Rock The Drop

You know how sometimes people ask you to join some good cause, and it takes a lot of effort and/or money? Like those 5k runs, or school fundraisers, or Mustache March. You sigh, and then try to hide out in a corner so no one notices that you didn't join.

This is not one of those times.

Rock The Drop is easy-peasy: you just drop a book on a park bench, coffee shop, or wherever with a printout of this book plate inside. You take a picture of your book in the wild, and then you can Tweet about your book drop and look like a hero. People will applaud you for saving literature, you will bow in modesty...

Okay, maybe it won't quite go down like that. But you never know.

Either way, join Rock The Drop on April 12. Go over to the lovely Readergirlz blog for more details. You can stop growing that mustache now...

Educational. Sort Of...

I'm teaching my kids about continental drift, and thought the opening to this movie trailer was a way more fun explanation of the why and how.

And yes, there's an Ice Age 4 coming. Wonders never cease, huh?

Superhero Librarians

All librarians rock in my world. But this article at SLJ spotlights a particularly rockin' library lady: Interview: An Enterprising Texas School Librarian Goes All-Out for Teens

Know a librarian who wears a cape? Educational publisher Gale is looking for nominations; get the skinny here.

Galleys!

I'm elbow-deep in edits for the first draft of book two in the Double Vision series. It's been fun, but now I'm also at the part where stuff gets harder. I need to think about the details, timeline, and do research. Fun, but hard work too.

So you can imagine my delight when I found this box at my doorstep from the awesome people at Harper, with a stack of galleys of Double Vision:

There's just something super-awesome about holding your hard work in your hands, and it's a real book.

Happy day, so I thought I'd share... How about you all? Any milestones to share?

The Goliath of Story Topics

A few years ago, I had a brilliant idea for a new YA novel. It was inspired by true events in my native Holland during WWII. The story was epic, exciting, and I started writing it with the enthusiasm you have when it's a first draft.

Then I went to Holland. For my research, I visited the Dutch Theater (Hollandse Schouwburg in Dutch) where one of my characters would be held. I felt the sadness of the place, read the letters of those who perished, saw the baby shoes of babies who never got to grow up.

And I stopped writing. The story was too big. The responsibility of getting it right too great.

I've put that project aside; maybe I'll finish it someday. For the moment, I'm right where I should be, writing Linc's story and keeping it on the lighter side.

But for some strange reason, the whole Holocaust stories for kids topic came up twice at Springmingle, a recent SCBWI convention I went to. I talked with Claudia Pearson of Look Again Press, a small publisher in Birmingham, AL. She was passionate about a book by Eve Tal called A Truth to Tell. It's a critical look at children's books on the Holocaust, and how so few stories exist on the ghettos and camps.

Tal talks about how Holocaust stories are so indicative of culture: here in the States, we like stories to be hopeful; in Israel, those same stories speak more of resistance. Fascinating stuff. Not your light reading for the night, but a very interesting analysis if children's books are your business.

Find out more here.

YA Edgar Nominee Review: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The third book in my kid lit Edgar nominees read-a-thon gave me a change of pace. After the fast-paced thrillers by Harlan Coben and Todd Strasser, Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star felt like a slower ride. But the book was no less interesting and gripping, just more of a mystery. There's a puzzle to solve, so settle in and enjoy the journey, was what this book seemed to say.

Rory, a teen from Louisiana, gets to spend a year at a London boarding school. Okay, so I rolled my eyes a little when I saw this boarding school angle--let's face it, it's been done. But Johnson obviously did her homework, because the details of the British school system and the colorful way she described Wexford made me regret my initial reaction. I quickly got to love Jazza, Jerome, and the rest of the Wexford population.

The book opens with the usual mystery body discovery, but then it took a while to get back to the dunnit--largely because Johnson took a good amount of time to let us watch Rory scramble to adjust to Wexford. But eventually, it becomes pretty clear that the story is not just any mystery, but a ghost hunting expedition as well.

I won't spoil the rest of the book, because you really should read it yourself. Despite some pacing and revelation hiccups, The Name of the Star is such a smart, well-written story that I didn't care that I had to watch Rory get settled at Wexford before the mystery got hot. Great YA voice, too. It's Agatha Christie meets Ghostbusters meets YA. If that makes sense.

Verdict: Perfect YA. Girl protagonist, but not a girly book, so recommended for guys too. Smart. Cool.

Mystery Quotient: 4 out 5 because of the supernatural element. But pacing more like a traditional mystery.

Side-note: This is just the sort of book I wish had been around when I was a teen.

The Hunger Games --Not Just For Girls

Holy Hunger Games. Have you seen the merchandising that's out there in anticipation of the movie? In my house, where one tween is anxiously awaits the movie release while side-braiding her hair, the madness is already creeping in.

I can't say that I mind. I enjoyed the books myself. And I thought this WSJ article was interesting, talking about how The Hunger Games movie is aimed to appeal to both boys and girls. Be interesting to see how it pans out later this month.

In case you haven't heard about the movie (were you hiding under a rock?), here's the trailer.