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  • From the Mixed-Up Files... > Writing MG Books > Top 10 Reasons to Visit MUF’s “For Writers” Page

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    March 28, 2013: Big at Bologna

     

     

    This year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the focus has shifted to middle-grade.  “A lot of foreign publishers are cutting back on YA and are looking for middle-grade,” said agent Laura Langlie, according to Publisher's Weekly.  Lighly illustrated or stand-alone contemporary middle-grade fiction is getting the most attention.  Read more...

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    March 10, 2013: Marching to New Titles

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Check out these titles releasing in March...

     

     

     

     

     

    March 5, 2013: Catch the BEA Buzz

     

    Titles for BEA's Editor Buzz panels have been announced.  The middle-grade titles selected are:

     

     

    A Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson

     

     

    Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

     

     

    The Fantastic Family Whipple by Matthew Ward

     

     

    Nick and Tesla's High-Voltages Danger Lab by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

     

     

    The Tie Fetch by Amy Herrick

     

    For more Buzz books in other categories, read more...

     

     

     

    February 20, 2013: Lunching at the MG Roundtable 

     

    Earlier this month, MG authors Jeanne Birdsall, Rebecca Stead, and N.D. Wilson shared insight about writing for the middle grades at an informal luncheon with librarians held in conjunction with the New York Public Library's Children's Literary Salon "Middle Grade: Surviving the Onslaught." 

     

     

    Read about their thoughts...

     

    February 10, 2013: New Books to Love

     

     

     

     

     

    Check out these new titles releasing in February...

     

     

     

    January 28, 2013: Ivan Tops List of Winners 

    The American Library Association today honored the best of the best from 2012, announcing the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz awards, along with a host of other prestigious youth media awards, at their annual winter meeting in Seattle.

    The Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Honor books were: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz; Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin; and Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. 

    The Coretta Scott King Book Award went to Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

    The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, which honors an author for his or her long-standing contributions to children’s literature, was presented to Katherine Paterson.  

    The Pura Belpre Author Award, which honors a Latino author, went to Benjamin Alire Saenz for his novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which was also named a Printz Honor book and won the Stonewall Book Award for its portrayal of the GLBT experience.

    For a complete list of winners…

     

    January 22, 2013: Biography Wins Sydney Taylor

    Louise Borden's His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg, a verse biography of the Swedish humanitarian, has won the Sydney Taylor Award in the middle-grade category. The award is given annually to books of the highest literary merit that highlight the Jewish experience. Aimee Lurie, chair of the awards committee, writes, "Louise Borden's well-researched biography will, without a doubt, inspire children to perform acts of kindness and speak out against oppression."

    For more...

     

    January 17, 2013: Erdrich Wins Second O'Dell

    Louise Erdrich is recipient of the 2013 Scott O'Dell Award for her historical novel Chickadee, the fourth book in her Birchbark House series. Roger Sutton, Horn Book editor and chair of the awards committee, says of Chickadee, "The book has humor and suspense (and disarmingly simple pencil illustrations by the author), providing a picture of 1860s Anishinabe life that is never didactic or exotic and is briskly detailed with the kind of information young readers enjoy." Erdrich also won the O'Dell Award in 2006 for The Game of Silence, the second book in the Birchbark series. 

    For more...

     

    January 15, 2013: After the Call

    Past Newbery winners Jack Gantos, Clare Vanderpool, Neil Gaiman, Rebecca Stead, and Laura Amy Schlitz talk about how winning the Newbery changed (or didn't change) their lives in this piece from Publishers Weekly...

     

    January 2, 2013: On the Big Screen

    One of our Mixed-up Files members may be headed to the movies! Jennifer Nielsen's fantasy adventure novel The False Prince is being adapted for Paramount Pictures by Bryan Cogman, story editor for HBO's Game of Thrones. For more...

     


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Top 10 Reasons to Visit MUF’s “For Writers” Page

Mar 15, 2013
Writing MG Books

A couple months ago I wrote a brilliant humble post entitled “Top 10 Deep (& Stolen) Thoughts about Writing,” and when I realized I now needed to announce the latest update to MUF’s “For Writers” page, I thought: Hey, that top-10 format sure made for an easy post! made an effective way to provide our loyal readers with a convenient, efficient way to gain a lot of information. So, since I’m really lazy always striving to serve MUF’s followers and provide positive returns on the time they invest in reading our blog, I now present the . . .

[INSERT DRUMROLL]

drum

TOP 10 REASONS TO VISIT MUF’S “FOR WRITERS” PAGE!

10. The “For Writers” page is quite extroverted. It gets lonely and depressed without visitors.

9. If you need a pointer on THE CRAFT of writing—characterization, plot, voice, or something else—“For Writers” has it.

8. I’ll give you chocolate. Well, kind of. At least the next time I use my laptop I’ll hold an m&m up to the webcam and see what happens.

7. If you’re struggling through a first draft or manuscript revision or querying, consider all THE PROCESS has to offer.

6. If you’re wondering where others turn for ideas and inspiration, peek at THE WRITING LIFE.

5. Whether it’s THE CRAFT or THE PROCESS or THE WRITING LIFE, you’ll find plenty of new links.

4. I’m getting really tired of embedding links to “For Writers” into this post.

3. Um, wait a minute and let me think. . . . I’m having a hard time coming up with ten reasons, so I need you to do something for me. Please rock your head slowly back and forth and stare at the spiral image below. Keep rocking. . . .

Spiral

You’re getting sleepy. Verrrrry sleeeeepy. That’s it. Relax. Now click over to the “For Writers” page and read no further in this list. . . .

Wow, this is great! Having hypnotized everyone, I know they’ve already clicked away from my post. I can write whatever I want! I can ramble and type gibberish! Include sentence fragments with reckless abandon! Overuse exclamation points!!! No one will even notice, but I’ll still have a list with ten items.

2. Who cares what number two is? You’re not reading this! Sometimes I can’t help but bask in my own brilliance. . . .

1. Wartless pickles stumble into underground snow clouds when dogs mow books at midnight.

WHAT!?!? You’re still here? Jeez, you were supposed to be gone fourteen sentences ago! Come on. Go over to the “For Writers” page. Get inspired. Glean wisdom. And please don’t tell anyone about the wartless pickles.

Written by: TPJagger on March 15, 2013.on March 13, 2013.
2 Comments
Tags , , ,

1 Comment

  1. Katherine Schlick Noe  •  Mar 15, 2013 @10:59 am

    I had to get to the end to see what happened! But now I’m heading over to the For Writers page to bask in the wonderfulness. Wish I could embed a link to the page right here, but just don’t know how. Great post!

    [Reply]

    T. P. Jagger Reply:
    March 15th, 2013 at 11:23 am

    @Katherine Schlick Noe,
    Hope you had a good bask. Please realize you’re sworn to secrecy about the pickles.

    -T. P.

    [Reply]

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