middle grade fiction

It's time for a middle grade fiction edition of The Endless Shelf!

Renata and Emma talk kids books, fantasy, an awesome kids writing competition, frogs, and chocolatey treasure.

RAINE IN THE UNDERLANDS - THE LOREKEEPER SERIES: BOOK ONE
AUTHOR: E.M. Greville
COVER ILLUSTRATOR: Kit Cronk
PUBLISHER: Lightning Source Inc

It's Endless Fun!

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In this week’s episode, Marissa chats with Daniel Nayeri about his new book, THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR THE SELLER OF DREAMS and his twisty road to becoming a published author that included working in publishing, considering being a spy, skydiving, and actually becoming a pastry chef.
 
Topics also discussed: explaining unfamiliar terms to the reader without breaking character, bringing setting to life using the five senses, giving characters something to do in a scene and how it naturally creates worldbuilding, how tiny details (as basic as pockets!) can elude your research, publishing the thing you’ll forever be proud of, and so much more.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa chats with Caris Avendaño Cruz about her debut middle grade fantasy - MARIKIT AND THE OCEAN OF STARS - as well as how to develop a more poetic writing voice; drawing on both folklore and real-life settings when it comes to building your fantasy world; tapping into big emotions, especially for younger characters (plus: a practical use for all your old journals!); how including non-English words can act as a bridge into a specific culture for kids all over the world; some of the major differences between "plotters" and "pantsers" - and a few pros and cons of each method; and having the courage (if not necessarily the confidence) to put your work out into the world.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa chats with Nick Brooks about his debut middle grade novel - NOTHING INTERESTING EVER HAPPENS TO ETHAN FAIRMONT - as well as keeping things interesting for yourself by exploring new genres and mediums, knowing that every type of writing you experiment with - from film to music to books - can make you a better storyteller; one great takeaway from film school - "the plant and the payoff" - and why it is an effective technique to both impress your readers and help them feel more connected to the story; how story structure is largely intuitive, but the tools in your writing toolkit can be strengthened through formal education and studying the craft; a few elements to consider when developing an extraterrestrial or non-human species; fighting to be seen as a creator, and then facing impostor's syndrome once you are there; and some different ways to care for yourself while balancing a busy professional and family life.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

One of the most common themes in literature for young people is boundaries crossed—in friendship and family.  Young people are changing rapidly, and they often find it very hard to know their own boundaries, or when they've crossed the boundaries of others, until conflicts arise.  With our guests Ona Gritz, author of the middle grade novel, August or Forever, and Carol Dines, the author of the young adult novel, The Take-Over Friend, we  explore what boundaries are, why they are important, why boundaries change in relationships, and why communication in family and friendship is both challenging and important.  

Thanks for listening! Browse our catalog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

Marissa chats with Derrick Chow about his debut middle grade - RAVENOUS THINGS - as well as how fiction, and horror in particular, can help young readers who are experiencing  periods of grief (and how writing fiction can help us work through our own difficult emotions, too); considering the growth and character arcs of not only your protagonist, but supporting characters as well, and how they can all contribute to the larger theme of the story; some great tips on writing a character who has an unusual way of speaking, such as the importance of reading that character's dialogue out loud to keep it feeling natural; deciding whether your new idea is best suited to an illustrated or prose format; and why you might want to step back from a manuscript that is giving you lots of trouble to work on something else for a while - even if you've had interest from an agent.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa chats with Lindsay Eagar about her new middle grade novel - THE PATRON THIEF OF BREAD - as well as taking a trip to the bookstore in order to determine your primary genre; how to beat the querying slush pile (and why slush pile statistics aren't really as discouraging as they seem); using an alternate point of view to build on your story's major themes; upping the stakes in a "quiet" story by giving your protagonist an impossible choice; the fun dynamics of the rag-tag group of characters, and why we all love a found family story; and some top tips for becoming a more prolific writer... just keep in mind that productivity can and should have limits.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Ginger Park, author of The Hundred Choices Department Store, Frank Morelli, author of Breaking News, and Diana Renn, author of Trouble at Turtle Pond join us for a lively discussion about trends, gatekeepers, and the authenticity of voice in middle grade literature. 

Thanks for listening! Browse our catalog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

Marissa chats with Erin Entrada Kelly about her new middle grade contemporary - THOSE KIDS FROM FAWN CREEK - as well as including a multitude of points of view in your novel and how to give a unique voice and character arc to each one; some different ways to think about how you develop primary versus secondary characters; finding the middle ground when it comes to subtext, so that it is neither too vague or too obvious, and still leaves space for readers to draw their own conclusions; one fantastic question to ask yourself during editing that will help you decide what to cut and what to keep; how success does not make self-doubt or impostor syndrome go away, but how we can use those feelings to propel our work forward; and a question Marissa has never gotten to ask before: what was it like to win a Newbery Award?!

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa and her favorite co-hosts - Sloane and Delaney - chat with Lisa Stringfellow about her debut middle grade novel - A COMB OF WISHES - as well as drawing on mermaid stories and folklore from around the world to create merpeople that feel both new and familiar; some of the "rules" of writing middle grade fiction, and how sometimes you need to listen to your own instincts in deciding what rules to break and how far to push those boundaries; reading your work aloud as a helpful editing tool, both to establish a pleasant cadence in the language but also to make sure what you want to say is really coming across to the reader; using traditional oral storytelling techniques in the written word to help establish a relationship between the reader and the writer; and how teachers can use NaNoWriMo's Young Writer's Program to inspire their students and create a community of writers in the classroom.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa is joined by her daughters, Sloane and Delaney, to chat with Maryrose Wood about her new middle grade novel - ALICE'S FARM: A RABBIT'S TALE - as well as writing in third person omniscient point of view (yes, even for young readers!) and how multiple perspectives can be used to show the interconnectedness of your characters, subplots, and the world at large; how following our writerly intuition often pays off with a serendipitous gift from the universe... or research; crafting authentic cultures and belief systems based on factual research, even when your characters are animals; and the pleasure of lush, sophisticated language and vocabulary, and how neuroscience proves that we shouldn't be afraid to use it in children's fiction. Plus, Sloane and Delaney tell the story of our real-life bunny adventure!

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Enjoy our presentation of The Key to Extraordinary written by Natalie Lloyd and published by Scholastic Press. Twelve-year old orphan Emma Casey lives by a haunted graveyard in her Tennessee town, giving tours, and helping her brother and Granny Blue with the family bakery, and waiting for the destiny dream of her ancestors--but when it comes it shows her only a key, and she finds that she must solve a ghostly mystery that has haunted her town for generations.

The Key to Extraordinary was a Junior Library Guild Selection and was named to the Bank Street College of Education Best Books of 2017.

The Key to Extraordinary is recommended for ages 10. Please see Kirkus for more information and reviews. https://bit.ly/KeytoExtra_Review 

This title is available as an audiobook on Hoopla.

Hoopla Audiobook - https://bit.ly/KeytoExtra_HooplaAudio

 Please visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.

Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340

Marissa chats with Amy Kim Kibuishi and Kazu Kibuishi about their graphic novels - REALM OF THE BLUE MIST: BOOK ONE OF THE REMA CHRONICLES and AMULET - as well as the bittersweetness of reaching the end of a decades-long project; why romance might be more "acceptable" in middle grade graphic novels than prose novels (though Marissa would love to see more romance in both!); the state of the comics market and where it might be headed next; how living your life according to your values can help you be a good role model for young readers, without the pressures that sometimes come with a more public life; and some great advice for pacing yourself and your creative output, rather than always racing toward the next deadline, in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid the dreaded burnout.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Marissa chats with Basil and Kevin Sylvester about their co-written middle grade novel - THE FABULOUS ZED WATSON - as well as writing aspirational "weird kid" characters that can help encourage self-acceptance in readers; the power of brainstorming as a duo and how receiving instant feedback and bouncing ideas off each other can make for speedier writing; one method for dividing the work between co-writers, even when their processes put them on different schedules; how today's young readers are ready for books that feature non-binary/LGBTQ+ characters having adventures beyond the coming-out narrative; and some great tips on creating a fictional treasure hunt that is full of the same allure and wonder that make real-world treasure hunts so enticing.
 
Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Enjoy our presentation of Girl Giant and the Monkey King written by Van Hoang and published by Roaring Brook Press. Eleven-year-old Thom Ngho is keeping a secret: she's strong. Like suuuuper strong. Freakishly strong. And it's making it impossible for her to fit in at her new middle school. In a desperate bid to get rid of her super strength, Thom makes a deal with the Monkey King, a powerful deity and legendary trickster she accidentally released from his 500-year prison sentence. Thom agrees to help the Monkey King get back his magical staff if he'll take away her strength. Soon Thom is swept up in an ancient and fantastical world in where demons, dragons and Jade princesses actually exist. But she quickly discovers that magic can't cure everything and dealing with the trickster god might be more trouble than it's worth.

Girl Giant and the Monkey King was named a Kirkus Best Book of 2020.

Girl Giant and the Monkey King is recommended for ages 10 and up for depictions of bullying. Please see Common Sense Media for more information and reviews.  http://bit.ly/GirlGiant_Reviews

This title is available as an eBook on Libby by Overdrive. 

Libby eBook - http://bit.ly/GirlGiant_LibbyeBook

Please visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.

Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340

Marissa chats with Arnée Flores about her debut middle grade fantasy - THE FIREBIRD SONG - as well as the importance of preparing for and practicing your elevator pitch; how to handle it when an agent or editor asks you to drastically trim your manuscript's word count - and one idea for what to do with all the content that gets taken out; how focusing on dramatic chapter endings can improve the overall pacing of your novel; and adapting your writing schedule to life with young kids. (Speaking of young kids, there is also a surprise visit from Sloane and Delaney and a butterfly!)

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Enjoy our presentation of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda  by Tom Angleberger, and published by Abrams. Dwight, the weirdest kid in the sixth grade, has started talking to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. But, as though that wasn't weird enough, origami Yoda actually seems to know things. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment. Dwight's classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, Tommy assembles his first case file: the Strange Case of Origami Yoda.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is recommended for readers age 9 and up. Please see Common Sense Media for more information and reviews. http://bit.ly/OrigamiYoda_Reviews

This title is available as an eBook and audiobook on both Hoopla and Libby by Overdrive.

Hoopla eBook -http://bit.ly/OrigamiYoda_HooplaeBook
Hoopla Audiobook - http://bit.ly/OrigamiYoda_HooplaAudio
Libby eBook -  http://bit.ly/OrigamiYoda_LibbyeBook
Libby Audiobook -  http://bit.ly/OrigamiYoda_LibbyAudio

Please visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.

Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340

Marissa chats with Ally Carter about her new middle grade novel - WINTERBORNE HOME FOR MAYHEM AND MYSTERY - and her guide for young writers - DEAR ALLY, HOW DO YOU WRITE A BOOK? - as well as how the young adult market has changed over the past fifteen years and what that might have meant for Ally's debut series; some tips for writing heists and action sequences (hint: the simple solution is often the best solution); some of the challenges unique to middle grade fiction, including getting the adults out of the way and solving the transportation conundrum; and the joy that comes from having one or two side projects in the works that are just for you.

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

 In anticipation of the release of our 2019 Kraken Book Prize-winning title, Thomas Creeper and the Gloomsbury Secret, J.R. Potter will be joining us on A Conspiracy of Lemurs to chat about would-be heroes in crisis, heroes who have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We’ll explore the role of the underdog hero in middle grade fiction and the lessons we can learn from them at any stage in our lives. 

Thanks for listening! Browse our catalog and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!

Marissa chats with Jennifer A. Nielsen about her new middle grade historical novel - RESCUE - as well as how historical fiction is a great tool for showing kids and teens how exciting history actually is; the fascinating neuroscience that reveals how reading in elementary and middle school is intrinsically different than reading as an adult; how a character's voice can be uncovered by letting them "speak" to us; and some nerding out over codes and cryptology (which might become Marissa's new hobby).

Books discussed in this episode can be purchased from your local independent bookstore or buy them online from the Happy Writer bookshop.org store (that benefits indie bookstores) at https://bookshop.org/shop/marissameyer

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/