Blog

Kathi Appelt–A Lovely Interview PLUS a Skype Giveaway

By on July 15, 2013   /   Book Lists  

kathi appeltKathi Appelt is the author of over a dozen picture books, as well as two wonderful middle grade novels.  Her New York Times best-seller “The Underneath” was a National Book Award finalist and received a Newbery Honor. “Keeper” won Kathy yet  more devoted fans, with its haunting story of a young girl convinced her mother is a mermaid.

Now Kathi’s written a rollicking tall tale,   “The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp”. Publishing July 23, it’s the story of raccoon brothers Bingo and J’miah, a 12 year old boy named Chap, and the beloved swamp they all fight to save.

Kathi recently stopped by for an interview.

true blue scouts

 

MUF: I’ve long been a fan of your picture books. (Can you say “Bubba & Beau” or “Toddler Two-Step”?) Could you comment on  your transition to writing middle grade?

KA: I’m not sure there was a big transition.  Even though I’ve always written picture books, I also wrote poetry, and a couple of other books for young adults, including a memoir and a collection of short stories.  I love being able to slip back and forth between audiences. However, I confess that it took me a long time to find my way into that middle grade zone.  I don’t know why because middle graders seem to have the hugest love for reading of the whole big bunch.  I’m glad I finally found my way.

MUF: As a reader, I’m always interested in where an author gets her ideas. As a writer, I’m (all too) aware of how many ideas do not, in fact, pan out as books. Could you say a little about how this process works for you?

KA: I have drawers full of unfinished books, all of which seemed like good ideas at the time.  It’s taken me years to figure out that an idea is not the same as a story.  What has changed for me is that now, once I get some germ of a story and begin putting the barest scribbles on the page, I really try to figure out what the ending is going to look like.  If I can do that, then I can usually find my way there.  That’s not to say that the eventual ending won’t change, only that I have to have some idea of where I’m going.  Otherwise I’ll just wallow in the deep, mucky middle for eternity. That’s not fun.

MUF:  The language in your books is always drop-dead gorgeous! From picture books to novels, they all beg to be read aloud. I know you love music–is there a relationship there?

KA: I think you are the first person to ask me that, and yet you’re so right!  Music plays an integral role in my writing.  I feel hugely influenced by it.  Not only am I inspired by really great lyricists, but I try to pay attention to rhythms and beats, and the ways that they can provide subtext.  This is especially important when I’m trying to create a certain tone in a story.  I also look for places in my prose where I can take “riffs,” that is, where it feels like I can improvise a bit with the language and with the way that the words are situated on the page.  I love that.  Thank you for asking.

MUF: Just the title of your new novel is so much fun to say! After two middle grade novels with pretty serious themes, what was it like to write such a funny tall tale?

KA: One morning Cynthia Leitich Smith sent me an email that said, “Write something funny.”  At first, I didn’t know what she was talking about.  Me?  Funny?  But after I thought about it some more, I realized that Cynthia was paying attention to me as a friend, and she knew that I needed some light in my life.  She was right.  And because I respect her so much, I decided to go with it.  And what I discovered—or rediscovered—in the process, was how much I truly love to write.  This book reminded me of that.  And I have Cynthia to thank for it.

MUF:  I hear there are some new kittens at your house–six to be exact!  Any chance there’s a kitten book on your horizon?

 KA: There’s always a chance for a kitten book, but next year, I actually have a dog book on the horizon.  It’s a picture book called “Mogie, the Heart of the House,” and it’s about the real live dog who lives at the Ronald McDonald House in Houston.  Not a single kitten.  Doesn’t it seem like something is wrong with that picture?

MUF: No! It’s no doubt going to be wonderful! Thanks so much for stopping on by, Kathi!

Kathi will give away a copy of her new book plus–are you ready–a free Skype visit to a class, book club, scout troop, or other middle grade group. The visit can be scheduled now or during the coming school year. To be eligible, all you need to do is leave a  comment below! 

 

Back to Top
Back to Top

Road Trip Books

By on July 12, 2013   /   Book Lists  

I am delighted each summer by the number of people who come to my library looking for audio books that will make a long drive much more enjoyable. There may be no other time during the year that these adults (both adults in a two-parent family) listen to an entire book with their children. That powerful shared experience is something that will be remembered for years to come.

So, what to choose? How about books where the characters are on their own road trips and summer adventures? Three — one new, two older and consistently reliable — are featured here to get started. But before we get to the list, I’d like to say how much there is to take in as a writer when listening to a book’s pacing, dialog, and how descriptive beats reveal so much about a character. Try listening to one you’ve read and see how you absorb it differently. Okay, now three books:

Road Trip by Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen:
Perhaps it seems a little uninspired to write about good audio books for family road trips with a book called Road Trip. But the thing is, this new book is just too perfect to ignore. Ben and his dad are two men on a mission: to rescue a border collie puppy. They set out on their journey with Atticus, their family’s 15-year-old border collie — just the three of them. By the time they get to the animal shelter, they’ve abandoned their truck for an old school bus, and the party of three is now a party of six. This book has a lot going on under the surface: father/son tensions and, later, mutual respect; unlikely people coming together for a common purpose; random characters who become close friends; and dogs. This is on the older end of middle grade books and has young teen appeal, too. As a writer, I especially enjoyed it for the dialog. (Length: 2 hours, 48 minutes.)

 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck:
A Newbery Honor book back in 1999, this historical novel (set in the 1930s) is actually connected short stories. Joey and Mary Alice, Chicago kids during the school year, spend their summers with their grandmother in a tiny town. “We could hardly see her town because of Grandma. She was so big, and the town was so small,” Joey tells us. Each story covers a different summer for the siblings, and the episodic style makes it ideal for car travel. You can take it in pieces or be eager for the next one. Richard Peck is a folksy, big-hearted and humorous storyteller who appeals to a wide range of ages, including multigenerational. I’ve often wished that we didn’t have different age sections in my library because there are many adults I’d love to hand his books, but many adults also aren’t as privileged as the rest of us to know how great middle grade fiction is. The writing lesson in this one is in the tight stories, each with a satisfying middle and end. (Length: 4 hours, 18 minutes.)

 

The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis: The Watsons’ road trip starts in Flint, Michigan, with the family heading to Alabama at a most precipitous time. I’m sure I’m not alone in considering this a classic in children’s lit. And I’m sure you’ve all read it. But have you had Levar Burton read it to you? Audio is a great way to take in the dialog and transitions of this beloved book. (Length: 4 hours, 57 minutes)

Readers of all ages often ask librarians if audio books “count” in their summer reading logs. Of course they do. Still, in our conversations we say “I listened to this book” rather than “I read …” I totally get that, as I phrase it that way, too, and recognize that I take in different things if I hear them or if I read them. But just as children benefit from seeing their parents reading books, perhaps they also grow by seeing their parents listening to books — enjoying books on various levels.

Journalist and essayist Judith Shulevitz’s piece Let’s Go Reading in the Car in the New York Times last spring talks about audio books as her family’s way of gathering around a campfire for a story. Fire was an important part of human evolution for many reasons. Perhaps it’s also important, Shulevitz says for “the moment someone first got up in front of the fire and told a story that showed the others — especially the children — the magnificence of the universe around them, and made them want to be bigger-souled than they’d been so far.”

 

 

Back to Top