Monday, February 5, 2018

Monday's Riddle: Blind Beats...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? It's always the right time to celebrate this feeling, but in February we like to show off.  ; ) ~ F

Simple, yet complex; this is felt by muscle flex. It'll knot your gut, tingle toes, make heads spin as it grows. Like a coin with two sides, it's kept in view or rather hides. The main focus of a plight, this can cause a terrible fight. The reason why you laugh and sing. The single point of everything. It may feel grand or make you mope, but being blind, has infinite scope.

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer.

I gave you a clue!
😍

Friday, February 2, 2018

A Single Shard

A long long time ago in a potters’ village in Korea there lived an orphan named Tree-ear. He lived under a bridge with Crain-man, who had taken him in as a toddler. Together they foraged for food, told stories, and kept each other company. Thirteen-year-old Tree-ear loved to watch an older potter at the wheel and see the pieces he made. One day while examining a ceramic box in the potter’s workshop, Tree-ear is startled and drops it. The potter, Min, is furious and berates Tree-ear. The piece is very valuable, and Tree-ear agrees to pay off the debt by working for Min. The work is hard, harder than Tree-ear ever imagined, but it's also satisfying. Tree-ear wants more than anything to learn to use the wheel and create his own pieces. But Min will not teach Tree-ear the craft, as it's passed down from father to son, and Tree-ear is only an orphan. News arrives that the royal court is coming to look at the potters’ pieces, and maybe pick one of the men and put his work on commission. Min hopes he's selected, but is another potter working on a new technique? What will become of Tree-ear if Min is selected? Will Tree-ear ever learn to use the wheel? 


I didn’t know much about A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. What a treat it turned out to be. I loved how the words flowed, and I felt like I was being told an elaborate bedtime story every time I picked it up. The relationship between Crain-man and Tree-ear was so special that it tugged at my heart. I was impressed by how hard Tree-ear worked and how driven he was to learn the ways of the potter.Tree-ear is respectful of others, and I liked the way he thought of their feelings. There are a couple of scenes that broke my heart, but I truly loved the way the story unfolded. I would recommend this book to readers fourth grade and up who like historical fiction and stories with amazing characters. You will be rooting for Tree-ear!



Has anyone else read A Single Shard? Or have you read another book by Linda Sue Park? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Answer to Monday's Riddle: A Potter's Art


Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week, we're working with clay. Friday, Lizzy's review will take shape, so stay tuned! See you all around the book block. ; ) ~ F

I've hands to mold things that hold, and earthenware is what I bear. Stories speak of centuries past if my work was made to last. Should it break, you might say darn, but you'll find another in a barn.

What am I referring to? Answer: Potter

Make time to riddle and rhyme!

62 original riddles and illustrations
Available in all e-book formats

Monday, January 29, 2018

Monday's Riddle: Shaping Reality...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? It always makes me nervous to walk through this section of a store. ; ) ~ F

I've hands to mold things that hold, and earthenware is what I bear. Stories speak of centuries past if my work was made to last. Should it break, you might say darn, but you'll find another in a barn.

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer.

I gave you a clue!

Friday, January 26, 2018

Lost and Found by Andrew Clements

When sixth graders Ray and Jay Grayson move to a new town in Ohio they pretty much know what to expect. They’ll have each other; after all, they’re twins. And no one will be able to tell them apart, since they’re identical. Even their own parents have to do the “freckle test” every once in a while. On their first day of school, Ray isn’t feeling well and has to stay home. So Jay goes alone, along with a note from his mom explaining Ray’s absence, which he’ll turn in during home room. Only, when the teacher calls attendance, Ray’s name isn’t on the list, only Jay’s. Jay figures maybe it was an oversight. But, Ray isn’t in any class. When he sees his file on a teacher’s desk he knows there has been a mix-up, his file is way too big. The school thinks there is only one Grayson boy. Maybe this is an opportunity for Ray and Jay? It’s definitely strange to be at school without his twin brother, especially since in the past no one has been able to tell them apart, and their matching names only made things trickier. But at the new school no one is confused about which twin they are talking to, and Jay actually feel like a real person. When he gets home he tells Ray about the day, and how it felt to have kids talk to him and see him as an individual. They hatch a plan where they'll alternate who will stay home, so that they each get to experience life outside of being a twin- just for a week. Can the boys pull off their plan? What kind of trouble will they be in when all is revealed? Are they good enough actors to make people believe they're one person? You will have to read this book to find out!

I have read and enjoyed many books by Andrew Clements, so I was excited to read Lost and Found. It was a lot of fun! Once I found out what the twins were planning I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out. Their plan was interesting, and I loved seeing the way they each handled things when they were acting as Jay. Definitely a tricky situation- especially when they went out in public with their parents! Ray and Jay are seen by most people as the same person, since they are identical. But, through this experiment, we really got to see how unique they are. They have their own skills and like different things after all. I think this book will appeal to anyone who likes realistic fiction and a little mischief. A fast and entertaining read!



Have you read Lost and Found? Or have you read another book by Andrew Clements? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Riddle Answer Has Been Found!

Whew! The answer to Monday's Riddle was lost yesterday! Luckily, it's been found. Excellent guessing, Riddlers! Friday, Lizzy will make sure you find a great review, so stay tuned! See you all around the book block. ; ) ~ F

You've checked your pockets, turned the bed, searched the places in your head. Where it is, you don't know, but you can see it so. Like a game of hide and seek with two words you must tweak. If it's this, and then you find, you'll know the answer I've in mind.

What am I referring to? Answer: Lost & found!




Make time to riddle and rhyme!

62 original riddles and illustrations
Available in all e-book formats

Love words? 
Interested in writing books?

Catch our feature articles on WRITING MYSTERIES
Critique, Editing your MS

Working with editors, Collaborating using Google Docs

Skeleton's poetic interpretation on formatting a book

Origins of a story, Creative process

Tips for growing a successful book garden

Stay tuned for our video series 
MAKING A MYSTERY
Coming soon!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Birthing A Book: A Writer Delivers

GROWING A BOOK GARDEN
By Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson


— Once you’ve planted a story seed, it will grow with the flow of your attention. Just like how gardeners prepare the soil, writers plot pages. Both are excited to experience the fruits of their labor, but first, they must create.

A good gardner knows the manifestation of fruit requires focus. Your favorite author would say the same about books. Rows of sentences plant scenes in readers’ minds, linking meanings and ideas. Words connect worlds, and writing books is like having a direct line to the head boss. Catching the reader's mind's eye shapes their reality in that moment. 

Reading a story that moves you is similar to devouring delicious food, and hungry minds like to eat. When a writer delivers, the reader feels full and satisfied. 



Tips for cultivating story seeds



Step One: Tend the Story
This is important! When a seed isn’t fertilized, it will lay dormant, just as a story won’t develop if you don’t pay attention to it. Writing comes first. Validation is found in the process of honing your craft. When an author compels words onto a page, they’re driven by a force of insight, and the reward is watching a project evolve through success and failure, or rather, trial and error— the main two ingredients in progress.

Step Two: Fence in Creative Space
You can’t write without a comfortable place to work. External forces thrive in a literal ocean of information. They are distracting, and it’s easy to forget about your project. But, if your wish is to bring a book to life, it’s important to maintain self discipline and keep a sacred space where you can create in peace and comfort.

Step Three: Thicken the plot
Writing a book is realizing a dream. Stories are clouds of inner vibes before they’re scribed onto the page— this is raw, creative magic. But conjuring the right words into fluid scenes is the key to delivering a story; here is where you’ll need two real eyes, and the will to perfect spelling.



You may be a brilliant writer, but no author can edit their own book. As the creator, you know who the characters are, how they arrived on the scene, what the setting smells like, but no one else does. It’s vital to get reliable feedback from readers and digest their critique with the understanding that a new perspective will expand your story’s horizon.


If you take your writing seriously, and work with professional editors, you’ll feel confident that your message will have a good reception, and you will have successfully delivered a book!

Now, you just have to publish it, but that’s a whole other story.

Tune in for our next article in the “Birthing A Book” series:
Raising Your Book Right: Seeking a Story Home



Writing Resources


Editors 

Writing Tools








A Writer
Moments that arise may be a book birth in disguise. There are those with eyes to see all a scene can really be. They ask, "what if?" or "where'd it go?'- this person will imagine it so. A blank page is the space where they'll shave the story's face. Stringing words in lines, meanings point to signs. Inner space cosmonauts, creating with inky thoughts. 
Book bugs can be very helpful when they eat stories. They thrive in the garden of your mind, so feed them well. 😀
Catch our feature articles on 
WRITING MYSTERIES


Critique, Editing your MS

Working with editors, Collaborating using Google Docs

Skeleton's poetic interpretation on formatting a book

Origins of a story, Creative process

Monday, January 22, 2018

Monday's Riddle: A Tweak on Hide and Seek...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme? Many interesting things end up in this pile at school. ; ) ~ F

You've checked your pockets, turned the bed, searched the places in your head. Where it is, you don't know, but you can see it so. Like a game of hide and seek with two words you must tweak. If it's this, and then you find, you'll know the answer I've in mind.

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer.

I gave you a clue!