Christmas Wishlist #3

Take note, Santa: Four (and a half) new additions to my Christmas Wishlist!

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip M. Hoose.  Named one of the best teen books of 2009 by multiple listers, I can't help but be intrigued by this (nonfiction) book.  A fifteen-year-old girl taking a stand against segregation years before Rosa Parks, denounced even by civil rights activists as emotional and wrong-headed?  What better metaphor for not only civil rights history but universal teen angst?  It sounds like there's a whole slew of things to admire about Claudette Colvin, and it's about time that she emerged from the realms of forgotten history. 

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Three words: Teen werewolf romance.  And, like Beautiful Creatures, also reportedly better than Twilight.  I believe that enough has been said, but I'll give you a plot synopsis anyway: Grace has always been fascinated by the yellow-eyed wolf that saved her from its pack when she was a small child.  When he turns out to be a werewolf, they predictably fall in love. (Teen werewolf romance, remember?) Only this time, there's no happy ending, and some actual character conflict: Take note, a certain vampire novelist who shall remain unnamed.  For a few blissful months of summer, werewolf Sam can remain a human with Grace.  But once the cold of winter comes, he must fight his wolf nature before it takes him away from the people (read that person) he loves...forever.

And apparently unicorns aren't all they're cracked up to be, according to Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.  They're vicious, violent creatures who can only be killed by virgin girls descended from Alexander the Great.  Interesting twist, Ms. Peterfreund.  I am intrigued.  And when our 16-year-old protagonist Astrid Llewellyn finds out that they were not, in fact, hunted to extinction centuries ago, her ambitious mother pressures her to train for battle against the latest wave of deadly unicorn attacks...and so the adventures begin.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier.  A darkly thrilling, first person narrative about a compulsive liar who's the primary suspect in the murder of her boyfriend...sounds a lot like Hate List (link to my review), which I loved.  And I love this kind of story anyway.  Offbeat and creepy.  Yeah.  There's a reason I get nightmares.

And lastly, though it doesn't count as it doesn't come out until August of 2010, thought I'd put it out there that the wait for The Hunger Games:  Book 3 (title not yet released) might just kill me.  Seriously.  I have not had a wait this tortuous since the one for the next Harry Potter book.  I have gotten to the point of dreaming about it, and there's still eight months to go!  So if you haven't read this series yet, please do.  It may not be original, it may not be high literary fiction, but the series is one of the most thrilling, entertaining and down to the nitty-gritty that I have read all year.  So treat yourself to them now and agonize over the wait with me!

See you next week for my final Christmas Wishlist of the year!

Interview with Mary Calhoun Brown

Today I have an interview with Mary Calhoun Brown, author of the forthcoming young adult novel There Are No Words (read my review here).  Mary is an autism activist as well as a writer, so I asked her a few questions through email about her work and the impact she hopes it will have on her readers!

There Are No Words is your first novel, but your work in autism is not new, right? What (or who) was your inspiration to write?

You're right about that, Maggie. I started learning about autism ten years ago when a doctor sat me down and tenderly told me that one of my beautiful children struggled with a mild form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome. In working with my son and developing strategies for him to use to succeed in life, I began to see the world in a new way.

I realized that all of us, every one of us, is flawed; but there is value in friendship no matter who you are.

In the 6th grade, my son was teased mercilously. He has an IQ just one point from "genius," but the students in his class at a Catholic school called him "retard." The students actions were extremely hurtful.

I brought William home for the rest of middle school, and decided one goal for myself was to demystify these "hidden disabilities." You know, kids aren't going to pick on the guy in a wheelchair. They "know better" than to act that way, but they still pick on kids who are a little different because they don't understand what makes them different.

As a result, I started educating students about autism and related disorders. I have worked with the Autism Training Center, and I serve on the board of directors of the Autism Services Center, both of which were created by autism pioneer Dr. Ruth C. Sullivan. I volunteer as an advocate and mentor to parents who are trying to get their arms around what it means to have a child with autism.

(William is now a sophomore in high school, by the way. He's first in his class of 440, and he has a wonderful group of accepting and caring friends.)

Where did this idea come from? I'd never read a book that blended contemporary and historical fiction quite the way yours did, and I really enjoyed it.

Hmm. The idea for There Are No Words really stemmed from missing my grandparents. Not too many children get to know all four of their grandparents the way I did.

I wanted to write a story in which I could go back and hang out with them when they were young. I started looking into notable events that happened in the 1910's when they were growing up. I found three major events to choose from: World War I, a series of shark attacks off the Atlantic coast and the train wreck. Mine is a Southern family, and I'm not "into" war stories, so the train wreck became the framework around which I spun the story.

The really neat thing about this book is... the painting was one that really DID hang in the living room of my grandparents' house. The artist gave me permission to use it on the back cover of the book.

Had you done any fiction writing before this novel? Has it ever been published? What projects are you working on now?

I suspect you know the answer to the first part of this question already. I have been writing stories since I could first put consonants down on paper. My mother kept a few of my first writings, and they are curiously lacking in vowels.

Most of my professional work has been non-fiction, but as a lifelong writer and mother of three boys, I've been inventing stories for a long time. This is the first time I attempted to find a publisher for any of my stories, though.

As for my current projects, There Are No Words is still in "pre-release." Its release date is Feb. 1, 2010, so I stay extremely busy working to get publicity and reviews, like yours, that will help the book make it into the hands of readers.

I have some thoughts as to my next book, but nothing is on paper yet. In my next book my protagonist will no doubt be in prison for killing someone, and the story will be told as a series of letters from the prisoner to her twin daughters, explaining why she committed the crime. There will be an autistic person in the book, but she will not be the main character.

I always want to portray people on the autism spectrum with the dignity and intelligence they deserve. The main character in my next book will be very close friends with the person with autism. Friendship and acceptance are the threads that will tie my novels together.


The real Oliver Pack died in the train wreck that is the climax of your story. Were any of the other characters real, or at least based on real life?

Many characters in the book were passengers on that ill-fated train. George Scott was actually a white man who survived the train wreck. He had given his seat to an older gentleman who wasn't so lucky. Bessie Dunn was killed. Mr. Corbitt worked on the train and was presumed dead. He was piled on a wagon full of corpses and sent to be embalmed. He moved, and that's how they knew he was alive. He survived a second train wreck later in life by jumping from the train.

I tried to use as many real names as possible from the accident. Oliver Pack just happened to have the best name on the passenger list.

I was fascinated by the way you compared racism to the discrimination against autistic children and adults. Would you please explain that parallel a little more?

Let's imagine for a moment that you are eight years old and the only child in your class who didn't receive an invitation to a birthday party. The birthday child is your best friend at school. There's a reason you were excluded. Maybe you're the only girl in class. Maybe you're the only black kid. Maybe you're autistic. It hurts the same, regardless of why you were left out.

Well-meaning, educated people discriminate against folks on the autism spectrum every single day. The time to stop hurting people is now. The means to that end is peer education.

How do you think all kinds of discrimination have changed over time? Do you feel that discrimination is something that can eventually be overcome, or that it is a part of human nature?

Our country has moved from slavery to segregation to the first black President, but racism still lingers where we think others won't see it. Americans of Japanese descent were imprisoned during World War II because they looked like the enemy. Today many Americans look at people of Middle-Eastern descent with scorn. We've made strides, but we have far to go.

Jesus said the greatest commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might; and love your neighbor as yourself." I think this is our goal. Will we reach it? I hope so.


What impact do you hope your story will have on the teens that read this book? What about the adults?

There Are No Words is a first step. I hope the book opens a window into hearts and minds. I hope that one person, whether teen or adult, will drop his or her guard and make a tiny effort with those who seem different. Everyone deserves a friend, most especially those who have never known the gift of friendship.

There Are No Words

Originally reviewed and published at www.readerviewskids.com as a Free Review (see Disclosure in Accordance with FTC Guidelines) 


 There Are No Words by Mary Calhoun Brown

 Forthcoming from Lucky Press, February 2010

Visit the author's website here

The world of twelve-year-old Jaxon MacKenzie is full of words, though she can’t speak. Living a quiet, loving life with the grandparents she adores, she can almost forget the world outside: A world where no one seems to understand her, not even her own mother. She spends her days reading, and staring at a painting on the parlor wall. When one day she discovers a faded newspaper clipping documenting a horrific train wreck that claimed her grandfather’s best friend’s life, Jaxon is whisked through the painting and into the world of 1918, just before the wreck. Able to speak for the first time, Jaxon realizes that she has been given one chance to save a friend from one of the most terrible disasters in American history.

Let’s get the bad over with first: It was predictable, the prose was over-the-top, the dialogue forced, the story more telling than showing. Jaxon made a slightly self-righteous protagonist, and the rest of the characters seemed stereotyped and preachy. There’s no doubting that this book sets out to tell a message about autism, and whether that message is accomplished will depend upon the reader.

So now, for the good: First of all, Jaxon’s world is engaging from page one, the author’s simple, quiet style lending itself well to such a gentle, thoughful read. Lines like “Grandma doesn’t care if I put my feet on the old couch. She  doesn’t even mind if I leave my shoes on in the house. This is how I know she loves me” should feel corny and forced, but somehow they don’t; only like a misunderstood twelve-year-old’s interpretation of love, and a frankly more honest one than you can find in most fiction.

Secondly, though it’s not that hard to guess how the book will end and it’s sadly lacking in suspense, the emotion in this novel more than makes up for it. Love and tolerance are certainly abundant, but unlike most teen books in this niche it is balanced with sorrow, anger and prejudice in real-life doses, which rescues it from sentimentality and gives it a whole new dimension of excellence.

All in all, it wasn’t my favorite. But it doesn’t seem meant to be that kind of book. Rather, it’s a heartwarming tale of trials and triumph, judgment and acceptance; one that challenged my beliefs and brightened my day. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s worth far more recognition than it will probably get.

The Final Verdict: A poignant and touching insight into the world of autism, even if the history and characters weren't quite up to par.  Four out of five stars.

In My Mailbox (2)

 Welcome to my Sunday feature, In My Mailbox! In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention the really cool things, like books! Well, actually, it's more like On My Bedside Table, but it's the sentiment of the thing, I suppose. These posts were inspired by The Story Siren, which has a pretty awesome mailbox, so pop over there and check it out!

For review: The Fire Stone (Reign of the Elements, Book 1) by Riley Carney

Is fifteen-year-old Matthias really just an ordinary boy from the Western Reaches of Mundaria?

Apparently the answer is no, he's not!  When Matt is rescued by a wizard after being attacked by three terrifying creatures, he realizes that the world is much bigger than he once had thought - and he's endowed with extraordinary powers that could make or break his world.

It's been awhile since I've read any epic fantasy, much less any good epic fantasy; so I'm looking forward to this one.


Also:

• Bottom Beach by E. Laurent: A woman must return to her roots after a series of disturbing nightmares begin to encroach upon her everyday life.  Placed in both the young adult and adult categories for a contest I'm helping to judge.
  
•  The Girl From Atlantis by Richard Schenkman: A girl discovers that she has the ability to talk to sea creatures.  A tie-in to a resort in the Bahamas, apparently. 

Purchased: Nothing this week.