Author: Loree Burns

REX ZERO AND THE END OF THE WORLD
By Tim Wynne-Jones
Melanie Kroupa Books, 2007

Category: Middle-grade fiction
Awards: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honoree

This was a fun book.

Firstly, you can tell the Winne-Jones digs language. I like that.

(Quick aside: I feel as if I am just beginning to focus on language in my writing. Previously I have worried more about plot and character and Gotcha! beginnings and the rest. I am only now letting myself linger on the words.)

Secondly, you can tell Winne-Jones has a sense of humor. I like that, too.

(Quick aside: I do not have a sense of humor. I was born without one. Very sad.)

Thirdly, I’ve never read a book that successfully blends the intrigue of a fantasy (what is the creature living in Adams Park?), the drama of history (what is so cold about the Cold War and nuclear bombs?), the frustration of adolescence (“It’s a well-known fact that families move in the summer so that their children can wander around a new neighborhood for two months in lonely despair.”) and the wit of ten-year-olds (Rex’s surname is actually Norton-Norton, which his new pals think is weird, sort of like Norton “minus” Norton … which would equal zero, or Zero).

(Quick aside: I came of age at the very end of the Cold War. It was interesting to compare the backdrop of my childhood with that of Rex. He lived in a much scarier time.)

Anyway, it is easy to see why REX ZERO AND THE END OF THE WORLD was honored. Great book.

 

MANIAC MAGEE
By Jerry Spinelli
Scholastic, 1990

Category: Middle-grade fiction
Awards: Newbery Medal

Ahh. Now I get it.

It took seventeen years, but I finally read MANIAC MAGEE. And I Loved it. (Capital L intentional.) The voice is unusual, and it was pitch-perfect throughout. It didn’t let up for a single sentence. Not one.

“They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump. They say his stomach was a cereal box and his heart a sofa spring.
They say he kept an eight-inch cockroach on a leash and that rats stood guard over him while he slept.
They say if you knew he was coming and you sprinkled salt on the ground and he ran over it, within two or three blocks he would be as slow as everybody else.
They say.”

And so it goes, for the entire fantastically unbelievably true story of Maniac Magee. It is masterful. And a heck of a lot of fun to read.

 

I have a heavy heart today.

My town, like many small towns across the country, is struggling financially. Residents voted recently (and vehemently) to restrict the amount of money the town can appropriate via taxes. As a result, heart-wounding and community-dividing decisions are in our future. Like closing our library, like closing our senior center, like cutting art and music programming from our schools, like short-changing community safety.

I am sick over the idea of losing my library, to say nothing of the decisions I would then have to make. But how do I tell my neighbors that my need for library access is more important than a music director for their child’s school band? How can any community choose between fire fighters and police officers? Between schoolchildren and senior citizens?

I have come to believe there are no right or wrong answers in this situation, only difficult and gut-wrenching decisions. At this point my fondest wish is that we find a way to make them honestly and respectfully and with the thoughtfulness they deserve.

So … if you have a local library, support it! The American Library Association has some great ideas for how, including writing your Congressperson and letting them know how important local libraries are. Find more information and other ideas here.

 

Okay, this is going to be fun.

I was invited to speak at the Fish Tales, Tugs & Sails Festival in New London, Connecticut on August 11. Just last week I got my author packet, and I am stoked.

Check out this author list:

D.B. Johnson (HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG and other titles)

John Himmelman (IBIS, A TRUE WHALE STORY and other titles)

Linda Michelin (ZUZU’S WISHING CAKE)

Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (RECYCLE EVERY DAY and other titles)

Mark Kimball Moulton & Karen Hillard Good (MISS SADIE MCGEE WHO LIVED IN A TREE)

Karen Romano Young (ACROSS THE WIDE OCEAN)

Barbara Shaw McKinney (A DROP AROUND THE WORLD and other titles)

As if presenting alongside these amazing artists in an outdoor, waterfront extravaganza weren’t enough of a treat–the organizers informed me that I get to arrive at the festival in a tugboat. Seriously. A tugboat.

Toot! Toot!

 

Those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning may recall this post about the debut novel of my critique partner Eric Luper. Back then–April 2006–I recommended each of you buy BIG SLICK the moment it became available. I still think this is a good idea. And I am happy to let you know that BIG SLICK is almost here!

Check out this review at Teens Read Too … and read an excerpt from the novel here.

Way to go, Eric!

 

I spoke with Suzanne Lieurance of the National Writing For Children Center last week and our interview is now available on Book Bytes For Kids. We talked about TRACKING TRASH, how I came to write it, the folks I met along the way, and tips for nonfiction writers.

Oh, and the interview is available as a podcast. That’s right … apparently you can dowload me to your iPod or MP3 player and bring me with you wherever you go. How’s that for scary?!