2015 Must-Read Middle Grade: September Edition

There are so many incredible middle-grade titles releasing this year, I decided to dedicate my posts these next months to sharing as many as I can with you. My list is not exclusive and is actually just the tip of the iceberg. I hope these glimpses get you excited enough to ask your library to purchase a copy or buy one yourself. All descriptions are taken from Amazon.com.

Happy Reading!

Currents by Jane Petrlik Smolik (September 8)

“I figure happiness is three things—

someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.”

Bones Brewster is an eleven-year-old slave on a Virginia plantation. Old Mistress doesn’t make life easy when she discovers that Bones has learned to read. When Bones finds her real name in the owner’s slave registry, she tears it out, places it in a bottle, and sets it afloat on the James River.

The bottle drifts across the Atlantic and finds its way to twelve-year-old Lady Bess Kent. Even as her conniving stepmother pilfers the estate piece by piece, Bess is able to save her mother’s pearl-encrusted cross. She gives it to her friend Harry, sealed in the bottle with Bones’s real name. The bottle is carried back to America and into the hands of Mary Margaret Casey.

Twelve-year-old Mary Margaret loves the bottle’s mystery. And Lady Bess’s heirloom might even save Mary Margaret’s sister’s life. All the while Bones’s name is safe in the bottle until Mary Margaret figures out a way to set it free. Bones, Bess, and Mary Margaret are three young girls from very different worlds whose lives are connected by treasures concealed in a bottle and set adrift on the ocean.

I Am Coyote by Geri Vistein (October 2)

Coyote is three years old when she leaves her family in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario and embarks on a 500-mile odyssey eastward in search of a territory of her own and a mate to share it with. Journeying by night through the dead of winter, she endures extreme cold, hunger, and a harrowing crossing of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal before her cries of loneliness are finally answered in the wilds of Maine. The mate she finds must gnaw off a paw to escape a trap. The first coyotes in the northern U.S., they raise pups (losing several), experience summer plenty, winter hardship, playfulness, and unmistakable love and grief. 

Blending science and imagination with magical results, this story tells how coyotes may have populated a land desperately in need of a keystone predator, and no one who reads it will doubt the value of their ecological role.

A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel (October 6)

Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville.

For the first time in her life, Alice feels different—like she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time.

This is a stirring small-town story that explores many different issues—albinism, blindness, depression, dyslexia, growing old, and more—with a light touch and lots of heart. Beth Vrabel’s characters are complicated and messy, but they come together in a story about the strength of community and friendship.

A Sliver of Stardust by Marissa Burt (October 20)*

From Marissa Burt, author of Storybound, comes a richly imagined middle grade fantasy full of magic, intrigue, and imaginative twists. A Sliver of Stardust is the perfect next adventure for fans of A Wrinkle in Time and The Emerald Atlas.

Wren Matthews thought she'd outgrown nursery rhymes a long time ago. But that was before she knew that songs of twinkling little stars and four-and-twenty blackbirds were the key to an ancient, hidden magic.

Wren's discovery catapults her into a world of buried secrets, strange dreams, and a mountain fortress under an aurora-filled sky. But just as she starts to master her unique abilities, her new world begins to crumble around her . . . and only she can save it.

The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau (October 27)

Nothing exciting happens on the Hill of Dust, in the remote mountains of Mexico in the 1950s. There's no electricity, no plumbing, no cars, just day after day of pasturing goats. And now, without his sister and mother, eleven-year-old Teo's life feels even more barren. And then one day, the mysterious young Esma, who calls herself the Gypsy Queen of Lightning, rolls into town like a fresh burst of color. Against all odds, her caravan's Mistress of Destiny predicts that Teo and Esma will be longtime friends. Suddenly, life brims with possibility. With the help of a rescued duck, a three-legged skunk, a blind goat, and other allies, Teo and Esma must overcome obstacles-even death-to fulfill their impossible destiny. 

Inspired by true stories derived from rural Mexico, The Lightning Queen offers a glimpse of the encounter between two fascinating but marginalized cultures--the Rom and the Mixtec Indians--while telling the heart-warming story of an unlikely friendship that spans generations.

Class Dismissed by Allan Woodrow (October 27)

Class 507 is the worst class Ms. Bryce has ever taught. And she would know — she’s been teaching forever. They are so terrible that when a science experiment goes disastrously wrong (again), Ms. Bryce has had it and quits in the middle of the lesson. But through a mix-up, the school office never finds out.

Which means ... Class 507 is teacher-free!

The class figures if they don’t tell anyone, it’ll be one big holiday. Kyle and his friends can play games all day. Samantha decides she’ll read magazines and give everyone (much needed) fashion advice. Adam can doodle everywhere without getting in trouble. Eric will be able to write stories with no one bothering him. And Maggie ... well, as the smartest kid in the class she has an ambitious plan for this epic opportunity.

But can Class 507 keep the principal, the rest of the students, and their parents from finding out ... or will the greatest school year ever turn into the worst disaster in school history?

* Project Mayhem author!

What new books are you looking forward to reading?

What Makes Middle Grade Great, by Matthew MacNish

Happy December, everyone! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season with plenty of cheer, and like me, you'll have an opportunity to visit with family before the year's end.

Today, I wanted to talk about why I love middle grade as a category so much. Middle grade resides at that special place, when kids are growing up, and becoming a little independent, at least in their thinking, if not in their activities, and so middle grade novels often tell a certain kind of story, one that is usually magnificent, and full of wonder.

So what are some of my favorite things about middle grade books?

The Covers

I don't know that there's any real rule in publishing, but in my experience, middle grade books always get the best covers. They're usually illustrated, which makes for a far more artistic object, and allows the cover to be much more imaginative. Young adult books occasionally have interesting covers, but a photographed model almost never compares to a lovingly illustrated cover. Adult book covers are just plain boring. Vague stock photography and giant, bold type. Snore.

Here are some of my favorite examples of gorgeously illustrated middle grade novel covers:

The Authors

Of course we have many amazing middle grade authors here at Project Middle Grade Mayhem, and I'm sure they're all wonderful in real life as well, but I have also met some of my favorite middle grade authors at conferences and conventions, and they really are wonderful people. I've met Shannon Messenger, Lisa McMann, Lou Anders, Kelly Barnhill, and others, and they all clearly love books, love reading and writing, and especially, love ...

The Readers

Don't get me wrong, teenagers are great (I'm personally the parent of two of them), but there is no time quite as magical as that in-between time, that age when hugs are still okay, and curling up on a weekend with a book to finish it in one sitting isn't "so dorky, dad! Gosh."

From the actual middle-graders, to the third, fourth, and fifth graders who read up, the readers are truly the very best thing about middle grade books. There is something so special about kids and reading, about what books can do for their minds, that really makes bringing stories to their attention one of the most wonderful things in the world.

I'm not personally published, so I haven't had that experience yet, but I have seen it happen, and it is truly beautiful.

What are your favorite things about middle grade books?

School Visits 101 by Caroline Starr Rose

Having only published my first book in January 2012, I'm still a very new at this author thing. This is especially true in terms of establishing myself as a speaker available for school and library events. I have, though, had a number of opportunities locally and several out of state (thanks to my sister, who arranged two visits for me while I visited her in Atlanta last year).

Here are some things I've learned from my experience:

If You Build It, They Will Come
It's not exactly like Field of Dreams, but kind of. Teachers and librarians first need to know you exist. The most helpful, easiest way for them to learn about you is through some sort of permanent web presence online -- that's your field. It doesn't matter if it's a blog or official website, but you do need to include some key things:

• contact information
• an overview of presentations 
• (optional): speaking fees*

How do you determine presentation topics? Start with your own writing process. Teachers are especially interested in having their students hear from a real, live author that writing is not a one-time event but a slow unfolding that requires multiple drafts, feedback, revision and editing, and lots of hard work.

There will also be topics that naturally grow from what you write. Do you focus on fairy tale retellings, like Liesl Shurtliff? Magical realism, like Kimberley Griffiths Little? Historical fiction, like me? Use your knowledge as a spring board for topics.

Reach Out to Your Community
Beyond establishing a web presence, it's wise to actively seek out opportunities in the connections you've already formed.

• Get to know your local independent bookseller(s), who often have connections with local schools
• Introduce yourself to the children's librarian at your local library branch
• Tell friends, family members, and those you know in your general community that you're interested in setting up visits, and ask them to spread the word (contacts from your church, your daughter's soccer team, your son's scout troop, your husband's office -- anywhere)

Be Willing to Offer Free Visits...

...but not forever. I know authors who've offered free visits for a month. Others who've offered for a year. For me, I offered free visits for about six months (though I am happy to continue to offer once-a-year free visits to my boys' schools, if they're interested). While it's a great way to spread the word, hone your skills, and build contacts, I strongly recommend you begin to charge speaking fees at some time. Why? You're a professional. SCBWI says you should. You will be taken more seriously. Schools will prepare for something they've invested in.

Other Ways to Spread the Word

Several months before MAY B. released, I sent postcards to all elementary and middle schools in my city. For a handful of schools I sent packets which included bookmarks and a listing of presentation topics (places I'd attended as a child, schools where my children attended, the middle school were I did my student teaching and taught my first year).

Because MAY B. has been selected as a 2013-2014 New Mexico Battle of the Book title (yay!), I've decided to do a selected mailing for next year, too. This time, I'll include this wonderful Author and Illustrators on Tour booklet. SCBWI's Inter-Mountain Regions (Arizona, Colorado/Wyoming, Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Southern Idaho/Utah) recently asked members if they'd like to buy space in this publication, a resource book for schools and libraries looking for speakers. Choosing to be included -- and adding it to my mailing packet -- was an easy way  for me to spread the word.

 Resources for School Visits

• The ABC's of a Successful School Visit (available to SCBWI members only)
• Children's Authors Network Hosting An Author page
• Finding School Funding for Author Visits
• Grants for School Visits

And don't forget Skype!

Skype is a wonderful, quick, convenient way for authors and schools to connect. I suggest setting up a free account with the Skype an Author Network. Here's my page there.

Any questions, comments, or things that have worked for you? Share below!

*Though some authors choose not to do this, I'm most comfortable with having this information available upfront. After studying what other authors charge for visits I settled on my rates (which are on the mid-to-low end, in comparison).

E.L. Konigsburg - Reading Beyond FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER

FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER is one of the classics of modern children’s literature. When I heard that author E.L Konigsburg passed away, I remembered how very much I loved The Mixed Up Files book as a child. I still think it would be amazing it would be to spend days in a museum with no one else around, and if I had a mystery to solve, all the better. Thinking about this book made me realize I’d never read anything else she wrote, and that led me on a reading journey.

First, some interesting facts about Ms. Konigsburg. The “E. L”. stood for Elaine Lobl. She had a degree in chemistry. (I’m married to a chemist, so I found this very interesting. The last thing my husband would ever do is write fiction.)  She was also the only person to both win the Newbury and be a runner up in the same year. In 1968, The FROM THE MIXED UP FILES book was the winner, and her other book, JENNIFER, HECATE, MACBETH, WILLIAM MCKINLEY, AND ME, ELIZABETH, was awarded a Newbury Honor. A side note-I doubt if that title would fly today!

While I was reading some of her other books, I realized something that marks them as different from much of middle grade fiction today. Many of them are written with more than one point of view, and those points of view include adults. These days, it’s hard to convince some people that kids will read books with adult POVs included.

She wrote more than a dozen books, and below are two I enjoyed.

THE MYSTERIOUS EDGE OF THE HEROIC WORLD

From the publisher’s description: “Amedeo Kaplan has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants to discover something-a place, a process, even a fossil-some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a true friend to share these things with.

William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof boy who is all edges and who owns silence the way other people own words:. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a house sale for Amedeo’s eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender’s mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in a particular story…and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany. It’s a story that will take them to the edge of what they know about heroism and the mystery of the human heart.”

THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY (a Newbury winner in 1997)

From the publisher’s description: “How had Mrs. Olinski chosen her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they make such a good team?

It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski's team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen?

It happened at least partly because Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother and Nadia's grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued.

Mrs. Olinski, returning to teaching after having been injured in an automobile accident, found that her Academic Bowl team became her answer to finding confidence and success. What she did not know, at least at first, was that her team knew more than she did the answer to why they had been chosen.”

These books wouldn't be the easiest to read for struggling readers, but I can see them appealing to kids who like quirkiness, along the lines of THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, and who can keep track of the multiple POVs. As for me, I’m happy to have more of Ms. Konigsburg’s books to discover.

~ Dee Garretson

Middle Grade First Lines

This image doesn't necessarily have that much to do with Middle Grade First Lines (it's a photo of a letter Gandhi wrote), but with so many copyright concerns with web images of late, it seems best to use only images that are in the public domain.

Anyway, today I want to share some first lines. As writers, first lines are something I think we all think about a lot. We certainly have to write them (at least one for each book). And whether they come easily to you, or whether you rewrite them hundreds of times, it can be interesting to think what they mean to readers, and whether they have more or less impact than we expect.

So, I went and grabbed 5 Middle Grade novels from my daughter's room. I read plenty of Middle Grade myself, of course, but she has a much nicer bookshelf than I do, so we keep them in there. At any rate, without further ado, I will share the opening lines from these five mystery books, and say a few things about each one:

• A mango, thought Peter. The perfect weapon.

Okay, okay. Yes, this is technically two sentences, but I would argue that they are so inextricably linked, they ought to be separated by a semi-colon, not a period. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is: isn't this a great line? It give us character, voice, humor, setting, and a taste of conflict, all in six brief but luscious words. Well done, author, well done.

• Goldie Roth hated the punishment chains.

Maybe I should have done opening paragraphs? Just kidding. Obviously this one line doesn't give us as much as the last pair of sentences, but it still ain't half bad. We've got the feeling of something sinister here, and we can at least infer a bit about setting - a school perhaps, or an orphanage? The key with this one, I think, is specificity. There are all kind of chains, after all, but punishment chains sound like a very specific type of chain, if you ask me.

• Eva Nine was dying.

I'm not sure how much I like this one. It's succinct, sure, and it's rather shocking, too, but it doesn't feel earned, you know what I mean? It's all a matter of taste, of course, and I actually do happen to love this book and this author, but as first lines go, I guess I'm partial to lines that ground me in a scene, and clue me into multiple story aspects at once.

• It all started with Aldwyn's whiskers beginning to tingle--the way they always did when he got hungry.

I'll admit, I'm somewhat partial to the old em-dash, and I love it in creative writing. I'm not sure it's used to full effect here, but it doesn't hurt, either. This opening line is all about character, and it pulls it off pretty well. Animal characters always have a little easier time with characterization, I think, because as readers we all already have some assumptions about certain types of animals.

• Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

I suppose this one is probably pretty famous by now. I still haven't read this book, but my kids both love it. Anyway, this isn't the strongest of these five openings, but it isn't bad either. Half-blood is obviously an interesting detail, even if we don't know what it means at first, and in the long run it's probably the most important part of this sentence, but I would argue it's the "look," that really makes this opening line work, for me. It's the touch of irreverence to the voice of this narrator that would make me read on, but then maybe I just like angry kids.

Well that's it. What do you all think? Do you recognize any of these books (don't give it away if you do)? Which of these opening lines is your favorite?

A Post in Pictures: Tweens Read Book Festival, Houston, TX

This past weekend, I got the chance to participate in a super fun event dedicated to middle grade: the Tweens Read Book Festival in Houston, TX. Twenty-one authors, hundreds of middle grade readers, personalized cupcakes, hand-made knitted water bottle cozies, 85 degrees weather (it was a wet and coooold 45 degrees when I left Wisconsin)—well, let’s just say, as a newbie author, I think I’ve been spoiled as far as book festivals go!

Getting prepped for the day's events in the author break room--they ran this event like clockwork! It was impressive. (Amy Ignatow, Greg Leitich-Smith, Stefan Bachman, Claire LeGrand, Tommy Greenwald, Cynthia Leitich-Smith, Raina Telgemeier, and Lynne Kelly.)

Our audience awaits--look at all those tweens! The event is held at Bobby Shaw Middle School, but promoted (by the Tweens Read committee and Blue Willow Bookshop) throughout the Houston area.

Heather Brewer was the keynote, and she had such a great message (for even us grown-ups!) about not letting other people limit you--there's only one person in the way of you achieving your dreams....you. (And she also said that libraries are made of bully kryptonite, which made my heart sing a little.)

After the keynote address, we authors were split into panels. The tweens got to choose which panels to attend...and what questions to ask us! Here's my panel: "Dare to Debut," with Augusta Scattergood, Deron Hicks, Lynne Kelly, and me. We spent the next three hours answering questions like "What's your favorite candy?" and "What do you do when you get stuck?" (It turns out the answer to both of those is chocolate.)

Here's the "Guys Write" panel: Trent Reedy, Tommy Greenwald, Greg Leitich-Smith, and Roland Smith. (Photo swiped from http://www.yogile.com/tweensread)

And the "Adventure for All" panel: E.J. Patten, Heather Brewer, Shannon Messenger, Stefan Bachman, Geoff Rodkey. (Photo also from http://www.yogile.com/tweensread)  There were two other panels: "From a Girl's Point of View," with Lisa Schroeder, Diana Lopez, Shana Burg, and Claire LeGrand and "Going Graphic!," with Rachel Renee Russell, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, and Amy Ignatow (but no pics; alas!).

After the panels, we all gathered in the gym for a huge book signing. Here's the line to get in....

And here's the other side of it...and that's not showing the people already inside!

The kids' enthusiasm, plus the attention to detail made the event extra fun. These were the posters in the gym at our signing tables. Yes, that's a rat made out of the most common words from my book!

As if red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting weren't enough, the cupcakes were decorated with our book covers! (Mine's looking a little worse for wear...cupcakes don't travel the best.)

And then...we all headed home. It was a whirlwind trip! I'm back in Wisconsin today, ready to share all my fun times with my own tweens this week.

Thanks for a great time, Texas, Tweens Read, and Blue Willow Bookshop!

________

W.H. Beck is a school librarian by day and middle grade author by night. Her first novel, a funny mystery called MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT, is available in stores...now!