Category: Author Appreciation Week

Posted in Author Appreciation Week

Author-Appreciation Week: Friday Five Excerpts

Posted on by beckylevine

To end out the week, I’ve decided to go with the openings from five of my favorite books from childhood…a few of the ones still on my shelves. These stories got me started, and my appreciation for this is without bounds.

Thanks again to Heidi R. Kling for setting up the week & Sara from Novel Novice for designing the avatar. And thanks to everybody for all the great posts, as well.

     One cold rainy day when my father was a little boy, he met an old alley cat on the street. The cat was very drippy and uncomfortable so my father said, “Wouldn’t you like to come home with me?”
—–MY FATHER’S DRAGON, by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett

The wind swept around the corners and chased clouds of dust out of the ruins of bombed houses. The cold, clinging darkness of the October evening dropped down upon the strange city from a leaden sky. The streets were deserted. Nobody was out who could possibly help it.
–THE ARK, by Margot Benary-Isbert

When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.
–THE SECRET GARDEN, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through these woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde’s Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde’s door without due regard for decency and decorum…
–ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, by L. M. Montgomery

     The porter, carrying Cathy’s suitcase, went ahead through the doors of Idlewild International Airport. “You want to weigh in now?” he asked of the portly woman who walked beside a small, dark-haired girl of about twelve.
     Mrs. Bertha Branson shook her head. “Not right away. Someone else has this young lady’s ticket. We’re to wait at the foot of the stairs to the observation deck.”
     The porter nodded and walked on so fast that Cathy had to skip now and then to keep up with his long legs. Because she was anxious and uncertain, she grasped her shiny new red overnight case more tightly and shifted the coat over her arms.
–MYSTERY ON THE ISLE OF SKYE, by Phyllis A. Whitney

Have a wonderful weekend of reading, writing, and–hopefully–sunshine!

Posted in Author Appreciation Week

Author Appreciation Week: Chris Crutcher

Posted on by beckylevine

Chris Crutcher has been writing for a while, probably longer than I’ve been actively reading YA (But I read FAST, so it’s like I’ve been reading it a lot longer!). I finally picked up a few of his books this past year, probably because my son is hitting his teens & I wanted to check them out.

And I love them.

There are many things to like about Crutcher’s novels.

  • He writes tight, fast-paced stories.
  • He brings, as far as I can tell, a new angle to the world of “jocks,” one I find intriguing.
  • He is extremely funny.
  • He is the master of the make-things-worse-then-make-them-worse-again technique.
  • He can write what I call a “gut-punch,” an out-of-nowhere event that is so painful, it literally takes your breath away.

And this list doesn’t even mention my favorite thing about Chris Crutcher’s books. Here it is: he writes moral courage in teenagers better than anybody I’ve ever read. And I love it.

I don’t honestly know if this is a me-the-reader reaction, or a me-the-mom reaction. All I know is that, when I read Crutcher’s stories, I am filled with pride at the way his characters stand up for their rights and for others’ rights. I root for them to keep pushing the limits, to tell the clueless adult or peer the truth–again and again until they hear it or go away. I think about all the ways these kids, these characters, could back down and want to hug them for all the ways they don’t.

And, yes, I’m happy when my son reads one of Crutcher’s books and I see him reacting the same way (okay, maybe not with the hugs; that probably is a mom-thing). Because I think it validates something he believes about life and about himself, that this is the way to be, this is a strength to be proud of.

I don’t know if this means that Crutcher is writing reality or if he’s projecting into his fiction the world as he wants it to be, as he knows or hopes it can be. My guess is that he’s seen kids act out this kind of courage and that he’s celebrating them on the page, as well as setting off a spark of light in the kids, his young readers, who have that courage inside them.

What I do know for sure is that Crutcher writes with power and strength and humor, and he tells a story that has a point, without once lecturing or preaching. And that’s talent.

A talent I appreciate.

A few more author-appreciation posts for your reading pleasure:

Thursday thanks to Sara at Novel Novice for the avatar!

Posted in Author Appreciation Week

Author Appreciation Week: Terry Pratchett

Posted on by beckylevine

If you go to the bookstore and ask for directions to the Terry Pratchett books, you’re likely to be sent to at least two, of not more, sections. Some will be in the science-fiction/fantasy world, some will be on the new-book shelves, and some will definitely be in the YA section. Which means that, when you’re shopping for the two or three of his books that your fourteen-year-old son hasn’t read yet, you know to hunt through the whole store.

And that’s why I appreciate Terry Pratchett. Because while I would guess he doesn’t think too much about who he’s writing for, I know that he’s writing for my son.

Okay, and for me. And my husband. All three of us laugh out loud—really loud—at the same passages. And, yes, we all try and do the thick brogue when we imitate Rob Anybody or another of the wee free men. Obviously, I love Pratchett’s comedy and would read his books time and time again if only for the brilliance of his humor.

What I love most about his books, though, is the characters. You could probably, if you tried, describe or summarize any one of them in a few sentences, and you’d hit them on target. What that summary wouldn’t convey, though (and what I’m not sure I’ll be able to), is the subtleties Pratchett weaves into each. Maybe it’s because he’s written so many books, maybe it’s because his characters remain so absolutely true to themselves in all those books. I’m not sure. All I know is that, time and time again, he’ll write a scene, a description, a piece of dialog that just makes me say, “That is so her.” Or him.

My favorite Pratchett books are the ones with the witches. My son likes those, too, but I think his first choices would be the ones with the Watch—Commander Vimes, Sergeant Colon, & Nobby. My all-time favorite character is Granny Weatherwax. I’m not sure why, but it has something to do with the fact that nobody—no matter how magical, or powerful, or strong—can beat her. Why? Simply because she knows they can’t. Granny is funny in her crankiness, in her determination to do & see things one way (her way), in her rivalries with the other witches. At her core, though, is a seriousness, a recognition that the world is hard, that people can and will do others and themselves harm without even trying, and that if nobody else is going to do battle, well, she will. And even if she loses, as long as she tries…she doesn’t lose.

And the amazing thing about Pratchett is that he gets that across at the same exact time as he is writing some of the best sheer entertainment of this and the last century, without missing a beat. Honestly, it’s not that often that I’m laughing till tears come and simultaneously sitting in awe of the sheet beauty of an author’s prose.

Pratchett makes me do that.

And I appreciate it.

A few more posts from other bloggers for you to check out:

And thank you, again, Sara, from Novel Novice for the Author Appreciation avatar!

Posted in Author Appreciation Week

Author Appreciation Week: Laurie Halse Anderson

Posted on by beckylevine

Have you read Wintergirls? Speak? Any of Laurie Halse Anderson’s other YA novels? If you have, then you’re going to understand immediately what I’ll be talking about in this post. If you haven’t yet, well go ahead and read the post, then head out and pick up one of Laurie’s books.

For me, Laurie Halse Anderson epitomizes the courage of young-adult novels and young-adult writers. And I’m not talking about the courage of defending her books, of facing arguments about whether or not kids should be reading them. I’m talking about the courage to write the stories in the first place.

Laurie’s books consistently blow me away. They’re not easy books for me, a reader who often builds her to-read pile out of humor and fantasy and escapism, to pick up. They’re not easy books for me to turn to Page 1 in. I don’t leave the real world when I read Laurie’s books, I’m thrust sharply and deeply into it. With a grace and strength of writing I haven’t found many other places.

I read Laurie’s books for two reasons.

First, I read Laurie’s books because I know that I will be caught up in a story that doesn’t let me go, one that–even as it makes me face unpleasant truths—takes me along for such a ride that I don’t want to get off. Laurie takes on hard topics in her stories, topics people often call issues, but she never fails to weave those topics into a tight, fast, plot with complex, painfully believable characters. The amount of research Laurie must do for her books, I can’t even begin to fathom, but the facts of her research never jump out as facts; they merge seamlessly into the main character’s life–her problems, choices, and actions.

That’s the first reason I read Laurie’s books.

The second reason is that Laurie reminds me, as a writer, what I want to strive for. I’ll be honest. I don’t know that I will ever choose a subject matter that has a pain at its heart as strong as Laurie chooses. I don’t know that I will want to or be able to. And that’s okay. Reading Laurie’s books, however, reminds me that I do want to tell whatever story I choose with as much honesty and truth as I possibly can. I want to do this for myself, as that writer, and for the teens who I hope will read my books. Laurie reminds me, with every word she writes, that truth is what those teens deserve.

I appreciate both reasons equally.

A few more Author Appreciation posts for you to browse:

Thanks to Sara at Novel Novice for the avatar!

Posted in Author Appreciation Week

Author Appreciation Week–I’m In

Posted on by beckylevine

 

Heidi R. Kling, author of the forthcoming YA novel Sea, has declared this week author appreciation week. Who am I to argue with something that sounds fun, is obviously a wonderful cause, and gets me out of thinking of other blog topics this week? You can read Heidi’s no-rules rules here, and decide whether you want to join in or just have fun reading the posts all week. If you’re on Twitter, watch for the hashtag #AAW, and I guess just watch for the posts to pop up on Facebook.

So there are no rules in general, but here’s a little bit about what you’ll find at my blog this week:

  • I won’t be posting about any authors I know! What does that mean, in these days of social networking and virtual friends? Well, I’m not sure. 🙂 But I have too many friends who are authors, whose books I love and with whom I have some kind of person connection–online or off–that I’m just avoiding making choices out of that group! Cowardly? Perhaps? Wimpy? Most likely. But, hey, it works for Jeff Kinney.
  • I’ll be focusing my appreciation on the things “my” authors do with their words–the choices they make about which stories to tell, or the things about the writing craft that those stories teach me. I think it’ll be interesting to see how else the word appreciation plays out across the blogosphere.
  • I may or may not make it every day. Three authors popped pretty instantly into my head, so I’m guessing five will be pretty easy, but if the post looks like it’s going to become the camel’s straw, well, you won’t find one here for that day. Or you might get two the next. Just think of me as your own random-post generator.
  • I’m using the lovely Author Appreciation avatar from Heidi’s blog, created by Sara at Novel Novice (www.novelnovice.com).  If you’ve read my blog for a while, you’ll know I can’t even draw stick figures, so there’s no way I’m going to try to create an avatar when someone has already done such a beautiful job!
  • I’m going to try and keep track of other bloggers celebrating this week, and I’ll probably (possibly?) throw a few links in a the end of each post. A few. Has anybody noticed the size of the Internet lately?!

There. I’ve done my best, as you can tell, to put structure into something that has no way of staying structured, but I can always try. Enjoy the week and make sure you tell all the authors in your day-to-day life how much you do appreciate them, too!