Melanie Dulaney > Recent Status Updates

Rory & Jack-12
Mira-5

Neighbors Jack & Mira: Korean-American

Rory-Japanese American

Readalike/Jewish culture: Aviva and Dybbuk-Mari Lowe

Benji was adopted at age 3 from an orphanage “on the other side of the world; now 11.

In the last few chapters, the low level and infrequent profanity has changed to several F-bombs just two pages apart.

Great premise, Intrigue ebbs/flows, sometimes getting bogged down in lots of background angst of characters that has already been clearly established; waiting to see if I pegged murderer at the beginning or if that character will soon die like another suspect already has.

So far, profanity level low, no sexual content. Beck is trans but that fact almost seems superfluous, violence fairly lowkey considering genre.

Beck-trans (simple statement at this point), synesthesia that manifests as a taste in his mouth for every person’s voice, parents incurred massive debt

Adi-uninvolved, self-absorbed mother who finagled his appearance on show; shy

Carter-online sensation for her puzzle solving and contemporary avatar but IRL is very awkward

Sierra-angry former contestant suspected of killing her sister in previous season.

Is the Middle School director, Jen, supposed to be this irritating, over-wordy, and almost passive-aggressive in her delivery? Unless she changes, I think I’ve found my character to dislike! And that isn’t a negative as I always like to have one of those and generally they change over time and reveal some good traits, too!

Representation notes:

Characters with heritages from all over-Honduras, Nepal, an Arabic-speaking country, references to Hispanic backgrounds

One neighbor sews beautiful clothes such as quinceañera and drag queen dresses; a sister has shared her preference for girls & the student wants to give her the gift of always having her back even if the world is harsh to her because of her choice.

Info not only about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression but tidbits about notable people in the 30s such as Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, and Amelia Earhart.

I am finding it difficult to read Ellie’s story because I know there are many out there who say and do the incredibly damaging things that her mom does. I am both angry and heartbroken. Conversely, I am so thankful for my parents who made some mistakes, but not anything that cut as deeply as the slices made to this sixth grader.

Another comp-Rebecca Stead’s The Experiment

Comps: The Supernatural Society series (Rex Ogle), Notebook of Doom series (Troy Cummings), loosely the Supernaturalists (Eoin Colfer)

Thank goodness for a listing of major players in the spy game and which side they were on!

Using “nascent” seems a little high level for ages 10-14, esp. w/o much context.

Eli’s uncle scoops him up and puts him on his shoulders as they leave the carnival in a hurry. Really? An 11 year old up on a man’s shoulders? Nothing about Eli being particularly small or disabled in any way. Seems odd.

Eli’s uncle scoops him up and puts him on his shoulders as they leave the carnival in a hurry. Really? An 11 year old up on a man’s shoulders? Nothing about Eli being particularly small or disabled in any way. Just a bit odd.

Olive-11 yrs and cousin Eli, lives w/Olive & family due to his parents’ deaths, is likely the same. Both pictured as Black on the cover.

Dante-Puerto Rican heritage

The description of how it felt for Harper to be riding a horse for the first time is going to make everyone want to do it!

Representation: landlord is Black and she and her wife own stables; Night uses they/them; Dante is light brown skinned, Emma is brown-skinned w/multiple braids

I am overcome, so come to my help-translation used in book

Anni Maghloobun Fantasir-I am helpless/overwhelmed, please help me. Expresses reliance upon Allah for his help/protection A prayer that comforts Mona.

Nightmares:
*Yasir-hunger, water closing over him, loss of dad
*Mona-alone, storms
*Cody-darkness, alone, abusive dad

Uses “flying duck” instead of the profanity that rhymes

I wonder why the effort to use substitutionary curse words like plod and Jervis but use damn/damned twice?

Another creative substitution for profanity used pretty regularly: “plod,” as in bullplod, oh plod I don’t know plod and more, means the sh curse word that needs to be avoided in most middle grade titles in order to be purchased for that 4th-8th grade age group.

Random word in place of expletive-“Jerpis” as in Hot Jerpis, What in the Jerpis, For Jerpis’ sake, etc.