“What books should I read to help me become a better writer?”
As a creative writing professor, this is one of the most common questions I get asked at the end of semesters, when classes are winding down and students are facing the prospect of developing as writers on their own—without a professor and a class curriculum to guide them.
So, over the years, I’ve kept a list of favorite “craft books”—books that have been instrumental in developing my writing skills. These are books I tell my students every aspiring writer should read. And, to flesh out my list, I’ve asked the spooky middle grade authors to chime in, to suggest books they’d recommend for those looking to sharpen their writing talents. So, here is our not-at-all-comprehensive list of must-read books for aspiring writers:
Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French.
There’s been some big news in the realm of creepy middle grade books lately, and we here at Spooky MG are absolutely over the (full) moon about it.
Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for superior achievement in horror and dark fantasy literature. The list of Stoker winners is crammed with legends: Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Victor LaValle, Caitlin R. Kiernan. And the award statuette—a gothic, gargoyle-bedecked house, with the winner’s name engraved behind its opening front door—has to be the coolest anywhere in the book world.
(A Bram Stoker Award. I mean, just look at this thing.)
Stoker Award categories have included novel, screenplay, graphic novel, short and long fiction, and young adult novel, among others. Now, beginning with the 2022 publishing year, the HWA is establishing a middle grade category for the Bram Stoker Awards (YESSSS!!!!).
Spooky Middle Grade chatted with Becky Spratford, current Secretary of the Horror Writers Association, about the news.
Jacqueline West/Spooky MG: Hello, Becky! Thanks so much for joining us at Spooky MG, and extra thanks for all you do to promote horror for readers of all ages!
So, to get things started: Why has the HWA decided to add a middle grade category to the Bram Stoker Awards now? How did this change come about?
Becky Spratford, HWA: The discussions about adding a Middle Grade category have been going on informally for a handful of years. It all began in earnest when the Horror Writers Association presented R.L. Stine with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Bram Stoker Awards ceremony.
Around the same time, the HWA’s Library committee began their work to promote Horror to kids through public libraries. The HWA Library committee, for which I am a co-chair, administers the Dennis Etchison Young Writers Scholarship http://horrorscholarships.com/dennis-etchison-young-writers-scholarship/ to one teen writer each year, and last year we had a record number of applicants. We also award up to five Young Adults Write Now endowments of $250 each to libraries who offer programming to teen writers of horror. In past years, we did not even receive five applicants, but again, last year we awarded all five and interest this year is already strong.
In 2019 we also launched Summer Scares, a national reading program (which I co-chair) where librarians recommend three titles each in the categories of Adult, YA, and Middle Grade Horror. We then use those titles and authors as a way to get more horror titles and programming into our libraries. The Middle Grade category has seen the largest uptick in interest with authors and library workers.
The HWA’s overall goal is to both support horror professionals and promote the genre. Adding the Middle Grade category to the Bram Stoker Awards slate accomplishes both of these things. Middle Grade Horror is strong. The books are excellent and varied and there is a whole generation of readers growing up with these awesome books. The Board was unanimous in extending the The Bram Stoker Award to Middle Grade Horror Fiction as a way to honor the excellent work in this category as we do for adult and teen horror fiction.
This is such great news – and R. L. Stine paves the way for creepy MG lit once again! Perfect.
(Image via BookTrust)
When will the category be officially put in place? What books will be eligible?
The category begins with all middle grade horror titles published in the 2022 calendar year and will continue every year going forward. Any novel intended for the age group of 8-13 year-olds with a word length beginning at 25,000 words is eligible in a given calendar year. We will be awarding the Bram Stoker Award for the Best Middle Grade Novel (published in 2022) at StokerCon 2023.
What can middle grade authors do if they’d like their books to be considered for the award?
All authors or editors of eligible works are welcomed to submit their own work for consideration by the jury.
Beginning around April, the portal for authors or publishers to self-submit will open on the Bram Stoker Awards website here: https://www.thebramstokerawards.com/submissions/ . You do not need to be a member of the HWA to submit. There is also a recommendation portal for all HWA members to submit titles to be considered in any Bram Stoker Award category. You must be a member to submit an official recommendation, and you cannot submit your own work.
Once those submissions are complete, how are finalists and winners selected?
The Bram Stoker Awards process for every category is the same and it is very clearly laid out here: https://horror.org/awards/rules_current.pdf. However, for the short version, the Bram Stoker Awards use a hybrid system of a closed jury for each category who review the submitted titles and submit a ranked list combined with the recommendation portal mentioned in the previous answer. This allows the general membership to also have a say.
A long list of 10 titles in each category are presented to Active and Lifetime members who can vote for up to 5 in the first round. That vote creates the official “Bram Stoker Nominee” list of 5 titles in each category. Then the Active and Lifetime members can each vote for 1 per category.
Having the HWA support MG horror in this way means so much to those of us who read, write, and love spooky MG fiction.Big thanks to the whole organization.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Summer Scares Reading Program, another way the HWA is reaching out to MG and YA horror fans?
The Summer Scares Reading Program began in 2019 and is an official HWA initiative. It is presented in partnership with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Booklist Summer Scares provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come.
Selected authors agree to make themselves available to libraries (free of charge) in order to promote their titles and Horror in general.
Our committee is made up of 5 librarians and an annual rotating author spokesperson. In the past we have had Grady Hendrix, Stephen Graham Jones, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and this year for 2022 we welcome Alma Katsu.
Along with the vetted list of titles, the Summer Scares program and committee also provide a program guide courtesy of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. This guide is free and contains a page for each title containing a summary of the book, read-alike titles, programming ideas, and book discussion questions– really everything a library would need to feature and promote the books.
What else is the HWA doing to support young horror readers and writers?
Besides the Scholarship and Endowments and Summer Scares, we added a high school intern this year. She has been working with our Volunteer Coordinator and her teacher to assist us. We have been able to introduce her to authors, have had her work on blog posts and virtual events. We would love to add more young interns going forward.
And just in general, the work we do reaching out to public libraries to encourage them to add horror titles and present horror programming through the Summer Scares reading program and our sponsors like Booklist and Book Riot who also create content to support middle grade horror reads. We have seen an increase in participation by libraries at the middle grade level every single year. Many libraries have let us know that Summer Scares and our librarian-vetted content has allowed them to advocate for more horror for their grade school patrons without fear of reproach for it being “too scary,” despite the fact that we all know they love spooky and scary reads.
YES. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaking of loving spooky and scary reads: What books do you think of as the classics of MG horror? Do you have any personal favorites?
As I mentioned above, there are not enough superlatives for the work of R.L. Stine, but I tend to credit Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark story collections for stoking the horror flame of many a middle grade reader, going back to myself [mid 40s] but still today. I volunteer at my local school library 2x a month and it is still a huge favorite.
In 2020, the HWA released Don’t Turn Out The Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry. This anthology has a diverse and vibrant table of contents featuring modern middle grade horror.
[Jacqueline/Spooky MG note: Hey, we know this one! Spooky MG’s very own Kim Ventrella has a terrifying story in this collection. Find out more here: https://bookshop.org/shop/spookymg]
Becky Spratford, cont: My work with Summer Scares has solidified for me that we are in a golden age of middle grade horror right now. We consider title from the last ten years by living authors for Summer Scares and each year, Middle Grade is always a favorite of the committee come selection time. Clearly, the time to include Middle Grade Horror in the HWA’s Bram Stoker Awards process is NOW.
Hear, hear to all that.
Thank you to Becky Spratford and the Horror Writers Association, and thank you to all of you who read, write, and love spooky middle grade lit.
Here’s to a healthy, happy, horror-filled 2022!
Bios:
Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Readers’ Advisor in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All. She is under contract to provide content for EBSCO’s NoveList database and writes reviews for Booklist and a horror review column for Library Journal. Becky is a 20-year locally elected Library Trustee [still serving] and a Board member for the Reaching Across Illinois Library System. Known for her work with horror readers, Becky is the author of The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror, Third Edition [ALA Editions, 2021]. She is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association and currently serves as the Association’s Secretary and organizer of their annual Librarians’ Day. You can follow Becky on Twitter @RAforAll.
Jacqueline West of Spooky Middle Grade is the author of the New York Times-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere, the Schneider Family Award Honor Book The Collectors, and the YA horror novel Last Things. Her latest book is the MG mystery/ghost story Long Lost [Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2021], which was both an Indie Next List and Junior Library Guild selection. Find her at jacquelinewest.com or on Twitter @JacquelineMWest.
The Spooky Middle Grade authors love visiting schools and sharing a love of writing and reading. We visited over fifty classrooms in October alone, sharing writing tips and answering student questions. Our virtual Q&As take place year-round and give us the opportunity to share a love of stories with students all over the country. So to wrap up 2021, I reached out to some fellow #SpookyMG authors and asked them to share their #1 tips for young writers.
Find them all below, and if you would like to schedule a live #SpookyMG visit for your students in grades 3-8, head over to our scheduling form for more info!
Read, read, read! Writers should devour words! So read classics and poetry and essays and articles and novels and short stories and everything else you can get your hands on. Don’t be a snobby reader. Read all of it!
–Josh Allen, author of ONLY IF YOU DARE
When you’re writing dialogue, it’s okay to mostly use “said” (or if it’s obvious who’s talking, no tags at all)! Sometimes a good strong verb (like bellowed, retorted, screeched, etc) is perfect, but make sure to use them for important moments.
I like to think of the dialogue itself as a cupcake, and the dialogue tags as the wrappers. You don’t want the tags to distract from what your characters are saying!
–Ash Van Otterloo, author of A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
Don’t judge your first draft (or your second, or third) by the books in libraries. Those books went through LOADS of revisions before they made it into print. (My first book went through around 20 revisions before I signed with my agent, then more before it was sold, then even more with my editor to get it to the published version my readers are enjoying.)
Early drafts aren’t perfect, and they often need big chunks or even the entire story re-written. And that’s ok! Writing is re-writing. Revision is all part of the process. So trust that your story is out there. Through all the revision, you will find it.
–Samantha M. Clark, author of THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST
Make sure that each scene you write, especially ones with lots of dialogue or action, contribute to the development of your characters. In real life, every moment a person lives builds that person in some way—sometimes in a good, healthy way, sometimes in a bad way—so make sure your scenes push the characters further and further toward some kind of change.
Are they learning something new about themselves or others or the world in general? Or maybe being stubborn and trying not to learn at all? In other words, while you’re exploring “what they’re doing,” also be sure to explore “who they are.”
–Brad McLelland, author of the LEGENDS OF THE LOST CAUSES series
Write some short stories, and have fun!
–Fleur Bradley, author of MIDNIGHT AT THE BARCLAY HOTEL
It takes patience to be an author. You think up your concept, you outline, you write, you edit, and edit some more…
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that this thing you made up actually becomes a book..!
And then the cover arrives, and it starts to feel real.
I’m so proud of my next spooky middle-grade, Daybreak on Raven Island. You can pre-order it at the links HERE!!
It’s out in August of 2022; here is the story:
From the critically acclaimed author of Midnight at the Barclay Hotel comes a thrilling new middle grade mystery novel inspired by Alcatraz Prison.
Tori, Marvin, and Noah would rather be anywhere else than on the seventh-grade class field trip to Raven Island prison. Tori would rather be on the soccer field, but her bad grades have benched her until further notice; Marvin would rather be making his directorial debut with the horror movie that he’s writing; and Noah isn’t looking forward to having to make friends at this new school.
But when the three of them miss the one and only ferry of the day that would take them home, they’re forced to spend the night on Raven Island and need each other now more than ever. With the help of a motley ghost hunting crew, they’ll have outrun a flock of ravens and a creepy caretaker, to uncover a killer and expose the age-old secrets of the island…all before daybreak.
Sounds cool, right? What’s even better is the cover:
I owe all thanks to the great people at Viking/Penguin Random House, particularly my editor Aneeka Kalia and cover artist Manuel Sumberac for making Raven Island look so good. I hope you pre-order Daybreak on Raven Island for August 2022..!
Spooky is as spooky does, and let me tell you . . . Spooky has been brimstone busy here in the Crypt!
Join me as I explore some of our spooky crew’s latest book releases! So arm yourself with some ghoulish gel, an illuminating lantern, and a protective shield (a couch throw pillow will do), and let’s begin . . .
ONLY IF YOU DARE is a collection of 13 short stories in which danger lurks around every doorway, but not always where you’d expect! Think of a mysterious microwave. A threatening board game. A snowman that refuses to melt. And more!
*A snowman that refuses to melt . . . ooh, how creepy?!!
GHOST GIRL is the story of Zee, her best friend Elijah and her bully turned buddy Nellie who have to team up to save their town. Zee always loved ghost stories, she just never expected to be living one.
A TOUCH OF RUCKUS – Tennie can detect memories in objects, keeping the peace in her chaotic family. But when her new friend Fox hands her an antique watch, Tennie’s touch releases an angry spirit. It knows secrets about her family, but Tennie must be brave enough to listen and speak up for herself.
*Exploring being homeless and a kid at the same time has all the feels.
LONG LOST is about secrets, sisters, strange small towns, and a book that might not exist. It’s also a ghost story, a mystery, and a love letter to libraries, all braided together.
THE COLLECTORS – The Ladies in White want you to join their family… FOREVER! The FRIGHT WATCH series continues with a whole new set of ghostly monsters.
*Could anything sound more creepy than The Ladies in White?
ARROW, a 12-year-old boy with a limb difference, is the only human living inside a magically hidden rainforest. When the forest is threatened by humans in the arid world outside, Arrow must learn who to trust so he can save his home.
Author Samantha M. Clark – Website | Twitter | Instagram
*Who doesn’t love a magical rainforest?!
CHARACTER BRAINS 🧠
Why will middle grade readers relate to your main character(s)?
Josh Allen – Because my main characters are ordinary kids in ordinary situations who suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves having to deal with horror, maybe on the walk home from school or in a substitute teacher’s life science class or even in their own living room. What kid hasn’t had a day like that?ONLY IF YOU DARE
*Ordinary kiddos can experience situations of horror while in class. I’m sure they will relate!
Ally Malinenko – Zee is courageous and loyal and brave. But she is also impulsive and that gets her in trouble sometimes. But most of all she’s not afraid to speak her mind. That’s my favorite thing about her.GHOST GIRL
*She sounds like a wonderful character.
Ash Van Otterloo – If you’ve ever felt invisible in your family or at school, or like you’ll never be brave enough to speak up for yourself, you and Tennie have so much in common! A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
*Oh, this is a great relatable characteristic.
Janet Fox – Lulu tries so hard to keep herself and her sister safe when their dad disappears – Lulu is a smart, determined kid – but it’s rough going when you live in a car.CARRY ME HOME
*Lulu’s situation will move young hearts . . . and older ones, too.
Jacqueline West – My main character, eleven-year-old Fiona Crane, is planning to become an archeologist or historian someday – whichever turns out to be more interesting. She’s curious and clever and stubborn and shy, and she has just been forced to leave all her friends behind and move to the tiny town of Lost Lake, so that her big sister Arden can be closer to her figure skating coach in the Boston suburbs. Thanks to Arden’s skating and her parents’ demanding jobs, Fiona’s wishes often come last. Anyone who has ever moved to a new home, or who has felt overlooked or odd or out-of-place, will connect with her, I hope.LONG LOST
*You had me at archeologist or historian. I’m sure you’ll have many young readers at that point, too.
Lorien Lawrence – The main character, Quinn, is curious and determined, and even though she’s smart, she makes a LOT of mistakes along the way. Hopefully MG readers can relate to some of her strengths AND flaws!FRIGHT WATCH: THE COLLECTORS
*Sounds like a great balance that readers can see themselves in.
Samantha M. Clark – Arrow might have grown up the only human in the rainforest, but he has a best friend (a monkey called Curly) and likes to play games, just like middle grade readers. But also, Arrow has to learn who to trust, and that can be hard for anyone. Sometimes people act like your friend but then they do something bad and it’s hurtful. When Arrow first meets the humans from the outside world, it’s like when a middle grade reader is starting a new school or just moved to a new neighborhood. Arrow wants to be friends with all the humans he meets, but some people have bad intentions. He has to learn who his true friends are.ARROW
*Arrow is a wonderful character. (Psst…I read the book!)
WRITER’S ALLEY 🖊️
What is the most intriguing and/or challenging part of your story or, for Josh, collection of stories?
Josh Allen – The most challenging part, for me as a writer, was writing thirteen different stories that were distinct. Like, you can only write so many stories about monsters that want to kill you or eat you. At some point, you’ve got to mix it up.ONLY IF YOU DARE
*Thirteen stories in one book that are all different. Sounds challenging to me.
Ally Malinenko – The most intriguing part of writing Ghost Girl was getting a steady build of dread and fear in the narrative. I wanted things to slowly get worse until everything was then really bad. The most challenging was the emotional scene at the end between Elijah and Zee when she thinks she’s lost him. GHOST GIRL
Aw, getting to the character’s emotional innards is always tough.
Ash Van Otterloo – I really like how both Tennie and Fox have fascinating secrets they’re afraid to share with anyone, and how trust builds between them while they’re chasing ghosts! They’re tender enough to challenge each other, and I love that vibe. A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
*Secrets!
Janet Fox – It wasn’t hard to keep the tension up in a story about living without proper clothing, shelter, food, money. The hard part was making the story positive and hopeful, and I think it is. CARRY ME HOME
*Oh, I’m sure that was difficult.
Jacqueline West – In the strange old library in her new town, Fiona discovers a mystery novel called THE LOST ONE. The more she reads, the more she notices that the settings within the book seem to match specific places in her town…and soon she starts to wonder if the story within THE LOST ONE might be true. Writing that story-within-a-story, and interweaving it with Fiona’s own life, was one of the biggest challenges for me as a writer (and one of the most fun parts, too).LONG LOST
*This story-within-a-story is fascinating to me! I’m sure readers will love it.
Lorien Lawrence – Most intriguing part? The Ladies in White of course! 😉 What ARE they? And what do they want stuff Lex? Readers will have to solve the mystery along with Quinn and Mike.FRIGHT WATCH: THE COLLECTORS
*The Ladies in White sounds so creepy!
Samantha M. Clark – I had to do a lot of research for this book, about rainforests all over the world and soil, and trees, and plants, and the relationships between animals and trees as well as humans and trees, plus about what it’s like to live with a limb difference. It was challenging to know what to put into the story, but it was so much fun to learn. ARROW
*Learning about the relationship between animals and trees sounds so interesting!
SEEKING PREY 🐺
If (your book) was in a grocery store, what three items would top its list to buy?
Josh Allen – Hmm. Definitely not oatmeal or ice cream or hot chocolate, and if you want to know why, you’ll have to read the book.ONLY IF YOU DARE
*Ah . . . I see what you’re doing here. Sneaky . . .
Ally Malinenko – A flashlight for sure, snacks for when you’re lost in the woods, and a compass, if they have those in grocery stores! GHOST GIRL
Ash Van Otterloo – Pizza spices, marshmallows, and hot chocolate! A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
*That’s a very intriguing trio!
Janet Fox – Shampoo (Lulu can’t afford it, so she has to use hand soap), bread (because you can get by with it if you’ve got nothing else), a newspaper (because that’s how Lulu figures out what happened.) CARRY ME HOME
😢
Jacqueline West – Ice cream, strawberries, andbatteries for a nightlight.LONG LOST
🍓 *YUM!
Lorien Lawrence – If The Collectors was in the grocery store, it would buy the biggest bag of gummy bears, a flashlight, extra batteries, and shoelaces.FRIGHT WATCH: THE COLLECTORS
*YES! Gummy bears.🧸
Samantha M. Clark – Organic soil, dye-free mulch and any old, rotting vegetables they might be planning to throw out (they make good compost to feed trees and plants).ARROW
*This is a great survival fact!
BOOK GUTS 🕮
Why do you enjoy writing stories with spooky elements?
Josh Allen – Spooky stories are good for us! They teach us to be brave and to navigate our fears in healthy ways so that when we encounter scary things in real life, we’re ready to deal with them. Spooky stories are like “Bravery Practice.” Also, spooky stories are fun!ONLY IF YOU DARE
*Teaching us to be brave . . . Yes!
Ally Malinenko – They were my favorite stories growing up. Also, kids need scary books. They already know the world is scary. These books help them navigate their fears in a safe way. We need to trust kids more.GHOST GIRL
*Finding help to navigate scary stuff of the real world in spooky books is a comforting thought.
Ash Van Otterloo – Fear is something everyone relates to, and it can be a really powerful motivator! People who love their comfort zone are suddenly ready to try new things when they’re chased by zombies or werewolves. A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
*Fear as a motivator definitely can work, especially while being chased by zombies.
Janet Fox – As a kid, I was terrified of the dark and of monsters. I want to conquer that fear, and writing about what scares you is a great way of lifting the curtain and letting in the light. CARRY ME HOME
*Yes! Letting the light in is the way to strike out the darkness and see it with clarity.
Jacqueline West – Two reasons: Because I’ve always been drawn to dark, mysterious, and creepy things (I think they’re fascinating), and because I’m a total chicken. Writing scary stories lets me play with all of my many fears.LONG LOST
*Writing spooky stories to explore your own fears is pretty cool. And brave!
Lorien Lawrence – Spooky stories have the BEST energy – they’re electric! They can teach us to be brave in the face of monsters. What’s cooler than that??FRIGHT WATCH: THE COLLECTORS
*Not much, in my opinion.😊
Samantha M. Clark – I love writing scenes with lots of tension, and spooky stories have LOTS of tension. My first novel for middle-grade readers, THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, has more spooky elements than ARROW does, but ARROW has lots of tension, and those scenes were great fun to write. ARROW
*The more spooky tension the better.
FEAR 😨
Young, inquiring student minds want to know – What are you afraid of?
Josh Allen – Honestly, I’m afraid that something bad will happen to people I love and I won’t be able to stop it.
*Aw . . . 💘
That’s pretty heavy, I know, so on a lighter note, I’ll say this: I’m not too fond of snakes. ONLY IF YOU DARE
Ally Malinenko – Loads of things. But my top two are someone breaking into my home and the ocean. It’s full of monsters and their poop. No thank you. GHOST GIRL
*Poop!!! 🤣💩😆
Ash Van Otterloo – Clowns, especially very cheerful ones! Also heights. Even steep hills without trees are enough to make my knees wobble! A TOUCH OF RUCKUS
*So there with you! 🤡
Janet Fox – Heights. I have absolutely awful acrophobia. I go completely numb, which is not good when driving over a mountain pass and you lose all sensation in your arms and legs. (Maybe I should write about it…) CARRY ME HOME
*Good one. So don’t do heights. We don’t want you going completely numb. That would be bad.🚫
Jacqueline West – SO MANY THINGS. The dark. Deep water. Being alone in the woods at night. Windowless basements. Having to talk on the phone. Driving in strange cities. Any fish larger than a hotdog bun. I could go on.LONG LOST
*Windowless basements . . . Ooh, this is a good one. All sorts of creepy possibilities. 🪟
Lorien Lawrence – After years of teasing my brother about his fear of alligators, I realized that he’s right: alligators are TERRIFYING!! I mean, they are huge, yet they can go really fast and hide really well. That’s the scariest type of villain! FRIGHT WATCH: THE COLLECTORS
*Ooh . . . gators. #Chomp 🐊
Samantha M. Clark – I’m actually afraid of lots of things, and sometimes I put them in my books so I can pretend I’m not afraid of them. I’m afraid of spiders (although I’m getting less afraid of the little teeny tiny ones), frogs jumping on me, heights, cramped spaces, drowning. I try to stay on the ground, in the shallows and away from jumping insects.ARROW
*‘K, creepy thingys with eight legs . . . I’m racing you to the door!🚪
🪦💀🪦💀🪦💀🪦💀🪦💀🪦
Well, there you have it, folks! A few new #spookymg releases to add to your book list. Thank you for joining us, and please leave a comment below. Ask questions about the author’s answers, share with us spooky books you’ve read that have helped you, or simply share you thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!
One of my favorite spooky reads of the year is CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS by Kaela Rivera. It blends Latinx mythology and folklore with a heartwarming story about a young girl who must risk everything to save her sister from the terrifying El Sombrerón.
Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey. With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.
Author Kaela Rivera was kind enough to answer some of my most burning questions about her fantastic book.
TANIA: Hi Kaela! One of the things I loved most about reading CECE was recognizing some spooky and familiar characters from Latinx folklore like El Cucuy and La Llororna! Could you talk a bit about the research and inspiration that went into your rich worldbuilding of Cece’s world?
KAELA: Sure thing! For inspiration, I leaned heavily into the stories my abuelo told me about growing up in Mexico when he was a kid and preteen. For research, I used the Mexican Beastiary by David Bowles, researched heavily on the internet (which led to a lot of weird, obscure findings about geology and maps of quarries that are barely even talked about in the book), and some of my own ideas, of course, to put spins on traditional stories.
TANIA: A big theme in CECE is familia. Both the ties to the family you were born into as well as the family you create as you become more independent. In your book Cece decides to train to become a bruja so she can rescue her sister from El Sombrerón. This independence leads to some rifts between her relationship with her parents, as well as the discovery of a new family with the criaturas she befriends along the way. Were you a lot like Cece when you were her age and what does familia mean to you?
KAELA: Honestly, Cece is who I want to be when I grow up. As a kid, I definitely had big feelings like Cece and didn’t feel safe expressing them. I often doubted my value, just like she does, and felt unsafe. But Cece chooses to stay vulnerable and kind—while fighting for what’s right. She doesn’t sacrifice one for the other. That’s what I want to do, and who I feel I can be, but it’s a journey to get there I could gush about my little emotionally intelligent girl all day, haha, so I’ll wrap it up there!
Familia, to me, is the building block of life. It’s the first protective community you’re given, the first one you’re a part of, the first place where you’re meant to flourish and grow and develop. I believe whole-heartedly in that ideal. And that’s also why it’s so painful and frightening when a familia doesn’t live up to that ideal. People’s choices can turn the most precious, sacred, safe place in life into a frightening, unsafe place—which is so opposite to its proper nature.
In CECE, I wanted to explore and address how that can feel for children—getting a mixture of love and protection, as well as apathy or even hostility. Every familia, like every person, comes with good and bad. It’s about what you choose to grow and foster, and as Cece chooses her friends and to embrace her strengths and good qualities, so her familia will have to learn to choose where they stand as well. I’m excited about exploring that more in the sequel. More on that later!
TANIA:Your book is one of the spookiest books I’ve read this year, especially when Cece ventures into the world of brujas and criaturas! Why do you think it’s important that kids read about scary things?
KAELA: Haha thank you! I find scary kids’ books important because, honestly, kids go through scary things. I think scary stories can help address the fear kids carry around and don’t know what to do with. It shows them that everyone faces horrors. And perhaps most importantly to me, it shows them that, when they are afraid and surrounded by frightening things, action can be taken, dragons can be slayed, and hope still lives. Because of the sheer power of contrast, I think scary stories actually help emphasize joy, hope, courage, and goodness. And that’s an empowering thing, at the end of the day.
TANIA:In addition to folkloric scary things like brujas and criaturas, you also touch on some real-life fears surrounding alcoholism and abduction/non-consent. I thought you handled these very skillfully for a middle-grade audience. Can you speak a bit more on your experiences and challenges in writing for young readers in general? What led you to writing middle-grade as opposed to YA or adult?
KAELA: This is kind of a funny story, despite the heaviness of the topic. So originally, CECE was a YA novel! I hesitated when my publisher said they wanted to buy it—but as an MG book. At its core, CECE’s themes very much center on abuse as well as kindness (to speak to that necessity of contrast I mentioned earlier), and I didn’t want to lose that. But after a discussion with my editor, they were supportive of me retaining those themes while stepping back some of the more—ahem, gory—details. I’d always wanted to write MG, though, so I just got to do it sooner than I’d expected!
And honestly, I’m glad. I think that CECE addresses a lot of things I needed to hear when I was that age—about how life is frightening and painful, just as it is beautiful and hopeful. That’s probably my favorite thing about writing middle-grade generally, actually. For some reason, there’s more room to let those both live together in the same space—heartbreak and healing, joy and pain, magic and fear—in MG than in older audience spaces, or that’s been my experience. And I love the wholeness of that.
TANIA: If you could pick one criatura to be your own personal companion, who would you pick and why?
KAELA: I wish I could pick any of CECE’s main crew—Coyote, Little Lion, Kit Fox, and Ocelot—because I love them all in their many different ways! But if I have to pick, I’d probably want Coyote to be my companion. Is it because I have a big soft spot for him because it took so long to nail down his character, or because he’s powerful, or because he’s willing to fight his inner demons to have your back? Probably all of that and more.
TANIA: I’m so excited to hear there will be a sequel to CECE. What can you tell us about it now?
KAELA: Oooooh, me too! Thank you! Well, first off, it’ll be out Fall 2022. So soon! And all of this is technically subject to change, but just to whet your appetite a bit . . . . In CECE 2 (official title pending), I’ll be taking readers into Devil’s Alley for a heist, revealing more about Juana’s time there, and delving into the long-forgotten secrets of the curanderas with Cece! Plus, you may even get to meet Tía Catrina in person.
You might be able to tell that I’m just, you know, a tad excited for readers to see how much worldbuilding and adventure is coming next! Ahem. Just a little.
TANIA:Anything else you’d like to share with our spooky readers? Where can they connect with you online?
KAELA: Well, CECE will also have a third book (Fall 2023)! I’ve emphasized the sequel mainly, but I’m also excited for the third one to wrap up this main adventure in Cece’s world.
Besides that, you can get more updates on the sequel and third book if you subscribe to my newsletter (sign up on the home page of my website, kaelarivera.com)! I also run giveaways and offer free perks through my newsletter, so it’s not a bad place to hang out. Otherwise, you can find me on Instagram or Twitter!
TANIA: Thank you so much, Kaela! I hope all our Spooky Middle Grade readers check out your wonderful series!
Spooky Middle Grade (a.k.a., The Spookies): Today we are so excited to feature the wonderful Anica Mrose Rissi, author of numerous, fabulous books — from picture books to chapter books to YA thrillers, you name it! We could spend all day talking about Anica’s incredible Anna, Bananachapter book series, or her amazing picture books, but today we’re particularly excited to talk about Anica’s upcoming spooky short story collection for middle-graders, Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories.
Before we get started, let’s check out that nerve-jangling cover illustrated by Carolina Godina:
The Spookies: Welcome, Anica! What a beautiful, haunting cover! We’re so very happy you could join the Spooky Crew today! Could you kick us off with a little bit of backstory about your upcoming collection? How did the story ideas come to you (i.e., all at once, or slowly but surely)? Give us the scoop!
AMR: Boo! Thanks for having me.
I’m joining you today from my childhood home on an island off the coast of Maine (this is Stephen King country: the movie Pet Sematary was filmed nearby), which is also where I wrote most of the twenty spooky stories—some funny, some spine-tingling, some hide-under-the-covers scary—found in Hide and Don’t Seek. Just over my shoulder, there’s a shadow box in which three crocheted dolls are trapped (my mother’s idea of good wall art). Their faces are pressed to the glass, their arms are spread wide, and their eyes never blink. Is it any wonder I was inspired to write spooky stories here?
Two summers ago, I wrote the collection’s opening story, about a game of hide-and-seek that never ends, to amuse myself and my nieces. It was a fun way to procrastinate from the work I was supposed to be doing, so I wrote another, and another. I completed thirteen scary stories that summer in a thrilling creative whirlwind, and read them aloud to any friends who would listen (an important step in my revision process). After my editor at HarperCollins/Quill Tree, Rosemary Brosnan, bought the collection, I added seven more scary stories, playing with not only fears but also formats: One story is told entirely through text messages, another through letters sent home from camp. A few are in verse. One is the script of a play. There’s even a story narrated by a very good dog.
This book was a lot of fun to write!
The Spookies: You definitely know how to make readers bite their nails in suspense (*points to Anica’s YA thriller, Nobody Knows But You*). Did you find the process very different when writing spooky, suspenseful stories for middle-graders, versus writing for a YA audience? Did you find any similarities in the process?
AMR: In Nobody Knows But You, my YA novel about an intense friendship formed over a single summer at camp—a summer cut short by murder—the psychological suspense builds over the course of the whole book, so the pacing is pretty different. With Hide and Don’t Seek, part of the fun is that the stories are short (the longest has 2,350 words but the shortest has only 62), so I got to pack scares, suspense, chills, and surprises into every page. Both books have a dark sense of humor, but the humor in Hide and Don’t Seek is overall sillier and more playful than the humor in my books for older readers. Nobody Knows But You has some deeply cerebral moments, whereas Hide and Don’t Seek is designed to engage readers’ senses with scary sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and corporeal feelings.
The Spookies: Have you come away with a particular favorite in the collection? If so, why is it your favorite? Does it give you more nightmares than all the rest?
AMR: “The Girl and the Crow” is the story I revised the most times, and it’s the one I find most terrifying—perhaps because, despite it featuring a talking crow, it feels very real to me. You can read it as a straight-up classically horrifying fairy tale, but I hope its underlying themes will spark thoughts and conversations about boundaries and consent, gender dynamics, and the danger of teaching girls they must always be “nice.” A corresponding story, “The Boy and the Crow,” expands the allegory and examines how patriarchal structures and systemic racism are toxic and harmful to even their beneficiaries. I’m proud of those stories. I hope they’ll make readers shudder and think.
The Spookies: Do you have any favorite creepy authors or books that you find especially inspiring or influential?
AMR: Oh, I was definitely inspired by my love for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its sequels. I haven’t revisited the series since childhood, but I remember its scariest moments—and the experience of reading them—vividly.
The Spookies: What monster, legend, piece of lore, or ghost tale scares you the most?
AMR: I can read almost anything but I’m a total scaredy-cat when it comes to watching horror—even horror lite. Friends tease me because I had to quit Buffy the Vampire Slayer after only one episode. It gave me too many nightmares!
The Spookies: If you had a single piece of advice to give an aspiring writer of spooky stories, what would it be?
AMR: Focus on the senses! What scary sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations can you incorporate into your story to make it more evocative and memorable?
The Spookies: Okay, let’s do something a little more . . . adventurous. We’re going to give you a noun, and we want you to write a two-sentence horror story based on each. Are you up for the challenge?
AMR: Eeep! Okay.
The Spookies: Then let’s start with . . . GRAPE JELLY.
AMR: When I stuck my finger in the jelly jar, I expected a warm, sticky squish. I did not expect something inside the jar to reach out and poke me back.
The Spookies: Yikes! Good one! How about . . . PUPPY LEASH.
AMR: The other ghosts moan and rattle their chains, searching for justice and vengeance…but not Myrtle. She whistles and whistles all through the night, one hand clasped to the spot where her heart doesn’t beat, the other holding the leash of her poor lost pup.
The Spookies: Ooooh, excellent creepy vibe! Now let’s do . . . MOON BEAM.
AMR: “Don’t worry,” he said, pulling a soft quilt up to the boy’s chin. “The Murderbeast can only enter your room on a moon beam, and I’m certain we’ve closed those curtains tight.”
The Spookies: Okay, that one is the creepiest yet! Last but not least, how about a super tough one: ELEPHANT.
AMR: The ground shook and the beast roared. Slippy the Clown’s painted-on smile didn’t budge, but her eyes grew wide and her shoulders trembled as the World’s Tiniest Ballerina rushed past her, leaping toward the exit, and shouted, “That is not a normal elephant!”
The Spookies: Wow, you really were up to the challenge! Well done! (And after that Moon Beam story, we won’t be sleeping for days.) Thanks so much for your time, Anica! We’re stoked about the release of Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories, creeping into the world in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook on August 3, 2021!
AMR: Thanks, Spooky Middle Grade! I hope it scares you silly.
Don’t forget to preorder Anica’s collection here, add it to your Goodreads here, and be sure to check out her other amazing work while you’re at it!
The Spooky Middle Grade authors have a new YouTube channel! That’s right, you can find a variety of videos aimed at readers in grades 3-8, including Book Club Live, author interviews, spooky variety shows, writing tips and more!
Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find on our channel. Don’t forget to subscribe now so you never miss a new video!
Summer Spooktacular
Book Club Live
On-Demand School Visits
Author Interviews
Check out our new YouTube channel for more Spooky Middle Grade fun! Subscribe now!
Teachers, want to learn more about our free 30-minute author Q&As? Your students could meet four #SpookyMG authors in one amazing virtual visit. Schedule your FREE Q&A today!
We spooky authors don’t always write spooky books! My next book is decidedly different: Carry Me Home features twelve-year-old Lulu whose family lives in their car (Simon & Schuster, August 24). Things go from bad to worse when Lulu’s dad disappears, leaving her to care for herself and her sister without letting anyone know that they are homeless and abandoned.
I’ve interviewed some fellow spookies – Samantha Clark, and Victoria Piontek – about their new “non-spooky” titles.
1. Before we start on the “break-away from spooky”, please remind readers of your spooky titles.
Sam: Thank you, Janet! THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST is my spooky book. The story is about a boy who wakes up on a mysterious beach with no memory of who he is or how he got there. All he knows is that this can’t possibly be his home, so when he sees a light shining over a wall of trees, he decides to gather up his courage and follow it. Along his journey, he must face all his biggest fears to gain his memories back and find his home. Those fears are where the spooky comes in, because the Boy is all alone in a strange place and he’s scared of a lot. There are spooky sounds, spooky magic, and like the book’s title suggests, a Beast lurking around. Veeery spooooky.
Victoria: My spooky book is THE SPIRIT OF CATTAIL COUNTY. The story is about Sparrow, a girl struggling to come to terms with her mama’s death. Sparrow doesn’t have many friends. Some kids believe her house near the swamp is haunted. Others think there’s something “unusual” about her. But Sparrow’s not lonely — she has a best friend who’s always with her. He sits with Sparrow on her porch swing. He makes her smile by playing pranks in church. Yet Sparrow is the only one who can see him . . . because the Boy is a ghost. So when her mama passes away, Sparrow doesn’t give up hope. After all, if the Boy can linger after death, then surely Mama can return as well. But the Boy has a secret of his own, one that Sparrow needs to uncover before the ghost will lead her to Mama. To solve the mystery, Sparrow joins forces with some unlikely allies — Maeve and Johnny, siblings from a family of town outcasts –and Elena, a visiting child fortune-teller.
2. Tell us about your upcoming “non-spooky” book: title, publisher, date, and a brief synopsis.
Sam: I actually have two non-spooky books coming out next. Just like THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, ARROW is published by Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster and comes out on June 22, 2021. It’s not so spooky, but it has some parts that are scary in a different way. It’s about a 12-year-old boy with a limb difference called Arrow who’s the only human living inside a hidden rainforest. He was raised by the Guardian Tree, which uses the earth’s magic to keep the forest hidden from those who have sought to exploit and kill it. But now the magic veil is deteriorating and the forest is dying. Humans from the outside world find a way in, escaping their brutal world. Their arrival sets off a chain of events that leave Arrow with a devastating choice: be accepted by his own kind or fight to save the forest that is his home.
A week later, on June 29, 2021, I’ve got another non-spooky book coming out, HOLLYWOOD, which is book two of the AMERICAN HORSE TALES series from Penguin Workshop. In this book, 12-year-old Juniper loves to help her father train their horses for movies and TV shows. When her horse best friend Able gets the chance to audition for Juniper’s favorite TV show, Castle McAvoy, Juniper sneaks into the trailer so she can make sure he gets the part. Against her dad’s wishes, Juniper accidentally gets both Able and herself hired for Castle McAvoy, and while this is a huge dream come true, Juniper quickly learns that getting your dreams is harder than she had thought.
Victoria: My “non-spooky” book, BETTER WITH BUTTER (Scholastic Press), comes out on July 20, 2021.
BETTER WITH BUTTER is about twelve-year-old Marvel, a girl who is afraid of absolutely everything — amusement park rides, food poisoning, earthquakes, and that big island of plastic floating through the ocean. She also obsesses about smaller worries like making friends, getting called on by the teacher, and walking home alone.
Her parents and the school therapist call her worries an anxiety disorder, but Marvel calls them armor. If something can happen, it will. She needs to be prepared.
But when Marvel stumbles on a group of older kids teasing a baby goat that has mysteriously shown up on the soccer field, she momentarily forgets to be afraid and rescues the frightened animal.
Only Butter isn’t any old goat. She’s a fainting goat. When Butter feels panic, she freezes up and falls over. Marvel knows exactly how Butter feels and precisely what Butter needs–her.
Soon, the two are inseparable, and Butter thrives under Marvel’s support. But Butter also helps Marvel. Everything is better with Butter by her side, and Marvel starts to imagine a life in which she doesn’t have to be so afraid . . . until she’s told she might have to give up Butter forever.
3. What was the inspiration for this new book?
Sam: A few different things inspired me to write ARROW. First a boy with one hand who lived in a tree popped into my head. I didn’t know what his story was until I had to listen to trees getting ripped down in my neighborhood to build more gas stations when we already have a lot. I was born in Guyana and went into the Amazon was I was very little, so rainforests have always been close to my heart. The more I got to know Arrow and his Guardian Tree, I realized that they were trying to save not only their home, but all the forests of the world.
Just like Juniper and Able, I auditioned for the AMERICAN HORSE TALES series. Penguin Workshop was starting this new series of books about girls and their horses and I pitched them the story for HOLLYWOOD. They loved it and hired me to write the whole thing. It was my first contemporary story with no magical elements, and while I love to write spooky stories and magical stories, it was fun to try something different.
Victoria: There were two inspirations for this book. The first was my experiences with generalized anxiety and raising a child with anxiety. The second was my childhood experiences with animals.
Growing up, animals were a big part of my life. Both my parents are gentle people who love to rescue broken things and nurse them back to health. There have been dogs, horses, squirrels, birds, pigs, and a very special goat.
Jennifer was bouncy and funny and followed me to the school bus every morning. At the end of the day, she’d be waiting for me. I don’t know how she knew when the bus would drop me off, but she was always there. Her faithful greetings made each day better. I’ve always wanted to write a story about a goat and the power of friendship between humans and animals. BETTER WITH BUTTER is that story!
4. How does it feel to have a book coming that isn’t spooky?
Sam: It’s good and bad. I LOVE spooky stories, so I kind of wish these books had some spooky parts in them. But it’s also fun to have some different types of stories coming out. I also hope these will reach different readers and maybe those readers will want to branch out into my spooky story too.
Victoria: It’s fun to have a contemporary book coming out because it reaches different readers. However, like THE SPIRIT OF CATTAIL COUNTY, BETTER WITH BUTTER is a very personal story, so it feels the same in many ways.
5. Do you have another spooky – or non-spooky – book in the wings? Tell!!
Sam: I do have some more books coming out in 2022! I can’t talk about them yet, but I can tell you they’re magical and fun. I also have a few very spooky stories that I’m working on and I hope they’ll be coming out in the future to scare more readers. Bwah ha ha…
Victoria: I have one of each. However, both are in the early stages at the moment, so I don’t have much to share yet. Keeping my fingers crossed, I’ll be able to say more soon!
6. Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
Sam: My website is SamanthaMClark.com, and I’ve got lots of extra goodies on there for readers, parents and teachers. In fact, I’ve also got Thank You Gifts for anyone who preorders ARROW, including a tree that will be planted for EVERY preordered copy. You can find out more and register your preorder for gifts and a new tree planted at https://www.samanthamclark.com/arrow/
Victoria: On Instagram and Twitter @victoriapiontek or on my website at www.victoriapiontek.com, where I have teacher resources and information on how to get some adorable pre-order swag for BETTER WITH BUTTER.
The public library in my little Midwestern hometown was a cramped single-story brick building wedged between the police station and a busy downtown alley—but to me, it was a wonderland. I spent hours huddled in its narrow aisles, reading and scribbling away…and sometimes playing Oregon Trail on its single computer. I thought anything could be found in that tiny library. Any story. Any fact. Any truth.
The library in my new MG mystery/ghost story Long Lost is nothing like the one in my hometown. Instead of a squat office building, it’s a vast Victorian mansion, donated to the town by a long-dead local heiress. It was inspired in part by the old public library in Portage, Wisconsin, where the home of Pulitzer-winning author Zona Gale (1873 – 1938) was deeded to the city to serve as its library after her death. I never got to visit that spot myself—the Portage Public Library moved to a much larger/less unique location in 1995—but a few years ago, I heard it described by a local librarian who grew up in the area, and that idea wove itself into a story I was already constructing. Librarians: Giving us the info we need when we don’t even know we need it!
The Zona Gale House/Portage Free Library
Whether it’s housed in a strip mall or a mansion, pretty much every writer I know has a library (or two or three) that is extra special to them—a library that helped shape them, or that inspires them, or that gives them shelter and community and all the amazing free reading material any bookworm could ask for.
So here are a few of Spooky MG’s love notes to our libraries.
Janet Fox (ARTIFACT HUNTERS, THE CHARMED CHILDREN OF ROOKSKILL CASTLE)
I grew up in a small midwestern town with a wonderful library. My grandmother would come to visit once or twice a year. She was totally deaf from the age of twelve, and a voracious reader – she especially loved mysteries, but romances, dramas, historical novels – she read anything and everything. And she read fast. My mom would have to go back to the library for a new selection every couple of days when Grandma visited, and she had to be careful not to check out the books Grandma already had read, so Mom developed a strategy: she put a tiny set of initials, “KES”, in pencil, on the back inside end paper, up in the corner, in books Grandma read. I wonder whether there are still any old KES books in that library today. -Janet Fox
Cynthia Reeg (FROM THE GRAVE, INTO THE SHADOWLANDS)
Libraries saved my life—or at least expanded my world in ways that would never have been possible otherwise. As a child I was enthralled with reading and stories, but I lived in a small rural community without even a school library. I first envisioned heaven when I was in fourth grade and we moved to a town with a public library. I couldn’t believe the abundance of books—all free for the taking. That began my library love and support. The love would continue through my life as I pursued a graduate degree in Library Science and went on to work in both public and school libraries. I took great pleasure in sharing books and information with students, helping them to love the wonder awaiting them within a library.
Cynthia at story time, with a bunch of new library-lovers
David Neilsen (DR. FELL AND THE PLAYGROUND OF DOOM, BEYOND THE DOORS)
My local library, Warner Library, serves two villages: Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Therefore, Halloween is our big holiday. For a few years, we created an indoor 18-hole mini golf course. It was a one-day affair, all the holes were created by volunteers, and it raised a ton of money for the library.
Our library is more than a library, it is a focal point of the community. Events like this, as well as a murder mystery I put together, help give it a life outside of the normal uses. But it is central to our community. I recall during Hurricane Sandy when everybody lost power. The library had power, and people came from all over to plug in and charge their phones or computers. You’d walk into the reading room and there were people on the floor. It really served as a lifeline during that time.
Halloween Mini Golf
Kim Ventrella (BONE HOLLOW, SKELETON TREE, THE SECRET LIFE OF SAM)
Before becoming a full-time author, I worked in public libraries for ten years. For people who haven’t visited their local library in a while, it’s easy to forget what a vital role libraries play in community life. Libraries provide computer access, training and a world of information to customers who otherwise can’t afford it. They offer rich literacy and STEAM-focused programs for children, in a time when the arts are being cut from school budgets. Libraries host job fairs and free health screenings. They provide a meeting space for community groups. Many find unique ways to support local artists, writers and entrepreneurs. Plus, customers frequently get the chance to see librarians in costume.
Can you find Kim? Hint: She’s playing Lord Licorice…
Lisa Schmid (OLLIE OXLEY AND THE GHOST)
Growing up, I moved around quite a bit, so I was always the new kid in town. As a result, I didn’t have a lot of friends. But I could always count on a library as a safe harbor. So when I started getting tagged in posts from friends who had spotted OLLIE OXLEY AND THE GHOST at my local library, I was positively giddy. It didn’t take long before I jumped in my car and raced to Folsom Library to take this picture. Pure joy!
Spooky Middle Grade 