The winner of “Brotherhood” by A.B. Westrick is…
*** SYDNEY MABRY !! ***
Congratulations! Watch for an email from us, and you’ll receive the book soon. Thanks to all who entered this giveaway!
Yearly archive for 2013
Kurtis Scaletta, one of the founders of From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors, is the author of the middle-grade novels Mudville, Mamba Point, The Tanglewood Terror and, most recently, The Winter of the Robots. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called his latest book a “ripping yarn with a big heart and a lot of wit and invention,” and Kirkus Reviews called it “a deft mix of middle school drama and edgy techno thrills.” He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three-year-old son and a bunch of cats.
Welcome back to the blog, Kurtis. How does it feel to be a guest at your own party?
Ha, thanks. I miss being a part of this blog.
Can you tell us a little about how From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors began?
Several middle-grade authors came together from the Verla Kay boards after a discussion about how middle-grade books just didn’t have the web presence of young adult books. We wanted to champion middle grade with a heavy focus on recommendations to teachers and parents. We’re still struggling to get visibility, for people to even know that middle grade is a thing, a unique and important genre of children’s book.
What’s your favorite thing about middle-grade fiction (as a reader or a writer)?
It was my favorite age as a reader, a real golden age, and writing middle grade allows me to keep delving back into that moment when I began to truly love literature and the idea of writing.
The Winter of the Robots is such a fun read. How long did it take from first spark of an idea to finished book in your hands?
Thanks! This book took me quite a bit longer than my other books. It took about two years from starting it to putting the final dots and dashes on the I’s and T’s. A lot of that had to do with being a dad.
You do a great job of balancing the level of scientific detail so that it’s engaging and enlightening, without being overwhelming to the point of taking away from the human story. I especially enjoyed the concept of autonomous vs. remote controlled robots. What kind of research did you do? How did you decide how much detail to include?
I spent a lot of time reading up on kids robot competitions, watching videos of their battles, and so forth. I had two readers in the manuscript phase, one who built robots as a kid and one who coaches robot leagues.
How plausible are the robots in the book?
If anything the robots kids are really building are more complicated and imaginative. Of course the big robot requires a bit of suspended disbelief, but there’s nothing there that isn’t possible. It was really important to me that it’s clear to readers how the kids build the robots, where they get the parts and the machines and the mechanical expertise.
Your Minnesota winter setting makes me want to put on a sweater. Can you design a robot to shovel my sidewalk for me?
As soon as I finish ours! And the robots that was dishes, scoop cat boxes, change diapers – for that matter, the robot that potty trains reluctant little boys. Sadly, that’ll take a while since the only robot I’ve made doesn’t do anything but take a few steps and fall apart.
If there was one single thing that you wanted readers to get from The Winter of the Robots, what would it be?
You know, I want kids to finish this book and think, “I could do this.” If I find a kid read this book and is tinkering in the garage I’ll consider the book a success.
What other books do you recommend to readers who enjoyed The Winter of the Robots?
There are great books about realistic kids learning and exploring the worlds around them, like The Higher Power of Lucky and Every Soul a Star and The Reinvention of Edison Thomas. I really like books that infuse realistic science into a book.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to write middle-grade fiction?
Write up, not down, as Mr. White said. You can have big ideas in books for middle-grade readers, moral ambiguity and complex language, hard-hitting topics and challenging questions. Don’t hold back. The kids can handle it.
Kurtis is giving away a signed copy of The Winter of the Robots. Enter here:
Jacqueline Houtman is a big fan of science in novels (and in real life).
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My Princess Boy image courtesy amazon.com
In the 1997 Belgian film Ma Vie En Rose, Ludovic is a seven year old boy who likes to wear dresses and fancy shoes. He can’t wait to grow up to be a woman and doesn’t understand why those around him are so upset by his gender nonconformity. The film beautifully portrays Ludovic’s story in the context of a family, community, and identity formation. It is not about sexuality persay, but squarely about gender identity.
Although we hear more and more about gender identity in the mainstream press, including legal disputes over children being allowed to use gendered bathrooms in schools, and conversations about whether gender nonconformity in very young children is the same as an expression of trangender identity, are gender nonconforming and transgender young people represented in Middle Grade Novels? I can think of a number of YA novels with transgender or gender nonconforming characters (check out this list on the great John Green’s tumblr, which includes Luna by Julie Anne Peters and Parrot Fish by Ellen Wittlinger). I can also think of recent picture books including 10,000 Dresses, and My Princess Boy. But what about middle grade novels?
It took me quite a bit of searching, but the best list I found was on Lee Wind’s excellent website, on a post GLBTQ Middle Grade bookshelf. Not all titles were of gender nonconforming characters, but here are some highlights of the ones that appeared to be. Many of these titles are unfamiliar to me, so I’d love any thoughts you have on them, or any other novels featuring gender nonconforming/challenging or transgender characters!
image courtesy ellenwittlinger.com
1. The Boy in the Dress by David Williams: 12 year old Dennis is a star soccer player who likes reading fashion magazines wearing dresses. One day, his new friend Lisa dares him to wear a dress to school.
2. If You Believe in Mermaids, Don’t Tell: 13 year old Todd is the best diver at summer camp. Only thing is, his secret with is to be mermaid, something he knows he’s not supposed to be.
3. From Alice to Zen and Everything in Between: 11 year old Alice likes playing soccer and working on her go kart. But her new best friend Zen tells her that she needs a makeover to make it in middle school. Only fast-talking, fashion-loving Zen is himself outcast at school for his interests.
4. Wandering Son Book 1 and 2: (Mangas) Fifth graders Shuichi and Yoshino connect during the first days of school, discovering that they share a love of many different things… including the fact that Shuichi is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Yoshino is a girl who wants to be a boy.
Looking forward to your thoughts and recommendations!
