Cary Fagan's Blog

Quite some time ago I stopped posting here. Please see my website, caryfagan.com, for new books and other news. Cheers.

I've been very bad about posting here in the last many months. But I'm personally excited about 2019 (if not quite so excited about the general state of the world). I'll have five books coming out this year, a crazy number. I won't post about them until closer to release dates but if you live in Toronto you might pencil in Thursday, May 30 for the launch of my novel, "The Student." (You can see the cover up on Amazon along with other new titles.) In the meantime, I'll decorate this post with the cover of "Little Blue Chair" that is coming out in France. Happy New year!

Just in time for summer here is my new middle-grade novel, "The Hollow Under the Tree." In 1925 Sadie Menken, a piemaker's daughter, discovers a lion hiding in Toronto's High Park. * Here are some nice reviews: "A beautiful story. This novel will have every animal lover wanting their own personal 'Sunny'." Resource Links. * "Highly recommended. Young readers will definitely enjoy this novel which takes them to a different time in urban Toronto, a time when children could roam the streets to find adventure in the local park." CM Magazine * "An excellent read. Equally suitable as a read-aloud or as a choice for independent reading, this short chapter book will please animal enthusiasts and readers of tales about brave girls alike. Kirkus Reviews

"I have never forgotten any person who has come into my life." - Yiyun Li, "Gold Boy, Emerald Girl

I'm a little late posting about the publication of "Wolfie and Fly: Band on the Run," the second in this chapter book series about a girl who thinks she doesn't need any friends, a boy who desperately wants one, and the fantastical adventures they find themselves on. * "A wild adventure… Entertaining and relatable, Wolfie and Fly’s odd-couple friendship continues to illustrate the benefits of new experiences and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone." --Booklist * "[A] cute, little nine chapter story which would be a great easy read for young readers who want to start reading chapter books… Recommended." --CM Magazine

I had a wonderful time at the writers festivals this fall in Winnipeg, Calgary, Whistler, and Vancouver. It was a privilege to read with so many great authors (Dennis Lee, Steven Heighton, Nathan Englander, Kathleen Winter, Susin Nielsen, Any Jones, Kyo Maclear, Sidney Smith...) and visit so many great schools. I'm always impressed by the positive feeling in schools these days. This drawing was done by a student in Whistler, B.C., who imagined the little blue chair floating over the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains that loom over her school. Nicely done!

I'm really looking forward to reading and speaking at several writers' festivals this fall. The first, in September, is the Thinair festival in Winnipeg. And then in October I'll be at Wordfest in Calgary, Whistler Writers Festival, and then at the Vancouver Writers' Fest. And to top it all off, I'll be at the International Author's Festival in Toronto to interview Danila Botha And Eric Beck Rubin, two fine authors shortlisted for the Vine Awards. I hope you'll join me along the way.

My new middle-grade novel, Mort Ziff is Not Dead, has just been released. Here's the description: *********************************************************** It's the winter of 1965. Norman Fishbein is enduring not only a cold winter but also the usual torments and annoyances from his two older brothers. When Norman wins a thousand dollars in the "Count-the-Doozy-Dots Contest" his parents let him choose how to spend it, strongly suggesting a new car is what the family needs. But Norman decides what his family really needs is their first vacation that doesn't mean camping in a tent--a trip to Miami Beach. A snowstorm almost wrecks their plans, but in the end Norman gets his first plane ride (with both brothers air-sick on either side of him). Miami strikes him as a paradise--warm weather, palm trees, beaches, and ocean. They stay in luxury at the Royal Palm Hotel, owned by the mysterious millionaire Herbert Spitzer. One day at the pool Norman spots an old man in a black suit, who his father tells him is a once-famous comedian named Mort Ziff. (Norman's father thought that Mort Ziff had died years ago.) Holding onto the remains of his career, Mort Ziff is performing every night in the hotel dining room. A chance meeting begins an unusual friendship between Norman and the old comedian. But after hearing that Mort Ziff has been fired, to be replaced by "The Centipedes," a pop group imitating the Beatles, Norman takes matters into his own hands, resolving to save Mort's job and in the process, coming to realize an innner strength he didn't know he had. ************************************************************ And here are the first reviews: "Fagan delivers a witty, heartfelt character study complete with bullying siblings and sweet first crushes. . . . A wonderful read told with elegant simplicity." --Kirkus Reviews **** (Four out of four stars) "Among the most memorable moments are the classic style jokes in Ziff's performance scenes, the hilarious Beatles send up in the self-absorbed Centipedes, and the boys' horror when their mother dons a swimsuit (apparently, they are not as ready as their parents for the swinging 60s!)...Fagan manages to make gold, turning an old fashioned vacation adventure into something more subtle, even graceful."

My latest picture book, 'A Cage Went in Search of a Bird,' was inspired by an aphorism of Franz Kafka's. I'd encountered Kafka's words (which make up the title of the book) twice--once in a book of his aphorisms, and the second time in a poem by Robert Hass. The brilliant pictures are a wonderful match for the story. Here are quotes from some first reviews.* (Starred) "Original and thought-provoking." Kirkus Reviews * "Highly Recommended." CM Magaine * "Has the feel of one of Aesop's Fables. The lavishness of Banafsheh Erfanian’s illustrations embodies the importance of Cary Fagan's words." Canlit for Little Canadians. * Kirkus Reviews has also published an interview with me about the book. You can find it at: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/feature...

I've got a new story in the latest issue of The New Quarterly, just out. It's called "Bear Stories." The last story I had in the journal was in spring 1999. That's - wait for it - eighteen years ago.