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Author Guest Post: “So What You’re Really Saying Is…” by Adam Borba, Author of This Again

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“So What You’re Really Saying Is…”

By the end of the sixth grade, most students have been introduced to the concept of a thesis statement by their English teachers. That infamous sentence that typically appears in the first paragraph of an essay declaring the main point or purpose of the paper in a concise summary. It gives a paper direction and informs readers what the author intends to discuss. For years, I dreaded them. I found thesis statements daunting and believed their prescriptive nature took the fun and art out of writing and made it more formal, like science or math (never my strong suits). But while I loathed thesis statements as a kid, as a storyteller, I love a strong, clear theme. The irony is thesis statements and themes are essentially the same—it’s just a successful rebrand. Like Blue Ribbon Sports changing its name to Nike or a restaurant deciding their menu’s underwhelming fettuccini alfredo is actually amazing cacio e pepe. Let me explain!

A theme (or message) is the essence of a story—what it’s all about. Themes tend to be strongest when they’re simple, clear, and universal, so they’re relatable to everyone. A single sentence, often only a few words. They’re not always a line that’s written verbatim (or spoken in a movie) and rarely are themes stated definitively up front, but even buried in subtext all the scenes in a story with a strong thematic build to that idea. Themes are something that I learned to appreciate while developing and producing movies, which I’ve done for over twenty years. Early in my career, I discovered having a clear theme tended to be one of the things that allowed an audience (or readers) to have a strong emotional connection with a story.

When I’m beginning a movie or writing a book, one of the early goals I have is to get to that one sentence message. Again, preferably something universal. And it’s always something that my colleagues, the director, and the film’s writers have agreed to. A few examples: In Pete’s Dragon it was “Everyone belongs somewhere.” In Timmy Failure it was “It’s okay to be different.” In Peter Pan & Wendy it was “Everyone grows up at their own pace,” In A Wrinkle in Time it was “Everyone is deserving of love.”

When I’m writing, I try to figure out the theme before I begin a rough draft, so I can tie it to narrative and character as much as possible, because ideally, it’s the theme that the protagonist learns that ultimately allows them to get out of trouble and succeed in the end.

My first book, The Midnight Brigade, is about a shy boy named Carl with a big heart who has trouble sharing how he feels. The book is set in Pittsburgh and one night Carl finds a grumpy troll named Frank living under one of the city’s four hundred bridges. Carl decides to keep the troll a secret with his friends which leads to all kinds of trouble. Ultimately, the troll teaches Carl to be bold (the story’s theme), which sets the kid on a stronger path.

In my novel Outside Nowhere, the main character, Parker Kelbrook is an extrovert. He’s funny, and charming, and talks a lot. He’s a Ferris Bueller-type, the opposite of Carl and he doesn’t take life seriously. When the story begins, Parker is more concerned about himself than other people. So, as a character, he’s got a lot of room to grow. The kid loves pulling pranks, and in the opening scene, he pulls one that goes too far, pouring sixty gallons of fruit punch mix into a community pool. Afterwards, his dad sends him halfway across the country to work on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

The farm has three rules:

  1. Do your chores
  2. Stay out of the farmhouse
  3. Don’t eat the crops

The other kids on the farm are roll up your sleeves, get the work-done-types. So, Parker doesn’t fit in. They don’t find him charming or funny because he’s not getting his chores done and he’s making more work for everyone else.

Parker needs learn how to turn things around for himself. And when he does, magical and mysterious events begin happening. For instance, one morning he wakes to discover a cow on the roof of a barn, which makes Parker realize that things on this farm aren’t as they appear. Eventually, when Parker accepts the story’s theme that it’s less important how you start something, and more important how you finish, he sets off on a quest to right his wrongs.

My new novel, This Again, is in the spirit of Back to the Future or Groundhog Day. It’s about an anxious, perfectionist kid named Noah who’s running for class president and has no shot of winning, until one day in a bowling alley he runs into a kid who looks exactly like him. The double explains that he’s Noah from nine days in the future and has come back in time to help Noah make all of his dreams come true. As long as Noah does everything he tells him to do no matter how silly and ridiculous it sounds.

This Again is about the funny misadventures of a kid who attempts to orchestrate the perfect day with the help of his future self and a time machine. It’s a story about fate and free will. But more importantly, it’s a book about a kid wrestling with anxiety and perfectionism, learning to accept that life doesn’t always go according to plan and that he’s good enough. And once again, the book is driven by a universal theme: No one can do everything. Much of Noah’s anxiety comes from comparing himself to others (family, friends, classmates), a fear of failure, and trying to do too much at once. Along the way he learns the importance of balance, and that sometimes people appear to have their lives more under control than they actually do. And by learning and accepting this theme, Noah just might have a shot to win in the end.

So, readers can go on these fun rides and take away the same lessons that the protagonists learn, because the themes are universal, but also, they’re so baked into the story, that they’re one and the same. Like the importance of a strong thesis statement that my wonderfully patient, darn-near saintly English teachers growing up attempted to instill on me. And while I didn’t appreciate thesis statements when I was younger, I’ve realized how important it is to define the core of a piece, whether it’s in a film or a book. It not only helps you as a writer to tell a compelling story, but helps readers connect with the material. The next time you read or watch something that you love, beyond the plot and in the subtext, take a step back and ask yourself what the creator was really trying to say. Chances are, it’ll be a message that resonates with you.

Published April 16th, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About the Book: Noah Nicholson focuses on the could’ve-beens, should’ve-beens and wish-I-dids in his life. Still, there’s plenty to be grateful for— he gets solid grades, he has a nice group of friends, and he’s becoming closer with Lucy Martinez (who he’s had a crush on since the second grade). Most excitingly, he might have a chance to be voted class president next week.

But one day, Noah sees the oddest thing—he sees himself. It turns out, this lookalike is Noah from the future, and he’s here to make sure that Present-Day Noah snags the class president spot. It’s up to the two of them to make sure everything goes off without a hitch, but fate just might have other plans…

Perfect for fans of Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox and Operation Do-Over, This Again? takes readers on an incredible journey through time, mind, and middle school.

About the Author: ADAM BORBA is a writer and filmmaker from California who helps develop and produce movies for Walt Disney Studios. He is the author of The Midnight Brigade and Outside Nowhere.

Thank you, Adam, for tying together lessons and reality!

Author Guest Post: “Social Emotional Learning with Picture Books” by Darcy Pattison, Author of BE STRONG: The Rise of Beloved Public Art Sculptor, Nancy Schön

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“Social Emotional Learning with Picture Books”

Educators know the importance of addressing the social and emotional learning of kids in their classrooms. The Casel framework has become a popular way to discuss the skills. It begins with a breakdown of the child’s social situation: classroom, schools, with family/caregivers, and communities. Within each level, it looks at a child’s social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making, self-awareness, and self- management. Here are recent picture books that address these social and emotional skills.

Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. 


Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park, by María Dolores Águila,  Magdalena Mora  (June, 2024)

Which would you want in your neighborhood, a city park or a police station? When the residents of San Diego’s Chicane neighborhood Barrio Logan discovered a police station is being built they decide to speak out. When you try to make your voices heard, you must reach for understanding between diverse groups and cultures. Follow a young activist who must connect her perspective to the wider perspectives to accomplish her goals for her neighborhood.

Relationship Skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups


Luli and the Language of Tea written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Hyewon Yum (2022)

Tea has the power to unite and build relationships. Or at least that’s what a Chinese child Luli discovers. When she is left in a playroom with other multilingual kids, she calls out “Cha!” When the kids realize that she is offering them a drink of tea, they each respond with their own language’s word for tea. Luli’s willingness to share enriches the relationships in the playroom.

Responsible Decision Making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. 


The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Curach (2021)

After a hard hatching from its chrysalis, the butterfly faces a huge new challenge: migration.

“200 MILES? How am I supposed to travel that far?” the butterfly wails.

Each step along the way involves a decision that will affect his success or failure in traveling to the ancestral home. The butterfly encounters whales, insects, storms, and discouragement. Each decision leads him closer to his destination. Hilarious, this book is sure to make kids think about decisions, and about persistence.

Self-Awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.


Fairy Science by Ashley Spires (2019)

All the fairies in Pixieville believe in magic–except Esther. She believes in science.

When a forest tree stops growing, all the fairies are stumped–including Esther. But not for long! Esther knows that science can get to the root of the problem–and its solution! Esther is self-aware and understands that she operates by science, not magic.

Self-Management. The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. 


BE STRONG: The Rise of Beloved Public Art Sculptor, Nancy Schön, by Darcy Pattison, illustrated by Rich Davis (2024)

When kids are frustrated by art, building, creating, athletics, or life, and they want to quit, sculptor Nancy Schön’s story will inspire them with two simple words: Be Strong.

On a rainy day in October, 1987—perfect weather for a duck—a bronze sculpture of a duck family was installed in Boston’s Public Garden. Based on Robert McCloskey’s Caldecott award-winning book MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, sculptor Nancy Schön created a kid-friendly sculpture. She wanted the duck family to be touchable and huggable, a sculpture that kids could climb around on.

The incredible journey from a book to a sculpture adds a new chapter in an inspiring new biography of Jewish-American sculptor Nancy Schön, BE STRONG. Large outdoor sculptures were a new venture for Nancy and the scale made the project incredibly difficult. The mother duck’s head fell off. One duckling was the wrong size. She had to research how it looked inside of a duck’s beak. Through the hard days of trying to create a new type of sculpture, Nancy clung to two words: Be Strong.

About the Author: Children’s book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON has written over seventy award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, four Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book (CA Reading Assn.), two Junior Library Guild selections, two NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Best STEM Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children’s History Book award. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

Thank you, Darcy, for putting together this amazing SEL picture book list!

Author Guest Post: “Location, Location, Location” by Sandy Grubb, Author of Just Like Click

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“Location, Location, Location”

Let’s face it—location matters and not just in real estate. If the hero of your story is battling pirates, it’s a much different story if the hero’s ship is sailing on rough seas off the coast of Somalia versus floating in a wading pool in the backyard. Imagine how different the books on this list would be if the settings were changed up:

  • Charlotte’s Web in a spaceship to Mars instead of the Zuckermans’ farm
  • The Girl Who Drank the Moon in an Arizona desert instead of a forest filled with dangers
  • Maizy Chen’s Last Chance in Switzerland instead of well…Last Chance
  • Freewater in the Rocky Mountains instead of the Great Dismal Swamp

The setting for the stories I write have always come to me before I choose my characters and figure out my plots. I’m not saying it must be that way, it’s just the way it’s worked out for me so far. Someday, I may take on the challenge of building a magical world, but for now, I find great satisfaction in writing contemporary stories.

Setting sets the stage. It conveys the time and place for the events of your story, where characters must face their challenges and come out on the other side changed for the better. Your setting needs to fit the kind of story you’re writing.

Setting defines limits and possibilities. If your character must confront magical swamp characters, it’s most likely not going to happen in a New York City highrise, though that could possibly be interesting. One challenge in writing is to avoid overly-used tropes. “It was a dark and stormy night” is perhaps the most famous setting cliché of all time. This was the opening line in a 19th century novel by the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Edgar Allan Poe used it the following year as the opening line of a short story. It may have been left buried in time if it weren’t more recently used by Madeleine L’Engle as the opening line of A Wrinkle in Time and then over and over again by Snoopy of the Peanuts comic strip. Poe, Charles Schultz, and L’Engle knew full well they were taking a cliché from the past for a new double entendre effect.

When done well to full advantage, the setting becomes like another character in the story. By changing the season, time of day, lighting, weather, sounds, and smells an author can communicate emotions and tension in their story. In an early chapter of Just Like Click, Nick heads out at midnight to meet Celia for the first time. We read, “A gnarly pine snag sneers at me. I turn toward the stream. The inky black waters rush by chanting, Die, die, die.” With this setting description, it’s easy to know how Nick is feeling about being outside alone in the middle of the night without just typing “Nick was scared.” In addition, readers experience the setting with Nick.

Do you want to try some brainstorming?

What are some settings you may want to use for a story? Can you list five?

What kind of story might take place in each setting? In each case, think of events that could happen only in that setting.

Have fun with your writing. Use your imagination. Try new things. Writing takes courage—be brave!

Published April 16th, 2024 by Fitzroy Books/Regal House Publishing

About the Book: Nick Townley has lived his entire life—all eleven years—at Black Butte Ranch, nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. While his parents push him to study, practice sports, and make friends, Nick prefers to retreat into his superhero universe and create exciting Adventures of Click comics. When a string of robberies threatens Dad’s job, forcing them to move across the country, Nick’s world implodes. He loves his home, and what will he do about the $237,000 in cash under his bed that Great Gramp gave him before he died?

Desperate to stop the move, Nick steps off his comic book pages and ventures into the night as Click, an undercover superhero. Catching thieves would be a lot easier if he had actual superpowers. When three new kids discover his identity and want to join him, Nick vows to stay undercover…until he realizes even a superhero needs friends. But can he ask them to put their lives in danger to save his home? What would Click do?

About the Author: Sandy Grubb has been writing children’s stories since she was a child herself. Her debut novel, Just Like Click, won the esteemed Kraken Book Prize, recognizing finely crafted middle grade fiction. When not at home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Sandy and her family can often be found exploring nature trails and playing badminton at Black Butte Ranch, just like Click…and Nick!

sandygrubb.com
X: @sandygrubb
IG: sandygrubb
Facebook: sandygrubb

Thank you, Sandy, for this reflection on setting!

Author Guest Post: “Home is Where the Heart is: Lessons for Writing About Place” by Margaret Finnegan, Author of Sunny Parker is Here to Stay

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“Home is Where the Heart is: Lessons for Writing About Place”

If you’re going to tell a story, you’re going to need characters, and to understand those characters, you’ll need to understand the world where they exist. That world is often called the setting. But I don’t like that word. It seems passive—like the backdrop of a play. I like the word place, as in the place where you live. The place where you live is anything but passive. Houses settle. Schools hum. Mountains fall and rise, and then do it all over again. The fact is, the world is its own character. And in our favorite stories, the place—the setting, if you must—is a character. It grounds reality, propels action, and enlivens conflict and drama. Sometimes, it’s an impediment to the protagonist. Sometimes, it’s a savior.

For example, my new book Sunny Parker is Here to Stay takes place in an unnamed but affluent community. There is a country club up in the hills, and most people live in large houses. In fact, a lot of the smaller homes have recently been replaced by McMansions.

Can you picture it? Are you getting a sense of its character? Are you getting a sense of how place affects lives?

Okay. Smack in the middle of town there’s a wide boulevard, three lanes in each direction. Just off the boulevard stands The Del Mar Garden Apartments. It’s an affordable housing complex, a pretty decent one, with balconies and a grass-filled courtyard, but it’s a little neglected too. Sunny Parker, our protagonist, lives here.

This new detail complicates things, doesn’t it? Suddenly, this world seems a little less predictable and a little more fractured. But maybe it also seems more interesting, because like any good character it is multi-faceted, and that makes it fun. After all, you never really know how a multi-faceted character is going to act or what it’s going to do.

Helping writers and readers understand that world building is character building can not only help them grow as writers, but, with the right scaffolding, it can prompt them to think about their own world as more than a place for them to exist, but as an active presence in their own lives, one that they help shape, and one that shapes them in return.

With that in mind, here are two lessons about place—one for writers and one for readers.

Writing About Place

  1. Start with a blank piece of paper. Draw the world you know, in this case, the room/place where you sleep (although other spaces could be fun to play around with too). Be sure to label the furniture, windows, etc.
  2. Add sensory details (as words or pictures) so that you can better visualize what things look, sound, feel, smell, and maybe even taste like.
  3. Look at your picture. What contradictions might exist here? Maybe your side of your room is perfectly clean, for example, but your sister’s side looks (and smells) gross. Or maybe the contradiction is outside. Maybe inside the room/place it’s warm and dry, but outside it’s cold and wet.
  4. Now write about what you’ve drawn, especially the contradiction. Be sure to use those sensory details and other words that give a sense of life and action.
  5. Share your writing with a peer. Have them answer this question: What do you think this writing tells you about the person/people who live here?
  6. Reflect in writing for one minute more by answering this question: Did your peer say what you thought they might? If so, what? If not, did their response surprise you? Why?

Reading about place

  1. Start with a book. Identify passages that describe an important place in the book.
  2. Draw it out on a piece of paper. No need to be fancy, but do try to get those sensory words in there.
  3. Reflect in writing on your drawing. What is your picture trying to tell you about the personality of the place. For example, is it warm, cozy, scary? What clues does the personality of the place tell you about the people or animals in the story?

Published April 23rd, 2024 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

About the Book: A determined girl spends the summer before middle school learning to stand up for her low-income community in this funny, fast-paced read just right for fans of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk.

Sunny Parker loves the Del Mar Garden Apartments, the affordable housing complex where she lives. And she especially loves her neighbors. From her best friend, Haley Michaels, to Mrs. Garcia and her two kids—developmentally disabled son AJ and bitter but big-hearted daughter Izzy—every resident has a story and a special place in Sunny’s heart.

Sunny never thought living at the Del Mar Garden Apartments made her different—until the city proposes turning an old, abandoned school into a new affordable housing complex and the backlash of her affluent neighborhood teaches Sunny the hard way that not everyone appreciates the community she calls home. Her dad, the Del Mar’s manager-slash-handyman, wants Sunny to lay low. But as hurtful rhetoric spreads and the city’s public hearing approaches, Sunny realizes that sometimes there’s too much at stake to stay silent.

With her friends behind her, Sunny Parker is determined to change the narrative—because she and her community are here to stay!

About the Author: Margaret Finnegan is the author of the Junior Library Guild Selections New Kids and Underdogs, We Could Be Heroes, and Susie B. Won’t Back Down. Her other work has appeared in FamilyFun, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. She lives in South Pasadena, California, where she enjoys spending time with her family, walking her dog, and baking really good chocolate cakes. Visit her online at MargaretFinnegan.com or on Instagram at FinneganBegin.

Thank you, Margaret, for sharing these setting reading and writing tips!

Author Guest Post: “Brother and Sister Team Co-Author a Children’s Fiction Series Filled with Adventure, Fun, and SEL Opportunities” by Tara Mesalik MacMahon, Author of Closet of Dreams, with Teacher’s Guide Author Sandra Bennett, M. Ed.

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“Brother and Sister Team Co-Author a Children’s Fiction Series Filled with Adventure, Fun, and SEL Opportunities”

Hi. I’m Tara Mesalik MacMahon, Closet of Dreams co-author with my brother Mark Ukra.  Mark is a HarperCollins author and I’m a James Hearst Poetry Prize winning poet. Most recently we teamed to pen Closet of Dreams, the first book in this children’s book series, The Adventures of Child and Gamma.

We based Closet of Dreams on our own childhood “Closet of Dreams,” where the make-believe world of Child, Gamma and their amazing animal friends came to life. Mark was “Child,” a nine-year old orphan boy who dreams big, and I was “Gamma,” his grandmother, once a pitcher in the American Women’s Baseball League, and with whom Child lives. The book transports readers into Child and Gamma’s fantastical adventures, and as Gamma always says, “when your fears disappear, your dreams appear!”

Though little in good writing comes easily, Mark and I quickly realized the adventures of this cast of characters had a lot more to offer than just a fun read. Closet of Dreams, (and we foresee the entire series), is filled with SEL and other learning opportunities.

So, to better reach the classroom, or homeschool, or counselors—we connected with educators, Sandra Bennett, M. Ed., and Myles Bennett, BA. Ed. to create an educator’s guide for the book. They even took the extra leap and also created a companion Closet of Dreams Workbook with fifty downloadable pdf worksheets.

I’ve asked Sandra Bennett to join me for this article and she agreed to answer some questions about our Educator’s Guide and share her views on the value of these guides in general.

T: Hi Sandy, thanks for being here. Sandy’s a 25-year veteran Master elementary school teacher, now teaching 4th grade at Dan D. Rogers Elementary School in Dallas, Texas.  She has a M. Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas Tech University.

S: Thanks for including me in this incredible project, Tara.

T: My pleasure, Sandy, and it’s my brother’s and my great luck to work with you and Myles. My first question is: You’ve been an elementary school teacher for a long time, a star reading and writing teacher, Texas Education Agency Master Teacher, the highest designation, and therefore a very good person to ask: what made you think Closet of Dreams would be a good book for the classroom and candidate for a companion educator’s guide and workbook?

S: While reading the book, I recognized many social-emotional learning connections that could be made in the classroom.  SEL is so important for our elementary students.  We have morning meetings that focus on SEL, but I am always looking for ways to make those connections for kids in relation to their academic subjects, as well.

T: Could you elaborate on the kinds of SEL connections you found in Closet of Dreams?

S: The most obvious topic would be bullying.  The main character, Child, is bullied by a group of kids.  The action begins on the first page, so the kids jump right into it. Additionally, Child has to identify his emotional support structures when he feels alone or afraid. This provides an excellent chance for students to reflect on people in their own lives who can be counted on in times of stress.  Empathy is also threaded through this novel, as well. The more students are presented with these SEL concepts, the deeper the internalization, creating a lasting impact.

T: “Emotional support structures” for kids–that’s so important, and empathy, too, as SEL concepts. Could you also share here a bit about character identification? With which characters in Closest of Dreams did your students most identify?

S: I think students identified with the main character, Child, who is bullied by a group of peers.  Most kids have experienced some form of uncomfortable interaction with their peers by mid-elementary school.  Some experiences may not be as intense, but they can learn from the way Child handles himself in his situation.

At the end of the book, Child feels empathetic toward Eddie (the bully).  I think this presents an opportunity for those conversations that consider why people treat others badly. Young readers get a glimpse of what Eddie may go through at home and how that contributes to his actions.

Gamma and Randi (Child’s best friend) are strong supporters of Child, especially as he loses confidence in himself.  I think it’s important for kids to see examples of that support so that they can recognize those relationships in their own lives. Everyone wants a friend like Randi, but it’s also just as important for kids to examine their own contributions to their relationships with others.

T: I believe the ending of the book surprised even my brother Mark and me, this scene with Child and Eddie, where the bullied consoles the bullier—Mark and I both learned a lot from that moment. And your Closet of Dreams Workbook certainly does a thoughtful job probing into so many of the SEL aspects of the book. But the workbook offers other types of learning opportunities as well. Could you talk about those with some specifics, what they are and why you selected them?

S: As a reading and writing teacher, I wanted to choose some standards that elementary students should be practicing.  Some worksheet topics are cause and effect, vocabulary, and inference.  There are many short writing exercises, as well, where students are asked to provide the evidence for their answers.  I’ve also included reflection pages that are more SEL-based, but still provide students with writing exercises.  There is at least one worksheet per chapter.

T: Sandy, would you like to share anything else with the “Unleashing Readers” audience?

S: I am so excited to be a part of this Closet of Dreams project. It was so much fun creating activities that engage students and allow them to show off their creativity. After I’d finished the project, I still had all of these ideas swirling around in my head, so I decided to create the downloadable worksheets.  The worksheets allow flexibility for individual students, small groups, or whole class instruction. As a teacher, I know that there are so many ways to use books like this in the classroom.

T: Thanks again, Sandy. The workbook and educator’s guide take Closet of Dreams learning possibilities to a new level. We’re so grateful to you and Myles.

And to readers here, I hope you have an opportunity to check-out Closet of Dreams and the companion Teacher’s Guide and Workbook.

And please stay tuned for Book II in the series with companion Bennett and Bennett educator’s guide and workbook. In this second exciting adventure, Child, Gamma, and their animal friends race to rescue Starr, a magical baby elephant in Botswana.

Published March 2024 by BookLogix

About the Book: In Closet of Dreams (March 2024), the debut title in “The Adventures of Child and Gamma” chapter book series, brother and sister co-authors Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon tell young readers, “When your fears disappear, your dreams appear!”

An aspiring pitcher with a mean fastball, nine-year-old Child wants nothing more than to be on his local little league team. But the team is dwindling and to make matters worse, Child has a gang of bullies targeting him. He confides in his grandmother, Gamma, and she sends him to the Closet of Dreams, a place she invented for Child so that he’d have a safe place to go when he gets scared.

A star-pitcher back in her day, Gamma now works at the Kids Park where retired circus animals spend their days. When Child sees his animal friends have hidden talents, he turns to them for help. Can Child put his fears aside and save his team?

In this charming chapter book, readers will delight in a magical story of friendship and talking animals. The authors were inspired by their own childhood’s “closet of dreams,” where the make-believe world of Child and Gamma originally came to life.

About the Authors: Co-authors Mark Ukra (Child) and Tara Mesalik MacMahon (Gamma) are brother and sister and lifelong best friends. Mark is the author of The Ultimate Tea Diet (HarperCollins), and Tara is a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and award-winning author of Barefoot Up the Mountain (Open Country Press). Her poems appear widely in literary journals and anthologies, including those from Red Hen Press, Nimrod International Journal, Poet Lore, Jabberwock Review, among many others.

Mark and Tara based Closet of Dreams upon their own childhood Closet of Dreams, where the make-believe world of Child and Gamma came to life. Mark was “Child”; Tara was “Gamma.” Book II is already in the works, where Child and his friends race to rescue Starr, a magical baby elephant in Botswana. Learn more at: www.childandgamma.com.

Thank you, Tara and Sandra, for shining a light on the uses for Closet of Dreams in the classroom!

Author Guest Post: “An Extreme Measure for Extreme Research” by JoAnna Lapati, author and illustrator of Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman

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“An Extreme Measure for Extreme Research”

I blame my new picture book biography of Rosetta “Lyons” Wakeman for sparking my imagination and setting me off into a near quarter-century whirlwind of books, paper, and miniature toy soldiers—all in the name of research. But sometimes you have to go to extremes, especially when you’re inspired to write a book about someone as extraordinary as Wakeman, a heroic woman who disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union Army in the Civil War.

Inspired research can take you to unimaginable places physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Research–specifically travel–helped create an emotional core for my writing.

Early in my Guts for Glory research, I planned four separate trips, based on specific dates of Rosetta’s real-life letters, all with the goal of better understanding the local and regional histories of the places she traveled and fought.

A trip to Binghamton, New York, allowed me to explore the Chenango Canal area where Rosetta worked after first leaving home. I collected tourist pamphlets from visitor centers and visited the Erie Canal Village in Rome, New York, where I experienced a canal ride on a packet boat pulled by a pair of mules. I observed the steersman operating the tiller and photographed the tacking of mules, which served helpful when developing sketches. On my second trip to upstate New York, I visited the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, where I boarded a life-size replica of a canal boat and explored the interior live-in quarters of a cabin. Then, I went to Delaware, where my measurements were taken for a custom-tailored Union frock coat and forage cap at Grand Illusions Costume Co., a reproduction clothing manufacturer that’s no longer in business. It offered an authentic portrayal of the 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers uniform.

Next, I made a brief visit to Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., where I photographed the United States Capitol from the Supreme Court, where the Old Capitol Prison once stood. This particular image was helpful for developing the center spread showing where Lyons and her regiment guarded Washington, D.C. Lyons was on duty at the Old Capitol Prison from August to October 1863 (Note: Rosetta Wakeman appears on the Carroll Prison Guard Reports during August, September, and October of 1863).

My last trip was to Louisiana, where I took a luncheon cruise on the steamboat Natchez. Then I followed the Red River Campaign, traveling by car from Algiers, outside of New Orleans, (where Lyons Wakeman is buried) to Shreveport, visiting places of interest along the way like Lafayette, Natchitoches, Alexandria, and important landmarks such as the Mansfield State Historic Site and the Pleasant Hill Battle Field Park. All of this travel helped me to better interpret Rosetta’s experience.

Inspired research can stretch your imagination further than expected.

One could spend a lifetime in study, as many Civil War scholars and buffs do. During my research, I devoured book after book, finding bibliographies treasure troves of information, leading to the discovery of works by nineteenth-century as well as modern-day authors and artists. I read books by writers such as Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Jacobs and Richard Taylor and artists such as Winslow Homer, William Michael Harnett, Fanny Palmer, and Lily Martin Spencer. Each work contributed to my understanding of a bygone era, fueling my imagination. and eagerness.

But what better way to understand a character than to walk in their ill-fitting brogans, which I did as a Civil War re-enactor. I could use my five senses in experiences much like Rosetta’s. I’ve had plenty of black gunpowder grit between my teeth when tearing open blank (ammunition) paper cartridges during living history and mock battle events.

I’ve suffered from blisters on both Achilles heels after light marching, later relegating to wearing plastic bread bags on both my feet to reduce the friction, only to have them gathering at my toes.

I wore my blood-stained wool socks as my Red Badge of Courage until discovering sometime later with much horror, my rescue dog had snacked on them. Gross! I recall stepping and sliding into a manure patch when pitching my army pup tent. Thankfully, I never lost my balance. And during rainy events, my uniform smelled like a barn animal, but during dry events, I favored the lingering trace of campfire smoke left on my uniform.

Whatever you absorb, even if it’s by incredible means, you might end up only including about 10% of it. Leaving out 90% of hard-fought, time-invested research is one of the toughest parts of the writing and/or illustrating process. After all, your character’s emotional core, built through that research, is the true heart of the story.

Inspired research can ultimately carry your interest beyond life’s obstacles (A.K.A. The Struggle) and into something beyond your biggest dreams.

So, what inspired me about Rosetta Wakeman to devote over two decades of study? In hindsight, I was inspired by a young, strong-willed woman, struggling for the privilege to live independently, an unobtainable goal for most women in that time, especially a poor, rural farm girl, who put herself at great risk with her choices.

Writing and illustrating Guts for Glory involved a lot of choices, too, along with sacrifice and continued research of the actual publishing process. I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) organization to learn more about the industry. Each year, I remained committed to attending the New England Regional Conferences. I learned how to write a manuscript, create a dummy book, assemble and update an illustrator’s portfolio, create eye catching promotional cards. I received constructive criticism year after year for five years. I even put Guts For Glory aside and began working on a second book until Eerdmans contacted me in 2013. I had forgotten I sent them an unsolicited manuscript! And now the book is here.

I loved living inside a book, filled with creative bliss for 20 years. It was truly inspiring. Reality is much harder. So, what research is your writing inspiring you to do?

Published February 27th, 2024 by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

About the Book: A dramatically illustrated biography of Private Rosetta “Lyons” Wakeman, the only soldier whose letters capture the Civil War from a woman’s perspective. In 1862, the war between North and South showed no signs of stopping. In rural New York, nineteen-year-old Rosetta Wakeman longed for a life beyond the family farm. One day she made a brave, bold she cut her braid and disguised herself as a man. No one suspected that “Lyons” was a woman—not even when she signed up to fight for the Union. As Rosetta’s new regiment traveled to Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana, she sent letter after letter home to New York. Army life wasn’t easy, but Rosetta knew it was where she belonged—keeping her family safe and her country free. Through intricately detailed scratchboard art and excerpts from Rosetta’s letters, this fascinating biography introduces young readers to an unconventional woman who was determined to claim her own place in history. Memorable and inspiring, Guts for Glory is a stirring portrait of the Civil War and the courage of those who fought on its front lines.

Book Trailer:

Discussion Guide:

About the Author: JoAnna Lapati is a writer and artist based in Warwick, Rhode Island. While researching this book, she retraced Rosetta’s footsteps by traveling to sites like the Chenango Canal, the US Capitol, and the Mansfield Historic Site Museum and Pleasant Hill Battle Park. JoAnna also spent six years as a Civil War reenactor with the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteers- disguised as a man, just like Rosetta. Guts for Glory is JoAnna’s debut picture book. Visit her website at joannalapati.com.

Thank you, JoAnna, for this look into your research and how research inspires!

Author Guest Post: “Play is Good Trouble” by Brittney Morris, Author of The Jump

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“Play is Good Trouble”

“Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble. Necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” — Representative John Lewis.

I’m the mother of a [not so little anymore] toddler, and a video game developer. Play is a core part of my daily life, and I fully believe it has the power to change the world. How? A few ways. Let me elaborate.

Play fosters empathy.

If I asked you to empathize with a hypothetical border agent in 1940’s Eastern Europe, you might look at me sideways and maybe conceptualize the scenario from the perspective of an onlooker in the 21st century. Now, imagine if I handed you a controller, and you stepped into a checkpoint booth in loyal service to [fictional] Arstotzka. Now imagine that a woman steps up to your booth and hands you an expired passport and a necklace as a bribe, begging to be let through with her husband who asked you to let her in only moments prior. Imagine she tells you she’s sick and may never see him again. She may even be carrying a baby. You get the idea.

Play invites people in.

Remember the last time you sat down to listen to a speech or a presentation or a lecture on a new subject, and maybe you zoned out for a bit, looked up, and realized the speaker is now so far into the material that you’re totally lost? That might have been me on day 1 of macroeconomics my junior year of college. In fact it definitely was. Now, maybe if we’d all sat in groups and played a game of Settlers of Catan, basic macroeconomic concepts might have jumped out at us in a tangible way: resource management, supply and demand, scarcity, monopoly, the benefits of trade, and even opportunity cost. Even folks who are brand new to economics who might be intimidated by an hour-long 37-slide presentation, might feel a little more welcomed into playing a game about it.

Play makes big problems feel tackle-able.

For this last point, I’d like to cite my own source. Enter, The Jump.

I was inspired to write The Jump after seeing a mini docu-series about the Cicada 3301 cryptology puzzle, which was a real-life worldwide scavenger hunt posted by an elusive group under mysterious circumstances. While the Cicada 3301 puzzle hosted individual adults, I realized how impactful it would be to see teams of diverse teens taking on such a puzzle. And so was born The Jump, featuring Jax, Yas, Han, and Spider, taking on an oil refinery threatening to take over their neighborhood.

I wanted to show why an unethical multinational conglomerate should be VERY afraid of our youth, and even moreso if they’re getting into good trouble. Even by playing a game.

Published March 7, 2023 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
(Paperback Release: February 27th, 2024)

About the Book: Influence is power. Power creates change. And change is exactly what Team Jericho needs.

Jax, Yas, Spider, and Han are the four cornerstones of Team Jericho, the best scavenger hunting team in all of Seattle. Each has their own specialty: Jax, the puzzler; Yas, the parkourist; Spider, the hacker; and Han, the cartographer. But now with an oil refinery being built right in their backyard, each also has their own problems. Their families are at risk of losing their jobs, their communities, and their homes.

So when The Order, a mysterious vigilante organization, hijacks the scavenger hunting forum and concocts a puzzle of its own, promising a reward of influence, Team Jericho sees it as the chance of a lifetime. If they win this game, they could change their families’ fates and save the city they love so much. But with an opposing team hot on their heels, it’s going to take more than street smarts to outwit their rivals.

About the Author: Brittney Morris is the bestselling author of SLAY, The Cost of Knowing, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales – Wings of Fury, and The Jump. She also writes video games and has contributed to projects such as The Lost Legends of Redwall, Subnautica: Below Zero, Spider-Man 2 for PS5, and Wolverine for PS5. Brittney is an NAACP Image Award nominee, an ALA Black Caucus Youth Literary Award winner, and an Ignite Award Finalist. She has an economics degree from Boston University and spends her spare time reading, playing video games, and not doing enough yoga. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband Steven and their son Atlas.

Thank you, Brittney!
Adults often need to be reminded of the importance of play.