From the Writing Desk:

Hello friends!

I’m writing to you while listening to The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack (all year long baby!) and with my writing assistant keeping very…ahem..diligent track of things.

so. much. fluff.

July was…fine. Life stuff is life-ing, and working on figuring some of those things out. Nothing too major, just some things to figure out.

But I got to see family out in Bryce Canyon, which was awesome. I have some really cool aunts and uncles and cousins and it was great to spend some time with everyone.

And the writing is still going well! Going slowly, but well. I’m at about 16k into this lower middle grade, which means that there’s only about 9-10k left to go. If I can keep the ball rolling, I really would love to finish that draft this month.

I’ve also been playing a bit of Epic Mickey (callbacks frfr!) and can NOT get this song from Oliver Richman out of my head. I’m obsessed with the dissonance.

Those adulty life things and this middle grade book are pretty much taking up all my spoons and brain space these days, and that’s fine for now. As long as the words are getting worded, I’m okay.

And now my spotify has changed to some Spencer Sutherland, who I’m a bit obsessed with lately.

So that’s it from the writing desk for now…

Onward!

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What kid lit booksellers are *actually* looking for, with Melissa LaSalle

I knew I wanted to get behind the scenes of all the cool kid lit things Melissa LaSalle does, but MAN she blew my expecatations out of the water with her amazing, practical, and in depth answers.

Melissa LaSalle, aka The Book Mommy, wears many kid lit hats. Melissa is a book blogger, professional reviewer, kid lit and teen buyer for Old Town Books in Virginia, and has over 17k followers on her kids bookstagram. So…yeah, she is about as much of a current-state-of-children’s-books expert as its possible to be. (Her book buying roundups in her stories are pure gold!)

I loved what she had to say, and know you will too!

Welcome Melissa!

1: Most important question first--what middle grade book are you trying to get in as many people's hands as possible these days?

You can't actually expect me to answer with just one title, right?! This summer at the bookstore, we are trying to get as many kids as possible to read the first title in James Ponti's new series, The Sherlock Society. For one, it's the kind of summer read that so many different kinds of readers can pick up and get sucked right into: mystery! mafia! funny dialogue! high stakes action sequences! boy and girl characters! a former-investigative-journalist-turned-chaperone grandfather in an aquamarine convertible! But it's also well timed because we are going to have the honor of hosting James Ponti in a big public event this September for the launch of the second book in the series, and there's nothing better than the excitement of a kid who gets to meet the author of a book they loved (and then go home and immediately start the sequel!).

Another series you'll find me selling all day long is Katherine Marsh's "The Myth of Monsters" (Medusa and The Gods' Revenge). It's another high-action series, which is what so many kids are hankering for right now, but it also uses the popularity of mythology retellings to introduce tantalizing and (very) timely questions about who's centered in the stories we tell, who stands to win and who stands to lose, and what happens when the quest for truth upends power structures and paves the way for revolution.

A new personal favorite--my favorite of the year, if I'm being honest--that is going to appeal to a quieter, more literary reader is HW Bouwman Scattergood, an historical novel set in Iowa farmland during WW2. I have been chasing a reading experience like this ever since I read Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow nine years ago. It's a book that speaks straight to the anguish, uncertainty, and unbridled wonder of learning to be human in a world that rarely gives easy answers. It's a tear jerker, it's heart swelling, and it showcases the timeless power of gorgeous storytelling. And while I'm flinging copies of Westfallen and The Bletchley Riddle into the hands of insatiable WW2 readers left and right, it's nice to hold this one back for a special kind of reader.

2: You wear a lot of amazing hats that all seem like authors would want to clamor for your attention--bookstore buyer, member of a kids book review committee, not to mention your blogging and social media platforms. What is an example of a time an author reached out to you in the best way possible and made you want to work with them and recommend their books?

Oooooh boy. This is a great question and a tough one for me, because I feel a lot of guilt for the dozens of DMs and emails I get daily from authors--many of them self-published--asking me to consider promoting their book. I understand the noble intentions behind them, and kid lit people are undeniably some of the loveliest people on the planet, but it also feels entirely overwhelming to me in a space where I already do an inordinate amount of unpaid work late into the night, and while I would love to sift through everything and find the gems I'm sure are there, I end up tuning out 99% of it in what's probably a misguided plan of what I don't know won't stress me out.

Most of my contact with authors is in response to already being a fan and posting about their work; they might respond to one of my Stories, for example, and offer to come into the store and sign copies, or just establish a connection that they can circle back to when they have a new book. Sometimes, if a recognizable name drops into my DM, asking me if I'd like a review copy of a recent book, I'll pause for a moment, but even then I'm pretty hesitant to agree. I feel infinitely better about asking publishers for review copies of things I think I might like than asking the authors themselves, because I feel like the latter comes with added pressure. I want to keep my content as uninfluenced as possible. It's never perfect, of course, but I try really hard to read with the critical lens of today's young readers and that gets especially tricky when I know a really nice author really wants me to like their book. (This is a terribly roundabout non-answer that I will now feel guilty about LOL.)

Ok but I loved this answer, because it takes the pressure off of us, right??

3: In your 30 years of children's literature experience, are there certain common elements that you've noticed in books that really hit it big with the kids? And vice versa, are there things you've noticed in a lot of middle grade books that end up being a turn off?

Today's readers are pickier than ever when it comes to books. Their attention spans are challenged, their stamina for reading is down, and they are growing up in a culture that rewards visual media and instant gratification. Hot take: you know what's a big red flag for me? When authors say that they've written the book that they wish they had had as a child. Today’s kids bear little resemblance to the readers we once were.

Pacing is EVERYTHING. We need plot-forward books with propulsive action from page one and short chapters. We need white space on the page1 (thank you, Katherine Applegate!). We need more illustration in middle grade to bridge the transition from graphic novels. We need characters who talk like real kids, who make mistakes and are allowed to feel the consequences of those mistakes. Today's readers are savvy, they know how inaccessible so much of the world is for kids, and they want to see that truth reflected back to them on the page.

Lots of booksellers will tell you that contemporary realistic fiction is dead, that kids are running away from it because their world feels heavy and they want the escape of fantasy, or the delicious distraction of a good mystery, or the shock of horror, or the riotous visual humor of Dog Man. I would challenge this claim slightly. I think realistic fiction can still work wonders IF IT HAS A COMPELLING HOOK. I think where we've failed readers is twofold: 1) we're taking way too long to suck readers into the narrative tension of the story (or leaving out meaningful tension completely) and 2) we're highlighting the "issues" inside the stories instead of the story itself. Let's all agree that we should rewrite jacket copy so it doesn't lead with, "Jimmy's mother is suffering from severe depression after losing her job and can barely afford to make ends meet..." I'm all for diverse representation and weighty themes, but why are we leading with that when what is actually going to get kids to read books are things like humor, mystery, mistakes?

A recent example of a great narrative hook in realistic fiction is Maria Marianayagam's No Purchase Necessary, which explores microaggressions, bullying, economic strain, and the expectations of immigrant parents in a story about a boy who steals a chocolate bar that turns out to have a winning ticket for a million dollars, setting off one heck of a chain reaction cloaked in a massive ethical dilemma. What kid wouldn't be fascinated by how that plays out?!

Thank you so, so much Melissa! Make sure to check out Melissa’s amazing book blog and popular Instagram! And why not order some books from Old Town Books!

What I’m Reading:

I’ve had quite a good middle grade run this last month, which has been really nice. A couple of my favorites are Return to Sender from and The Beatryce Prophecy by Queen Kate. Return to Sender had one of the most fascinating and real and engaging main characters (a boy MG protagonist!) that I’ve come across in a while. Kate’s book made me remember the power of story and fairytale language in a way that made me want to write like that more than ever before.

What I’m Watching: Two of my favorite EVER shows, Would I Lie To You and Taskmaster, had new seasons come out last month so YOU BET I binged them in a weekend. Also the new season of QI. My soul is married to England. And David Mitchell.

What You Don’t Need to Create: Fascinating video essay about how restrictions actually boost creativity, through the lens of filmmaking.

What I’m Drawing: Hope is the thing.

Also check out the bookish swag I’ve got up for sale in my new little swag shop!

“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
― Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

Writing Opportunity: IHRAM press is seeking submissions on disability and chronic illness. Really cool opportunity, Due Sep 1!

Teacher’s Table

Some goodies especially for the teachers:

4 Principles for Classroom AI, From an Experienced Educator via

Everything needed to get your young writers started is here in Tools Not Rules: A Writing Guide for Young Creatives.

Free activity sheets up on my Teachers Pay Teachers store! More added all the time, so check back regularly.

I am so, so excited and honored to now be on the roster at the Macmillan Speakers Bureau! For school and other events, you can find my speaker page here.

You guys are rock stars!

Thanks for coming along everyone! The best way to support is to 1) subscribe, 2) get a copy of the book bebes, and 3) keep glowing, you shining star you.

-Sarah

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Thanks for reading!

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We are HUUUGE fans of white space around here!