Tales from the Rushmore Kid

Merrily Kutner - Writing Tip of the Day.

I met Merrily for the first time at this year's SCBWI National conference.  Pretty, kind, and fun, Merrily was a blast to hang out with. Not only is she a poet, she teaches writing classes at UCLA extension. I asked her to give us a writing tip of the day. She gave us two, one from her and one from our dear departed Sue Alexander.

The best tip I ever got was from Sue Alexander: Type out 5-10 pages of your favorite picture books in manuscript format. Now analyze what the artist chose to illustrate.  Check to see what actions or words were illustrated and what was told only in the pictures.

October Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks

It seems like there are so many great kids books coming out lately! Recently I have read and loved these:

Novels:

THE NEST, by Kenneth Oppel, with moody, atmospheric illustrations by Jon Klassen, is a wonderfully creepy changeling story. Steve's parents are worn out from caring for their new baby, who is sick with a mysterious set of problems. Steve, a big-time worrier, is just supposed to get a grip and not add to the family’s troubles. But once Steve is stung by a wasp, he begins to have visitors in his dreams. At first he thinks they’re angels. But gradually Steve realizes that something bad is happening, and it involves both him and the new baby. Only read The Nest if you enjoy being creeped out—and I know I sure did when I was a kid! (MG)

Newbery medalist Laura Amy Schlitz (also Newbery Honor with Splendors and Glooms) has another winner in THE HIRED GIRL. Fourteen-year-old Joan is tired of cleaning the chicken house and scrubbing the privy, hauling ashes and sweeping muck out of her family's house day after day, and year after year. She yearns to be a writer, a lady who strives for "truth and refinement." But what chance does she have on her family’s small farm, with Ma dead and no one else to keep house for the men? Stubborn Joan will not be denied, however. When Pa burns her favorite books, Joan takes a secret stash of money left to her by Ma and runs off to seek her fortune in Baltimore. Schlitz packs this always engaging novel with plenty of interesting details from the early twentieth century setting, but they never overwhelm the story of how Joan’s fierce pursuit of her goals plays out. (Upper MG)

Suzanne Morgan Williams - Research Tip of the Day

Author and SCBWI RA for Nevada Suzanne Morgan Williams writes exceptional books. Her novel Bullrider has won numerous awards. I asked her how she did the intricate research for the novel and what I got was the Research Tip of the Day.

The Night Gardener--Lynn Becker's Book Picks

October’s Book Pick is the wonderfully creepy THE NIGHT GARDENER, by Jonathan Auxier.

Newly orphaned Molly and Kip desperately need food and a bed, and they are willing to work for it. After slogging through the ominous “sourwoods," they find themselves facing a remote house that looked "like something from a horrible fairy tale. It might as well have come with a drawbridge and boiling cauldron.” But worst of all was the tree, which was grown up and over the house, as if it were part of it. Molly and Kip stay on as servants, and slowly the secrets of the house are revealed: muddy footprints that appear in the night, a mysterious locked door, and the strange transformation of all who inhabit this cursed place. Molly, a budding storyteller, and Kip, transforming from a boy into an insightful young man, serve as strong, complex characters to see this tale through.