Monday's Food for Thought

None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.
--John Paul II, Letter to Artists

Author Interview: Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Today we are happy to welcome Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year the Swallows Came Early.

Eleanor (called Groovy) Robinson dreams of becoming a chef… But her dream and her family both begin to fall apart at the same time when her father is arrested. What follows this unique beginning is a deeply emotional and beautifully-written story of Groovy’s path to set things right, follow her dreams, and find a way to forgive.
(Read our original review at: http://thechildrensbookreporter.blogspot.com/2009/06/reporters-review-year-swallows-came.html)

CBR: Did you ever dream of becoming a chef, as Groovy does?

KF: I have never dreamed of becoming a chef and in fact, do not enjoy cooking at all. During the week , I go through the same seven or eight dinners I usually make because I have two teenage boys and they eat a LOT, but on the weekends, my husband (who has always wanted to be a chef) does all the cooking. He has every known kitchen utensil and spends most of his free time coming up with fabulous new recipes. He’ll say things like, “Tonight I’m making a traditional winter dinner.”

CBR: Groovy tries to find the perfect dish for every occasion… What do you think the perfect dish would be to eat while enjoying her story?

KF: In the beginning of the book it might be Luis’ secret recipe tacos, but closer to the end it would definitely be chocolate covered strawberries because they symbolize Groovy overcoming the obstacles that were set in her way.

CBR: Just like Groovy associates certain foods with certain times, is there a food you associate with writing this book?

KF: Probably scrambled eggs, for two reasons. First because they’re so easy to make, and Groovy makes them after her crisis is over because they match her uncomplicated mood, and second because I remember (this was near the end of me writing the book) my oldest son one night telling me “not scrambled eggs again, mom”, when I had forgotten to take something out of the freezer for dinner.

CBR: How long did it take you to write The Year the Swallows Came Early? What were the most difficult and the most enjoyable parts of the process?

KF: It took me three years to write the book. The most difficult part was leading Groovy to forgive her father because in the first draft, she did not forgive him. I had to give her enough time to come around to it without pushing her.
The most enjoyable parts were working with my agent, Jennifer Rofe, and my then editor, Brenda Bowen. I had a lot of fun going through their comments and the copy edits. I kept thinking how fortunate I was to work with such great people and how they helped me to make it the best story it could be.

CBR: Following your dreams is a significant theme in your book… Have you dreamed of becoming an author for a long time? What is your advice to those with a similar dream?

KF: The summer I turned 13, my mother sent me to New York City to visit my grandmother, who was a science fiction author. This was in the 70’s, when science fiction was becoming very popular. My grandmother led a very eclectic lifestyle. I remember we never did anything until late afternoon, and then we stayed up until 2 or 3am. Sometimes, we went to dinner as late as 11pm. Then when we returned, she’d sit down to write until very early in the morning. She told me she did this because the middle of the night was when people said and did things they normally wouldn’t. She had a collection of porcelain owls, because they were creatures of the night. She studied paranormal events. She discussed things like inner motivations and secret desires. She helped me to write my very first story that summer, and stayed up all night typing it so I could have a real story like she had. It was my first real writing lesson.

She worked very hard that summer revising a novel entitled Chrysalis of Death. And one day, we met her agent for lunch, and after listening to them discuss how my grandmother could make her characters into whomever she wanted, I decided that someday, I’d like to be a writer, too. So after I announced my decision, my grandmother proceeded to send me books about writing techniques, books by classic authors, and literary essays for every birthday and Christmas holiday after. One of my favorite books she sent me when I was deep into a teenage poetry stage was a volume of poetry written by Emily Dickinson. Inside the front cover, she wrote: “Emily Dickinson is a revered poet. Perhaps the same can be said of K.H. someday. Love, Grandma Eleanor."

When she passed away, she left me a big box with all of her unfinished manuscripts in it. The box of manuscripts has been a huge inspiration to me. And because of all of the encouragement she gave me and to honor her, I decided that when I sat down to write my own novel many years later, that I would name my main character after her and give her a grandmother very much like my own. I gave the grandmother in my story the same characteristics and even had her give a box of manuscripts to her granddaughter. In fact, because I remember her revising Chrysalis of Death the summer I visited, I decided to include it in The Year the Swallows Came Early. So on page 148, my main character and her best friend find this manuscript and talk about it, along with a few of her others stories. I included her book, Chrysalis of Death inside my book.

She never got to read even the first draft of my novel. But I did send it to her agent three years ago, who is still alive and working in NYC. After reading my book, my grandmother’s agent made the comment that she liked how I included my grandmother’s books in my own books, and she thought my grandmother would have been very proud.

When I started working on my novel, I knew just two things. I knew I wanted to write about my grandmother, and how she left me a box of manuscripts which later shaped my life. But also, I wanted to write about the swallows and their annual migration back to the mission every year. Their return reminds me of a promise which can never be broken. It’s so hopeful to me. I am there every year, waiting for them, amazed that they somehow know the way home.

I would tell new writers to go to as many writing conferences they can attend, and to join a critique group. Both have been invaluable to me.

CBR: Finally, our signature question: is there any question you’ve always wanted to be asked and never had a chance to answer before?

KF: My question would be: What is your favorite thing to write? My answer would be: I hope someday to write a book of poems. I adore poetry. I love the economy of text that makes up its structure. I love the emotion of poetry. I love how one can set up the lines just as they want to highlight certain words or phrases. I have a couple of my favorite poems framed and hanging in my home office.

CBR: Many, many thanks, Kathryn, for answering these questions and for writing such a beautiful story! I am certain we’ll be hearing more wonderful things of you in the future!

To learn more about Kathryn Fitzmaurice, you can visit her website at: http://www.kathrynfitzmaurice.com/

Special Topic: Thoughts on Plot (or, Just Because It Happened to You Doesn't Make It Interesting)

Here's a question posed to me by a former acting professor:
"How many truly dramatic moments have you experienced?"
The answer (pretty uniform through my class): "Um...two? Wait, maybe three... No: one, I guess?"
Which elucidates an important point: while true-to-life stories often make the best books, writers need to be selective about which scenes and moments (and how long of a time-span) they choose to represent.True-to-life and actual life are not the same things.
There is a big difference between the scope of plot in a fantasy novel and a contemporary fiction novel--but the fantasy writers often have the easier job, or so it would seem... Hmmm...things are getting slow: look! a giant, presumed-dead mythical creature just appeared and tried to bite my head off!
Only one problem: that's not real plot. It is action, and gives the allusion of movement and progression, but does it really further the character's story? In a perfectly crafted plot (or so I believe), every moment of action should be working double- or triple-time: yes, it should provide action and entertainment, but it should also further the main character's development and preferably be a result (whether direct or indirect) of the character's choices. Lastly, it should be truly dramatic. It should be a moment worthy of being written because it thrusts the reader into the situation, makes you question what you would do there, pulls at your heartstrings, intrigues your intellect, makes you relive the moment in your dreams and daydreams for hours or days or weeks afterward.

Reporter's Review: The Year the Swallows Came Early, by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

Harper Collins, February 2009
Overall Grade: A

Groovy Robinson knows exactly what she wants: to go to cooking school; wear a tall, oval chef’s hat; learn the exact amount of time to cool a cake before frosting it; make lemon zest fall from her grater like confetti. And another thing: to keep her family together—even if her superstitious mother claims that the zodiac signs predict unavoidable failure. But when her father is arrested, her mother admits to turning him in, and Groovy discovers that his crime is gambling away her inheritance, all her dreams seem to crumble at once. It takes some sturdy friends, a handful of insight, and many trays of chocolate-covered strawberries to help Groovy along her path to understanding, forgiveness, and moving ahead.
Kathryn Fitzmaurice is a brilliant writer with a unique, but comfortable voice which practically propels you into her characters’ lives and fortunes. Every character, and every scene, is true-to-life and completely tangible, and the descriptions and metaphors of daily life are stunning. Once you begin reading Groovy’s story, I defy you to ever forget her.

Literary Quality: A
Plot: B+ (As a character novel, it is light on plot, but nicely constructed)
Voice: A
Originality: A
Descriptive Ability: A+
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A+
Believability of Situations: A
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A

Possibly objectionable topics*: broken families, superstition, gambling (However, these serious issues are dealt with in a subtle, graceful way, reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie…they are serious, but not oppressive.)

Monday's Food for Thought

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
-C. S. Lewis

Reporter's Review: Tropical Secrets; Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, by Margarita Engle

Henry Holt, 2009

Overall Grade: A

Daniel is a young German Jewish refugee, seeking harbor in the last haven available to him and his countrymen: Cuba. Paloma is the daughter of the Cuban official who decides which refugees will be given assistance...and which will be returned to Nazi Germany to face their deaths. As the years pass and the two become friends, their lives change with the tide of war: when the United States enter the war, all Japanese and non-Jewish Germans (even if they are spouses of Jews) are rounded up and arrested. Daniel must risk his own safety to keep others from suffering from the prejudice and danger he has known for so long.

Told in first-person free verse, using alternating viewpoints between Daniel and Paloma (and a couple others, briefly), Tropical Secrets is a beautifully told, exceptionally crafted story of a little-known aspect of history. Margarita Engle uses free verse to her advantage; whereas some free verse "poets" seem to randomly arrange prose sentences to resemble something greater than it is, Ms Engle chooses her words carefully and artistically. In addition, the plot of Tropical Secrets is appropriate to the length and style of a free verse novel, simple enough to be told completely and rich enough to benefit from the stylized language.

But we wonder why the name was chosen... ??? It makes the book sound more like a history text than a novel in verse...which is a grave injustice.

Literary Quality: A

Plot: A-

Voice: A

Originality: A+

Descriptive Ability: A+

Humor: n/a

Illustrations: n/a

Believability of Characters: A

Believability of Situations: A

Overall Reading Enjoyment: A

Possibly objectionable topics*: separation of family due to war, religious prejudice

I just discovered something...

http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/

The 10'ers--the 2010 equivalent of this year's 2009 Debutantes (link on right)!

So now I can begin getting impatient a whole year earlier...

Special Topic: What About the Bad Reviews?

Considering that the large majority of books reviewed here receive pretty good reviews, you'd think either we're not very critical or the publishing world has reached a veritable golden age... While I can't vouch for the latter one way or the other, I wanted to clarify that there are many many books which I begin to read which never end up on my "to review" shelf.
Believe it or not, I have a system. When I start any, and I mean any, new book, I will always read it at least half-way through, whether I find that difficult or not. Some great books just take a while to get started (for example, last year's A Curse Dark as Gold, reviewed here:http://thechildrensbookreporter.blogspot.com/2008/06/reporters-review-curse-dark-as-gold-by.html) and are worth the wait.
But, sad as it is (since many of these books are fair, to give them credit), I simply don't have time to read every book that comes out if it can't hold my interest. There are so many wonderful books being released that I want to turn my attention to them and give them the recognition they deserve. Even a "B" review here means the book was great in one aspect: it was interesting and entertaining, and should be lauded for being so...which is why I'm addressing this issue now.
I don't really enjoy writing negative reviews, quite frankly. Maybe in the future I'll actually review a book I wasn't impressed with...but, to be honest, that will probably only happen if the book is getting recognition it doesn't deserve and is truly poorly crafted--enough to really annoy me. I'm sure we can all think of a couple that fit that category...but I try to avoid them.
For now, though, enjoy the optimism. And enjoy reading these books numbered among the outstanding few!

Author Interview: Rosanne Parry

Today we are proud to welcome Rosanne Parry, author of Heart of a Shepherd!

Ignatius (known as Brother) is the youngest in a family of strong men, most of whom plan careers in the military and/or herding the cows on their family's ranch. When Brother's father, a military officer, leaves to fight overseas, Brother has to step up to be the man of the house...and discover his plan for his own future...

(Read our original review at: http://thechildrensbookreporter.blogspot.com/2009/05/reporters-review-heart-of-shepherd-by.html)

CBR: Heart of a Shepherd takes place on a ranch--how did you discover what life on a ranch was like?

RP: I’ve never lived on a ranch, although I have lived in small towns. I have friends who live on ranches and I’ve traveled through Eastern Oregon several times. There are plenty of good books about ranch life. A current favorite is The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss. Agricultural colleges are a great source of information and YouTube has an extensive collection of calf birth videos. Yeah, I was surprised too! It’s interesting to see but definitely not for the faint of heart.

CBR: Faith and family are such an integral part of your story...was your own family an inspiration for this?

RP: Not really. I used to be an altar boy so the scene where Brother was serving on the altar was lots of fun for me to write. On the other hand, the Alderman family Christmas traditions are nothing like my own. Some writers do base their characters on people they know, but that never works for me. The only character in the book that’s “real” is Brother’s Shetland pony Spud.

CBR: Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for children, like Brother, whose parents are away at war?

RP: So here’s the big secret about being in the military. Soldiers love each other. If you have a mom or dad serving the armed forces, you can be positive that they are surrounded by other soldiers who love them and would do ANYTHING to help them.
The soldiers your parent serves with care about you, too, and they love it when you send your parent pictures and drawings and great stories about your life at home. All the ordinary stuff you do is like treasure to people far away, so send them lots of letters and play piano over the phone and send videos of the school play and tell about your cool science project. Everybody will be glad you did!

CBR: Heart of a Shepherd was your first published novel; what was the hardest part about writing this book? What was the hardest part of getting it published?

RP: My husband is a veteran of Desert Storm and had been off active duty for a dozen years when I began working on Heart of a Shepherd six or seven years ago. By the time I was revising it, I had several family members on active duty and a few had deployments. That made the work far more emotionally intense than it might have been otherwise. The challenge for me was to give the story emotional strength without overwhelming a young reader. Fortunately, I have an editor I trust to help me find that balance.
The hard part about the publishing process is how long everything takes. Even with an agent, it takes time to sell a manuscript. Once you have a publisher it takes months and often more than a year to get on the schedule and through the revision process. Once that hurdle is cleared it may take many more months to design the cover, copy edit, print and ship the books. Once your book is in stores, it’s months before you know whether or not you are making sales. It’s not that I wish things would speed up exactly. I’m glad my editor is committed to making sure I have enough time to write the strongest book I can. The cover and book design took a while, but the result is gorgeous! It’s just hard to wait.

CBR: How do you balance your vocation of writing with your vocation of motherhood?

RP: Lucky for me house cleaning and yard work is not a vocation! Not a lot of that going on over here. Seriously. Ask around.
It helps greatly that the one vocation supports the other. I’m a better writer for having a house full of children. I have insight into childhood I would not have if I were just recalling my own experiences. My teaching and volunteer work puts me in regular contact with children beyond the immediate circle of my family. Children are also very motivating. I have to be purposeful about setting aside a time and place for writing, so it motivates me to get work accomplished when I have writing time.
I also find the writing helps the mothering. Because I’m immersed in children’s books I’ve read most of the books my children love, and we have an easy avenue to talk about what is important to them. Literature at its best is an invitation to a conversation, and I love it that books are a way for my children and me to connect.

CBR: Finally, are there any questions you've always wished to be asked that you'd like to answer here?

RP: Not so much a question but a moment of shameless self-promotion. I’m very proud to be a member of the Class of 2K9, a group of debut middle grade and young adult authors who have banded together to promote our books releasing in 2009. We are all so grateful for the work teachers and librarians do to make literacy happen that we wanted to do something to pay them back, particularly in our current budget crisis. Authors-To-Go was formed out of this idea. It’s a volunteer virtual author visit that the Class is offering to teachers and librarians and summer reading programs in 2009. Pick the book your kids and love and contact us at authorstogo@classof2K9.com. We will arrange an hour-long chat room or Skype visit with our author and your students. It’s easy and fun so give us a try!

CBR: Thank you so much, Rosanne! Your book was such a pleasure to read, and we're very grateful for the time you took for this interview. We'll be keeping our eyes out for Heart of a Shepherd when the award season comes around!

To learn more about Rosanne Parry and her books (and to see more cool pictures like the ones of the lamb and lovely easten Oregon mountainscape she provided), visit her website at http://www.rosanneparry.com/

Reporter's Review: The Amaranth Enchantment, by Julie Berry

Bloomsbury, March 2009
Overall Grade: A

Lucinda is the daughter of wealthy aristocrats, but when they die in a tragic carriage accident, Lucinda is taken in my her uncle-by-marriage and his cruel wife, the owners of a struggling goldsmithy. When Uncle dies, Lucinda is thrown out onto the streets—but fate brings her to the home of a kind, but mysterious woman reputed to be a witch…and it turns out to be Lucinda’s childhood home, as well. Throw in a charming thief, a down-to-earth prince, an immortal villain, and a magical stone that they all seem to be after—and you have the key ingredients for one of the most exciting Cinderella stories you’ll ever read.
The Amaranth Enchantment is gripping and fast-paced as well as romantic. Julie Berry is a master of thinking outside the box, turning a wonderful, but dog-eared, fairy tale into an original novel. Her plot was very clever, though at times the pacing of the events was slightly jarring. There are a few unbelievable moments at the dénouement—but they provide such a satisfying ending that they likely won’t bother anyone. On the whole, a very enjoyable, and highly recommended, read.

Literary Quality: A-
Plot: B+ (While the actual plot was brilliant, the way it was pieced together was occasionally sudden and, as a result, slightly confusing)
Voice: A
Originality: A+
Descriptive Ability: A+
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A
Believability of Situations: B
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: child neglect/abuse, mild swears, some blood and violence

Food for Thought... (Just a nibble, actually)

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Author Interview: Robin Brande!

Please welcome our very first author interviewee (that should be a word), Robin Brande, the author of FAT CAT!

Cat is a spunky, determined, science-buff, who takes on a very interesting research project to win the Science Fair--and get revenge on her former best friend... She decides to live, as closely as possible, the life of the earliest humans. In the process her body--and her life--changes in many unexpected ways...

(Read our original review at: http://thechildrensbookreporter.blogspot.com/2009/04/reporters-review-fat-cat-by-robin.html)

FAT CAT comes out in October 2009--be sure to check your bookstores!

CBR: I've promised never to ask the ever-annoying question: "How did you get the idea for this story?", but there is another I just have to ask even though you probably get it all the time... In your research for FAT CAT, did you personally submit yourself to Cat's diet and lifestyle to see what it would be like?

RB: Oh yes, oh yes. And sometimes that was great—giving up all the processed food felt SO good for my body—but sometimes it was awful—giving up all the processed food felt SO sad for my little tongue. Face it, in real life there are definitely times when you need some tortilla chips and salsa and a few (or a dozen) cookies--book deadlines come to mind. I don’t know how other writers write without the proper dosage of salt, fat, and sugar. But overall, writing FAT CAT—and really, doing all the research for it ahead of time and during it—ended up convincing me to make a huge, lifelong change to the basics of my diet. I ended up where Cat does in the book, which was a big surprise to me, because that’s not at all where I thought we were headed when I first started writing it. That’s what I love about writing books: I end up changing myself as often as I end up changing my characters.

CBR: On a related note, did you actually come up with any of the great recipes Cat develops (which, incidentally, made my own meals while I was reading look like plastic in comparison!)? Any you'd be willing to share with us?

RB: I did try a whole bunch of fancy combinations, all using basic, unprocessed foods like whole grains and beans and veggies and such. I cooked a lot as I worked on the book, because I wanted Cat to be able to experiment with foods, and it’s hard for me to write that if I haven’t lived it. But I’ve found that what I keep coming back to now, post-writing, are the simplest of meals: roasted potatoes with salt and pepper, big honking salads, fresh homemade bread, oatmeal and bananas for breakfast. Pretty exotic, huh?

CBR: One of my favorite things about your story is the element of relationships that you developed and the amazing job you did developing true-to-life, lovable characters. Did people you know inspire the characters of Cat's friends and family?

RB: I love that question! Because I’m sure a lot of writers can tell you that they love slipping in family members and friends—it’s so sweet to be able to spend the day with fictional characters based on people you already love. Cat’s best friend, Amanda, is named after my niece and has a lot of her qualities. But the friendship itself is based on my own friendship with the same best friend I’ve had since I was a sophomore in high school. I’ve always felt that amount of unconditional support from her that Amanda and Cat give to each other. I HATE snarky girlfriends, and it was such a pleasure to write a relationship that felt warm and accepting and true. As for some of the other characters, I’ve given a lot of them names of my friends and family members, and based a lot of them on people I know. It’s always fun to have those people read the book and see if they’re able to pick themselves out!

CBR: A question for those of us out here who pray to be writers someday... FAT CAT was your second book; was it more or less difficult to write than your first?

RB: I’m so glad you asked this. Because I’m one of those classic cases where I spent YEARS—so many years—writing and rewriting the same first book. I’d send it off, have it rejected, rewrite it, send it off again—so much time given to that one book, because I thought that’s all I could ever write. Then I went to a writing conference where the speakers talked about writing multiple books every year—and making a good living as a writer. Until then, I didn’t realize you could even write more than one book a year—that certainly hadn’t been my experience. So I came home all fired up to try it—to see how quickly I could write another book. I sat down and wrote one in 5 weeks. Then took a little break and wrote another one in 6 weeks. They weren’t great art—they never sold—but they did teach me that (1) I have more than one story to tell, and (2) I’m able to start and finish books. Maybe this sounds simple, but that was THE hugest breakthrough I’d ever had. It completely built my confidence that once I begin a book, I can actually finish it—and finish it within a reasonable time (rather than after years and years). This is all a long way of saying that every time you write a book, it gets easier in some ways because you’ve just built up your confidence again with the previous one. Each book has its own fresh challenges, of course, but it’s fun to try to grow your skills with each book, and to know that when you begin, you’ll be able to work through to the finish. You’ve proven to yourself that you can do that. And then when you are finished, you’ll have yet another novel to send out there into the world! It may or may not be the one that gets published, but that’s okay, because you’re going to go write the next one, and that may be the one that begins your career. You’re not hanging everything on just that one novel you keep writing and rewriting.

CBR: Are there any new projects you're working on that we can hope to see soon?

RB: FAT CAT comes out this October, then I just finished writing my new novel, which I’m hoping will be out in spring of 2011. It all seems too far away. Let’s not speak of it yet!

CBR: Lastly, are there any questions you always wish you'd be asked that you'd like to have a shot at here? :)

RB: Yes, as a matter of fact: “What would you like the aspiring writers out there to know?”

1. There is room for all of us, and if you have stories to tell, please tell them. Don’t give up!

2. Be kind to your fellow writers, both aspiring and established. Don’t give in to snark. Remember that there are actual human beings behind the books you’re reading, and if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. You may not understand that until you’re on the other end of a mean review or a comment, but trust me, there is such a thing as Writer’s Karma.

3. Read a lot. You’d be surprised by how much you can learn from reading how other people do it.

CBR: Thank you so much, Robin! We can't wait to see your book on the shelves.

RB: Thank you for this interview! What fun!

Special Topic: Authors are our favorite “real people”

Perhaps one of the dangers of being completely obsessed with books is that we readers tend to put authors on gigantic pedestals, solid mountains of their published books and those that came before them, looking down on us mortals with lofty smiles.
Reality check: authors are real people. Really cool people, granted, but quite approachable and, indeed, mortal and tangible. They’re not abnormal, they’re not weird, and they’re not gods on earth. Their creativity and perseverance certainly makes them worthy of our admiration, but the truth is they really don’t want to be isolated from society simply because their name is in print.
There a couple ways to get over this problem… First of all, we highly recommend seeking out and attending book signings and presentations by your favorite authors. It is a great way to see just how real and likable many authors are—and a good chance for them to meet admiring, but not crazy/worshipping, fans. Did you know that Gail Carson Levine is really cute…and really short? Or that Linda Sue Park loves babies? Or that Jeanne DuPrau is very sweet and shy? Or that Norton Juster used to get picked on in the Navy because he was drawing dragons and castles everywhere? All true—all memories we will keep forever of the chances we had to meet these gifted people.
But meeting an author in person isn’t always possible… so we are happy to announce that we are about to begin a new tradition on this blog: author interviews! Our inaugural interview will be with the delightful Robin Brande, author of the upcoming novel FAT CAT. So stay tuned to meet some cool real people…even if it’s not in the real world…
And a couple addendums…
To readers: please feel free to share your favorite author stories here!
To authors: We always love to hear from you, whether in response to a review or just to comment and say hi. And if you’d like us to review your book and/or feature you in a future author interview, please email us at thechildrensbookreporter@gmail.com. (We have a particular soft spot for debut authors, as well, so don’t be shy. :)

Reporter's Review: Distant Waves; a Novel of the Titanic, by Suzanne Weyn

Scholastic, 2009
Overall Grade: A

Jane Taylor can remember the day, when she was only four, that her life changed: her medium mother seemingly contacted a spirit “from beyond”; her family was caught in a freak earthquake caused by the odd and genius scientist Nikola Tesla; and her mother decides to move her family of five daughters to the little town of Spirit Vale, New York, inhabited entirely by those hoping to make their living through the new fad of spiritualism. For the next twelve years, Jane’s life is stuck in this surreal setting, until she runs away with her older sister Mimi to interview the great Tesla for a journalism contest. The trip is life-altering, to say the least: Jane meets her hero,Tesla; she falls in love with his handsome assistant; and Mimi runs away to be the companion of Ninette Aubart, the beautiful and wealthy mistress of Benjamin Guggenheim, wealthy business magnate. Once introduced into this new world, the Taylor sisters follow on a path that leads their whole family, and many of those they love, to face their lives, and possible death, on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.
Distant Waves is a very enjoyable read, skillfully blending elements of historical fiction, romance and fantasy almost seamlessly. Suzanne Weyn did a laudable job connecting the reader to the various characters and their dilemmas; the character changes were always tied so closely to the ever-moving plot that it was impossible to lose interest in their lives for even a second. Only on reflection after finishing did we realize that a few situations and character decisions were fairly unbelievable—the story is so engrossing that they won’t be bothersome to any but the most analytical and critical (which, we fully admit, we probably are). Especially considering how many Titanic stories are out there, this novel was refreshing and original—and surprisingly uplifting—so don’t be afraid to pick this up even if you, like us, dread the tragic ending.

Literary Quality: A
Plot: A
Voice: A
Originality: A
Descriptive Ability: A
Humor: n/a
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: B
Believability of Situations: B
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: many attempts (mostly fake but a couple real) to contact the dead through “spiritualism”; a couple in an adulterous relationship

Reporter's Review: Troll's Eye View

Viking, 2009

Overall Grade: A

Troll's Eye View is a collection of short stories and poems by various prominent fantasy authors (Neil Gaiman, Holly Black, and Peter S. Beagle, to name a few), told with the aim of presenting a fairy tale from a different point of view: the villain's. The stories are diverse in style and telling--but consistently entertaining.

It's impossible to give a traditional review of this book due to the number of stories, but we highly recommend it. If you are a fan of fairy tales, a fan of villains, or just a fan of good literature, be sure to pick this up and find your own favorite bad guy. (Ours was the witch from Sleeping Beauty, a la Neil Gaiman...)

Possibly objectionable topics: fairy tale violence, including: abuse, murder, eating of children. (If you can't stomach the original Brothers Grimm, you would do well to avoid this, basically.)