Something exciting came in the mail this weekend…
MY HARPERCOLLINS CONTRACT!
I’m now officially a signed Harper author. Crazy, right?
There’s a strong chance I bought a new pen for this moment. There’s also a strong chance that I spent 10 minutes deciding on the perfect pen to buy.
In the immortal words of Miss Penny Lane…it’s all happening.
A few months back, a mom came to the library with her young son (about fifth grade) in tow. She told me he hated reading. She wanted to fix that, but nothing seemed to grab his interest. So I asked him what he liked (cars? sports? ninjas?) and what some of his favorite movies were. He liked action and adventure, but just couldn’t get into reading. So I brought him to the kid-friendly graphic novels and gave him Stormbreaker, the Alex Rider adaptation.
His mom was a bit tentative at first – a graphic novel? really? – but was fine with it in the end. I explained how graphic novels are fantastic books to get kids into reading because they contain pictures, but aren’t picture books. The kids still read the text, but they don’t have to imagine what’s going on – it’s right there. And while the imagining part is (in my opinion) the best part of reading, this can get a kid into reading until they’re ready to lose the artwork. (Or, continue reading with the artwork – but I’ll get to that later.)
To my surprise (and complete delight) his mom came back a few weeks later and told me how much he’s enjoying the Alex Rider graphic novels, and how he wants more. I recommended a few other series, and was so happy with the update. I also gave her the non-graphic Alex Rider books, as well as Percy Jackson, in case he wanted to jump onboard there. And if he wasn’t ready? Well there are bunch more graphic novels to delve into.
This has worked a few times since (other popular graphic novels): Smile, Babymouse, Big Nate, and, for a little older, BONE, Artemis Fowl, The Lightening Thief, and even the re-done Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew stories), and encouraged me to not only read those books, but look into YA/adult graphic novels, too. I was raised with Catwoman and X-Men comics, I delved into Sin City, Hush, and Sandman in college, and later Scott Pilgrim when the movie came out, but since then it’s been strictly books.
But you know what? There are some fantastic graphic novels out there! Much like my fiction, I stuck to contemporary (no superheroes, that is), and checked out the following books that I HIGHLY enjoyed:
And you guys? I think i’m hooked. Many of these stories boiled down the high school/college experience with few words and beautiful drawings. The simplicity of the text is brought to life by beautiful drawings. And most of the time, the text is just as beautiful. I can’t wait to read more.
Graphic novels – great for kids and adults.
To go off my last post, there’s another book I was swept away by, but I’m giving it a post of its own. This may be because I adore the author and watched the book grow from sent-to-editor to publication. Yes, I’m being totally biased in my push for people to buy/borrow/just plain read this but, but at least I’m being honest about it, right?
Anyway.
Happy book birthday to Jenny Torres Sanchez’s DEATH, DICKINSON, AND THE DEMENTED LIFE OF FRENCHIE GARCIA!!!!
It is the summer after Frenchie Garcia’s senior year, and she can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends don’t know that she had a secret crush on her classmate, and they especially don’t know that she was with Andy right before he committed suicide. The only person who does know is Frenchie’s imaginary pal Em (a.k.a. Emily Dickinson), who she hangs out with at the cemetery down the street.
When Frenchie’s guilt and confusion come to a head, she decides there is only one way to truly figure out why Andy chose to be with her during his last hours.
To mimic Stefan for a second, this book’s got everything. A night of craziness. Graveyard secrets. Poetry. Swan boat theft.
(It also received a Kirkus starred review!)
Seriously, it’s a wonderful, wonderful book about a girl coming to grip with the fact that some people have more going on than what’s shown, some people have secrets no one knows, and sometimes no matter what you do, you cannot reach them. It’s about realizing some situations aren’t always black and white. That not every event has a perfect solution. And that sometimes you just need to accept the unknown.
Frenchie is one of those real characters that sticks with you. She’s not perfect, but she knows it. And I think readers will remember her for quite some time. Go read, and let me know what you think.
This week’s Road Trip Wednesday asks: What’s been your most surprising read of the year so far—the book you weren’t sure about going in that really swept you off your feet?
Because I’m wordy, I’m going to answer with THREE books:
TRINKETS by Kirsten Smith
Moe (the outcast), Elodie (the innocent new girl in town), and Tabitha (the most popular girl in school), are polar opposites. But they all have one thing in common – they shoplift. They’re caught. This is the story of them meeting at a shoplifters anonymous group, and learning that each girl is more than meets the eye. I was surprised with how much I really, really liked this book. The chapters rotate back and forth, narrated by each girl (Moe in diary entries, Elodie in verse, Tabitha in first-person narrative), and it’s really wonderful seeing them grow and change. It’s real, it’s fun, it’s lovely, and I’d recommend it to anyone.
WINGER by Andrew Smith
Ryan Dean West is a 14-year-old junior in boarding school who’s in love with his best friend, Annie, and living in the “bad kids” dorm due to hacking into a cell phone. This year, he wants to prove himself. Winger is hilarious, heartwarming, perverted, and just…wonderful. It’s long, but I wanted it to be longer. You get so wrapped into the lives of all the characters that you feel like it’s your school and your friends. And the twist ending is completely, heartrendingly, earned. Loved it.
WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by Maria Semple
The premise of this book is fantastic – a mom, Bernadette, has disappeared. Her daughter compiled every e-mail, memo, letter from the days leading up to the disappearance, and that’s what you’re reading. You’re reading a woman’s struggle through her correspondence, through situations that she’s going through. The characters are beautifully brought to life, especially Bernadette who is absolutely hilarious, with her weird hatred of Seattle, her hidden past, her annoyance with neighbors. This received a 2013 Alex Award, and I can totally see why. Absolutely loved.
This week’s Road Trip Wednesday: What’s the best book you read in January?
Probably this one:
Peter and the Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
S bought it for me back in December right after we saw Peter and the Starcatcher on Broadway. I adored the musical more than words can say, so I felt the need to read the original material. And it was fun! It’s Peter’s story before he was The Peter Pan. I enjoy recommending it at the library now.
I’ve always been fond of the Peter Pan story, which is why we saw the play in the first place. The play was magical in the sense that it wasn’t magical. There were no special effects, no crazy Spiderman-esque wiring to make the characters fly. No, it asked for you to use your imagination and pretend the ladder was really a mountain, the rope was really a wave, the girl was flying, and not just sitting on a see-saw. I loved that so much because it, as cheesy as it sounds, reminded me of being a kid. When a blanket was a Batgirl cape, a princess dress, a ninja turtle belt. When a covered corner was a cave, a secret hideout, a magical palace. The show reminded me to dream, believe, imagine, and try. So, to me, the show felt magical.
And I might have teared up at the end.
“Pity the child who lives in a fact-based world.”
Lauren Gibaldi 
