Giveaways

Interview & Giveaway – Pixie Piper author Annabelle Fisher

By on May 30, 2017   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways, MUF Contributor Books  

Book jacket for Pixie Piper and the Matter of the BatterI’m so excited to chat with Mixed-up Files’ own Annabelle Fisher and celebrate the release of her newest middle grade, Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter. This is the sequel to her 2016 release, The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper. Read all the way to the end for a chance to win a copy of this fun, Mother Goose-inspired two-book set.

JA: How long did it take you to write Book Two?

AF: I spent over two years writing and revising The Secret Destiny of Pixie Piper before it ever went to my editor, Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow. But I’d only written a couple of paragraphs of description for Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter. However, Virginia gave me a contract for two books and the second book was scheduled to be published one year after the first! That meant I had to work on all the different stages of getting the first book ready—revising, responding to copyediting, proofreading, checking chapter illustrations, etc.—while writing and revising the second book. Sometimes I felt like Taz, the whirling, maniacal Looney Tunes character. But I turned in the sequel on May 16th, 2016 and it releases today. Phew!

JA: How was it different than writing the first book?

AF: When I finish a book I always have trouble letting my protagonist go, so I was excited to be able to follow Pixie into her next adventure! But as a writer I don’t outline; I like to see where the story takes me. Except that in a sequel, you have many of the same characters and you’ve already started them on a journey. The trick was to stay open to the possibilities of plot while keeping the promises of Pixie’s magical mission.

JA: Did any feedback you received on the first book impact your writing in the sequel?

AF: Yes! The kids I spoke to in classes and libraries loved the funny parts of Pixie Piper best. So I worked hard to make sure the sequel had plenty of humor too.

In Pixie Piper and the Matter of the Batter, I gave Pixie’s Goose cousins and Aunts humorous traits. For example, the head Aunt is ancient and wears a Mother Goose hat the size of a traffic cone. She never takes it off. She’s snarky, but she loves her goose, La Blanca, who greets Pixie by biting her backside. There are also humorous baking accidents—one of which produces flying biscuits. And as in the first book, lots of humorous rhymes. I won’t give away anymore specifics, but I do use some ‘can’t-miss humor tools’ such as hyperbole, metaphors and similes, and villains that are a mix of scary and absurdly silly.

JA: Was it harder to write the sequel?

AF: Well, I thought it would be easier!

The arc over the two books was always clear to me: How would Pixie Piper change from a girl resisting her Mother Goose heritage (so that she can be ‘normal’) to one who yearns to join her magical Goose family and take up their mission? But of course an arc isn’t a plot. The arc is the overarching structure and the story’s goal. The plot is the motor that keeps it running. For plot, you need to know what is at stake for your protagonist.

The first book takes place on the estate where Pixie lives. (She’s the caretaker’s daughter). Once she is enticed by a Goose Lady Aunt to become a Goose Girl apprentice, she must prove herself ‘braver than brave’ and ‘truer than true’. Pixie helps hatch a magical gosling that she must protect from Raveneece Greed, an old enemy of the Goose Ladies. She must also protect her rhyming power, which Raveneece is trying to steal. So the first book is about proving herself worthy to become a part of Mother Goose’s “legacy.”

The second book takes place at Chuckling Goose Farm, where the Goose Ladies and their apprentices use their rhyming powers to bake magical birthday cakes that make wishes come true. Once again, I needed to figure out what was at stake. After a rocky start, I went back to the idea of family and how the generations work together to preserve Mother Goose’s legacy. They are passionate about the rule that their magical cakes be distributed randomly, so that all people have a chance to get their wish. The ancient Goose Lady Aunt who heads the family is a direct descendant of Mother Goose and she seems to hate Pixie right from the start. The bond they finally form is hard won. But after the two begin to love each other, their old enemy returns. Once again, Pixie must be braver than brave to save her great-great-great grandmother and the legacy of Mother Goose.

Thanks for joining us, Annabelle. Readers, please comment below for a chance to win a set of Pixie Piper books!

Back to Top

Interview and Giveaway with Pura Belpré Honor Author Alexandra Diaz

By on May 24, 2017   /   Author Interviews, Diversity, Fiction, Giveaways  

 

Alexandra Diaz is the author of The Only Road, a Pura Belpré Honor book and Américas Award winner, which she also co-translated into Spanish, El único destino. She is also the author of the YA novels, Of All the Stupid Things (re-titled When We Were) which was a ALA Rainbow List book, and Good Girls Don’t Lie. For her day-job, she teaches circus arts to children and adults. She can be found at alexandra-diaz.com, facebook.com/AlexandraDiazAuthor, or on Twitter @alexandratdiaz.

(Photo credit: Owen Benson)

From Indiebound:

Twelve-year-old Jaime makes the treacherous and life-changing journey from his home in Guatemala to live with his older brother in the United States in this gripping and realistic middle grade novel.

Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream. Instantly, he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead.

Everyone in Jaime’s small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that’s known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed–like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There’s only one choice: accompanied by his cousin Angela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in New Mexico.

Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. It is a story of fear and bravery, love and loss, strangers becoming family, and one boy’s treacherous and life-changing journey.

PURA BELPRE HONOR BOOK
ALA NOTABLE BOOK
“Powerful and timely.” —Booklist (starred review)
“An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

Congratulations on the Pura Belpré Honor! Tell us what it was like to find out about it. How did you celebrate?

I was driving a friend to Tuscan and didn’t hear the phone ring. It wasn’t until 11 o’clock that night that I checked my messages. I was very excited and thrilled and couldn’t really believe it. In the morning I double-checked the messages and sure enough it was still there! Once back in Santa Fe, my mom and sister took me out for lunch, and the ladies in my writing group brought cake and ice cream to our following meeting. It was awesome and such an honor!

In your Author’s Note, you tell us that you are the child of Cuban refugees. How does that inform your writing in The Only Road?

I grew up hearing stories of what it was like to leave family and home behind. Though my parents’ experience was different than what my characters went through, the thoughts and feelings remained the same: what was going to happen, would they make it, would they ever come back, and so forth. But mostly it was the sense of not having any other choice.

How did you decide to depict the uglier, more violent aspects of the journey and still make the book appropriate for middle-grade readers?

I wanted a book true to the current immigration status and the experiences of real people. But yes, I also didn’t want to introduce situations that readers weren’t prepared to understand. For example, I mentioned that if the gangs thought Ángela was pretty enough, she would become one of the gang members’ girlfriends and left it at that. The reader could then interpret that to whatever level they felt comfortable.

Why did you choose to have Ángela and Jaime travel together, rather than Jaime going it alone?

By traveling together, they could help each other out, it adds compassion, and it also ups the tension. I love characters and characters’ relationships with each other. As a writer, I think I would have been a bit bored if Jaime were on his own, especially as other characters come and go.

A Spanish version of The Only Road was also published. Can you tell us about the process?

I think I had just finished writing the English version when I was asked if I wanted to translate it. The prospect excited and scared me as my brain shifted continuously from “I’d love to!” and “I can’t do it!” I never learned Spanish in school so my writing abilities are not very strong. But my mom said we had to do it and I’m so glad we did. We worked on the translation together—her focusing more on the grammar and vocabulary and me on the narrative/character voice and structure. I chose the title El único destino because “destino” has a double meaning of “destination” and “destiny”. Hopefully the overall effect worked well!

What kind of research did you do to get the details right?

I read a lot of biographies, autobiographies, and other nonfiction material that discussed the immigrants’ journey. I also interviewed a few people who had either immigrated themselves or worked with immigrants or along the migration trail. I knew I wouldn’t want to experience it for myself, but I did want to remain true to what happens and several resources expressed similar events. Thank goodness for the internet, which allowed me have access to much more than I would have found otherwise, including a map of the cargo train routes through Mexico. I did visit Mexico a couple of times to get a feel for the country and what it looks like and translate that sense into the book.

If there was one single thing that you wanted readers to get from The Only Road, what would it be?

Young people read about slavery and the Holocaust but not so often about what is happening with immigration today. I would like readers to know this is something that is going on in the world today, possibly even happened to classmates or neighbors. And for those readers who have experienced something similar, I wanted to remind them that they are not alone and there’s always hope.

How is writing middle-grade fiction different from writing for young adults?

When I write YA, I tend to write in first person, while middle grade comes out in third. Most of the differences I noticed were around that: first person is more internal and limited to what that one character is experiencing while third person allowed me to move into an occasional omniscient or different characters’ point of view. Also, when writing for young adults, anything goes in terms of language, sex, violence, etc. but middle grade fiction requires a few more filters. That said, I never felt restricted or frustrated in terms of what content to include. If anything, I feel I’m a better and more diverse writer as a result.

What other books do you recommend to readers who enjoyed The Only Road?

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez is a great historical novel about Cuban immigration in the 1960s that is truthful and compassionate.

 

I also enjoyed The Arrival by Shaun Tan, which is a wordless graphic novel that truly captures the feel and emotions of an immigrant or refugee.

What’s your favorite thing about middle-grade fiction (as a reader or a writer)?

I love getting involved in the story and situations of youth. I feel I can connect better with them than I do adults or fiction for adults. I also enjoy that for the most part middle-grade fiction is fast-paced with good action and generally has some funny lines.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to write middle-grade fiction?

It’s important to know your audience, how they behave and interact together. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve noticed is talking down to your reader, or having the protagonist seem too young or too good. Read a lot of middle grade and write even more. If there are people you trust who can give you constructive criticism, that’s great, keeping in mind that your work can always be better, but not every bit of feedback has to be applied. Remain true to yourself while striving to make your writing better. Above all, keep writing and keep going no matter what setbacks you might find.

 

Alexandra has kindly offered a copy of The Only Road as a giveaway. Enter below (USA/Canada only, please).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back to Top

Our Mighty Girls (and a mighty giveaway, too)

By on May 19, 2017   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Giveaways, MUF Contributor Books, New Releases, Writing  

Last month fellow MUFer Sarah Aronson and I were happy to learn that a panel we proposed for this year’s National Council of Teachers of English (aka NCTE) was accepted. The topic is “Our Mighty Girls”, and we’ll be talking about how young middle grade series featuring strong female heroes can help build empathy and demonstrate peaceful problem-solving to all readers. Unless the conference’s organizers decide to give us a half a day or so, I’m afraid we’ll be hard pressed to say all we want!

Our two fellow panelists are:

Kate Hannigan, author of

Cousins Willow and Delia lead a diverse cast of characters who solve their challenges with smarts, humor, compassion and yes, sweets!

And Crystal Allen, author of

Mya, a true free spirit, longs to be a cowgirl. She meets issues of bullying, name-calling and miscommunication with enough spirit for ten kids and a heart big enough to both learn and forgive.

Sarah’s delightful new series  

debuts this month, and features a main character who knows what it’s like to work hard, be patient and never give up if you want to reach your goal.

The third book of my CODY series

is just out (more about that at the end of this post!)

Writing our proposal got us thinking about how many wonderful series there are for young middle graders, and how they pave the way for longer, more complex books without skimping on character development or rich themes.  Readers become long-term friends with these characters, and grow along with them. Two of my current-and-all-time-favorites are hilarious, heart-tugging “Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker and Marla Frazee, and droll, outside the box “Ivy and Bean” by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall.

And, to give away my age once and for all, here are three I loved when I was eight or nine:

Best friends forever and ever!

Who didn’t want to be Pippi? Or at least her friend?

Need I say more? That name has become synonymous with childhood.

Which are your favorites, old or new?

*********

I started writing my CODY books as a sort of antidote to my heavier-duty middle grade novels. I wanted to write funny. Simple. I wanted to stay in the light, away from the dark. But as I got to know Cody, a girl who feels empathy for everyone and everything (including skunks and Madagascar hissing cockroaches), I  realized it was going to be more complicated than I thought. Children feel things through and through. They feel joy in their toes, sorrow in their bellies, confusion prickling their skin. This might be truest of all for the younger middle grade reader.

So even when I’m writing about things that seems simple on the surface–a lost cat, a mean teacher, a first sleep-over, a big brother who’s sad–I try to honor how large they loom in Cody’s budding life. Funny and happy as she mostly is, Cody puzzles her way through all sorts of dilemmas. In the newest book, she learns what it means to wrestle with a conscience. Whew. It’s mighty hard.  But then, Cody is a mighty girl.

To celebrate  all the Mighty Girls, I’m giving away  a copy of the new CODY as well as the first two books, “Cody and the Fountain of Happiness” and “Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe”. Leave a comment below to enter. (U.S. readers only, please).

Back to Top