Briar’s Journal (June 1 to June 14, 2011)

Dream Entry*

October 8, 2005

I chase a peacock into Morzant’s lab. The peacock joins Mortimer, Bigfoot, and a cricket at the back of the lab to play poker.

Morzant is in another part of the lab, by a pond.

“Over here, Patch,” he says.

It should seem strange to me that he’s calling me “Patch” and that there’s a pond in the lab’s floor, but it doesn’t.

As I join him, he holds an eye dropper over the pond. The pond is full of plump tadpoles.

“This is an accelerant I developed. Observe.”

He squeezes three drops into the water. One is purple, one is blue, and one is green even though they all came from the same dropper. The tadpoles swim towards the drops. Morzant begins to counts down.

“Five, four, three, two, sock, pickle!”

At pickle, the tadpoles start to change.

“It’s happening. Watch how their tails diminish in size.”

He’s right. The tails become thinner and duplicate. Then the tadpoles open their mouths wide. Their mouths fold backwards. At first it looks like they’re eating their own many flappy tails. Then the closing mouths start to look like book covers closing on pages.

“They’re turning into books,” I say.

“Just as I knew they would,” Morzant says. “Not that I’m a book, mind you. Because I am not a book.”

Soon the books are hopping out of the lab pond.

“Time to collect them,” Morzant says.

We maneuver large shoe boxes in front of the books. When they jump inside, we quickly slap on the lids. We poke holes in the top so the books can breathe. Then I use markers to write our friends’ names on the boxes.

In BIGFOOT’s shoebox:

SLICE: JUICY MOMENTS FROM MY IMPOSSIBLE LIFE

by Steven Herrick

[YOUNG ADULT]

Random House

June 1, 2011

STUPID FAST by Geoff Herbach

[YOUNG ADULT]

Sourcebooks Fire-Sourcebooks

June 1, 2011

ANYA’S GHOST by Vera Brosgol

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

ASTRONAUT ACADEMY: ZERO GRAVITY

by Dave Roman

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

DON’T STOP NOW by Julie Halpern

[YOUNG ADULT]

Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan

June 7, 2011

LEVEL UP by Gene Luen Yang,

illustrated by Thien Pham

[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]

First Second-Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

HOW I STOLE JOHNNY DEPP’S ALIEN GIRLFRIEND

by Gary Ghislain

[YOUNG ADULT]

Chronicle

June 8, 2011

WHAT WE KEEP IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WILL STAY

by Amanda Cockrell

[YOUNG ADULT]

Flux-Llewellyn

June 8, 2011

THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE by Kathyrn Erskine

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Philomel-Penguin

June 9, 2011

NEVER SIT DOWN IN A HOOPSKIRT AND OTHER THINGS

I LEARNED IN SOUTHERN BELLE HELL

by Crickett Rumley

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

June 14, 2011

In MORZANT’s shoebox:

THE DEAD: AN ENEMY NOVEL by Charlie Higson

[YOUNG ADULT]

Hyperion-Disney

June 14, 2011

In PENNY’s shoebox:

ASHES, ASHES by Jo Treggiari

[YOUNG ADULT]

Scholastic Press-Scholastic, Inc.

June 1, 2011

FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick

[YOUNG ADULT]

Little, Brown-Hachette

June 7, 2011

THE MISSING HEIR by Tracy Barrett

[MIDDLE GRADE—FOURTH IN THE

SHERLOCK FILES SERIES]

Henry Holt

June 7, 2011

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

by Ransom Riggs

[YOUNG ADULT]

Quirk

June 7, 2011

POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

[YOUNG ADULT]

Simon Pulse-Simon & Schuster

June 7, 2011

HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire

[YOUNG ADULT]

Egmont USA

June 14, 2011

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

[YOUNG ADULT]

Dutton-Penguin

June 14, 2011

YOU’LL LIKE IT HERE (EVERYBODY DOES)

by Ruth White

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Delacorte-Random House

June 14, 2011

In NORMAN’s shoebox:

THE EMPIRE OF GUT AND BONE by M.T. Anderson

[MIDDLE GRADE—THIRD IN THE GAME OF

SUNKEN PLACES SERIES]

Scholastic Press-Scholastic, Inc.

June 1, 2011

SHARK WARS by E. J. Altbacker

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Razorbill-Penguin

June 14, 2011

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU O.J. by Erica S. Perl

[MIDDLE GRADE]

Knopf-Random House

June 14, 2011

In BEVERLY’s shoebox:

WAR AND WATERMELON by Rich Wallace

[YOUNG ADULT]

Viking-Penguin

June 9, 2011

THE CROSSING by Donna Jo Napoli,

illustrated by Jim Madsen

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

June 14, 2011

In OLIVER’s shoebox:

JONATHAN AND THE BIG BLUE BOAT

by Philip C. Stead

[PICTURE BOOK]

Roaring Brook

June 7, 2011

WHAT IS YOUR DOG DOING? by Marilyn Singer,

illustrated by Kathleen Habbley

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster

June 7, 2011

WHO’S THERE? by Carole Schaefer,

illustrated by Pierr Morgan

[PICTURE BOOK]

Viking-Penguin

June 9, 2011

ON THE SEESAW BRIDGE by Yuichi Kimura,

illustrated by Kowshiro Hate

[PICTURE BOOK]

Vertical

June 14, 2011

In LENNY’s shoebox:

GILBERT GOLDFISH WANTS A PET

by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Bob Shea

[PICTURE BOOK]

Dial-Penguin

June 9, 2011

FARMYARD BEAT by Lindsey Craig,

illustrated by Marc Brown

[PICTURE BOOK]

Knopf-Random House

June 14, 2011

In VIOLET’s shoebox:

HOGWASH! by Karma Wilson,

illustrated by Jim McMullan

[PICTURE BOOK]

Little, Brown-Hachette

June 7, 2011

SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM? by Mo Willems

[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK]

Hyperion-Disney

June 14, 2011

* 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.