Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 19
October 19, 2015
A fun week ahead- I'm off to the FLORIDA ASSOC...
A fun week ahead- I'm off to the FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF MEDIA EDUCATORS annual conference.
AND this wonderful review of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY. Mondays aren't so bad after all.:)
SCHOOL LIBRARY CONNECTION – OCTOBER 2015 Scattergood, Augusta The Way to Stay in Destiny 2015. 192pp. $16.99 hc. Scholastic, Inc. 978-0-545-53824-4. Grades 4-7 It’s 1974 and Theo Thomas is starting a new life. His Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam vet, has moved him to Destiny, Florida. When they move into Miss Sister's Rest Easy Boarding House and Dance School, Theo discovers a piano and a new friend, Anabel, who shares his interest in baseball. Neither uncle nor nephew are happy about their new situation, especially when Uncle Raymond forbids Theo from doing the one of the few things that make him happy—playing the piano. This quiet, gentle story does many things, including introducing young readers to the dissent that Vietnam veterans encountered when returning home. Valerie Jankowski, Library Media Specialist, Washington (Missouri) Middle School [Editor’s Note: Available in e-book format.] Recommended
AND this wonderful review of THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY. Mondays aren't so bad after all.:)
SCHOOL LIBRARY CONNECTION – OCTOBER 2015 Scattergood, Augusta The Way to Stay in Destiny 2015. 192pp. $16.99 hc. Scholastic, Inc. 978-0-545-53824-4. Grades 4-7 It’s 1974 and Theo Thomas is starting a new life. His Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam vet, has moved him to Destiny, Florida. When they move into Miss Sister's Rest Easy Boarding House and Dance School, Theo discovers a piano and a new friend, Anabel, who shares his interest in baseball. Neither uncle nor nephew are happy about their new situation, especially when Uncle Raymond forbids Theo from doing the one of the few things that make him happy—playing the piano. This quiet, gentle story does many things, including introducing young readers to the dissent that Vietnam veterans encountered when returning home. Valerie Jankowski, Library Media Specialist, Washington (Missouri) Middle School [Editor’s Note: Available in e-book format.] Recommended
October 9, 2015
Saying Goodbye
It's that time of the year. Fall leaves. Shorter days. Blankets and quilts on the beds.
This year when we pack up our place in New Jersey, it will be for the last time. New adventures could be down the road. You never know until you take that path.
Old friends-- well, ten-year-old friendships, my writing buddies-- wait for me in Florida.
If you want to read a really beautiful goodbye to a house and to a place, you need to read my friend Barbara O'Connor's blog.
Here, you won't find that. I already said goodbye to my house(s) of 30+ years, ages ago.
But now I'm cleaning out files and packing up only what's essential.
Books, especially. Many, many books. Though just as many have gone to the Friends of the Library book sale and other good friends.
I'm packing up a lot of laughs and a lot of memories.
Like these goodbye notes from my last wonderful school library in New Jersey.
I don't think this student realized how I DREAMED there'd be a book in my heart some day! She meant the books I loved to read and share, still do.
But yes, Morgan, there was a book in my heart.
Me, skateboarding? I don't think so...
(I'm not sure how well this student knew me. There would be no skateboarding in my retirement.)
This is what I'll miss about New Jersey.
Main Street Deli.
My hometown library. Library of the Chathams.And its gardens.
Oh, and I'll miss not pumping gas. No picture needed.
For more on other times I've said goodbye, click away, below.
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012/06/you-gotta-love-new-jersey.html
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2010/10/diner-food.html
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2010/07/write-what-you-know.html
This year when we pack up our place in New Jersey, it will be for the last time. New adventures could be down the road. You never know until you take that path.
Old friends-- well, ten-year-old friendships, my writing buddies-- wait for me in Florida.
If you want to read a really beautiful goodbye to a house and to a place, you need to read my friend Barbara O'Connor's blog.
Here, you won't find that. I already said goodbye to my house(s) of 30+ years, ages ago.
But now I'm cleaning out files and packing up only what's essential.
Books, especially. Many, many books. Though just as many have gone to the Friends of the Library book sale and other good friends.
I'm packing up a lot of laughs and a lot of memories.
Like these goodbye notes from my last wonderful school library in New Jersey.
I don't think this student realized how I DREAMED there'd be a book in my heart some day! She meant the books I loved to read and share, still do.
But yes, Morgan, there was a book in my heart.
Me, skateboarding? I don't think so...
(I'm not sure how well this student knew me. There would be no skateboarding in my retirement.)This is what I'll miss about New Jersey.
Main Street Deli.
My hometown library. Library of the Chathams.And its gardens.
Oh, and I'll miss not pumping gas. No picture needed.
For more on other times I've said goodbye, click away, below.
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012/06/you-gotta-love-new-jersey.html
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2010/10/diner-food.html
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2010/07/write-what-you-know.html
October 4, 2015
Reminder: Every writer needs an entourage
One of the first writing books I ever owned, outside of the obvious craft books and Stephen King and Anne Lamott, was
Carolyn See's MAKING A LITERARY LIFE.
The subtitle of this book? ADVICE FOR WRITERS AND OTHER DREAMERS.
Well, that about says it all, doesn't it?
In her chapter, Pretend to Be a Writer, See quotes Ernest Hemingway.
"Writers must stick together like beggars or thieves."
I'd like to add that it's easy to do because my writer friends are not only tons of fun to hang out with, they teach me so much.
Thanks, entourage.
(My bookshelf. By my writer friends and by writers who feel like friends!)
And the very first time I WROTE about Carolyn See's book was also one of my first blogposts. You may read it HERE, if you care to.
The subtitle of this book? ADVICE FOR WRITERS AND OTHER DREAMERS.
Well, that about says it all, doesn't it?
In her chapter, Pretend to Be a Writer, See quotes Ernest Hemingway.
"Writers must stick together like beggars or thieves."
I'd like to add that it's easy to do because my writer friends are not only tons of fun to hang out with, they teach me so much.
Thanks, entourage.
(My bookshelf. By my writer friends and by writers who feel like friends!)And the very first time I WROTE about Carolyn See's book was also one of my first blogposts. You may read it HERE, if you care to.
September 28, 2015
Oh Those Sixties!
Yes, the 1960s were turbulent, colorful, musical, scary, exciting, and almost any other word you can come up with.
Also fodder for quite a few novels that examine the time period from varying lenses. And really, the 60s were not only about the civil rights movement, the Cuban missile crisis also took over the news, and we landed a man on the moon. Oh, yeah, the Beatles and Elvis. I could go on and on.
To borrow a quote from a new book written about a slightly earlier time in our history:
"History is memory researched. Historical fiction is memory brought to life."(Avi, from his Author's Note to Catch You Later, Traitor)
At least two of these authors do write from memory, and readily admit that's what inspired them.
First up? Jackson native Taylor Kitchings', debut middle-grade novel,
YARD WAR, set in 1964 Mississippi. Published this summer from Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House, the book is filled with memories and research from the 1960s, of boys being boys and often not thinking, of things never said out loud, of people who may have been ignored and overlooked while trying their best during very difficult days.
CLICK HERE for an excellent interview with Mr. Kitchings.
Much as I love the cover image, this book is about so much more than football.
There's a lot of truth in this interview question and this quote from the book.
Trip’s parents’ attitudes change greatly by the end of the book, as they ponder if they should give up on living in Mississippi. Trip’s father explains it like this: “Trip, it’s like one day God took the best of what’s good and the worst of what’s bad, stirred it all up, and dumped it between Memphis and New Orleans. You can’t move away from a place like that. You have to help keep the good in the mix.” Please explain that thought.
Mississippi is so complex and mysterious, I think you have to grow up here to understand it at all. I don’t claim to understand it, I just know it’s essential to me. “The best of what’s good” goes beyond the food and the music and the sports and everything of which Mississippians are justly proud; it’s the way people care about each other. We know what it is to feel with, and a person doesn’t have to be our best friend in order for us to feel it. Even when it’s formal or fairly surface, it is well-intentioned and the prevalent inclination to be kind here adds a sweetness to life that I do think is rare. For the “worst of what’s bad,” check the latest statistics.
Order this novel from all the usual suspects or you can go right to Lemuria and get a signed copy.
HERE's the link: http://www.lemuriabooks.com/Yard-War-p/40952.htm
But wait, my list runneth over! Or is it runneths?
FULL CICADA MOON, Marilyn Hilton's newest novel (Penguin Random House, September 2015), is a delight. Told in free verse poems, this novel explores both the civil rights history of the 60s and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Beautifully written, strong characterization, a lovely novel in every way. The narrator, Mimi Yoshiko Oliver is smart and wise, a fierce female character in a time when it wasn't easy to be. I especially love the act of civil disobedience involving shop class.
This School Library Journal starred review highly recommends the book. I heartily concur.
COLD WAR ON MAPLEWOOD STREET (Putnam, 2015) by Gayle Rosengren is obviously- and truthfully as explained in the Author's Note- a story pulled from a strong memory. The Cuban missile crisis is most likely unfamiliar to young readers. This new novel feels very authentic to the days surrounding that event.
I absolutely adore this cover image. Hats off to the book designers here.
I also just reviewed THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING for the Christian Science Monitor. You can read all about it. Set in the 60s but a very fresh story that could take place any time, and such good writing.
For more middle-grade book reviews, giveaways, and all sorts of goodies, check out the links every Monday on Shannon Messenger's blog: MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY, right here.
For my own Pinterest board and possible inclusion in future presentation handouts, I'm compiling a list of middle-grade novels set during the 1960s. What are your favorites?
Also fodder for quite a few novels that examine the time period from varying lenses. And really, the 60s were not only about the civil rights movement, the Cuban missile crisis also took over the news, and we landed a man on the moon. Oh, yeah, the Beatles and Elvis. I could go on and on.
To borrow a quote from a new book written about a slightly earlier time in our history:
"History is memory researched. Historical fiction is memory brought to life."(Avi, from his Author's Note to Catch You Later, Traitor)
At least two of these authors do write from memory, and readily admit that's what inspired them.
First up? Jackson native Taylor Kitchings', debut middle-grade novel,
YARD WAR, set in 1964 Mississippi. Published this summer from Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House, the book is filled with memories and research from the 1960s, of boys being boys and often not thinking, of things never said out loud, of people who may have been ignored and overlooked while trying their best during very difficult days.
CLICK HERE for an excellent interview with Mr. Kitchings.
Much as I love the cover image, this book is about so much more than football.
There's a lot of truth in this interview question and this quote from the book.
Trip’s parents’ attitudes change greatly by the end of the book, as they ponder if they should give up on living in Mississippi. Trip’s father explains it like this: “Trip, it’s like one day God took the best of what’s good and the worst of what’s bad, stirred it all up, and dumped it between Memphis and New Orleans. You can’t move away from a place like that. You have to help keep the good in the mix.” Please explain that thought.
Mississippi is so complex and mysterious, I think you have to grow up here to understand it at all. I don’t claim to understand it, I just know it’s essential to me. “The best of what’s good” goes beyond the food and the music and the sports and everything of which Mississippians are justly proud; it’s the way people care about each other. We know what it is to feel with, and a person doesn’t have to be our best friend in order for us to feel it. Even when it’s formal or fairly surface, it is well-intentioned and the prevalent inclination to be kind here adds a sweetness to life that I do think is rare. For the “worst of what’s bad,” check the latest statistics.
Order this novel from all the usual suspects or you can go right to Lemuria and get a signed copy.
HERE's the link: http://www.lemuriabooks.com/Yard-War-p/40952.htm
But wait, my list runneth over! Or is it runneths?
FULL CICADA MOON, Marilyn Hilton's newest novel (Penguin Random House, September 2015), is a delight. Told in free verse poems, this novel explores both the civil rights history of the 60s and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Beautifully written, strong characterization, a lovely novel in every way. The narrator, Mimi Yoshiko Oliver is smart and wise, a fierce female character in a time when it wasn't easy to be. I especially love the act of civil disobedience involving shop class.
This School Library Journal starred review highly recommends the book. I heartily concur.
COLD WAR ON MAPLEWOOD STREET (Putnam, 2015) by Gayle Rosengren is obviously- and truthfully as explained in the Author's Note- a story pulled from a strong memory. The Cuban missile crisis is most likely unfamiliar to young readers. This new novel feels very authentic to the days surrounding that event. I absolutely adore this cover image. Hats off to the book designers here.
I also just reviewed THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING for the Christian Science Monitor. You can read all about it. Set in the 60s but a very fresh story that could take place any time, and such good writing.
For more middle-grade book reviews, giveaways, and all sorts of goodies, check out the links every Monday on Shannon Messenger's blog: MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY, right here.
For my own Pinterest board and possible inclusion in future presentation handouts, I'm compiling a list of middle-grade novels set during the 1960s. What are your favorites?
September 24, 2015
This is the story of my goat.
Question: do teachers and librarians reserve a soft spot in our hearts for the first schools we ever worked in?
I know I do.
My very first school library position was in East Point, GA. I loved that school!
It was part of the Fulton County system, a star in the school library world.
A Title I school, back in the day when there was all sorts of funding to support kids who needed it. (One of my very first blogposts was about that experience.)
Part of the funding went for art.
Can you imagine? We actually had reproductions, small sculptures, all sorts of wonderful things. Lots of brand new books! As a new librarian, I thought that would be the norm for the rest of my career.
In that Georgia school's library, Picasso's goat greeted my students.
The real one resides at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
This was a hefty, table-top reproduction.
There was just something about that goat that really appealed to kids.
Today I learned that many of the pieces Picasso created during that period were influenced by his young family. The fabulous exhibit at MOMA now has a whole room of them.
Little Girl Jumping Rope
Baboon and Young
Bird
My goat has been moved inside for the occasion. Here she is, early this spring, in the museum's sculpture garden.
His shiny bronze nose shines from years of rubbing.
Seeing She-Goat always takes me right back to those first years as a school librarian.
I learned as much as I taught.
I know I do.
My very first school library position was in East Point, GA. I loved that school!
It was part of the Fulton County system, a star in the school library world.
A Title I school, back in the day when there was all sorts of funding to support kids who needed it. (One of my very first blogposts was about that experience.)
Part of the funding went for art.
Can you imagine? We actually had reproductions, small sculptures, all sorts of wonderful things. Lots of brand new books! As a new librarian, I thought that would be the norm for the rest of my career.
In that Georgia school's library, Picasso's goat greeted my students.
The real one resides at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
This was a hefty, table-top reproduction.
There was just something about that goat that really appealed to kids.
Today I learned that many of the pieces Picasso created during that period were influenced by his young family. The fabulous exhibit at MOMA now has a whole room of them.
Little Girl Jumping Rope
Baboon and Young
Bird
My goat has been moved inside for the occasion. Here she is, early this spring, in the museum's sculpture garden.
His shiny bronze nose shines from years of rubbing.
Seeing She-Goat always takes me right back to those first years as a school librarian.
I learned as much as I taught.
September 13, 2015
Thinking and walking
Via Sara Zarr's fabulous THIS CREATIVE LIFE podcasts.
Are you a listener?
Today I had to stop near the end. I wanted to write something down.
Varian Johnson talked about how to figure out exactly what a book would be.
This is exactly what I'd been thinking about while reading some of the submissions from my Florida critique group. What's the tone? The VOICE of the novel? Who's the intended reader?
(Or, as our buddy Greg Neri loves to say: A book will be what it wants to be.)
Now I'm off to a wonderful HIGHLIGHTS UNWorkshop with two of my best writing buddies.
Signing off the internet for a while. Taking time to figure out what a book wants to be. And other important things.
Are you a listener?
Today I had to stop near the end. I wanted to write something down.
Varian Johnson talked about how to figure out exactly what a book would be.
This is exactly what I'd been thinking about while reading some of the submissions from my Florida critique group. What's the tone? The VOICE of the novel? Who's the intended reader?
(Or, as our buddy Greg Neri loves to say: A book will be what it wants to be.)
Now I'm off to a wonderful HIGHLIGHTS UNWorkshop with two of my best writing buddies.
Signing off the internet for a while. Taking time to figure out what a book wants to be. And other important things.
September 8, 2015
Happy birthday, Ruby Bridges.
Thanks to John Schu's wonderful Book Calendar, I now know that September 8 is Ruby Bridges' birthday.
Her story inspired me to begin my own novel.
She spoke to the student body at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ, where I worked at the time. As I walked back to the library with a group of fifth graders, they were astounded. And in awe. And surprised by all she said.
Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate the public schools in New Orleans.
Many knew I'd grown up in the South. A few asked if I had any of the same experiences.
I hadn't.
But I did have other memories.
That night I started scribbling some of my memories.
Almost ten years later, my book, GLORY BE, was sold.
That's a long journey!
But what a great inspiration. Thank you and happy birthday, Ruby Bridges.
Her story inspired me to begin my own novel.
She spoke to the student body at Kent Place School in Summit, NJ, where I worked at the time. As I walked back to the library with a group of fifth graders, they were astounded. And in awe. And surprised by all she said.
Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate the public schools in New Orleans.
Many knew I'd grown up in the South. A few asked if I had any of the same experiences.
I hadn't.
But I did have other memories.
That night I started scribbling some of my memories.
Almost ten years later, my book, GLORY BE, was sold.
That's a long journey!
But what a great inspiration. Thank you and happy birthday, Ruby Bridges.
August 24, 2015
Are You Funny Enough?
I remember reading something once about encouraging a child's sense of humor. Helping them to be funny. Or funnier.
How absurd, I thought. Kids are funny as heck.
Well, the ones talking to/around me sure are.
But writing funny? That's hard.
If you're trying to add some humor to your writing, whether it's a serious or heartfelt or sad or poignant story, here are some tips.
First off, two words: Darcy Pattison.
Always listen to Darcy!
This is an article I've saved and reread a few time:
http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/5-more-ways-to-add-humor/
You can even follow her links to past posts for additional humor tips.
(I'm totally trying the running gag idea, HERE. )
More tips, via Writers Digest are HERE.
And HERE for a list of funny words.
(I had to google wenis. I doubt I'll be using that word in a middle-grade novel.)
One of my favorite historical fiction middle-grade novels is TURTLE IN PARADISE. It's Turtle's voice that makes me smile. From page one:
"Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I've lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten."
A serious story, sure. But I smiled a lot.
Any fabulous tips you'd care to share that make stories laugh-out-loud funny? Or even smile-out-loud?
Just to make your Monday a little lighter, I'll end with librarian humor.
How absurd, I thought. Kids are funny as heck.
Well, the ones talking to/around me sure are.
But writing funny? That's hard.
If you're trying to add some humor to your writing, whether it's a serious or heartfelt or sad or poignant story, here are some tips.
First off, two words: Darcy Pattison.
Always listen to Darcy!
This is an article I've saved and reread a few time:
http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/5-more-ways-to-add-humor/
You can even follow her links to past posts for additional humor tips.
(I'm totally trying the running gag idea, HERE. )
More tips, via Writers Digest are HERE.
And HERE for a list of funny words.
(I had to google wenis. I doubt I'll be using that word in a middle-grade novel.)
One of my favorite historical fiction middle-grade novels is TURTLE IN PARADISE. It's Turtle's voice that makes me smile. From page one:
"Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I've lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten."
A serious story, sure. But I smiled a lot.
Any fabulous tips you'd care to share that make stories laugh-out-loud funny? Or even smile-out-loud?
Just to make your Monday a little lighter, I'll end with librarian humor.
August 12, 2015
Elvis Week Updated!
I almost missed marking it. Going on right now in Memphis.
Check it out, folks. Memorabilia for all! You con't have to be there to bid.
Just click on this link to go right to invaluable.com.
Yes, I'd love a few Elvis collectables. I actually have a few mementos.
You can read about my Elvis statue HERE.
Or read about my childhood crush on the king and my career as an Elvis impersonator HERE.
(Some people just have all the fun. Elvis and his fans. At a truly memorable school visit in Pelahatchie, MS. )
And here's a short video.
Look closely for ELVIS'S LITTLE HOUSE IN TUPELO near the end.
Check it out, folks. Memorabilia for all! You con't have to be there to bid.
Just click on this link to go right to invaluable.com.
Yes, I'd love a few Elvis collectables. I actually have a few mementos.
You can read about my Elvis statue HERE.
Or read about my childhood crush on the king and my career as an Elvis impersonator HERE.
(Some people just have all the fun. Elvis and his fans. At a truly memorable school visit in Pelahatchie, MS. )
And here's a short video.
Look closely for ELVIS'S LITTLE HOUSE IN TUPELO near the end.
Just Another Boy
Thanks for the memories, Elvis. #ElvisWeek2015
Posted by Elvis' Tupelo on Sunday, August 16, 2015
Elvis Week!
I almost missed marking it. Going on right now in Memphis.
Check it out, folks. Memorabilia for all!
Yes, I'd love a few Elvis collectables. I actually have a few mementos.
You can read about my Elvis statue HERE.
Or read about my childhood crush on the king and my career as an Elvis impersonator HERE.
(Some people just have all the fun. Elvis and his fans. At a truly memorable school visit in Pelahatchie, MS. )
Check it out, folks. Memorabilia for all!
Yes, I'd love a few Elvis collectables. I actually have a few mementos.
You can read about my Elvis statue HERE.
Or read about my childhood crush on the king and my career as an Elvis impersonator HERE.
(Some people just have all the fun. Elvis and his fans. At a truly memorable school visit in Pelahatchie, MS. )
