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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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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Sarah Scheerger on debut OPERATION FROG EFFECT

By on February 25, 2019   /   Articles, Author Interviews, Diversity  

I just read an absolutely delightful debut called OPERATION FROG EFFECT (Random House), by author Sarah Scheerger. It’s funny, sometimes sad, has a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, and even includes a graphic novel element.  The multi-POV novel traces one transformative year in the life of teacher Ms. Graham’s fifth-grade students. Because of her innovative teaching style, students learn to rely on their own ingenuity, deepen their empathy for each other, and fight for what they believe in. Their story is told through their journal entries and drawings.

As I often do, I drafted my middle-grade son to read with me, and he loved it too, so when I got the chance to interview Sarah, I included some of the questions he had for her as well.

Interview with Sarah Scheerger

The Origins of OPERATION FROG EFFECT

MUF: What inspired you to write this book?

My fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Nubling, was innovative. He took risks, he made us think, and he understood when we made mistakes. He had a “growth mindset” before that was such a popular concept. He actually had us build our own model rockets in class and shoot them off on the school fields. (This probably wouldn’t happen today, but this was the eighties.) Mr. Nubling only had four fingers on one hand. One year (not my year), a student accidentally shot off his rocket while Mr. Nubling was still securing it in place. And despite losing a digit, Mr. Nubling continued to shoot off rockets every year with his fourth graders.

When I thought of writing a middle-grade novel, my upper elementary years jumped out at me as the most memorable. My character Emily has the voice most similar to my own fifth-grade voice. I connected with her need to belong and her confusion as her friend group shifts. All the characters in this story are fictional, of course.

MUF: Why did you decide to use a multi-POV approach?

I love the way multiple points of view provide the opportunity for misunderstandings, for unreliable narrators, and for a quick moving pace. I love the use of the graphic novel component (Blake’s voice) for multiple reasons. I see how my own children gravitate toward reading graphic novels, and I wanted a way to incorporate some of that element in this story. I thought perhaps the graphic novel component might widen the potential readership. Plus. . . I love how illustrations can convey emotions. Also, I wanted to create a character who has his own unique learning style. Blake is a student who struggles with writing but loves to draw.

Teaching Tolerance

MUF: I was fascinated by the Whistler/Non-Whistler project. Is that a real teaching model?

My fourth-grade teacher, Mr. Nubling, did this experiment with our class. To be honest, my memory is fuzzy, so I’m not sure whether he did an eye color experiment or based it on gender. I only remember my feelings of injustice! I was confused and upset… and that experiment has stuck with me ever since.

When writing this book, I researched the eye color experiment. It originated with a teacher, Jane Elliot. She talked about it on “Oprah” back in the nineties. Here’s a clip. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/02/jane-elliott-race-experiment-oprah-show_n_6396980.html

In my first version of Operation Frog Effect, I considered doing the actual “eye color experiment”. But after much thought, my editor and I decided the point would be most poignant if I selected something entirely random, like the ability to whistle. (By the way, I cannot whistle myself.)

About that Frog…

MUF: Frogs are an important symbol in many cultures – often indicating a need for transformation or cleansing, for a new perspective on life. I can’t help but wonder whether this symbolism tied into your choice of the frog as a class pet? Ms. Graham’s class had an incredibly transformative year!

You’re totally right. This was a transformative year for Ms. Graham’s class.
Sweet Kermit was an addition during my first round of edits. My editor and I were brainstorming titles and ideas for metaphors and themes. We decided that a class pet frog could bring out Blake’s nurturing/caring side, had the potential for fun complications (oops—frog on the loose!) as well as created fun cover art. (My heart melts for the frog on the cover of the book.)

The frog symbolism was important too. You’re right that frogs are an important symbol for many cultures, and my editor and I also loved the concept of making ripples. Frogs make ripples in the water, and my characters made ripples in the world. (I love the ripples on the cover too!)

Writing the Book

MUF: What is your favorite part?

I love Blake’s sections. Gina Perry did a fabulous job. I’m hopeful that his sections will reach kids in a different way than the traditional text. Interestingly, I rewrote all of Blake’s sections for the audiobook. It was a group effort—I worked together with the producer to transform the illustrations back into inner dialogue… what Blake would have been thinking as he was sketching. (This was so fun—the producer and I met for coffee and worked together!)

And the counselor in me loves the little tidbits of social-emotional learning that Ms. Graham shares with her class.

MUF: What was the hardest part of the book to write?

Oh, great question! I did find it challenging to keep track of threads and details across characters. I kept lists and charts. I wanted to give each character equal playing time, make sure they each had their own arc, their own strengths, and their own weaknesses. I wanted to be sure the voices were different enough to be distinct. I also took extra care with the representation of my diverse characters. I had seventeen different authenticity readers! Each reader shared different insights, from his/her own perspective. It was really important to both me and my editor that we take extra steps to be sure we represented each character authentically.

(Cool fact: the audiobook is narrated by nine different diverse voices. This was really important to me, and I’m so thrilled with the end result.)

MUF: How many times did you have to rewrite?

Too many to count! Let’s just say that I started this book when my daughter was born. And now
she’s four and a half!
I do love revisions, though. Once I have the skeleton of the book written, I enjoy going back and fine-tuning.

Writing Multiple POV

MUF: Multi-POV books can be a real challenge in revisions – how did you approach that challenge?

This was definitely a challenge! There were so many layers of revisions with this book. I managed this in a variety of ways, but mostly I followed these steps:
• I went through and revised threads/overall plot
• then went back through one voice at a time, looking carefully at how this specific change impacted each specific character (for example, all of Kayley’s entries, then all of Cecilia’s, etc.)
• And then… I went back through the whole manuscript from beginning to end.

These multi-layered revisions occurred many times throughout the revision process. One change in a single plot point impacted each character in his/her own unique ways. Each time I went through I found more details to change.

MUF: My son and I both had the same comps in mind as we read – BECAUSE OF MR. TERUPT by Rob Buyea, and THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY by Laura Shovan. Did either of those influence your writing or your choice to do multi-POV?

Perhaps on some level, the book Wonder impacted my choice to do Multi-POV. I have a huge author crush on that book. R.J. Palacio reached so many kids, and I’ve enjoyed watching how teachers have incorporated Wonder into their curriculum. Since I’m a school-based counselor, I love it when teachers find creative ways to incorporate social-emotional learning and empathy-building into their curriculum.

I think Because of Mr. Terupt and The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary are great comps too. In fact, you’ll find all these books (as well as tips about classroom activities) in the School Stories Educator’s Guide at the following link: https://images.randomhouse.com/promo_image/9780525644125_5528.pdf

Thank you for reading Operation Frog Effect! Here’s a link to the audiobook clip: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575577/operation-frog-effect-by-sarah-scheerger/9780525644125/

OPERATION FROG EFFECT, published by Random House, will be on shelves TOMORROW, February 26, 2019.

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