Book Lists

Debut Author Adam Shaughnessy Tells the Truth about The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib

By on October 9, 2015   /   Author Interviews, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians  

UnknownDebut author Adam Shaughnessy shares his writing journey in penning The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib, a mystery full of plot twists and plenty of mythology. Despite the title of his novel, Adam appears to have told the entire truth and is not a fibber. Although this cannot be verified.

1) Norse gods and other mythic beings and creatures populate your very exciting mystery adventure. How did you decide to focus in on chiefly Norse mythology for this book?

For years, I’ve had an enrichment business where I visit schools, after-schools, and other organizations with story-based enrichment programs. Many of the stories I work with involve mythology. So I’ve been thoughtful for some time about how many amazing mythologies exist around the world and how few of those mythologies get presented to kids, either through school or through popular culture. When I started my programs about fifteen years ago, kids were basically introduced to Greek and Roman myths (that’s changed a little since then, but not too much). I focused on other world myths, including Norse mythology, in my programs to help diversify kids’ exposure. So Norse myths have been on my radar for a while.

When I decided to novelize my storytelling and write the book that eventually became The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB, I looked at all the different mythologies I’d worked with over the years in order to decide which set of myths to focus on. In the end, I couldn’t resist the Norse myths. Part of the reason for that decision was thematic—I knew that the book’s plot would revolve around something called The Unbelievable FIB and Norse mythology boasts one of the best liars out there, Loki. But, really, I focused on Norse mythology for the simple reason it’s awesome. The settings are fantastic. The cosmology of the myths is based on the premise that there’s a giant tree so large that it holds the worlds of the gods, of people, and of the dead in its branches. And the characters that populate those worlds are both wicked and wonderful—often at the same time. Plus they have Ratatosk, the talking insult squirrel, and I don’t think characters get any better than that! So Norse mythology was too tempting of a playground not to go there and play.

2) Mr. Fox is a very intriguing character who lives in a magical henhouse. How did you come up with this idea for the henhouse?

Mister Fox introduces himself as a detective who investigates mysteries that involve myth and magic. I wanted his house, the headquarters of his detective agency, to be memorable. Since I knew I was dealing with mythology in the book, I thought about the most magical structures I remembered from the myths I had read. Baba Yaga’s house sprang immediately to mind.

It’s funny, though—I wasn’t immediately sold on the idea. I knew I wanted to focus on Norse mythology for the book’s main plot. I was worried about trying to add Russian mythology into the mix, too.

At the time I was thinking about all this and working out the book’s plot, I was also still doing my enrichment programs. Those programs utilized the character Mister Fox (though in a slightly different form). I built a lot of props for my programs, and I remember standing in a craft store one day with the idea of building a detective’s briefcase for Mister Fox. I had an old black leather case at home. But while I was at the store I came across a wooden briefcase. I got the idea that Mister Fox’s briefcase should be magical… maybe made from wood from a witch’s house. I saw the image of the briefcase in my head immediately—mysterious lights seeping through the cracks between splintered planks of wood. And that briefcase would copy the design of Mister Fox’s house.

Just like that I was back to Baba Yaga and the idea of the Henhouse, which gets its name from Baba Yaga’s odd ideas about mobile home construction (her house travels by chicken foot). It may sound like an odd process, but one of the things I’ve learned about myself as a writer is that I do well when I approach a story as more than just words on a page. Plotting takes on a whole new dimension if I build something related to the story—it gets my brain working in different ways!

3) Without giving anything away, The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib, involves some red herrings, buried clues, puzzles and other classical mystery elements. What did you learn about mystery writing from this experience?

First of all, I gained a whole new appreciation for mysteries. We all know that reading is an interactive experience. It starts with the writer, but it doesn’t end there. The reader creates the story, too. Through interpretation and imagination, the reader adds things of her or his own. That interactivity is one of the things I like best about sharing stories. Mysteries, I found, really enhance that dynamic. This is especially true of fair play stories, where the clues to solving the mystery are there for the reader to find. Suddenly the book becomes a game that the author and reader play together. I LOVE that! Until I wrote the book, I hadn’t thought about mysteries in that way.

Also, I like how mystery writing forces the author to think very carefully about how much information she or he gives out, and how soon. All writers have to do that, really, but I think it’s especially important in writing a mystery. You can’t be too vague or too obvious with your clues.

4) The main character, Pru, is grieving for her deceased father; we learn about him slowly and Pru’s grieving is handled deftly. Did it take you a while to figure out how to deal with this sort of backstory, in a way that wouldn’t interrupt the tone of your novel?

Yes! I’m someone who works out a plot by writing. I don’t start with an outline. I go right into the first draft. And in my very first draft of FIB (which had a very different narrative voice) I explicitly state that though Pru’s father is dead, this story is not about that. And I honestly believed that statement when I wrote the first draft! Then I finished the draft, got my first glimpse of the true shape of the story, and realized I was an idiot. That, in fact, the story was very much about Pru’s dad’s death and how Pru feels about the loss. And, yes, it was a long process to figure out how to incorporate that plot line, how much weight to give it, and when. It was trial and error. I don’t think I was at all happy with it until around the third or fourth draft.

5) A certain talking squirrel is one of my favorite characters. He has some great and creative insults later in the book. Did his personality evolve over time or did his wisecracking ways come to you right away?
Ratatosk, the talking insult squirrel, is one of my favorites, too! He’s a character in Norse myths, though he gets very little mention in the stories and nothing is said about his personality. That seemed like a huge oversight to me. He’s a talking insult squirrel. That’s star material, as far as I’m concerned. So I always knew Ratatosk would have a role in my book and because of that, I figured out his personality pretty early on in the process.

It did take a little work. Because the myths don’t develop the character, I had to figure out who he was, what he was like, and how he communicated. All we get in the myths is a passing reference to the fact that he carries insults from a dragon at the base of Yggdrasil (the world tree) to an eagle at the top. I imagined that it would be frustrating for poor Ratatosk to have the unique status as the world’s only talking squirrel but to be forced to only carry messages for others—to never get to speak his own thoughts, or really be heard. So he’s a bit of a show off when he talks—always using as many words as he can and always picking the fanciest words he can think of. Of course, I also had to account for the fact that Ratatosk has spent eons carrying insults. That kind of thing is bound to rub off on a squirrel. So he’s a little abrasive at first. Really, though, he has a heart of gold!

6) ABE, Pru’s new friend and sidekick is gifted with puzzles. Is this something you are personally good at as well?

Good at? Um… yes? Okay, that’s a fib. But I like puzzles—a lot. As with the mystery element, I think the inclusion of puzzles in the book adds another opportunity for interactivity. Riddles and puzzles give the reader something to play with. I hinted at this earlier, but I suppose it deserves a greater emphasis because it’s really important to me: I love any opportunity to blend story and play. I think both those things are hugely important for children (and adults, but we’re talking about children’s literature here). I’ve carried that belief with me through two decades of working with and now writing for children, and I suspect (and hope!) that I will continue to carry it with me for many years to come.

7) The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib wraps up to a satisfying conclusion, and yet the reader is left with the feeling that the 11 year-old protagonist Prudence Potts will tackle many more mythic mysteries and adventures in the future. In fact, a sequel is planned. When you wrote this novel did you have a series in mind for it?
I did. And this brings us back to your first question, which is a nice bit of symmetry. There are so many wonderful collections of myths out there from all around the world. I think a detective agency that investigates the actions of mythological beings could be a neat vehicle through which to explore those mythological realms. I am, of course, biased.

8) Is there anything else you’d like us to know about your book?
Writers like to play with conventions, I think. We like to turn them inside-out and see what makes them tick. One of the things I like the most about The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB is that it plays with a very popular convention we see in stories for children—the idea that you have to believe in magic to experience it. In FIB, it’s the people who aren’t sure what they believe who can experience magic. It’s the uncertain people, the people with an open mind. It works in the context of the book (I hope!) as a magical system. But it also speaks to something I’m very thoughtful about these days as I go through life—the need to not be so certain about our own ideas and beliefs that we lose the ability to listen to the ideas of others or to see things from their perspective. I hope that also resonates with my readers. Unknown-1

Hillary Homzie is the author of the forthcoming Queen of Likes (Simon & Schuster MIX 2016), The Hot List (Simon & Schuster MIX 2011) and Things Are Gonna Be Ugly (Simon & Schuster, 2009). She can be found at hillaryhomzie.com and on her Facebook page.

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The Sister Solution Blog Tour Author Interview: Trudi Trueit

By on October 6, 2015   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, Fiction, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers, Writing  

Thanks so much to Trudi Trueit for joining us on The Mixed Up Files today!

TTrueit

We’re thrilled about Trudi’s new release, The Sister Solution.

sister

Just so our readers are aware, Trudi and I have known each other for awhile now. I’m so honored to be the one to conduct this interview as part of The Sister Solution Blog Tour!

Sister_Tour

Let’s get right to the interview, shall we?

MUF: Trudi, we met when you did a book fair event for our school. It was obvious to me from the start that you love to work with kids. Can you please share with us what you most enjoy about connecting with your readers?

TT: From a young age, I found comfort and power in books and, in particular, writing. I was a shy girl, but through my stories I could be all of the things I thought I wasn’t in real life. I could be brave. I could be strong. I could even be magical! And the more I wrote, the more I started to realize that maybe I wasn’t just those things on the page. Maybe I had little tiny bit of them within me. Writing gave me the confidence to come out of my shell and try new things. It became my passion to write stories, both fiction and nonfiction (I was a journalist before I wrote books for children). So when I get to connect with young readers and writers, the thing that thrills me most is seeing that same light turn on in them. When they have read something that makes them see the world from a different point of view or when they have written something they didn’t even know they had in them, it’s pure joy. I know that, like me, they are forever changed. They are finding all of that potential within themselves. They are brave. They are strong. They are magical.

MUF: Wow, thanks for that answer! As a kid who grew up feeling much the same as you, I deeply appreciate the way you’ve been able to tap into that magic and share it with kids. I’ve seen the lights turn on with kids and your books, and it’s pure joy.

As a school librarian, I know your books well. You write your nonfiction in particular for many ages, but I’d say that your fiction is all for middle grade readers (though Scab appeals to younger kids, too, he is very much loved by 3rd and even 4th graders!). What led to your focus on books for this age group?

TT: Fourth grade was when I found my own voice through writing, so I think that’s why this age group appeals to me. There is something inherently special about being nine or ten years old. You are just beginning to discover who you truly are, what your values are, what you want out of life, and where you want to go. All of these possibilities intrigue me and I find it to be rich with material. To me, it’s the ‘golden age.’

MUF: What a great answer. I find that the Middle Grade age range challenges and feeds me at the same time, as a writer and as a librarian, too. Of course, I’m not sure I’ve ever grown beyond 10 years old myself!

The Sister Solution, like Stealing Popular, is about facing the pressures of school and relationships head on. Where did the idea for this book get its start? Was it an “aha!” moment, or a slow development of an idea?

TT: I do love writing about relationships! I find it fascinating to deconstruct them. It is the journey we all take together. We are all trying to figure out what makes the people around us tick. I’ve known for quite a while I wanted to write about two sisters, who were polar opposites, that had to figure out how to navigate their differences to save their relationship. I started writing the book from the elder sister’s point of view but I wasn’t more than a few chapters in when I knew something was wrong. It was one-sided. I realized that if I truly wanted to explore what each sister was thinking and feeling I had to do it in her words. I switched to alternating points of view and that seemed to do the trick!

MUF: I love this, thanks for sharing your journey to find the right voice for this book. Can you please tell us a little more about your writing process? I happen to know that cats are involved, but beyond that, what does a typical workday look like for you?

TT: As I type this my cat, Pippin, is demanding I play with him so I’ll make it quick, because I am, after all, his servant. My routine is not too exciting. I am usually at my desk by 7:30 a.m. to answer emails and do a few promotional tasks (PR is an essential part of a writer’s job). I will write from 8:30 to about 4:00 p.m., with a few breaks to play with Pippin, check emails, and return phone calls. I might also have a Skype visit with a class. When I have a new book coming out – like now – I will go ride my bike or do a work-out, have dinner and then return to my desk for a few hours to handle some of the tasks that go along with marketing, like updating my website, blog tour interviews, promotional mailings, etc.

MUF: I wonder if we should tell our readers that Pippin has his own Facebook page…

Before you go, the librarian in me always has to ask:

Is there a favorite book you’d like to share from your own middle grade years? We’d love to hear about a book that stuck with you from your childhood.

TT: My favorite book, the one I read again and again, was Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E.L. Konigsburg (also, of course, the author of From the Mixed Up Files – another one of my favorites). Elizabeth, the main character, was the first character from a book that I could completely relate to. She got me. And I got her. I wanted to have more friends, and so did she. I wanted to be extraordinary, and so did she. This book is why I love writing realistic fiction so much, because while I could always find pieces of myself in a fantasy realm, I could find ALL of myself in a real one.

MUF: You’ve expressed so well how a book can reach a reader, and why the books you chose reached you – thank you! I want to remember these words when I share my favorites with young readers. It’s so helpful for kids if we don’t assume that favorites are the same for everyone.

Thanks again for visiting with us today, Trudi. We’re very excited for Sister Solution, and we hope you have all kinds of success with it!

We’re so grateful that Trudi could stop by today. You can visit her webpage to find information about the rest of the blog tour and her other books, author visits and more.

You can also download the reader’s guide for The Sister Solution.

Follow Trudi on Twitter, and  keep up with the latest with the hashtag #SisterSolutionBlogTour.

Trudi’s Facebook page .

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October New Releases

By on October 2, 2015   /   Book Lists  

Did you happen to see recent headlines about how independent book stores aren’t just surviving, they’re actually thriving? The Week magazine summarizes findings and offers its own spin on why book stores are vital, including the fact that they “curate and recommend in a human way.” That point is crucial for middle grade readers who depend (often unknowingly) on parents, librarians, teachers, and booksellers to help them find the right book at the right time. We here at the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors take the privilege of being able to curate and recommend quite seriously — and joyfully. And with that, we happily present you with fifteen choice middle grade books heading to book store and library shelves this month:

house arrestHouse Arrest by K.A. Holt (Oct. 6)
Probation is a strange word, something that happens to other kids, to delinquents, not to kids like Timothy. And yet that’s exactly where he is: under house arrest, checking in weekly with a probation officer and a therapist, forced to keep a journal AND keep out of trouble for an  entire year.  When he needs to take drastic measures to help his struggling family, staying out of trouble proves more difficult than Timothy ever thought it would be. Touching and funny, this is a novel in verse about a boy navigating his world with a sick brother, a grieving mother, and one tough probation officer.

the restThe Nest by Kenneth Oppel,  illustrations by Jon Klassen (Oct. 6)
For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered. This is a haunting gothic tale for fans of Coraline, with illustrations from Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen.

highly unusual magicA Tale of Highly Unusual Magic by Lisa Papademetriou (Oct. 6)
Kai and Leila are both finally having an adventure. For Leila, that means a globe-crossing journey to visit family in Pakistan for the summer; for Kai, it means being stuck with her crazy great-aunt in Texas while her mom looks for a job. In each of their bedrooms, they discover a copy of a blank, old book called The Exquisite Corpse. Kai writes three words on the first page and suddenly, they magically appear in Leila’s copy on the other side of the planet. Kai’s words are soon followed by line after line of the long-ago, romantic tale of Ralph T. Flabbergast and his forever-love, Edwina Pickle. As the two take turns writing, the tale unfolds, connecting both girls to each other, and to the past, in a way they never could have imagined. From the author of Confectionately Yours. 

dream on amberDream On, Amber by Emma Shevah (Oct. 6)
As a half-Japanese, half-Italian girl who thinks her name is ridiculously long, Amber Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto is not feeling molto bene (very good) about making friends at her new school. But the hardest thing about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and he isn’t coming back. Not for her first day of middle school and not for her little sister’s birthday. So Amber will have to dream up a way for the Miyamoto sisters to make it on their own..

 

tournament of gorlanThe Tournament at Gorlan by John A. Flanagan (Oct. 6)
The first in a prequel to the Ranger’s Apprentice series, this one features one ofour favorite Rangers, Halt.  When Halt and Crowley discover that the ambitious Morgarath has been infiltrating the Rangers in order to corrupt the Corps, the young Rangers travel north to find Prince Duncan, seeking a royal warrant to stop Morgarath before it is too late. This origin story brings readers to a time before Will was an apprentice, and lays the groundwork for the epic battles that will culminate with The Ruins of Gorlan and The Burning Bridge, Books 1 and 2 of the Ranger’s Apprentice series.


bubble wrap boyThe Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle (Oct. 13)
Charlie Han’s troubles are much bigger than he is. At school he’s branded an outsider, a loser … the tiny kid from the Chinese takeout. His only ally is Sinus Sedgely, a kid with a lower-level reputation than Charlie himself. Life at home isn’t much better. His dad is more skilled with a wok than he is with words, and his mom is suffocating the life out of Charlie, worried about his every move. But when a new passion leads Charlie to the mother of all confrontations, he finds his real mom has been hiding a massive secret. A secret that might actually lead Charlie to feeling ten feet tall. From a Kirkus review: “In the fast-growing bullying genre, Charlie’s story stands out. This isn’t a kid who will do anything to join the cool clique. This is a story about staying true to yourself and following your passion.”

big gameBig Game by Stuart Gibbs (Oct. 13)
Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle’s resident zoo sleuth when a rhinoceros is at risk in this companion to Belly Up and Poached. When someone takes aim at Rhonda Rhino, FunJungle’s pregnant (and endangered) Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros, the zoo steps up security measures in order to protect this rare animal and her baby. But the extra security isn’t enough–someone is still getting too close for comfort. Teddy and company start to suspect that whoever is after Rhonda is really after her horn, which is worth a lot of money on the black market.

red shoesThe Red Shoes and Other Tales by Metaphrog  (Oct. 13)
A collection of tales in a graphic novel format that also includes The Little Match Girl. In the title story, Karen, the child of peasants, grew up with a pair of red shoes. Then, when her parents died, Karen was adopted by a rich old woman who gave Karen a new pair of red shoes that would make princesses green with envy. This newfound wealth causes Karen to forget her humble origins and grow up to become a cruel and vain adult. Then, one day, the red shoes that sparked her greed come to life and steer Karen down a path she never would have imagined in her wildest dreams.

sandriderSandRider by Angie Sage (Oct. 13)
Book Two in the TodHunter Moon trilogy, a spinoff of the popular Septimus Heap series. Taking place seven years after the events of the original Septimus Heap series, TodHunter Moon tells the story of Alice TodHunter Moon, a young PathFinder who comes to the Castle with a Magyk all her own. In this second book, Tod sets out for the Desert of the Singing Sands to retrieve the Egg of the Orm—a journey that will test not only her Magykal and PathFinding skills but her friendships, too.

blind guide to stinkville A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel (Oct. 13)
Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville. Now she finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be. To prove it, Alice enters the Stinkville Success Stories essay contest. No one, not even her new friend Kerica, believes she can scout out her new town’s stories and write the essay by herself. The funny thing is, as Alice confronts her own blindness, everyone else seems to see her for the first time.

sliver of stardustA Sliver of Stardust by Marissa Burt (Oct. 20)
Wren Matthews thought she’d outgrown nursery rhymes a long time ago. But that was before she knew that songs of twinkling little stars and four-and-twenty blackbirds were the key to an ancient, hidden magic. Wren’s discovery catapults her into a world of buried secrets, strange dreams, and a mountain fortress under an aurora-filled sky. But just as she starts to master her unique abilities, her new world begins to crumble around her . . . and only she can save it.

The Secrets of the Pied Piper 1: The Peddler’s peddler's roadRoad by Matthew Cody (Oct. 27)
It is said that in the thirteenth century, in a village called Hamelin, a piper lured all of the children away with his magical flute, and none of them were ever seen again. Today, pink-haired Max and her little brother, Carter, are stuck in modern-day Hamelin with their father . . . until they are also led away by the Piper to a place called the Summer Isle. There they meet the original stolen children, who haven’t aged a day and who have formed their own village, vigilantly guarded from the many nightmarish beings that roam the land. No one knows why the Piper stole them, but Max and Carter’s appearance may be the key to returning the lost children of Hamelin and to going home themselves. But to discover the secrets of the Piper, Max and Carter will have to set out on a mysterious quest down the dangerous Peddler’s Road.

league of unexeptional childrenThe League of Unexceptional Children by Gitty Daneshvari (Oct. 20)
Just what is The League of Unexceptional Children? You may not have heard of the actual organization (it’s undercover) but this is a series you’ll remember. This covert network uses the nation’s most average, normal, and utterly unexceptional children as spies. Why the average kids? Why not the brainiacs? Or over achievers? Or the jocks?  It’s simple: People remember them. But not the unexceptionals. They are the forgotten ones. Until now. A humorous start to a new mystery series.

odds of getting evenThe Odds of Getting Even by Sheila Turnage (Oct. 6)
The trial of the century has come to Tupelo Landing, North Carolina.  Mo and Dale, aka Desperado Detectives, head to court as star witnesses against Dale’s daddy–confessed kidnapper Macon Johnson. Dale’s nerves are jangled, but Mo, who doesn’t mind getting even with Mr. Macon for hurting her loved ones, looks forward to a slam dunk conviction–if everything goes as expected. Of course nothing goes as expected. Macon Johnson sees to that. In no time flat, Macon’s on the run, Tupelo Landing’s in lockdown, and Dale’s brother’s life hangs in the balance. With Harm Crenshaw, newly appointed intern, Desperado Detectives are on the case. But it means they have to take on a tough client–one they’d never want in a million years. This is the second follow up to the Newbery honor book Three Times Lucky. 

lightning queenThe Lightning Queen by Laura Resau (Oct 27)
Nothing exciting happens on the Hill of Dust, in the remote mountains of Mexico in the 1950s. There’s no electricity, no plumbing, no cars — just day after day of pasturing goats. And now, without his sister and mother, eleven-year-old Teo’s life feels even more barren. And then one day, the mysterious young Esma, who calls herself the Gypsy Queen of Lightning, rolls into town like a fresh burst of color. Against all odds, her caravan’s Mistress of Destiny predicts that Teo and Esma will be longtime friends. Suddenly, life brims with possibility. With the help of a rescued duck, a three-legged skunk, a blind goat, and other allies, Teo and Esma must overcome obstacles to fulfill their impossible destiny. Inspired by true stories derived from rural Mexico, The Lightning Queen offers a glimpse of the encounter between two fascinating but marginalized cultures–the Rom and the Mixtec Indians.

class dismissedClass Dismissed by Allan Woodrow (Oc.t 27)
What could possibly go wrong in a teacher-free classroom? Class 507 is the worst class Ms. Bryce has ever taught. And she would know — she’s been teaching forever. They are so terrible that when a science experiment goes disastrously wrong (again), Ms. Bryce has had it and quits in the middle of the lesson. But through a mix-up, the school office never finds out. Which means … Class 507 is teacher-free! The students figure that if they don’t tell anyone, it’ll be one big holiday. Will it?

(Note: Book descriptions here are modified from summaries provided by publishers.)

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