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

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

When I was a teacher I heard excuses daily. From the parents: “Dear Ms. G, I'm sorry Robbie does not have his homework today. It's not his fault. His father kept him up late watching a baseball game.” From students: “Miss G, it's not my fault the homework is all wrong. Kelly promised she'd do it for me, uh I mean help me with it, and she forgot.” I thought assigning projects a month in advance would help or, at least, necessitate better excuses (you know, give them extra points for creativity), but that didn't happen. I still… Continue reading

A few book lovers share their favourite ways to carve out a 'circle of quiet':

Now, my favorite place is wherever I happen to be. More often or not that's my bed and the few minutes I have to read before I call it a night. When I was… Continue reading

When I was a kid, I loved the cheesy free writing assignments teachers gave us. Whether it was the formulaic “I am....” poem or the silly “If you could be an animal, which one would you be and why?”, I was all over it. To sit and have a chance to—just me and my flimsy, school donated bluebook—was heaven. But, as I grew older, and learned about deadlines, revisions, revisions, and oh yeah, more revisions, it became too easy to forget that carefree, Emersonian lock-yourself-away-and-stare-at-flowers-feeling. So, recently, I sat down and thought of ways that would liven up… Continue reading

Alyssa and Keith are bored. They stare up at me from my blank screen waiting for direction. Alyssa bites her lower lip. Keith brushes his hair out of his eyes. They say nothing. After 10 minutes, Keith decides to finish his X-Box game, and Alyssa runs to her room, slams the door, and begins furiously texting, cursing me under her breath for ruining her flirting mojo. I don’t blame her, but she needs to cut me a little slack. Writing teen is not easy.

I have the setting down. The high school lockers… Continue reading

"Of course, in SHINE, I was focused on the issue of post-9/11 discrimination against anyone who was perceived to be Arab, Muslim, or Middle Eastern, but that was an issue I… Continue reading

As writers I'm sure you spend a lot of time balancing family, work, and writing. I know I often feel like a high-wire act edging my way across with a balancing bar in hand and praying there's a safety net below.

I was taking a break the other day--no family, no work, no writing-- and I stumbled upon a great article about philosophy. Remember that first-year course in college when you learned about existentialism and then had to figure out how to pronounce it?

I had the idea that if I re-visited some of those master thinkers I might figure out how… Continue reading

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2010
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release Date: June 22, 2010
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0061766664
• ISBN (paperback): TBD

Does this mean then that only authors

Last month, Matt de la Pena and Filmmaker Brin Hill allowed us a glimpse into the process of taking de la Pena's BALL DON'T LIE from page to screen. In Part 2, we find out what the collaborators think makes an adaptation great, how this filmmaking process has changed they way they think and work, and what this talented pair want to give YOU -- so read on, and enjoy!

What's going on with BDL now? Now that the film has been made -- what's worked, what's been… Continue reading

• Before your book comes out, get comfortable on all those social networking sites.  Make friends on Facebook, decide what you’re going to say on your blog, and learn how to tweet.  You don’t want to be dealing with

I met so many great people when I was at BEA a few weeks ago. There is one young lady, however, who sticks out in my mind. I don’t remember her name, just that she appeared to be in her twenties. She stopped in my line to get a signed copy of ONE WISH. She was making the rounds, and mentioned that she’d asked all of the other authors she’d met if they had any advice for her, so she asked me the same.

As summer approaches, I envision lying on a beach somewhere, cool drink by my side, kids happily playing in the water. And as I dig my toes down into the sand, I crack open a brand new YA novel and dig in.

That’s not such a far-fetched fantasy, is it? I have no idea if I’ll make it to the beach this summer, much less one where it’s warm enough for the kids to actually spend time in the water without wet suits. Northern California beaches are deceptively freezing. But a girl can dream, right?

And… Continue reading

"Literacy can make the difference between the poverty of one generation and the promise of the next." - Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program (http://www.pageahead.org/)

National Children's Book Week occurred May 11-17, 2009.  In celebration thereof, on behalf of Page Ahead, a few local authors and I appeared at Parkplace Books, an independent bookseller in Kirkland, Washington.  Our books and others were sold for collection for local children in need.

Page Ahead provides:  "Guided by the fact that literacy is essential to lifelong success, Page Ahead provides new books and develops reading activities that… Continue reading

I’ve never been to any kind of book convention or conference . . . ever, so it’s actually fitting that my first event as an author is like, the biggest trade show in the entire world. (Could that be an exaggeration?)

Two weeks from today I will be on my way to New York City. I will have my husband, my pre-schooler, my parents, and one of my

I think my favorite author is Charlotte A. Cavatica, a writer with humble beginnings in a Maine barn who has written some of the most beloved words in American literature.

The best-known poetic essay of Ms. Cavatica is, of course, "SOME PIG," which asserts not just the presence of porcine flesh in the vicinity, but plays on the secondary and tertiary meanings of "some." I think most readers grasp the connotation that there is a remarkable pig as the protagonist of this narrative verse, as in

No matter what area of the book business you work in, there are always opportunities to get schooled. Some of the lessons hurt, some of them are moments of joy -- but we can learn… Continue reading

As a child of immigrants, I couldn’t find my family’s story in the Dick and Jane books we had to read in elementary school.  But I kept looking:  first as a university student, then as a mother, and later as a writer.  Turned out, I had to write my own. But the journey – the search, and the re-search - was a trip well worth taking.

Lois Lowry’s book Number the Stars (Newbery Award, 1990) opened my eyes to the power of historical fiction for young people.  And once opened, my eyes couldn’t get enough. Here are some… Continue reading

I know I need to get over it, but I’m on this huge Twilight kick this week, having just rented (and subsequently purchased) the movie. No question: I loved it. I loved it as much as the book, even.

This has me wondering: what makes a good book to movie? Should the movie stay as true as possible to the novel itself? Should it take on a life

I’m curious about what makes people decide to go to author events. Do you only go when you absolutely love their books? Do you ever go to find out more about them because you’ve heard about them but haven’t read their books yet? And when you go, what is it you hope to see? Is it a reading or learning more about the author as a person or something else entirely?

I like hearing about the authors. I want to know about who they are and what made them write those particular books. I want to get… Continue reading

It is said that March enters like a lion and departs like a lamb.  In my Pacific Northwest neck of the woods, March is definitely leonine, intermittently ROARING with snow, hale, the occasional downpour, and bone-chilling damp.  Still, I like March – primarily because I consider it “writing and reading weather.”  During the day, fueled by caffeine, I try to write and edit.  Before dinner, when my son’s day has wound down, we read.  Here are some books I

Sometimes I question my sanity.

Honestly? It’s been one of *those* weeks. A week where you’d rather crawl into a hole and sleep than get out in the real world and be productive; a week where the workload piles up, the inbox runneth over with rejection emails, and you decide, all of a sudden, to delete the last three chapters of your work in progress and now

Recently, my son’s school held a read-a-thon to raise money for a field trip. Every parent at the school looked forward to the big event. Every parent except me. And worse, I didn’t dare admit the truth. Shhhhh.  I loathe dislike read-a-thons.

I really do love reading with my children—at home by the fire in my comfy couch that is. Reading in a small room with thirty-seven others is less fun. It’s noisy. It’s cramped. Wearing pajamas to school adds another angle--humiliation. And then there's the menu--the dreaded green eggs and ham in honor of Dr. Seuss.

But this… Continue reading

To be a writer, you write, right? If only. To be a writer, you not only write (and isn’t that a loaded word?), you must network (via the internet and in person), and you must promote, via public speaking.  Suddenly, the shy, reticent wordsmith has to get out there and talk in front of strangers.  Gulp.  Help!

So I’m taking a six week course on public speaking. We meet once a week and together we experiment with voice. Not the writing voice, but the speaking voice.  It’s been a lot of nerve-wracking fun. 

Some points to share when speaking… Continue reading

Whenever I read a YA novel, I wonder if the writer mixes any truth with the fiction, and to what degree.

Specifically, there was an incident Sarah Dessen recounted on her blog when (years ago) she accidently served her vegetarian friends turkey dogs at a party. I remembered this being mentioned in her novel, Dreamland, when a similar incident happened at Caitlin’s family’s annual cookout. Those vegans

• Publication Season/Year: Spring 2009
• Publisher: Viking Children's Books
• Release Date: March 19, 2009
• ISBN (hardcover): 978-0-670-06301-7
• ISBN (paperback): TBD