Ginger Garrett's Blog, page 2

The Night that Stumped NASA

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TRANSCRIPT

I read a fantastic story recently and I am not sure its true,

But like the great southern philosopher Reese Witherspoon says, “It doesn’t have to be true to be told.”

I’m Ginger Garrett, and I’m taking a break from my online promotions for Name Tags and Other Sixth Grade Disasters because someone needs to hear this story.

Join me, if you will, in outer space. One of the early Nasa missions. The crew was working in the early dawn hours, command control in Houston was quiet, and home was just one more distant planet in their windshield.

Now, I’ve been lonely, but this was a loneliness that comes from being all alone in the universe, cut off from all help and support, friends and family. Floating in the darkness.

And then the astronauts began receiving a radio transmission from earth, big band music, the old style from the 30’s, heavy on the brass horns and up tempo. The music was so unexpected, the radio program so delightful, the whole mood changed that night.

The next day the astronauts thanked NASA for the transmission. Nasa replied the transmission had not come from them. Intrigued, NASA scoured the world to find the station that had broadcast that program. No one had. Unbelievably, the program the astronauts heard that night had been transmitted decades earlier.

The music had hung around. The astronauts intercepted it in the least likely way, in the most unexpected place.

It feels like our world is at a crisis point; many of us are in the darkness, keeping vigil on this long, lonely night, and we feel alone.

But consider this:

On your path today, you too might intersect with a transmission from decades past.

See, I believe that in every family there is someone who prayed, who sent transmissions to the heavens, hopes and dreams for a better future, for cycles to be broken, for freedom, for healing, for strength.

Their prayers for a better future did not die with them.

They never saw your face; they never knew your name. But they breathed words of hope, courage, faith. Listen closely today and you might hear the music of your family. Even on the darkest night, hope can find its way to you.

Now get out there and make your family proud.

58 Cent Thrift Store Find Sells for 40k!

[wonderplugin_video iframe=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB6Yh...″ lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://gingergarrett.com/wp-content/... a wildly true story, and what I tell the kids I mentor about the power of owning your story. This is the reason I wrote NAME TAGS & OTHER SIXTH GRADE DISASTERS (Carolrhoda, September 2020) and I hope you’ll consider buying a copy for your favorite kid, school, or community program.

 

Let Me Send You a Gift!

I’ve been sending cards and notes like crazy during the pandemic. Why? Because I read a study that when we receive a note in the mail, our body releases oxytocin, the same hormone that we feel when we get a hug from a friend. And since we aren’t getting a lot of hugs right now, I think opening a note from a friend is the next best thing. And I want to send you a note, too. So here’s how we’re going to do it:

When you pre-order NAME TAGS & OTHER SIXTH GRADE DISASTERS, send me an email with your snail mail address. I’ll pop one of these lovely bookplate stickers in the mail to you. When the book arrives, you just peel and stick to the inside cover. (I can even personalize the bookplate if you’d like.) And you while you can pre-order the novel anywhere, if you order from a local indie bookstore, you will be encouraging a local business owner. And that’s more important than ever right now.

And who is this book perfect for? Any kid who has ever had to sit alone at lunch. Any kid who has been unfairly labeled. Any kid struggling to make peace with an unwanted divorce. Any kid who yearns to know how to make a friend for life.

I’ll be posting reviews and blurbs as they come in. Stay well, encourage each other, and keep doing your best work.

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NAME TAGS & OTHER SIXTH GRADE DISASTERS

When twelve-year old Lizbeth has to start sixth grade all over again at a new school because of her parents’ divorce, she gets stuck sitting with the Weirdos. She’s also forced to wear a name tag until everyone learns her name—or makes up a new one for her. Meanwhile, all her plans to reunite her parents go awry as she accidentally saves the school arts program and stands up for outsiders everywhere. Oh, and did I mention there’s a SuperChicken?

You’ll laugh out loud, shed a tear at the ending, and close the book with a big huge grin.

We all need a mega-dose of feel-good right now, and NAME TAGS & OTHER SIXTH GRADE DISASTERS delivers.

Want Your Copy Signed—For Free?
If you want me to sign your copy—for free—send me an email that you’ve pre-ordered the book. I’ll send you a custom, awesomely adorable name plate. I will even personalize it if you’d like, and mail it to you at no charge. When your book arrives in late August, just attach to the inside front cover. The name plates are classy, cute, and one of a kind.

Free Classroom Virtual Visits
I teach creative writing to teens and tweens, and this year I’ll be doing a lot of my teaching over the web. I’d love to pop in to your classroom anytime! Whether your kids want to talk about the creative process, what the real deal is between antagonist and protagonist, or where I got the idea for NAME TAGS, we’ll have fun and create new projects together.

Educator Resources
If you’d like to use NAME TAGS in the classroom, it’s a great pick for ELA classes or for art classes. Educator resources for both will be available on this site and on my Pinterest site at GingerLikesThis

SuperChicken forever,
Ginger

9 Novels for Kids Who Feel Like Outsiders

9 Novels for Kids Who Feel Like Outsiders

 

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise     by Dan Gemeinhart

Five years. That’s how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It’s also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished―the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box―she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days…without him realizing it.

Along the way, they’ll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there’s Gladys…Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”

A 2019 Parents’ Choice Award Gold Medal Winner

 

Pie in the Sky     by Remi Lai

When Jingwen moves to a new country, he feels like he’s landed on Mars. School is torture, making friends is impossible since he doesn’t speak English, and he’s often stuck looking after his (extremely irritating) little brother, Yanghao. To distract himself from the loneliness, Jingwen daydreams about making all the cakes on the menu of Pie in the Sky, the bakery his father had planned to open before he unexpectedly passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one major rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she’s at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they’ll have to cook up elaborate excuses to keep the cake making a secret from Mama.

A Parents Magazine Best Kids Book of the Year!

 

A Time Traveler’s Theory of Relativity    by Nicole Valentine

Twelve-year-old Finn is used to people in his family disappearing. His twin sister, Faith, drowned when they were three years old. A few months ago, his mom abandoned him and his dad with no explanation. Finn clings to the concrete facts in his physics books―and to his best friend, Gabi―to ward off his sadness. But then his grandmother tells him a secret: the women in their family are Travelers, able to move back and forth in time. Finn’s mom is trapped somewhere in the timeline, and she’s left Finn a portal to find her. But to succeed, he’ll have to put his trust in something bigger than logic.

“Valentine’s debut is an emotionally compelling and heartfelt tale of love and family that is reminiscent of Tuck Everlasting and A Wrinkle in Time.”―Booklist

 

Wonder     by R. J. Palacio

August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

 

Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen    by Niki Lenz

When you’re a Buttman, the label “bully” comes with the territory, and Bernice lives up to her name. But life as a bully is lonely, and if there’s one thing Bernice really wants (even more than becoming a Hollywood stuntwoman), it’s a true friend.

After her mom skedaddles and leaves her in a new town with her aunt (who is also a real live nun), Bernice decides to mend her ways and become a model citizen. If her plan works, she just might be able to get herself to Hollywood Hills Stunt Camp! But it’s hard to be kind when no one shows you kindness, so a few cheesy pranks may still be up her sleeve. . . .

“Bernice’s sometimes harsh home conditions and how they contribute to her unkind ways are sensitively portrayed and well balanced with humor and Bernice’s spirited narration.” —Publishers Weekly

 

Forever Neverland     by Susan Adrian

Clover and Fergus are the great-great-grandchildren of Wendy Darling (yes, that Wendy). And now Peter Pan wants to take them to Neverland for the adventure of their lives! But Clover is a little nervous–she’s supposed to look after her brother. Fergus is autistic, and not everyone makes him feel welcome. What will happen to him in this magical world?

Fergus isn’t nervous at all. To him, Neverland seems like a dream come true! He’s tired of Clover’s constant mothering and wants some independence, like Peter and the Lost Boys have. He wonders, Why can’t the real world be more like Neverland? Neverland is fun and free, but it’s also dangerous and even scary at times. Unfamiliar creatures lurk in the shadows, and strange sounds come from the waters. And then the mermaids start to go missing. . . .

“One of the best representations of autism in middle grade literature. A must purchase for all children who love magic and adventure, especially those who have longed to see someone like Fergus on the page.” –Lizzie Huxley-Jones, editor of Stim

 

Because of Winn-Dixie    by Kate DiCamillo

One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries – and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.

“The books’ truthfulness is what makes it so powerful. People can identify with the fact that everyone sort of isolates themselves because of a misconnection or a loss or whatever is in their lives.”—Newsday

 

Reign Rain    by Ann M. Martin

Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She’s thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose’s obsessions, her rules, and the other things that make her different―not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father.

When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, the roads are flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.

“Though Rose’s story is often heartbreaking, her matter-of-fact narration provides moments of humor. Readers will empathize with Rose, who finds strength and empowerment through her unique way of looking at the world.”―School Library Journal, starred review

 

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.

A Newberry Honor Book

 

The Last Monster    by Ginger Garrett

When thirteen-year-old Sofia discovers that she is the Guardian to ancient monsters that still roam the earth, unseen and unloved, she faces the ultimate choice. Will she find the courage to love the very ones that the world would like to forget? And can these forgotten creatures of legend help her learn to love herself?

“An appealing tale for readers dealing with their own insecurities.” Booklist

“A perfect recommendation for introspective kids who feel like outsiders.” School Library Journal

 

Time to Celebrate!

This announcement just ran in Publishers Weekly:

“Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought Ginger Garrett’s middle-grade novel Name Tags and Other Terrible Ideas (Most of Them Mine). When sixth grader Lizbeth finds her plans to get rid of her father’s new girlfriend and make friends at her new school derailed, an art project prompts her to think outside the box. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Melissa Jeglinski at the Knight Agency brokered the deal for world rights.”

Think Like An Oyster

 

I am a woman obsessed with pearls.

 

Delicate and hypnotic, I love to watch the way each one catches the light, reflecting a soft, ethereal glow.

 

Here are the top three reasons why everyone should be obsessed with pearls.

 

First, they symbolize the secrets of the heart: hidden wisdom, the discovery of heaven-on-earth, and tears of joy.

 

Second, you can often find pearls in thrift stores, like I do. It’s a little tricky to tell a real pearl from a fake one, but once you master the secrets (which you can learn anywhere online) it gets easier. I pay as little as $3 for some strands, even the ones with gold clasps.

 

Don’t think pearls are always white, either. My collection includes black Tahitian, South Sea, fresh water, dyed, Baroque, and of course, the classic white opera-length strand. For my many evenings at the opera.

 

(Which is my kitchen on Friday nights. Pavarotti on Spotify while I make pizza.)

 

Here is the third and most wonderful reason to be utterly obsessed with pearls:

 

Pearls are the embodiment of the promise that good will overcome evil.

 

Each pearl began as the smallest injury or insult, a breach of manners that none of us noticed.

 

The oyster noticed, though. It mulled it over. Quietly. In darkness. Day after day.

 

Layer upon layer, covering that affront with goodness until beauty was all that remained. And we’re proud to display what remained.

 

If we drilled down to the center of these beauties, would we see the insult or injury that began the good work? Why would we want to? It cannot be undone.

 

All that matters is how the oyster responded.

 

Someday, all that will remain from today is my response.

 

That statement makes me reconsider the things I think about, and how I think about them, in the dark of night. I had no idea my inner thoughts would make such a pronounced appearance into the world someday, but they do. I see that principle all the time now.

 

A friend of mine recently endured an unimaginable tragedy. She told me she can only speak the truth now. I would be reminded of Cassandra, but my friend’s story is infinitely more hopeful. She can only speak the truth, and when she does, the truth sounds very much like love.

 

And I think of her, what terrible events she must have to mull over, in the darkness, day after day. But somehow, she responds with love. A quiet outpouring of it, day after day. Her response touches us all and makes us want to be better humans. She is leaving a powerful legacy.

 

Someday, I’ll leave my collection of thrift store pearls to my girls. And whatever events, insults and setbacks I have mulled over in the darkness, well, that creates something I will leave to them as well.

 

When my life’s labor is finished, I hope it will be something very much like a pearl. I hope it will be love.

Snowdrift the Pyrenees Subdues Her Nemesis

Snowdrift is a Great Pyrenees mix that my wonderful vet helped us save from the dreaded disease parvo. Snowy stared down death at a young age, so she has a stoic personality. We adopted Watson the black and tan bloodhound mix, and it would be incorrect to say he has a personality. No, he IS personality.  A very loud personality that includes yodeling in the early hours of the morning.

But I love this photo because at some point every afternoon, Watson naps. And when he does, Snowy watches over him. She can’t resist pull of her Pyrenees DNA that urges her to protect all livestock, even the ones she wishes would run far, far away.

Good dog, Snowy.

When You Journey to Bethlehem

“Christmas is really for children, isn’t it?” The casual remark made by a friend wounded me deeply. I had recently miscarried and was told I would never be able to carry a child to term. All month I had struggled to survive emotionally, bombarded hourly with toy advertisements and commercials featuring adorable kids sneaking downstairs in their pajamas. If Christmas was for children, what could it offer me? I had no children, and never would, it seemed.

I wasn’t the only one silently suffering in the season of good cheer. My Bible study leader had recently lost her son to suicide. My neighbor had just buried her mother. And a colleague had passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a wife and three children. All around, nativity sets were on display. But what we saw there made our hearts burn with grief. We saw a father, a mother, a child…each of us saw what had been lost.

Slowly, we journeyed on during the long, lonely month. Alone and disoriented by grief, we needed rest, but no one seemed to have room us, or for our endless pain, not at this busy time of year. We didn’t know it, but we were journeying to Bethlehem, too.

That season, I was often thinking about the people at the Inn, who had no room for the holy family. Who could turn away a woman in her final month of pregnancy to sleep out of doors? And when her cries of labor began, did their hearts burn with shame?

Maybe not. Indifference is the most comfortable of evils.

When the baby took His first cry, they were, however, probably a little relieved. “See,” they must have thought, “the babe is brought safely into the world, and I have no part to play in that story now.”

(If they had only known!)

So, my friend, when you are hurting at Christmas, never forget this:

Indifference was part of the miracle. God was with us there, in the cold, in the dark.

And so this is what I now believe about Christmas: God’s silence is never to be confused with indifference. He is not indifferent to your suffering. Nor to mine. Let others turn you away, or turn you out, or pretend not to hear your cries… God is near. God is not indifferent. God is at work. If the story is bleak, it’s not over.

Christmas is the fulfillment of a sacred promise made to the whole world, but those who have made the long and weary journey to Bethlehem can rejoice with relief. The aching grief over what should have been becomes the very place He chooses to fully give Himself to us, and welcome us at last to Bethlehem.

Christmas is neither the beginning nor the end of His story of Love, but the miraculous middle. We who travel to this place in the dark of night, find that the miracle in the middle is more than enough to see us safely, and joyfully, on to The End.

And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David

a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2: 10-11 KJV

© gingergarrett.com

The Best Christmas Is Yet to Come!

Several years ago, my parents sold their home in Texas to be closer to their grandchildren. The first Christmas with the family together was glorious; we ate, played, and shopped nearly every day. One afternoon, I picked up my five-year-old daughter Elise after a fun day with Grandpa and Grandma.

I noticed she was looking out the minivan window, a sad expression on her face. “What is it, hon?” I asked.

“It’s Grandpa and Grandma. I just feel really sorry for them,” she whispered.

“Why?”

Elise sighed. “I was just wondering, aren’t they ever going to have kids of their own?”

I chuckled all the way home.

Children can know the facts without understanding them. Sure, Elise knew that her grandparents are also my parents, but she was not yet able to comprehend the full meaning of that fact.

She had a shadowy understanding that children grow up to become adults and one day have kids of their own. Of course, my daughter will know, just as her grandmother and I do, that childhood is only the beginning of a great adventure, and the sweetest surprises—not to mention the deepest sorrows—in life come with time.

I do wonder if I’m like Elise in my understanding of Christmas. Every year, I set out the same crèche. I bake the same cookies. I sing old hymns and carols, light white candles, and wrap presents. I understand Christmas so very well…or do I? Do I know the facts but lack the ability to grasp the greater implications?

What if Christmas is a mystery we will only truly comprehend much, much later? What if this Christmas here on earth is only a dress rehearsal for something far more wonderful?

Are the deepest joys still to come? I believe so, though I cannot comprehend them yet.

One day we will wake up in our Father’s House and discover that the real Christmas morning has arrived. We’ll be surrounded by family and friends, feasts and laughter. I believe I’ll also be awash in dog hair and slobbery kisses. There’ll probably be a horse sharing my hot cocoa and peppermint stick, too, but I won’t mind. In heaven, my horses will have impeccable table manners.

I cannot comprehend the mystery of Christmas, but there is one thing I’m sure of: the best is yet to come.