Bildungsroman

Interview: Ingrid Law

2008-05-15T02:44:45Z

I've always been drawn to stories with talented characters, be they musically or artistically inclined or gifted with superpowers or unique abilities. The characters in Savvy are each talented in his or her own way, and debut author Ingrid Law's writing talent is evident from the beginning of the book. (Read my full-length book review.) Interviewing Ingrid was a special treat.

What happened on your thirteenth birthday?

Well, there certainly wasn't a big electric storm or a hurricane, but with a May 1st birthday, it rains nearly every year without fail. I don't remember too many details about turning thirteen except that I asked for a radio, got one, and felt much more like a teenager because of it. Music has always been important to me and has triggered make-believe and story building since I was very little. I've often thought that life should have a soundtrack.

Does Mibs resemble a pre-teen Ingrid?

I wish that I had been better at recognizing the voices that get into our heads as early as Mibs. Being a tween/teen is hard, and learning to trust oneself and not fall prey to the opinions or pressures of other people can be difficult, even as an adult.

Your characters not only have unique talents but unique monikers as well. Did you select the characters' names to go along with their abilities, or vice-versa?

Some names just came to me instinctively: Fish, Rocket, Mibs . . . my fingers seemed to know these names before my brain did. Still, as I built the characters, I could see why I named them as I had. How ironic to be called 'Fish' when you can't go anywhere near water . . . Rocket's full of powerful energy waiting to be harnessed . . . and Mibs? Well, for Mibs, I wanted a name that was completely different, even from the rest of her family. I wanted her name to feel a little awkward, yet sweet, like a family nickname would.

If you could have one or two superpowers, what would you select and why?

I think I would like to fly or breathe underwater. Both seem like they would be relaxing and ultimately escapist activities, and both would provide ways of leaving normal boundaries behind and seeing things from a new perspective.

When you first learned that your book had been optioned for film, how did you feel?

Believe it or not, I was actually sitting in a movie theater waiting for a film to start when I got the call from my agent. It was the middle of the day and I was completely alone in the theater. For some reason the theater staff had forgotten to turn on any of the normal music and trivia slides. It was completely quiet in the theater -- I could hear myself breathing. When the call came, I felt as though I was on Candid Camera -- like someone might jump out at any minute and say 'Just kidding!' I managed to sit through the first ten minutes of the film before I ran out of the theater, unable to sit still.

Did your daughter read the book prior to its publication?

I read the story to my daughter in big pieces as I wrote it, so she heard it transform and grow throughout the development of the book. However, I think she might have preferred to wait until the last edits were done to read it from beginning to end on her own, without all of the unavoidable spoilers and backstory that she'd been exposed to!

Is she much like Mibs, or any of the other characters?

No, she's not like Mibs. My daughter has a personality all her own and it belongs to her. It's my job as a writer to create great characters, and it's my job as a mom to respect and protect my child. While being the mother of a thirteen-year-old girl obviously has some influence over my writing, I wouldn't want to pour all of her characteristics or personality into a specific character in a book. To me, that would feel like a breach of trust. My daughter holds the copyright on herself.

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

Hard question! I'll just tell you the first ten books that come to mind as memorable, influential, and well-loved by me in various stages of my life: growing up, now, and as a mother. Here they are in no particular order except exactly how they popped into my brain:

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Hawk of May by Gillian Bradshaw
Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Kit's Wilderness by David Almond
There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis Sachar
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Zap yourself over to Ingrid's website.

What to learn more about Savvy? Read my review of the book, then visit Penguin Books and Walden Media.

Interview: Christina Meldrum

2008-05-14T03:48:21Z

While working as a litigator, Christina Meldrum started to make court scenes of her own - on the page, that is. Those drafts turned into her debut novel, Madapple, a mystery with many layers. Let's peel them back, question by question...

What or who planted the seed for the story that became Madapple?

When I was an undergraduate studying comparative religion, I was fascinated by the many parallel mythologies that cross religions and cultures. I was surprised to learn that many aspects of the Christ story, in particular, can be found in other traditions. I thought it would be interesting to build a sort of mystery around some of these overlapping traditions.

Then I went to law school and began working as a litigator. During this time, I spent my days formulating arguments for my clients. I would select and emphasize those facts that best supported by positions. In each case, opposing counsel would do the same, emphasizing those facts that best supported her argument. In theory, truth somehow filtered through: the judge or jury would sort through the extreme arguments and parse out what was fair and true. In actuality, each argument oversimplified reality, and the ending result, while perhaps as fair as was feasible, often had little to do with truth.

It was this experience as a litigator, combined with my background in comparative religion, that spurred my writing of Madapple. In Madapple, I wanted to explore how we humans, in our attempt to understand the world, at times simplify and thereby distort it. I wanted to think about how we create categories, based on what we want or have felt or believe is socially acceptable, and then divide the world into these categories.

Specifically, I wanted to explore the dichotomy between science and religion. As Aslaug, the protagonist of MADAPPLE, says, "Science describes the world, it doesn't explain it: it can describe the universe's formation, but it can't explain...how something can come from nothing. That's the miracle." Yet religion absent science also seems insufficient. If God exists, would not nature be a means by which to understand God? The more I researched the natural world in my writing of MADAPPLE, the more convinced of this I became.

Ultimately, I hoped MADAPPLE would be a contemplation on faith: faith in God; faith in science; and the way in which faith can both open the mind and confine it.

The finished book is over 400 pages. Did the manuscript grow or shrink significantly during the revision and editing process?

Madapple took me a very long time to write. I wrote a great deal that did not end up in the final version. That said, once I had the skeleton for what became the final version, I added a lot more material. The process of writing Madapple was very much a learning process for me.

Madapple flashes back and forth between a murder trial and the events which led to the tragedies, a technique that's present in many film noir movies and mystery stories. In what sequence did you write the story?

I don't really write in a linear fashion. I write in layers: I add them, then I strip some away. Then I might go back and add similar layers again. I did this with the trial sections and Aslaug's narrative. I did not write the narrative then the trial scenes, or vice versa. I just layered both in over time.

The cover art by Jonathan Barkat is simply gorgeous! Was it shot exclusively for this book, or did your publisher (or publisher's graphic designer) come across it while working on the jacket design?

I love Jonathan Barkat's version of Aslaug and her world. My publisher knew of Jonathan's work and hired him to create the jacket art, believing he would be the perfect artist for the job. I agree! Jonathon read Madapple and then he created the jacket art based on his reading of the book.

What are your favorite flowers?

I truly love all the plants in Madapple. I know that may sound hokey, but each of the plants in Madapple came to feel almost like friends to me. It's for this reason that I created the plant library on my website. Each of the plants is amazing in its own way. It's the diversity and versatility of the plants that I find most remarkable.

I should be calling you Doctor Meldrum. How would you describe your experience at Harvard Law School?

The best part about being at Harvard Law School was being around such talented, interesting people. Friends from Harvard went on to work for the Justice Department, as prosecutors and defense attorneys and as human rights advocates. Some clerked for the Supreme Court. Some went on to teach. And some, like Amy Gutman, who was a year ahead of me at Harvard, went on to write, like me. For the most part, the students there were passionate people who really engaged life. I loved that part.

Have you any advice for high school students that want to pursue careers as doctors or writers?

I guess my advice would be to pay attention - to not become dulled to the world or to your own gifts. No matter one's profession, I truly believe we each have gifts to give. Really being aware of the world -- that is, appreciating its diversity and the way each of us individually adds to that diversity -- is, I believe, an important step toward having a meaningful career, no matter what that career turns out to be.

Tell me about your work in Africa.

In addition to studying comparative religion in undergrad, I also studied development. Based on this, I had an idea of the type of development organization I believed would be most effective. I decided I wanted to spend time doing grassroots development before attending graduate school, hence I did research to find an organization that shared my development philosophy. The organization I found was located in Ghana, hence that is where I worked. Not surprisingly, I learned that my theories about what would work and what actually does work were quite different! Since then, I have continued my work in Africa. Most recently, I am on the advisory board of Women of the World Investments, which is a micro-financing organization that provides loans to women-led businesses in West Africa.

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

Today, I would say (in no particular order):
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyesvsky
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyesvsky
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecco
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Servants of the Map by Andrea Barrett

Visit Christina's website.

Interview: Gaby Triana

2008-05-14T03:02:27Z

Gaby Triana is a mother, an author, a teacher, a baker, but not a candlestick maker. She's also my interview subject today, willing to ponder my questions while celebrating the release of her most recent book for teens, The Temptress Four.

What led you to teaching?

I used to say it was because I had teachers in my family, but the more I live and breathe, the more I realize it was because I didn't know what else to do at the time. I wish I would have known myself better when I was in high school so I could have made a better career decision. I might have studied film, journalism, pastry arts.any of these would have put me on a path to the things I truly enjoy a little sooner, and I wouldn't have had to make a career change later on. But I've always been a late bloomer when it comes to realizing potential.

What then led you to writing?

I've always written short stories. I just didn't have my eyes open wide enough to realize it's what I should've been doing all along (see above). I might have 20+ books under my belt by now had I started in college. But because I was teaching, I finally got around to writing a middle grade novel one summer, saw how awesome it felt to finish writing a book, and have been writing ever since.

Your first published novel, Backstage Pass, features a girl named Desert whose father is a rock star. Do you have any performing credits on your vast resume?

Nothing professional or remotely rock star. I played violin for three years and performed in my school orchestra as first chair, first violin. In high school, I danced in color and winter guard as a featured soloist for three years, as well as performed lead rifle and sabre routines. Finally, my freshman year of college, I sang backup in a rock band, but that's it. Dancing was one of those things, like writing, that I never felt I could study seriously and would need a backup career in order to pursue. There's a theme emerging from my answers, I see.

What prompted you to write Cubanita? Have any of your real-life experiences leaked out of your pen and into your books?

Good old-fashioned Cuban guilt prompted me. I thought, there's no way I have this opportunity to be heard and not write about the Cuban-American experience. Our families didn't come here seeking a better life in the traditional sense, they came seeking political refuge from the government in Cuba until things got better, but they just never did. So rather than having the mentality of looking forward to a great American future, most of my generation's parents still have Cuba on the brain as this iconic slice of heaven of long ago, a paradise lost that they can never return to, and that's painful. That nostalgia has filtered into us, their American-born children, and we have spent our lives trying to live up, trying to imagine a country we've never seen, a life we've never lived. So then, trying to grow up "American" becomes a challenge when the city you live in has become the new Havana. Those experiences leaked out of my pen, yes, but the whole plotline with Andrew was not my own, no. It's funny, though, when readers ask me about my experiences with Andrew and my crazy mom, and I always have to tell them that it wasn't about me, it was about Isabel, the character in the book. Not that my mom's not a little crazy, but whose isn't? :)

The best friends in The Temptress Four are thick as thieves, despite their different interests and backgrounds. Are your closest friends similar or dissimilar to you?

Thank you. Making them that way while keeping them different was a challenge. I just tried to remember that it's not hobbies or interests, but genuine concern for each other that makes friends stay close. My best friend and I are very different, which makes for the type of relationship where we keep in touch regularly because I need to know how she is doing, but it's not an everyday thing, or I would surely be at her throat at all times. The fact that the T4 girls are different and want different things for their future are clues that they may not stay in touch, something I wanted to leave up to the reader. I was a lot like Fiona. As much as my friends readily accepted new direction in their lives, I was always trying to keep in touch, stay together, make it a point to stay connected. Finally, I realized that if we're meant to split, then that's what would happen, and all it would mean was that we didn't need each other the same way anymore. People grow, you meet new people, you move on. That's life.

What did you do the summer after high school?

I worked at my college's bookstore. I wish I could tell you that I took this awesome blowout bash cruise with three friends, but my young adult life was nothing to write home about. Things got interesting later...

Your main website led me to your cake-making business. To date, what has been the most challenging cake to make?

The hardest cake I had to make was a pirate ship for a kid's birthday. Because of the shape of the boat, where the bottom is thinner than the top, I had to insert all sorts of support and boards between the layers to make sure the weight of the cake on top didn't squish the bottom. Then I wrapped the whole thing in fondant "wooden planks" and it started settling, cracking and tearing. I had to fix parts of it in the morning, then I prayed the whole way through the delivery to the party, and when it made it in one piece and everybody oohed and ahhed over it, it was worth it.

What is easier for you to construct, a cake or a character?

That pirate ship was a piece of cake next to writing characters. :) People are so complex. Nobody's all good or all evil, and that in-between gray area is rich territory that's fascinating to explore. Understanding it is one thing, then putting it together so that someone else can understand it is even harder. I still haven't mastered it, but I'm getting better.

What are your ten favorite books of all-time?

I have weird tastes. Plus, some of my favorites are short stories. Um, let's see. The Thorn Birds, Huckleberry Finn, Wuthering Heights, The Witching Hour/Lasher, The Bridges of Madison County, Forever, The Great Gatsby, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Fall of the House of Usher, and Ready or Not, Here We Come -- Surviving the First Year with Twins. :)

Visit Gaby's website and LiveJournal.

Interview: Shannon Hale

2008-05-12T02:21:53Z

Happy Mother's Day to all of the parents out there!

Shannon Hale is perhaps best known for her retellings of fairy tales. This month, she's hanging out with the readergirlz, as we've selected her novel Book of a Thousand Days to be this month's spotlighted book.

Shannon is one happy (and busy) mom. I was tickled that she spared a little time to talk to me about her published works and her writing process. Perhaps this interview will prompt you to read a story to the munchkins tonight - or write one of your own.

When plotting out a retelling of a fairy tale, how much leeway do you give yourself to deviate from the original?

I try to think first about what this story needs. With The Goose Girl, I wanted to stay as close to the original as made sense, because it felt like such an old, well-rounded story. With Rapunzel's Revenge, the story is knowingly in conflict with the original, which is half the fun. Book of a Thousand Days, I kept the skeleton of the tale but made whatever changes I had to in order to make it fully the maid's story. In my opinion, part of the definition of a fairy tale is a story that is retold many ways, changed for what the teller and the hearer/reader need at that time.

Did you write (or rewrite) any fairy tales when you were a kid or a teenager?

Hm, I don't know! I think some of my early stories might seem like original fairy tales.

Do you select stories that were your own personal favorites as a child or more recent stories?

I retell the fairy tales that irritate me the most -- the ones that don't get under my skin don't motivate me enough to do the work that writing a book requires.

What is been the oddest fairytale you discovered while researching them for your own novels or for pleasure?

I thought Maid Maleen was wonderfully odd. There's the story of the girl who loses both her hands, right near the beginning of the tale, too. I've often thought how on Earth I would retell that one.

Prior to writing Austenland, how many times had you watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice?

I have no idea! But I've discovered I'm not nearly as obsessive as some. Probably I've watched it through about 10 times.

Did you then indulge in it while working on the book?

Yes, definitely I watched it while writing the book, more than once, and took enormous pleasure in calling it "research." And I haven't watched it since turning in my final draft.

Do you write books with the audience in mind or simply listen to the characters' voices? Do you approach writing books for kids and teens differently from writing for adults?

I write strictly for myself, to please my internal reader, though that internal reader is half me now and half me during what I consider the Golden Age of reading, ages 10-16. I have the wonderful luxury of writing a story and letting someone else tell me what genre it is and age it's for.

I know you have multiple books in the works. Do you bounce back and forth between drafts of different stories, or do you prefer to complete one story before tackling the next?

I usually have one principle project and one side project, so that I have something to work on while my editor is looking at the principle. I don't allow myself breaks. After having my second child last year, I've slowed way, way down, and this juggling is getting very tricky!

What was it like working with your husband on the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge?

We're still happily married.

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

I could never limit it to ten or put them in any kind of order. Some books mean more to me at certain ages. Some books I absolutely cherished as my younger self but don't affect me much now--some are timeless. I rarely reread because I'm a slow reader and there are so many books I want to read, so many authors I've never experienced. It's wonderfully overwhelming.

What are your kids' favorite books? (I'm sure they change often!)

Maggie is 16 months and prefers books with textures. Max at age 4 has a dark side and likes The Spider and the Fly and Wolves in the Walls, as well as some lighter fare like Yellowbelly and Plum and superhero comics for kids.

Visit Shannon's website and blog. She recently posted a sweet list of little things she does to snazz up life for herself and her family.

Shannon Hale will be chatting live at the readergirlz forum on Thursday, May 22nd at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST. Mark your calendars and join us then!

Read the May 2008 issue of readergirlz.

Author Spotlight: Lisa Yee

2008-05-11T19:35:50Z

Lisa Yee's first novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, is an absolute riot. At the tender age of eleven, Millicent completed eleventh grade. Over the summer, she plans to take college courses and (unhappily) tutor Stanford, a boy who drives her up a wall. Her mother, thinking she needs more of a social life with kids her own age, enrolls her in a summer volleyball team. There, she meets a girl who recently moved to town and does not know of Millicent's collegiate status. What's a smart girl to do?

This hilarious book reminds readers of all ages that it is okay to be smart. Millicent may feel much older than she is, mentally, but chronologically, she is still a kid. By the end of the summer, she is a little more comfortable in her own skin and proud of who she is and what she's accomplished.

Pop culture tidbit: The audio book of Millicent Min is read by Keiko Agena, best known for her role as Lane on the Gilmore Girls television series.

When I originally read and reviewed Millicent Min upon the book's release in 2003, I said, "I hope that Yee writes more tales, if not of Millicent, then of others. She has a real knack." Happily, Yee DID write more tales, two of which are connected to Millie: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time and So Totally Emily Ebers.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time parallels the events of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, retelling things from Stanford's point of view. He would much rather play basketball than study, so he's super upset when he has to go to summer school instead of basketball camp. He also doesn't want to be tutored by Millicent, but he relishes the opportunity to make her look silly when she pretends that SHE is the one being tutored.

I've known many real-life Stanfords, kids who have struggled with school and excelled in sports. I want to give this book to all of them, even if they are grown up now. Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time will hopefully encourage readers to see the value in both education and athletics.

Millie's volleyball teammate tells her own story in So Totally Emily Ebers. After her parents get divorced, Emily has to move across the country with her mom. The bulk of the book is a letter to her father, filling him in on everything that goes on that summer. She tells him all about volleyball, her new friend Millie, and her crush Stanford. She misses her dad like crazy, but she finally clicks with her mom and enjoys making a new start in their new town.

Emily is a truly nice kid. Rather than act out in an angsty, cliched way after the divorce and the move, she remains perpetually optimistic and eternally kind. Emily is charming and sweet, and her story wraps up the trilogy with the smile.

Lisa Yee has also written for American Girls. Their line of Julie Albright books written by Megan McDonald introduced Ivy, Julie's best friend. Ivy then got a book all her own called Good Luck, Ivy, and Yee got to write it.

Between regular grammar school Monday through Friday, Chinese school on Saturdays, homework, and gymnastics practice, Ivy's plenty busy. She's looking forward to an upcoming gymnastics meet, but she's worried about her routine on the balance beam, having fallen off of the apparatus in an earlier competition. When she learns a family reunion is scheduled for the same time as the meet, Ivy has to decide which event to attend . . . or figure out a way to go to both!

The book takes place in 1976, so Ivy references the 1972 Olympics and Olga Korbout's balance beam routine, which won her the gold medal. Even though the book takes place over twenty years ago, the theme of appreciating your family's culture is timeless. Readers will hopefully be moved to consider the struggles and traditions of their own families.

The vignettes at the end of the book details real-life events in the lives of Chinese immigrants. This section also includes photographs of Lisa Yee and her relatives. How cool is that?

Learn more about Ivy's best friend Julie.

To learn more about Lisa Yee, read my interview with the author or visit her website or her LiveJournal.

The Julie Books by Megan McDonald

2008-05-11T19:12:51Z

Author Megan McDonald and illustrator Robert Hunt have created a memorable character in Julie Albright, a smart, passionate young girl who is ready to make changes and take changes as they come. Julie reminds me a bit of Dawn from The Baby-Sisters Club by Ann M. Martin, with her California cool, her compassion, and the way she is illustrated by Hunt.

Julie Albright is one of the American Girls, books which offer realistic glimpses into America's past through the eyes of young girls. The Julie books begin in 1974, when Julie is nine years old, and end in 1976. There are six Julie books in all.

Meet Julie: After her parents get divorced, Julie moves to another part of San Francisco with her older sister Tracy and her artsy mom, who opens up a shop called Gladrags below their apartment. Although Julie gets to see her father (and her rabbit Nutmeg, and her best friend Ivy) every other weekend at her old house, things just aren't the same.

Shortly after Julie starts fourth grade at Jack London Elementary School, she learns that they don't have a basketball team for girls so she asks if she can join the boys' team. The coach initially refuses her request, but Julie sticks to her guns. She learns about Title IX and turns in a petition with 150 signatures on it. The coach still refuses to hear her out, so she works up the nerve to talk to her principal about the situation and earns a spot on the team.

By the end of the book, Julie is a little more confident and a little more content. Though still sad about the divorce, she settles nicely into a pattern with her parents, and she enjoys her new home and her school.

Julie Tells Her Story: At Jack London Elementary School, Julie loves being part of the basketball team (in fact, she's the only girl on it!) and she likes her fourth grade teacher. If only she didn't have this "Story of My Life" project looming over her head!

After her father surprises her with a tape recorder, Julie conducts mini-interviews with her father and her mother, records silly songs and sound effects with her best friend Ivy, and eavesdrops on her older sister Tracy. Julie has a little accident while plant-sitting Tracy's science project, and an even bigger accident on the basketball court. Her melancholy passes when she confesses the truth and realizes that she rather likes the story of her life.

Happy New Year, Julie: Christmas is here, but it's different this year. For the first time, Julie and her older sister Tracy will be celebrating Christmas twice: once with their mother and once with their father. The girls are still getting used to their parents' divorce, but it's proving especially hard for Tracy. She initially doesn't want to go to their dad's house - their old house, which now looks and feels empty and strange - and even though she eventually goes along, she ends up leaving early. Shortly thereafter, Julie gets involved in preparations for Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy and her family.

Throughout the series, Julie has grown more optimistic and thoughtful. This book shows how she always finds things to celebrate and appreciate, including her family.

Julie and the Eagles: After finding a baby owl in the park, Julie and Ivy give it to a local wildlife rescue center. There, Julie meets Robin Young, a graduate student at Berkeley, and four beautiful eagles: Shasta, Sierra, and their two eaglets. Shasta has an injured wing and cannot be released back into the wild until he recuperates, but if the center doesn't raise enough money soon, the eagles will become too dependent upon their human caretakers to ever be released.

Though Julie enjoys hanging out with Robin and helping feed the baby eagles, she wants to do something more. After her teacher brings up Earth Day, Julie eagerly tells her class all about her feathered friends. Before she knows it, Project SAVE - Save All Vanishing Eagles - has taken flight. On Earth Day, she and her classmates set up booths at Golden Gate Park to help raise awareness and money for the center and for the eagles. The event is a huge success, but they still don't make enough money to create a new habitat for the eagles. Some more quick thinking and unexpected visitors help them make their goal - just in time for Julie's tenth birthday.

In the fourth Julie book, readers will learn about eagles, Earth Day, conservation, and endangered species. This book will definitely inspire readers to take a look at the world around them and get active in their schools and communities. Let's celebrate Earth Day every day!

Julie's Journey: The summer after fourth grade, Julie gets packing. She makes sure to include all of her Little House books alongside a pioneer dress and other stuff. It's 1974, and Julie and her older sister Tracy are getting together with their cousins, aunt, and uncle to take part in the wagon train that's celebrating America's bicentennial. Julie doesn't mind roughing it on the trail. In fact, she's fairly wide-eyed and happy on the journey, writing in her journal and bonding with her sister and her cousin April - that is, until she is thrown from a horse. She's pretty much unharmed, but pretty shaken up. She must build up the courage to literally get back on the horse in order to retrieve a vital piece of history in the making.

This book acts as a nice bridge between Julie and an earlier American Girl, Felicity, whose stories are set in 1774. Readers can easily compare the two series and discuss the differences between the two time periods.

Changes for Julie: The sixth and final book in the Julie series considers communication and politics. Now in fifth grade, Julie befriends a hearing-impaired classmate named Joy who loves dogs and has a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately, not all of their peers understand Joy, and Joy can't always lip read fast enough to understand them or their teacher. Some of the other kids make fun of Joy's voice, and both Joy and Julie get in trouble for passing notes when Joy's confused by what the teacher's saying. Though Julie tries to tell her teacher that she was just trying to explain the lesson to Joy, both of the girls get detention.

After having to write "I will not pass notes in class" and "I will not talk back to the teacher" one hundred times each, Julie gets a hand cramp - and an idea. Why not get kids to do something more active or beneficial to the school, like picking up litter, instead of writing and rewriting such things? Then it's time for the school election for student body president, and Julie decides to run, even though the position typically goes to a sixth-grader. Joy plans to run alongside Julie for vice president, and they create some groovy posters with the help of Julie's best friend Ivy. Julie's classmate T.J. decides to be their campaign manager, and he has no problem supporting the girls, unlike some intolerant kids who scribble on the posters and say mean things about Joy. Julie almost backs out of the election, but after realizing what - and who - she's really campaigning for, she sticks it out and makes her friends and family proud.

Now I'm happily picturing a grown-up Julie working in politics or education, and wishing there were more books in this delightful series.

Julie's best friend Ivy has her own book, which I also recommend: Good Luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee.

I have included the Julie and Ivy books on the Hey There, Sports Fan! booklist.

Like the other American Girls books, each of the Julie books includes vignettes explaining and depicting real-life events that happened in that girl's time period. The vignettes in the Julie books were written and compiled by historians and writers such as Susan McAliley and Nika Korniyenko.

Author Megan McDonald also writes about contemporary girls. Check out The Sisters Club, which is also an American Girls book, and the Judy Moody series, which is illustrated by Peter Reynolds.

Booklist: After Graduation

2008-05-10T22:52:10Z

Congratulations to all of my readers who are about to or have recently graduated from high school or college. You did it!

Times of transition can be difficult. The summer following the completion of high school is typically an interesting one as teens prepare for more changes in vocation, location, education, and life.

The following books follow characters as they live through that summer...

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
- Two guys go on a road trip and end up in an interesting little town.
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
- One of my favorite Dessen novels, second only to The Truth About Forever.
Cubanita by Gaby Triana
- A summer filled with family, culture, heartbreak, and art.
The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana
- Four best friends take a cruise together after high school graduation.
How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski
- Three girls take a three-day road trip.

...and/or as they make the transition between high school and college.

The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
- There are ten books in this series. The main character, Jenna Blake, enters college in the first book, Body Bags. The first chapter begins with the line, "It was a beautiful day to grow up." Isn't that perfect?
Cupcake by Rachel Cohn
- The third in the CC trilogy, following Gingerbread and Shrimp.
Rocky Road Trip (previously published as Wurst Case Scenario) by Catherine Clark
- Sequel to Banana Splitsville (previously published as Truth or Dairy).
It's Not About the Accent by Caridad Ferrer
- A girl reinvents herself upon entering college.
Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman
- A high school graduate becomes a sort of caretaker to a brain-damaged woman.
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
- Two guys go on a biking trip after high school, but only one starts college.
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
- Two of Scarlett's siblings consider college and work.

Related Booklist: Set in School

Poetry Friday: Passer-by, these are words... by Yves Bonnefoy

2008-05-09T02:45:25Z

Passer-by, these are words. But instead of reading
I want you to listen: to this frail
Voice like that of letters eaten by grass.

- from Passer-by, these are words... by Yves Bonnefoy, translated from the French by Hoyt Rogers

Read the poem in its entirety.

Learn more about Poetry Friday.

Magic or Madness trilogy by Justine Larbalestier

2008-05-09T01:47:05Z

What if you learned that all of the fantastic tales your mother told you were true - including those with dark magic and danger? What if you knew that using magic could kill you, and not using magic would drive you to the brink of insanity? Which would you choose?

Australian author Justine Larbalestier's Magic or Madness trilogy challenged Reason - that is, to say, a teenage girl named Reason who spent her life with her cheery mother, until her lovely mother went a little mad.

When her mother fell apart, Reason finally realized that the stories her mom told her were true. Magic exists, and it runs through the veins of all of the women in her family. Either they use their magic and die young, or they repress it and go mad. One way or another, whatever path Reason chooses is bound to lead her to tragedy.

Her grandmother, who is depicted as a villain in all of her mother's stories, takes Reason in when she has no other place to go. Reason then meets her gran's neighbor, a boy her own age, and Jay-Tee, a girl who lives in New York - which magically appears outside of her grandmother's door.

The story continued in Magic Lessons, when the stakes were raised and the powers of the main characters tested. The final book, Magic's Child, delivered plenty of surprises. The title itself is a huge spoiler, obviously. The events leading up to the blessed (or not-so-blessed) event push Reason's sanity and strength to the brink.

In the final book, each character got his or her moment in the spotlight as the story bounced back and forth between locations and viewpoints. I enjoyed Reason's travels around the world, confirming the presence of other doors and introducing her to another generation of magic-users. (Can you say spinoff?) I found myself liking Jay-Tee more and more as the story progressed. Even Sarafina has a memorable scene in which she creates butterflies. Such a childlike innocence about her then, making her greedy demeanor and evil actions only a short while later all the more scary.

Plus I like butterflies.

As a bonus, because Reason travels back and forth between Australia and New York and the various characters use slang from their native countries, each of the Magic or Madness books includes a glossary of terms.

Read the trilogy in the proper order:
Magic or Madness
Magic Lessons
Magic's Child

Read my interview with Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier.

What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci

2008-05-09T00:49:07Z

At first glance, one might think Claire has it all. She's a high school cheerleader with a devoted best friend, a sought-after boyfriend, and a group of elite buddies.

Now take a closer look, and give Claire a second thought. Not everything is as it seems. Claire's parents are divorced, and her mother is drinking alcohol frequently. Claire is in remission from leukemia, which took her out of school for a year.

Enter Lani Garver, the new kid at school. At first, due to his long hair, slight build and tendency to giggle, the other students assume that Lani's a girl. Even after he sets them straight, most of his peers regard him as a freak.

Claire's path crosses with Lani's a few times in as many days. She learns that he is a few years older and quite a bit wiser than his classmates. A whirlwind friendship between the outcast and the cheerleader, a friendship which defies the teenage laws of cliques and clashing in their small town. With Claire as the protagonist, it becomes not just Lani's story but hers as well. Once he opens her eyes, she begins to see both the beauty and the cruelty in the world.

What Happened to Lani Garver is an emotional experience. Note that the title is a statement, not a question. This book is a realistic anatomy of a hate crime that will make you consider society's standards - and maybe even your own. Highly recommended.

Related Booklist: Tough Issues for Teens

Like the Red Panda by Andrea Siegel

2008-05-08T13:15:53Z

Like the Red Panda is alternately a dark comedy and just plain dark - in a memorable, outstanding way. Haunting and thoughtful, this story will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

The protagonist, Stella, is a senior in high school. In first-person narrative, she begrudgingly recounts the last two weeks of her senior year, mixing in flashbacks when appropriate. Her memories reveal her idyllic childhood, a world that was picture perfect until the day her parents died. The circumstances of their death may surprise you, as may Stella's plans as graduation approaches. Appearances can be deceiving; how people view a person and how said person views herself can be devastatingly different.

Andrea Siegel's debut novel will make readers laugh one moment and shudder the next. Like the Red Panda is mostly related in thoughts, leaving a unique taste in the mouths of readers as they get inside the mind of Stella.

I frequently recommend this title, which was published in the adult fiction/literature section. Due to its subject matter, I recommend it to adults and older teens. (In other words, it's not for the tween crowd.)

If you liked Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, You Know Where to Find Me by Rachel Cohn, As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway, or perhaps even Looking for Alaska by John Green, you'll love Like the Red Panda.

Related Booklist: Tough Issues for Teens

Wicked Cool Overlooked Books (WCOB) is a monthly blog notation encouraged by Colleen from Chasing Ray: On the first Monday of every month, she posts about a book she enjoyed that she wishes others would pick up, and invites others to post their picks as well.

Discover other titles I've marked as Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.

Up All Night Short Story Contest

2008-05-08T12:40:15Z

From HarperTeen:

To celebrate the release of Up All Night [an anthology containing short stories by Peter Abrahams, Libba Bray, David Levithan, Patricia McCormick, Sarah Weeks, and Gene Luen Yang], HarperTeen is offering aspiring authors the chance to write their own story to be included in the paperback edition.

Submit an original short story about a charater that stays up all night. The story must take place in the course of a single life-changing night. All stories must be between 5,000 and 10,000 words (2 pt font, double spaced, one inch margins) and all contributing entrants must be between 14 and 19 years old as of April 2, 2008.

Download the official entry form.

Entries must be postmarked by October 1st and received by October 7th.

Interview: Liz Tigelaar

2008-05-08T03:03:17Z

I recently came into contact with Liz Tigelaar, who has made a name for herself as a TV writer, as a screenwriter, and now as a novelist. Her PrettyTOUGH books are perfect for anyone who loved Dairy Queen and The Off-Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

If you like The Clique books by Lisi Harrison and want an exclusive scoop on The Clique movie -
If you wonder what it's like to write for TV shows such as Dawson's Creek and Kyle XY -
If you think girls in books AND in real life can be pretty AND tough -
- Keep reading!

What do you think of words such as "tomboy" and "jock?"

Well, I think those words give us an instant prototype and common idea of what and who we're talking about but it can also be a label that's not appropriate because often, like any label, it consumes and defines who you are. And most people, even jocks and tomboys, are more than just jocks and tomboys. I considered myself a tomgirl.

What's your favorite sport to play? To watch?

I love to watch women's gymnastics, beach volleyball, and UConn women's basketball. As far as playing, I played soccer as a kid and briefly as an adult -- but I suck. I did crew in college but was small and became a coxswain. Now I stick to just being athletic -- I love biking, spinning, hiking... those types of things.

How did you come to be involved in the organization PrettyTOUGH? Who had the thought to create a related line of teen fiction?

The co-founders of www.PrettyTough.com, Jane Schonberger and George Morency, were looking to extend their brand and branch out into fiction. Although I'm not much of an athlete, I'd just come off working on the movie "Stick It" and I frequently write teen-driven materials, so our agents brought us together.

How many books are planned in the PrettyTOUGH series?

I'm not sure, actually. I've written two and I think a third one is being talked about it. If they sell well, I'm sure many!

As a writer and a producer, you've worked for a great many TV shows, ranging from Dawson's Creek and Brothers & Sisters to Kyle XY and American Dreams. How did you get into the entertainment industry?

I went to Ithaca College and they have a program where you can come out to LA and intern. I did that program twice and one of my last internships was at Dawson's Creek just as the show was taking off. I was hired as Production Assistant and made it known that I was interested in writing. I eventually made it down to the Writers' end of the hallway and started assisting them. While I was doing that, I began writing anything and everything I was offered and eventually I landed an assistant job on "American Dreams." I was given a freelance episode to write and luckily had a lot of support and did a decent job -- that led to my first job on a writing staff. And that's still my favorite job and show to this day.

You've also written tie-in novels for some of the previously mentioned series. Do you find writing for television series - writing for characters someone else created - more or less trying than starting from scratch?

In a way, it's much easier to mimic the showrunner and write for characters that are already created. The hard work has been done and you simply have to match his or her voice. Discovering your own voice can be more difficult than matching, but also exciting. I can't say I have a preference about whether I've created a character or not. Meg Pryor on American Dreams was my favorite to write for and I didn't create her. That said, it's always fun to take your personality and put it into the dialogue -- that's easy with your own characters.

Did you have to adhere to strict guidelines, or did you have some wiggle room?

I think when it comes to character voices, you can definitely try things out, but there isn't a ton of wiggle room. If you get used to writing for a certain character you may slowly start to influence his or her voice but it's a long process. You can't just come in to a pre-established show and write the characters to match how you sound and would say things.

Along the same lines: You adapted the popular book series The Clique for film. What's the most difficult part of transposing someone else's work?

It's really hard to take characters that someone else has created and lived with and then try to match that. You pretty much have to assume that the author won't be happy with the adaptation, although I'm not sure how Lisi Harrison (who created the series) feels. Also, in a book you can tell the reader things -- like what someone's thinking -- that you can't do in script or on screen so story points have to change to "show not tell" the audience something. Just because a story works in a book doesn't mean it will adapt well. We found this with the second Clique book. We had to kind of refocus the story so that it formed a cohesive movie -- with a beginning, middle and end.

What are your ten favorite books?

Oooh, that's hard. I like a lot of books. My favorite all-time book is Like the Red Panda by Andrea Seigel.

I love that book! (Read my review of Like the Red Panda.)

Back to the game plan:

Related Booklist: Hey There, Sports Fan!

Learn more about the PrettyTOUGH Books at MySpace.

Visit PrettyTOUGH.com

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

2008-05-07T13:21:50Z

Get your flashlights ready, because this is a book to read late at night when huddled under the covers.

There once was a young girl named Coraline who moved into a new flat with her mother and father. The neighbors are friendly, if not a bit odd and a bit confused, repeatedly calling her "Caroline" by mistake. The little girl is a self-proclaimed explorer, taking walks around the neighborhood no matter what the weather. With both of her parents occupied by work, she counts the doors at home, and figures out how to open up a door which is supposed to open up to nowhere - more specifically, a brick wall...

Coraline's curious nature is akin to that of Alice (in Wonderland), Anne (of Green Gables) and other young heroines that are famous, fantastic, and fictional. Far from being a damsel in distress, Coraline is witty, intelligent and aware. Her 'White Rabbit' comes in the shape of a black cat who has no name; as he wryly explains to her, cats know who they are so they don't need names, unlike insecure human beings.

This intriguing and creepy story is just right for readers of all ages, especially fans of Lewis Carroll and John Bellairs. This book will certainly satisfy loyal followers of the author Neil Gaiman and the artist Dave McKean. I read Coraline immediately upon its release and continue to recommend it on a regular basis. If this book had been released when I was a child, I would have read it as often as I read The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Coraline is being made into a graphic novel as well as an animated feature film. I really hope they get the cat right because he's one of my favorite fictional felines. Read more about him on my Cats Cats Cats booklist.

Our Twitchy by Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan

2008-05-07T02:59:15Z

Our Twitchy, written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Mary McQuillan, is an absolutely adorable picture book. The pictures are bright and eye-catching, and the text explains adoption to young children in a simple and loving way.

Twitchy is a cute baby rabbit whose parents tell him that he is adopted. Prior to this revelation, he thought nothing of his mother being a cow and his father being a horse. The parents explain how his "bunnymom and bunnypop" had many children (sixteen, to be exact) so they (the cow and horse) took him in and raised him in a house full of love.

Initially, Twitchy does not believe them. When he looks at his parents' reflections in the water alongside his own, he sees the similarities - like their big brown eyes - and not their differences. Confused, Twitchy runs away. The parents search high and low for the little rabbit.

Finally, they hear something making soft "moo" and "neigh" sounds. They discover their son in an unusual state. Twitchy has attempted to look more like his farmyard parents by putting mud on his white fur to make it white, using clothespins on his floppy ears to make them small and folded, and attaching a twig to his tail.

Twitchy's parents clean him up and tell him that they love him just as he is. They emphasize that they ARE his parents, no matter what. Twitchy is content once more and they prepare to have their typical dinner, something all three of them enjoy: carrots!

If you are a parent or a schoolteacher, pick this book up. It is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the concept of adoption. It reinforces the fact that love makes you a family. Pick up People by Peter Spier and It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr while you are at it.

Related Booklist: Adoption in Juvenile Fiction

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski

2008-05-06T23:02:34Z

Three girls. One beat-up station wagon. Three days. One long stretch of road. Three different reasons for hitting that road. One crazy, impulsive road trip.

When Jesse gets the big idea for her and Vicks to drive down to see Brady at college in Jesse's mom's car, she didn't plan on taking an extra passenger. She ends up with two: Mel, who is definitely not her friend, and, shortly thereafter, a fine feathered friend that's a real quack.

Jesse wants to get away from her mother and her mother's boyfriends for a while. Vicks wants to see her boyfriend Brady, who is away at college. Mel just wants to get away. Jesse and Vicks are close friends; Mel and Vicks are co-workers; Jesse's not exactly a fan of Mel.

In three days, these three girls will learn How to Be Bad - and sad, and impulsive, and persuasive. They will also learn how to compromise, how to celebrate their differences, and how to live and love and let go.

Vicks, Jesse, and Mel tell their stories in turn, with the first person narration rotating through the trio with every chapter. E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List), Lauren Myracle (TTYL), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks) teamed together for this story. In order to discover which author voiced which girl, you'll have to take this trip to the end of the line, as the narrative identities are revealed on the very last page.

Heads-up: I know that many of my fun tween readers devoured some of Myracle's books and Mlynowski's books, but I want to gently let them know that How to Be Bad is for older teens. :)

Related Posts at Bildungsroman:
Booklist: Multiple Narrators
Interview: E. Lockhart
Book Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Book Review: Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Book Reviews: Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen by Lauren Myracle
Book Reviews: Magic in Manhattan serires by Sarah Mlynowski

British Invasion edited by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, and James A. Moore

2008-05-05T03:42:23Z

British Invasion
Edited by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, and James A. Moore
Published by Cemetery Dance

They've invaded before, sending their best and brightest to transform popular music for all time. This time, they're leaving the music behind and focusing on words. The British Invasion has begun again, in a collection of twenty-one unforgettable stories of horror and the dark fantastic.

From the birthplace of horror fiction, the land where writers first dreamed up the icons that shaped the field we know today -- Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, the vile Mr. Hyde and more. You think you know desperation? Discover a literary tradition born from centuries of violence, pain, and suffering, distilled through the veneer of civility, and twisted by the reign of tyrants and kings.

You think you know fear?

From creeping dread to hideous humor, from quiet terror to brutal horror, from mad speculation to unspeakable truth, the twenty-one tales here represent the best that the U.K. has to offer. The rising stars and the masters of British horror have joined together.

The British Invasion has begun.

Table of Contents
Introduction by Stephen Volk
"Lost in a Field of Paper Flowers" by Gord Rollo
"Respects" by Ramsey Campbell"
"Farewell to the 21st Century Girl" by Mark Chadbourn
"At One" by James Lovegrove
"The Nowhere Man" by Sarah Pinborough
"The Spaces in Our Lives" by Allen Ashley
"The Crazy Helmets" by Paul Finch
"Slitten Gorge" by Conrad Williams "Birchiam Pier" by Tony Richards "Beth's Law" by Joel Lane
"Black Dogs" by Gary Fry
"The Misadventure of Fat Man and Little Boy, Or, How I Made a Monster" by Philip Nutman
"The Goldfinch" by Nicholas Royle
"Never Go Back" by Steve Lockley & Paul Lewis
"Mutiny" by Kealan Patrick Burke
"British Horror Weekend" by Anonymous
"King of the Maggots" by John Travis
"Leaves" by Peter Crowther
"Puppies For Sale" by Mark Morris
"Yellow Teeth" by Adam Nevill
"The Vague" by Paul Meloy
Afterword by Kim Newman

Reviews

"From Gord Rollo's transcendentally eerie tale of a comatose young boy's revenge ("Lost in a Field of Paper Flowers") to Mark Morris's cautionary tale about a pair of unorthodox vampires ("Puppies for Sale"), the 21 original stories in this anthology establish the strength of British horror writers. Contributors include Ramsey Campbell, Sarah Pinborough, Conrad Williams, Peter Crowther, and other veterans and new authors. A strong collection of contemporary horror from across the pond..."
-- Library Journal

"The British may not have invented the modern horror story, as the editors of this all-original anthology claim, but the 21 stories they've selected prove that contemporary U.K. writers are infiltrating American publishing markets with some of the most provocative horror fiction written today. Refreshingly devoid of genre clichés, these subtle tales offer ambiguously supernatural horrors from the dramas and traumas of everyday life. Nicholas Royle, in The Goldfinch, gives chronic illness an unsettling spin by objectifying a man's cancer as a relentless shadowy stalker. Mark Morris's Puppies for Sale presents a nuclear family's gradual implosion as a consequence of a malignant supernatural influence that may be a complete figment of the distraught father's mind. In Conrad Williams's Slitten Gorge, the disconnect between the unpolluted natural world and the protagonist's industrially despoiled environment achieves an aura of otherworldly horror. The book's title notwithstanding, there's nothing peculiarly British about these stories, but their authors are exceptionally articulate in the universal language of horror."
-- Publishers Weekly

British Invasion is available at Cemetery Dance in two formats:
- Limited Edition of 1,000 copies signed by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, and James A. Moore
- Traycased Lettered Edition of 52 signed (by all of the contributors) and lettered copies bound in leather with additional artwork and a satin ribbon page marker
ISBN: 978-1-58767-175-3

Savvy by Ingrid Law

2008-05-05T00:23:37Z

The Beaumonts are a unique family made up truly talented individuals. As each kid hits the age of thirteen, his or her inherent power comes to light. They call this talent "savvy," and it can be anything. When a Beaumont celebrates that fateful, lucky thirteen, everyone waits with baited breath to see what happens. No matter what, a savvy is one birthday gift you can't return.

They don't know exactly where it comes from, but they do know that it runs down Momma's side of the family. Daddy's a regular guy, happy with his family and content with his job. Meanwhile, Momma's relatives can do all sorts of wacky things. Great-Aunt Jules would step back twenty minutes in time every time she sneezed. Olive, a second cousin, has the ability to melt ice with her glare. Grandpa Bomba creates new places "whenever and wherever" he pleases, such as the stretch of land stuck between Kansas and Nebraska where he lives with his daughter and their family. (They call it Kansaska or Nebransas.) His wife caught radio waves in old glass jars, saving snippets of songs and stories that she could tune into anytime. Now that she's passed away, the family is extremely careful with these containers and treasures the sounds they emit upon a gentle loosening of their lids.

Then there's the immediately family. Momma's perfect, always - that's her savvy. Oldest child Rocket, aged seventeen, is the body electric, able to illuminate rooms during a blackout or teasingly zap a sibling whenever he feels like it. Weather shakes the next oldest boy, fourteen-year-old Fish, whose emotional hurricane can manifest into a real storm. The youngest kids, somber seven-year-old Samson and imaginative three-year-old Gypsy, are years away from getting their savvies, but when the story opens, middle child Mississippi is about to turn thirteen.

Affectionately called Mibs by her family, a nickname created by Gypsy in an attempt to pronounce her sister's name, our beloved narrator is appropriately awkward for her age and anxious for her birthday. She knows something's coming, something good.

Then something bad happens. The night before her birthday, Mibs' father is in a car accident and taken to a hospital. Momma and Rocket rush off to tend to him, leaving the other children in the care of Grandpa Bomba. Instead of having a happy birthday at home, Mibs finds herself at a gathering planned by the pastor's wife, Miss Rosemary. Mibs and her siblings, already worried about their father, now worry that Mibs' savvy will make itself known in public.

When the birthday girl discovers that a Bible salesman's bus came from the direction of the hospital where her father is resting, she impulsively sneaks on board. The stowaway count increases when Fish and Samson decide to get on the bus, as do the pastor's offspring, defiant Bobbi (who has a crush on Rocket) and gentle Will Junior (who has a crush on Mibs).

The salesman starts down the road, oblivious to his new cargo, and Mibs goes from excited to scared in the blink of an eye. They're heading in the opposite direction, away from the hospital rather than towards it! Her savvy, which had presented itself only a short while before, starts playing with her mind, but she tries to keep it a secret.

Mibs looks around and realizes that she's on an unplanned road trip to who-knows-where with two of her brothers, one of whom barely speaks, a meek salesman named Lester that she doesn't know, and the pastor's kids. As unpredictable and unprecedented as the trip may be, one thing's for certain: Mibs will never forget her thirteenth birthday.

Ingrid Law infuses her sweet family-oriented story with mischief, creating a special effect. Whether or not they have special powers, each character is easily distinguishable from the others, including the grown-ups. It's almost as if the kids from the Maggie Valley books by Kerry Madden (Gentle's Holler, etc) were given the powers of the X-Men. The fact that the Beaumonts gain their powers at the age of thirteen is a perfect nod to their coming-of-age, and this book is a treat for all ages.

Savvy is, from start to finish, a delightful journey. This rite of passage is highly recommended. Target audience: Ages 8 and up. I've included Savvy on my Best Books of 2008 (So Far) list.

Read my interview with the author, Ingrid Law.

Read an excerpt of Savvy.

Visit the related websites: Ingrid Law, Penguin Books and Walden Media.

Interview: April Lurie

2008-05-04T22:40:41Z

April Lurie has three published novels to date, each of which take place in a different time period. Her characters have danced in Brooklyn in the forties, flirted with the mob in the seventies, and accidentally shoplifted underwear in the present day, which is, of course, when our interview took place.

When crafting a story, do you first think of the plot and setting or of the characters? If you create the characters first, do they set the time and the pacing?

It's been a little different with each book, but generally I begin with a character. To date, my protagonists have been loosely based on real people, so the time period and the setting naturally follow. When I first started writing, plotting was difficult, but I think (at least I hope!) I've gotten better at it. Once I find my main character's voice and what he/she wants to say, that's when I can begin the story.

Were any of the characters or events in Dancing in the Streets of Brooklyn based on your own family members or their experiences?

Yes! Actually, the book was a gift to my parents. My mom and dad (and both sets of grandparents) were Norwegian immigrants. They settled in the Norwegian community of Brooklyn, New York, and grew up during WWII. Judy (the main character) is loosely based on my mother, and Jacob (her love interest) is a lot like my dad. It's funny because my parents were childhood sweethearts and have been married now for over 50 years.

What are your favorite Brooklyn hangouts?

Well, unfortunately, I don't get to hang out in Brooklyn anymore - I live near Austin, Texas - but when I was a kid, I liked to hang out at the schoolyard and play handball and stickball. Another hangout was the local pizzeria, where they had the best pies (yes, we called them pies) and gelato. In the summer, I spent a lot of time at Manhattan Beach. Mostly, my friends and I liked to take the subway into the city and stroll though Central Park or Washington Square.

The Mafia and shag carpeting are both present in your second novel, Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds. If a thrift store were to give you an offer you couldn't refuse, what furnishing staple from the seventies would be featured in your household?

Well, I'm a sucker for cool posters, so I'd have Al Pacino as Serpico, Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine is your first book written from a male point of view. How challenging was it for you to give him a voice?

Strangely, I had a total blast. When I first began I didn't know if I was going to be able to pull it off, but it came fairly naturally. I grew up with two brothers, and I have two teenage sons, so I believe that helped. Plus, my husband is my first reader and he would let me know if I got something wrong. The book I'm writing now is also from a male POV so maybe I'm on a roll. We'll see.

Your books tend to have both drama and comedy. When reading for fun, just for yourself, what genre do you tend to pick up?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I read a variety of genres. I prefer literary fiction over anything commercial. I like stories that can make me laugh and cry at the same time. If something intrigues me, I'll read the first page; if I'm drawn into the narrative, I'll give it a try.

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

Another tough one. There are so many.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve

Visit April Lurie's website and blog.

Magic in Manhattan books by Sarah Mlynowski

2008-05-04T05:30:59Z

In her Magic in Manhattan series, Sarah Mlynowski blends fantasy and comedy together to make one magical, funny smoothie. (Mmmm, strawberry-banana!) If you like Bewitched and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, then you'll definitely like these books.

Rachel thinks her life is pretty average - until she learns that her mother and her little sister Miri are witches and she is not. She's stuck being an ordinary high school girl while they're bonding over spells and potions. How unfair! Maybe, though, she can get some of Miri's talents to rub off on her - or on her crush, to make his head finally turn her way.

Bras & Broomsticks, Sarah Mlynowski's first book about Rachel and company, is a fun read. Rachel is a modern-day New York teen, and she's got the sassiness to prove it. The sprinkling of sibling rivalry betwixt and between the sisters is more about Sarah's envy of Miri's powers than either girl disliking the other. In fact, they get along quite well, and they're pretty close to their mom, with or without magic.

After Broomsticks came Frogs & French Kisses. Though Rachel has finally been permitted to hang out while Miri trains - as long as she wears a (very unfashionable helmet) when they go flying - she tends to be more of a hinderance than a help. It seems that wherever Rachel goes, trouble follows. Nevertheless, she sticks out her chin, grins, and tries again. And again. She might not be a witch, but she has a power all her own: determination.

At the very close of Frogs, Rachel finally gets magical abilities, making readers both excited and anxious for another book. Mlynowski then delivered Spells & Sleeping Bags, a story set at summer camp, complete with pranks and twists of relativity. Rachel knows she should learn more about her new magic and use it sparingly, but it's all so tempting. When something witchy this way comes in the form of another camper, all bets are off.

Read the books in order:
Bras & Broomsticks
Frogs & French Kisses
Spells & Sleeping Bags
Parties & Potions (December 2008)

Related booklist: Funny Fantasy Novels for Kids and Teens

Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen by Lauren Myracle

2008-05-04T03:41:53Z

Birthdays which are memorable, for reasons both great and bad, happy and sad, stick with us. Eleven by Lauren Myracle details a year in the life of a girl named Winnie. Every chapter highlights a month in that year, following Winnie as she deals with various goings-on at school and at home. Twelve and Thirteen are set up the same way, with one chapter devoted to each month, and each book chronicling a year.

Things kick off on Winnie's eleventh birthday. It's a weird, exciting, fun, scary age. She's not a teenager yet, much less a grownup, but she's no longer a little kid either. She's not sure what to do when her best friend starts acting differently. Aren't they supposed to be best friends forever? Happily, she finds new friends who like her for who she is; happily, her home life with her parents and siblings is comfy-cozy.

Then Winnie is Twelve. Suddenly, everything seems to be changing: her family, her friends, her life, her body. She's got plenty on her mind and plenty of people around her, including her old best friend, her new best friends, and a cute boy. Sixth grade certainly is shaping up to be more than she expected!

In Thirteen, Winnie has her first-ever boyfriend, Lars. She likes him, but she isn't always sure how to act around him. She sometimes finds herself torn between her two best friends, Cinnamon and Dinah, for although the three of them get along famously, they don't always want to do the same things. Winnie remains protective of her younger brother, in awe of her older sister, and close to her parents, especially her mom.

This trilogy will certainly appeal to kids in elementary school and middle school, as they are going through the same things Winnie is going through. Readers will wince with Winnie when she gets embarrassed and smile when she smiles.

It's been fun to watch Winnie become Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen. She reminds me a bit of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice McKinley (who also has one shy best friend, one outspoken best friend, and frank family discussions) and Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik (due to her relationship with her younger brother). Though Thirteen is supposed to be the final book in the line, but I'd certainly pick up Fourteen - and beyond!

Booklist: Prom

2008-05-03T23:52:36Z

prom – noun
a formal dance, esp. one held by a high school or college class at the end of an academic year.
[Origin: 1890–95, Americanism; short for promenade]
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006

Though I never went to a real prom - no desire - I have virtually attended dozens of fictional proms. I prefer atypical shindigs in which the characters dance to their own beat rather than move with the pack.

Want your prom in prose? Kick off your shoes and pick up the following books:

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (the book pick for readergirlz in June 2008)
Prom Kings & Drama Queens by Dorian Cirrone
Prom Dates from H@!! by Rosemary Clement-Moore (last word masked for the sake of younger readers)
Prom Crashers by Erin Downing
Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer
Good Girls by Laura Ruby
21 Proms anthology edited by David Levithan and Daniel Ehrenhaft

Here's a non-fiction pick:

Wonderland by Michael Bamberger

A special note to my readers who are going to prom: Have a great night, but be safe out there! There's no need to do what everyone else is doing. You don't have to have a date nor spend a ton of money to have fun. Go stag to the big dance or go with friends. Take your crush out for ice cream or visit the planetarium. Have a picnic. Have a movie marathon. Have fun.

Booklist: Quirky Characters

2008-05-03T23:23:15Z

Quirky is good in my book. Whenever someone calls me quirky, I say, "Thank you."

My favorite quirky girls in contemporary teen lit include:

Emily in Tips for Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend and Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape) by Carrie Jones

Tess in Lost It by Kristen Tracy

Alice MacLeod in Alice, I Think and the books which follow it by Susan Juby

Zoe in A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Frankie in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

My favorite quirky fellas from contemporary teen lit include:

Charlie in A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

Parker in The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

Some of my all-time favorite books have utterly fantastic headstrong characters:

Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

Turtle from The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Please refrain from mocking Anne's hair color or tugging on Turtle's braid.

Poetry Friday: Versos Sencillos (Simple Verses) by Jose Marti

2008-05-02T05:32:23Z

Yo sè los nombres extraños
De las yerbas y las flores,
Y de mortales engaños,
Y de sublimes dolores.

I know the strange names
Of the herbs and the flowers,
And deadly betrayals,
And sacred sorrows.
- from Versos Sencillos (Simple Verses) by Jose Marti

This poem is quoted at the top of The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom, which is a verse novel written by Margarita Engle.

Learn more about Poetry Friday.

Booklist: Time Travel

2008-05-02T03:01:57Z

Time travel is one of my favorite topics. I'm fascinated by the concept, and I enjoy stories, movies, documentaries, and TV specials about it. Some rely heavily upon fantasy and imagination, while others discuss science and possibility.

The Boys are Back in Town by Christopher Golden is my favorite book which employs time travel. It is also one of my favorite books written by Golden, which is saying a lot, considering 1) how much I love his books and 2) how many books he's written.

What adult hasn't wondered what life would be like if things had been different in high school, and what teen hasn't wondered what they'd do when they grew up? Take those questions, those ideas, and darken them, then insert the twists of tragedy and forgotten (or altered) memories, and you've got The Boys are Back in Town.

When Will attends his ten-year reunion, he expects to catch up with old friends, not discover that one is dead. The victim is someone with whom he recently communicated, yet everyone else claims died in high school. In the blink of an eye, Will remembers the event, yet retains his 'regular' memories as well.

As the story continues, more memories are revealed. These aren't suppressed memories, but rather new-old memories. Altered memories. Someone or something is changing the minds of Will and his old friends. Finding the source - and the strength to stop it - will lead him on an imaginative journey readers will always remember.

If you know me - if you really know me - you might be able to figure out how this book connects to me. (Notice that I said "to," not "with.") Think you know? Leave a comment below!

Read the first three chapters of the book.

Additional Time Travel Picks

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn
This fantastic story has stayed with me for nearly twenty years. (Time travel! A cat! Consumption! Mary Downing Hahn! Of course I love it!) This book was written for children ages 8 and up. When a young girl follows a white cat under a hedge, she befriends another girl - one who is not from her time.

The Withern Rise Trilogy aka the Aldous Lexicon Trilogy by Michael Lawrence
This trilogy is shelved in teen fiction. It's great for adults as well. I really enjoyed what the author did with alternate realities and family lines. It is vital that you read the trilogy in order:
- A Crack in the Line
- Small Eternities
- The Underwood See

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Not necessarily one of my favorite books about this subject nor in general, but something that's worth reading. One of my close friends absolutely loves this story and took her online name from it. Since a bunch of my customers are currently reading this in class, I won't say anything more about it, as I want them to read the book with an open mind and draw their own conclusions.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
For his entire life, an "average" guy is afflicted with time travel. He doesn't get to choose when or where he goes, but instead of traveling back to a place and time like Ancient Egypt (where I'd like to go!), he ends up traveling to places and events which are always related to him or to his loved ones. Like The Boys are Back in Town, I can't tell you about a certain character without giving something important away, so go read the book, then leave a comment below. Like The Boys are Back in Town, this novel was written for adults, so it may be all right for older teens to read but has some language and scenes that may not be appropriate for younger readers.

Moving Pictures

My favorite time travel films include Somewhere in Time, Donnie Darko, and Frequency.

Somewhere in Time is based on the book Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson. I like the film much, much more than the book. I love the music John Barry created for the picture. He also provided the score for the 1972 live-action British musical film adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, another of my favorite films based on one of my favorite books.

Also, while Sliding Doors may not be precisely time travel, if you liked it and like that kind of alternate reality story, you should definitely read The Boys are Back in Town and the Withern Rise trilogy. Now.

I enjoy Doctor Who. I haven't seen the original series, but I've seen a good chunk of the new series with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors.

If you like stories about time travel, you may also like stories dealing with dystopia.