Where Your Readers Are

I went to see The Hunger Games movie when it came out this past Friday--but don't worry, I won't review it. Other people will do that a-plenty. It was good. Let's move on.

What I really wanted to share was not the actual movie watching experience, but my wait in line for tickets. We went early, my tween posse and I, hair in braids and super-excited. I was fully expecting to find a crowd of t(w)eens and parents, since the book is YA and all.

Guess again.

Cool observation #1: The majority of people in the theater were adults, male and female in equal amounts. We outnumbered the under-18 crowd, big time... Now remember, this is a YA.

Cool observation #2: Every single person in line that I talked to had read the book. One man my dad's age confessed he read the first book, then went back the next day to buy the other two.

Cool observation #3: There was a 9 a.m. showing just for the local school kids. Teachers are tying reading into movies--what a smart way to get everyone's nose in a book.

Coolest moment? Having a crowd of thirty-or-so people of all ages talk about a YA book. Not about the movie, but about the book. Your readers are at the movie theater. Pretty cool, huh?

Good Song, Cool Scooters

Hey Writers! Join Me At The Zoo...

In case you missed this the first time around and are looking for something to do this weekend...

Join the flash fiction challenge! All you have to do is write a story with the zoo as a setting. That's it.

Your story can be science fiction (alien monkeys!), romance (monkeys in love!), mystery (who killed the monkey?)--you get the idea. Have fun with it.

Find out more here. It's like a fictional field trip, without the poop smell.

YA Edgar Nominee Review: The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

The next book in my YA Edgar nominees read-o-rama is The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines. As the cover hints, this YA mystery takes us to the forties, when Iris is struggling with the familiar YA stand-by: new school, new people.

But in the historical context, this YA cliche became fresh and interesting. Iris goes from a private to public school after her mother dies, and finds herself hanging with not-so-popular Pearl. To make matters worse, her P.I. father, an injured war veteran, is hanging on by a thread financially--which is what prompts Iris to help him with his cases. Her stubbornness is endearing, and her search for belonging in her new life recognizable.

Iris' quest shifts when a boy at her new school goes missing, and she begins her amateur sleuth quest for his whereabouts. We quickly get caught in some girl-drama, 1940s style. The historical detail in setting, dialogue and social mood were spot-on; big kudos to the author for getting the details right. This historical context got in the way of the story though, and the mystery's resolution felt a little disappointing to me. Still, The Girl Is Murder is a very solid P.I. mystery, well-plotted, and a unique read.

Verdict: recommended for a teen-view of the 1940s in America, probably better-suited for girls.

Mystery Quotient: 5 out of 5; a solid P.I. mystery.

Gatekeepers R Us

Gatekeepers.

My fellow kid lit writers know this term; it doesn't sound so friendly, but it actually is. The gatekeepers are all the lovely teachers, librarians, parents, and other adults who put books in the hands of kids. They make sure they're the right books, which is where the whole gatekeeper business comes in.

 I'm lucky enough to not only write for kids, but also be a gatekeeper for my own. It's a real eyeopener, let me tell you. With each book, I have to decide if it's age-appropriate, of quality, and possibly educational.

I thought this Storia app from Scholastic sounded interesting; supposedly it's meant to “use word games, story interactions, and animation to deeply draw your young reader in, further developing confidence and critical thinking skills.” It's out this fall, and I'll be interested to see how the latter in this statement from Scholastic works.

 How do you pick books for the kids in your life? How about apps and toys?

What's Your Favorite Fictional Bookstore?

Flavorwire, where all the cool lists are, collected a top ten of fictional bookstores from the movies. There's some good ones in there, you'll see.

I love the one in Hugo. The Shop Around the Corner from You've Got Mail was adorable too; I could just imagine this being my favorite as a little girl. Cozy, magical, all that.

Tell me, is your favorite in there?

Monday Music - You Give Me Something

A James Morrison oldie, to give your Monday some Sunday morning soul.