All things Good discussion
Hi
Hi, Nichole here from pensacola/cantonment i read frequently and always looking for new books to read and friends to share them with!!! :-)
I like the cover of the book especially how you really feel like the sun is glaring in your eyes as if you were actually staring at it.
Kristin (Blood,Sweat and Books) wrote: "I like the cover of the book especially how you really feel like the sun is glaring in your eyes as if you were actually staring at it."Kristin...me too! And I was curious about the nest and like how that image plays out in the book.
Catherine...I have some questions about your choice of setting. I was wondering why you chose to have the story take place in the USA instead of Canada? Does that make the book more marketable? And what made you make Atlanta such an inhospitable place? Where exactly is the main story located - I haven't figured that out yet.
Hi everyone! Thanks for joining in this discussion. I am fashionaby late myself, but very happy to be here.About the cover of All Good Children, I agree that it is intriguing. It has an ominous feel to it, and once you know the story, all the elements make complete sense so that you think, "oooh - yes." As for my input into it, alas, I can take no credit for it. The whole thing was arranged by Orca Book Publishers and their awesome book designers. They showed it to me before it hit the shelves, of course - and I loved it - but I didn't contribute to it in any way.
About the book's setting, when I first wrote the story, it was set in a fictional country, a vague future North America of sorts, but in revising with my editor I worked to set it in a real place. I had a terrible time with that - it took me several tries. I did initially try to set it in Canada, but it didn't seem to work. Maybe because there is a history of people on the run occasionally fleeing north out of the US - loyalists, slaves, draft dodgers - that seemed to work better. But that's what I had the terrible time with: as a Canadian, setting the book in a "bad" US seemed so arrogant. (But I am writing a sequel set in Canada and believe me, it's far worse than New Middletown. :-)
As for specifics on the location, the city in which All Good Children takes place does not exist now - New Middletown is constructed in the future - but it's in Pennsylvania near the Allegheny National Forest. It's a corporately owned, walled city - wealthy, clean and crime-free - and the only place Max has ever known. Atlanta is no more inhospitable than any other ordinary city in the precarious future, but it's seen from Max's perspective and its unemployment and dirt and unpredictability scare him. I chose Atlanta because of its greenery and sprawl - it's so physically different from the structure of New Middletown, which is dense and monotonous - I wanted there to be a strange beauty to it as well as terror.
That's it from me for today. I will be back tomorrow and I hope to have lots to say.
I have a question for the group. The narrator of All Good Children is a boy, and the narrator of my only other first-person novel, Walking Backward, was also a boy. The teen novel I'm working on now has three narrators, and though I think the two girls are more complex and interesting characters, I find the boy the most fun to write. (I have two sons, and that may be why I'm drawn to male narrators.) My question to you guys is:
Do you have a preference for either a male or female narrator in YA fiction?
Do you ever find it odd or unconvincing when authors write from the viewpoint of the opposite gender?
And for those teachers out there, do you find any difference in your male and female students in terms of which gender they prefer a narrator to be? Do male students as easily immerse themselves in a book with a female narrator as one with a male narrator, and vice versa for female students?
Okay, that's more than one question, isn't it? If anyone has an answer or two, or just some thoughts to share, I'd love to hear from you.
Catherine wrote: "I have a question for the group. The narrator of All Good Children is a boy, and the narrator of my only other first-person novel, Walking Backward, was also a boy. The teen novel I'm working on no..."As long as the narrator is authentic to the story, I have no preference of narrator. I am, however, partial to men reading a book aloud. Weird, huh?
Also, I've found that kids don't care about the gender of the narrator as long as the story is good.
Catherine wrote: "I have a question for the group. The narrator of All Good Children is a boy, and the narrator of my only other first-person novel, Walking Backward, was also a boy. The teen novel I'm working on no..."In general, I agree with Beth, as long as the narrator is believable and well-rounded as a character, I don't care if they are male or female. I do like seeing strong female YA characters so I guess I'm somewhat partial to that but they don't necessarily have to be the narrator for me to enjoy it.
Catherine wrote: "I have a question for the group. The narrator of All Good Children is a boy, and the narrator of my only other first-person novel, Walking Backward, was also a boy. The teen novel I'm working on no..."I like both genders as narrators. Some stories are better from a girl's perspective and some from a guy's. As for the teens at my libraries, it doesn't really matter the gender. What they tell me is that the story has to be good & interesting.
As long as an author has done their research, then it makes no difference which gender they are writing.
I like strong female and male characters, too, and I think men and women authors can write them both well. (Occasionally amazingly well - I used to wonder if Roddy Doyle was really a woman.) As a reader, I always take on the hero's perspective, whether that's a male or female. As a writer, for some reason it's more natural to me to use third-person narration with a female hero and first-person with a male. No idea why. Maybe it's a distancing technique - it may be too difficult to separate a female character from my own character in first person. (Or maybe my inner guy just likes to talk.)
Beth, that is interesting about your read-aloud preference. I'm good with either men's or women's voices but I have difficulty with some accents. Irish does me right in; I'm always asking, "What did he say?"
Catherine wrote: "I have a question for the group. The narrator of All Good Children is a boy, and the narrator of my only other first-person novel, Walking Backward, was also a boy. The teen novel I'm working on no..."Catherine wrote: "Hi everyone! Thanks for joining in this discussion. I am fashionaby late myself, but very happy to be here.
About the cover of All Good Children, I agree that it is intriguing. It has an ominous f..."
I do not find it odd or unconvincing when authors write from the viewpoint of the opposite gender. The famous Outsiders is a wonderfully told story in the viewpoint of a male character but was written by a female. I found male and female students loved the book.
Your question is a good one. As I read All Good Children I will keep it in mind!
I don't have a preference for male or female narrators or even for male or female centered stories and I never mind or even particularly notice when one writes in their opposite gender -- most of the time. I have noticed a few male authors who just didn't get a female's voice quite right, primarily in mystery/detective novels, usually something 'hard-boiled' that I don't end up enjoying all that much anyways. I would imagine it is a challenge for some....I have had students (and my sons) comment at times they'd prefer a story written from their own gender's point of view, however, that is not always the case. The more avid the reader the less it seems to matter.
I would like to share some good news with the group: All Good Children has just won the 2012 Sunburst Award in the YA category. The Sunburst Award Society honours Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic - just being nominated was a great honour, and winning is a real thrill!On that note, how influential are awards (wins and nominations) to you and your students when you choose your next TBR novel?
I sometimes do pick up a book because it has won an award. More often, though, I simply browse shelves, read jackets and first paragraphs - I LOVE finding a great book I've never heard anything at all about.
Congratulations Catherine! That's really good news. I thought All Good Children was a really good read. Awards are not that important for me when choosing a book. I'm looking for a good story and well-developed characters. But, these awards indicate that a particular group of readers validates the novel in some way. It's one among many indicators that I might want to read it.
Congratulations Catherine! That's awesome, I loved it so I agree! And I have to admit that I am more likely to read a book if it's on an awards list. Working at a library has made my TBR list miles long so unless it's won an award or been given a review by someone I trust, I probably won't get to it.
Congratulations Catherine! How wonderful for you!As for your question - I don't regularly pick up books based on awards for my personal reading (though I do for book selection for school libraries). I'm more like you - I go by the flyleaf description, the cover, maybe a review I picked up somewhere. Since I joined I will often check goodreads as well to see how it's rated by others (I avoid reading the reviews in depth though - I hate to have too much of the story up front).
Catherine! Wonderful news! And thank you for being such a wonderful guest already! Great questions!
I may look to books that have won an award. I also like to read books that are recommended by a favorite YA author. I am enjoying your book so far. ( I am in the middle of it.) The narrator is a feisty fellow!
I just wanted everyone to know that we are just waiting to hear from 3 of our NEW winners and then we'll get these books out to everyone! Sorry for delays - my son brought home a horrible stomach flu this week...it's been rough!
Catherine wrote: "I would like to share some good news with the group: All Good Children has just won the 2012 Sunburst Award in the YA category. The Sunburst Award Society honours Excellence in Canadian Literature ..."Congratulations! What a nice honor.
Sometimes I read a book because it' won an award. I also read reviews and listen to what my friends are reading and recommending.
Catherine wrote: "I would like to share some good news with the group: All Good Children has just won the 2012 Sunburst Award in the YA category. The Sunburst Award Society honours Excellence in Canadian Literature ..."Congratulations! I'm really going to have to get this book for our library and read it!
For me, I will read a book that has won an award, especially if it's one chosen by the kids...like the Young Hoosier Book Award in Indiana. I always find that I enjoy those!!!
Mostly, I choose a book because it has been recommended or I see it here on Goodreads and it sounds great...which is what your book must be!
Seriously...we NEED this book in our library!!!
Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. I have been fortunate with awards this year. I've won three - ! - and All Good Children has been nominated for several more. That is my first novel for teens, and it's a delight to find it so well received.It has only been a couple of years since I was first published, so the world of awards, reviews, interviews, letters, etc., the whole readership side of writing, is still new to me. I'm not entirely comfortable with it, but I must say, that world has been very kind to me so far.
My favourite thing about it is receiving letters from readers who've enjoyed my books, especially kids. That never fails to move me. It's an amazing thing, really, hearing that a stranger was touched or entertained or thrilled by my story. Writing is such a solitary pursuit, those letters really close the circle for me.
So today's question from me would be: Have you ever written an author to tell her you loved her book, or do you encourage your students to do that? (As an author, I encourage you to encourage them.)
Yes, I wrote to another YA author about his memoir after I had finished reading it. I wanted to tell him that I enjoyed his story. I was thrilled when he responded back to me! I encourage others to do the same.
Catherine wrote: "Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. I have been fortunate with awards this year. I've won three - ! - and All Good Children has been nominated for several more. That is my first novel for tee..."The only letter of this kind I ever wrote was to a musician - Richard Shindell. Sheepish I share that it was more of a complaint letter - done in the nicest way a twenty-something whipper snapper can possibly write. The gist...I, as a fan, felt that his recordings of songs I loved didn't do justice to the songs I had heard him perform live. He did reply and was oh so gracious which made me even more ashamed that I had shared such sentiments because I grew to love the recordings even if they lacked something unknowable from my first live experience of them. I saved his letter to remind myself to keep such opinions to myself.
Perhaps I can make up for things by earning Richard a few more fans! If you like folk music or narrative songwriting Richard is wonderful.
http://www.richardshindell.com/index....
Catherine wrote: "Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. I have been fortunate with awards this year. I've won three - ! - and All Good Children has been nominated for several more. That is my first novel for tee..."And I forgot to answer the second part of that...
I do encourage my students to connect with authors. Sometimes I coordinate such efforts for them or lead them to the place they can do so. When they hear back they are always ecstatic that an "author" has replied to them. It's nice to see kids enthusiastic about things like this!
Congratulations Catherine on the awards. I have not read the book yet, but am looking forward to reading it - it really sounds intriguing. I wanted to answer your question about writing to authors. I personally have never done it, but I do like to talk to authors whenever I get the chance about their books. It is always so interesting to learn about the creative process and where the ideas come from.
I was a classroom teacher years ago and taught fourth grade in a disadvantaged area. One of the authors we read was Gloria Houston, and I encouraged a student who was particularly moved by a book I did as a read aloud to write to her, and Ms. Houston responded. I can tell you that it had a profound effect on that child. I am not in an educational setting right now, but when I do go back it will be as a librarian and I will most definitely encourage and help students write to authors, especially now since you have pointed out how solitary it can be - I think that is something we readers often forget and it is good to be reminded.
Catherine...can you tell us the inspiration for the story? And are ther any science fiction authors who particularily inspire you?
I started out wanting to write a sort of Stepford Wives for middle graders. Somehow the book's characters turned out several years older than I'd planned - characters have a way of taking over. To be honest, it was my own struggles as a parent of a boy who was in a lot of trouble as school. The book is not inspired so much by him as by my own feelings of wanting him to be "good" as in obedient and successful, and yet knowing it was more important for him to be "good" as in authentic and decent.
The medication aspect was inspired by current trends in over-medicating kids. Almost every child with any behavioural problems at school gets the advice to be medicated - it's the modern way of controlling children's behaviour, having taken the place of straps and dunce's caps. (I'm not saying that medication is never called for; I'm saying it is called for too promptly and too often without medical grounds.)
So I wanted a hero who was just the sort of kid that adults would want to medicate. Feisty indeed.
Oh, and as for that last question, some of my favourite recent(ish) sci-fi books for young readers are House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, Feed by M.T. Anderson, and The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking) by Patrick Ness. If you haven't read them, you simply must.And if you have a fave to recommend to me, please name it.
I confess I don't know how to use the book cover links on Goodreads, but I've tried here (apologies in advance if this post becomes a mess):
is one of my favorites! I will have to start the Chaos Walking series soon. I'd definitely recommend
and the sequel
if you haven't read them. They're delightfully creepy!
Interesting book. I just finished reading it. The concept is a scary one. As a mother of three, I would not want my children to be given anything to make them change their behavior. I was drawn into this book from page one, and I could not put it down till the very last page. This is well written and smooth flowing. It was fascinating to watch as the characters visably change after given the shots. This author is amazing and presents this concept in such a way that all can visualize exactly what is happening.
Cynthia, I'm glad you liked the book! Thanks for the kind words. I hope you recommend it to your friends. Caitlin, thanks for the recommendations. I have read Unwind - it is delightfully creepy! - but not the sequel. I will look for it.
I don't often read sequels or series. I don't know why. I'm the same with dramas - I like movies but not TV shows. I want to know everything all at once, I guess. I have loved reading many series aloud with my kids, though - from Harry Potter and Cirque du Freak to the diaries of Georgia Nicholson.
The sequel to All Good Children has taken me ages to draft, partly because I needed to wait until I could approach it as a standalone story. Now that I'm well into it, though, I can see how writing a series could get addictive - I can envision entire fictional worlds for every character, extending years into the future. If I didn't have so many other stories I want to write first (and if I wasn't a tad lazy), I might write a whole slew of books about those New Middletown teens.
Rory, I meant to tell you that I checked out Richard Shindell, the folk singer whom you recommended here. He's good. (He reminds me in part of REM, the Long Winters, and Matthew Good.) I had a similar experience with the live/recorded music of Matt Mays and El Torpedo - their live shows were so energetic and their discs were so laid back, I couldn't connect the two. I didn't write them a letter, though. :-)On the subject of music, like many authors, I use music to help build the emotional ambiance I need to write. I make playlists for different characters and listen to them for months while drafting. After a book is done, I don't want to hear any of those songs for a long long time.
According to my local library, this book is intended for grades 8-12. What grade level, if any, did you have this book in mind for?
I intended it for readers around the age of the protagonists - 15 or 16 - so that library suggestion is spot on. The publisher rates it 12+, which is also appropriate. It doesn't have any adult content, but there are some things in it - the attitudes of some characters, especially - that are too mature for younger readers, in that it's just too easy for younger kids to take them the wrong way (fighting, racism, homophobia, a bit of language and sexual innuendo). I have told my ten-year-old he can wait to read it. :-)Adults like it, too, and that's wonderful for an author. There are many YA books that are almost as well suited to adults as teens, I think. (My first book, rated for 9-13-year-olds, was very well-received by adults, too.
)
I have a question for those who have read All Good Children, on the subject of sequels (we were on that subject at one point, I think):Which character would you choose to narrate the sequel?
I've heard from readers who wanted a sequel about Xavier, Brennan, and Ally, among others including, of course, Max. Whose story would you most want to follow further?
I must say I was intriqued by Xavier. I loved his spirit. I was upset when he was given the shot. If there is a sequel, I would love to know what happens to him, especially since he stayed and was not able to leave the city.
I agree, I think Xavier is the one I was most interested in and I was really sad to see the change in him once he had been given the shot. Really emphasized the horror of what they were doing. I'd love to know what happens with him as well as Max, who I also loved.
I can't wait to read the book. It sounds so intriguing. Waiting for my copy so I can dig in. :)
Max was interesting as well. It would be a fantastic sequel.
I would like to continue with Max. He will definitely need to continue on with Dallas, Pepper, his sister Ally, and his mom. There is more to do to end the foolishness if not atrocity towards school children.
I just wanted you to know that your book just came in to our library...I can't wait for it to be processed, so the teens (and I) can check it out!
Beth and Beverly, I hope you have the chance to read the book soon - glad it's on its way to you. Xavier is a favourite character of mine, too - the only one in the book loosely based on a real person. It's always interesting writing in first person because every time you describe a character, you're saying as much about the narrator as about the character he's describing. I think Xavier is so likeable to most readers because Max likes him so much. (Max doesn't describe everyone quite so sympathetically.)
My sequel is narrated by Dallas, and it has been fun to write the continuation of their story from his perspective. It's interesting as an author to explore existing characters from a different point of view. I'd initially tried to keep Max the narrator, but Dallas kept getting all heroic so I thought I'd better let him have his say.
I have another question for you guys... Whenever I talk to young people at schools or libraries about my books and being an author, etc., there are always a couple of young writers in the audience (and they tend to ask most of the questions). I have read that reading is on the rise among young people, and I wonder if you have noticed trends among your students in terms of writing. Are more young people writing now than 20 years ago, or do online opportunities (like blogs, Wattpad, e-publishing) just make the writers more visible and social? What do you think?
Catherine wrote: "I would like to share some good news with the group: All Good Children has just won the 2012 Sunburst Award in the YA category. The Sunburst Award Society honours Excellence in Canadian Literature ..."Congrats!!!!! That is awesome.
I just received the book in the mail yesterday, which is why I hadn't participated before now.The cover really drew me toward the book, as it's very different from a lot of the popular young adult novels.
I'm just over halfway through the book and I absolutely love it. Max is a great character with lots of personality who reminds me of a more rebellious version of myself. It definitely deserved the Sunburst Award. Congrats, Catherine!
I just received the book in the mail yesterday, which is why I hadn't participated before now.The cover really drew me toward the book, as it's very different from a lot of the popular young adult novels.
I'm just over halfway through the book and I absolutely love it. Max is a great character with lots of personality who reminds me of a more rebellious version of myself. It definitely deserved the Sunburst Award. Congrats, Catherine!
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found it hard to put down. Two things stood out for me – how realistic the book felt and the wonderful resolution of the story. Not until I was done did I realize how familiar I had become with the setting, how real it felt. I, too, found myself thinking of our culture’s increased preference for parenting by drugs for the control of ‘difficult’ behaviors. Scary to think how much it felt like something very possible in the not so distant future.
I do try hard not to predict how a book will end though it happens anyways, especially with a book that leaves me thinking about it when I reluctantly have to shut it for the day to finally get some sleep. I was very happy to see the story end with the re-emergence of the tent and all that meant for Max and, hopefully, the world itself.
Loved it and can’t wait to read the sequel.
Thanks so much for your comments! I'm so glad you liked the book. Claire, I loved reading your thoughts on the ending. I had initially made Max an artist just because he needed a character trait - but as I wrote, colour became an important theme, and that tent sure came in handy when I got to the end.
I'd first planned a sad ending, where Max was vaccinated at the border, but I just couldn't write it once I fell in love with my characters, so I needed a lifeline and that was the tent. I'd also planned for Dallas to be left behind - really, it's hard to see what my outline has to do with my final story - but I'd made Celeste a make-up artist, again just as a character trait, and that became my lifeline to help Dallas across the border.
I've heard other writers talk about leaving "bread crumbs" like this to help you write your way out of a tough spot. One theory is that you know the story beforehand, subconsciously, and you leave these quirky traits and moments as a trail to follow later. You are telling yourself where your story needs to go, even though you don't recognize that at the time.
Another theory is that you write yourself into a corner and then grasp at any straw that's handy. :-)
Jayden, I hope you continue to love the book (you might be done by now, actually. I hope the ending didn't disappoint you).
Sorry for the long silence, everyone - Christmas overtook my life for a while there. I'm sure you have all been busy, too. I will check back in tomorrow, the last day of December (where did it go?), and a full day of work for me, my first in a while.
I wish you all a safe and happy new year filled with GREAT stories to read and share.
If you secured a copy of this book on your own and have been reading it or have previous read it feel free to get things started.
Participants: I'd like to start with the book cover...initial impressions?
Catherine Can you tell us about the process of the cover being created and the input you gave to it? Is it different in Canada then the US? Elsewhere? If so, any you love more than others?
And thank you for being with us this month!