MMGM: Alligators Overhead by C. Lee McKenzie

Date Published: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 1432784730
Genre: Middle grade, fantasy,
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.
Themes: fantasy, friendship, magic, ecology, mystery, wildlife
Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / Barnes & Noble 

About The Book: Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren't your average neighbors unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. The town's bad boy, Pete Riley, may only be twelve, but he's up to his eyeballs in big trouble, and this time he isn't the cause. This time the trouble arrives when a legendary hundred-year-old mansion materializes next door and the Ornofree alligators declare war to save their swamp from bulldozers. Things only get worse when Pete's guardian aunt and several of her close friends vanish while trying to restore order using outdated witchcraft. Now Pete must find the witches and stop the war. He might stand a chance if his one friend, Weasel, sticks with him, but even then, they may not have what it takes.

First Line: Pete chewed on what was left of his right thumb nail, stared up at the round-faced clock above Aunt Lizzy's and watched it tick off his last minutes of freedom.

What Others Are Saying:  "McKenzie pens a swampy middle-grade story full of humor, hauntings, quirky characters and a mystery that continues to develop to the very end.

"The folksy diction and lyrical, verb-heavy storytelling will leave readers turning the pages all the way to the end, where big surprises await and the real villains are revealed. A short, fun story that will excite both young and old imaginations." —Kirkus Reviews

Book Bloggers Weigh In:
Annie McMahon
Novellarella
There's A Body In The Library
Teach Mentor Texts

What I Thought: I always like to share when I find a great boys read. The action is very fun with lots of twists and turns. I really liked the messages of environmental responsibility and respecting habitats. It was difficult imagining talking alligators but I believe that is just my own weakness in the imagination department. It was a fun read.

My Analysis:

1. POV: Third-person limited omniscience: participant
2. 210 pages
3. The Hook: Mysterious things begin happening, the crowning incident being a mysterious call telling him that said, "Today is the day, Peter Riley."
4. Inciting event: A mansion appears in the vacant lot.
6. Voice: In spite of the fact it is in third person, Pete's voice comes through in the way he describes things and his thoughts.

About The Author: 
C. Lee McKenzie
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog

Who:  In her other life--the one before she began writing for teens and younger readers--C. Lee was a teacher and administrator at California State University, San Jose. Her field of Linguistics and Inter-cultural Communication has carried her to a lot of places in the world to explore different cultures and languages. She can say, “Where’s the toilet?” and “I’m lost!” in at least five languages and two dialects.

Her idea of a perfect day is one or all of the following: starting a new novel, finishing writing a blockbuster novel, hiking on a misty morning trail in the Santa Cruz Mountains, saying Namaste after a great yoga practice, sipping a cappuccino topped at a bustling café, reading in front of a fire with snow outside, swimming in an ocean someplace.

Check out the other MMGM reviewers in my sidebar!

Next Week: Joy of Apex by Napatsi Folger

MMGM: Gabriel Stone and the Divinity of Valta by Shannon Duffy

Date Published: January 1, 2013

ISBN: 0985029471
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Themes: Good and evil, magic, friends

About The Book: Gabriel Stone is a twelve-year-old boy still reeling from the unsolved disappearance of his mother. With a dad who’s hard to relate to, and mounting pressures at school, Gabriel lets off steam by hiking in the place where his mother was last seen. There, Gabe and friends find a crystal that proves not only beautiful, but magical beyond their wildest dreams. Only, magic and beauty come with a price: in order to return home, they must save the dying world of Valta. —Goodreads

First Line: Gabriel stopped midstep near the water's edge, captivated by the sparkling colors glowing beneath the frigid river.

What Others Are Saying: “The non-stop action and twists kept me guessing, while the heart-melting romance took my breath away. With its enchanting storyline and endearing characters, Spectral is captivating.” —YA Bound

Bloggers Weigh In:
Books!
Rose Garcia

Moosubi Reviews

What I Thought: Shannon Duffy has created a great adventure for boys and girls alike. These twelve-year-olds manage to save a dying world, learn to depend on each other and even get to work a little magic. While I didn't find the plot intensely original there is tension almost every page and the world Duffy creates is unique. It took a while for me to see the characters, they are pretty generic. That said, eight to thirteen year old Tweens will surely enjoy the ride. Reminded me of Brandon Mull's Beyonders in it's non-stop adventure. 

About The Author: Shannon Duffy

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Publisher

Who: "I write Middle Grade and Young Adult. I grew up on the beautiful east coast of Canada and now live in Ontario, Canada. I'm the mom of one sweet boy. I love writing, reading, working out, shopping, traveling, and my guilty pleasure is reality TV. My YA Paranormal Romance, SPECTRAL, and the first in my MG Fantasy series, GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA is out now. Look for the Gabriel Stone sequel, GABRIEL STONE AND THE WRATH OF THE SOLARIANS, Feb/14. I also have a new YA Cyberpunk series coming out. The first novel in the series is titled, AWAKENING." —Goodreads

***

Whew!  This has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Needless to say, I'm a bit behind in my reading. I can't complain. I'm on a writing retreat in San Francisco writing my brains out, sight-seeing and enjoying sunshine! (Like, everyday...#amazing) So next week I won't be doing MMGM, but never fear, I'll be back on April 1st. This is not an April Fools!!  "I'll be back," in my best Arnold impersonation. 

A total feast of the senses...

Thank you San Francisco!!

Upcoming MMGM Schedule

April 1st: Blud and Magik by Preston Norton

April 8th: No Ordinary Excuse by Michelle Adams

April 15th: Mirage by Jenn Reese [Book 2 of the Above World Series.] You can see my review of her spectacular first book here.

April 22nd: Calvert The Raven and the Battle of Baltimore by J.S. Fuqua

Author Interview: Julie Bourbeau

Today we are privileged to have the author of The Wednesdays on the blog today! Welcome to Julie we're so glad you've stopped by. 

Let's get right to it!

 1) Why do you write for children?And what was your inspiration to create you debut middle grade book?

I never intended to write for children -- in fact, if you had told me ten years ago that I would write a kids' book, I never would have believed it. No, THE WEDNESDAYS came about quite by accident. I had just moved to Spain with my infant son, and I was struggling a bit with the combination of new motherhood and culture shock. Spain's mediodía (the custom of shutting down businesses and schools for several hours for an extended lunch period) was particularly difficult for me, because I never seemed to be able to adjust my timing accordingly. My son was always waking up from his nap precisely at the moment when my entire neighborhood, and all the shops I needed to visit, literally drew their shutters for three hours. 

One Wednesday afternoon I was pushing my son in his stroller and feeling a bit grumpy and lonely because nothing was open and no one was around. I had a bit of a mini-tantrum during which I decided that it was just plain creepy that my neighborhood was so deserted during the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of the week. To entertain myself, I began to make up a funny/creepy story to explain why an otherwise lovely city would shut down so completely during the middle of the week. And... THE WEDNESDAYS was born! In the process of writing it, I discovered that I loved writing for kids.

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

I didn't start writing until I was in my thirties, which I suppose makes me a bit of a late bloomer. I was a new mother, living abroad, and I found myself without a job for the first time since I was a teenager. I was fortunate to be able to use the opportunity to do some soul searching -- to figure out what it was that I really wanted to do with my newfound freedom. I'm a lifelong bookworm (in fact, my first job ever was in a bookstore), so I decided to give writing a try. Once I discovered how much I loved it, I never looked back. I just wish that I had figured out how much fun writing is a decade or two earlier!  

3) Tell us about your process.

I fall halfway between the seat-of-my-pants school of writing and the disciplined-plotting school of writing. I started THE WEDNESDAYS with little more than an idea about the setting and the premise (a village halfway up Mt. Tibidabo that is forced to shut down every Wednesday). The characters came next -- Max is essentially the boy I imagined my (adorably) impish son becoming a few years down the road. Only then did the actual story start to shape up in my mind. 

My next book, KING OF NOWHERE, which will be out in 2014, evolved in a similar manner. I had only an opening sentence and a single, brief scene in mind when I started to write. Once I was a couple of chapters in I stepped back to sketch out a very rough outline -- basically just the beginning, the middle, and the end. And as I start each new chapter I take some time to figure out what I want to accomplish -- both in terms of character development and storyline. 

 5) What does a typical writing day look like?
  

Thinly-disguised chaos. Or perhaps that just describes my life in general, since I now have two very (VERY) energetic little boys in my household! Honestly, I require two things to write: silence and coffee. I wish that I could be one of those writers who can plug away while life unfolds around them, but I can't seem to do it. This means that I have to grab the moments of silence whenever and however I can. Perhaps when my boys are a little older I can achieve some sort of "typical", but for now I'm utterly without routine or consistency. 

 6) Where is your favorite place to write?

I write while sitting in a chaise lounge that is in the corner of my living room. My laptop is on my lap, and a cup of coffee is always nearby. The position is not ideal for spine health, I'm sure, but I've never been able to write at a proper desk. My little corner has lots of natural light and a view of a wooded area, so until my back rebels, I'm going to keep writing there! 

 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 had no idea just how many years go into the making of books. Three years passed between the time my book was acquired by my publisher and my publication date. I have been terribly impatient waiting for my debut to finally come out!

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

The advice that I most needed to hear (and that I most often need to be reminded of) is simply BIC (butt in chair). I'm very easily distracted by blogs, publishing industry news, online writers groups, etc. -- things that may be related to writing, but don't get me any closer to typing The End. There is no escaping the fact that a book requires many, many hours parked in front of a screen, with fingers on the keyboard...with NO internet access allowed! 

 9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?
 

Yes! KING OF NOWHERE is a YA novel about a teenage daughter of the leader of an unnamed Middle Eastern country. When the rest of her family flees to the U.S., she is forced to come to terms with culture shock, poverty, and increasingly uncomfortable truths about her home country and her father's legacy. The book is loosely based on real events. 

 10) What advice would you give others that write for children?

Read your book out loud to a child who isn't afraid to play critic. It's amazing how quickly you'll stumble over awkward phrases or boring lulls in the action when you have a precocious seven-year-old rolling her eyes or yawning while you read to her! 

For more information about Julie, check out her website here.

Thanks to Julie for those thoughtful questions. The Wednesdays just debuted yesterday so be sure to hop over to Amazon and give it a like!

MMGM: Post Apocalyptic Moby Dick? Railsea by China Meilville

About The Book: On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea. -Goodreads

First Line: This is the story of a bloodstained boy.

One Great Passage: This particular passage is representative of the wonderful aliteration, the unique format and action packed sentences that Railesea offers:  "& if," he said,  his voice was suddenly chill & bony & metal like the scuttling of a very bad insect, "you'd like not to be cut open & dangled over the side of the train & dragged along with your legs on the ground spilling blood everything under the flatearth can smell while we go slow enough for long, long miles that they can rise eat you from the toes up from the inside out, you know what you could do for me Sham?" -Elrish, the pirate captain. (236) (Seriously, what 11-13 year-old wouldn't love that!)

What Others Are Saying: "While the beasts may be a bit too intense for those under 12, Railsea is a novel fantasy-loving teens will want to put on the bookshelf alongside the likes of Ender's Game, yet it will also easily satiate Miéville's adult fan base.
      He gives all readers a lot to dig into here, be it emotional drama, Godzilla-esque monster carnage, or the high adventure that comes only with riding the rails." -USA Today

"If Steampunk was The City of Lost Children, then SalvagePunk is supposed to be moreMad Max. It's the process of recycling, repurposing, "upcycling" old technologies. In place of Steampunk's romanticization of the past, SalvagePunk is an "act of radical forgetting," according to Miéville. It would be as though, in the movie Hugo, the eponymous character, instead of meticulously repairing the clockwork automaton, had decided to remodel it into an answering machine." -L.A. Review

What I Thought: As some of you know I am on kind of a Steampunk kick so when I saw this I couldn't pass up the chance to review it on Netgalley. The format threw me at first, which it will for any middle grade reader that isn't capably fluent. When I happened upon an Audio.com version, I jumped and was so glad I did. This is a book you want to hear the alliteration, the tempo and the beat. I then added the hardback book and was able to rewind and review passages, study conventions—what can I say—I'm a writer. Trains, giant moles monsters, strange creatures, pirates and mystery, this has it all. Sham is a great character and any teen will relate, possibly even an advanced Tween, to his quest for adventure, his struggle with difficult choices and his quick wit. If you love, as I do, watching a writer build a new world. It also helps that my degree was in communication and Mieville is always twisting and stretching language, what people say and what they mean is often two very different things. 

About The Author: 

China Mieville

Website

Facebook

Who: China Miéville is one of the most important writers working in Britain today. The author of ten novels of "weird fiction"—as well as short stories, comics, non-fiction, a roleplaying game, and academic writing on law and ideology—his 2011 science fiction novel Embassytown was acclaimed by Ursula K le Guin, among others, as "a fully achieved work of art" busy "bringing the craft of science fiction out of the backwaters". -Interview on Boing Boing

How: In terms of the genesis of the book, I can't remember precisely. I think it had an epiphanic moment. But what I'm aware of is a couple of things. One is the very, very silly joke that I've always liked burrowing monsters—Tremors, Burrowers—and I've always loved Moby Dick, and at some point I was amused by the idea of the ridiculous semiotic pun of thinking of Moby Dick but with giant moles instead of whales.  -Interview on Boing Boing

His other book for teens:

What is Un Lun Dun?  It is London through the looking glass, an urban Wonderland of strange delights where all the lost and broken things of London end up . . . and some of its lost and broken people, too–including Brokkenbroll, boss of the broken umbrellas; Obaday Fing, a tailor whose head is an enormous pin-cushion, and an empty milk carton called Curdle. See more here.

Question Of The Day: Have you written anything that turns an existing story on it's head or stretches the envelope? 

Commenters are automatically entered into the August 31st giveaway.

Please stop by and check out some of the other MMGM bloggers in my sidebar!

August Giveaway Prizes: Since the drawing occurs on my birthday I am giving lots of gifts and having lots of winners...

Grand Prize: Choice of any two books I have reviewed so far this year, 3/4 pound bag of Solace Coffee,  Madison Morgan: When Dogs Blog in paperback and Project Madison swag.

First Prize: Two Debbie Macomber books, 3/4 pound bag of Solace Coffee, Madison Morgan: When Dogs Blog in paperback, Project Madison swag.

Second Prize: No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko, 3/4 pound bag of Solace Coffee, Madison Morgan: When Dogs Blog in paperback, Project Madison swag.

There will be many more winners, more books, more coffee and more Project Madison Swag so stay tuned. [If you tweet this and paste the tweet url in your comment you will get two entries!]

Later This Week: Interview with Julie Bourbeau author of The Wednesdays. 

Next week MMGM Back to Classics: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech