Michael Scotto's Blog

So, this is a touch embarrassing.

A couple days ago, a reporter from NY1 was threatened on camera by a congressman from New York. The reporter held his ground well, remaining respectful and professional in the face of what had to be a scary scene. That reporter’s name is Michael Scotto. However, he and I are not one and the same.

I’ve received a few notes privately, which are obviously meant for this reporter. If you came here looking for more information about Michael Scotto the reporter, here’s a link to his bio. I’d suggest that any well wishes be directed to NY1.

Thanks!

I break my months-long radio silence to share with you some exciting news!

You know, 2013 has been something of a roller coaster year for me. Triumph, heartbreak — all the ingredients that make a life.

Happily, I can say now that I’ll be ending the year on a high note.

My beloved city of Pittsburgh recently elected a new mayor, Bill Peduto. It’s my honor to announce that I’ve been invited to serve on our new mayor’s Transition Committee. I’ll be working with a number of my fellow citizens to develop initiatives for the incoming administration to pursue in its first 100 days.

I won’t officially know on which of the eight Transition Teams I’ll be serving until after Thanksgiving. Wherever I land, though — be it Education & Neighborhood Re-Investment or elsewhere — I am so proud to give back to Pittsburgh, which has given me so much. (And I’m not just talking about the sweet background image on this website.) I can’t wait to build something wonderful.

(FridayReads is a feature in which I discuss a book that I’m either currently reading or just have on my mind. It is inspired by @TheBookMaven and her #FridayReads hashtag.)

It’s been a while since I’ve last written. It’s been a difficult summer, without a ton of redeeming features. (One notable upshot is that I’ve gotten into bike riding, which has been a wonderful way to clear my head and see my city from a different vantage.)

Anyhow, I stopped reading Newbery books for a while, but now I’m ramping it back up and come to you with a report on the winners of the 1940s and 1950s. (Previously, I wrote about the first decade of Newbery winners and also the winners of the 1930s.)

Rather than go through all twenty books from the 40s & 50s, I’ll tell you that there wasn’t a lot that I *loved* in this stretch. I actually found the period more notable for what didn’t win than what did. If you didn’t know, the 1950s featured both Charlotte’s Web (1953) and Old Yeller (1957) being beaten by books that, if I wasn’t doing this project, I’d never have heard of. (And rightly so, in my opinion.)

But here is what I did enjoy.

I had a good time with the medieval tale, Adam of the Road. This was the winner of the 1943 Newbery and had a lot of great period detail.

My favorite selection from the 1940s, though, was far and away the 1948 winner, The Twenty-one Balloons by William Pène du Bois. It was a wonderfully inventive and whimsical narrative, with just the right touch of dryness. I had a blast reading it.

From the 1950s…there wasn’t a lot I particularly enjoyed reading. However, the rare non-fiction winner, Jean Lee Latham’s Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (1956), was a pleasant surprise. I grew quite fond of the character of Nat Bowditch and found much to enjoy in his adventures — not to mention the fact that I’m a sucker for a good “bootstraps” story.

The 1950s ended with my favorite book of this group — and perhaps of the whole Newbery run so far. The book is The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1959 winner) by Elizabeth George Speare, a title I knew of before but had never read. I enjoyed the narrative, but even more, I was intrigued by the context in which the book was released — at a time when once again witch-hunts were back en vogue. I found it a fascinating read from that perspective.

So there you have it — of the twenty books, there were four I would strongly recommend. I might also give a recommendation to …And Now Miguel for its quirky perspective, though I did find myself a little weary of the protagonist by the book’s end. The best I can say about the 1940s and 1950s is that they give way to the 1960s, which will feature at least three books that I already know to be wonderful. Pretty excited to discuss them!

Click on the images below to learn more about my work.

Oh, Brother! was originally created by Bob Weber, Jr. and Jay Stephens, and was distributed by King Features from 2010-2011. I worked with the Evette Gabriel Design Group in adapting the strip into a three-volume app for the iPad. For this project, I handled the sound recording for all voice actors, provided the voice of the comic’s male lead, gathered sound effects, and also spearheaded the marketing plans for the app’s launch. Release is scheduled for Fall 2013.

Test

This TED talk by Sugata Mitra has had me thinking all weekend:

It asks a lot of the big questions I’ve asked myself about schools…though I have my doubts about some of his argument. Is knowing obsolete? Hmm — I think that’s an overstatement. For example, I’d rather be operated on by a surgeon who just knows what to do and doesn’t need Google to take out my appendix. The “English Granny” concept is interesting to me — I like the idea of Teacher as Facilitator of Discussion — but at the same time, I think there’s a difference between recitation of facts and understanding.

Still, I was fascinated by Dr. Mitra’s talk. Teacher friends? Thoughts?

“So, what have you been up to?”

I’m glad you asked. (That was you, wasn’t it?)

Lately, I’ve been pretty thoroughly wrapped up in a handful of projects. I’m slowly, slowly chipping away at the new YA novel, tentatively titled Bird With Paper Wings; I’m heading up a team that is developing curriculum for high school English; I’m finishing up with my school visits for the year; I’m practicing my photography when time and weather allow; and lastly, I’m having a ball in my home recording studio, making lots of silly voices.

It tires me out just to list it all! That last item has been a real time investment, but also the most fun. I’m doing all this voice work for a new iOS app on which I’ve been invited to collaborate.

No, it’s not a new Midlandia Press app. In fact (and there are a lot of reasons for this), it’s looking like Be a Buddy, Not a Bully.tcz9{position:absolute;clip:rect(442px,auto,auto,434px);}quick payday loans with small commissions will be the last of my Tales of Midlandia stories to make the leap to iPad. It saddens me, no doubt — especially as our apps continue to get great reviews from places like USA Today, Education.com, and Common Sense Media — but as that chapter ends, another one begins.

Here’s the deal: the team that developed the apps for Midlandia Press is working on a new venture. They’re developing an app-daptation (to coin a phrase) of a syndicated comic strip called Oh, Brother! It will consist of three volumes, with about 81 strips in each. It will also have a lot of creative content, where users can build their own strips in a variety of ways.

So…knowing that a) I have a bit of experience in sound recording; b) I am a pretty good reader; and c) I enjoy doing silly things with my voice, the development team asked me to spearhead all the audio recording for the app. I’m also playing the titular “Brother,” Bud.

Even though it’s not my own creative work, I figured, “Why not?” I do have all this recording equipment; I have the software; and I’m always eager for a new challenge. At times, it’s intimidating, bringing another writer’s work to life. Even when I was making films, I was always using my own source material. But this Oh, Brother! project is great mental exercise. And I’m having a blast doing it — even if the high-pitched voice of Bud requires me to pop throat lozenges like they were Reese’s Pieces. I will definitely be keeping folks posted as launch approaches.

Cheers!

There is so much I’ve felt like writing lately. I’ve just returned from a rejuvenating, soul-moving trip out west; the anniversary of my previous (and to date best-selling) novel, Postcards from Pismo, draws near; and today is my 30th birthday.

And yet, with all that went on this week, I haven’t been able to find words. I wanted to write something about the wonderful city of Boston, about what happened out there — I didn’t want to be trite, or redundant. I just didn’t know what to put down. It kept slipping out of my grasp.

Today, though, I came across the right words. Words that expressed exactly what I want to share, what I want to see around me. I found them at a local artist’s market not far from my house. They’re not mine; but I feel no shame in borrowing something when it’s just right. It’s just three simple words:

That’s all there is to it.

(PS: The print above was created by strawberryluna. Check ‘em out; get something for yourself at their online store.)

To those who might have been waiting for an update — I apologize for my lateness. March has contained a quick succession of several sad events, and they’ve sort of derailed me from my typical posting habits.

But I couldn’t skip posting today! Because today is a wonderful day. Today is the birthday of my new novel, Latasha and the Kidd on Keys.

To celebrate, I’ll (finally) give a quick recap of the time I spent on the road in my new book’s honor at the end of February and in early March. In no particular order, here are some images from my grueling, gratifying, electrifying, fantastical Latasha launch!

Everywhere I went, I got the Rockstar Treatment. I was greeted with signs…

Door artwork…

Wall decorations…

And by tons of excited kids!!

And here I am doing my world-class Randy Savage impression. (Maybe? Probably not.)

All in all, it was a great trip to the Midwest and back. I drove a couple thousand miles, a spoke with a couple thousand kids, and managed to stop at a Burger King in every single state I visited. (That last part was unplanned.)

Now this is the way to launch a book. Thanks to all my new friends in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania for letting me bend your ear about reading and writing!