Novels That Make A Difference

           I have just read two middle-grade novels worth reading.  The first is Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham, (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010).  The second is Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins, (Charlesbridge, 2010).  Both were engrossing, and satisfying reads. Both can make a difference in the lives of the kids who read them.

            Leaving Gee’s Bend, is set in rural Alabama, 1933.  Ten-year-old Ludelphia and her family are poor sharecroppers who work hard to make a meager living.  Life is made harder when Ludelphia’s Mother almost dies after giving birth.  Ludelphia, who lost an eye in an accident because she had no medical attention, is determined to get a real Dr. now.  This means leaving Gee’s Bend for the first time in her life and making her way to Camden, forty miles away.  It requires inner strength and ingenuity for Ludelphia to handle the adventure that unfolds.   

            Latham’s characters are beautifully rendered.  And the book addresses topics that lend themselves to important classroom discussions.  Racial prejudice, superstitions, family relationships, physical challenges, community, one’s personal story as told in the form of quilts

            Bamboo People is contemporary realism set in modern day Burma.  It is about two fifteen-year-old boys on opposite sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and an ethnic minority, the Karenni.  Chiko, an educated Burmese boy, has no desire to fight but is forced into the military through trickery.  When he is sent on a dangerous mission and is injured, Tu Reh, a member of the Karenni tribe must decide whether or not to save him. To do this Tu Reh must lay aside his painful history with the Burmese people and begin to see Chiko as a human being.  The horrors of war and importance of education are two themes in this book, as are friendship, loyalty, forgiveness and compassion.
      
           Books like Leaving Gee's Bend and Bamboo People encourage kids to think about important social issues, and can help shape their values.

Sometimes a long absence from this blog is not due to inattentiveness as it may appear, but to the author reading book after book that can't rightly be included in the category of Books That Make a Difference.  That has been the case for me in the last few months when my reading has resulted in a dearth of books that fit what I consider books that make a difference.
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In a broad sense any book can make a difference to the reader by broadening her understanding of people, places and historical events making her think, or question. But when the reader is a child or young adult, the most important thing I look for is INSTALLATION OF HOPE.  Children can handle just about anything if it is tempered with hope.  A character can go through intense internal and external conflicts if the reader sees her grow from it - find strength that she didn't know she could muster, learn something important about who she is and is not, make decisions about values.  The young reader can handle horrible external events such as holocaust, wars, natural disasters, if the author shows something hopeful - if the author shows what we have, or can learn from these events.

I've recently read several books that were fun and entertaining but weren't meaty enough to discuss for the purposes of this blog.  Then I read  a trilogy about a dystopia that stopped me cold.  The protagonist, who the reader cares about and pulls for through one exhausting trial after another, gives in and gives up in a very unsatisfying ending. 

I'm not suggesting that the ending should have been happy.  The protagonist may well have lost everything, but should be left with a sense of direction, a way of coping and moving forward.  I think the author wanted the reader to conclude that we have to do whatever we can to prevent the evils of a dystopia, but this series is being targeted at an adolescent audience.  Since adolescence is a time when kids are struggling to solidify values, to figure out what the world is really like, and who they are in relationship to it, is it really fair to saddle them with a hopeless conclusion?

I've been reading a few books from the CCBC booklist (Children's Cooperative Book Center)of top books for kids out so far in 2010 and have been finding books that make a difference.

The Red Umbrella  by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (Alfred Knopf, 2010) is one of those books.  Set in 1961 Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucia and her younger brother Frankie find their daily lives increasingly interrupted by the revolution that is suddenly in their own back yard.  Schools have shut down, people who are opposed to Castro suddenly disappear and even Lucia's fashionista best friend becomes involved with the Jovenes Rebeldes the communist youth movement in Cuba.  Lucia wants to join too, but her parents have doubts about the revolution.  They fear that she and Frankie will be brainwashed by propaganda and will not get the education they deserve.  In a heart-wrenching decision, they decide to ship their children to the United States where the Catholic Church will find foster homes for them.  The mission, Operation Pedro Pan, is centered in Miami.  The reader must imagine what it would be like to lose your family, friends, possessions, culture and even your language to enter into a new life with people whose understanding of you is less than ideal. 


This is a heart-opening story beautifully rendered. Told from Lucia's perspective the reader will relate to the realistic portrayal of a girl who struggles to fit in to a new culture, a new lifestyle and language while at the same time going through normal adolescent struggles- liking boys, wanting to be popular, having difficulty with parental controls even though parents are so important.  The reader is invited into the richly portrayed Cuban culture in the 1960's and gain insight into an important historical period with fresh eyes.

Another recent book find is Cynthia Kadahota's new book A Million Shades of Gray. (Atheneum Books, 2010).  Already  a fan of Kadahota's books,having read Kira Kira winner of the John Newbery Medal a few years ago, and especially her book Weedflower about a Japanese internment camp, I was eager to read her latest.  Set in South Vietnam in the early 1970's, it is about a young boy who trains elephants.  Like The Red Umbrella, Y'tin, his family and village are in danger because of an impending take over.  This time it's the North Vietnamese who threaten the lifestyle of villagers.  At first Y'Tin is not  worried because he trusts that the Americans will keep their promise to come back and help if the North Vietnamese violate the Paris Peace accords.  But slowly he realizes that the American Special Forces who befriended him and others in the village, will not return.  When the North Vietnamese overtake the village many are killed while others are rounded up and imprisoned.  As Y'Tin endures a long journey to find his family, he is forced to make sacrifices he never dreamed he'd have to make.  A Million Shades of Gray is a coming of age story that cuts to the heart of what's truly important in our lives and what we will let go of to bring our dreams to fruition.

I just spent a weekend at a nunnery - a real nunnery.  It was the Siena Center in Racine, WI right off Lake Michigan, and I was there to attend and speak at  the Wisconsin SCBWI (Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)writer's conference. I don't think my Saint Training  protagonist, Mary Clare, would have lasted long in such austerity, But as the Mother Superior she likely would have had it re-decorated immediately. 

The bedrooms were simple cells with concrete walls, a single bed, small desk, rocking chair, and closet.   Two twigs in the form of a cross hung above the beds, and on the opposite wall hung a small framed religious picture.  Bathrooms were communal. Participants had to agree to be quiet in the halls of the sleeping quarters.  We had to put sheets on our own beds and strip them before we left.  Meals were typical cafeteria style with meat and potatoes at every meal.  But the nuns - some in full regalia, others in street clothes - were warm and gracious and accommodating.    The weather was absolutely beautiful and the comaraderie phenomenal.

We had some great speakers.  I was especially excited to meet Deborah Wiles who has written some of my favorite books such as Each Little Bird That Sings, and Freedom Summer.  She talked about how she learned to create characters and how her own life experiences became fodder for imagining her characters.  Bruce Hale, author of The Malted Falcon and Snoring Beauty, gave a beautifully executed speech on building suspense in fiction.  Greg Ferguson, editor, introduced us to Egmont , a publisher that has only recently started in the United States but has been thriving in the UK for over 100 years. Loraine Joyner, art director at Peachtree Publishers gave a lecture that I missed, on how Peachtree acquires art work.  We were also treated to a lecture by Lisa Yoskowitz, Editor at Dutton who talked about how she evaluates books submitted for publication.  And Mary Kole, agent from Andrea Brown Literary Agency, spoke about what she looks for in manuscripts as an agent.

Five Wisconsin authors also gave speeches.  Deborah Jacobs offered new members a myriad of information on the publishing process.  Georgia Beaverson spoke shared tips and handouts on writing the one page synopsis.  E.M. Kokie provided a process for finding the right agent,  Jamie Swenson offered help on sticking to one point of view.  My lecture was on writing to foster emotional growth in the middle-grade and young-adult reader.

Everyone I spoke to felt that the line-up was great and the lectures wonderful.  Wisconsin has a strong SCBWI group with more and more members publishing every year.  I love being a part of it.

What I want to know is how do published writers ever have time to write? Oh I know that things will eventually slow down, but right now I'm a bit overwhelmed by so many "first" experiences.  There's the first radio interview, the first book signing, the first SCBWI presentation, the first school presentation.  All of these things take time and the creative energy that I usually put into writing.  When I finally get to writing, my fingers can barely move fast enough over the keys because while I've been doing other things my thoughts are always with my characters.  That's the good news - the writing is always with me.

Having a first novel come out is amazing... radio interviews, newspaper articles, book signing interviews coming up.  Saint Training (Zonderkidz) was originally  slated to come out in September,2010.  Instead, it is being shipped  from the warehouse to bookstores every where today! 

I'm especially happy about that because I've been out of advanced copies for some time and people are getting excited about it from the publicity.  I was interviewed by KNEO radio, MO. already in June  and my local newspaper, The Daily Jefferson County Union, ran an article today.  I will do two radio interviews on August 19.  From 9:00 - 9:30 am central standard time I'll be talking about the book on WFAW radio 940 AM, and on WPR on 90.7 FM from 11:06-11:40 AM central standard time.  Then on Saturday September 18 I have my very first book signing at Velveteen Rabbit Book Store in Fort Atkinson WI From 10-12.  And on October 16, I'll be teaching a break-out session for writers at the WI-SCBWI conference in Racine, WI.

When schools are open in September, I'll begin making plans to do school visits.  Meanwhile, I'm preparing for presentations. 

Love the process - just love it.  Wish I could get more writing done, and read more books, but you can't have it all.

July has been  fast-paced and lots of fun.  On July 9 I went back to Hamline University for an alumni reunion and saw many classmates and faculty members.  Gary Schmidt, who mentored me through my debut novel, Saint Training, managed to garner galleys for each faculty member.  This created a wonderful, congratulatory buzz that I thoroughly enjoyed.  As graduates we critiqued each others work and I was impressed at the advanced writing level of each of my colleagues.  We have all continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

Barely a week after I returned from that, my amazing and accomplished critique group gathered for a three-day writing retreat.  We wrote, we played, we talked about books, and ate everything we could get our hands on.

Naturally the book that everyone wanted to discuss was this years Newbery Award winning, When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead.  This middle-grade novel is tightly woven, without a spare word or thought.  It's the kind of book that surprises the reader when he or she realizes the direction the author takes.  The reader thinks that the book is one genre but it morphs into another.  When I finished it I wanted to begin readining it all over again to appreciate the use of the $10,000 pyramid that serves as a frame for the book, and to explore the objects which were keys to solving the mystery.  It will be interesting to see if it is the literary types who read this book - literature teachers, librarians, children's writers because it is so well crafted, or if kids like the book without necessarily knowing that.

The book I really wanted to talk about, but couldn't because a member was reading it and didn't want me to ruin the story for her was Before I Fall. by Lauren Oliver  Okay,  I sealed my lips but let me tell you that it's a book worth reading.  But you have to be really patient.  During the first several chapters you may want to slap the protagonist upside the head for being a snotty, manipulative, mega-materialistic person who's not very likeable.  She is living through the same day over and over again knowing that whatever she does, at the end of the day her fate will be the same - she'll fall, and die.  But she discovers she can change her attitude, right wrongs, distinguish between relationships that are important and those that are superficial.  She undergoes a metamorphosis.  And in doing so she becomes more of who she wants to be.  Thumbs up on this read.