Monday, September 12, 2011

Three Middle-Grade Debuts


Check out these new books!

Tess Hilmo’s WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE
With a Name Like Love
One-sentence summary:
Southern murder mystery with heart and soul.
Favorite middle-grade character of all time:
My favorite MG character is easily Kit from THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. She is witty, spunky and fights for what she knows is right.  That book started my love affair with historical fiction.
Why you write middle grade:
I can't write anything other than middle grade. Every character I write comes out sounding like they are twelve or thirteen. So, I figured I should embrace it and have been writing middle grade ever since!
Sheela Chari’s VANISHED
Vanished
One sentence summary:
11-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician until her instrument goes missing, and she must find a way to get it back.
Favorite middle-grade character of all time:
The character I admire the most is Lyra, from The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. She is bold, assertive, and has a bad temper. I love that she's not perfect and not always easy to be around, but that her instinct is to do the right thing, that she is fiercely loyal to her friends, and finds solutions to her problems on her own.
Why you write middle grade:
I write middle grade because that's the age I remember the most distinctly from my childhood, at a time when I discovered and loved reading books. I think middle grade is my natural writing voice.
Anna Staniszewski’s MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE
My Very UnFairy Tale Life

One sentence summary:
12-year-old Jenny spends her days solving magical problems...but she's getting mighty sick of it, and she wants out.
Favorite middle-grade character of all time:
Oh dear. I have to pick just one? I think it would have to be Emma-Jean Lazarus. She's such a unique, layered character with her own logic and way of seeing the world. She's also pretty hilarious, whether she realizes it or not.
Why you write middle grade:
I write MG because that's what comes naturally to me. Often when I try to write for an older audience, it morphs into a MG story all by itself. I think this is partly because deep down I'll always been about 12 or 13. I also love the dynamic characters and rich storytelling that you often find in MG books.

12 comments:

  1. These all look too cute! Can't wait to get my hands on them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I knew about Anna's, but not the other two. Thanks for the heads-up, Caroline!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These all sound great, Caroline. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Caroline, I didn't know about Vanished. I love the cover!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The middle one has me interested, and another vote for the cover :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's so great to see more debut middle-grade authors hitting the scene! This books look so fantastic! Thanks for sharing, Caroline. I knew about Vanished, but not the other two! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that some of these titles are new to you guys! All three are distinctly different and perfect for middle graders everywhere.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the shout out, Caroline. It is neat to see With a Name Like Love making its way. Hooray for Middle Grade!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you - how wonderful to be on this list!

    ReplyDelete
  10. These books all sound interesting. Great covers. Thanks for sharing about them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi fellow mg debut-ers! Lauren Tarshis will be thrilled with the Emma jean shout out, I'll make sure she sees it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. These all sound great! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for adding to the mayhem!