Friday Funnies

Thanks go to Steven for the funnies!

Who knew cats were so literary?

And because cats have imagination, too . . .

Happy Weekend!

Where do the Ideas come from?

The idea fairy, of course.

Mighty Mite (age 6) was tasked with completing 4 lines of written work, resembling a paragraph, for his Wednesday Writing homework. If the teachers thought using alliteration would make the 1st grader more excited about writing, they were wrong. Might Mite loathes writing. Abhors it. Would rather roll his eyes at me for a half an hour than apply his pencil to the paper.

But ideas? He has plenty of those.

I suggested he write about cats, and the idea factory in his Mighty Pea Brain started pumping out the sentences. I've had cats on my mind (and on my back, and my pillow, and munching on my toes). Seriously, what's up with the toes, kittens? They don't wiggle that much.

Coming up with ideas for stories, or plot twists, or scintillating dialogue, is a matter of exercising the creative part of your brain that seemingly makes something out of nothing. I'm convinced it's like any other muscle, requiring regular usage to stay nimble. It is fascinating to watch the midgets and their nearly constant production of new ideas.

As we discussed before, the ideas aren't (usually) revolutionary - the kids use the raw materials of their everyday lives, and the stories that weave through them, to dream up the next big adventure for their mini-figures or plush animals or, if they're very unlucky, the cats (Payback is heck. I'm just sayin'.)

Writers are like children - in many ways, only one of which we will discuss here today. All writers, but especially children's writers, need to tap into that essential creativity of childhood. The whimsy that says "well, what if a cyborg landed in our living room in the middle of dinner?" One of my blogging writer friends said she keeps a picture of her 10 year old self next to her computer, to remind herself of what it felt like to be a child. That speaks to me. Writing for children isn't just about getting inside the head of your 13 year old protagonist. It's about reclaiming the creative possibilities of youth, when the world truly was unknown, and it was quite probable that aliens were camped out on the moon. We just haven't been able to get good pictures yet. Because, you know, they're on the dark side.

What gets your creative engine humming?

One of THOSE Days

Do you know how there are days where time is a slippery eel that escapes your grasp, no matter what you do? When you stay up waaay past midnight, and only the kittens are up scampering around and everyone, including your spouse, has ditched you for dreamland, because you're obsessively trying to finish that chapter? And then, a mere seconds after your head hits the pillow, said kittens are using you for a trampoline and your six year old is demanding to be fed breakfast, because after all it's past 6 a.m. so why are you still in bed, Mom?

One of those days that no amount of caffeine can rescue?

That's my day.

I might have something intelligent to say tommorrow.

Where are the Science Fiction Books for Kids?

I happened upon a great post decrying the dearth of science fiction novels nominated in the Cybils Awards (Children's and Young Adult Blogger Literary Awards). Out of 134 nominations, only 11 could be considered "real" science fiction - books that relied on science, not fantasy.

Given that I'm writing a middle grade science fiction novel, this confirmed what I had observed on the bookshelves: namely a lack of true science fiction books for kids. The racks are teaming with them in the Adult aisle (also simply known as the "Science Fiction" section), and there are even a few notable successes on the Young Adult shelf (Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series comes to mind), but there is a yawning void on the Middle Grade shelves where science fiction should be.

No lack of dragons, wizards or fairies, though.

Beyond my self-interested question of whether publishers will buy MG SF, I wonder why there isn't more of it? Middle grade children love science fiction when it's packaged in a visual media - Star Wars, anyone? Building space vehicles and fighting aliens is a full time occupation for many 8-12 year old boys. And science these days rocks, compared to when I was a kid, when we were still impressed when the Space Shuttle launched and came back in one piece. Today, DNA analysis is commonplace, there's probably some wacko out there that's actually cloned a human being, and scientists are creating miniature black holes inside of the Large Hadron Collider. This is cool stuff, people, and it's old hat. Been done. The future is even brighter and shinier.

Or is it?

Even bringing dystopian science fiction into the fold, there's still not much on the middle grade shelves. The future shouldn't be any scarier than it's ever been. When I was a kid, dystopian novels by Heinlein and Ursula K. LeGuin were some of my favorites. These were admittedly adult books, but even the kids know that as soon as the robots become sentient, we're all doomed anyway. No sense shielding them from the apocalypse.

Seriously, kids these days are steeped in a science and technology oriented world. Admittedly, my kids are on the geekier side of normal, more likely to have a favorite physicist than a favorite ball team. But they're not the only ones. The Science Channel has a whole series called Sci Fi Science, where you can learn how to design a light saber, or how to travel to a parallel universe. There's no lack of cool science things out there.

So, why not in the kidlit? Is there just a subset of the universe that writes children's books, and another subset that loves science, and the two intersect only in a small sliver of the planet somewhere in Idaho? I'm exaggerating, of course, and there are middle grade science fiction books out there. Two that I stumbled across went immediately on my TBR list:

Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel by K. A. Holt.


The Emerald Tablet, PJ Hoover


If you can rec some middle grade SF books, please drop me a comment so I can add it to my list. If I get enough, I might even stop complaining.

And if you have a theory about the lack of MG SF on the shelves, even if it involves mutant cyborgs from the future that have wiped our brains, rendering us incapable of writing children's science fiction and thereby eliminating the possibility that we will stop them from world domination . . . please let me know.

Kids and Media Overload: It's not just you

Common Sense Media lauded a study on kids and media by the Kaiser Family Foundation, with the sobering conclusions that:

• Kids are using more media, and have discovered the time dilation effect that I've been searching for, packing over 10 hours of effective media use into 7 hours, via multitasking
• Preteens (ages 8-12) stand out for their heavy usage
• Kids with heavy usage have lower grades and happiness levels

The best part, though, is that parents matter! Parents who impose limits on media use, and don't have TV's in the bedroom or on as background noise, are successful in limiting the amount of exposure of their kids. With helpful tips on how to set the parental controls on your Nintendo DSi, and your iPhone, CSM is full of help for parents wanting to limit access.

What does this have to do with books? Er, nothing.

There are wonderful things to be found in this digital age, and children today are digital natives that will find all the best, and worst, uses for it. As with anything else, including books (aha! there it is!), they need parental guidance. My kids are well aware of blogging, websites, online games and the like. But they also know that Mom is keeping an eagle eye on them. Or at least a hawk eye. Some days it's a half-blind gopher eye, but at least I'm trying!

And that's part of the point. Note, the study didn't say "Only parents who achieve parental perfection, or ban all use of the television and mobile devices from infancy, will shelter their children from the evils of the interwebs." It said, "Parents that impose limits . . ." i.e. those that make an effort, are the ones with the happier kids that also do well in school.

In the Quinn household, the boys have their own computer, so they have to "take turns." Nevermind that if Dark Omen is playing Civilization IV (which I heartily recommend, people, you would not BELIEVE the things your kids will learn from that game! Major economic systems, governmental types . . .), Worm Burner plays as well. Just ignore the fact that all three are huddled around, playing 2-player LEGO Star Wars. They have to take turns. And each turn only lasts 30 minutes, so we have an automatic reset that interrupts the game, and at least some of the players change seats. We turn the TV off when the show is done, and I've banned any kind of gaming system from the house. My husband still hasn't really forgiven me for that one, but I just don't need that kind of complication in my life!

Ahem.

So, lovely readers, what strategies do you use to limit access to screen time in your house? Because in this game, apparently, how much you try really does seem to count.

Ink Spells joins the KidLitOSphere of Awesome

Kidlitosphere is a collection of children's lit bloggers, as well as librarians, parents, and other suspects. One of the fabulous things about kidlitosphere is their searchable database of book reviews, giving you easy access to a reasonably detailed review of books you may be scoping out for your child. While most book reviews do not give explicit content guidelines, as Ink Spells does, you can often gleen that information from the reviews themselves.

I'm too late to weigh in on the KidLitosphere 2010 Comment Challenge, but in an effort to keep one of my 2010 resolutions, here are five noteworthy blogs related Middle Grade, kids, books, that sort of thing:

Brimful Curiosities: A blog about children's books, by a mom and reader.
In Need of Chocolate: And who isn't? This one has awesome Book Lists!
Abby (the) Librarian: She has an impressive list of both MG and YA reviews.
The Boy Reader: A teacher focused on keeping boys reading - a man after my own heart!

Check them out!

Ink Spells talks Only You Can Save Mankind

Thanks to Monty Python, Harry Potter, and several attractive, male, British actors who shall remain nameless . . . (I'm just sayin') . . . AND pretty much the entirety of World War II, I am a confirmed anglophile.

So, when Terry Pratchett opens Only You Can Save Mankind with "a boy named Johnny Maxwell. He's English, but then, no one's perfect," well, I'm in. With that sly British wit and understated, bordering on inscrutable, dialogue, Pratchett doesn't disappoint in writing a dryly funny and poignant book about the blurring lines between video games and war games. What Pratchett must think of Modern Warfare 2 and Gears of War, I can only imagine!

RL: 3.9 CSM: 8+ Rating: PG-13 Content: main character kills to defend others

This book has a low reading level (RL 3.9), mostly due to its spare use of language, but it is decidedly a thinking book. It was written in 1992 (with an intro update in 2004), during the Gulf War, when smart bombs made the evening news resemble the video games of the day. Pratchett takes this phenomena and spins a tale where a boy enters a game, for realz, and is responsible for saving the ScreeWee aliens from the bloodthirsty humans, who mistakenly think it is all just a game. The blurring of gametimedreamtimerealtime in the book makes it difficult to follow at times, but intentionally so by the author, trying to imitate the blurring of games vs. reality. But the subtle satire and arching themes may be lost on young readers.

I'm reminded of children's films where the double-entendre-sly jokes go right over the little one's heads, because they are aimed at the adults accompanying the minors. In Pratchett's book, I would caution that much of the book is aimed pretty high. However, children that can comprehend the subtler themes will come away with questions about the propriety of war and killing and rules of engagement. This can be a fine teachable moment, if you are ready for it, and they are. In the end, Johnny kills an alien, to protect his friend, introducing the idea of justified killing. A heavy topic, to be sure, which earns this book its PG-13 rating. But it's handled well, and there is not an excess of violence. In fact, the whole book revolves around an avoidance of violence and has much to commend it. I recommend that parents use caution, but this could be a brilliant book for mature readers 10+.


Only You Can Save Mankind is the first in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy, followed by Johnny and the Dead and Johnny and the Bomb. Parents should proceed with caution on these books as Johnny is a teen in the later books, as well as other Terry Pratchett books, many of which are aimed at young adults and older.

Also: British humor.

"On top of it all, his father came upstairs to be fatherly. This happened about once a fortnight. There didn't seem to be any way of stopping it."

I might have to see if there's a Pratchett cult I can join.

Maybe I Have It ALL WRONG

From that superior News Source, The Onion, I bring you some insightful analysis on whether violent video games are adequately preparing our children for the post-apocalyptic world coming in 2012.


Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

Bane, I'm thinking of you, my friend.

This, of course, begs the question: If your child is actually a mutant in the End of Times, would they really need to know how to cure zombie bites?

Human Source of All Knowledge Day

The day: it got away from me.

Today, the kids were home from school. It's the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but they're still here. Who authorized this?

This means that today I am the Human Source of All Knowledge (HSAK). Like the interwebs, only easier to use. Just ask Mom a question and the secrets of the universe will be revealed to you. At least, that's the expectation. You would think, with some fantastically bad answers, that perhaps the questioners would give up and play Indiana Jones Lego Adventures 2. I tried that, no luck. So the questions continued.

Mighty Mite (6): "What color exactly is Martin Luther King Jr.'s skin?"
HSAK: "Didn't you see pictures of him in school?"
MM: "Yeah, but they're all black and white."
HSAK: "Well, he's black. But not really black, kinda a dark brownish color, but people call it black. People come in a range of colors, from very pale to very dark, and everything in between. Sometimes black people are really brown, but we don't call them brown, because that sometimes means a different color. And then there's Asian skin, which isn't really brown either."
MM: "So, what color exactly is Martin Luther King Jr.'s skin?"
HSAK: "I don't know."

Why do we have such a horrible inability to describe people's skin, except in colors ordinary (black, brown, white) or food-related (cappuchino, latte, cream)? And how do you describe people of color's skin without sounding idiotic, or worse, racist? This is a struggle for most writers, I think, and having characters of color in my stories, I've wrestled with it even before I failed, utterly, to answer my six-year-old's question. I've seen a few postings about this, most lately at the lovely yet wacky Le Rejectionist blog.

Worm Burner(8): "What happens if you have a different number of neutrons and protons in an atom?"
HSAK: "Well, the neutrons and protons don't have to balance. But if they don't, it's unstable and you have emissions, like nuclear radiation. If the protons aren't the same as the electrons, then you have a positive or negatively charged atom."
WB: "How many atoms can you put together to make a molecule?"
HSAK: "Well, you can put together as many, in theory, as you'd like. You can make a string of carbon atoms together and make it really long. Long strings of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms are called organic molecules, and they can get quite large and complicated. Living things are made out of organic molecules, and living things are usually more complicated than dead things."
WB: "In theory, which would be harder to blow up: a regular rock, or a rock made all from one molecule?"
HSAK: "A rock all from one molecule, because the forces that hold a molecule together are stronger . . . "

When do they go back to school?

Ink Spells talks Ruins of Gorlan

Today we have a guest review! My lovely blogger friend Rhonda has graciously agreed to give us a recap of The Ruins of Gorlan, from The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Speaking of covers, this one creeps me out in a Darth Sidious and his lurking pet monster kind of way. In other words, awesome.

RL: 7.0 CSM: n/a Rating: PG Content: death of animals, injured protagonists

Here's Rhonda:

I found a new series for my 10 year old son to read. Woo hoo! (Oh, wait. My 12 year old daughter recently informed me that an adult saying “woo hoo” sounds creepy.) Hot dog! (Would that be better?) Of course in a few weeks when my son has run through the series, I’ll be back to the drawing board, but for now, life is good.

The series he is reading is The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan. I purchased the first book of the series, The Ruins of Gorlan a few months ago and it sat on my son’s dresser sadly as he refused to read it. The cover of the book looks a bit dark and ominous, and he didn’t want to take a chance on it. I finally decided to read it myself to give him my opinion. It had everything my young boy could want. My son loves historical fiction and fantasy books as well as war movies and the Military and History channels. He also loves books that revolve around friendships. In The Ruins of Gorlan, a young orphan boy, a castle ward, is chosen to be apprentice to a Ranger. Rangers are very mysterious and misunderstood men, and the young boy, Will isn’t so sure that his appointment isn’t actually a punishment. He would much rather go to battle school like his fellow ward mate, Horace. As the story progresses, Will learns what being a Ranger, as well as a friend, really means, and he proves himself to be an excellent candidate for both. There are many humorous and sweet moments as well as dangerous and suspenseful ones in this story. There are six books in the series, and I know my son looks forward to following Will as he grows as a person and a Ranger. I think I will read the rest of the books too. Don’t tell my daughter. If it’s creepy for an adult to read young adult fiction, I don’t want to hear about it.

Content Warnings:

There is some violence and blood in the book. There's a hunting scene with the death of animals; bullying of a character; and some main characters are injured in the final battle. However, as my son puts it, "You don't really have to worry about those things." None of them goes TOO far, and justice prevails. I would say that ages 9+ would enjoy this book. It has an AR level of 7.0, which surprises me. The content and language both seem more tame than many books rated at lower levels. So if you're looking for books rated for higher grade levels, but not too advanced in content, The Ruins of Gorlan is an excellent choice.

Thank you, Rhonda! Dark Omen has this one on his TBR list. Given the high reading level, and suitable content, this seems like a great read for advanced readers 9+.

If your child becomes a Ranger fan, you might want to check out the Ranger's Apprentice website, which has games, downloads and a teacher's guide!

Also, Rhonda's son has his own blog! Welcome to the future, people. Neal reviews books as well, kindly letting us know whether they are worth the $$$ spent. He's a fan of adventure and danger; kissing not so much. Keep up the great work, Neal!

Ink Spells talks The City of Ember

Jeanne Duprau's The City of Ember, about a post-apocalyptic world filled with hope and innocence, is a story after my own heart. I had actually seen the movie first, which usually would make reading the book a whole lot less attractive to me. However, I was entranced by the movie, with our young heroes Lina and Doon trying to find their way out of their underground city, whose faulty generator and dwindling supply of light bulbs threaten to plunge them a terrifying darkness for good. Duprau renders this story of tenacious survival through the wide-eyed and determined eyes of her young protagonists, making it a compelling story of hope. There are three other books in the series, which I haven't read, but Dark Omen tells me are worth the time.
RL: 5.0 CSM: 8+ Rating: PG Content: Death of Grandmother

Duprau's lovely prose makes this a delightful read as well, with gems like this: "The boots were so ancient that their green rubber was cracked all over, as if covered with spiderwebs."

During the course of the book, Lina's grandmother passes away in her sleep, and Lina and Doon have the underpinnings of some puppy love, which never comes close to being expressed as they scramble to find an escape from their dying city. With a reading level of 5.0, The City of Ember is not a terribly challenging read, but it is a wonderful tale of hope and determination for readers 8+.

You can find more about Duprau's books here, and find some fun City of Ember games at the movie website.

Doctors Without Borders in Haiti

If you can read, write or blog today, give thanks. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti.

 Please consider supporting Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.

"Secret Agent Smooth, Secret Agent Sly . . . "

My kid's eyes lit up when I told them I entered a Secret Agent Contest. They were a bit disappointed to find it was a secret literary agent contest, and that the agent probably wasn't wearing a mask, dressed in all-black and carrying spy gear. I suppose the agent may be wearing all-black, but probably not the mask.

Usually these contests fill up fast, with the limited 50 entries reached within minutes. The previous Secret Agent contest genres included women's fiction, romance, mysteries and fantasy and filled up in 6 minutes. Considering the variance in clocks in my house alone, 6 minutes is virtually instantaneous. This time around, the genres were MG/YA (middle grade/young adult) and it took a full hour to get to the 50 entry cut off. The vast majority of these are YA (75% YA, 25% MG).

This makes me wonder if there are simply less authors out there writing MG. I know that YA is booming right now (in sales) and more authors are drawn to it for that reason, but I wonder about MG.

MG writers, are you out there?

p.s. Just because the title for this post contains the lyrics from The Backyardigans, please do not think that I sit around watching musical children's television. Not at all. Certainly not since they stopped making new episodes.

Slow Starts, or Eat Your Dinner First

An interesting post by fellow blogger Bane of Anubis got me thinking (he's good at that). We talked yesterday about how covers influence which books your children (and you!) may pick to spend your time with. Once you get your kids past the cover, the pacing of a story may well determine if your child sticks with the story or bails out.

Now to me, abandoning a book in the middle is a sin only slightly less horrifying than skipping to the end. I had no idea these literary atrocities occurred until I observed my husband reading the end of a book I knew he had just started.

"What are you doing?" I frowned.

"Reading the ending?"

"What on earth for?" I asked, aghast.

"Because I want to know how it ends."

*shudder*

Rare is the book I will walk away from, even if the slogging gets tough and there is far too much description of Georgian architecture or New Orleans flora. I keep thinking it has to get better, at some point the plot will kick in, and I'll finally figure out who the aliens are and why they're killing off the petunias. Worm Burner on the other hand, has no problem putting down a book, even half way through. In his awesome little midget brain, they're wasting his time. And no doubt they are.

Which brings me to pacing. Children's books (young adult and middle grade) are generally shorter, and have a much faster pacing, than adult books. That many adults prefer this faster pacing, as well as dramatic teen story arcs, explains part of the boom in YA right now. Children's books have to be parsimonious with their words, getting the biggest bang for the smallest word count. Does this mean the story has to start out with an explosion or death-defying act to keep children's attention?

I think the answer is no.

Some books have slow starts, like 100 Cupboards, where languid character development occurs long before Henry discovers 100 portals to other dimensions in his closet. Some jump right into the action, like Artemis Fowl, intriguing readers with a mysterious fairy, a magical book and an evil plan. Some, like Among the Hidden, set the stakes high from the beginning (a hidden third child), then meander through the playground the author has set up, before getting to the heart of the conflict.

As an writer, I can appreciate both slow starts and action starts. A story should begin where it needs to begin. As a reader, I want to know what the stakes are up front, either through the blurb or the beginning of the story. As a parent, I want my kids to continue reading to the end of the book! Is an action start necessary for this? I think not. Worm Burner, my book abandoning child, read all three books above. On 100 Cupboards: "It starts slow, but then it's awesome."

It's not the slow build, but the lack of interesting or compelling story that makes Worm Burner put the book down and forget to come back. Building an intriguing world is dinner, whereas high-wire acts in the first paragraph are dessert. Dessert is tasty, but dinner sticks with you longer. Give kids a reason to care, and they will keep coming back for more, and more, and then will make up their own stories, long after leaving yours behind, armed with the raw material of the world you have built for them. Of course you can do your world-building after the explosion in the first few pages. But it's the immersion in a world where dragons are real, or boys are invisible, or clones are slaves, that ultimately keeps them coming back for more, and keeps them reading.

Are your kids book abandoners, or do they soldier on through the purple prose?

p.s. for readers receiving this via email, just click the headline to bring up the post. Click on comments to join the discussion - you can comment anonymously or by logging in.

You Can't Tell a Book by Its . . .

All things being equal, would you pick . . .

THIS






OR




THIS?






In an ongoing conversation about what draws boys to books, the influence of cover art came up. Covers are the interpretation of a book by an artist (hopefully one that has read the book), and is usually driven by the publishing company, rather than the author. One would hope the cover accurately represents the story, but the cover is mostly designed to attract a certain audience to a book. Do covers influence your children's selections of books? Dark Omen will pour over a book's blurbs, inside and out, before deciding to invest his time reading it. Worm Burner will take approximately two picoseconds and a cursory glance to decide whether a book is for him or not. I've heard an editor say that the "common wisdom" of the industry is that boys will not read "girl" covers, but that girls will read both.

I can't imagine Dark Omen reading Hattie Big Sky, because there are no spaceships or weapons or dragons involved, but Worm Burner would probably love it. He read the entire Little House on the Prairie series, after all. However, I'm not sure, at age 9, I could get him past the winsome farm girl on the cover to read the story inside.

The guy with the sword? Of course.

Are your children cover omnivores? Or do they discriminate based on cover art, and if so, how?

C is for Chemistry

Many of the books I have reviewed so far are fiction, and it is indeed difficult to find fiction with a high reading level that will still be comprehensible to young readers. Then again, you could just offer books about how to blow stuff up.


I stumbled across this post, which suggests some very challenging reads. In particular, I was drawn to Uncle Tungsten: Tales of a Chemical Boyhood, a non-fiction book where the author talks about his childhood love affair with chemistry. Set around the time of World War II, he conducted experiments that even an adult might not be able to perform today, given restricted access to things that might light your hair on fire. At a reading level of 10.7 this will challenge any advanced reader, and might ignite a desire for dangerous experiments as well.

You've been warned.

If your budding chemist is interested in experiments that can actually be performed in 2010 without alerting the ATF or Homeland Security, you might check out 101 Incredible Experiments for the Weekend Scientist. In a moment of temporary insanity, I bought this for my husband for Christmas. As if the man needed more encouragement to store explosive devices in our basement. It includes experiments to create a "stinktastic bomb" similar to the one the military is researching to find an odor "so vile that it renders enemy soldiers unable to fight." I think Dark Omen may be perfecting this experiment in his room. Other experiments are more benign, including the ever-popular Non-Newtonian Fluid (otherwise known as slime, flubber, or Polymer Polyvinyl Acetate). All use ordinary household items, and probably require adult supervision, unless you have really good insurance and don't mind singed eyebrows.

Writing Requires Cats

Mini-cat. Mini-laptop.

Even with a million kitties and a million years, I'm thinking no good is coming from this.

Contest Mania!

The New Year apparently brings out a blogger's inner need to have contests. I won't be hosting one here today, but I wanted to point my fellow writers in the direction of a few good ones, if you haven't already heard. Also: later this month, I may have some giveaways of my own.

First and awesome, Kitlit.com is hosting a fab contest. Just submit the first 500 words of your completed YA or MG novel, and the winner(s) will recieve a critique from Mary Kole, associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Deadline: Jan 31 - time to get that WIP finished and gleaming, right? Did I mention it has to be completed? As in, dude, they're going to want the whole thing if you're that awesome, so be ready. I'm just thanking my stars she's giving us until the end of the month.

Second and HURRY, Agent Extraordinaire Nathan Brandford is hosting a contest for the best teen diary entry. Go check out the entries - the teen angst is deep folks! There's more trauma in the comments section of this contest than you'll find in an ER ward. But hurry up, because deadline is, like, totally NOW dude (aka 4pm Pacific Wednesday).

Third and snarky, Miss Snark's First Victim is hosting another Secret Agent contest for MG and YA fiction. This is a participatory event, so all must play (and critique!). But lurking amongst your fellow critiquers is a Secret Agent, who will critique every entry. Dude! (I really like that word today) I'm totally in! Contest starts Jan 11, 12:00 EST, first 50 entries only. Ready ... aim ... write!

Let the games begin!

Ink Spells talks The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is a rip-roaring hero quest, with one sassy pants Percy Jackson our reluctant hero of the day. The Lightning Thief is Book One of The Olympians series (there are 5 books) and is crammed full of monsters, Greek gods (they're still around, hanging out in New York) and half-blood heroes, the oft-neglected sons and daughters sired by Gods enamored with humans. Rick Riordan has successfully brought ancient Greek mythology to life in this fast-paced book, with a sly humor and a certain grittiness that befits an author who has won several awards in the adult mystery genre. Greek mythology is rife with out-of-wedlock children and drunkenness (sometimes both), which earns this book its PG-13 rating. However, Riordan pulls these ancient myths into the modern era and renders them more hilarious than scandalous. The chapter titles alone are worth the read . . .

Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher
Chapter 2: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death
and my personal favorite, Chapter 12: We Get Advice from a Poodle

The story is almost as outrageous as the chapter titles, and in fact, you will need your disbelief suspenders to make it through the book. But the kids don't seem to have a problem believing that the entrance to Mt. Olympus is at the top of the Empire State Building, or that the passage to the Underworld can be found at the DOA Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Then again, those don't sound entirely implausible.

RL: 4.7 CSM: 9+ Rating: PG-13 Content: Adult/God drunkenness, alcohol referred to as "happy juice", half-blood children born out of wedlock

The reading level of The Lightning Thief is only 4.7, which does not make it a challenging read. But this book is the gateway drug to harder core mythology studies, and don't be surprised if your budding hero wants to find out more about the real stories behind the story. Higher reading level books about ancient Greek mythology abound, all the way up to the original The Iliad and The Odyssey, clocking in at an impressive 11.3 reading level - yeow!

With the movie coming out February 12th, expect to see more Olympic madness through promotions, and yes, lots more books. There's already a fantastic website cranked up with Percy Jackson mania, including a list of similar books kids will enjoy (many of which are on Ink Spells recommended reads list, natch), a teacher's guide, and fun stuff for kids, like 10 signs you may be a half-blood. So get the kids hopping on these books now. I always find it's easier to have them read the books first, then see the movie.

Although not a challenging read, The Lightning Thief is a highly entertaining book for all readers 8+, with a caution for content listed above, and will provide an incentive to dive into more challenging material.

Ink Spells' Raison d’Être

Why? It's my favorite question.

Hopefully those shiny new resolutions you made on New Year's day still have their luster. I love making resolutions, even if they don't survive to see February. Resolutions are a way of affirming the things that matter to us, the people that we strive to be: Yes! I want to be that person! The one that always exercises, eats right and never yells at her children!

That we can never achieve this mythically perfect person, shouldn't stop us from trying. To strive is human nature, and all that. But more importantly, painting a picture of who we want to be, through this Annual Resolution Rite, affirms the things important to us. Our raison d’etre.

In that vein, I want to talk about Ink Spells' reason-to-be. Why, Ink Spells? Why do you exist?

Ink Spells is a place to talk about connecting good books to kids, especially advanced readers.

Reading is a vital piece of a child's education, and I've been fighting the battle to keep my children well supplied with books ever since Dark Omen demanded I teach him to read (yeah, it goes down like that in our house sometimes). I grant no quarter to books that are inappropriate for my children, but have treasured tomes stationed in literally every room in our house. Because this is something I feel passionate about, this blog focuses on advanced readers, but it is by no means restricted to them. The fight to ensure all children have a chance to be literate is one I will gladly take on.

Parents hold the advanced guard in this battle to keep kids reading. And Ink Spells is first and foremost a blog to help parents: to find books their kids will love, while navigating the tricky shoals of inappropriate material for middle grade students. As a parent, I continue to scout out those elusive well-loved books, a seasoned veteran in the hunt for books for my three boys over the last 7 years.

While parents are at the forefront, teachers and librarians are the heavily armed rear guard, providing the infrastructure to reach every child and connect them to books they'll love, often far more effectively than parents. I've yet to see one of my kids turn down a book that a teacher suggested. So, parents, make sure these amazing people are by your side on this one. You will find them your most useful and trustworthy allies in literacy.

Finally, I believe children's authors have a special responsibility to write books that will positively impact children's lives. This doesn't mean that writers should only write serious, preachy books. Good grief, we'd lose the battle right there, down in flames like a cranky twin-prop going up against an F-22 Stealth Fighter. I believe writers should write the kinds of books that kids of all kinds - boys, girls, fantasy-lovers, science-lovers, people-lovers - will be begging their parents to let them read. As a writer, that's the kind of book I want to write. Fortunately, having legions of children yearning to read their books is pretty much the dream of any children's writer. So, yeah. They're on board.

Hopefully Ink Spells can help writers connect to readers, help parents guide their children to great books, and generally help keep children reading.

A lofty goal. Just as a raison d’etre should be.

In pursuit of that goal, I have reorganized Ink Spells to make it a little easier to find books. The list of Books I've Reviewed will continue to grow, and a link can be found to the right. I've also tagged book reviews by genre, so if your resident minor likes Fantasy, or Science Fiction, or Real Life books, you can check those tags directly. Finally, an unreviewed list of suggested readings, culled from a variety of commenters and fellow bloggers, gives you at least a heading as you sail off into the library looking for new literary conquests.

Also: There will be occasional discussion of e-readers and the e-pocalypse. And talk about writing. And even some silliness. Just because I can.

Question: My word, how much extended metaphor can I cram in one posting?

No, the real question: What genre of books do your children love to read? What strategies do you use to keep your kids reading?

More on strategies to come in this shiny New Decade . . .

New Decade and a Writer's Mission Statement

The shiny new decade has inspired me. This blog is for my fellow writers.

I think the most important part of being in the business of writing, is to know why you are in it. By what measure will you consider yourself successful? There is a saying that "writing is the only business where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money." Money may, or may not, be your motivation. But understanding your motivation will make it much more likely that you will be happy with your writing life.

Do you simply love to write, crafting stories and creating characters? Are you writing for fun, fans and family? Do you dream of winning awards for your beautiful prose? Do you want to write the Great American Novel, burning readers to the ground with your words? Do you want to be a traditionally published author, with a book on the shelves at Barnes&Noble, even if it's the only one you ever write, and you only sell 244 copies? Do you want to make money from your writing, so that you can justify the time spent doing it, and continue to do it? Do you have one burning story to tell? Do you have more stories to tell than you could possibly write in a lifetime? Do you want to be on the NYTimes Bestseller list, and nothing else will do?

These are not mutually exclusive desires, and none are good or bad. It is most important to understand why you write.

Writing a Mission Statement for your writing can serve as a guidepost for when you get lost in the swamps of self-doubt or depressed by the ever-growing stack of rejection letters. In general, a Mission Statement should convey your reason-for-being (in this case writing) by describing your values, your target audience, your core competency and your unique attributes. This is separate from the short term goals you set for your writing, but can inform and guide them.

Here's my mission statement, version 1.0:
To leverage my background in science, engineering, politics and life, to create compelling stories and characters that pose moral questions to young readers and make them think. To have every story be an improvement in craft. To be a leader and member of a supportive writing community, through blogs, critiques, and social networking. To create a body of work, including novels and short stories, that reaches a large number of young readers, to provide the greatest impact on young lives.
 
Do you have a mission statement, even if less formally posed? Please share!

Coming up on Monday: Ink Spells Reason-to-Be. Because we are feeling very philosophical today.