tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post2588621683727406559..comments2023-10-16T09:03:53.737-05:00Comments on The O.W.L.: Guest Post: Stephanie Burgis - Why I Write Middle Grade +GIVEAWAYThe Owl in the Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00735293845531947627noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-12062001343239922102012-03-31T02:52:06.306-05:002012-03-31T02:52:06.306-05:00I don't remember much about my MIddle School y...I don't remember much about my MIddle School years -- I didn't like school then and probably didn't read much until I got into high school when things got a lot better.<br />Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net♡♥♬ Carolsue ♡♥♬https://www.blogger.com/profile/14479931141787004294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-14630736843581665852012-03-24T08:56:07.129-05:002012-03-24T08:56:07.129-05:00My memories all going back to R. L. Stine's bo...My memories all going back to R. L. Stine's books that scared me for long night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-29776508642130240362012-03-23T17:31:56.955-05:002012-03-23T17:31:56.955-05:00My favorite reading memory from middle school was ...My favorite reading memory from middle school was winning a reading contest. I read the most pages of all the sixth graders. It was the first time I won anything and I was thrilled. The t-shirt and gift certificate helped of course. Strangely enough I think I used the certificate to buy Baby-sitters club books, which I loved then and which I roll my eyes at now. Ah, the power of memories.Geo Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15618854343507111793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-2711813262745060452012-03-08T19:05:40.293-06:002012-03-08T19:05:40.293-06:00I had somewhat of a similar experience with high s...I had somewhat of a similar experience with high school and middle school. Middle school I could excel by being interested and clever, but in high school I was too mouthy (I used big words), too disrespectful (I had my own ideas), and too weird (I had my own interests which weren't boys and looks). I'm still unlearning the high school lessons, and as horrible as that was, I'm glad someone else had a similar experience. :P I'm not alone! Whoo!<br /><br />I vividly remember at age 10, I finished all the science fiction and fantasy in the "children's" section and moved into the adult SF and F. I used to bring a tupperware container of the kind that is usually used to transport multiple lasagnas, and fill it every two weeks. A lot of Star Wars books, and a lot of Star Trek books, and historical fiction to fill in around the edges of my 24 or more paperback science fiction books. Man, no wonder I was a strange child.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-38058116693148938842012-03-08T18:28:48.284-06:002012-03-08T18:28:48.284-06:00I remember how fond I was of getting new books fro...I remember how fond I was of getting new books from Scholastic then. Thanks for the post and the giveaway; I enjoyed the first Kat book and look forward to the second.SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470273432896798896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-35957385321296834512012-03-08T17:18:08.999-06:002012-03-08T17:18:08.999-06:00Best Book-Related Middle School Memory: Reading La...Best Book-Related Middle School Memory: Reading Lab Basically this was an hour (50 min, whatever) of reading. Lots of different reading. Sure, we had to answer questions or write summaries, but there were cozy places to read, and it was read at your own pace. Favorite class.Jennifer Morian Fryehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03331899710605393958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-20022608913090085982012-03-08T16:28:11.841-06:002012-03-08T16:28:11.841-06:00Loved Kat, Incorrigible. The cover alone was so ad...Loved Kat, Incorrigible. The cover alone was so adorable.<br /><br />By late elementary school, I was reading my dad's books, so my middle school memories are of getting lost in stories like Watership Down, Salem's Lot, and Jaws (and its scandalous cover).Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17312338448560581132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-2341239622177490552012-03-08T11:36:36.442-06:002012-03-08T11:36:36.442-06:00I devoured both the Anne and the Babysitters Club ...I devoured both the Anne and the Babysitters Club books in middle school. My librarian introduced me toeverything!<br /><br />Jpetroroy@gmail.comjpetroroyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07652079710462059513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-20255156666104121942012-03-08T11:07:52.756-06:002012-03-08T11:07:52.756-06:00Middle Grade is tied into the first book I've ...Middle Grade is tied into the first book I've ever read and how I fell in love with reading. I didn't know it was possible to get lost in a book and miss lunch.<br /><br />ank272(at)live(dot)comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-74072522896285645452012-03-08T10:56:27.084-06:002012-03-08T10:56:27.084-06:00I've half read THE LITTLE PRINCE because it wa...I've half read THE LITTLE PRINCE because it was from the library and the renting fee was expensive that time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06066503850548349921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-11400713464116145762012-03-08T09:13:25.573-06:002012-03-08T09:13:25.573-06:00I can't say that anything so bad happened to m...I can't say that anything so bad happened to me in high school, and yet it's not a time in my life I wish to relive. I do think that writing books for young people does make us go back in some way or another to those memories, and to that feeling of what we were like at the age of our protagonists. I definitely felt 5th and 6th grade were the highlights of my childhood, when I felt at home with myself and I had friends that liked me as I was. I don't think it's a surprise I like writing for that age group now.<br /><br />So this post resonated with me - about why we write for the age group we do.<br /><br />Great post.Sheela Charihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564549323852020667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-75016565576163112892012-03-08T09:07:41.493-06:002012-03-08T09:07:41.493-06:00Ah, you felt so alone back then, like I did, like ...Ah, you felt so alone back then, like I did, like so many of us did. Maybe, if we weren't so quiet about it, all of us "misfits" would have banded together. We weren't so small a group, after all, eh?Terri-Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468004163467894720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-35643363852652877832012-03-08T07:20:20.428-06:002012-03-08T07:20:20.428-06:00What a cool story! I love writing MG for that same...What a cool story! I love writing MG for that same reason.<br /><br />Chaim Potok is one of my favorite authors (My Name Is Asher Lev--awesome).YA Sleuthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371132883359264412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-73058339403991949922012-03-08T06:56:28.436-06:002012-03-08T06:56:28.436-06:00My middle school years were filled with mischief, ...My middle school years were filled with mischief, but the fun kind, and music. I do remember reading The Secret Garden by Burnett and being obsessed with finding my own secret anything. To this day I still want a secret room in my house. I don't care how small, it just has to be secret!!<br />booksake(at)yahoo(dot)com<br />- Jessica @ <a href="http://booksake.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Book Sake</a>Book Sakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01000472552375000686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-78774732317515800592012-03-08T06:22:56.172-06:002012-03-08T06:22:56.172-06:00this post is BRILLANT! Maybe you should also do on...this post is BRILLANT! Maybe you should also do one 'why I read middle grade'. I love, love, love it. Thanks for writing it!<br /><br />aliasgirl at libero dot itReading Mind / The Loyal Book https://www.blogger.com/profile/12924277904577259813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-10869649520366527252012-03-07T16:48:06.415-06:002012-03-07T16:48:06.415-06:00I for one am very glad you write middle grade! Tha...I for one am very glad you write middle grade! Thanks for an opportunity to win Renegade Magic.<br /><br />One of my best memories is a sleepover with about 8 other girls. We set out to stay up all night...and we did! Then we all went for a walk at dawn, truly and utterly amazed we'd actually managed to talk all night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-25325012436061939772012-03-07T16:39:24.313-06:002012-03-07T16:39:24.313-06:00Hmmm... Middle School book memories... I'd hav...Hmmm... Middle School book memories... I'd have to say the first thing that comes to mind is Trixie Belden. :-) Loved all those mysteries!<br />bgh(at)byu(dot)netGaylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02266693294304210442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-34023104747679518912012-03-07T15:26:40.347-06:002012-03-07T15:26:40.347-06:00Stephanie's books look terrific. Middle school...Stephanie's books look terrific. Middle school is a, hmmmm, shall we say, special time. I'd love to read this.Rosihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01294774973863802821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-68434782247753310132012-03-07T13:43:29.111-06:002012-03-07T13:43:29.111-06:00I was homeschooled during my middle grade years. ...I was homeschooled during my middle grade years. I remember an intense longing to go to 'regular' school, the fun and camaraderie of my swim team crew, and borrowing the maximum number of books from the library during each visit.<br />I read Thomas Hardy's <i>Tess of the D'Urbevilles</i> when I was eleven - and wasn't that an education! Such good memories of lazy days reading, swimming, and figuring out the world. The middle grade years are awesome!Ceceliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02249223364936344560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-63235087302399821942012-03-07T11:32:16.176-06:002012-03-07T11:32:16.176-06:00I remember falling completely in love with Meg Cab...I remember falling completely in love with Meg Cabot's series, The Princess Diaries. I mean I always loved reading, but once I read about Mia I realized how amazing books truly were! I loved how it took me away from reality and gave me friends with every page turn!Katie (The Literary Files)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06155404444019517509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-88031380710111382742012-03-07T11:25:52.122-06:002012-03-07T11:25:52.122-06:00I remember discovering Gone with the Wind in 8th g...I remember discovering Gone with the Wind in 8th grade and just being completely sucked into the story and the characters. I became obsessed with everything about it (including the movie). I think it was my first experience with a book that didn't end happily ever after. And it left an impression!melissa @ 1lbrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292714636311546457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-28498395522362528902012-03-07T11:10:03.115-06:002012-03-07T11:10:03.115-06:00Hmm, I'd have to say that the junior high year...Hmm, I'd have to say that the junior high years were not my best. My older siblings moved out, my parents divorced, and while every other girl was developing a figure the only thing growing on me were my feet. <br /><br />Reading got me through this awkward stage. My mom was a librarian (LIBRARIANS ROCK) and there was always a stack of books in our living room waiting to be read. Island of the Blue Dolphin, A Wrinkle in Time, Are you there God? It's me, Margaret - who needs boobies when you've got great books.Ali Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15744571560735322734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-45371088075568816622012-03-07T09:04:11.700-06:002012-03-07T09:04:11.700-06:00I love middle grade. Not to mention I have a middl...I love middle grade. Not to mention I have a middle grader and a soon to be middle grader that reads middle grade in my house. And Kat, Incorrigible sounds like something we'd love to read.LM Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624508396760965680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-71020389582335282272012-03-07T08:57:15.094-06:002012-03-07T08:57:15.094-06:00This is one of the best answers I've ever read...This is one of the best answers I've ever read to "Why write MG?" Unfortunately, it seems like that time of wonder, when brains and creativity are = to or > looks, keeps moving to younger and younger grades. For me, I think that was around 4th - 6th grade. As a middle school teacher and librarian myself, I wish kids could retain that innocence and excitement about the world for much, much longer.<br /><br />One of my favorite memories from middle school was partner reading time in Mrs. Sisson's class. She would let us sprawl out around the room (under her desk was the best spot!) and real aloud to our partner in funny or dramatic accents. I loved it :)<br /><br />Thank you for the chance to win!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10236275337479478234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5883357040961628327.post-82237606668026776032012-03-07T08:46:01.171-06:002012-03-07T08:46:01.171-06:00I too loved middle school. The kids are just sweet...I too loved middle school. The kids are just sweeter (less tainted) then.<br /><br />I love when you said, "I spent years and years of my early adulthood un-learning the lessons of high school." AMEN! So true.<br /><br />Great post!<br />(not an entry)Tales of Whimsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10938494589922620170noreply@blogger.com