Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 33

A PLACE TO GROW by Jane Kelley

Writing is a solitary act. Writers are often told to stay at their desks. I wonder about that advice. If I don't go off my path, what will I have to write about?

I'm lucky. I live near the Mequon Nature Preserve. It has 500 acres of woods, fields, ponds to explore, an observation tower to climb, more species of flora and fauna than I can count. It also helps humans grow with a thriving education department that includes book clubs for readers of all ages. I was so honored that the Junior Nature Book club read two of my books this past year and invited me to share their discussion.

The members were so smart. They asked challenging questions about the choices I had made in my books. Was it a good idea for Megan to go on that hike by herself? Why did I let that bad thing happen to one of their favorite characters? Why did I put banana nut muffins in the book if I don't like them?

Being held accountable for what I write is important. I try to make my books as accurate as I can. I'm proud that a nature preserve found value in my works of fiction. I want to treat all my characters with respect, whether they are pigeons or people or red tailed hawks.

This red tailed hawk, along with many other specimens, is in the Mequon Nature Preserve's classroom so that people can get a closer look at the natural world.

Marianne O'Connor leads the book group discussions and shares her love of nature. She also baked banana nut bread for the group. There isn't a photo of it––the kids devoured it!

Mequon Nature Preserve is a place to walk, to share ideas with new friends, to appreciate the wonders of nature. I'm so glad to have found a place to be inspired by my own ideas but especially by the good work being done to preserve nature and encourage people to appreciate it.

Jane Kelley is a hiker, an observer, a nature lover, who has been known to get off the path and write a few books.

Interview with Mark Goldblatt, Author of Might as Well be Dead

I always like to start with the short and sweet: Give us the elevator pitch for Might as Well be Dead?

 

It’s the story of David, a 13-year-old boy, reeling from the sudden decision of his mom to desert him and his dad; he encounters, or begins to hallucinate, a ghost named Winston—whom older readers may recognize as John Lennon. (It’s worth noting that Lennon was also traumatized by losing his mother). They have emotional work to do together, some mysterious wrong they’re supposed to set right. That’s the plot.

 

The concept is just so imaginative. Where did it come from?

 

I’d been wanting to write a novel about a traumatized kid for a few years, one that would deal compassionately with mental illness but that would be lighthearted page by page. The Lennon angle came to me after I watched the movie Yesterday in which Lennon turns up for a five-minute cameo—a gut-wrenching scene if you’re a Beatles fan. There’s probably a little influence from the 1950 movie Harvey too—in which the Jimmy Stewart character is befriended by a giant rabbit whom only he can see.

 

I love the character of Winston. Several times, I wondered if, in earlier drafts, he was actually John Lennon (since the Beatles are his mother’s great love). How did Winston’s character grow or change as you moved through drafts?

 

I toyed with calling the character “John Lennon,” but it’s a middle grade novel, and I thought that might be off-putting to young readers. Lennon lived and died in the last century, and my book is set in 2023; kids should be able to jump right in without doing background research. You can read the book—I hope—without ever realizing that Winston is Lennon. The plot should still make sense…insofar as a story about a kid hallucinating a middle-aged Englishman makes sense.

 

Might as Well be Dead deals with some really serious issues–specifically, mental health (for both David and his mother). Did you ever struggle with how much / how deeply to address this issue with younger readers?

 

I tried to be careful about that. As I mentioned above, it’s a lighthearted book page by page. But the bottom line is that David is hallucinating—which means he’s experiencing significant mental health issues. I read a lot about childhood trauma and instances of hallucination in children. But I also sought out mental health professionals as early readers. I wanted their feedback; I didn’t want to write anything that would caricature or in any way diminish David’s ongoing emotional challenges.

 

Your tone is so spot-on for MG. How do you tap into the MG voice?

 

Here’s a confession. I don’t intentionally write in a middle-grade voice; I never have. I stumbled into middle grade fiction while I was writing an adult novel—or so I thought—about a kid struggling with guilt over a horrific bullying incident. The point of the book was to explore the moment in a child’s life where his conscience kicks in. Random House bought the book and, to their credit, recognized that it had more potential in the middle grade market than in the adult market. They gave it a title I would never have considered, Twerp, and the book wound up a bestseller.

 

Obviously, things have changed since then. Random House contracted a sequel to Twerp—Finding the Worm—which has also done well. So I know the market a little better. When I began writing Might As Well Be Dead, I realized that it would be published as a middle grade novel. But in terms of the process of writing, it’s exactly the same as when I’m writing a novel for adults. Inhabit the mind of the narrator. See what he sees. Feel what he feels. Develop an intellectual and emotional stake in what’s going on. Take nothing, not a single scene, not a single sentence, for granted. You’re not just getting from Point A to Point B. If you don’t care, the reader won’t care.

 

What was the biggest surprise you encountered writing the book?

 

The scene at the end, where David has to confront the truth that he’s been keeping bottled up, was extraordinarily difficult to get through. I was sobbing when I wrote it, and when I edited it, and even now, when I read it back, it still upsets me. That’s not something I’ve encountered very often in writing a book—especially since I knew the book was headed in that direction all along.

 

If readers take away one thing from this book, what do you hope it will be?

 

First and foremost, I hope they’re entertained by it. Beyond that, I’d like young readers to realize that mental illness comes in many forms and intensities, some of which are not straightforward or easy to recognize. Finally, I hope readers of all ages enjoy spending time with the ghost of John Lennon—or at least my idea of the ghost of John Lennon. I did. I miss him (again!) now that the book is over.

 

What’s next for you?

 

I’ve always thought of myself as a college professor—I teach developmental English and lecture in religious history at Fashion Institute of Technology, a branch of the State University of New York—who happens to write on the side. But I’ll be retiring this spring after 40 years, which I suppose means I’ll be writing full time. I’m currently working on two (very) adult novels, and I’ve recently finished the third book in the Twerp trilogy. Other than that, I’ll continue to play softball (reasonably effectively) and golf (comically poorly).

~

Mark Goldblatt is the author of the best-selling middle grade novel Twerp and its sequel Finding the Worm, as well as many works of fiction and non-fiction for adults. His writing has appeared in popular and academic journals including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Observer, USA Today, Time, Reason, Commentary, National Review, Quillette, Philosophy Now, and the Sewanee Theological Review. He teaches developmental English and religious history at Fashion Institute of Technology of the State University of New York.

How to Grow as a Writer

Irene Latham here. Now that it's May and I've got irises blooming and tomato plants in the ground, I'm excited to talk with you about how to grow as a writer. As a bonafide master gardener—I took the classes and earned the certification—I am kind of in love with the garden metaphor for writing! And, much like writing, I learned in master gardener classes that whatever the books say, experience is the best teacher. I don't have a lot of experience as a master gardener...yet.

In my experience as a writer, I've learned that there are three major areas where we need to grow as writers. And, like gardening, growth involves nurturing ourselves and our projects. Sometimes that means adding something (think: fertilizer) and sometimes that means taking something away—weeding, pruning pest control. It's not always easy, and it's not always fun. 

1. GROW YOUR COMMUNITY. Plants do better in groupings than as solo plantings, and it's the same for writing. Writers need other writers. So if you want to grow your community, you can fertilize by joining a critique group or a book club. Offer your services as a beta reader to another writer...or as a presenter of a writing course or workshop to schools, libraries, or nonprofit organizations. Post content online through blogs or other social media. Attend a conference and introduce yourself to others. Ask them about their projects. Be sure to follow up after the conference. This is how relationships are nurtured!

On the pest control side, evaluate how community/social time might be preventing you from blooming. Let go of "friends" who don't support your dreams or who suck your time. Constantly evaluate how you're spending your time, and let go of the things that no longer serve you. Just like it's hard to to thin a mound of three seedlings down to only one, you have to trust that you're doing the best thing for YOU and your dreams.

2. GROW YOUR CRAFT. We're so lucky to live in a world where there are so many ways to learn new writing tricks and techniques! You can read a craft book or take an online course. Attend a conference. Write morning pages. Play around on the page. Try a new plotting formula. Write, write, write!

When it comes to weeding, how about putting an end to those bad habits once and for all. Become a ruthless self-editor. When you see yourself falling into the same story patterns, delete, delete, delete! Prune those pages. There are always other words and ways to try.

3. GROW YOUR SOUL. So much of writing happens when we're not actually writing. It has to do with the kind of lives we're living—if we're living at all amid all the "working." To grow your soul, it's important to shift the focus from the end product (book deal!) to the process. Redefine your work space as a place for JOY. Read, travel, experiment. Go to a museum, play with a child. Take a stained glass class. Make that pasta dish you remember so fondly from childhood. Sing. Ask someone to dance. Do something—anything!—different. 

Yes, weeding is required here, too. Step away from the computer. Take a break. Be gentle with yourself. You must prioritize self-care. Exercise, eat well, SLEEP. Practice by encouraging other writers. Every word you utter to your writer-friend is exactly the word your soul needs to here.

Now, get out there and GROW! I'm rooting for you all the way. ❤️

A Sampling of New Middle Grade Books

 

A Sampling of New Middle Grade Books

 

It’s May, and time to dive into some great new middle grade books. I had the pleasure over the past month of interviewing three MG authors:Sydney Dunlap, L.M. Elliott, and Teresa Robeson, on my blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.

 

Dunlap’s new novel, It Happened on Saturday, focuses on theissue of human trafficking. She told me: “It Happened on Saturday grew out ofmy work with child trafficking survivors and my realization that there was verylittle literature for young readers addressing this topic, even though kidsages 11 to 14 are especially vulnerable. I decided to write a character-driven,age-appropriate novel to help middle grade readers understand the risks and theneed to be careful and aware as they go online and use social media.”

 

Elliott wrote a historical novel, Bea and the New DealHorse, which takes place during the Depression of the 1930s. Elliott said ofthe relationship between her protagonist, 13-year-old Bea, and a chestnut horseshe comes to love: “Wrestling with her own hurts and distrust stemming from allthe catastrophes that have befallen her in her short 13 years, Beainstinctively empathizes with the horse’s wary, angry, and at times dangerousattitude—especially after learning of his mistreatment under a previous owner.She saves the chestnut from colic and the glue factory. In turn, he will learnto trust her, carry her in breath-taking flight over jumps, and teach her tofind joy again. After many mishaps and doubt, this ‘beaten-up horse andbeaten-down girl’ will find that poetic and almost balletic communion possiblebetween a horse and a gifted rider.”

 

Robeson has written a nonfiction book about the Dalai Lama, WhoIs Tibet’s Exiled Leader?: The 14th Dalai Lama, part of the “Who Is” series aboutnotable people. When asked what she sees as some common perceptions andmisconceptions about her subject, she said: “I’m not really aware of whatpeople think of the Dalai Lama, but a possible misconception they might have isthat he is holier-than-thou. That is completely not the case! He will readilytell you that he was a mischievous and headstrong child. He’s comfortable withthe idea that while he is the embodiment of the eternal Dalai Lama spirit, heis also a fallible human being like everyone else. He doesn’t have to be asaint to teach compassion, his mission in life, and he wants people to know wedon’t have to be perfect to be compassionate.”

 

Please take a look at these books, and thanks for reading!

 

--Deborah Kalb

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News

 

Open Up!!!

 by Charlotte Bennardo

This month, the theme is "Open Up" to new ideas. Whether traditionally or independently published, authors have to be open to new ideas - how to write, how to revise, how to promote, how to sell... you get the picture. 

Photo by Alina Kurson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in...

One of the things I desperately needed to be more open about was learning to manage and expand my social media presence. I did this through my MFA program, taking a class in Social Media. Initially, I fretted over it; I'm not tech savvy, I don't want to spend hours learning then implementing things that may not have visible results or even be applicable, and I don't want to use valuable writing time on something that I don't really like. Plus, the course was geared towards business majors. Promoting a business or product is not identical to promoting books. 
However... there is enough commonality that I can use to my benefit. I've learned how to use Canva and now can make posters for Instagram, Twitter, my blog or website, or Facebook. I've learned that posting need not be complicated but it needs to be consistent, concise, and catchy. In the back of my mind, I probably already knew this, but the course made me comfortable using and expanding it, and gave me basic familiarity with programs like Hootsuite.
The publishing world (or 'landscape' as it's called in the MFA program), constantly changes and we as writers have to change with it. I'm finishing up my MFA in Creative Writing (July 1 conferral!) so as soon as that last paper is submitted, I have to return full time to my writer persona and employ all that I've learned. And once I reconnect with the writing groups and colleagues that I've stepped aside from while obtaining my degree, I'll need to play catch up with. Plus, I'll continue to look for books, speakers, and workshops- have to be open to change as is happens. Who knows what I'll learn? 

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, and paranormal genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has two short stories in the Beware the Little White Rabbit (Alice through the Wormhole) and Scare Me to Sleep (Faces in the Wood) anthologies. Currently she is working on several novels for both children and adults, and her MFA. She lives in NJ with her family and her floofy cat. When they trimmed the backyard tree, the crazy squirrel couple had to move out.

Interview With Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman, Authors of THE N.O.A.H. FILES: I AM THE WALRUS

Short andsweet--give us the elevator pitch for  I Am the Walrus :

(If theelevator is only going to the second floor:) A comic middle-gradescience-fiction/fantasy adventure, a thrill-ride with unexpected and hilarioustwists and turns.  (If we’re going to a higher floor) 14-year-oldNoah Prime is reacting to stress in uncontrollable and absurd ways – forexample, freezing up like a possum when he’s confronted by bullies, or flappinghis arms, bobbing his head and shrieking like an Emperor penguin when he’sdancing with a girl he likes. Noah doesn’t know what’s happening to him, buthis best friend, Ogden, who’s a bit on the spectrum, has a theory that at firstsounds outlandish, but turns out to be true – Noah has the DNA of every specieson Earth wrapped up in his own DNA. So the question becomes “Why?” And whenabsurdly inept aliens try to kill him, Noah’s main goal becomessurviving. 

 I’m alwaysintrigued by writing teams. How did this writing pairing work? What was thedrafting process like? 

Ideally, welike to get into the same room and write together. It feels like we’re justgoofing around for five or six hours, but when we look down, we’ve written tenpages. In fact, our main goal when we’re working together is to make the otherperson laugh, and if we succeed it goes in the book. We used to live within anhour of each other, which made it fairly easy to work together, but now we liveacross the country from each other—so now we work mainly by Google Docs, and weboth try to be in the document at the same time. We usually even have ouriPhones next to the computer, so we can talk to each other via Facetime whileworking. We do still get together for the occasional writing retreat, which wedid recently to start work on book two of the N.O.A.H. Files, and we managed toget the first 110 pages written in two weeks!

Our readersare always interested in inspiration. I tend to think inspiration is somethingthat happens AFTER you start working. But this book has so many wild elements:aliens, in-town volcanoes. Where did the ideas come from?

Mostly bymaking each other laugh! We had an idea of where the story would end, but wereally had no idea how it was going to get there. In fact, when we beganwriting, we weren’t 100% sure the answer would be aliens, and the possibleexplanations that Ogden ticks off (evolution, government conspiracy, etc.) arethings we had actually considered. Ultimately, we decided on aliens, whichopened the door to many more possible absurdities (like a volcano popping up inthe middle of the town). Our ideas usually come out of our discussions, byasking each other “Why?” and “How?” and “What else could go wrong?”

The thingthat sucked me in, right from the start, is the humor. It’s that rare humorthat works on both the MG level and the adult level–it’s a great feeling to beeither smiling or laughing as you’re reading. Did co-writing help or hinderhumor? I’m thinking it’d be great to punch up the humor with another author,but it could so easily mess up the voice…

We’re sopleased you appreciated the humor! We both agree that with a collaborator whohas a similar sense of humor is very helpful! Writing is usually such asolitary pursuit—your own head can be a lonely (and sometimes scary) place. Asfor working on multiple levels, we intentionally included things that wethought adults would find funny too, because, A) we know that parents usuallybuy the books for their middle grade kids, and will often read the booksbefore, or to, them, and, B) We amuse ourselves. 

You both havescreenwriting experience. Did that help in crafting the dialogue? (Yourdialogue does a great job of both adding humor and driving the action.)

That’s a verygood question! Yes, it does help, as dialogue is such a critical part ofcharacter development, rhythm, and, as you point out, a large part of the humorin the book.  Most of the screenplays we’ve written together havebeen comedies.

One of themain themes here seems to be one of the most basic, enduring questions–whatdoes it mean to be human? Nothing can hold up humanity for examination quitelike a creature from the outside. Is that how aliens became part of thisstory? 

One of theinspirations of the story was the idea that early teenagers are just enteringthat stage of life when their bodies begin to change, and we wondered whatwould happen if we pushed that to an extreme. And Noah certainly does begin toquestion his humanity as the story progresses.  He also begins towonder if his parents and his little sister are not quitehuman.  Also, by involving aliens, we can poke fun at a whole bunchof alien tropes! 

What was thebiggest surprise writing this one? 

One of thecomments we see over and over again from both student and adult readers of ourprevious trilogy (Tesla’s Attic, Edison’s Alley and Hawking’sHallway) is “I didn’t know what was going to happen next!” That alwaysmakes me laugh because I think, “Neither did we!” The characters are constantlysurprising us by the choices they make. (The unexpected time-travelingcharacter is an example of that!)

What do youwant readers to take away from I Am the Walrus?

As youpointed out, “What does it mean to be human” is a question that Noah askshimself, and we touch on themes of friendship and teamwork in the book as well.But our fondest wish is that the book will make readers laugh out loud, andmaybe get that reluctant reader to realize that that reading is fun!

Where can wecatch up with you?

We’re bothvery active on social media. 

 

Credit: Gaby Gerster

Neal at www.storyman.com, facebook.com/nealshusterman,Twitter, TikTok and Instagram @Nealshusterman  (remember there’s no‘c’ in Shusterman, or you might end up with Neal Schusterman, the dentist inNew Jersey.  Seriously.)

 

 

 

Credit: Jan Elfman

Eric at www.facebook.com/EricElfmanAuthor),Twitter @Eric_Elfman (don’t forget the underscore because there’s another EricElfman on Twitter - a lawyer, who won’t understand _at all_ if you ask himabout the aliens in the book, and might sue.)

 

 

 

Will we be seeing any additionalworks by the two of you in the future?

Definitelyyes! We’re already working on Shock the Monkey -- book 2 ofthe series, and after that, well, we have lots of ideas!

 

A Book is Opened, and a Book is Shut: Smack Dab in the Imagination by Dia Calhoun

When we start reading a story, we open the book. When we start writing a story, we open our imaginations. 

When we finish reading a story, we shut the book. When we finish a story . . . when we finish a story. . . when we finish a story . . . .

Not so easy to shut the imagination, is it, writers? We have learned to let our imaginations play and plumb and plunge. For me, the trick is knowing when to stop being open, when to say no to just one more idea that would make the plot richer or the character deeper and finally finish the story.

I love the play and openness of imagination, so it's hard for me to turn off the spigot. I'm struggling with this now in a difficult book I've been working on intermittently for the past five years. It's time to polish and finish. One way I've found to make this easier is to think of the process like this. The gift my imagination has given me won't be complete until finished. I honor that gift by polishing it like a beautiful stone. I bring out the luster of what is, shut the book, and place on a table a thing, imperfect, made. 

Interview with Cliff Lewis, Author of We the Future

Congrats on the release of We the Future! I always start with the short and sweet: give us the elevator pitch.

 
Thanks so much for the conversation about We the Future. This story means so much to me. We the Future is about what happens when an anxious, asthmatic boy teams up with a girl from the future to launch a climate strike big enough to rewrite history. It's a funny, scary, heart-warming time heist that makes an inspiring playbook for young activists.
  
I love the description on your author site: Weird stories on important topics. We the Future is such an attention-grabber. It snags you from the first page and just keeps propelling you forward with a fast-moving tale. And yet, “rewriting history to stop the climate apocalypse” is a heavy subject. Did you ever struggle with balancing the tone?
 
In everyday life, I'm often the guy who cracks a joke during a serious moment or who brings up something heavy in the course of light conversation. A playful story about a serious topic is kind of my sweet spot, so I wouldn't call this a struggle.
 
But I will say this: You are pointing to the exact reason why I felt this book needed to be written. Young people deserve to know how much is at stake in their future, and they shouldn't have to be a science buff or a climatologist to get the message. I wrote We the Future as a fast-paced, time-bending caper to help kids learn about the climate crisis and climate activism without ever feeling like they’re learning a thing. It’s kind of like a gummy vitamin; you feel like you’re chewing up a Sour Patch Kid, but it’s actually a blast of probiotics, vitamin C and calcium—a whole lot of good stuff you’ll need for a long and healthy life.
  
I instantly sympathized with Jonah being an asthmatic and facing a future that won’t let him breathe. How did that component enter the book?
 
I lived it! As a kid, I was blindsided by a sudden asthma attack at school one morning. It landed me in the hospital for several days. So I know firsthand the value of every breath—and how it feels when the air we breathe falls under attack.
  
One of my favorite quotes is: “Most grown-ups are obsessed with the way things are. They’ll never save the world if it means they’ll have to change it.” It seems one of the messages of the book is the best tool for change is an imagination: the ability to picture the way things could be. Do you agree?
 
A million percent. Averting the potential catastrophes of the climate emergency will require a lot more than individual lifestyle changes. Our entire modern world is built around fossil fuels and other extractive industries, so it's going to take some serious world building to turn things around. People need to rethink not just how we generate our energy, but how we use it in our infrastructure and systems of transportation. And not only do we need to build big things, but we also need to imagine how that huge transition can make the world a more just and prosperous place for everyone—not just the very rich. This kind of change begins with an open heart and a big imagination.
  
Please tell us about pacing. I think you do such a fantastic job moving from one scene to another. I got the feeling that scissors (or delete button) were more important to you than the pen. Is that right?
 
The revision process was huge, but a lot of the pacing came from the strange way I produced the first draft. I wrote almost the entire novel while running. Every morning I would wake up before 5:00 a.m. and run circles around my neighborhood while dictating this story into my phone. Then I would get back to my computer, paste that text into my manuscript and clean up all the voice-text errors. I'd never written anything so fast, but it felt important for me to write this book with the same urgency that Jonah or Sunny would have. It's a time-sensitive story about a time-sensitive subject.
 
Why are you driven to write for younger people? Why this age specifically?
 
Young people have a right to know what all the “responsible” adults have done—and continue doing—to their world. And they have every right to fight back.
 
I also believe that, when people in this age group organize themselves for collective action, massive things can happen. As a parent, I can tell you from experience that, if there's anything more relentless than the greedy grasp of the fossil fuel industry, it’s the relentless petitions of a 7th grader who’d just been handed an unfair deal.
 
There's this scene in Avengers: Infinity War during the battle for Wakanda where, after Thor has been out of the fight for most of the movie, he shows up like a lightning strike with Stormbreaker in his hand and screams "BRING ME THANOS!!!" That's what it's like when middle school kids show up for the climate fight. They're the strongest Avenger.
  
The voice of this book is pitch-perfect–it can be tough for an author to pin it down, that voice that kind of seesaws between childhood and adolescence. Was it easy to find, or did you work at it? Have any strategies for authors struggling with that one?
 
I'll refer back to my writing-while-running technique here. Let’s start calling it “cardio-drafting” for short. At first I just thought it was a good way to break away from writer’s block and digital distractions, but also, when you're covered in sweat and maintaining a 160 bpm heart rate, you don't have the patience for any grown-up word mincing. You get straight to the point—which is very on-brand for the middle school crowd.
 
Cardio-drafting may not be for everyone, but I think other writers could try something similar. Dictation alone, minus the cardio, is itself a powerful tool for honing your character voice. I mean you're acting out the part and making your literal voice a part of your writing process. I’d recommend anyone give it a try!
  
You’re surely going to light a fire inside your readers, make them want to get involved in climate issues. Where do you suggest they get started?
 
For starters, I wouldn't recommend doing what Jonah does at the beginning of We the Future, where he desperately tries to eliminate every single use of carbon emitting technology in his life. No one saves the world alone. Instead, get yourself plugged in with a bunch of folks who are already in the fight.
 
The climate activist organization with probably the most organizing muscle would be Sunrise Movement. Sunrise is a youth-based climate activism group with chapters distributed in schools all across the country. They might already have a chapter in your school! But, even if they don't, they're always ready to equip new recruits for starting chapters of their own. And if you're not ready to start organizing your own chapter, they also provide opportunities to volunteer virtually as well.
 
But if you'd rather learn a bit more about the climate fight before jumping in, you can check out the middle grade nonfiction book How to Change Everything by Naomi Klein and Rebecca Stefoff. This book creates a soulful, practical, and accessible space to explore the ways that young people are already working to rewrite the twenty-first century for the better.
 
As a kid of the ‘80s, I got some serious Back to the Future vibes, and I loved it. Really, though, the idea of being able to rewrite our future or destiny has intrigued writers of books and scripts, etc. for ages. If you could go back and do anything to alter our present, what would it be?

The way I have labored over this question… But I think I’ve got it!

If I could do exactly what Sunny does in We the Future, and travel back to one specific year to turn the tide of history, I would go back to the year 1968. The first thing I would do (in April of that year) is somehow avert the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was only 39 years old at the time. At that point, King was expanding his activism to take on what he called "the three evils" of racism, poverty and war. I can only dream of what a movement with that kind of spirit and moral clarity could have accomplished throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond.
 
Then I would do some sightseeing until June, when I would somehow avert the death of Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for president at the time and could well have sunk Richard Nixon's first presidential campaign. Just imagine a world with a quicker end to the Vietnam War, without the embittering corruption of Watergate, and with a president more likely to cave under the political pressure of a "Poor People's Campaign" led by the still-living Martin Luther King Jr…
 
Chills. 
  
What’s next for your writing?
 
I'm working on a new middle grade novel that's even weirder than We the Future. I love this story so much. I won't give you the full summary right now, but I will tell you this: It involves a 90s time-capsule house, escape room-style puzzles and a deep dive into the wonderfully complicated relationships we share with our cousins. Also, it's heavily influenced by The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Just like everything I write, this will be a weird story about important things.
~
Keep up with Cliff Lewis at his author site, and be sure to get your own copy of We the Future: Snag a copy from Bookshop, or buy direct from Jolly Fish. 

In Praise of the Graphic Novel

     As an elementary librarian, I am privy to the ebb and flow in the popularity of children's books. It's reflected in what books I order, which ones I have multiple copies of, and which ones get weeded from the collection. Children's books are a very real part of my everyday world, and I love helping kids find a book that they love. However, I have recently re-defined my mission as a librarian from 'getting kids to love books' to more of a 'help children discover the joy of reading for pleasure.' In this era of incessant testing, our children are being taught to read for information, in order to answer questions, and the joy and pleasure that reading can bring are being lost. 

    Enter . . . the graphic novel. I am a latecomer to the joys of reading graphic novels. When I first became a librarian, they were just starting their rise in popularity. The library I inherited had a reasonable collection. But I soon realized it wasn't enough. The demand for graphic novels increased steadily every year, heck, every quarter. I was circulating a lot of them, but to be honest, I held a bit of a snobbish attitude about them. I would never have said it out loud - because I was just happy that kids were reading - but I sometimes wished kids would check out 'real' books. It didn't take long for me to lose that attitude, because the popularity of graphic novels meant that kids were reading through them, quickly, and demanding more, and I really began to see the benefits. Kids loved them. Kids were reading. A lot. And more studies were done about the benefits in reading comprehension and vocabulary expansion that graphic novels were providing. Importantly, it had become clear that graphic novels were not just a means to an end - a jumping off point to other kinds of books - but a vibrant and valuable entity on their own merit. I became a convert to the idea that graphic novels, comics and manga were a positive addition to the reading world of kids. But I hadn't yet developed a personal affinity for them. 

    It's hard to pinpoint just which graphic novel made me a real fan of the genre. One thing that really helped me along is that I joined the selection committee for Guys Read/Gals Read. This is a locally developed program (shout out to the amazing and tireless Greg Hill!) that encourages reading for the sheer pleasure of it. On this committee, I had to read, assess and score graphic novels to be read during lunchtime sessions to fourth-grade boys and girls across the district. The graphics selected are always hugely popular and in demand. This definitely started me down the road to pure graphic novel enjoyment. One of the first I remember really enjoying was the Newbery Honor-winning El Deafo by Cece Bell. Two more graphic novels have been recognized by the Newbery committee since - Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson won an honor in 2016 and New Kid by Jerry Craft won the Newbery Medal in 2020, the first to do so. These mainstream awards have done much to legitimize the genre in the eyes of parents and educators. I am continually impressed by the quality of stories coming out, and I'm always scrambling to keep up for the sake of my patrons. 

    My collection in the library includes not just graphic novels, but also a small amount of manga and a lot of serial comics (such as Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes, as well as the Alaskan-based favorites Tundra by Chad Carpenter and Nuggets, by Jamie Smith), but the traditional graphic novels are my favorite. What follows are a list of popular series, as well as ones that I have greatly enjoyed myself or that are incredibly popular in my library.

Popular Series:       Dog Man - Dav Pilkey 

                                Mr. Wolf's Class - Aron Nels Steinke

                                Sunny Side Up series - Jennifer Holm

                                Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi

                                Real Friends series - Shannon Hale

                                Surfside Girls - Kim Dwinell

                                5 Worlds - Mark Siegel

                                Wings of Fire - Barry Deutsch/Tui Sutherland

                                Emmie & Friends - Terri Libenson

                                Space Boy - Stephen McCranie

                                Cleopatra in Space - Mike Maihack

                                HiLo - Judd Winick

                                Witch Boy - Molly Ostertag

                                The Okay Witch - Emma Steinkellner

                                Sheets - Breanna Thumler

                                Lightfall - Tim Probert

                                Peapod Farm series - Lucy Knisley

                                Witches of Brooklyn - Sophie Escabasse

                                Tea Dragon Society - Katie O'Neill

Stand Alones:         This Was Our Pact - Ryan Andrews

                                Brightly Woven - Leigh Dragoon/Alexandra Bracken

                                Mega Robo Bros - Neill Cameron

                                Be Wary of the Silent Woods - Svetlana Chmakova

                                When Stars are Scattered - Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

                                All's Faire in Middle School - Victoria Jamieson

                                Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer - Gillian Goetz

                                Stargazing by Jen Wang

                                Snapdragon - Kat Leyh

                                Catherine's War - Julia Billet

                                Beetle & the Hollowbones - Aliza Layne     

                                Anne of Green Gables - Mariah Marsden (adapted from the classic)

                                The Rema Chronicles: Realm of the Blue Mist - Amy Kim Kibuishi

                                Too Pig to Fail - Rob Harrell

                                The Awakening Storm (City of Dragons #1) - Jaimal Yogis

        So, for any of you educators, fans, and creators of middle-grade literature who may be reading this, I hope this gives you a jumping-off point to begin your exploration of graphic novels for kids, that is, if you haven't started yet on this journey. This list is by no means exhaustive, and is simply representative of the books that have been seeing high circulation in my library, or that I have particularly enjoyed. To give evidence of my true conversion from skeptic to consumer, yesterday when I was at the public library, I went to pick up one hold book and came home with five graphic novels as well. May you all be equally enamored.