Monday, December 31, 2012

Three Minutes of Stealthiness

Normanday #57: Five green squid flip flapjacks in the rain.
 
One might think it’s better to conduct secret business when nobody is around, but you know a crowd provides the perfect cover. That’s why you’re walking through town during that morning hour when people are rushing to work and school. You head straight for the empty flowerpot in front of the used bookshop on Main Street and dip your hand inside, confident that even if anyone notices you doing it, they’ll be in too much of a hurry to give it much thought. You pull out a slip of paper on which is written a single word. You weren’t expecting that particular word, but you know just what it means. Write for three minutes…
 
…about the word, what it means, and what you’ll do now that you’ve read it.
 
Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day January 6 (put “Norman is Stealthier Than an Invisible Man Wearing Cotton Candy Shoes” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.
 
Here are the entries from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes…
 
…listing the things you wish you had done in 2012, but didn’t.
 
 
 
Bigfoot

1. Meet new people.
 
Morzant
1. Cure Bigfoot’s photography impediment.

2. Conduct more author interviews.

3. Experiment with writing poetry.

4. Play a practical joke on Norman.

5. Take Mortimer to see the Grand Canyon.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Briar's Journal (December 26, 2012 to January 15, 2013)

Dream Entry*
May 16, 2006
 
I can only remember fragments of my dream:
 
Morzant shredding pages torn from old books and throwing the shreds out the window of his spaceship. The pieces orbit Earth.
 
Three puppies dancing around a pole while a flashing sphere slides down it. They are chanting, “Three hundred and sixty-five more days of reading!”
 
My friends, a duck, and the three puppies reading to a baby.
 
 
 
The books BIGFOOT is reading:
 
33 MINUTES
by Todd Hasak-Lowy,
with illustrations by Bethany Barton
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Aladdin-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
HOKEY POKEY
by Jerry Spinelli
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Knopf-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
THE TERRIBLE THING THAT
HAPPENED TO BARNABY BROCKET
by John Boyne,
with illustrations by Oliver Jeffers
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Knopf-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
THE TRAGEDY PAPER
by Elizabeth Laban
[YOUNG ADULT]
Knopf-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
THE WRAP-UP LIST
by Steven Arnston
[YOUNG ADULT]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
RETURN TO ME
by Justina Chen
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
January 15, 2013
 
 
The books MORZANT is reading:
 
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION:
LINCOLN AND THE DAWN OF LIBERTY
by Tonya Bolden
[MIDDLE GRADE—NON-FICTION]
Abrams
January 1, 2013
 
LINCOLN’S GRAVE ROBBERS
by Steve Sheinkin
[MIDDLE GRADE—NON-FICTION]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
January 1, 2013
 
TILLIE PIERCE: TEEN EYEWITNESSES
TO THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
by Tanya Anderson
[YOUNG ADULT—NON-FICTION]
21st Century
January 1, 2013
 
ZOM-B UNDERGROUND
by Darren Shan
[YOUNG ADULT—
SECOND IN THE SERIES]
Little, Brown-Hachette
January 1, 2013
 
NELSON MANDELA
by Kadir Nelson
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Katherine Tegen-HarperCollins
January 2, 2013
 
MY FIRST DAY
by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page,
illustrated by Steve Jenkins
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Walker
January 8, 2013
 
IT’S OUR GARDEN: FROM SEEDS TO HARVEST
IN A SCHOOL GARDEN
by George Ancona
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Candlewick
January 8, 2013
 
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: HOW ONE
TOWN STOOD UP TO SLAVERY
by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Judith Bloom Fradin,
illustrated by Eric Velasquez
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
A SPLASH OF RED: THE LIFE AND
ART OF HORACE PIPPIN
by Jen Bryant,
illustrated by Melissa Sweet
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Knopf-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
YOU NEVER HEARD OF WILLIE MAYS?!
by Jonah Winter,
illustrated by Terry Widener
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
YOKO ONO: COLLECTOR OF SKIES
by Nell Beram and Carolyn Boriss-Krimsky
[YOUNG ADULT—NON-FICTION]
Amulet-Abrams
January 13, 2013
 
 
The books PENNY is reading:
 
ALTERED
by Jennifer Rush
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
January 1, 2013
 
CATHERINE
by April Lindner
[YOUNG ADULT]
Poppy-Little, Brown-Hatchette
January 1, 2013
 
DR. FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTERS
by Suzanne Weyn
[YOUNG ADULT]
Scholastic Press-Scholastic
January 1, 2013
 
THE 13TH SIGN
by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
January 8, 2013
 
CRASH
by Lisa McMann
[YOUNG ADULT—
FIRST IN THE TRILOGY]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
January 8, 2013
 
DOOMED
by Tracy Deebs
[YOUNG ADULT]
Walker
January 8, 2013
 
PAPER VALENTINE
by Brenna Yovanoff
[YOUNG ADULT]
Razorbill-Penguin
January 8, 2013
 
REVOLUTION 19
by Gregg Rosenblum
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
January 8, 2013
 
THE WRAP-UP LIST
by Steven Arntson
[YOUNG ADULT]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
SHADES OF EARTH
by Beth Revis
[YOUNG ADULT—THIRD IN THE
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE TRILOGY]
Razorbill-Penguin
January 15, 2013
 
 
The books THE DUCK is reading:
 
SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard
[YOUNG ADULT]
Amulet-Abrams
January 1, 2013
 
TEETH
by Hannah Moskowitz
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
PROPHECY
by Ellen Oh
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE
DRAGON KING CHRONICLES TRILOGY]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
January 2, 2013
 
DELUSION by Laura L. Sullivan
[YOUNG ADULT]
Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
JINX
by Sage Blackwood
[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
Janaury 8, 2013
 
THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT
by Veronica Rossi
[YOUNG ADULT—
SECOND IN THE TRILOGY]
HarperCollins
January 8, 2013
 
THE WATER CASTLE
by Megan Frazer Blakemore
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Walker
January 8, 2013
 
 
The books NORMAN is reading:
 
ZOMBIE KID
by J. Scott Savage
[MIDDLE GRADE—
FIRST IN THE CASE FILE 13 SERIES]
HarperCollins
December 26, 2012
 
HIDEOUT
by Gordon Korman
[MIDDLE GRADE—
FIFTH IN THE SWINDLE SERIES]
Scholastic
January 1, 2013
 
THE ADVENTURES OF A SOUTH POLE PIG:
A NOVEL OF SNOW AND COURAGE
by Chris Kurtz,
with illustrations by Jennifer Black Reinhardt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
THE CANDY SMASH
by Jacqueline Davies
[MIDDLE GRADE—FOURTH IN THE
LEMONADE WAR SERIES]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 8, 2013
 
HYDE AND SHRIEK:
A MONSTERRIFIC TALE
by David Lubar
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Starscape-Tom Doherty
January 8, 2013
 
ROAD TRIP
by Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Wendy Lamb-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
STICK DOG
by Tom Watson
[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
January 8, 2013
 
THE SLITHER SISTERS
by Charles Gilman
[MIDDLE GRADE—SECOND IN THE
STRANGE TALES FROM LOVECRAFT
MIDDLE SCHOOL SERIES]
Quirk Books
January 15, 2013
 
 
The books BEVERLY is reading:
 
EMPTY
by K. M. Walton
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
FALLING FOR YOU
by Lisa Schroeder
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
THE FIRE HORSE GIRL
by Kay Honeyman
[YOUNG ADULT]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
January 1, 2013
 
THE GRANDDAUGHTER NECKLACE
by Sharon Dennis Wyeth,
illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
[PICTURE BOOK]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
January 1, 2013
 
VICTORIA REBELS
by Carolyn Meyer
[YOUNG ADULT]
Paula Wiseman-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
GINGERSNAP
By Patricia Reilly Giff
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Wendy Lamb-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
JUST ONE DAY
by Gayle Forman
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE DUET]
Dutton-Penguin
January 8, 2013
 
NAVIGATING EARLY
by Clare Vanderpool
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Delacorte-Random House
January 8, 2013
 
ONE CAME HOME
by Amy Timberlake
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Knopf-Random
January 8, 2013
 
THEN YOU WERE GONE
by Lauren Strasnick
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster
January 8, 2013
 
USES FOR BOYS
by Erica Lorrain Scheidt
[YOUNG ADULT]
St. Martin’s Griffin
January 15, 2013
 
 
The books OLIVER is reading:
 
OPEN THIS LITTLE BOOK
by Jesse Klausmeier,
illustrated by Suzy Lee
[PICTURE BOOK]
Chronicle
January 1, 2013
 
CHEER UP, MOUSE!
by Jed Henry
[PICTURE BOOK]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 15, 2013
 
 
The books LENNY is reading:
 
MAX & MILO GO TO SLEEP!
by Heather Long and Ethan Long,
illustrated by Ethan Long
[PICTURE BOOK]
Aladdin-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
BUILDING OUR HOUSE
by Jonathan Bean
[PICTURE BOOK]
Farrar, Staus and Giroux
January 8, 2013
 
CHU’S DAY
by Neil Gaiman,
illustrated by Adam Rex
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
January 8, 2013
 
A PET NAMED SNEAKER
by Joan Heilbroner,
illustrusted by Pascal Lemaitre
[EARLY READER]
Random House
January 8, 2013
 
PUG & DOUG
by Steve Breen
[PICTURE BOOK]
Dial-Penguin
January 10, 2013
 
 
The books VIOLET is reading:
 
ALL ABOUT ELLIE
by Callie Barkley,
with illustrations by Marsha Riti
[CHAPTER BOOK—SECOND IN THE
CRITTER CLUB SERIES]
Little Simon-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
AMY AND THE MISSING PUPPY
by Callie Barkley,
with illustrations by Marsha Riti
[CHAPTER BOOK—FIRST IN THE
CRITTER CLUB SERIES]
Little Simon-Simon & Schuster
January 1, 2013
 
GRUMPY GOAT
by Brett Helquist
[PICTURE BOOK]
HarperCollins
January 2, 2013
 
BABYMOUSE #17: EXTREME BABYMOUSE
by Jennifer L. Holm,
illustrated by Matt Holm
[GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Random House
January 8, 2013
 
BUNNIES ON ICE
by Johanna Wright
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
January 8, 2013
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUNNY!
by Liz Garton Scanlon,
illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
January 15, 2013
 



* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.