The Sixth Grade Nickname Game

I read the Sixth Grade Name Game by Gordon Korman. It's about two best friends who always hand out nick names to people in the sixth grade. I read it becuase I wanted to get a sense of a male character around my character's age group. I think this was a good choice becuase the majority of the characters in this book were male. It was written in '98 so it's a little more up to date than Are you there God? It's me Margaret. I also liked the writing tone of the book. It was very simplistic and straight forward writing. It kind of stayed with the stereotype of mischievous boys but other than that I think it gave me a great idea of a 6th grade boy. I've also started writing the book and have the first several chapters planned out. As soon as I figure out how to share that with people I'll do that.

Is everyone moonbeamed but me???

Im Stella Pevsner's book, she tries to capture what it is like to be the dependable middle child with the self involved teenage sister, and cute adorable younger sister. Her mother has gone through a divorce so she also deals with her dad getting remarried and her mother getting a new boyfriend. I'm not sure I enjoyed this one as much as the other's, but I thought it was an ok read. I guess a lot of it just seemed cliche...it could be due to the fact I've been reading nothing but these kinds of books lately.

I'm in the process of reading Charlie Pippen by Candy Dawson Boyd. This book, from my understanding has some political issues with ehr father being a Veteran of Vietnam. I'm excited to see how this book turns out, seeing as it seems to take a little twist on dealing with issues at that age.

Are you there God its me Margaret and others...

I think reading Judy Blumes book was the best book I could've read. She dealt with issues of growing up in every right way. I was really impressed with how the story was laid out, the kind of things Margaret dealt with, and how she handled them. Blume captured puberty at a 11 year olds level to a T. I found it very helpful to read the voice of Margaret. As I was reading, I felt it was a little outdated, obviously, especially in reference to how puberty is dealt with today. I don't think the questions have changed or the feelings about it, but the way it is approached has been altered. I also feel that I might write in a little bit older voice due to the fact I feel kids are learning more at a younger age. But I found it very resourceful and am glad I read it.

I also read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This voice was a little older and I also found it helpful. I love how the author deals with Salamanca, the main character, telling her grandparents a story along their journey together. I really got a sense of the relationship between the grandparents as well. Their characters were very lovable and gave a good side story to the actual story. I thought they really added a lot to the book. I'm thinking of having my character have some kind of relationship with an older adult. It seemed to work well in both of these stories. I might try it out. I'm continuing this blog in about a half hour due to a prior commitment aka lunch. I know you all will be sitting there in anticipation awaiting it.

I started writing a little bit of my book. I'm calling it 5'10'' in a 4'0'' World. I really want to focus on the development of a girl in middle school, and the potential problem of developing early. I haven't completely come up with a plot yet, but have the basics down. Of course it is subject to change. The main character, Betsy Bergenheimer, is in the 7th grade, has matured faster than any of her friends. She's very self conscious about it, especially when her best friend, Hillary, is one of the 'perfect' bunch. Betsy is also having a problem with this maturing bit becuase she also feels she just doesn't fit in with everyone else socially. She still wishes to be a child but all of her friends are into reading cosmo and seeing what the latest fashion is.

I really want to have this book be a positive experience for young girls. I want Betsy to eventually find a place where she fits in and feels at home among her peers. I'm forseeing fights with Hillary, perhaps Hillary giving Betsy and ultimatum if she wants to be popular. Betsy does have a crush on a boy named Kyle. Not quite sure what I want to do yet with that one. I'm also going to add some things about the struggle Betsy has with the transition from child to young adult. That's basically the jist of everything so far.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

I can see why girls love this book! It really captures how friendships between girls develop and grow. The language Brashares uses is definately different than that of Feed. I can see how this book attracts women both young and old. The language is not too vulgar and very conversational. It's easy to understand and follow.

I also really enjoyed the layout of the book. Each chapter, instead of being named or numbered, begins with a quote. It's also written in a different, bigger font than that of the regular text. I thought each quote was a nice way to break up the book. Another layout style I thought appealing was her use of font when the girls wrote letters to eachother. When she shows a letter, it is written in handwriting and each girl has her own style. I thought this really gave life to the characters. Im hoping to try that in my own writing!

Next book up...Harry Potter....

First Book Read...Feed by M.T. Anderson

I have just finished reading my first book in my quest for finding out the right writing approach for the age group I want to reach out to. The book, Feed, is a futuristic book, that in my opinion was absolutely thrilling. The author incorporated words, phrases, and other familiar things in a time period that is supposedly hundreds of years away. The book brought up political issues and problems that could very well happen in the future. Anderson focused a lot on issues that today's youth have, like relationships, peer pressure, and the desire of socializing.

When I was reading this book, I couldn't put it down. After I was done, I tried to figure out what it was that made me want to get to the last page. Anderson creates a very believable world that the youth of today can relate to. I think that is the biggest reason right there. Many youth enjoy books and stories that they can relate to. But the book also has to have some kind of new quirk to it. By Anderson setting his story in the future, its a new twist to old problems.

In his writing style, Anderson chose to write in short choppy chapters. This also helped the book to move along at a quick pace. Sometimes, I feel that when young adults look ahead in reading and see that there is a long chapter, they are less likely to read that chapter, or to get through the book as quickly. It looks kind of forboding. I might try this style and see if it fits into the story I would like to write.

After reading this book, I started thinking about what I would like to base my story on. I think I want to focus on development, still, and talk about being in middle school. Im picturing my character to be a girl who has developed faster than her peers, and the issues that that brings with it.

The next book I wish to read is the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This has been a big hit among several age groups and I think it would be beneficial to see what the author has done that everyone loves.