How Well Do You Know Your Children's Books?

Can you name the children's book that these first lines are from?  

(Thanks to those Facebookians who contributed their favorite first lines.)

CAN YOU NAME THAT BOOK?

1.  "Where's papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.  (submitted by Rebecca Puglisi and Helen Aitken)

2.  "Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water."  (submitted by Dawn Malone)

3.  "It was a dark and stormy night."  (submitted by Heidi Estrin) 

4.  "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."  (Submitted by Herb Levine.)

5.  ” If you happen to go to school just outside London, you might find yourself sitting next to a girl called Bindi."  (submitted by Littlepinkstars Reads)

6.  "I am on my mountain in a tree home that people have passed without ever knowing that I am here."  (submitted by Paul May)

7.  "Zeke's tree wouldn't speak to him."  (submitted by Cheri Williams)

To check your answers, read the first comment.  And feel free to share YOUR favorite first lines in the comment section.

Mini Writing Conference -- 6-1/2 Lists of Advice from Editors, Agents, Authors and a Really Cool Kid

We added a new feature this past year at Wild About Words -- 6-1/2 Lists of wise advice from agents, editors, pumpkin carvers, etc.

I've gathered the year's worth of blog posts here for a free mini writing conference. Hope you find something useful, inspiring . . . and fun.

MINI WRITING CONFERENCE . . .

1. Lauren Tarshis -- What Makes a Good Short Story (Lauren is the editor of Scholastic's Storyworks Magazine. Not only is she an excellent editor, she is also the author of several books, including Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and the I Survived . . . series.)

2. Kate Messner -- How to Survive a Skype Visit (Kate is a teacher, Skype visit expert and author. Her newest novel is Sugar and Ice, which is an Amazon Best Book for December.)

3. Tina Wexler -- Ways to Impress and Agent (I'm grateful to call Tina my agent and my friend. She'll return to I.C.M., International Creative Management, in January, after her maternity leave.)

4. Cynthia Lord -- Secrets to Successful School Visits (This year, Cindy had 70 events to promote her TWO new books -- Hot Rod Hamster and Touch Blue. Cindy is a Newbery Honor Award recipient for her novel, Rules.)

5. Paul May -- Funny List of Things to Do While Waiting for an Editor or Agent to Call (Paul is not only a talented writer, fun friend and fantastic family guy, he recently took on the post of critique group coordinator for SCBWI Florida. Thank you, Paul!)

6. Cynthia Leitich Smith -- How to Promote Your Book Like a Pro (Cynthia's blog, Cynsations, is a great resource for the children's writing and illustrating community. She's celebrating the release of her new picture book, Holler Loudly.)

7. David LaRochelle -- Ways to Carve a Fantastic Pumpkin (Besides carving pumpkins, David has TWO new books out this year -- 1+1=5: And Other Unlikely Additions and Minnesota's Hidden Alphabet. I'm a big fan of his novel, Absolutely, Positively Not, which won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.)

8. Austin Towle -- Things I Wish Authors of Books for Kids My Age Knew (This post, written by a 13-year-old, received the most comments!)


I hope you enjoyed this mini writing conference. Look for more 6-1/2 Lists in 2011!

New to Use . . .

Yikes! Lots going on at Wild About Words.

1. Thanks to Nathan Bransford for mentioning 6 1/2 Book Promotion Tips by the amazing Cynthia Leitich Smith. And thanks to Cynthia for sharing her expertise!

2. Exciting 6 1/2 Lists are on the horizon. Agent, Tina Wexler from I.C.M. Talent, will be sharing tips. And Paul May shares his funny list about what waiting for "the call" is like for a writer.

3. Hurry! Win a copy of AS IF BEING 12 3/4 ISN'T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! in paperback from GOODREADS. (Contest expires, um, right this minute.) Or buy a hardback copy for a strangely low price. (Great way to get in good with your kid's teacher this fall -- donate a copy to the classroom library.)

4. Looks like there might be some exciting book news to share soon. But right now -- Shhhh! -- it's a secret.

5. Finally, this sweet girl posted about a billion . . . or maybe a zillion clips on YouTube of her reading HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I love this for many reasons.

A. The book is about a boy who creates videos for YouTube, and I'd hoped young readers would connect with that element and be inspired to create their own videos.

B. I can't imagine how much time she spent doing this.

C. She looks like I did at that age, except I didn't wear glasses . . . yet.

D. Check out her fun yellow nail polish!