Author: hatfield13

Brave New Books: New Dystopian YA Novels to Pair with Old Favorites

I may write upbeat books for middle grade readers, but I have a dark secret…  I’m a sucker for a great dystopian novel.  Bring on the floods, the repressive governments, the book burning, the horrifying reality TV, and you’ll have me up reading long past bedtime.  I’ve been delighted by the fantastic array of new dystopian novels that have hit bookstore shelves lately and jumped at the chance to talk about some in today’s Share a Story-Shape a Future blog event, hosted by teacher-author Donalyn Miller at The Book Whisperer. 

In addition to writing, I teach middle school English, and I include a unit on dystopian literature that includes some favorite short stories like Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” and Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron.”  Lately,  I’ve also been having my students read dystopian novels in literature circles and drawing comparisons between those and the classic short stories.  Here are a few of my recent favorites for middle school and up.

 THE HUNGER GAMES, CATCHING FIRE, and (in August 2010) MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

Okay, so you already know about these, but I couldn’t leave them out because they’re my go-to books for 7th grade readers who want something fast-paced and compelling. Book club and discussion topics include reality TV, violence in American culture, and love vs. survival. Alongside this trilogy, an ambitious literature circles group might also want to read and discuss…

 GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lise Haines

Set in an alternative reality in Boston, this novel is about a society in which gladiator-style arena fighting has become a national form of entertainment.  The main character has been the daughter of seven gladiators, and when her last stepfather dies in the arena, she’s faced with a harrowing choice. This one will prompt great discussions about women and violence in society.  It’s excellent.

 LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, THE DEAD AND THE GONE, and THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN by Susan Beth Pfeffer 

This post-apocalyptic trilogy explores what happens after an asteroid hits the moon, knocking it out of orbit enough to cause widespread problems with the tides, weather, shortages, and illness. For an interesting discussion, pair these with Stephen Vincent Benet’s “By the Waters of Babylon.”  High school readers might also read this trilogy alongside Cormac McCarthy’s THE ROAD.

CANDOR by Pam Bachorz
 

Inspired by the model town of Celebration, Florida, this is a novel about a community where everything is perfect, including the teenagers.  Subliminal messages make sure of that.  And what happens to those who wish to maintain their spirit of individuality?  The answer will make you shudder, right through the last page.  Pair this with W.H. Auden’s poem “The Unknown Citizen” for a lively discussion about personal identity and the needs of the invidual vs. the needs of society.

THE COMPOUND by S.A. Bodeen 

In this novel, a father who is well-prepared for the unthinkable hurries his family into an underground bunker to protect them from nuclear war. But when problems arise with the compound in which they’ve lived for six years, Eli begins to question his father’s motives…and his sanity.  Fast-paced and gut-wrenching, this is another good one for reluctant readers.  Bodeen follows it up with THE GARDENER, another dystopian YA title to be released in May 2010.

GENESIS by Bernard Beckett

  

This slender dystopian novel was published as an adult book in the United States, but I’m so hoping it finds its way to older YA audiences. These 150 pages pack a heavy punch when it comes to considering the deeper questions of balancing the needs of society vs. the individual and what it means to be human. This would be a GREAT literature circles or book club choice for 8th grade and older.

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

 

A teenaged boy wakes up in a place he’s never been.  There are other boys, all of whom arrived in the same mysterious elevator.  There is a maze that opens each morning, runners who go out in search of an escape, and hideous creatures that threaten when the sun goes down. This one is delightfully creepy and fast-paced enough for reluctant readers. 

CRUNCH by Leslie Connor

 

Here’s the younger, more cheerful cousin to all these titles portraying dark futures.  This middle grade novel by Leslie Connor (WAITING FOR NORMAL) is set during a not-too-distant future gasoline shortage.  Five siblings are stuck on their own at home, running the family’s bike shop while their parents are stranded up north.  This one’s great for middle grade readers and gives a sense of a troubling future with plenty of hope and humor, too. Due out from Katherine Tegan books on March 30, 2010.

Are you hoarding canned goods yet?  Still reading?

From Bart’s Bookshelf, another list of dystopian YA novels
Apocalypse Now, a Publishers Weekly feature on the appeal of dystopian YA
From Publishers Weekly, another list of new and forthcoming dystopian YA titles
Need to find a quick story or movie clip to go along with a unit? Here’s the Wikipedia list of dystopian literature for ideas! 

Now…what are some of your favorite titles and pairings in this genre?  Leave a comment, and feel free to stop by later on to check back as the list grows!

P.S. Unrelated to this post, but…  If you are a Chicago-area teacher or librarian who may be interested in a free school author visit on Tuesday, April 27th, please comment or drop me an email.  I’ll be in town for IRA and have availability for one school visit that Tuesday morning!

best tracker

GIANNA Z. is going to be a Scholastic Book Clubs/Book Fairs Selection!

I got a surprise email from my editor at Walker/Bloomsbury one day last week while I was cleaning up my desk at school, getting ready to go home. 

"I’m delighted to report that Scholastic Book Clubs have licensed book fair and book club rights to GIANNA Z…." 

I had to write back to make sure that meant what I thought it did.  That THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. would be one of the titles on the big racks at Scholastic Book Fairs at schools?  That it would be paperback, in a price that’s easy for kids to buy? That it would be in those book club flyers that get sent home in kids’ homework folders and backpacks? 

Yes, yes, and yes, my editor answered.  In September!

There was a stack of Scholastic Book Fair flyers on my desk, and I couldn’t help picking one up to page through it.  There are a lot of fun milestones in this children’s book world, but this one is especially cool for me.  

I grew up in Medina, a tiny town in upstate New York.  It has a lovely independent bookstore now, but it didn’t when I was in school.  You could get Archie comics at the drugstore, or you could try to get your parents to drive to the mall in Buffalo an hour away, where there was a Waldens, or you could order books at school through Scholastic Book Clubs.  I’d bring those flyers home and circle the books I wanted with Magic Marker, over and over,  until the color bled through to the other side of that thin paper.  Those flyers were important to me, as I know they still are for kids who aren’t lucky enough to be growing up in a town with a great bookstore. I’m thrilled that my book will be one of the Magic Marker choices this fall.

I’m going to do something fun to celebrate GIANNA Z’s paperback release in bookstores (also in September) and her appearance in Scholastic Book Clubs & Fairs.  Probably a contest on the blog and something special for teachers and librarians (I’m thinking about giving away some free virtual writing workshops for classes!)  If you have other fun ideas for a paperback/book club launch, I’d love to hear about them in comments!

Sunshine & 40 Degrees? Beach Weather on Lake Champlain!

We had originally planned to go see The Lightning Thief movie this afternoon, but the weather called us outdoors.  Even though it hasn’t been much of a winter in Northern New York, this first sunny 40-degree day melted my heart, and we headed for a state park not far from the house. Sometimes in the winter, we see a bald eagle here, but he’s been tough to find this year.  We looked for him in his favorite tree on the way in, with no luck.  But that was okay… the beach alone was worth the trip.


Still plenty of snow on Mount Mansfield


Is it me, or does the shadow of this driftwood totally look like a sea monster?

Just as we were driving out of the park, guess who showed up…right on his favorite branch.

Wherever you are, I hope your day was sunny and full of surprises, too!

Friday Five: The Author Visit Edition

Spring seems to be the busiest time for author visits, and since I’m both a coordinator of visits for my school and an author who visits other schools, I thought a special Friday Five was in order…

1. My students were lucky enough to have not one but two great author events this week!  The first one was a live-and-in-person visit from Rebecca Stead, the author of WHEN YOU REACH ME, winner of this year’s Newbery Medal. Here’s Rebecca talking with our seventh graders. 

She was lovely and wonderful, and I’m actually in the process of putting together a much more in-depth blog about everything an author can learn about school visits from watching her go through her day. 

2. Yesterday, our advanced creative writing class had a Skype visit with Deva Fagan, the author of FORTUNE’S FOLLY and the forthcoming THE MAGICAL MISADVENTURES OF PRUNELLA BOGTHISTLE.  (She showed us an early copy of that one!)

We talked with Deva about books and writing in general, but with a special focus on beginnings.  The kids in our group are in the early stages of new projects right now and loved having the chance to ask about outlining and brainstorming and those stops and starts that often go along with starting something new. Deva compared it to making soup…the gathering together of lots of ideas that start out looking like a big mess but eventually simmer into a lovely, coherent stew. I like that.

3. On the author end of school visits, I’ve had a few requests for in-person events lately and should probably announce officially that I can’t book any more visits for this school year.  In May, I’ll start scheduling next year, so if your school is interested, just drop me an email from my website contact page any time between now and then, and I’ll be send out a note when I’m beginning to schedule 2010-2011.

4. I’m still doing Skype chats with classes and book clubs that have read THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. and those are much easier to schedule, so I’ll be continuing through the school year.

5.  Here’s where I’ll be over the next few months:

School Visits:

March 19 – Mooers, NY Elementary School (AM)
March 19 – Highgate, VT Elementary School (PM)
April 7 – Colchester, VT Middle School
April 8 – Saranac, NY Elementary School

Conferences: I’ll be giving workshops on Skype author visits  at both of these!

April 25-27 – International Reading Association
May 14-16 – New England SCBWI Conference

There’s also a good chance I’ll  be signing ARCs of my skating book, SUGAR AND ICE, at ALA in Washington D.C. at the end of June.  Please drop me a note if you’ll be at any of these conferences, as I’d love to say hello!

Newbery Medal Author Rebecca Stead at the Flying Pig

I’m on the other side of a school author visit this morning, as the coordinator because REBECCA STEAD IS VISITING OUR SCHOOL TODAY!!!

Sorry…didn’t mean to shout,  but…well, you know.  It’s Rebecca, who is so kind and nice and funny and who wrote the amazing WHEN YOU REACH ME, which won the Newbery Medal, and she’s HERE!!!!

I mean…ahem…we are very much looking forward to her presentations.

Yesterday, Rebecca gave a reading and talk at the fantastic Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vermont.  Here’s Rebecca (on the right) is with Flying Pig co-owner Elizabeth Bluemle (on the left).

And here’s Rebecca signing books in the Flying Pig loft, which has to be one of the greatest bookstore event spaces in bookstore history.


By the way, Rebecca signed some stock at Flying Pig, so if you’d like your very own signed copy of WHEN YOU REACH ME, their number is
(802) 985-3999.

I’m off to compose myself and get the AV equipment ready…

Lake Champlain’s Winter Art

We’ve had crazy weather on Lake Champlain this week. First, it was a snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow at my house and way more in places like southern Vermont.  And it was a heavy, wet snow that somehow managed to turn the shoreline area of Lake Champlain into a sort of slushy swirl.  This photo doesn’t entirely capture it, but this was something I’d never seen before.  That’s not ice…it’s floating snow-slush.

Last night, it rained, and the wind blew what was left of the lake ice near our house into a sparkly sculpture on the shore.

It’s beautiful in the morning sun, and almost makes up for our missing skating rink…but not quite.

I know the winter weather is continuing for many of you today. I hope wherever you are, you’re warm with a good book!

Thank you, Lake Placid Middle School!

I had a great morning visiting Lake Placid Middle School kids.  We talked a lot about books and writing, and they got a sneak peek at the cover for my upcoming figure skating book, SUGAR AND ICE.  Sharing that secret was extra-fun because the school is quite literally in the shadow of the Olympic Center, where much of SUGAR AND ICE takes place.

Another cool thing about this particular school visit?  The principal and I share a last name.  (No, we’re not related!)


Dr. Dave Messner, Me, and Sara Kelly Johns, awesome Lake Placid librarian who is also running for ALA President!

And the best part?  The kids.  These 6th, 7th, and 8th graders were enthusiastic, inquisitive, and downright fun.


Rachel & Jillian were especially good sports, modeling 18th Century clothing when we talked about historical fiction!

Thanks, Lake Placid Middle School, for a fantastic February morning!

FINALLY by Wendy Mass

So I want to tell you how much I loved this book.  

But first I need to tell you a story.

I didn’t have any author obligations at ALA Midwinter last month, so I took my kids, both avid readers, to ogle the upcoming books in the exhibit hall.  My eight-year-old daughter knows enough about the publishing industry to know that one can sometimes snag advance reader copies of books by one’s favorite authors at such events.  She also knows that ARCs have a job to do, that they actually cost more to produce than final books, and she understands that she shouldn’t take an ARC unless she is quite sure that she will read it, like it, talk about it to her friends, and maybe even write a little review for me to share on my blog.

Which brings me to the Scholastic booth at ALA Midwinter, where E was hoping beyond hope that she might find an ARC of FINALLY by Wendy Mass.  It’s a follow-up to ELEVEN BIRTHDAYS, which is one of my daughter’s all-time favorites.  We found the book on display, but they were out of ARCs. The very nice Scholastic rep really wanted E to leave with a book, though, so she offered her two others that were there.  Here’s what happens when very-kind-publisher-lady clashes with author’s-child-who-does-not-want-ARCs-to-go-to-waste…

Nice Scholastic Lady:  Here, you can take both of these.

E:  *looks at books*  Oh, that’s okay. Thank you, though.

Nice Scholastic Lady:  Really, you can have them. They’re free.

E:  Thanks, but these aren’t really my cup of tea.

Nice Scholastic Lady: That’s okay. If you don’t like them, you can give them to your friend.

E: *looks at books again*  I don’t think they would be her cup of tea either.

Nice Scholastic Lady: It’s really okay. You can take them.

E: No thank you.

I eventually jumped in to end the standoff by explaining our ARC discussion and why my daughter was so steadfastly refusing this poor woman’s efforts to be kind. She understood, and then took a little notepad and asked for our address.  A few weeks later, E got a package in the mail.  She squealed and went running to her favorite reading chair.


Thank you, Nice Scholastic Lady!

After I managed to pry FINALLY out of her hands, I got to read it, too.  And really?  It was worth the wait and then some.   The main character, Rory Swenson, has been waiting forever to turn twelve. That’s when she’ll finally be able to do everything she’s been waiting for. Buy a cell phone…get her ears pierced…go to a boy-girl party. She’s about to have everything she’s ever wanted.

Except that everything she’s ever wanted manages to go horribly, horribly wrong in the funniest ways possible. FINALLY had me laughing out loud over and over again.  It’s written in that fantastic, trademark Mass voice — the one that would make you swear she’s really twelve years old herself — and the characters are real and wonderful.

FINALLY is set in the same world as ELEVEN BIRTHDAYS and has a touch of that same magical realism, but above all else, this is a warm, incredibly funny book about wanting to grow up and learning that it’s also okay to be a kid. Loved, loved, loved it.  Every girl who’s ever been impatient to be a little older will love it, too.  FINALLY is due out from Scholastic on March 1, 2010.

An Author’s Olympic Dreams: February Vacation Edition

I’m on school break this week, so in addition to lots of reading and writing time, we’re on a mission to take part in as many Winter Olympics sorts of activities as possible.  Though we are having fun, I’ve noticed that our endeavors often turn out…well…less than Olympian.  But you be the judge…

On Monday, the boys decided to do some downhill skiing at Whiteface, while E and I opted for cross-country skiing on the groomed trails nearby at Cascade.  It was lovely in the woods, and we saw fox, coyote, and snowshoe hare tracks in abundance.  We loved this little brook, with the water running right under a bridge of snow.

E stopped to poke at the ice with her ski pole, and that’s when things got tricky.

Poles float, it turns out.  And water can run strangely fast in the mountains in February.  Thankfully, there was a log blocking the way, so her pole didn’t get too much farther off the trail, and I was able to take off my skis and creep onto the bank without falling in.  E got her pole back, with a soggy strap, but no worse for wear otherwise.

Tuesday was an ice skating day because Lake Champlain is finally frozen enough for skating in many places.  The ice is beautiful and black and makes eerie thumping sounds as you skate over the cracks.

There are some interesting things frozen into the ice.  Can you tell what this is?

It’s a perch.  Frozen about eight inches down.  Logic tells me that the fish died first, and froze afterward, but still… I can’t help imagining the poor guy swimming along, saying, "Hey, Pete, do you think the water’s getting colder tonight? Because I think it’s getting tougher to swim and ….WHOA!"

See what I mean about the un-Olympian bit? I am guessing that Evan Lysacek wasn’t having thoughts like that during his performance in Vancouver.

“That Skating Novel” finally has title! (and other bookish news)

After much wrangling, brainstorming, arranging of tiny slips of paper, and discussion (and many thanks to all of you who chimed in with ideas!), my December 2010 middle grade figure skating novel with Walker/Bloomsbury has a new title.  The book is about a figure skater from a small-town maple farm who earns a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid and quickly realizes that her sweet dream come true has more sharp edges than she could have imagined.  The title?

SUGAR AND ICE

I’m delighted that the talented Joe Cepeda is doing the cover art again, and the preliminary sketches I’ve seen are gorgeous. I’ll share the final cover just as soon as it arrives and I get the go-ahead.

More book updates…

THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. will be released in paperback in September 2010.  This makes me very happy, since several teachers have asked about the paperback release for class sets of the novel, and I really love the idea of more kids being able to afford the book.  What kind of cool contest or other fun thing do you think we should do to celebrate in the fall?

My chapter book series with Scholastic will launch one year from this month.  MARTY MCGUIRE, FROG PRINCESS will be released in February 2011, with the second Marty book to follow in August or September of the same year.  I hope to have Marty illustrator news to share  soon!

As for works-in-progress, I’m waiting for some feedback so I can do one last revision pass on the middle grade mystery I’ve been working on. I’m also noodling over a couple picture books I’m trying to polish and just starting a fun, new chapter book idea.

What’s new with you?  What are you excited about and working on these days?