I don't usually do reviews on picture books, but Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, by Lindsay Mattick (author) and Sophie Blackall (illustrator) took me by surprise and deserves to be read by young and old alike, especially the old. There is a nostalgia factor going on in this book that kids may miss out on, but the story is incredible enough that they will enjoy having this read aloud without the long memories.
The set up feels very amateurish with a mother telling a son a bedtime story, and I could do without the interjections from the child, but they make sense in the end. Once the story gets rolling, it gets better and better. Just when I think it is over, there is another part of the story, as if I am not already blown away by a military bear.
I did not read what this story was about before cracking it open, and I am not going to tell you what it is about either. You can choose to read the blurb inside the front cover, or not. The discovery is half the fun, and I will save you that, "Aha," moment.
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
First Drafts Are Almost Always Bad
Writers have a picture in their heads on how their story is going to look, but it doesn't always come out that way. Sometimes...maybe most of the time, it doesn't look like that for awhile. Maybe a long while. The first draft probably doesn't look like it belongs in the same room.
And that's ok.
I recently gave a talk about writing to a group of teens and tweens during which I encouraged them to write their stories, and finish their stories, even if they are very, very bad. Almost every first draft is bad, I said. Even Rick Riordan writes bad first drafts (my apologies to Rick Riordan for using him as an example. I have no idea of his writing process. I am just guessing and knew there were some fans of his in the crowd).
The first draft only needs to exist. It doesn't have to be anything but a complete story with a beginning, middle and an end. Everything else can be fixed.
I wondered if this was good advice, and what I heard from my writing cohorts is that is something they learned later in their writing life, and the realization that what you produce does not have to be good can be life changing. It allows the freedom to write badly. You can fix it later, make the prose shine, work on the elements of your story, but you can't revise a blank page.
It seems writing badly is part of the process. Even the best of the planners, the ones with outlines of every chapter, probably have a lot to work on once the work is complete. Writing a novel is a journey, and things come up, sometimes for the better, sometimes down a rambling path of who knows what.
I had to take a dose of my own advice recently, as I am currently writing a first draft and I am in the unfortunate position where this is all I have to bring to my critique group. Accepting your own limitations to write a terrible first draft is one thing, it is terrifying to bring pieces of this pile to be critiqued. My critique partners are knowledgeable, honest and kind, and I know their notes will help a ton during revisions, which is another big process that seems to have no definitive guide.
And that's ok.
I recently gave a talk about writing to a group of teens and tweens during which I encouraged them to write their stories, and finish their stories, even if they are very, very bad. Almost every first draft is bad, I said. Even Rick Riordan writes bad first drafts (my apologies to Rick Riordan for using him as an example. I have no idea of his writing process. I am just guessing and knew there were some fans of his in the crowd).
The first draft only needs to exist. It doesn't have to be anything but a complete story with a beginning, middle and an end. Everything else can be fixed.
I wondered if this was good advice, and what I heard from my writing cohorts is that is something they learned later in their writing life, and the realization that what you produce does not have to be good can be life changing. It allows the freedom to write badly. You can fix it later, make the prose shine, work on the elements of your story, but you can't revise a blank page.
It seems writing badly is part of the process. Even the best of the planners, the ones with outlines of every chapter, probably have a lot to work on once the work is complete. Writing a novel is a journey, and things come up, sometimes for the better, sometimes down a rambling path of who knows what.
I had to take a dose of my own advice recently, as I am currently writing a first draft and I am in the unfortunate position where this is all I have to bring to my critique group. Accepting your own limitations to write a terrible first draft is one thing, it is terrifying to bring pieces of this pile to be critiqued. My critique partners are knowledgeable, honest and kind, and I know their notes will help a ton during revisions, which is another big process that seems to have no definitive guide.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Book Review: Inside Out & Back Again
This semi autobiographical tale by Thanhha Lai is about a young girl's experience fleeing Saigon under siege. Her father is missing, and the family makes the heartbreaking decision to leave without him.
Ha's thoughts about her home do not include the bombs and war, but of papayas and the flowers her father grew. Her new home in Alabama challenges her as she struggles to fit in and deals with teasing from classmates and distrust from neighbors.
The details in this National Book Award winning novel are terrific and appropriate for middle school readers. It is written in verse, which makes it an easy, lyrical read. The main character charms with a heart big enough to let go her only possession to make her brother feel better about losing his. I am rooting for that girl, and it sometimes hurts to see what happens to her. Yet there is always a spring of hope, like the flower seeds saved from her father's garden.
Ha's thoughts about her home do not include the bombs and war, but of papayas and the flowers her father grew. Her new home in Alabama challenges her as she struggles to fit in and deals with teasing from classmates and distrust from neighbors.
The details in this National Book Award winning novel are terrific and appropriate for middle school readers. It is written in verse, which makes it an easy, lyrical read. The main character charms with a heart big enough to let go her only possession to make her brother feel better about losing his. I am rooting for that girl, and it sometimes hurts to see what happens to her. Yet there is always a spring of hope, like the flower seeds saved from her father's garden.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
The Paws of Life
This is Otis.
He may be the most annoying cat on the planet. He loves babies and toddlers and rushes to them and insists on being by them and playing with their toys, then he bites them and chews holes in the diaper cream tubes in their bags. He will drink coffee out of the cups of guests with gusto and extreme impoliteness. He knocks over any water glass he can find, and if Otis is in your room in the morning, you can forget about sleeping past 5 a.m.
We adopted Otis from a rescue organization more than 14 years ago and were told he was returned twice due to "allergies." One family kept his brother though.Yeah, they weren't allergic to Otis' brother. He must have gotten a different kind of cat fur. I think Otis was returned because he was mischievous with a specialty in being really annoying.
My Siamese meows at my door for breakfast. Otis won't meow. Instead he barges into the room and knocks everything off the nightstand....everything. My son Elliott doesn't have a nightstand, so Otis knocks over his garbage can and paws at it, making that crinkly sound of paws against plastic lining and making a huge mess in the process.
Meowing would be easier, cleaner, and MUCH less annoying.
Otis once escaped and lived on the lam for four months during the coldest winter in Wisconsin. Somehow he survived. He found a four year old boy to take care of him. I wonder if he ever bit him.
He is about 15 years old now. It is hard to tell exact age with rescue cats. We noticed he was getting kind of scrawny, especially along his spine. The vet told us to prepare ourselves. We may have to make a decision about Otis soon.
It is hard to imagine the end of Otis. Our pets barge into our lives and are bigger than life. Logic tells us their time is short. The lifespan of a tabby cat is somewhere between 12 and 20 years. My vet told me he is definitely geriatric. He and I both know it. We ignore it. I put extra blankets on the couch for him, and when he can't get on the couch, I put a heating pad under his cat bed. I chop up his prescription food for his old cat disease and add a little water to keep him hydrated. We are all a little more careful with Otis, not dropping him from our arms anymore, but setting him on the ground to save his joints the shock of landing. But we still depend on him to patrol the house and yard for pests. He is the best mouser we ever had, and he still has a great nose.
The neighborhood kids know Otis, because he is pressed against the door when they come over, trying to escape between their legs in the most annoying of ways. We recently had eight middle school boys sleep in the basement for the night and Otis chose to snuggle up with the warm bodies on the floor, perhaps hoping to find a dropped Flaming Hot Cheetoh in the process.
I don't know how to live without that. Life without Otis would be a lot less annoying. Folks can drink coffee in peace and water glasses will not longer be in peril. Babies are safe from attack. We can sleep until seven and get out of bed without having to pick up a mess or trying to find where our glasses were tossed on the floor.
Someday we will have to make a decision about Otis, but it is not today.
We adopted Otis from a rescue organization more than 14 years ago and were told he was returned twice due to "allergies." One family kept his brother though.Yeah, they weren't allergic to Otis' brother. He must have gotten a different kind of cat fur. I think Otis was returned because he was mischievous with a specialty in being really annoying.
My Siamese meows at my door for breakfast. Otis won't meow. Instead he barges into the room and knocks everything off the nightstand....everything. My son Elliott doesn't have a nightstand, so Otis knocks over his garbage can and paws at it, making that crinkly sound of paws against plastic lining and making a huge mess in the process.
Meowing would be easier, cleaner, and MUCH less annoying.
Otis once escaped and lived on the lam for four months during the coldest winter in Wisconsin. Somehow he survived. He found a four year old boy to take care of him. I wonder if he ever bit him.
He is about 15 years old now. It is hard to tell exact age with rescue cats. We noticed he was getting kind of scrawny, especially along his spine. The vet told us to prepare ourselves. We may have to make a decision about Otis soon.
It is hard to imagine the end of Otis. Our pets barge into our lives and are bigger than life. Logic tells us their time is short. The lifespan of a tabby cat is somewhere between 12 and 20 years. My vet told me he is definitely geriatric. He and I both know it. We ignore it. I put extra blankets on the couch for him, and when he can't get on the couch, I put a heating pad under his cat bed. I chop up his prescription food for his old cat disease and add a little water to keep him hydrated. We are all a little more careful with Otis, not dropping him from our arms anymore, but setting him on the ground to save his joints the shock of landing. But we still depend on him to patrol the house and yard for pests. He is the best mouser we ever had, and he still has a great nose.
The neighborhood kids know Otis, because he is pressed against the door when they come over, trying to escape between their legs in the most annoying of ways. We recently had eight middle school boys sleep in the basement for the night and Otis chose to snuggle up with the warm bodies on the floor, perhaps hoping to find a dropped Flaming Hot Cheetoh in the process.
I don't know how to live without that. Life without Otis would be a lot less annoying. Folks can drink coffee in peace and water glasses will not longer be in peril. Babies are safe from attack. We can sleep until seven and get out of bed without having to pick up a mess or trying to find where our glasses were tossed on the floor.
Someday we will have to make a decision about Otis, but it is not today.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Book Review: Mockingbird
Mockingbird is a middle grade novel by Kathryn Erskine about a child with Asperger's trying to cope with the violent death of her brother due to a school shooting. Caitlyn is a believable character trying to deal with life by Looking At The Person and other tricks she learns from Mrs. Brook. In the course of the novel, Caitlyn learns about empathy and making friends, most notably with the young son of another shooting victim and a more tepid friendship with a relative of the shooter.
The story is entirely told by Caitlyn's perspective, which reveals some beauty as she tries to understand other people, their emotions, and works toward finding closure for herself and the people around her, especially her new friends who were also affected by the tragedy.
The ending is moderately satisfying, but this is worth a read for the perspective. Erskine does a magnificent job of seeing life through the lens of a child with Asperger's syndrome.
The story is entirely told by Caitlyn's perspective, which reveals some beauty as she tries to understand other people, their emotions, and works toward finding closure for herself and the people around her, especially her new friends who were also affected by the tragedy.
The ending is moderately satisfying, but this is worth a read for the perspective. Erskine does a magnificent job of seeing life through the lens of a child with Asperger's syndrome.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Valentine's Day fun!
I saw a post on Pinterest about showing your appreciation for your loved ones by posting hearts on their doors with reasons you love them every day for the first 14 days of February. I decided to try this with my kids. (Note: this picture was taken on Feb. 3, so only three hearts were on the door.)
My entire family has loved this! I have teenagers who don't like to talk to me or anyone else in the family, but they race to read each other's doors every day and joke about what was posted today. They laugh about me running out of ideas if two have the same message. I post these hearts for my spouse as well, and he quoted one of my heart messages recently, letting me know he read them and appreciated them.
These new "conversation" hearts are making my family stand a little taller, seem a little more happy, talk a little more and maybe feel more confident this Valentines day season. Who doesn't like to be complimented every day?
My entire family has loved this! I have teenagers who don't like to talk to me or anyone else in the family, but they race to read each other's doors every day and joke about what was posted today. They laugh about me running out of ideas if two have the same message. I post these hearts for my spouse as well, and he quoted one of my heart messages recently, letting me know he read them and appreciated them.
These new "conversation" hearts are making my family stand a little taller, seem a little more happy, talk a little more and maybe feel more confident this Valentines day season. Who doesn't like to be complimented every day?
Monday, January 18, 2016
Book Review: Fish in a Tree
I have spotted young people reading Lynda Mullaly Hunt's "Fish In a Tree," with great interest, so I knew it had to be good. It did not disappoint. This award winning book has earned its accolades, including the Schneider Family Book Award and the SLJ Best Book 2015.
Ally struggles with school, and more specifically, reading and writing. This lands her a regular seat in the principal's office until an understanding new teacher, Mr. Daniels, comes and recognizes that Ally has dyslexia and gives her the tools to master her universe. Ally learns a lot about herself and her fellow students. As she copes with her dyslexia, she also takes a new approach in dealing with mean comments from classmate, Shay.
The jewel in the story is the description of Ally's dyslexia....how words are like butterflies on the page and just how long it takes for her to write a few paragraphs she won't be able to read the next day. The insight into what it is like to have dyslexia is intriguing, and Ally is an ally to anyone who ever felt lonely in a room full of people.
Although I must admit, Albert is my favorite character.
Even if you have no interest in dyslexia, this book is worth a read as it tells the story about people beneath the surface. In the end, Ally and the reader can find sympathy even for the mean spirited Shay.
Ally struggles with school, and more specifically, reading and writing. This lands her a regular seat in the principal's office until an understanding new teacher, Mr. Daniels, comes and recognizes that Ally has dyslexia and gives her the tools to master her universe. Ally learns a lot about herself and her fellow students. As she copes with her dyslexia, she also takes a new approach in dealing with mean comments from classmate, Shay.
The jewel in the story is the description of Ally's dyslexia....how words are like butterflies on the page and just how long it takes for her to write a few paragraphs she won't be able to read the next day. The insight into what it is like to have dyslexia is intriguing, and Ally is an ally to anyone who ever felt lonely in a room full of people.
Although I must admit, Albert is my favorite character.
Even if you have no interest in dyslexia, this book is worth a read as it tells the story about people beneath the surface. In the end, Ally and the reader can find sympathy even for the mean spirited Shay.
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