This week, we’re celebrating Carol Larese Millward’s debut! Carol Larese Millward is a writer who for several years was a family advocate and parent educator working with teen parents through Family Support and Education Centers, and made in-home visits to teach life skills and best parenting practices to young parents. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and lives in Maryland with her husband and two cats. STAR IN THE MIDDLE is her debut novel. Here’s a little bit about STAR IN THE MIDDLE (WestSide Books). At sixteen, Star Peters is determined to keep her baby… Continue reading

While I was growing up, my dad often talked to me about the books that grabbed him when he was a boy. He did well enough in school, but he wasn’t the studious type my mother was. The books that drew him in were not those that took twenty pages to get moving. As a boy, he loved Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer or Jules Verne’s Sci-fi. As a teen, he continued to gravitate to novels full of adventure and humor, those that let him escape.

When a friend of mine recently asked for some boy book recommendations for a sixteen year old, I tried to think of YA books that would have been up Dad’s alley. However, the sixteen year old was not into fantasy or sci-fi, so I limited my list to realistic fiction—current and past—with the reluctant reader in mind. Please share some favorites that grabbed you.

1. The Pigman by Paul Zindel

2. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

4. Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

6. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

7. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

9. Break by Hannah Moskowitz

10. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff

On March 23-27, I'll be hosting an online challenge to raise money for libraries, and so far about 30 other bloggers have agreed to join me.  But I would love to have more.  Last year we raised over $1600, which was marvelous, and it would be marvelous if we could meet or top that this year. Here's how it works: If you're willing, you put up a blog post that week (you choose the exact time). If you don't have a blog, you can use another social medium such as Facebook. You agree to donate a certain amount of money for every… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Summer 2010
• Publisher: Disney – Hyperion Books for Children
• Release Date: August 24, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): TBD
• ISBN (paperback): TBD                         

DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES: Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just ... happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden. When recruiters from the… Continue reading

This week, we’re celebrating Debra Sartell’s debut! Debra Sartell booked stand-up comedy before she began writing children’s picture books. After her son, Cole, was born she found inspiration for her work and many comical moments in parenting through the camera lens. Says Debra, “TIME FOR BED, BABY TED grew out of one of those snapshot moments of parenting exhaustion when Cole could’ve tucked my husband into bed!” She lives in California with her husband Darrell and their two lively children, Cole and Stella. Here’s a little bit about TIME FOR BED, BABY TED (Holiday House). It’s time for bed… Continue reading

This week, we’re celebrating Amy Brecount White’s debut! From ages 0 to 9, Amy moved every two or three years all over the country, which she likes to think made her adaptable and open to new places, people, and ideas.  She lived in San Francisco, Virginia Beach, Albuquerque, N.M., Lexington, K.Y., and Dayton, Ohio.  The library was one of the first places she found anywhere she arrived.  She’s always found a home in books. It really never occurred to her that she could be a writer until she was in college.  She always thought she’d do something more “practical,” with a… Continue reading

Lift Up Your Library The majority of American take libraries for granted.  They are always there, chock-full of information and excellent reads, and will always be, we think.  However, with the current economic situation, libraries are truly at risk.  Lawmakers around the country are slashing library hours, freezing book purchases, and reducing staff. There are even some who argue that with e-readers and the Internet libraries are obsolete.  We, as readers and writers, can only shake our heads at such ignorance. What’s a reader to do?  Here are a few suggestions: 1) Join the friends of the library group if there is one… Continue reading

This week, we’re celebrating Suzanne Morgan Williams' debut! Suzanne Morgan Williams is the author of Bull Rider, her first novel, and ten nonfiction books for children including Made in China, Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China (Pacific View Press, 1997), The Inuit, (Franklin Watts, 2003) and the award winning Pinatas and Smiling Skeletions (Harris and Williams, Pacific View Press, 1999.) Suzanne is a Nevada Writer in Residence, has won grants from Sierra Arts Foundation and Nevada Arts Council and is Co-Regional Advisor of Nevada Region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her research and speaking regularly takes her… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2011
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Release Date: March 8, 2011
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-385-73939-9
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Shavonne is a fierce and desperate seventeen year-old who finds herself in a large juvenile lockup hundreds of miles from home.  She wants to turn her life around before her eighteenth birthday, but her problems seem too big, and time is running out. Amidst corrupt guards, out-of-control girls, and shadows from her past, Shavonne must find the courage to fight for a redemption she’s not sure she deserves. The Author: Shawn Goodman Location: Ithaca, NY Shawn Goodman based SOMETHING LIKE HOPE on his experiences working as a psychologist in a… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Fall 2009
• Publisher: WestSide Books
• Release Date: October 26, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-934813-13-3 (School ISBN: 978-1-934813-29-4)
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

At sixteen, Star Peters is determined to keep her baby, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult each day. Instead of training for her high school’s cross-country team and preparing for her junior year, she is struggling to meet her baby’s needs, while trying to cope with painful, haunting secrets that she’s shared with no one. Wilson Fletcher, the… Continue reading

I’m often curious about the computer search histories of writers. More often than not, when I’m writing a novel, some amount of research is involved. Even if I’m not engaged in “deep research,” I will inevitably have to look up some fact or verify a piece of information. When this happens, I go straight to Yahoo and type in my search term. (Nothing against Google, it’s just that Yahoo is my homepage, and it’s easier to start there.) Some things I’ve had to look up in the past? What kind of exam must be taken for a nursing student to become… Continue reading

Call me a romantic, but I tend to read more poetry near Valentine’s Day. Lately, I have read lovely, lyrical, romantic poetry. The kind that touches your soul and makes you want to curl up under a blanket by a fire, and count the snowflakes outside the window. Recently, it has occurred to me that poetry parallels life. What if we lived our lives in the same way we read poetry: slowly, thoughtfully, authentically, purposefully? Poetry is not to communicate information. It is to give us a sense and a perception of life. It is not to tell us about experience… Continue reading

I recently gave a writing workshop where we discussed character development. I came prepped with “get to know your character” activities. We became voyeurs as we snooped in MCs' purses, dressers, cars, and shopping carts. I had students create playlists for their characters as well. In the end, those who were stuck with their stories said these activities helped them. I was glad, but I have to confess something. I don't use these strategies.

Don't get me wrong. I think these techniques are useful, and plenty of authors swear by them. In fact, most authors I know… Continue reading

I recently compiled a list of books in the Class of 2k10 (debut middle-grade and young-adult novels) by season/holiday/topic references.  The intention was to be a resource for  teachers, librarians, and book clubs who may wish to read books for certain occasions--whether a holiday like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, or an issue focus such as Teen Violence Month or National Poetry Month. In doing so, I was reminded of Little Willow's compilation of books on "Tough Issues for Teens" over at Bildungsroman.   That blog also features lists on other topics. And so, today, I provide a short list of some of… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: Egmont USA
• Release Date: December 22, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-60684-034-4
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

When a rumor starts circulating that Tara's boyfriend has been with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn't just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for three lifelong friends. Tara's training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment from her father. Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave her looking for her own value in the wrong places. And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mama she's never… Continue reading