Read, Write, Repeat.

Twilight fans are everywhere. They’ve read all the books and seen the first two movies. But chances are they might be feeling a little … lost now.

What can they do while they wait for their next fix?

They might want to consider learning more about Twilight author Stephenie Meyer by reading a book written by Wisconsin author Lisa Rondinelli Albert. It’s called Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight Saga (Enslow Publishers, 2009).

Here, Lisa shares what it was like to write a biography of one of the best-known writers in the world today.  And how she interviewed Stephenie Meyer’s prom date.

Had you read any of the Twilight books before you were assigned to write Stephenie Meyer’s biography?
Yes! In fact, I bought Twilight for my daughter and we both became hooked. I pre-ordered New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, and it was the day of the Breaking Dawn release party that I was offered the contract to write Stephenie’s biography.

How did you approach researching the book? How many sources did you use? How long did it take?
I was on a fast deadline. I negotiated the contract Aug. 1, 2009 and had five months to turn it in for my Jan. 1 deadline. The publisher set the release date for July 1, so it was intense, but exciting.

I wasn’t able to get an interview with Stephenie, but I did make contact with her high school prom date and obtained never before seen prom photos. Stephenie hadn’t even seen the photo we use in the book until I put Kemery (her prom date) and her in touch. 

I also interviewed several fans who had had contact with Stephenie and they provided photos as well. Overall though, I relied on newspaper, magazine and television interviews for the majority of my research.

Twilight is such a huge national phenomenon. Did that make it easier or harder to write your book?
Both! It was easy because I had hundreds of interviews and articles to read. It was hard for the same reason, though! Hundreds of articles meant reading a lot of the same information over and over and trying to find interesting, kid-friendly tidbits to present in a fresh way.

What was the most interesting or unexpected thing you learned while working on the book?
That I really could get up at 5 a.m. in order to meet my deadline! Oh … you mean about Stephenie? The fact that she put Midnight Sun, the final installment of the Twilight saga, up on her Web site is pretty cool. Since it was leaked and floating around the Internet anyway, I think it was smart of her to take control back and offer it to her readers on her own terms.

Did all the teens and pre-teens you know suddenly think you were much cooler than before when your book came out?
There might be a few who think I’m a little cooler and it’s definitely been fun to talk Twilight with them!

Tell us a little about the rest of your work.
I have two other nonfiction books with Enslow Publishers – Lois Lowry: The Giver of Stories & Memories (2008) and So You Want to Be a Film or TV Actor? (2008). Both of those titles were fun to write and research, too.

My YA novel, Mercy Lily, is under consideration with several publishers right now. It’s a thought-provoking novel that deals with assisted suicide, veterinary euthanasia, and quality of life issues. In addition to young-adult novels, I also write picture books and middle grade/tween novels. I’m currently working on a funny, light-hearted novel for tweens that I have series hopes for. I’m represented by Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and feel very fortunate to be in such great hands!

And, finally, Team Edward or Team Jacob? Why?
Jacob! On paper I loved his character’s sincerity and devotion. That feeling remained when I saw the movie, but add in those abs and … Hello! Team Jacob!

Thanks, Lisa!

If you’d like to know more about what Lisa has in store, visit her Web site.

If a panda and a polar bear managed to meet, could they become friends?

In Panda & Polar Bear by Matthew J. Baek (Dial, 2009), a wandering polar bear cub finds out.

The action starts when he accidentally falls off a cliff and lands in a mud puddle.

The mud splotches make him look like a panda bear. So when the muddy polar bear meets a meandering panda cub, confusion reigns. Would the panda cub still like him if he knew he was really a polar bear? And what will happen when the dirt washes off?

Want to know more? Let’s hear from today’s guest reviewer:

Our reviewer: Maureen

Age: 6

I like: My dog, Smidgey. And, to read, to write and to play.

This book was about: A panda bear and a polar bear who meet each other.

The best part was when: The panda fell over because he couldn’t think any more.

I laughed when: The panda fell over.

I was worried when: The polar bear fell off the cliff.

I was surprised that: They were at the zoo.

This book taught me: Not to go to the edges of things that are high.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: When the polar bear gets mud on him and he looks like panda.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Funny. “Good.” “Friends.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “So he thought, and thought, and thought, until he couldn’t think anymore.”

You should read this book because: It is funny.

This book was a 2009 Junior Library Guild selection.

If you’d like to learn more about the author and illustrator — who also created Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear! – visit Matthew J. Baek’s Web site or the site of his illustration representative, Donna Rosen.

Meet Max. He’s 8.  He like books.

He especially likes books with characters named Max. So he was happy to review Max and the Dumb Flower Picture by Martha Alexander (Charlesbridge, 2009).

And it’s a book worth reviewing. It was started by Martha Alexander, who wrote more than 60 children’s books, before she died in 2006 at age 85. She left the text and unfinished sketches, which illustrator James Rumford completed.

The book tells the story of Max, whose teacher has the class color in flower pictures to give to their moms on Mother’s Day. The students all color happily — except Max. He knows his mother would prefer a hand-drawn picture much more than a colored-in picture someone else drew. He stomps and sulks and leaves the room.

What happens when Max decides to color outside the lines? Let’s ask the real Max.

Guest reviewer: Max

Age: 8

I like: Playing video games, playing soccer and doing stuff with my brother, Will, like playing outside and making snow forts together.

This book was about: A boy named Max and his teacher. She told the class to color a picture of a flower, but he thought it was dumb and that his mom wouldn’t like it. So he ran away with his crayons and the picture of the dumb flower and he drew his own flower picture instead.

The best part was when: Max ran away and hid behind the bushes.

I laughed when: Max thought the flower picture he was supposed to color was dumb.

I was surprised when: All the moms liked the pictures that their kids made for them.

The book taught me: That it is OK to be creative and share your own ideas.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: What the children did after Max showed them his drawing.

Three words that describe this book are: “Creative.” “Flowers.” “Mother’s Day.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “The children ran back to the classroom. They got right to work.”

You should read this book because: It encourages you to be creative.

To reinforce Martha’s vision that all anyone needs to be creative is a blank sheet of paper and some imagination, the book’s endpapers are decorated with flowers drawn by Martha’s friends and family.

There are flowers from her sisters, her son, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. Flowers from the book’s editors and designers, other authors and artists, friends and admirers. There’s even a blank spot readers can draw their own flower pictures.

You can learn more about Martha by visiting the Charlesbridge Web site or by reading her many wonderful books.

Vampire books are popular. The Twilight series may have started the trend, but there are many other vampire books to give enthusiasts their latest fix.

Today on Read, Write, Repeat, Natalie reviews a book about a different kind of vampire. One who’s not interested in blood. Instead, Cassandra Gray needs tears to survive.

In Patrick Jones’ The Tear Collector (Walker Books for Young Readers, 2009) teen-age Cassandra relies on human sorrow to live. But Cass has two problems. She’s tired of forcing drama in her high school just to get the tears she needs. And, she’s finally met a boy whose heart she doesn’t want to break.

Our guest reviewer: Natalie, 12.

I like: Figure skating, reading books, hanging out with my friends, computers and chocolate. 

The book was about: A vampire-like girl named Cassandra who needed tears and sadness (instead of blood) to survive. Cassandra is tired of sacrificing for her family when she meets a boy named Scott.

The best part was when: Cassandra meets Scott and Samantha at school and they all become friends. 

I laughed when: I didn’t really laugh because it wasn’t a funny book.  But, it was a very good book.

I was worried when: Cassandra’s cousin, Alexei, comes to visit saying he would get revenge on Cassandra.

I was surprised that: Alexei would spend so much time and would go so far to put Scott in danger.

This book taught me: To fight for something important to you and to be who you want to be. 

Other kids reading this book should watch for: What the news articles say and how they connect with Cassandra.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Suspenseful,” “exciting” and “interesting.”

You should read this book because:  The author used a new creature instead of vampires. I liked that the book was different than a regular vampire novel. 

Thanks, Natalie!

If you’d like to learn more about this book, check out the book trailer on YouTube or visit the book’s Web site. There’s an interview with author Patrick Jones at this site.

I like lists.

Whenever I take those personality tests, I come out as a confirmed list-maker. I think it gives me the illusion that I have some level of control over my life.

Plus, there’s something so satisfying about crossing off an item on my list. It’s over. Done. Time to move on.

I hesitate to admit this, but I’m even one of those people who will add items I’ve already completed to a list just so I can cross them off.

Lately, I’ve seen lots of posts and articles and heard lots of conversations about words that annoy people. Maybe they’re over-used. Maybe they show the user is trying too hard. Maybe they’re words that break commonly held beliefs about proper language use (turning a noun or adjective into a verb, for example). Maybe they’re just … really stupid.

Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, even puts out an annual list of words it thinks should be banished. The 2010 list includes nods to pop culture (“chillaxin’”) politics (“stimulus”) and corporate life (“transparency” and “shovel-ready”).

My personal list of words that should be banished includes:

• Synergy – If people are really trying to sound impressive, they say “synergistic.”
• Utilize – Try “use” instead.
• Key – It’s fine as a noun, but adds no value as an adjective.
• Strategic – Sounds important, but is it really necessary?
• Within – “In” almost always works instead.
• Prior to – “Before” is much more conversational.
• Disconnect – OK if you’re discussing electricity, plumbing or computers. Not OK if you’re talking about ideas as in, “I sense a disconnect here.”

Please note that I’m talking about an ideal society. I know many of these words won’t go away. I edit articles every day that contain lots of these words. I try to reduce their use, but sometimes they’re still in the final copy. And I can live with that.

So here’s YOUR chance. What words would you be happy never to see in a manuscript or hear in conversation again?

One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that, to kids, underwear is intrinsically funny.

And while underwear isn’t the main focus of Florence Parry Heide’s Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated (Schwartz & Wade, 2009) it does add a few light moments to that book that today’s guest reviewer quickly picked up on.

What’s more, the book was one of several books recognized by the 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award committee. The committee honors the best picture book texts published in the United States in the preceding year. The award — administered by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, a children’s literature library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — is named for Charlotte Zolotow, a children’s book editor and author.

Anyway, Princess Hyacinth tells the story of, well, Princess Hyacinth. She’s a pretty normal princess with a problem. If she’s not wearing her special princess clothes with their gold and diamond weights, she floats away.

No one is quite sure why, but it does cause its share of problems. She can’t play in the park, go swimming or sleep in her bed. Hyacinth enjoys floating in the castle, but more than anything, she wants to float outside. What happens when she tries?

Let’s ask Sonia — if she can get past the underwear.

Our reviewer: Sonia

Age: 7

I like: Playing with my friends. Eating noodles. Snuggling with my blanket. Cuddling with my cat, Vince.

This book was about: Princess Hyacinth who floated. She can go up, up and away, but she doesn’t know how to get down. A boy – named Boy – helps her.

The best part was when: She floated up from her bed to the ceiling in the castle.

I laughed when: She took off her princess clothes and was in her royal underwear.

I was worried when: When she floated up into the sky outside.

I was surprised that: She got tangled up in Boy’s kite and he pulled her down.

This book taught me: Don’t go outside in your underwear.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The picture showing her all tied up so she won’t float away as she puts on her princess clothes.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Up,” “princess” and “float.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “‘Why can’t I float around outside?’ was a question Princess Hyacinth had asked six million times.” And, I liked the page that says, “I never knew the sky was so high” and shows Princess Hyacinth floating away with the balloons.

You should read this book because: It’s funny. And it shows her underwear.

And, really, what more do you need than that?

Learn more about author Florence Parry Heide. Learn more about illustrator Lane Smith.

Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone, and Valentine’s Day has yet to arrive. It’s cold and windy, and everyone needs a little pick-me-up.

That’s where Groundhog Day comes in.

Each Feb. 2, we pin our hopes for warmer weather on the small, furry groundhog. If the groundhog comes out of its burrow and doesn’t see its shadow, we expect winter to end soon. If, on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, we get ready for six more weeks of winter.

Wisconsin authors Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook liven this ritual up in their recently released picture book Ten Grouchy Groundhogs (December 2009, Cartwheel Books).

Here, they share how the book came to be.

How did you get the idea for Ten Grouchy Groundhogs?
As with many of our books, Debbie had the original idea. She had noticed there were almost no Groundhog Day books for very young children. She started with a rhyming draft in which a group of 10 groundhogs dwindled down to one as each little critter found a reason to leave the group.

In Debbie’s original draft, each groundhog was grouchy from beginning to end. For each groundhog that left the scene, a human character entered, until at the end of the story one groundhog remained along with a television crew of 10 people gathered to record whether the groundhog saw his shadow.

How did the story evolve? Did you try various approaches before finding one that worked?
We knew we wanted the story to be in rhyme, but we decided early on to leave the people out of the story and just concentrate on the groundhogs. We wanted to keep the idea of starting with 10 groundhogs and having them leave the den one by one.

Kate had the idea of introducing refrain-like phrases into each verse and having the groundhog attributes change from stanza to stanza. We liked the alliteration in the phrase “grouchy groundhog,” so we spent some time developing a list of adjectives starting with a hard-g sound – grinning, grubby, graceful, etc. In that way, we could create a different scene for each spread and give more personality to the groundhog characters.

Once Kate got the basic idea for the structure of each verse, the first serious draft flowed pretty smoothly. After that, it was just a matter of collaborative fine-tuning.

Your book is described as, “a hilarious countdown story about a den of grouchy, grubby, gobbling, gabby, giggly, groovy, graceful, glitzy, gleeful, groggy groundhogs getting ready for their great big day.” How do the groundhogs’ personalities drive the story?
It’s really more a matter of a group personality – at first, there is so little room in the den that we see 10 grouchy groundhogs; then nine grubby groundhogs, and so on. But as the den empties out, there’s more room for fun and we see scenes like those in which graceful groundhogs dance and groovy groundhogs sing.

But then at the end, when one groundhog has the whole den to himself, he’s lonely and grumpy and goes looking for his friends. We were aiming for two important aspects of each verse:  the hard-g adjective that would allow us to carry on the alliteration and an accompanying scene that would be lively and amusing.

You both work in schools. Did you design the book to be used in classrooms?
Absolutely, although we certainly hope that its appeal goes beyond the classroom. Debbie is a kindergarten teacher; Kate is a school psychologist and former special-ed teacher. It is almost impossible for us to conceive of a story that does not have educational underpinnings. Indeed, for most of the 10 books we’ve published, we can easily envision extension activities in the classroom, how the book fits into elementary curriculum, and how the vocabulary and other language aspects of the story support the young reader.

You’ve also written a Halloween book, Midnight Fright. Do you have more holiday books in the works?
Well, yes … but none that are currently under contract. We are in the process of submitting manuscripts for two other holidays that we feel are underrepresented in children’s literature.  Hoping for good news soon on this front.

How do you work together as writers? Do you set aside specific times to meet and write together? Or will one of you start something and then share it with the other for more ideas? What do you do if you disagree?
These are questions that we are asked ALL the time!!! We’ve been writing collaboratively since 1997, and we feel incredibly blessed that our writing partnership has endured and flourished!

 Our process can vary somewhat depending on the project, but it is often the case that Debbie has a creative idea that she develops in rough form. After some discussion and brainstorming about where we see the story going, Kate usually takes over on the more formal writing process leading to a first draft. There may be variations in how we approach the beginning stages of our projects, but in EVERY case, we are fully collaborating by the final drafts.

We are extremely disciplined about meeting one night a week to work together, and we have ‘homework’ assignments in-between. We keep in constant contact during the week through e-mail and voice mail. We both feel enormously privileged to be working with children on a daily basis. As a teacher, Debbie is immersed in the authentic activities, language, voice, interests, and developmental milestones particular to the young child. Besides her own personal and professional experiences with young children, Kate brings technical writing skills – and somewhat of a knack for rhyming – to the collaborative process.

After 12 years of writing together, we have such respect for each other’s talents and opinions that we rarely disagree. We have learned to be very open and accepting of each other’s ideas and suggestions because over and over again, it’s worked!

You’ve written picture books, early readers and bilingual books. How does your approach differ for each audience?
We learned long ago to start with the story and to write it in all its wordy glory, without regard to a particular audience. Once the story is written, we have a better idea of the audience that it seems to fit, and we begin to revise accordingly.   

Like most writers, we generally end up cutting about half the words from early drafts. For some genres, such as early readers and bilingual books, the text needs to be so very sparse that a great deal of paring is necessary. It’s at that point in the process that our approach may differ depending on our ultimate audience.

Finally, how do the two of you plan to celebrate Groundhog Day this year? And would you prefer more winter or an early spring?
We have some very exciting Groundhog Day plans!

For starters, we’ll be at Martha Merrell Bookstore in Waukesha, Wis. on Saturday, Jan. 23 in the afternoon, as part of “Janboree,” the city’s winter festival. We’ll be doing Groundhog activities with any big or little kids who happen along. Waukesha will be hopping that day, so come on by!

Then on Saturday, Jan. 30, we’ll be in Woodstock, Ill., where the movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed. The city celebrates Groundhog Day every year with a busy day of various activities. We’ll be doing morning and afternoon readings, book signings, and groundhog craft activities at an independent bookstore called Read Between the Lynes.

We’re also trying to arrange an appearance on the Milwaukee TV show “Morning Blend.”

As for our personal feelings about what we’d like those little groundhogs to predict … Debbie is hoping for an early spring, no later than end of February. Kate LOVES winter … until about Valentine’s Day … then bring on the tulips!

If you’d like to learn more about Debbie and Kate, visit their Web site. If you’d like to purchase Ten Grumpy Groundhogs, it’s available on Amazon.com, through the Scholastic Book Fair and at various bookstores, including Martha Merrell’s in Waukesha, Wis. and Read Between the Lynes in Woodstock, Ill.

What do YOU hope the grumpy groundhogs will predict? More winter or an early spring?

Matisse is an 11-year-old boy.

His mother, who named him, is head of security in an art museum.

His father, a self-proclaimed barbecue king, embarrasses Matisse by rolling a custom grill around the neighborhood.

And his sister? She’s OK as long as everything around her is purple.

Matisse isn’t completely normal, either. He’s a gifted painter, but he’d rather copy works by famous artists than make something original.

His fascination with reproductions gets Matisse into trouble. His day starts innocently enough. He copies a painting Henri Matisse made of his son, Pierre and then hangs his portrait in his mother’s museum. It’s only supposed to be there for a minute – just long enough for him to admire it on the wall – but a series of mishaps means his picture ends up displayed for longer than he intended.

And he doesn’t know how to switch it back.

Georgia Bragg, herself an artist, wrote Matisse on the Loose (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009). Here, she talks about how this middle-grade book came to be.                                         

You come from an artistic family. Were you a Henri Matisse fan from an early age?
I was a Henri Matisse fan, but my favorite artist was Edgar Degas because he painted dancers and horses, and those were things I enjoyed doing as a kid. Henri Matisse’s art is very childlike and it worked perfectly for my book. Matisse on the Loose is about an 11-year-old boy who hangs one of his own paintings in a Matisse exhibition at a museum –and no one notices. 

Your book is fiction, but it contains lots of references to actual artists, artwork and art facts. How did you approach the research for this book?
Research for the book was relatively easy. Growing up among artists, I had acquired some art knowledge. But I also borrowed many books about Henri Matisse from the library. Watching museum guards, and observing security features in museums was part of my research too, and it was a lot of fun. 

Are you an artist yourself? Have you ever tried copying a museum piece like Matisse does?
I was an artist before I was a writer. I did etchings, oil paintings and pencil drawings. I was also a storyboard artist for commercials and movies. Copying other artists is a great way to learn. As a beginning artist I copied Edward Hopper, N.C. Wyeth and David Levine’s pen drawings. 

Tell us a little about how this book went from idea to reality.
Two ideas merged together to make the story for Matisse on the Loose. The first one is that most artists dream of having their work up in a museum. And second, the funny thing about museums is that some of the artwork doesn’t look that hard to do. Haven’t you ever gone to a museum and thought, “Gee, I could paint that.”? So in a way it’s easy to imagine how a young boy can get away with putting his own painting up in a museum without anyone catching on. 

What future projects do you have in the works?
I have a non-fiction book coming out in 2010 called How They Croaked, published by Walker/Bloomsbury. It’s about how famous people died. My next novel, about a con artist, is almost finished. 

Anything else you’d like to add?
While writing Matisse on the Loose, I became fascinated with real-life art crimes that happen often in museums. On my Web site, there’s an Art Crime section tracking the latest art heists from around the world.