so i asked agent tracey what she thinks i should write next because while i have always believed you should write from the heart and write about what interests you, i would like to find something that interests me that i might be able to sell on down the road, you know? writing a novel is a long absorbing process and i'd like to increase my chances for having it all mean something when i'm done.
Anyhoo.
She told me to think middle-grade. Twelve year old character. Classic coming of age stuff.
So i'm trying to think of the books i really, really loved when i was in the fourth/fifth/sixth grades to guide my thinking. and i would love you to tell me what books you loved when you were a kid. you can even tell me why. please don't feel shy about posting if you've never posted before. i'd really love your feedback.
i apologize if i've asked for the info before. it's possible because i'm forgetful. like sometimes i obviously forget to hit the shift key when i need to cap.
on the food front? it's been raining cupcakes here. thanks to everyone for bringing them by. and thanks to my neighbors for food and love.
8 comments:
I'm sitting here with my 5th grader and asked what her favorite books are. Here's what she said:
"Anything funny, action, Nightmare Academy, Capt. Underpants. "
As for me, There was this book about kids who went to an island all to themselves (I can't remember the name of it), but I thought it was cool they were independent. Also Caddie Woodland and Rebecca of Sunnybrook. Not too exciting, although I loved comic books and probably would have read funny books if I knew they were out there.
I had some bad experiences with a couple of my grade school teachers that kind of turned me off from reading when I was in elementary school. As a result, I think I may have been reading a little below my level. But my favorites were:
THE BABYSITTERS CLUB (it's not a mistake I put this first, I read as many of these as I could get my hands on)
NANCY DREW
THE DARK IS RISING SERIES
MATILDA
PEPPERMINTS IN THE PARLOR
A WRINKLE IN TIME
ROLL OF THUNDER HEAR ME CRY
THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC
Happy Research Reading!
I would same AMEN to all the books that BBB mentioned.
I would also add...
The Encyclopedia Brown series. Each book had several mysteries that you had to figure out and the answers were at the end of the book. I really loved those.
Ella Enchanted. My favorite book of all time when I was younger.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I liked this book because I also had younger siblings and I felt like I could relate to the stories.
Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary. Locked in Time by Lois Duncan.
Many that have already been mentioned--Ella Enchanted, Romona Quimby Age 8, Little House on the Prairie, The BoxCar Children, The Face on the Milk Carton, The Silver Crown, and I poisoned my brain with the Goosebump series,
Bridge to Terabithia is by far the most memorable book for me. I loved Leslie's character because she inspired imagination and let Aaron be a kid when he felt like he needed to grow up, and I think that's what I needed when I read the book. I also really liked that she ends up dying...because it validated the book to my younger self. I recognized it as real. I still cry when I read that part of the book.
Also, have you ever read Everything on a Waffle? It's a very quick read and I know you'll love it. This is the most-recent pre-teen book that I've fallen in love with. Funny and real. And it includes a coming of age girl, and food--two things that will always have my attention.
Harriet the Spy. . .by far my favorite book when I was 11. My 12-year old daughter loves the Ordinary Boy series, and the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke. All the Lois Lowry books are great, too. . they were always a big hit with my children when they were about 12. (The Giver, Number the Stars)
But. .Barbara Park. I think you would be great writing in that style. We need more Barbara Park-type books. Skinnybones. Junie B. Jones. The Kid in the Red Jacket. Mick Harte Was Here. Some hilariously funny. Some that really get your heart. But. . .write! Please, write.
1. Nancy Drew. Oh my God. I roared through this series. To go along with it, I also loved Trixie Belden, which I actually think might have been a better series, but there were less books.
2. . . . but truthfully, there is only *one* book, and it is named Harriet the Spy. That book! The power, the might, the awesomeness. That is the book I loved and loved and loved and still love.
Also, Little Women and the entire Louisa May Alcott oeuvre. I read every single Beverly Cleary book, including Sister of the Bride, which I adored.
Did I mention Harriet the Spy? I learned the word "plotz" from that book, which I still use in conversation despite the fact that no one else has any idea what I am talking about. (to plotz: to be aggravated beyond bearing, in case anyone wants to know)
Recently, I found The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. A perfect book.
Of course, you have just written a great book for fourth graders with magic in it, no less. Everybody likes spies and mysteries. Maybe it's time for a new sort of Harriet or Nancy Drew.
Agatha Block. Proud to be named after Agatha Christie and a marble. Aggie.
Never mind.
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