Fun Friday: Hammer That Grammar

Are you a Grammar Hammer? Thanks to Playbuzz for this Fun Friday!

Fun Friday: Word Crimes

It may have come to your attention that I rag on other people's bad grammar. It's the curse of the copy editor and the writer, and sadly, I'm both, so ... guilty.

But at least Weird Al Yankovic is here to justify my behavior. Word Crimes: Who will we arrest next?

Fun Friday: #BookadayUK No. 27

A final Friday contribution to #BookadayUK explores characters I'd like to be. These won't be a shock to anyone who's ever looked at this blog or anything else I've written. Ever.

BOOK A DAY No. 27: I Want to Be a Character in These Books

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Scholastic, 1997
Can I be Hermione? Please? I'm really good in school and my hair is sometimes a nightmare, so I'd fit right in. And I'd learn all the spells. Over summer holidays. Honest.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
HarperCollins, 2006 (orig. 1952)
The only character to be is Lucy--she of the unshakeable faith. Also, my sister is prettier than I am, so again, I'm a natural. I want to look through the old magician's book all day.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Children's Classics, 1998 (orig. 1911)
I'm pretty bad at growing things, but I love gardens. And I want to meet all Dickon's animal friends. I can scowl with the best of them, so I'm a natural for Mary Lennox.

Fun Friday: #BookadayUK No. 20

Time for my Friday contribution to #BookadayUK. Today we're championing the outside of the book, and with good reason. Cover design has taken off in the last few years in an amazing way. Much as I don't want to, I do judge a book by its cover. I often read books on my e-reader, but nothing beats owning a beautiful book.

BOOK A DAY No. 20: Books That Wear My Favorite Cover

I'm going to make this easy and look at only those books I've read in the past two years. Because otherwise, covers could take all day. These are a few of my recent faves.

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
Greenwillow, 2012; MG fantasy

This cover grabbed me right away--so strange, so colorful! I knew I wanted to read the book.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012; YA fantasy
I'm a sucker for cool typography. Don't you love how the S is dragonish? I adored this cover even before it was reissued in midnight blue, and now I love it even more, especially the contrast with the city.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
Random House, 2011; adult historical
I know, there's a color pattern here. I didn't intend it, but I am drawn to deep blues. This cover for a novel about Louis Tiffany and his unsung female assistant does a gorgeous job of inegrating the silhouette with the instantly recognizable Tiffany style. Love.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Disney Hyperion, 2012; YA/adult historical
Not a lot of color here, but it's haunting; the World War II fighter plane, another silhouette, and again, beautiful typography. The word Verity has a breezy style like a young girl from the 1940s. This cover perfectly captures the story elements--much better than the hardcover edition, in my opinion.

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins, 2012; MG fantasy
More fantastic typography on this cover. The title looks like spider legs, and a spider is even woven in as a motif. Liza's deer-in-the-headlights expression has a timeless feel, despite her wardrobe. The story looks magical, chaotic, and a tiny bit dangerous--just as it should.

The Man Who Walked Away by Maud Casey
Bloomsbury, 2014; adult historical
This cover intrigued me enough for me to add it to my TBR list before really knowing what the novel was about. But now that I do--a mentally ill man walks through 19th-century Europe trying to put himself and his life back together--I'm doubly interested. The concentric circles and gentle colors are perfection.

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Little, Brown, 2012; YA paranormal
And we're back to blue. This creepy eye superimposed on glittery, jazz-age Manhattan hooked me; the gauzy, not-quite-there aspect adds to the shiver factor. Cool.

Note:  Borough Press has changed the hashtag of this event from #bookaday to #bookadayUK to avoid confusion with the original #bookaday. I know. It's confusing. 


Next Friday: The book whose characters I want to become. Check out more #bookadayuk fun here, on Twitter.

Fun Friday: #BookadayUK No. 6

Yeah, I'm late again to the party. Didn't even know about @BoroughPress's cool #bookadayUK hashtag. (In a nutshell: Every day in June is devoted to a different book in your collection or your general experience.) So I'll play along anyway.

BOOK A DAY No. 6: The one I always give as a gift

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002
319 pages

Young Pi Patel survives a shipwreck along with Richard Parker, a tiger lately of the Patel's family-owned zoo in India. While deftly negotiating a balance of power with Richard Parker, Pi examines life, faith, and survival.










It's not as if I've given this book to a hundred people, but it is so close to my heart that after I read it, I wanted everyone else on earth to read it. I looked in the bookstore for a copy to give my niece, and when I couldn't find one, I gave her my own. (And then bought another one for myself, later.)

Put down your joysticks, people, and read this book. If you've seen the movie, congrats--it was great--but the book is deeper, richer, and kinder. It's a life changer. Absolutely amazing.

Fun Friday: The Fearsome Pterosaurs

Often when I visit schools or festivals and talk to kids about writing The Key & the Flame, I discuss giant flying dinosaurs. There's a reason. When creating the world of Anglielle, I wanted to include a giant flying beast, and I needed to know how a real-life flying beast would operate. This question prompted my discovery of some fantastic creatures, namely the Hatzegopteryx and Quetzlcoatlus dinosaurs. They were as tall as giraffes, had fearsome beaks, and could fly at altitudes of 10,000 feet and up to 80 mph.




While this video isn't as impressive, it gave me a good idea of how a Quetzalcoatlus takes off, and how much room it needed to do so.



What do you dream of creating? And how will you imagine it?


I talk about a lot of other things in my school presentations too. Click here to learn more.

Fun Friday: Dan Radcliffe Chats with JKR

Okay, another newsflash: I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter, both on the page and on film. (I know. Shocker.) This is one of the best behind-the-scenes videos I've seen (and I've seen many), in which Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe talks to Potter author J.K. Rowling about the books, the films, and the wild ride they both embarked on. Spoiler Alert: They do discuss things you won't want to hear if you've not read all 7 books.

Fun Friday: Commas and Pants, Both Needed

In case you all haven't noticed, Debbie Ridpath Ohi is hilarious and wickedly talented. The illustrator of I'm Bored (written by Michael Ian Black; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012) and the cool new Judy Blume covers, Ohi also maintains a fantastic website here. Here, reprinted with her permission, is one of her classic strips, Will Write for Chocolate.

Used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com under the provisions outlined here.

Fun Friday: Russell Brand as Pied Piper

Russell Brand is at times the funniest man on the planet. Other times he just makes you shake your head. Is he serious about writing children's books? They could be brilliant. Here's hoping.

Fun Friday: Tennant Reads Shakespeare

If you didn't know that April was National Poetry Month, well, you're probably in good company. Here's your poetry gift for today: Actor David Tennant reads Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" It's also David's birthday, for which we can thank his parents for giving us a great actor.




Yeah. You're welcome.

(Click here to get the iPad app, which showcases many different performers reading Shakespeare's sonnets.)

David Tennant is a Scottish-born actor known for his roles in Broadchurch, Doctor Who, and onstage as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company. And loads of other wonderful stuff.

Fun Friday: Who Gives a #^(! About an Oxford Comma?

I'm a fan of the Oxford comma, people, and not just because it's named after the Oxford University Press, which makes it sound like a supersmart thing. It's come from years of editing using the style book most favored by American publishers, The Chicago Manual of Style. But its use is--gasp--optional. Here's today's informative video on the topic:




And here's today's irreverent take on the topic. (Caution: an R-rated word is featured. You've been warned.)