Briar’s Journal (May 1 to June 4, 2013)

Dream Entry*
December 13, 2001

I can only remember fragments of my dream:

Morzant skipping rope.

Three puppies chasing grasshoppers through a field of daisies.

My friends, a duck, and the three puppies reading to a willow tree.

The books BIGFOOT is reading:

THE LUCY VARIATIONS
by Sara Zarr
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 7, 2013

NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG
by Prudence Shen, illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
[YOUNG ADULT—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
First Second-Roaring Brook
May 7, 2013

ELVIS AND THE UNDERDOGS
by Jenny Lee, with illustrations by Kelly Light
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

FORMERLY SHARK GIRL
by Kelly Bingham
[YOUNG ADULT—NOVEL IN VERSE—SEQUEL TO SHARK GIRL]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

PAPERBOY
by Vince Vawter
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Delacorte-Random House
May 14, 2013

PARALLEL
by Lauren Miller
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

WINGER
by Andrew Smith, with illustrations by Sam Bosma
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon & Schuster
May 14, 2013

ROGUE
by Lyn Miller-Lachmann
[YOUNG ADULT]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
May 16, 2013

OPENLY STRAIGHT
by Bill Konigsberg
[YOUNG ADULT]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

ROMEO BLUE
by Phoebe Stone
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO THE ROMEO AND JULIET CODE]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

TWERP
by Mark Goldblatt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Random House
May 28, 2013

The books MORZANT is reading:

THE END GAMES
by T. Michael Martin
[YOUNG ADULT]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

THE MIGHTY LALOUCHE
by Matthew Olshan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
May 14, 2013

PAPA’S MECHANICAL FISH
by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Boris Kulikov
[PICTURE BOOK]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
June 4, 2013

The books PENNY is reading: 

DOLL BONES
by Holly Black, with illustrations by Eliza Wheeler
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Margaret K. McElderry-Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

THE 5TH WAVE
by Rick Yancey
[YOUNG ADULT]
Putnam-Penguin
May 7, 2013

ICONS
by Margaret Stohl
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 7, 2013

REBOOT
by Amy Tintera
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

INVISIBILITY
by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
[YOUNG ADULT]
Philomel-Penguin
May 7, 2013

THE COLOR OF RAIN
by Cori McCarthy
[YOUNG ADULT]
Running Press Teens-Running Press Book Publishers
May 14, 2013

THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING
by Ashley Elston
[YOUNG ADULT]
Hyperion-Disney
May 14, 2013

GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS
by Richelle Mead
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE AGE OF X SERIES]
Dutton-Penguin
June 4, 2013

The books THE DUCK is reading: 

MOUSE BIRD SNAKE WOLF
by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

The books NORMAN is reading: 

AN ARMY OF FROGS
by Trevor Pryce, with illustrations by Sanford Greene
[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE KULIPARI SERIES]
Amulet-Abrams
May 7, 2013

PLATYPUS POLICE: THE FROG WHO CROAKED
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
[MIDDLE GRADE—GRAPHIC NOVEL—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Walden Pond-HarperCollins
May 7, 2013

ODESSA AGAIN
by Dana Reinhardt
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Wendy Lamb-Random House
May 14, 2013

THE PLANET THIEVES
by Dan Krokos
[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE SERIES]
Starscape-Macmillan
May 21, 2013

The books BEVERLY is reading:

PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE: A MIGRANT’S TALE
by Duncan Tonatiuh
[PICTURE BOOK]
Abrams
May 7, 2013

OUT OF THIS PLACE
by Emma Cameron
[YOUNG ADULT—NOVEL IN VERSE]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

P.S. BE ELEVEN
by Rita Williams-Garcia
[MIDDLE GRADE—SEQUEL TO ONE CRAZY SUMMER]
Amistad-HarperCollins
May 21, 2013

THOUSAND WORDS
by Jennifer Brown
[YOUNG ADULT]
Little, Brown-Hachette
May 21, 2013

THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER
by Allen Say
[PICTURE BOOK]
Arthur A. Levine-Scholastic
May 28, 2013

PARCHED
by Melanie Crowder
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Harcourt
June 4, 2013

THE THING ABOUT LUCK
by Cynthia Kadohata, with illustrations by Julia Kuo
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
June 4, 2013

The books BRIAR is reading:

THE YEAR OF THE BABY
by Andrea Cheng,
with illustrations by Patrice Barton
[CHAPTER BOOK—SEQUEL TO THE YEAR OF THE BOOK]
Houghton Mifflin-Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
May 28, 2013

KELSEY GREEN, READING QUEEN
by Claudia Mills, with illustrations by Rob Shepperson
[CHAPTER BOOK—FIRST IN THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL FRIENDS SERIES]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
June 4, 2013

The books OLIVER is reading: 

EVERYONE SLEEPS
by Marcellus Hall
[PICTURE BOOK]
Nancy Paulsen-Penguin
May 2, 2013

A FUNNY LITTLE BIRD
by Jennifer Yerkes
[PICTURE BOOK]
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky-Sourcebooks
May 7, 2013

IF YOU WANT TO SEE A WHALE
by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin Stead
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
May 7, 2013

SATURDAY WITH DADDY
by Dan Andreasen
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 7, 2013

YOO-HOO, LADYBUG!
by Mem Fox, illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist
[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

IT’S A FIREFLY NIGHT
by Dianne Ochiltree, illustrated by Betsy Snyder
[PICTURE BOOK]
Blue Apple Books
May 14, 2013

THIS LITTLE PIGGY
by Tim Harrington
[PICTURE BOOK]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
May 14, 2013

WATER IN THE PARK: A BOOK ABOUT
WATER AND THE TIMES OF THE DAY
by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
May 14, 2013

OCTOPUS ALONE
by Divya Srinivasan
[PICTURE BOOK]
Viking-Penguin
May 16, 2013

SING
by Joe Raposo, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 28, 2013

WHEN MERMAIDS SLEEP
by Ann Bonwill
[PICTURE BOOK]
Random House
May 28, 2013

HOW TO
by Julie Morstad
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simply Read Books
May 30, 2013

HANK FINDS AN EGG
by Rebecca Dudley
[PICTURE BOOK]
Peter Pauper Press
June 1, 2013

The books LENNY is reading: 

THE GREAT LOLLIPOP CAPER
by Dan Krall
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simon & Schuster
May 7, 2013

COWPOKE CLYDE AND DIRTY DAWG
by Lori Mortensen, illustrated by Michael Allen Austin
[PICTURE BOOK]
Clarion-Houghton Mifflin
May 14, 2013

MATILDA AND HANS
by Yokococo
[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
May 14, 2013

THE SKELETON PIRATE
by David Lucas
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
May 14, 2013

TOYS IN SPACE
by Mini Grey
[PICTURE BOOK]
Knopf-Random House
May 14, 2013

BEN RIDES ON
by Matt Davies
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
May 21, 2013

SUPER HAIR-O AND THE BARBER OF DOOM
by John Rocco
[PICTURE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 21, 2013

NIÑO WRESTLES THE WORLD
by Yuyi Morales
[PICTURE BOOK]
Roaring Brook
June 4, 2013

The books VIOLET is reading: 

HEATHER FELL IN THE WATER
by Doug MacLeod, illustrated by Craig Smith
[PICTURE BOOK]
Allen & Unwin
May 1, 2013

MY LUCKY BIRTHDAY
by Keiko Kasza
[PICTURE BOOK]
Putnam-Penguin
May 2, 2013

TINY PIE
by Mark Bailey and Michael Oatman, illustrated by Edward Hemingway
[PICTURE BOOK]
Running Press Kids-Running Press Book Publishers
May 7, 2013

ODD DUCK
by Cecil Castellucci, illustrated by Sara Varon
[EARLY READER—GRAPHIC NOVEL]
First Second-Roaring Brook
May 14, 2013

SATURDAY IS DADURDAY
by Robin Pulver, illustrated by R.W. Alley
[PICTURE BOOK]
Walker
May 14, 2013

WASH-A-BYE BEAR
by Thomas Docherty
[PICTURE BOOK]
Templar-Candlewick
May 14, 2013

THE WATERMELON SEED
by Greg Pizzoli
[PICTURE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 14, 2013

A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL!
by Mo Willems
[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
May 21, 2013

ONE BRIGHT RING
by Gretchen Géser
[PICTURE BOOK]
Henry Holt
May 21, 2013

BAD ASTRID
by Eileen Brennan, illustrated by Regan Dunnick
[PICTURE BOOK]
Random House
May 28, 2013

MURILLA GORILLA, JUNGLE DETECTIVE
by Jennifer Lloyd and Jacqui Lee
[PICTURE BOOK]
Simply Read Books
May 30, 2013

CRANKEE DOODLE
by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Cece Bell
[PICTURE BOOK]
Clarion-Houghton Mifflin
June 4, 2013
 

* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.

Three Minutes Not Feeding the Animals

Normanday #76: Why are there polar bears in the Reptile House?

Write for three minutes about…

…the zoo.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 19 (put “Norman Likes Swimming with the Seals” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…playing baseball.

Tren Rewy Steb

First base was somebody’s jacket in a yard. Third base was a Frisbee, across the street in another yard. Second base, a catcher’s mitt, and home base, an old plank of wood, were in the street. We used a tennis ball. When it was hit, it flew far. I always struck out. We had to stop to let cars pass. I remember the hollow sound of the aluminum bat hitting the tennis ball, and the ringing as the bat was thrown on the blacktop. Once I was second baseman, bored because nobody was hitting anything. Daydreaming, I forgot I was playing baseball, my glove carelessly rested against my shoulder. Suddenly there were shouts. The ball was hit. It came my way. Before I could react, it flew right into my glove, drawn to it like a magnet. Nobody minded that I hadn’t caught the ball on purpose. I didn’t mind being an accidental hero.

Three Minutes Running the Bases

Normanday #75: Buy me some peanuts and a red Ferrari.

Write for three minutes about…

…playing baseball.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 12 (put “Norman is a Power Hitter” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…a discovery.

Morzant

It was a gift from Bigfoot. I examined it carefully, recording the most prominent characteristics: boxy, shiny, electrical. There were two rectangular slots on top. Along the side was some sort of sliding lever mechanism and along the bottom were two dials that rotated. There were Arabic numerals circling the dials. Bigfoot seemed so proud to give me the gift that I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t know what it was. I thanked him and set off to my lab to discover the purpose of the device.

I plugged it into the Earth-style sockets I had installed in my lab. That part was obvious, but what the electricity was needed for eluded me. I considered at first the gift was an electric mirror, but no matter how I turned the dials, my reflection never altered. I tried pushing down the lever next and noticed heating elements inside the top slots. It occurred to me then that something was meant to go in the slots, but what? I searched for days for objects corresponding in size and shape to the slots. I found: bar soap, wallet, sponge, paperback book. I put each of these objects in turn into the device and pushed down on the lever. Turning the numbered dials resulted in these objects being burned. The lower numbers caused mere singeing, the higher numbers scorched the objects. I spent untold hours examining the burned objects to no avail. There were no discernible improvements. Aha! The moment of discovery had arrived. The device was an incinerator! I immediately wrote a thank-you note to Bigfoot, as is the custom on Earth.

Three Minutes Searching

Normanday #74: It was the last place I looked.

Write for three minutes about…

…a discovery.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day May 5 (put “Norman Can Ride a Unicycle While Hula-Hooping” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…a celebration.

Tren Rewy Steb

He said he wouldn’t let go. I felt his steadying hand on the seat as I pedaled. I wobbled to one side and then the other but I wouldn’t fall as long as he kept his promise. Pedal harder! he yelled. Don’t let go! I yelled back. I pushed down hard on the right pedal and the left one swung to the top so I pushed down on that one, too. It was easier now, the pedals feeling less like walking in mud and more like treading water. The handle bars evened out. I was at the bottom of the drive-way now, my brother running along behind me. Onto the street now. Going faster and faster. I took a chance, took my eyes off the road, turned my head to see my brother. There he was. Half a block away, at the bottom of the driveway. He broke his promise. But I was riding on my own. I celebrated with a loop around the block. My first taste of freedom.

Three Minutes Whooping it Up

Normanday #73: Don’t forget the balloons.

Write for three minutes about…

…a celebration.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day April 28 (put “Norman Has a Green Thumb” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…going fishing.

Tren Rewy Steb

I tied a shoelace to the end of a stick. I tied a fishhook to the end of the shoelace. On the fishhook, no worm. I didn’t have the heart. I rolled my big inner tube into the lake. Slipping my legs through the center and sitting on the ring’s sun-warmed edge, I kicked my legs to propel myself backwards toward Florida. My brother and I had seen fish hover beneath the flat moss-covered rock we named after a state we had never visited. The shoelace, weighted with the hook, sank into the water. My brother had laughed. The fish will see the shoelace, he said. The fish will want a worm, he said. I ignored him, until I needed his help to remove the fish from the wormless hook tied to the end of a shoelace tied to the end of a stick.

Three Minutes on a Fishing Trip

Normanday #72: One day I went fishing for compliments.

Write for three minutes about…

…going fishing.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day April 21 (put “Norman Makes Thunder When He Sneezes” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…a rock.

Tren Rewy Steb

My brother showed me how to pick the best rocks. They had to be flat, he said. The flatter the better. We were in luck. The lake shore was littered with rocks like thin, flaky wafers. They had to be round on the edges, he said. The rounder the better. We were in luck. The flat flaky wafer rocks were brittle and the edges could be broken away until the rock was the right shape. You had to swing your arm like you were throwing a Frisbee underhand. He demonstrated. His rock skimmed the lake, lightly as a water strider, lifting off the surface for a moment before touching down again several feet away. On and on the slip of rock skipped until it almost seemed to reach the opposite shore. Now you try, he said. I found a flat rock. I held it, my forefinger curved around its already rounded edge. I bent my knees as I extended my arm to keep the rock low and send it sailing. It hit the water and…sank.

Three Minutes Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Normanday #71: I walk my pet rock three times a day.

Write for three minutes about…

…a rock.

Email what you wrote to woof at bright dot net by the end of the day April 14 (put “Norman Makes Delicious Waffles” in the subject line). I’ll post as many of my favorite entries as I want next Monday. Include your first name (or, even better, use a pen name) and age (unless you’re tortoise-old). If you’re a published children’s or young adult writer, include a biography to be posted with your entry.

Here is the single entry from last week when I asked you to write for three minutes about…

…stormy weather.

Tren Rewy Steb

First the wind comes in gusts. Not quite a warning. More of a hint. You pull me inside and soon we’re in bed, you curled by my feet on top of the blanket. The wind presses against the window. There’s a rumble of thunder, and another, and another. Flashes of light follow. Suddenly a sound like ice cracking in a glass of warm soda sends you scurrying under the covers. Cuddled safely under the covers we listen to the storm together and drift to sleep.