D.N. Moore's Blog, page 2

Top Young Adult Books

With the recent spotlight on book banning, it is hard to wade through the media hype and find quality literature.  Sensationalism aside, what makes for a good book?  And in this information age, where we can read about things beyond our wildest imaginations, how do we navigate a glutted industry (nearly 4 million new book titles come out every year if you include indie authors) and give our kids reading material that appeals to their interest but remains appropriate?  As a teacher and a mom, I struggled with this quite a bit.  I believe that teen books should teach ideals.  They should show a world where goodness and morality prevail.  Not pedantically, but through real characters with real struggles, whose ideals are tested, and who remain true to themselves despite the environment telling them otherwise.  To me, this makes a really good story.

My students all felt the same way.  (And yes, I mean ALL.  Even kids who previously despised reading fell in love with it on the reading list I gave them.)  The way I ran Middle and High School reading was simple: I provided full bookshelves, and they chose the books that most interested them.  Throughout ten years of teaching, I saw hundreds of books read, I pored over their essays, we discussed them in seminars, and I found that most students were moved by the same things: heroes with morals and integrity being tested (even if they didn’t start that way); boys and girls they could both relate to and look up to for the tough decisions they had to make.  While most of the time they just thought they were reading a good story, I saw them start to ask big questions and have deep conversations and look at the world differently as a result.  I learned not to underestimate the power of good fiction.

So instead of focusing on who is banning inappropriate books and why, I’d like to suggest what IS good literature for kids.  This is the first in a series of book recommendations for young adults.  Whether you homeschool, you’re a teacher, you’re a parent looking to nurture a love of reading in your child, or a teen simply looking for some reading ideas, stay tuned for my top Young Adult book recommendations.

I’ll leave you with my number one favorite YA book of all time: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

 

 

For ages: 13 and up (I read it when I was 35)

Themes of love, poverty and coming-of-age around the year 1912

 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Francie Nolan, an idealistic young girl living in the slums of Brooklyn in the year 1912.  Despite her family’s extreme poverty, Francie finds beauty in the most unexpected places.  Neither her father’s alcoholism, her mother’s harshness, her aunt’s wildness, or societal conditions will shake her from her overarching drive to be happy.  Although it isn’t a heart-racing, action-packed book (so not everyone’s cup of tea), it is one of the richest, most well-written stories of strength against adversity, and it will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.

I loved this book so much that I named one of my cats after it.  Meet Brooklyn:

 

 

If you do read it, I would love to know what you think.  Send me an email or comment below.

Happy reading!

 

ML,

D

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Book Release Day

 Book release day.

I always get nervous on these days.  I’m not really sure why.  After all, I spent much of my youth as a performing artist, and sharing art with an audience is something I consider an honor, a privilege and a joy.

Writing, though – that’s a different story.  That’s the equivalent of going on stage naked because, for me, storytelling is where one bares their whole soul.  It’s never just a story for me – it’s an experience.  It’s something that can either elevate you and leave you greater than you were before you read it, or fall flat and make you wish you hadn’t wasted your time, like eating stale crackers.  There is no real gray area between a good story and a bad one.  If it’s a bad one, you lose your audience before the story even takes off.  And in that case, what was the point?

This is the struggle I have fought to overcome over the years, and even though I’ve conquered it enough to actually write, and stop doubting and editing every paragraph as go – it is still a bit nerve-racking when I actually show it to the world.

Despite my diffidence, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed writing every one of these stories.  As usual, each has its own supernatural twist.  The characters are (I hope) likable.  I tried to capture my favorite parts of humanity in each.  It was especially fun working out the different voices for each character – especially in Radio Sweethearts, where each character gets their own point of view as the scenes change.  It reminds me of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, where each movement is distinct and unique, and yet you never forget that it is Vivaldi.  At least, I hope that is how it turned out.

If you do get a chance to read it, and if you make it all the way to the end, I would be ever so grateful if you could leave me a review on Amazon or Goodreads.  You can purchase a copy in print or on Kindle here.

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Giving Thanks

The Feast

28 November, 2022

Thanksgiving came and went last Thursday.  Still, it lingers in my mind and on my tongue, as I eat turkey-cranberry sandwiches for lunch and remember an evening of warmth and friendship, music and laughter.  I’ll take any excuse to throw a party, but Thanksgiving is one of my favorites.  Despite the whirlwind of activity, as I am up at dawn to get the turkey in and I’m on my feet all day, cooking and rehearsing and corralling kids, I do take pause to count my blessings.  There are so many.

After we eat, we share art and music with each other.  My children play songs on the piano.  My friend recites a poem about William Wallace, delivered in the traditional Scottish brogue.  My husband shares a story he wrote for his dad, and I am moved to tears.  We’ve had this tradition for many years, and I am still struck by how the greatest parts of people pour out in droves when you invite them to share their art.  As my father-in-law used to say, “Scratch a spirit and you find an artist.”

The last two years have been a humbling experience.  I have learned who my true friends are, and I hold them closer than ever.  I am grateful for health, family, friendship, and freedom – all those things we nearly lost, while the world was engulfed by fear.  I am reminded of the legend of Winston Churchill, who stated in response to a request to cut arts funding in favor of the war efforts, “Then what are we fighting for?”

My conviction about art is what drove me to publish my upcoming book, The Blandford Fly and Other Tales.  While each story is unique in its genre – a little fantasy, some sci-fi, a bit of a ghost story – they are all about the greatness of the human spirit.

Which is something that I believe is worth fighting for.

 

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On Criticism

Every art form has its critics. From ballet to food, any meaningful creative endeavor involves putting something precious out for all to see. You may offer your creation proudly, carefully, humbly, or carelessly. It may be technically perfect. It may have taken you decades to produce. And still, the critics will come.

Some will say that constructive criticism is important. It challenges the artist. Keeps his ego in check. Reminds him that he must work hard and put some sweat on his brow. For how dare he turn out his art without effort?

I disagree.

Criticism, “constructive” or otherwise, serves no purpose other than to stifle the artist or, at the very least, fill him with doubt about his own ability and what he is doing.

An artist is doing something highly unconventional. He is creating something that has never existed before, anywhere. He is performing an act of rebellion. Of course he will be criticized!

The critic works very hard to present himself as an expert, when really, the artist is the one who has put all the hard work into creating something for his audience to enjoy.

Perhaps a critic is just someone sitting on his own failures.

I have learned, over the years, to utterly ignore criticism. There will be those who despise your work. That’s fine! There will also be hordes whose lives will be changed because of it. Do your work for them.

Just write. Paint. Dance. Create. Those are the important things. The rest is meaningless.

-D.N. Moore

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The Irish Obsession

From the Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland

For as long as I’ve been in love with stories, I’ve been obsessed with Ireland.

Until recently, I had never set foot on Irish soil. But there was something about it that called to me – the music, the poetry, the art… and the stories. From ancient myths about faeries and leprechauns to the legend of the banshee, I devoured Irish tales with an insatiable hunger. I just didn’t understand why these stories hadn’t been re-told more frequently in a modern setting.

It is for this reason that I set out to write Ballad of the Dead. As intimidating as it was to attempt homage to some of the greatest storytellers on earth, I hope I did them some justice. And if I failed, well, at least I had a good time writing it.

The book is dedicated to Young Adults in the hopes that they still have their fingers through the last threads of childhood imagination. They are in that terrible in-between world – no longer a child, not quite an adult – in which fairy tales and the fanciful are beginning to appear useless. But oh, if only they knew how important imagination is, to get you through adulthood.

Speaking of Ireland, I finally visited. It was everything I imagined. The greenest greens, the jolliest people, and a vast and endless sky like nothing I’ve ever seen.

“Ireland is like no other place under heaven.” -George Bernard Shaw

Ballad of the Dead will be available on 11/20/20 on Amazon, both in print and on e-book. Sign up for my newsletter for that and other updates.

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