Guest Post and Giveaway: Sarvenaz Tash

I'm very excited to have Sarvenaz Tash stopping by to celebrate the paperback release of her fantabulous middle-grade read The Mapmaker and the Ghost. This was one of my favorite books I read last year (check out my 5 cupcakes review). Sarvenaz talks about why she writes and loves middle-grade, plus you can win a signed copy of the newly released paperback...

The Mapmaker and the Ghost

Sarvenaz Tash

3/26/13 (paperback)

Walker Childrens

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Goldenrod Moram loves nothing better than a good quest, so she decides to start her own exploring team fashioned after her idols, the explorers Lewis and Clark. Setting out to map the forest right behind her home, her task is derailed when the team encounters a mysterious old lady, who has them search for a legendary blue rose. And when she stumbles upon none other than the ghost of Meriwether Lewis himself, Goldenrod knows this will be anything but an ordinary summer . . . or an ordinary quest.

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Why I Write (and Love) Middle Grade

Sarvenaz Tash

In honor of Word Spelunking’s March MG Madness Month, I thought I’d explain why exactly I love to write and love to love middle grade books.

The most obvious reason is that I first fell in love with books when I started reading middle grade. Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, Ellen Raskin. Louis Sachar, and Ann M. Martin come clearly to mind whenever I stop and reminisce about my childhood. You know how they say you never get over your first love? I believe that to be true of many things. For me, that includes reading.

I adore writing from the point-of-view of kids, especially kids that are anywhere from 7 to 13 years old. I think it's a magical time, but one that is also rife with conflicts: conflicts that can seem thoroughly epic to someone with limited life experience (and sometimes even thoroughly epic to anybody).

Speaking of magic...ah, magic. I really enjoy writing about fantastical things. The Mapmaker and the Ghost has touches of fantasy but the latest book I'm working on takes place in a whole fantastical world. And let me tell you: it's been SO fun to write. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try writing contemporary MGs at some point too, but--for me--MG lends itself to fantasy so wonderfully. I think it's because the MG audience still believes in bits of magic. The secret is...I do too. I think there are touches of magic all around us and being able to expand upon that in a story...well, I'm not sure how many other audiences will give you the same leeway to do so.

Humor. I love writing it and I never laughed harder as a child than I did when reading a really funny book. I'm not sure I ever lost that silly/slightly mischievous sense of humor. In other words, the average 8-year-old will probably find me funnier than the average 38-year-old. I have accepted this to be true.

The great Madeleine L'Engle once said, "You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children."

And I love writing for children. I really do.

Sarvenaz Tash
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook
Sarvenaz Tash was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. This means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). She has dabbled in all sorts of writing including screenwriting, copywriting, and professional tweeting. THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST is her debut novel.

Win a signed, personalized paperback copy of The Mapmaker and the Ghost!

Sarvenaz has generously offered one signed paperback copy of her book to give away.

DETAILS

-US ONLY

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one free entry per person, winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is NOT responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes in the mail

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Goodie Basket (39): Book Haul and Weekly Blog Recap

Goodie Basket...is a weekly feature hosted here at Word Spelunking that showcases all the goodies (books, bookish things, reviews, interviews/giveaways/guest posts, blog tours, etc) that popped up in the Goodie Basket that is Word Spelunking each week.

(This meme is inspired by other book haul memes such as Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits & Tea and Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer )

FOR REVIEW

The Wells Bequest (The Grimm Legacy #2) by Polly Shulman

• Penguin (ARC sent from pub)

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursa

• Walden Pond Press (sent from pub)

The Apprentices by Maile Meloy

• Penguin (ARC sent from pub)

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

• Pyr (finished copy sent from pub)

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

• Disney-Hyperion (ARC sent from pub)

EBOOKS FOR REVIEW

Not A Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (Harper Teen- Edelweiss)

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White (Harper Teen- Edelweiss)

Soul Catcher (The Soulkeepers #4) by G.P. Ching (sent from author)

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (Harper Teen- Edelweiss)

Big THANK YOUs to Penguin, Walden Pond Press, Pyr, Disney-Hyperion, GP Ching, and Harper Teen for all the bookish awesomeness this week!

Weekly Blog Recap

This week I...

Reviewed:

Dualed

Plastic Polly

Awesome Blossom

The Marble Queen

Aces Wild

Paperboy

Interviewed:

Eve from the Eve Hallows Series

Sally Harris

Spotlighted

A Shade of Vampire

Giveaways

-You can win a signed A Shade of Vampire candle

-Check out all the March MG Madness Giveaways (more than 10) here

What did you get this week?!

Review and Giveaway: Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Today's March MG Madness post features my review of Paperboy by Vince Vawter and a giveaway to win an ebook copy!

Paperboy

Vince Vawter

5/14/13

Random House

Format: galley

Source: pub

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N

An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything. The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger.

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Vince Vawter's Paperboy is a very literary middle-grade contemporary story that turned out to be not what I quite expected, but in a really good way.

In 1959 Memphis, an 11 year old boy takes over his friend's paper route for a month. The main character, who remains nameless for most of the novel, has a debilitating stutter that keeps him from talking much. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot of really profound thoughts. During his month as a paperboy, he encounters several grown-ups (a pretty young wife who drinks too much, a retired merchant marine who seems to know everything, and a bully homeless man) that affect the way he sees the world and himself. And an encounter with the homeless man, leaves the young boy and his beloved housekeeper in danger and changes his life forever.

Paperboy is an excellently written coming of age story that deals with very real and tough topics (abuse, racism, disabilities, etc) in a quiet, yet eloquent way. Vawter has given an unforgettable voice to an almost silent young hero and creates a truly memorable tale.

Vawter has laid out a very rich and vivid 1959 Memphis setting that will transport readers back into a time when paperboys collected weekly fees, fathers and mothers had very defined and separate roles, and racism was rampant. Vawter's world-building feels very complex, real, thought-out, and believable. And with that believability and realness, comes a story that isn't simple by any means. This book deals with those heavy topics I mentioned above in very real, but sensitive ways. The title character's (the paperboy) coming of age experiences are crafted with authenticity that requires some crass language.

But the story itself is not crass or sensationalized; it's merely honest and thought-provoking. The stuttering hero is forever changed by his short stint as a paperboy and the people he meets on the job, but also by the secrets and truths he uncovers in his own home. Vawter weaves a great deal of beauty, insight-fullness, and heart into this story and I found it to be quite poignant and touching.

The unnamed (until the end) main character and narrator is incredibly compelling and endearing with his big, smart thoughts and keen observations. Vawter has given him such a wonderful and affective voice.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Paperboy, both the book and its main character, have a quite beauty that is unexpected, yet unforgettable. I really enjoyed this smartly crafted story and recommend it for older middle-grade readers.

MY RATING

Vince Vawter

Site / Goodreads / Facebook

Vince Vawter, a native of Memphis, retired after a 40-year career in newspapers, most recently as the president and publisher of the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press. In 2002-2003 he was president of the board of directors of the Hoosier State Press Association. He previously served as managing editor of The Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel and news editor of the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar. He lives with his wife in Louisville, Tenn., on a small farm in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Win an e-ARC of Paperboy!

The awesome people at Random House have generously offered one e-galley to give away.

DETAILS

-OPEN TO ANYONE WHO CAN READ EBOOKS

-will end 3/31

-must be 13+, one main entry per person, winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

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