Jim Murphy has done it again — crafted a work of non-fiction so compelling that it will keep kids hooked like an action-packed novel. The fact that Benedict Arnold’s life reads like a novel helps. Murphy asks important questions about the man whose name has become synonymous with the word “traitor” and explores those questions with an open mind and an eye for historical detail. THE REAL BENEDICT ARNOLD takes a look at the man behind the label, his early days of the war, his motivations, and the reasons for the decision that ultimately made him infamous.
This is a fascinating book — one that I’m recommending to teachers as a companion to my own middle grade historical novel SPITFIRE, which tells the story of two young people who were with Benedict Arnold’s fleet on Lake Champlain in the fall of 1776. Just as Murphy’s AN AMERICAN PLAGUE is a perfect complement to Laurie Halse Anderson’s FEVER, this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for teachers looking to add some non-fiction to classroom libraries and discussions.
) LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL had arrived. I read it in two sittings and… wow. Just wow. This is a beautifully written book. Not an easy book to read, though. In fact, from the perspective of a mom and a teacher, it’s downright scary. But it’s important. And…well…wow.
Laine is an ordinary teenager with a gut-wrenching secret that haunts her from the very first page of LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL and haunts readers long after the last page is turned. The “dead girl” in the title is Laine’s friend Leah — a friend who steals away Laine’s childhood through an abusive relationship that escalates so painfully that you want desperately to step into the book and shout, “NO!”
When I met Jo at the New England SCBWI conference last spring, I told her I was excited to read her book and wondered if my 7th graders would like it. She let me know that it was recommended for ages 14 and up, and she was right. This book is definitely an older YA — one I’d recommend for high school rather than middle school readers. It made me feel anxious and uncomfortable, but it also made me reflect on the nature of friendship and kids — why some of our kids’ friendships can become so frighteningly destructive, and why they don’t turn away.
What makes this book remarkable is the way it portrays the fear, guilt, and confusion of abuse, without completely demonizing the antagonist. At the end of this gut-wrenching story, there remains room for forgiveness and for hope. LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL has a rare gift of being a compelling page-turner and an important novel all at once — a book that teens will tear through in a sitting or two and then think about for years.
This is what it looked like when they opened the doors at 10:00…
…and what it looked like all day long, while several thousand people poured into the festival on the campus of Monroe Community College.
I am in AWE of the volunteers from the Rochester Area Children’s Writers & Illustrators who put this festival together. I’ve never seen so many kids, clutching so many shiny, new, autographed books, looking so excited. Saturday’s festival was a high-energy, joyful celebration of reading, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. I sold out the bookstore’s 50 copies of SPITFIRE and was especially happy to hear that some of those copies are on their way to classrooms & libraries. I met lots of great readers, too!
My family and I came home with a huge pile of books signed by some of our favorite authors as well.
You can’t see her smiling face here, but this is Vivian Vande Velde, my festival table-next-door-neighbor… and this was the view I had of her most of the day! She signed about a zillion books for excited readers– every one with a huge smile.
Here’s Vivian’s smile! She’s on the left, with fellow festival organizer Kathleen Blasi on the right. My E loves American Girl books and other historical fiction, so she was thrilled to have a signed copy of Kathy’s book A Name of Honor. (She’ll get to read it as soon as I’m done!)
Tedd Arnold was busy signing his zany picture books here, but he signed a copy of his new YA called Rat Life for J. If you read the review I posted of Rat Life last week, you know how much I loved it. It’s a great, great book, and I was excited to meet Tedd and tell him how much I enjoyed it.
I was also excited to meet Coleen Murtagh Paratore, since I love the voice in her writing (and because
told me I had to go see her. Coleen says hi, Debbie!)
James Howe had a loooonnng line of people waiting for him to sign when he came back from his presentation. Here he is, getting started.
Here’s Kathy Blasi (left) with Rebecca Stead (right) , author of First Light, which I’ve heard such good things about and have been dying to read. Now I have a signed copy waiting for me on the bookshelf.
Michelle Knudsen signed so many copies of Library Lion that they were gone by the time I made it over to take her picture. This was the only photo I got of Michelle, so I decided to share it, even though her eyes are kind of closed, because she looks so cute anyway. When my eyes are closed in a photo, I just look sleepy.
I met fellow North Country Books writer Sally Valentine for the first time on Saturday, too. Her book, The Ghost of the Charlotte Lighthouse, was a popular choice, since it’s set near Rochester, NY.
Carol Johmann was still smiling after doing double-duty at the Children’s Book Festival — as both an author and the festival organizer. Carol is an AMAZING woman whose organizational skills astound me. Thanks, Carol, for EVERYTHING you did to make the festival so fantastic.
Here’s another amazing lady from behind the scenes of the festival… Annie Crane from the Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport. Annie and her staff handled sales at the event and worked tirelessly all day long to make sure everyone had what they needed. Thanks, Annie!
This was such an incredible festival, with so many fun, amazing moments, but there’s one in particular that I have to share…
One ten-year-old boy kept coming back to my table. I had given him a bookmark and a Spitfire temporary tattoo. He had tasted the hardtack that I offer up as samples to show kids what life was like on the gunboats during the American Revolution. We had chatted about the real 12-year-old boy who’s one of Spitfire‘s narrators and what it must have been like for him to be in a battle when he was so young.
Finally, the boy came back with his mom and siblings, each of whom carried a single book. (His sister had Coleen’s The Wedding Planner’s Daughter and was holding it so tightly that you would have needed a crowbar to get it away from her.)
“Do you see why I’m having trouble choosing?” he said, looking up at his mom. And then I understood why he kept leaving and coming back. In a room with more than fifty authors and hundreds of books, he could choose one.
“I sure do,” she told him. “But pick the one you think you’ll enjoy the most.”
He nodded. “I want this one,” he said, and handed me a copy of Spitfire to sign. I barely made it through the signature and my thank you to him before the tears came. He came back one more time a few minutes later, so his aunt could take his picture with me.
No matter how many books follow Spitfire, I think that’s the moment I’ll to remember the most when I think about why I write for kids.
Today, we feature this colorful creation by illustrator Sara Kahn and offer blog readers a chance to win one of her books and a signed Giclee print of a painting from On My Block.
Blogger’s Note: I’m a children’s author and a middle school English teacher, so my students are collaborating on our series of illustrator profiles! Today’s feature is courtesy of the Global Citizens in 4th period English class. (The pleading snowflake at the beginning of this post was their brainchild…. Clearly, they were listening when I talked about leads that try to grab a reader’s attention!)
When Robert Mercer was diagnosed with bone cancer, he and his wife, Grace Lin, wanted to do something about it, so they came up with the idea for Robert’s Snow. Robert’s Snow is a fundraiser where children’s book illustrators are invited to create snowflakes, which will be auctioned off to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Robert is no longer with us, but his spirit lives on in this year’s magical collection of snowflakes.
Sara Kahn is one of the illustrators who made a snowflake for the 2007 fundraiser, and we’re interviewing her today.
Sara grew up in Iran and has illustrated American and Iranian children’s books. She has illustrated for both Cricket and Cicada magazines. When she was three, she painted on the kitchen floor, and the entire family was kicked out of the house. In school, she got in trouble for her art as well because she drew a caricature of one of the teachers she didn’t like very much. When the teacher found the caricature, she removed Sara from class, and her parents had to come in the next day.
Since then, Sara Kahn’s illustrations have appeared in many books in both Persian and English, such as On My Block and The Best Children’s Books in the World.
Sara has won many awards and scholarships from around the world. To see some of her work, click here or here. She has been painting and drawing for 35 years. Her work has been shown in Spain, Japan, the Slovak Republic, Italy, the United States, and Iran.
Welcome, Sara! First of all, we love your snowflake! How did you come up with the design for it?
Being a cat person, I never suspected I might like goldfish until my husband and I installed a fish pond as part of a yard project last year. Very soon I found myself quite attached to the fish–they are now so tame they nibble on my hands and toes when I wade into the pond to remove algae! The fish gather underneath our lily pads on sunny days, like we might sit under umbrellas.
I was fascinated when I found out that both water lilies and fish are considered lucky in Chinese culture. One item is in the water and the other one over it, one lucky item protects the other. I found this relationship interesting and decided to incorporate both lucky items into this year’s snowflake.
What made me think of goldfish for the snowflake–besides the new pond–was the similarity of the corners of the snowflake to the shape of fish tails. I then thought about if I wanted to paint three fish (one on every other arm); five, leaving the hanging arm of the snowflake free; or six, one on each arm. I found from further research that six is a lucky number in Chinese culture, so I made this a “Triple Luck” snowflake by including six fish and their lily pads.
We enjoyed reading about you and your background on your website, especially since you lived in Iran, and we hear so much about that country in the news now. You lived there during another tumultuous time. What was it like to be in Iran in 1979?
I lived in Iran during revolution and war.
I was thirteen at the time of the revolution. It was amazing to see how friendly people became and the sense of caring for each other was so immense in the first days of revolution. It was the amazing feeling of the promise that everything will be the way you always wanted it to be and that hope is so intoxicating. Also–there was no school for almost five months!! That may have been my favorite part.
War: the first days were scary, but after one month then it became part of the daily routine. Every morning at 10, Iraq sent five ground to ground missiles to Tehran. I recall going to the rooftops with my friends to look at them. They flew parallel to each other and made this sound swshweeeee and fell thump on the ground. Then according to where it fell, we would start calling the people in that neighborhood to make sure they were ok. They also set air raids at night. One of the bombs that they dropped from the plane hit a birthday party. The dad had gone out to buy dinner for everybody. When he came back home, he found that the bomb had hit his house, all the guests and the family were killed. That was a horrific incident. I made a painting of it, at that time I was in the university studying art. I cried for a good portion of the painting, I think my tears got mixed with the colors.
So living in Iran has influenced your ideas for painting?
Yes. I also love Persian miniatures. There is no perspective in them. The painter paints what he knows, not what he sees. Perspective is just the limitation of the eyesight. Sometimes the painter depicts the scene inside a house behind a wall where one would normally not see. I try to use these qualities in my art.
Persian Painting and literature always used symbolic language. I try to do that in my books and paintings too. In the river and sun book, the girl is small when she is withdrawn from the environment and as soon as she notices that how she feels is totally in her power, she suddenly becomes much bigger in the page.
In the Tale of the Goat and the Date Palm you see 12 goats running around the earth.
That is not mentioned in the text, but I chose to make them 12, to reflect the number of the months in the year and hours in half a day. I also included the motif that looks like a star…that is the symbol of goat horns in four directions, the goat’s horn was a symbol of the moon and moon was the symbol of the goddess of the moon, Anahita.
What would you like to tell kids through your books?
Well, each illustration or each painting has a different visual message.
The illustrator Dusan Kallay, says: “Illustrating a story is like making sketches, you walk in the imaginary world of the writer and you whatever you illustrate is what you see in this imaginary world.” Of course each person’s imaginary world of the writer’s text is different. As Tatiana Mavrina says, it is as if you pick up a colored glass and look through it to see the world in a different light, what we as illustrators do is to share our visual experience with others.
In my speech for the IBBY conference in 1994 where I was included in the honor list for the illustration of the book Tale of the Goat and the Date Palm I said: “Every illustration is born each time a kid looks at it”. I would love for my illustrations to be born again and again. Each time one looks at a painting or an illustration they will look at it in a different light, one’s experiences change from moment to moment and one’s acquaintance with the illustration and the painting increases every time one looks at it. Are you working on any new paintings? If so, what are they called?
Yes, I am painting a dreamscape called “Sea, sky and land” and illustrating a book about the life of a dog who moves to San Francisco.
Do you mostly draw or paint your illustrations?
I paint them, I even paint my sketches. Most artists start from a sketch but I start directly from the paint on the paper. Recently, because most American publishers want to see the sketch, I started the reverse work of sketching after I made the painting! Now I am trying to convince myself to make sketches but honestly the sketches do nothing for me, I already have sketched the illustration or painting in my mind.
For my books in Iran, I used to put some toothpaste on my toothbrush and start pacing the room and imagining the illustration. Sometimes I paced the room so many times that my toothpaste had a thin dry surface on it! I thought of the book and how I wanted it to look like–I think of a book as a whole, not single images. Then I decided which illustration was to be the highlight and I started from that and then worked the ending and the beginning from that illustration…then I set it to words…unlike the process here, in America the process is almost completely reversed, one starts from breaking down the text and the pencil sketches.
The print that our drawing winners will receive is “The Garden of 32 Cats” from your book On My Block, inspired by your grandmother’s cats. Of all your grandmother’s cats in that picture, do you have a favorite?
The one that is reaching for a fish–she was the only litter from a wild cat. I rescued her and she became my kitten. This kitten ran to me in joy every afternoon and greeted me dearly. She once sneaked in the bedroom and slept at my foot.
Now the rapid-fire questions…thing that kids (and adults who think like them) need to know!
What’s your most embarrassing moment ever (that you’re willing to share)?
I have so many of them; it is hard to pick one out! And I should say this is very embarrassing in itself!
What’s your favorite dessert?
Naan Pangeree, a Persian specialty; it is paper thin deep fried pastry. It is very similar to Norwegian Rosettes. If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
This reminds me of the character test I heard about in high-school. You ask the person to name three animals they like and say why they like them, the first one is who they want people to think about what they are, their public image, the second one is what people really think you are and the third one is what you really are. Now, this makes it hard for me to answer, without thinking I am exposing my innermost feelings of how I like to be introduced to the public! Despite all that, I’d like to be a tiger; she is a big cat, kind to her cubs but fierce to the enemy. What fascinates me about a tiger–which is what also I wish to be able to do–is to have the ability to be fierce and then to be kind, when I need to be so.
What’s your favorite TV show?
I do not watch TV at all, occasionally my husband watches “Law and Order” and I’ll check it out with him. Both of us are simply too busy to watch TV. Favorite dinner?
Any dinner I make that turns out the way it should! I love to cook but some experiments fail tragically.
Favorite sport?
Swimming. I have to admit that I am not a very sportive person, but I like swimming, hiking, and rock climbing.
Thanks so much for joining us, Sara, and for sharing your time and talent for Robert’s Snow!
For a special Robert’s Snow giveaway, Sara Kahn is donating copies of On My Block and signed Giclee prints of “The Garden of 32 Cats” for three lucky winners of our drawing. To enter the drawing, visit the Robert’s Snow auction site (feel free to place a nice fat bid while you’re there!) and then come back here and leave a comment about any snowflake that you especially like. Winners will be drawn and announced on Kate’s Book Blog in early December, after the auction.
I have a bad habit with book festivals and book fairs. I know that when I’m participating in one, I should spend the weeks leading up to it preparing my presentation and choosing my readings and things like that. What I tend to do instead is get sidetracked by all the other authors participating and go on a reading binge. My book festival conversations tend to go like this:
Husband: What are you doing for the Rochester Children’s Book Festival?
Me: Did you see who’s going to be there??! James Howe and Tedd Arnold and Michelle Knudsen! Can you believe that? E and I loved LIBRARY LION….
Husband: Yes, but…
Me: I hope I get to sit near Tedd Arnold. He has this new young adult book out…
Husband: Is your presentation ready?
Me: …and Vivian Van Velde is going to be there…and Coleen Paratore…
You get the idea.
This Saturday, November 3 is the Rochester Children’s Book Festival, with an AMAZING lineup of children’s authors and illustrators. I’m participating in the festival’s “Tween Time” showcase of historical fiction, and my kids have convinced me that I need to dress up as my main character again since it was such a hit in Burlington on Halloween. I’m portraying Abigail Smith, an 18th century girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight in a Revolutionary War battle on Lake Champlain. If you’re near Rochester, please drop by ‘Tween Time at 10:45. I’ll be there with my hardtack and my haversack, ready to share!
In a rare moment of planning ahead, I finished my presentation last week, so I’ve felt entitled to go on a reading binge of other festival authors’ books. Here are a couple reviews….
I loved James Howe’s novel THE MISFITS, where a group of middle school outsiders challenges the school’s name-calling habit as a student council campaign platform. Until last week, though, I hadn’t gotten around to reading the sequel, TOTALLY JOE. This is a lighter look at what it’s like to be a gay kid in middle school. Howe introduces readers to Joe Bunch through his main character’s “alphabiography,” a series of essays he has to write about his life, with each topic starting with a different letter of the alphabet (26 chapters, including one on the ubiquitous alphabet-book xylophone, for those keeping track). Through the assignment, Joe tells the story of his first sort-of boyfriend, middle school bullies, his creative, supportive Aunt Pam, and his quest to be Totally Joe. It’s honest and tough sometimes without losing its fun voice. Howe has provided a particular gift in this novel – a book about being gay that’s age-appropriate for someone who’s still in middle school and not ready for some of the edgier titles that seem to abound in YA literature.
I also want to talk about RAT LIFE, Tedd Arnold’s first foray into young adult literature, which was so great that when I finished it, I trotted right over to nominate it for a Cybil Award in the YA Category. (Nominations are open until November 21st, in case you haven’t nominated your favorites yet!)
RAT LIFE is one of those books that made me laugh one minute and gasp in shock the next. Its narrator, Todd, is a would-be writer growing up in Upstate NY in 1972. In the first pages of the book, he hears about a body found in a river and meets a mysterious character who calls himself Rat. Todd wonders if Rat, an underaged recruit who’s just back from a tour of Vietnam, has something to do with that body in the river, and those suspicions mount throughout the novel, all the way to its dizzying climax. I could go on and on about the humor, the interesting writing strategies Arnold employed, the gut-wrenching scene that almost made me stop reading but is so important to the book… but I’ll let you discover this one for yourself. Don’t start reading until you have some time; you won’t want to take breaks.
Blogger’s Note: I’m a children’s author and a middle school English teacher, so my students are collaborating on our series of illustrator profiles. Today’s feature is courtesy of the Global Citizens in 3rd period English class.
Shawna Tenney has illustrated many books, such as Allie’s Bike, Treasure Island,Oliver Twist, A Very Strange Place, and In the Sun.
She first wanted to be a ballerina, but finding out it wasn’t made for her, she discovered writing and illustrating. She now lives in Utah with her husband, Warren, and two daughters, Cassidy and Madeline, and don’t forget Bongo the Cat!
We interviewed Shawna Tenney. Here are our questions and her answers:
First of all, please tell us about your snowflake. Where did the idea for the frog fairy come from?
Well, sometimes I don’t really know where my ideas come from. I was looking at my snowflake, and all I could see was a big beehive hairdo and wings. A fat frog lady hopped in there randomly.
Why did you join the Robert’s Snow fundraiser?
I found out about it on a friend’s blog, and really wanted to participate, mostly because my mom is a breast cancer survivor. I was very excited to participate in a fund raiser for cancer research in which I could use my talents. I dedicated my snowflake to my mom and my good friend Amber, an 11 year old who has leukemia.
Why do you like being an illustrator?
Wow, what is there not to like. I can stay at home with my kids while I work and make my own schedule (although at times this can be a challenge). I get paid for doing something I love to do.
How much practice does it take to be an illustrator?
Well, I have a bachelor’s degree, so I have had as much schooling as most other professionals. I have always loved drawing and have been doing it since I was very little. It takes many hours to complete a painting. First I have to get the sketch just right with a composition I am happy with. Then I have to transfer that sketch onto a board. Sometimes I do a color study on the computer to decide what colors I am going to use. Then the painting itself takes many many hours.
How many paintings have you done? Do you have a favorite?
Oh goodness, I have done countless paintings. I have big bins full of old paintings. I kind of stick to one style now, but I’ve gone through many different styles and mediums. I think one of my favorite paintings right now is “The Queen of Sheep-baa.”
I really like making animal characters and want to do many more, maybe even someday a book with some fun animal characters.
Where do you get your inspirations for paintings? Do you ever get ideas from your family?
I am inspired by many great artists and illustrators. As for my ideas, I get those from many things including things I used to imagine as a child, and things that are going on with my family. Sometimes my imagination comes up with things out of nowhere. A lot of the time I am doing jobs for a client and they tell me what to draw (which is certainly not as fun). I really like fairy tales. I like to modernize them and make them silly. In fact, I’m working on a whole new website based on silly fairy tales. Come back and visit my website in a couple months to see what I mean. My little three year old, Cassidy, is really into fairy tales, so some of the things she enjoys inspire me. Some of the things she says and does give me ideas for stories that I would like to write and illustrate. My husband also helps me think of ideas. He is a graphic designer, so he helps critique my work and helps me improve things.
Do you feel like you have a particular style of illustrating, and if so, how would you describe it?
I feel like I have my own children’s storybook style. I guess if I were to describe it, I would say, clean, detailed,colorful and whimsical with interesting angles and compositions (at least that’s what I’m shooting for. . .).
Which do you prefer to draw – fantasy pictures or realistic ones?
Definitely fantasy. I love making up my own worlds where anything can happen.
What medium do you usually paint in?
Acrylic Paints. I do some black and white work with charcoal pencils and micron pens.
Have you ever thought about writing your own book? What would it be about?
Yes, I’ve actually written a few of my own, but have never gotten a story good enough to send out. I think I would enjoy writing a picture book about a crazy fairy tale or about animal characters.
Now the rapid-fire questions…things that kids (and adults who think like them) need to know!
What is your favorite painter or painting of all time, and why?
How can I pick one? Well, one of my favorites would be John William Waterhouse. His skin tones are beautiful and I love his style and the way he applied his paint. His subject matter was usually fairy-talesque. There are countless other painters and illustrators I greatly admire. A current artist I love is James Christensen. If you saw his work, you would probably know why.
Favorite book ever?
Oh goodness, I can’t just choose one. I of course love the Harry Potter series. One book I read recently that I thoroughly enjoyed is The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. As for illustrated children’s books, there are too many to count, but my favorite author/illustrators are Dr. Seuss and Chris Van Allsburg.
Your favorite kind of pie?
Banana Cream Pie. Mmmmmmmmm!
Favorite sport?
Well, sorry folks, I’m not much of a sports fan. I do enjoy watching some sports. Actually, I’m more into dance, if you can count that as a sport. I was actually thinking of being a ballet teacher in my earlier years before I decided to become an illustrator.
Your website gives your name as Shawna J.C. Tenney. What does the JC stand for?
Shawna Jean Calder Tenney
Favorite animal?
Sea Lions
Favorite color?
I don’t think it is legal for an illustrator to choose just one favorite color.
We read about your cat on your website. How come you chose Bongo as his name?
We found Bongo in my parent in law’s window well. He was a sweet little orange kitten. My husband chose Bongo as his name and it stuck.
Has your cat Bongo ever helped with a painting? Or ruined a painting? Bongo posed for the cat talking on the phone on my website, although he was very embarrassed to have to dress up like a girl. Sometimes Bongo tries to bite my feet while I’m painting. Sometimes he tries to jump up on my lap or drink my painting water. One time he stepped in my pallet and walked over my painting. That wasn’t the worst I’ve had though. Cassidy who is now three has painted on several of my paintings that I had to get to clients. Fortunately acrylics are forgiving and I was able to fix them. Madeline, my one year old, hasn’t ruined any paintings. . .yet.
Thanks, Shawna, for taking the time to visit with us, and thanks for giving your time and talents for the Robert’s Snow project!
Thank you! It was really fun. What a fun project for your classes to do! Hope you’re all having a great year
Please be sure to check out Shawna’s snowflake and all of the amazing work at the Robert’s Snow Auction Site.
And…to be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Allie’s Bike and a print signed by Shawna Tenney, please post a comment below, mentioning one of your favorite snowflakes in the Robert’s Snow fundraiser. You don’t have to have a blog to win, but be sure we have a way to get in touch with you. A winner will be drawn in early December, after the auction.
I dressed up as Abigail Smith for Halloween on Saturday. She’s the main character in SPITFIRE — a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight in a Revolutionary War naval battle on Lake Champlain. In the first chapter of my historical novel, Abigail steals a rowboat and arrives to meet Benedict Arnold’s fleet on the lake, looking cold, disheveled, and soggy. Since it poured rain during the Burlington, VT Halloween Parade, I was particularly authentic, giving out temporary tattoos, with my hair soaking wet.
Afterwards, it was blessedly warm, dry, and cozy at Borders, where I gave a presentation to about 15 people who braved the weather. I took my work cap off and shared my secret…that I was really a girl disguised as a boy. (They promised not to tell General Arnold!)
The kids in attendance were real history lovers, and they taught me a few things, too.
And of course, they were excited to reach into Abigail’s haversack to check out some artifact replicas and find out about life on an 18th century gunboat.
When Abigail was done answering questions, the kids had some things they wanted to ask the author of SPITFIRE, so I “went to get her” while one of my helpers passed out samples of hardtack. (Only one man wondered why I was changing my clothes in the Classical Music aisle.)
Rain or shine, Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace sure knows how to throw a party. Marketplace Events Coordinator Becky Cassidy and Borders Sales Manager Kristine LeMay were fantastic to work with and made the rainy day seem a lot brighter.
After the presentation, I went downstairs to sign copies of SPITFIRE. I’m still surprised when I show up for events and they have signs up, like I’m an author or something.
What you don’t see is the other side of this rack, where there’s a picture of
, who had signed copies of A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL at Borders the week before my visit. Do you think Tanya and I look alike? I had never noticed the resemblance, but…
One man kept looking at one side of the rack, then looking at me, then looking at the photo on the other side. Finally, he crossed his arms and frowned at me, so I helped him out.
“I’m that one,” I told him, pointing to my side of the sign.
“I thought so,” he said, “but you look a little like her, too. Not that that’s a bad thing…”
Maybe Tanya and I will have to do an event together some day and really confuse the guy…
Not because she refuses to let a man solve her problems. Not because she tries so hard to save her family’s woolen mill. Not even because she steps forward with courage in terrifying circumstances. She’s my hero because she finds herself in a situation that is, by all accounts, dire, and never once whines about it being unfair. Though her story is a take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin story, Charlotte is no typical fairy tale girl.
When her father is buried in the first pages of A CURSE DARK AS GOLD, Charlotte is plunged into a world of hard work, broken down machinery, troubled finances, and ancient curses. Does she complain? Does she say, “How come I have to answer for the mistakes of all these men?” Nope. With pluck and courage, compassion and commitment, Charlotte forges ahead to set things right – no matter whose fault it all was in the first place.
We could use more heroines like Charlotte Miller – and more authors like Elizabeth Bunce, who weaves Charlotte’s harrowing story into a rich, colorful tapestry that’s difficult to let go of when the last page is turned.
I’m giving a presentation on historical fiction at November’s NYS Reading Association Conference, and I originally borrowed this ARC to note examples of how writers of historical fantasy weave factual details into their novels. When I finished reading CURSE, though, my notepad was blank. Not because there weren’t examples. There were plenty of them – from the details of the woolen mills of the early Industrial Revolution to the country folklore of that time. It’s just that I…umm…forgot to write them down.
That, my friends, is the mark of a great story. *sighs, picks up pen, and goes back to take those notes*
Question: When does a middle grade historical novel become a Halloween book?
Answer: When the author agrees to dress up as her main character because she can’t resist Burlington’s Church St. Marketplace Halloween Celebration. Spitfire is about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight in a Revolutionary War naval battle on Lake Champlain. That means…you guessed it… On Church St. this Saturday, I’ll be an author, disguised as an 18th century girl, disguised as an 18th century boy. Here’s the official blurb…
Saturday, October 27, 1:00: Join children’s author Kate Messner for a trip back in time to the American Revolution on Lake Champlain at Borders Books and Music, 2nd floor. Kate portrays Abigail Smith, the main character in her middle grade novel SPITFIRE, who disguises herself as a boy to fight in the battle of Valcour Island. Participatory activities for kids are based on the book. A book signing will follow the event.
If you’re leaf-peeping in Vermont this weekend, please stop by and say hello!
On Tuesday, October 30, I’ll be at the North Country Teacher Resource Center Educator Showcase at Plattsburgh State from 4:30-6:00, with five other fun author/illustrator people. (At this one, I’ll just be regular Kate…)
October must be contest month in the kidlit blogsophere because I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen so many offerings. Cool ideas, too — here’s a roundup for those of you with lottery dreams…
Being a teacher, I guess I’m especially partial to Jama Rattigan’s Apple-for-the-Teacher contest over at her blog, Alphabet Soup. She’s offering up a copy of Sarah Miller’s MISS SPITFIRE, which is amazing, and the APPLE COOKBOOK, which makes me hungry just looking at it.
) is having a Figure-Out-My-Contest-Contest at her LJ. Come up with the perfect contest for Jo, and you could win a signed first edition of LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL.
Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford has a Best First Paragraph Contest running on his blog, with a Thursday night deadline. He’s offering manuscript and query critiques as prizes. (Even if you’re not at that stage in your career, it’s worth heading over to check out some of the entries!)
Heather Brewer, author of EIGHTH GRADE BITES, is giving away 13 of her extra-special vampire hoodies for Halloween. She still has a few left, so check out her blog, Bleeding Ink, to enter.
I’m sure I haven’t listed them all, so if you have a contest running, too, feel free to post a link in the comments section.
And finally, have you seen the contests popping up with the Robert’s Snow: For Cancer’s Cure illustrator interviews? A number of the amazing illustrators who donated snowflakes for the auction have also signed books and prints as contest prizes to help draw traffic to the auction site. Kris over at Paradise Found, has compiled all of the Robert’s Snow contest links on her blog.
Be sure to check out this week’s illustrator features, too!
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Laine is an ordinary teenager with a gut-wrenching secret that haunts her from the very first page of LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL and haunts readers long after the last page is turned. The “dead girl” in the title is Laine’s friend Leah — a friend who steals away Laine’s childhood through an abusive relationship that escalates so painfully that you want desperately to step into the book and shout, “NO!” 
I loved James Howe’s novel THE MISFITS, where a group of middle school outsiders challenges the school’s name-calling habit as a student council campaign platform. Until last week, though, I hadn’t gotten around to reading the sequel, TOTALLY JOE. This is a lighter look at what it’s like to be a gay kid in middle school. Howe introduces readers to Joe Bunch through his main character’s “alphabiography,” a series of essays he has to write about his life, with each topic starting with a different letter of the alphabet (26 chapters, including one on the ubiquitous alphabet-book xylophone, for those keeping track). Through the assignment, Joe tells the story of his first sort-of boyfriend, middle school bullies, his creative, supportive Aunt Pam, and his quest to be Totally Joe. It’s honest and tough sometimes without losing its fun voice. Howe has provided a particular gift in this novel – a book about being gay that’s age-appropriate for someone who’s still in middle school and not ready for some of the edgier titles that seem to abound in YA literature.
I also want to talk about RAT LIFE, Tedd Arnold’s first foray into young adult literature, which was so great that when I finished it, I trotted right over to nominate it for a Cybil Award in the YA Category. (Nominations are open until November 21st, in case you haven’t nominated your favorites yet!) 
We read about your cat on your website. How come you chose Bongo as his name?
Charlotte Miller is my new hero.