The Weekly 411 (11/8/24)

© Daniel J. Mahoney

 Nov. 8, 2024, vol. 45

The Weekly 411 gathers all the links added to Kidlit411 each week. To receive this post by email, sign up for our email updates. Are you on Facebook? Join our Kidlit411 group for conversations and camaraderie. This week's illustration is by Daniel J. Mahoney.

2 YA Book Giveaway

We are pleased to host a giveaway of two YA novels, The Davenports: More Than This (Dial Books, out Nov. 12), and the instant New York Times bestseller, The Davenports, by Krystal Marquis featuring escapist romance and a wealthy Black family in 1910s Chicago. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

About the The Davenports: The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States, their fortune made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it's 1910, and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they’re not supposed to.

There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married . . . until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it’s with her sister’s suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen’s brother, John. But Olivia’s best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can’t seem to keep his interest . . . until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.

Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love.

 

About The Davenports: More Than This:  Like the blazing Chicago sun, the drama is heating up for the Davenports and their social set. Before the summer of 1910 drops its last petal, the lives—and loves—of these four young women will change in ways they never could have imagined:

     Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin. 

 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Middle Grade Giveaway

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the middle grade fantasy, Between Monsters and Marvels, by Alysa Wishingrad (HarperCollins) (Crystal and Golden Kite finalist, School Library Journal starred review), out now. Enter to win a copy via the Rafflecopter below!

Art by George Ermos, design by Joel Tippi

About the Book: Monsters are still lurking on Barrow’s Bay. Dare Coates is sure of it. No drifter or ruffian could have killed her father, the Captain of the Guard, while he was on patrol. But everyone insists that monsters have been gone for years now. Dare’s mother. Her classmates. Even the governor, who swiftly marries her mother just months after her father’s death. Dare’s suspicions grow even stronger when the governor suddenly ships her off to the mainland, away from any hope of uncovering the truth about her father’s death. Or so she thinks. Soon Dare finds solid proof that monsters still exist and she starts to question everything she’s always known. Was her father who she thought he was? Who can she trust? Where is the line between good and evil? The truth hides behind danger and deception. But with the help of an unlikely crew of cohorts and a stray beastie, nothing can stop Dare from finding out what happened to her father and exposing who the real monsters are. 

About the Author: Alysa Wishingrad writes fantastical stories for young readers, tales that ask: Is the truth really true? Her favorite stories are those that meld the historical with the fantastic and that find ways to shine a light on both the things that divide and unite us all. The Verdigris Pawn, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, was her debut novel. Alysa lives in the Hudson Valley with her family and two demanding rescue dogs. You can find her at alysawishingrad.com or on Instagram at @alysawishingradwrites.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writing Courses

Nov. 11 12:30 - 2 pm ET Developing a Premise for Serialized Fiction Unlock the secrets of creating compelling, episodic stories for young readers! In this interactive workshop with Marcie Colleen, you'll explore the art of developing a series with engaging characters and captivating narratives that keep kids coming back for more. Whether you're writing early readers, chapter books, or comics, this workshop will provide the tools you need to plan, write, and sustain stories that hook young readers from start to finish. Perfect for aspiring and experienced writers alike! Handout included.

Nov. 21, 4:00 p.m. CST/ 5:00 p.m. EST Writing a Picture Book That Will Sell: Three Points of Entry  Virtual Workshop Led by FSG BYR Senior Executive Editor, Joy Peskin, and Hosted by Rosie J. Pova. Does Your Story Have Enough Points of Entry? As a children’s book editor with 25+ years of experience working with top publishers like Penguin, Scholastic, and Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, I seek out picture books with three solid points of entry. This approach offers three compelling reasons for someone to buy your book. Learn from real examples (of picture books I've edited), practical techniques (to incorporate three points of entry to strengthen your story's marketability, and actionable outcomes (a clearer approach to pitch your book, refine your story, or start a new project with a three-point entry strategy.)

Dec. 5 1 - 2:30 pm ET The Power of Throughlines  Throughlines can be used in picture books or novels, fiction or nonfiction, and can get across theme, add to character development, create a mood, and even communicate the heart of your writing. In this session with Rob Sanders, you’ll discover how a throughline is developed, observe examples of single and layered throughlines, see throughlines in action in mentor texts, and explore throughlines in your own writing. Bring a drafted picture book, the first chapter of your novel, or two or three poems handy to use in writing activities during the session.

For Writers

Shy, Depressed, Grieving, and Adrift Characters Still Need to Be Active

Picture Books

How To Write A Rhyming Picture Book  

Rhyming Picture Books: For Those Who Must 

How To Write Meaningful Children's 

Writing Read Aloud Picture Books

Picture Book Structure

Middle Grade

Middle Grade v. Young Adult 

Middle Grade Novel Outline

Components of Middle-Grade Novels

Revisions

How to Self Edit Your Novel

The Most Organized Way to Revise a Novel (+ Free Revision Kickstart Guide)