Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Wednesdays by Julie Bourbeau

Release Date

August 14, 2012

About The Book:  Max’s village is absolutely normal in every single way and on every single day—except Wednesday.Most of the townsfolk shutter their windows and lock their doors to hide away from the many peculiar things that happen—things like cats getting stuck in the vacuum cleaner and birthday cakes meeting fiery and horrific ends. But Max is too curious for that, and so, breaking every rule in the village, he searches out the cause of all the Wednesday weirdness.
What he uncovers is a secret so devious—so dastardly and mischievous—that life as he knows it will never be the same. Max himself is not the same. Suddenly the mysterious little accidents so common on Wednesdays are happening to him on Thursdays, Fridays—even Saturdays!
What’s come over Max? And more importantly, is there any cure for a case of the Wednesdays?
Mystery, magic, mischief and monsters abound in this slightly fantastical story of a human kid who wants to stay that way.

Illustrator: Jason Beene
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Portfolio On KidShannon
QuietBomb


Who:  Jason Beene enjoys picture book illustration and portrait painting. His work also includes bookbinding which he studied in Assisi, Italy and glass blowing. Jason also studied in Rome, Italy for his entire junior year at RISD. This was a life and work changing experience and its influence can be seen throughout his work. Today Jason works for a major video game development company, taking skills from his training as a picture book illustrator and applying them to interactive children's software. He is currently working on production of his second Game Boy Advance title.
http://www.creativeshake.com/jbeene


First Line: There was nothing in particular about the boy standing in the open window to indicate that he was anything but perfectly normal.


Great Line: "He had two dreadfully screechy older sisters who Max definitely didn't want to run into today." (59)


What Others Are Saying: "Max is hilarious, and never whinges. Did I mention he turns blue? And has to wash his hair with oil? You see that’s the difference between Max and I… I would be sulking like no one’s business if that happened but for Max, it’s all part of the adventure!"-Wear The Old Coat


What I Thought: I'm excited about The Wednesdays for two reasons. One it appeals to boy readers and two it has just enough mystery to keep them interested. Max is a great character and meets his adventures head on and fearless. The Wednesday's crack me up and I found the entire story very entertaining.

About The Author: Julie Bourbeau
Website
Publisher: Random House

Who:   My life has probably been more adventurous than absolutely necessary.

I have jumped out of airplanes, been swept out to sea, and ridden camels across windblown sand dunes in the Middle East. I was married on a Himalayan mountaintop by four crimson-robed Tibetan monks, and I have traveled far and wide.

Because of all of these adventures I came to writing a little later than most, but now I'm making up for lost time. Besides, I'm now the mother of two exceptionally energetic young boys who provide me with a whole new world of adventures.


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Artist Turned Writer: Interview with Marianne Malone

ORDER HERE!

Hello Everyone, 

Today on the blog we have Marianne Malone author of The Sixty-Eight Rooms published by Random House in 2010. See my review here. Her second book in the series, Stealing Magic comes out today! Whoo hoo!


About The Book: Chicago sixth graders Ruthie and Jack think their adventures in the Art Institute's sixty-eight Thorne Rooms are over… until miniatures from the rooms start to disappear. Is it the work of the art thief who's on the loose? Or has someone else discovered the secret of the Thorne Rooms' magic? Ruthie and Jack's quest to stop the thief and protect the rooms takes them from modern-day Chicago to 1937 Paris to the time of slavery in Charleston, South Carolina. But as more items disappear, including the key that allows them to shrink and access the past worlds, what was once just an adventure becomes a life and death race against the clock. Can Ruthie and Jack catch the thief – and help the friends they meet along the way – before the magic and the rooms are destroyed forever?

I'd like to thank Marianne for joining us to today. Lets get right to the questions.

1) Why do you write for children?
       I was an art teacher in a middle school for girls, grades 5-8, for a decade or so. I enjoyed working with this age group and realized that even though times have changed so much since I was that age, it seemed to me that what interested my students was very similar to what interested me way back then. I observed how certain books thrilled them and it made me remember my own feelings of getting lost in a book, which I think happens around the time when you first start reading chapter books. That's exciting to tap into.


2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.

         I am a mother of three (now grown) children, happily married for over 30 years, and—much like my protagonist, Ruthie —I consider myself a "regular" girl. I was an excellent student, but I had smarter classmates, I had friends, but was never an "it" girl. Not rich, not poor. You get the picture. I had always considered myself a visual artist, not a writer. But one day it dawned on me that one can write anything one wants and I thought that was such a liberating idea that I had to try it. Somehow, I consider writing an extension of the creative work I've always done.

Time Out Chicago Kids 

3) What was the inspiration this series? 

My inspiration for The Sixty-Eight Rooms (and the sequel, Stealing Magic), is simple: The Thorne Rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago. For those who are unfamiliar with them, they are sixty eight miniature period rooms made in the 1930s by a woman named Narcissa Thorne (they can be seen on the website of the museum). The only word to describe them is extraordinary. I have loved them since I was a little girl growing up in the suburbs, when my mother (an artist), took me on frequent visits to the museum.
4) Tell us about your process.

      How to describe my process - good question! I generally do a lot of puttering around until I have a strong idea of the arc of the story. Characters come easily to me and they help me fill in the details or tell my what to do if my plot gets stuck or runs off the road. It's like having little people whispering in your ear. I never leave a session without giving myself some notes about how to start the next day. After a first draft, I revise. And then revise again, and again (with the help of my great editor, Shana Corey). When the manuscript is finished, I'll take a month off and garden or do something very physical with my time.

5) What does a typical writing day look like?

      A typical day starts with strong coffee, breakfast and reading the local paper. Then I hit the computer. Sometimes I write first, before checking email, sometimes that is switched. I find that sitting is the hardest part of writing - one gets physically stiff and mentally sluggish - so exercise is a must. Everyday! I try and write about three hours a day, most days of the week, while I'm working on a manuscript.

6) Where is your favorite place to write?
      I love my home office, which looks out on a preserved prairie. It is such a blank slate out there, with subtle changes of light throughout the day, and punctuated by wildlife passing by in the mornings and at dusk. Looking out on it, it is easy to have my own thoughts and get lost in my story. I have, on occasion, had to write in hotel rooms, which I find facilitating - you can't get up to go to the kitchen, or be distracted by mundane household chores.

7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?
        I am on my third book now, and each one has presented different challenges. But honestly, I'm glad I started writing before I knew much about the publishing process. I would have been intimidated, overwhelmed, and I might have tried to write for other people, instead of for myself (and my students, who were my very first readers). I simply jumped in, which worked for me.

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
        The best advice I have received is from Shana, who in the margins of the manuscripts very gently reminds me from time to time to "show don't tell".

9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?
       Right now I am editing the third book in the Sixty-Eight Rooms series. In it, my characters meet an 18th century pirate in Cape Cod, and help solve a mystery for a classmate who is descended from a slave. I'm in the early stages of a fourth installment. I am still enjoying my characters and feel that the basic premise of their adventures holds more possibilities.

10) What advice would you give others that write for children?
       I think the best piece of advice I can give to anyone who wants to write for kids is to recall the emotions that books stirred in you as a child. Go there. Go to the subjects, stories and characters that you love.

Oh my, there are going to be four books about these fascinating tiny rooms and the adventures with Ruthie?? I can't wait! 

Have you entered the drawing for book one of The Sixty-Eight Rooms yet? If not, enter here. You don't want to get behind!!

Thank You Marianne for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by and chat. 

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Above World by Jenn Reese

Release Date: February 14, 2012
NetGalley Advanced Readers Copy

About The Book: Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true. -Goodreads

Cover Art: Alexander Jannson

First Line: Aluna swam toward the abandoned outpost, her heart pounding, her breathing necklace pulsing at her throat.

One Great Line: "History is not a fixed truth. It changes with the speaker, just as no two feathers will ever find the same path in the wind." (121)

What Others are Saying: "...Aluna and Hoku are determined and resourceful protagonists, and the novel’s hybrid species are fun and cleverly imagined (the birdlike Avians factor heavily into this installment); the Upgraders, who murder other post-humans for their body parts, are sadistic, one-dimensional monsters that owe a thing or two to the Borg of Star Trek. Action-seeking readers should enjoy the many revelations, twists, and hand-to-claw battle sequences, and fierce, take-charge Aluna is the kind of heroine who is easy to get behind..." -Publishers Weekly 

What I Thought: If you're thinking that this is just another mermaid story you're knee deep in seaweed. Sit back, buckle in and get ready for an adventure that is full of innovative technology, out-of-the-box fight scenes and a twisty-turny plot with characters that reach out and resonate. This debut middle grade dystopian/fantasy is the first adventure in the series filled with adaptative invention, epic battles and incredible world building. Aluna is not your average heroine and shows no fear when faced with dismal odds. The imaginative tech and scary post-humans will appeal to the geek in all of us. This is one debut you don't want to miss. 

About The Author: Jenn Reese
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Agent: Joe Monti at Barry Goldblatt Literary
Publisher: Candlewick

Who: Jenn Reese writes science fiction and fantasy adventure stories for readers of all ages. She has published short stories online and in various anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning Paper Cities. Her first novel, Jade Tiger, is an action-adventure kung fu romance for teens and adults. She lives in Los Angeles where she studies martial arts, plays video games, and dreams of rain.   -Author's Website

Jenn will be joining us in the not too distant future for interview, if you have any questions you would like to ask put them in your comments. She is one interesting person. I can't wait!

Here is the link to that interview.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: A Tinfoil Sky by Cyndi Sand-Eveland

Release Date: January 10, 2012

About The Book: Mel and her mother, Cecily, know what it’s like to live rough, whether it’s on the streets or in the apartment of an abusive man.When Cecily announces that they’ve had enough and that they are going to go home to her mother’s, Mel dreams of security, a comfortable bed, and a grandmother’s love seem to be about to come true. But some mistakes cannot be easily forgiven or erased. Her grandmother is not what Mel expects, and though the local library offers sanctuary, a real home seems beyond her grasp. Mel’s determination to rise above what fate has dealt is about to change that. -Tundra Books

First Line: "Girl," Cecily said as they sped away from the curb, "we're going home!"

One Great Line: "Gladys's voice cut the little excitement that remained of the day into peices , and Mel could feel them disappearing into the dark and dusty corners of the hall." (92)

What I Thought: First of all, bravo to Cyndi for addressing a difficult issue, homelessness in a children's book. We often hear about the difficulties that the adults face by being homeless, but rarely the children, let alone their point of view. I believe this would be a great book to help open up the conversation about poverty, homelessness and ultimately how to respect people no matter what their perceived reality is. 

      Mel reminds me of a couple of children I worked with in my writing and art classes, anxious to learn and had an appreciation and respect for people different from themselves. More often than not, the children in their class were unaware that they were homeless, but only saw the worn out clothing which often made them targets of students who were more affluent. I found A Tinfoil Sky to be a compassionate and moving read and recommend it highly.

About The Author: Cyndi Sand-Eveland

Website

Publisher: Tundra Books

Who:Author Cyndi Sand-Eveland has worked with elementary-aged children for the past fifteen years as a teaching assistant for students with learning disabilities and ESL students. She has led storytelling and journal writing workshops for primary and intermediate students. She has also worked as a freelance storyteller, children’s library assistant, and sign language interpreter. Dear Toni and her original poetry were recently included in a workshop to inspire students to begin their own creative adventures in storytelling and journal writing. She currently lives on a farm just outside of Nelson, BC. --Goodreads

Also by Cyndi: Dear Toni, a Diamond Willow Honoree and the 2010 Silver Birch Award winner and is her first book. When sixth-grader Gene Tucks moves south, she dreads being the new kid at school and almost everything else about her life as a “nobody.” But what she dreads most is the hundred-day journal-writing assignment her teacher has given the class. His brilliant idea is to have the journals locked in the town museum’s vault for forty years so that future grade-sixers can read them.
At first, Gene has trouble writing to someone who isn’t even born yet. But little by little, Dear Nobody becomes Dear Somebody, who evolves into Dear Toni. And bit by bit, Toni, a good listener, becomes a best friend to whom Gene tells everything. And, there’s lots to tell. Gene’s family is in transition to say the least. Her dad is looking for work, they are moving — again, her brother is the bane of her existence, and, more than anything else in the world, Gene wants something she can’t have — a dog. Toni is the first to learn that Gene is moving to a rent-free empty apartment at the back of a gas station, so her dad can manage it. And wonder of wonders, the owner’s dog needs looking after. Not just any dog; a St. Bernard who happens to have three pups. Through Gene’s one hundred entries the whole story unwinds and in the end, just like Toni does forty years later, we have come to know one of the freshest, funniest characters to grace the pages of a book in a very long time.

Decorated with doodles by the author, Dear Toni has the look and feel of a journal, but the heart of a special 12 year old.

On Wednesday, Cyndi will stop by for an interview so be sure to come on back. If you have a specific question you would like her to answer, leave it in the comments and I will pass them on to her. See you on Wednesday!

Be sure to stop by the other MMGM bloggers listed in my sidebar! There's some really great books and besides we have a new year to fill up our TBR lists. Right?