K.L. Denman's Blog, page 9

I'm a Taurus. And you are…?

[image error]

Blossom and Berry

[image error]Once upon a long Earth-time past, a plant did something that had never been done by plant-kind before: it blossomed. Ahh, the shiver that ran through leaf and stem and twig and root! Joy floated like perfume on a breeze as the wondrous news spread, and the botany collective sighed as that singular flower tipped its face to the sun.

That sun set and rose and set again untold times until there came a day when it shone upon a prismatic glory of blooms, some shy as green, others boisterous as red. (If you'd seen them, you'd be the inventor of singing.) Someone saw them—bugs and birds—and the plants thought, "Blight! We do not want them eating our flowers the way they eat our other parts. Ideas? Anyone?"

Somebody had a fantastic idea. "What say we give those rootless non-botanicals something sweet—let's call it nectar—and when they stop by for a meal we'll get a favor in return?"

The speaker whispered this next vibration. "We'll get them to take our pollen to the neighbors."

Almost everyone shimmered with happy agreement. A few dissidents said, "Forget it. When those bugs try for our nectar? We're going to eat them. See how they like it."

The pollen plan succeeded beyond the plants' wildest dreams because the result was none other than Fruit. (I'm sure you know how that works. You also likely know that the buzz on the plants' best buddy, the bee, says they've run into trouble. And no bees = no fruit. No more peaches, blueberries, blackberries, apples, oranges… Unthinkable. Please send happy thoughts to bees and support your friendly or unfriendly, doesn't matter, neighborhood entomologist.)

So, what's next? Plants have been evolving for a long while and I'm wondering what they're working on now. If their bee buddies die out, will the plants devise another way to spread pollen and bear fruit? As in, walking roots? (Work with me here. Shakespeare could have prophesied more than he intended in Macbeth when he wrote about the forest coming to the castle.)

Or will plants be very annoyed with a fruitless future and make a massive shift toward the dissident group? Watch out for that Venus Fly-by Trap! Argh! That rhubarb just ate Granny!

Or—and this is my favorite—will plants attempt to translate our extremely foreign language and open up communications with us? I have no doubt they are already conscious; unconscious entities (ex. the dead drunk, doped up, knocked senseless) do not turn and follow the sun's arc across the sky as sunflowers do, much less produce flowers and fruit.

I don't expect we'll ever hear them talking aloud (their lack of vocal chords would pose a problem) so if they were to get in touch with us, how might that happen? And what would they say?

 

[image error]

Quackery

[image error]

"They've been popping up everywhere," she told him. "On the radio, at the park, in random conversations. Isn't it true that a sudden proliferation of the unusual signals it's time to pay attention?"

'What?" he asked.

"I'm talking about meaningful coincidence. You know. Synchronicity. The universe trying to send me a message I need to hear." She paused, brow furrowed. "But what message could there be in ducks?"

He didn't know.

She asked around, "What do ducks mean to you?" But no-one provided a satisfactory answer, no startling insight was found, and the duck appearances faded.

Life sped on, serving up some challenging years that pushed aside musings about ducks. And then in the cyclic way of things, life settled. All was well and when a duck showed up in the yard and peered in through the windows (a Peking duck, no less), she was amused.

"Funny duck, look at you." She didn't seek meaning this time. It was only one duck.

And then life got complicated again. It wasn't an immediate complication; it was more like a slow-growing cancer, sneakily developing, not showing itself until it had the power to devastate.

Still, she didn't get the message of the ducks. It's difficult to read symbolism in the midst of sorrow and confusion. It took the turning of another cycle and the third appearance of ducks before she understood. When the universe sent her ducks it meant a curve ball was hurtling in like a hard-core comet, rounding the dark side of the moon, trailing fiery dust and detritus and if she'd simply listen literally, she'd DUCK.

Reader’s Write (Thanks!)

“I like Battle of the Bands because it’s about a group of kids that have started a band which I think is cool. I really recommend that kids read this book. Were you ever in a band? I hope you write more books.” Oscar G.

A: I’ve never been in a band but sometimes wish I was. I love music and know others who play instruments on their own or in bands. Recently, I’ve considered learning to play the ukulele.

“The book you wrote, Battle of the Bands was a great book! It seemed as if it was not fiction. Another reason your book is good is that it is short and easy. About the song, did you make it up? How many books have you written? I’m a real fan.” Ruben C.

A: I did write the lyrics for the two songs in the story—that was fun! I’ve written numerous books and Battle of the Bands was the first one published. Since then, six more have been published.

“I am reading your book Mirror Image. I really like it. I have only started it and I am on Chapter Five already. So far so good.” Anna, Country Antrim, Ireland

“Your book (Rebel’s Tag) was great and cool. I liked the parts of Uranus and when Samuel was spray painting. I love the part when Samuel’s mom prayed the St. Francis prayer.” Rolando T.

“The book Rebel’s Tag was really interesting. It was very fun to read. What made you write this story?” Joanna J.

A: I started with the idea of a character going on a scavenger hunt. I asked myself who would go on this hunt and why? And who might send someone on a hunt and what would be their motivation for doing that? The story grew out of these questions.

“Thank you for writing a book (Rebel’s Tag) that’s easy to read, yet incredibly interesting to junior high kids. We have such good memories of reading and discussing your book. We had rich discussions about trespassing, friendship, honesty, forgiveness and death. It made my job very easy.”  Liz A., Teacher

“Battle of the Bands was a top notch book. Since I’m only in Grade 9 I haven’t read a lot of books but when  I do read books I love it. I connected with Jay on so many levels. This book truly opened my eyes to the fact I’m not the only kid who thinks about the kids who make T-shirts or shoes.”  A.J.

“Your book, Perfect Revenge, helped me change my mind a little about getting people back. I really liked your book and it made me connect to it more than any other book.” Nylah R.

Reader's Write (Thanks!)

"I like Battle of the Bands because it's about a group of kids that have started a band which I think is cool. I really recommend that kids read this book. Were you ever in a band? I hope you write more books." Oscar G.

A: I've never been in a band but sometimes wish I was. I love music and know others who play instruments on their own or in bands. Recently, I've considered learning to play the ukulele.

"The book you wrote, Battle of the Bands was a great book! It seemed as if it was not fiction. Another reason your book is good is that it is short and easy. About the song, did you make it up? How many books have you written? I'm a real fan." Ruben C.

A: I did write the lyrics for the two songs in the story—that was fun! I've written numerous books and Battle of the Bands was the first one published. Since then, six more have been published.

"I am reading your book Mirror Image. I really like it. I have only started it and I am on Chapter Five already. So far so good." Anna, Country Antrim, Ireland

"Your book (Rebel's Tag) was great and cool. I liked the parts of Uranus and when Samuel was spray painting. I love the part when Samuel's mom prayed the St. Francis prayer." Rolando T.

"The book Rebel's Tag was really interesting. It was very fun to read. What made you write this story?" Joanna J.

A: I started with the idea of a character going on a scavenger hunt. I asked myself who would go on this hunt and why? And who might send someone on a hunt and what would be their motivation for doing that? The story grew out of these questions.

"Thank you for writing a book (Rebel's Tag) that's easy to read, yet incredibly interesting to junior high kids. We have such good memories of reading and discussing your book. We had rich discussions about trespassing, friendship, honesty, forgiveness and death. It made my job very easy."  Liz A., Teacher

"Battle of the Bands was a top notch book. Since I'm only in Grade 9 I haven't read a lot of books but when  I do read books I love it. I connected with Jay on so many levels. This book truly opened my eyes to the fact I'm not the only kid who thinks about the kids who make T-shirts or shoes."  A.J.

"Your book, Perfect Revenge, helped me change my mind a little about getting people back. I really liked your book and it made me connect to it more than any other book." Nylah R.

Stuff We All Get

[image error]ISBN: 9781554698202

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pub Date: September/01/2011

We don't always get what we want.

Fifteen-year-old Zack finds a home made CD with the word Famous written on it. Lonely and bored while suspended from school, he puts the CD on and loses himself in the music. Zack has sound-color synesthesia. He sees colors when he hears music, and the music on the Famous CD causes incredible patterns of color for him. Zack becomes obsessed with the girl on the CD and tries to find her. He tracks down the singer, Jolene, in a café where she works while she dreams of the big time. He convinces her to let him help her achieve her dreams, but soon discovers that in her quest for fame, Jolene has done a lot of damage. Stuff We All Get is a gentle critique of celebrity culture in North America.

Me, Myself and Ike

[image error]

ISBN: 9781554690862

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pages: 208

Pub Date: October/01/2009

The guys huddle closer and murmur; the girls' heads incline together and they whisper. They're all talking about me. I'll bet if they were naked I could see their tattoos. They've been taken. They're waiting for me to be taken too.

I force myself to walk past them, even though I have the overpowering urge to run. Or scream, tell them I know all about their plans. Why me? I'd like to ask them that. I hesitate. Maybe I should ask them. Maybe there's some shred of humanity left in one of them and they'll help me escape.

After watching a tv program about Otzi, a 5,000-year-old "Ice Man," Kit's friend Ike becomes convinced that Kit's destiny is to become the next ice man—a source of information for future generations. Together they obtain artifacts they think will accurately reflect life in the early twenty-first century and plan their journey to a nearby mountain. Kit gets tattoos similar to Otzi's, writes a manifesto and tries to come to terms with making the ultimate sacrifice. As he grows more and more agitated and isolated, his family and friends suspect that something is terribly wrong, but before they can discover the true severity of the situation, Kit and Ike set off on what could be their last journey.

Awards

2011  CCBC Best Books

2010 Governor General's Literary Awards Finalist

2010 White Ravens Selection

2009 Resource Links "The Year's Best"

2009 January Magazine "Best Children's Books of the Year"

 Reviews

 Canada Council for the Arts ~ GG Awards Jury – October 2010

Me, Myself and Ike is a gripping novel full of surprises. K.L. Denman's masterfully-crafted first-person narrative on schizophrenia sweeps the reader along as Kit Latimer descends into a terrifying world where the real and imagined have no discernible divide. Denman manages to portray Kit in a way that is both realistic and sympathetic.

  CM Magazine – September 4, 2009

"An intensely edgy, first person account of a troubled teen descending into a paranoid, psychotic state…Denman is a responsible, caring, and skilled writer who drops subtle breadcrumbs throughout her story and provides an afterword explaining this mental illness…Denman is to be commended for tackling this issue straight on. Highly Recommended."

  Publishers Weekly – October 1, 2009

"A stark and fascinating portrait of a paranoid and delusional teenager…Denman deftly gets into the head of a mentally unwell teenager while telling a coherent, engaging story."

  Quill & Quire – November 1, 2009

"The fact that Denman exhibits such flexibility within the confines of a first-person narrative, while also maintaining the reader's feelings of empathy for Kit, is an undeniable accomplishment. While the writing is seamless, the subject matter is challenging…Completely riveting, suspenseful, and heartbreaking, Me, Myself and Ike is one of the best young adult releases of the year."

  School Library Journal – December 1, 2009

"While the story is about a young man with a mental illness, it is also a well-told, readable mystery, brimming with suspense. An author's note giving details about schizophrenia adds an additional level of clarity to the novel's ending."

  VOYA – December 1, 2009

"This harrowing journey through the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic never hits a wrong note. Especially laudable is Denman's ruthless adherence to Kit's point of view…Demonstrating a powerful control over her prose, Denman builds Kit's decline in subtle increments that ramp up the suspense as readers note each new failing…Try this one with readers who like their stories dark and intense."

  Resource Links – October 1, 2009

"Denman has done her homework in this novel. She does not waver from Kit's point of view, not an easy task when the main character's thinking is so disturbed….A compelling novel of a young man's descent into schizophrenia. Highly recommended."

Perfect Revenge

[image error]

ISBN: 9781554691029

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pages: 112

Pub Date: April/01/2009

Lizzie Lane is used to life at the top of the food chain. Her near-perfect life is ruined when Rachel, a girl she socially destroyed, exacts her revenge by getting Lizzie in trouble for cheating on a test. Friendless and facing detention, Lizzie obsesses over finding the perfect revenge. When Stella, Lizzie's strange new neighbour, teaches Lizzie about magick, Lizzie can't resist creating a revenge spell. But she forgets the "rule of three," that whatever spell you cast comes back on you three-fold, and her zit spell backfires with dramatic results. When she asks for help from Stella's Baba, the only advice she gets is to "write the lesson of the zit on her heart." Can Lizzie find a way to teach Rachel a lesson without causing permanent disfigurement to herself?

French Translation: La revanche parfaite

ISBN: 9781554698530

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Awards

2009  Resource Links "The Year's Best"

Reviews

 CM Magazine – March 6, 2009

"Denman has constructed more than a light-hearted diversion for readers. There is a literary sophistication to her story that will introduce readers to elements such as foreshadowing and metaphor…Good-natured and well-written, Perfect Revenge is a solid antidote to the sensational works for teens spawned in this Gossip Girl era. Recommended."

  Resource Links – June 1, 2009

"Dripping in humour and satire, Perfect Revenge shows that revenge isn't the best way to solve a problem…High appeal for the adolescent female audience with its teen angst, relationships issues, and humorous approach to conflict resolution."

Spiral

[image error]

ISBN: 9781551439303

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pages: 112

Pub Date: October/01/2008

When fifteen-year-old Abby is seriously injured, her wounds go far deeper than her broken back. Rehabilitation therapy teaches her to cope with her new physical reality but once she's home with her family, she refuses to participate in life and withdraws into a world of drugs.

Abby's family discovers her addiction, and she is sent to a farm that specializes in Equine Assisted Therapy. She must still do battle with her cravings, but when she witnesses the connection between another young patient and a pony, she decides that if this girl can heal, she too can learn to be present in life again.

Awards

2010  Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books

Reviews:

 CM Magazine – November 21, 2008

"An excellent addition to Orca's high interest, low vocabulary "Soundings" series…a realistic and thoroughly gripping read. Highly recommended."

 Tucson Unified School District – November 1, 2008

"Highly recommended."

 Tri State Young Adult Book Review Committee – January 1, 2009

"Strongly recommended for school libraries…The emotional yet believable plot is deftly told with honesty and freshness. The focus on what is possible may cause some students to review their choices and set a new focus."

 Southwestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group – September 1, 2008

"Succeeds with a strong plot and suitably empathetic characters to attract a teen audience…Contains a surprisingly realistic and positive message about dealing with life's challenges."

CBC Radio One – All Points West – March 1, 2009

"Surprisingly touching…captures something about the near-mystical quality of the connection between horses and people."

Powell River Living Magazine – Winter 2008 (Review by Hailey Sacree)

"Spiral is a really cool book. Denman's writing shows you how beautiful a person's recovery can be. The journey is difficult but it is rewarding in the end."

The Shade

[image error]

ISBN: 9781551439310

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers

Pages: 112

Pub Date: March/01/2008

Safira doesn't believe in ghosts, but the girl in her cabin at camp was not a living person, so what was she? Her friend Trinity is convinced Safira's seen a ghost and sets out to discover who the ghost girl is. Safira is too busy dealing with her family to help solve the mystery. Safira has never gotten along with her sister, Mya, and now that Mya's pending marriage dominates the family there seems to be no hope for friendship between them. But when Trinity discovers the death of a girl named Myra, Safira starts to wonder if the ghost-girl has an important message about her own sister.

Reviews:

  Resource Links – June 1, 2008

"Denman has written an interesting, well-paced story for reluctant middle school readers."

 Middler Books and More blog – May 8, 2009

"My students will appreciate the suspense of the story, and Safira's voyage of self-discover is the coming-of-age passion play that every [middle school student] experiences at some point in her young life."