René Saldaña, Jr.

Great Review of The Lemon Tree Caper!

2012-01-16T21:24:00.001-08:00

Hey, here's a great review of The Lemon Tree Caper: A Mickey Rangel Mystery, the second in that series. I'm so happy about it: http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/jan_12.htm.

Headed Down to the RGV!

2011-12-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well, the family and I are headed down to South Texas for Christmas. The boys will be seeing their 'Buelo and 'Buela for a few days, hanging out with the Raymers, the Costales all the way from Hawaii, the Rincones, and a few other folks from back in the day. Also, Friday night from 8PM to around 11PM, I'm joinging Daniel Garcia Ordaz and a few other poets and writers at Carinos in McAllen for a reading. It's like a flash mob, put together by Daniel on the spur of the moment, so thanks to El Mariachi for getting it done.

I'm reading out of Finding Our Way, the now out of print title, and selling copies, talking about my new chapter book, the bilingual The Lemon Tree Caper: A Mickey Rangel Mystery, and possibly reading some other stuff. Maybe a poem or two. Selling and signing copies on the spot, too.

The Lemon Tree Caper Cover is IN!!!

2011-06-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Though it's not due out until October of 2011, I thought I'd give you a taste of my next book. This is the second appearance for Mickey Rangel in his bilingually formatted mystery series. I've got to hand it to Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books, they put out some good covers. Artwork on this and the previous one is by Giovanni Mora.

The Absolute Value of Mike

2011-05-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine (Mockingbird) is a novel about this 14 almost 15 year old boy named Mike, who is sent to spend the summer with his great aunt and uncle, Moo and Poppy, resepctively, because his distant genius father is going abroad to teach in Romania and he isn't allowed to take unsupervised kids with him. At first, to be honest, I didn't care for the story. It was a bit too quirky. Moo, nearly blind but in denial, has named her truck Tyrone, and misses being in one wreck after another, seemingly magically; Poppy sits like a statue in his livingroom, depressed at the loss of his son; Past, a homeless guy, has eyes like Bono's (the U2 frontman) and exhudes all kinds of wisdom; there are three guys called the Three Stooges; and one more quirky character after another. But the story eventually grew on me. The town is helping Karen, the town minister who also has lost a husband, to adopt a boy from Romania (a coincidence that Mike's dad is teaching there) named Misha (also a coincidence that Misha stands for Mike). But Mike, a kid, makes it all happen, after some turmoil. All in all, it's a good read.

Q&A with Nancy/Stella's 7th Grade Readers!

2011-05-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Q: What age were you when you wrote a book?

RS: When I wrote my first book, The Jumping Tree, that Delacorte/Random House published in 2001, I was in my late 20s. I had promised myself that I'd get my first book out by the time I was 30. I'd read in college (Bob Jones University) that my favorite writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, had told himself he'd publish his first book by 21 or around then, and he did. I was already passed this age so I just rounded up. And I did. Kind of. I was 29 or 30 when the book was contracted.

Q: What do you do when you run out of ideas?

RS: I don't think we can run out of ideas. The world is too full of material from which to pick to write about. I'll pay attention to everything and everyone around me, I jot down in my writer's notebook or put in the back of my mind, the stuff I find the most interesting. When I need an idea for a story or a poem, I go back to my notebook or think about what I've seen, smelled, heard, touched and decide, this detail/person/etc. is where I'll start. And I go from there. In Finding Our Way, for instance, in "SylvieSylvieSylvie" there's a scene where the main character is explaining, in his own way, part of why he's the way he is; it's the flashback where he remembers his mom screaming and beating on his sisters. I took that from a magazine picture I'd cut out of a magazine.

Q: What is the hardest part of becoming an author?

RS: You've got to be patient. Few are he examples of a person who picks up a pen one day, writes a story or poem or article, having never done so before, and within a month sells that piece. For me, it was around 10 years before I published something. It was a poem. And it wasn't easy street after that one. It took a while longer before I published something else. But all the while I kept telling myself, "Rene, this is worthwhile. Keep it up. You won't regret it." The hardest part, then, is all the rejection you'll get at the outset, because it is hurtful for editors to keep telling you no, no, no, we don't like your work. But you persist, you keep going back to the drawing board, you keep making your stuff better, and one way or another all that hard work'll pay off.

Q: How do you know when your stories are completely perfect?

RS: I don't know it. I'll think I'm finished with a story, and on re-reading it, I find something, huge or small that can get better. And that's the idea of revision: to make the story better, clearer for my readers to get fully, or as fully as one can without being the writer. In the story "Alternative," for example (which is one of my favorite stories to read aloud to groups of students), after the book came out, I was reading it to an audience and in the moment I realized it could be better, so I stopped partway into my reading, pulled out my pen, and made the change I wanted to make. Then I re-read it and kept going. I'm retyping that same story in the hopes of publishing it in another book, and guess what? I'm making changes again. You'll remember the part that talks about technology: Atari/Playstation becomes texting and messaging. But also some bigger stuff. I'm considering mentioning Arturo's dad, because a student once pointed out that I hadn't included a dad and was that part of why Arturo is the way he is. I haven't decided to make him a dad very much in his life or a dead-beat dad.

Hey, if I'm ever in Chicago and I've got a couple hours off, I'll make sure to drop by. I'm coming in November for a conference, but my time there is taken up all the way through. But some other time. You'll have to keep in touch, keep reading my books, keep reading other people's books, and just maybe, right?

Later.

Almost Awards/Honors for A Good Long Way

2011-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, though my novel didn't get the award for the Texas Institute of Letters' award for YA novels, I was a finalist, the only finalist (the winner was Dotie Enderlie), and The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College chose A Good Long Way as an Honor Book for the 2011 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. They write: "Our judges were very impressed by your book and felt it deserved special recognition." How very cool is that.

But Good News for Sure: The Lemon Tree Caper's Got a Pub Date

2011-04-20T20:07:00.001-07:00

The next in the Mickey Rangel detective series (the first being The Case of the Pen Gone Missing/El caso de la pluma perdida) is due out in October 2011. It's called The Lemon Tree Caper/La intriga del limonero. Soon enough I'll see the artwork for the cover. Here's the suggestion I submitted to Pinata for it (forgive the very basic artwork):

News (Bad or Good?) on Finding Our Way: Stories

2011-04-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Got news last week or two that my collection of stories, Finding Our Way (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House) is going out of print, hardback and paper. It's a sad note, but I can spin it positive if I want: I've always wanted to see a story from it, "The Dive," side by side its partner story, "Jump Away," that's appeared in an anthology called Every Man for Himself (edited by Nancy Mercado) and in Boy's Life, the Boy Scout's magazine, so this might be my chance. The ideal: to take "The Dive," "Alternative," and "Finding Our Way" from it, and throw them together with other stories that've appeared in several anthologies and others that've never appeared anywhere before, for a total of some 12-14 stories. Any takers?

Great News for A Good Long Way!

2011-03-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

My most recent novel, A Good Long Way (Pinata Books, 2010), pictured at top left, has just been announced as a finalist (1 of 14 titles) for ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year award in the YA category. What an honor! They'll award gold, silver, and bronze prizes in each category. My book is in the Young Adult category. I'm overjoyed for the book and for Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books who took on the project. Check out the rest of the finalists at www.bookoftheyearawards.com/finalists/2010/category/young-adult-fiction.

Victor Martinez, Author of Parrot in the Oven, has passed away.

2011-02-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

Sad news indeed. His novel for young adults, Parrot in the Oven, Mi vida, is among my favorites. It is heavy with theme and symbolism, and what an honest and harsh and beautiful story. Read it! Again and again. It's that good.

For a great personal write up, read Rigoberto Gonzalez's piece on his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=625332529#!/note.php?note_id=10150180808038056&id=23653221870.

Another Great Review of A Good Long Way

2011-02-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

From Midwest Book Review: http://www.midwestbookreview.com/lbw/feb_11.htm (this'll get you to the whole page on which you'll find a ton of reviews; either click on the Fiction Shelf link in the table of contents, or scroll way way way down until you get to Fiction Shelf titles, and you'll find mine there. Or, here's the individual review:

A Good Long Way
Rene Saldana
Pinata Books
c/o Arte Publico
452 Cullen Performance Hall, Houston, TX 77204-2004
9781558856073, $10.95
www.artepublicopress.com

Adulthood comes at many kids like a pile of bricks. "A Good Long Way" follows three teenagers as they come to terms with their lives. Beto leaves home after clashing with his father one too many times and looks to Jessy for guidance on living on his own, no longer caring for school. Roel, Beto's brother, struggles with the conflicts of his father and trying to make his own way in the world. A story of growing up all too quickly, "A Good Long Way" is a solid and very highly recommended read (emphasis mine).

Cover Art for Great Antho: You Don't Have a Clue

2011-02-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Anthologist/Poet Sarah Cortez has edited a book of detective/mystery stories for teens called You Don't Have a Clue. I've got a story in it titled "Right Size," and it's due out in April. Check out the cover:

Down Home Coverage of A Good Long Way

2011-02-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

So it's not the La Joya/Penitas Times, nor the Monitor, but it is a Valley paper (the Brownsville Herald). Thanks for it, Travis. Nice meeting you by phone a couple weeks back:
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/roelito-122498-good-way.html

Review of A Good Long Way out of San Anto

2011-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/That-pivotal-moment-before-adulthood-981716.php

Here's the latest review. So far so good.

Currently Reading...

2011-01-25T07:08:00.000-08:00

Ofelia Dumas Lachtman's The Summer of El Pintor, the first in the Monica Ramos series (apologies: I couldn't find a quick image of this book). A few posts below I write about her other works. Man! How could I not have read her before! She needs to be in classrooms at the older elementary levels (Call Me Consuelo) and middle and high school classrooms.

Not To Be Outdone, Mikah...

2011-01-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

Not to be outdone by his older brother, though inspired by him, Mikah, too, does comics and mixed media art. The first he calls "Portrait of Daddy," or something like that. The next is his "comic," though looking carefully at it, you see that there is no storyline from panel to panel, BUT he did tell individual stories, full blown and including rabbit trails, with each panel.

Lukas' First Full-color Comic

2011-01-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

Though a bit on the "old" side (meaning, from the end of his Kindergarten year), here's Lukas' first full-color comic. The assignment came with like two weeks to go before the end fo the school year, and it was a kind of free-write/free time the teacher gave the students. Lukas showed up with this after school and told me the story that unfolds from panel to panel. He loves all things Star Wars/Clone Wars, and this is his vision of a battle between the Droids and the Clones Warriors, Captain Rex et al. Just the other day I showed it to him and, once he'd thought about the work some, he was able to tell me the same story, basically. It's grown some since then, but so has he. I should expect huger stories from him.

Audio of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery

2011-01-18T07:11:00.001-08:00

So here's a first for me: an audio version of one of my books, The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery, in Spanish and English.

I'm excited. So much so I put it on for my boys to listen to the other day: Lukas was on his DS playing one of his games and I thought he wasn't listening (keyword: thought), and Mikah started out listening (keywords: started out). Mikah maybe listened through chapter one, maybe part of two, but he was more intrigued by the psycadelic images on the computer screen than the story itself. When he wandered away from the computer, I said, "Okay, I guess I'll turn off my story." But Lukas said no, that he was listening to it, and sure enough, he was. There's mention of a trinket bracelet in chapter one, that later becomes a part of the unraveling of the mystery, and when I asked him its significance, he was able to tell me ("No," he said, "she's lying b/c it wasn't her grandmother who gave it to her but the bad guy, her boyfriend."). He was listening. But at just over 40 minutes, even my story wasn't enough to keep him onboard. He, too, wandered away for the final chapter. It's a good read. Get a copy at http://www.loritobooks.com/ or friend Lorito Books on Facebook.

A Quick Reading of A Good Long Way on YouTube

2010-12-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

So, Jose B. Gonzalez one of the founding members of LatinoStories.com (an awesome resource for all things Latino/a and literature, so link to it, will you!) taped me reading from my latest short novel, A Good Long Way, and summarizing the rest of it. Click on the following link to check it out, then head straight to his site to check out what all he's got going:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76HzZoHROhw

This was in Orlando at NCTE's annual convention. The guy is super generous, first to do this work for authors who aren't doing it themselves, myself included, and also because it was one take after another that he had to do to get even this clumsy couple of minutes. So, my hat's off to you, Jose! Mil gracias!

Ofelia Dumas Lachtman and the Mystery Novel

2010-12-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

Looking for La Unica by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman
(Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books, 2004)

I was only recently introduced to the work of Ofelia Dumas Lachtman by Marina Tristan at Arte Publico, after I asked if she knew of any detective/mystery novels out there for children or young adults by Mexican American writers. She said, "Oh, sure, there's this author we publish." She put a few of Lachtman's titles in the mail for me, and though I'm a horribly slow reader, I finally finshed Looking for La Unica (the follow-up to The Summer of El Pintor). In Unica, Monica Ramos is spending her first summer on Lucia Street where she and her dad have moved to after he lost his job in the D.C. area. She is conflicted about her new home because on the one hand it isn't her old posh neighborhood where she'd been friends with some of the girls from school but it is the place where her mother grew up. Curious like she is, she doesn't have to look for mysteries to solve, they simply find her. In this one, La Unica goes missing. Come to find out, La Unica is a guitar, but not just any guitar: it has been in the Salcedo family for a couple of generations, the product of a forefather master-guitarmaker. Accused of being one of the thieves, Monica will discover the real rat in order to prove to Mr. Salcedo that he couldn't be more wrong in putting the blame on her. The search is on, and Monica finds way more than what she sets out for originally.

So, I'll get to The Summer of El Pintor sometime during the Christmas Holidays, but right now I'm reading another of Lachtman's novels, Call Me Consuelo, a mystery for slightly younger readers than Unica as Consuelo is herself 12 years old.

You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys

2010-12-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon G. Flake

I finished Flake's second collection that works as a companion to her first collection, Who Am I Without Him? This one focuses on boys, while the first one deals with the lives of girls. She also includes poems in this latest work documenting snippets of boys existences. I have to be honest: I wasn't as impressed by this book as I was Who Am I Without Him? There doesn't seem to be the depth there is in the previous title. There is the first poem, from the perspective of multiple young men, each asserting his respective existence, that I like. If you visit Flake's internet site, you'll find a video made by five young men who perform the poem, and it is that much more powerful because you can see the different voices (that is, who is speaking) as well as hear them. And for me, only one of the stories is memorable: "My Hood." It is about two best friends on a day out in North Philly's heat. The two boys make their way to a fire in the area, take a dip in a pool without the family's permission, join a craps session, meet up with some fine Philly girls, eat and dance at a block party, swim in a local pool, watch a fireworks show, then head home. It might not seem like much of a story, but it is about friendship of the best kind: the narrator describes his friendship with Elliot, a kid with fire and emotional issues: "This is why I like Elliott. He's braver than I am. Funny and loyal, too. You can't give up on someone like that just because their mind don't work like yours" (163). The story takes place on July the 4th in Philadelphia. It can't be about anything but independence.

The collection as a whole doesn't necessarily work for me, but the tidbits that I do like, I like a lot.

New Work Accepted

2010-11-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

I got word today that my second in the Mickey Rangel detective series, tentatively titled The Lemon Tree Caper. This is very cool news. I had a ton of fun writing this one, getting Mickey on the case for a second time. Now to get to work on the next.

Also, with Arte Publico Press/Pinata Books: another collection of stories accepted, likely to be called Devil's Dance: Stories from Beyond. The stories are more contemporary takes on Mexican American cucuy legends: la llorona, la mano pachona, the devil at the dance, and the like. Hopefully this one will also come in a bilingual edition. More meant for middle and high school readers than something like Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and his more recent Kid Cyclone books, which I'd say are more for older elementary and middle school readers. But it'll be cool to be in the same space as him.

I have gotten started on my next book or story, like I posted before. It's very stream of consciousness for now, but it most likely not stay that way. I was on the plane back and took the couple pages I'd hand-written the day before and added another six or seven hand-written pages. I'm excited about it. More later.

NCTE/ALAN 2010 Orlando

2010-11-24T20:34:00.001-08:00

I shouldn't complain because ultimately the venue was easy to maneuver, if you can get over the idea of wanting to walk from where I'm staying (the Yacht Club) to where much of the action is taking place (the Coronado). I mean, the shuttle service was pretty good and always on time. Kudos to those drivers and organizers. But man, the weather was, for the most part, awesome and would that there would've been more forethought on keeping the show as green as could be. At times, I was one of two people on the buses traveling back and forth. TV stunk, for the most part, and it was kind of funny to walk into my room and see a Mickey head on one of the beds fashioned out of hand and face towels.

I'll tell you what: it was great seeing Chris Crowe again, Matt de la Pena, Dana Reinhardt, Janet Wong, Wendy Lamb, Adrienne Waintraub (as always, too cool for school!), Bill Broz (a very awesome co-presenter), Lyn Miller-Lachman, Steve Schneider, Lee Byrd, Benjamin Alire, and the list goes on and on and on. Cool meeting Amy (A.S.) King. Teri Lesesne. Kenan Metzger. James Blasingame. Walter, the Giant Heart. The folks at National Geographic School Publishing: Andy, Tamara, Ellen, and the crew. Marina Tristan at Arte Publico. More later as my memory refreshes.

Got lots of reading done, started on a new story (long or short? don't know--it hasn't defined itself yet in that regard). Had a novel pretty much rejected, but it serves as the impetus to get back to work on it, or on something else.

ALAN was great. I got to sit in on several of the sessions and a couple of the break-outs. Would love to be invited back. I think one of the highlights for me was being on a panel titled "It's a Guy Thing," moderated by Kenan Metzger. The other panelists included Martin Chatterton (a very hip British dude), Brent Crawford, Tom Angleberger, and Derrick Barnes. Tom was hilarious! Especially when he introduced the Shipless Pirates in his latest book. But Derrick was, to me, the highlight. He spook about a man's responsibility for his family and his community. And then on the plane back I got to read his latest novel, We Could Be Brothers, in which he writes about two boys, each from opposite ends of the social economic stratus, but they got each other's back, even through the toughest of situations. It's a must read.

One of a Few Reviews for A GOOD LONG WAY

2010-11-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/a-good-long-way/

Check it out. It's all good, I promise.

Pluma Fronteriza Interview

2010-11-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Check out my new interview about A Good Long Way with Pluma Fronteriza's Raymundo Rojas:

http://plumafronteriza.blogspot.com/2010/11/mas-than-menos-interview-with-rene.html.

And Kirkus, Booklist, Teri Lesesne, and ForeWord have all said very cool things about the novel. It's due out sometime soon. No specific date, but I understand it's at the printer's as I type this up. Technical issues kept it from coming out at the end of October.

A Good Long Way: The Final Cover

2010-08-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

So here's the final cover to my up-coming novel, A Good Long Way, due out at the end of October of this year (Piñata Books/Arte Público Press). I like it!

Monster Truck show at the Lubbock Motor Speedway!

2010-07-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

The boys, Lukas and Mikah, their friend Harley, Harley's dad, Harley's cousin Dylan, and I went to the MONSTER TRUCK show last Friday, a first for the Saldañas, and I can tell you what: it was loud and MONSTER FUN!!! Here are some pics:

Lukas and Mikah in the front left of 1/2 Pint

The Bounty Hunter

(a side note: the fire truck in the back is all F 451: it doesn't put fires out, it lights 'em up. At the end of the night, this jet engine-powered and -fueled fire truck lit up and burned to a crisp a junked van, as part of the show; it was awesome! Not so very enviro-friendly, but it was FUN!!!)

The Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall

2010-07-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

You know, I was really looking forward to reading this title with my sons, Lukas and Mikah. But boy, what a disappointment it was. Here's why: the main character, the oldest sister of three is out and out disrespectful to her mother. I mean, brutally disrespectful, and I can't explain to my boys why this part of the story just wouldn't have made it into the book if I had been editing it myself. It wouldn't have made it if I had written it, as a matter of fact. Don't get me wrong: I didn't not read it to them. I've actually read it a couple times more than the original time, but as a dad I've stopped every time and made it a point to let them know this is just wrong how the girl behaves.

So people might argue that it's just a book, that kids get that it's in the world of make-believe, but if that were the case, why is it that most of these same folks won't support a book that is ugly to one minority group or another? They'd condemn a book that includes the N-word so fast, or anything about kids getting bullied, etc. I would, too, mind you. Because books to affect kids' thinking and behavior. I'm not gonna keep a book from my kids: but it is my responsibility to raise them in the way I know to be right, and so reading to them is key, but pointing out weaknesses and faults of any kind is just as important, if not more so.

This morning, my son Lukas asked if I'd already put this post up, because I'd told him I would. He was checking up on me, to make sure I didn't fail.

A Good Long Way: the next novel

2010-07-24T19:57:00.001-07:00

So, my next novel, A Good Long Way, is coming out in October of 2010. Soon enough, but not soon enough for my liking. I wish it'd be out already, but that would mean that I wouldn't have been able to work on it again and again with Gabi V over at Arte Público/Piñata Books. Cleaning it up, and more, and more. I think we're done with revisions, and there should be galley already, though I haven't gotten a copy myself. I've been promised a copy soon. Pictured below. Go to Amazon.com or BN.com to pre-order your copies now.

Newly Finished Reads

2010-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

I recently finished two mystery thrillers: James Rollins' Doomsday Key and Ted Dekker's BoneMan's Daughters. This was the first time reading both authors and I'm thinking I wouldn't necessarily feel out of sorts if I don't ever read them again. It's not that they're bad writers of the genre, or that their stories weren't interesting; it's more that I didn't feel like I absolutely had to get back to them once I'd put them down for the day. Usually I'll fall asleep reading a book I love, but not these.

Here's what about Doomsday Key: two things: one, it's a bit too much like Dan Brown's DaVinci Code, with the religious ties and the attempt at revamping the religious traditions; two, Rollins shares too much of his politics. I mean, he, not the narrator, though in the guise of the narrator, preaches his agenda on various and sundry topics: the environment, DADT, religion, etc. As writers, I don't think we could ever write something we don't ourselves believe in truly. Our particular world views are our own, they distinguish us from everyone else, they define us, and we can't separate ourselves from them. But we don't have to shove these ideas down our readers' throats. To me, that's what so weakened Rollins' work.

On BoneMan's Daughter: it was a good enough read, but not extraordinary. Between the two, the more complex story belongs to Rollins, to be honest. Dekker's work was fair, but no more. I didn't identify, not even as a dad of three children, with the main character, Ryan. Too many coincidences to my liking. It could've been better if it had been shorter.

Look at Mikah Kick!

2010-07-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Lukas, Swimming, Kind Of

2010-07-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Jakob Finn at the Pool

2010-07-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

TLA in San Antonio: 2010

2010-04-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic time with librarians and authors and publishers at Texas Library Association's Annual Convention. It was a rainy time in San Antonio, but you know librarians: they deal with whatever issue when it comes to books and their readers' literacy well-being. I got quite a few ARCs and FnGs of some very awesome stuff, hung out with some great people, and ate some good food.

One ARC I got and read and enjoyed immensely is Charlie Price's The Interrogation of Gabriel James, a pretty cool thriller told in alternating perspectives: one is in the form of an official police interrogation; the other is in the first person, past tense from Gabriel's POV. There's been two killings, and Gabriel finds himself smack dab in the middle of the investigation. What gets him there is either caring too much for people and trying to help, in spite of his reverse midas touch, where everything he touches goes to pot; or, his hyper-curiosity, which also leads to trouble. It's due out in August and it'll be a hit with young adult readers.

The prize FnG, for me, is Charles Smith's picture book titled Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson. The story of the first black heavy weight champion is awesome; there's references to his childhood, his youth, and his traveling around the world challenging the champion, who always blew him off, since blacks and whites didn't mix, even in the ring. The artwork is very cool, too, though the illustrator's name, at present, escapes me.

I got a chance to present on a pre-conference panel with Sarah Cortez (editor of HITLIST, a fantastic anthology of Latino/a mystery) and Ray Villarreal (author of Who's Buried in the Garden?). We were all overjoyed to see the hall full of librarians. It was also nice to sit and talk with Ray over hamburgers at the Fuddruckers and with Sarah at Arte Publico's booth. Also got a good chance to hang out with Diane Bertrand. Carmen Abrego also provided some great conversation. She knows the Arte Publico/Piñata Books list backwards and forwards. And on top of it all, she's hilarious.

Others I hung out with: Sonya Sones, Sara Pennypacker, Kadir Nelson, Chris Crutcher, and Matt de la Peña. It was nice to have that time with them (thanks Sonya and Sara for the get-together).

Also spent a good half hour or so with best South Texas friends and librarians, Albert and Patricia Ramos.

Adrienne and Tracy, as always, were super cool at the Random House booth.

And librarians: would that I had enough time and space and memory to name them all. They deserve it, though.

IRA next.

Long Time No Blog

2010-02-25T20:58:00.001-08:00

So, I've checked in now and again, but have failed miserably to update my blog. I feel badly because I do feel the blog as a forum is a very useful tool on many levels. In many ways. What else I've dropped the ball on is upkeeping my Notches on the Reading Stick list. Trust me, I've read much, but have not kept track, and so I'll pick up again tonight inputing the info of a fantastic graphic biography/memoir that is a must read in any middle school classroom across the U.S. It's called Smile, and the author/illustrator is Raina Telgemeier. It's a seemingly simple story about a girl, the author, whose problems begin at the news of having to wear braces. Oh, the horror. But before they even go on, she falls on her face, literally, and breaks a front tooth clear off and jams the other up into the top gums. The next four years are one visit to her dentist after another, and beyond that, a girl having to learn who she is, who her friends are, and where she belongs. All in all, it's an awesome read, textually and visually. I will certainly require my next Adolescent lit class read it.

Others I've read but w/o a definite date when: Stitches: A Memoir by David Small (such a deep and touching and dark graphic story), Eternal Smile by Gene Yang (a great collection of graphic short stories), Zippy Fix by Graham Salisbury (a follow-up to his first Calvin Coconut shortish novel, Trouble Magnet). Some more Henning Mankell. Some Vince Flynn. Lots of picture books.

Tomorrow, too, is TTU's 6th Annual Children's Literature Festival: authors invited to meet and present to our students are Chris Crowe, Ann Bausum, and Nic Bishop. It's an exciting list of folks, and if you visit my other blog, chatandchewbooktalks.blogspot.com you'll see what all my students in Adolescent lit have researched on Chris Crowe specifically.

Also, the boys are doing very well, in spite of winter time illnesses. Finn had the croup (spelling very questionable), infected ears, and he's having a hard time kicking the congestion; Mikah's had a cold, on and off, but he's a tough kid; and Lukas is a trooper: he wakes up mornings early to get ready for school, he takes his little AR quizzes and chooses the "this is my favorite book so far" option on the quizzes every time, every book. Trust me, though: I know what AR can do to a reader, and so as soon as he says the passion for quizzes is gone, I'll opt him out.

It's been cold in Lubbock. We've gotten our share of snow this winter. With another front coming in tonight, according to the weatherman.

In March, I'm travelling down to the Valley again to do some work with Reading Rockstars, a wonderful literacy-advocacy program tied to the Texas Book Festival. I'll visit two schools and another reading that's popped up by chance is one at, get this, Peñitas Public Library. Dig it: my little ranchito's got a reading haven. How cool is that!

Homework for Children's Lit

2009-10-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'd like as many of you as visit the blog here this weekend to say something very nice about my son and drop me a line or two in the comments section here about where you are in terms of your children's lit narrative, the poetry packet, or your lesson plan.

Sorry I didn't give you advance notice about the class getting a project/work day last Thursday. Things progressed quicker than we'd expected and we found out at noon or so that we had a couple of hours to get our "house in order," literally before having to be at the hospital for my wife's c-section. Thanks for being understanding.

The Latest Saldaña!

2009-10-16T20:57:00.001-07:00

10/15/09: Jakob Finn Henning: 20 inches long, 7 lbs. & 3 oz. So there!

We Were Here by Matt de la Peña

2009-10-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today Matt de la Peña's third novel for teens is out. It's called We Were Here, and well worth reading. Three unlikely friends are brought together in a juvie home, each of whom is dealing with some pretty hardcore demons. They hatch a plan to escape their present circumstances and head to Mexico, where they think they'll find solace and peace. There is some violence in the book, the language at times is rough, and there is alcohol abuse. The three boys become the best of friends, or as best as you can become under such circumstances, but it takes running away for them to find their ways back or out. READ IT!!!

Also check out his other books: Ball Don't Lie and Mexican WhiteBoy. And check out de la Peña's website: www.mattdelapena.com.

Where My Tic Tac Toe Be At, Mimi? (2)

2009-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Mimi: Where's My Tic Tac Toe?

2009-09-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

More More "Latest Reviews" of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing

2009-07-17T21:38:00.001-07:00

My understanding of the following review is that it is done by a ten-year-old reader. I'm thinking, How can we writing/reading teachers get our own students to read and write at this level? It's huge. By "it" I mean both the review and that a ten-year-old wrote it. I'm not surprised, just exstactic that here's the proof that it can be done: http://www.mystery-books.com/2009/07/mystery-book-review-case-of-pen-gone.html.

Even More "Latest Reviews" of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing

2009-07-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Click on the link and scroll down about halfway to find the review of my chapter detective mystery in Library Journal online, and will appear in the print version of School Library Journal in August: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6670898.html?&rid=. Very cool.

Latest Reviews of The Case of the Pen Gone Missing

2009-07-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

First is Dr. Teri Lesesne's from her blog: http://professornana.livejournal.com/: She writes, "In a couple of hours, I head off to Chicago for ALA . Got up a little early to have coffee and play with Scout. Also managed to find time to read Rene Saldana's THE CASE OF THE PEN GONE MISSING (Arte Publico, 2009). This slim novel is a mystery along the lines of the Encyclopedia Brown books of the past. Fifth grader Mickey helps solve the case of a rare pen that goes missing in the classroom. The chief suspect is Toots, a classmate Mickey adores from afar. There is a nice twist with a mysterious letter from an "angel" which assists Mickey in solving the case. This new series will appeal to tweens and adds to the precious few books for this group with Hispanic main characters ( and Mickey's librarian is cool, too)." Thanks to her for her endless kindness to my books, and more so for her boundless advocacy for the tween and teen readers. No wonder my students love her Naked Reading, when I have occasion to use it.

The second is in the latest issue of Mystery Scene magazine, Issue No. 110, Summer 2009: "Child's Play: Books for Young Sleuths" by Roverta Rogow: "The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery by René Saldaña, Jr. (Piñata Books, $9.95) is a tricky one for a young sleuth. The hitherto unattainable Toots Rodriguez solicits Mickey's help when she is accused of stealing a classmate's special pen, the one actually touched by the President of the United States when he signed a bill sponsored by the classmate's father. Mickey's observational skills are blunted by his attraction to this deadly damsel in distress, but a timely tip from a mysterious "Angel" puts him on the right track, and he not only finds the pen, but exposes the real culprit. A Spanish translation of the story is bound in with the English, making this a good choice for bilingual school and public library collections."

An Online Chat with Author/Illustrator Xavier Garza

2009-06-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

The following is an author chat that took place on the 25th of June, 2009, between my EDLL 5351 Children’s Literature for Teachers and Librarians at Texas Tech University and author/illustrator Xavier Garza, using Chatzy.com’s chat room services. I’ve taken the liberty to make some corrections on misspellings, typos, and other minor grammar and usage errors for a clearer reading.

Xavier Garza was born and raised in deep South Texas in Rio Grande City. He received his BFA from University of Texas-Pan American and later his MFA in Art History from UTSA. He lives with his wife, Irma, and their son, Vincent, in San Antonio, Texas, where he is a middle school art teacher at Vale Middle School and teaches art history at Northwest Vista College. Following is a bibliography of his work:

Zulema and the Witch Owl. Houston TX: Arte Público/Piñata Books, 2009.
Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid. El Paso TX: Cinco Puntos Press, 2008.
Juan and the Chupacabra. Houston TX: Arte Público/Piñata Books, 2006.
Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask: A Bilingual Cuento. El Paso TX: Cinco Puntos Press, 2005.
Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys. Houston TX: Arte Público/Piñata Books, 2004.

Rene: Lisa: Have you ever worked in or been in an elementary classroom? How do you know how to gear your writing toward that level?
Xavier: I have been a teacher for 15 years, but at the Jr. High level for the most part. I base all my stories on my childhood memories and experiences. I try my stories on my 6th graders. They are close enough to the elementary level to get an honest opinion fromt hem on the stories.

Rene: Amber: In Charro Claus there is a segment where Charro and the Tejas Kid deliver toys to the children along the Texas/Mexico border. Due to the recent immigration conflicts, has there been any controversy surrounding this book?
Xavier: There has been only minor controversy. An online critic commented that Charro Claus brings fake green cards and social security numbers to Mexicans (check out the review here: http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:990EgnJfF0MJ:www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/2090718-santa-claus-mexican-cousin-finally-gets-his-own-bilingual-book/blog/25769730+%22xavier+garza%22+%22charro+claus%22+%22green+cards%22&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us). Maybe there will be more controversy down the road since it looks like Immigration reform will be a hot topic in Washington again. I find things like the Border wall to be an idiot’s solution to illegal immigration. A wall is never a permanent answer to a problem; it’s just a temporary fix. As a child growing up in the Valley, so the border is very much a part of my life. Crossing back and forth between the US and Mexico was done as easily as going to Walmart or HEB.

Rene: Jessica: What book is your favorite to talk to an audience about? And why?
Xavier: Hi, Jessica. My favorite book is Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid. It’s a very personal book. When I was a child, my dad introduced me to the concept of Santa having a Mexican cousin while shopping at a local grocery store. I saw a Santa Claus wearing a Charro hat and asked my dad who this man was. He told me he was Santa’s Mexican cousin. Later, I listened to the song “Pancho Claus” by Lalo Guerrero. All these factors stayed with me. A few years back I realized that what Santa's Mexican cousin had never had was an origin story. I mean who was he? How did he come to be? Why does he deliver presents to the kids on the border? Is he helping Santa, or did he decide to just do it on his own? None of these questions had ever been answered, so I felt that he needed an origin. In short, he needed a story that answered all these questions. The Tejas Kid was inserted into the story so as to insert my own son into the story. I wanted to in my own way to introduce him to Santa’s Mexican cousin just as my father had done for me when I was a child. I also made Charro and Tejas look like both me and my son.

Rene: Kinsey: What inspired you to begin writing children's books?
Xavier: I was raised among storytellers. My dad and grandparents were storytellers, so it grew on me as a child. Eventually I decided to try and get my stories published, rather than just tell them. I have been lucky that I have always had people Like René Saldaña, Jr., (The Case of the Pen Gone Missing (Piñata Books, 2009) and The Whole Sky Full of Stars (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2007)) and David Rice (Crazy Loco: Stories (Dial, 2001) to encourage me to keep going. I have been very blessed to have five books published thus far.

Rene: Bertha: How have non-Hispanic kids responded to your books?
Xavier: For the most part very positively. Lucha Libre has been very well received and is probably my most popular crossover book. It is the one book that you can find at virtually every Barnes and Noble. Kids really seem to enjoy lucha libre, which is a world filled with masked heroes and villains that do battle in the ring.

Rene: Kimberley: You say your dad and granddad are storytellers and they influenced you to tell your stories. Was Lucha Libre based on one of their stories, or another family members, or yours?
Xavier: Lucha Libre is based on two events: as a child, I often visited my cousins in Monterrey. On Friday evenings we would go see lucha libre at the Arena Coliseo in Monterrey. These fond memories of masked heroes (tecnicos) and villains (rudos) stayed with me for years. Later as an adult I met Mil Mascaras, and the idea came to me to author a book that shared the experience of seeing Mexican wrestling.

Rene: Ashley A.: What other projects are you working on? And can you talk about what your writing process is like?
Xavier: I am currently doing a sequel of sorts to Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys. The book is titled Kid Cyclone Versus the Devil and Other Creepy Stories. It is being done with Arte Público/Piñata Books, and consists of 16 scary stories such as “Llorona 911,” “Kid Cyclone Versus the Devil,” “The Saint’s Revenge,” and “Border Watch.” I am also working on another picture book titled La Llorona Versus the Donkey Lady. My writing process is rather simple. First, I come up with an idea by drawing on memories from my childhood. “Llorona 911,” for example, is based on a phone number that we kids passed around. You called the number and you heard a recording of a crazy, angry woman yelling and screaming at you as if you were her scoundrel of a child. A few modifications of this memory led to it becoming a Llorona story. Also, if I have an idea I write it down. I don’t do the whole story, but save the idea instead. Too many stories are lost because the ideas for them aren’t written down.

Rene: Edward: When you write your stories, which seem like they are more geared to a boy audience, do you think consciously of boys as your primary audience? What do you think boy readers need to become better readers?
Xavier: Not all my books are boy based, but I do like girl characters who are strong and a bit tomboyish. Luz, in Juan and the Cupacabras is a lot braver than her male cousin Juan. Also, Zulema in Zulema and the Witch Owl is a tough little girl. Almost all my characters are modeled after real people I have met. I think that what we need to do in order for boys to be better readers is do away with some of the “boys don’t read” stereotypes that are deeply imbedded in our society. We need to encourage reading not only in schools, but also at home. Parents need to encourage their children, boys and girls alike, to excel in education, and reading is a very essential part of reaching these ultimate success.

Rene: Kristin: What have you found to be the benefit of having parallel English and Spanish texts in your writings? Do you write both the English and Spanish translation independently, or do you write in one language first and then translate to the other?
Xavier: I speak Spanish fluently, but I don’t do my own translations. I write in English, and then the publishers get the translator. I am a firm believer in the advantage of being able to speak more than one language.

Rene: Whitney: What techniques do you use to come up with your artwork?
Xavier: I do a lot of pencil sketches, very rough drafts. The characters in Lucha Libre (El Vampiro, Evil Caveman and El Cucuy, for example) are all hybrids of different real life luchadores (Mexican wrestlers) that I combined to create new characters. I will develop the look of the characters first, and then decide on the colors. Something like Zulema and the Witch Owl uses darker, more raw tones so as to add to the dark theme of the story.

Rene: Brandon: Can you tell us about your first teaching experience? Were you nervous? If so, how did you deal with it?
Xavier: I was nervous my first year, but that lasted about one week. Teaching is very fast-paced. Basically I got hired in September, so school had been going on already for three weeks. I was basically told, “Here’s your 130 students, and there’s a closet with supplies. Deal with it.” As such I had to adapt quick, but in the end it made me believe that I can handle any teaching situation that comes my way.

Rene: Last Question: Multiple Questioners: What came first, your teaching or your writing? Did one influence the other? When did you start writing? Any advice for younger would-be writers?
Xavier: The storytelling and the art came first. As a child I loved to draw. Give me a box of crayons and some paper bags and I was ready to go for a few hours. When I went to college I was going to get a degree in Art, but with teaching certification. The writing came about because several people recommended that I should write these stories down. I finally listened, but it was a long process. It took me nine years from when I began to write down my stories and my first book finally being published. I started to write when I was 24, but I was always a reader. I tell any aspiring writer to just keep writing and to never give up. If you believe in what you do, then it will eventually happen, so long as you don’t ever give up.

Rene: Xavier, thanks for giving us this hour of your day. It was very awesome hearing from an author whose works we've been exposed to in class. We wish you well and continued success. Rene.
Xavier: The pleasure was all mine, René. It was an honor to communicate with your students. Nos vemos pronto.

Check Out My Interview with Eric Ladau

2009-05-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Follow the link to hear my interview with Eric Ladau of Houston's KUHF/FM 88.5. Eric's been interviewing authors for sometime and it was my honor to hang out with him, be it over the phone, for the several minutes we got to talk. Be honest, though: I sound like a dork, right?

http://app1.kuhf.org/houston_public_radio-news-display.php?articles_id=1243629401

The Thriller: Mankell v. Deaver, Masterpiece Theater, etc.

2009-05-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

So, my pastor and I took a trip to Sweden recently where he preached at my father-in-law's church and where we helped my dad-in-law work on the old family farm house on a farm called Texabo. On the way over I got to catch Firewall, an Inspector Kurt Wallander thriller, produced by and or for Masterpiece Theater on PBS. I was afraid I was going to miss all three televised stories based on Henning Mankell's novels. But go figure, there it was, showing on the mini-screen before me. It stars Kenneth Branaugh, and he does a fair job, though I've always pictured Wallander in a whole other way. Thicker, more pasty maybe, bigger. But still, a good film. Anyhow, for my reading on the way I took with me two Jeffery Deaver thrillers, The Broken Window and The Stone Monkey, both of which feature his most famous CSI guy, Lincoln Rhyme. They were both page-turners. The first is about identity theft, and the whole time I was away from home I feared that if I swiped my card in a foreign land that I'd be left with nothing in the bank account. But it's also about big brother and their multiple uses of all kinds of bits and pieces of our information. The second was about dissidents in China coming over to the U.S. illegally, and before they even land on our soil, there's an explosion, set off by the very person charged with bringing them over. It's a good story, and I preferred it to the first. But then I went to a book store in Sweden and found a collection of short stories called The Pyramid, by Henning Mankell that feature a younger Officer Wallander. In each story, years have passed and we get to see the young man become Inspector Wallander. I'm halfway through, but I can tell you this much, I prefer Mankell to Deaver (whose Devil's Teardrop comes closest to competing against Mankell's writing, which is more literary, deeper). Dennis Lehane is perhaps Mankell's counterpart in the States.

Thanks to the men and women in the U.S. military who've given their lives to ensure our present freedoms. Thanks also to their families.

Video Book Talks Blog, To Open Soon

2009-05-08T09:33:00.001-07:00

Over the last few semesters, one of the highlights for me has been the video book talks that I've assigned my students. I get to hear and see what they have to say about what they're reading, and better than me getting to see and hear, I get to show them to others, and in turn they get to hear and see and hopefully pass them on to others readers in search of what title to pick up next. But I imagine that it's a bit of a hassle to go down every one of my students' links that I provide on this blog in hopes of finding a VBT you could use. So, I spoke with Dr. Katie Button in the College of Education here at Texas Tech, one of my mentors, and the person in charge for establishing and basically putting together TTU's Children's Literature Festival these past several years. Anyhow, she had set up a book talk session that we offered to students and colleagues and anyone who was interested once, maybe twice a semester. Though successful, they seem to have fallen by the wayside, and I attribute that to the inconveniences of life: would that none of us had work or studies or both, so that we could do nothing but read and talk about what we're reading, but alas, life rules. And overtakes these other important aspects of a person. So, we are putting the two together: a blog for childrens and YA video book talks. Mostly, initially, it'll be where my students upload their digital assignments, but the idea is for others to produce their own video book talks and submit them for consideration. My dream is that elementary, middle, and high school students, teachers, and librarians will also take part in the upkeep of this site. For my (very dorky) video welcome, visit http://www.chatandchewbooktalks.blogspot.com/.

Titles for My Summer 1 5351.001 Children's Lit

2009-04-27T17:22:00.001-07:00

Following are the covers to the books I'll be using for my Children's Literature class this summer:

Texas Institute of Letters Awards Announced...

2009-04-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

On April 18th, the Texas Institute of Letters named its award winners and runners-up. I was honored to serve and chair the Friends of the Austin Public Library Award for Best Children's Book and the Friends of the Austin Public Library Award for Best Young Adult Book committees, along with Jean Flynn and Bobbi Samuels. They made the work easy and fun. And thanks to TIL for the opportunity. To all of the authors and publishers who participated, thank you for the wonderful books that you are writing and publishing; our children and young adults will benefit greatly.

Here are the winners and runners-up:

In the Children's Book category,

the winner is

Benjamin Alire Saenz for his picture book A Perfect Season for Dreaming/Un tiempo perfecto para soñar, illustrated by Esau Andrade Valencia (Cinco Puntos Press).

The runners-up are

Ten-Gallon Bart and the Wild West Show by Susan S. Crummel

Join Hands by Pat Mora

Yellow Moon, Apple Moon by Pamela Porter

In the Young Adult Book category,

the winner is

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez for her first novel, The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (Cinco Puntos Press).

The runners-up are

Chicken Foot Farm by Anne Estevis

Birth of the Fifth Sun by Jo Harper (non-fiction)

My Life as a Rhombus by Varian Johnson

Just In, Literally

2009-04-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

UPDATE (04/16/2009): In Book Fiesta, Mora sings the myriad ways kids read, and with whom and to whom, where, and in what languages. From sitting inside a whale's mouth with friends to lying out in the open alone, everyone of these kids are reading. And that's what ought be celebrated. The artwork by Rafael Lopez is classic: colorful, playful, and detailed. Included at the end is a history of how El dia del los niños/El dia de los libros started. Another success for this poet/illustrator combo.

* * *

Sitting at the table this morning, grading, I spied the postman walking up the ways to our front door, package in hand. I've ordered enough books over the years, and had others shipped by different publishers for review, to know it was a book he was going to drop off. I didn't know which one, because it was only last night, late, way past midnight even, that I placed an order for Gaines' Mozart and Leadbelly: Essays and Stories (to reread the essay by the same title, which has to do, in part, with the craft of writing), and so I knew it couldn't be it yet. Not even with the great work that Better World Books does. And I don't have other orders still outstanding.

Well, the good folks at HarperCollins sent me a review copy of Pat Mora's latest picture book. Artwork by one of my favorites, Rafael Lopez. The book's called Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day, a bilingual set up. I'm getting ready for work so I haven't had a chance to read it, but I will, and I'll post my review of it post haste. You're probably saying it would've taken me the time it took me to read the book as it's taken me to write this pre-review post, but whatever. I'll get it done.

A Solid Read!!! Matt de la Peña's Next

2009-04-03T21:36:00.001-07:00

Though it's not due out until October of this year, I was able to get my grubby hands on Matt's upcoming novel for teens, We Were There (Delacorte Press/Random House). I've been a long time fan of Matt's work, dating back to that day browsing the Teen shelves in the Barnes & Noble in McAllen TX. But if I'm gonna be up front about this, I have to say that when I first saw the Spanish surname, and then saw that he was being published by Random House, my own publisher, I didn't want to spend the bucks on this book, this Ball Don't Lie novel. I think it had to do with me being jealous of the guy, who I'd never met, didn't want to meet. Or maybe it had to do with my wanting to be the house's only Latino YA male writer (though I know there are more than just Matt and me, but I was blinded, maybe?). Or whatever. Maybe I didn't have the cash on me at the time, and then the next time I came in I forgot that he was even there.

Eventually I did get to meet the guy, in San Antonio, and Adrienne Waintraub at RH must've sent me a copy of Ball Don't Lie, then in paperback already, so that I could, if I wanted to (fat chance! right? knowing what you know about my feelings described above) be up on other folks who'd be attending either TLA or NCTE. She also sent me copies of Dana Reinhardt's first two titles. All I'm saying is, I shouldn't've read his book, man. Because if I hadn't I wouldn't've been so kicking myself on the backside for not having read him before getting a free copy from AW, and I wouldn't've been thinking, Okay, I might want to meet the guy who wrote this novel. And then I did meet the dude, and it turns out he's an awesome guy to boot. Real buena gente, I'd call him back in deep South Texas, good people, and real, as in a lot and authentic both. Back then he was talking about his next book that he was working on, this Mexican WhiteBoy manuscript that he was excited about because he would be exploring some stuff about race, ethnicity, language, being and not being a part of a culture, and the like. I'm happy we hit it off.

We've met again a couple times at different functions, and always it's great to hear him talk about his writing, his work teaching, what he's reading. And about his life. And I tell him about my wife and boys, what I'm reading, my teaching, etc. And the last time we met, fall 2008 for NCTE, again in San Anto, he told me about this new book of his. He said, first, that it would be so very different from what he'd already done in the first two books. Not a sports-based story (though there is some hoops in this one too, but not as a backdrop like in the first two). Dealing with others sorts of struggles. I didn't get much in the way of plot, or character, or even the process. He did joke that he kept the language cleaner in this book than in the first two. (It came up because I've told him that his use of graphic language is what is keeping his books out of the classroom across the country; I'm a teacher in Texas, a teacher of teachers, I know). And I got no clue what he meant by "keeping it cleaner than the other two," because language again will be an issue. But I'll tell you this much, the characters are so very compelling, the story itself (though seemingly nothing is happening except for three group home kids escape, making off with the group home's petty cash fund, and head south to Mexico) is very moving. I grow to feel for these boys who I'd maybe normally dismiss if I saw them walking down the hallway at school where I used to teach, or down the ways at the mall. Boys I'd like to avoid because trouble is very much written in their faces, in their struts as they saunter down the breezeway, in their flat nothing looks as they pass you by. Trouble-makers, who cares about them? Well, Matt makes you care about them. Makes me, anyhow. And hopefully you, too. And, it's a book like this one that will so appeal to young men today who are facing similar struggles as Miguel, Rondell, and Mong. Maybe not to the same extent or in the same way, but kids looking for a way, not a way out, but a way to someplace different where they can move forward. And Matt's writing, in general, is the kind of writing that high school teachers can feel comfortable teaching in an English class because it is writing that blows away any kind of categorization. That is, some teachers might feel iffy about teaching YA lit because it's this or that. Not Matt's stuff. It's got the makings of becoming canonical. Lasting.

Maybe I'm saying all this because I did read the dude way back when I got a book of his for free, or because I've met him and we've become friends, or maybe because it's the solid truth that I'm telling. Whatever, I'm saying so. So there! It's the book to look for this year.

The First Review: Kirkus Reviews!

2009-03-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2009

Saldaña Jr., René
THE CASE OF THE PEN GONE MISSING/EL CASO DE LA PLUMA PERDIDA:
A Mickey Rangel Mystery, P.I./Colección Mickey Rangel, Detective Privado
Illus. by Giovanni Mora
Carolina Villarroel

Mickey Rangel, a sweet, intuitive and smart fifth-grade student, faces the challenges of his first case as an amateur detective: the theft of an elegant pen, engraved with the White House logo and the President’s signature, a gift to classmate Eddy from his senator father. The pen has gone missing from Miss Garza’s classroom. The prime suspect: the gorgeous and distant Toots Rodríguez, Mickey’s secret love and his enemy’s girlfriend, who appeals to Mickey to clear her name. As it often happens in the best mystery stories, Mickey comes to the unexpected solution of the enigma with the help of a mysterious “angel,” who leaves him an anonymous message. This bilingual chapter-book edition, the first in a series of Mickey Rangel Mysteries, will engage intermediate readers in both languages, English and Spanish, and offers multiple possibilities for school projects, group discussions and read-aloud sessions. Villarroel’s well-crafted translation into Spanish maintains the suspense and humor of the original English version, narrated by Mickey in fine, hard-boiled style. Mora’s illustrations add a refreshing touch, effectively breaking up the text in this appealing introduction. (Mystery. 8-12)

Slaps on the Backs of Cool People

2009-03-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Katie M., Delia, and Maria for volunteering yesterday, Saturday morning and all day actually, at the Mother/Daughter function in the College of Education. I had a great time doing my part, and I hope they did as well. I hope the best for the moms and daughters who showed up as well. Maybe we can start a book club involving some of these families. Fingers crossed.

The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery

2009-03-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

So, here is the cover for sure this time. It looks awesome. The bilingual chapter book will be out in May of 2009. Soon. Ya merito.

I'm also working on a revision of a novel my editor's looked at and sent five pages worth of notes on.

And on getting a collection of stories, selected and new, to a really cool indie publisher in Texas.

And researching conjunto music to keep working on another novel I've got going.

And another publisher in Texas is looking at a novel too.

So it's a busy time.

Oh, and this Tuesday evening, my students at Texas Tech are meeting with graphic novelist Dwight MacPherson in a chatroom sponsored by ALAN. It's open to whoever wants to show up for the hour-long event, but try to read his KID HOUDINI & THE SILVER DOLLAR MISFITS so you can participate fully. Check out his blog as well, posted below in another entry to check out all he's up to. To join the chat, follow the links posted on ALAN's website, also posted below. 9-10PM EST/8-9PM CST.

Can't Wait to Read, Etc.

2009-03-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

You've got to know I'm a big fan of Matt de la Peña in the writing world and without. He's a very cool and hep cat (and obviously I'm not for using such language in public, but whatever, it's my blog and not yours--he he he), and soon, he promises me, I'll be getting an advanced copy of his next novel for teen readers: We Were Here (Delacorte). I'd also like to watch the movie based on his first book, Ball Don't Lie (Delacorte). If for no other reason than to catch his stretching what should've been a few seconds into several. I understand from reviews of it that it's a solid flick. To read an interview with Matt, find a copy of MultiCultural Review (Vol. 18, No. 1; Winter 2009). I'll see if I can get permission to post it on here.

Kid Houdini and the Silver Dollar Misfits, a graphic novel

2009-03-18T14:05:00.001-07:00

by Dwight MacPherson

First, check out Dwight's blog at http://dwightmacpherson.wordpress.com/. He's the author of one of the coolest graphic novels aimed at the young struggling reader, though I'd also have high school-aged struggling readers pick it up, it's that good. As a matter of fact, I like the book so much that I've asked him to do an author book chat with my students, and he's agreed. Another cool thing is that C.J. Bott, through ALAN (that is, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents/NCTE) is setting up the chat, and will likely open up the chat to folks interested in Adolescent literature, graphic novels/comic books, or MacPherson himself. Check out ALAN's site for updates: http://www.alan-ya.org/. Also check out C.J.'s very informative book on bullying in YA literature titled The Bully in the Book and in the Classroom (Scarecrow Press, 2004) and its more recent follow-up, More Bullies in More Books (Scarecrow Press, (forthcoming) June 2009).

Reading Life

2009-02-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Just finished Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser. The story is compelling. It's a challenge to write about violence in the schools, especially gun violence, especially after so many instances of school shootings. Even the way it's told (short snippets of either written or oral interviews from various perspectives) wasn't a distraction. As a matter of fact, I think this sort of distancing from the main characters (in this case, the "shooters") helps tell the hard story. My concern is that the story is weakened by the obvious anti-gun sentiment as expressed in the footnotes. Sure, the studies have shown all this stuff that is quoted in articles and books, but it seems skewed to me. That a shooter trained for a summer with the Boy Scouts how to shoot targets then ends up pointing that weapon at humans later is factual, but where are the countless other stories untold of the many more thousands of Boy Scouts who go through the same training, have access to guns, and don't kill with them? It is not in the access and ownership where the problem lies, nor in the production and importing of said weapons, but in the person. True, no amount of training will help a kid not point it at another human with ill will when he's aiming to anyway. Same as with sex ed: no matter how much we tell kids about unwanted pregnancies and STDs, and how to prevent them, girls still get pregnant, boys get girls pregnant, and STDs are passed from one to another. I'm not saying there aren't things we can do to keep school shootings from happening, but there has to be more than saying guns are bad.

Valentine's Day Book Sale

2009-02-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Friends of the Library in Lubbock have done it again, they've sponsored another successful book sale. This one on Saturday, Feb. 14. Doors opened at 9AM. My wife and youngest boy were there at 8:30 and Lukas and I went to church to pray with some of the men. Then I dropped Lukas off at around 10:10, and a friend and I went to dump an upright piano we'd found for free at a garage sale. It was fun to see the huge front loader take it up and drop it, mostly in pieces now, into the oversized bin. Then I set out to meet the family at the book sale at Mahon. Here's a list of what I got (I'm not even going to try to list even a quarter of what my wife and boys got):

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman (pbk)
Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser (pbk)
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales, edited by Deborah Noyes (hdbk)
The Truth or Something by Jeanne Willis (hdbk)
American Eyes: New Asian-American Short Stories for Young Adults, edited by Lori M. Carlson (hdbk)
Sky by Roderick Townley (hdbk)
Claws by Will Weaver (hdbk)
Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Humble ISD's Teen Lit Fest '09: Expression!

2009-02-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, as if it wasn't just about the coolest hanging out with Terry Trueman, Sonya Sones, Gail Giles, Neal Shusterman, Deb Caletti, Judson Roberts, and Cortnee Howard, throw in some very cool and hip middle and high school librarians (from Texas! Whooeee!), an auditorium full of young adult readers, and you've got yourself a party. And cooler yet: each author was assigned one of the district's school mascots (I walked alongside a colt and a mustang), then we did a panel Q&A session first thing: a modified Inside the Actor's Studio, where we were asked various questions and each of us gave our answers: questions were student-supplied. Then we went our separate ways to our break out sessions. Like I've done before, my breakout session was sitting side by side with Terry Trueman, entertaining student questions. He's the funny man, to my straightman bit. And he is hilarious! At least this time he didn't spill his bottle of water on me. Three sessions like that, then a signing, and a great dinner. Great conversation on top of that later that evening, and getting to read Sonya Sones' Stop Pretending on my flight home: not a bad way to end an already fantastic weekend! (An aside: next time you see Sonya, ask her to tell the story about her pen; what a find!)

Be There or Be Square!

2009-01-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

Texas Tech University's Fifth Annual College of Education Literature Festival is quickly approaching: Feb. 29. Some very awesome authors are coming to visit with our students: Monica Brown, Amjed Qamar, and Dana Reinhardt. For more details: http://www.educ.ttu.edu/edll/fifthliteraturefestival/

Jingle Bells, Ha ha ha!

2008-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm loving Christmas season this year because Lukas and Mikah (especially) have taken to singing Christmas songs: I'll see if after the holidays I can figure out how to upload voice recordings, or I'll put it all together with pictures in a photo story bit. It's awesome!

To you and yours: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2009!

NCTE/ALAN 2008

2008-11-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

This year's NCTE convention's taking place this week and weekend in San Antonio TX, and it's going to be quite a show. I'm looking forward to meeting up with Linda Sue Park (Keeping Score & Tap Dancing on the Roof), Terry Trueman (Hurricane), Matt de la Peña (Mexican WhiteBoy), Lyn Miller-Lachman (get you an ARC of her up-coming Gringolandia), the Byrds of Cinco Puntos Press, the many folks at Arte Público, Adrienne W. and Tracy L. at Random House, Catharine S. at S&S, Diana Lopez (who's there with Little, Brown pushing her up-coming YA novel, Confetti Girl (due out in June of 2009--if there are copies of the ARC available, snag one, it's a great book)), Don Gallo and C.J. Bott (C.J. and I are talking about how to promote more widely her monthly chatroom author talks (open to teachers, librarian, students, and anyone else willing to read a book, meet in the chatroom the week prior to chatting with the author, to sort of do a pre-talk), my wonderful and most bestest of the best editor, Wendy Lamb, and a slue of other folks. I can't wait. The members of NCTE's Standing Committee Against Censorship, too, will be there.

As for my schedule, if you want to come hang out at a couple of presentations and panels, here it is:

Friday, November 21: 11AM-12.15PM (213A/HBG Convention Center, Concourse Level): Against the Ropes: a conversation with latino authors about books for reluctant adolescent readers (with Diane Bertrand and Ray Villarreal)

Saturday, November 22: 8AM-9.15AM (006D/HBG Convention Center, River Level): The Right to Write: authors on writing outside their culture (with Linda Sue Park, Lyn Miller-Lachman, and Terry Trueman)

Saturday, November 22: 1PM-2PM (Random House Children's, Booth #313): I'll be signing copies of my books, specifically the very recent paperback release of my third title, The Whole Sky Full of Stars)

Monday, November 24: 9.10AM-9.45AM (Marriot Rivercenter/Salon E/3rd Floor, 101 Bowie St): ALAN Workshop Panel: Family and Culture in Young Adult Literature (with Sheila Moses and Padma Venkatraman, Holly Atkins to moderate)

Come enjoy.

Writing: My Next Work

2008-10-31T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hey, here's an image of the cover-in-progress of my next book (The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery), being published in the spring of 2009 by Arte Público/Piñata Books, the first of three in my chapterbook-length detective/mystery series. It's an awesome cover now, I can only imagine what it'll look like when Giovanni Mora, the artist, finishes with the coloring. Something else cool about the book, AP/PB is having it translated into Spanish; what's cooler is that they'll release it as a two-books-in-one, like Bertrand's Upsidedown and Backwards, in which you get the English version from page one to the middle of the book, and if you turn it, literally, upsidedown and backwards, you get the Spanish from pagina una to the middle, where English and Spanish meet. Cool concept.

NOTE: you'll have to trust me that the cover is awesome! I just got a reject trying to upload the thing: either a corrupt file or in an unrecognizable format.

Lubbock: Friends of the Library Book Sale: Saturday, 10.18

2008-10-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

I so look forward to the Friends' book sales, twice yearly. This go-round was their regular book sale, which means more often than not books in really good shape for an awesome price: in the YA section, where I spent much of my time, hardbacks were .50 and paperbacks went for .25. You can't beat those prices, unless we're talking about their 2009 1/2 sale. Then you'll leave Mahon branch's basement with more books than a kid can read in a year. Anyway, here's a list of the titles I purchased, all hard back, hardly a one cracked open (which is good for me, of course, but bad for literacy):
Cart, Michael (editor): Necessary Noise: Stories About Our Families as They Really Are
Deuker, Carl: Heart of a Champion
Lynch, Chris: Slot Machine
McNamee, Graham: Acceleration
Myers, Walter Dean: The Dream Bearer
Myers, Walter Dean: Shooter
Naidoo, Beverley: Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope
O'Dell, Scott: Island of the Blue Dolphins (14th printing)
Schmidt, Gary D.: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Shusterman, Neal: The Schwa Was Here
Singer, Marilyn (editor): Face Relations: 11 Stories About Seeing Beyond Color
Van Draanen, Wendelin: Flipped

In paperback:
Grimes, Nikki: Bronx Masquerade

Picture books:
Mora, Pat: A Birthday Basket for Tia (Cecily Lang, illustrator)
Suen, Anastasia: Window Music (Wade Zahares, illustrator)

That's not taking into account the other bags full that Tina brought home for the boys. Our Golden Books collection is growing. Speaking of our boys: Lukas and I are big time Rat Patrol fans. If you don't know the show, it's a WW II series that aired back in the mid-60s, and follows the exploits of four soldiers, three U.S. and one Brit, in the African desert fighting the German army. The production often is weak/poor, but man, when they were showing as reruns when I was a kid, I loved them, and now that I've got season one on DVD, Lukas loves them just as much. Anyway, why talk about this on a book sale post? Well, go figure: there's a book version as well. And I found a copy, pulled it from the shelf, showed it to Lukas, whose eyes practically popped out of their sockets, his face broke into a huge smile, and he said, "The Rat Patrol! Cool!" So guess what he and I'll be reading soon?

Lubbock: B&N Educator Night and Texas Latino Voices

2008-10-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Busy day today: first, early morning at the doctor's for a procedure on Tina; thank God everything turned out okay. Later, I sat with Will Terrell at Barnes & Noble for close to two hours to sign our respective books. He's a comic book guy, a pretty good one, who's done the color for, among other titles, Gargoyles by Greg Weisman. He's also the founder of the Lubbock Sketchclub, a group of folks ranging, he says, from age 7 to 77, artists the lot of them, all at different levels regarding ability, but each and every one of the 40-60 participants looking to get better at the craft. And he's got proof: the Lubbock Sketchclub Sketchbook, a short book highlighting participants' work. For more info, check out their site: www.elSketchoClubo.com. He does school visits too. Thanks to Teri, Community Relations Manager at B&N for keeping teachers in mind this way. And for the invite. Then immidiately following this signing, I headed to Mahon Library, downtown Lubbock for the Texas Latino Voices, organized by Texas Center for the Book and paid for, at least in part, by Humanities Texas. A program that brings Latino authors to different parts of Texas, TLV has been going on for several years now, and I'm happy Gail Bialas at TCB keeps inviting me to work this gig. Thanks to Humanities Texas for, year after year, funding it. Anyway, Jane Clausen, the library director set up the show, and it went really well. Thanks to all the profs from TTU's COE who showed up. You all were half the crowd, how I appreciate the symbolic pat on the back. You guys are awesome! And all the others present, man, you guys made it a very cool way to finish the evening. Now I can't wait for Saturday morning to go back to Mahon to buy books on the very cheap. Friends of the Library are holding one of their book sales, and I am ready with bags in hand. Better yet, a shopping cart. No lie: they've got those.

Tyler, TX: What a Visit!

2008-10-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

So, finally, my entry on my visit to Tyler: man, oh, man, do those folks know how to treat a visitor. And I'm not talking about just me; city librarian, Chris Albertson, took me on a tour of the city. This was just after Ike had done its damage in that part of the Republic and so there were a few thousand folks there, surviving the best they could.

The evening I got there, I had a gig sponsored by Dallas Public Library and Humanities Texas. I'll tell you what, too: it was fun. We didn't quite know how many folks were going to show up, and so we were pleasantly surprised when around 50 people showed up. Among them Gregory and Miles Zeorlin (father and son, visual artist and super reader and all-around teen, respectively). I had a blast reading and addressing questions and comments from the audience. So fun it was that I went on and on and on, and we closed down the place.

Thanks for a great first visit to east Texas.

René.

Light Over Lubbock

2008-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I still owe you a post on my wonderful visit to Tyler Public Library (Tyler TX)--a very awesome reading community, very friendly (more to come). But, I thought I'd post the following video I took thinking it would be the thing that would make me a thousandaire. At least that. It's a video I took tonight, after my wife, Tina, said I needed to come outside and get a load of this in the sky. The experienced videographer that I am (can't you tell from the wonderful work?) I ran in for my digividcam, dreaming of selling this video to the news. Alas, the news trumped me. Channel 11 and the Reeds (friends from Lubbock Baptist Temple here in Lubbock) said it was a "weather balloon." "A NASA balloon experiment," they say. "Taller than a 60 storey building." "25 miles high up in the sky." That's all what the news says. But we are in Lubbock. Close to Roswell. 'Nuff said.

And for more awesome videos, go to my students' blogs (EDLL 6349) to the right and above. Some very cool video book talks.

Teaching

2008-08-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

So, this coming semester (fall of '08) I'm teaching another section of Developing Language Arts Programs (5350) and have am excited about how the regular-length semester will go. I'm doing much of what we did in the summer session, including a lot of work online. I'm so excited because we had two authors, Ada and Roberts, contact students via their blogs and email, and we want to continue in that vein. I loved the Video Booktalks, too, and will expect maybe a few more than just the one. Bookwink.com sets a high bar, and that's what I want my students to shoot for.

The other class I'm teaching is 6349, a graduate level Adolescent Lit class: here's the reading list (in no particular order):

Red Hot Salsa, edited by Lori Carlson
Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe
The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle
Up Before Daybreak by Deborah Hopkinson
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones
Daisy Kutter by Kazu Kibuishi
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
A Step from Heaven by An Na
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Acceleration by Graham McNamee
Miracle's Boys by Jaqueline Woodson
and Naked Reading by the fantastic! Teri Lesesne.

Keep reading for my students' blogs!

Diane Roberts, Alma Flor Ada, and My Students

2008-08-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

This summer I had the distinct pleasure of teaching two classes: Developing Language Arts Classes (EDLL 5350) and Studies in Langauge Arts (EDLL 6350), the subtitle of this second class was Creative Writing for the Classroom Teachers. I've written about the latter earlier in the summer, and now I want to mention the former: some highlights anyway. Among the authors we studied this summer were Alma Flor Ada (I Love Saturdays y domingos and My Name Is Maria Isabel) and Diane Roberts (a fellow Texan whose Made You Look was a hit in class). And among the different projects I assigned were blog reading responses and craft lessons in the manner of Fletcher. The end products are very good; you should take a look at some via the links below under the heading "summer ii '08 (5350). Besides the responses and craft lessons, students also put together digital literacy narratives and video book reviews. Like I said, all very exciting, but then came one of those moments in a class that a teacher just can't get over. Molly Long, one of the students, finished reading Diane's book super quick and blogged about it. Saying she had enjoyed the book for various reasons, one having to do with her family also being into traveling on vacations together. I got the idea to give Molly Diane's email and to get in touch with a living, breathing author. Molly took me up on the offer and Diane emailed back within a day or two. Then came a second email from the writer. Molly was so excited by this development that I asked her to share her experience with the class. So far as I know, they're still emailing back and forth. Then there's Carmen Ontiveros. She put together a craft lesson on Ada's Saturdays y domingos. Earlier this evening I was checking to see if there'd been any movement in terms of blog updates now that the summer term is over (in the hopes that the students would actually keep these up as a sort of techno-intro to potential employers and future students). And so you can imagine how excited I got when I opened up Carmen's blog and saw two comments under the Ada craft lesson and saw that Ada herself had found Carmen's blog and thought enough of it to do more than just pass through. She gives a really cool description of how the story in the picture book came about. It's a must read. So are my students' blogs.

They're Home, Have Been, and Look To Be...

2008-08-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm working on a blog entry detailing the travails of the trip from Sweden back for Tina and the boy, mine to Dallas to pick them up, and from Dallas to Lubbock. Sounds boring, but it ain't. There was craziness aplenty. But with finals coming up this second summer session (which I've enjoyed immensely: teaching two classes can get busy, but man, both classes have done some great work and I've had the pleasure of being witness to it), I've not had too much time. The Welcome Home post will be a long one, longer than this one. Much longer. So look out for it. And a few more Sweden pics from when I wasn't there.

I'm super happy the family's back together in Lubbock, where 100 degree weather is the norm right about now.

Almost home!

2008-07-25T02:16:00.000-07:00

The whole gang on Morbror Lars's Birthday.

Lukas and Mikah helping Agneta Sjöstedt feeding her sheep.Lukas and Mikah making friends with Ulla the sheep.
Sitting on a moss covered stone that at night turns into a troll.Annelie and Lukas infront of a stone age hut.

Lukas working on his canoe.

Canoe finished, time for a ride!Grinding wheat, bronze age style.
Sampling different foods made during the bronze age.

Learning to master the bow and arrow.

Iron age burial field in forground, and bronze age dwelling in background. Mikah in front of an iron age house.
Lukas milking a cow at the cheese factory in Falköping. Mikah doing the same.

Reading Life 32

2008-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Alamo Wars by Ray Villarreal

There is a danger that a many readers who start Villarreal's second novel for young adults (his first being My Father, The Angel of Death) will choose not to finish it. Here's why: for a good while, the characters are presented in a very stereotypical and flat way. The white kids, including the book's bully Billy Ray Cansler, are very one-dimensional. They play the part of ignorant racists. As do the Anglo teachers. The Mexican American and Mexican kids are bullied, are victimized by an uncaring white public school system. It would be a shame, though, if those readers did put the book down for these reasons. Though they are there, the book changes routes a few chapters after midway. Villarreal makes of most typed characters more fleshy ones. So don't despair, those of you (myself included in this bunch) who might think this book is one that bashes white folks outright. It turns into a book about admitting a misunderstanding of those very differences that traditionally keep us separate (culturally and racially speaking) and a sincere moving toward the beginning of acceptance of one another for who we are, period.

Anyhow, the story is this: Miss Mac, an icon at Rosemont Middle School in San Antonio, dies in the classroom. Several generations of students whose lives she touched are greatly saddened. In cleaning out her filing cabinets, Team 3 teacher and a long time friend, Mrs. Frymire finds a play that Miss Mac had written a long time back. To honor her friend, Mrs. Frymire talks folks into putting on the play, titled "Thirteen Days to Glory--The Battle of the Alamo." It's a great idea, except that according to some of the Mexican American students playing the parts of Mexicans One, Two, and Three, and according to Miss Mac's replacement, Miss Martinez, the play is a very one-sided look at the history of the battle, and the dialogue is more Speedy Gonzalez than accurate. People take sides: Marco, Raquel, Izzy, and Miss Martinez (and a few others) stand on the one side; Mrs. Frymire, Billy Ray, and others stand opposed. Production shuts down. Racial tension grows.

But Villarreal is not about spitting venom. He is, instead, about himself and his characters trying to find out for themselves who they are and where they stand on serious issues. And it is at this point in the story that the characters really and truly come alive, and they remain so to the end. It's a good book. Don't put it aside like I did time and again. Plug away at it, and you'll see for yourself, it is a good book.

Sweden: The Farm

2008-07-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

There had been a rumor that my brother-in-law, Erick, otherwise known on this blog as Anon in Dubai, was going to lift the stone at the farm, and he was willing to do it on video. Unfortunately, he "got sick" and is leaving Sweden today for Dubai and Tina, who would serve as videographer, my boys, and my folks-in-law are conveniently on a road trip. So the world and fate seem to have conspired against him. Have a safe trip back, you and Anna.

2008-07-08T04:36:00.001-07:00

Rene, remember that big pile of sticks and brush you helped build? Well, it's all gone!

Mikah picking more bluberries.

Mikah resting up on some of the burial stones.

Lukas climbing on some of the stones.

Lukas on a visit to domareringar (judging circles), about six to seven circles of stones put up 2000 years ago. It's an actual burial ground where even the giants were thought to have buried some of their own.

Morfar and the boys with a view of Jönköping in the background.

Mormor and the boys picking cherries on the top of Taberg.

Lukas and Mikah on top of Taberg.

View from the top of Taberg.

Mormor and Mikah on top of Taberg. Taberg is a mountian which contains a rare mineral, titanmagnetitolivinit, found only here and two other places in the world. Now you can go to the top of the other side of the mountian and look out.

still in Sweden

2008-07-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

Well I geuss it's my turn to be the blog keeper; sorry, but I'm not as funny as René . Good thing Lukas and Mikah have a little humour. Here Mikah had gotten into his morbror Thomas's candy box and decided that the bigger pieces look best on the face.

Mikah picking blueberries at family camp in Kuvarp.
Lukas with his bountiful harvest.

Blueberry bush.

Kuvarp at midnight. Kuvarp, a little south of Jönköping, is where family camp was held.

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Celebrating our nation's independence with family and friends is always a wonderful experience. This year was no exception over at the Reed's homestead. It was great to see all the folks again. I wish Tina and the boys had been there, too. Alas, I won't see them for another three or so weeks. The house is too quiet without them.

Life 6

2008-06-28T17:26:00.001-07:00

My time in Sweden came to an end yesterday, very early in the morning. Very early. It was also a long flight, but I got back to Lubbock safely, so thank God for that. Though my bags didn't arrive with me from Dallas, where I had to check them through Customs then recheck the bags. Still, they were delivered to me later that evening.

I miss my family and the farm. I miss the weather, because though it is sprinkling rain here in Lubbock right at this moment, it's still in the nineties, I'm sure. When I left for the airport, I needed a light sweater. When I got on the breezeway in Dallas, I took the first opportunity to pull it off.

Anyway, Tina is going to keep posting her Sweden trip. She and the boys will continue on for another month, while I get to teach. Somebody's got to pay for the trip, right? He he he.

Sweden 14: Stadsparken & the John Bauer Museum

2008-06-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

Back in Jönköping, we had a chance to visit a local city park that includes merri-go-rounds and swings and mini-rock climbing equipment and the like, but also a bird museum and a little zoo, where they keep llamas and real reindeer (which we haven't visited yet, but Tina assures me that she and the boys will return to visit the animals and then we'll have pictures of that). For now, just the cute Lukas/Mikah shots.

A view of Jönköping and the lake from Stadsparken.

Mikah pointing at dinner? Nope, it's Mikah pointing at one of the stuffed birds in the bird museum, fålgel museum.

Lukas at one of several cases full of birds' eggs. He wondered a couple times how they got the baby birds out without cracking the shells.

Here is Lukas playing with a few authentic Swedish children at the park. This contraption involves filling a bucket full of sand, using a pulley system to then dump the sand in a slot that then empties out this end back into the sand pit.

This is a combination swing/merri-go-round. A kid sits on it, then is pushed round and round, high and low. Much fun. Lukas, then a bit later Mikah, kept screaming, "Mayday! Mayday!," all the while laughing.Here are the boys on a real merri-go-round.

Mikah sticking out the front end of a train tunnel.

We also went to a really cool museum downtown dedicated to the very well-known Swedish artist, John Bauer, famous for his paintings of trolls and giants and other fantastical Swedish icons.

Prince MikahTroll Lukas

Sweden 13c--Stockholm

2008-06-26T00:49:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you pictures of the changing of the guard at that castle (it's just a lot of soldiers marching and playing music and more soldiers, etc. Really cool, but we've got better photos of Lukas and Mikah in Stockholm). Also, later I might go through all the pictures we've got and choose some Gamla Stan (Old Town) Stockholm because it is a beautiful place, but we've got too many and so I'd have to upload a ton of them and (according to Tina and my brother) I have a ton more to write. So I'll spare you that, too. Now, to the final Stockholm shots.This is one of the more famous alleyways in the city. At some points you can stretch out your arms and touch both sides of the alley.

In preparation for the first Sweden soccer (fotboll (no, I didn't just misspell the word in English, that's how it's spelled here in Sweden)) match in the Euro Cup 2008 (which they didn't win, by the way). For this game, though, they did get to release blue and yellow balloons after the match because they did win it.

Sweden 13b--Stockholm

2008-06-20T02:13:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Skansen, that sort of amusement park minus the rides, that was like a combination zoo and old old old house place.This is Mikah, trying to find a wolverine, which was rolled up into a little ball trying to sleep. Funny, it looked nothing like the comic book hero or the movie one. Though Mikah's kind of smiling.
Here's Mikah really smiling. I think in this shot we've found the seals, but they're doing nothing but sleeping. No bouncing balls on tips of noses, no barking, no nothing. But again, it's Mikah, and the kid's real cute.
This is morbro Thomas and the boys in front of a really old house. You can tell by the grass growing on the roof. Actually, this style of roof was common back in the day. It served a great many purposes like insulating the place and according to Lukas, a place to feed the family's goat if you ran out of grass on the regular ground. I would think a green thumb like Tina could grow a few rose bushes up there, too. Lesa, you might get Leslie to consider doing something like this to your all's farmhouse for his next project. I'll take pictures, if you want.A closeer shot of morbro and the boys in front of the same house.
As promised, the animals: here is a momma bear and her three cubs, only months old. All snoozing in the shade.So it's no wonder that the moose are taking in some zzzs too. It was such a nice day for it, too. We don't have a good picture of the baby moose that had been born only three days before our visit, but it was a cute one.
Here's a shot of Lukas and the peacock. Which one looks prouder, do you think?
This is not Mikah, or Lukas, or me. It's a giant rabbit. No lie, you can get a ton of meat off this bunny if you were going hungry and were so inclined.
And talk about sweet: this is Lukas eating cotton candy. Not as colorful or as thick as the stuff you'd get at the State Fair, but he had fun eating it. Mikah swept the park's grounds with his, to some Swedes' amusement.
And I'll finish this set with the boys and Tina on a canon looking over the city of Stockholm. And since Lukas is such a military buff, the kid was climbing every single one of them and making like he was shooting them. With the stories to go with the action, too. Mikah, like a good baby brother, followed suit, but wasn't as quick climbing.

Sweden 13a--Stockholm

2008-06-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in updating. I know I've been slacking, but my days are numbered in Sweden. Tina and the boys will stay on a few more weeks, but I've got to get back to my teaching. This means that I'm not doing so much on the computer because we're doing last minute traveling (next on the list is a visit to Astrid Lindgren's Vimmerby. Growing up, without knowing it, one of my favorite writers was Lindgren, author of the Pippi Longstocking series of books for young readers. I'll post pictures of that trip, too.

But for now, let's get to Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. some 4 1/2 to 5 hours north and east of Jönköping. By bus anyway. Which is the way we travelled. It was a very comfortable bus.Here are Lukas (sitting with his Aunt Maria (alternately Mia and Mimi), partially pictured) and Mikah and Tina. When we arrived in Stockholm, we made our way by subway to the southern part of the town to our hotel, Formule 1. The most inexpensive hotel, but very small, which isn't a problem because you learn to make due when travelling, except that there can only be three people to a room, two adults and one child, which was a problem for us since we're two adults and two children. We worked it out because we were travelling with three other adults, and between us all, we got it worked out. Oh, and if you don't much care for sharing showers and toilets with the rest of the folks on your floor, then this place ain't for you. Again, you make due, and we did. I'd stay there on my next trip. No problem.

On our first full day there, we decided to go catch some of the sights. On the way there, Lukas, a military buff even at his age just had to have his photo taken in front of this British ship. Funny thing, the Swedish Coast Guard was out en force. Why, we don't exactly know, but it was fun to see this monster ship being kept watch over by the Swedes.

Then came a short ferry trip over to a museum for a ship that sunk in the harbor on its maiden voyage back in the 1650s. Something to do with not enough ballast. But in the 1950s, archeologist/shipwreck specialist Anders Franzén located the Vasa, the sunken warship, and after years of labor, in 1961 the ship again found the light of day. For a walk through the history of the ship, its recovery, and its continued conservation, visit http://www.vasamuseet.se/.

This is the museum from the ferry. It's actually a pretty large space because the ship itself is completely in tact and housed herein. Now, the lighting inside is conservation-friendly but not so digital camera-friendly, so we didn't get that many blog-worthwhile shots. For those, Google pictures of the Vasa ship, or simply visit the site above.

Lukas in front of a replica, obviously not to scale, for those of you wondering. Even so, this model is cool.

Among the few parts of the ship on display that are not entirely original are all things rope. The Baltic was just not kind to the hemp.

The artwork all along the sides, the front, and the back of the ship is just that, artwork, and all of it serves to tell the story of Sweden and King Gustav Vasa, who commissioned the ship.

Between the two ships, you'll see Lukas. This is a model of a battle between the Swedes and the Danes. Sorry, I don't have the history of this display, but look it up yourself if you're that interested. I gave you the museum's website address after all.

This picture is not of me after all the eating I've done, Leslie Reed. It is of two of the biggest pigs I've ever seen. They're kept on a natural park/zoo/museum called Skansen, much like Lubbock's own Ranching Heritage Museum in that there are buildings that span the nation's history. They also keep many of the native animals and flora. I'll write more tomorrow. But I wanted to tease you with this shot. There'll be more animals, including a three-day-old moose, bear cubs, a peacock that nearly scared Lukas out of his shoes, and more. So come back.

Sweden 12c--Halmstad (the video)

2008-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is a short clip of Tina following after Mikah with some seaweed. Once more, no child was injured during the filming of this event. Interestingly, though he didn't much care for it on this day, the following he actually was okay with the seaweed, which he calls "monster" in the video.

Sweden 12c--Halmstad

2008-06-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

First, I stand corrected: the literal meaning of Halmstad is Straw City, according to the misspelling and grammatically incorrect Anonymous (also known as TAP). Second, here are some shots of our trip to the beach (and I'll tell you what, the water was cold; I know, I sat in it for close to ten minutes trying to see if it or I would warm up, and no go).Mikah with his pail and shovels on the beach.

Lukas, a natural at any beach, beginning with South Padre Island in deep South Texas when he first visited as a baby.
Check it out: they've also got mini-golf in Sweden. Though here you're not allowed to walk on the playing area. You manage your stroke however way you can from the sides.

Though you might not be able to see it from this angle, Mikah was the consumate player. He'd focus hard, so hard in fact that, like Michael Jordan used to do, Mikah stuck his tongue out before every shot.

And this is a friend of Thomas', Måns (note the correction: I still can't spell in Swedish; sorry, Måns). He did wonders with the boys. You'll notice the pinkish tone to his skin. Both he and Thomas opted out of using the baby sun tan lotion when Tina first offered it to them, which they used the following day.
And here is Thomas. Don't be fooled by what appear to be multi-colored swim trunks. That's the style here: the cool guys wear their trunks on top of their underwear, then let them hang. I was not among the cool guys. And Thomas says that try as he might, he can't tighten the waist on his trunks, and so he's not trying to be stylish, really.
Anonymous in Dubai: can you make out this picture? I did a horrible job of taking a picture of the cottage, but I only remembered to do this as we were pulling out of the sand driveway. With several of us there (morfar, morfar, Tina, Lukas, Mikah, me, Maria, Thomas, and Mänz) we still managed. But one night, my mother-in-law tried sleeping in the van. Sometime during the night, there was, according to Maria (my sister-in-law, whose luggage didn't arrive with her, and was delivered a few days later, right before our trip to Stockholm), a loud knocking on the door, which she initially thought was the result of a drunk having lost his way and thinking he'd been locked out of his own cottage. Really, it was my mother-in-law coming back in because it got cold; "chilled to the bone" is how she described herself.
And finally, from this trip, for the '64 Ford Galaxie aficionados (the very car pictured on the cover of my latest novel, The Whole Sky Full of Stars, to your right and up a bit (I know, I know, shameless self-promotion, but I've got to sell the book any way I can)): taken from our own moving vehicle, a shot of a green and rusting all-American classic.

Sweden 12b--Various and Sundry

2008-06-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is Thomas, catching some shade at Texabo, the family farm (you know the place--that's right, the very same where I've been working). This is from the church picnic two Sundays ago.

From the same picnic, here are a few of the boys from church and ours: left to right--Lukas, Fredrik, Mikah, and Kevin. If you're careful about studying this picture, you'll notice that I'm not the only brown-skinned, dark-haired person in all of Sweden.

A couple days after the picnic: it is customary for family members to pay rent on cemetery plots and to keep them up with flowers. Here you've got Morfar (Swedish for maternal grandfather, literally, a child's mother's father's) putting is an array of flowers on Tina's granddad, grandmom, and Aunt Ingrid's plot. Also pictured are Lukas and Mikah, and Mormor.

This is Lukas standing in front of a rune stone at Roberga Kyrka. According to the plate describing it, the stone was erected in honor of his uncle.

Same rune stone, with Lukas tracing some of the letters, and Mikah most likely trying to figure out the best way of knocking it over.

Sweden 12a

2008-06-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

The following comes to us from Russell Raymer's magic computer. See what all a guy can do if he sets his mind to it and applies himself! He must not have anything else to do but spend time in front of a screen. Can you guess which of the two figures he manipulated?

Sweden 11

2008-06-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we head to Halmstad (hay city, or more poetically, Le Cité du Hay) to a cabin in the south of Sweden. The smallish summer cabins that dot lake and seasides are called stugor, plural for a cottage into which we try and fit as many Neelys, and now Saldañas as we can over a couple or few days. I'll post pictures of this trip when we get back, maybe, because then it's Sunday and we're headed for Stockholm. But before we go, I want to drop a couple of photos: Some of them from Gränna, and some from other places (a church picnic at Texabo, the farm, where no one mentioned the pile of logs at the entrance--you'll also notice that the Saldañas are not the only brown folks in Sweden ¤¤I just noticed I cut these out by mistake and will repost later¤¤, and one of my baby-brother-in-law, Thomas (by special request all the way from deep South Texas); the Mustang; and our visit to different of the family gravesites where family members are responsible for the upkeep of the plots: planting flowers, watering, paying rent on, etc.) . One of the shots or two are of Lukas and Mikah by a rune stone.

Oh, by the way, did any of my Lubbockite friends who follow NASCAR notice that Jeff Gordon jumped from 10th in points to 6th? Just thought I'd rub that in. Oh, and Rachel, thanks for taking good care of ISBN and Cotton. We miss the cats a lot.

Sweden 10

2008-06-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

No pics for this entry. Just a couple of notes. First, if you want to read a Paris trip blog, read our friend Tigy's (that is without pictures right now but I'm sure that'll change once my brother gets hold of him and says that words are fine and dandy, but pictures, man, that's where it's all at; and you'll have to excuse my brother for saying so, but we have to remember, his reading habits involve books with lots and lots of pictures; but this will work to our benefit because he will insist to Tigy to put pics up of the City of Lights): tigy.vox.com/. Two, this is for Michelle specifically, but if you've read this far in the rest of you must as well read through: Tina was so busy fixing stuff for an after church picnic today that she didn't get me her Avon order. Sorry. Still, Go Gordon!!! And three, Tina tells me I have to put up more shots of Gränna, so tomorrow I will.

Sweden 9

2008-05-31T03:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Friday, we went to Gränna, a beautiful town just north and east of Jönköping where they specialize in a candy called polkagris, kind of like peppermint sticks but the flavors will vary. We didn't take any pictures of this candy on this trip because every place we visited the folks who actaully make the candy behind a viewing glass were on break. So on the next visit we'll supply photos. This photo is of Gränna from atop the mountain looking down. Way off in the distance you'll see an island (that we'll visit later in the summer, too, so pictures of it are forthcoming) called Visingsö. I'll also write about its colorful story in a later post once we've actually been on it. To get there, you have to take a färja, or ferry. At the center of the picture above, you see the U-shaped harbor from where the ferry leaves. On the left of the U is a tiny white spec, the light house seen in the following pictures. That's a lot of walking.

From left to right (in case you've forgotten what they look like), Lukas, Mikah, and Anneli in Gränna. Note the height of the lighthouse door for a later picture.

He didn't much care for his Coca Cola popcicle that he'd got originally, so Mikah traded with Tina for this ice cream cone; though he loved the ice cream, he did make a mess (duh!), and it didn't help that he started munching on the cone from the bottom up.

Moments later, he saw a size of cone and scoops that he would've much preferred.

Here's why I asked you to take note of the height of the door earlier, for the sake of perspective. Lukas climbed fairly high, considering that just to his right and left there was water.

And not to be outdone, here's Mikah: that saying to a tee: Monkey see, monkey do. And just so you all won't think they're chicken, the two of them would've climbed all the way to the top except that I was the one clucking.

Here's Lukas with one of his long lost Swedish relatives. Can you see the resemblance?

And not to be outdone, I had to pose with the troll too: Monkey see, monkey do, right? And stop it before you say it, Charles: I do not look more like him than Lukas.

Okay, aside from the polkagris that is made in Gränna, there is also another reason to visit, a restaurang (the spelling for restaurant) at the top of the mountain. Two things make this a very special place to eat. One, the räk och lax smörgås (a variation on the räk smörgås I've written about earlier that is all shrimp)--shrimp and salmon, in this case. Delicious! Two, if you're willing and able or just a knucklehead, you can take the steps up to the restaurant, which I did not on this trip but a previous one (239 of them, count them yourself if you don't believe me) when my father-in-law said he and my mother-in-law were going to park the car and then come up. They took Lukas with them, fortunately for us, because it is a steep and long climb. Again, well worth it, but still, I was living in deep South Texas then, now in Lubbock, both super flat, and here they were, making me climb. Not this time, though. We convinced Anneli to drive the back way instead. And guess what? The food was just as tasty. No need to suffer for the cause.

And to end the trip, we went the back ways home, lots of curves and lots of farm land, and for Mikah, lots of sleeping. So tired was he that he fell asleep with a juice straw in his mouth.

Sweden 8

2008-05-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

It was a few days ago this other work on the farm happened, but it's only been today or so that I've begun to get back feeling in my shoulders and arms. I take that back--I had feeling, but most of it had to do with lots and lots and lots of pain. This business of clearing a few fallen trees from the woods isn't easy, but I'd told my father-in-law that I was here to work in whatever work he needed me, and he took me up on it. Who knew that the work would be this hard? I mean, check out what was waiting for us (besides me, Ingemar and my father-in-law were there). A buck looking out for its mate. Can there be a better way to start? Now from here on in you'll notice that I don't have any shots of me actaully working, but you'll have to trust me. And here's something cool, I was allowed to use a chain saw. I got some quick training: on-off button (which I couldn't help switching to the off position (and here I know my brother will say, "René, you sly dog you, shutting that thing off to get what rest you could, you lazy bum, you." But I'll tell you what, I learned early on that I didn't quite have the knack that both my father-in-law and Ingemar had in yanking the cord and cutting the power on in one shot, nope, not me; I had to come up with a way of my own that oftentimes meant yanking that cord some ten times, so I'd only be making myself work more, not less, turning the thing off. Good try, little brother, but you've got to wake up much earlier than that to mess with this bird's early worm, or whatever.)), saw this way and that way, avoid trying to cut into rock or ground, and get at a limb way down close for pulling trees now cut down to logs out of forest that much easier. Oh, and lest we forget, don't mess with the power of the machine--it'll beat you every time. So in we went. It was only five or six downed trees we had to clear out of the woods (if we hadn't by June 1, there is danger of being fined if big brother comes around and sees you've not done the work, and worse, if the government don't get you, the bugs will). And let me tell you something else, these two seasoned woodsmen (one's sixty and the other's seventy), they're work horses, and me, I'm a work mouse. They kept going and going and going. I kept getting slower and slower and slower. Ingemar even tried making the last tree, the biggest of the lot, easier work for my by sending me to the crown of the tree where the limbs are really only branches, but even so I was stumped (excuse the pun). After a few hours of this non-stop business, we got done, and here's the proof. I'm the guy taking the picture. Farmer Lind, Ingemar, is on the phone, my father-in-law is on the right. And just so you won't think I'm talking baby trees here, I wanted you to see the girth on the biggest of the trees we worked on.
You can't tell by the picture but my hand's shaking from all the work. I'm telling you, I sweat on this one. And hurt for several days after. I still do sitting at this machine. But lest you think I am jaded about working, I'll leave you with this shot of a tiny flower that grows on the farm. I took it in spite of being dog-tired.

Sweden 7b

2008-05-25T11:41:00.001-07:00

Lukas and I are at Texabo, my mother-in-law's farm from way way way back. We're trying to lift this impossibly heavy stone, called the drängalyft (that is, the farm hand's lift). It was the true test for a man looking for work on a farm. If a man could lift this stone, it was a sign he was strong enough and so he'd be hired on the spot. You can tell easy from this shot that I'd've died of hunger in Sweden if the only job available for a guy was that of farm hand. I'm doing a bit of research into this stone, how common it is across Sweden, the weight of it, etc. More to come.

And though Mikah loves his food, especially the godis (candy), I'm telling you, he is not trying to eat this dandelion. He's blowing on it so that the seeds can spread and next season morfar will have that many more weeds to mow.

We came to Sweden with swing in hand. But there aren't any medium-sized trees to be found. Not at the Barnarp house, anyway. There are the smaller and very colorful apple trees, and these mammoth ones. The ladder is extended to practically twice its original length. And guess who got to climb it and do all the work of putting up the swing? You guessed wrong if you said me. Nope, it was my father-in-law. He's very iffy about letting a PhD in English and Creative Writing touch any of his tools. And this job required power tools, at which I'm not so adept.

A couple of other birthday party shots. Tina looked at the birthday blog and noticed I'd not put up hardly a shot that showed any other kids. She thought that wasn't so nice. I thought, You know, my brother's going to insist that I made up the whole party story and faked the pictures and in reality nobody showed up. But here's the proof. There's two Fredericks (one who spells it Fredrik), Simon, Benjamin, and Björn (I'm assuming that's the 'o' to use on his name).

And the same boys on the bench outside the back door. I'm still shocked they sat long enough for this photo. They were so full of energy.

A couple of other notes: Lukas is trying to make the argument to stay up long into the night to watch a movie because, he says, "It's still morning," even though it's close to 9PM. You see, the sun will not set completely here this time of year, and so though it gets a bit on the darker side, it don't by much. Not to be taken in by a fast-talking kid, we, his parents aren't falling for his line of logic.
Also, I was remiss yesterday to mention Anonymous in my list of folks helping keep the blog going with comments regarding how we Americans are so cool and in control. That's my reading of it, anyway.
And, Michelle, you'll have to keep coming back to the blog because Tina is on the verge of deciding what Avon products she's about to order, and I told her I'd post her list. And so if you don't visit often, you just might miss placing her order. And the more you visit, the higher my counter for the blog goes, and then I don't have to keep visiting and visiting my own site to make it look like my blog gets hit by a ton of folks. If you would, too, let your parents, Leslie, Jenny, the Coopers, and Amber know we're thinking about them and praying for them. And Brad and Terri and the girls, the Bygels, the Reeds (the whole bunch of them out at the homestead), the Carrs, Emmett, Peggy, the Smiths, Miss Dortha, the Ungers, Tyler, Max and Hazel and their bunch, Berverly, the Escudiers, the Southerlands, and the rest. I'm trying to go row by row at church and so if I'm forgetting anyone, I'll blame it on this Swedish air.

Sweden 7a

2008-05-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, Mikah turned two years old yesterday, and so following are a few shots of the party. You'll also find a few shots (and if I can manage it from Sweden on a strange computer) a video or two and some anthropological stuff.

Here is just one batch of Tina's Cookie Monster-themed cup cakes. Missing still is the mini-cookie that would come a few minutes later, stuck in the mouth.

This is Mikah and his Cookie Monster piñata. Mikah's the one on your left.

This is Cookie Montster pre-hanging, and the Swedish kids most likely have no clue, at this point yet, what violence awaits the poor Sesame Street character. Mikah, being the half-Mexican American kid that he is, having already taken part in the splitting apart of at least two other piñatas in his short life knows what's coming. You can see the confidence in his eyes. Actually, when it was his turn to take a whack at the piñata, he swung once, realized everyone was looking, and like the ostrich, tried burying his head in the ground, literally. But the ground here in Sweden is a bit too hard for him to actually succeed.

Post-Piñata: This is Mikah trying to unwrap a piece of Swedish candy, a peppermint-covered chocolate goody (and the kid's a quick study; godis is the word here for candy, and he's got that down pat). And as a side note, once they realized the desired outcome for the piñata, the Swedish kids took to the act swiftly and energetically. Candies galore. Oh, and though I'm not putting up any pics of this, just before this the kids also experienced another Mexican American and Mexican custom: the cascaron, the decorated egg shell filled with confetti, hidden in a yard, searched after, and when found, meant to be cracked over an unsuspecting and usually unwilling older person in the crowd, usually a parent or grandparent. You can see the remnants of the egg shells and the confetti at Mikah's feet.

The kids couldn't quite bust the Monster up good. Instead, they focused their attention on the jugular. The result was a beheading of Cookie Monster. Seriously, nobody cried, though I thought it was a miserable way to go.

Didn't I tell you Tina outdid herself again with the cake! On second-go-round the multilayered cookie cake decorated ala Cookie Monster holds up. I can't wait for thirds tonight. With some of the world's best coffee.

And though he didn't get super dirty eating up his piece of the cake or the cup cake, Mikah still enjoyed himself. Like a great many others in his family, Neely and Saldaña both, the kid goes straight for the frosting, leaving the rest for the ants, if any exist (which they hardly do here in this cooler climate).

Here's Mikah again. C'mon, it was his birthday--why shouldn't he get all the attention! Plus this is such a cute shot of him.

This is Mikah and Tina. I'm telling you, the kid gets his looks directly from her, not me. Well, except that his hair is brown and so are his eyes, while Tina is blonde and has blue eyes. Otherwise, they're both lookers.

And lastly, this is Mikah relaxing a bit after such a long long long day celebrating his second birthday. In truth, once he caught his second with, and with so many kids still around a few hours into the party, he kept going. As for me, I was dead beat.

Sweden 6

2008-05-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe tomorrow, maybe the following day I'll get to an update. Planning and executing a boy's second birthday party is some kind of work. But there'll be pictures of Mikah and all his Swedish friends galore soon enough. There was a Cookie Monster piñata, a four layer cookie cake with the Cookie Monster's face on it (another Tina original), matching cupcakes, and Sesame Street colored cascarones (confetti-filled for cracking over heads (we're trying to start a new tradition (if you'll allow me the obvious contradiction) into the Swedish bloodstream)). I love parenthetical statements within parenthetical statements. Count the opening and closing parentheses just to check up on this English major.

I'm still waiting for any commentary from the Republic of Texas. Michelle, are you out there? Greetings to all over at Lubbock Baptist. To my brother, who has been leaving messages, you're too funny and I miss IMing with you (I'll blame it on the time difference and not on me not wanting to IM with you). Go Red Raiders!

Sweden Trip 5

2008-05-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

More Picsräkmacka (shrimp sandwich): one of many open-faced sandwiches here (amongst my favorites); but I have to wonder why a 'sandwich' is open-faced? Are the Swedes about eating healthy and so leave out one of the slices of bread, or are they just cheap? Ha ha ha.

Here is part of the selection at the cafe in a small town called Öggestorp, my favorite cafe in Sweden. They have the best pan dulce (I've always known Swedes to be Mexican at heart because of the sweet breads), and great coffee.

Lukas and Mikah in front of the selection display.

Here is Mikah in front of his choice for the day, dammsugare (which loosely translates into vacuum cleaner--don't ask me why), but he seemed to enjoy the green treat dipped in chocolate.

Here is the cafe, whose name is too long for anyone of us at home right now to recall, so you'll just have to deal with it, those of you who need details.

This is morfar, Lukas, and Mikah walking toward a field of cows (kossor or kor) at Ingemar's farm; Ingemar is a close family friend who was nice enough to let us join him and morfar over fika this morning and then let the boys hang out with the cows. Fika is kind of like the Brits' afternoon tea, only not relegated to just the afternoon but in between meals, and mostly focusing on the pastries and conversation. I love this about Sweden, that now I've got a name for snacking and a built-in tradition.
This is Ingemar holding Lukas and petting one of his dairy cows. It's funny how the cows know him from anyone else and will approach him like dogs will approach their owners. Only one hopes the cows won't get up on their hind hooves and try and jump up on the owner.The face off: Lukas v. Cow. Who will win?

Sweden Trip 4

2008-05-20T00:33:00.001-07:00

One Time I Wish I Had A Camera...For Proof

Yesterday afternoon, I went with my father-in-law over to the farm to help with the mowing. I'll tell you what--when he said the place needed some mowing, he meant it. And I went along and helped. I couldn't let one of my elders do all the work either, that'd mean he was showing me up, right, and so I'd take the machine over every so often and try my hand at the work (and I mean work because the grass in some places was easily 5, 6 inches high). Boy, was I sore after. But I slept good. Real good. But again, no visual proof of the fact. Next time, which might just be today, I'll make sure to take a camera.

Sweden Trip 3

2008-05-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Most likely fortunately for all involved and my blog readers I didn't have access to my camera today. The family (Tina, Lukas, Mikah, morbro Thomas, and I) went to the A-6, the name for the mall here in Jönköping. We took the bus, which Mikah gets all excited by. He wants to sit way in the back. (I recall a couple of other Saldaña boys opting for that position in the back of the school bus, too.) Anyway, we got to the mall easy, and we went to the regular shops, and I want to buy shoes but I'm putting them all through the Les Reed test: I can hear him every time I pick up a pair of men's shoes: "Man, you went all the way to Sweden and found you some girl shoes, huh?" (substitute clown or bowling or tight rope walking for the girl and you get the idea of the selection this year). Anyway, really this time, we got done with the shopping and we're waiting on the bus to Råslätt, where we'll then transfer to one that'll take us to Barnarp, where the family house is, and Lukas is picking dandelions and blowing them into the wind, and the rest of us, we're just talking away, when I turn to check on Lukas (lest he be abducted by some Swedish gang of kidnappers and sold into slavery for his blonde hair--no wait, for his brown eyes--I forgot for a moment I was in the land of blondes) and I see him standing face to face (or more correctly, face to bark) with a tree, pants around his ankles, peeing in public. Of course, we freak out, though inside I'm thinking, Yeah, another knotch on the things a boy must do before he grows into a man belt. It is, I hear, a very Swedish thing to do, though I think I'll pass.

And Tigy, I suggest you check the local customs book for peeing in public before doing anything similar in Paris. Just in case.

Sweden Trip 2

2008-05-18T08:51:00.001-07:00

Pictures, As PromisedAfter what must've felt like 1 billion hours in a plane, Tina and the boys finally arrived in Göteborg (pronounced Gothenberg in English). Here, Mikah is sleeping off an over-nighter.

But who needs sleep when you have flowers to pick? Or your nose?

In this shot, Lukas is eating a bulle, a Swedish pastry from morfar's favorite bakery in Öggestorp (also my favorite bakery).

And if big brother's enjoying a bulle, well, Mikah is sure to do the same. Only he just might eat twice as much.

This is a rock. A really big rock. Historically, it's got some kind of significance or another. Something about the land being covered in ice, and when that other global warming era occured, melting all the ice, these rocks were carried along in the rushing water and eventually left behind for boys to climb centuries later.

Not to be outdone, Mikah must also climb, but he prefers morfar's big blue tractor, spelled traktor in Svenska, that's Swedish for those who didn't quite catch that.

And finally, this is a shot of Mikah and his morbro Thomas at one of the local little parks or squares. Really and truly, Mikah was enjoying the ride, which is a sort of merri-go-round and soccer game combined.

Sweden Trip 1

2008-05-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Those of you interested in reading up on our Sweden trip and who have most likely written me off as some kind of nimwitted yahoo who made the promise to update but who has forgotten because I am too busy or have taken on this European-minded attitude and so I can leave it til later, well, you've got my brother to thank for this. I got an email from him earlier--one short sentence: hey, where's the update?

Here's a portion of my trip: I visited El Paso (Ysleta Elementary, specifically) where I got to meet some very enthusiastic and great writers--go sixth graders! Thanks to Mrs. Hernanadez, Mr. Silva, all the other fine teachers there who are very student-focused and about real literacy. Anyway, I've got no pictures of that visit to upload because I seem to have lost my camera on my last hours there. I recall very clearly taking some great shots of J reading his poem about his friends' noses (what a great revision he put together!), A finishing the reading off with another poem, and everybody else in between. Some nice shots of the mountains. But all gone unless Rich Yañez, magic man, does some kind of mumbo-jumbo and it appears as if out of thin air. So, no pics of my part of the trip. I'll tell you, too, that that Heathrow, if you can avoid it, do so at all costs. I thought some US airports were a hassle, but not compared to this one. Oh, easy enough to figure out, but how many twists and turns can there be in one building to get to the place where you need to be? But the people are nice enough. I did get to Gothenberg safely and mostly on time, so thank God for that. I did get to Sweden down one bag, but that was delivered this afternoon. That's my part of it--Tina has't lost her camera, but she has been having a hard time transferring her pics to my brother-in-law's computer (that is a Swedish set up, so the keys are all over the place and all kinds of others that I have no clue what are: ä§ö¨¤). So give me a sec and I'll try to figure it out.

For my friends in India (Tigy and the rest), the folks in Sweden drive on the right side of the read like we do in the States, they don't have as much traffic on the road, elephants don't have the right of way because you just don't see them, and hardly a Swede uses his car horn to warn other drivers that they're about to create a lane where there isn't one, so no driving videos. Sorry.

Traveling Life 6b

2008-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

De Zavala Middle School/Toscha Reeves, Librarian: this was the first of my stops (05/07/08), and the highlight was talking with an honors reading class, where K and others showed they are so far ahead of the literacy ballgame; we talked sci fi/fantasy, poetry, writing, and Sharon Draper, whose Tears of a Tiger they were reading. We talked about the poetry of J. Patrick Lewis, Pat Mora, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Janet Wong, among others, and the art of Christopher Myers, in particular his Jabberwocky. A great way to start the week.

Houston Middle School/Lori Bierschwale, Librarian: Lori has come over from the dark side; she was a math teacher before taking on the awesome duties of a keeper of books, a pusher of reading. I was very happy to see how a ton of her students were carrying around some cool titles. One class had just finished reading Walter Dean Myers' Scorpions and so I had to mention his upcoming Sunrise Over Fallujah, which I'll be reviewing for MultiCultural Review soon.

Later that evening, I met with a group of parents at Austin Middle School for a talk on the responsiblity of Latino parents when it comes to promoting literacy in the home; this was no regular group of students, either: they were folks working on learning the English language in an after-school program, from which they were graduating the following day. Felicidades, padres!

Union Bower/Diana Stephens, Librarian: With apologies to Diana and her wonderful students (05/08/2008)--since starting up my blog, my intention is to take pictures of every place I visit, but I'm still getting used to it; what excuses can I use? It was too early in the day, I was too out of it, the sun got in my eyes. No excuses, really. I just dropped the ball. But what a group of older students. UB is a sort of alternative school, serving students who need to approach education in ways other than traditional. But readers they are. M, you've got to think of what university you'll be going to; I, E, and L, the same to you. Think forward, think successful, then get it done. Thanks for hanging out.

Crockett Middle School/Lisa Cartwright, Librarian: At Crockett I met some more great readers and some wonderful reading and ESL teachers, each of whom is doing a great job getting these kids excited about reading. I got some really solid questions, especially from a young man to my right, T, who I could tell was well-read and headed in just the right direction. A young man I just know will end up a lawyer, a politician, a teacher.

Austin Middle School/Gayle Benage, Librarian: pictured above is what Lori the day before called the pebbled walkway, or something like that. When we asked Gayle about it, or Lisa (one or the other; again, my memory fails), she said, "Yeah, pebbles if you're a giant." I didn't get a pic of the school sign, knowing this path that leads directly to the library by the backway was the only pic I could take. The path to book haven, right. Hey, S, it was the best answer you gave to my question talking before the presentation: Q: So, S, where are you going to college? A: Either Harvard or Yale. The sky's the limit. Shoot for it.

Java Makes Me Jump! night @ Barnes and Noble: Dr. Bailey prepared me in advance about this event at the Irving Mall: "You never know: you might get 50 people in the audience, you might get seven." My thinking is simple: if I get two, but two who are all about reading, then that's all we need. We got more than two, not quite 50. I monopolized the time, talking non-stop just about. I should've quit, though, because I understand some of the students had booktalks ready. Sorry. But I was just so excited. Later we met at this great restaurant, Via Reál located in Las Colinas Plaza, owned by Fran Lively Mathers. And lively she is. I know this because she visited our table, and she said something so interesting: meaning these librarians, "You all are our future." I'd always heard that said about students, but the way she explained it was that educators are the ones in the classroom today, every day, teaching our kids who then become our future. Though I loved the chicken I had, better even were the vegetables. The grilled baby carrots are to die for!

Travis Middle School/Amy Hankamer, Librarian (05/09/08): Amy runs a tight ship, and she knows her readers so well, down to what areas of the library the students visit more often than others. She plans on informally shifting some books she just knows her readers would pick up from where they're shelved to the section titled "short stories." And her own boy, J, is so awesome! A reader and a gamer both. Cool meeting you, J.

Bowie Middle School (trust me, far as the sign is)/Hope Krum, Librarian: Wow! This group was way mixed--sixth, seventh, and eighth graders all represented, ESL students and ELA both. Kudos to the four eighth grade guys who did a readers' theater of a section of my The Whole Sky Full of Stars. Then the questions came. And it was the best that a girl started us off, some guys and girls added theirs, and a girl ended: the final question I wasn't able to address since we ran out of time: Q: Why don't you write about girls? A: I've tried and I got it all wrong, in my opinion. I don't want to disrespect that particular audience, but I've got some ideas, so you'll get your book. Hey, read the following short stories included in Finding Our Way to read a few female heroes I've written: "The Dive," "SylvieSylvieSylvie," "Andy and Ruthie," and "My Self Myself."

Lamar Junior High School/Cindi Rockett, Librarian: What a way to end the week. First things first, though: I hope your boy's doing well, Cindi. Right before heading over, she got a call that her boy'd got a cut in the head and she left me in the quite capable hands of two of the others: Hope and Amy, who joined me in Cindi's absence. There I talked a good bit to a large group of readers and after met with T, A, and F, who I'd met the night before at JAVA at B&N. Too cool you all are.

All I can say is that these middle school librarians've got it together. I told Dr. Lea Bailey that I'd never seen a group this large of educators all focused on the same goal, reading young folks. They are quite the family, and Irving (TX) ISD is so fortunate to have them all at this time in this place. And from what I understand from speaking to each of them, their administrators are so supportive. I so want this group to adopt me as their writer. It was an awesome time.

Traveling Life 6a

2008-05-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

I don't have enough time at present to post any detailed information on my trip to Irving ISD's middle school libraries but will do so when I get home this weekend. All I'm saying is this: I'm having the time of my life with the librarians, the students, and parents. What a place!

Reading Life 31

2008-04-30T05:47:00.001-07:00

Flight by Sherman Alexie

One reviewer compares Alexie's "anger" to that of James Baldwin, and though I get where this reviewer might be coming from I really don't because I don't read this novel as a manefestation of Alexie's anger but that of the main character, Zits. And though Alexie often writes autobiographically and from a place of experience (so I can assume that there is a piece (large or small, whichever) Alexie in this 15-year-old near mass-murderer who travels through time and is a body changer of sorts), in this case, I feel, this is not a book of anger but a story of hope. Near the end of the book, Zits is taken into yet another foster home, but this time the foster-father doesn't sit across the breakfast table reading the paper but actually looks at the boy, speaks to him. His foster-mother sets out the boy's schedule for the boy and promises to pick him up from school at 2:45, and the boy is thrown off by her statement: will you really be there? he wants to know. She promises that she will, looks him in the eye, as a matter of fact, leans her face a mere few inches from his even, and says her word is solid. The boy thinks, "Promise. What a good word. What a hopeful word." His reaction to her "I promise"?: "'Whatever,' I say, because it hurts to have hope." And so as violent and as angry this boy might be in all of his lives, throughout time and history, the novel is about a boy who wants to be loved, to be hugged like the last time his own mother hugged him before her passing. A wonderful work.