Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

Quick Lit: What I’ve Been Reading Lately

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Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel

I’ve enjoyed Anne’s two other books and have faithfully read her blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, for years. (It’s where I get tons of my book recommendations. Check it out!) Anne kindly sent me a review copy of Don’t Overthink It last year, and while the book looked interesting, it didn’t sound like it was for me. I assumed an “overthinker” was someone who struggles with making decisions, which isn’t a way I’d describe myself. But Anne has extended the definition to include fretting and worrying, too — “thoughts [that] are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful.” Yep. Count me in on that.

I’d describe Anne as smart, real, and practicable (some of the many reasons I regularly read her blog), so while there were parts of this book I couldn’t relate to, I found it all interesting and applicable in some way: Streamline to winnow away unnecessary choices and to focus on what really matters. Operate out of abundance rather than lack. Be aware of the negative thought weeds sprouting in your mental garden (not Anne’s words exactly but an image I’ve held to). This book left me energized.

Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte

Set on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 1800s in a town with a vibrant Deaf community, Show Me a Sign focuses on the life of young Mary, who is captured as a “live specimen” by a man trying to understand her “deficit.” As Mary warns in the prologue, “there are accounts of great wickedness along with hope in these pages.” I found the story haunting and beautiful and was touched by Mary’s courage, resilience, and forgiveness.

Show Me a Sign made a splash when it published last year, with four starred reviews and a number of “best of” lists. Most recently, it won the American Library Association’s Schneider Award, which “honor[s] an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” I am happy to share Ann Clare LeZotte will be on the blog later this year to discuss writing historical fiction! Here’s a post Ann wrote for the Nerdy Book Club about Sign that’s worth reading.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

Edie Green is half Native. Her mother was adopted by a white family at birth. Edie knows little of her own history, not until she uncovers a box in the attic with headshots of a woman who shares her smile.

This is a beautiful contemporary middle grade novel. It’s a tender portrait of family told with the gentle unraveling of a mystery. What struck me reading it right after Show Me a Sign was something both books have in common: the generosity of spirit in the midst of atrocity. Both stories hold situations where people in privileged positions do horrible things to other people. Neither book glosses over them, but both leave the characters — and readers — with hope and dignity.

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read written by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and illustrated by Oge Mora

This picture book is a glorious celebration, the kind that gives you goosebumps and makes you tear up, all in one go. Mary Walker, born into slavery, learned to read when she was 116! The collage illustrations include pages from books, so Mary throughout her life journey is always surrounded by the written word. As a teen, she received a Bible from a traveling evangelist. One hundred and one years later, she was able to read from it. Mary lived to be 121. I love the way the book ends:

Every year, before her birthday celebration came to an end, someone would whisper, “Let’s listen to Miss Mary.” The shuffling and movement would fade away until not a sound was heard. Then Mary would stand on her old, old legs, clear her old, old throat, and read from her Bible or her schoolbook in a voice that was clear and strong. And when she finished, she would gently close her book and say, “you’re never too old to learn.”

Beautiful and inspiring. What a gracious woman.

The Notebook Series: May B.

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I keep a notebook for each book I write. I thought it might be fun to share some of those pages with readers through a series of posts. Today’s will focus on May B.

I remember hearing years ago that an author who wants to write in a particular genre or form should read a hundred books as study. I’d read plenty of middle-grade historical fiction, but I’d only read two verse novels — Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust and Sharon Creech’s Heartbeat. I’d only read two because I had no idea I’d attempt verse myself until, after trying a bit of prose in my notebook, I was frustrated with the distance I felt between the thoughts in my head and the words on the page. So I returned to one of my research books, hoping for inspiration. The book was a collection of first-hand accounts written by pioneer women. Here’s what I wrote immediately after my reading:

11 October 2007

I think it’s going to be important to tell May’s story as a story in verse. The idea is a challenge and is precise, focusing on the small moments. With the reading I’ve done, the small moments need to tie to the whole. In my reading, so many women’s voices were so real, raw, accessible via first-hand accounts, and while I’m not picturing a journal, the sparseness of such a piece is the aim.* The reader is present. The circumstance clear. No dialogue to distract. We’ll see. Another writing challenge I’ve never encountered which sounds hard, immediate, and authentic. More reading to do. Karen Hesse. Studying about writing in verse.

I want to honor these women of the past by being as close to the bone as possible.

Here was my first (not very poetic!) attempt at verse, written right after the passage above. The picture below is how that poem showed up in the book.

I didn’t end up reading any verse novels while drafting May B. I worried I’d feel inadequate and would quit. That allowed me to not worry if I was following the “rules.” It was joyful work!

*Why so high falutin’??

Writing and Reading Links

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Love this! “In order to maximize the space for our collection, we have repurposed freezers and refrigerated wall units to house materials,” she continued. “Biographies and periodicals are now located in the freezers. Audiobooks now sit where deli meats used to be. Part of our children’s department is in what used to be the wine section.”
Books Fill the Aisles at this Supermarket-Turned-Library :: I Love Libraries

“If you’ve ever told yourself, or your agent, that that’s just the way you do something, you’re in the safe zone. Or, possibly, the danger zone. It is really hard to build a career if you’re not growing and it’s impossible to grow in your safe zone.”
The Best Things in Life (and Writing) Happen Outside of Your Safe Zone :: Bookends Literary

“Every page you write casts its shadow over the pages that came before, and inevitably, you will discover you have to go back and change something, either then or in revision.”
Back-Seeding Your Story: Writing in Spirals :: Writer Unboxed

“When I speak to classes of young writers one of the bits of advice I offer is, ‘If you write something once, and you think it’s good, you are in trouble. If you write something, and you think it’s not very good, that’s great. You know you need to work on it.’”
Is it Perfect? :: Avi

“It turns out that, if you ask yourself “Can I keep going?” rather than “Can I make it to the finish?” you’re far more likely to answer in the affirmative.”
There is no finish line :: Austin Kleon

“How characters impact blocking is not usually a thing that we discuss, but it’s a very real part of figuring out the physicality of a scene.  A character who is quiet and reserved will move differently through a space than a character who is aggressive, and part of the way we can build characters is by seeing the way they move through and interact with their environment, and why.”
Blocking!: Let’s Move Some People Through a Scene by Justina Ireland :: Write it Right 

Straight from the Source: Lori Mortensen on Writing Historical Non-Fiction

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Lori Mortensen is an award-winning children’s author of more than 100 books. Recent releases include Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey, If Wendell Had a Walrus, illustrated by New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Matt Phelan, Away with Words: The Daring Story Of Isabella Bird, Mousequerade Ball, illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Betsy Lewin, Chicken Lily, and Cowpoke Clyde Rides the Range, a sequel to Amazon bestseller Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg. When she’s not hiking around, camera in hand, she’s tapping away at her keyboard, conjuring, coaxing, and prodding her latest stories to life. Today she lives in the foothills of Northern California with her family and the wonderful assortment of birds that come her way. To find more information about upcoming releases, reviews, teacher activities, and more, visit her website at www.lorimortensen.com.

Why did you decide to write a picture book biography about Isabella Bird?

I discovered Isabella Bird when I began searching online for women’s firsts, such as first woman doctor, first woman astronaut, etc. However, when I discovered Isabella Bird was the first female member of England’s Royal Geographic Society, I immediately wanted to know more. Once I delved into some research, I discovered that her life as a woman living in the Victorian era was supposed to unfold much differently. Not only did society expect her to stay home and manage a household, she was born with chronic health issues that could have discouraged any plans she may have had. Yet, in spite of the odds against her, she forged a daring new path that took her around the world, and wrote 10 bestsellers that chronicled her exciting explorations. 

How do you conduct your research? 

Once I’m intrigued with some initial research, I dig in and look for everything I can find about the subject. In the past, I relied on my local libraries, but with the internet, the world is at my fingertips. I begin by looking for books, either to buy or check out, then I visit reliable internet sites that include museums, historical sites, historical societies, universities, books in the public domain, newspaper clippings, and experts wherever they may be.  

At what point do you feel comfortable beginning to draft? 

It takes time to research a subject thoroughly, and when it feels like I’ve found all that I can reasonably find, I organize the information into categories such as the subject’s childhood, accomplishments, challenges, setbacks, pivotal moments, and quotes. Once I’m familiar with the information I’ve found, I’m ready to write the first draft. 

Does your research continue once you begin writing?

Interestingly, it does. As the manuscript takes shape, sometimes finding that extra bit of information is the key to making a scene complete. In AWAY WITH WORDS, for example, I realized I wanted to include quotes from newspapers from her era, and quotes from people who heard her lectures. Finding these quotes required extra research, but they made all of the difference. “The woman must be devoid of all delicacy and modesty” said one. “She exercises a spell over the listener” said another. “No one has an adventure like Ms. Bird.” When Isabella Bird passed away on October 7, 1904, the New York Times declared she was “one of the most daring women travelers who ever lived.”

Which of Isabella’s experiences did you find most interesting? 

Throughout my research, I loved Isabella’s stubborn determination to conquer whatever she faced. One of my favorite Isabella treks was when she rode across a snowy, windswept desert. “The demon wind seized on us,” she wrote, “a steady, blighting, searching, merciless blast” that cut through her six layers of woolen clothing as if they were nothing. “I was so helpless and, in such torture,” she continued, “that I would gladly have lain down to die in the snow.” The reader can feel her torment, yet she found the strength to survive and keep going.

During her travels, she suffered many injuries, including six broken ribs and a fractured ankle. Once, her horse drowned while she was crossing a raging river. Of course, with 10 books about her daring explorations, I could only include a fraction of her adventures in a picture book.

Why is it important to tell stories like Bird’s?

Everyone has obstacles in his or her life. It is important to know that boundaries can be broken, and lives can be enlarged and changed in spite of the daunting roadblocks that may stand in our way. In Isabella’s case, she not only broke through the boundaries of English society, she conquered mountains, crossed deserts, and wrote books that opened new worlds to her readers and what showed the world what a woman can do.

Do you have any other recently released picture book biographies?

Yes! NONSENSE! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey about curious, mysterious, brilliant, eccentric, whimsical, sometimes dark, sometimes silly, one-of-a-kind creator, Edward Gorey that was released just before the pandemic hit in March 2020. Although Isabella Bird and Edward Gorey have very different stories, they both lived their lives in their own unique and independent way, a theme that always resonates with me, and hopefully readers everywhere too.

Classroom Connections: Alone by Megan E. Freeman

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form / genre: middle grade verse novel; survival story
age range: 10 and up
Megan E. Freeman’s website

This exciting story of tenacity, determination, and ingenuity is hard to put down, and thank heavens nothing happens to the dog.
— NPR

Madeleine relates her own riveting, immersive story in believable detail, her increasingly sophisticated thoughts, as years pass, sweeping down spare pages in thin lines of verse in this Hatchet for a new age. . . . Suspenseful, fast-paced, and brief enough to engage even reluctant readers.
― Kirkus Reviews

The novel is gripping and the plot fast-paced…This is a tense, engrossing survival story on par with classics such as Hatchet.
— Booklist   

Please tell us about your book.

Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, Alone is a harrowing middle grade novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet that tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.

When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.

With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten.

As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie’s most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie’s stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

What inspired you to write this story?

When my daughter was in fifth grade, we were in a mother-daughter book club and we read Island of the Blue Dolphins. In the discussion afterward, we talked about how challenging it was for Karana to survive on the island alone, and I started thinking about what it would be like for a contemporary middle school student to find themselves in a similar situation. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and it became the seed that grew into ALONE.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?

I had to learn what would happen in a town if all the power went out and how it would affect things like heating and cooling and running water. I talked to an expert who works at a water conservancy district and learned that if an entire power grid shut down, it would also impact the ability to have running water and indoor plumbing, since water management systems depend on electricity to operate. I had to figure out what my main character, Maddie, would do about cleaning and cooking and flushing the toilet when the power goes out and there is no running water. 

I also had to research emergency communication plans and learn some of the language that is used in planning for national emergencies. Through online research I was able to find actual federal documents that are used in planning for national emergencies. By reading those documents, I learned terms and phrases and planning strategies that would be used in a real emergency situation. 

What are some special challenges associated with paralleling your book with a classic? 

In Island of the Blue Dolphins, once Karana’s tribe leaves the island, she has no way to communicate with them. Any interactions she has with other humans happen only when people occasionally come to the island to hunt and fish. But my story is set in the 21st century, so Maddie and her family would have cell phones and telephones and computers and all sorts of ways to communicate with each other. I knew that I had to figure out a way to not only isolate Maddie geographically, but also isolate her technologically, so that she could have no connection to the outside world and the outside world could have no connection to her.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

Maddie has to overcome all sorts of challenges, and she has to rely on herself for everything from food to first aid to entertainment to comfort. She essentially has to become her own parent, doctor, chef, consoler, and protector. And all the while, she struggles with wondering if she’s making the right decisions or if she should be doing something differently to try to get out of her situation. Some themes to explore might be perseverance, resilience, family (including divorce and stepfamilies), independence, hope, and fear. Maddie also comforts and entertains herself in many creative ways, inventing games to play alone, reading books, making art, and exploring on hikes and bike rides. 

It could be fun in a classroom for students to imagine what they might do if they found themselves in Maddie’s shoes:

  • What might be exciting about being all alone in a town? 
  • What might be frightening? 
  • Which of Maddie’s choices do you agree with and which ones would you make differently? 
  • What kind of animal would you want to be stranded with?

Some higher level questions could include:

  • Maddie finds a lot of comfort in reading books from the library, and she is surprised to discover that she loves poetry. Why might poetry be comforting during challenging times?
  • The poet Emily Dickinson creates a metaphor for hope by comparing it to a bird (“Hope is the thing with feathers”). What other metaphors might describe hope? What are some metaphors that could describe fear, loneliness, perseverance, and love?
  • The poet Mary Oliver asks the readers of her poem “The Summer Day” what they will do with their “one wild and precious life.” Why do you think she calls life “wild and precious”? What other adjectives could be used to describe life? How would you answer Mary Oliver’s question?
  • Maddie’s feelings about her family are complicated, and they change over the course of the story. How do family dynamics impact a person’s perception of themselves and their place in the world?

Nighttime Poetry Reading: Containment and Smallness and Beauty

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One of my reading goals for the year was to read more poetry. I decided early in January that I’d read a poem or two a night from various books I already own. A collection of Mary Oliver poems. A Louise Gluck collection. The Emily Dickinson book I keep tucked in my nightstand that years ago replaced the one that grew legs in my classroom and walked away. Downstairs I have a number of Robert Frosts and Edna St. Vincent Millays. There are so many I have to choose from!

Last year I read Psalms before going to sleep, so adding poems before bed felt natural and right. I’ve enjoyed returning to the same poet day after day. Mary Oliver is where I’ve started, and I’m reading a collection I found at a Free Little Library on her birthday last year (how fitting is that?). It’s been my own study in form and language and style and theme and has been a joy to sink into — a thought contained, an image displayed, a moment made new and gifted to the reader.

I like the freedom of poetry, which for me is found in limitations. I like how poetry is small and contained. That’s what makes it meaningful. As I work on a new verse novel (the first one in five years!), I’m thinking about all of these things. How verse to me feels like my first writing language, even though it took me four novel manuscripts to find it. How a verse novel is like a photo album (one image placed by the next until a whole story is told through the picture collection) where a prose novel is like rolling film (more space, more movement, with bigger and broader strokes). I’m thinking and experimenting.

As Mary Oliver would say, I’m trying to pay attention, which is our endless, proper work. I want to be astonished and amazed.

Words on Writing from Little Women

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Her family and friends administered comfort and commendation liberally; yet it was a hard time for sensitive, high-spirited Jo, who meant so well, and had apparently done so ill. But it did her good, for those whose opinion had real value gave her the criticism which is an author’s best education; and when the first soreness was over, she could laugh at her poor little book, yet believe in it still, and feel herself wiser and stronger for the buffeting she had received.
— Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott