Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 201

“Middleview” Interview with Debut Author Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Posted by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Laura Marx Fitzgerald is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview” interview. Laura’s debut middle grade novel UNDER THE EGG, Dial/Penguin, releases in just two days, on 03/18/2014! Congratulations, Laura!
Here is a bit about Laura in her own words:
Where are you from?We moved around a lot growing up. I lived in Nashville, TN; Norman, OK; Oxford, MS; and ended up in Pensacola, FL. I had a Southern accent until college.
And where was that?Harvard. I think they were looking for "geographical diversity". Later I got a Rotary Scholarship to study art history at Cambridge University.
Where do you live now?​Brooklyn.
With?My husband, two sweet kids, and probably a dog if the two sweet kids keep nagging.
Who's your agent?The incomparable Sara Crowe (Harvey Klinger, Inc.)
What's your favorite middle-grade book?A tie between The Westing Game and From the Mixed-Up Files . . . , of course
What's your favorite picture book?Anything by David Wiesner
Ever been on a game show?Yes, as a matter of fact, I have: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Not me, apparently.)
Here’s a description of UNDER THE EGG:
Only two people know about the masterpiece hidden in the Tenpenny home—and one of them is dead.
The other is Theodora Tenpenny. Theo is responsible for tending the family's two-hundred-year-old town house, caring for a flock of unwieldy chickens, and supporting her fragile mother, all on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. So, when Theo discovers a painting in the house that looks like a priceless masterpiece, she should be happy about it. But Theo’s late grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and if the painting is as valuable as she thinks it is, then her grandfather wasn't who she thought he was.
With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all over Manhattan and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.
Here are the links to Laura online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Now it’s time to hear from our guest:
Smack Dab Middleview with UNDER THE EGG author Laura Marx Fitzgerald
1. In a nutshell, what does your main character, Theo, want? 
Theo wants to solve the mystery left to her by her grandfather. In his dying words, Jack told Theo to look "under the egg . . . for a letter . . . and a treasure." Theo is flat broke, so a "treasure" sounds promising. But the closer she looks, the more she sees that the real mystery is who her grandfather really was.
2. What is in her way? 
No money. No guidance. No technology. And a museum curator who wants whatever she's got.
3. Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve? 
I knew I wanted to solve some kind of historical mystery, where the clues lie in the past. An early version included time travel, and an editor friend very kindly (and rightly) told me to kill that aspect. I had another idea about art forgery at the time and was reading a wonderful book called The Forger's Spell. In it, the author notes that new oil paint (as in less than 100 years old) will smudge under rubbing alcohol, but old paint will stay intact. That sparked the idea of one composition painted over another--with the intention of its future removal. And that sparked UNDER THE EGG.
4. Was UNDER THE EGG always for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a middle grade novel? 
In my mind, Theo's literary soul mate was fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross from True Grit, so I made Theo fourteen too. My editor felt that the tone and feel of EGG was middle grade and suggested making Theo a bit younger to better resonate with my audience. Once I did that, I saw that Theo's real soul mate is Turtle from The Westing Game, one of my middle grade heroes.
5. What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers? 
I love writing in the genre that formed the happiest moments of my childhood. I can still pick up The Borrowers, or Anastasia Krupnik, or Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and laugh in the same parts, cry in the same parts, feel my heart beat faster as danger approaches. I can only dream my book inspires the same feelings in my readers. 
6. Is there any downside?  
Sometimes historical subjects can be too intense or upsetting for the younger reader--for example, UNDER THE EGG touches on the Holocaust. The challenge is to find an appropriate way into the topic that meets the reader where he or she is.
7. What's your favorite reading memory? 
When I was a kid, there was a two-foot space between my bed and the wall. On cold winter afternoons I would pile up all my pillows, bring my favorite doll and two or three books, and billow my blanket over the heater vent. Reading all afternoon in that cocoon of pillowy warmth -- heaven!

Thanks for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog, Laura. Again, congratulations on the release of UNDER THE EGG!

Revision is Everywhere (March Theme) by Bob Krech

I was walking with my wife earlier tonight and she was asking what this month's Smack Dab theme was. When I told her it was revision she said, "You love revision." And she wasn't joking.

I do love revision. It's the phase of the writing that I find the easiest and the most rewarding. Starting things is hard. Ending things is hard. But that part in the middle when you're kind of sculpting and buffing, and cutting and adding, is very satisfying to me. I can see and feel the results. I have something to work with and it really is guts of the process.

I was thinking too about how when I used to play a lot of basketball, I was constantly revising. I would work on my game in the driveway or out on a court and try to refine that jump shot or move to the basket. I would try it different ways and tweak it here and there, sculpting it and refining it just like with my writing.

With my job as a teacher I could see where that process of teaching, reflecting, and then revising is constant. Good teachers are continuously involved in this process both mentally and physically as they hone their craft. And it is a craft or art. Not a science. Just like so many other creative endeavors we do everyday like cooking, interacting with people, even cutting the grass. We keep changing it up, seeking the perfect way to do it and then ask ourselves, "Is that better?'

Artists in any field (even a grass one) are always revising.

“Middleview” Interview with Debut Author Robin Herrera

Posted by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Robin Herrera is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blogfor a guest “middleview” interview. Robin’s debut middle grade novel HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL, Amulet Books, released earlier this week, on 03/11/2014! Congratulations, Robin!
Here is a bit about Robin:
Robin Herrera is an aspiring cat lady living in Portland, Oregon. She has a BA in English from Mills College and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. If you ask her how much sugar she puts in her tea, you may be tempted to hand her a toothbrush. HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL is her first novel.
Here’s a description of HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL:
Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes. Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair. But when Star starts a poetry club, she develops a love of Emily Dickinson and, through Dickinson’s poetry, learns some important lessons about herself and comes to terms with her hopes for the future.
With an unforgettable voice with a lot of heart, Hope Is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a young girl who learns to accept her family and herself while trying to make sense of the world around her.
Here are the links to Robin online: Website, Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads  
Now it’s time to hear from our guest:
Smack Dab Middleview with HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL author Robin Herrera
1. In a nutshell, what does your main character, Star, want?
Mainly, friends. But also, to make her sister happy and to meet her father.
2. What is in her way?
A very mean classmate who glares at her; a teacher who thinks she’s a delinquent; her mother, who won’t listen to her; and a bossy boy who shows up to her club meetings.
3. Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve?
I think I knew right away. I guess originally the story was actually backstory (Star was a side-character in another novel I was plotting out), but then I felt really compelled to start writing it, so I did. The first draft was more like a character study, I think, and the span of time was longer. It did evolve in the sense that it developed a true plot. (Word of advice – try and get that plot down!)
4. Was HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL always for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a middle grade novel?
It was always for middle grade, which was odd since its parent story (the novel I mentioned earlier, where Star was a side-character) was an adult novel. It was the first middle grade story I ever wrote, and now I want to write a whole lot more!
5. What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?
You can be pretty inventive. Readers will know if you’re stretching the limits, but they’ll follow you almost anywhere if you make it compelling enough.
6. Is there any downside?
You can’t cuss. Seriously, I’m upset about this! Judy Blume cussed all over the place! Also, I’ve never worked in a school where children didn’t cuss. So it makes no sense to me. A movie can be rated PG or PG-13 and still have the f-word in it once, but it’s not the same for middle grade. SIGH.
7. Is there one question you wish you could answer about writing, your book, or the author's life, but have never been asked? Here's your chance to Q &A yourself.
I always wanted someone to ask if I drink coffee, so I could tell them I drink tea. They’d probably think that I must think highly of my tea-drinking self until I told them that I just drink cheap grocery store tea. I don’t even remember the names of my favorite teas. I just know my favorite has a lion on it. 
Thanks for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog, Robin. Again, congratulations on the release of HOPE IS A FERRIS WHEEL!

A Release and a Giveaway!

by Tracy Barrett

I’m happy to announce that my 2010 historical novel King of Ithaka will finally release in paperback next week!


A paperback release is always good news but I’m especially pleased about this one, since teachers have frequently told me that they’d like to assign King of Ithaka for summer or classroom reading but the hardcover is too expensive. We historical fiction authors depend on teachers and school librarians to put our books in the hands of the right readers, and the lower cost of the paperback will make it easier for them to do that.
The flap copy of King of Ithaka reads:       Telemachos has a comfortable life on his small island of Ithaka, where his mother, Penelopeia, keeps the peace even though the land has been without its king, his father Odysseus, since the Trojan War began many years ago.       But now the people are demanding a new king, unless Telemachos can find Odysseus and bring him home. With only a mysterious prophecy to guide him, Telemachos sets off over sea and desert in search of the father he has never known.

To celebrate this release I’m giving away a signed hardcover of King of Ithaka to a teacher or librarian and offering a free Skype visit in the winner’s age-appropriate classroom, probably fifth to tenth grade. Everyone who comments on this post over the next two weeks (through March 27) will be entered into a drawing. Spread the word to teachers and librarians! Or if you enter and win but don't have a classroom you can donate your winnings to your favorite teacher or librarian.

Welcome to Middle Grade March

Welcome to Middle Grade March 2014.  This month I am highlighting Deb Marshall’s new blog about all things Middle Grade. She’s already featured Holly, some great book reviews, and will feature my interview about writing Historical Fiction on March 15. This is a blog started by Deb Marshall & Akossiwa Ketoglo to celebrate middle grade literature, all month, starting March 1, 2014. This is a continuation of Jill @ The Owl‘s original March of Middle Grade Books.Expect fun and informative interviews, book reviews, giveaways and all sorts of fun shenanigans. 
Here’s the link to the site and the post with my interview.  www.middlegrademarch.com

The Puzzling Curriculum Piece (from Jody Feldman)

When I set out to write my first middle-grade novel, my initial thought—besides, egads! what have I gotten myself into?—was to write the book I would have wanted to read at that age.

In 3rd through 7th grades especially, I happened to be a voracious reader ...
EXCEPT
when it came time to read the books our teachers had assigned to the whole class.

I suppose there was some value in studying stories about all those dead animals; however, each time one of my teachers introduced the next book by revealing the cover, a cover featuring a raccoon or a deer or a dog, I groaned. Silently, but with all my heart.

Don’t get me wrong. I like animals. I do. It’s just that I’d read enough books to know that, with that assigned story, any triumph would come, hand-in-paw, with severe heartbreak. Why, instead, couldn’t we find the value in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle or Encyclopedia Brown or The Phantom Tollbooth (hey, that one has a dog!)?








So when I began brainstorming ideas for my first novel, I knew, for 10-year-old me, it would need to be something a kid would read for fun. I gave no thought to curriculum tie-ins, Common Core Standards, or anything education-based. And yet, I often get mail from teachers and students that reveals The Gollywhopper Games or The Seventh Level is being used in yet another classroom.

How’d that happen?
Magic, maybe?
I’m not quite sure.

I do know it started by an association with the very smart debut authors of the Class of 2k8 who encouraged us all to come up with discussion guides. That continued with me panicking about what to include in said discussion guide. But after I breathed and realized my books contain much about leadership, fairness, sportsmanship, and other character-building elements, and after I remembered curriculum is more than reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, I ran with it.

Then wait!
There’s the puzzle piece.
In my books, the characters need to work their way past many puzzles in order to succeed. Teachers tell me about having their students come up to blackboards, whiteboards, smartboards and take their shot at solving the puzzles along with the characters.  These kiddos, they say, are becoming more proficient in logic and reasoning by discussing the necessary steps toward solution. Additionally, they are picking up on and utilizing the clues peppered throughout the puzzle sections as the characters move forward.

It was a purposeful decision to take that approach to puzzles. When I couldn’t solve certain (okay, most of the) Encylopedia Brown mini-mysteries, I’d often wish that the upside-down solution pages would include a hint before they offered up the full-out explanations.

So while I am mindful of the impact my books may have in classrooms, and while I’m learning more and more about how I may be able to tie some details of my stories into curriculum, my heart lies in writing the best book I can. With that in mind, if you’d like the specifics of how teachers use elements of my books in their curricula, I can try to put you in touch with those who do just that. And I can point you to my discussion guides.

But now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to either
A. Go study up on the Common Core Standards.
B. Go write my next book.
C. Do more A than B.
D. Do more B than A.
E. Have a snack.

Celebrating THE ADVENTURES OF THE BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS with...

Celebrating THE ADVENTURES OF THE BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS with MARCIA THORNTON JONES
THE ADVENTURES OF THE BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015! The 64 titles in the original series combined with the 19 titles in the BAILEY CITY MONSTERS and BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS JR. CHAPTER BOOKS spin-off series provide a multi-age, multi-level, multi-interest reading list that could last an entire school year for students in grades 2-4! Help celebrate the BSK’s 25th anniversary using these Common Core Initiative Standards (reading literature and writing) and NCTE standards (standards 3 6, and 7)!
1.      Write one-line summaries on index cards for each chapter of the BSK adventure you read. Shuffle them and see if a friend can put them in the correct order. When you’re done, illustrate your cards and use them to make your own graphic novel!2.      Become the Bailey School Kids! Write a script highlighting the main plot events in the beginning, middle, and end of the book you read. Act it out for your friends!3.      Fold a piece of paper into fourths to make four columns. Label each column with a character’s name: Howie, Melody, Liza, and Eddie. Brainstorm adjectives that describe each character and add them to the appropriate column, then look through your book to find examples of actions, words, and descriptions that support your adjective choices. Be sure to show your results by writing the page numbers in the appropriate columns.4.      Did something in the BSK adventure remind you of something that happened to you? Write a memoir about it.5.      What should be the next story in the series? Brainstorm a list of titles that would make great additions to the Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series. Practice authentic persuasive writing by sending a letter to the publisher to let them know! But you don’t have to wait for Marcia to write one. You can create your own fan fiction!
Want to celebrate with me in person? Author visits are a great way to celebrate reading, writing, and core content. Here are a few ideas to support a scheduled visit using core content standards.
1.      Write a letter to the PTA, principal, and/or superintendent to convince him/her/them that inviting an author to your school is important.2.      Marcia T. Jones has published more than 130 books! How many can your class read before she arrives? Keep a record using a graph.3.      What makes a book good? Brainstorm a list of criteria for judging whether a book is good or not. Now, read three of Marcia T. Jones’s books. Rate each one using the criteria you listed!4.      What books by Marcia T. Jones are your school’s favorites? Conduct a survey of all the classrooms in your school. Make a chart of your findings and post it in the library! How can the information you learned help your librarian and classroom teachers?5.      Does inviting an author increase reading enthusiasm in your school? Conduct before and after research by recording the number of times books by Marcia T. Jones are checked out from the library. Compare the ‘before visit’ results with ‘after visit’ check-outs!
Interested in scheduling an author visit? Visit www.MarciaTJones.com for information about author visits as well as for more reading/writing activities--including two plays. You can also message me on LinkedIn and Facebook.
(Illustrations by John Steven Gurney)

“Middleview” Interview with Debut MG Author Varsha Bajaj

Posted by Tamera Wissinger
Today, Varsha Bajaj is joining Smack Dab In The Middle Blog for a guest “middleview” interview. Varsha’s debut middle grade novel ABBY SPENCER GOES TO BOLLYWOOD, Albert Whitman, released on 03/01/2014! Congratulations, Varsha!
Here is a bit about Varsha in her own words:
My story begins in Mumbai, India. My slice of Mumbai in the early 1960s was a rambling house built in the 1930s surrounded by coconut, guava and beetle nut trees. I was raised in a Maharashtrian, joint family; my father's parents and his sister lived with us.
My father and grandfather were perfumers and sampling strips of sandalwood and jasmine were always being sniffed and perfected. Making perfumes became a part of my imaginative play. Didn't everyone make perfumes of dirt, crushed flowers and pebbles? I grew up reading cross culturally. We were exposed to various children's series written by British author Enid Blyton. These were stories set in far away, unseen, magical England. They were tales of boarding schools, vacations in a caravan and exotic foods like crumpets.
There were no explanations or author's notes. Enid Blyton probably did not realize that her books were being read by millions of non British children in Her Majesty's ex colonies. At times we were puzzled. My sister and I tried to figure out the meaning of “blancmange”. Using context clues we guessed that it was some kind of slippery British dessert. I also read plenty of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy series. I was also bitten by the travel bug; I just did not know it then!
My grandfather influenced my reading choices as I got older. He introduced me to Jane Austen, and P.G. Wodehouse. On my own I discovered American romance novels!
Growing up I wanted to be a journalist and then an Indian classical singer. The worst case of dust and other allergies soon torpedoed that dream. My choice of profession crystallized after meeting an inspiring psychology teacher in tenth grade, Mrs. Krishnaswamy.
On September 13th, 1986, I came to America as a graduate student. I was young, naive, and idealistic. I arrived at Lambert international Airport in St. Louis with two suitcases, a few dollars and dreams. I was to be met by a representative in the Foreign Student's Office. After waiting for someone to show up for twenty interminably long minutes, I dug out some quarters (kept in case of an emergency that I hoped wouldn't happen) and read strange directions to make a call to the International student office. About an hour later a student walked up to me and asked, "Varsha?"
I blinked my tears away and nodded.
"Welcome to America," he said.
We drove into Illinois in uncomfortable silence. His limited English made conversation almost impossible.
I felt a frightening loneliness. Everyone I knew and loved was a world away. I stared through the window at the alien surroundings whizzing past me on the people less highway. Then I read, "Mississippi River."
It spoke to me. The Mississippi was where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn played. I had visited that river before. I started to babble about Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer. My companion looked at me as if I was demented and drove a little faster. But my fear had decreased, and my mouth was a little less dry.
That day Mark Twain made a girl from India feel less alone, and a lot less scared. Such is the power of stories. Western writers have invited me into their world. My adjustment to this country and culture was facilitated by my knowledge of the language and my awareness of the culture through books, movies and music and by the warmth and welcoming attitude of its people.
After a dozen intermediate years in which I got a Masters degree, worked as a Counselor, got married, had two children and became a citizen, I started writing. It was 1999, two years after my daughter was born; my son was five and I had fallen in love with the picture book.
And I continue to write today...
Here’s a description of ABBY SPENCER GOES TO BOLLYWOOD:
What's the one thing you want most in your life? Abby Spencer wants a life of excitement!
Well, sort of. Actually, that's a lie. All Abby really wants is to meet her father. It's not that she's ungrateful for what she has - nice mom, adorable grandparents, great friends - but she feels like something's missing. And she'd never tell anyone that. 


Abby knows her dad lives in India, but she's never met him and doesn't know much else about him. But Abby's mom realizes it's time to have the big talk. It's time for Abby to finally meet her father.

But does he want to meet her? Is Abby ready for the truth? Abby's about to find out that her dad lives a very different life in a very different country and she's going to experience it all, for better or worse. This is what happens when all your wishes come true...
Here are the links to Varsha online: Website,Facebook,  Twitter, Goodreads 
Now it’s time to hear from our guest:
Smack Dab Middleview with ABBY SPENCER GOES TO BOLLYWOOD author Varsha Bajaj
1. In a nutshell, what does your main character, Abby Spencer want?

Abby Spencer would love to meet her father. She knows that he is from India and lives there, but not much else. She wants to understand him and have him in her life.
She would also like to have more excitement in her normal but boring life. In Abby’s words, “My life is a plate of perfectly edible but ordinary scrambled eggs. I want them savory, creamy, cheesy and maybe with bacon on the side.”

2. What is in her way?

Abby’s mother has been reluctant to share anything but the minimum information about her father. Abby does not want to push her mother for fear of hurting her. Abby is also upset and angry that he has never made any attempt to know her or be involved in her life.

3. Did you know right away that this was your story, or did you discover it as you wrote? How did the story evolve?

I was enthusiastic about the concept and knew it was a story I wanted to tell but the details of the story evolved as I wrote and discovered my protagonist. Abby turned out to be spunky, fun, adventurous, intelligent and sensitive. I started to look at situations through Abby’s eyes and that’s when the story took off. Abby above all, has a sense of humor and it does not desert her through the story and neither does her imaginary string quartet!

4. Was Abby Spencer goes to Bollywood always for middle grade readers or not? If so, why did you choose middle grade? If not, what had to change for it to be considered a middle grade novel?

Yes, it was always meant as a middle grade novel. I wanted Abby to be old enough to make the journey to India but I didn’t want her to be so old that the reader wouldn’t be able to buy that her mother had continued to keep her father’s identity a secret.

5. What is the best part of writing for middle grade readers?

I love that middle graders still have some of their innocence and are not jaded. Their sense of adventure is palpable. They still have so many firsts ahead of them.

6. What are the challenges in taking your character to another culture/country which might not be familiar to them?

Taking Abby and the readers on a journey to India was a privilege. But there were challenges. Abby would be seeing India for the first time, and through the eyes of teenager raised in America. She has taken many privileges for granted.  In many ways, I tried to channel and recall the reactions of my own teenagers to Mumbai and India. I also wanted to make sure that Abby’s story and journey always took first place. I had to resist the urge to have the plot twists and turns be determined by my desire to take the reader sightseeing.
Balancing teen interest/appeal with cultural specificity was important to me.
Thank you for joining us at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog, Varsha, and again, congratulations on the release of ABBY SPENCER GOES TO BOLLYWOOD!

The Big "R" (March Theme)

by Naomi Kinsman

After working with many, many classrooms of young writers, I've learned that revision is one of the most puzzling parts of the writing craft to teach. Swapping out a word or two here or there, sure, but rewriting? No, no, and no, thank you.

I have to be honest and admit that my blood pressure always goes up when young writers dig in their heels and tell me that what they've written is perfect. They insist that while they might replace the word "fun" with "daring" to better describe their adventurous day, rewriting the details of the day itself so that a reader might experience it moment by moment would NOT make the piece stronger.

Why does my blood pressure go up? I suppose it's because I know what they're really saying (that their hand hurts and their brain hurts and they've put as much effort into this piece of paper as they're willing to put) and I completely understand why they're saying it (because they don't see how it will make any difference in their life anyway whether the writing is good or great and by the way it's sunny outside and isn't it time for recess?) but I know that if they'd try truly revising and see what comes of the process, they might just become believers, the way I did.

I'm frustrated, in short, because no amount of words will communicate what I'm trying to say. They will NOT believe me when I say that revision can be the most fun part of the process. They will NOT believe me when I say that revision is the way to make an okay piece of writing so shiny that they want to hang it on their refrigerator. They will never believe these things unless I find a way to show them through experience. And they won't revise. We're in a catch-22.

However, a few months ago I hosted a panel with young writers who I had mentored. An audience member asked the girls what they would change if they could re-do their editorial mentorship, and you won't believe what they said. They said, "We'd revise deeper. We'd take the notes and think  about them and fix the entire story, not just the parts Naomi pointed out specifically." I seriously almost stood up in front of 150 people and danced. I've been thinking about their comments ever since, trying to figure out what the key to turning the revision light on must be and whether there's a way to translate the experience to our developing students who aren't yet working on such ambitious projects.

I'm coming to believe the key is the authentic audience. When a writer knows that their work will be in print, unchangeable, and out in the world for readers to experience, the game changes. It doesn't matter how old you are or how experienced you are, revision is about our readers. At some point in any project, we've revised a piece as far as we need to go for our own understanding or pleasure. The rest of the revision is about how the writing communicates with a reader. Thus, I think in order for revision to be authentic, we have to let our young writers choose which pieces they want to revise and share. When the writer chooses to finish and share a particular piece of writing and has an idea of the reader they hope to affect, then taking the time to revise makes sense.

We can offer publishing opportunities of all kinds and whether they are in our classrooms or beyond, I think publication is the key to revision. It's the reason for the revision, and the motivation behind all the hard work.

Should you know young writers in need of a challenge, the opportunity to revise, and the opportunity to publish, check out Society of Young Inklings' current writing contest for 1st-8th graders here. Winners receive a free editorial mentorship and publication in the Inklings annual anthology, but all applicants will receive a letter about the strengths and areas of growth in their story or poem, so it's a learning experience all around.

Cross-Curriculum Ideas for JANE IN BLOOM: Deborah Lytton March Theme

On my website, I have guides for teachers, librarians and book clubs who want to discuss JANE IN BLOOM.  Here are a few cross-curriculum tie-ins for working with the book. 
Art:  Paint or draw a picture of one of the roses described in the book.  What would you name it? 
Art:  Bring in a photograph of a pet or a flower.  Write a paragraph describing the photograph.  What emotions do you feel when you look at the photo? 
Language Arts:  Write a poem about someone you love.  Write a poem about something you wish you could change.  
Language Arts:  Floriography is the language of flowers.  How about making up a language for something else, like fruit.  What would it mean if I gave you an orange?  An apple?  A watermelon? 
Science:  Choose a breed of dog you like and write about it.  How do certain characteristics of the breed relate to its special skills?   
Science:  Research one of the animals described at the Santa Barbara Zoo.  Write a paragraph about the animal-where it is from, what it eats, how it sleeps. 
If you have any other ideas, please share them with me.  I'd love to hear what you think:)