Welcome to the second installment of my Friday book recommendations. If you're looking for action-packed, can't-stop-reading-it middle grade fiction, here are two books for you!
The House on Hackman's Hill by Joan Lowery Nixon; middle grade fiction
Two cousins, Jeff and Debbie, venture into an old mansion to solve a mystery and get a $10,000 reward. The only problem - Anubis, the Egyptian guardian of the dead, doesn't want them in the house. Anubis wants revenge! This is the ultimate thriller for a middle grade reader. It's suspenseful, gripping, and every chapter ends with a cliff hanger.
When I taught upper elementary, we always read this book around October and completed Egyptian activities based on the novel. The kids LOVED it! They would beg to read more. My daughter just finished this book and she had the same reaction, too. Whether you have an accelerated reader or a reluctant reader, this is a phenomenal book as it keeps kids hooked right from the start.
Spy Cat by Peg Kehret; middle grade fiction
Adventure awaits the reader in this novel as Pete the cat and his boy, Alex, get tangled up with two burglars while trying to solve a mystery that's been plaguing the neighborhood. This is another fast paced, exciting novel that kids won't want to put down.
The twist on this story is that Pete the cat co-authored the book. His versions of events will have you laughing out loud. He tends to get upset when his humans don't understand his meows. My daughter finished this book in less than a week, and it earned a rave review from her. This is also another teacher-tested book, and all the kids in class always enjoyed reading it.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Katie's Friday Finds
Lately I've been reading lots of middle grade books since that's what my daughter currently reads and since I'm in the process of revising my middle grade novel. Then I thought, Well, I love sharing my favorite books with anyone who will listen, so why not put them on my blog?
So here it is, the first installment of Katie's Friday Finds. Each Friday you can stop by and find my recommendations for some great reads. I'll put the age level and a brief synopsis of why you should read this book (or have your child read it, or your niece, or your second cousin's neighbor's kid). I can't guarantee they'll all be middle grade books, or that they'll all be award winners of some kind or even how many books I'll put on the list each week.
What I can guarantee is that all these books have somehow inspired me, made me laugh or cry, helped me to think outside the box, and otherwise had characters that spoke to me and stayed with me long after the book was finished. That's what I deem a great story.
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor; middle grade novel
I first read this book several years ago based on a recommendation from an editor at a writing conference. I loved the book then and I still love it. My daughter (age 8) finished reading this about a week ago and adored the story, too. If you're looking for a funny, heartwarming and sincere tale, here it is. The main character, Georgina, is homeless and lives in her car with her mom and brother. She devises a plan to steal a dog and get some reward money so her family can afford an apartment. Barbara O'Connor does a wonderful job taking the reader on an emotional journey with Georgina, as we sympathize with her plight even though we know what she's doing is wrong. This is a great story with a thoughtful message and deserves to be read.
Junie B., First Grader Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) Barbara Park; early chapter book
I'm including this Junie B. book because not only was it hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny, but the message at the end was perfect. The premise of the book is Junie B.'s class has to make a list of everything they are thankful for and enter it to win a school contest. Of course, Junie B.'s class comes up with some outrageous items to put on their list. But really, all the items are stuff that kids are thankful for. And that's what makes the book so great, when you stop and think about all the little things in life that make us thankful, like toilet paper and remote controls. I mean, can you imagine life without either of those, particularly the toilet paper?!
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
So here it is, the first installment of Katie's Friday Finds. Each Friday you can stop by and find my recommendations for some great reads. I'll put the age level and a brief synopsis of why you should read this book (or have your child read it, or your niece, or your second cousin's neighbor's kid). I can't guarantee they'll all be middle grade books, or that they'll all be award winners of some kind or even how many books I'll put on the list each week.
What I can guarantee is that all these books have somehow inspired me, made me laugh or cry, helped me to think outside the box, and otherwise had characters that spoke to me and stayed with me long after the book was finished. That's what I deem a great story.
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor; middle grade novel
I first read this book several years ago based on a recommendation from an editor at a writing conference. I loved the book then and I still love it. My daughter (age 8) finished reading this about a week ago and adored the story, too. If you're looking for a funny, heartwarming and sincere tale, here it is. The main character, Georgina, is homeless and lives in her car with her mom and brother. She devises a plan to steal a dog and get some reward money so her family can afford an apartment. Barbara O'Connor does a wonderful job taking the reader on an emotional journey with Georgina, as we sympathize with her plight even though we know what she's doing is wrong. This is a great story with a thoughtful message and deserves to be read.
Junie B., First Grader Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) Barbara Park; early chapter book
I'm including this Junie B. book because not only was it hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny, but the message at the end was perfect. The premise of the book is Junie B.'s class has to make a list of everything they are thankful for and enter it to win a school contest. Of course, Junie B.'s class comes up with some outrageous items to put on their list. But really, all the items are stuff that kids are thankful for. And that's what makes the book so great, when you stop and think about all the little things in life that make us thankful, like toilet paper and remote controls. I mean, can you imagine life without either of those, particularly the toilet paper?!
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
A Sweet Success
Whew! It's been a whirlwind ever since the Trails to Sweet Success conference ended almost two weeks ago, and I'm happy to report that the conference was a sweet success, with no major glitches and all speakers giving wonderful, information-filled sessions and excellent critiques on our work!
The conference was held at McCormick Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana, and it was a wonderful drive. Here's what I saw most of the trip:
Two-lane roads for the entire drive. I love flat land and cornfields! Yeah, Indiana!
The lodge was quaint and charming. The Canyon Inn staff was extremely helpful, especially KJ and Marc, our two techies that helped set up projectors, computers, presentations, etc.
Some of my personal favorite conference highlights included hearing one of our members discuss the Nigeria Library Project he's created, learning how to physically page out a picture book, putting names with faces of all the members I always communicate with via email, attending the very inspirational HoosierLinks meeting on Sunday, and talking with our conference faculty about their lives in the city. I loved the short hike to the waterfall as well.
This conference definitely ranks near the top of all conferences I've been to (and I've been to lots!). It was a great learning experience and a joy to be around other writers for an entire weekend.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
The conference was held at McCormick Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana, and it was a wonderful drive. Here's what I saw most of the trip:
Two-lane roads for the entire drive. I love flat land and cornfields! Yeah, Indiana!
The lodge was quaint and charming. The Canyon Inn staff was extremely helpful, especially KJ and Marc, our two techies that helped set up projectors, computers, presentations, etc.
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| Canyon Inn
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| Some of our conference faculty; Andrew, Eve, and Jessica
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This conference definitely ranks near the top of all conferences I've been to (and I've been to lots!). It was a great learning experience and a joy to be around other writers for an entire weekend.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Nature and Writing
I am geeked out....this is the weekend! Our Indiana SCBWI conference, held at McCormick's Creek State Park in southern Indiana is taking place Friday through Sunday. A weekend mixed with nature, inspiration, writing comrades, editors, agents and fun. Does it get better than that?
The conference starts off Friday night, runs all day Saturday and ends with my HoosierLinks meeting on Sunday, where attendees will gather and share bits of inspiration and helpful hints that they can take away from the meeting and use immediately. We're also having a book swap, so every attendee that brings a gently used book on the craft of writing/illustrating can take a different book on their craft. We've never had a swap quite like this, so I'm hoping it turns out 'fair and square', as my daughter says.
And while I'm off enjoying two of my favorite treasures in life, nature and writing, my other two treasures, my husband and daughter, will be back at the homestead taking care of a rather pressing issue. If you follow my other blog, you'll know just what I'm talking about (can we say...bawk, baawwkk, baaawwwkkk)? Check it out here, http://www.fowlinaround.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
The conference starts off Friday night, runs all day Saturday and ends with my HoosierLinks meeting on Sunday, where attendees will gather and share bits of inspiration and helpful hints that they can take away from the meeting and use immediately. We're also having a book swap, so every attendee that brings a gently used book on the craft of writing/illustrating can take a different book on their craft. We've never had a swap quite like this, so I'm hoping it turns out 'fair and square', as my daughter says.
And while I'm off enjoying two of my favorite treasures in life, nature and writing, my other two treasures, my husband and daughter, will be back at the homestead taking care of a rather pressing issue. If you follow my other blog, you'll know just what I'm talking about (can we say...bawk, baawwkk, baaawwwkkk)? Check it out here, http://www.fowlinaround.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica
I finished reading Miracle on 49th Street this morning. I went into the story with high expectations, since one of my favorite MG novels is Heat, also written by Mike Lupica. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed, although I still think Heat is my favorite that he's written.
The story premise of Miracle on 49th Street involves basketball and I'm not much of a basketball fan, which is why I was hesitant to start the book. It's been in our book basket for 6 weeks now, and I've renewed as many times as possible with our library, so I either had to read it or return it unread.
I'm sure glad I read it. My favorite part of Mike Lupica's writing is the way he builds characters. He creates depth and personality, so that I feel like these characters are my friends. The friendship that he created between Molly and Sam, the main character of the story and her sidekick, was so real and true. You can't help but root for them throughout the novel.
It takes great skill to build characters this way and maintain them throughout the story. If you're looking for a good example of how to create a strong friendship between characters in your novel, Miracle on 49th Street is a fine place to start.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
The story premise of Miracle on 49th Street involves basketball and I'm not much of a basketball fan, which is why I was hesitant to start the book. It's been in our book basket for 6 weeks now, and I've renewed as many times as possible with our library, so I either had to read it or return it unread.
I'm sure glad I read it. My favorite part of Mike Lupica's writing is the way he builds characters. He creates depth and personality, so that I feel like these characters are my friends. The friendship that he created between Molly and Sam, the main character of the story and her sidekick, was so real and true. You can't help but root for them throughout the novel.
It takes great skill to build characters this way and maintain them throughout the story. If you're looking for a good example of how to create a strong friendship between characters in your novel, Miracle on 49th Street is a fine place to start.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Turning Swords into Plowshares
Last night I listened to Peggy Reiff Miller speak about the seagoing cowboys, a subject near and dear to her heart. She was asked to speak at the last in a series of Peace and Popcorn events, and the subject was titled Turning Swords into Plowshares.
Peggy and I are in the same writing group and she has devoted the last ten (or more) years of her time researching and writing about the seagoing cowboys. Her historical YA novel, which is phenomenal and will most certainly be on shelves someday, is about a seagoing cowboy who is trying to find his horse.
It was so enlightening to hear stories from real seagoing cowboys, who traveled on ships after WWII taking livestock to countries that were devastated by war. The cowboys who attended the event each shared what they remembered from their trips across the sea. Some common shared threads witnessed by the cowboys included the destruction left behind after war, and the evils of the concentration camps, including the soap making factories, which I had little knowledge of until reading the draft of Peggy's book.
The cowboys got several laughs sharing stories of being seasick. The up and down, teeter-totter feeling of the ship seemed to resonate with them all.
Peggy has done a great service by saving a part of history that would have otherwise been lost. You can read more about her work on her Seagoing Cowboys website. It is a unique and wonderful part of history that you may not know about.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Peggy and I are in the same writing group and she has devoted the last ten (or more) years of her time researching and writing about the seagoing cowboys. Her historical YA novel, which is phenomenal and will most certainly be on shelves someday, is about a seagoing cowboy who is trying to find his horse.
It was so enlightening to hear stories from real seagoing cowboys, who traveled on ships after WWII taking livestock to countries that were devastated by war. The cowboys who attended the event each shared what they remembered from their trips across the sea. Some common shared threads witnessed by the cowboys included the destruction left behind after war, and the evils of the concentration camps, including the soap making factories, which I had little knowledge of until reading the draft of Peggy's book.
The cowboys got several laughs sharing stories of being seasick. The up and down, teeter-totter feeling of the ship seemed to resonate with them all.
Peggy has done a great service by saving a part of history that would have otherwise been lost. You can read more about her work on her Seagoing Cowboys website. It is a unique and wonderful part of history that you may not know about.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
Monday, April 23, 2012
My Blog Title
My friend Anne recently started following my blog, and she questioned me about the title. I realized I've had lots of questions about my blog title over the years and maybe lots of others are wondering the same thing. Why would I title a blog after mouse poop?
At times, I can have a rather bizarre sense of humor, which is how the title came about. My first writing I ever sold was a picture book project based on a mouse. When I think of mice, I think of their droppings. And I know that I'm not a blogger that blogs on a regular basis. I tend to 'drop in' and post when I have something to write about. Which is how I came up with Droppings, since I'm just dropping in and blogging. It's simple, and sort of weird, but that's how I came up with the title.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
At times, I can have a rather bizarre sense of humor, which is how the title came about. My first writing I ever sold was a picture book project based on a mouse. When I think of mice, I think of their droppings. And I know that I'm not a blogger that blogs on a regular basis. I tend to 'drop in' and post when I have something to write about. Which is how I came up with Droppings, since I'm just dropping in and blogging. It's simple, and sort of weird, but that's how I came up with the title.
Thanks for stopping by,
Katie M.
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