For Parents

What does getting a Starred review from Kirkus mean?

I was enjoying an evening of golf and dinner with my husband and friends. I left my phone at home. When we got home to walk our lovable two-year-old Labrador (who has the incredible literary name of Luna), I grabbed my phone. As I fired it up, I had several texts from my editor, Michelle Houts.

“Hey! I’m so very excited and happy for you, the shining star (think emoji) of our series!! Congratulations! (Another emoji.)

I sent a text back. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Julie…you got a Kirkus STARRED REVIEW for Virginia Hamilton.”

At which point I called Michelle and had a memorable, fun conversation about this good fortune that has been bestowed on my recently released middle-grade biography of the most honored author of children’s literature.

Wow.

Even though this all occurred about a month ago, I’m still pinching myself. My third book published, just my second biography, and I’ve received this incredible validation of my writing abilities. And to be honest, from the outset, I didn’t really know the significance or the impact the glorious review meant. So, being the true-blue, nonfiction writer I am, I did my research.

Kirkus is one of four magazines that review books for publishers, for a fee.

Publishers Weekly is considered the leading magazine covering every aspect of “creating and selling the written word…” Over 7,000 book and media reviews are conducted each year. Subscribers shell out $250 annually for the benefit of reading the magazine. Kirkus gives individuals in the industry a preview of the most notable books being published, weeks before they are released. Kirkus sends out weekly emails to subscribers, doling out their reviews. Digital and print subscriptions cost $200 a year.

Library Journal and Booklist are the other two, and geared mainly toward librarians.  Booklist reviewers are affiliated with the American Library Association and reviews over 8,000 books annually. Library Journal reviewers are librarians and library experts who review a similar number of books as Booklist.

All four offer Starred Reviews.

But getting one from Kirkus is a whole different level, so I’m told. Kirkus has a reputation in author’s circles as being, well, let’s say persnickety. Harsh was another adjective used.

So, getting a Starred review is even more significant. It symbolizes excellence in writing. As the Kirkus website offers, “The Kirkus Star is one of the most prestigious designations in the book industry.”

When I shared the news with Arnold Adoff, the late Ms. Hamilton’s husband, he shared that in all the many years he and Virginia wrote, “getting a star from Kirkus was the hardest.”

So, what does that review mean? For me, that little star hopefully shines a big light on Virginia’s life journey, and ultimately creates new readers and fans of her work.

Virginia Hamilton Cover

She’s the real star.

A Wonder Women Summer

This will always be the summer of Wonder Woman. Finally, a superhero with box office clout who just happens to be…female. I left the theater buzzing with the thrill but also with my fingers crossed that this opens the door to more strong female characters making it to the screen.

Because what girls and boys see up there matters. And what they read matters, too.

I’ve been feeling lucky on behalf of middle grade readers these days because there is an abundance of adventure stories out there with girl protagonists. No longer the side kicks, these mighty girls are driving the story. Full of thrilling action, whip smart characters and a touch of good old fashioned chaos to keep things interesting, this is summer reading at its best.

I have lots of favorites but I don’t want to blow up the blog so I’m limiting my list to a few recent releases:

 

Holly Farb and the Princess of the Galaxy

by Gareth Wronski

I laughed out loud at this adventure of mistaken identity. Holly is determined to do well in school so she can enter the prestigious Falstaff Academy. This does not endear her to her classmates. When three strangers show up and ask Holly if she’s ‘important’, she says yes. This results in kidnapping by space pirates, not your everyday kind of problem. They think she is a princess and whisk her away into a world of aliens and other bizarre space creatures. School Library Journal describes it as ‘An intergalactic romp filled with humor and adventure.’ And I couldn’t agree more. A perfect addition to your summer reading.

 

A Dash of Dragon

by Heidi Lang and Kati Bartkowski

A novel written by sisters has to be fun and this one delivers. Lailu Loganberry is an expert at hunting dangerous beasts. And she’s even better at cooking them. At thirteen years old, this master chef has a lot to prove as she tries to run a five-star restaurant, cook the perfect dragon cuisine, repay a greedy loan shark, and outsmart the Elven mafia in a novel full of fantasy, humor, adventure and action. Lailu is just the sort of feisty heroine that goes perfectly with summer reading.

 

Rules for Thieves

by Alexandra Ott

Another novel full of action and adventure and featuring a smart, resourceful girl in the lead. A recent escapee from an orphanage, twelve-year-old Alli Rosco is just getting by on the streets. But after a run-in with one of the city’s Protectors, she’s marked by a curse that’s slowly working its way to her heart. And the cost of the cure is well beyond her reach. Her only hope lies in the legendary Thieves Guild. To join, all she has to do is pass a trial assigned by the King of Thieves. And this is where it gets really interesting! Alli will add heart pounding excitement to your lazy days of summer.

Happy #SummerReading Everyone!

 

 

 

 

Happy Clerihew Day!

What is a Clerihew, you ask?

It’s a comical poem made of four lines – two couplets and a specific rhyming scheme, aabb. It was created by Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956) at the age of 16 and duly named after him. In a Clerihew poem, the first line names a person with the end of the second line rhyming with the person’s name. Most often, these poems make light of or take the serious out of the person being focused on. They’re funny and light-hearted.

If you’re unfamiliar with rhyming scheme and all the differences, here’s an informative video for you to peek at.

How does Clerihew poetry play into middle schoolers reading and writing? Just that – play. And it can actually play into more than the R and W of school, too. Clerihew poems are all about being silly and causing giggles. They’re all about fun and seeing things in a different way.

Everyone is probably familiar with Garfield the cat. He’s lazy, overweight, has an aloof attitude about life and pretty much everything. His constant picking on Odie in the comic strips is presented in a silly or funny way, even though some of Garfield’s actions really aren’t funny.

That’s what a Clerihew poem does. It takes a person (most of the time famous or well-known) and sheds them in silly or humorous shadows, presenting them in an altered way. It makes light of who they are and shows the flip-side of that person in a nice way. By doing this, it forces the writer to see more than is visibly there, plugging into their creative mind and exploring possibilities. What a great exercise to have middle grade readers/writers do. And they can be silly to boot!

Here’s an example:

Garfield the cat
On his rear he sat.
Eating lasagna galore
All about the decor.

Copyright © 2000 James & Marie Summers

Here are a couple videos about the art of Clerihew poems I think you might find helpful. Here & Here. Take a view and then try an exercise with your students or kids. I remember doing exercises like this with my kids to pass the time as we traveled to yet another of their travel hockey or soccer games.

Have you ever written a Clerihew poem? Why not give it a try in the comments and share? We’d love to read!