Giveaways

Samantha Sutton by Jordan Jacobs

By on January 6, 2014   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  

COVER FINALA secret society, a lost fortress, a precious artifact only Samantha Sutton can protect.

Twelve-year-old Samantha Sutton isn’t sure she wants to go to England with her Uncle Jay, a brilliant, risk-taking archeologist. But the trip seems safe enough—a routine excavation in Cambridge—and Samantha has always had a love for the past.

At first the project seems unremarkable—just a survey to clear the way for a massive theme park. But everything changes when Sam uncovers something extraordinary. Are the local legends true? Is this the site of the ancient fortress belonging to Queen Boudica, the warrior queen? What treasures might be found?

When others begin to learn of her findings, Samantha senses she is in danger. Can any of her friends be trusted? Samantha will need to solve the mystery of the site in order to protect herself and let the world know of her remarkable discovery.

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Amie:  Hi Jordan! *Waves* Thanks for joining us here at MUF. Please tell our readers what you like most about writing for middle-grade readers?

Jordan: In the school visits and events I get to do, and the letters I receive, I’m always impressed by how thorough middle grade readers are. Nothing escapes their attention. They’re towards the beginning of their lifetime of reading and still question everything: every potential plot hole, every out-of-character action, every motive and decision. Writing for such an engaged audience is a challenge I really enjoy.

Amie: I’m just learning how true that is! What is your favorite middle-grade book? Favorite character?

Jordan: I am very bad at picking favorites, but do keep coming back to Lindgren’s “The Brothers Lionheart.” Beneath all the great adventure, it is such a sweet, sad book and haunts me now as much as it did when I was eleven or twelve. My favorite character? Otis Spofford has to be somewhere near the top.

Amie: I’m going to have to read that right now. *Goes to library. Checks out copy of The Brothers Lionheart. Reads it. Cries.* THREE HOURS LATER….Darn! I always excuse myself at the most inappropriate times. Let’s get back to that interview, shall we? What inspired your Samantha Sutton series?

Jordan:  The Samantha Sutton books come right out of my childhood interest in archaeology. In writing the series, I want to capture that sense of adventure and puzzle-solving and discovery that drew me to archaeology in the first place. But I also wanted to use actual archaeological information and add in some of my own experiences to give readers an authentic sense of how the science really works.

Amie: That’s so fascinating. Thanks for sharing that with us. I’m sure your readers really appreciate the authenticity in your series. Last question….Favorite pizza topping? Do you dunk your crust in your soda?

Jordan:   I’m a pineapple guy, which I know upsets some purists. But dunking crusts in soda? That I have to try!

Amie: I’ve never tried pineapple. I promise I’ll try it if you promise to dunk your crust!

 

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Jordan Jacobs has loved archaeology for as long as he can remember. His childhood passion for mummies, castles and Indiana Jones led to his participation in his first excavation, at age 13, in California’s Sierra Nevada. After completing a high school archaeology program in the American Southwest, he followed his passion through his education at Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge. Since then, Jordan’s work for the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Natural History and UNESCO Headquarters in Paris has focused on policy and the protection of archaeological sites in the developing world.

Jordan’s research and travel opportunities have taken him to almost fifty countries– from Cambodia’s ancient palaces, to Tunisia’s Roman citadels, to Guatemala’s Mayan heartland and the voodoo villages of Benin.

Jordan now works as Head of Cultural Policy at UC Berkeley’s Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter. More information can be found on his website (www.j-jacobs.com), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJordanJacobsPage), or Twitter (@JordanNJacobs).

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Sound like a fun read? Well, then enter to win a copy! Just leave a comment below! Contest ends January 20th, 2014!

 

Amie Borst is the co-author of Cinderskella. Her second book, Little Dead Riding Hood, releases later this year. Find her on facebook www.facebook.com/AmieAndBethanieBorst  and her blog www.amieborst.com

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Interview with Kurtis Scaletta–and a giveaway!

By on December 16, 2013   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  

Kurtis Scaletta, one of the founders of From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors, is the author of the middle-grade novels Mudville, Mamba Point, The Tanglewood Terror and, most recently, The Winter of the Robots. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called his latest book a “ripping yarn with a big heart and a lot of wit and invention,” and Kirkus Reviews called it “a deft mix of middle school drama and edgy techno thrills.” He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three-year-old son and a bunch of cats.

 

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Welcome back to the blog, Kurtis. How does it feel to be a guest at your own party? 

Ha, thanks. I miss being a part of this blog.

Can you tell us a little about how From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors began?

Several middle-grade authors came together from the Verla Kay boards after a discussion about how middle-grade books just didn’t have the web presence of young adult books. We wanted to champion middle grade with a heavy focus on recommendations to teachers and parents. We’re still struggling to get visibility, for people to even know that middle grade is a thing, a unique and important genre of children’s book.

What’s your favorite thing about middle-grade fiction (as a reader or a writer)?

It was my favorite age as a reader, a real golden age, and writing middle grade allows me to keep delving back into that moment when I began to truly love literature and the idea of writing.

The Winter of the Robots  is such a fun read. How long did it take from first spark of an idea to finished book in your hands?

Thanks! This book took me quite a bit longer than my other books. It took about two years from starting it to putting the final dots and dashes on the I’s and T’s. A lot of that had to do with being a dad.

 

WinteroftheRobots

You do a great job of balancing the level of scientific detail so that it’s engaging and enlightening, without being overwhelming to the point of taking away from the human story. I especially enjoyed the concept of autonomous vs. remote controlled robots. What kind of research did you do? How did you decide how much detail to include?

I spent a lot of time reading up on kids robot competitions, watching videos of their battles, and so forth. I had two readers in the manuscript phase, one who built robots as a kid and one who coaches robot leagues.

How plausible are the robots in the book?

If anything the robots kids are really building are more complicated and imaginative. Of course the big robot requires a bit of suspended disbelief, but there’s nothing there that isn’t possible. It was really important to me that it’s clear to readers how the kids build the robots, where they get the parts and the machines and the mechanical expertise.

Your Minnesota winter setting makes me want to put on a sweater. Can you design a robot to shovel my sidewalk for me?

As soon as I finish ours! And the robots that was dishes, scoop cat boxes, change diapers – for that matter, the robot that potty trains reluctant little boys. Sadly, that’ll take a while since the only robot I’ve made doesn’t do anything but take a few steps and fall apart.

If there was one single thing that you wanted readers to get from The Winter of the Robots, what would it be?

You know, I want kids to finish this book and think, “I could do this.” If I find a kid read this book and is tinkering in the garage I’ll consider the book a success.

What other books do you recommend to readers who enjoyed The Winter of the Robots?

There are great books about realistic kids learning and exploring the worlds around them, like The Higher Power of Lucky and Every Soul a Star and The Reinvention of Edison Thomas.  I really like books that infuse realistic science into a book.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to write middle-grade fiction?

Write up, not down, as Mr. White said. You can have big ideas in books for middle-grade readers, moral ambiguity and complex language, hard-hitting topics and challenging questions. Don’t hold back. The kids can handle it.

Kurtis is giving away a signed copy of The Winter of the Robots. Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jacqueline Houtman is a big fan of science in novels (and in real life). 

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