Philippa Dowding's Blog - Posts Tagged "kidlit"

We all have one, that favourite Aunt who happily breaks the rules for us, and goes along with our crazy, childhood schemes, most of the time behind our parent's backs.

Hey, what are Aunts for?

Recently, our family lost a wonderful Aunt. So here, as a tribute to naughtiness-inducing, scheme-loving Aunts everywhere, is a poem I wrote her many years ago:

My Bad Auntie

My favourite aunt is very bad!
We creep downstairs so Mom and Dad,
Won’t see us sneak cookies and cake,
Or march the dog around on skates.

We dance the hoola in our socks,
We spin tall glasses and change the clocks.
My auntie likes to startle crows,
And make a mess wherever she goes.

She plays the drums in a rock’n’roll band,
And chases donkeys along the sand,
She’s a go-cart fiend and always wins,
She plays in leaves, and spins (and spins).

My auntie blows bubbles in shapes like cats,
And bowling balls and baseball bats.
When she’s a magician I never know,
How she does it, or where she goes.

My auntie plays the flute sometimes,
And writes me poems (they always rhyme).
She climbs the trees, hangs upside down,
And chases dogs ‘round and ‘round.

We go to plays and symphonies,
And both try hard not to sneeze.
At the county fair she swan dives,
From the tippy-top of the scariest ride!

At the swimming pool, she’s a shark,
And a dinosaur at the park.
When we walk by she always stops,
For rainbow fudge at the ice cream shop.

When she’s tired she cuddles with ted,
And falls asleep in my bed.
If I asked right then I think she could,
Change for me, from bad … to good!

Here's a longer blog post about this amazing Auntie: http://phdowding.blogspot.ca/2016/11/...

I'm honoured to be the guest blogger over on the Kick-Butt KidLit blog, with a spotlight on Canadian authors this month!

They asked great questions like...

What's the Most Canadian Thing You've Ever Put In A Book? (The Chi-Cheemaun Ferry)

What would you like to see more of in the Canadian kid lit world? (More review sites)

AND, What's your BEST PIECE of Kick-Butt KidLit writing advice?

Here's the answer to that last one, over on the Kick-Butt Blog. Go see! You could win a copy of OCULUM, plus more great prizes, enjoy: https://bit.ly/2Tt1vq4

"Firefly lives in the park across from her mother’s house. It's safer there. But after the bad night happens, and her baseball-bat-wielding mother is taken away, children's services sends Firefly to live with her Aunt Gayle. She hardly knows Gayle, but discovers that she owns a costume shop..."

... and when you live in a costume shop with 7 million pieces, how do you decide which costume is the real you?

Here's a longer blog post about FIREFLY: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2020/10...

I'm so honoured to introduce this lovely middle-grade story about mental health, addiction, and courage. Despite the themes, the story is funny, fast, and filled with the love and changing characters (and costumes) in Aunt Gayle's world-renowned costume shop. It is my first attempt at realistic fiction, after a career of writing horror, magic realism and dystopia.

I hope you're curious!

Inspired by a real costume warehouse in Toronto, FIREFLY comes out from DCB Young Readers, February 2021. Stay tuned for more!

What is FIREFLY about? Why is it set in a Toronto costume shop? What's your favourite part of the book?

FIREFLY is coming out this week, my 13th book for children, and my first piece of realistic fiction. I loved writing this book, since it's set in a Toronto costume shop which is run by my extended family, and which I've visited for years. There is nothing as interesting as a costume shop!

From the back of the book:

Motorcycle cop? Medieval warrior? Maybe a singing lobster?
If you lived in a shop with seven million costumes, what would you choose …

Firefly lives with her Aunt Gayle at The Corseted Lady costume shop, which is much better than living in the park where she used to live. But there’s a lot to get used to: food, a bed (if she can bring herself to sleep in it), a cat, a new school. She even has to get used to Aunt Gayle.

But when you can wear anything, become anything, how do you decide who you are?

And which costume is the real one?

For more about Firefly, here is my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/02...

Please join me at the BOOK LAUNCH for FIREFLY, March 2nd/2021, 6-7 p.m. Attendees can WIN A FREE COSTUME RENTAL from Thunder Thighs Costumes!

Here's the book launch Invitation link, please register for this free event below: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-l...#

I'll be interviewed by the wonderful children's lit blogger, Helen Kubiw, and books will be available for online purchase through Another Story Bookshop.

The story takes place in a costume shop, based on a real costume shop run by my extended family. A family member from Thunder Thighs costumes will be at the launch to answer questions about the shop, too! Plus, all book launch attendees will be entered into a draw to win a free costume rental at Thunder Thighs (value @$100).

This isn't the way we usually do book launches, but let's party anyway in the only way we can. My motto these days: we can't hold each other right now, but until we can, it may help to hold a book.

I hope you can come celebrate FIREFLY with me on March 2nd!

Here are 5 Questions about Firefly on my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/02...

Thank you to everyone who came to the zoom book launch for FIREFLY! Is this the way we're going to do book launches from now on?

My newest middle-grade book, FIREFLY, is now fully launched into the world! We had a wonderful book launch on March 2nd, 2021. Kidlit blogger extraordinaire, Helen Kubiw, asked me questions, the attendees asked questions (there were 55 zoom attendees, which blew me away, thank you all), and it was a really fun hour.

The full Q&A book launch is now up on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMGRE...

Here are the notes for the Q&A on Helen Kubiw's blog too: https://canlitforlittlecanadians.blog...

There was a draw for a free costume rental at Thunder Thighs Costumes in Toronto, where the story is set (a business which was started in the late 1970s by my extended family, and which is still going strong). There was a draw for best costume. There were authors and guests from across the country, and a few guests from the US, all chatting with each other in the chat box.

Is this the new way we're going to do book launches from now on? Is this actually an improvement, a new adaptation due to COVID which is better for everyone than schlepping to a bookstore or a library or some other event in the dark of winter? There were people at the launch last night from the US, BC, and Manitoba, as well as Northern Ontario, and here in Toronto, and quite a few of them commented how this is actually easier and fits our livestyles better than all gathering in person. Plus, it has the advantage of being short and sweet. Starts at 6 pm, ends at 7pm.

I'd still love to see my friends in person, but last night was really fun. Thank you all for joining me! And so many thank yous to the amazing interviewer and kidlit blogger, Helen Kubiw, she was great!

Here's my other blog with more: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/03...

"Firefly's compelling story unfolds through her indomitable and spirited first-person narration, and flashbacks revisit her troubled childhood of neglect and parental struggles with addiction. Aunt Gayle's care and kindness wrap around Firefly like a comforting, hand-knit blanket."--Canadian Children's Book Centre, March 2021 Expert Picks

So honoured that my latest book, FIREFLY, is an Expert Pick/Librarian's Pick from the Canadian Children's Book Centre March newsletter, thank you!

Here's the full review on my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/03...

I'm also the featured author this week on writer Catherine Austen's wonderful podcast, Cabin Tales for Young Writers. If you'd like to hear what I think is scarier, humans or monsters, how I plot, start, and end stories, or what tips I have for writers, young and old, plus much more, here's the link to our 22-minute interview: https://cabintales.ca/2021/03/19/auth...

"Firefly's compelling story unfolds through her indomitable and spirited first-person narration, and flashbacks revisit her troubled childhood of neglect and parental struggles with addiction. Aunt Gayle's care and kindness wrap around Firefly like a comforting, hand-knit blanket."
--Canadian Children's Book Centre, March 2021 Expert Picks

So honoured that my latest book, FIREFLY, is an Expert Pick/Librarian's Pick from the Canadian Children's Book Centre March newsletter, thank you!

Here's a link to the full review: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/03...

I'm also the featured author this week on writer Catherine Austen's wonderful writing podcast, Cabin Tales for Young Writers. If you'd like to hear what I think is scarier, humans or monsters, how I plot, start, and end stories, or what tips I have for writers, young and old, plus much more, here's the link to our 22-minute interview: https://cabintales.ca/2021/03/19/auth...

"Middle-grade novel Firefly is about the titular character who is looking for a place to call home. Firefly lives in the park — but one day she is forced by social services to move in with her Aunt Gayle, who just happens to own a costume shop. While Firefly gets used to having a roof over her head, she suffers from PTSD and embarks on a journey to find her true identity."

My latest book, Firefly is a selection for the CBC Books Spring 2021 list of exciting middle-grade books, thank you!

Here's the amazing list: https://www.cbc.ca/books/28-canadian-...

The good news for FIREFLY just keeps coming! So honoured to be part of this terrific selection with fantastic Canadian authors, and a shout out to my publisher, DCB Young Readers: ALL FOUR of their spring titles made the list.

Congrats to all!

I am so honoured to say that kids have chosen FIREFLY as one of the 2021 Kid Committee Summer Reading List books in the Silver Birch Category. THANK YOU!

The books in this category are written by Canadian authors, and are recommended by kids for kids in grades 3-6 (ages 8-12). When kids pick your book as one of their favourites? Well, it doesn't get much better than that for a middle-grade author.

Here's the whole list of 15 books, great summer reads all: https://accessola.com/forest/kid-teen...

Here's a blog post on my other blog: http://phdowding.blogspot.com/2021/05...

It has more info about the Forest of Reading, the Ontario Library Association, and why this reader's choice is so important, particularly right now. Keep reading everyone!