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.
I'm sitting here with my 5th grader and asked what her favorite books are. Here's what she said:
ReplyDelete"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:
ReplyDeleteTHE 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteMany 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,
ReplyDeleteBridge 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)
ReplyDeleteBut. .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.
ReplyDelete2. . . . 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.
ReplyDeleteOf 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.