Teen Writers Bloc

Don't let this get you.

Now that it’s December, we’re almost done with our third semester at The New School. That means we have only one semester to go — our thesis semester. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I’m sick of the awful literature classes we’ve been forced to stomach this semester, and I’m looking forward to having more time to work on my books. On the other hand, the end of this semester is a little sad. Even though I’ll still be seeing all of my Teen Writers Bloc peeps, all of us won’t be together as often. No matter whether there’s professor drama or a time crunch, I always look forward to the Tuesday night workshop. That night with all of us around a table has become a fixture of my life over the past year and a half, and it’s going to be weird to start the new year without it.

That being said, we’ll still be seeing each other in regular peer groups. And I’m super-excited to be working with my super-star thesis advisor, Susan Van Metre! My thesis project will be a middle grade novel that I’m currently working on. I wrote a couple of lighter books after Wuftoom — Shameless Plug Alert! Escape From the Pipe Men! (Spring 2013) and Evil Fairies Love Hair (Fall 2013) — so I’m going back to a fantasy that’s a little darker. More details to come. I also hope to start a new older teen novel next semester. It’s something I have to do because the main character has been following me around, forcing me to write notes at odd times, like when I should be sleeping or eating or enjoying The Biggest Loser.

So even without classes, next semester is shaping up to be a busy one. I’ll be working on two books, going to peer groups, and oh yeah, celebrating the release of Wuftoom on May 8, just a week before graduation! It’ll be busy in a good way.

Popularity: 13%

Hang on — we only have one semester of school left? How the hell did that happen? Does that mean I’m going to have to re-enter the real world soon and get a full-time job and start paying back my exorbitant student loans? Nooooooooo!!!!

Okay, now that I’m done with my little freak-out, let’s take a look at what I’ve got going on for my thesis semester. I know what I’m going to be working on — a contemporary realism YA story that I’ve already started. The tricky thing about this story is that it takes place entirely at a rather unusual/interesting/scary summer camp, so even though I’m writing about things that absolutely happen in real life, the world-creation that is required for this story is almost like fantasy in a way.

I’ve already made a plan with my thesis advisor — the incomparable Sarah Ketchersid, Executive Editor at Candlewick — and have decided that my goal for the thesis semester is to get a solid complete draft finished. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m excited. I’m also super-excited to be working with my awesome peer group — TWB’s Mary, Amy, Riddhi, and Caela. These ladies are not only awesome writers, they give great feedback.

The other thing that will be happening at the same time that I’m writing my thesis is that my most recent contemporary realism novel will be sent out into the publishing world by my agent. This is, as several of my classmates can attest to, both very exciting and extremely nerve-wracking. You never know what will happen when editors are given the chance to read your book. It could work out exactly the way you’ve always dreamed, or the results could be, shall we say, less-than-desirable.

It’s that thing that everyone always says but that you never really truly understand until you’re in the thick of it yourself — this is a very subjective business, and there’s a LOT of worthy competition out there, and your success relies pretty much entirely not on whether your book is the best book ever written, but whether an agent/editor/reader connects with it. Being at the mercy of other people’s whims and personal opinions is scary business indeed.

Photo credit: nenyaki.blogspot.com

Popularity: 15%

When it comes to the Literati, my literature professor, James Allen, is hooked up. I’m not just saying this to try and land an A in his class, although I wouldn’t be opposed. But he is actually friends with the entire literary world, and most of them have come to our class.

When John Edgar Wideman, whose many accolades include being the only writer to have been awarded the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice as well as the American Book Award for Fiction, the Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction, and the MacArthur Award, came to speak to my literature class about his novel Cattle Crossing, I was intimidated. I hid in my little corner and tried not to make eye contact, especially when he started asking us what we were reading. He wanted US to tell HIM what was “good these days.”

Mostly people offered up obscure novels and collections of short stories that sounded very impressive, and well, depressing. When he pointed to me and asked, “What are you reading?” I almost died.

“Bras and Broomsticks,” I blurted, wishing I was one of those good liars, who with a straight face could say, “Sebald. I just love reading about the Holocaust,” instead of someone with verbal diarrhea.

“Is it good?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Very good.” And I meant it.  I loved Sarah Mlynowski’s Magic in Manhattan series. It was the perfect distraction from a less than uplifting semester of sad, impressive literature. I mean really, what’s better than a little magic and a lot of teen drama?

Luckily, I managed to keep that last part to myself.

Photo courtesy Random House

Popularity: 18%

I’m a busy girl. Generally, between work and writing and family and more work, I can’t afford distractions.

So I steal away reading moments when I can — on the subway, at 4 a.m. when I can’t sleep and can’t write, for five minutes with my chai in the morning. Never for extended periods of time. These days, I don’t have the luxury of picking up a book and reading it from cover to cover without putting it down. And I miss that.

Sometimes, though, it’s hard to resist. And there’s occasionally a book that’s just so riveting, so enrapturing, that it just keeps calling to you, distracting you from the everyday, the mundane, the necessary. And I spent bits and pieces of my Thanksgiving weekend devouring one such book, Jandy Nelson’s delicious, engrossing The Sky Is Everywhere.

The book is truly heart-wrenching. Lennie Walker, clarinet player and awkward kid sister, sees her world shatter when her star sibling, the feisty, fiery Bailey, dies suddenly. But instead of having the expected reaction — mourning in all black silence — the band geek goes boy crazy. She finds herself falling in love for the first time with the knee-melting Joe Fontaine. And oddly, she also finds herself randomly hooking up with her newly-dead-sister’s boyfriend, Toby. Apparently, mourning does strange things to people.

Nelson’s characters are startlingly real, and the language is beautiful — casually composed poems are scattered throughout the book, little missives Lennie scribbles and tosses away on the wind, revealing her inner turmoil to no one and everyone all at once.

This book is peopled with vivid, quirky, uber-memorable characters, and drenched in such realistic emotion, it’s occasionally exhausting. But that’s also what makes it so completely un-put-downable. If you’re a fan of sister stories, gorgeous language, tortured love triangles, sweet romance or quirky characters, this is definitely a must-read.

Popularity: 18%

It’s our third semester in the Writing for Children program at the New School, and we’ve run out of Children’s Lit seminars to take, which means we have to enroll in classes that are outside our genre. I decided to take a class in fictional autobiographies and I got lucky. The reading assignments are pretty interesting and the classes are bearable, but I still need my children’s and YA book fix. So this semester, I’ve been spending a lot of time at in the YA sections in of the bookstore and the library, either looking for new releases or finding books by my favorite authors that I previously haven’t read before.

These are some of the books that have caught my attention:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. Mara Dyer (which is not her real name) is a 16-year-old girl who mysteriously survived a building collapse that killed her three friends, Rachel, Clair and Jude. Mara begins to recall what happened the night her friends died while trying to navigate a new school, bullies, and hot guys.

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis. A year after the death of her mother, 16-year-old Luna finds her mother’s forgotten cell phone, still plugged in and fully charged. Luna discovers there are seven messages that have not been heard. Each message reveals a facet of her mother’s life that Luna never knew about and each message is a clue that leads to the cause of her mother’s death.

And a book from one of my favorite authors:

Bronxwood, by Coe Booth. The sequel to Tyrell, written by New School Writing for Children alum Coe Booth, features a now sixteen-year-old Tyrell, whose family has been broken apart. His little brother is in foster care, his mother cares only about her own interests and Tyrell is figuring out how to make it on his own. Tyrell’s father has just gotten out of jail and he has plans that Tyrell doesn’t want to be a part of. Tyrell needs to figure out how to navigate through his life in the best way possible.

I’m always on the lookout for interesting new reads. What books have caught your attention?

Photo courtesy of Random House

Popularity: 11%

This is not the first time I have shared my love of the audiobook, but I can’t help it: I’m going to remind you all again of how great audiobooks are for changing up your reading routine, escaping into a great book, and, more importantly, still being able to read books even when your eyes really, really hurt.

I have a great job that involves reading for six or seven hours a day. Add that to the (super dense) reading for my non-childrens lit class, and I’ve already got a good 30 hours a week of reading on my plate.

But fear not! I can still read for pleasure through my extensive audiobook collection!

The downside is that sometimes audible.com’s teen selection isn’t what I’d hope it would be. (For instance, it is KILLING me that The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer  isn’t available as an audiobook yet.) So I resort to the occasional adult or crossover book. This month, I picked up a book being marketed to both women AND girls (sorry, not really being marketed for the men as it is pretty and pink), Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

For a quick, funny read, you can’t do better than Kaling, who’s best known for playing Kelly Kapoor on The Office. And in this collection of quirky essays, she writes about all the things a great contemporary teen novel might address: high school, crushes, body image, parental pressure, changing friendships. She does it with wit and depth, never dismissing the hardships of adolescence, but still finding room for humor in the growing pains of her youth. Plus, in the audiobook version, Kaling does the reading herself. And there’s nothing better than hearing a great comedic actress narrate her own book. (See also: Tina Fey’s Bossypants.) If you love YA literature, this is a great pick. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someday Ms. Kaling joins us teen fiction writers and tackles a YA novel. She seems interested in and passionate about that period of time, and from these essays, it sure looks like she has a lot to draw on! In fact, I’m now I am considering starting a twitter campaign: Mindy Kaling, Please Drop Everything and Write a YA Novel. I’ll keep you updated on its progress.

If I haven’t convinced you, or if you’re really just looking for a contemporary YA novel, I’ve also enjoyed Sara Zarr’s 2009 novel Sweethearts, which is filled with heartbreaking, lovely, characters so full of life you’d swear you’ve actually met them. And looking forward, everyone should be on pins and needles waiting for New School alum Siobhan Vivian’s The List, which I have been lucky enough to get a peek at. Vivian’s new novel is one of those books I wish I’d written, and I have a feeling it’s going to be HUGE. So mark April 1st on your calendars and gets ready to enjoy yet another New School alum’s masterpiece!

Popularity: 10%

I often feel like I made a really bad decision with my literature class. At first I thought I’d be interested in the reading list, but after going through a lot of really dense and difficult texts like Tristram Shandy, Ryder, Pale Fire, Naked Lunch and Hopscotch, I wish I’d taken a class that involved some lighter reading.

Luckily, I was also working on a new story for our children’s writing seminar and drew inspiration from some really awesome picture books that I randomly picked them out at the New York Public Library. I was delighted that they were light and funny – just the thing to balance those pretentious fiction texts that were weighing me down.

Here’s a few of the ones that really rocked.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

This one is so simple and charming, a story about a boy and a tree that gives the boy whatever he wants. I had never actually read this as a picture book, only as an email, which sucks because I was missing out on seeing the real Tree. And what a wonderful tree it is!

The Gift by Carol Ann Duffy and Rob Ryan

A very subtle story about a little girl who wanders off from a woodland picnic and finds herself in a lovely clearing and meets an old woman who grants her wish in exchange for a simple necklace of flowers. Remarkably intricate floral details in a folk-art style with hand cut illustrations.

The Bear That Wasn’t by Frank Tashlin

I may have written about this book before, but it’s become like home to me. It’s a bittersweet story about a hibernating bear that awakens to find himself in the middle of a factory where everyone he meets insists that he’s not a bear, but a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat. What’s great about it is the way it tells you to be proud of who you are in a humorous, non-preachy manner.

Someone Used My Toothbrush and Other Bathroom Poems by Carol Diggory Shields and Paul Meisel

Breaking away from the nature them, I moved to the bathroom, with a book featuring lots of different families in hilarious poems with clever word play and just the right amount of grossness about potty training, cleaning the bathroom, waiting in line, an over-crowded medicine cabinet and so on.

BrainJuice: English, Fresh Squeezed!  by Carol Diggory Shields and Tony Ross

More poems by the same author who gave us bathroom poems, this one was just the thing for the grammar nerd in me. This one simplifies the English language, giving you a hilariously honest lowdown on punctuation, spelling, diagramming sentences, drafting letters, writing poetry and much more.

The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner

This one reminded me of the Chicken Little and the Sky Is Falling story. Only, in this case, it starts with the rabbits, who hear a terrible plop and begin to run through the forest spreading mass panic about something terrible that’s going to happen. I bet kids will love repeating the “PLOP” as it recurs on every page — and maybe they’ll be able to deal with their own fears through this adorably illustrated book.

Digital Imaging: Riddhi Parekh

Popularity: 11%

When it comes to finding a good book to read – especially in the midst of all the drudgery of adult novels we’ve been reading this semester – I have developed a system which almost always produces excellent results. I call it The Verdi System, otherwise known as “What Is Jess Reading Now?”

My very good friend, Jess Verdi, is always reading something new, either to review it for our site or because she’s got a very close relationship with Amazon. Luckily for me, we have very similar tastes. So every time I come to her apartment, I usually end up leaving with at least one new book to read. So far this semester, Jess’s outstanding library has provided me with:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Haunting and disturbing, with a great love story and even greater elements of suspense, Michelle Hodkin’s debut novel definitely had me up reading into the wee hours of the morning.

Delirium. The only one I’ve borrowed so far that I didn’t like. While Lauren Oliver’s prose is beautiful and evocative, it doesn’t work so well with the genre. I like my dystopian novels to run at breakneck speeds.

Glow. I loved this book so much I had to start reading it over again once I finished it. The writing is clunky in places, but boy does Amy Kathleen Ryan know how tell a good story with non stop action. It’s like Firefly or Battlestar Galactica for teens. And you never know who to trust.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Okay, technically this is not a YA book, but I highly recommend it. Fifteen year old Christopher is an autistic boy who tries to solve the murder of his neighbor’s dog. Outstanding writing, and a beautifully unique way to tell a story.

At the moment, I’m about halfway through Crossed, the sequel to Ally Condie’s Matched. I’m reserving judgment until I get to the end. And after that…well, I wonder what Jess’s library will have in store for me?

Popularity: 15%

I am drowning in work this semester. Papers, tutoring, meetings, phone calls, books I don’t want to read for my snooze-fest Lit class. At times I feel like having a Kindergarten-style meltdown — hands waving in the air, feet kicking the ground, and screaming, lots of screaming. But, each night, when I return home from tutoring somewhere along 5th Avenue, I stuff myself and retreat to bed with one good book: Lauren Oliver’s Lisel and Po.

From the moment I spotted the cover, saw the smoky, black-and-white illustrations, and read the first line: “On the third night after her father died, Liesl saw the ghost”, I was HOOKED! Swept away! Captivated! I don’t want to describe Liesl or Po or Bundle or Will or The alchemist or The Lady Premiere, because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Getting to know all these characters was the best part.

Here is a little summary of the plot from our friends at Amazon.com: “Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone. That same night, an alchemist’s apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable. Will’s mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.”

The language is sweeping and the characters’ dilemmas fantastically life-threatening. It reminded me of the books I loved growing up — the ones that I’d stay up all night reading even after my mother told me to go to bed. Stuck in the doldrums of a boring adult literature class, this book helped pull me through.

Check it out!

Photo Credit: Harper Collins

Popularity: 11%

It’s our third semester at The New School, and it’s going slooooow. For some reason, The New School administration is forcing us all to take non-children’s literature classes, and let’s just say the books aren’t exactly what we love to read. This week I was supposed to read Naked Lunch, a book so obscene and offensive that it made me question my stance against banned books. Boy, am I in the mood for something fun! Thankfully, I’m in luck, because the third book in Gitty Daneshvari’s School of Fear series came out on October 3rd! I’ve got my order in to Amazon, and while I’m supposed to be reading some “adult” slog-fest, I’ll be eagerly devouring Daneshvari’s particular brand of goofy fun.

The original School of Fear (2009) is about four middle-schoolers who each have hilariously over-the-top phobias. Madeleine is deathly afraid of bugs, to the point where she exists in a cloud of bug spray. Garrison is afraid of water. Lulu is claustrophobic, and Theodore is afraid of dying. Think these fears sound serious? Think again! Each fear is hilariously extreme and the cause of seriously funny behavior. All of the kids’ parents have had enough and have decided to send them to the mysterious School of Fear, which consists of a weird mansion staffed only by Schmidty, a man with a ridiculously long comb-over, and Mrs. Wellington, a former beauty pageant queen with a penchant for silly wigs. Add in a dog named Macaroni, a ridiculous lawyer, a mysterious forest-dwelling former student, and a series of absurd “lessons,” and you have a recipe for much laughter and forgetting of your silly troubles.

The silliness continues without abatement in 2010’s School of Fear: Class is NOT Dismissed, in which the kids return for more fun with wigs, comb-overs, and beauty pageants. If you are looking for something to get you through your boring semester, try the School of Fear series! School of Fear: The Final Exam is out now.

Cover art courtesy Little, Brown and Company

Popularity: 21%