Arianne Costner Interview

I'm thrilled to have author Arianne Costner on our blog today. Her debut book, My Life as a Potato is out in the world, and can be purchased at Indiebound, Brain Lair Books, Amazon, or BN.com

I mentioned on Twitter that I've been in a reading slump lately. Normally, my go-to books are sad contemporary YA, but those haven't felt right. Enter this debut novel. It's a whole lot of fun and just what I needed right now. Filled with wonderfully weird middle school jokes and snafus, there are plenty of places in this book where you'll laugh out loud. I started reading it aloud to my 9-year-old and he appreciates the slapstick humor. I could also see reading this aloud to my 8 graders who would not only appreciate the humor, but recognize the struggles of a tween trying to find his place.

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IMWAYR 3.20 - Teachers Who Read Girls

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IMWAYR~March 25th

Good morning! I hope everyone is staying safe at home and enjoying this time to read. I can honestly tell you this time has my nerves SHOT! My oldest is considered high-risk if she contracts covid-19 because she has a compromised immune system. My worry is for her. She has been in the house since her school has closed last Tuesday. So, there are a lot of walks and playing in the back yard! Of course lots of READING!

Here's what we are reading this week!

Have a good week and stay healthy!

Andrea 

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Bullet Book Review with @mrs_cmt1489

Teachers: here are resources you can access 

Disclaimer: I'm a 5th grade teacher in south central Texas, what works for my kids may not work for your kids, and what does work; it may work the same or in different ways. In the end, they're all kids - they all need to be exposed to many lives, cultures, history, and experiences as possible. 

*Affiliate image - click to purchase!

Here in the Real World

By: Sara Pennypacker

For fans of: 
Escaping reality, avoiding reality, finding your place, knowing who you really are, making unlikely friends


First Line(s): "Ware patted the two bricks stacked beside him on the pool deck, scored on the morning's ramble. Tomorrow he'd bash them into chips to build the ramparts of his castle, but tonight had another use for them."

The author: 
Sara Pennypacker is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Pax; the award-winning Clementine books and its spinoff series, Waylon!; and the acclaimed novel Summer of the Gypsy Moths. She divides her time between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Florida. You can visit her online at www.sarapennypacker.com.

Check out her awesome ALL ABOUT ME on her blog! I love the artwork
http://www.sarapennypacker.com/pennypacker-bio.htm


The Book: 

From the author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestselling novel Pax comes a gorgeous and moving middle grade novel that is an ode to introverts, dreamers, and misfits everywhere.

Ware can’t wait to spend summer “off in his own world”—dreaming of knights in the Middle Ages and generally being left alone. But then his parents sign him up for dreaded Rec camp, where he must endure Meaningful Social Interaction and whatever activities so-called “normal” kids do.

On his first day Ware meets Jolene, a tough, secretive girl planting a garden in the rubble of an abandoned church next to the camp. Soon he starts skipping Rec, creating a castle-like space of his own in the church lot.

Jolene scoffs, calling him a dreamer—he doesn’t live in the “real world” like she does. As different as Ware and Jolene are, though, they have one thing in common: for them, the lot is a refuge.

But when their sanctuary is threatened, Ware looks to the knights’ Code of Chivalry: Thou shalt do battle against unfairness wherever faced with it. Thou shalt be always the champion of the Right and Good—and vows to save the lot.

But what does a hero look like in real life? And what can two misfit kids do?

Reviews:

Editorial:

“Pennypacker’s humane tale is written with straightforward grace and populated with exquisitely layered characters; vulnerable, imaginative Ware’s journey to self-acceptance is particularly skillfully rendered.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“This story gently rejoices in two charismatic young people whose dedication and compassion illustrate what it means to be heroes in the real world.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review))

"Pennypacker tells a human story of growth and transformation. Smooth prose and short chapters make for a compulsively readable tale, fit for middle-graders in the process of discovering themselves." (Booklist)

“This sweet, sensitive book shines a light on the introverts and misfits.” (School Library Journal)

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Reviews from myself and friends: 

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Pax

By: Sara Pennypacker

For fans of: 
Books: The One and Only Ivan, Maybe a Fox, Wish


First Line(s): "The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first."


The Book: 

Handpicked by Amazon kids’ books editor, Seira Wilson, for Prime Book Box – a children’s subscription that inspires a love of reading.

National Book Award Longlist * New York Times Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of the Year

From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic, beloved for generations to come.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.

At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.

Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . . .

Editorial:

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—A viscerally affecting story of war, loss, and the power of friendship. Pennypacker, author of the exuberant "Clementine" series (Disney-Hyperion) and the charmingly morbid Summer of the Gypsy Moths (HarperCollins, 2012), here displays not only her formidable writing skills and a willingness to stretch her storytelling into increasingly complex narrative forms but also her ability to tackle dark and weighty themes with sensitivity and respect for the child reader. Set in an intentionally undefined time and place that could very well be a near-future America, the novel opens with a heartbreaking scene of a tame red fox, Pax, being abandoned at the side of the road by his beloved boy, Peter. Perspectives alternate between the boy and the fox, and readers learn that a terrible war rages in this land. Peter's father is about to leave for the frontlines, and while he's away, Peter must live with his grandfather out in the country—and his father makes it clear that there is no place for Pax in Peter's temporary home. Almost as soon as he arrives at his grandfather's, Peter is overcome with guilt, and he sets off under the cover of darkness to trek the 300 miles back to his home, where he prays he'll find Pax. The loyal fox, meanwhile, must figure out how to survive in the wild—though never losing hope that his boy will return for him. As the protagonists struggle to reunite in a world in the grip of violence and destruction, they each find helpers who assist them on their respective journeys: Peter breaks his foot and is rehabilitated by Vola, a hermit suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, while Pax is taken in by a leash of foxes who teach him the basics of foraging and hunting. Pennypacker doesn't shy away from some of the more realistic aspects of war, though she keeps most of the violence slightly off-screen: in one scene, the wild foxes define war for the naive Pax as a "human sickness" that causes them to turn on their own kind, akin to rabies; later, as the battle creeps closer, several creatures are maimed and killed by land mines. Black-and-white drawings by Klassen offer a respite for readers, while adding to the haunting atmosphere.With spare, lyrical prose, Pennypacker manages to infuse this tearjerker with a tender hope, showing that peace and love can require just as much sacrifice as war. VERDICT A startling work of fiction that should be read—and discussed—by children and adults alike.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Review

“Pax the book is like Pax the fox: half wild and wholly beautiful.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Moving and poetic.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“Pennypacker’s expert, evenhanded storytelling reveals stunning depth in a relatively small package.” (Booklist (starred review))

“In an exceptionally powerful, if grim story, Pennypacker does a remarkable job of conveying the gritty perspective of a sheltered animal that must instantly learn to live in the wild.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“A startling work of fiction that should be read-and discussed-by children and adults alike.” (School Library Journal (starred review))

“An emotional, thought-provoking story of conflict, loyalty, and love.” (The Horn Book)

“Sometimes an author steps aside from a popular series to break new ground, as evidenced in this arresting novel, at once a wilderness adventure about survival and a philosophical foray into big questions.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Pennypacker’s elegant language and insight into human nature spin a fable extolling empathy above all. By the novel’s poignant ending, Pennypacker has gently made the case that all of us should aspire to that view—children and adults alike.” (Time magazine)

“Searingly honest and heartbreakingly lovely, Pax is, quite simply, a masterpiece.” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan)

“A sweeping and enchanting wartime story of trust, loyalty, betrayal, and the love of a boy for the fox he’s raised since he was a kit. A master storyteller, Pennypacker leads the reader along a path of shifting hopes to the story’s heart-wrenching conclusion.” (Ann M. Martin, Newbery Honoree, author of Rain Reign)

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Reviews from myself and friends: 


"Heartbreaking, moving, and full of experience. This is a story that will make you cheer and cheer hard, and cry even harder. Such a great story of family and that being blood, or human, doesn't make you family. Love does." 

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IMWAYR: 3.9.20

    It's the start of another 5-day-week. Testing is right around the corner in Ohio, but we are still making time for independent reading. There are so many great releases coming  this spring. Hopefully, you find your next read!

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Things You Can't Say - Jenn Bishop (Author Interview and Reviews)

Perfect for fans of See You in the Cosmos and The Science of Breakable Things, author Jenn Bishop tells the moving story of a boy determined to uncover the truth.

Nothing is going right this summer for Drew. And after losing his dad unexpectedly three years ago, Drew knows a lot about things not going right. First, it’s the new girl Audrey taking over everything at the library, Drew’s sacred space. Then it’s his best friend, Filipe, pulling away from him. But most upsetting has to be the mysterious man who is suddenly staying with Drew’s family. An old friend of Mom’s? Drew isn’t buying that.

With an unlikely ally in Audrey, he’s determined to get to the bottom of who this man really is. The thing is, there are some fears—like what if the person you thought was your dad actually wasn’t—that you can’t speak out loud, not to anyone. At least that’s what Drew thinks.

But then again, first impressions can be deceiving. 

Advance Praise for Things You Can't Say:

“In a story about the aftermath of parental suicide, former children’s librarian Bishop tells a touching and believable story about the ways worries feed on each other, the difference that honesty makes to kids, and how much emotional growth a child Drew’s age can experience in just a few weeks.” – Publishers Weekly

“Bishop imbues Drew, his loving mother, and Audrey with just enough insight to make their efforts to support each other fully believable. Drew’s emerging anger with his father is both poignant and tragically appropriate. Drew’s present-tense narration is candid and vulnerable, offering readers both mirrors for and windows to this particular, very difficult experience . . . A thoughtful examination of the slow, uneven recovery that follows a devastating loss.” – Kirkus

“With a deft, sympathetic hand, Bishop relates Drew’s struggles to define his own identity while coming to terms with the man his father was.” – Recommended, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“While many kids won’t feel quite as isolated or as stuck as Drew, whose father tragically committed suicide three years ago, the inability to talk about deep emotional grief is a topic that will resonate and is deftly handled here.” – Recommended, School Library Connection

“As Things You Can’t Say shows the gaping fissures that loss and grief can cause in a kiddo’s life, so too does it show how those same fissures may begin to heal and close. That we are rooting so hard for their closing in Andrew’s life is a measure of how wonderfully real and honest this story is, and of how deep our need is for just the right words.” —Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award Finalist

“With grit and authenticity, Bishop takes us inside the head and heart of a young boy. Be prepared to laugh, cry, cheer, and turn the last page with a satisfying sigh.” —Barbara O’Connor, author of Wonderland

“This touching, authentic novel will open readers’ eyes and hearts about mental health issues in loving, ‘normal’ families. Jenn Bishop explores a challenging subject with sensitivity and grace.” —Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You

“People who go away forever. People who come out of nowhere. People who drift away and then drift back. Three years after the death of his father, young Drew finds a way to make peace with all these sorts of people. An emotional tale of a boy who finds it takes equal measures of courage to move forward and to look back.” —Paul Mosier, author of Echo’s Sister

 *Goodreads reviews by myself and fellow friends in the #mglit and #kidlit community.

Q: How did you get started in the author profession?

A: After college, I settled into my first career as a teen librarian. I loved books and was deeply committed to the role public libraries play in communities, but secretly I wanted to write my own books. After a few years of doing NaNoWriMo and trying to write on the side, I enrolled in Vermont College of Fine Art’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. VCFA forced me to take my craft seriously, to treat it like a job, and the amount of focus and attention I poured into the second project I worked on there paid off – I signed with a literary agent who sold my first ever middle grade novel, The Distance to Home (Knopf/Penguin Random House 2016). It was the third project I queried.

Q: What has been the hardest obstacle in your writing career thus far?

A: Probably distraction! There’s so much competing for our attention these days and it can be hard to shut off the world and just write. Lately, I’ve found that the only way I can get work done is turning off the internet on my laptop and hiding my cell phone.

Q: What was your inspiration behind writing Things You Can’t Say?

A:  With Things You Can’t Say, I kept coming back to the kids I knew from my library jobs – especially the ones who were in the library day after day. The library was a real refuge for them, and I think Drew subconsciously came from that experience. I say subconsciously because I find it’s only when I’m finished a project that I can see what inspired it. On the surface, Things You Can’t Say was inspired by me worrying about running out of ideas and sitting on my front porch when a motorcycle puttered up the hill. As I like to tell students, ideas are everywhere!

Q: Can you describe your revision/editing process for students? Also, do you start writing on paper/computer/etc?

A: While I have a notebook or two for each project, it’s more for jotting down ideas. My penmanship is too horrifying/illegible to imagine drafting by hand. I tend to write about 30 pages of a new project and share it with my critique group before venturing further. Usually that helps create some distance from it in my mind and the process of sharing it early on helps me finesse where it might be going—as well as introduce new directions I might not have seen. Once I have a full draft, I set it aside for at least a month so that my first reading of the full thing can happen with fresh eyes. Typically, I’ll make a few revision passes on my own, noting areas for improvement with regard to plot, character, pacing, story logic, setting, etc., before sharing with critique partners and eventually my agent once I feel it's ready “enough.” Every project takes the amount of time and number of drafts it takes, I’ve discovered, so I try to be patient with the process. Some books come together more quickly, others might take twice or three times as long.

Q: How do you handle (if you have had) any backlash in regards to writing about tough topics?

A: If working as a public librarian has taught me anything, it’s that everyone is fighting their own battle, and so I try to keep this in mind in the face of any criticism. At the end of the day, my life experience has shown me that for any tough situation, there are kids living it. They deserve to see their stories in books. Might the audience of the books not be as wide as more commercial stories? Maybe. But that won’t stop me from writing to those experiences. In putting Things You Can’t Say out into the world, I have occasionally seen the grimace on adult’s faces when I say the word “suicide.” But the reality is, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC, and at present there are very few middle grade books that speak to this subject.

Q: What advice would you give to middle grade students who are writing?

A: As a middle schooler, I was a perfectionist. And truthfully, I didn’t leave that behind when I became an adult. Starting with a blank page can be hard if you expect your first effort to be perfect. It can be paralyzing. But I’ve found that by embracing first drafts in all their messy glory and accepting that they will be full of mistakes, writing them became a lot more fun. You can’t make something better if it doesn’t first exist. And you don’t know what gems may lie in your so-called mistakes. Messy first drafts forever!

Q: Future middle grade projects that you are currently working on?

A: As I’m writing this, I am just finishing a final pass of my spring 2021 middle grade novel, Where We Used to Roam. It begins with twelve-year-old budding artist Emma O’Malley on a plane to Wyoming, certain she’s ruined everything with her longtime BFF, and desperately worried for her big brother who’s headed off to rehab for an opioid addiction. It’s a story about friendship and family, and how to move forward after even the biggest mistakes.

Q: What were your favorite books as a kid, and what do you recommend to middle grade classrooms?

A: I was a high volume reader as a kid. I lived for the Baby-Sitters Club books and the Goosebumps series, but I also loved picking titles from that special shelf of Newbery winners. Some of my recent favorites include Hena Khan’s More to the Story and Chirp by Kate Messner. There’s so much wonderful middle grade coming out lately that I miiiight have a cart in my home office of library checkouts. What can I say: once a librarian, always a librarian!

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