Book Lists

I write contemporary middle grade fiction for girls, and as a result I read a lot of contemporary middle grade fiction aimed at girls 8-12. I’m always interested in discussing and thinking about antecedents. What sorts of books were girls reading in the 19th and early 20th century, and are any of the tropes that we see in those books still around today? I’m thinking about books like A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) by Gene Stratton Porter or Susan Bogert Warner’s The Wide, Wide World (1859), a novel that Louisa May Alcott read. These books are examples of domestic fiction that influenced generations of readers. In both of these books, girls, who have been neglected and almost abandoned by adults, conquer their passions and find their place.

While sentimental fiction isn’t necessarily in vogue, and the term
domestic novel isn’t one you hear that much, I’d argue that it is still very prevalent in the middle grade category. However, it has taken a new form. While girls are not necessarily orphans they may be in a situation where a parent is absent through death, divorce, sickness or the demands of an outside job. The girl cannot rely on a constant mother figure out how to succeed. Instead, she relies on her own inner compass and learns from her friendships. Nature (much to my chagrin) doesn’t necessarily play a starring role (although it can, such as in the novel Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan). I’d like to call this sort of narrative– the neo-domestic middle grade novel. So just what is a domestic novel?

Donna Campbell in her text Domestic and Sentimental Fiction: 1820-1865 defines the genre this way:”a type of novel popular with women readers during the middle of the nineteenth century.” They were also called a “novel of sensibility.” These novels focused on the power of feelings and the triumph of the human spirit to overcome any struggle. This can be seen as a reaction against Calvinism, which viewed humans as inherently wounded.

According to critic Nina Baym, the basic plot involves a “the story of a young girl who is deprived of the supports she had rightly or wrongly depended on to sustain her throughout life and is faced with the necessity of winning her own way in the world.” By the end, she has a heightened sense of self worth and she views the world very differently.

In the neo domestic middle grade novel, I’m not talking about an orphan making her way in the world, but about a (usually) girl or girls navigating life at home and at school. The emphasis would be on the protagonist’s relationships with her peers and friends and how that affects her well-being. Relationships with siblings and parents are also important but they are usually linked to peer relationships. Feelings are ultra important.

A prime example of contemporary domestic girls middle grade fiction would be The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. Of course in this book friendships are found with siblings. The novel was inspired by Little Women, which is an example of domestic fiction in children’s literature which is still read today. Can there be domestic fiction for boys? Yes, but the majority of contemporary fiction written for boys would be adventure/action. However, I do believe that the humor genre, such as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books would fall in a subset of the category in many instances.

In girl’s fiction, you’ll also want to check out the books by Lauren Myracle. Her Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen novels would fall into the domestic novel category. Also, check out books by the British novelist Hilary McKay. I would argue that all of the novels in the MIX imprint of Aladdin/Simon & Schuster where I’ve been publishing recently would fall into that category as well. I’d also suggest looking at Rachel Vail’s Friendship Circle books, and I highly recommend The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O’Roark Dowell as an example of what I would like to call neo-domestic fiction.

Hillary Homzie is the author of 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.

Feeling just a little bit overwhelmed these days? Or a lot bit overwhelmed? You’re not alone. I have come to the conclusion that everyone feels overwhelmed. Constantly. It’s more or less a state of being for our world today.

On a recent Monday morning, the kids shuttled off to school, husband hard at work, I took a look at my to-do list for the day:

Laundry, groceries, straighten up house, drop off clothes for donation, get to the health club, make three doctor appointments, pick up prescription, call friend whose Mom is in hospital, pick up dry cleaning, schedule piano tuner…and, OH YEAH, get to that WIP!

What?

How come the ol’ work in progress is at the end of my list? That just ain’t right.

Do you find that to be true, as well? Everything else seems more pressing, or you can’t write until the house is tidied up and the laundry is put away, or you spend so much time doing errands and tasks, that by the time you sit down to write, you’re too exhausted to think?

Balance is an issue that weighs on many writers, especially those of us who work at home. Finding the time to write can be a challenge on many days. When I talk to other writers, I’m always curious how they juggle their writing time with all that other stuff.

I know many writers who attack their work first thing in the morning, still in their PJs, before the day gets away from them. Others get up before everyone else, writing at some ungodly hour in the morning. Still others work late at night when the rest of the house is fast asleep.

I’m not sure any of those options are right for me… For one, I think better when my teeth are brushed and I’m wearing actual clothing. Okay, and, I like to sleep! Plus, a messed-up house makes me completely crazy, I admit it!

In trying to come up with a plan that would work for me, I stumbled across this quote from Katherine Paterson:

“As I look back on what I have written, I can see that the very persons who have taken away my time are those who have given me something to say.”

Huh?

Wait…is she saying I shouldn’t despise that pile of laundry, sink full of dishes, and empty fridge? That they are somehow good things?

Is it possible that all this stuff that’s constantly on my to-do list, challenging my writing time, can actually fuel my writing? Give me ideas for characters, plot, setting?

I never thought about it that way. That’s a whole new ballgame.

So I have a plan now. Instead of resenting the to-do list tasks or feeling like I need to get through them all at once, I blend them in with my day. Straighten up house, write for one hour. Throw in a load of laundry, write for another hour. Get to a couple of phone calls and emails, write for another hour. Somehow, those little breaks in between my focused writing time allow my brain to process and review what I’ve written, and I get some other things done too!

Plus, when I took the laundry out of the dryer today, there was a nice chunk of gum stuck to my daughter’s jeans. Hmm… there’s a character in my WIP who is obsessed with gum-chewing…

Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of Calli Be Gold (Wendy Lamb Books 2011) and The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days (Wendy Lamb Books, coming April 2014). She can be found at micheleweberhurwitz.com and on her Facebook author page.

Hello Mixed-Up Filers!

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had a great time and are now ready to kickstart 2014.

Amazingly enough, it looks like I’m the first post of the year. Yeah, I know, I was surprised too. But, I don’t think Elissa Cruz expected all the other bloggers to be away on vacation this week. I mean, when she called me, I could hear it in her voice when she said, “Every. Single. One.”

She kiddingly asked me if there was anyone I could get to write something, but I knew that was just here way of asking me to do it. I told her that there was no need to panic, and that luckily I was still around and could do it.

And I must say, it warmed my heart when she acknowledged that by saying, “Yeah, lucky.” Well, she did sigh right after, but I knew that it was probably out of contentment.

In any event, here I am. And seeing how, according to the calendar we use, my next scheduled turn isn’t until February 27, 2026, I better make the most of it this time.

But, what to write about? That’s always been my dilemma. I always wrack my brains trying to think about topics, but this time it was sort of handed to me. It’s the New Year. And seeing how a new year is about resolutions, reflections and new beginnings, that’s what I decided to write about.

The new year always signals a new beginning, but I always take that as more of a mental thing. I mean, things in your life just don’t change because the calendar flips from December 31 to January 1. Although, I know most of us wish they could. That turn of the page is a mental do-over. A ‘Let’s try this thing again’ moment. For me personally, that couldn’t be more true. 2013 to put it simply…sucked. No, not everything in it, of course, but enough of them to weigh on you. For me, that’s where writing has always come in. Writing has always been my escape. When things happen in the real world, I am able to disappear into a world of my choosing, my creation. And I am thankful for that. No, I’m not quite where I want to be yet as far as writing goes, but I’m still grateful to be able to do it and find some time for it.

So, that’s what I wanted this first post of 2014 to be about. The things that I am grateful for. And since this is a site devoted to the world of Middle Grade, I will keep my thanks to the things that pertain to this writing thing I do. Well, other than the members of my family, who put up with it and me, without complaining…too much, but then again, they sort of have to, no?

First off, I am grateful for being able to write here at Mixed-Up-Files. I think it is a great site, with lots of great information and I’m pleased to be a part of it. Heck, I even read it on the days when it’s not my turn to post.

And speaking of my posts, I’m also grateful to the seven of you (give or take a couple) who actually read them, and one of them may or may not be my mother.

I am grateful for the friends I have, both new and old, who’ve been supportive and encouraging. Been good to have friends to lean on during some tough times and share the good times as well. I am also grateful for the friends I have made on Facebook and through other social media sites. It is absolutely amazing to me how this writing community works on that site. I receive friend requests from total strangers and send requests to total strangers and I accept and other people accept mine. And what happens , is everybody starts becoming friendly. Everybody also tries to help each other. Either with information, suggestions or advice. Writing is a tough business, and it is nice to see that people are willing to help each other out. Can you imagine other professions doing this? I have made friends with some people on Facebook, who I now feel like I know very well. I’ve gotten to know them and know their personalities and what’s going on in their lives. It’s truly an amazing thing.

I am also grateful for the people in my critique group, who have been gracious enough to share their stories with me and who have patiently listened to mine and offered their insight into how to make it better.

So, even though, I’m not quite where I want to be yet, I’m pushing along with a hope and determination that this will be the year that I do get there.

And, for everybody else who isn’t quite where they want to be yet, I hope this is the year that it finally happens for you too.

For those who have already reached where they want to be, I wish you continued and even greater success.

But, to everybody, I wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that this year you get whatever it is that your dream is.

And as always, thank you for reading.