Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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It’s time! Get ready! Author visits for 2023-2024

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School visits are one of my greatest joys. So much of the writing life is a solitary activity, and it is beyond wonderful to connect with young readers, to interact with the kids I do this book writing for. A number of you who read here are teachers, librarians, or parents engaged in your children’s education. With that in mind, I want to share with you information on the visits I offer — in-person and virtual — and, if you’re interested, how you might arrange a visit for your school, library, or homeschool co-op this year. Read on!

I offer a variety of presentations for grades K-8. Some tie in with specific books. Others focus on everything from the writing process, creating characters, and exploring poetry, to history, ecology, and geography. A typical visit includes three separate presentations, a lunch with students that teachers or librarians have selected beforehand, and the opportunity to purchase personalized books through a local bookstore. (These books will be available for distribution the day of the visit.) Schools can pick one presentation to be repeated three times or choose a variety of presentations — for example, one for K-1, another for 2-3, and a third for 4-5. Click through to see which presentations might best suit your community. Almost all presentations can be adapted for Zoom or Skype. 

Why invite an author to your school?

A survey on author visits* revealed some amazing statistics:

  • 91% of those who responded said author visits “motivate[d] students to read more”
  • 74% felt visits inspired “creativity and expression”
  • 68% believed visits “motivate[d] students to write more”

* 2014 Author Visit Survey by Alexis O’Neill. Over 600 respondents in thirty-nine states and eight countries.

The UK’s National Literacy Trust reported in June 2019 that students who had authors visit their schools:

  • “Were twice as likely to read above their expected level for their age”
  • “Were more likely to enjoy reading and writing”
  • “Were more likely to be highly confident in their reading”

I’d like you to visit, but how much does it cost? And how do I schedule a visit?

I work with booking agent Julie Ann Hartman (julieann@thebookingbiz.com) of the Booking Biz (https://thebookingbiz.com/client/caroline-starr-rose/). Feel free to click through to my Booking Biz page or reach out of Julie Ann directly to learn more.

What if my school isn’t in New Mexico?

No matter! I am happy to travel. We can also meet virtually.

Any creative tips on funding an author visit?

Sometimes PTAs pay to bring an author in. I’ve had schools use money set aside for field trips (viewing an author visit as a field trip that comes to the school). Consider using funds earmarked for literacy programs. Apply for any number of grants that cover author visits. Or think of creative ways your school might raise money to fund a visit.

Here’s to a year of reading and writing and learning. May it be the best yet!

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Filed Under: authors, books and reading, teaching

Middle Grade Books Are Not About You and Me (With a Nod to Colby Sharp and Linda Urban)

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Eight years after this post first ran, I’m still thinking about this.

I few weeks ago I shared a link to a blog post by teacher Colby Sharp. In it he talked about picking up a middle grade book and feeling like he’d seen it all before. Then he read these words by author Linda Urban:

Reviewers say: “Not *another* sad animal book!” or “Had my fill of theme X!” You are adults. You have been reading a long time.

— Linda Urban (@lindaurbanbooks) July 31, 2015

Colby went on to say “middle grade books are not about you and me” (in other words, the adults out there).

I’ve thought so much about Colby’s and Linda’s words these past few months. They’ve helped me solidify some of my ideas about children’s literature, actually. While I will always, always, always believe a good book is a good book for everyone, regardless of age (though not all books are for every reader, which is another discussion entirely), Linda has reminded me that children’s literature is first and foremost for children.

Of course I know this, but I think sometimes I bring an outside perspective (as both reader and writer) that doesn’t always serve the work best. Rather, this is where I’d like my focus to be:

  • If this book is for a young reader, what is it they’ll discover that will be meaningful and ring true?
  • What am I willing to say as an author that might feel trite or old news to the grow ups but could be new and important to young readers?
  • Am I willing as a reader not to have my needs met first when I am reading middle grade?

I’m curious what readers here think.

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Classroom Connections: Fatima Tate Takes the Cake by Khadijah VanBrakle

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age range: 14-17 years
genre: contemporary YA
topics: coming of age; Black, American Muslim families; baking
Khadijah VanBrakle’s website

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Fatima is a fierce protagonist who will stop at nothing to preserve her dignity. Skillful examinations of the intersections between culture, gender, and religion, as well as nuanced perceptions of one Black Muslim community, round out VanBrakle’s searing debut.
—Publishers Weekly

This is a special interview to share. Khadijah and I have known each other for years through our New Mexico chapter of SCBWI. She took a revision class I taught years ago. I took a self-defense class she offered last year. She is loads of fun and a force to be reckoned with. Let’s celebrate Khadijah’s debut, Fatima Tate Takes the Cake!

Please tell us about your book.

FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE is a coming-of-age story about a seventeen-year-old Black, American Muslim who must navigate between parental / community expectations & personal responsibility. The story follows Fatima, a high school senior whose arranged marriage to her secret crush is based on a lie.

Here’s the description from my publisher:

Fatima Tate wants to be a baker AND enjoy some innocent flirting with her hot friend Raheem—but her strict Muslim parents would never approve of either…

Seventeen-year-old Fatima Tate, aspiring baker (100% against her conservative parents’ wishes), leads a pretty normal life in Albuquerque: long drives with BFF Zaynab, weekly services at the mosque, big family parties, soup kitchen volunteering (the best way to perfect her flaky dough recipe!), stressing about college.

But everything changes when she meets a charming university student named Raheem. Knowing the ‘rents would FREAK, Fatima keeps their burgeoning relationship a secret… and then, one day, her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Amazing! True serendipity!

Except it’s not amazing. As soon as the ring is on Fatima’s finger, Raheem’s charm transforms into control and manipulation. Fatima knows she has to call the whole thing off, but Raheem doesn’t like to lose. He threatens to reveal their premarital sexual history and destroy her and her family’s reputation in their tight-knit Muslim community.

Fatima must find the inner strength to blaze her own trail by owning her body, her choices, and her future. Combining the frank authenticity of Elizabeth Acevedo and the complex social dynamics of Ibi Zoboi, FATIMA TATE TAKES THE CAKE is a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.

What inspired you to write this story?

I wanted to tell a story where a Black, American Muslim teenage girl was dealing with normal adolescent issues, infused with other problems specific to her marginalization. Having three daughters who never had Contemporary YA stories with main characters who were both Black and Muslim was, and still is, a HUGE reason why I decided to write these kinds of stories.

Could you share with readers a few interesting tidbits about your writing process with this book?

I used to start writing without really knowing my main character. After the first and second draft of this book were completed, I paid a sensitivity reader to give it a once over. Based on that feedback, I rewrote the entire story.

It was a difficult decision, but I wanted it to be better. So I took the time and then over eight months, I scrubbed my story until it was the best I could make it. A few writer friends of mine read over some problem scenes and I kept revising.

The process of writing, rewriting then revising this YA story was a long one, but so worth it. I learned a ton, and now I have an actual process for drafting my future books.

What are some special challenges associated with introducing a setting your audience might be unfamiliar with?

My story is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Just breaking in to say how much I love this.

Many people mistakenly think we are part of the country of Mexico. As a transplant here, I really wanted to use this city’s unique features and give the readers a new experience. In addition, African Americans are here in very small numbers, currently less than five percent of the population. Showing a side of the Land of Enchantment rarely seen in YA fiction was a challenge, but in the end, very satisfying.

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

YA/Teen stories set in the Southwestern US (or specifically NM YA / Teen stories featuring a main character from a two-fold marginalization by an author who shares that specific marginalization). Would the story be different if it was written by someone NOT from a diverse background?

Diverse, Coming of Age stories dealing with both Parental & Community expectations.

Going Beyond Stereotypes: Weaving Faith & Other Controversial Topics into Your Stories.

Black & American & Muslim: The YA Stories Not Yet Told.

How does the privilege of wealth in fiction translate into the real world? 

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