My Favorite Books EVER

For those of you who expressed interest in what my favorite books are--here they are in no particular order. I have to warn you ahead of time that I have been a librarian for twelve and a half years so my complete list of favorites is quite lengthy. I won't list all of them here because it would take up too many pages of this blog. You will notice that I tend to like all different kinds of genres and love charmingly different sorts of books, some of which you may find odd. I think a lot of books speak to us at different times based on what is happening during that period of our life. What effects one person with great force, may leave another reader cold. I will not be offended if you don't agree with me on every book on this list. That's one of the most delightful parts about stories, our relationship to them is completely personal.


Chapter Books:

Sammy Keyes Series by Wendelin Van Draanen
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Hollow Kingdom by Clare Dunkle
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer
Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
House of Shadows by Andre Norton
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mennyms Series by Sylvia Waugh
Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Wilson
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Moon and Sun Series by Holly Lisle
Night Gate Series by Isobelle Carmody
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Mairelon the Magician by Patrica Wrede
Sorcery and Cecelia by Patrica Wrede
A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Dragon's Milk by Susan Fletcher
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Larklight by Philip Reeve
Dragon and Thief Series by Timothy Zahn
Monster of the Month Club by Diane Curtis Regan
Girl Who Invented Romance by Caroline B. Cooney
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Queen's Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner
Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi
Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Rivka's Way by Teri Kanefield
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright
Two are Better Than One by Carol Ryrie Brink
Oracle Betrayed by Catherine Fisher
Little Sister by Kara Dalkey
Wabi by Joseph Bruchac
Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Girl with the Silver Eyes by Roberts
Watcher in the Mist by Norma Johnston
Murdered, My Sweet by Joan Lowry Nixon
House on Hackman's Hill by Joan Lowry Nixon
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Cat Royal Mysteries by Julia Golding
I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
Seer of Shadows by Avi
Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Schlitz
Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle
Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander
Third Eye by Lois Duncan
Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan
Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowery Nixon
Shadow of a Unicorn by Norma Johnston
Deadly Game of Magic by Joan Lowery Nixon
Giver by Lois Lowry
Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Elona Holms Mysteries by Nancy Springer
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan
Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Giff
Dragon of the Lost Sea by Laurence Yep
Watson's Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
Children of the River by Linda Crew
Ghost Cat by Beverly Butler
Betsy and Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace
African Mask by Janet Rupert
Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Ghost in the Noonday Sun by Sid Fleischman
Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Thirteenth Child by Patrica Wrede

Picture Books:

Tuesday by David Wiesner
There is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Any Pop-up Book by Robert Sabuda
When Jesse Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest
Wishing of Biddy Malone by Joy Cowley
Beegu by Alexis Deacon
The Wave by Suzy Lee
Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox
Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox
Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch
Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
What to Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley
Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Village that Vanished by Kadir Nelson
Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton
Frederick by Leo Lionni
Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg
Brothers of the Knight by Kadir Nelson
Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray
Once Upon a Time, The End by Geoffery Kloske
Fanny's Dream by Caralyn Buehner
Hollyhock Wall by Martin Waddell
Little Oh by Laura Melmed
Gentleman and the Kitchen Maid by Diane Stanley
Yo! Yes? by Christopher Raschka
Jane Wishing by Tobi Tobias
Don't Make Me Laugh by James Stevenson

Nonfiction:

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong
At Her Majesty's Request by Walter Dean Myers
Bodies from the Ice by James Deem
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman
Lincolns by Candace Fleming
Blizzard by Jim Murphy
Cosmic Joker by Brian Innes
Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
Ain't Nothing But a Man by Scott Reynolds Nelson
Great Fire by Jim Murphy
Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Voice that Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman
Swords: An Artist's Devotion by Ben Boos
Pick Me Up: Stuff You Need to Know
Dollhouse Decorator by Vivienne Boulton
Children Just Like Me by Barnabas Kindersley
Desiderata by Max Erhman
Children of Topaz by Michael Tunnell
Anastasia's Album by Hugh Brewster

I just realized how long this list has gotten so I'd better stop while I'm ahead. I have dozens more books I'd love to add but nobody will ever make it to the bottom of this list if I do! I'll save them for another day. What about you guys? What are your favorite books ever?

I've Got a Secret

Something exciting has happened with Forbidden Sea, but I'm not allowed to tell what it is here on this blog yet. Keeping it to myself is driving me crazy. If I have to suffer at least you can all suffer with me. : )

I Could Use Your Help

I've been attempting to update my blogger profile to something a little less boring then what I currently have posted, but have found myself at a loss as to what to put down. So I need of all you book lovers out there to help me out. What kinds of things do you like to know about an author? Those burning questions no one ever seems to answer. Birth date? College attended? Favorite book ever? Pets? Blood type? Okay, maybe not blood type, but what?

Any ideas?

Is there any information you really hate an author to include? Maybe info about the author is not as important as info about the book?

What do you want to know? I'd really love your input.

Forbidden Sea Contest Giveaway

The contest is now closed. The winner of the necklace will be anounced sometime Monday so check back then! Good luck to all who participated.

Good Things are Coming!

I have been honored, and completely floored, by the amount of positive interest that has been generated regarding the release of my book, Forbidden Sea. I am thrilled and excited for everyone to get a chance to read the book, and wish it were possible for me to give everyone who wanted one, an ARC of the book. If I were J. K. Rowing, I would demand enough ARCs to hand one out to every fantastic book reviewer who is excited to get their hands on one! Unfortunately, I am not J. K. Rowling and my publisher has given me very (and I do mean very) few ARCs. In fact, they gave me less than originally promised. (I think they like to be the ones to decide how to distribute ARCs and to whom they will go.) So for all you wonderful reviewers, bloggers, and delightful book loving people who are dying to read my book, I would suggest contacting Scholastic Press directly and see if they will let you have one. The last few remaining ARCs I do have left in my possession will be given away in drawings on this blog in the last couple months leading up to the release date of Forbidden Sea, so stay tuned. The drawings will be only for those who are official followers of this site, so make sure you are signed up. You just might be one of the lucky ones!

Inspiration--the Stuff Stories are Made Of

A lot of people have asked me where I get the ideas for my stories. When they do, they get a lot more answer then they bargained for. Inspiration for stories can come from almost anywhere. And I do mean anywhere. I once got an idea for a story by reading the title of a book. I can't tell you what the book was about because I never did read it. The title alone was enough. I've gotten more than one story from dreams. I had a vampire dream I thought about writing into a book years before Stephanie Meyer was ever seen or heard of. Sadly, the world will never get to read mine now. : )

One of the stories I am currently working on, came to me after seeing this set of porcelain dolls years ago.














They look innocent enough don't they? But story they inspired is a little on the creepy side. I love those kind of books! Don't you? I now own these dolls. How could I resist?

The red headed character featured in the picture below was inspired by a younger cousin of mine. I actually had her model for this picture. This particular character now stars in a story all her own. If it ever gets published, the book will definitely be dedicated to Liz.

















I will often draw a picture of my characters (like the one here) to help me get a sense of their personality and what they look like. The characters may evolve over time, but the drawings give me my first peek into their world.

For me, music is one of the best inspirations when I'm in the middle of writing a story. I will often create a soundtrack, picking songs that I feel will create the mood I am working for key scenes. For me, creativity just seems to flow easier when there is music to help the ideas along. If I have characters who fall in love in a book I always choose "their song", so to speak. I will play this song as I write scenes between the two of them. I usually pick a song for each of the main characters as well.

Real life is the very best place to draw inspiration from. I've become quite the people watcher over the years. As a children's librarian, if I just keep my eyes and ears peeled, ideas for characters and scenes are being enacted right in my library every day. I was once asked to make a school visit to a sixth grade class by the library. Since I was working on a humorous book about a sixth grade class at the time, I decided to take mental notes while I was there. It was a real eye opener, let me tell you. I got more material from that one visit than I ever would have imagined. Sometimes truth is more hilarious than fiction.

What about you writer's out there? Where do you get your inspiration?

Writer's Block

I've been struggling with a certain scene in one of the books I'm currently working on, for quite some time now. It got so bad I had to skip the whole chapter and move on so it wouldn't stop the flow of the rest of the book. So a few nights ago it suddenly came to me, like a light from above, exactly what I had to do to make the chapter work. With some major reworking of the scene, I was soon off and running again. There is nothing like overcoming writer's block to make your whole life seem just a little brighter. I've never been able to understand why ideas can flow so easily one week, and the next, my mind is a veritable creative drought. Thankfully, the rains always seem to come eventually if I just let the scene simmer on the back burner long enough. What makes this miraculous transformation happen? I have no clue. Is it karma? Those vitamin supplements I've been taking? Or does God finally take pity on me and give me a little push in the right direction? Possibly a combination of all of the above.

I recently read an article about writer's block. They asked a bunch of writer's to list the things they do to get over their blocks. Eating hoards of chocolate, dancing around the living room, and taking long naps were all methods listed. For me, when writer's block strikes and I start to feel myself panicking, I skip the whole scene and start writing at some other point in the book that sounds more exciting to me. Or I temporarily jump to another story completely. It is not uncommon for me to be working on two or three stories simultaneously at any given time. My manuscripts in progress often resemble streets ridden with potholes. (Or should I say--plot holes.) Whole chapters can be missing in action for months (or in extreme cases, years) on end. This is one of the reasons I won't let people read my manuscripts until they are completely finished.

So how about you writer's out there in Blogland? When writer's block strikes, what do you do? I'd love to know.