The Mystery of the Missing Mafioso...

Hi All,

I don't usually post in a serious and personal manner, but I would like you to know why I've been so low-profile lately. (Those of you who have befriended me on Facebook may already know all of this stuff, in which case you can traipse off to read other blogs!)

In the summer, my wife Marie, after suffering hearing loss in her left ear, was diagnosed with having a cholesteatoma. My best description of this little bugger is that it's a non-malignant but bone-eating ear tumor. In Marie's case, surgery to remove it in August showed that it had wreaked havoc, destroying her hearing bones. Worse still, it had eaten into the dura mater, which is the lining that surrounds and shields the brain. The surgeon saw brain tissue leaking into the ear cavity. The upshot was that she needed reconstructive brain surgery--and that took place this past Wednesday, the 12th.

After such surgeries, it is necessary for the patient to spend some time in the ICU, to monitor potential brain swelling. Marie was there for three days, during which time I named her the "perkiest ICU patient ever." She has since moved to a regular room in the hospital, with the hope that she will go home today.

I have been doing my best to support her, as well as ensure that the lives of my three sons remain as normal as possible. Hence my spotty internet presence. I know you'll tell me to chill, but I do feel bad that I haven't been replying to your comments--or worse, visiting your blogs these past few weeks. I so value the sense of community our Marvelous Middle Grade Monday has created!!

While Marie recovers at home, I've decided to put Middle Grade Mafioso on hold until the new year. (It's time for a holiday break, anyway.) I send you my best wishes for the holiday season and for 2013. Right now, the Don's carving slices of panettone, which we intend to eat in your honor. So to all of you: Buon Natale e felice anno nuevo! See you in 2013!!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Out of my Mnd

Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper (Atheneum, March 2010)

Read with my 9-year-old as part of the Oregon Battle of the Books 2013 project.

There was a lot of word-of-mouth about this book, and my son was eager to read it. It didn't disappoint!

The story (via Goodreads):
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

Opening lines: Words. I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions.

What I liked: Words are indeed the stuff of Melody's life. She is a genius trapped in a body that doesn't work because of cerebral palsy. I found her voice to be engaging, and her struggles and triumphs to be believable. She has loving parents, who nonetheless have issues trying to care for her and to understand her. 

The major plot point has to do with Melody qualifying for her school's trivia team, and the reactions which ensue. I appreciated that the whole thing didn't spiral down into a Hallmark moment, and that there was a setback and a near tragedy. I found the experience of reading it as being similar to WONDER--as in I should have shares in Kleenex! This is a five-hanky one!!

My son was eager to read this every night. He too found the character of Melody appealing, and enjoyed the humor. The mean girls also got a well-deserved raspberry from him. I'd recommend this for 4th grade and above.

If you want to know more about the author here's an interview with Sharon M. Draper at Goodreads.

Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday Everyone!!

The 13th Sign Contest: Prizes Galore (and a Chance to Donate)

Buongiorno a tutti! We're all excited here at Middle Grade Mafioso because it's the Don's birth week and on the 7th, he's hosting a massive party. I can't wait for the cannoli.

The charming and creative
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

It's also our day to host Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's THE 13^TH SIGN Preorder Contest! This may in fact been one of the most fun blog tours ever. Because The 13th SIGN has astrology at its core, Kristin came up with a wonderful idea to both promote her forthcoming novel as well as raise money for the charity Reading Is Fundamental, a literacy program committed to placing books in the hands of kids who need them most.

About the book: 

What if there was a 13th zodiac sign? 


You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign. 


Your personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s. 


What about the rest of the world? 


What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change, and infuriating the other 12 signs?  


Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend upon it.

(Doesn't that sound cool?! I've been glued to my horoscope all week. I've also badgered my pals at Project Mayhem to reveal their star signs. Would you believe that all the guys (Matt MacNish, Mike Winchell, and Paul Greci) are sensitive Pisceans? And that Shannon O' Donnell and Dawn Lairamore are enthusiastic Aries like me? Yahong Chi's a Taurus, Marissa Burt a Leo, Hilary Wagner a Scorpio, and Caroline Starr Rose a Sagittarius. I think you'll all agree that, mixed together, we are a true force for Mayhem.)

I tried hard to find a Capricorn, but they were shy.

Which makes sense. According to my astrology book, CAPRICORN characteristics include being ambitious, trustworthy, calm, a loner, pessimistic, and determined. Yup, the Capricorns on Twitter were in total loner mode. And Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, and Orlando Bloom never got back to me.

But Aries is always game for new, fun things. In my astrology immersion, I also took THE 13^TH SIGN quiz, which taught me more about my 12-sign horoscope, my 13-sign horoscope, and which horoscope sign I ACT like? (Reveal: I'm an Aries who acts like a Virgo!! Egads!)

Anyway. (Another Aries trait is having a LOT to say...)

What is this contest all about?

If you preorder a copy of THE 13^TH SIGN by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb TODAY, you'll get the chance to win... (drum roll)  

-zodiac charm – sign of your choice

-signed THE 13^TH SIGN swag

-$10 itunes gift card

-signed paperback of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

-a 13^th SIGN t-shirt

How do you enter?

Preorder THE 13^TH SIGN! You can preorder it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, or through your local independent bookstore. Then email your receipt TO KRISTIN at ktubb@comcast.net. You will be entered into that day’s drawing, the grand prize drawing, and your purchase will be *matched* by a $1.00 donation to RIF!

Are there other ways to enter the contest?

Yep!  You can be entered into the daily prize drawings by doing one or more of the following:

-Each preorder of THE 13^TH SIGN = 10 entries into grand prize drawing and 10 entries into that day’s drawing

- Each person who blogs about the contest = 10 entries into that day’s drawing

-Each person who changes Twitter or Facebook avatar to cover = 5 entries into that day’s drawing (for each day it is present) [Get those avatars a-changing. I'm going to be The 13th Sign for the Day]

-Each Tweet or Facebook status mention of the book and contest = 2 entries for that day’s drawing (must include hashtag #the13thsign)

-Each RT of book and/or contest = 1 entry for that day’s drawing

BUT. You have to preorder THE 13^TH SIGN to enter to win the grand prize and to have your purchase matched with a RIF donation.

ALSO. To make sure you get the correct amount of entries, please let Kristin know if you’ve done any of the above! You can email her at ktubb@comcast.net with everything you’ve done to enter.

What is the grand prize? [Oh, mamma mia, this one I would love. Hope the Don's making a Christmas list...]

A Nexus 7 ereader! BOOM.  The grand prize winner will be announced on Kristin’s blog on Friday, December 7.

How long does the preorder contest last?

13 days total! You can visit these other blogs for each day’s prizes:

DAY ARIES: The Book Vortex

DAY TAURUS:  The Housework Can Wait

DAY GEMINI:  Magnet 4 Books

DAY CANCER:  Abby the Librarian

DAY LEO:  Mother Daughter Book Club

DAY VIRGO: S. R. Johannes/Market My Words

DAY LIBRA: Elizabeth O. Dulemba

DAY SCORPIO:  Citrus Reads

DAY OPHIUCHUS: Young Adult Books Central

DAY SAGITTARIUS: Bloggers [heart] Books

DAY CAPRICORN: - Middle Grade Mafioso

DAY AQUARIUS: Smack Dab in the Middle

DAY PISCES: From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors

Good luck! And don’t forget to take THE 13^TH SIGN quiz! J

A Day for YA: Devine Intervention

Okay youse all. I know we're all middle grade and mafioso on this blog, but the Don's grand kids are getting older and he's allowing me the latitude to at least mention YA. In his words, "If youse is gonna get all lovey-dovey and crazy wid da hormones, just make sure it ain't wid a vampire."

So, I'm happy to announce the inaugural "A Day for YA" on MGM. In keeping with the Don's Vampirophobia, I've chosen a novel which I think's got it all: a guardian angel-in-training with an arrow through his head, snappy writing with jokes zinging off the page, and a view of the afterlife that only someone seriously hilarious could dream up. That novel is Martha Brockenbrough's debut,  DEVINE INTERVENTION.

Opening Paragraph: "One Monday morning, a couple years before my cousin Mike shot me in the forehead with an arrow, my eighth-grade homeroom teacher brought two cartons of raw eggs to school.

Second paragraph: "Who can tell me what these are?" Mrs. Domino said. She was wearing her second-hottest skirt, the one with the cherries on it. Score."

Okay, folks. Right there, in four sentences, you've got VOICE, BELIEVABLE TEENSPEAK, and ME, SERIOUSLY HOOKED. I mean, this character is a guy who can tell a story. Arrows; eggs; a teacher's second hottest skirt--there is just no way you are not going to read on. And when you do, you will find that this character--Jerome Hancock--is the voice in Heidi Devine's head. And just why is he in her head? Because he's taking part in SRPNT (Soul Rehabilitation for Nefarious Teens, Deceased), which means he's got a soul in his care, and how well he tends that soul will determine his fate.

Heidi Devine, for her part, is a high school junior who allows herself to be persuaded by her best friend Megan to take part in Talentpalooza!! "in a formfitting tuxedo made out of black-and-white spandex." Heidi's also a tall girl whose height gets her drafted on the basketball team even though her heart isn't in the game. It is after the dual humiliations of the talent show, followed by failing to score the game winning point on the basketball court, that Heidi takes a walk on a frozen pond and falls through the ice...

I won't tell you any more because, seriously, you need to read this book to find out what happens. The jacket flap says DEVINE INTERVENTION is "hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful, with a sense of humor that's wicked as hell, and writing that's heavenly." Too true. And if this is at all indicative of YA, then me and the Don are going to be reading way more of it. Heck, we may even have to rename this blog "The Devine (Pun Intended) Secrets of the YA-YA brotherhood." Corragio!

More about Martha Brockenbrough: WEBSITE
Twitter @mbrockenbrough

And this is officially my 100th post on Middle Grade Mafioso. I'm going to spend the afternoon listening to some accordion playing while watching my nemesis, Luca Brasi Jr., juggle flaming torches blindfold. Should be a good party.

THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING UP by Alan Lawrence Sitomer (Putnam, 2011)

Book Blurb, jacket copy: Thirteen-year-old Bobby Connor is a normal adolescent boy - at least he hopes he is - just trying to survive middle school. But it seems he's being foiled at every turn, and even his own body is conspiring against him. And when his math teacher is seriously injured from the shock and fright of witnessing just how out of control Bobby's changing adolescent body is getting, he starts to worry he's anything but normal. Faced with expulsion from school for violating the student handbook code, Bobby opts for therapy - Correctional Erectional Therapy. It's official: Bobby Connor is not normal. But in this uproarious and heartfelt novel, he's going to do his darndest to make it seem that he is . . . or maybe just try to make it through middle school, puberty and a perpetually growing problem in his pants.

Caveat: If you're troubled by out-of-control testosterone, this is not the book for you. A quick scan of Goodread reviews shows a huge gender gap. By and large, women reviewers claimed that they found the the penis jokes tiresome; male reviewers were delighted. And the target audience in my household LOVED it (when he read it last year at 14). I was amazed to find him--a guy who is usually found staring at a screen--with his head stuck in an actual book all day long, and had to see for myself what was so entrancing.

So what is so entrancing? Sitomer's verbal dexterity reigns supreme. The VOICE just grabs you and won't let you go. You will never, I'm sure, find so many slang phrases for the male member. Yes, there are a whole bunch of unlikely (and often unlikable characters), and the thought that a middle schooler would be sent to "correctional erectional therapy" is absurd, but that is just part of the farcical fun. As Paul W. Hankins, a high school English teacher I follow on Twitter writes: "With NERD GIRLS and now THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING UP, Alan Sitomer is securing his place as a middle grade humor writer which will no doubt put him in a well-deserved place with authors like Lubar, Paulsen, and Sachar. Alan writes this one pretty true to the pre-adolescent/adolescent experience, complete with the anxiety that comes from within and the humor without."

About Alan Sitomer: "Alan Lawrence Sitomer is a nationally renowned speaker and was California’s Teacher of the Year in 2007. He is also the author of multiple works for young readers, including Nerd Girls, the Hoopster trilogy, The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez, Cinder-Smella, and The Alan Sitomer BookJam.  He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters." (Bianca Schulze, The Children's Book Review.)

Website: http://www.alanlawrencesitomer.com/
Twitter: @alansitomer
Agent: Al Zuckerman at Writer's House

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. A presto!

Winner of Time Of Honor

Oops, I've been a little distracted this week, but am finally on track. So I can now say that the winner of Margo Sorenson's terrific time travel Time of Honor is:

Joanne Fritz

Joanne, I'll be contacting you soon to see how best to get the novel to you. Congratulations!

Time of Honor by Margo Sorenson (MuseItUp Publishing 2012)


I first "met" Margo Sorenson earlier this year, when I featured  ISLAND DANGER, her fast-paced middle grade adventure set in Hawai'i:. Since then, I've come to know her as a generous writer who is always eager to celebrate the written word, as well as pass on writing tips and information via Twitter.

Margo is the author of 28 books for young readers. Having read ISLAND DANGER and TIME OF HONOR in such proximity, I have come to realize how versatile she is. While the Hawaiian adventure was modern, TIME OF HONOR travels through time from our day to 1272. Those of you who, like me, LOVE time travel and history will really enjoy this novel!

The Story (modified from the back cover): Fourteen-year-old Connor’s smart mouth gets her into and—luckily—out of trouble on her prep school’s debate team and in the classroom. Catapulted into the year 1272 while on a field trip to the U.K., she finds her noble new friends’ lives threatened by a conspiracy fueled by greed. When William and Maud learn that their father has been murdered on the Crusade, they beg Connor to help them find who is plotting against them. William must confront his enemy in battle, but Connor also discovers truths about herself and her ability to use words when she tries to save her new friends—and herself.

What I Liked: First off, what a great cover! It totally captures Connor's personality. When we first see her, she is a smart mouth, who is chafing against her domineering mother. She has, by her own admission, never been accused "of being slow to move on anything.  Rushing right into trouble was more my style." But she has used her way with words to do well on her school's debate team, and it is this skill that will serve her well at the climax of the novel.

TIME OF HONOR is also a humorous book. Margo Sorenson shifts effortlessly between Connor's modern vernacular and the formal language of the 13th century, with some juicy misunderstandings along the way. Thoroughly modern Connor also has a lot to say about the sights and smells (particularly the smells!) of medieval England--as well as its unfair treatment of women. 

The friendship between the three principals--15-year-old William who is training to be a knight; his younger sister, Maud; and Connor herself--is handled deftly. Connor is definitely interested in William, who's a bit of a heartthrob--but this is middle grade, and the feelings are never acted upon.

All in all, this is the sort of novel that, when it comes to the end, you are left wanting more!!

About Margo Sorenson: Visit Margo's website to learn more about her and her work. Follow her on Twitter @ipapaverison.

A very interesting interview about Margo and the writing of TIME OF HONOR can be found at writer C.K. Volnek's blog. Several other middle grade writers and bloggers are posting about TIME OF HONOR in the next couple of weeks, and I will link to them here once the posts are up.

Because I want you to experience Margo's writing, I have a special offer for you. Leave a comment, and I will draw a winner and send him or her a copy, purchased from MuseItUp Publishing, of TIME OF HONOR. (Tweet about it, and you'll get a bonus entry.)

To all my loyal readers facing Hurricane Sandy: Stay Safe. I'm thinking of you!!

HAPPY MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY! As Margo would say, Mahalo!!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits

Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits: A Patria Story by Daniel McInerny (Trojan Tub Entertainment)

On my sister blog, The Year of Writing Dangerously, I wrote last week about the many recent successes that self-published authors have had with being snapped up by agents and then being republished by traditional publishing houses. It seems that an increasing number of writers are taking the self-publishing route and putting out good work which is finding a market.

Apropos to this, I recently read Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits, the first volume of Daniel McInerny's Patria stories. Mr. McInerny hasn't been snapped up by a traditional press (and he may not want to be, for all I know), but he is certainly proving adept at writing both a good story and combining this with an entertaining and visually pleasing website. Folks, this sort of thing may be the shape of things to come.

The Story: The Stoop family has recently moved onto a piece of land in rural Indiana called the Cow Park. One day, while driving his father's Lawn Beast, eleven-year-old Oliver Stoop finds himself ambushed by a gang of kids, some dressed as native Americans, some as medieval knights, who claim to be Patrians, descendants of the ancient Trojans. The Cow Park is disputed territory. Initially, Oliver is pressed by his father into being a spy, but he soon comes to enjoy and appreciate the Patrian children, especially Prince Farnsworth and Princess Rose--she of the hard and whizzing biscuits. The children band together to solve one of Patria's most enduring mysteries: what happened to the treaty of alliance between the US and Patria? And can they find the missing treaty before war breaks out?

What I liked: Daniel McInerny has an appealing sense of humor and is not afraid to go full-bore at creating an eccentric cast of characters. The story zips merrily along, and young Oliver, with his bookwormy ways, is a likable MC. Also, there's quite the array of machinery--from the Lawn Beast to Farnsworth's old Studebaker--which middle graders will love. (Plus a helicopter and gunfire!) It's written in a rather formal style, reminiscent of the novel I'm currently reading with my 9-year-old: A Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom, which gels perfectly with the subject matter. Some of the jokes and wordplay might go over a 9-year-old's head, but I bet they'd like the energy behind it. (The young blogger at This Kid Reviews Books certainly found it so.)

More about Patria and Daniel McInerny: The Patria website is definitely worth a look. I also found an interesting interview with Daniel by Heather Kelly, at her blog Edited to Within an Inch of My Life. I must say that I find Daniel McInerny's drive and creativity inspiring!

The next volume in the Patria stories is Stoop of Mastodon Meadow. I'll be looking that one up too!

HAPPY MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY, EVERYONE!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: A Smidgen of Sky

A Smidgen of Sky by Dianna Dorisi Winget (Harcourt Children's, November 6, 2012)

The Plot (via Amazon) Whether she likes it or not, ten-year-old Piper Lee DeLuna is about to get a new family. Four years after the plane Piper's daddy was piloting disappeared, her mama is remarrying. The way Piper sees it, Mama's being plain disloyal. Besides, who'd want to get stuck with a prison guard for a stepdad and that weenie, Ginger, for a stepsister? But when Piper Lee hatches a foolproof plan to get the wedding called off, it quickly spirals out of control. And by the time Piper realizes what she’s done—and just how much she really cares about her new family—it might be too late. Told in Piper Lee's irresistible Southern voice, A Smidgen of Sky is about new families and new beginnings.

Why I Liked It:

The cover, for starters. Who doesn't like sunflowers?!

I totally believed in Piper Lee, and her voice. (In fact, I'm kind of befuddled that Dianna Dorisi Winget isn't a Southerner!) I believed in Piper's inability to accept her father's death--after all, his body was never found. I believed in her not wanting her mother to remarry. And I believed in her attempts to get her potential step-sister, Ginger, in contact with her mother again which, in 10-year-old logic, would put the skids on Piper's own mother's marriage to Ginger's dad. (In fact, Piper does something so awful in connection with this subplot that it looks like the repercussions may end up breaking up the planned remarriage.)

I was gripped by the climax of the plot, in which there's an incident at the prison where Piper's potential stepfather, Ben, works. Ginger's worry about her father's safety, Mama's attempts to keep it together, and Piper Lee's realization about the harm she's caused did actually make my own eyes moisten. Powerful writing!

After I finished A Smidgen of Sky, I was so impressed that I contacted the author for a mini-interview. Here's what I found out about Dianna Dorisi Winget:

1) Tell me about the writing of SMIDGEN OF SKY. How did the idea come to you? 

I wish I could remember how the idea first came to me! I’ve always been intrigued with the South and knew I wanted to set a story there. The character of Piper Lee came to me before the story. I think things just slowly evolved into the book it became. Plus, I married into a step-family, and know some of the great challenges it can present, so the idea of Piper Lee resisting her mom’s remarriage was a natural.

2) Tell me about your publishing journey. 

My publishing journey was a long and often frustrating one, interspersed with just enough success to keep me going. I sold a number of short stories and articles to children’s magazines, which helped to get my foot in the door, and boosted my self-esteem. But my dream had always been to write MG novels. I decided early on that I would never go the self-publishing route, I was only interested in traditional publishing. So to mak a long story short, I spent years trying to perfect my craft, querying agents and editors, getting rejected, and trying again. Little by little, the form rejections turned into encouraging notes scrawled on the side of my manuscripts, and I realized I was getting closer. 

My agent, Mary Kole, who I signed on with in 2010 has been terrific and made the long search for an agent worth it.  Even after finding Mary, it still took 16 months to sell Smidgen. Many times I really doubted it would ever happen, but Mary was always there to bolster my sagging spirits. When the book finally sold to Harcourt, I’m not sure which of us was more excited! She put together a great article “Story of a Sale,” that tells the nitty-gritty of selling my book. Here’s the link if you’re interested. http://kidlit.com/2011/07/04/story-of-a-sale-fly-a-little-higher-piper-lee-dianna-dorisi-winget/

3) What are your favorite middle grade books? What are you reading right now?

I love so many books I’m not sure I can pick a favorite. My all-time favorite would have to be Where the Red Fern Grows. Recent books I’ve read and really enjoyed include “The One and Only Ivan,” “The Lions of Little Rock,”  and the YA novel “52 Reasons to Hate My Father.”

4) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Probably to Sicily, since I’m Italian and that’s where my dad’s family is originally from.

(At which point--you've guessed it!--the Don got really energized and put Dianna's name in the hopper for this year's Order of the Eggplant.)

If you want to know even more about Dianna, here's her WEBSITE.

Thanks, Dianna, for answering my questions, and for writing such a powerful middle grade novel. Folks, look out for this one!

Have a Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, Everyone! Ciao!!

I'm Part of "Brave On The Page."

A little over a year ago, a writer named Laura Stanfill interviewed me for her "Seven Questions Series" on her blog "Laura Stanfill. Writing. Reading. Community". It was a fun interview, and I enjoyed answering her questions on blogging and the difference between middle grade and YA fiction.

Fast forward 12 months. Laura is a visionary and had the idea to collect all her interviews, as well as invite other writers to pen what she calls "flash essays," and gather them together in book form. She decided that the focus would be on Oregon writers--of which there are many: this state is fertile ground for scribes. She also decided to set up her own publishing company, Forest Avenue Press, and print her books using some spiffy new technology, the Espresso Book Machine, located in the Purple Room at Powell's Books.

So it was that on Tuesday a whole bunch of us gathered giddily at Powell's to watch "our" book appear, literally hot off the presses. The cover, designed by Gigi Little, is beautiful--and there's some crazy good flash essaying going on between the covers. Laura has plans for readings and other promotions. A journalist in a former life, she is just amazing with her press releases, and has been a tremendous editor as well as an advocate for her writing "tribe." As she says in her Foreword:

"Oregon is full of writers who support one another. The forty two authors in this collection all live in the state or have roots here. They are novelists and journalists. They are essayists and travel writers and poets. They are funny, smart, sad, and wise. Some have been traditionally published. Some have been published by small presses or literary journals. Others are unpublished. And yet we all commit the same brave act--confronting the blank page every day. No matter what the cost, no matter what the outcome, we set our other obligations aside to write. And that's something to celebrate." 

Thank you, Laura, for welcoming me into your "tribe." I got a great thrill seeing my name "on the page."

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: How to Steal A Dog

How To Steal A Dog by Barbara O' Connor (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

Here comes Book Two in my dastardly plot to read all of this year's Oregon Battle of the Books Grades 3-5 titles with my 4th grade "reader reluctibus." (There are 16 titles in all, so we have our work cut out for us.)

I was fortunate enough to win a copy from Barbara Watson, a wonderful writer as well as a Marvelous Middle Grade Monday participant extraordinaire.

Description (from Indiebound.org): Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is “borrow” the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.

Opening Line: "The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my best friend, Luanne Godfrey, found out I lived in a car."

Son's Verdict: Georgina and Toby were great characters. They were kind of the bad guys because they were stealing the dog, but they had this likeableness also. It was definitely a happy ending, but most books are. I think the mother liked Toby more than Georgina, because she was always shouting at Georgina.

Dad's Verdict: Yes, the characters were great. Georgina's story arc was well-done, and we really understood her choices and their consequences. (I think it's fascinating that my son was so keyed in to how parents react to their kids--plus the fact he says I'm always shouting at him. Perhaps he's hinting at something!) Georgina's voice and worldview were completely believable for a preteen. The depiction of homelessness was also something I appreciated, and it's not something you often see in a middle grade novel. With a pitch-perfect ear, O'Connor captured the shame and the tectonic shift in friendships and school I imagine would ensue from such a life-changing predicament. I particularly liked the ending, when Georgina makes her final choice regarding the dog. Finally, Willy the dog is as cute as all get out!

About the Author (again from Indiebound)

Barbara O’Connor is the author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; Me and Rupert Goody; and Greetings from Nowhere. She has been awarded the Parents’ Choice Gold and Silver Awards, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the Dolly Gray Award, among many honors. As a child, she loved dogs, salamanders, tap dancing, school, and even homework. Her favorite days were when the bookmobile came to town. She was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and now lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts, a historic seaside village not far from Plymouth Rock.

Barbara O' Connor's Website:http://www.barbaraoconnor.com/index.html

HAVE A MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY, EVERYONE!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Journey to the River Sea

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson (Macmillan 2001)

The Plot (via Goodreads): Sent in 1910 to live with distant relatives who own a rubber plantation along the Amazon River, English orphan Maia is excited. She believes she is in for brightly colored macaws, enormous butterflies, and "curtains of sweetly scented orchids trailing from the trees." Her British classmates warn her of man-eating alligators and wild, murderous Indians. Unfortunately, no one cautions Maia about her nasty, xenophobic cousins, who douse the house in bug spray and forbid her from venturing beyond their coiffed compound. Maia, however, is resourceful enough to find herself smack in the middle of more excitement than she ever imagined, from a mysterious "Indian" with an inheritance, to an itinerant actor dreading his impending adolescence, to a remarkable journey down the Amazon in search of the legendary giant sloth.


This school year, I'm planning to read all of the 2012-13 Oregon Battle of the Books with my 4th grader, and this one was at the top of the pile. We read it aloud, and this is what my son had to say about it:

"It's very exquisite. A great adventure, but still realistic (no magic or anything.) I like all of the characters, even the dreaded twins. I loved the plot, especially the times when Clovis (the itinerant actor mentioned above) is at Westwood. The setting is very unique. I learned that the Amazon river is the largest river and that they grow rubber there."

For a reluctant reader (and writer) this is high praise. I wondered at the outset how he would do with a historical novel, and with a girl main character, but he was rapt and begged me to read it every spare moment. I think the acting theme had a lot to do with it--he wants to be an actor when he grows up.

Personally, I think this is destined to be a quiet classic.

For readers: Third grade on up. As revealed by my son's comments, this is one for all manner of readers--reluctant and avid--and appeals to both boys and girls.

For writers: Ibbotson's handling of an omniscient narrative is deft and worthy of study.

Author's Bio: Ibbotson died in 2010 at the age of 85. She wrote both adult and children's fiction, and also several books in German. (She was born in Austria.) You can find more information about her life and work in this Wikipedia entry.

Happy Middle Grade Monday, everyone!

Fiesta Fridays: Winner of the Templeton Twins, and other Fine Things

Friday fiesta time, folks. First up, I have a fun interview and giveaway over at Project Mayhem, featuring Susan Lubner's debut middle grade, THE UPSIDE OF ORDINARY. Hop on over and see what you think.

Second, a great big "thank you" to everyone who commented on the Templeton Twins blog tour post. I truly appreciate your unstinting support of Middle Grade Mafioso. Random.org has been in seclusion with the Don and he's decreed the winner to be:

Heidi Grange

Heidi, please be in touch so I can forward your mailing address to the good people at Chronicle Books and they can send you a copy straight off the presses.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Anyone got any special plans?

Cybils Redux

Remember last year, when the Don released me from his service for a couple of months so that I could plow through 150 or so middle grade books? (The librarians at my local library got to the point where, when they saw me walk in, they would chant a joyful chorus of relief because my requests were literally weighing down their hold shelves.) I was a round one panelist for the Cybils (Children and Young Adults Bloggers' Literary Awards)--and it was a complete hoot!

This year, I've gone one better. I'm a round two judge, which means that, starting in January 2013, I will read the nominated shortlist, winnowed down to about six or seven titles by the intrepid first round panel, some of whom I know (Hi, Jill the Owl and Deb Marshall) and some of whom I'm looking forward to meeting (Kyle Kimmel, Amy Koester, Ali Breidenstein, and Art Spencer.) Everyone knows our major domo, Karen Yingling, whom I believe to be the most voracious--as well as the most judicious-- reader on the planet. If you haven't yet done so, check out her amazing blog, Ms. Yingling Reads.

Ms. Yingling, doing a spot of time travel

In the round two panel, Jennifer Donovan was a fellow panelist last year (Hi, Jen!). I'm looking forward to getting to know the other three: Cameron Kelly Rosenblum, Andi Sibley, and Freya Hooper. 

Hopefully, all of you MGMafioso readers have got an idea of a book you'd like to nominate. Here's how to do so, from the Cybils FAQ page: 

Can anyone nominate?

Yes, anyone may nominate one book per genre during the nomination period. We post an online form from Oct. 1-15 every year.

Which books are eligible?

Any books published between the end of one contest and start of another. For 2012, that means books released between Oct. 16, 2011 and Oct. 15, 2012. This year, we are also accepting nominations for book apps for iPad, Web or computers.

Does it help if a book has lots of nominations?

NO! In fact, the online form will kick the nomination back if a book's already been listed. It needs to get on our radar only once for consideration. After that, it's up to the judges.

So ~~ Start your engines. Cybils season is upon us!!

The Blog Tour That Keeps On Giving

ISN'T JEREMY HOLMES' ART WORK BRILLIANT?

Hello. I'm hoping that scads of MMGMers will fly in today to comment on the interview I posted on Saturday with the natty Narrator of THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA. Fab and funny book--and, if you comment on this post, you have the chance to win a copy of it. (I will add your entry to the four dauntless souls who read the blog post over the weekend!)

For ease of reading, I'm repeating the interview in this very post. Here goes:

I'm part of a blog tour for this delicious new novel, by a novelist called Ellis Weiner who must, by necessity, be long-suffering. Why do I say this? Because he has to endure the orations and opinions of a narrator who would give Lemony Snicket and Pseudonymous Bosch a run for their money. Later on, I go toe-to-toe with this worrisome wordsmith. But first, a quick description of the book, courtesy of the jacket flap: 

Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins-adults-named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't? ).

And now, let the games begin:

Dear Narrator--or should I say "Insane rant roar"? (c.f. pg. 97)

I thoroughly enjoyed your narration of THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA. It appears you are a "rant roar" of the highest caliber. I particularly liked your "Questions for Review" at the end of each chapter, because there are never more than three of them, and this quite fits my attention span. For example:

I have styled my own questions to you accordingly.

1. Which of the following gave you the greatest trouble saying ten times very fast. (I stole this idea from the heading of Chapter 10, in case you haven't gathered.) a) Tick-Tock Tech   b) Nanny Nan Noonan   c) Dean D. Dean   d) Dan D. Dean. Why?

Narrator: In truth, none of them.  They’re mere alliterations, and as such they practically pronounce themselves.  Watch:    

See?  One can essentially sit idly by and listen to them repeat themselves of their own accord.  Somewhere in the narrative I think I remark that “particularly ridiculous” might be challenging to repeat several times very fast—ten is a bit oppressive—so that’s the one I would most like not to have to repeat.

2. If the Templeton Twins had failed in their mission to persuade their father to allow them to have a ridiculous (in your words) dog, what other animal might they have been willing to receive? Would, say, a tenacious, ridiculous lizard have been as effective as Cassie, the smooth-haired fox terrier, in sinking her teeth into Dean D. Dean's lovely trousers? (pg. 193 for the confused.)

Narrator: The idea of a tenacious-yet-ridiculous lizard is an excellent one.  Lizards, in my opinion, have been coasting on their reputation for being either frightening or eerie.  This has been going on for 230 million years, and I think we can all agree that enough is enough. 

However, while we have been led to believe that early lizards (i.e., dinosaurs) made ferocious noises and so forth, there is scant evidence that today’s lizards are capable of barking with anywhere near the volume, duration, and ridiculousness of the modern fox terrier.  That is why I always say, “Find me a lizard that barks, and then we’ll talk.”

3. If the narrator were to invite a reader to dinner, and that reader was not a fan of the narrator's meatloaf (which seems highly unlikely), what other delicacy might the narrator dangle to cause said reader's taste buds to tingle?

Narrator: As you—and the world—will see in Book II, I happen to have a superb recipe for cole slaw.  Yet even I can concede that inviting someone over for dinner, and serving them only cole slaw, could be viewed as an inadequate gesture of hospitality.  I would therefore augment it with, perhaps, Taco Fried Chicken, the recipe for which I would steal borrow from Kenny Shopsin, an eccentric New York chef.  (You coat chicken breasts in crushed tortilla chips and deep fry.)

Bonus Question, because I love to cheat: Will the Templeton Twins have another idea, and if so, when? Will you be employed in its narration? (That's actually three bonus questions. Told you I like to cheat.)

Narrator: Thank you for asking.  Yes.  Above I allude to Book II, the title of which is The Templeton Twins Make a Scene.  I will indeed be its Narrator and, now that I think of it, I am deeply offended that you even need ask.  Oh but never mind.  I’ll “get over it,” as we apparently now say.  Because don’t I always?  It will be published in September of next year, I assume, barring catastrophe.

I thank you profusely (which I looked up in the dictionary) for your time in unraveling some of the knottier mysteries about the Templeton Twins. I look forward to waving your novel in the air and shouting at potential readers while flying my prototype Personal One-Man Helicoptor around my local bookstores and libraries. Thank you for the idea of putting it in a knapsack.

Narrator: No, no, thank YOU.  It was my pleasure.

T.N.

So there we have it, folks. Leave a comment, and I will draw a winner from my fedora next week. 

The Prize: A copy of The Templeton Twins Have An Idea. And, for a further bonus, please head thisaway to enter the Pester the Narrator Contest http://templetontwins.tumblr.com/submit He's a guy who could do with a good pestering!! 

Alla prossima!

Q & A With The Narrator of The Templeton Twins Have An Idea

Hey you over there, pretending to watch your kid's soccer game while surreptitiously checking your Smartphone: if you want to chuckle at anything other than the opposing coach's antics, have I got a nice quick and comic interview for you.

You see, I'm part of a blog tour for this delicious new novel, by a novelist called Ellis Weiner who must, by necessity, be long-suffering. Why do I say this? Because he has to endure the orations and opinions of a narrator who would give Lemony Snicket and Pseudonymous Bosch a run for their money. Later on, I go toe-to-toe with this worrisome wordsmith. But first, a quick description of the book, courtesy of the jacket flap: 

Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins-adults-named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't? ).

And now, let the games begin:

Dear Narrator--or should I say "Insane rant roar"? (c.f. pg. 97)

I thoroughly enjoyed your narration of THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA. It appears you are a "rant roar" of the highest caliber. I particularly liked your "Questions for Review" at the end of each chapter, because there are never more than three of them, and this quite fits my attention span. For example:

I have styled my own questions to you accordingly.

1. Which of the following gave you the greatest trouble saying ten times very fast. (I stole this idea from the heading of Chapter 10, in case you haven't gathered.) a) Tick-Tock Tech   b) Nanny Nan Noonan   c) Dean D. Dean   d) Dan D. Dean. Why?

Narrator: In truth, none of them.  They’re mere alliterations, and as such they practically pronounce themselves.  Watch:    

See?  One can essentially sit idly by and listen to them repeat themselves of their own accord.  Somewhere in the narrative I think I remark that “particularly ridiculous” might be challenging to repeat several times very fast—ten is a bit oppressive—so that’s the one I would most like not to have to repeat.

2. If the Templeton Twins had failed in their mission to persuade their father to allow them to have a ridiculous (in your words) dog, what other animal might they have been willing to receive? Would, say, a tenacious, ridiculous lizard have been as effective as Cassie, the smooth-haired fox terrier, in sinking her teeth into Dean D. Dean's lovely trousers? (pg. 193 for the confused.)

Narrator: The idea of a tenacious-yet-ridiculous lizard is an excellent one.  Lizards, in my opinion, have been coasting on their reputation for being either frightening or eerie.  This has been going on for 230 million years, and I think we can all agree that enough is enough. 

However, while we have been led to believe that early lizards (i.e., dinosaurs) made ferocious noises and so forth, there is scant evidence that today’s lizards are capable of barking with anywhere near the volume, duration, and ridiculousness of the modern fox terrier.  That is why I always say, “Find me a lizard that barks, and then we’ll talk.”

3. If the narrator were to invite a reader to dinner, and that reader was not a fan of the narrator's meatloaf (which seems highly unlikely), what other delicacy might the narrator dangle to cause said reader's taste buds to tingle?

Narrator: As you—and the world—will see in Book II, I happen to have a superb recipe for cole slaw.  Yet even I can concede that inviting someone over for dinner, and serving them only cole slaw, could be viewed as an inadequate gesture of hospitality.  I would therefore augment it with, perhaps, Taco Fried Chicken, the recipe for which I would steal borrow from Kenny Shopsin, an eccentric New York chef.  (You coat chicken breasts in crushed tortilla chips and deep fry.)

Bonus Question, because I love to cheat: Will the Templeton Twins have another idea, and if so, when? Will you be employed in its narration? (That's actually three bonus questions. Told you I like to cheat.)

Narrator: Thank you for asking.  Yes.  Above I allude to Book II, the title of which is The Templeton Twins Make a Scene.  I will indeed be its Narrator and, now that I think of it, I am deeply offended that you even need ask.  Oh but never mind.  I’ll “get over it,” as we apparently now say.  Because don’t I always?  It will be published in September of next year, I assume, barring catastrophe.

I thank you profusely (which I looked up in the dictionary) for your time in unraveling some of the knottier mysteries about the Templeton Twins. I look forward to waving your novel in the air and shouting at potential readers while flying my prototype Personal One-Man Helicoptor around my local bookstores and libraries. Thank you for the idea of putting it in a knapsack.

Narrator: No, no, thank YOU.  It was my pleasure.

T.N.

So there we have it, folks. You can go back to pretending to watch soccer. Oooh... was that a goal?! If so, you can now celebrate by leaving a comment, and I will draw a winner from my fedora next week. 

The Prize: A copy of The Templeton Twins Have An Idea. And, for a further bonus, please head thisaway to enter the Pester the Narrator Contest http://templetontwins.tumblr.com/submit He's a guy who could do with a good pestering!! 

Alla prossima!