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Blog Tour, Review, Giveaway, and Author Guest Post!: The Top-Secret Diary of Cecile Valentine: Friendship Over by Julie Sternberg

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The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine: Friendship Over
Author: Julie Sternberg
Illustrator: Johanna Wright
Published October 1st, 2014 by Boyds Mills Press

Goodreads Summary: Ten-year-old Celie has quite a few things on her mind — fights with her sister Jo, secrets at school, an increasingly forgetful grandmother, and worst of all, a best friend who won’t speak to her. How can a girl who hates change survive, when everything in her life is changing? By writing, of course! Celie’s often comical and always heartfelt diary entries include notes, e-mails, homework assignments, and pages from her top-secret spy notebook.

My Review: I am a very big fan of Julie Sternberg’s Eleanor books. What I enjoy the most about these books is that Julie Sternberg has a way to get into 10 year old’s heads and make her narrator’s voice sound so spot on. As someone who teaches middle school, I am always so impressed when a first person narrative sounds like the students I teach. When I found out that Julie Sternberg had a new series coming out and it would be a diary, I was super excited, and this book did not disappoint.

Celie fills her journal with her deepest thoughts, her art, and other items that help tell her story. Readers will connect with Celie while she deals with her grandmother’s declining health, her best friend’s sudden silence, and her older sister’s identity issues. Great discussions will start with questions such as “Have you and your best friend ever gotten into a fight?”

I asked Julie to share with us how she find her inner 10-year-old voice so effectively. Here is her answer: 

I’m fixated on voice in writing. It’s problematic. I tend to spend weeks—sometimes months—on the first thirty or so pages of a novel, trying and trying to get the voice right. I cannot move forward until I believe I’ve succeeded.

I recognize that this is a silly way to write. I tell myself, Turn off your internal editor! Knock out a terrible first draft! Revising is so much easier than confronting a blank page. Just KEEP GOING! 

But I never can. Because without the right voice, I don’t have a book.

When I think about voice, I think about not just who is telling the story, but also to whom. Audience makes a difference. A child, for example, will relate an anecdote differently to a teacher than to a best friend. So, for my first series, Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and its sequels, I imagined the main character, Eleanor, telling stories to a friend her age. And, for my latest series, The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine, I imagine Celie pouring her uncensored thoughts into a diary.

Voice is most shaped by the narrator’s personality and background. When I need a brilliant reminder of this, I re-read Voices in the Park, a picture book by Anthony Browne. In it, four separate narrators tell their version of the same story (one shared afternoon in the park). We get a staggeringly clear sense of each character just from the voice they use to relate that simple story.

voices in the park cover

When I’m trying to define a voice, I pay particular attention to the rhythm and structure of sentences. In The Top-Secret Diary of Celie Valentine, for example, feisty Celie uses simpler and more pointed sentences than her chattier and messier older sister, Jo. For instance, here’s the first sentence in a long note that Jo writes to Celie: “Mom says I’m not allowed to talk to you (I’m supposed to ‘give you your space’) until the end of your timeout, so I can’t just go in there and tell you this, which is what I really want to do.” Celie responds in three sentences, not one of which has more than four words.

A compelling voice can compensate for a host of sins. I learned this as a reader. Some of my favorite books could have better plots, for example. I don’t care. I love the voice in those books, and I want to spend my days with their narrators.

Of course I don’t write perfect books, either (though I want to). If readers nonetheless want to spend their days with Eleanor or Celie or my other narrators because of their voices, then I’m ecstatic.

Author: Julie Sternberg is the author of the best-selling Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and its sequels, Like Bug Juice on a Burger and Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake. Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie is a Gryphon Award winner and a Texas Bluebonnet Award finalist; Like Bug Juice on a Burger is a Gryphon Honor Book, a Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards Nominee, and an Illinois Monarch Award Finalist. Formerly a public interest lawyer, Julie is a graduate of the New School’s MFA program in Creative Writing, with a concentration in writing for children. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York. For more information about her life and work and to download free activity materials based on her books, visit her website: juliesternberg.com.

We Flagged: 

Johanna Wright illustration_Celie and Jo in bed image-on-swing-set-with-words

From Julie Sternberg’s website

Read This If You Loved: Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg, Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm, Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, The Popularity Papers by Amy Ignatow, Mackenzie Blue by Tina Wells

Recommended For: 

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Also don’t forget to check out the other stops on Julie’s blog tour: 

Mon, Sept 29
Mother Daughter Book Club
Tues, Sept 30
5 Minutes for Mom
Wed, Oct 1
Sharpread
Thurs, Oct 2
KidLit Frenzy
Fri, Oct 3
The Hiding Spot
Sat, Oct 4
Booking Mama
Mon, Oct 6
Ms. Yingling Reads
Tues, Oct 7
GreenBeanTeenQueen
Wed, Oct 8
Great Kid Books
Thurs, Oct 9
Teach Mentor Texts
Fri, Oct 10
Unleashing Readers
Sat, Oct 11
Bermuda Onion

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review and having us be part of the blog tour!!**

Blog Tour, Review, and Author Guest Post!: Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters by Laurie Ann Thompson

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday and BE A CHANGEMAKER Blog Tour!

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

Be a Changemaker

Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters
Author: Laurie Ann Thompson
Expected Publication: September 16, 2014 by Simon Pulse/Beyond Words

Goodreads Summary: We’ve had the civil rights movement and the women’s movement—now it’s time for the youth movement.

When Divine Bradley was seventeen, he just wanted a safe place to hang out away from gangs and violence, and Team Revolution was born. At age eleven, Jessica Markowitz learned that girls in Rwanda are often not allowed to attend school, and Richard’s Rwanda took shape. During his sophomore year of high school, Zach Steinfeld put his love of baking to good use and started the Baking for Breast Cancer Club.

Gone are the days when kids were supposed to be “seen and not heard.” Today, youth everywhere are rising up, building new organizations, and creating the changes they want to see in their communities and around the world. Be a Changemaker gives readers the tools and confidence they need to affect real change. Readers will learn how to:

– Research ideas
– Build a strong and passionate team
– Create a business plan
– Enlist a savvy adult
– Plan events
– Work with the media
– And more!

Plus, profiles of youth-led social organizations show readers that it’s never too early to become a changemaker.

Ricki’s Review: My favorite aspect of this book is the way it is organized. The chapters and headings are very clear, and it moves in a fluent, understandable manner. Thompson provides very informative, necessary lessons about honing and fine-tuning leadership skills. Some of the sections I liked most were the tips about leading meetings (from standard operating procedures to icebreaker activities), the sample business plan with budgetary advice, the ways to make money (with grants and marketing tips), and the speaking skills (particularly the section about elevator pitches). Across the country, more and more states are requiring the development of advisory groups for high school students to learn life skills. This text would be perfect for this setting. I can also see the text working well in a business or entrepreneurship class. The best part about the way this book is set up is the fact that teachers can assign chapters to groups or teach the portions of the text that matter most to their syllabi or curricula.

Kellee’s Review: I was blown away by how much this book impacted me as I read it. I want to do something right now, so I know that this book will impact young readers. Like Ricki, I was fond of how it was organized. It is ultimately a step-by-step book for leadership, planning, and making a difference in the world.

What I liked the most about the book, though, was the “Profile” sections where actual groups started by kids were highlighted. This really connected it to real life and showed the reader that being a changemaker is definitely something that anyone can do.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: We recommend using this book for jigsaw discussions. This would maximize instruction and allow students to access all parts of the text. If you are unfamiliar with jigsawing, learn how to use this discussion technique here: http://www.jigsaw.org/steps.htm.

Throughout the book, there are steps to brainstorming, reflecting, and journaling in a “venture journal” to help plan the steps to becoming a changemaker. The activities Thompson lay out would be a really deep activity to do in a classroom.

Discussion Questions: What is a problem that you see in our society? In your life? What steps could you take to help solve or alleviate this problem?; Which of the highlighted organizations started by fellow kids did you find the most intriguing? How could you help this organization?

We Flagged: “How many times have you complained about something but done nothing to fix it? Or noticed something and thought, Someone should do something about that? We all have those thoughts sometimes. And it’s okay, because none of us can solve every problem we encounter. But guess what…you’re someone. And when you set your mind to it, you absolutely can do something that matters.” (p.1)

Read This If You Loved: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey; Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens by Richard Carlson

Author’s Guest Post: 

Recommended For: 

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Guest Post by Laurie Ann Thompson

10 Ways Young People Can Make a Difference 

There are many ways for people of all ages to make a difference in their communities and around the world. Here are some ideas that can be adapted to a variety of different age groups and interests.

  1. Collect money. Gather funds to support a cause by placing collection cans in stores, having a penny drive at school, participating in a fundraising walk, etc. Kids (or their parents) can also create a page on a crowdfunding website like com. Either way, friends and family can be great sources of support.
  2. Collect goods. Organize ways for people to donate goods like food drives, donation bins in retail outlets, school supply collections, etc. Most nonprofits maintain a wish list of needed items. Or, kids can go the other direction by finding a cause that can use their excess goods. Last Halloween, for example, a student at my children’s school had the kids bring in their extra candy, which he then sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas.
  3. Donate gifts. Ask for donations to be made to a favorite charity in lieu of presents. Kids can quickly and easily collect a significant amount of money or goods, while also spreading awareness for the chosen cause. It’s a win-win!
  4. Make something. Many young people enjoy making things they can then donate or sell. Can they knit? Hats or scarves for the homeless are much appreciated. Do they make jewelry? Maybe they could sell it at a farmer’s market or on com to raise money. Almost anyone can make no-sew fringe-tie fleece blankets, which are great for animal shelters and child services organizations. And don’t forget the tried-and-true lemonade stand—or a new twist on the same idea!
  5. Form a club. If there’s something one kid is passionate about, chances are others will be, too. A club can help someone find other like-minded individuals as well as recruit others to the cause. Many of the most successful organizations I profiled in Be a Changemaker started when one kid joined with a few classmates to form a simple club at school.
  6. Start a petition, or sign one. These can be done on paper and delivered in physical form, or they can be rolled out online via websites like org or whitehouse.gov. For inspiration, check out how a high-school student got Gatorade to remove flame retardants from its sports drinks, or how grade-school kids are trying to get Dunkin’ Donuts to stop using Styrofoam cups. Kids can also check out existing petitions and sign the ones they support (or ask their parents to).
  7. Write letters. Even young kids can make their opinions known by writing letters to their government officials, local newspapers, magazines they read, companies whose products they use, etc. Against how chickens are treated in factory farms? Write to KFC and McDonald’s and let them know! Kids can multiply their impact by recruiting others to write letters, too.
  8. Get involved. Many governments and companies have a youth advisory board to help them understand the issues affecting their teen constituents or consumers. Most schools have a student council and/or appoint student representatives to the school board. Youth may not always get voting rights, but at least they’ll have a chance to voice their opinions about the issues that affect them. The adults in charge might not otherwise know the full impacts of their decisions.
  9. Check with local organizations and/or the nearest United Way to find appropriate organized opportunities to volunteer, or make your own. You may have to get creative, but the potential is boundless. Anyone can pick up trash at their local park or beach, many retirement homes welcome young performers, some animal shelters will allow the public to come in and socialize the animals, or perhaps an elderly neighbor would probably appreciate help with the yard work. Everyone has skills: they just need to find a place to put them to good use.
  10. Read! Obviously, reading can provide kids with facts and practical knowledge. But studies have also shown that reading builds empathy, an essential element for making a positive difference. Whatever kids (or adults!) choose to read, they’re sure to be expanding their world views, analyzing new ideas, and growing as human beings. So, when they’re not out there changing the world, make sure they have time to enjoy a good book. 

Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters, is loaded with advice, hands-on exercises, and examples for middle-school or high-school kids who want to take these ideas further, plus profiles of young people who already did.

laurieannthompson

Laurie Ann Thompson comes from a family of entrepreneurs and small business owners. She has worked at IBM, Intel, and Microsoft, and she co-founded a successful internet startup. In addition, she has led a regional nonprofit professional organization and volunteered with Ashoka’s Youth Venture, which supports teens with big ideas. This is her first book. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her at LaurieThompson.com.

Follow all of the stops on the blog tour!:

Mon, Sept 8
Sally’s Bookshelf
Tues, Sept 9
Girl Scout Leader 101
Wed, Sept 10
Unleashing Readers
Thurs, Sept 11
Teen Librarian Toolbox
Fri, Sept 12
The Nonfiction Detectives AND Kirby’s Lane
Sat, Sept 13
The Styling Librarian
Mon, Sept 15
NC Teacher Stuff
Tues, Sept 16
The Hiding Spot
Wed, Sept 17
Kid Lit Frenzy
Thurs, Sept 18
GreenBeanTeenQueen
Fri, Sept 19
A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust
Sat. Sept 20
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Teen Librarian’s Toolbox is creating a free downloadable workshop guide for libraries and classrooms for the book that will be available on Laurie Thompson’s website in late October.

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review**

Author Guest Post!: Turning Young Readers on to Historical Fiction by Laurie Calkhoven, author of the Boys of Wartime series

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“Turning Young Readers on to Historical Fiction” by Laurie Calkhoven

It’s hard to believe that something as small as a broken egg could change the course of American history, but one did. It was March of 1775 and the fifth anniversary of the Boston Massacre. The Sons of Liberty planned a church service at Old South Meeting House to honor the men who had died. All of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, indeed all Patriots in Boston, would be in attendance.

The Redcoats had a plan to bring the colonial rebellion to an end. They ordered a soldier to go to the meeting and throw an egg at the speaker. An insult like that would start a riot, and they intended to arrest the leaders of the Sons of Liberty—Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, and the others—and ship them to England to stand trial for starting a riot. The British thought that with the leaders out of the way, those hotheads in Boston would settle down and stop their foolish rebellion.

The reason why you haven’t read about those arrests in your history texts is that the soldier fell on his way to the service. Not only did he break the egg. He hurt his leg so badly that he didn’t make it to the meeting at all. There were no arrests. The rebellion lived on. The next time the Redcoats went after those leaders, war erupted in Lexington and Concord.

That egg incident, one I came across in long out-of-print history of the time period, frames the beginning of my novel Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776. Daniel helps foil the British plan and goes on to do much more, but if not for that broken egg, there wouldn’t be a story to tell.

Historical fiction can be a hard sell for young readers. Many of them expect it to be boring. When I visit schools and talk to young readers, I always begin by telling them stories—true stories. Soon they’re hooked. They want to know what happens next.

Kids love wacky facts, and so in my Civil War novel (Will at the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863), I included the fact that on the first night of the battle six-year-old Mary McLean stuck her head out of her window and sang a song to the Confederate soldiers who had taken her town—a song about their President, Jefferson Davis:

Hang Jeff Davis from a sour apple tree.

Mary’s father thought the whole family would be shot, but the Rebel soldiers only laughed and sang their own song about President Lincoln.

My latest Boys of Wartime novel, Michael at the Invasion of France, 1943, is about a boy who helps shot-down and trapped American airmen evade the Nazis in a World War II version of the Underground Railroad. Kids love to hear about all the everyday American habits that gave the men away. Things like walking with their hands in their pockets, or whistling—two things French men never did.

My Boys of Wartime novels are about ordinary boys who get caught up in extraordinary moments in history—they become spies for General Washington, help save the Union, and resist the Nazis. One ordinary person—just like them—and small ordinary moments can change the course of history. I research extensively to fill my novels with real-life action and adventure stories to keep my readers turning the pages.

All kinds weird, wacky, and wonderful stories never make it into our history textbooks. Historical fiction is full of those stories. Once your young readers figure that out, they’ll be back for more.

About the author: Laurie Calkhoven is the author of nearly fifty books for young readers including the Boys of Wartime series and I Grew Up to be President. Find CCSS activities and learn about her school visit program at lauriecalkhoven.com.

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Thank you Laurie for your post!

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Blog Tour and Author Guest Post!: Five Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing by Rosie Somers, author of Because I’m Disposable

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Because I’m Disposable
Author: Rosie Somers
Published July 9th, 2014 by Smashwords Edition

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Callista Tanner was in the bathroom slitting her wrists the night her father took a fatal plunge down the stairs. People around her think she attempted suicide because she found him dead — or worse, because she had a guilty conscience. Few know the truth; Michael Tanner had been beating her for years.

The freedom that should have come with her father’s death becomes a cage of rumors and self-doubt. Callie seeks escape in the most destructive ways, bringing her emotional scars to the surface for the world to see.

One bright spot exists in Callie’s dark world.

Lincoln Devaux refuses to let Callie sink fully into the depths of her own depression, stepping into her life when she needs someone the most. She tries to push him away, but Link is determined to save Callie from herself. Even when she doesn’t think she’s worth saving.

Learn more: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, iBooks

Book Trailer: 

Five Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Writing

1. Gird Your Loins

I started writing, seriously writing when I was eighteen. I’d always played around with storytelling, written poetry, short stories, etc. But once I got it into my head that I was going to write a novel, I immediately became convinced that I was going to become the next big thing. Overnight. Yeah, I was that author. But the hard truth is that agents and editors receive outrageous amounts of queries every day, and only a fraction of those meet what the agent/editor is looking for. Rejections are a part of writing, and no matter how nice the sender is, that rejection is probably going to hurt. Do what you have to do: cry, scream, turn into a raging, green mutant and trash your apartment. But when you’re done, dust yourself off, turn the coffee table back over, and try again.

2. First Novels Are Garbage

That first novel, the one I started when I was eighteen… it was pure crap. Of course, I didn’t recognize that when I was writing it. I didn’t recognize that when I was proudly passing it out to family to read. And I didn’t recognize it when I sent those first query letters. As those rejections trickled in and squished my ego back into my zip code, word by painful word, I started to look closer at my work, and I was able to recognize it for what it was: garbage. To this day, I keep that manuscript printed out and in plain view of my work area to remind me of where I started and that there’s ALWAYS room for improvement.

3. Constructive Criticism Is Constructive

I’ve seen plenty of writers get their panties in a bunch when a friend, beta reader, agent, or editor offers negative feedback. And I’ll admit, I’ve felt the bite of constructive criticism. But it’s important to remember these people are seeing something in your book that you are too close to see for yourself. It might hurt to hear that your book sags in the middle or the beginning is a snoozefest, but if your test readers are seeing it, real readers will feel that way too. Personally, I’d much rather listen to my betas and editor than put out a book with huge issues.

4. Don’t Quit Your Day Job

If you want a six-figure income, writing probably won’t do it. The simple truth is, the authors who bank are pretty rare. Sure, there are the Rowlings and the Meyers of the world, but very few authors will ever see that kind of success. Don’t write because you want fame and fortune. Write because you love the story.

5. Just Write

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter why you do it. It doesn’t matter how much you wrote or what the story is. It doesn’t matter if you win Nano by November 15th or take two years to write a novelette. Just write–at your pace, in your time, write your story. Don’t worry about what other people are writing or what is selling. Just write.

Author Bio: Rosie Somers is a YA author who lives in Florida, soaking up the year-round sunshine. She can often be found in her favorite spot on her favorite beach, nose-deep in a good book.

Website: http://www.RosieSomers.blogspot.com

Twitter:@prosyrosie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProsyRosie

 

Thank you to Rosie Somers for your insightful post and Sarah Nicolas for letting us be part of the blog tour!

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Author Guest Post!: Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: My Top 5 Books on Brain Matters by Lisa Martens, author of Jamais Vu

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Mental Illness, Brain Disease, and Societal Pressures: My Top 5 Books on Brain Matters by Lisa Martens

As a former epileptic, my favorite books center around mental health and brain disorders. One condition often affects the other: Schizophrenics simply have different brains than so-called “normal” people. But where does the physical problem end and the mental problem begin? Is there even a difference, or are they constantly informing one another? Here are my Top 5 books on brain matters:

  1. Wintergirls by Louise Halse Anderson – (Fiction) Anorexia has broken the hearts and bodies of many teenagers in our society. Wintergirls shows one teen girl’s struggle with the disease after her best friend dies. This issue has an abnormally high fatality rate, probably because the logic is so airtight, so cyclical. It is true, without a doubt, that our society makes huge demands on girls to be thin. It’s easy for a young woman to feel that, given the standard for beauty, that she is supposed to starve herself to be loved. This book is relatable even if you do not have an eating disorder. But! Trigger warning if you are in recovery. This book could potentially cause you to relapse. You’re beautiful the way you are!
  2. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan – (Nonfiction) What happens when something is wrong with your brain? Like, physically wrong with your brain? Sometimes people don’t believe you. Sometimes people search for a psychological cause to a physical problem. That’s what happens here in Brain on Fire. This is nonfiction and chronicles the journey of Susanna through a rare brain condition. The book is also a call to action: Susannah was cured because she was lucky enough to have great insurance, a supportive family who never gave up, and more resources than most of us have. What happens to those who have this rare condition, but are wrongfully diagnosed and institutionalized, possibly forever? Like Plath’s character in The Bell Jar.
  3. Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely –  (Fiction) This book, though fictional, centers around the very real abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in the early 2000s. Although the main characters are far more wealthy than I ever was as a child, all the pressures are there: to be perfect, to be an adult, to reconcile having been abused with your sexual identity. Aiden, the main character, struggles to understand that he was abused, and that he is not homosexual. His good friend Mark was also abused, but is genuinely homosexual. Both boys struggle with the guilt of feeling like they ‘deserved’ or ‘asked for’ this abuse to happen to them. This book reminds us that sometimes even the most affluent, supposedly privileged people in our society can fall victim: Abuse and betrayal know no price tag.
  4. You Jump, I Jump by Annarose Russo – (Nonfiction) This book has an online community centered around it, and can serve as a resource for teens struggling with their own depression. The book itself is published by indie author Annarose Russo, who has used her own struggles with depression to inspire others going through the same issues.
  5. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath – (Fiction-ish) The more I read this Sylvia Plath classic, the more I appreciate it. As a teenager, I enjoyed the strong female character, and the acknowledgment (finally!) of the extra pressures growing women go through. As I’ve learned more about the context and the time period, specifically the Red Scare, this book is all the more powerful. Sylvia lived during a time where ‘strangeness’ could easily be associated with ‘communism’, and the United States was on a witch hunt. Coupled with her own issues, the pressure to be the perfect woman, daughter, and writer must have been great. To be anything else would have been unpatriotic.
What is your favorite book on mental health or brain health? Why are these conditions important for Young Adult readers to learn about?
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Lisa Martens believes in brain matters! She’s the author of Jamais Vu written under pen name Floyd Rios. 
In Jamais Vu, Arsenal Mist is an epileptic girl living in Plano, Texas. To her parents, everything seems fine, but Arsenal actually suffers from the rarest side effects of her seizure medication: night terrors, hallucinations, and suicidal thoughts . . . Will she be cured, or will the “cure” destroy her?
Follow Lisa:
Twitter: @WitnessLima
Instagram: @WitnessLima
Thank you Lisa for your post!
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Author Guest Post!: Why Characters Who “Lose Their Way” Win My Heart by Michele Weber Hurwitz, author of The Summer I Saved the World… in 65 Days

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Why Characters Who “Lose Their Way” Win My Heart by Michele Weber Hurwitz

My best friend in eighth grade announced one day that she had planned out her life. After college, she said, she’d have a successful career in marketing, marry either a doctor, lawyer, or dentist, have three kids, two dogs, lots of shoes, and a really nice house. I remember she turned to me and asked, “What about you?” I mumbled something along the lines of hoping to pass the algebra test that week, then went home and asked my mom what marketing was.

My friend was—and still is—a determined, strong-minded person. Resolute, dogged, doesn’t let any of life’s setbacks get in her way. While she was traveling along her planned path, ticking things off her list, I was, to put it mildly, stumbling. At times, careening. Not exactly sure where I was going or what I wanted, it took me a while to figure things out. (Sometimes, I still am.)

Although there were moments I looked at my friend’s smooth road and cursed my bumpy one, I realized something recently, and it has to do with a favorite quote taped above my writing desk:

“Sometimes losing our way is the best and most beautiful route home.”

A bumpy road can be viewed one of two ways: full of aggravating twists and turns, or filled with life lessons. And, if you voted for #2, there’s a bonus: the joy of the unexpected. With all due respect to my friend — who got everything, including a dentist — there’s something to be said for plans that don’t work out. In fact, I’ve learned that when you ‘lose your way’ and go down an entirely different path, although it may be frustrating at first, it often turns out to be a more gratifying journey, and perhaps, the one that was meant to be.

I read a lot of middle grade novels because that’s what I write. Hands down, the characters who win my heart—and stay with me long after I finish the last page—are those who lose their way. The ones who are beset with obstacles they never saw coming. The ones who struggle and fret and feel like they’re never going to be okay, then brush themselves off, get back up, and learn how to navigate the storm.

Characters like Auggie in The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, by Holly Schindler, who crumbles when she learns her dilapidated home might be condemned, then figures out a creative way to repair not only her house, but change her entire town’s idea of what is beautiful.

Or Delphine in Rita Williams-Garcia’s P.S. Be Eleven, who struggles to make sense of different adults’ conflicting perspectives of what it means to not grow up too fast.

And Zoe in Linda Urban’s A Crooked Kind of Perfect, who dreams of playing a baby grand piano at Carnegie Hall but instead is given an organ. Her quirky family presents even more complications, but resilient Zoe is able to find perfection in the most imperfect situations.

The main characters in my two middle grade novels stumble and lose their way big time.

Calli, in Calli Be Gold, not only loses her way, she feels completely out of place as the untalented member of a super achieving family. But when she befriends a second grade boy with some issues and discovers what she’s good at (helping someone in need), she prompts her family to rethink what it means to achieve.

Nina, the protagonist in The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days, is unsure of herself, confused, and somewhat adrift during the summer after middle school. Taking some advice from her eighth-grade history teacher, she decides to do 65 anonymous good things for her family and neighbors each day of the summer to find out if doing good does any good. Can her efforts change things? Maybe…except people react in ways Nina didn’t envision and life in her quiet cul-de-sac gets a little messed-up.

One of my favorite scenes is when a suspicious neighbor with an overactive imagination calls the police after a few of the good deeds, and Nina questions why she even started her project in the first place. Her journey over the summer definitely brings some unexpected twists and turns that she’s forced to navigate.

When I think about why I love books like this, I realize that it’s not only the satisfaction of seeing how these characters eventually work things out, it’s also that Calli and Nina, as well as Auggie, Delphine, and Zoe bring readers like me, and countless others, an important gift: the knowledge that we’re not alone. A connection. That others lose their way too.

When we witness how the characters adapt, overcome obstacles, change, and grow, this gives us the inspiration and hope that we can handle our own problems. If they’re okay in the end, then we will be too.

It’s probably no surprise that I love to walk. I find that it helps my writing immensely. Something about moving around outside loosens up my brain and allows me to think more clearly. For years, I’ve followed the same route in my neighborhood, but lately, I’ve started to turn on different streets. I never fail to see something new and interesting—a strange house, a mysterious garden, a unique-looking person. More often than not, this changes my day.

And always, the route back home is more beautiful.

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Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of The Summer I Saved the World…in 65 Days (Wendy Lamb Books/Penguin Random House, April 2014), and Calli Be Gold (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House 2011). She lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and three children. If she’s not writing or walking, she’s mostly likely eating chocolate. Find her at micheleweberhurwitz.com and on Twitter @MicheleWHurwitz

Be sure to check out Michele’s books:

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Author Guest Post!: My Top Ten YA Novels About Bullying by Mathangi Subramanian, author of Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide

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“My Top Ten YA Novels About Bullying” by Mathangi Subramanian

Growing up the bespectacled, bookish, brown-skinned daughter of Indian immigrants, I underwent my share of bullying. But while I was writing Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide, memories of witnessing—rather than experiencing—bullying loomed large. Most often, I was reminded of my brief tenure as a public school teacher, when I watched young people I cared about both act like and suffer from bullies.

As a child, my bullies felt like one-dimensional paper-cut outs of people that stopped existing after they terrorized me.  As a teacher, the bullies in my classrooms were more than their misguided actions. They were sons and daughters of parents I admired, musicians and artists and athletes that excelled outside of my classroom, and sheepish people-in-progress who asked me if maybe, even though I was a science teacher, I could help them with their love problems.

And, when my colleagues made comments about me being foreign (even though I am American), godless (even though I am Hindu) and young (okay, that was true), these teens were my defenders, telling me that they didn’t care what other people said, they liked me just fine. How, I wondered, could these compassionate, brilliant young people be the same ones who to hurt their peers?

The more I learn about bullying, the more I believe that it is the result of a failure of empathy. I don’t just mean from teens: I also mean from adults who tell victims to buck up and deal with it; from administrators who punish bullies without investigating what trauma may be driving them to violence; and from students and adults who witness bullying and egg it on.

In fact, the most effective anti-bullying policies—like restorative justice, mental health and social services, and social justice based curriculum—are those that are based on building empathy. It’s a shame that they are still not commonly used.

It’s true, most teachers can’t redo district policy or institute training programs. But here’s one thing they can do: assign some compelling fiction. After all, aren’t stories the best ways to walk in each other’s shoes? Below is a list of ten of my favorite YA books with protagonists that face bullying. These books break silences, feature diverse main characters, and are impossible to put down. Most importantly, they helped me empathize with characters whose lives and choices I ordinarily would find unforgiveable. From school shooters to mean girls to backstabbing friends, the characters in these books helped me realize that everyone has a backstory, and that what almost all of us want, more than anything, is a little forgiveness and a little understanding.

1. Hate List by Jennifer Brown – Valerie must piece her life together after her boyfriend, Nick, stages a school shooting and commits suicide. When she returns to finish her senior year, Valerie learns about forgiveness, redemption, community, and love.

2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio – A great book told from multiple perspectives about a boy with a visible genetic abnormality who decides to go to school for the first time.

3. Orchards by Holly Thompson – Told in verse through the voice of a biracial protagonist, this book is about Kana Goldberg’s journey to come to terms with her role in her friend’s suicide.

4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia – When Trina the diva gets in the way of the angry basketball player Dominique, Leticia knows what’s going to happen – but she decides not to get involved.

5. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt – The bullying eighth grader Doug faces at school is nothing compared to the bullying he faces at home at the hands of his father. Brilliant historical fiction tackling the little-addressed issue of adult bullies.

6. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger – A story about a Sikh teenager coming of age after September 11th, this book tackles dating violence, hate crimes, and Islamophobia.

7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – This semi-autobiographical book is about a Native American boy who decides to leave the reservation he lives on to get an education at the White school, and the bullying he faces because of his decision.

8. Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal – Kiran, the main character in this book, is a gender non-conforming Indian American boy who is bullied at school and a puzzle to his parents.

9. I Am J by Cris Beam – The story of J, a transgendered boy trying to grapple with his identity and preserve his most important relationships.

10. Tell Us We’re Home by Marina Budhos – Jaya, Maria, and Lola are the daughters of nannies in a wealthy suburb. When Jaya’s mother’s employer accuses her of stealing, the three friends must fight adult and teen bullies. This book provides a sensitive and nuanced view of classism and xenophobia.

 

Mathangi Subramanian, EdD, is a writer and educator. She has been a classroom teacher, an assistant vice president at Sesame Workshop, and a senior policy analyst at the New York City Council.

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Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide draws on stories from young teens around the country, this volume uncovers the social pressures and individual choices that lead to violence. The author surveys effective state, local, and national anti-bullying policies and provides examples of teens throughout the nation whose leadership and courage have helped stop violence. This volume also contains exercises and strategies for young adults to employ that can pave the way for social action. Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide is a much-needed resource to help stem the tide of this social epidemic. Featuring a diverse collection of teen voices, this book is designed to help teens take immediate action both individually and collectively. The advice and exercises will not only help teens think critically about bullying but will also empower them to change both themselves and the circumstances that foster abuse in their schools and communities.

Bullying is a topic that all teens deal with and should be discussed in our schools and classrooms. This resource helps make these conversations easier.

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**Thank you to Mathangi Subramanian and Alyssa Washington from Rowan & Littlefield for this guest post**