New Tween Website: Emblazon!

Michelle Isenhoff invited me to participate in the launch of a new website about tween literature called Emblazon*.

Emblazon is a blog written by a collection of indie and traditionally published authors who care about producing high quality stories for kids, with a particular focus on ages 11 to 14 (tweens). The purpose of Emblazon is to celebrate tween literature and to draw attention to this fabulous genre, interact with other enthusiasts whether child or adult, and encourage new writers.

Looking at the contributing authors, I recognize a few names I've seen around Twitter. Ooh, and they have a tab that lists free books! I might add a few of them to my to-read list.

Sounds like a great site! I'm inviting you to read their first post today.

*The original site has moved to a new site.

12 MG Novels on My Must-Read List 2013

It's only the beginning of December and I already have a list of twelve books I absolutely have to read in 2013.

1. Alligators Overhead, by C. Lee McKenzie
I've read good reviews of this book, and I really want to read it! The author offered her e-book for free on Smashwords just as I was starting my to-read list. Lucky me! I downloaded a copy.

2&3. The Magic Thief (books 2 and 3), by Sarah Prineas
I read book one and I loved it! I want to read the other two in the series and review them all at once on my blog.

4. Tua and the Elephant, by R.P. Harris
I won this book on Michael G.G.'s blog back in April and I haven't read it yet. I have to stop winning more free books than I have time to read! I'm saving it for 2013.

5. Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger
I met Shannon at WriteOnCon in 2010 (she's one of the masterminds that organized that awesome event), and now I can't wait to read her recently released book! I've heard very good things about it, and the cover and summary make me want to read it so bad.

6. Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen
Some people suggested I read this book because it's a bit similar to my WIP's setting. I'm curious now. I absolutely have to read it!

7. The Mapmaker and the Ghost, by Sarvenaz Tash
I came across this book during the YAmazing Race (which I started but never finished), and the cover and title caught my eye. I didn't win a copy of the book, but it ended up on my to-read list.

8. Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale (and possibly Book 2)
I've read this book already a while ago. I need to read it again to post a review on my blog. And I've heard the sequel is out! I might read both while I'm at it.

9. Either Flip or Hidden Talents, by David Lubar
My daughter read these books and more from the same author. She recommended I check him out. I think I will! Not sure which one I'll read yet. Maybe both.

10. Small Medium at Large, by Joanne Levy
I can't remember how I came across this book. On twitter? Through my agent search? On someone's blog? Hmm... All I know is that the title really grabbed me, and when I read the blurb I got totally hooked. I need to read this!

11. Samantha Sutton and the Labyrinth of Lies, by Jordan Jacobs
I've heard of that book, and now I just read a review on Akoss's blog and I want one!! I hope I win the giveaway. If not, I'll have to find another way to get my hands on that book.

12. The Young Healer, by Frank N. McMillan III
I was looking for one more book to add to my list, when I came across a review of this book on Dorine White's blog. The title caught my attention, and her review convinced me I should really read it.

I'm glad I'm using Goodreads now to keep track of all the books I want to read. It helps a lot! Any other MG novels I should add on my must-read list?

40 MG Books I've Read in 2011

One of my goals for 2011 was to read 20 MG books (books intended for children 8-12 years old), because that's what I write.  I needed to see what was out there, and learn from published authors about what works and what doesn't.

I've exceeded my goal by reading twice as many books as I had planned!  That's a great feeling.  I wish I could say the same thing about my goal to post on my blog once a week. *ahem* Enough said.

Follow the links to find out more about each book or series, a link to the author's website, and my review of each book.  More reviews coming in 2012!

Series
1-13    A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket (13 books)
14-16  Toad Rage, by Morris Gleitzman (3 books)
17-21  The Spiderwick Chronicles, by Toni DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (5 books)
22-24  The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart (3 books)
25-26  39 Clues, by various authors (2 books out of 11)
27        The Fairy Tale Detective, by Michael Buckley (Sisters Grimm Series,1 book out of 7)

Stand Alone Books
28.  James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
29.  How to Train your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
30.  Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
31.  When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
32.  Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
33.  Skellig, by David Almond
34.  Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
35.  The Cay, by Theodore Taylor
36.  Slob, by Ellen Potter
37.  The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas
38.  Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
39.  Saltwater Taffy, by Eric Delabarre
40.  Truth Teller, by Kurt Chambers (soon to be published!!)

My favorites? Hmm... Hard to tell!

I really loved Slob, by Ellen Potter, Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, and of course, Truth Teller, by my dear friend Kurt Chambers, which you will all be able to read after its release date, January 25th, 2012.  So excited!!  Kurt has been one of my critique partners for the last two years, and has helped me tremendously with my own book.  I'm so happy that his book is getting published. I have read and reviewed every chapter, and I'm now doing a final read through.  I have to say, this book is very special to me. But enough about that for now.  I'll review this book as part of Kurt's blog tour, in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!

Reading Middle Grade Books

Since the novel I'm writing is MG (target audience: 8 to 12 years old), one of my goals for 2011 is to read at least 20 MG books.

In 2010, I read (among others):
- The entire Harry Potter series (J. K. Rowlings)
- Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins)
- Several books from the Sammy Keyes series (Wendelin Van Draanen)


I made a list of recommendations from other writers' blogs, websites, and my kids.  Here's my list so far*:

1.  A Series of Unfortunate Events series (Lemony Snicket)
2.  Princess Academy (Shannon Hale)
3.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (Jeff Kinney)
4.  Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer)
5.  The Sisters Grimm series (Michael Buckley)
6.  The Softwire series (P. J. Haarsma)
7.  The Mysterious Benedict Society series (Trenton Lee Stewart)
8.  The Healing Wars trilogy (The Shifter, Blue Fire, Book 3 - Fall 2011) (Janice Hardy)
9.  Ramona series (Beverly Cleary)
10. Mockingbird (Kathryn Erskine)
11. The Cay (Theodore Taylor)
12. The Kneebone Boy (Ellen Potter)
13. Inkheart trilogy (Cornelia Funke)
14. Toad Rage series (Morris Glertzman)
15. Zorgamazoo (Robert Paul Weston)
16. Moon Over Manifest (Clare Vanderpool)
17. Silver Wing (Kenneth Oppel)
18. Skellig (David Almond)
19. Bridge of Terabithia (Katherine Paterson)
20. James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)
21. How to Train your Dragon series (Cressida Cowell)
22. Percy Jackson series (Rick Riordan)
23. A Season of Gifts (Richard Peck)
24. When You Reach Me (Rebecca Stead)
25. Hatchet (Gary Paulsen)
26. The Magic Thief (Sarah Prineas)
27. A Mango Shaped Space (Wendy Maas)
28. The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. (Kate Messner)
29. Skinnybones (Barbara Park)
30. 39 Clues series (Rick Riordan)
31. His Dark Materials trilogy (starts with The Golden Compass) (Phillip Pullman)
32. Goosebump series (R. L. Stine)
33. Walk Two Moons (Sharon Creech)
34. Stargirl (Jerry Spinelli)
35. Fudge series (starts with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) (Judy Blume)
36. Sugar and Ice (Kate Messner)

That's a whole lot of books!  I'll have to choose only some of them to read, or I won't have any writing time.

What's your favorite MG book or series?  Which one should I start reading first?

*The ones in purple are the ones I've read so far, as of 4/11/12

Top Five Picture Book Writers/Illustrators

I read hundreds of picture books to my kids, from the time they were born until they became independent readers. Some of them were plain boring. Others were okay, but forgettable. A select few stood out from the crowd. Below is a list of my top five picture book writers/illustrators.

Stan and Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears books address many issues kids face. As a mother of three, I was always curious to see how Mama Bear would deal with each situation. I read it as much for my kids' enjoyment as for my own, discovering some parenting tips along the way.  The books are written and illustrated by a couple, Stan and Jan, who obviously know a thing or two about parenting, having raised two sons.  Visit their website for more information, videos, and fun games for kids.

Jan Brett
The illustrations in Jan Brett's books fascinate me. In some of her books, each page has a main picture illustrating the main story, and a side picture giving clues of what's coming next or showing a side story. In her books, she re-tells European folk tales in an engaging way.  I especially like her Christmas books, some about trolls, other about reindeer or polar bears. I guess I'm not the only one who likes her. According to her website, she has over thirty-five million books in print.

Keiko Kasza
I absolutely love the way this author takes a familiar story and gives it a unique twist. In A Mother for Choco, I was expecting to read the typical "Are you my mommy" book where the baby bird finds Mama Bird at the end, but I was pleasantly surprised by its different, heartwarming ending. I won't give it away. It's worth reading. The Dog Who Cried Wolf is also one of my favorites from Keiko Kasza.  Visit her website for a complete list of her books.

Helen Lester (author) / Lynn Munsinger (illustrator)
This book made me laugh, and so did many of Helen Lester's books, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. What a great team! The pictures complement the story perfectly. They are known for their Tacky the Penguin series, which my kids and I also read and loved. But Me First is the best of all, to my opinion. Here is more information about both the author and the illustrator.

Walter Wick
Things aren't always what they seem in these intriguing books filled with fun pictures of everyday objects. Parents can identify familiar toys from their childhood, while kids have fun looking for specific items hidden somewhere in the picture. We spent hours scrutinizing these images, challenging each other to find certain things and just enjoying the wonderful details. Some books also contain optical illusions, which always fascinate me.  Unlike other picture books, these will keep everyone, big and small, entertained for hours. Walter Wick reveals some of his picture secrets on his website.

What Turns me Off in a Novel

In my last post, I talked about what I was looking for in a novel.  There are also negative points that would cause me to stop reading or to have a negative opinion of a book.  Here are my top five turnoffs.

1.  Story written in present tense
The only exception is if the book is written in first person POV and that's the way the narrator's usual way of talking.  A story written in third person POV in present tense irritates me tremendously, for some reason.  Stories have been told in past time for hundreds of years, so why change now?  I once read a children's book written in present tense and my kids commented on it.  It bothered them as well.

2.  Too many flashbacks / back story
I like to read scenes as they happen, not be told what has already happened that I should know about.  One exception is if the flashback is absolutely necessary to the story and is written as an actual scene. I like to learn the back story little by little, through scenes, rather than in big chunks of information.  Show me the present and let me figure out the past.

3.  Added sex/violence scene to sell more
Swear words and foul language also fall in this category.  If it's necessary to the plot or one character is particularly low grade, that's okay.  Other than that, it irritates me.  But that's just me.  Some other people love it, and that's why some authors specifically add these scenes to sell more.

4.  Complicated plot or too many characters
I don't like having to go back to earlier chapters, trying to remember who a character is or to remind myself of what happened.  I don't want to work that hard when I read.  Simple is better.  Give me a few well-developed characters and a straight forward plot and I'll be happy.

5.  Poor writing
Certain things didn't bother me before like they do now, especially since I joined a review forum.  I notice things my reviewers tell me not to do in my own stories and they jump at me when I see them in a novel I'm reading.  Some of these things are:  too many adverbs, run-on sentences, POV shifts, unnecessary dialogue tags, repeated words, fragments.  I can no longer just relax and enjoy a good book without having my internal editor say a few words.  I try to silence him, but it's not always easy.  He loves to show off.

Top Five Things I'm Looking For in a Novel

I was making a list of my favorite books from different categories for future blog posts, and it got me thinking about what determines whether I like a book or not.

Each one of us is different in what they like or dislike.  What I can't stand someone else might love, and vice versa. What are you looking for in a book? Let's compare notes!

Here are the top five things I'm looking for in a novel.

1.  Unique characters I will miss when I stop reading
I enjoy reading about characters that are similar to me in certain ways, or that go through similar experiences.  I also like stories with characters that are totally different than me, as long as I can connect with them emotionally. 

Characters often make me see things under a different perspective.  For example, reading about a character going through a hardship I may never encounter allows me to experience what it's like without going through it myself.  How great is that! 

Characters should have unique strengths, flaws, and personality traits. By the end of the book, I want to feel like I know them personally.  I once re-read a book because I missed the characters.  I wanted to hang out with them some more, because they were so awesome.

2.  Engaging plot that leaves me with questions
A good plot causes me to think about the book between reading sessions.  If my mind won't rest easy until I'm finished reading it, that means it's a great book. 

Each chapter should hook me from the start and leave me with questions, enticing me to read more and find the answers.  Here's a great blog post by Kurt Chambers about hooks and cliffhangers with examples and everything.  Thanks, Kurt! Very timely.

3.  Believable settings (even if totally made up)
I like novels with settings so clear, consistent, and well developed that I'm willing to suspend my disbelief and accept them as real.  Through reading, I can visit wonderful places in my mind, without ever leaving my comfy chair. What a great way to relieve stress!  And it costs much less than a plane ticket.

4.  Strong moral values
Some of my favorites: courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, enduring friendship, inner strength, love that goes beyond race, age, religious beliefs, appearances, or social status.  When a scene makes me tear up, I can usually identify one of these values in it.

5.  A touch of spirituality
What I mean by spirituality is anything supernatural or that cannot be perceived by physical senses:  dreams, premonitions, special connections, coincidences, spirit world, angels.  Some books have spirituality as a theme, but I prefer when it's naturally woven into the story without necessarly being the main theme.