THE RED PENCIL — Review

Thought for the Day:

“The key to all story endings is to give the audience what it wants, but not in the way it expects.”
~ William Goldman ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Pacing is something, as writers, we need to think about. If we manage pacing well, it can make a world of difference in how our work is received. HERE K. M. Weiland has a GREAT post called Learn How to Pace Your Story (and Mind-Control Your Readers) in Just 8 Steps. This is chock full of great stuff.

Looking for ways to keep your word count under control? HERE Nathan Bransford has a really good post that can help with that: Don’t over-explain default objects and gestures.

Want to know why agents and editors stop reading? HERE is a great post by Jane Friedman that will give you The Big Reasons Agents and Editors Often Stop Reading.

I don’t usually watch the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and I finally figured out why I stopped. I used to watch the big three (Wimbolden, the French, and the U.S.) but many years ago stopped the U.S. I’m watching it this year, and I realized the sound of tennis shoes squeaking on the hard surface is what made me stop. It’s a lot like fingernails on a chalkboard. But there are some really exciting players that keep me watching — Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, and more. I’m having fun. I’ve also been picking up the pace on my writing now that summer is coming to an end. I sent in a first page to a first-page review by an agent on Kathy Temean’s wonderful Writing and Illustrating blog, and mine was one of four chosen. Boy, howdy, did I get excellent feedback. Just what I needed to hear. I had gone down a research rabbit hole and included way too many of the fun facts I had found. I have only done one revision pass since getting the feedback, but I already cut a LOT of unnecessary words. I also prepared a couple of submissions that will go out on Tuesday. The weather in Sacramento is moderating, so for a lot of reasons, it’s good that summer is ending. I hope you are enjoying your long Labor Day weekend.

Every Wednesday, I get on a Zoom meeting with several women with whom I used to teach years ago in San Jose. We talk about old times, what is going on in the world, and once a month, we talk about a book we have all read that month. We take turns choosing the book. This month we read THE RED PENCIL by Andrea Davis Pinkney. I don’t know how I missed this one when it came out back in 2015, but I did. It is certainly as relevant today as it was then, and I’m really glad I had a chance to read it. Maybe it is being widely taught in middle-grade classrooms, but I don’t know. It certainly should be. What a spectacular book. As I often say, it is never too late to review a good book, so here goes.

Amira lives a quiet life in her Sudanese village. Her father, Dando, is a farmer and often has friendly arguments with their neighbor, Old Anwar, about who has the best tomatoes. Amira’s mother, Muma, works just as hard as her father, hauling water, cooking, and trying to keep their little hut and their family clean. Amira has a little sister, Leila, who was born with serious birth defects, causing her to be severely crippled, but she gets around quite well in spite of it. It is Amira’s twelfth birthday, and she has to say goodbye to her best friend, Halima. Halima and her family are moving to Nyala, a city too far for them to be able to see each other. And Halima will get to go to school and learn to read and write, something Amira dreams of. But there are more dire problems facing the family. There is war in the region, and it is not long before the village is attacked. Dando is killed and the family must flee to safety. With the help of Old Anwar, they gather what they can and travel to a refugee camp. Life is not much better there, but they seem to be safe at least, and Amira still dreams of school. It will be up to her to make the changes she needs in her life.

Andrea Davis Pinkney has written a powerful novel in lovely, lyrical verse, nearly the antithesis of the story she is telling. She has drawn a picture of a life that is unknown to young audiences in our country (and to many adults as well), but one that should concern us. We have so much in this country, and we need to be more aware of the rest of the world. This is an important book that is told in such a way that will really move readers. I can’t recommend this enough.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.