My Top 5 on the Texas Bluebonnet List

Hello to everyone!

I apologize for my lag in posting last week. School is underway here and that means we are on the go! I wish that I could say that I spent the last week frantically finishing my manuscript, but alas, it was mostly taken up by training new library volunteers, running the kids around to their activities, and doing homework for my graduate school classes. I have two interesting, but project-heavy, classes this semester so they will keep me hard at work!

But I wanted to flashback to summer a minute and share with you my personal top 5 Texas Bluebonnet books. I was surprised by my mixed reactions to the books on the list. Some I flew threw, and others I really struggled to finish. I am taking a look at what worked and didn't work for me with those books, so I can apply it to my own writing.

I definitely enjoyed more than 5 of the books, but here are the ones that I found most entertaining.

The picture book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is taking the book world by storm. It is so charming and fun, it's definitely one that I can read again and again. Two of the books, Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead and Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell, I had already read before the Bluebonnet list even came out. Both were clever and heartfelt middle grade books that deserve the recognition they've gotten (Flora & Ulysses won the Newbery earlier this year). The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. The adventure novel is obviously going to have a sequel, and I will make sure to pick that one up. I also enjoyed the steampunk adventure novel The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon. I wouldn't have thought of myself a steampunk fan, but the interesting premise and well-portrayed sibling relationships kept me hooked.

I know I said top 5, but if I had to give a few shout-outs for recommendations for reluctant readers, it would be to Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs, Platypus Police Squad: The Frog who Croaked by Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Face Bug by J. Patrick Lewis. All three are fun, easy reads and I especially love Face Bug for combining the high interest topic of bugs with poetry.

So there you have it! Whew! I made it through all 20 Bluebonnet books. I hope you were able to enjoy some as well - or that you add a few to your to-be-read list.

My Top 5 on the Texas 2 X 2 Reading List

Hi everyone!

Well, I've almost finished the Bluebonnet books for this year. I've got one left that I accidentally returned early to the library, so I've requested it and hope to get it in soon so I can finish the list!

For today, I'm going to mention my Top 5 books on the 2 X 2 Reading List 2014, which I also read this summer. As you may remember, these are books recommended by the Texas Library Association (TLA) for age 2 to grade 2. Such a fun range! There are 20 really great books on the list, but I'll share just a few of my favorites.

Two of the books I had already recommended to my SCBWI group before I even knew they were on the list - so those are definitely ones I really enjoyed. The first is The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli. Let's face it, the color palette and illustrations are what really won me over with this one. I love the greens and pinkish-reds and graphic design elements the artist/illustrator uses throughout the book. The second one I had recommended was The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers. Such a clever way to present childhood fears in a reassuring way. Both of these books took ideas that have been done before (swallowing a seed, scary shadow) and put their own unique stamp on them.

Another book that takes a familiar storyline and gives it a fun twist is Little Red Hot by Eric A. Kimmel. It seems like every time I say that I'm tired of fairy tale remakes, a clever one comes along that catches my fancy. This was one of my son's favorite stories of the bunch too. I liked this fun retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It's a great opportunity to compare and contrast the original story to the remake as well if you're presenting it to a group of kids. For more on that concept, see my reviews about Traditional Tales, especially The Three Ninja Pigs.

Digger, Dozer, Dumper by Hope Vestergaard was another one I enjoyed. Poetry and construction vehicles! What an original combination. I liked how the author used a favorite subject for this age, and used it to introduce them to poetry. Very nicely done.

Turkey Tot by George Shannon was clever as well. I liked the way the Turkey creatively solved his problems and didn't give up on himself despite the doubts of his friends. Another example of a nice message delivered in a creative way. Plus - I've always had an affection for those stompers made out of tin cans (read the book to find out what I mean!).

Also, as for family favorites, one of my daughters used her own money to buy her brother Night Light by Nicholas Blechman at the book fair. The cut-outs and guessing factor definitely make this book a winner. As for my husband, Fraidyzoo by Thyra Heder was one of his top picks. He was a fan of the creative illustrations in this twist on the traditional ABC tale. My son also enjoyed Count the Monkeys. I doubt there are many kids who can resist the charm and humor of Mac Barnett.

The 2 X 2 list has a lot of strong books on it this year. I hope you take the time to enjoy them. Tune in next week for my top Bluebonnet picks!

Summer Challenge - Last Check-in

Hi everyone!

Happy Labor Day! I hope that y'all are all enjoying the day. I can't believe we are at the end of summer. Of course, school started for the kids and myself within the last couple of weeks, but we are already appreciating the three-day weekend.

How did you do on the summer reading and writing challenge? I finished all the books on the 2 X 2 Reading List and have two more to go on the Bluebonnet list. Hopefully I'll finished one of those tonight, and then I've only got one more to squeeze in this week. The reading challenge was more difficult than I expected, mostly because I kept getting distracted by other books that intrigued me along the way. But I definitely enjoyed a lot of the books on the Bluebonnet list, ones that I might not have read without the challenge. So I am grateful for it.

As far as my manuscript goes, I'm almost finished with the first draft! I was hoping to be done by today, but I've reset my goal to my birthday later this month. It will be a nice present to myself to get my first draft finished. I'm actually looking forward to revising.

I hope that you are all happy with the progress you've made this summer. Thanks for joining me in this challenge!

Take care, McCourt

Musings on Bluebonnets

One of my goals this summer was to read all of the books on the Texas Bluebonnet list. These books are chosen by the Texas Library Association and geared toward Grades 3-6. At the end of the school year, the kids are encouraged to vote for their favorite book from the list.

I’ve always felt like the range from Grade 3 - Grade 6 was pretty significant in terms of reading material. For example, what an 8-year-old wants to read versus a 12-year-old can really vary, especially when it comes to reading level and comprehension. The list usually tries to include something for all ages within that range, from older picture books to longer novels.

As I discovered with my 2 X 2 challenge, taste is subjective when it comes to Bluebonnet books. While I eagerly read some of the books, others really were a struggle for me to finish. It definitely made me sympathetic to kids who have to read all the Bluebonnet books at school to earn a prize or reward. It is really an accomplishment!

As a writer, I realized I was learning just as much (if not more) from the books that I didn’t like as the books that I liked. I started to ask myself, “Why isn’t this book holding my interest?”

For me, I realized the answer had to do with character. In some of the books, I really didn’t care for the main character of the story. The reasons varied as to why I didn’t like them: sometimes it was an annoying personality quirk, other times the character seemed bland, sometimes it seemed the author was trying too hard to make the character unique and they turned out unrealistic, other times I just found the character mean-spirited and had a hard time rooting for them.  In several of the novels, I found the minor characters much more engaging than the main one. What I discovered was that if I didn’t like the main character, I didn’t really care what happened in the book. Not to sound harsh, but in order to justify spending time reading the story, I wanted to be engaged in the characters and anxious to find out what happens next. I didn’t want to simply be turning the pages and skimming the chapters just so I could check the book off my list.

I realize, of course, that I am not the target audience for these books. So perhaps these characters may not appeal to me, but would appeal to children. I’m hoping to get some feedback from kids who’ve read these books to see how they enjoyed them. But as an author, the experiment reiterated an important lesson - you’ve got to make the reader really care about your characters. They may not always agree with the characters or like everything they do, but the reader does need to be invested and curious about what happens to them. Then that translates to caring about the twists and turns of the plot, and how that in turn affects the characters.

As I look on my own middle grade novel (which I’d love to see on a Bluebonnet list someday!), it has helped me take a look at each of my characters from a different perspective. Obviously, I, as the author, think each of my characters are unique and wonderful. But is that translating on the page? Will my readers be as invested in the story as I am? Have I made my readers care? It’s definitely something to keep working on, and it’s another example of why reading is so informative and important to writing. So read and write on!

Summer Challenge Check-in #13

Hi everyone,

We're approaching the end of our summer challenge. Only one more week to go until Labor Day and the recognized "end of summer." Of course, school has already started here in Texas and it will feel like summer until October, but we look forward to Labor Day nonetheless! It makes us feel like Autumn will get here eventually.

I've got four more Bluebonnet books to read and am working on finishing my first draft of my middle grade novel by Monday. Plus I started back at graduate school this week as well. So it will definitely be a busy, but hopefully productive, week!

Good luck with all of your endeavors this week,
  McCourt

When the Well Runs Dry

What do we do when our passion for our project starts to fizzle? When none of our words seem particularly brilliant, funny, profound, or even the slightest bit entertaining. When we just feel like we are going through the motions?

Well, I think there are two sides to this dilemma. One is the fact that despite our efforts, our writing (especially in the first draft stage) is not necessarily going to blow us away. That’s why they are only first drafts. So sometimes we do have to just go through the motions - just so we can get to that point where we can write “The End” at the bottom of the page. Of course, writers know in our hearts that when we write those treasured words “The End” on a first draft, it really is only the beginning.

The second aspect to this dilemma is that maybe our well really has run a bit dry. I think our creative enthusiasm is linked to what is going on in our world. While I don't believe you should wait until the "perfect" time to write (rarely will that happen), I do think that our exterior life can definitely impact our interior one. When you are feeling uninspired and run-down, maybe it’s time to stop and reflect. Is life particularly stressful right now? Are there extenuating family circumstances that are monopolizing your thoughts? Are you getting sleep? Exercise? Water? Are you getting any of those things on a regular basis? When was the last time you went in for a check-up? Have your overcommitted to other activities or organizations that are requiring an overabundance of time and energy? Or even just a lot of seemingly little jobs that quickly add up in their time demands? Are you surrounded by clutter? Have stacks of paper and to-do lists piled up, offering little hope of ever reaching the bottom and seeing your kitchen counters again?

If you’re anything like me, you’re exhausted just reading this list. And if you’re anything like me - you may see yourself in quite of few (or all!) of these questions and scenarios. Now imagine how all of that can impact your creative energy (or any kind of energy for that matter - your job energy, parenting energy, spouse energy, etc.). No wonder we can struggle to feel passionate about our projects!

So what can we do? Tackling all of these issues at once is most likely going to stress us out even more. Maybe start with one, relatively simple area first. If the mess of the house leading to stress, then ask yourself if you can afford to get someone to come in and help clean - even just once a month. Haven’t exercised in a while? Maybe commit to walking the block (even better taking the dog too) three times a week or just ten minute a day. Drowning in clutter? Spend 15 minutes a day decluttering a section (or try flylady.net for inspiration). Pair up with a friend to challenge yourself in a particular area, such as both trying to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. (Hi Carol - I'm finishing water number 9 as I write this!) You get the idea.

Maybe by tackling some of these exterior distractions, we can refocus on our interior creativity. For more ideas on how to overcome writer fatigue - I highly recommend writer Kristi Holl’s Writer’s First Aid blog at http://kristiholl.net/writers-blog/. Somehow Kristi always seems to know exactly what I’m struggling with, and, better yet, she has wonderful suggestions on how to tackle the issues. I also highly recommend her books Writer’s First Aid and More Writer’s First Aid.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not in this alone. As far as I can tell, all writers struggle at times. You just need to try and remember to stop and replenish your own well and then keep moving forward to that treasured “The End” (aka “The Beginning”). I'm cheering for you!

Summer Challenge Check-in #12

Hello everyone!

  It's our 12th week of the challenge - hard to believe! I hope that everyone is happy with the progress they've made so far this summer. I'm grateful for the challenge or I might not have made any progress this summer. We've been so blessed with such a fun-filled summer of activities, I have definitely had to make an effort to fit my writing in. I'm still working toward my goal of finishing my manuscript by Labor Day and still reading those Bluebonnet books.

  Keep up the good work!
  McCourt