Writing YA-tus

It's a little quiet around here at Finding Wonderland and our sister site Readers' Rants. That's because TadMack and I are both proud participants in National Novel Writing Month, and are therefore frantically typing away in order to make the word count of 50,000 by the end of the month.

I have to admit to being a little behind schedule, especially considering I probably won't have much time to write over Thanksgiving weekend. Doh! Plus I'm on the Graphic Novels nominating committee for the Cybils, so I have a lot of extra reading this month. Speaking of which, if you're a children's or YA lit blogger and have a graphic novel (published in 2006) you'd like to nominate, please head on over and do so! Nominations are open until November 20th.

Be Careful What You Wish For

At home, Maya feels too Canadian. She doesn't speak her parents' language, Bengali. She doesn't feel comfortable around her parents' Indian friends and resents having to take leftover samosas and dahl to school for lunch.

And at middle school, her classmates—even her friends—make fun of her Indian leftovers. "You never eat normal food," her friend Sally complains. The class bully is even worse—"She's eating nigger food again," he taunts.

"There are no black people in our town, so I guess I'm the next best target. When I die, I'll become an exhibit at the local museum. Mayasri Mukherjee, born in India to a Bengali father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Nobody knew exactly how to classify Maya, but we do know this: she was all mixed up.

I am Nowhere Girl in my Nowhere Land, between Canada and India.

In 1978, in a small town in Canada, there aren't very many Indians, but Maya feels caught between worlds. In Maya Running, Anjali Banerjee has crafted a tale that is funny, sad, and fantastical all at once, perfectly capturing the feeling of being not quite at home in any culture and of seeking one's proper place in the world.

The situation is complicated even further when Maya's glamorous cousin Pinky comes to visit from India. At first, Maya is thrilled to have the company and bask in her reflected glow of exoticism. But then she starts to feel like she's the extra appendage. She feels ordinary and boring. Even her crush Jamie—who'd been acting like he was interested in her—becomes captivated by Pinky.

So Maya makes a crazy wish, a prayer to the golden statue of Ganesh that Pinky brought with her from India. She wishes she were the one who was the center of attention, not Pinky. She wants to be happy, to have Jamie like her again. But Ganesh is a bit of a trickster, and when he grants her wish, things don’t quite turn out as she expected. In the end, Maya learns to find her own path, winding somewhere between India and Canada—and learns that she doesn't have to give either one up in favor of the other. They can exist in the same world…much as she and the glamorous Pinky can coexist and even learn to get along.

Calling All Writers: Story Starter

If you're not feeling quite ready to tackle National Novel Writing Month, then you might prefer to try a story starter instead, on L. Lee Lowe's blog. Says Lee:

Over at Lowebrow I'm offering a story starter about two very odd angels and inviting readers to complete the tale, also in the hopes of encouraging new and/or young writers - not that I would mind if the likes of Neil Gaiman participated!

The best versions will get posted on Lowebrow (which, incidentally, is a great name for a blog).

On the Third Day of Subbing, My Teacher Said To Me...

Emerging from the caffeine induced haze of substitute teaching, I am remembering well why I decided to become a hermit. Teachers, librarians, early childhood educators -- here's to you. You do this every day, and so I will not whine about doing this for two weeks. However, a little note to the universe about making the day after Halloween a school day... Bad idea. Very bad idea.

In other news, my book-a-day rapid reading plan for the Cybils has somewhat deteriorated into hole-yourself-up-for-the-weekend-and-play-catch-up plan, but that's okay. I'm so pleased by the response to the Cybils -- people really love their YA novels, and I won't complain about getting a chance to get my fingers and eyes on some of the best new books out there -- books I wouldn't have gotten around to for another six months or so. This has been a lot of fun already. I am making new friends with people whose blogs I only read and marvel at, and I'm excited about the chance to meet some of them in upcoming Conferences and in other places.

Meanwhile, cheers to all my buddies doing the National Novel Writing Month -- I am slowly but surely making my way through the first chapter of my YA novel, which is... tentatively... about a girl genius who loses her smarts. I'd say it was based on me, except for the genius bit... I'm still not sold on the idea of actually cranking out anything readable in a single month, but this gives me the chance -- and the impetus -- to put down on paper some of the newer ideas that have been zinging around in my skull.

This morning marks the first day of the autumn rains, and traffic is snarled accordingly. Happy Thursday, and good writing and reading to all. School bells call me!

Multicultural Children's Lit Conference Upcoming

In light of some of the multicultural lit reviews--and the ensuing discussions--posted here and on our sister site, it's fortuitous that I recently ran across a link to Reading the World IX, A Conference Celebrating Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults, February 24 & 25, 2007 (thanks to Cynsations for the alert).

It'll be held at USF, for those of you in the Northern California area, and keynote speakers will include Joseph Bruchac, Ashley Bryan, Debra Frasier, Darwin Henderson, Yuyi Morales, Teri Sloat and Jane Yolen. So if you missed Jane Yolen at the SCBWI conference this past summer (like me), this might be a good opportunity to see her speak.

Jump on the Austen Craze!

This book is a 2006 Cybil Award Nominee for YA Fiction.

A quick read and a funny one, Enthusiasm is another romance worthy of Jane Austen.

The year Julie's nutty best friend reads Pride & Prejudice sparks a new craze in Ashleigh's life -- now she and Julie must find themselves a Mr. Darcy and a Mr. Bingley. Only problem is there are yucky guys at their high school, and really -- they've never had boyfriends. They're only sixteen. But Ashleigh, never daunted by mere facts, is determined -- this is THEIR time, and they WILL model their lives after Jane Austen's characters.

And then Ashleigh goes forth to be WEIRD! She will only wear long skirts and ballet slippers. She speaks with weirdly Victorian sentence structure. And though Julie, an Austen lover herself, hates to encourage her best friend's weirdness, somebody has to look after her the night she crashes a dance at an all-boy's private school. That night has its good points... and it's great points... and it's also weird and ...pure Ashleigh.

Ashleigh's ditziness leads the girls from one complication to another, but as in real life, there are some tears along the way. Julie's father and stepmother are not nice, really, and they never become nicer. And it's not easy on Julie having a friend who doesn't actually... listen to her much. But rough edges and unresolved issues aside, this frothy and fun book is refreshingly light, filled with actual sonnets and some decent poetry, and will encourage readers to sally forth and try their hand at reading both Shakespeare's comedies and Austen's novels. It's the classics made understandable, believable, modern and more than palatable. A great one for high school reading lists.

She's Not a Lesson or anything, she's just normal.

This book is a 2006 Cybil Award Nominee for YA Fiction.

Jean always thought she was pretty much ... normal. Okay, not body-normal, maybe, she did have cerebral palsy after all, but at least she could hang out with pretty much anyone and fit in with her friends. At least, that's what everybody said. She's always gone to mainstream schools, and she's going to be a senior this year, getting ready to take the plunge into Real Life, away from her parents and sister. She and her mother agree that the best thing for her to do is to go away to summer camp for awhile -- just to see how she'll do.

But Camp Courage in the summer of 1970 is like nowhere Jean has ever been. First off, she's never been around so many disabled people in her life. They don't inhabit her world. They don't compete academically or belong to clubs or go to movies. Some of them live in institutions. Some, like Sara, who calls Camp Courage "Crip Camp" and calls Jean "Spazzo" are outspoken and almost... bitter about "Norms" and people who have full use of their bodies. Some of the campers are ...disturbing. And some of the counselors are clueless to the point of disaster. Jean begins to wonder if she's really as 'normal' as she thought. Is she like everyone in her world? Or is she, too, an Accident of Nature?

This is a deeply interesting book, and while readers will be somewhat unfamiliar with some of the social norms of the 1970's, and what people thought back then, it's a real eye-opener in terms of what has changed now about how people perceive race, religion and disabilities. It's also a thought-provoking novel in terms of what still needs to change. Harriet McBryde Johnson is a lawyer in solo practice in Charleston, S.C. She has been a disability rights activist and advocate for more than 25 years, an activist for disability rights, and this is an authentic novel and a discussion of social justice that might just leave you with your 1970's consciousness expanded -- in the very best way possible.

The One Thing She Wanted to Say

This book is a 2006 Cybil Award Nominee for YA Fiction.

When her sister Rebecca died, it was like a spark had been extinguished. She'd been waving from behind a cafe window the last time Leila had seen her, and then -- nothing. And it's impossible for Leila to accept.

There's been a lot that Leila has had to accept. She's her father's second family -- there was another wife before her mother, and two other daughters. Leila found her way to that other wife, found her way past the reserves of her much older sisters, found a distant kindness in eldest sister Clare, but found in Rebecca a true friend, one who told her she'd know herself when she really fell in love. There was so much left that Rebecca had to teach her... and so much left that Leila wanted to say. So why did Rebecca kill herself? What happened? Using the same dogged determination that she applies to her dyslexia, Leila strives to find out. And along the way, life -- in the form of school struggles, job, and family -- just keeps happening.

Leila's struggles through the year after her sister's death are chronicled in Stay With Me, a novel about another deeply gifted and loving family. Garret Freeman Weyr is a writer who isn't afraid to deal with sensitive topics, and this is another of her unique and thoughtful novels.

Pushing Through to the Truth

This book is a 2006 Cybil Award Nominee for YA Fiction.

Dirty Liar is a difficult book to read. The rapid fire thoughts of Benji, called Dogboy by his maybe-friends, are disconcerting and uncomfortable. The reader is drawn deep inside of his head, and it's an uncomfortable place to be. See, Benji's family is completely dysfunctional. He's moved in with his dad and new stepmom and little sister because of something that happened at home. His mother's drinking was totally out of control and her boyfriend's physical and sexual abuse make Benji doubt he's a human being, much less a son. His father disapproves of everything he does -- if Benji ever let him find out about this... he'd make his son go away again for sure. His stepmother tries and tries to help him, but can he really trust her? So Benji stays high, stays unfocused, stays loose, and feels the demons closing in. Until a girl appears, like a light in a dark closet -- someone to focus on, someone who has her own troubles, someone who might help Benji care enough about himself and his future to break through... A new novel from Scholastic's PUSH imprint, by Brian James.

Girl Power—Bangladeshi Style

Ten-year-old Naima lives in a rural Bangladeshi village with her mother, father, and younger sister. Being the older sister means she has more chores, more household responsibilities, and less time to play with her friend Saleem. Moreover, he's a boy—and at her age, it's not considered seemly to play with boys anymore. It's not much consolation that she's the best painter of alpanas--traditional patterns drawn in rice-powder paint—in her village.

What good are alpanas? Naima wonders. They don’t earn her any money to help her family pay for her father's new rickshaw, or to help her sister to go to school. Her father says a daughter is as good as a son, but she isn't allowed to work to help her family. So Naima hatches a plan: if a daughter is as good as a son, then surely she, like Saleem, could help her father by earning fares driving his rickshaw. One afternoon she decides to try her idea while her father is resting. But disaster ensues. She loses control of the rickshaw and it crashes into some bushes.

How can she make everything right again, and help her father earn the money to fix the rickshaw, when her only real talent is painting alpanas? I don't want to give away the ending to Mitali Perkins' charming middle-grade book Rickshaw Girl (upcoming Feb 2007), but the secret lies in the modernization of Bangladeshi society, more prominent roles for women in village life, and the idea of microfinance providing small loans to village residents. And the end is truly heartwarming and uplifting—I was cheering for Naima's pluck, her friend Saleem's loyalty, and, especially, her father's support of his daughter in a traditional society where the idea of women working outside the home is often greeted with suspicion.

Less and less often is this the case, fortunately. It reminded me of the fact that my own father, born in Pakistan, could have been equally traditional about the role of women. But, like Naima, I've been lucky to have a father who never made me feel as though there was anything I couldn't accomplish simply because I was female. I hope the idea of microfinance and microcredit spreads throughout the world to other needy societies, and that women around the world begin to experience the same kind of blossoming opportunities. Perkins' book will go a long way towards informing young readers—and their parents—of these possibilities.

I also want to add a quick word about the illustrations by Jamie Hogan, which are deceptively simple and sketch-like but are just as charming as the story, incorporating some traditional alpana designs. This would be a great addition to any collection of multicultural books.

Tips, Tricks, and Treats

Happy Halloween! Has anyone else noticed that the Blogger logo on the login page has vampire teeth? Very cute. Hope everyone has something enjoyable planned for the day, whether it's encouraging small children's cavities, dressing up for a party, or enjoying a quiet evening at home with a book or movie. We'll be doing A and C, with a couple of friends over, since we did B over the previous weekend (you can read all about it and see pictures on my personal aquafortis blog).

Today I have one rhetorical question and a handful of tips for those who might be embarking on NaNoWriMo tomorrow. Last year was my first time participating, but I managed to get to that golden 50,000. I'll share with you a few ideas that helped me along, plus a couple of others that I just ran across.

But first: the rhetorical question. I was reading National Geographic with my toast this morning and read a short blurb about, basically, a scientist who heard about two new undocumented whale species and got a grant to go find them. Now, how come when a scientist decides they have some brainchild that they absolutely must drop everything and go after, people react by saying "That's wonderful, dear! Here's some grant money." But when a writer starts talking about that novel they're working on that they think is brilliant and worthwhile, people just say, "Uh, yeah...let me know when it's published." Anyway. It was just a rhetorical rant. And I'm sure it oversimplifies things so please do not write to tell me that I've got it all wrong about scientists. ;)

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So, on to the advice! Here, in no particular order but numbered in reverse, are A. Fortis's Five Fabulous Fwriting Ftips For Fnanowrimo. (Say that five times fast!)

Tip #5: Getting Started, from East Bay Municipal Liaison Donna Summer: "If you open your empty document and find yourself completely stymied before you've entered a single word (been there, twice), try starting with setting. Where is your book happening at? What does it look like? Commit to two pages of setting, and that will take away the pressure of that mighty expanse of white page."

Tip #4: Quotes On Writing, from a comic book I randomly purchased and (quite fortuitously) read yesterday entitled Kabuki: The Alchemy by David Mack:
"...writing is like physical exercise. What counts is how much you can do after you think you are done. Then the real challenge begins. If you push through the barriers of your comfort zone, you hit a second wind. It is mostly just showing up and doing it that counts."

The character then went on to quote Somerset Maugham: "Someone asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. 'I write only when inspiration strikes,' he replied. 'Fortunately it strikes every morning at 9:00 sharp.'"

Tip #3: How the Hell Do I Write a Novel in a Month? The first trick is to break that question down into smaller bite-sized parts. First, you go to the NaNoWriMo website and sign up. Be sure to sign up for your local area forum(s) and maybe add a few writing buddies if people you know are participating. (Guilt at others' accomplishment is a surprisingly effective motivator.) Then, you read the instructions and realize that A) you only have to get to 50,000; B) it doesn't have to be any good; and C) nobody's checking up on you except yourself. Then, every day for the month of November, you sit down for twenty minutes or an hour or three hours--whatever you can spare--turn off that internal censor and write, write, write. Think of it as one long, structured freewriting exercise.

Tip #2: Getting Ideas: Not sure what to write about every day for the next month? Well, take a look at that list of back-burner ideas that you've been meaning to do something about but just haven't gotten around to. Or maybe there's something that's been rattling around in your head, tickling your brain, for the past week or so, that might make a good seed for a story. Pick up a book of inspiring photography or artwork and free-associate for a while. Buy a book of writing ideas/prompts. Take a look at some old work that you've given up on; maybe it's time to tackle it again in a new form.

Tip #1: Practicalities: A novel? Doesn't that take, well, planning and meticulous labor? NOT THIS MONTH!! If you find yourself getting bogged down by silly details such as logic or consistency, tell yourself, "NO, NO, NO! NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY!" Then put your fingers back on that keyboard (typing really helps--I don't suggest doing NaNo in longhand) and start with a word. Then a sentence. Then you're off and running again. Save the editing for later. During NaNo, editing is for chumps.

Hope some of you decide to take the plunge!

Bits and Pieces

The Guardian's podcast this weekend included Jonathan Stroud reading from Ptolomey's Gate, the third and final book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy.

It seems like so many things are ending... the warm weather of Indian Summer seems to have finally worn out its extended lease, the month is ending, and we are finally both entering and leaving October Country. I have always loved the metaphor that Bradbury presents in this series of stories, in that 'undiscovered country' of imagination. I think the October Country is where my imagination lives most of the time, but it's only in the autumn that others join me there.

I don't mean that I'm a Halloween person necessarily -- I'm not all that fond of being importuned by costumed little strangers questing for candy -- but the sort of melancholic half-light of time changes and shadows, slivers of moon and the wind rustling across dryness of stalks and leaves makes room for the senses, seems to speak to another part of the mind. In the sunfiltered days of autumn, before the endless rains and the dregs of the year, some of the best dreams are yet waiting to be discovered.

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When I was very small and fiction-deprived, I read Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables over and over and over and over. Before I ever knew what it was, from ages nine through eleven I wrote what is now called 'fan fiction,' my own sequels and new endings to the novel, where I either wrote out Gilbert altogether, or added another boy who wasn't such a git -- and then I forgot about it before growing older and learning, safely away at boarding school in high school, that there were actual sequels to my hands-down-favorite-heart-pulling-vocabulary-expanding novel of all time. So you can see how the news I learned via Fuse#8 has me shrieking blindly at the screen, "NO!!!! NO!!!! NO!!!!!!" Because honestly -- a prequel novel before Green Gables? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Genius of Pratchett: Wintersmith

Poor Tiffany Aching has finally gotten the hang -- a bit -- of her life. She knows she's basically going to work to be a witch, because that's what witching is -- Work. It's being the Wise Woman when one is needed, being the herbalist, when someone sick needs the brewing of tea, it's visiting the elderly, cleaning up, and making cheese. There's just not that much more to it than that, except the Boffo, which is kind of necessary. Other than that, that's it - no dancing around in one's underdrawers. No flashing and crackling lights. Just... sort of serving others, and using the broom to get around long distances.

Tiffany would be okay with that, really. Mostly. It's just that, life when you're thirteen is sort of complicated unintentionally. For one thing, there's boys. Only, Tiffany... hasn't attracted an average boy. She's gotten a minor deity all in a lather over her. Or, rather, all in an avalanche, maybe... TheWintersmith is who's crushing on Tiffany. And he's ... winter. Blizzards and avalanches and freezing cold and icicles. And his crush is pretty heavy.

Summer's ticked off at her, Winter's chasing her, and Tiff's going to need to think fast to get herself through the mess she made, and onward to Spring. Good thing she's got her friends, her Granny Weatherwax, Mrs. Ogg, and a lot of nasty little blue men to help her.

Random Topics from the World at Large

So, it's not going to be my stained sweats... via Chasing Ray we are clued in to a funny conversation about what to wear for a book signing from authors chatting on Justine Larbalestier's blog -- What to Wear is something we should all think of as we'll be giving readings and signings in the next year or two. My uniform of choice is sweats... but after all the commentary, I'm thinkin'.... maybe not.

Since I am a big fan of BRIEF -- ( not that I can do it, thank you fellow Flickr Fictioneers for reminding me), I cherished the intensely short, six-word stories at Wired Magazine, which I discovered via Bookshelves of Doom. Of the myriads funny (and unreprintable) listed, one of my favorites: Bang postponed. Not Big enough. Reboot. - David Brin

Something quite exciting for those of us who aspire to write fantasy with strong female characters: Tamora Pierce is coming to our end of the universe! WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Pierce swans into town with her newest novel, BEKA COOPER #1: TERRIER, which just came out the 24th. According to the details on Cody's Books' website, Beka Cooper lives 200 years before Pierce's popular character Alanna. Born and raised in the bowels of the Lower City, Beka is now a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard. She's shy, but her terrier-like demeanor and quick wits make her a fierce opponent for the Lower City's criminals. When the city's pigeons give Beka clues to two underworld conspiracies that include exploiting and murdering men and children, Beka thinks they are linked, and she will stop at nothing to arrest the perpetrators. Welcome to the beginning of an exceptional new series..." Seating is first come, first served, and readers will be let in between 6 pm and 7 pm. It'll be crowded, but if you're a huge fan, it'll be worth it, at Cody's Fourth Street, Berkeley.

"So, tell me again... Why do people do this?" I asked my Irish friend.
"For the same reason that people climb a mountain, or run a marathon," he replied with some asperity.
And I thought to myself, "That stupid of a reason, eh?"
Yep. It's just to say "I can."
I already know I can, but I got hornswoggled into National Novel Writing Month anyway. Eek. So the month of November will be just a joy. I will be: a.) substitute teaching the first week and a half, b.) planning a Thanksgiving Pageant, c.) badly writing 50,000 words for a new novel, d.) continuing to write/edit my historical fiction piece, e.) working with my editor on another piece, f.) planning a brunch g.) finalizing plans for Thanksgiving in Monterey. I plan to blame all of my stress on those who regularly participate in such madness and talked me into it (yes, A. Fortis, I mean YOU!), but I think that even though the schedule will be crazy, it will be doable.

I have learned this year, if nothing else, to be really, really, really prolific. It may be that I'm just blowing smoke every day, but it's writing, which is actually a good fourth of the battle. In today's Chronicle, (in which a professor of mine from my alma mater was honored YAY Micheline and congrats to Yiyun, too! ), one of the women interviewed talked about whatever we have in our backgrounds as being fodder for us learning useful writing habits. Yiyun was studying to be a doctor; I am learning to take all of the time and careful research that I brought into preparing lesson plans into creating plans for stories. Neither portion of our adult lives was wasted doing something before writing... now we can both just bring what discipline and meticulousness that we learned and apply it to now. That's a comforting thought.

Still... all this cramming-the-writing-in stuff sound like it makes about as much sense as running a marathon. (With apologies to those who run. I'm sure it seems like a great idea at the time.) Still, it's a way to jumpstart all the time you lose shopping and visiting during the holidays (okay, okay, it's not LOST time, but you know what I mean!), and it's going to help me hopefully be well on my way toward finishing something in time to start the round of publishing houses in January. It's going to be a busy November... maybe in December I'll take up yoga.

Mystery with a Message

Blue Balliett’s unique mystery Chasing Vermeer received a Book Sense Book of the Year Award, an Edgar Award, an Agatha Award, and a host of other honors. Her newest book, The Wright 3, is the sequel, and will no doubt garner some acclaim of its own.

In many ways it has much of the appeal of the first book: wonderful illustrations by Brett Helquist, codes to decipher, a mystery to solve, and the added bonus of saving a piece of valuable art. However, this time Petra and Calder are joined by a third wheel of sorts: Tommy Segovia, Calder’s best friend from before Petra moved into Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Tommy had to move away for a year, but now that he and his mother have moved back, things aren’t quite the same as they used to be. Calder has this new friend—Petra—and the situation bugs Tommy.

Meanwhile, their sixth-grade class is studying the Frank Lloyd Wright building that’s in the neighborhood, the Robie House. It’s slated to be divided into pieces and the pieces sent to different museums, but the class and their teacher feel that would be destroying a masterpiece whose magnificence depends upon how it fits together as a whole: architecture, art-glass windows, and all. And then, there have been reports of strange disturbances at the Robie House: windows opening and closing, strange lights and shadows and winds, constructions workers having unfortunate accidents. Can Petra, Calder, and Tommy learn to get along well enough for the Wright 3—as they call themselves—to figure out how to save the Robie House?

It’s another fascinating mystery in which there are no coincidences; in which every pattern has a meaning if only you’re receptive to figuring it out. My only complaint is that character development is sacrificed a bit in favor of the mystery-solving process. This is unfortunate, because the characters are all mixed-race kids who just are what they are (a conversation we keep bringing up here and on Finding Wonderland. Tommy is half-Colombian, half-English; Petra is part North African, Dutch, and Middle-Eastern; and Calder is half-Indian and half-Canadian. I love that about the characters, which is why I wish their mixed-up, all-American, melting-pot-salad-bowl-ness played a slightly larger role. But then, I suppose giving it a bigger part would make it an issue as opposed to just a trait among other traits. And the book absolutely holds its own as a mystery without that added complication.

And, if you find yourself in Chicago, you can visit the real-life Robie House and take the Wright 3 tour. Fun!

Reviews in November Edge of the Forest

Good historical fiction is, in a word, impressive. It immerses the reader in the world of the past—its sights, sounds, smells, and experiences. Through meticulous detail and a healthy dose of imagination, it brings different times, places, and cultures to life. Deborah Hopkinson's middle-grade novel, Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco, 1906, brings the black-and-white earthquake photos we've all seen into the full color of the imagination... More

There don't seem to be a great many Canadian authors prominent in the U.S. YA market, but Margaret Buffie is definitely a name I've heard before. Her ninth book for young adults, Out of Focus, has a dramatic storyline worthy of a problem novel, but the intriguing and varied cast of characters is well-realized, creating a story that's much less easily classified into a single genre... More

Censorship Updates; Website Updates

Just a few quick notes of interest. AS IF comments in their usual spot-on manner on a newspaper article reporting a Minnesota parent's complaint about newspapers being made available at her daughter's elementary school. Apparently, "giving students open access to the papers would be 'like leaving a loaded gun on the table.'" Sheesh! It's a newspaper. It's information. It's not as though it was a tabloid being distributed to kids, or Fox News being played in the classroom.

AS IF recently reported on another interesting article, too--this time about a battle over censorship of a book that is challenged due to alleged factual issues. I definitely suggest perusing this one. Very thought-provoking.

Lastly, via Big A little a, the November edition of The Edge of the Forest is up. I'm pleased and proud to announce that I contributed reviews this month--to the middle grade and young adult sections, which I'll post teasers of on Readers' Rants. Please take a look--there are great articles from a variety of YA/kids' lit bloggers, including author interviews and a look at humorous books for kids.

Sister or Not?

Family is really complicated -- and Seattle knows it. It's especially complicated if it's family you're not really related to. See, her Dad ditched her with his girlfriend about six years ago, and she's been hanging out with her almost-stepmom and her two sons, Jesse and Critter, forever -- at least long enough to know that they're who she wants to be family with. But, things change when Christopher -- aka Critter -- starts macking seriously on the lifeguard he was just supposed to flirt with so that he and Seattle could bluff their way into the ritzy pool across town during the heat wave. And things change further when Seattle meets Scooter, and Critter finds that he's weirdly ...jealous... of Seattle hooking up with him so fast. He's even... dreaming about her.

Exactly what is going on with the two peas in a pod, who used to be so totally inseparable? Sometimes when there's things you can't say, it's reason enough to stop talking. Told throughout in two voices, this chapter excerpt should get you interested in the reasons why Seattle and Critter both think this summer they should hang out with Anyone But You.

Florid of complexion, dull of hair

In an interview with Fairest author Gail Carson Levine, she relates the trouble she had writing Fairest, and discusses the book. Well worth checking out.

Aza's fifteen, and she knows she's not conventionally beautiful -- not at all beautiful like other people. For one thing, her face is doughy and big. Her height is ridiculous, her girth is truly mentionable. She sings -- and probably when she takes a breath she swells up like a ship under sail. She's just ungainly and huge and distasteful -- too strong to be a real girl, and too ugly to be thought of in terms of affection and romance -- at least that's what Aza thinks, and she projects those thoughts onto the world at large. In a culture that defines beauty and grace as being 'fair,' Aza understands that she is the least fair of them all.

It's not enough that she's a foundling, that she was placed in the Inn of her parents as an infant and abandoned. She's stared at rudely by people, and her own parents hide her away in the back of the Inn so that her appearance won't offend and lower business for them. The Gnomes like her, but they're ...well, green, so what do they know?

It's hardly reasonable to expect that someone like Aza would get within fifteen feet of the royal peers. But she does. It's even less reasonable to expect that a commoner like Aza would be asked to be the Queen's Lady in Waiting -- but she gains all of that as well. When Aza stumbles into the royal household, she is met with kindness by the nobility and curtness by the servants. Everything is upside down for her, and intrigues are not far behind.

From all appearances, Aza has the world she dreamed of, and the eyes of the prince upon her, but why in the world isn't all happily-ever-after? Do people really believe that people are as good and kind as their appearance makes them? What does that make the ravishingly beautiful Queen, then? And what does that make the oversized Aza? As always, life -- and beauty -- isn't ever all that simple.

Wednesday Already!?

Things are going by in a blur! I'm reading like a mad dog for the Cybils, trying to remember to sit down and read through all the paperwork in preparation to vote, launching off into an historical fiction novel, and starting to finalize plans for my non-traditional Thanksgiving by-the-foggy-sea. I took the time to read the paper this weekend, and you'll want to check out The Chronicle's two great articles on National Book Award finalist Gene Yang's graphic novel American Born Chinese.
The Chron's online Asian Pop column has a great author interview as well, and and Yang's nonreaction to finding out he'd placed as a finalist is posted on his blog.

After reading all the pieces, what stuck with me were Yang's comment regarding the state of Asian American culture today. He said, "I think the Asian American community right now is in the midst of defining itself. For a while I think we were all trying to be white. Then there was a period of time when we were trying to be black. And now we're finally coming up with something that's truly our own." That reminded me very much of Justina Chen Headley's Patty Ho character in Nothing But the Truth... at some point, cultural clarity must exist for every child or teen to be truly whole. But getting there -- is tricky. It requires some excellent books and some straight talk. And this cartoon? Reminds me of every interaction I ever had with any new African American student in my predominantly Caucasian school. If we weren't somehow cousins, obviously, we must date. Erg. Someday, someone has to write a YA book about how to balance being okay with people of your own race while completely avoiding them in your junior high classroom. (And incidentally? Sorry, Raymond Brinson... you were an okay guy... Really.)

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Kate DiCamillo has warmed a lot of hearts with her middle-grade novels and picture books. In this interview, she talks about her most recent awards and how success has been kind of a surprise. A good surprise, however.

Writers and readers who know the digital revolution has only just begun should be interested in Adobe Digital, a new E-Reader software that will enable readers to better manage their digital publications. Authors on the fence about "someday" looking at their electronic rights should make that 'someday' soon, and start speaking up for retaining those rights; although most publicists, agents and editors claim that there is no YA market for electronic books, they may be in for a shock -- the market is changing.

Don't miss the Guardian Unlimited's interview with Eoin Colfer. Colfer reads a bit from his newest Artemis Fowl book, and shares a clip of his PR tour... which has turned into a sort of comedy tour called Fairies, Fiends and Flatulence during which he kind of waves around his books says, "They're out there, buy them if you like," and simply tells deranged stories. And no, don't ask -- he doesn't know why he's doing it either.

Now, you know how I feel about celebrity authors... and earlier this month, yet another pecked her way through the non-literary shell and was hatched. That being said, All Hail the Queen... I give up. I will now officially state that Everyone has the right to endlessly reinvent themselves... and if their latest invention is children's author, so mote it be. Further, until I actually read their books, I will reserve my snark.
Ahem.
But STILL! Could they all STOP now!?