Allusions to one of my books in another

At times, I nod at one of my books in another of my books.

Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman features a silent cameo by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman. 

They're standing behind the seated man, Jerry Robinson.

Brave Like My Brother (is fiction but) mentions Jerry and Joe several times as the story's stateside scenes take place in Cleveland.

Brave Like My Brother also winks at Bill the Boy Wonder's Bill Finger in that the diner where one of the main characters works is called Milton's (Bill's given name).

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra pays small tribute to Fairy Spell (which isn't even out yet!)...but not by me. 

In fact, I did not even know about it till the day the Fairy Spell cover was revealed online (8/7/17), when Chupacabra illustrator Ana Aranda shared with me a fun revelation of her own: among the adorable spot drawings on the Chupacabra endpapers, you can see the chupacabra playing with dolls of various myths—including a fairy. Thanks again, Ana!

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra also contains a cheeky if unofficial appearance by another superhero (and without Jerry and Joe, we might not have any). The lead goat is named Jayna…as was one of the Wonder Twins on the 1970s cartoon Super Friends. Her power? To transform into any animal...

Surely more to come…

"Lively, big-hearted" – my alma mater on "Brave Like My Brother"

Winter 2016/2017

Telling stories through letters

Brave Like My Brother, my WWII novel for upper elementary, is told exclusively via letters between 20-year-old Joe, stationed in England, and his 10-year-old brother Charlie. 

I don't want to spoil a key detail so I will be vague: the exchange pattern is not what most will be expecting.

On a similar note, a few years ago I stumbled upon a haunting song called "Kilkelly," which also comprises a series of letters and tells the story of a struggling 19th century Irish family separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

To call the song haunting is an understatement. Not only is the story utterly heartbreaking, but the the lyrics are so deftly written. Musically, narratively, and linguistically, it's an absolute pleasure—in a devastating way—to listen to.

Brave Like My Brother released a month ago today, and as I predicted, I've been asked why I made the choice to construct it the way I did. Without revealing any twists, I can say that I did it for the following reasons:

• to differentiate from other epistolary fiction
• to give the reader room to fill in gaps
• to lend an authentic feel to war correspondence

If "Kilkelly" influenced the unconventional structure of Brave Like My Brother, it was subconscious. If you read the book and/or listen to the song, I hope you feel the power of what is not said...

"Especially good for classroom use" - Children's War on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from The Children's War.

I especially appreciated that the review asks "Which brother is the hero, or are they both?" That is a central question I am hoping the book will generate in young people's minds.

"Excels in every regard" - "Times Herald" (MI) on "Brave Like My Brother"

A roundup in the USA Today-owned Times Herald titled "Books that explore emotions" breaks new children's releases into two categories, books to borrow and books to buy. Brave Like My Brother is under the latter, with this most kind comment:

"Thoroughly engaging on every account, Brave Like My Brother excels in every regard."

Thank you!

"Tension escalates" - "Publishers Weekly" on "Brave Like My Brother"

Blurb about Brave Like My Brother in Publishers Weekly (6/13/16):

The structure of the book—namely, that most of the letters are from the older brother to the younger brother—was designed to challenge kids to read context clues and employ deductive reasoning to fill in blanks, and teachers are reporting that this is indeed what is happening. One reader noted that the "gaps that only help recreate the war correspondence feel."

Thank you!

"Historically accurate" - "School Library Journal" on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from School Library Journal (5/1/16): 

 

Glimpses: 

 

• "historically accurate beyond the license the author takes, and acknowledges"
• "a gentler introduction to the genre for younger children" [NOTE: grades 2+]

The book takes a quieter approach in telling a WWII story, partly because of the epistolary format and partly because of the setting (it takes place in England, where there was no ground fighting). Because the story is told completely via letters (first person), I feel it brings readers closer to the action.

Thank you!

"A good option" - "Booklist" on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from Booklist (4/16):

• "age-appropriate storytelling, making this a good choice for reluctant readers"
• "afterword notes the importance of soldiers' letters as historic documents providing wartime information that would otherwise be missing from political histories, and while these are fiction, they do indeed emulate the realism of a working-class soldier's thoughts and observations as well as accurately portraying what he might encounter during his service"
• "Nobleman always steers clear of melodrama. A good option"

Thank you!

"Works well at the beginning" - "Kirkus" on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from Kirkus Reviews (4/15/16):

Clarifications regarding the nonfiction:

• "blow-by-blow account": Early in the story, I establish that soldiers could not reveal precisely where they were or what they were doing strategically, and Joe does not. (In fact, for most of the story, as he notes, he does not know what he's doing.)
• "no evidence of censorship": I address military censorship throughout the story. This includes implying that there are gaps in the letter sequence because of it (as other reviewers have commented on). Also, as the war went on, censors sometimes relaxed their restrictions (or missed things).
• "defies credibility that Joe would easily recognize said tank": I never said it was easy! More to the point, I did not elaborate on how Joe knows, but that does not mean there weren't clues. (As in any letter, especially one written by a young soldier at war, some details are left out.) Given how meticulous military protocol is, it seems well within reason to assume the uninflated tank was labeled or marked in some way.
• "his minute recall is similarly unlikely": Joe is writing letters within days or even hours of the events occurring, so details would be fresh in mind.

Thank you!

"Keeps the suspense tight" - "Horn Book" on "Brave Like My Brother"

Review of Brave Like My Brother from Horn Book (May-June 2016):

Glimpses:

• "fascinating" (though this is referring to a fact/key plot point, not the book overall)
• "clear, breezy letters make this accessible to young independent readers"
• "history lovers will find a lot of new information here"
• "keeps the suspense tight"

Thank you!

Two books, two years, two topics

In the two-year period from 2016-2018, I will put out two books set during World War II and two books set in England. (One of the two books is set during WWII England.)

This concludes Meaningless Observation.

"Brave Like My Brother" a Junior Library Guild selection

What this means.

Thank you JLG!

“Brave Like My Brother” uncorrected proof

My next book out is a WWII novel told in letters, Brave Like My Brother. Love that title—and I can say that, because I didn’t come up with it! (Thank you, Scholastic!) 

My copies of the uncorrected proof recently arrived (the only correction I found is a rogue comma that must be terminated) and look precisely like this:

As you can see (even before they see it), I have my own band of brothers.

The book will release in hardcover in the summer of 2016.

My book dedications

The Felix Activity Book (1996): To Darby, in the spirit of all the games I used to make for you when you were little [sister]

Felix Explores Our World (1999): To Leslie Moseley and Dan Tucker [two of my three first bosses, who became friends; Leslie was also co-author of The Felix Activity Book]

Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman (2008): To Daniela and Lara, my Girls of Steel [wife and daughter]

Quick Nonfiction Writing Activities That Really Work! (2009): To Andrew, whose word is always true [friend from college]

Vanished: True Stories of the Missing (2010): To Christian, who knows too much about missing someone and who has not vanished after all these years [friend since 4th grade]

Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman (2012): To Charles, Lyn, and Athena, who respectively revealed the soul, heart, and hope of Bill Finger [Charles Sinclair, longtime friend/writing partner of Bill’s; Lyn Simmons, Bill’s second wife; Athena Finger, Bill’s only grandchild]

Brave Like My Brother (2016): To my brothers by choice: Mike, Seth, Darren, Christian, Kevin, Matt, and Matt [best friends since childhood]; added here 11/1/15

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (2017): To Rafael, my favorite funny little fuzzball [son]; added here 3/2/17

Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real (2018): To Lara—don’t stop believing.; added here 7/28/18

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon: A Japanese Pilot's World War II Story (2018): To Daniela. I wouldn’t know Nobuo if not for you.; added here 7/28/18

Showing you how big my “Brave” is...

(In other words, about 6x8.)

A novel of World War II, told in letters. Due from Scholastic in early 2016.