Friday Review: Hound Dog True

HOUND DOG TRUE
by Linda Urban
Harcourt Children's Division (September 2011)
Ages 9-12


"Uncle Potluck said when he talked to the moon, the moon talked back."

—Hound Dog True

Some books are so darn delicious, there’s no joy in picking them apart to see what makes them tick. Hound Dog True, by Linda Urban, is one such gem. The voice, characterization, theme and gentle rhythm of words create a symphony of fine storytelling that elevate this simple story to another level. Yes. It’s that good. Hound Dog True had me at the first sentence and held me in its enchanting grip until the very last page. (As I read this, I kept thinking, did Barbara O'Connor change her name to Linda Urban?)

Told in close third person—so close it’s nearly first person—the story follows eleven-year old Mattie several days prior to starting a new school (fifth in as many years). Deeply hurt by the betrayal of a girl at her old school, shy Mattie is haunted by memories of past humiliations. There’s a poignantly funny flashback of one of her former first days when all she could think to tell the class was that she was not a Buddhist. Urban places this scene early in the book, which does a brilliant job of showing just how painfully tongue-tied Mattie can get. This and other flashbacks also serve to establish the interior world that Mattie inhabits, as well as reveal bits and pieces of her past troubles. Flashbacks usually drag down a narrative and slow the progress, but not in this book, where Urban skillfully uses them to bring us into the emotional life of Mattie.

The narration is beautifully composed and fully grounded in the perspective of this sensitive young girl who hopes to avoid the pain of all the treacherous times of day—those “lawless” periods of arrival, lunch and recess—by being her Uncle Potluck’s janitorial assistant. Of course, things do not go as planned and her hopes unravel with the unceremonious introduction of the neighbor's niece, Quincy, who appears to be prime betrayal material. Quincy lands in Mattie’s life with a deadpan delivery that goes plunk plunk plunk right on top of Mattie’s worst fears.

Mattie’s world is small, but it's peopled with memorable characters, such as Uncle Potluck who can spin a yarn like no one’s business (it’s his phrase, Hound Dog True, that gives the novel its title); the not-so-subtle neighbor who’s got designs on him; and, of course, Quincy, who is twelve years old and seemingly weary of life.

Even though Mattie could use a friend, she struggles with the hurt caused by her former classmate in the school she left behind. Quincy, with her teenagery long legs and do-not-care attitude, feeds right into to Mattie’s worries. Although the book focuses on her fear of betrayal and humiliation, the unspoken threat (which Quincy represents) is that of growing up and losing control. Like everything else about this book, Urban handles these themes with a gentle, but assuring touch. And, mostly importantly, with a great dose of humor throughout.

Hound Dog True is a short novel, told over a very short period of time, but boy oh boy, it makes a large and lasting impression. Other than that, I don't have much to say, except this: Read it!

Source: I bought my copy at Barnes & Noble.

Something to Crow About

In celebration of Halloween, CROW Magazine has created a bone-chilling read, packed full of goodies to make your skin crawl! Issue No. 2 is filled with things that go bump in the night, including a midnight ride with a headless horseman; the mystery behind Halloween and why we celebrate the holiday; and a look at what traditions our families observe on this spooky day!

The new issue of Crow Magazine is out! Crow is dedicated to literature for middle grade and young adult readers (but teachers and parents will love it, too). The other reason I'm partial to this issue of Crow is that it features my non-fiction piece on the origins of Halloween. So, you know...it's extra special that way.

(Note: subscriptions to Crow Magazine are $10 per year, for three school year issues.)

Head First

I've been taking a post-graduate class in the methods of teaching creative writing as a way to share my love of words and writing with children and teens, as well as to continue learning and growing as a writer. One of my most influential teachers, doranne crable, never referred to herself as a teacher, but as a co-learner. She was brilliant, creative, hard working and fully present—the true embodiment of a creative, humane being. So, as I find my way down this dark alley of creative writing, it's doranne's example I'll be looking to for inspiration.

Although I have no idea where this venture will lead me, I know where it is taking me next week: A most fabulous class of teen parents enrolled in school at a local community college where my sister-in-law has arranged for me to lead a few weeks of classes on living like a creative genius, mainly through writing personal narrative. At this point, I think there will be about 30 or so students, plus a few babies--so yay!

I'm going to meet with them first, to see what they'd like to get out of the class so that I'm not totally off base, then it's away we go!

It's Tuesday!

This being the most underrated day of the week, I have resolved to celebrate.

Nothing says I appreciate this day like a "thing of goop" from Eagan's Eastside Big Tom.

Hooray Tuesday!

Back on Track

Thanks to Kirby Larson, who gently called me out on my procrastination, I'm back to writing. Over the summer, I'd gotten halfway through one project that was a misery to work on, so I decided to drop it for another shiny object—a risky thing to do because there are always temptations to draw one away from the work at hand; however, it was the best move I'd made in a long time. This first draft of my novel for middle grade readers—tentatively titled Missing and Presumed Undead—is based on one of my flash fiction stories, and it's a dream to write. None of that tooth pulling agony I had with that piece of crap I'd been slogging through last spring and summer.

Thanks for the nudge, Kirby!

Life Through Bobet Colored Eyes

In a break from the usual programming, I am posting this urgent plea for the establishment of your greater good, inspired by the heart/mind of Bruce Holland Rogers and his expansive lover of the arts, grand envisoneer and poet of moment, Donat Bobet.

Bobet is Rogers' creation, a magnificent portrait of one who crafts a life of modest grandeur, inviting one and all into a world of benefit (a refreshing change from today's dreary headlines). He is also the lead in one of Rogers' featured stories for the month of September at ShortShortShort.com. For only $10 per year, three small gems (including, if you are lucky, one like today's Bobet story, A Patron of the Arts) will appear in your inbox, lift you out of dull, gray days and prepare a small feast for your creative soul.

If you are a writer, you will find inspiration. If you are a reader, you will find meaning. If you are both writer and reader—well, then, glorious you!

Ready. Set. Mark Your Calendars!

BOOKS BY THE BAY
Literacy Fundraiser

 

Please help continue the good work of the South Sound Reading Foundation by attending our 11th annual Books by the Bay Literacy Fundraiser. Meet children’s book authors Brenda Guiberson, Trudy Ludwig, Margaret Lippert, Kurt Cyrus and Margaret Read MacDonald (books for sale by Barnes & Noble). Enjoy live music, refreshments and a silent auction to benefit the South Sound Reading Foundation’s many outreach programs.

Last year, SSRF gave away more than 40,000 free books to children from low-income families, and provided outreach (through presentations to families and story times to kids) at schools and community venues throughout the South Sound region.

Thursday, September 22
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Olympia Golf and Country Club
3636 Country Club Dr. NW
Olympia, WA 98502

Ticket Cost: $30*

*I'm offering free tickets to the first five SCBWI members who contact me. Since many of the attendees are educators and librarians, it's a great opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know some fabulous people.

The Chills of Fall Are Upon Us

Check out the September issue of Underneath the Juniper Tree. I've got a creepy little piece in there that I read to my demented Whidbey chuckleheads last month, but there are lots of other disturbing goodies to feast on this month.

I Shall Not Have Green Eggs and Hamlet

For the fun of it, I decided to create my own hybridized title game. The rules: Combine the full title of a children's book with the full (or partially full) title of a book for adults.

First up:

Shall I have them here or there?

Here are a few others:

Fun with Dick and Jane Erye
Chocolate War and Peace
The Lord of the Rings and Flies
Are You There God? It's Me, Moby Dick
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Kim

How about you?

Friday Review: Sidekicks

Sidekicks
Written and Illustrated by Dan Santat
Aurthur A. Levine Books
Ages 9-12

There must be something in the genetic code of writer/illustrators that gives their work the sizzle and pop of eternal childhood. Whatever it is they were born with, or drank from, they've got a special spark that leaps off the page.

Dan Santat's latest release, Sidekicks, is proof positive that some writers don't just write for small people experiencing childhood—they embody it. The illustrations are as smashtastic as any follower of Santat's work would expect, but to have them in a graphic novel length work is a real treat. He's got a gift for storytelling without overtelling, letting the artwork do its work to convey the energy and emotion of a superhero in peril. Well...maybe not so much peril as allergies and age.

Santat turns tired comic tropes into graphic novel gold as the hero, Captain Amazing, announces auditions for a sidekick to help him battle the baddies without running out of breath. His pet dog, hamster and lizard want the spot, but there's one problem that stands in their way: Fluffy, aka The Claw, Captain Amazing's former sidekick. Turns out things went south some years back and Fluffy is feeling a bit bitter. Santat's ability to weave flashbacks into the storyline without disrupting the plot's forward movement shows he's earned his chops as a high ranking writer slash illustrator slash big kid with loads of talent.

This will make a great Christmas present for those looking ahead...


Source: I bought my book from Mr. Santat when he offered autographed copies on his website. I'm not sure if that offer still holds, but he's kind enough to provide a link to Indiebound as a way to encourage the support of independent booksellers.

No Reply Means No

Recently, a children's agent shared on her blog that when she first opened her doors, she went a full year without selling a book for her clients. One of the things that made it so difficult for her during this drought was having to reject a lot of writers who sent queries for manuscripts that, for whatever reason, were not a good fit for her. Some writers were gracious in their replies, but not all of them. Some were upset, demanding, and drained her with follow up emails and questions.

As a result, she changed her policy regarding submissions, asking writers for a month to consider their queries—if they didn't hear back from her within that time frame, it meant she was not interested. This eliminated a lot of negativity in her life, a fact that she feels strongly resulted in a number of sales after she instituted the policy.

Unfortunately, this particular agent was hammered rather roundly for her position, and for considering closing queries to conference-goers only. It was hard to see the drubbing she took. Here she'd found a process that worked for her without causing harm to anyone else. I don't see a problem with that. There's absolutely no point in getting nasty about an agent's policy. If it upsets a writer too much, then that relationship wouldn't have worked anyway. Period. Move on. Go to Amazon. They'll offer anything for sale.

As a writer, I don't particularly care to send something into the black hole of submissions in what is an increasingly common practice of no reply means no (NRMN); however, I think a one month policy like hers is fair. At least it's transparent. I don't know how many queries she and other agents or editors receive, but I imagine it's enough for some to delete them without looking (I'm not saying that's at all the case with this agent, but I could see this as a reason why some agents or editors don't reply with a rejection). In other words, whatever the reason, it's just the way things are. Those of us who are looking for someone to invest their time and money in our works of creative genius have to accept this.

A one-month NRMN policy is generous. I've been trying for years to get a story accepted by a particular children's magazine. Each submission takes the story off the market for a full six months because they don't allow simultaneous submissions. At the end of six months, like clockwork, I'm sent a reject letter. Do I love this? No. But this is the way they do business and if I want to have a chance at publication with them, then I have to accept it.

For my part, if I'm fortunate enough to receive a rejection, then that agent or editor earns my eternal goodwill. If I receive no reply, I'm not likely to submit there again.

That's my policy.

Poetry 911: Mania Klepto Reviewed

Eulene defies definition. In fact, I believe she may have punched it in the gut and downed it with a shot of hooch at the Broomcloset Speakeasy where she holds court with the nefarious Bulkington. Definitions aside (or drunk down), I can say this about Eulene: She has inspired satisfying, lively, thought provoking poems by her originator, Carolyne Wright.

Until recently, fans were forced to content themselves with glimpses of Eulene poetry in literary venues, just long enough to cause trouble and run off to her next gig. For years, many of us have been begging for a book. Now, at last, it's here. Mania Klepto: The Book of Eulene.

Because I restrict my reviews to children's literature, I've brought in Frau Mitzi Notnagel to address this poetic emergency:


Mania Klepto: Mitzi Notnagel reviews Eulene's poetic emergency from Stephanie Barbe Hammer on Vimeo.

For those curious about the origins of Eulene, Carolyne Wright sheds some greasy clean light on the subject at a recent Whidbey MFA residency:


Carolyne Wright births Eulene - Mobile from Stephanie Barbe Hammer on Vimeo.

Craft Tip Monday: Creating Suspense

"Suspense doesn't lie in what your readers know. It lies in what your characters don't know."

—Bonny Becker

Friday Review: My Brother's Shadow

My Brother's Shadow
by Monika Schröder
Farrar Straus Giroux/Frances Foster Books (September 2011)
Age 12+

There's one thing I know I can pretty much count on when I see the names Monika Schröder and Frances Foster together in a book: I'm in for a good read. I learned about Schröder's writing from her middle grade novel, Saraswati's Way, which I reviewed last fall. Saraswati's Way was published under the Frances Foster imprint as well, and when it comes to precious reading time, I often rely on the who's behind the scene to help me navigate the book piles. It took me about, oh, zero seconds to pick Schröder's soon-to-be released young adult novel, My Brother's Shadow, for review.
 
In short, it does not disappoint. With skillful restraint, Schröder's crafts yet another powerful portrait of a boy caught in the crush of value systems and a world in chaos. In this case, the story unfolds through the public/private strife of Berlin during World War I and a sixteen year old boy, Moritz, whose family is politically divided between his anti-war, political activist mother on the one side and his Kaiser-supporting, soldier brother on the other.

When the story opens, Moritz doesn't question the rightness of the war, even though he and others are barely subsisting on ersatz food and government lies. Life under the Kaiser is all he's known, and he's troubled by his mother's rebellious acts. It's a refreshing and honest insight into a period of history that, when it comes down to it, is not so much World War I as it is World War II, Act I. The fact that Moritz works as a printer for the newspaper allows his story to illuminate the clash of personal and private interests, as well as integrate the conflicts at stake.

Told in first person, the narration of Moritz is as stark and sparse as the unemotional chill of war, once again demonstrating Schröder's use of emotional restraint to reflect (rather than exploit) a harsh existence. It rings true with a voice that reads like a teen of that time, and under those conditions, would view the world, which is to say that Schröder did a fine job of getting inside the psyche of another era. It is not flowery or lyrical, but blunt and, at times, as cold as Moritz's relationship with his ailing grandmother. (There's a scene in which she asks him to apply ointment on her back that is absolutely priceless in its cringe-worthy honesty.)

The fact that the narration is also told in present tense gives the story an eerie sense of real time contemporary political struggles and war. I found myself thinking that, while we have food and shelter, not much as changed in terms of political rhetoric and the fact that it's the poor and powerless who always carry the burden of the prevailing powers' success and failure.

In the end, Moritz gets his bearings and carves a place for himself with his awakening values. He even finds a girl. A Jewish girl. We all know, of course, what that implies for his future. In this regard, the downside to ending a book at the close of WWI is that, by its very nature of unrest and mounting hostilities against Jews, it cannot feel satisfying or remotely tidy. But it does feel genuine. And that, when it comes right down to it, is My Brother's Shadow greatest strength (among many).

Due out September 24th.

Source: Advanced Reader's Copy

About my reviews:
My comments and reactions to the books I read reflect my experience of the story as a writer studying the craft. I write them to examine what makes a story work, rather than sheer reader appeal.