Read and Teen Tech Months, trainings for staff, spearheading proposals for shared programming kits and equipment, and generally supporting my Teen Contacts at each location to do the best they can for serving teens. This year has been an exciting one. We are currently working on a GenYZ project with the consultant OrangeBoy Inc. to craft better strategies and services for 13-29 year olds. And we just finalized our brand new Teen Service Purpose Statement which will not only focus and strengthen our services to teens (which we define as 12-18), but expands it to better serve tweens (9-12) and young adults (19-20). Outside of the wonderful work I get to do for Sno-Isle, I’m also active in YALSA, and have worn many hats for them.
Photo -YALSA fashion show My favorites were co-planning an amazing Get Graphic @ Your Library graphic novel pre-conference (where I got to meet and introduce Neil Gaiman), chairing the first Great Graphic Novel for Teens committee, serving on the Margaret A. Edwards award committee that honored Francescia Lia Block, and now I’m chairing this year’s Odyssey Award committee. The Skinny: What do you love most about your work? My stock answer used to be “working with the teens”, but the sad fact is that I’ve reached a point in my career where to best utilize my experience and abilities to serve teens, I don’t actually get to interact with them all that often. I’m hoping to change this over the next year by implementing a brand new system of teen councils at our libraries, with representatives that will serve on a virtual council that works directly with me. But even if I don’t get the face time with them much anymore, I love that I get to constantly work creatively to connect teens with libraries and all they have to offer…especially books. I served on Spokane Public Library’s Young Adult Advisory Committee (YAAC) back in the 80s under the late great Christy Tyson, and I still cherish the connections I was able to make with library staff and other book loving teens. Thank goodness for Facebook…not only do I still connect with some librarians and other YAAC members through that, but I’m now friends with former teens who were dear to me at previous jobs. More than anything I love the connections I make with individuals: be it teens, library staff, authors, fellow YALSA members…and if we can share a good book, all the better! A Mighty Librarian Roar! Human civilization exists largely in information our species has created and shares together to make stories of how the world should be. Storing this information externally (outside our brains) gives us tremendous room for growth and possibility, but it also sets up potential for loss and disconnection if that information is not accessible. Libraries have grown beyond a physical place where information is stored, into a gateway to the world. Library staff don’t just help you find the right book, but help set you on the journey to the place you want to be, and the person you are aspiring to become. And all of this happens because communities believe individual should have this sort of access and assistance, which to me is a very hopeful and beautiful thing. Library Laughs I was very fortunate early in my days at Sno-Isle to have made a connection Shannon Hale before she hit it big, and was asked by her publisher if I could host her and Libba Bray on their joint tour.
Shannon Hale, Dawn and Libba Bray [photo from flickr set: keepingfaith] I worked extra hard to plan a fun even that would be enjoyable for both the authors and the audience, because I love both of these author’s work and wanted to share my excitement with everyone. When they showed up, it turned out all three of us were wearing practically the same outfit…black cardigans, dresses, and black boots. We had so much fun…I still feel lucky to have gotten to know them before they both got huge :D Pride of Programs Hmmm. Two of my favorite programs I’ve done are probably Book Buddies and last summer’s pilot of the Sno-Isle Super Summer Scavenganza.
Book Buddies is a program where teens mentor struggling readers in 2nd-4thgrade over the summer. It is a wonderful intergenerational program and not only helps kids enjoy reading more and get comfortable doing it, but it is really great for the teens, too! The Scavengana is a two month long online scavenger hunt where teams of teens were given missions each day of the summer, and competed against each other by making videos, writing book reviews, and other creative endeavors.
I really hope to do it again next year, but with some simplifications and tweaks to make it easier to run and participate in! It was one of the most satisfying projects I’ve worked on in a long time. We left everything up on the website, and here are some photo highlights of the teams entries. Teen Library Scene To me the best indicators of passion for our libraries are some of the entries for contests our teens have made for us. My personal favorite is Emily B.’s submission from our 2012 art contest (http://www.sno-isle.org/teens/art-contest-winners/), a Harry Potter themed synchronized swim that two sisters made for our Scavenganza last summer, and this infomercialby another Scavenganza team, Dragon Army. That our fans are willing to create such wonderful things for our library community is super exciting to me.
Art Contest Winner Emily B. Andrew K. - Mill Creek: “One thing I really like about the Sno-Isle teen section, on the website at least, is that it feels like you can contribute to it, i.e. the reviews, which you seem to be the main moderator for! I also enjoy that there are lists by subject matter added and edited once in awhile, and when I was first especially looking for new books before I started using GoodReads, those lists were extremely helpful! I still check back on them once in awhile if some are updated.”
Sophie K. - Arlington: "The founders of our nation believed in self-education-the idea that every single individual ought to learn by reading books and studying the thoughts and ideas of those who have come before them. Can you imagine our nation without libraries where you can accomplish this goal? I know of no better place than a library to explore ideas, rethink your philosophies, entertain different thoughts, and change your mind. Just one person can change the world-and just one library can change a person."
Pic of Teen Advisors Author! Author! For me, the perfect author visit is one where the readers are super jazzed and have all read the book and have tons of questions for the author. And then the author responds to teens with total respect, humor, and grace. Some of my favorites have included the one I mentioned with Shannon Hale and Libba Bray at the Mountlake Terrace library, when we had Scott Westerfeld at the Edmonds library, a Skype interview Adam Rex did with the teens of the Mukilteo Library, and great guest visits at two different Teen-Adult Book groups I’ve co-run with school libraries: Ben Michaelson at Tillicum Middle School, and Kendare Blake at Brier-Terrace Middle school. Let’s Link Blog: Snoisleteenshttp://snoisleteens.tumblr.com/ Library Website: sno-isle.org/teens/http://www.sno-isle.org/teens/ Facebook: snoisleteenshttps://www.facebook.com/snoisleteens Twitter: @snoisleteens https://twitter.com/snoisleteens Pinterest: snoisleteenshttp://www.pinterest.com/snoisleteens/
Thanks again for the terrific interview, Dawn! Add a Comment
Find Books that Appeal to Children's Unique Tastes
Every child's tastes are different. Too often adults, and even kids’ peers, try to push their own reading interests onto them. Sometimes I would get frustrated when I would see the classics pushed onto one of my sons because it was driving him to boredom and a dislike for reading. Ironically, I would often try to get that same son more interested in reading by finding adventure books and fantasy books for him to read. He liked them okay, but they weren’t his thing. That was puzzling to me since I loved those books and so did my older son. Ultimately, I discovered that he really enjoyed reading about sports. For awhile he read sports books, but now most of his reading is in the sports section of the newspaper or on web sites, and that’s great, because he’s reading.
All my children are readers, but they all have different tastes, which range from the classics to fantasy and adventure to contemporary thought provoking literature and to non-fiction or historical books. Many times children don’t consider themselves readers simply because the world’s supposed view of what reading is doesn’t mesh with their own. The other day my adult niece mentioned that she’s not a reader and that she’s read probably less than 5 books in her life. She listed the books, which were all fiction, but then went on say how she loves to read books that you can learn about things, such as rock climbing and similar things. She’s definitely a reader.
The key is to give children choices in their reading. Just because they don’t want to read the classics or the latest bestselling novel, doesn’t mean they’re not readers. It’s a mistake to force our own interests or likes on them. Instead, we need to help them discover the books or other reading material that will appeal to their unique tastes.
For more insights on the importance of finding books that target children’s specific interests, take a look at the following Librarian Booktalks:
1. Being able to write the types of stories I loved to read as a kid.
As a kid, I devoured books: adventures, mysteries, fantasies, animal stories. As an adult, I still enjoy the same types of reading, but I don’t find myself getting ‘lost’ in the adult reads. And so I write the stories of my youth. ex. The Harry Potter series
2. Knowing that kids lend themselves to imagination easier than adults.
Young readers, like adults, can be a difficult audience to write for. What I’ve found, though, is that they eagerly enter into the world of a book easier than adults. The innocence and imagination of young readers knows no limits at this age. ex. The Hunger Games, The Twilight series
3. Helping young readers to see their world in a different way or from a different viewpoint.
Frequently, young readers only see their world from their own point of view. Try visiting a middle school or high school and seeing all the drama that goes on with the boys as well as the girls. Creating the types of characters that these readers can identify and empathize with, helps them to see their real-life situations differently. ex. A Child Called It.
4. Understanding that while young readers enjoy stories, they are also looking for truths about themselves and life.
Being a hero isn’t easy. Sometimes heroes doubt themselves as well as those around them. Sometimes, heroes even fail, but they don’t give up. Young readers tend to think that they have to be perfect all the time, succeed all the time. As adults, we know that isn’t true or even possible. ex. The Lord of the Rings
5. Getting letters/emails from young readers.
Young readers are not shy. One of the exciting reasons I enjoy writing for these ages is that they have no qualms about saying what they think. Kids may not always be tactful when expressing their feelings, but they are truthful. It is the truth about your writing that will make you a better writer. As a high school writing teacher, I always tried to couch my criticisms in a positive, but instructive manner. In a way, this is what young readers do also if we as writers listen.
About the Author:
Although a retired teacher, Cheryl Carpinello still has a passion for working with kids. She regularly conducts Medieval Writing Workshops for local elementary/middle schools and the Colorado Girl Scouts. She is not the only one who loves Medieval Times and the King Arthur Legend. The kids thoroughly enjoy writing their own medieval stories complete with dragons, wizards, unicorns and knights!
She loves to travel and her other job is with a major airline. Her favorite trip was a two week visit to Egypt with her husband that included traveling by local train from one end of Egypt to the other.
Some of her favorite books include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, and any by the duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
The World of Ink Network will be touring both of author Cheryl Carpinello’s Middle Grade Arthurian Legend books, The King’s Ransom (Young Knights of the Round Table) published by MuseItUp Publishing and Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend published by Outskirts Press throughout January 2013.
Some stories become legend while some legends become stories!
You can find out more about Cheryl Carpinello, her books and World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/ajka7zv
All good reasons! I know as a kid, I felt books were almost like friends -- an escape when I felt lonely or wanted to be by myself. So I love the idea of creating another "mind space" where kids can hang out.
Thank you, Virginia and the Utah Children's Writers for hosting me today! I am having so much fun doing World Of Ink's Tour. Am continually discovering new children/family friendly sites.
Lego has built its way into the social media world (with its new fan community, ReBrick, where users can share images of what they construct and see what other Lego users have been busy making. So long to the days of just playing with blocks!; Legos... Read the rest of this post
I know as writers we tend to fret about the current trends and what should be the focus of a story idea. But then sometimes I think we forget about the reader and what they want or better yet what they don’t like.
Since I’m primarily writing young-adult literature, I’m always interested to see what my intended readership likes and dislikes. I love reading reviews by teen readers as well. So when I was recently in my local public library and noticed they were having their monthly teen book club discussion, I decided to eavesdrop listen in on some of the conversation.
This list contains some of the issues I heard about about two books they read:
Book started out slow and was too slow a lot of the time.
Didn’t care about the characters.
Dialogue wasn’t well written. Conversations seemed unrealistic. Sounded like my mother.
Story would have been better told in first-person seeing it through the character’s eyes.
Story didn’t flow very well. Storyline was confusing at times.
Story dragged on toward the middle. Could have been quicker and straight to the point.
Some parts of the story could have explained better to make the story more believable and detailed.
Ending was rushed. Felt it wasn’t carefully thought out.
These readers had good things to say about the books they read as well but they were more vocal about what they didn’t like. What do you think about the list? Do you think the teens were on target about some of the problem areas of novels?
5 Comments on What Teen Readers Don’t Like, last added: 8/16/2011
Funny, that’s essentially my list for why a book turns me off. I love the dialogue one–”sounds like my mother.” Ha!
Heather McCorkle said, on 8/16/2011 9:16:00 AM
That sounds like an excellent opportunity, to listen in on what teens felt about books! Of course they were spot on for what worked for them, that’s what it’s all about. Thank you for this! I’m jotting down the list for future use while editing. :)
Laura Marcella said, on 8/16/2011 10:21:00 AM
I think this sounds accurate! These are all the main things writers struggle with in our many drafts. Great list to keep by our side while revising!
Ghenet Myrthil said, on 8/16/2011 1:22:00 PM
Interesting! I think these all sound right.
Kenda said, on 8/16/2011 1:33:00 PM
Great post! Straight from the target audience–better even than a critique group’s input, since the intended readers shared what works and doesn’t work for them. Worth making note of and going back to as we polish our WIP’s! Thanks :-)
“With this grant, our library was able to purchase 100 books for our library collection, as well as provide books for 87 preschoolers from low-income families. With proration hitting so many non-profits, it was truly a blessing to receive this grant for our library. HOOORAY to FIRST Book and Walmart for helping us!”
– Debra Grayson, White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, AL
First Book was able to distribute over 75,000 brand-new books to teen and young adult readers in Alabama, Florida, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Georgia, thanks to support from the Walmart State Giving Program.
Fifty programs in each of the five states received a $500 credit for the First Book Marketplace, our online store available exclusively to programs serving children from low-income communities. In addition, programs across those states received thousands more books – free of charge – from our National Book Bank.
“In the past we haven’t been able to provide books to older readers to the extent needed,” said Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO. “But that’s changing fast; the selection of young adult titles we’re able to offer to our network of schools and programs is growing, and we’re on track to deliver even more resources to this under-served group this year.”
We know how hard teachers and program leaders are working to get teenagers reading, so we’re excited to be able to offer more books that appeal to older readers, and get them into the hands of kids that need them.
If you work with young adults, get in touch or leave a comment below, and let us know about the books they’re interested in and what we could do to help your program.
It's official: Liz over at FlirtyGirl is the Empress of all things Interactive. Check out her blog post about all of the fun goings-on we have planned for the launch of the second novel in the Bradford series, Fashionista, and watch the Bradford 2 trailer, if you've got a moment for some fun, scandalicious procrastination on this fine Friday morning.
Right now I'm in my parents' house. Mom and I are heading back to Stone Hearth after lunch to enjoy a weekend with some friends and pets, but currently I'm recuperating from a fab author visit to my hometown library last night! Dave and I had a great time talking So Punk Rock with teens, librarians, and parents, and we worked in some Brad-chat, as well.
Living in the information age means that even when I'm sequestered away on deadline lockdown, as I am this month, I'm always connected to other writers and readers, but it's actually pretty rare that I meet teens face to face. Seeing middle school girls getting as excited about books as I always did is beyond rewarding. Now I get to bask in the post-human contact glow all weekend long.
“Read. Read a lot and read widely. Don’t just read on the Internet; read books. If you have a favorite writer, take a look at what she does and how she does it across her books. Also, write. Write a lot and write every day. My third piece of advice is revise—make writing worth reading.”
Start an author study of Joseph Bruchac with his website and then explore his range of works, topics, and themes:
How to bring a LEE & LOW author or illustrator into your classroom live or virtually:.jpg?picon=590)
Thank you Cheryl for sharing your thoughts. Very interesting and inspiring.
All good reasons! I know as a kid, I felt books were almost like friends -- an escape when I felt lonely or wanted to be by myself. So I love the idea of creating another "mind space" where kids can hang out.
Thank you, Virginia and the Utah Children's Writers for hosting me today! I am having so much fun doing World Of Ink's Tour. Am continually discovering new children/family friendly sites.
Thanks for stopping by Andrea. There is something magical about kids and books!