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Cocker Spaniel sittting
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Young Adult Fiction Pick and Mix – July 13th Edition Plus THE SECRET INGREDIENT Giveaway

by Martina Boone

Young Adult Fiction Thought for the Week


Parents need to stop thinking they are “protecting their children” when they try to ban books that contain difficult subject matter. This week, Laurie Halse Anderson’s beautiful book SPEAK was labeled child pornography. PORNOGRAPHY! Seriously, people? The rape is barely mentioned. And certainly not gratuitously. The book is about what happens in the aftermath. But that’s not the worst part. You have to read Laurie’s post.

Leave it to Judy Blume to get it right.

“Parents are always going to be anxious over how fast their children grow up. It’s easy to dismiss these people as loons, but smarter for kids, school systems, and writers alike to instead try to make them understand that a book isn’t going to blindside a child with ugliness or pain. Instead, encountering something tough on the page lets kids know that they aren’t alone in their troubles—or makes them more ready for the realities that are coming for them as an inevitable part of growing up, no matter how hard their parents try to protect them. As Parker Posey’s bookstore clerk told Louie last season, as he searched for a good read for his daughter: “Some of these books will let her take these feelings, these emotions, out for a safe kind of spin.” 

And there is simply NO reality in which bullying a kid should be a reality that any parent supports. Perhaps if Richard Swier in Florida had read a few more books while he was growing up, he might have developed some more empathy and compassion. 



Young Adult Novel of the Week

I reread SPEAK, because the controversy reminded me that the book was written for teens. Teens who may face the same situation as victims, as bystanders, as friends of a victim, or friends of a someone who steps (or bulldozes) over the line of social or criminal behavior.

Read SPEAK. Talk about it. Speak up.

Buy it on Amazon | Buy it on IndieBound | View it on Goodreads

I also loved:

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West

Creepy. Beautifully written. Unexpected. I love that it is layered and not what it seems, and did I mention beautifully written?





Like Free Young Adult Novels? 

Fill out the form below to win one of TWO copies of THE SECRET INGREDIENT.

For fans of Sarah Dessen and Jay Asher’s 13 Reasons Whycomes a journey of family, food, romance, and self-discovery as Olivia, a teen chef living in L.A., finds a vintage cookbook and begins a search for her birthmother that will change her life forever.
Olivia doesn’t believe in psychics. But the summer before her senior year of high school, she meets one in an elevator.

This summer will be pivotal, the psychic warns. Please remember—all your choices are connected.
Olivia loves her life in Silverlake, Los Angeles, but lately, something’s been missing. And after getting this strange advice, her world begins to change. A new job leads Olivia to a gorgeous, mysterious boy named Theo. And as Olivia cooks the recipes from a vintage cookbook she stumbles upon, she begins to wonder if the mother she’s never known might be the secret ingredient she’s been lacking.
But sometimes the things we search for are the things we’ve had all along.

Buy on Amazon | Buy on IndieBound | View on Goodreads



More Young Adult Giveaways:

             


What’s Hot to Watch? Two Young Adult Book Trailers

  • How to Graffiti A Car (The Dream Thieves Style) by Maggie Stiefvater


  • The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black





    
Thoughts on Reading


           





           

Young Adult Reader of the Week: D from The Lovely Getaway

       

             
This is D, she’s a book blogger over at The Lovely Getaway. She’s an avid reader addicted to YA fiction. She’s not afraid to reach through books and slap characters upside the head when they make bad decisions. When she’s not reading, she’s bankrupting her personal checkings account by attending every fabulous author event on the west coast. She loves futbol, or soccer, and will one day marry Chelsea FC’s striker, Fernando Torres. She believes in sharing the love of books and is often hosting giveaways. Check out her blog or follow her on twitter, @Bookish_D
               
 * Want to be the reader of the week next week? Leave a comment on our Thursday or Friday posts! 




Young Adult Writer/Blogger of the Week: Julie Musil

       

         
Julie is a tireless supporter of all things writing and reading. As a writer of young adult books, she is also a brilliant writing analyst. I adore her Writing Lessons Learned From series, in which she produces fabulous, universal truths from a young adult novel she has recently read. I would pick Julie anyway, because her blog is fabulous and I want to share it. But I also have to mention that she wrote a post about my book deal last week that made me break down and cry. She is absolutely a lovely person, as well as a talented writer and blogger. If you are one of the few people who hasn’t discovered Julie yet, do yourself a favor and fix that now. Don’t forget to check out articles like these:
 



* Want to be the blogger of the week next week? Leave a comment. I’ll pick from among the bloggers who leave comments here on the blog today through Wednesday.



Writing Tips


                  

    

           
Writing Tip of the Week
             
           

Writing Inspiration
             



                       
More Writing Inspiration



Beautiful Young Adult Writing
                       
“I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So, how can I find my way? Is there a chain saw of the soul, an ax I can take to my memories or fears?” 

~ Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak

                       
Publishing News and Trends
           
            

Need a few more bookish things to think or talk about? How about a few more of my favorites.

              
Just for Laughs

               
What About You?
                    

What are you reading? Writing? Have any quotes or thoughts you’d like to share? Did you find or write any book reviews or blog posts you want to let people know about?

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Jul 13, 2013
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags:

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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