Welcome Kate Messner, author of Sugar and Ice (ages 9 - 12)

I adored reading Sugar and Ice, Kate Messner's new novel that explores a young girl's experiences in the competitive world of ice skating. I asked Kate to reflect a bit on what it is like to juggle being a mom, a teacher and a writer - how she has time to do all these things. See my review of Sugar and Ice here.

Welcome Kate!

Being a writer along with a full-time middle school teacher and mom can be a tricky business. Kids have to be picked up from track practice and skating lessons, dinner has to be made and bedtime read-alouds done before it’s writing time at our house. And the truth is, I probably wouldn’t be able to pull off this balancing act if my family weren’t so supportive and involved. Turning a writing life into a family affair can be tricky, but it’s also brought us some unexpected joys.

For starters, my kids and their friends serve as a constant source of ideas for plotlines and dialogue. I confess to listening in when I’m driving around a car full of 14-year-old boys or 9-year-old girls, and I’ve even been known to jot down especially great lines of stolen dialogue at red lights.

SUGAR AND ICE was a book that grew out of my daughter’s hobby of figure skating. It was at a basic skills skating camp in Lake Placid that I first heard sports psychologist Dr. Mara Smith talk about her work with competitive skaters and their families to keep the sport a healthy, happy one, and I knew right away that the skating rink, with all its drama and competitiveness, would be a great setting for a story. What if a kid who wasn’t used to all that were suddenly plunged into the middle of that world? That “what-if” question led me to Claire, the girl from a small-town maple farm who would become the main character in SUGAR AND ICE, earning an unexpected scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid.

My daughter and her fellow skaters at our local club read early versions of the manuscript and saved me from a great deal of embarrassment when it comes to the details of skating. “No,” they’d write on the manuscript in colored pencil. “You don’t plant your toe pick when you’re doing a salchow.”

Our family takes research trips together, too – like the weekend we spent in Lake Placid, watching a friend skate at Junior Nationals and “collecting” skating outfits in photographs and notes to be used later in the book’s descriptions. Other books have taken us to Washington, D.C. for an early-morning, behind-the-scenes tour of the Smithsonian and to Costa Rica, where my daughter and I spent a long, rainy afternoon on the porch of our lodge scribbling details from our morning hike through the forest.

Sure, there are times when I retreat to my writing room in the back of the house, too. But in the end, it’s the together-times that make this writing life so much fun. When we celebrate the release of SUGAR AND ICE at the official book launch at The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid on December 11th, it’ll be as a family, and the book signing will be followed by a family dinner, complete with dessert and lots of laughter.

Thank you so much, Kate, for stopping by! I'm amazed how you juggle it all. If you'd like to learn more about Kate, head over to her website and blog.


Want a personalized, signed copy of SUGAR AND ICE?

The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid is hosting a SUGAR AND ICE launch party from 3-5 pm on Saturday, December 11th, so please consider this your invitation if you live in the area! If you can’t make it but would still like a signed, personalized copy, just give the bookstore a call at (518) 523-2950 by December 10th. They’ll take your order, have Kate sign your book after the event, and ship it out to you in plenty of time for the holidays.


SUGAR AND ICE
Junior Library Guild Selection
Winter 2010-2011 Kids IndieNext List
An Amazon.com Best Book for December

For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's maple farm. But all that changes when Claire is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity-a scholarship to train with the elite skaters in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire soon realizes that her sweet dream-come-true has sharper edges than she could have imagined. Can she find the strength to stand up to the people who want her to fail and the courage to decide which dream she wants to follow?

Sugar and Ice, by Kate Messner (ages 9 - 12)

Do you ever wonder how hard to push your child to follow their dream? If they had an opportunity to really pursue an interest, how much would you encourage them to do that - whether it was training with an outstanding coach, or taking extra classes. Sugar and Ice, a new novel by the wonderful author Kate Messner, explores one girl's decision to follow her love of ice skating and accept a scholarship to a prestigious training center. A wonderful holiday present would be to give Sugar and Ice along with a winter scarf and hat set and a set of ice skating lessons.

Sugar and Ice
by Kate Messner
NY: Walker Books, 2010
ages 9 - 12
available on Amazon and soon at local libraries
chosen Amazon's Best Book for December, 2010!

Claire Boucher loves to skate every year in her small town's Maple Show, first helping the little kids at her local ice rink perform, and then skating with her friends and having fun with her routines. But Claire's life changes completely this when she is spotted by a big-time skating coach and offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Lake Placid training center. Claire adjusts to her new routine, where skating lessons take up every ounce of free time. Homework is squeezed in during breaks in the locker room, and on long car rides up to Lake Placid. But it's harder to adjust to a new group of friends.

Kids will love exploring what it means to start competing in major shows, how Claire has to figure out how to skate in her head and master the butterflies in her stomach, and how to handle the mean, super-competitive girls she's now skating with. My favorite image that I'll take away from this story is Claire describing that the butterflies in her stomach are still there, but now they're flying in formation.

Messner creates a story where the characters feel like friends you've had a long time. Claire is full of layers and readers get to see many sides of her personality. The plot moves along at a good pace, keeping you interested and yet allowing you to see Claire's dilemmas and frustrations develop. Each of the supporting characters feel like real people, not just parts of the story or cogs in the wheel. It's a lovely story I'd highly recommend, to skaters and non-skaters alike.

Bundle this new book with a hat, scarf and pair of mittens, and tuck in tickets to your local ice rink or a set of ice skating lessons, and you'll make a perfect present!

Tomorrow, Kate Messner will stop by Great Kid Books for a guest post about juggling writing, teaching and being a mom. I'm looking forward to getting a glimpse how she does it all!

See other reviews and learn more about Sugar and Ice at these blogs - there's love pouring out all over:
Rasco from RIF
Fuse #8 on School Library Journal
The Reading Zone
Writing. For Real.

The review copy was kindly sent by the publisher. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!

Football tikes: a ball for little hands and Teammates, by Tiki and Ronde Barber (ages 6 - 10)

Football season is underway and what better way to encourage your little football fan's love of the sport than giving them a ball of their own and a book about how important perseverance and practice is when it comes to playing the sport you love. Teammates, by Tiki and Ronde Barber, is a picture book that tells a story from Tiki and Ronde's childhood, and their dedication and support for each other shines through this inspiring book.

Teammates
by Tiki and Ronde Barber
with Robert Burleigh
illustrated by Barry Root
NY: Simon & Schuster / Paula Wiseman Books
ages 6 - 10
available on Amazon and at your local public library

The Barber twins, both star football players, write about their childhood in this picture book that emphasizes perseverance and teamwork. Tiki is having trouble dropping the ball in scrimmages, and his coach tells him that you not only have to practice, you have to practice the right way. Coach shows him how to hold the ball so his opponents can’t knock it loose, and Tiki and his brother start practicing early every morning. Root’s artwork is inspiring, with lush, bold colors. Kids will appreciate the way the brothers support each other and practice together, helping each other get better and having fun along the way.

Now, I really don't know football, but this book grabbed my attention, made me care about the characters and helped me see the value of practice. It would make a great gift for football-loving little kids.

If you like this book, also check out other picture books by the Barber brothers: Game Day and  By My Brother's Side.


So pick out a ball that suits your child's size and have a great time playing together and reading together!

For other nonfiction books, check out Nonfiction Monday hosted today by the wonderful Terry at Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, the blog for The Reading Tub. The review copy of Teammates came from my local library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!

  

Lots of Dots, by Craig Frazier (ages 2 - 6) and a fun art gift

Some books just radiate with energy and smiles. Lots of Dots, by Craig Frazier, is such a fun, bright book that it just makes kids (and adults!) want to create their own artwork. For a fun gift for preschoolers, I'd pair Lots of Dots with a set of dot stampers for hours of fun.

Lots of Dots
by Craig Frazier
SF: Chronicle Books, 2010
ages 2 - 6
available on Amazon and at your local library

This playful book grabs your attention from the very beginning, with its joyful cover and wonderfully colorful endpapers. Bold silhouetted figures encounter dots in all shapes and sizes, in all sorts of places and things. The figures are in bright single colors, with happy smiles. They see dots in everything from drums to gumballs, balloons to buttons.

Some dots are big.
Some dots are small.
Some dots float
and some dots fall.

This fun, simple rhyming text even inspires young readers to try their own. Terry, from the Reading Tub, writes about how her daughter copied down the words of the book, word by word, so she could bring the poem to her class to share. What fun she must have had, looking at the words and imaging the dots they were describing. I can see doing the same thing with the dots - reading this story and making your own dot pictures. Here are some samples of the fun artwork Frazier designed:

Frazier's illustrations have a modern feel to them, with their bright colors, clean outlines and uncluttered, crisp white background. Craig Frazier is an award-winning graphic designer whose illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Time magazine, and the Wall Street Journal.

Pair this with a set of dot stampers, perfect for young children to create their own designs and artwork. Do-A-Dot makes two sets, a rainbow set and a brilliant set. Choose which one suites your pallette and have fun!


For other reviews, check out Good Books for Kids, Kids Lit and the Reading Tub's blog Scrub-a-Dub-Tub Thanks to Good Books for Kids for the great idea of sharing the text in these fun colors! The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers. If you make a purchase on Amazon using the links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!

 

Ahoy - gifts for kids who love pirates and adventure! (ages 8 - 12)

Non-stop action, fearsome pirates and a cursed skull – it’s a perfect recipe. Add into this exciting story exciting artwork that pulls readers right in, and you have an instant hit. I'd highly recommend The Unsinkable Walker Bean, a eye-catching graphic novel, and a strategy game like Carcassone or The Settlers of Catan, for children and families that like complex, exciting fantasy stories and fun board games.

The Unsinkable Walker Bean
by Aaron Reiner
NY: First Second, 2010
ages 8 - 12
available on Amazon and at your local library

Young Walker Bean adores his grandfather, listening to his stories of adventure and working together to create new inventions. But now his grandfather is on his death bed, and he has a special request for Walker: to return a cursed skull to the depths of the ocean floor. Unbeknownst to Walker, the skull was stolen from a pair of wicked lobster mer-witches who will stop at nothing to get the skull back.
Walker takes the skull from his grandfather and is immediately chased by a mysterious “doctor”. Along with a few new friends, Walker keeps dodging the forces that are out to get the skull for themselves.

Aaron Reiner has combined a story with adventure, mystery and inventions with cartoon illustrations that draw kids right to it. Here is the first page - if you'd like to see more, head over to First Second's website where they have a great preview. I also loved seeing some of the early sketches on the great blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

I particularly loved Walker’s inventions, such as using an enormous black canvas to recreate the night sky to fool his captors and subvert the navigation of the ship. This is a perfect graphic novel for kids who love mythology and fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, cliff-hangers and complex, inventive stories.

The perfect gift to combine this with is a strategy game. Our family has loved two strategy games: Carcassone for younger kids (ages 5 - 10) and The Settlers of Catan for older kids (ages 8 to adult). Both involve building roads and claiming territories, but they also involve strategy, cooperation and competition. We have played Carcassone with our 1st grader, with an adult's help. And we have played The Settlers of Catan with 4th graders with an adult's help.

I first read about The Settlers of Catan in Wired Magazine, in an article called "Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines the Genre". We really had fun as a family playing this game, trading resources and figuring out ways to cooperate or compete with each other to build the most villages. Andrew Curry wrote in Wired, "Through the complex, artful dance of algorithms and probabilities lurking at its core, Settlers manages to be effortlessly fun, intuitively enjoyable, and still intellectually rewarding, a potent combination that's changing the American idea of what a board game can be."

If you have kids who enjoy complex fantasies and love the current trend for graphic novels, The Unsinkable Walker Bean and a strategy game like Carcassone or The Settlers of Catan are a great gift idea.

The review copy of The Unsinkable Walker Bean was kindly sent by the publishers. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support.