Posts Tagged middle grade books

Video Conferencing: Authors at Your Fingertips

By on July 5, 2017   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, For Librarians, For Teachers  

Author S A Larsen

You’ve just finished reading a fantastic book with your class. The kids are engaged and the story is the topic of conversation. Go beyond the traditional project or book report and transport the author to your doorstep.

The Digital Age:
We live in a digital age, and fortunately for our schools, many authors are available to video conference. Location and time differences are no longer a deterrent. Many authors list video conferencing information on their websites. An internet search can also help you find available authors. Some authors charge a fee and some don’t. Chat with your author to see what terms can be reached. Link To Mixed-Up File Authors

If your school doesn’t have a budget for author presentations, be creative:

  • Take book orders from the students. Many authors are happy to sell and ship personally signed copies.
  • Ask the PTO to purchase class sets for the grade levels.
  • Offer to post  a review of the book on strategic websites.
  • Feature the book in the school newspaper or on the school website.
  • Post the book and video conference snippets on the school Facebook page.
  • Display the author’s name and book title on the school billboard.
  • Invite your local newspaper columnist to cover the class video chat.

Have fun and don’t be afraid to use your imagination!

Annabelle Fisher, author of The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper, Skypes with a class of readers

So, you’ve booked the author. Now what?

Ask the author:
First, ask the author what they offer. Some will talk about their book and the background it took to write it. But, if it’s a science author, they may have a favorite demonstration to share. If it’s a picture book illustrator, they may draw the character for the kids. If it’s a fantasy author, they may demonstrate how to create imagery through descriptive writing from a new world.

Does the author request questions before the video conference? This helps the author give informed and well-thought-out answers. Poll your students. What do they want to know? Was there a fascinating section of the book they wanted to know more about? What about behind-the-scene events? Why did the author create a certain character? Did the author use traits from real people? Were any of the events in the book part of the author’s life? Were there unanswered questions in the story line? Help students focus their questions so they pull out unique elements of the author’s work. This is the benefit of video conferencing. You have the author’s ear! When conference day comes, let the students take turns asking the questions.

Student Created Games

Do students have something to share with the author? 

Did they create a skit? Did they write an alternative ending to the story or insert a chapter in-between? Did they write a quiz show or create a game that targets details from the book? Did they create trading cards of the different events and characters? Or perhaps your students would like to dress in character and the author has to guess the character’s identity.

Using Google Maps with author interview:
Also, consider things like Google maps. Students have the ability to bookmark a location on the world-wide map with their own information and facts. This is a great option for historical novels or any story that travels. Consider having students interview the author about the different locations and the importance of each site. Besides being a great project where students research and enter information on the world-wide map, people from around the globe get instant access to the information your students have entered. Extend the project by collaborating with other classes (from anywhere in the world) and build a map together.

Before you read:
Think forward. Invite the author beforehand to share background information and tidbits before you start reading. Why did they write this book? Did they face challenges? Does the story relate to their own life or the life of someone else? Who or what influenced them? Meaningful introductory conversations set the stage for an engaging beginning.

Authors love sharing and the age of video conferencing has opened up a new set of doors.

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Indie Spotlight: Read With Me, a Children’s Book and Art Shop, Raleigh, NC

By on June 30, 2017   /   For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, Indie Spotlight  

It’s always such a delight to learn of yet another  new children’s bookstore! Today we’re talking with Christine Brenner, the owner of Read With Me, a Children’s Book and Art Shop, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

MUF: Congratulations on opening your new children’s bookshop.  What have been some of the rewards and challenges so far?
Christine: Thank you! I am amazed at the warm welcome that Read with Me has gotten from the downtown community and visitors to Raleigh. I carefully curate the children’s books we carry to be high quality stories with contemporary authors and engaging art. I seek out titles that have meaningful depictions of diverse characters. The best reward is when our customers express their appreciation for being able to find books at Read with Me that they haven’t seen anywhere else. It is easy to just order the books that are bestsellers, but we feel it is important to do better than that. It is challenging to stay well-read and informed with the thousands of children’s titles published each year, but finding unique stories that reflect our world is well worth it.

MUF: Anyone walking into Read With Me will notice that you arrange things a bit differently from other bookshops.  Yes?
Christine: Yes, on our main wall the books are arranged by age with the earliest readers at the bottom growing up to young adult books at the top shelf. There are 5 shelf levels- ages 0-3, 3-6, 6-10, 10-14, 14+. My background is in teaching and school library so arranging the books by age seemed like a helpful starting place for children to find a good book.

MUF: Tell us about the role art plays in your shop?
Christine: Children’s books are incredible works of art, between the illustrations, the cover art and the stories. The books we carry have exceptionally good visual art but I also wanted the store to be a well-rounded place for families. So we also offer local art for sale, classes that incorporate literacy and the arts as well as an art activity with our storytime.

MUF:And art also influences what titles you choose to carry?  What other factors do you consider?
Christine: I look for books that will hook new readers and keep avid readers engaged. I rely on recommendations from knowledgeable booksellers, readers and book reps to help me find titles that reflect the diverse world in which we live and the varied interests we have.

|MUF: As a former teacher and school librarian, you must have good ideas about what books kids and families will enjoy.  We middle-grade authors are curious to know what books, new or old, fiction or nonfiction, you find yourself recommending to readers ages eight to twelve.
Christine: Middle grade readers have more amazing choices than ever before. I love to be able to ask about a reader’s favorite books and try to match them with a new one from our store. Some favorite authors I have here, old and new, are Roald Dahl and Raina Telgmeier, Ben Hatke and Kwame Alexander.

MUF: You have a lot of readers’ “camps” scheduled this summer.  Which upcoming ones are planned for middle-graders?
Christine: It’s a busy summer in our store’s Creativity Corner! We are working on book clubs for July for middle-grade readers. I’m most excited about our upcoming cartooning workshop for ages 11-14. A local artist, Gabe Dunston, will teach an intro to cartooning class over six weeks where students will explore how to draw with their imaginations and learn how images can represent ideas within a reader’s mind.

MUF: Your shop seems to be located near many sites and activities of interest to this age group, which they could combine with a visit to your store.  What are some of your favorites?  Also please recommend family-friendly places nearby where visitors could get a meal or snack.  
Christine: Downtown Raleigh is a very walkable city full of great family destinations, like the State Capitol, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, and Marbles Kids Museum, all within ½ to 4 blocks of our store. Moore Square park renovations will start this fall and this Historic District part of the city has beautifully preserved and restored buildings. And food! Dee’s $1 Hot Dog cart is stationed across the street for something truly fast and cheap and is my son’s favorite. Some of his other favorites are Raleigh TImes for their hamburgers and fries, Sitti for their hummus and pita, Morning Times for their scones and Trophy Tap & Table for their chicken.

Thanks, Christine for taking the time to tell us about your shop. Readers, have you visited this shop yet?  Sounds like a good summer trip destination!

 

 

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Interview with Debut Author Leah Henderson

By on June 6, 2017   /   Author Interviews  

Today, I’m thrilled to talk to author Leah Henderson about her debut (which released today!), One Shadow on the Wall, a story inspired by a young boy she saw sitting on a beach wall while traveling in Senegal.

JA: Welcome to From the Mixed-Up Files and congratulations on your debut! I love success stories, so tell us yours. What did your journey to publication look like?

LH: My greatest success with this book isn’t just getting it published, but finally getting out of its way and letting it tell its story. A story which in every way found me—not the other way around.

After I saw that boy sitting on the wall for the briefest of seconds and jotted down what I thought his day might be like, I was shocked when my professor thought my scribblings were the beginning of a novel. I was so worried about telling this story about a boy and a place I did not know well that I was finding every excuse I could not to work on it. Don’t get me wrong, it was a story that was important to tell, but I did not want to mess up. I just knew it wasn’t my story to tell and told my professor exactly that. But what I was forgetting, and what my dad later reminded me of was that I was standing in the way of kids whose life experience was similar to that of Mor’s would be losing a possible opportunity to see themselves in a book. Growing up, I remember feeling invisible on the page and I did not want that for them, but I also remembered how hurtful harmful representation was and did not want to be the cause of any more. We have had more than enough already. So true success for me and this project came when I just let go and I realized this wasn’t about me and what I was afraid of, it was about trying to tell these kids story in the best way that I could. I put learning about them and their experiences first.

As far as book publication goes, so many people stepped in to keep me on this path. After my first professor encouraged me to start this novel, my next professor encouraged me to show him “more pages of Mor,” then when graduation day came and I thought Mor could take a bit of a rest (for a long, long time) someone else stepped onto my path and asked, “what’s going to happen to Mor?” And with her endless encouragement I finished the novel and sent it out. Although every query was met with ‘no’, one of the agents encouraged me to keep writing. Many of the other replies had mentioned their uncertainty about where a book like this might be placed in the market, but this agent focused on a hope that I continue writing. And even though I have always loved Mor and the cast of characters that fill his world, I did decide to put them away and started a new project. Then about nine months later I was at a conference with the agent who had been so encouraging and they asked to see the project again. This time their answer was different. They wanted to represent One Shadow on the Wall. Shortly after that we sent it out to a group of editors (including one who had requested it), and within the blink of an eye, Mor had found a home. Leading up to that day was a long, meandering road, but I needed to take that journey for myself and for this story.

Book jacket for One Shadow on the Wall

JA: How has living abroad (and traveling widely) changed your life?

LH: Seeing the world informs so much of who I am and how I see things. I have met some of the most fabulous and gracious people on my travels, people that have left a lasting impression of what it means to live each day with heart and thanks.

JA: What other unique settings might show up in your work because of your travels?

LH: My family lived in the Middle East for a bit and I saw and experienced so many wondrous moment that I hope to one day sprinkle in a story or two. There is also a funny story from my time in China that I would love to one day figure out, but we shall see. I really never know where my next story will come from till a character or a scene is filling my head, demanding my attention.

JA: Where are you headed next?

LH: Vietnam is high on my list, but Senegal and Mali are always calling out to my heart and head to come back to a place that truly feels like home—West Africa.

JA: What made you want to be a writer?

LH: I have always enjoyed getting lost in stories. When I was growing up and we would visit historic places and learn about the people who passed through them, I was always curious about a person’s life before and after their grand adventures. I wanted to know those stories. And sometimes I was able to find them out, but often there wasn’t much more information, so I used to wonder and create my own stories for their lives. I always wanted to know what glimpse of a possibility they saw for themselves from the beginning. Were they always brave? Did they always care? Or did something happen that profoundly changed the course of their lives? These questions often lead to even more questions, and soon I was creating my own characters and writing my own tales.

JA: Did you have a teacher, librarian, or family member who particularly encouraged you to pursue your dream?

LH: My parents have always cheered me on in anything that I have set out to do. But in terms of writing, it was something that I kept coming back to again and again. I’d always enjoyed it and one day I just said: Why not? We should always pursue the things that bring us joy. So I did. No matter the time of the day I was jotting down stories and often felt incomplete if a day went by and I hadn’t scribbled something down, even if it was only a few paragraphs.

After that, there was really no turning back. My parents have always been big on telling my brothers and me to explore any possibility, so I decided to go study the craft of writing and get an MFA. And that is really when my love of writing became so much more.

JA: What’s up next for you, Leah? Any more short stories that might turn into your next book?

LH: As far as other short stories turning into something more, a picture book idea of mine quickly morphed into my next novel. Like Mor in One Shadow on the Wall, the main character in this book had a lot more he wanted to say than a picture book could hold. It is very different from this project though it still centers around family and seeing your possibilities. Vague I know, but it’s about a boy, his love for his grandfather, and a pair of magical shoes.

JA: That sounds intriguing! I can’t wait. Thanks for joining us on The Mixed-Up Files and best of luck, Leah!!

Leah has always loved getting lost in stories. When she is not scribbling down her characters’ adventures, she is off on her own, exploring new spaces and places around the world. One Shadow on the Wall (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum) is her debut novel. Leah received her MFA in Writing from Spalding University and currently calls Washington D.C. home. You can find her on Twitter @LeahsMark or through her website at leahhendersonbooks.com.

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