Posts Tagged middle-grade fiction

Stuck in a Midwinter Rut? Middle Grade Journey Stories to the Rescue

By on February 7, 2019   /   Fiction  

The very words make one shiver: polar vortex. We were plunged into the depths of one last week, here in Pennsylvania and across much of the country. School was cancelled, the lemon tea was steaming, and the furnace was valiantly trying to tame the chill. With a few extra hours to peruse some middle grade novels, I knew where I wanted to go: long journeys to faraway places.

Even if you live in a warm-year-round kind of place, you might be ready for a good book to take you away. February is a short month by its count of days, but it can feel quite long, no matter the weather nor where you live. If you are a teacher, student, librarian, or homeschooling parent, this month might require some extra patience; the holiday season is over, signs of spring are stubbornly holding off, last summer is a nostalgic memory, and next summer isn’t countdown-worthy just yet.

Many students and adult readers alike appreciate a good book journey at this time of year: questing through a fantasy world, trailing a real-life athlete toward a championship, playing time-traveler to witness historical events through the characters who experience them. I crave books in which I can follow the character on actual traveling experiences, planned or spontaneous, with ocean settings or road trips to new lands—I suppose because I dream of travels, old and new, in late winter.

After some reflection, I think readers might also be drawn to journey stories for reasons like these:

  • Atmospheric settings are an important, teachable element of MG works. A descriptive passage lends itself to analysis of figurative language devices such as imagery and metaphor. Often a setting symbolizes a character’s emotions or foreshadows an event yet to occur.
  • A character “leaving the ordinary world” is an iconic plot device (see Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces or Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey for more) that pulls in a wide variety of readers of all ages, as it speaks to a questing spirit and curiosity about other places, times, and cultures.
  • The culmination of a journey to a new place—whether that journey is a literal traveling experience or an internal, dynamic shift of emotion or conviction—seems particularly fulfilling with a well-drawn MG character, and often provides inspiration to readers of many ages.

Here are a few journey-themed books from recent years on my midwinter reading table.

 Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm – Turtle is a strong-minded girl who bravely faces reality: in the Depression-era South, her mama must take a live-in housekeeper job with a no-children-allowed rule. Turtle tries to be positive about being sent to live with an aunt and cousins in Key West, Florida; however, she is out of her element there (scorpions like to hide in shoes, so be careful; also, alligator pear is what’s for breakfast—rather, avocado on toast.) Turtle tries to find ways to get along with the relatives who were not expecting her arrival, and to open her heart to a deeper meaning of family.

Stowaway by Karen Hesse – The first-person journal narrative of Nicholas Young, a stowaway on Captain James Cook’s ship in 1768, relates a historical sailing story through the perspective of a bold narrator. The opening of Stowaway pulls the reader in to join Nick in his tiny, cramped hiding place on the Endeavour, waiting through long days and nights, until the ship sails far enough away from England for him to be revealed to the Captain and crew. Nick’s story brings the reader along for adventure and excitement in long-ago days of exploration and discovery as Captain Cook pursues a secret mission to relatively unknown waters.

A Bandit’s Tale: The Muddled Misadventures of a Pickpocket by Deborah Hopkinson — In the mood for a picaresque tale? Think “I-voice” narrative by a roguish young person setting out on independent adventures in the face of daunting surroundings or social circumstances; examples include Moll Flanders, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Oliver Twist, to name a few. In A Bandit’s Tale, main character Rocco’s story begins with an actual journey from late 1800s Italy to America following a misunderstood misdeed in his hometown. In New York, the guardian supposedly responsible for him requires that he and other boys play street instruments for money. Rocco’s “journey” continues as he learns to navigate difficult living conditions, the challenges of early immigrants, and historic reform movements to improve the treatment of children and animals.

 

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell  — Baby Sophie is rescued after a ship sinks in the English Channel and brought up by Charles, an eccentric and loving guardian who quotes Shakespeare, serves meals on books, and allows Sophie to wear trousers and practice handstands. But once Sophie turns twelve, their enigmatic way of life catches the attention of the authorities, and Sophie is set to be sent to an orphanage for young ladies. Using only a few cryptic clues, the two set out on a journey to Paris to attempt to find Sophie’s mother–who may or may not still be alive.

Of course, the journey is just one theme that might interest midwinter snow day or “cold day” readers. What are your getaway titles, and do any themes connect them?

Thanks for reading!

 

 

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Indie Spotlight: Stories Bookshop, Brooklyn

By on January 7, 2019   /   children's bookstores, independent bookstores, Indie Spotlight  

Sue Cowing for Mixed-Up Files:  I love the full name of this unique children’s bookstore in Brooklyn—Stories Bookshop & Storytelling Lab (www.storiesbk.com) It’s a place that encourages kids not only to read good stories, but to make them!.   We’re talking today with Maggie Pouncey, co-owner:

MUF: Some people are inspired to open a bookstore because their town needs to have one. Brooklyn has several, yet there was nothing like the store you imagined, a bookshop with a storytelling “lab.”   Please tell us a little about your vision and how you are carrying it out.
Maggie:We believe sharing stories with your children is the surest lifelong gift you can give them, particularly in this digitally saturated age we live in. Brooklyn is a city filled with young families with tons of activities for kids, but it had no children’s only bookshop.

We loved the idea of these two symbiotic spaces—the small curated shop where you could find new books you’d never seen before, and the Storytelling Lab, which would be a community gathering place where stories were made, shared, and told. My husband, Matt Miller, and I spent a couple months writing our business plan —we needed one to apply for a small business loan—and we spent much of that time clarifying our mission for Stories, how we wanted the place to feel, and how we wanted it to serve in young readers lives and the lives of their families.

MUF: How do you choose what books to carry in your shop? Do you have some favorite themes?
Maggie: Because our shop is so small —smaller than the children’s section in many general interest bookstores!—we have to say no to a lot of things. Our largest sections are for picture books and board books, and/but we have thriving graphic novel and middle grade sections as well.

We also have a robust section of feminist books and books about change-makers; with so many good titles coming out inspiring kids to be activists, we even have an Activist Book Club people can subscribe to. We just love good stories! And books that have the kind of timelessness all great literature doe

MUF: As middle- grade authors, we’re curious to know what titles, new and old, fiction and nonfiction, you find yourself recommending most often to this age-group?
Maggie: We sell a lot of books by Brooklyn authors! Our bestselling middle grade books have been The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown—such wonderful stories and can work as read-alouds to kids as young as 5 or 6.  We sell a lot of the fabulous mystery/ghost story, Greenglass House,

by Kate Milford. And the great memoir-in-poetry Brown Girl Dreamingby Jaqueline Woodson. (All three from Brooklyn!) We also sell a lot of beloved series —Harry Potter of course, and we’ve been very enamored of Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow; Wings of Fire(and anything dragons!); Wildwood;The Penderwicks; in graphic novels Amulet, Lumberjanes, all the Raina Telgemeier books.

MUF: What’s happening at the upcoming meeting of your Middle Grade Book Club?  Do middle-grade authors make appearances at your shop?
Maggie:Our Middle Grade Book Club for kids 8-12 meets once a month, and we read and discuss classics, graphic novels and new favorites. When it’s a local author we invite them to come! Peter Brown and Kate Milford have come. Karina Yan Glaser came to talk with us about the first book in her wonderful series set in Harlem, NYC, The Vanderbeekers. Last month we discussed Jacqueline Woodson’s powerful new novel, Harbor Me, and she came to talk with the group which was thrilling for the kids! This month we’re reading Dave Eggers’s new middle grade fantasy adventure, The Lifters, and after that we’ll do an awesome new graphic novel, Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner.

MUF: Tell us something about your writing workshops for this age group, past and future. Have you spawned some writers?
Maggie: It may be a bit too soon to know if we’ve helped usher in a new generation of Brooklyn writers—but we certainly hope we do 🙂 We teach an art class called Mini-Makers for babies and it’s such fun to watch  them explore new materials and make a very good mess making gorgeous art!

The graphic novelist Justin LaRocca Hansen teaches an amazing Graphic Novel Class for kids 7-12, and they really explore every part of the process, from idea, to penciling, to inking, to presenting their work to a live audience of their families!

We host a Storytime 6-days a week —on week-days led by our staff and on Sundays featuring an author or illustrator who shares a book and often does a drawing demonstration for us. I’m off right now to introduce Jessie Sima and her new picture book, Love, Z! These are such a lively and warm mornings, and I do hope they are showing the kids who come week after week the joy of making things.

MUF: If a family from out of town makes a day-trip to visit Stories Bookshop, are there family-friendly places nearby where they could get a snack or a meal afterwards?   And if they can stay longer, are there some nearby sites or activities they shouldn’t miss?
Maggie: Absolutely! Brooklyn is filled with family-friendly diversions and eateries! Just around the corner from us is Bklyn Larder—a delicious stop for lunch.  The bakery Ovenly offers tons of sweets treats. We’re also in walking distance from both Prospect Park and Fort Greene Park, lovely places to spend an afternoon walking or kicking a ball.

Brooklyn is a great walking city, and it’s the best way to see all the different neighborhoods. Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and the Brooklyn Museum are not to be missed.

MUF:   Thanks, Maggie, for making time for this interview, and for inspiring us with your vision of kids of all ages reading and creating stories.

 

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Do’s and (one) Don’t for Emotionally Deeper MG Writing

By on December 21, 2018   /   Articles, Book Lists, Fiction, For Writers  

How do master storytellers develop empathy, resilience, and emotional maturity in their middle grade readers? Sometimes it’s by being tough. These authors aren’t afraid to go emotionally deep in their writing.  They tell stories outside what’s considered age-appropriate, write against type, or make readers laugh in the darkest of times. The five Do’s and one Don’t below represent the wisdom of writers who have touched the hearts of young readers. Each is paired with a book that is a both a great story and a master class in how to go deeper into your writing. Dare to be profound!

  1. Don’t Limit Subject Matter Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

A thirteen-year-old boy becomes a father, showing us that subject matter, if handled with honesty and sensitivity, shouldn’t have borders. This gorgeously written story of love and loss leaves readers wiser and more compassionate.

 

  1. Do Break Hearts! Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo            

Part angel, part grifter-in-training, twelve-year-old Louisiana is forced by her inscrutable ‘granny’ to move away from the town she’s come to love and the only friends she’s ever had. They quickly run out of gas, food, and shelter. Readers share Louisiana’s heartbreak, but they also share her resilience, goodness, and ability to love and forgive.  We could all learn something from Louisiana.

 

 

  1. Do Let Humor Lighten Up the Dark One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia                           

Three girls, ages eleven, nine, and seven, who’ve never been out of Brooklyn, fly to Oakland, California to meet the mother who abandoned them. It’s 1968 and instead of seeing Disneyland, they end up in a day camp run by the Blank Panthers. The novel is moving, eye-opening—and funny. Williams’s masterful use of humor makes the sadness bearable while showing readers the girls’ growing awareness of injustice.

 

  1. Do Create an Unexpected Hero The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

Mason Buttle is an oversized boy who has difficulty reading or writing. In other words, he’s a perfect target for bullying. Yet he’s the kind of guy who’d make a perfect friend, if only kids could look past his disabilities and see his kind heart and brave spirit. As author Leslie Connor says, “I aim to present academic underdogs as multifaceted humans,” and in this book, she lights the way for us all.

 

       5.   Do Dare to Face the Worst! Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson; See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles; Mrs. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson; The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin; The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly; Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Sometimes the ones we love die.  These books handle death with love, sensitivity, and great respect for young readers. Enough said.

If you’d like to add a Do or Don’t to this list, I’d love to read it! Please write it in the comment section below, along with the title and author of a book that illustrates how it’s done.

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