MMGM: Unlocking Secrets at Sinclairs: The Clockwork Sparrow

 

As I continue my mystery read-a-thon for the fall, I pulled out one I discovered a few years ago, but I wanted to revisit. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I love a good historical mystery like The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series or Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen.

Today I’m featuring The Clockwork Sparrow, the first novel in the four book Sinclair Mysteries.

If you like the Edwardian period, heroes and heroines with a lot of pluck, dastardly villains, and ciphers and codes, you will love this book!

The Synopsis:

In The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, just as recently orphaned fourteen-year-old Sophie is settling into her new life as a shop girl at the newly opened Sinclair's Department Store in London, a priceless object is stolen, a young man is attacked and Sophie is implicated in the crime. An absolute joy of a book combining mystery, adventure and friendship with a sumptuous Edwardian setting, transporting the reader to a world of heady glamour offset by a murky criminal underground. It's Nancy Drew with a PBS twist, and readers of all ages will adore the cast of exceptionally likeable characters. (from Amazon)

Highlights of Clockwork Sparrow:

1.    An incredible setting! I loved reading about this incredible department store with its strict rules for staff and sumptuous décor. Because Woodfine used omniscient narration, we get more of a cinematic view of this incredible place, which was based on famous London stores of the time like Selfridges.

Illustration from page 2 

 2.    Incredible characters! Each character brought something to the team. Sophie was level-headed, newly adjusting to being working class, and Lil, lit up the room with her exuberant personality and acting skills. Billy, the porter, knows codes from reading about detective stories, and Joe, who recently escaped from the villain’s gang, understands how criminals think.

3.    Endearing friendships! I really enjoy when authors show the strength of same sex friendships, as it seems so rare in middle grade. I loved that although all four got along and the boys each had a crush, that their emotional bond between the two girls and the two boys was exceptionally strong.  

4.    Interesting tidbits of newspapers and clues throughout. Woodfine starts each section with a description of a hat from the time, which contributes to the atmosphere. There are also newspapers giving important information and a copy of letters or clues, which allows the reader to participate in the mystery and not just read a summary of how it was solved.

p.16: Newspaper article about the Clockwork Sparrow

5.    An interesting villain! You can’t have a good mystery without a good villain. The Baron is evil, exceptionally intelligent, and able to blend right in to high society. Sophie catches a glimpse of him near the end, and although The Clockwork Sparrow's mystery is solved, there’s a lot left open for the rest of the series.

What I learned a writer: 

Often writers are told to avoid omniscient point of view because it’s too old-fashioned or hard to pull off. Woodfine used it beautifully, however, in this series. It allowed her to tell the story from all the main characters’ points of view and dip into minor characters’ heads when it suited the story. She used it to good effect to allow the reader to see things that none of the characters noticed, which added suspense.

Max, the Reading Dog*

 

 

 

Max’s take (on a five bone scale):

There was one dug: Lucky, the pug, the dog of Miss Atwood, Mr. Sinclair’s secretary. He played a small part, but maybe he’ll do more in the other books. I also liked Blackie, the cat. And Joe seems like a dog person. 
🦴🦴🦴🦴

Your turn:

Do you like historical mysteries? Yay or nay on omniscient narrators?

MMGM: Cracking Cases with The T.O.A.S.T. Series by James Ponti

I'm glad to be back to MMGM after a busy August! Unfortunately, I had a lot of do-not-finish books last month, so I've been waiting for a good one to share with you. Now that it's fall, my tastes tend toward mysteries. Nothing like curling it with a good whodunit, watching the leaves fall. Are you like that too?

I read the first of the Framed (or T.O.A.S.T.*) series way back in 2016. I love art history and that book became a quick favorite. Recently, I picked up two more books by James Ponti to complete the series, and although neither of these books have anything to do with art history, they touched on a couple of my other interests: classical music and Russian. Two more outstanding titles to share with you today!

*For those who haven't read the series, T.O.A.S.T. stands Theory of All Small Things. As Florian explains: "The idea is that if you look for little details, you can add them up to discover otherwise hidden pieces of information." (p.7 of Trapped  by James Ponti) 

  

Synopsis for Vanished (Book 2):

 

After helping the FBI solve an art theft at the National Gallery and uncovering a DC spy ring, Florian’s finding life at Alice Deal Middle School a little boring. Then his FBI handler, Marcus, finally has a job for him. Florian can’t wait! Is it a bank robbery? Counterfeit ring? International espionage? Not even close.

 

The mission is even more middle school. There’s been a series of pranks happening at a prestigious private school attended by the president’s daughter who may—or may not—be involved. So Florian and Margaret go undercover to see if they can use their TOAST skills to figure out what’s going on before the media gets hold of the story.

 

However, once the crime-solving pair arrive at the school, they discover that there’s a lot more than a few pranks going on, and the conspiracy of silence reaches all the way to the top. Then things take a sinister turn when a student vanishes in the middle of a concert at the Kennedy Center!

 

Can Florian and Margaret save the day? Or are they about to get toasted? 

 

 

 

Synopsis for Trapped (Book 3)

Florian Bates—the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial and several international criminals’ most wanted lists—must clear the name of a friend being framed for a crime he didn’t commit in this hilarious third novel in the Framed! series.

 

When Florian and Margaret’s FBI supervisor, Marcus Rivers, is accused of a crime, it’s up to the mystery solving duo to jump into action and clear his name. After all, Marcus is more than their boss—he’s family.

 

The case involves one of Marcus’s first investigations for the FBI and a Russian spy ring. But the spy they’re chasing learns what they’re up to and turns the tables. Now, Marcus is implicated in a variety of crimes, including theft, corruption, and espionage.

 

For Florian and Margaret, it just got personal. They’re going to catch the spy and clear Marcus’s name…even if they have to break into (and out of) the Library of Congress to do it.

 

What to love about this series:

 

1. Well-drawn and fun main characters: I love Florian. He’s like a 12-year-old Sherlock Holmes in the way he notices small things. It's so fun watching him best adults with his skills! Margaret is the perfect crime-solving partner with her ability to people instincts, musical knowledge, and killer soccer skills, which do come in handy throughout the series. 

 

2. A friendship that grows and deepens throughout the series: These are friends who aren’t afraid to be honest with each other and value each other’s differences instead of expecting a friend to be a clone of themselves. What a great model for this age group!

 

3. The adults are well-rounded and play a part in the story. Sometimes in the desire to let the kids solve the crime in most middle grade mysteries, adults are unrealistically absent or are cardboard characters. But in Trapped, Florian’s mom drives them around and uses her Italian background to benefit the team. Nic the Knife and Marcus had depth and their own stories, which is refreshing.

 

4. A bigger story arc beyond the individual books. Every successful series has a story arc that continues throughout the books, and Ponti develops the story of Margaret trying to find her birth parents and Florian keeping that a secret (for a good reason!) throughout all three books. It made for a very satisfying ending to book 3.

 

5. Fun topics! Just like with Framed,  I learned so much from each of these books. Vanished delved into music theory, prep schools, and secret societies. Trapped taught me a lot about the Library of Congress and as a Russophile, I enjoyed the Russian spy element. (Ponti got his Russian correct!)

 

Max’s Take (on a 5 bone scale): 

Max, the Reading Dog*

 

 

 

There should be a spy dog in these books! Couldn’t they have used someone like me to protect them from getting Trapped in the Library of Congress! I would’ve been able to sniff out the bad guy right away. 

🦴

Your Turn: 

What do you like to read in the fall? Have your read the T.O.A.S.T. series?  If you like mysteries, which are your favorites?

Check out other fabulous middle grades at Always in the Middle!  

 

 

 

#ISWG: How Do You Tell the Difference Between Opportunity and Distraction?

 

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash

Saying Yes

 

Many years ago, I read an article by an agent who advised you to say yes to every opportunity as a writer, especially if you were trying to build your audience.

I suppose that we might all agree it’s not wise to say yes to everything, but I see in the writing community the pressure to constantly say yes to things that can take away from creating:

Critique groups

Book reviews

Conferences

Speaking engagements (not that I get invited to do that yet!)

I do say yes to some things besides just writing. I keep this blog up, my favorite way to be social online. I enjoy writing reviews, and it helps me as a writer because I’m learning to analyze what works and doesn’t work in the books I love. When I can, I attend conferences, although I pour over the session descriptions to make sure I will learn something new. Although sometimes I’ve just attended to see writing friends, and that’s okay too.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

 

 

 

Saying No 

However, every time I say no, I feel like I’m sitting at the not-so-cool kids’ table. I worry about missed opportunities or that if I turn down something, I might be burning a bridge or not building a community.

But my writing time is so precious. I struggle to make time for my writing, and I struggle to concentrate and show up. It’s also important to me that my family isn’t the last in line for my time or attention. 

There is no local writing group in my town. I usually have to drive an hour to attend most local events. Sometimes I think maybe I should start a group here in my rural town. But I know the time commitment that would take, and I know that means saying no to something else. And that almost always means my own writing.

Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

 

 

 

Talking Instead of Writing 

I’ve been thinking recently about something my first writing teacher and mentor told me: “Be careful of writing groups. Sometimes it's easier to talk about writing than actually do it.”

And that can be true of other writing opportunities as well.

That’s why I’m so careful about letting my yes be a whole-hearted one when I give it.

As I was writing this post, I came across this article about saying no as a writer. What I loved about it was determining your top three goals and using that as a filter for how you filter what you say yes to.

My three goals:

1.  To finish editing this manuscript and start querying.

2.  To research and start my next project.

3.  To continue to grow my writing community through my blog, attending SCBWI events, and writing and encouraging other writers.

Your Turn:

How do you balance your own writing with other demands on your time? What are your three goals? How do you know when to say no?

If you'd like to read more ISWG posts or sign up, please go HERE. You won't be disappointed.

MMGM: Vintage Children's Books for Modern Readers: Anna Rose Johnson

Do you like vintage children’s books? You know the books you or perhaps your grandmother grew up with (or were written about your great grandmother’s time) like Betsy-Tacy, The Secret Garden, or Anne of Green Gables. These were the books I lived in as a child, where the characters became as dear to me as real friends. I was so excited to discover a new-to-me author, Anna Rose Johnson, who shares this love and has written some beautiful modern books in this vintage style.

Today I’m featuring the two I’ve read, but Faith Hough, another MMGM blogger, recently featured an interview with Anna Rose about her latest book, The Blossoming Summer. 

If you like nostalgic reads like The Penderwicks or The Vanderbeekers series, but set in the early 1900s, you will love these books!

Synopsis for A Star That Always Stays:

 
Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage. 

Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan.

Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it... and upon her discretion. 

But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?

 

My Take:

 
The writing style and the focus on the everyday elements of life reminded me so much of Maud Lovelace’s high school Betsy books. Norvia was an interesting heroine, because she was so shy, but I loved that because that was me as a young teen as well. I also loved how her heritage was natural to the story and though she encountered prejudice, the story showed who Norvia's true friends were. Faith was woven in as a natural part of life. I really enjoyed the chapters about the two Ojibwe grandmothers and their steadfast encouragement in Norvia's life. And although I am from a small family myself, I love reading about big families, and Norvia’s drama-loving sister, Dicta, steals every scene she’s in. There were a few minor things, like how divorce was handled for that period that didn’t ring true for me, and I wished we could have seen more of her dad and hear his side of the story. But overall, a lovely read. And Mr. Bingley, the family dog, was a delight!

Synopsis for The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry:

Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers—and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking…

Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor’s child should be) has been frightened of the water ever since she lost her father at sea. But with no one else to care for her, she’s sent to foster with the Martins—a large Anishinaabe family living on a lighthouse in the middle of stormy Lake Superior. 

The Martin family is big, hard-working, and close, and Lucy—who has always been a dreamer—struggles to fit in. Can she go one day without ruining the laundry or forgetting the sweeping? Will she ever be less afraid of the lake?

My Take:

 
While A Star reminded me of Betsy-Tacy, The Luminous Life reminded me of Anne of Green Gables and The Little Princess. The set up is similar about a spirited, imaginative orphan girl who goes to live with a family, but what I loved is that Anna Rose brings her own spin on the story. Lucy is imaginative and gets into trouble because she’s daydreaming, but one of my favorite parts of the book was how she often imagines herself as a Princess or a waif depending on her mood. Unlike the Little Princess, imagining herself as a princess doesn’t make Lucy a better person, although sometimes it does. She’s proud of her heritage and her Papa who died in a shipwreck. I loved the beautiful large family dynamics. It is difficult to have a large cast and keep each character distinct. But Anna Rose does it well. I also enjoyed the mystery of the necklace and the shipwreck which added a lot of peril, especially toward the end.

This is a much shorter read than A Star and would be wonderful for advanced readers who are ready to move up to middle grade, but not ready for any dark themes. 

Max, the Reading Dog*

 

 

 

Max’s Take on a 5 bone scale: 

A Star: Mr. Bingley! I love a dog that’s named after a book character, especially if it’s from my mom’s favorite book (Pride and Prejudice).

 🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴

Lucy Landry had some gulls, but no dogs. And lots of water! I do not like boats or water. 🦴

Your turn:

Do you like vintage reads? What books did you love as a child?  

 

 

Check out other fabulous middle grades at Always in the Middle!  

 

 

ISWG: How Do You Know You Are Done?

 

Photo by Kalei de Leon on Unsplash

How do you know you're finished with a manuscript?

I'm in what I think might be the final stretches of editing with my manuscript, so I’ve keep asking myself this question.

Last week I signed up for a webinar "How Do You Know You're Done?", but it ended up being about how do you know when to set your manuscript aside. 

That’s not what I’m talking about.

What I want to know is: When do you know your story is complete? When do you know it’s time to step away? Because we all know that we as writers can fiddle and tweak—and sometimes too much tweaking can just make things worse.

Here are the signs you might be getting close:

1.    You’re changing more minor things: word choice, syntax, and looking at sentence-level type changes.

2.    The story says what you want it to say. 

3.    The character arc works.

4.    The synopsis reads like a story, not a muddled mess.

5.    Your list of what to change has gotten shorter—and are not so many big picture issues.

Photo by alexey turenkov on Unsplash

 

When I draft, I feel like I’m writing in the dark with a flashlight that’s running low on batteries. Right now, it’s like I finally see the figure in the marble (to borrow Michelangelo’s metaphor). It might still have some rough edges, but there’s something there.

The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material. (attributed to Michelangelo)

 

Photo by Val Vesa on Unsplash

Even though I see these signs, I still waver. What if I’m wrong?

For many years, I didn’t query until I’d had the rubber stamp of approval from a critique partner. 

Now, although I still get critiques, I don’t depend on them as much to tell me when my work is ready.

I wait till I know it’s ready. Recently, I was talking about this with a friend, and she told me her brother says, “You just know.” And that sounds about right.

My hope is that my manuscript will be ready-ready in a few months. But it’s been at least seven years since I sent a book length manuscript into the world. 

Yes, I'm one of those. A slow writer.

What about you? How do you know your manuscript is ready to be seen by people outside your critique group/partners/family? How do you know you’re done?

If you'd like to read more ISWG posts or sign up, please go HERE. You won't be disappointed.

MMGM: Wired for Fun: A Review of Hertz Gets Fused

 

My heart sings when I find middle grade books that capture the boy voice well. Like here and here. Last summer I discovered Hertz Gets Fused by Suzanne Purvis. Hertz reminds me of the characters in Gordon Korman books: a kid who loves being a kid and fun is his ultimate goal.

Unfortunately, having fun (in Hertz’s case, video gaming) gets him in a bit of trouble and turns his whole summer upside down.

Synopsis:

Tech-obsessed twelve-year-old Hertz Zindler gets into Godzilla-sized trouble when he accidentally starts an electrical fire in his bedroom. Bad enough, all his tech stuff is ruined, but worse—Avis, his mom’s guide dog, gets grazed by a fire truck leaving the scene and the poor dog is traumatized and unable to guide.

Hertz’s mom heads to Texas to train with a new guide dog, and Hertz and Avis head to Show Low, Arizona where an unconventional great-uncle has agreed to babysit Hertz. Not what Hertz planned for his summer. He’s stuck in an Airstream trailer park for retirees, struggling to squash his shame and hide his boredom.

Then a flicker of hope. The town-sponsored scavenger hunt provides the means—a cash prize! If Hertz wins, he can buy a used laptop at the local pawn shop and get reconnected.

But Hertz’s past, along with a string of dumpster fires, have him labeled as the sheriff’s number one arson suspect.

Now Hertz must build a team, win the scavenger hunt, avoid the sheriff, and expose the real fire starter or he could end up in juvie jail. (from Amazon)

Highlights of Hertz Gets Fused:

1.    A novel in verse. I don’t read many novels in verse, but this one worked on so many levels. It’s perfect for Hertz’s voice and is infused with humor and heart. Also, the sparse text will appeal to reluctant readers. One of my favorite lines (although it’s hard to pick) is when Hertz sees his house on fire and debates about telling his mom:  “I delay my launch/of the truth starship.” 

2.    A realistic boy protagonist, who happens to be a gamer: Reading about Hertz reminded me how many of former students love to game. Hertz’s voice was authentic, and kids will relate to his dilemma. My younger son didn’t like Hertz because he was so self-centered at first, but trust me, stick with him, and he grows on you.

3.    Memorable characters: Hertz, his mom, Pops, Hertz’s great uncle, and his scavenger hunt partners, Fey and Allen, leap off this page. This is in part to Suzanne’s memorable descriptions, like this one about Pops: “The rodent over his left eye twitches. / Might be a wink.”

4.    A fun plot: For a fairly short (207 page) novel with sparse text, Suzanne packed in a lot of plot. I really enjoyed reading about the Scavenger Hunt, the zany people of Show Low, and how Hertz always managed to get himself into the craziest situations.

5.    A perfect ending. The ending was filled with action (and peril for Avis the dog!), and Hertz proves in more than one way that he’s really truly changed.

Max, the Reading Dog*

 

 

 

Max’s Take ( on a five bone scale): 🦴🦴🦴🦴

Finally, a book with an interesting dog! Avis is a survivor and my hero. He’s not just a minor character either. Woof! Woof!

 

 

About the author:

I'm Suzanne Purvis, a writer and artist transplanted from Canada to the often unnoticed, and sometimes forgotten coast of the Florida Panhandle. Wedged up against Alabama and Georgia, the Deep South oozes into this corner of Florida, and once you visit you won't want to leave. That's what happened to me. Hard to resist the sweet tea, sweeter accents, the sugar white beaches, and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 
I write poetry and fiction of the long, short, and flash variety for both children and adults, usually with a touch of humor. (from https://www.suzannepurvis.com/) 

 

*If you're a dog lover, check out her page all about her dogs! 

Suzanne has another book coming out next year: 

 

Your Turn:

Do you like novels in verse? What are your favorite reads this summer?

 

MMGM: Breaking the Fourth Wall: Richard Ayoade’s Hilarious Ode to Unloved Books

 

After reading The Fairy Tale Fan Club, I wanted to check out other books by Richard Ayoade. When I discovered he wrote a book with a very intriguing title, The Book That No One Wanted to Read, of course I had to check it out.

If you like whimsical books that break the fourth wall, are a little zany, and of course, don’t take themselves too seriously (as all books should), you will love this book!

Synopsis:

From actor-author-broadcaster-comedian-filmmaker Richard Ayoade comes a book narrated by . . . a book. Quirky, smart, and genre-busting, this is the saga of a book that nobody wants to read—until the day it meets YOU.

The life of a book isn’t easy, especially when people judge you by your cover (not every book can be adorned with sparkly unicorns!). And this narrator should know—it’s the book itself, and it has a lot of opinions. It gets irritated when readers bend its pages back, and it finds authors quite annoying. But it does have a story to tell. Through witty direct address and charming illustrations, readers meet a book that has never been read, with a cover the boring color of a school lunch table and pages so dry they give bookworms indigestion. But what happens when this book meets you, a curious reader.  (excerpted from Amazon)

Highlights of The Book That No One Wanted to Read:

 
1.    A book as the narrator/main character. I’ve seen a trend of more middle grade books being “written” by inanimate objects. And I even wrote a short story told from the point of view of a book. I think readers who enjoy the asides of omniscient narrators like Lemony Snicket or the narrator in Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place will enjoy Ayoade’s book narrator.

2.    You are a character in this book too! Second person is not often done in middle grade, but it really works here. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the book and you (the child)—and I think kids will too.

3.    Illustrations and diagrams. From "Invisibility Problems," to "How to Control a Camel," to comics entitled “Getting a Book to Admit It’s a Book”—there are delightful illustrations by Tor Freeman throughout. These, of course, add to the fun and whimsy of the book that no one wants to read—yet. 

p. 55 The Book That No One Wanted To Read

4.    An ending that is funny and touching. I wasn’t sure where the story was going through most of this book, but it ended on the right note—giving kids something to do and giving the book as a character an arc. Is that even possible for a book to grow? Maybe it is.

5.    Lots of learning about story in a humorous way: Ayoade touches on stock characters, plot structure, libraries, and other book elements in a fun way. Kids—and adults—always learn best with some laughter thrown in.

6.    And of course, tons of laugh out loud humor!

Max, the Reading Dog*

Max’s Take (on a five bone scale):🦴🦴

Lots of animals in this story: donkeys, worms, louses, alligators, chickens, but no dogs. Dogs like to read too! Instead of a book worm, why not a Reading Dog? Ugh!

 

 

 

Your Turn:

What is the funniest book you've read lately? Do you like unusual narrators or books that break the fourth wall?