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Edgar Is Coming!

By on March 4, 2019   /   Articles  

Do you ever have that panicky feeling when you don’t know what to read next? You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s very unpleasant, sort of like sand in a contact lens.

My solution for those moments is book award lists – the National Book Award, the Newbery, the Caldecott, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Booker, the Hugo, the Nebula, the Pulitzer. I could go on for days but you get the idea. Turning to the nominees and winners for these prizes is a quick way to stock that To Be Read pile with quality choices.

Which brings me to the Edgars, the prestigious award handed out each April by the Mystery Writers of America. I love mystery!  And this year the nominees for Best Juvenile served up seven titles I had not encountered before. They are now pleasingly stacked on my bedside table which means I can relax.

Maybe you will want to check them out, too.

Denis Ever After by Tony Abbott (HarperCollins Children’s Books – Katherine Tegen Books)

Denis Egan is dead.

He’s okay with that. It’s been five years since he died, and the place where souls go is actually pretty nice. Sure, there are some things about his life and how it ended he can’t quite recall, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. Remembering could prevent Denis from moving on to whatever’s next.

However, something is standing in his way. His twin brother Matt can’t let go of him, and as long as the living are holding on to his memory, Denis can’t rest in peace.

To uncover the truth about what happened that day five years before, Denis returns to his hometown and teams up with Matt. But visiting for too long has painful consequences for Denis, and Matt’s renewed interest in his brother’s passing is driving a wedge between his still-grieving parents.

Can the two boys solve the mystery of Denis’s death without breaking apart the family he’s left behind?

Zap! by Martha Freeman (Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books)

Luis Cardenal is toasting a Pop-Tart when a power outage strikes Hampton, New Jersey. Elevators and gas pumps fail right away; soon cell phones die and grocery shelves empty. Cold and in the dark, people begin to get desperate.

Luis likes to know how things work, and the blackout gets him wondering: Where does the city’s electricity come from? What would cause it to shut down?

No one seems to have answers, and rumors are flying. Then a slip of the tongue gives Luis and his ex best friend Maura a clue. Brushed off by the busy police, the two sixth graders determine they are on their own. To get to the bottom of the mystery, they know they need to brave the abandoned houses of Luis’s poor neighborhood and find the homeless teen legend known as Computer Genius. What they don’t know is that someone suspects they know too much, someone who wants to keep Hampton in the dark.

In this electrifying mystery, two can-do sleuths embark on a high-tech urban adventure to answer an age-old question: Who turned out the lights?

Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective by A.B. Greenfield (Holiday House)

Can a lazy cat and a dung-obsessed beetle really crack a mystery? Ra relishes his role as the Pharaoh’s beloved—and spoiled—cat. So when an amulet goes missing from the palace, Ra plans to keep enjoying his snacks and nap in the sun. But Ra’s friend Khepri, a wise and industrious scarab beetle, insists on investigating in order to save the young servant girl who has been framed for the crime.

Once Ra gets going, he decides that being a Great Detective isn’t so bad; in fact, he doesn’t mind being hailed as “Protector of the Weak and Defender of Justice.” The comically mismatched duo is on the case!

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson (Christy Ottaviano Books – Henry Holt BFYR)

Orphan Elizabeth Somers’s malevolent aunt and uncle ship her off to the ominous Winterhouse Hotel, owned by the peculiar Norbridge Falls. Upon arrival, Elizabeth quickly discovers that Winterhouse has many charms—most notably its massive library. It’s not long before she locates a magical book of puzzles that will unlock a mystery involving Norbridge and his sinister family. But the deeper she delves into the hotel’s secrets, the more Elizabeth starts to realize that she is somehow connected to Winterhouse. As fate would have it, Elizabeth is the only person who can break the hotel’s curse and solve the mystery. But will it be at the cost of losing the people she has come to car for, and even Winterhouse itself?

Mystery, adventure, and beautiful writing combine in this exciting debut richly set in a hotel full of secrets.

Otherwood by Pete Hautman (Candlewick Press)

“Hatred combined with lies and secrets can break the world.” Grandpa Zach used to say that before he died, but Stuey never really knew what he meant. It was kind of like how he used to talk about quantum physics or how he used to say ghosts haunted their overgrown golf course. But then one day, after Stuey and his best friend, Elly Rose, spend countless afternoons in the deadfall in the middle of the woods, something totally unbelievable happens. As Stuey and Elly Rose struggle to come to grips with their lives after that reality-splitting moment, all the things Grandpa Zach used to say start to make a lot more sense. This is a book about memory and loss and the destructive nature of secrets, but also about the way friendship, truth, and perseverance have the ability to knit a torn-apart world back together.

Charlie & Frog: A Mystery by Karen Kane (Disney Publishing Worldwide – Disney Hyperion)

All Charlie Tickler wants is for his parents to listen.

Charlie’s parents have left him (again). This time they are off to South Africa to help giant golden moles. And Charlie? He’s been dumped with his TV-obsessed grandparents. Lonely and curious, Charlie heads into the village of Castle-on-the-Hudson, where a frightened old woman gives him a desperate message-in sign language. When she suddenly disappears, Charlie is determined to find answers.

All Francine (aka Frog) Castle wants is to be the world’s greatest detective.

Frog, who is Deaf, would rather be solving crimes than working at the Flying Hands Cafe . When Charlie Tickler walks into the cafe looking for help, Frog jumps at the chance to tackle a real-life case.
Together, Charlie and Frog set out to decipher a series of clues and uncover the truth behind the missing woman’s mysterious message. Charlie needs to learn American Sign Language (fast) to keep up with quick-witted Frog. And Frog needs to gather her detective know-how (now) to break the case before it’s too late.

Discover the surprising ways people listen in debut author Karen Kane’s page-turning mystery filled with humor, intrigue, and heartwarming friendships.

Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground by T.R. Simon (Candlewick Press)

When Zora Neale Hurston and her best friend, Carrie Brown, discover that the town mute can speak after all, they think they’ve uncovered a big secret. But Mr. Polk’s silence is just one piece of a larger puzzle that stretches back half a century to the tragic story of an enslaved girl named Lucia. As Zora’s curiosity leads a reluctant Carrie deeper into the mystery, the story unfolds through alternating narratives. Lucia’s struggle for freedom resonates through the years, threatening the future of America’s first incorporated black township — the hometown of author Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960). In a riveting coming-of-age tale, award-winning author T. R. Simon champions the strength of a people to stand up for justice.

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My Recap of the PJ Library Author Trip to Israel

By on February 28, 2019   /   Articles  

Hello Mixed-Up Filers!

Hope you’re all well! It’s been some time since I’ve posted without it being an interview, and I’m glad to be able to have the chance to do it today. Why, you might be wondering? Well, I’m glad you asked. For those who are connected with me on social media, you probably recently saw me inundate my feed with tons of pictures of my trip to Israel. First off, I can’t even begin to say what a moving and emotional experience it was for me. I hadn’t been there since I was thirteen-years old. The last memory I had, before this trip, was having my Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall. I moved back to New York shortly after that, so I was glad to be able to experience the land through an adult lens.

So, what does any of this have to do with Middle Grade? My, you are filled with great questions today! Well, the trip was sponsored by PJ Library, which for those of you who don’t know, provides Jewish-themed books to children. It’s a wonderful organization, and this was the second consecutive year in which they gathered kidlit authors for a trip to Israel, in order to try and inspire them to write Jewish stories. I was extremely grateful and fortunate to be one of those chosen, and even more grateful and fortunate that I got to meet and spend time with other great authors, the majority of whom I’d only known through social media, but now got to meet in person.

Also going were Jonathan Auxier, Ariel Bernstein, Emma Carlson Berne, Adam Jay Epstein, Debra Garfinkle, Donna Gephart, Eric Kimmel, Leslie Kimmelman, Nancy Krulik, Debbie Levy, Katherine Locke, Leslie Margolis, Madelyn Rosenberg, Sean Rubin, Barney Saltzberg, Laura Shovan, and Mark Shulman. So many people whose work I had admired, and now got to meet in person.

Right from the beginning of the trip, they had us running from morning until night. First day was a trip through the Ramon Crater, a visit to a Bedouin tent to partake of coffee and tea, and an exhausting hike through the Ein Avdat desert springs, followed up by a return to the crater at night for some stargazing through high-powered telescopes. See, when I say exhausting, I mean exactly that. Long trails, high, steep steps, and ladders built into the sides of mountains, were just some of the things that were involved, and that was the very FIRST DAY! Needless to say, I slept well that night.

Besides that, we went to the top of Masada, floated on the Dead Sea, visited the Old City and the Western Wall, went hiking through tunnels under the city, went shopping in the market, and participated in an active archeological dig. The sense of history was overwhelming, which was great for someone who loves all things history, like me.

Oh, and the food! Did I mention the food? I already miss having a string of shawarma places for me to pick and choose from.

And even though I’m a huge history geek, some of the best moments of the trip were some of the simpler ones, like having lunch with an Ethiopian family, spending Friday night with an Israeli family for the Shabbat meal, and on our last full night, getting to have dinner with some members of the Israeli chapter of SCBWI and meeting authors and editors from Israel. Everyone was incredibly nice, and I’m hoping we all keep in touch.

On a surface level, this trip was great, because of getting to visit a fantastic place and getting to spend time with so many wonderful authors. I definitely feel a connection to them, since this was the trip of a lifetime, and I’ll always remember the people who went with me.

On a deeper level, I think the trip was important. As anyone who’s connected with me on social media can tell you, I’ve been harping on the need for Jewish characters in kidlit for a while. Not just Holocaust-based stories, which are still necessary, but just to see Jewish kids on the page. With antisemitism on the rise, globally, it’s nice to see an organization devoted to showing Jewish representation. While I do think there is a crying need for more inclusion in mainstream stories as well, it’s comforting to know that there is a place where kids can find it if they know where to go.

This trip did inspire me, and I have several Jewish-themed stories that I want to tell. Hopefully, I can get them out there, and some of the others will do so as well.

For any authors thinking about applying for future trips, I highly encourage you to do so. It was an amazing learning experience, as well as an opportunity to meet other authors.

If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to private message me on social media, and I’d be more than happy to answer when I can.

Well, my mixed-up friends, Dorian Cirrone is texting me to let me know that I’ve overshot my post limit by three words, so that’s it for now. In the meantime, you can visit the PJ Library page below, to learn more about their organization.

PJ Library

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little recap, and until next time . . .

 

Jonathan

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Agent Spotlight: Stacey Kendall Glick

By on February 27, 2019   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

Literary agent Stacey Kendall Glick is Vice President of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC. She brings a varied background in film and television development to her work as a literary agent, having held varied roles in entertainment including scouting for books to be adapted into feature films, a position as a story editor, and as a child actress who appeared on TV, in films and in theater. She represents a wide range of titles from nonfiction to adult, YA, and middle grade fiction and picture books. Her clients include four middle grade debuts for 2019: Jennifer Camiccia (THE MEMORY KEEPER), Wendy S. Swore (A MONSTER LIKE ME), Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo (RUBY IN THE SKY) and Jenni Walsh (the SHE DARED series). Stacey notes on her web page that she “wants to see more heartwarming, inspiring middle grade fiction and nonfiction.” Learn more about Stacey Glick at https://www.dystel.com/stacey-glick/.

Hi Stacey! Thanks so much for agreeing to chat with us. I’m really curious about how your background in film and TV influences your taste in middle grade fiction. Do you think you gravitate toward stories that feel like they’d be well suited for the big screen?

I think I’ve always been a naturally visual reader. As a childhood actress, then working in film and TV development before becoming an agent 20 years ago, stories that jump off the page and have a visual element always appealed to me. But I also appreciate quieter stories too. Not every book can be or should be a movie.

Several of your Novel19s middle-grade debut clients this year deal with some form of trauma. In Jen Camiccia’s book, THE MEMORY KEEPER, Lulu has a syndrome called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), which essentially means she recalls with near perfect clarity every moment of her life. And at the same time, her grandmother is suffering from trauma-induced amnesia and losing her memory. What drew you to this story?

I have four daughters, all of whom are middle grade (or newly graduated from) readers so I am always looking for books that resonate with me personally but I know will also appeal to my girls. I’m drawn to contemporary realistic stories that explore the often complicated relationships between family and friends, and kids who struggle with challenges and need to find solutions to their problems. To me, that’s real life and if we can teach our kids through books how to better navigate and manage a difficult world, we’ll all be better off for it.

Let’s talk about your another of our debut middle grade clients, Wendy Swore. Her book, A MONSTER LIKE ME, publishes on March 5. It’s been compared to both Wonder and The Thing About Jellyfish. Sophie, the protagonist, is a monster expert. And she’s also convinced that she is a monster because of a facial disfigurement. Can you talk about that a bit?

 

I loved the idea of this book from the pitch, and the minute I opened the first page, I had a feeling it was going to be a winner. The book is so warm and genuine, and Sophie is such an endearing character. Her struggles are unique to her but familiar enough to feel relatable to all readers. Her way of looking at the world and managing in it, despite having something that makes her so obviously “different” is what really made me fall in love with the book in the same way I did with Wonder when I first read it with my girls.

Are you an editorial agent? Is there any one piece of advice you give to middle grade authors? In other words, are there any common kinds of problems that you are good at helping MG authors fix?

I’ve been very fortunate to work with talented authors who are able to craft and create stories that are often in great shape at first draft stage. Both Jennifer and Wendy sent manuscripts to me that were almost ready to go. I really appreciate authors who go through multiple drafts and get feedback from writers’ groups and beta readers before they send it out to agents. It makes our job easier to be able to think about sales strategy and business decisions without having to focus too much on editorial concerns and an elaborate revision process. That said, if I fall in love with something and think it needs work, I will do what I have to do to create the best draft possible for submission before sending it out.

What can middle grade authors do to help teachers deepen the reading experience, or better help students engage with their texts, in the classroom?

I love when authors have the opportunity to engage with students. It’s such a wonderful way for a reading experience to come to life. Asking questions that readers can use to discuss the book and see things from a different perspective can help. This season I also represented the start of a middle grade nonfiction series called She Dared by Jenni L. Walsh. The series focuses on accessible biographies for middle grade readers of strong, brave young women. The first two books in the series are about Malala Yousafzai, the Afghani activist author, and Bethany Hamilton, the surfer who lost an arm to a shark attack but went on to become a professional surfer.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for the middle grade authors you represent, once they sign their first contract?

I think the hardest thing is to overcome what might be seen as modest sales for a first book, and then trying to sell a second book when an option publisher passes. It’s easier (though not easy) to do in children’s books than adult. But it still requires a very different and sometimes a more creative approach.

I should also mention another of your debut authors this year, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, whose marvelous contemporary middle grade, Ruby in the Sky, published in February to starred reviews in Kirkus and Booklist. It’s already become one of my very favorite middle grade novels. I needed to read that one with many tissues in hand. And you have a gorgeous picture book, Bird Watch by Christie Matheson, that just published yesterday. You’ve had quite a year!

Anything else you’d like to elaborate on that I haven’t asked you? How’s life treating you?

Good! I really enjoy my work with children’s books and authors. I also help to run a wonderful conference affiliated with Rutgers University, the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature (this year on October 19, 2019), which your readers might be interested in learning more about. It’s the only conference I know of that offers attendees a one-on-one meeting with an editor or agent, and because it’s local to NYC and just one day, we get a lot of agents and editors to attend. There’s always a great keynote speaker as well. Last year, we had Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple. Thanks for having me!

 

Connect with Stacey on Twitter at @staceyglick

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