*Trial by Walkabout is a great Aussie outback adventure-- a multicultural tale of sibling rivalry, aboriginal culture, danger, and Dreamtime pirits--plus a friendship between two young teens
*Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat Behind-- a rhyming story that tells how sudden BIG changes can turn a sweet girl into a brat! (parent teacher guide included)
************************
JUST PUBLISHED (soft cover)
Dreamtime Man
For young and old alike. . .
My rhyming tale, based on Australian history, shows how Aboriginals survived the arrival of the white man, and eventually created a place for themselves and their culture in the present day.
REVIEW SNIP: SAMPLE from Book REVIEW on Penny's Reviews and Chat: http://pennyreviews-chat.blogspot.com/
"I'm a great, and long time fan of Margot Finke’s children’s stories,
as you know. I’m completely enthralled with this new one, Dreamtime Man.
It is absolutely one of her best. It’s in rhyme and powerfully relates
the stories of ancient Australian aboriginal tribes who used to roam the
wild, untamed lands of Australia. Her word pictures are perfect
jewels." **The illustrations, by Ioana Zdralea, are amazing. This SUPER Review is a huge thrill!!
With World Book Day and Martin Luther King Day almost hand-in-hand. . .
Let's Unleash the Dream!
Introduce our kids and our classrooms to some awesome books with multicultural themes.
These books SHOW that it is your actions, honesty, and respect for the opinions of others that really count - plus a deep understanding that color, religion and country of origin should not come into play.
My dad always told me to look for friends among those with moral fiber, courage, and good will toward all. He never mentioned color, or the country they or their parents originally came from. I grew up in Australia at a time when the native aboriginals had no say and no power. Fortunately this has changed a great deal, but as with discrimination and racism everywhere there is still a long road to travel.
The following books not only tell wonderful stories kids will love reading, they SHOW that the young heroes and heroines in every one of these books is colorblind. They instinctively know that a good friend only cares about how YOU TREAT them. Sadly, children learn discrimination by hearing or seeing the adults they trust and love show biased actions or reactions.
Here are some highly reviewed picture books and young teen books that celebrate our differences, whether they be cultural or color related. We need many MORE such books!
Books for inclusion: Picture book, young adult - and all ages in-between!
I am fairly new to Goodreads, yet I do have a presence + followers and friends. As well as my own page of books there, I began a NEW group called GoodreadsHOOK Kids on Reading. Being fairly new to Goodreads, I have
found it tricky navigating around and finding things. So I will be grateful
for any help from old hands.
HOOK Kids on Reading is a PRIVATE LIST where members need to be approved before joining. This so our target audience, teachers, parents, school librarians, and grandparents etc, get to choose from books that are well written, and have received great reviews.
The best of the best!
I have already invited a few authors who have
written terrific books for kids and teens.
Email me at mfinke@frontier.com if you would like to
chat further about joining this quality
book recommendation list.
A list of great book properties:
*Fun to read.
*Kid friendly.
*An adventure.
*A mystery.
*Educational details that are cool to learn.
*Make ecology and being "green" a great thing.
*Prove helpful in a kid friendly way.
*HOOK readers with a WOW factor.
*Tempt reluctant readers to keep reading. * NOTE: Traditional or
self- published makes no difference. It is the aim of HOOK Kids on Reading to offer a selection
of wonderful books - no matter who published them.
To JOIN and Include your BOOKS:
*GOOD REVIEWS that reassure parents, teachers, etc
*Add covers only, a short description + a link where your book can be purchased.
*A Book Trailer or a Video reading can also be added - see list of options on the top right. *To add your book, go to GROUP HOME and then click "PICTURES." See how I added my cover, and what I wrote will give you an
idea. *"Pictures" offers a simple way for people to find information, and choose great books for kids. The "Bookshelf" section is more for reading, review and comments.
The GOAL:
If
the books we list show a consistent high quality, our target buyers and readers will return time-after-time. Let these books show what a fun and fascinating Magic
Carpet Ride wonderful books can take you on. All aboard!!
Do you have one or more a children's books that received great reviews? If so, please consider adding them to "Goodreads Hook Kids on Reading" - where the books listed are perfect for the children in all our lives.
7x Passionate Authors from Guardian Angel Publishing ( affectionately known as GAP ) STILL Blogging 'till their Fingers Wear Out for Children's Book Week May 7th - 13th, 2012 (See list of other GAP bloggers below) .
.
GAP Authors also offer 2x FREE GIFTS
WIN
A cool tote bag of books by GAP authors
a FREE Picture Book Critique - by me!
Don't forget to sign up to WIN! ( entry form at the end of this post )
.
*************** .
So. . . let's get to it, mates. My Topic for Today, Thursday, May 10th
What Beginning Writers Need to Know How to Reel in
an Editor with Your Writing ( Borrowed frommy Musings Column )
If you want to reel in an editor, think fishing strategy.
Know where the editor
fish swim.
Prepare the appropriate
bait.
Assemble a variety of hooks.
Practice spreading ‘chum.'
Make sure your line is
strong.
Hook the editor fish
early.
Play the line out --
craftiness counts.
Land your editor fish
-- (don't let him/her get away at the last moment)
Your
First Paragraph: This is your chance to hook the
‘editor fish' early.
If a few sentences of instant appeal do not come to mind, leave your first
paragraph until later. Rummage for the distinctive words you need when your
story is finished, and your plot and characters are as familiar as the taste of
your favorite food. Think dramatic moment, wild humor, or even angst ridden
inner turmoil. Consider making your first paragraph a splendid link into the
heart of your main character, or perhaps, a powerful hint about future actions.
Your First
Page: Fling in morsels of chum, and bait a
small hook.
What is chum? For big game fishermen, chum is bloody fish entrails, red
meat, and other offal. This is thrown into the water to bring sharks and large
fish closer to their boat. Get it? For writers, chum becomes the clues, hints,
innuendo, characters, gossip, and whatever else we use to draw in readers. Make
your first page a reading frenzy. Include the time, the place, and the names of
your main characters. Now, plan something dramatic, significant or funny, for
your second page. Then, in the last paragraph on your first page, leave a clue
to whatever is about to happen. This is your hook, baited, and ready to
lure the editor into turning the page.
Trawl
Chum on Every Page: This is where you play out your line, use different hooks, and try assorted
bait.
The chum you scatter throughout your chapters depends on the type of
story you are writing. The basic idea, is what you write on one page should
lure readers into reading what you've written on the following page. Not only
that, you must have fine writing, characters that kids will root for, and a
plot that keeps reader interest to the last page. Flabby writing will get you
eaten by an editor shark!
The
Mystery/Adventure:
The style of your hooks depends on the type of book you are writing. A
mystery or an adventure demands a strong and dramatic hook at the end of each
chapter -- your main character faces disaster, is about to make a vital choice,
or is on the brink of peril. Devising hooks for the end of your chapters has a
lot to do with pacing. You must plan ahead. An end-of-chapter hook is always
the moment before something physically or emotionally earth shattering
happens. If your readers want to know the outcome, they must read on.
Keep the tension at a heart-pounding level, by regularly offering snippets
of pertinent information, hints and clues. These are the small hooks you must
keep baited throughout your chapters. Your readers don't want to be told about
what happens. They want to be a part of the story: to see, feel, and hear the
action as it happens. Splash around the dialogue: it is a wonderful tool for
defining characters and setting a pace that crackles.
Emotional
or Fun Stories:
Poignant stories also need end-of-chapter hooks. A tale about school and
bullies, the story of a dying parent or friend, a funny romp at a
holiday camp: these books all need lots of the right bait, on the right
sized hooks, to reel in an editor. Ending your chapters with a question, a
fear, a dread, or moment of panic, works extremely well. Readers identify with
these emotions, and they hate for them to go unanswered. If the chapter that
follows your hook provides satisfactory answers, your reader will keep reading.
As the author, you make a tacit agreement with your reader to provide a
satisfying conclusion to the story. Break this agreement at your peril!
Character development is vital in all children's books. Kids want to feel
that they know the characters. Make sure you weave in background, past
mistakes, and the relationship between siblings and parents. Your POV's (point
of view) inner thoughts can offer important insights. Allow your main character
some faults, plus the ability and courage to grow out of them. Offer a
secondary plot line. Keep tabs on where your plot and characters are going.
Don't allow your reader to feel up a creek without a paddle. Dialogue is vital
to any story -- fresh, on the money, and dynamic. Attention to small details
pays off.
Your
Last Chapter -- You Must Deliver! You get to land the editor-fish.
You've made it thus far -- DON'T BLOW
IT! Craft a first paragraph that keeps readers guessing (mystery/
adventure), or unsure about what your main POV will decide (poignant or other
story). Then tie up those loose ends ASAP - unresolved loose ends will allow
the editor fish to escape. Check that your solution or ending is logical,
and based on the main areas of the plot. Is that last minute confession too
bizarre to be reasonable? Would your heroine really decide to settle a dispute that
way?
Final
Note:
If your grammar or punctuation is not what it should be, now is the time to
enlist help. Have your trusted critique members check out your manuscript for G
and P errors, as well as anything else that might make an editor fish
shy away - weak plot, character problems, wordiness, or a particular word or
phrase that constantly pops up, to name a few.
That complete, you are now ready to catch an editor fish. Bait your query
hook!
Uh-oh. . . Sorry, Queries are a whole other blog.
And do please add YOUR favorites to the comments below.
========================
NOW .
Surf on over to some of
the other Guardian Angel Bloggers and enjoy their Children's Book Week
posts.
Entry during the Children's Book
Week celebration by Guardian Angel Publishing does not guarantee winning the
FREE tote bag of Guardian Angel Publishing books, or the FREE picture book
manuscript critique by Margot Finke. Winner of the FREE picture book manuscript
critique by Margot Finke shall not hold Ms. Finke liable in publication success
of submitted picture book manuscript.
**You can also LISTEN to me read the story HERE
