Novel

Author Guest Post: “All in the Family” by Sarah Everett, Author of The Shape of Lost Things

by
Share

“All in the Family”

A couple of books ago, I realized I was always writing about families. Several books into my career at that point, you’d think I’d have already figured this out, but it was news to me. There is that saying that writers are often the last to realize what their own books are about, so maybe that’s why it hadn’t occurred to me all this time. Either way, that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

I grew up in a fairly “straightforward” nuclear family. A first-generation Nigerian-Canadian family with two parents, a handful of siblings, and the most mischievous Golden Retriever you’d ever meet. I was an abnormally shy kid. Like, take-her-to-a-therapist shy, but no matter how much the adults around me tried to offer help, I didn’t feel safe enough or able to communicate what was happening in my world. Coming from a different culture, in a home that wasn’t always happy or healthy, there wasn’t a ton of media that explained me – to me or to other people. And make no mistake, for better or for worse, media does explain things. (Fun fact: As a kid, I [correctly] diagnosed myself with a fairly serious illness after I heard it described on TV.) In the same way I longed to see nerdy Black girls like me reflected in books, I longed to see my family reflected in books. But sadly it has taken well into my adulthood to find stories that resonate with me, stories that truly capture what it felt like to live in that structure, with those people, in these bones.

I think this is true for a lot of people, of all races, ages and genders.

When I think of family, I think of the skeletal system, the frame that the muscles and tendons and flesh hold on to and find their way around. But just like there are no two identical individuals, there are no two identical families. Families differ in structure, in relational dynamics, in history, in size, in genetics, in strengths and weaknesses and so much more. When we talk of diversity, we must also talk about the diversity of family. We don’t all grow up the same way or face the same set of challenges, and that matters. Some kids have two mothers, single fathers, blended families, multigenerational family living situations; some kids grow up in happy homes, abusive homes, neglectful homes, sad homes, and it is all worth writing and talking about.

In my book, The Shape of Lost Things, twelve-year-old Skye is dealing with an abrupt change in her family – her older brother who has been missing for four years has returned home. It’s good news. Great news. Until she starts to suspect that the boy who came home isn’t her brother after all, but an imposter.

It is unlikely that many kid readers of Shape will relate to the main plot, but my hope is that they might relate to the uncertainty that comes with parental divorce, to the difficulty of growing up with a mentally ill parent, to the pain and mental dissonance that comes with loving someone while possibly fearing them. Then, there are other things. Like first crushes, friendship breakups, scientific facts supplied daily.

It is true, of course, that family is more than just your family of origin; it is also pets, partners, friends, extended family, people who come to matter to you over time. As a writer, I consider it part of my job to keep writing about families. Different kinds of families, different configurations of families. My hope is that, someday, even one reader might find the vocabulary to describe their home life because of my work or somebody else’s. As writers, we are never going to represent every type of family that exists; it’s physically impossible. But in your role as an educator, please never doubt the power of asking kids where they come from and what their family looks like. ‘Draw [Or Write About] Your Family’ prompts can be an opener for vital discussions about families, the safety of people’s homes, the concerns that might be making learning difficult.

Family is a beautiful, complicated thing, and like the skeletal system, it can hold you upright and make you who you are. It can also suffer from breaks and frailty and a hundred different ailments. While, ultimately, you are not your family, speaking about yours and asking about someone else’s could be life-saving.

Published October 22nd, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: From the award-winning author of The Probability of Everything, which has been called “one of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever)” (Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book Club) and “Powerful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), comes a heartfelt exploration of family and change as twelve-year-old Skye reunites with her older brother, Finn, after he spent four years on the run with their father.

Skye Nickson’s world changed forever when her dad went on the run with her brother, Finn. It’s been four years without Finn’s jokes, four years without her father’s old soul music, and four years of Skye filling in as Rent-a-Finn on his MIA birthdays for their mom. Finn’s birthday is always difficult, but at least Skye has her best friends, Reece and Jax, to lean on, even if Reece has started acting too cool for them.

But this year is different because after Finn’s birthday, they get a call that he’s finally been found. Tall, quiet, and secretive, this Finn is nothing like the brother she grew up with. He keeps taking late-night phone calls and losing his new expensive gifts, and he doesn’t seem to remember any of their inside jokes or secrets.

As Skye tries to make sense of it all through the lens of her old Polaroid camera, she starts to wonder: Could this Finn be someone else entirely? And if everyone else has changed, does it mean that Skye has to change too?

About the Author: Sarah Everett is the author of The Probability of Everything as well as several books for teens. Charlotte’s Web was the first book that ever made her cry, and while she despises spiders, she still has an abiding love of stories that move her. When she is not reading or writing, she is dreaming about summer, gearing up for her next travel adventure, perfecting her tree pose, or yodeling with her dog. She lives in western Canada.

Thank you, Sarah, for this love letter to families!

Author Guest Post: “Using Objects as Inspiration and Ignition for Young Writers” by Brigit Young, Author of Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences

by
Share

“Using Objects as Inspiration and Ignition for Young Writers”

In my writing workshops with kids, I teach the older writers about the difference between a strong, hook-the-reader opening and an inciting incident. The inciting incident, I explain, is the event that not only changes the protagonist’s life but also makes them choose another one. They must be compelled to action that inevitably transforms their path.

In my most recent middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences, a book serves as my protagonist’s catalyst for change. While the opening involves a new girl parading into school and disrupting the setting’s equilibrium, my protagonist could still choose to go on living her life as is, albeit with a new person to gossip about. But after unexpectedly seeing this new girl in synagogue on Yom Kippur, the new girl hands my protagonist a book. This book tells the story of the MS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees that was turned away by North America and sent back to Europe during World War II. For my main character, this book shakes her to her core. It changes her sense of her country and the world around her. When she finds out the book is on a list of challenged books at her school, she’s incensed, and therefore her change of paths becomes inevitable. She must act, even if it takes her much of the book to figure out how or even exactly why.

As I worked on a manuscript that employs a physical book as a tool for the inciting incident, I found inspiration for a new writing exercise for students. Like a key in the door, in this exercise students use an object to open their story. Give each writer an object, either in words on slips of paper or from pictures – sometimes photos from magazines spark the imagination in a special way. Anything works! You can assign them a mirror, a lamp, the wooden plank of a raft, a cell phone, a family heirloom, a tennis ball, or even whatever they see around the room. The students must write two scenes. The first scene is the opening, and it does not involve the object. The first scene tells us who the character is, and it sets up their flaws and inner desires. This scene can be a paragraph or ten pages, depending on how long the class is and how much gusto the students feel that day.

At the very end of that first scene, students must introduce their character to their assigned object. The second scene reveals how that object instigates a new path for the character. I’ve had one student write about finding a text on a cell phone that wasn’t meant to be sent to them, and it informed them their best friend was betraying them. Their character had to leave her previous social life behind, despite being terrified of change, and from there a story began. Another was instructed to use “a piece of jewelry” as their object, and they took some inspiration from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift! Their first scene placed the character at a Taylor Swift concert, and someone she didn’t take any note of slipped a friendship bracelet onto her wrist. Only at the end of the second scene did she realize that the bracelet held a code telling her where her lost mother might be. These kids are little geniuses!

As a modification for the younger writer, instead of asking for two scenes, give the writer an object and ask them to write a description of the object. Then tell them to end their scene with that object changing a character’s life. You’ll be surprised at what magic comes from this – often literally! Apparently, according to my youngest students, pretty much any object in our world can turn into a magical portal that takes people to alternate dimensions. Watch out the next time you’re picking up that soda can or turning on the night light…

So often the role of a writing teacher is to help young writers find an “in.” Kids just require a way to put pen to paper. They need a nudge to tap into that vast imagination already existing within them and ready to pour out. While there are hundreds of techniques to do so, I’ve been pleased to find one more. Put that book or mirror or friendship bracelet in their mind’s eye and allow the visceral muscle and sense memory of a literal object to ignite the events in their story.

Published September 17th, 2024 by Roaring Brook Press

About the Book: Perfect for fans of Star Fish and From the Desk of Zoe Washington, a nuanced middle grade from the author of The Prettiest about two girls—one “bad” and one “good”—who join forces against book banning and censorship.

Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. After all, they’re there for a reason—right? And adults always know best.

Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, her bad reputation is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend.

So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that she recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of in her life. When Talia suggests they start a banned book club, how can Rose say no?

Pushing against her parents, her school, and even Charlotte opens a new world for Rose. But when some of Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.

About the Author: Brigit Young was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and now lives with her husband, daughters, gecko, and dog in New Jersey. Her debut middle grade novel, Worth a Thousand Words, was a Junior Library Guild selection as well as a Best Book of 2019 from The Bank Street College of Education. The Italian translation was the recipient of the Andersen Prize for Best Book for 12-14 year olds. Her sophomore novel, The Prettiest, received multiple starred reviews and was featured on several reading lists including Best Books of 2020 from the Chicago Public Library, Seventeen Magazine‘s 50 Books for Teens That You Won’t Be Able to Put Down, and NBC News’ 9 Books to Help Young Girls Build a Positive Image. Bank Street College of Education listed her third novel, Bright, as a Best Book for 12-14 year olds with the honor of outstanding merit. Her next middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, & Other Bad Influences, is forthcoming in September, 2024. Additionally, Ms. Young has published short fiction and poetry in journals like The North American Review, 2 River View, Eclectica Magazine, and Burrow Press, among others. She has taught creative writing to kids of all ages in settings ranging from a library to a hospital.

Thank you, Brigit, for this awesome writing activity!

Author Guest Post: “A Deep Dive into Summer Love: Bringing Characters to Life” by Robby Webber, Author of What is This Feeling?

by
Share

“A Deep Dive into Summer Love: Bringing Characters to Life”

As an author, one of the most common questions I get is: “How did you get the idea for your book?” I think this is a pretty common question for most authors, really, and I love hearing each answer and understanding the way creative minds work. For me, it always starts with a character.

Characters come to me like friends waving from across a bridge, asking me to cross and embark on a new journey with them. It might take a few drafts to fully learn everything about them, but the basics are there from the beginning and they inform the story.

In my first book, If You Change Your Mind, I knew Harry had experienced heartbreak and found himself struggling to believe love even truly existed. Naturally, his story became all about romantic comedies. For my sophomore novel, I Like Me Better, I knew Zack was the popular soccer star with more insecurities and depth beneath the surface. Naturally, his story became about authenticity and self-worth.

My newest novel is called What Is This Feeling? and from the beginning I knew Teddy McGuire was a dramatic theater star who believed in luck and destiny and miracles. His story then became about believing in himself.

Crafting characters is the most fun part of a story for me. I love immersing myself in setting nearly as much, but character work takes the cake. It’s not always easy, and in some projects it takes a lot more time and effort than others, but it’s so enjoyable and rewarding.

It’s widely accepted that characters should have a lie and a want, which should likely be challenged and (in most cases) should change by the end of the book.

When bringing characters to life, it’s important to think about them as a fully rounded person.

That woman in line at the coffee shop has had an entire morning before she opened the door and ordered a matcha latte, and she will have an entire day after. She has motivations and preferences—she stopped at this downtown coffee shop because she is going to a job interview nearby and she’s wearing her sister’s heels even though she can’t walk in them. There’s an undercurrent of cause and effect from every choice: the heels are too big, so she trips and spills her drink all over a handsome stranger…who happens to be the manager interviewing her in half an hour.

For me, that’s how a story is born. There are so many ways this can go now, but which one is most compelling and which one is right for our heroine? Is the manager her new love interest? Her new nemesis? Both?

Especially when writing romance, the love interest(s) will in many ways act as something of a mirror for both the good and bad qualities of the protagonist. So, while Teddy loves fictional pop star Benji Keaton, Sebastian finds him too over-hyped and cringe. While Teddy believes in magic and fate, Sebastian is much more grounded and logical. While Teddy loves to be on stage and perform, Sebastian prefers to stay behind the scenes. In the genre this is known as the ‘grumpy/sunshine’ trope, but that actually formed as a result of Teddy and realizing his arc.

Without getting into spoilers, Teddy’s misbelief is that he’s not truly in control of his own destiny. He is a go-getter, but he accredits his wins and talents to a lucky friendship bracelet. He believes the universe will have the final say, not him. So, throughout the book, we see his misbelief challenged.

In If You Change Your Mind, Harry must learn to trust love and himself. In I Like Me Better, Zack must learn to like and believe in himself first and foremost.

Writing young adult books—especially for queer teens—I tend to focus a lot on self-worth and confidence. It wasn’t a very conscious choice when determining the path of my career as an author, but it happens naturally every time I write. My fourth book is a rom-com set in Paris and features some similar topics. I think expressing themes and lessons through characters is both exciting and gratifying.

And themes can (and really should) be explored outside of the main protagonist’s storyline. Sometimes I know readers resonate more with the love interest or side characters and find their arcs to be more engaging for that reason, so they shouldn’t be neglected, and should be living and breathing with lives off the page.

Connecting to characters is my favorite part of any story in any medium, and I find the human experience to be an endless well of fascinating topics. The way we relate to one another is so compelling to me as a writer and reader, and I think that’s such a key ingredient in any good story.

So, when crafting characters, I’d recommend really diving deep. Who are they? What do they believe? Why do they believe that? How does it inform how they interact with the world and people around them? And what should they learn or experience?

My favorite exercise for this is journaling. I’ll write entire journal entries as my main character. Maybe it’s about a fear or a hope or even just their day. Getting in their head (especially if you don’t write in first person normally) will be a game changer as you see the world through their eyes.

Similarly, spending some time writing random scenes is also a great way to hone in on craft and develop characters at the same time. These aren’t scenes you’ll include in your manuscript, but slice of life moments to see how your character thinks and reacts to things. Maybe they’re stuck in traffic or rushing around the grocery store before Thanksgiving or nervous for their first day of school. It could be anything, but just placing them in situations and seeing what feels natural for them can be a fun and revealing exercise.

You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your characters. There is a good chance one of their voices will wake you up in the middle of the night or pop into the back of your mind when you’re doing the dishes. I’m lucky enough to feel like my characters are my friends and I’d say if you feel that way too, it’s a positive sign. After all, if you enjoy your characters’ company and find them to be interesting, dynamic, believable people, there’s a good chance readers will too!

Published September 17th, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: Theater star Teddy McGuire is ready for all his dreams to come true. He and his best friend, Annie, have been counting down the days to the end-of-the-year drama club trip to New York City. To make it even more magical, if they can win the annual scavenger hunt, they’ll get a chance to meet their popstar idol, Benji Keaton.

But the universe has other plans: when Annie can’t go on the trip, Teddy is forced to room with tech crew loner Sebastian, who has no interest in the scavenger hunt—or Teddy—and seems to have a secret agenda of his own.

On a larger-than-life adventure across the city, the boys will discover a lot more than what’s on their checklist, including masquerade mishaps, obstacles of Jurassic proportions, Hollywood starlets, and, most surprisingly of all, sparks beginning to fly between them.

In a joyful romp from author Robby Weber about chasing your destiny, Teddy and Sebastian are about to learn the secret to making their own luck.

About the Author: Robby Weber is a Florida-based writer who loves sunshine, summer and strong-willed characters. He can normally be found as close to the ocean as possible with his dog, Arthur, and a novel from Reese’s Book Club. He is the author of If You Change Your Mind, I Like Me Better, and What Is This Feeling?

Thank you, Robby, for this deep dive into making romance writing come to life!

Author Guest Post: “The YA Classroom: Using Young Adult Fiction as a Means to Teach the Unteachable” by Ian X. Cho, Author of Aisle Nine

by
Share

“THE YA CLASSROOM: Young-adult fiction as a means to teach unteachable ideas”

While school is a vital place for teens to learn invaluable knowledge, lessons, and skills, there are some things in life that cannot be taught in a curriculum. But this is where YA books can serve as a fantastical additional classroom.

The illuminating power of the YA genre comes from its dynamism. Filled with interiority, emotional richness, and often written in first-person, YA books allow young readers to dive headfirst into the lives of fictional kids. Many YA stories create a heightened reality by stripping away rules and gatekeepers, which forces characters to take bolder strides toward their problems.

Often, these problems can be hard to voice in real life, but YA fiction is a creative space to illuminate complex things. Below are four random ‘unteachable’ things you might find in YA books…

MEANING IS A CHOICE: Sometimes life hits the skids. But while there’s no study plan to help kids understand misfortune, YA books can be a way to explore not only tragedy, but also, what can come of it. In Adam Silvera’s They Both Die At The End, a senselessly unfair event drives the characters of Mateo and Rufus out into the real world. Within their ensuing adventure, a key takeaway isn’t how the boys react to meaningless tragedy, but rather, how they choose to make something meaningful of their limited time.

YOUNG ADULTHOOD IS A PARADOX: Growing up is complicated and often paradoxical. In our modern world, many teenagers are simultaneously heading toward adulthood and yet somehow already adults. In the opening chapters of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen works part-time as a hunter, which makes her an additional provider for her family; Later she chooses to stand-in for her sister at the Reaping, which makes her an adult-like protector. The liminality of young-adulthood is not only a key element in modern YA, but one source of its inner tension.

CURIOSITY CAN BE A COMPASS: Our modern world can be deeply confusing and irrational, and a clear path isn’t always visible. In Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, Meg Murry is thrown into an adventure that takes her to bizarre and often terrifying worlds. But her curiosity and intelligence are pivotal compasses that help her to navigate the darkness. When coupled with her capacity for love, these elements make her a powerful protagonist. Meg doesn’t shy away from complicated mathematical, scientific, and philosophical concepts—and in doing so, young readers are encouraged to do the same.

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS JACK ALL… BUT MAYBE THAT’S OK: For plenty of teens, it’s a rite of passage when they realize that many adults are not actually wiser or more competent. In my novel Aisle Nine, 17yo Jasper lives in a world riddled with hell portals and monsters. Without parents or school, Jasper works as a clerk in a discount store (that has a portal) and spends his days watching adults make up crap as they go along. This unspoken truth—that almost everyone is rolling with the punches—can be deeply comforting.

The journey toward stable adulthood is neither straightforward nor a straight line. But YA fiction shines in its ability to not only show zigzagging paths toward bigger lives, but the strange insights we can learn along the way…

Published September 24th by Harper Collins

About the Book: It’s Black Friday—and the apocalypse is on sale! Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be.

Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here for You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least here he can be near the girl he’s crushing on—Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard—who seems to hate Jasper for reasons he can’t remember or understand.

But when Jasper and Kyle learn they both share a frightening vision of the impending apocalypse, they’re forced to team up and uncover the uncomfortable truth about the hell portals and the demons that haunt the world. Because the true monsters are not always what they seem, the past is not always what we wish, and like it or not, on Black Friday, all hell will break loose, starting in aisle nine. Rising star Ian X. Cho delivers an unforgettably freaky and hilarious YA debut with Aisle Nine, perfect for fans of Grasshopper Jungle or The Last of Us.

About the Author: Ian X. Cho lives on Australia’s sunny Gold Coast. He writes fiction for young adults and works as a freelance graphic designer. In his free time he enjoys creating 2D pixel animations.

Thank you, Ian, for showing the importance of YA in the journey of young adulthood!

Author Guest Post: “Why Comedy Can Help Open Up Difficult Discussions” by Kate Westom, Author of Murder on Summer Break

by
Share

“Why Comedy Can Help Open Up Difficult Discussions”

At a recent event someone laughed off the idea that my YA novel Murder on a School Night could possibly have any kind of serious message behind it. Whilst I admit that I can see how he got that impression – it is after all a comedy murder mystery where two teen detectives investigate a series of murders involving menstrual products – he was wrong. I actually wrote the book with a serious intention. I wanted to get people talking about periods more freely, to try and bust a taboo that I strongly believe shouldn’t exist, and to open up conversations around the things that can go wrong with periods. Especially considering we live in a time when serious and painful conditions such as endometriosis affect 1 in 10 people and yet can still take on average between 8-10 years to diagnose*. I also did it because I strongly believe that sometimes the best way to get into topics people might find hard to talk about, is with humour.

Obviously, humour isn’t always the answer. But it is one I think can often be overlooked or brushed away as frivolous when it has a great societal function. The great thing with jokes is that they unite people. Sharing a laugh with someone is a great ice breaker because it’s essentially a way of saying “Oh look we both found that funny, there’s something we have in common.” (Similarly, if you don’t laugh at a joke because you think it’s awful, you’ll probably also bond over that, albeit in a much less cheerful way.) This bond makes people feel more likely to open up.

My first book, Diary of a Confused Feminist was the comedy diary of Kat Evans, who was struggling with her mental health. To this day I still get messages from readers, parents, teachers, and librarians saying the book helped them/their student/their child, open up about their own mental health struggles, simply because it made the discussion less scary for them. That’s one of the great things that humour does, it can minimise the threat. The laughter acts like a small release valve so that conversations don’t feel so impossible or hard to navigate. And that’s also why I thought it was important to continue talking about mental health in the sequel to Murder on a School Night, Murder on a Summer Break.

In Murder on a Summer Break, the narrator Kerry has previously struggled with anxiety which she is on medication for. She also has a panic attack at one point in the book. I felt it was important to include Kerry’s anxiety and panic attacks to show a character who’s gutsy and out there solving crime, but also struggling with her mental health, because anyone can be struggling at any time.  And that maybe by putting it in the context of a larger comedic novel people will see it in a context that helps them to process it in their own life or that of someone that they know.

Of course, there’s a time and a place for comedy and some people don’t respond to it. But using it to get the conversation started can relax everyone. It can show that you’re approachable, create a bond, and form the foundations of a safe space where you can address things together.

*The aforementioned man that I had the discussion with is now more than equipped to write an essay on menstruation and menstrual disorders. I felt a little sorry for him getting an unexpected presentation on periods at a drinks reception. But in the words of Shirley Jackson “If you don’t like my peaches don’t shake my tree.” And he shook my tree.

Published September 10th, 2024 by HarperCollins

About the Book: Amateur sleuths and wannabe influencers Kerry and Annie are back on the case when a social media festival inspires some killer content—and several on-camera influencer deaths—in this page-turning and sidesplitting sequel to Murder on a School Night from author and comedian Kate Weston.

After catching the menstrual murderer red-handed, Annie and Kerry are now the Tampon Two, Barbourough’s most famous—well, only—detective duo. So Annie (and decidedly not Kerry) is enjoying her five minutes of fame.

Except life in the spotlight seems to be a magnet for death these days. After a famous prankster is found dead with a condom stretched over his entire head, the Tampon Two are on the scene at their small village’s Festival of Fame to catch another killer.

Honestly, Kerry doesn’t know how she ended up here again, but this might be her one chance to prove to the folks at the local paper that she has what it takes to be a reporter—and to prove to herself that she doesn’t need her boyfriend, Scott, to save the day. Or even Annie, who definitely has stars and hearts in her eyes investigating all these influencers.

With Annie distracted, Kerry has to work quickly, before one more live stream can be cut off by yet another grisly death. And this time, the murderer might be following her—and not just on social media—in their quest to create some truly killer content.

About the Author: Kate Weston is an ex-stand-up comedian (never won any awards) and a bookseller (never won any awards at that either). She now writes books for teenagers. Her first book, Diary of a Confused Feminist, was longlisted for the CWIP Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. This is her third book for teens.

Thank you, Kate, for this reminder to that humor is sometimes exactly what is needed!

The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond by Christyne Morrell

by
Share

The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond
Author: Christyne Morrell
Published September 17th, 2024 by Delacorte Press

Summary: In this middle-grade mystery, eleven year old Charlie moves from NYC to Florida only to find herself in the haunted Winklevoss Manor. To her surprise, she’s not alone—she’s joined by three mischievous ghosts cursed for snatching a dead man’s diamond.

After twelve-year-old Charlie moves from New York City to sweaty, sticky Florida, she’ll do anything to get back home. Even if it involves ghosts. Winklevoss Manor, Charlie’s new house, is a towering Victorian mansion famous for one thing—it’s haunted. Three ghosts—Ada, Arthur, and Guff—live there, and not by choice. They’re trapped, cursed for stealing a dead man’s diamond. A diamond that, just like the ghosts, is still in the house. And this gets Charlie thinking. . . Maybe if she can find the diamond and sell it, Charlie’s family could have enough money to move back to the city. But lifting the curse isn’t that simple, especially when she’s pitted against the school bully and three unruly spirits. It’s frightening to think about, but what if the only way to get rid of the ghosts and curses is by doing what Charlie fears the most—confronting the past that haunts her?

Praise:

A fun haunted house story full of mystery and heart!”—Lindsay Currie, New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms

“Spooky, fun, just a little scary, and full of heart.”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Mine and Camp Scare

“The Curse of the Dead Man’s Diamond is the perfect blend of mystery, treasure hunt, colorful ghost characters, and Florida haunted house setting.”—Fleur Bradley, award-winning author of Daybreak on Raven Island and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

“A spirited mystery brimming with heart and souls.”—Jan Eldredge, author of Nimbus and Evangeline of the Bayou

“Ghosts get equal billing with the living in this sweet tale about finding home.” —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author: Christyne’s earliest completed work, written at age 7, told the story of Kermit the Frog meeting Miss Piggy’s parents for the first time. Kermit the Hog was a cautionary tale about pretending to be something you’re not. She still thinks it has potential.

Today, Christyne writes middle-grade novels across a number of genres. Whether they take place in quirky seaside towns or fantastical, faraway kingdoms, her stories all have one thing in common: clever kids accomplishing extraordinary things, like conquering a curse, overthrowing a king, or taking down an evil, brain-hacking corporation. Christyne believes that middle-grade books should challenge, intrigue, and inspire young readers – but above all, never underestimate them.

Christyne is the author of the middle-grade novels Kingdom of Secrets and Trex, which was named an Eleanor Cameron Notable Book for Excellence in Science Fiction and was included on the 2024 Sequoyah Masterlist. Her third novel, THE CURSE OF THE DEAD MAN’S DIAMOND, comes out Fall 2024. Christyne is also the author of the poetry book, The Fool Catcher (2021), and the picture book, Abra, Cadabra & Bob (2019), and her poems and stories have appeared in Highlights, Spider, and The School Magazine.

When Christyne isn’t writing for kids, she works as an attorney. She enjoys reading, baking, and watching home improvement shows. She lives with her husband, daughter, and beagle in Decatur, Georgia.

Review: Too often, I find that ghost stories are predictable and remixes of past tales which make them seem interchangeable; however, Morrell’s ghost story is as unique as her other books, Kingdom of Secrets and Trex. There was much that drew me in: I loved that there were chapters from the ghost’s point of view; I loved that it was more than just a mystery, it was a story of finding home and family; I loved that Charlie is never what is expected; I loved the setting and how it was a character in the story; and I loved how the book hits on so many different emotions, from grief to love. The story is fast-paced and everything comes together in a satisfying way–truly a fun, good read.

Discussion Questions: 

  • Why is Charlie’s dad so different in Florida?
  • How was Charlie being selfish for much of the book?
  • Why do you think it was important to have chapters from the ghost’s point of view?
  • Do you think someone can change?
  • Why is setting so important to this story?
  • The bullying subplot wasn’t cleared up completely. What do you think happens next?
  • Did the ending surprise you?

Flagged Passage: Chapter 1

My cheek was smashed so firmly against the cool car window that it peeled off like a Fruit Roll-Up when I lifted my head. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto no. 2 was still blaring in my earbuds, as it had been ever since we’d stopped for gas two hours ago. As I cracked my eyes open, Dad came into focus, his body twisted around awkwardly in the driver’s seat. He smiled at me, but it wasn’t his usual smile. It was his pretending-everything-is-great-when-everything-clearly-isn’t-great smile. Which I’d come to know well.

Our car was no longer moving. We had arrived. “Welcome home, Charlie!” said Dad, too cheerfully.

I gazed past him at the bizarre color of the sky–a heavy grayish-blue–then rubbed my eyes, wondering how I could’ve slept so long. It took my foggy brain a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t actually nighttime. Those were storm clouds overhead, blocking out the sun. They churned like a wild animal trying to claw its way out of a sack. How appropriate.

But even worse than the angry sky was the house outlined against it, stark black against the ashy gray. Winklevoss Manor–that’s right, our new home had a name–was a towering Victorian mansion, crisscrossed with so many thick vines it looked like clutching fingers were trying to drag the place back into the earth. The paint was faded and chipped and speckled with mold. A row of sharp iron spikes jutted up from the edges of the roof for no reason whatsoever. On the left side of the house, a narrow third story extended into the sky, ringed by a spindly iron balcony. According to my Google research, this charming feature was called a “widow’s walk.”

In other words, everything about the place was creepy, like something out of a ghost story. The classical music in my ears swelled dramatically as I blinked up at it.

“Whaddaya think?” asked Dad as I yanked out my earbuds. “Welcome to Winklevoss Manor! Do you think we should change the name? How about Hess Manor? No–Hess House!”

“It’s . . . it’s . . .” I couldn’t find the words for the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’d expected the move to Florida to be horrible, but this? I dug into the backpack at my feet and removed the crumpled page Dad had printed from the Internet. I smoothed it against my knees and held it in front of my father’s beaming face, confronting him with the breezy blue beach cottage I’d been promised, with its broad front porch and elegant, winding balconies. A real-life dollhouse, only bigger. There was nothing breezy or dollhouse-y about the place in front of me.

“That photograph was taken decades ago,” said Dad, with a literal wave of his hand. “I told you this place was a fixer-upper. That’s why we got such a great deal on it.”

“More like a tearer-downer,” I mumbled.

“C’mon, give it a chance,” he said. “The realtor says it’s got great bones.”

“So did the dinosaurs,” I reminded him, pushing open the car door and unfolding my numb legs. “And look what happened to them.”

As soon as I stepped outside, salt air flooded my nostrils, so tangy it made me cough. The wind whipped my long hair around my head in bright pink swirls.

“Can you believe it?” Dad nudged me with his elbow. “That’s our backyard!” He pointed past the house, where the ocean crashed and gurgled. It sounded like the white noise machine Gran used to use at night, to block out the sounds of the city. But there was no danger of city noise here. Instead, seagulls swooped overhead, their screeches like nails on a chalkboard. Over a ridge of tall, whipping seagrass, I caught flashes of the glinting surf and the grayish, claylike sand. And beyond that, the endless water–foaming and seething. Somehow, it was even angrier than the sky.

“No,” I said sullenly. “I can’t believe it.” It was way too much nature for my taste. I missed New York’s kind of sea–the kind made of glass and steel and concrete. Solid things. Not like the wild, surging force out there. But apparently, I didn’t get a say in the matter.

I trudged behind Dad up the rickety porch steps. The front door of Winklevoss Manor had once displayed a large panel of colorful stained glass, but now it was boarded up from the inside with plywood. Broken shards of the original door gaped like an open mouth with sharp, glistening teeth.

“I guess we know what our first project will be,” said Dad. When he opened the door, it creaked like someone moaning in pain, which seemed about right. The air inside was thick and musty. Years of grime coated the windows, dyeing the light that trickled in a sickly brown color. The wallpaper had yellowed and curled at the edges, and a thick blanket of dust covered every surface. I sucked in a lungful of it and coughed a little more dramatically than was necessary.

Read This If You Love: Ghost stories

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall

Signature

**Thank you to Delacorte and the author for providing a copy for review!**

Author Guest Post: “Living the Questions” by Abdi Nazemian, Author of Desert Echoes

by
Share

“Living the Questions”

When my children were first learning to talk, their favorite word was “Why?” No matter what answer I gave to their initial question, they would follow it up with a “Why?” and then another “Why?” until I finally explained that I didn’t have all the answers to the mysteries of the world. I’m sure I was the same as a toddler. As I grew into my teenage years, I wanted deeper answers to all the “whys” of the world. Part of this is, I believe, because so much of my history was hidden from me, and also inaccessible to me in those pre-internet times. My parents and their generation of Iranians shielded us from the difficult stories of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath to spare us the trauma and give us a fresh start. Queer history was also inaccessible to me in a homophobic analog world. As I grew older and discovered the history that preceded me, I did feel more grounded, more prepared to blaze my own path on a foundation that had been laid for me.

And yet, as one question got answered, life always seemed to bring a new question.

When people find out that I don’t plot out my books, they often ask me how I start a novel with no roadmap or outline. The answer is that I always try to begin with a question that I’m grappling with. In Like a Love Story, about three teenagers coming of age during the worst years of the AIDS crisis in New York, I was trying to make sense of how to live and love boldly and freely in a time of fear, shame and repression. In my novel The Chandler Legacies, about a group of writing students who recognize and combat the culture of abuse at their boarding school, I was addressing how to reconcile my gratitude for and anger at the boarding school that both supported and hurt me and my closest friends.

With each novel, I try to answer the question at hand. But the beauty of fiction, and of all the arts, is that there are no answers, only more questions. In many ways, a novel is one long question. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from the writer Rainer Maria Rilke, who in Letters to a Young Poet, said: “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

To me, this is a quote to live by, a quote to write on the first page of your journal, a quote to revisit constantly.

My new novel Desert Echoes came to me during my first trip to Joshua Tree, the stunning, eerie, mysterious desert a few hours away from Los Angeles. I visited the desert alone on a scorchingly hot summer day, so hot that practically no one else was there. Our children had just gone away to sleepaway camp for the first time, and I felt lonely. (Side note for tweens and teens who are pulling away from their parents as they should, have empathy for your parents who miss your constant company and your chorus of questions). In the desert, in my loneliness, I began to truly process the grief I felt after the death of my first boyfriend almost a decade earlier. He, like the character of Ash in the book, was a magnetic, mysterious, talented individual who lived life boldly. He inspired me to be an artist through his belief in me and his commitment to his own artistry. He is the reason I came out to my family. He was also an addict who expertly hid his addiction and his demons from me. Meeting him changed my life and losing him did too. The novel Desert Echoes grapples with questions of how to heal from loss.

But I hope it doesn’t answer any of those questions with certainty, because these are questions that must be answered by each person for themselves. My hope is that young readers who read this book come away from it asking more questions, and “loving the questions themselves.” That is what the book is ultimately about for me.

What does it mean to love the questions and to “live the questions now?”

We live in a very different time than the one I grew up in. Many answers are readily available to us. If you want a quick mathematical calculation, you can input the numbers into your device. If you and your friends are arguing about what year a movie came out or who invented something, you can instantly get the answer from a search engine. If you can’t figure out the lyrics to a song, they live online, along with facts, dates, data and so much more.

These are not the questions Rilke was talking about, and not the ones art and humans struggle with. In our accelerating world of answers, I fear we’re losing the art of living the questions. So here are some small suggestions for you to try:

  1. Give others the gift of your curiosity. When discussing thorny, emotional subject matters with friends, classmates, family either in person or online, challenge yourself to ask questions of anyone you disagree with. A question is an act of generosity. It tells others you’re not judging them, and instead offering them your curiosity and attention. Only by asking questions of each other is their hope for common ground and healing.
  2. Give yourself the same gift. Rilke also said: “There is only one single way. Go into yourself.” For me, this means meditation and journaling. It means going into the desert alone and seeing what echoes come back in the stillness. We can’t all go to the desert, but nature is all around us. Try meditating or simply being still in a park or on grass or just staring at the sky and clouds. Remind yourself you’re living under the same sky, same sun, same moon that your ancestors lived under, that people all over the world live under, and that subsequent generations will live under. See what questions echo back to you.
  3. Pinpoint which questions you love to live in. This will be different for everyone, as it should be. I’ve realized that I love the process of writing even more than I love the outcome. Anything you devote your life to should feel like this, from relationships to career. If you love living in scientific questions, pursue that. If you love living in questions of art-making, pursue that. Life is all process, so we must love that process.

Publishing September 10th, 2024

About the Book: Desert Echoes tells the story of high-school junior Kamran, who hasn’t been the same since his boyfriend Ash disappeared in the desert. Kam is supported by his best friend Bodie and by his mother. When a school trip takes Kam and Bodie back to Joshua Tree, Kam seeks answers to the questions that have haunted him since Ash’s disappearance two years earlier.

The book jumps in time from present to past and back again, so readers slowly discover more about Kam and Ash’s relationship, and about the strained marriage of Kam’s parents. In the desert, Kam finally finds the answers he needs about Ash’s disappearance. In doing so, Kam discovers his own capacity for hope, love, and perseverance, and grows massively in his understanding— and forgiving—of nuanced, complicated human relationships. 

About the Author: Abdi Nazemian is the author of Only This Beautiful Moment—winner of the 2024 Stonewall Award and 2024 Lambda Literary Award—and Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book and one of Time Magazine’s Best YA Books Of All Time. He is also the author of the young adult novels Desert Echoes, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series Ordinary Joe and The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at abdinazemian.com.

Thank you, Abdi, for this emotional post looking at the questions the grief brings!