Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: What Came From The Stars by Gary D. Schmidt

Date Published: September 4, 2012
ISBN: 0547612133
Genre: MG, fantasy
Themes:Loss, loneliness, art, power, friendship, loyalty

About The Book: The Valorim are about to fall to a dark lord when they send a necklace containing their planet across the cosmos, hurtling past a trillion starsall the way into the lunchbox of Tommy Pepper, sixth grader, of Plymouth, Mass. Mourning his late mother, Tommy doesn't notice much about the chain he found, but soon he is drawing the twin suns and humming the music of a hanorah. As Tommy absorbs the art and language of the Valorim, their enemies target him. When a creature begins ransacking Plymouth in search of the chain, Tommy learns he must protect his family from villains far worse than he's ever imagined.—Goodreads

First Line: "So the Valorim came to know that their last days were upon them."

Great Quote:   "Let the Art be brought back for the good of the world. If it is in the hand of one who would use it for ill, in that world or this, then it will be upon you to destroy it—though its end means your own life exile."

What Others Are Saying: “Schmidt brings high heroic fantasy and contemporary realism together in this novel.”—Horn Book, starred review.

"Not being a sci fi or fantasy writer, Schmidt gives this his own twang…breaking or ignoring pretty much all the rules of sci fi, but still coming up with something that feels intensley real. Completely successful? I’m not sure about that…but certainly worth the ride."—Library School Journal, Nina Lindsay

Other Blogger Reviews:
The Book Smugglers
Waking Up Braincells
Book Nut

My Analysis:
1. POV switches back and forth, from Tommy's to the Valorim's world. 
2. 293 pages/ includes a glossary and The Testament of Young Waeglim.
3. The Hook: The end of Valorim and the chain leaves that universe.
4. Inciting event: Ch. 2 Tommy puts on the heavy, green, silver chain.
5. Plot and Pace: Plot slowed due to the POV changes and difficult language.
6. Voice: Sophisticated, may be difficult for some middle-graders.

What I Thought: In retrospect I believe I should have waited longer after reading Okay For Now. It is such a different piece of work for Schmidt; the world building, the fantasy, and there are those that aren't so sure it was successful. I'm not prepared to make that claim and plan to read this again in another year. There are many things that I loved and my strong desire to see it succeed kept me reading. The overall message that small things can hold great power is repeated throughout the novel. The universal themes of loss and loneliness are powerful and unite the alternating chapters between worlds.    

About The Author: 

Gary D. Schmidt

Website

Who: Gary D. Schmidt is the author of more than fifteen books for children and young adults, including The Wednesday Wars, a 2008 Newbery Honor Award winner, and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, which won a Newbery Honor award and a Michael L. Printz Honor award in 2005. His novel, Trouble, came out in spring 2008, and Okay for Now in 2012—becoming a National Book Award Finalist. In God’s Hands, a picture book co-authored with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, was a runner-up for the 2005 National Jewish Book Award. His most recent picture book is The Rose in the Desert: The Story of Martin de Porres.
In addition to multiple “Best Book” lists, his work has been given a Horn Book Honor award and a Blue Ribbon award by the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books. He has also authored or co-authored numerous textbooks, scholarly and academic books (including biographies of Katherine Paterson and Robert McCloskey), articles, and book reviews.

In 1985 he received his Ph.D. in medieval languages and literature from the University of Illinois. He is a professor in the English department at Calvin College and lives on a farm in Alto, Michigan, with his wife and six children. -Hamlin University

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Next Week: Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

MMGM: Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt

About The Book: Midwesterner Gary D. Schmidt won Newbery Honor awards for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys and The Wednesday Wars, two coming-of-age novels about unlikely friends finding a bond. Okay For Now, his latest novel, explores another seemingly improbable alliance, this one between new outsider in town Doug Swieteck and Lil Spicer, the savvy spitfire daughter of his deli owner boss. With her challenging assistance, Doug discovers new sides of himself. Along the way, he also readjusts his relationship with his abusive father, his school peers, and his older brother, a newly returned war victim of Vietnam.
                                                                                                  -Goodreads
First Two Lines: Joe Pepitone once gave me his New York yankees baseball cap. I'm not lying.

Another Great Line: "Or maybe something starts out whole and then it turns into junk, like Joe Pepitone's cap getting rained on in a gutter somewhere." (176)

What Others Are Saying: "Readers will miss Doug and his world when they're done, and will feel richer for having experienced his engaging, tough, and endearing story."— School Library Journal, starred review


What I Thought: Okay For Now is labeled a YA, but since Doug is going into seventh grade I took a chance and was glad I did. Doug is like a Sour Patch candy, when you first start to eat it your tongue quivers, your cheeks pucker and your mouth is flooded with saliva but after the initial shock you get to the sweeter part and then you want it to last forever. Voice oozes from every page and as a writer you come away saying, yes, that's why I write, I want to give that to my readers. I especially appreciate when an author weaves deeper meaning through something concrete like Schmidt does with the Audubon paintings. The connections are subtle enough that they don't hit you over the head but resonate strongly long after the book ends. The sense of place is rooted in tangible things like the library, The Dump and the school. Places that anchor Doug in the 1960 time period. This is a real story, one that needs to be told because it's honest and gives voice to the real pain and struggle that loss can have on an already fragile family. Another great thing is while I suggest you read Wednesday Wars it isn't necessary because this is a companion book not a sequel.

About The Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Website
Facebook
Article in The Calvin Spark

Quote: "Write what you know. That’s too limiting. You write what you are desperate to know." —Gary Schmidt (More here.)

Hope you enjoy this video of Gary as much as I did. There is a wealth of interviews and information about him so be sure to check out the links.

Be sure to check out all the MMGM reviews today. You can find links to all of them in my sidebar!


On Wednesday I'll be interviewing debut author Annie Crawford. Her new book The Curse of the Jade Amulet is now available on Amazon and Smashwords!