Thought for the Day:
“Literature duplicates the experience of living in a way that nothing else can, drawing you so fully into another life that you temporarily forget you have one of your own. That is why you read it, and might even sit up in bed till early dawn, throwing your whole tomorrow out of whack, simply to find out what happens to some people who, you know perfectly well, are made up.”
~ Barbara Kingsolver ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Every character has a backstory, but we don’t want to tell all that information to our readers. However, we, as authors, need to know the backstory of our major characters. HERE is a GREAT article on All Write Alright site with The Do’s and Don’ts of Revealing a Character’s Backstory.
And while we have backstory in mind, HERE is a good article from the Institute for Writers on Showing, Not Telling, Backstory.
Nathan Bransford always has some interesting writerly information. HERE he talks about how characters can just know things.
One of the things I love about baseball is the quiet times between exciting plays when the fans are simply enjoying the excellent defense or the amazing movement on the pitches. There are the quiet discussions between fans about how something was scored or how the sun or wind affects the game. This week my favorite son-in-law, Gordon, and I went to a Banana Savannahs game. I didn’t know anything about them except they are said to be the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. They travel around the country with a team called the Party Animals and play in different parks. All the tickets were general admission, so we got there early and were able to get some good seats in the shade. (It’s Sacramento. We need shade.) It was a sold-out game. About an hour before the game started, the entertainment began. The teams were introduced; they lined up around the baseline and proceeded to do the cancan. The music was loud and pretty much non-stop for the next three hours. Their announcer often asked everyone to stand up and wave their hands over their heads. This didn’t happen between innings. It happened during the game. The players didn’t sit in the dugouts. They stood on the side of the field, sometimes breaking out into choreographed dance numbers while game was going on. Did I mention the music was loud and pretty much non-stop? It was. It was clear they had some pretty talented players on the field. When you see a guy catch a line drive, do a back flip, and still get the ball to first for the out, you know he’s talented. But it was really hard to follow the game with all the “entertainment” going on. So if the Savannah Bananas come to your town, and you want 3 hours of entertainment, go and have fun. But if you want to see a baseball game, you might want to do something else. It is not a place for baseball purists.
I received an email recently from a publicist for Amulet Books asking if I would like to review a middle-grade book called KEEPING PACE by Laurie Morrison. It looked like the kind of book I would enjoy, so I asked her to send a copy to me. I’m really glad I did. That said, I do want to rant a little about the designation. Some years ago, the publishing industry had a designation called Tweens. To me, MG means ages 8 or 9 through 12 and YA means 15 and up. There is a gap for kids who are in middle school or junior high school, depending on where you live. I see a lot of reviews (and I write some myself) that say the book is for more sophisticated or older middle-graders, but I think it would be smart for publishers to bring back the term Tween. It’s a gap that needs to be filled, and this book is a perfect example of a Tween book.
Grace is a competitor. She has long dreamed of earning the title of top scholar when she graduates from middle school. The only thing that could stand in her way is Jonah Perkins. They used to be best friends, but Jonah had gone to a fancy-schmancy private school for a couple years before coming back for eighth grade, and they are both at the top of the class. Avery, Grace’s cous-twin (cousins born a few days apart) wishes Grace would lighten up and have more fun. Grace’s older sister, Celia, gets Grace to run with her, hoping to help Grace focus on something other than grades. But Grace can’t let go of her obsession with the award, and she is crushed when Johah wins top scholar by half a point, and worse, Grace is given a consolation certificate. Ugh!
Grace focuses on running for the summer when she isn’t babysitting her father’s girlfriend’s son and dealing with her feelings about her parents’ divorce. She finds out Jonah is training for a half marathon, one he wanted to run with his father who had died recently. Grace and Jonah start running together and begin to have feelings for each other. But Grace isn’t always able to express herself well, and she ends up alienating both Jonah and Avery! It’s a lot. Can she possibly find her way out of the mess she created and salvage anything?
Laurie Morrison has written a terrific book that is sure to find tons of more sophisticated MG readers (See how I did that?) who like a little romance and a more complex story than most MG books. The characters are all well-rounded and have complete backstories of their own, adding a lot of richness to the story. She perfectly highlights just how difficult it is for Tweens to navigate this complicated time in their lives. The dialogue is just right for the age, and Grace’s first-person narration will completely draw readers into Grace’s world. And there is a LOT going on in Grace’s world to keep them turning those pages. I could hardly put this one down.
I have a gently-read ARC for one of you. All you need to do is be a follower (it’s free and easy — see the top, right corner of the post) with a U. S. Address, and leave a comment. If you share the link to this post on social media, please let me know in your comment, and you will get extra chances. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
I appreciate your feelings about the 13-14 year old reader. I decided to go with a protagonist who is 13 in my WIP, but then that doesn’t fit the typical age range for a MG protagonist. Then the content, language, and the use of mild curse words is another dilemma. Things that might be acceptable at 13 won’t work for 10-year-olds.
I’ve heard of the Banana Savannahs, but never saw them in person. One of my nephews played in an old-style baseball league in the Bay area. The players used mitts barely bigger than your hand. It was funny to listen to him describe the rules since they were trying to play by the rules of the day. He talked about how the pitcher might throw a pitch as soon as he got the ball back from the catcher. The batter was expected to be ready.
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You nailed it about the tween readers. It’s a hard, hard market. Sounds like your nephew’s teams were a little wacky. That would be hard for me to watch. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I love the Gandhi quote. I think there’s already a designation for this age group: upper middle grade. This looks like a great book, but I’m going to pass on the giveaway. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much.
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I think writers, teachers, librarians, and reviewers use the term upper middle grade, but editors and agents never say they are looking for that. I think it’s a frustrating gap in the business. Thanks for reading and commenting. Always so nice to see you here.
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I totally agree with your review of Keeping Pace. Such a great story told in a page turning way.
Thanks for the links. They look great as usual,but they will have to wait until later in the week in my busy schedule.
Your mini review of the baseball game was also appreciated. I know a few younger people who would enjoy this but I’m more into a real baseball game without the stunts.
Happy MMGM!
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I take it from your comment you have already read Keeping Pace, so I won’t put your name in the drawing. If I’m wrong about that, please let me know right away. Thanks for reading and commenting. Always nice to see you here.
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I’m glad you liked the Gandhi quote! It sounds like you’ve made a thoughtful decision about the book giveaway. If there’s anything else you’d like to discuss or if you have any other questions, feel free to let me know!
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Count me in, Rosi! One of tween readers (and I agree with you about that) will enjoy reading and reviewing this book too. Thanks for the review.
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You are in, Carol. I’m sure you and your tween readers will like this one. Good luck in the drawing.
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First off, I’ve heard great things about this book, and you make it sound so compelling, Rosi! As someone whose self-esteem was maybe-just-a-teeny-bit centered around school and grades, I suspect I’d relate a lot to Grace. And it sounds like the plot is really rich and has a lot to keep readers engaged and turning the pages!
I also agree with you about the gap between MG and YA books. I feel like either authors or publishers don’t want to touch those ages where things are in so much transition—I’m having the same experience now where I wish there were books between YA and adult, for people who are college-age/grad school/first job age, and not just either high school or full-grown adult. I kind of wish publishers didn’t try to fit every story into a pre-existing age range box, so that each book could just be exactly what it naturally wants to be!
And the baseball game experience sounds tricky—I feel like there’s a lot to be said for activities that are peaceful and let you focus on the small details, and it sounds like most baseball games fall into that category. So then something that’s trying to up the stimulation kind of defeats the point of that!
I’m going to pass on the giveaway just because I have about 300,000 books waiting to be read right now, but I really appreciate your thoughtful review and post, and I hope you enjoy your week!
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You wouldn’t be alone in relating to Grace. Lots of people will. That gap in publishing is so frustrating. That transition from MG to YA is hard enough, but without appropriate books, I’m afraid we lose kids who can’t find anything to read. Only 300,000 books on your TBR list? I guess you are catching up! 😉 Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Yes, this sounds like a fun and engaging upper middlegrade read! Love how you mix Gandhi and baseball!
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It’s a good one! Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Hi Rosi,
An as author who writes upper MG fiction, I couldn’t agree with you more about brining in a ‘Tween’ category. Librarians are always clamouring for MG books set in middle school, yet the publishing industry doesn’t recognize the category. You’d think they would be delighted to find an underserved market, but agents who reviewed my book always told me they couldn’t sell Tween fiction.
KEEPING PACE sounds absolutely fantastic. Thanks for the great review and recommendation. I’d enter the contest but alas, I live in Canada!
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Yeah. I’ve never heard and editor or agent say they are looking for Upper Middle Grade. It’s like those readers don’t exist. Very frustrating. I hope you can find a copy of Keeping Pace where you are. It’s terrific. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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