Welcome

This is the blog of children's book author and elementary school teacher, Stacy Barnett Mozer. I blog about my own writing journey, the journey of other kidlit authors, my classroom, and talk about books. Thanks for stopping by. Your thoughts are always welcome (and encouraged).

Monday, August 29, 2022

#IMWAYR Monday, August 29, 2022

It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted each week by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. If you are a person who loves kidlit, all you need to do to join is to blog about books you are reading on Monday, add your link to either of those two blogs and post using the hashtag. I hope you will join in!

One day of school down. Today we came together as a staff and started to get our rooms ready. I'll post some pictures next week. Students start on Thursday.

Last week I interviewed Michelle Mohrweis, author of Trouble With Robots (which I reviewed a few weeks ago). Check out her interview here

Middle Grade


When most people lose someone important to them, they wish their loved one could come back. For Sal, his ability to reach into other dimensions makes this impossibility a reality. Unfortunately, this comes with unforeseen challenges that may lead to the destruction of the entire universe. Lovers of real-world fantasy and science fiction will enjoy this book.


When Katie needs to earn money in order to join her best friend at camp for the second session, she ends up with a job babysitting her neighbor's cats. These cats are an unusual bunch who are able to do some very uncatlike things, such as stealing the neighbor's couch and going on the internet. And Katie's neighbor who owns these cats? She's full of surprises too. A fun graphic novel set in a world where good and evil and superhero and villains may not be what they seem.



____________________________


Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below. 


Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Interview with Middle Grade Author Michelle Mohrweis

 


It's the last week before school starts so what better time to share an author interview? Michelle Mohrweis is the author of The Trouble With Robots, a new stem middle grade book that releases on September 27. I got an early copy from NetGalley and reviewed the book on this blog a few weeks ago.

When did you decide to become an author?

To be honest, I’m not sure. I know I’ve always enjoyed writing. I would write in my spare time, write during class in the margins of my notes, write during recess, etc... I even remember being a stagehand during a high school drama club production and sitting with a small handheld computer backstage writing while I waited for it to be time to swap out props! Writing has been my favorite thing since before I can remember. 

 

Somewhere in there, I started dreaming about other people reading my writing. I remember being in 5th grade and telling my teacher I’d be published one day. I remember daydreaming about being an author when I’d volunteer at my favorite book festival in college. Being an author was my goal for so long that I honestly can’t say when I first wanted to become one. 

 

 

Tell us about your journey. How did you get Trouble with Robots published?

My journey was both a long and short one. The Trouble with Robots itself moved fast, and at times felt like a whirlwind. Before that, however, I had a long road of trying, failing and learning from that failure (much like the characters in Robots!) I first finished a novel in college and decided I wanted to get published. I learned that not all traditional publishers let you just send them material, however. You often need a literary agent first. 

 

So, I started querying. And I got many rejections! Eventually, I shelved that story and attempted to write a few other novels. Some I never even tried querying. Others, I tried for years. After years of revising, querying, and failing, I realized I was missing some key ingredients to the process.

 

I took a break from querying the latest story to learn more about the craft of writing. I joined critique groups, found critique partners, and got active on writing twitter (I had an account for years but never really used it much until then) to learn more about publishing. I worked on a few ideas, from fantasy to SciFi. 

 

Then covid hit. I was stuck at home, bored, and missing my students. So, I tried writing something I never thought about before: middle grade contemporary. 

 

I loved it. 

 

That’s when I wrote The Trouble With Robots. I was so in the zone that it only took me a couple months to have a query-ready version of the story. The timing lined up perfectly with a pitch contest called Pitmad, and during the contest, my agent requested my story. Two days later, she emailed me and wanted to set up a call, and during that call, she offered me representation.

 

See? It’s both a very short journey and a long one all at once.

 

I ended up signing with her, and from there we refined the manuscript and went on submission, where she sent it out to editors. This part took longer, but after seven months, Peachtree offered to buy it. 

 

I’m so happy with where The Trouble with Robots ended up, and with everything I learned along the way. Just like Allie and Evelyn must keep trying with their robot, in writing sometimes it’s all about trying, learning from what does and doesn’t work, and trying again!

 

Was there ever a point when you felt like giving up?


All the time! During those years when I was trying and failing, I often wondered if I was good enough, if I’d ever be good enough. I’d go to book festivals and watch authors speak, and while it was so much fun… it also hurt. I wanted to be on that side of things so badly. Yet I was so scared I’d never make it. 

 

Not to mention when life got busy. Sometimes teaching took all the time I had, and sometimes I wondered if it would be better to stop trying with the writing and just focus on a stable career.

 

In the end though, I love writing too much to ever stop. That’s what kept me going and what helped me find the dedication to keep trying, keep learning, and keep refining my craft until the day I finally made it.

 

 

I loved Trouble with Robots. You wrote it in two points of view and each character goes through a unique emotional journey. How were you able to make each chapter unique and realistic?


For me, having a strong sense of who the characters were helped a lot. Even more than that though: edits. My first drafts tend to be rather flat. My characters in early drafts almost feel like shells of what they will become, and I usually focus more on the plot and descriptions than the characters. To be honest, my first drafts aren’t very good. It’s only as I edit and revise that they start to shine.

 

With Robots, I focused on the emotions of the characters as I edited. Their traits, their tendencies, the things that drove them, and how that would affect and alter the plot. I thought about what stories I wanted to tell: The determined young engineer who doesn’t quite know how to work with a team, who hates change, and is still reeling from her best friend leaving. The “trouble kid” who has so much more going on than anyone realizes, who is drowning in her grief but doesn’t know how to escape it and lashes out instead. I really thought about who they were, and then focused on how they could eventually become friends and help lift each other up. I think that helped a lot with each chapter.

 

Though, the other thing that helped was my editor. He was amazing at pushing me to really strengthen both their voices so the chapters stood strong on their own!


 

Any advice you would give to a writer just starting out?

It’s okay to not be perfect! Writing is like any other skill: it takes practice and time to refine it. Keep writing, keep going, keep learning, and doing your best, and you will reach whatever goals you have for your writing one day. 

 

 

Is there anything else about you or your books you would like to tell us?

Want a fun fact? I can’t write while sitting still! I do most of my writing while pacing around my room using dictation software, fidgeting at a standing desk, or by doing quick writing sprints at random park benches as I bike around the city.


Thank you so much, Michelle for coming on the blog. You can find more about Michelle here.  To pre-order The Trouble with Robots, visit Indiebound, Amazon, B&N, or anywhere books are sold.click hereclick here

Monday, August 22, 2022

#IMWAYR August 22, 2022

It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted each week by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. If you are a person who loves kidlit, all you need to do to join is to blog about books you are reading on Monday, add your link to either of those two blogs and post using the hashtag. I hope you will join in!

By this time next week, I will be back at school. I can hardly believe it. Hopefully, I will do a better job this year keeping up this blog (last year I only posted once in September.) I have gotten into the habit of writing this post on Sunday so that should help. 

My nephew reminded me this week that 3rd graders usually start the year reading chapter books and end the year reading novels, so I added some younger chapters to my reading this week. 

Finally, before I share books this week, I'm thrilled to tell you that Michelle Mohrweis, author of Trouble With Robots (which I reviewed a few weeks ago) is coming on the blog on Wednesday for an author interview. Stop back here to learn about her author's journey and how she created her characters.

Chapter Books

Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid, and when he was a kid, he was a spy. When the crown jewels are stolen, Mac B. gets a call from the Queen of England asking him to find the jewels. Full of fun historical facts, this humorous chapter book is a ton of fun.


Amelia Bedelia is reimaged in this chapter book series. Before Ameilia was the maid that took directions literally, she was a kid who did the same. Interestingly, the chapter book series is written in a more sophisticated style than the original but third graders will definitely enjoy it.

This funny, early graphic novel also by Mac Barnett is a ton of fun. When rats start to eat the moon, only the first cat in space can stop them. Aided by a nail-clipping stowaway robot and the queen of the moon, you will never look at the moon the same again. 


Middle Grade

I'm pretty sure this book will be my first read-aloud this year. Tim hates being a peasant so when he is given the opportunity to become a knight and help his prince save a princess, he jumps at the chance. Along the way, he learns a lot about the difference between hype and reality. The book is very funny and I love how Tim teaches the reader tons of new words along the way. A definite middle grade must read.


I picked this one up from the library after seeing it on a number of other blogs. Natalie Lloyd is a master at writing real-world fantasy, and this book is no exception. When feathers fall from the sky like snow and a blue moon rises, the hummingbird comes to grant wishes. Olive has osteogenesis imperfect, a disease that makes her bones brittle. Because of this, she has been homeschooled. But now she has convinced her parents to let her go to middle school and if she has her wish, maybe she won't be brittle anymore. This beautiful book is made even more special when you read the author's note and find out that she, like Olive has osteogenesis imperfect. I will definitely be buying a copy for my classroom.



____________________________


Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

Monday, August 15, 2022

#IMWAYR August 15, 2022

 

It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted each week by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. If you are a person who loves kidlit, all you need to do to join is to blog about books you are reading on Monday, add your link to either of those two blogs, and post using the hashtag. I hope you will join in!

It was another week of trying to avoid counting down to the first days of school. The school system isn't making it easy, sending me my schedule and class list two weeks before the first day (which is actually a miraculous, wonderful thing for planning, but not for holding on to every second of summer.)


Middle Grade


Ten-year-old Della's life has never been easy, but at least she's always had her older sister Sukki to take care of her. She had Sukki after her mother almost blew the two of them up in a meth lab accident. She had Sukki when the two of them had to run away from their mother's boyfriend, who somehow got custody of them even though the things he was doing to Sukki were unthinkable. But now Sukki needs help and it's time for Della to be the one to fight for her. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley does a wonderful job of writing in an age-appropriate way about the very difficult topic of child sexual abuse. This is a book that I hope finds its way into the hands of those who need to read it. I wish no one needed to read it. Read with tissues on hand.

Young Adult


When Daisy and Noah are paired together for a duet, it is a step toward each of them fulfilling their dream of going to Julliard. But first, they will have to get along. The two of them are from different worlds with completely different experiences. Noah has the pressure of being part of a world-renowned musical family that pays attention to his every success and failure. Daisy's parents are so busy working to pay the bills for her and her four-year-old sister that they can barely focus on Daisy's dream. Somehow, the two of them still find a way to make music and fall in love. But when the video of Daisy and Noah's performance goes viral and everyone wants to use Daisy as a role model for kids with cerebral palsy, their fame threatens to destroy everything they have together. Daisy and Noah are wonderful characters you can root for. I know you will love them too.


Eva Tilling thinks she has the perfect life, the perfect boyfriend, and the perfect best friends until she wakes up in a hospital after surviving a hit and run. Turns out the boyfriend wasn't perfect and one of her friends may be trying to kill her and is killing others in her name. When Eva realizes her near-death experience has woken up the ability to see the death of those who touch her, figuring out who the killer becomes her new mission. A well-told murder mystery that science fiction lovers will enjoy as well. Told from multiple points of view, including the point of view of the killer.

____________________________


Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

Monday, August 8, 2022

#IMWAYR August 8, 2022

 

It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted each week by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. If you are a person who loves kidlit, all you need to do to join is to blog about books you are reading on Monday, add your link to either of those two blogs, and post using the hashtag. I hope you will join in!

I'm desperately trying to hold on to the last weeks of summer, but with all the back to school advertisements and with both of our teens coming home from their summer adventures, holding on is difficult. We took one final driving vacation and went up to Vermont, Quebec City, and New Hampshire before coming back to Connecticut, which gave me lots of time this week to read some great fantasy books!

Middle Grade


I can't believe I missed this one by Kelly Barnhill since she's one of my favorite middle grade fantasy authors. Her stories revolve around forgotten truths and that magic always has consequences. In this case, a long time ago a kingdom was separated when Toed to steal magic. In order to prevent the king from getting what he wanted, the magical beings caused a woods to grow and over time the people on each side of the woods mostly forgot about each other. Only the wrong twin, a fox, and a bandit's daughter can set the magic free and prevent war between two kingdoms that have forgotten each other's existence until now. 


Young Adult


Judah was born to change the world, but all she knows is that she was found as an orphan and taken to live in the castle where she is treated as a blemish on the world instead. The king would have had her killed, but his oldest son, his heir, is physically bonded to her, and the bond cannot be broken. What Judah feels, Gavin feels, and vice versa. Those who know of this connection want to use Judah and her power. All she wants is a life of her own. This young adult book is not for the faint of heart. Many characters in the book are tortured, physically and mentally. Those who enjoyed The Hunger Games would enjoy this book.


I was excited to get this one from Netgalley after seeing it on the cover of PW.  It is the story of Shin Lina, an 18 yo girl who has been forced into a dangerous life to keep her younger sister safe from harm. After her crime family is killed by another crime boss, Lina is forced to work for him. When he has her steal an important tapestry, the two of them find themselves in the realm of the Dokkaebi, the immortals. The only way Lina can escape with her life and save her sister is to kill the emperor of this city. But things are not always as they seem. This book combines Korean fantasy, the story of the Pied Piper, and romance. The Last of the Talons releases next month! Get it on September 27, 2022. 


This book doesn't come out until January 2023, but if you love fantasy and romance, you'll be excited to wait for it. To use magic, the witches in this world are bound to the roll of the dice. So far, Calliope Rosewoods' rolls have all been the number six, which may mean that she is fated to be a dangerous warrior. Between her rolls and her magic, which is a power that even has other witches scared, Calla wants to change her fate. When she meets two brothers, she may have found the key to changing her fate, but she in the process she may lose her heart. The only problem with getting this book so early is I will have to wait even longer for the next one.

____________________________


Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.

Monday, August 1, 2022

#IMWAYR August 1, 2022

 

It's Monday What Are You Reading is hosted each week by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. If you are a person who loves kidlit, all you need to do to join is to blog about books you are reading on Monday, add your link to either of those two blogs, and post using the hashtag. I hope you will join in!

It's August, which means my summer has hit its half way mark. I had two goals this year, to add a post every week for #IMWAYR and to finish the two manuscripts I owed my agent. I am excited to say that manuscript one sits in her inbox as of this morning. Now I get to not think about whether or not she likes it as I move on to manuscript number two. Wish me luck!

Reading is never really a goal for me, its a way of life. Here are the books I read this week.

Middle Grade


I cannot tell you how excited I was to get this one on NetGalley. The Trouble With Robots is about a team of middle school kids who are part of a robotics class. Unlike Team A, who always seems to have it together, Team B is a disaster. They are even disqualified from their first meet and their leader, Evelyn, is at risk for losing her leadership position and is worried her moms will be disappointed in her and she'll never see her best friend, who has moved and is on another robotics team, again. Enter Allie, a troubled student who has been assigned to robots club as a final chance to stay at the school. Evelyn and Allie could not be more different, but learning to work together will not just change their team, it will change each of them. This story is told from alternating points of view of Evelyn and Allie. Readers will adore both of them and will root for Team B. This is a definite must read when it comes out in September. 




Maxine has a figure skating competition coming up, but instead of staying focused on skating, the bullying she is dealing with from a boy in her school because she's Chinese is the only thing on her mind. And worse, her supposedly best friend thinks the jokes are funny. When a new girl arrives on the figure skating scene who is really good, Maxine can only see Hollie as added pressure. But finding a way to face her bully may also involved finding ways to make new friends. This is a fantastic middle grade story about how to stay strong and find your voice. It's definitely a must read for upper elementary and middle school classrooms.


____________________________


Stacy Barnett Mozer is a third grade teacher and a middle grade author. If you like what she's been reading follow her on Goodreads. Please leave a comment below.