Mo-tivational Monday: Don’t Quit
Great writers know... You may not be a great writer yet, but as long as you keep moving toward your goal, you'll be successful eventually. Keep moving! Keep writing!
Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure by Sherry Ellis
In Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China, Bubba and his big sister Squirt, fell through a hole near the old sycamore tree and landed in Xian, China surrounded by Terracotta Warriors. After they come back from China, Bubba has a dream that his Great- Great-Grandpa Jacob, a magician, told him to go through the vortex again. Squirt doesn’t like this idea at all. She worries they might not be able to figure out how [...]
Happy Book Birthday: Who Gives a Poop? by Heather L. Montgomery
Happy Book Birthday to Heather L. Montgomery with her new MG Nonfiction Who Gives a Poop? Surprising Science From One End to the Other. As if her book about roadkill (Something Rotten) wasn’t gross enough, Heather Montgomery brings us a book about poop. And just like her roadkill book, this one is stuffed with science and scientists. She writes about Dr. Logan Kistler, an archaeologist that specializes in archaeogenomics and who, by studying mastodon [...]
Mo-tivational Monday
Do you think too much about what you're going to write? Wonder if an agent will like it? Or a publisher? Do you cross off ideas just because you think it won't sell? Don't waste valuable writing time by second-guessing your ideas and inspirations. Write what your heart is telling you to write.
Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley
For twelve-year-old JJ, an invitation to a free weekend at the famously haunted Barclay Hotel is the best thing that could happen to a ghost hunter, which he is. He pulls the guilt card on his workaholic CEO mom and she agrees to take the weekend off and go. When they arrive, they meet the other guests: a cowboy, an actress, a librarian, and a detective with his granddaughter, Penny. Once all the guests have [...]
Mo Reading: The Secret Notebook by D. A. D’Aurelio
Middle Grade Mojo is proud to announce the release of the debut novel of Mojo member, Debbie D'Aurelio! We're super proud of her and we love this book! The first place 12-year-old Riley Green goes when she arrives at her school is to the STEM lab to show her favorite teacher her invention for the Invention Convention. But when her teacher opens the door to the classroom, Riley forgets all about her invention. The classroom [...]
Dung for Dinner by Christine Virnig
Happy Book Birthday to Christine Virnig and her book Dung for Dinner. During World War II, the German soldiers stationed in North Africa were getting deathly sick with dysentery. They noticed that the local Bedouins seemed to get over it quickly. After careful observation, they learned that the Bedouins cured this debilitating intestinal infection—by eating warm, fresh camel poop. You will find this and countless other gross, disgusting, disturbing examples of how people have used poop [...]
An Interview with Author Christine Virnig
MGM is excited about a new humorous non-fiction book Dung for Dinner that is coming on July 21, 2020. We asked Christine Virnig about her inspiration for this tasteless topic and for her favorite poop jokes. Middle Grade Mojo: You’re a pediatric allergist (physician specializing in allergies and asthma in children). That seems like it would be a full-time career. What inspired you to become a children’s book author as well? Christine Virnig: I’ve actually [...]
Mo-Tivational Monday
It sounds so simple, but writers know how difficult it is to describe new settings and characters in a way that readers feel instantly comfortable with them. And finding new perspectives to familiar scenes and people so that it's fresh and exciting is hard too. There's a reason Samuel Johnson uses the word "powers". Good luck exercising your author super powers this week.
MO-tivational Monday
As Kristine Anderson (author of Crooked Truth) always says, "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it." As you struggle with finding the perfect opening line, or the ultimate ending, remember that it will all be worth it in the end. A writer's pain is the reader's gain.