Thought for the Day:
“All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?”
~ Philip Pullman ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
No man is an island, as the saying goes, and that is particularly true in creating characters. HERE K. M. Allan has an excellent post on Character Relationship Must-Haves. There are a lot of good ideas here.
We often think of characters and setting as separate pieces of our writing, but they really have to work together and support each other to make a story work well. HERE C. S. Lakin has a great article on the Intersection of Characters and Setting.
I haven’t had a Kristin Lamb post here in a while. I’d forgotten how fun her posts are to read and just how useful they are. HERE she writes about Forgiveness: Everyone Loves a Good Redemption Arc. Her posts are always worth your time.
My trip to Seattle was great. I got to see Maggie’s show three times — first from fifth row center, second from eleventh row left, and third from first row balcony. I think I actually like the balcony view best. It’s a very intricate show, and seeing it from above gives a real taste of just how complicated it really is. We had good weather there (good weather in Seattle means it only rained a couple times) and for the drive back. We had wonderful family time for the last ten days. Maggie left yesterday morning, and now I’m trying to get back to my normal routine. I did get a lot of reading done on my trip, so I have plenty of material for blog posts. I hope you all had wonderful winter holidays and a happy New Year. I do want to give a happy shout-out to Greg Pattridge and his Denver Broncos for some fabulous playoff football. Denver deserves some sports success. It’s been so much fun to watch. I hope they can keep it going since my 49ers are out.
I received an email from a publicist at Candlewick Press offering me a copy of THE VANISHING OF LAKE PEIGNEUR by Allan Wolf and illustrated by Jose Pimienta in exchange for a review. I’m really not a fan of graphic novels, but the story was so intriguing, and one doesn’t often find stories based on non-fiction in the graphic form. Here are my thoughts.
Lake Peigneur is a bean-shaped lake in southern Louisiana. It has a lot of activity every day with local fishermen and a tugboat, the employees of the Diamond Crystal Salt Mines, and those who work at an oil drilling rig on the shores of the lake. The 20th of November in 1980 started like any other day. Miners changed shifts and rode the slow elevator in the salt mine. Men on the oil rig continued their drilling. The tugboat delivers workers to their jobs. But the honeycomb of levels and cuts in the salt mine is a disaster waiting to happen. When the oil drill pierces an old excavated space in the salt mine, it causes the lake to begin to drain. A vortex is created, sucking anything it catches into a huge sinkhole below the lake. Anything. It is a terrifying event for everyone nearby, but somehow, no lives were lost.
Allan Wolf chronicles this amazing story through the points of view of several different people and manages to translate the true terror through his words. The illustrations by Jose Pimienta bring the story to life on every page. This book will be particularly great for those reluctant readers who need an extra kick to keep them reading, but honestly, every middle-grader will find this fascinating. This is a real winner.
I have a gently-read hardback to give to 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 US 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 an extra chance. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
I feel the same way you do about graphic novels, though I know that many kids love them. Someone else would appreciate this one more than I. Despite the 49ers’ blowout, it’s been a great playoff season so far.
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It was a great season. The 49ers were hit hard with so many injuries. It’s a miracle they made it as far as they did. Thanks for reading and commenting. Always nice to see you here.
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I am slowly but surely coming around to admiring graphic novels, and I especially like the nonfiction ones. This one sounds fabulous!
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It really is very good. I’m sure you will like it. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m glad you had a good trip to Seattle and lots of family time. I can’t get into graphic novels. I’ll let someone else win.
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Thanks, Natalie, for reading and commenting.. Not every book is for every person.
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This sounds like an interesting story. My students really like graphic novels this year.
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It is very interesting. I’m certain hour students will like it. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I have a copy on my bedside table, waiting to be read, so you don’t need to enter me in the giveaway. I’m a hug fan of Allan Wolf’s work, having read The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep and The Watch that Ends the Night, both extensively researched and fascinating novels in verse. So now I’m looking forward to seeing how his words pair with illustrations. From your review, it sounds like it’s a winner!
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Wolf certainly has a lot of range. The only other book of his I’ve read is Behold our Magical Garden: Poems Fresh from a School Garden, a picture book. It’s lovely too. I’ll have to get to more of his works. Thanks for the recommendations and the comment.
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I’ve read quite a few graphic novels and enjoyed them. This one sounds different than any I’ve read so far. Thank you for sharing! I shared this post on tumblr, Facebook, and X.
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This is unique and very good. Thanks for sharing my link. I appreciate it. An extra chance for you. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m glad you enjoyed your trip! This book has been on by TBR list. It looks from your review like they’ve done a great job with the story. I’m really excited to read it.
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It’s an awfully good book. I’m sure you will like it. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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When I was reading your description of this event, I said, “Oh no!” and Charlie looked over and then I read, ‘no lives were lost’ and told him that part and he put his head back down. Your words are quite gripping and he’s only part canine and mostly human. 😉 I’ll pass on this one but I wanted to thank you for a great blogpost.
I’m glad you had a wonderful family visit and were able to see your daughter’s play three times!
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Thanks for the nice compliment! Charlie must be a good listener. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I was just discussing with a school librarian acquaintance how hard it is to get kids to pick up a book. She said that the books that kids like seem to be nonfiction and graphic novels. And this has both! I also am intrigued by this story. It sounds fascinating!
I’m glad your trip to Seattle went well! I grew up just north of there, so that’s familiar territory for me. We’re having an unseasonably warm winter here in the northwest, and I’m glad you got to experience a little of it.
And I must check out the redemption article as I’m revising for that on my next pass.
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I’m not a big fan of graphic novels, but I think they do a good job of getting a lot of kids interested in reading. This is a good one. Glad you found a link that looks useful. Thanks for commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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Thanks for the shout out for the Broncos. Tough luck losing their QB but looking forward to the next game. Glad you had such a wonderful time in Seattle. Thanks for the links. I’m looking forward to reading them after I get caught up with everything I’m behind on in this new year. I agree that graphic novels are often a young reader’s first choice. This one sure sounds like an appealing one. Happy MMGM!
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I’m still cheering for the Broncos. You never know. Hope you can get caught up soon. It’s always hard this time of year. I think you’d like this book. Thanks for the comment and good luck in the drawing.
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Delighted to hear you had such a lovely trip to Seattle (and there wasn’t too much rain!). Thanks so much for the links and the smiles. I don’t read graphic novels usually but this one sounds fascinating. It must have been terrifying! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Rosi,
I am a fan of graphic novels, but I haven’t ready much nonfiction. This one sounds absolutely fascinating. Kasey at The Story Sanctuary recommended that I keep an eye on Candlewick because it publishes quirky and interesting stories. Point proven. I will definitely be picking this one up.
Happy MMGM (on Wednesday)!
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I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the comment.
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