Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

I've never read Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson books.

I mean, so many books, so little time, and all that.

But I've made no secret of my love of her writing.

And now I've just finished Leroy Ninker Saddles Up (a spin-off of the Mercy Watson series).

I fell in love with that little cowboy dude and his trusty horse, Maybelline.

I mean, that Kate is all about VOICE.

I finally quit highlighting because, what's the use....it's all so dang good.

But here are a few of my faves:

I hope he is a fast horse, he thought. And I hope that he is strong. I will call him Tornado. Leroy found this name so pleasing he had to stop walking and hold himself very still and properly consider the glory of the word.

Patty LeMarque helped Leroy Ninker up on Maybelline's back, and right away Leroy Ninker noticed that the world was different from the top of a horse. The colors were deeper. The sun shone brighter. The birds sang more sweetly.

You got to listen in this world, Hank. You got to pay attention to the informational bits that people share with you.

This is the worst night of my life, thought Leroy. If there is anything worse than being a cowboy without a horse, it is being a cowboy who had a horse and then lost her.

Okay, I'll stop there.

You get the point.

I loved this little book.

Celebrating Words and Voice

Writing voice.

Hard to define.

Difficult (impossible?) to teach.

But there's nothing I love more in a book than a distinctive writing voice.

I may not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it. Or, more correctly, I know it when I HEAR it.

And if you think about it, that is really the literal meaning of the word "voice" - something that you HEAR.

To me, a distinct writing voice is one that sounds unique. It has a rhythm and flow and melody to it that sets it apart from another author's writing voice.

So here are a few examples of voice that I love:

From Patricia MacLachlan's Sarah, Plain and Tall (even the TITLE has a wonderful voice):

He was homely and plain, and he had a terrible holler and a horrid smell. 

and...

There will be Sarah’s sea, blue and gray and green, hanging on the wall. And songs, old ones and new. And Seal with yellow eyes. And there will be Sarah, plain and tall.

From Cynthia Rylant's Missing May:

Whirligigs of Fire and Dreams, glistening coke bottles and chocolate milk cartons to greet me. I was six years old and I had come home.

 and...

Home was, still is, a rusty old trailer stuck on the face of a mountain in Deep Water, in the heart of Fayette County. It looked to me, the first time, like a toy that God had been playing with and accidentally dropped out of heaven. Down and down and down it came and landed, thunk, on this mountain, sort of cockeyed and shaky and grateful to be all in one piece.

From Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane:

Lolly was a lumpy woman who spoke too loudly and who wore too much lipstick.

 and...

The days passed. The sun rose and set and rose and set again and again. Sometimes the father came home and sometimes he did not. Edward’s ears became soggy and he did not care. His sweater had almost completely unraveled and it didn’t bother him. He was hugged half to death and it felt good. In the evenings, at the hands of Bryce, at the ends of the twine, Edward danced and danced.

 From Kate DiCamillo's Flora and Ulysses:

He looked exactly like a villain.

That’s what Flora’s brain thought.

But her heart, her treacherous heart, rose up joyfully inside of her at the sight of him.

 

 From Natalie Lloyd's A Snicker of Magic:

I think that’s one of the best feelings in the world, when you know your name is safe in another person’s mouth. When you know they’ll never shout it out like a cuss word, but say it or whisper it like a once-upon-a-time.

and...

Lonely had followed me around for so long. That word was always perched somewhere close, always staring down at me, waiting to pounce out my joy.

From Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting:

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.

 

 



 

I hate you, Kate DiCamillo

Ha! I knew that subject line would get your attention!

But, seriously, Kate, listen up.

First you go and write that Winn Dixie book that we all love. So now we think, okay, this newcomer Kate gal is gonna deliver some dang good realistic fiction with some funny stuff and some sad stuff and a preacher man and all. Can't wait for the next one, blah blah blah. (And, yeah, yeah....there was that sticker thing and that movie thing.)

But THEN you go and write that Despereaux book! I mean, what the heck, Kate? That's not realistic fiction! That's a rip-roaring good mouse adventure. (And yeah, yeah, there was another sticker thing and another movie thing and all.)

Do you stop there? Oh, no. You whip out that toy rabbit Tulane book with all those great stories woven together and stuff.

Then you toss in a few Mercy Watsons just to really keep us on our toes. (I mean, easy readers or middle grade, which is it gonna be, Katie?)

And I'm not even going to say the words Bink and Gollie. 

But, now, dear Katie, you have really gone and done it.

You wrote Flora and Ulysses.

A book so hilarious, so fresh, so whacko, crazy cuckoo wonderful.

So different.....

I mean, you're giving me literary whiplash here, Kate.

How am I ever supposed to predict what you're going to write for us next?

The only thing I can probably put my money on is that it will be great.

Cause that seems to be how you roll.

P.S. I don't really hate you. Writers never hate one another. (We might hate a copyeditor once in a while, but never a writer.) But in my next book, there might be a poor unfortunate cockroach named Kate who makes an ill-timed dash across the kitchen floor just as a heavy, steel-toed boot is coming down (hard). 

Just sayin'.

X Marks the Spot (Part 1)

Here I am in preachy/teachy mode again. 

Today's topic?

Catalyst

Studying scriptwriting is an invaluable tool for any writer, but particularly for children’s novelists. 

Children's novels are similar to scripts.

1. They are relatively short.
   
2. They need to reveal the story as early as possible.
   
3. They need to be tight and active.
   
4. They must be well-paced.
   

In scripts, structure is critical and clearly defined (setup, development, climax, resolution). 

We talked about setup HERE, HERE and HERE.
 
But now let’s narrow our focus even more. 

One of the most critical parts of the setup of a story is the catalyst. 

The catalyst has two important roles:
1. It starts the action of the story.
2. It defines what the story is about. 

The strongest catalyst - and the most common in children’s books - is a specific action (sometimes referred to as the inciting incident. No, that will not be on the test. Relax). 

Something happens to set the story in motion.

The catalyst should come as early in the story as possible. 

Repeat after me:

The catalyst should come as early in the story as possible.

Why? 

Because young readers want to get into the action as soon as possible. 

In most cases, the reader (and you, the writer) should be able to point at a specific spot on the page and say, “There! That’s where the story starts.” 

X marks the spot!

Some of the best children’s books literally start with the catalyst. They jump right into the action.

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: 

My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white

rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog. 

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt: 

Nothing ever happens in Antler, Texas. Nothing much at all. Until this afternoon, when an old blue Thunderbird pulls a trailer decorated with Christmas lights into the Dairy Maid parking lot. The red words painted on the trailer cause quite a buzz around town, and before an hour is up, half of Antler is standing in line with two dollars clutched in hand to see the fattest boy in the world. 

The Goats by Brock Cole (one of my faves, btw): 

When he came back to the beach with wood for a

fire Bryce grabbed him from behind. The firewood scattered, bouncing off his knees and shins.

“Okay, Bryce,” he said. “Cut it out.” He tried to sound unafraid, even a little bored.

Bryce pulled his elbows back until they were almost touching. The boy tried to look up at the other kids. They turned their faces away, squinting out over the lake or frowning up into the trees above the beach. 

“Hey,” Bryce said. “Do I have to do everything?”
For a moment no one moved, and then Murphy shrugged and knelt down heavily in font of the boy. He was frowning, as if he had to do something disagreeable.

“Don’t,” said the boy.

Murphy pulled down his shorts. The boy’s knees folded, and as he fell Bryce tugged his sweat shirt over his head. It was a new shirt. It had the camp emblem of the Tall Pine on the front. Someone sat on his knees so they could pull off his shoes and socks. Then they let him go. He scuttled sideways on his hands and knees into a thicket of reeds and fell on his side. He could hardly breathe.

“Come on, Howie,” Murphy said. “You’re a goat. Don’t you get it?” 

The boy curled up tightly, squeezing his eyes shut, waiting for the world to explode. 

“I don’t think he gets it,” Murphy said. 

The boy didn't move. He heard the canoes being shoved back into the water. There was a clatter of paddles and a loud splash. Someone laughed. 

There is no question what this story is about: a boy has been stripped naked and left on an island by his fellow campers. 

Notice that the above catalysts are specific actions - a girl brings home a stray dog; a trailer with a fat boy arrives in town; a boy is left naked on an island. 

The catalyst might also be informational.

But I see that some of you in the back of the room are dozing, so I'll save this part of the discussion for later.

Wake up.

Class dismissed.

Share Our Books

The uber-talented Sara Pennypacker, author of the fabulous Clementine books, came up with a brilliant idea called:

Share Our Books

Here's how it works:

At Share Our Books you'll find a list of author-donated books suitable for elementary school community reads, which are available free of charge for periods of six weeks. In addition to the books, each participating author provides a welcoming introductory video and a list of trivia questions. When the books arrive, the school distributes them and implements the read. All we ask is that when the read comes to an end, the books be repackaged and shipped to the next community.

I'm proud to be part of this great project, along with Kate DiCamillo, Uma Krishnaswami, Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Sara Pennypacker.

Children's authors and their publishers have teamed up to help spread the love of reading.

So go ahead. 

Plan a Community Reads or School-wide Reads event.

Request some books.

Start reading.

Then spread the love.