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Summer Reading is Almost Here!

By on May 27, 2019   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, New Releases  

Memorial Day!  Summer is starting! I know! How did this happen?

But before you panic (good panic, bad panic, whatever), let’s get the important preparation out of the way –  a short summer reading list for the middle grade readers in your life, be they students, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other. So many good books appear during the next few months (June-September) and these are just a few I’m looking forward to.

Kids often have more flexibility during summer vacation to read for pleasure. And while summer reading is fun, it’s also critical to a child’s ability to retain information from the previous school year and also prepare for the challenges of the next one.

That’s a win-win in my book!

(Descriptions from Amazon)

A Pinch of Phoenix, by Kati Bartkowski & Heidi Lang (Aladdin) (July)

The Mystic Cooking Chronicles is one of my favorite middle grade series and I cannot wait to read the thrilling conclusion. Why not catch up with the first two, A Dash of Dragon and A Hint of Hydra, before diving into this one?

Description: Lailu is in hot water. After the events of the Week of Masks, Wren keeps sending insect-like automatons to attack Lailu. However, they’re more irritating than dangerous, and Lailu is more worried about the elves, who have been quiet so far. Too quiet.

When Lailu heads out of the city on a hunt with Greg, the elves finally strike. They put up a magical shield separating the Velvet Forest from the rest of the city. Now no human can enter…and unfortunately for Lailu and Greg, no human can leave, either. Ryon shows up to save them both, claiming they were caught unintentionally, but Lailu isn’t sure she believes him.

Tensions between the elves and the scientists are reaching a boiling point, and the question is which side will snap first. And in the middle of it all is Lailu. Trusted by both sides, she’s selected to deliver messages and help negotiate a truce between the parties before war becomes inevitable.

Easy as pie, right? Not so much. Lailu’s new role as mediator may be one recipe that’s headed for disaster!

 

Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, by Dusti Bowling (September)

I adored the first one in this series – Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus. The characters linger in your thoughts long after you finish the last chapter. Why not pick up the first one and have yourself a double header of awesome reading?

Description: Just as Aven starts to feel comfortable in Stagecoach Pass, with her friends and schoolmates accustomed to her lack of “armage,” everything changes once again. She’s about to begin high school . . . with 3,000 new kids to stare at her. And no matter how much Aven tries to play it cool, nothing prepares her for the reality. In a year filled with confusion, humiliation, and just maybe love, can Aven manage to stay true to herself?

 

Ollie Oxley and the Ghost, by Lisa Schmid (June)

I love a good ghost story but give me one that also makes me laugh and I’m sold! Author Schmid packs her story with secondary characters that are so real it feels like you might actually run into them down at the ice cream shop. Perfect summer fun.

Description: Twelve-year-old Ollie Oxley is moving-again. His mom is starting another new job, this time at the Bingham Theater in Granite City, California. Moving all the time means Ollie has struggled in the making friends department, but he quickly connects with a boy named Teddy. To Ollie’s surprise, though, his first friend in town is a little more . . . unique than those he’s made in the past. Teddy is a ghost.

Befriending someone who lived during the famous California Gold Rush sure does make things interesting for Ollie. But when the school bully, Aubrey, targets Ollie and it looks like the Bingham Theater might close, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Can Teddy and Ollie work together to take down Aubrey, save his mom’s job, and solve a mystery years in the making?

 

It’s the End of the World as I Know It, by Matt Landis (September)

Anxiety, stress and fear are real at every age and I applaud authors who take up the subject in their work. I really liked Matt Landis’s last book, The Not So Boring Letters of a Private Nobody so I’m especially looking forward to this one.

Description: Ever since his mother was killed in the line of duty in Iraq, Derrick has been absolutely certain that the apocalypse is coming. And he’s prepared: he’s got plenty of canned goods, he’s fully outfitted with HAZMAT suits, and he’s building himself a sturdy fallout shelter. When his neighbor Misty insists on helping with the shelter, Derrick doesn’t think it’s such a good idea. Misty’s just had a kidney transplant, and her reaction to her brush with death is the opposite of Derrick’s: where Derrick wants to hide, Misty wants to see and do everything. But as confident as Misty is, Derrick’s doomsday fears just keep getting worse. And Derrick’s promised apocalypse day begins with a very strange disaster, Derrick and Misty have to figure out a way to survive–especially when the end of the world as they know it looks nothing like they expected.

 

Saving Fable, by Scott Reintgen (September)

I’m the kind of person that sometimes feels like the characters in books I’m reading are more alive than actual people I actually meet out on the street or in the coffee shop or wherever. So this first in the Talespinners series sounds right up my alley. I’m already looking forward to book two!

Description: Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can’t believe her luck when she’s finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.

But Indira’s dreams of achieving hero status don’t exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school’s side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors–famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy–wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.

As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?

 

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue, by Karina Yan Glaser (September)

I adore this series. I just want to hang out with this family and go on all their adventures. To me, this is perfect summer reading. Don’t miss books one and two, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street and The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden.

Description: For the Vanderbeeker kids of Harlem’s 141st Street, spring break couldn’t be off to a better start. Isa’s back from band camp, Oliver’s building his first-ever treehouse in the backyard of the brownstone, and Laney, Jess, and Hyacinth are excited to help their mother when she gets the once-in-a-lifetime chance to star in a cooking magazine.
But the Vanderbeekers’ plans go off the rails when an unexpected visit from city officials puts their mother’s bakery in jeopardy. Now they’ll have to band together to save the day before they’re out of business. Perfect for fans of The Penderwicks and Front Desk.

 

 

 

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Why Read?

By on May 24, 2019   /   Articles, children's bookstores, For Librarians, For Teachers, independent bookstores, Teacher Tips  

For Those Who Grew up Reading, This May Surprise You

by Robyn Gioia

For many in the older generations, reading was a main source of knowledge and entertainment. We read in school, we got in trouble for reading under our desks, we read on vacation, during summer breaks, in the car, and whenever the time was right. We discussed stories, acted out scenes when we played, and let our imaginations go wild. Authors were revered, new release dates drew faithful readers, and the written word was part of life.

Fast forward to a society with never ending videos and video games.

Many of today’s students don’t read outside of school. The challenge for many educators is to teach their students the value of reading and to hone these skills into lifelong skills.

Over the years I have found a successful model for turning students into readers. At the beginning of the year, I tell them they must have a book to read at all times. If they are early finishers, they are to read. They are to read during independent reading, in the library, after lunch, in the morning before class begins, or anytime an opportunity arises. Their chosen book will travel back and forth between school and home.

Sometimes I assign a monthly genre so they are introduced to the different categories. October is great for mysteries. Genres can also be coordinated with other subjects. Biographies are great for social studies. Fantasy is great for creative writing. Some months I let them choose their own genre. When they are really excited about a book, I let them share snippets with the class, but they aren’t allowed to spoil it for the next reader. Books that are shared are generally snatched up by others.

I used to assign monthly projects, but in the last few years, I have replaced it with writing a daily summary in their journals. The focus may change depending on what we are studying. If we are discussing character development, I might assign identifying character traits. If we are studying imagery, they may search for a passage with rich description. If we are studying emotion, they might identify a scene where emotion was a driving factor.

This really hones their ability to pull out main ideas. Some grumble at first, but once they master the skill, they become pros. The skill to pull out main ideas and prove it with evidence strengthens their understanding in every academic area.

For fun, I decided to take an anonymous poll of my class to see what they really thought of reading. At the beginning of the year, I had kids who bragged about not reading. During our beginning of the year parent conferences, I had parents complain they never saw their kids hold a book.

Since then, reading lexiles have soared along with their abilities. And it’s no wonder. When a person reads everyday, the brain is constantly exposed to plot, proper writing, literary elements, sentence structure, problem solving, and vocabulary to name just a few.

When a guest speaker asked the class the other day who likes to read, every hand shot up. This teacher had to smile.

End of the Year Class Poll

How many minutes do you read each day?

10-20 min.     24%        20-40 min.  30%

40-60 min.     12%         60 min. or more   16%

60 min. to 2 hours or more  15%

What kind of books do you like for pleasure? (25 responses)

Fantasy  68%

Graphic Novels 56%

Realistic Fiction 48%

True Stories 44%

Fiction 40%

Biographies 20%

 

 

What do you like to see in a character? (25 responses)

Brave, adventurous, funny, a leader, kind, hero, helpful, hardworking, loyalty.

I like when he or she is very bold or a lead taker. I like when they are talking about themselves and stating their opinion. It’s like they are talking to you.

Smart, loyal, show leadership, curious, naive, athletic, sly, nerdy.

Does not accept bullying, cool, loving, determined, extroverted.

List some of your favorite reads: (25 responses)

Eragon, Wings of Fire, Zita the Spacegirl (graphic novels)

Moone Boy, Whatever After, Dr. Seuss

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Tiles of Apollo

Infinity War Comics, Big Nate, Dog man

Geronimo Stilton and Pokémon

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Rangers Apprentice

Who Was Books, American Girl, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Harry Potter, Rangers Apprentice, Percy Jackson

Wings of Fire, Percy Jackson, and Last Kids on Earth

big Nate, Percy Jackson, Roman Legends

George’s Cosmic Adventure, The War that Saved My Life, War Horse

Last Kids on Earth, Amulet and Dog man

Percy Jackson, Chronicles of Narnia, The Ghost the Rat and Me

The Hero Two Doors Down, Amulet, and Captain Under Pants

BONE (yes it’s in all caps), Amulet, and the Unwanteds

Doll Bones, Blood on the River, Chains, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Who Was, The Star Fisher, Finding Someplace.

Liesl and Po, Echo, Be Forever,

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Spaced out

Goddess Girls, Big Nate, Seven Wonders

Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the books by Mike Lupica.

Roller Girl, Swing it Sunny, and Strega Nona

Warriors, Wings of Fire, 5 Worlds

Roller Girl, Swing it Sunny, Strega Nona.

I survived, The Boy who Painted the World

 

 

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Agent Spotlight with Alyssa Henkin, Senior Vice-President of Trident Media Group!

By on May 23, 2019   /   Articles  

Hello Mixed-Up Filers! Are we in for a treat today! We have with us, Alyssa Henkin, Senior Vice-President of Trident Media Group!

Hi Alyssa, thanks for joining us today!

JR: To start, could you tell us a little bit about your path to Trident Media?

AH: I began my publishing career at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and I worked there from 1999-2006. I went from being an editorial assistant to Kevin Lewis to an editor who reported to Elizabeth Law. I was very happy and had the opportunity to work with many talented authors including Laurie Halse Anderson, Derek Anderson, Lauren Thompson, and Heather Vogel Frederick (with many thanks to Kevin Lewis)! However, around year six of my seven years at S&S I began to feel the “itch” to do something more entrepreneurial. My favorite part of the editing job was the acquisition stage, and more often than not I was giving authors ideas based on my own IP, but as an editor I couldn’t really share in the remuneration. In October of 2016 Trident posted a job for an agent that specialized in children’s books. I interviewed with several agents at the firm and realized that this was the entrepreneurial but still publishing environment that I was dreaming of. The rest is history!

JR: I understand that a lot of your tastes in fiction are now coming from your son, Nathan’s love of non-fiction and graphic novels. I love both. What about them do you love and how do they influence your tastes? Let’s start with non-fiction.

AH: Nathan was an early fan of the WHO, WAS, IS series. When he was in first grade, we read them together at bedtime, and now he’s finishing 3rd grade and inhales the few titles in the series he hasn’t yet read. I love the way that readers even at the earliest levels of proficiency can comprehend everything from Jacqueline Kennedy’s marital challenges to Vince Lombardi’s quest to win the Super Bowl; nothing is spoon-fed or dumbed down. Neither my husband nor I are big fantasy/Star Wars/super hero people, and even our younger son William, age 4.5, is more likely to pretend play an airline pilot than a super hero! Stories about reality, and especially history and science are great for our family’s interests. Now that Nathan has read much of WHO WAS IS and I SURVIVED, we’re hungry for more series of that type but for slightly older readers.

JR: I love the Who Was series! What about graphic novels?

AH: Again, back when Nathan was in his first grade, we spent a Barnes & Noble gift card on DOG MAN shortly before heading out to dinner as a family. Despite the fact we were eating at a sports bar broadcasting multiple games, Nathan never looked up from his book and a graphic/illustrated novel lover was born. He went onto read that entire series as well as BAD GUYS and then became more interested in more classically-defined novels like EL DEAFO and the NATHAN HALE’S HAZARDOUS TALES series. I’ve come to see just how funny they are and how smart, and he literally carries the NATHAN HALE books around the house and reads them OVER AND OVER AGAIN, which, I find frustrating, wanting to find more NEW books that he loves as much as these!

JR: As a kid, I read comics nonstop. I read other things as well, but I immersed myself in comics. Many teachers and others looked down at them as a form of literature, which annoyed me. I’m reading how readers who love graphic novels now are facing the same thing. What do you say to people who say that graphic novels aren’t “Real literature”?

AH: I do think its real reading and I hate to hear people say it’s not. However, as a parent who buys a lot of books, it is frustrating to have so many graphic books (which are not leaflet-like comic book prices!) devoured so quickly relative to non-graphic books, which, take longer. In addition, I know from talking to some elementary school teacher and librarians that the kids don’t always seem to comprehend them as fully as they might a fully-written book. I think we all need to fuel our kids with the books they love, and given that this generation is so technology-centric, it’s no wonder they are enjoying books with more visuals and fewer long blocks of only text. That said, I think we as a publishing community need to work to make sure the demand for graphic novels is met while still making sure we don’t drastically reduce the amount of non-graphic books that have always been our middle grade bread and butter.

JR: What does Nathan love reading?

AH: In addition to the above, Nathan loved THE ENTIRE A to Z mystery series, KID SPY by Mac Barnett, CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander, WONDER by my client R.J. Palacio and the first four Harry Potters. We also do a lot of audio books as a family. He adored MANIAC MAGEE, THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRASS COUNTY, SUPER FUDGE and others in that series, and PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH.

JR: What are some of your tastes and what do you look for in non-fiction?

AH: Like Nathan, I’m a huge history buff and I’m pleased to have signed a really wonderful and diverse array of historical biography picture books. In addition, I have two forthcoming narrative nonfiction works as well. What I don’t have at the moment is a great photographic book or series in the vein of ATLAS OBSCURA that I think kids in the elementary age really enjoy. And I think publishers are eager for things that are packaged with visual elements in this way. I would also love to represent a series like I SURVIVED that is rooted in nonfiction that does not involve time travel. Clearly there’s a strong interest in disasters, as evidenced by I SURVIVED which, are not published in chronological order and you don’t need to read one to enjoy another. I wonder what a chronological series of events that does perhaps build more cumulatively, for a slightly older readership, looks like?

JR: I love all the things you mentioned. I devour history books! How about graphic novels?

AH: I think the graphic novel market in middle grade is very strong. I think MANY people are seeking the next Dog Man, so it’s a great climate for authors who can also draw! On the older side, I think there’s absolutely a desire for standalones like EL DEAFO and ROLLER GIRL and the SMILE series that embody the same humor and empathy we find in middle grade novels. My client Lisa Greenwald has also experienced some really nice traction with the TBH series that is not graphic but is told predominantly in text format. It is so relatable to readers. Years ago, people used to talk about “reluctant readers” needing books like that. But I’ve noticed with Nathan, spending so much time using computers in school and playing Fortnite and checking sports scores on my phone, that he definitely enjoys books with less text that he can finish more quickly. This is not because he’s a reluctant reader (he does stay up late reading actual books every night), but he likes the instant gratification of finishing books more quickly than I did at the same age.

JR: My kids are the same. How’s the market for them in Middle Grade?

AH: The market for middle grade, both graphic and not, is still very robust. Librarians are hugely helpful in getting titles found and backlisting well for years to come and national programs like Reading Olympics and summer reading lists and state lists provide a lot of ongoing revenue that doesn’t exist in the adult book market. That said, I’ve noticed publishers are definitely trying to devise newer formats to attract today’s technology-obsessed kids. Nathan and I recently read ESCAPE THIS BOOK: TITANIC, which, is definitely a fun way for kids to draw along their Titanic adventure. I’ve also noticed on a local level that at Nathan’s K-5 elementary school library (at which I’m a regular volunteer), the librarians are very keen to stock novels that are not too mature for a precocious first or second grade reader to enjoy. This might mean the stocking of more animal books, fantasy books, and fewer starting middle school/coming of age books. My community library (Ludington in Bryn Mawr, PA) still loves middle school coming of age and has an incredible collection, which, enables me to keep up on the hot books. But since a lot of middle schools are doing away with libraries and replacing them with “media centers”, it’s important to consider the needs of the elementary school library.

JR: Very good point. What advice can you give to authors?

AH: Still write what you love. Don’t write to trends. Be knowledgeable of what kids like and what the various emerging trends and formats are, but don’t feel like you need to jump on every bandwagon. And I think for people who are not writing graphic novels, we can still learn a lot from them in terms of how brevity and clever dialogue can be our friend in writing!

JR: Good advice. I’m always amazed by people who tell me that they are writing a book based on what’s selling now. What was your favorite book as a child?

AH: My favorites were Betsy-Tacy, All of A Kind Family, Anastasia Krupnick, Ramona, Judy Blume, Babysitter’s Club, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A LITLTE PRINCESS and SECRET GARDEN, Anne of Green Gables and anything by Karen Hurwitz. In school, I remember loving THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND and MY BROTHER SAM IS DAD!

JR: My daughter loves The Baby-Sitter’s Club books now that they have been done as graphic novels! Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like us to know, that I might not have asked?

AH: I can’t emphasize enough how important it is not to write to trends, and write what you love!

JR: Where can we find you on Social Media?

AH: Twitter! @agenthenkin

 

JR: Well, that’s it for now, my Mixed-Up friends! I’d like to once again thank Alyysa Henkin for taking the time to speak to us today!

Until next time . . .

Jonathan

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