A Mirror of My Own -- Plus Glittermonsters Just for Fun (Why I Write MG)

My decision - that is, the line-in-the-sand, this-is-happening, decision - to write children’s books
was an easy one. 

Picture it: Truxtun Avenue Library, Bakersfield, CA. 2011. Just because Little Man isn’t even two
months old, is no excuse for illiteracy.  

I comb the picture book shelves as he dozes in his stroller, eager to bring home a stack of books with
families that look like ours: an Afro-Jamaican dad, a white American mom and a perfect little biracial
boy (we've since been joined by a perfect little girl too).

My tiny muse. Even though my first MS is about a black magic glitter princess.

Let’s just say that didn’t happen that day, and I was reminded of another little girl (spoiler: it was me) in
the 80s and 90s disappointed that there were no mirrors/windows for a bereaved sibling like me on the
library shelves in my tiny hometown. 

The lack of diverse books was an outrage, and I was going to write a book featuring a biracial child just
like mine. He’d have a Type A dad who ironed his underwear instead of saying “no problem mon”
(when someone says this at my house, they’re being sarcastic). 

I’d be published in months. I’d revolutionize the kidlit industry! I’d be lining the walls of my new mansion
with Caldecotts and Newberrys in a funky pattern that would put Pinterest to shame! 

Thank (insert your deity of choice) I joined SCBWI and smartened up. Played a bit with my voice, with
story ideas, story structure. Constructed a LONG list of potential story ideas/characters to rival
VC Andrews’ legacy (less incest, more zombies). 

I should have some profound, amazing reason about why I write MG, and… I’m not sure I do save,
“it feels right”. I’m too wordy for picture books, and too into farts/glitter/unicorns for YA. Like kids in the
MG/Upper MG years, MG lit is a perfect balance of weird and wise, the only place I can push the
creative envelope as far as it can go, then give another little shove. 

Kind of like how I see myself at any age. 

“You cannot have the main character enchant a box of her mom’s tampons to attack the antagonist,” is
something I’ve heard more than once from critiquers. (Don’t worry, I found something even scarier:
eyelash curlers).

Yeah, these factor into a dramatic climactic battle. Lovecraft has nothing on me. 

My real-life Middle Grade years were the time for me when it really hit home that a lot of the world the
adults presented to us kids was partially fictional because they themselves had no idea what they were
doing sometimes. It was scary and exhilarating, as these were also the years I still believed I had the
power to change things just as soon as I got old enough to vote. 

Almost all my manuscripts have some thread about the - OK supernatural, but still - consequences of
kids believing the stories adults, their friends, themselves, spin to keep themselves and others
comfortable.

I enjoy revisiting that naive megalomania and sense of wonder in writing for children. If I can ever
rework this stupid scene, finish this R&R, and get it back to the interested agent, I hope to see this
manuscript on the shelves soon.

But that mansion may have to wait a couple years. 

Thank you, Middle Grade Minded for the warm welcome and I look forward to getting to know you all!

Tell me in the comments - what's the weirdest story idea you've ever had?  

Favourite Fall Middle Grade Books

Happy September!

The leaves aren't quite changing where I live, but the kids are back in school and the air is crisp in the mornings.

I don't know about you, but fall is one of the my favourite reading times.

There's something cozy about curling up with a cup of tea (or a pumpkin spice latte!) and reading a good book.

That got me to thinking about some of my favourite middle grade novels that take place in the fall.

I thought I'd share them with you and hope you'll share some of your favourites in return!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone in Canada/UK)

The first Harry Potter book is a fabulous take on the back-to-school genre, and perfectly captures both the trepidation of starting a new school, but the moodiness of autumn.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

"And it was late September, and the leaves were on the verge of bursting into wild colors — Rosalind adored autumn."

And speaking of cozy, The Penderwicks series is the epitome of cozy. The book takes place in September and October and is just a delight!

Wonder

Oh how I love Augie!  This amazing book begins with Augie starting school for the first time ever,  his jitters magnified by a million thanks to the way he looks. If you still haven't read this book, fall is the perfect time to do so!

Call me Sunflower

Sunny is starting a new school in North Carolina and missing her her friends and family back home in New Jersey. But if her plans work out, maybe she can find a way to to get her mom to go back... Even better, Sunny has a little sister named Autumn! I love this book!

Those are a few of my favourite fall MG reads! I'd love to know yours!!!!

Welcome to our new bloggers!

We are so excited to welcome three new bloggers to MG Minded! Meet them below. And be on the look out for their posts coming soon!

Stephanie Bearce

Stephanie Bearce is a history detective and a science nerd who loves turning her discoveries into books for kids. As the award-winning author of 24 children’s books, Stephanie is a frequent presenter at education conferences, kidlit festivals, schools, and libraries. When she's not writing books she likes to spend time exploring haunted castles, wandering in bone filled catacombs, and adding to her extensive fossil collection.
Stephanie lives in Missouri with her rocket-scientist husband, but she is always planning her next adventure. Her goal is to visit every continent and all 50 states. She's only five states and three continents away from that goal!
You can learn more about Stephanie and her books at www.stephaniebearce.com
Her nonfiction work is represented by Stacey Graham of Red Sofa Literary and her fiction work is represented by Heather Cashman of Storm Literary.

Amanda Hoving

Amanda is a teacher and a writer who thinks middle grade literature is the best of all! She enjoys reading and writing funny stuff that has heart (and maybe a little magic). When she’s not reading or writing, Amanda loves to laugh, watch baseball, play the guitar and laugh some more. She is not a good cook, and she wouldn’t mind being a hermit someday.

Originally from the plains of the Chicago suburbs, Amanda and her family now live in the hills of northeastern New Jersey, where they always keep their bear whistle handy. 
You can find Amanda’s miscellaneous tomfoolery at her blog and on Twitter.
 


Kelly K. Clarke

A former Big Four management consultant turned mom, Kelly decided that creative truths and magical worldbuilding were more fun to use in children’s books vs an office anyway. In line with her emotional maturity level and probably unhealthy obsessions with glitter, unicorns, and cryptids, Kelly writes Middle Grade fantasy with sci-fi elements and main characters who share her children’s Afro-Caribbean/white American heritage.

Kelly is a Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient (humor her and say it was all about merit), longtime SCBWI member, and contributor to the Kidlit Exchange review network.

Kelly lives between the feral strip malls of suburban Fort Lauderdale, FL with her husband, flatulent superhero son, and diva daughter. When she isn’t nagging her children about homework or sneaking writing in around her job as a marketing technology project manager, Kelly is in the PTA office swilling energy drinks.

Follow Kelly on Twitter @KidlitUndrGrnd and check out her Blog at KidlitUnderground.com.

Where's My Agent?

I thought I'd have an agent by now. 

Seriously. I mean, I've been learning quite a bit over the eight years I've been writing. But you know what? I don't have an agent yet and honestly, I'm only mildly disappointed in that. Here's why. 

This manuscript I'm querying right now is still only my second MG manuscript. That's right. Only two MG manuscripts for over eight years of work. "Wow. That's pathetic," you might think. But, considering I work as a busy stay home dad of seven school-age children, ran my own tree-pruning business on the side for five years, home-schooled five of the seven kids two of those eight years (while the little two were in diapers) I'm in no position to complain. So I won't. 

Instead, I'll marvel at the fact that though I struggled through some serious health issues in the midst of those years, I'm still writing. Actually, I'm even more determined to get better at my craft than ever. 

Also, fulls of the manuscript I'm querying right now are out with several agents at the time of this writing. It's my 2018 #Pitchwars manuscript, born of personal pain and spilling over with emotion as a thirteen-year-old Nebraska farm girl reconciles her grief at the death of her baby brother, and her anger at her father for his subsequent drug conviction, with her family's Catholic Faith.

It's not a book everyone is racing to represent. It's very raw and real and as I see it, kind of like life these days. This manuscript will be a hard sell for several reasons. Be it the voice, religious overtones, the main character's constant questioning of her world, or the plot structure of the story itself, my manuscript has yet to connect with the right agent. I'm searching for an agent who feels Blake's struggle and understands it; who appreciates it even.

I'm searching for an agent bold enough to embrace the idea that a girl from a religious family can have her beliefs rocked so hard by personal tragedy yet still grow and learn and find peace. 

I'm searching for an agent who gets that my MC, while realizing her own weaknesses also discovers her strengths and learns that her beliefs should be challenged whether they'll eventually change or not.

I'm not too upset that I don't have an agent yet. While I search, I'll keep writing (on my new secret projects) and learning, and I believe I'll eventually find the agent for me.

Wherever you're at in your writing journey, I hope you'll find your agent, or publisher, or make the list or whatever. But above all, I hope for you a journey filled with wonder and growth and possibilities. 

-Rob

Author Interview and Book Giveaway: Karuna Riazi talks THE BATTLE

Happy Wednesday!

Middle Grade Minded is thrilled to be part of the blog tour of Karuna Riaza's new book THE BATTLE.

You don't have to have read her first book, THE GAUNTLET, but if you haven't, I highly recommend it because it is awesome!

About the Book:

The game begins again in this gripping follow-up to The Gauntlet that’s a futuristic middle eastern Zathura meets Ready Player One!

Four years after the events of The Gauntlet, the evil game Architect is back with a new partner-in-crime—The MasterMind—and the pair aim to get revenge on the Mirza clan. Together, they’ve rebuilt Paheli into a slick, mind-bending world with floating skyscrapers, flying rickshaws run by robots, and a digital funicular rail that doesn’t always take you exactly where you want to go. 

Twelve-year-old Ahmad Mirza struggles to make friends at his new middle school, but when he’s paired with his classmate Winnie for a project, he is determined to impress her and make his very first friend. At home while they’re hard at work, a gift from big sister Farah—who is away at her first year in college—arrives. It’s a high-tech game called The Battle of Blood and Iron, a cross between a video game and board game, complete with virtual reality goggles. He thinks his sister has solved his friend problem—all kids love games. He convinces Winnie to play, but as soon as they unbox the game, time freezes all over New York City.

With time standing still and people frozen, all of humankind is at stake as Ahmad and Winnie face off with the MasterMind and the Architect, hoping to beat them at their own game before the evil plotters expand Paheli and take over the entire world.

The Interview:

1) First of all, I adored THE BATTLE. Was it always your intention to revisit the game using a different medium and with Ahmad as the lead?

I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it - particularly since The Battle was not planned at all, in that there was no original sequel scheduled for The Gauntlet when it first sold. The fact that The Battle exists can only be credited to the wonderful response of readers like you, and how amazingly supportive you were for the first book! So, no, it wasn't my intention but when I was approached by my editor at Simon and Schuster and bosses at Cake Literary about reopening the game and letting Ahmad have a story of his own, I was very excited - and nervous! I wanted to do justice to the first book and give readers a follow-up that would be equally exciting and satisfying to read. I hope I've done that!

2) The World building in The Battle is amazing - what’s your process for creating not only a game with its levels and rules, but for building a world from scratch?

I am so glad that you enjoyed the world-building! I honestly love world-building, but world-building and game rules has been a particular headache in both books. I love video games and board games, but it does take a lot to translate over what seems so natural and matter-of-fact on a board or screen. Being part of a collaborative environment at Cake Literary definitely helped me both times in regards to thinking how the game would work, and which challenges would make sense, but there were moments in the draft where I had to step back and think, "Okay, if I were playing a video game level, what would make sense to see in this level? How would I interact with it? What would my restrictions be?"

There's a particular scene in the middle of the book where I really thought hard about some of my favorite video games and had to articulate how a digital tile might react if you stepped on it, or how walls would generate if you stepped toward them. I definitely think a lot of it is visualization, active hands-on experience with what you're trying to duplicate in your book (so, if you're writing a board game, consider how a board game's rules work, how the pieces look, what challenges you would face through gameplay) and then, if you have it, talking the rules and restrictions out with other people so you can see if it makes sense or is too simplistic.

In general, when world-building for these books, I tend to start with aspects of the real world I would love to include in the fictional world and then consider the ways in which my world will be different. For Paheli, I got to indulge my hidden passion for Islamic architecture and used that baseline to research and think outward for what a Middle Eastern-inspired city would reasonably have in terms of buildings and landmarks, the types of people that would populate it, and other things down to the items (in The Gauntlet) that are depicted for sale in the souk. 

3) I couldn’t help but wonder the whole way through the story if you are a gamer, too?

Yes, I am very much a gamer! I unfortunately do not play board games as much as I did when I was younger - it's now mostly reserved for special occasions when my sbilings and I are together with my cousins and we need a diversion to keep the little ones from killing each other, and that mostly ends up as Monopoly which is...not ideal for family harmony - but I definitely indulge a lot in video games, from PC titles like The Sims 4 and Civilization V to my favorite 3DS games like Animal Crossing, Ace Attorney and Fire Emblem! (Unlike Ahmad, I sadly do not have a Switch of my own yet, but I'm saving up for it!)

4) An important theme in The Battle is friendship and loyalty. While Ahmad and Winnie are the most obvious examples of this, you build it into the relationships of the other characters, too. How important is it to you as an author to instill these honorable traits in your characters?

I think as authors we tend to walk a fine line between moralizing and just...talking out the things that matter to us and we know matter to our readers. I think, particularly for marginalized children like Ahmad and Winnie, it's important to have this visible confirmation of who they are and who their friends are in books: that they are wonderful, supportive, caring and empathetic. So often, the world denies them this type of representation - and it really seems like such a little detail, to have kids of color who are good friends and trustworthy and loyal, but it does matter and it will confirm for them that this is who they are. I know as a girl of color and a Muslim growing up, my friendships and knowing that I had them mattered so much, and that's another reason why it's so important to me to represent strong friendships.

5) I love the idea that the citizens of Paheli are trying to hang on to who they are and their humanity. Can you talk about this and why this is so important for children today to think about?

I think in everything I write, I end up thinking - and discussing - agency a lot: even when we feel we are helpless, are there ways in which we can hold on to our own spirits and determination to do good? I definitely think that readers today, and their parents, are grappling with their own feeling of helplessness, and worrying about their own humanity and how to hold onto that when it seems like everywhere you look there's a new fire. It is never a theme that I outright go, "Okay, I'm going to discuss what it feels like to be under someone else's control and struggling to have your own voice and life," but when I was considering what it would mean to be in a video game as a non-playable character, it was something I felt needed to be addressed in some way. 

6) Ahmad starts the story feeling like an outsider, which I think is something many children can relate to. His expectations for himself are low. How do you think stories like The Battle help kids who feel like Ahmad?

I think it's important to consider how the most beloved children's series out there - Harry Potter - is about a Chosen One, but a Chosen One who starts out his journey as an underdog, unestimated and unloved, who has to build up his found family and his faith in himself. That story resonates with a lot of readers for a reason. A lot of the most popular titles, with kid readers, are stories where an ordinary kid, a flawed kid, finds love or succeeds at their destiny - because it makes it attainable, and there is more hope that, "Yes, I deserve this. Yes, someone who feels the same things I do can achieve this." 

Don't get me wrong: I came to writing fantasy as a kid because of wish fulfillment and escapism, and that is so very important. Not every story has to be realistic or involve the pain and hardships that kids have to face every day. But at the same time, there are very few kids who are in a middle school classroom feeling one hundred percent confident in themselves and how people perceive them. I know this as a teacher who loved all of her kids in her class but also heard a LOT about how they actually felt about themselves and how hard it was to believe in themselves, and as someone who used to be a very awkward bookworm who felt on the outside and like she would never have a close circle of friends or a group chat or a kindred spirit best friend like Anne Shirley or any of it. 

So, being able to write a character who has a believable, attainable goal - wanting to make a real friend - and having him be able to achieve that, was very important to me as someone who often read books and wanted that for herself.

(I will also note that writing Ahmad, a brown Muslim child of immigrants with a learning disability, made this narrative even more important in its being the story of an outsider who finds his niche and his abilities. Ahmad, and kids like Ahmad, wouldn't necessarily be able to feel reassured by the fantasy titles I grew up on in the early 2000s where marginalized characters were not seen and centered - much less to the depth of discussing background and personalized wants in a storyline. Being able to offer this title where his face is one of the hero and victor matters a lot in terms of representation, and filling a gap for the kids who are made outsiders by way of a dominant narrative that does not consider them.)

7) What’s next? Fans of Karuna Riazi want to know! (including me!)

As soon as I know, you'll know! In all seriousness, I'm wrapping up a YA manuscript I've been working on for some time and cooking up some middle-grade ideas to hopefully visit in the future, plus school and seeking representation. Nothing is under contract or signed yet, so fingers crossed for another great title on shelves in the future!

THANK YOU KARUNA!

Want to Learn more about Karuna?

Visit Karuna-Riazi.com!  It is a gorgeous website!

Or follow here on twitter: @KarunaRiazi

Time to win a book!

This is an easy giveaway! 

All you have to do is leave me a note below and tell me your favourite game! A random winner will be chosen this Friday, Sept 30th at midnight! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Essential Tips for Writing Middle Grade Dialogue

Middle grade dialogue can be tricky to write. The modern middle grader reader is quick to spot dialogue that doesn't feel "real." These tips can help you write it right.

Use Age-Appropriate Speech

Please, please use contractions and slang in your middle grade dialogue. Middle grade speech is characterized by casualness, and at times, wordiness. At this age, children are not completely aware of social niceties and will often ramble or dominate conversations. Precocious children may be eager to demonstrate their intellect through use of advanced words.

They're Smarter Than You Think

Nothing will turn off middle grade readers faster than writing down to them. The story (and the dialogue) should leave plenty for the reader to think about and figure out. Don't spell everything out for them. Trust them to think. Show your characters thinking. Modern middle graders are savvy and have been exposed to tons of ideas. They often face issues as tough as any that adults have to deal with. Let your writing and your dialogue reflect that. Leave it to Beaver simplicity will come off as unrealistic. 

Check Out Middle Graders

Spend some time eavesdropping on middle graders or, if you need a shortcut, watch some middle grade TV shows or movies. You will notice them finishing each other's sentences, inventing new words, using big words wrong, and making strange sounds -- whooping, hollering, or sometimes even shouting nonsensical words. Note the use of different types of dialogue and attitude between friends, between middle graders and older children or middle graders and adults. Even the topics of conversation may be different. There may also be an anxiety factor for youths raising tough issues with older people.

Remember: Texting is the New Talking

Dialogue, shmialogue. Who talks anymore anyway? Not the rising generation. If you haven't seen a bunch of tweens or teens standing around texting each other instead of talking, you're not really living. Of course they talk sometimes. So you will still need those other handy dandy dialogue tips. But you might want to beef up on digital communication, too.

If you don't know what ab, brb, bc, or idk mean...it's time you got with the times! While middle graders certainly aren't speaking text shorthand, they definitely text it, whether on their phones, iPods, tablets or sneaking onto social media platforms a few years early. Trust me, they are there, adopting trendy abbreviations. Although you won't use these in actual dialogue, there's a high likelihood that your story will need digital conversations if it's set in modern times. 

What are some of your favorite dialogue tips?

Six Scary Back-to-School Reads

Heading back to school is an amazing time of year when students reunite with old friends, meet new teachers and dive into the joys of learning. Right? Of course, but it can also be scary! From those first day jitters to aliens posing as educators. That's why I decided to put together this list of back-to-school reads that might just scare your pants off. You'll find a little bit of everything: haunted castles, fairytale villains, teachers who turn students into apples. Anyone who says that school is boring clearly hasn't walked the halls of Splendid Academy or faced the wrath of the terrifying Miss Trunchbull.

About the Author:

KIM VENTRELLA is the author of the middle grade novels HELLO, FUTURE ME (2020), BONE HOLLOW and SKELETON TREE, all with Scholastic Press. She is also a contributor to the upcoming NEW SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK anthology (2020, HarperCollins). Find out more at https://kimventrella.com/ or follow Kim on Twitter and Instagram.