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Author Guest Post: “There’s a World of Inspiration Out There” by Karah Sutton, Author of The Song of the Swan

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“There’s a World of Inspiration Out There”

In his book of essays, The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green addresses the problem of sunsets: “How might we celebrate a sunset without being mawkish or saccharine?… what can we say of the cliched beauty of sunsets?” Green initially assesses writing about sunsets as being cliche, but ultimately decides that the opposite is true: that writing about sunsets cannot be cliche when marveling at sunsets is such a universal human behavior.

As he writes, Green gives examples of sunset descriptions which are “menacing,” “sentimental,” “innocent,” and full of “mysticism.” What’s so extraordinary to me about this essay is how these exemplify writing as an art form. Sunsets differ by place and time; each person observing the sunset is unique and altered from one day to the next. No sunset viewing is the same, and no description of a sunset is either. When we write, we may explore common themes, tropes, and situations, but our individuality will transform our output.

There are multiple sunsets in my book The Song of the Swan. When a story contains a curse that turns humans to swans at sunrise and returns them to humans at sunset, its writer needs a strategy to describe them.

I regularly go for walks around sunset as it’s the time when I can best hear my favorite birdcalls, and I did this often while writing The Song of the Swan. As I walked, I’d ponder and problem-solve, discover new story ideas while discarding old ones. If there was a pleasing sunset, I’d stop to watch it. Because I knew I needed new ways to describe skies which glow with orange and pink, I would do an exercise in my mind that has since become a frequent activity in my writing process, which I invite you to try for yourself.

Step 1:

Go outside and find somewhere to sit. Use your senses, focusing on one sense at a time. How is the breeze brushing against your ears? Is there laughter nearby? Can you smell the food truck on the corner? Including these details make writing feel more vivid, especially if you can tie your descriptions to real moments where you’ve observed similar sensations.

Step 2:

Thinking of what you noticed, try describing those observations by making connections to unexpected things. This sense of surprise is what gives prose delightful originality. Those flowers might be arranged like a wedding bouquet, but they might also infest the meadow with forced cheer. The multi-colored cars in the parking lot are like jewels in a treasure chest. The sky at sunset is the color of a bruise.

Step 3:

Now, consider the comparisons you’ve chosen, and think about the tone conveyed by each one. A description might be silly, but it could also be creepy, or joyful, or melancholy, or mysterious. What is it that makes the description feel that way? Is it because of the image it conjures? Or is there something about the specific words chosen that have an emotional quality?

And for extra credit:

Go back through your list of observations, and try rewriting to use descriptions that all evoke a consistent emotion. If a lot of your descriptions depict a similar emotion already, try changing them to something different. If you’ve described flowers in a humorous way, how might you describe them in a way which feels sad, or angry, or unnerving?

This exercise can be done anywhere, but I like to do it outside, because I’ve always found extra value in the outdoors and physical exercise while doing creative exercises. The benefits of going outside is a common theme in writing advice: Dickens, Thoreau, Woolf, and many others extol walks as fuel for creativity.

Whether in nature or the bustle of a city, I find that when my body is exploring the outdoors, my mind is more receptive to unexpected ideas. I discover new connections between seemingly separate things, which is what the creative process really is—in order to make something new, artists collect and connect things, like bees patrolling their flowers. Or telephone wires snaking between buildings. Or blackberries destined for a pie.

You get the idea. There’s a world of inspiration out there.

The Song of the Swan
Author: Karah Sutton
Illustrator: Pauliina Hannueniemi
Published October 24th, 2023 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

About the Book: A magical retelling of Swan Lake, featuring a clever orphan, a castle filled with enchanted swans, and a quest to unearth the secrets of the past.

Olga is an orphan and a thief, relying on trickery and sleight of hand to make her way in the world. But it’s magic, not thievery, that could get her into trouble.

When Olga and her partner-in-crime Pavel learn of a valuable jewel kept in a secluded castle, Olga sees an opportunity to change their lives: a prize so big, they’d never have to steal again. But the castle is not as it seems, ruled by an enchanter who hosts grand balls every night, only for the guests to disappear each morning, replaced by swans. Guided by cryptic clues from the palace spiders, Olga soon realizes she’s in over her head—torn between a bargain with the enchanter, loyalty to Pavel, and determination to understand how the enchanted swans are linked to her own fate.

One thing is certain: there is dark magic behind the castle’s mysteries, and Olga will stop at nothing to unmask it.

About the Author: Karah Sutton is an American/New Zealand children’s author and former bookseller. Her debut middle grade fantasy adventure A Wolf for a Spell was an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next List Top 10 selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. Inspired by her many years as a ballet dancer, The Song of the Swan is her second novel.

Visit her online at KarahSutton.com or on Instagram at @KarahdactylAuthor.

Thank you, Karah, for reminding of us the beauty around us!

Author Guest Post: “Big Problems and Small Fascinations” by Olivia A. Cole, Author of Where the Lockwood Grows

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“Big Problems and Small Fascinations”

School requires a lot from young people. Focus, sitting still, hands to yourself, social skills. (This doesn’t end with elementary school. Middle school? For sure. High school? Yep!) This is all hard enough – particularly if you won the neurodivergent lottery – and then you have to throw the whole “actual learning” thing on top too: the math and the science and the history. Oh, and homework! Don’t forget homework. (I’m admittedly sad that the “no homework” movement seems to have lost steam in the last year.)

Where is the space for special interests?

This isn’t a write-up about kids being swamped by “activities” starting in kindergarten. It’s not about how college prep seems to start earlier and earlier in a country where college isn’t free. It’s not even about overwork and burnout.

It’s about small fascinations.

In Where the Lockwood Grows, Erie Neaux isn’t tied up with swimming practice. Rather, she and the other young people in the town of Prine are struggling under the yoke of child labor, although of course no one is calling it that. It’s called survival. (Which at least is more noble than the current justifications.) Erie (and the other children who have no choice but to do the dangerous work in the trees that keeps their town running) wakes up before dawn to finish their work, after which they go to school for a few hours, where most of them are too tired or stressed to pay much attention to what they’re expected to learn.

Erie spends most of the time either daydreaming or flipping through an old encyclopedia of entomology, studying the many strange bugs and their attributes contained in the pages. She applies her knowledge as best as she can in the tiny, insulated town of Prine, admiring the dustnose beetles and other local insects.

But when she and her sister discover the truth about what keeps the people of Prine in the dark, their adventure takes them to the city of Petrichor, where Erie’s world finally opens up. Along the way, she’s taken to the Bug Yard, a place where other bug-lovers have developed their fascinations with insects and turned them toward solutions to climate and waste problems. (Awesomely enough, these imaginings aren’t science fiction!) In the end, Erie’s fascination with bugs that she nurtured in her sparse spare time plays a big part of saving the day.

Capitalism has a way of wringing every drop out of a day. Adults feel it when we don’t even have time for a hobby. (Or worse, when we try to turn hobbies into streams of income.) Children feel it when between school and homework there’s none of their day left empty for daydreaming.

In Where the Lockwood Grows, the lockwood blocks the stars that Erie’s mother says her children need to dream. What about us? What do we need to dream? Our Earth has big problems that need big solutions, born from creativity and innovation, from small fascinations that grow into resolutions. How will they be born if we don’t have time to dream?

Published August 15th, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About the Book: Twelve-year-old Erie has never lived life fully in the sunlight. After destructive wildfires wreaked havoc on the world around her, the government came up with a plan—engineer a plant that cannot burn. Thus, the fire-resistant lockwood was born. The lockwood protects Erie and her hometown of Prine, but it grows incredibly fast and must be cut back every morning. Only the town’s youngest and smallest citizens can fit between the branches and tame the plant. Citizens just like Erie.

But one evening, Erie uncovers a shocking secret that leads her to question the rules of Prine. Alongside her older sister, Hurona, she’ll journey from the only home she’s known and realize that the world is much more complicated than she’d ever imagined.

About the Author: Olivia A. Cole is a writer from Louisville, Kentucky. Her essays, which often focus on race and womanhood, have been published in Bitch Media, Real Simple, The LA Times, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Gay Mag, and more. She teaches creative writing at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, where she guides her students through poetry and fiction, but also considerations of the world and who they are within it. She is the author of several books for children and adults. Learn more about Olivia and her work at oliviaacole.com and follow her on Twitter @RantingOwl.

Thank you, Olivia, for this food for thought and reminder that it is okay to allow kids to focus on their loves and passions!

Up In Flames by Hailey Alcaraz

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Up In Flames
Author: Hailey Alcaraz
Published: October 3, 2023 by Viking

Summary: Gorgeous, wealthy, and entitled, Ruby has just one single worry in her life—scheming to get the boy next door to finally realize they’re meant to be together. But when the California wildfires cause her privileged world to go up in flames, Ruby must struggle to find the grit and compassion to help her family and those less fortunate to rise from the ashes.

At eighteen, Ruby Ortega is an unapologetic flirt who balances her natural aptitude for economics with her skill in partying hard. But she couldn’t care less about those messy college boys—it’s her intense, brooding neighbor Ashton who she wants, and even followed to school. Even the fact that he has a girlfriend doesn’t deter her . . . whatever Ruby wants, she eventually gets.

Her ruthless determination is tested when wildfires devastate her California hometown, destroying her parents’ business and causing an unspeakable tragedy that shatters her to her core. Suddenly, Ruby is the head of the family and responsible for its survival, with no income or experience to rely on. Rebuilding seems hopeless, but with the help of unexpected allies—including a beguiling, dark-eyed boy who seems to understand her better than anyone—Ruby has to try. When she discovers that the fires also displaced many undocumented people in her town, it becomes even more imperative to help. And if she has to make hard choices along the way, can anyone blame her?

In her powerful debut novel, Mexican American author Hailey Alcaraz chronicles a riveting portrait of transformation, resilience, and love with an unlikely heroine who, when faced with unforeseen disaster, surprises everyone, especially herself.

Review: This book reminds us all that we are imperfect, and we won’t always make the right choices. Ruby’s story is set in a backdrop of the California wildfires. The book includes richly realized themes, and I particularly appreciated the ways in which Author Hailey Alcaraz interrogated the intersections of race and class. I was invested in Ruby’s story and rooting for her from the beginning to end. She is certainly flawed (as we all are), and she felt very real to me. I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. (The audiobook is excellent!)

Tools for Navigation: Teachers might have students map some of the many themes of this book, considering how they are integrated within the text and the lessons they teach readers.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How would you describe Ruby? What qualities does she have that are positive? What qualities might she work on? What lessons does she learn?
  • How does the setting shape the story? How might the text be different if the setting was different?
  • How are Ashton, Remy, and Charlie different? How does Ruby’s relationship with each help us understand her more?

Flagged Spreads/Passages: She understood that some things required more than sheer willpower. Some things—the important things, the hard things, the things that defined you as a person—required patience and trust and listening, too (p. 370, Advanced Reader Copy, and the quote may change).

Read This If You Love: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Social Justice Stories

Recommended For: 

RickiSig

**Thank you to Aubrey at Penguin Young Readers for providing a copy for an honest review**

Author Guest Post: “No Easy Answers: Using A Twist of Magic to Make a Tough Topic Accessible” by Jessica Vitalis, Author of Coyote Queen

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“No Easy Answers: Using A Twist of Magic to Make a Tough Topic Accessible”

In the nearly twenty years that I’ve specialized in middle grade literature, I’ve learned that if there’s one defining characteristic of the category, it’s that these stories end in hope. Not that the characters always get their happily ever after, but they do always learn something new about themselves––or the world––that leaves the reader feeling like the characters they’ve developed an emotional connection with are going to be okay––maybe not today or tomorrow, but in the long run.

This unspoken promise that everything will turn out in the end is part of what makes middle grade books such a delight to read––in a world where it’s sometimes hard to feel optimistic, these stories offer us glimmers of light. As an author, I believe in this promise with all my heart, and I also believe that kids need to see themselves in books, whether it’s characters that reflect their skin color or culture or sexual orientation or any number of other differences from the white, cishet, able-bodied, neurotypical narratives that have traditionally been published.

Despite fitting into the latter categories, I didn’t see myself reflected in the stories of my youth—I don’t recall reading any books where the main characters were hungry or cold or didn’t feel safe (physically or emotionally). I felt alone and isolated––desperate to be seen but at the same time desperate to hide my situation from anyone and everyone. Desperate to be accepted as “normal.”

I set out to write my upcoming novel, Coyote Queen, with a mission to give voice to the countless children who share my lived experiences, but I found myself grappling with how to write an authentic story infused with hope––I know all too well that for many children there aren’t any easy answers to the problems they face. I know because I suffered in silence until the age of sixteen when I left home. While everything turned out for me in the long run, staying silent until you are old enough to run away is decidedly not the message I want to share with young readers. Nor did I want to write a book so bleak as to render it unreadable.

In the end, I turned to magic to help balance out the darker realities of childhood with the need to write a story that is readable and optimistic. The result? A story in which a twelve-year-old girl enters a Wyoming beauty pageant desperate to win the prize money she and her mother need to escape her mother’s abusive boyfriend. But an eerie connection to a local pack of coyotes starts causing strange changes to her body––her sense of smell sharpens, she goes color-blind, and eventually, she has to figure out how to win the pageant with a tail.

This twist of magic doesn’t provide any easy answers for Fud; instead, it serves as a metaphor for her inner journey, and it helps to show her who she is––and who she can save. The magic swirling inside Fud is the same magic we all carry inside ourselves––it won’t turn us into coyotes, but it is always waiting to be called upon when we need it the most. If that’s not a cause for hope, then I don’t know what is.

For Class Discussion

Read the following passage from the opening of Coyote Queen:

“Before the coyote stuff happened, I would have told you that magic didn’t exist…Now, I know better. I might look like a normal girl on the outside, but on the inside . . . well, let me put it this way: if you consider yourself the practical sort, then this is one story that you’re going to find really hard to believe.”

Answer the following questions:

  1. What do you know about this character? How do you know these things?
  2. What do you think is going to happen in this story? Why?

Read the following passage from Coyote Queen:

“As the yelling from the front of the trailer continued, I concentrated on blocking out their harsh words, on the darkness behind my eyelids, on existing somewhere outside of this small trailer. I was only vaguely aware of my arms growing long, of a thick layer of protective fur sprouting to cover my body. Of leaving the trailer on all fours, slinking through the shadowed kitchen so Mom and Larry didn’t notice my exit.”

Answer the following questions:

  1. What happens to the main character in this passage? Why does this happen?
  2. Do you think the main character actually turns into a coyote? What else might be happening? Why?

Read the following passage from Coyote Queen:

“Off in the distance, a bluff jutted up from the ground, making it feel like we were in a bit of a valley. A flat, nothing-filled valley. The whole state used to be under glaciers. When those melted, it was an ocean. I tried to imagine being underwater with sharks swimming around, but it was hard. There was pretty much nothing but dirt, sagebrush, and sun-crisped prairie grass as far as the eye could see—unless you counted the piles of junk scattered around Larry’s property, which I didn’t.”

Answer the following questions:

  1. Where do you think this story takes place? Why?
  2. Why do you think the author set the story in Wyoming? How does the setting support the themes in the story? How would the story change if it were set in a jungle? Near the ocean? On the moon?

 

One of the defining features of middle grade books is that they always include hopeful endings. This doesn’t always mean things turn out like the characters want them to, but it does usually mean that there is the promise that things will get better.

  1. Why do you think this is important?
  2. In Coyote Queen, Fud joins a beauty pageant hoping to earn the prize money she and her mother need to escape her mother’s abusive boyfriend, and Fud eventually has to try to figure out how to win the beauty pageant after she grows a tail. How could this story have a have a hopeful ending? What would you do if you were in a situation where you needed help?

Published October 10th, 2023 by Greenwillow Books

About the Book: Inspired by the author’s childhood, Coyote Queen is about a twelve-year-old girl, Fud, who lives in a trailer with her mother’s abusive boyfriend. When he comes home with a rusted-out boat he plans to turn into their new home, Fud vows to save her mother from the floating prison by entering a local beauty pageant to win the prize money they need to escape. But then Fud develops an eerie connection to a local pack of coyotes and starts noticing strange changes to her body––she goes colorblind, develops an acute sense of smell, and before long, she has to figure out how to win the pageant with a tail. The Benefits of Being an Octopus meets The Nest in this contemporary middle grade novel with a magical twist about family, class, and resilience.

About the Author: JESSICA VITALIS, a Columbia MBA-wielding author for Greenwillow / HarperCollins, wrote The Wolf’s Curse and a standalone companion novel, The Rabbit’s Gift (which received starred reviews from the School Library Journal and the Canadian Centre for Children’s Books Best Books for Kids and Teens 2023). Her next book, Coyote Queen, arrives on 10/10/23 and an unnamed novel in verse comes out in 2024. Her work has been translated into three languages, and she was named a 2021 Canada Council of the Arts Grant Recipient and featured on CBCs Here and Now and CTVs Your Morning. Jessica now lives in Ontario with her husband and two daughters but speaks at conferences, festivals, and schools all over North America.

Thank you, Jessica, for this insight into your book and the wonderful classroom discussion questions!

Author Guest Post: “Delicious Details” by Caroline Hickey, Author of Ginny Off the Map

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“Delicious Details”

How do you create a character that feels three-dimensional? One that readers can immediately picture and connect with? While there are many ways to approach this, I find that the simplest way to quickly nail a character is with details.

One of my favorite books about writing, Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer, offers this wonderful bit of advice: “Often, a well-chosen detail can tell us more about a character—his social and economic status, his hopes and dreams, his vision of himself—than a long explanatory passage.”

The right detail can be an adjective, an action or even a gesture, but it has to be purposeful and specific.

In the opening scene of my middle-grade novel Ginny Off the Map, readers meet eleven-year-old Ginny Pierce, who, on the last day of school, does something pretty unusual.

My foot jiggles nervously under my desk. This morning we were told to collect all of our textbooks from our lockers and desks and place them in the designated piles at the front of the room. And I did—I returned all of them. Except one.

The Inspiring World of Earth Science is still in my backpack, which is tucked under my desk with my jiggling foot. My copy is old and battered, with rounded corners. The cover is sticky. Inside, it contains chapters on oceanography, hydrology, and atmospheric science. There are project guides detailing how to build a model volcano, how to re-create the formation of Hawaii, and how to make your own power station using the heat that fuels volcanic eruptions.

I love volcanoes. They are the earth literally turning itself inside out.

I don’t want to hand in this textbook. I was hoping the last day of school would be so busy that Mr. Sonito would forget all about it and I could keep it.

“I can’t find it,” I say. “I must have left it at home.”

Ginny lies to her teacher’s face and hides her science textbook because she wants to keep it so badly. This is the detail I chose to introduce her with, because I felt it said so much more than just an explanation of how smart she is, how much she loves science, and how different she is from most of the kids in her class, who were more than happy to hand in their books and head out the door for summer.

Coming up with unique character details can be a lot of fun. Try the following exercises to get the ideas flowing.

Exercise # 1 – Brainstorm Details

How do you get better at brainstorming details? Notice what’s around you! Have students spend a few minutes writing down a detailed description of the room they’re sitting in. Have them describe the person sitting next to them. Have them describe their breakfast, or something interesting they saw on the way to class. Good writing begins with paying attention!

Exercise # 2 – Name That Character

Ask students to think about a favorite character from a book or movie and try to recall a specific, revealing detail or action about that character. Ask them to describe the detail to their classmates, without naming the character or book/movie, and see if anyone can guess who the character is.

Exercise # 3 – Mix and Match

Write two lists on the board. One list should include potential characters, such as a grandmother, toddler, neighbor, friend, and coworker. The second list should include adjectives, such as optimistic, ornery, nervous, silly, flexible, and irrational. Draw lines at random between the characters and the adjectives to match them up, then give each student a matched set, such as an irrational neighbor or a silly grandmother, and have them come up with a specific detail describing their person. Share them with the class and discuss.

As Francine Prose said, “Details are what persuade us that someone is telling the truth.” Make sure to pay attention to all the interesting, ordinary things around you, and your writing will be better for it!

Published June 20th, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About the Book: There are two things Ginny Pierce loves most in the world: geography facts and her father. But when her dad is deployed overseas and Ginny’s family must move to yet another town, not even her facts can keep her afloat. The geography camp she’s been anxiously awaiting gets canceled, and her new neighbors prefer her basketball-star sister. Worst of all, her dad is in a war zone and impossible to get ahold of. Ginny decides that running her own camp for the kids on her street will solve all her problems. But can she convince them (and herself) that there’s more to her than just facts?

With a fierce heart and steadfast determination, Ginny tackles the challenges and rewards of staying true to herself during a season of growth. This thoughtful novel explores the strength that develops through adversity; Ginny must learn to trust her inner compass as she navigates the world around her.

About the Author: Caroline Hickeylearned her world capitals by playing Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego in the 80s. She has since lived in more places than Ginny, her favorite being London, England. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in New York City and is the author of Cassie Was Here, Isabelle’s Boyfriend, and many popular series books. She currently lives just outside Washington, DC with her husband, two daughters, and a labradoodle. Visit her at carolinehickey.com.

Thank you, Caroline, for these activities to add some more description into our students’ writing!

Author Guest Post: “Create Your Own Dragons: Fantastical Creatures Shaped by the Natural World” by Kacy Ritter, Author of The Great Texas Dragon Race

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“Create Your Own Dragons: Fantastical Creatures Shaped by the Natural World”

One of my favorite parts about writing fantasy is drawing inspiration from anywhere—including geography, ecology, and biodiversity. While creating the alternate modern world for The Great Texas Dragon Race, I aimed to introduce kids to diverse dragon species, each intricately shaped by their habitats in Texas and beyond.

In this article, I’ll outline how I used real-world creatures and climates to develop a few of the dragons in The Great Texas Dragon Race. From arid deserts to vast mountain ranges, each dragon possesses unique traits inspired by its specific habitat. I hope these mythical beings will fire young readers’ imaginations while also serving as a reminder of the boundless wonders of our own natural world. You can even try a similar exercise with students who are hesitant to “get excited” about ecosystems!

Species: Cyan Mountain Dragon
Habitat: The Rocky Mountains
Inspirations: Bald Eagle; Side-blotched Lizard

How I Created It:

The fierce Cyan Mountain Dragon was designed as a creature born to soar above the lofty peaks of the Rocky Mountains. I wanted this mighty dragon to easily navigate the rugged mountain terrain by allowing it to blend in with the sky. Stealing from the majestic traits of a bald eagle, I gifted this dragon with exceptional eyesight, allowing it to spot prey high above the peaks.

Species: Mexican Free-tailed Dragonette
Habitat: North, Central, and South America
Inspiration: Mexican Free-tailed Bat

How I Created It:

My Mexican Free-tailed Dragonette borrowed heavily (and I mean, really heavily) from its inspiration, the Mexican free-tailed bat, which lives all across the Lone Star State. (I even had these bats living outside my home in a bat house we installed. . . Yes. We put it there. On purpose.) Resembling a bat in size and appearance, I imagined these fuzzy brown dragonettes with scales peaking through their fur as a nod to their reptilian heritage. Equipped with a pig-like snout and expert echolocation, I wanted these tiny dragons to have unique features which would allow them to thrive in my alternate world just like bats.

Species: Texas Coral Viper
Habitat: Southern United States (and, umm, Texas)
Inspiration: Texas Coral Snake

How I Created It:

The Texas Coral Viper in The Great Texas Dragon Race is stolen from its real-life venomous prototype, the Texas Coral Snake. Its markings of red, black, and yellow (which are also the colors of the “bad guys” in the race… hmmm…) serve as a warning to potential threats. I added to the features of a typical Texas coral snake, both nocturnal and solitary, to make it more “dragon-like.” These additions included ivory fangs the size of golf-clubs and an underdeveloped set of wings. But just like the Texas coral snake, its fangs also release deadly venom.

Species: Purple Lightrage
Habitat: Domesticated
Inspiration: My dog and cats… No, really!

How I Created It:

My dog and cats inspired this adorable dragon, by I added cobalt blue horns and tiny wings. Its slender frame and wriggly nature make it fun and endearing—a far cry from what most kids think of when they think of dragons. (Because, come on… who doesn’t want a cute little bacon-loving dragon to curl up at the end of their bed at night?)

A Final Note

My hope is that young readers and writers will realize they don’t have to create something out of thin air if they don’t want to. Sometimes, the basic subjects we learn in school can give us fantastic ideas for developing fantasy creatures. This is an exercise I will begin using in school visits this Fall. If you want to try this exercise with your students, ask them to start with a location and build their own dragon based on what it would need to thrive in that location. Maybe they’ll pick a snowy peak, a massive forest, or a backyard. Either way, the world is their oyster dragon.

Published August 1st, 2023 by Clarion Books

About the Book: Thirteen-year-old Cassidy Drake wants nothing more than to race with her best dragon, Ranga, in the annual Great Texas Dragon Race. Her mother was a racing legacy, and growing up on her family’s dragon sanctuary ranch, Cassidy lives and breathes dragons. She knows she could win against the exploitative FireCorp team that cares more about corporate greed than caring for the dragons.

Cassidy is so determined to race that she sneaks out of her house against her father’s wishes and enters the competition. Soon, Cassidy takes to the skies with Ranga across her glorious Lone Star State. But with five grueling tasks ahead of her, dangerous dragon challenges waiting at each one, and more enemies than allies on the course, Cassidy will need to know more than just dragons to survive.

About the Author: Kacy Ritter is a fantasy geek who has lived all across the Lone Star State. She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas, and currently resides in Houston with her partner and their daughter. She daylights as a healthcare professional, and loves writing at the intersection of fantasy and Texas Americana.

Thank you, Kacy, for this fun look into your inspiration!

Student Voices: Book Recommendations from Anja K., Meghan K., & Teresa Z., 7th graders, and Silvia S., 8th grader

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Book Recommendations

“Top Ten Books I Recommend” by Anja K., 2022-23 7th grade


This book is so good; I really don’t get why people don’t read it! It is about a girl that goes to school in Paris and meets a boy that she really thinks is cute. I really thought it was a cute moment when St. Clair took Anna to his secret spot!! So Romantic!!! I REALLY RECOMMEND!!


This book is such a great book!! It is about 4 kids that are in suspicion for killing a young man in the same grade. I REALLY RECOMMEND!! (I definitely recommend it for people that are interested in mystery!!) 


This book is SO GOOD! It has a lot of action and a bit of blood, but if you like action, this book is for you! It is about students that go to a school and learn how to be heroes. Great! Amazing! Recommend!!


I think this book was a really cute book!! It is about this girl that found a smelly pet and does not know what it is so she tries to find out what the animal is and how it got there. This was a very interesting and funny book to read!! Really recommend for people that like funny content!!


This series is so good!! I am trying to finish the series and you can get some of the books in the HCMS library!! This series is about a boy named Tanjiro and his sister which turns into a demon and fights with him in the Demon Slayer Corps. 


 I really recommend this book it is so good!! It has a nice theme to it about twins, their competitiveness, and how they live!! It was a cute little book!!


This book is such a good book!! I totally recommend this!! It is about a girl that is allergic to mainly dogs and all animals with fur so she tries to get a pet, and it does not work out so well. 


This book is about kids that learn how to do Yo-Yo tricks and dancing. I really recommend this book for kids that like graphic novels that have dancing in it. This book is a little different from others though.


A Silent Voice is about a girl that is deaf and a boy that makes fun of her and how he tries to make up with her in High School after Middle School. I really loved how it had a cute message to it!! If you like this summary, I totally recommend this book for you!! 


I really loved how this book had 2 twins that wanted to be different and not the same as the other twin because people kept on messing up there identities I really recommend!!

“Ten Favorite Books” by Meghan K., 2022-23 7th grade


A girl who wants to play football with the boys but everyone is judging her….She does not care what people think and she follows her dream. I recommend this book because girls can do anything boys can do. Also, this book made me really happy to read because I was in a similar situation when I started playing football with the boys.


A family moves to a new town, They meet this boy and he claims the town is haunted, Only to their surprise he is right….. I recommend this book because it was interesting! I could not stop reading it.


A girl named Pip thinks Sal did not murder Andie Bell. Will she find the real murderer. I LOVE this book!! SO many twist and turns. Always kept me interested. 


A girl who does not want to have a Quince. Her family convinced her but it went differently for what she suspected. I really like this book because the mom finally realizes that the girl should wear what she likes and do what she likes.

A girl who wanted a pet dog until she found out she was ALLERGIC… So she decided to get a rat, still allergic. Ends up finding a way to keep her cute little rat friends. I Love Allergic! Definitely a 5 out of 5. Amazing book. I Understand because I have a lot of pets and I thought I was Allergic to my cat and I was sooo sad. But it ended up that I was not!


A girl who wants to be just like her dream Tik Toker. One day she wished for her to be 22 just like the famous Tik Tok star she wanted to be. Really good book! Kept me interested. Definitely worth reading. I loved it!


A big family has to share a tiny house. Second oldest child is not too happy with her older brother because he does not have to share a room, so they find a solution. I can relate to this book because my middle sister got the biggest room and I always wanted it but when she moved out I got it! Definitely miss my sister though.


When girls were brought down because they wanted to do other things besides chores. Jane Goodall did not care and did what she loved…Studying chimpanzees. I love reading books where women do what they want to do and do not let people judge them!! Pretty good book.


A young Otter learns to follow his mothers footsteps and be just as good as her. I like this book a lot because as family you always need to stick together even through ups and downs. 


Stacy has to go to babysit this family… They go to the beach and Stacy falls in love. How does Marry Anne feel about having to watch over all the kids by herself while Stacy is off with this guy. I recommend this book because it shows that you should stick with your friends over a guy! Don’t just push your BFF over a guy you just met. 

“Ten Books I Enjoyed from my School Library” by Teresa Z., 2022-23 7th grade


This book is really good. I enjoyed it!


It was about a kid that just went to a new school which has rich kids and more bullying involved with it but I thought it was really good!!


I love this book because it teaches you how to reach your goals.


I like this book. Overall it’s good, but it is really dark.


This book is so good. I love how they learned how to overcome their differences and be friends.


I love this book–it’s so good! I love love stories!


I love this book it teaches how to go through stuff, and it’s so fun to read. 


This book is good; it teaches a really good lesson.


This book is really good, and it’s really fast to read. I love it so much!


This book is really good–I 100% recommend this book.

“Recommended: The Clique by Lisi Harrison” by Silvia S., 2022-23 8th grade

The Clique books felt exclusive and special. I truly enjoyed the drama and how Lisi Harrison created their own slang and inside jokes with hidden meanings. Reading the clique allowed me to live a fantasy quite similar to Mean Girls with girls my age with real insecurities. I do wish the clique continues and that some of the characters undergo some character development. The Clique will always be a series I recommend because it deserves every star it gets. I hope that you are as interested in the clique as I was. 

Ever dream of that fashionista and luxurious lifestyle with the perfect friend group? Meet The Pretty Committee comprised of 4 girls Massie, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen. Massie the girl meant to lead and conquer with her miu miu lace cami, who can turn any fashion-don’t into a fashion-yes. Alicia is the exotically beautiful and stylish runner-up that can get any boy with a hair flip. Dylan the polished redhead daughter of a tv star surrounded by cameras and all you can hear of clicks and flashes. Kristen is the smartest and sportiest girl in the pretty committee with her secret double life. 

On the night of the nationwide New Year Yve’s party where everything comes to place by the drop of a handbag. Massie Block trapped as a beta in The Ahnnabeees (the wanna-be clique) at Presbyterian Middle, has amazing ideas for them but is neglected. Alicia Rivera eager to guide and lead her dance studio squad with their caption on vacation, gets her one in a lifetime to shine and perform at Merri-Lee Marvil’s New Year Yves party. Dylan Marvil always sweet-talked because of her mother’s fame she has had no one ever bother standing up to her. Kristen Gregory needs to leave planet loser and change up her life this year. Claire Lynons the sweet naive Orlando girl psyched to win a last-minute invite to the New Year Yves party but has to sneak out before the countdown to midnight ends. 

Massie goes to a physics telling her she will now be the leader and connect 5 gems by midnight and she should have purple because royals like Massie always had purple. Alicia with her determination “offends” one of her teammates and gets in great trouble but who can let a chance of being the next star go like that? But it’s not meant for her; she trips on a bracelet charm. Claire was held in a room before getting her first kiss from a star until her parents come in to take her out after seeing her on tv. Dylan struggling to fit in her size 2 pants doesn’t know her mother’s stylist has put skinning mirrors is told the truth by Massie and wonders who that girl is. Massie after telling a girl her pants are not going to fit no matter what bumps into someone and her charms come falling out.

Kristen who happened to come in and sees Dylan out asking to switch clothe seems rich enough to enter the party sees a girl looking for something and goes to help. Each girl finds a charm and goes to Massie to give her the charm and they realize they are meant for each other after discussing how each of their lives is missing something. Massie and Alicia decide to move schools to Octavian Day and The Clique begins. But where is the last gem? 

Thank you so much to my student voices today and their recommendations!