Posts Tagged Lisa Lewis Tyre

Finding Light After Loss: 5 MG Books Appreciating What Remains

The sparkling lights and warmth of the holiday season can cast harsh shadows for those dealing with the absence of a loved one, making the holidays a painful rather than joyous time.

Why it matters: Stories that tackle the dim chill of grief with honesty and yet point to connection and hope, can help educators and readers alike navigate the holiday season no matter what they are facing.

Go deeper: In today’s blog we will explore five middle grade titles that embrace what remains after loss, reminding us that there is much to be grateful for even when things are hard.

Read Time: 4 minutes

 

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“The Probability of Everything” by Sarah Everett (2023)

Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter understands the world through probabilities, but nothing could prepare her for Amplus-68, an asteroid with an 84.7% chance of colliding with Earth in four days. As Kemi struggles to make sense of her unraveling world and an unwelcoming new town, she decides to create a time capsule to preserve her family’s truth. Through this journey, Kemi must confront the hardest part of life: learning to say goodbye.

Perfect for: readers who feel like their world is ending (either literally or figuratively) and want help navigating uncertainty and finding meaning during deeply challenging times.

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“Aniana del Mar Jumps In” by Jasminne Mendez (2023)

Aniana del Mar feels at home in the water, but when a chronic illness forces her to reveal her love of swimming to her overprotective mother, she’s forbidden from returning to the sea. Believing swimming is key to managing her disease, Ani must find her voice and fight for her passion. In the process, she learns to let go of who she once was and embrace the person she’s becoming.

Perfect for: readers experiencing a loss of personal identity or ability and want help feeling resilient and empowered in the face of physical and emotional challenges.

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“The Shape of Thunder” by Jasmine Warga (2021)

Twelve-year-old Cora and her former best friend Quinn, separated by grief and guilt, reconnect on a mission to undo the tragedy that tore their lives apart. As they attempt to open a wormhole to rewrite the past, they discover that healing may come from mending their friendship instead. Together, they learn that moving forward is sometimes the most powerful way to honor the past.

Perfect for: readers rebuilding a life after loss or community tragedy and want help moving forward and restoring a sense of connection and safety.

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“Hope in the Holler” by Lisa Lewis Tyre (2018)

After her mother’s death, Wavie returns to Conley Hollow, a place her mother wanted to leave behind, and ends up living with a cruel aunt. Despite her challenging circumstances, Wavie finds solace in the Appalachian mountains, her mother’s memory, and new friendships with kindhearted kids her aunt dismisses. With their help and her mother’s words of encouragement, Wavie discovers the courage to uncover a family secret and fight for the good life she deserves.

Perfect for: readers who feel displaced after losing a core family member or home and want help recovering a sense of belonging.

dear mothman book cover
“Dear Mothman” by Robin Gow (2023)

After the loss of his best friend Lewis, Noah, a lonely trans boy, begins writing letters to Mothman, Lewis’s favorite cryptid, seeking understanding. As he delves into the mystery for his science fair project, Noah makes unexpected friends and starts to find his place, even while facing skepticism and prejudice. Determined to honor Lewis’s memory and prove Mothman’s existence, Noah takes a brave journey into the woods, risking everything for a connection that might finally help him heal.

Perfect for: readers who have lost that person who really “gets them” and need help finding the courage to build a new support system and find acceptance.

As we go into the holidays, let’s lead with empathy and remember that not everyone is in a place to feel the “holiday spirit” but with these books, they might just find a spark of hope in the darkness after all.

Until next time, remember: 💔+ 📚 = ❤️‍🩹

KidLit Summer School

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Artwork by Joyce Wan

Summer school? Ugh. Who wants to be stuck indoors while everyone else is playing outside in the sunshine. Missing picnics, pools, parties, and fun.

But what if you could hang out with the cool kids and have some real fun? What if you could do something you’ve always dreamed of doing – write a book?

Here’s your chance to learn from a strong line-up of multi-published children’s authors, editors, and agents. Best of all, these summer workshops are FREE. Beginning July 20, 2015, visit KidLit Summer School for posts filled with information on how to write children’s books.

This summer the focus is on plotting. You’ll have an opportunity to try a variety of plotting tricks and techniques for different genres. Learn how published authors stay motivated, come up with ideas, and turn those ideas into finished stories. Each post will have plotting secrets as well as exercises you can try. And best of all, KidLit Summer School will be giving away plenty of prizes — autographed books, professional critiques, and swag. Check out each post for the special giveaways.

Here are some of the faculty members with a quick peek at only one of their books, but there are plenty more—books and authors. If you sign up, you’ll see the list of all the wonderful teachers before opening day.

Learn from authors Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Kami Kinard, Marcie Colleen, Dawn Young, Leeza Hernandez, Joyce Wan, John Claude Bemis, Janice Hardy, Laurie J. Edwards, Megan Miranda, Tammi Sauer, Tracey Baptiste, Amy Dominy, Jen Malone, Courtney Pippin Mathur, Heidi Schulz, and Lisa Lewis Tyre.

Agents and editors who are participating include Rotem Moscovich, Jenne Abramowitz, Sean McCarthy, and Marie Lamba.

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Sound like fun? Here’s the link to sign up.

And if you don’t want to wait until the 20th to work on your writing, check out last year’s blog posts on characterization here. Scroll down to last summer’s lessons. It’s a great way for writers of any age to improve their writing craft over the summer.

About the Author

Laurie J. Edwards loves summer school so much she’s spending 6 weeks at Hollins University’s MFA program in Children’s Writing and Illustrating as well a participating in the KidLit Summer School as a faculty member. She’s looking forward to her five book releases in August and September: Her Cold Revenge (Switch Press), The Forget-Me-Not Keeper (illustrations, written by Susanna Leonard Hill), Imperial China, West African Kingdoms,  & Ancient Egypt (Cengage). Read more about Laurie and her books on her blog, her website, Facebook, and Twitter (@LaurieJEdwards).

Book Heaven

Capstone Booth 2015

Capstone Booth 2015

I recently returned from Book Expo America (BEA), one of the nation’s largest book conventions held at the end of May. Booksellers, librarians, book bloggers, and booklovers gather at the Javits Center in New York City to visit booths where publishers showcase forthcoming books. The publishers give out free books or ARCs (advance reader copies), and they talk up their books, hoping that many people will buy these titles when they come out. Attendees stand in long lines to get free, autographed copies from the authors and illustrators.

Authors and editors give talks and promote their books. I enjoyed attending the Middle-Grade Book Buzz, where editors shared the top middle-grade books coming out in September. It’s so exciting getting to read copies of these books before they get to bookstores and libraries. I’m going to give you a sneak peek so you’ll know what books to watch for at the end of the summer. If you want to know what these books are about, watch Mixed-Up Files for September 2015 New Releases.
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Whenever I attend BEA, I always promise myself I’ll limit the books I take home, but before I know it, I have bags full of books. For three days in a row, it’s books, books, and more books. Then I have to drag those heavy bags up and down the subway stairs. Sore legs and arms are worth it, though, for all the book treasures I bring back.

It probably wouldn’t be so bad if I lived in New York, but then I have to travel home. After three days of collecting books, I usually have so many that I can barely cram them all into my suitcase. Last year I had so many books, I had no room for anything else, so I had to mail my clothes home.

Judy BlumeI have one other reason I love being in New York for BEA week. The night before the conference starts, there’s a huge auction of art from picture book and middle-grade illustrators. It’s a chance to see one-of-a-kind illustrations as well as to meet the artists. This year was special because Judy Blume was there to receive an award. I’ve always been a big fan of her books, so it was thrilling to actually see her in person. My favorites of her books are the humorous ones:

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What’s your favorite Judy Blume book? And if you had a chance to go to BEA, what kind of books would you fill your bags or suitcase with?

About the Author

LaurieEdwards_ScuppernongFor the past two years, copies of Laurie J. Edwards’s new books were given out at BEA. She dressed up like a cowgirl to sign ARCs of Grace and the Guiltless in 2014. The second book in that Wild West series, Her Cold Revenge, is coming out in August 2015. She is writing two more books in this series under the pen name of Erin Johnson. Even though she thinks signing her books is lots of fun, she believes the best part of BEA is filling her suitcase with copies of exciting new books. Read more about Laurie and her books on her blog, her website, Facebook, and Twitter (@LaurieJEdwards).