Kell Andrews

First Earth Day Celebration in Wynnewood Valley Park

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:44:00 -0400

Wynnewood Valley Park is our neighborhood backyard, and yesterday it was the setting for the first annual Penn Wynne Earth Day Celebration. Chuck Scott, president of the Penn Wynne Civic Association, invited me to take part because the park was the inspiration for DEADWOOD.

DEADWOOD is fiction, of course. Penn Wynne itself is a thriving, tidy neighborhood and the real Wynnewood Valley park is a small, natural gem running along a tributary to Cobbs Creek. Home to foxes, birds, frogs, and turtles, its playgrounds and tennis courts are also heavily used recreationally.

Yesterday it hosted a wider range of activities — crafts, food, scavenger hunts, a freecycle event, and education on composting, tree care, and the ecology of the park.

I was fortunate to be seated next to Rob Witmer and Rich Widdman of the Lower Merion Shade Tree Commission. I was able to pester them with tree questions and exchange rants about the knotweed in the park (my nemesis) and the emerald ash borer.

The events, including live music, were distributed throughout the park to encourage visitors to use the whole open space.

The kids found some interesting creatures in the creek — at least one crayfish, some boatmen, and many worms. My daughter decided her cowgirl boots were waders and only fell in twice.

It was a great day in the park, and if it’s repeated next year, I’ll be there again. Thank you to Chuck and the Penn Wynne Civic Association for inviting me.

Coverage and More Photos from the Ardmore Patch

DEADWOOD and Earth Day in Main Line Times

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:21:00 -0400

DEADWOOD and Earth Day in Main Line Times:

Today I had a wonderful time meeting with the third through seventh-graders at Friends School Haverford — great questions from some smart kids.

Then I was surprised with a shout-out for DEADWOOD in the Main LIne Times coverage of Penn Wynne’s upcoming Earth Day celebration, where I’ll be appearing to talk about the setting for the book. In the article Mike Weilbacher said DEADWOOD has “a suspenseful and fast-paced ecological plot” — high praise from the executive director the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

So don’t forget to join us in Wynnewood Valley Park, April 21, 1-4!

Read the full story »

treeandtwig: Skull and crossbones arborglyph on American beech...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:50:01 -0400

treeandtwig:

Skull and crossbones arborglyph on American beech (Fagus grandifolia), Haverford Heritage Trail, March 23, 2013.

Great day to look for arborglyphs! Sunny and cool but the leaves are not yet out.

Bringing the World to Life at Welsh Valley

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:03:49 -0400

I had a fantastic time today working with the seventh-grade students and teachers in the Welsh Valley Middle School Challenge and Waterbound programs today — great questions and a lot of fun.

The Waterbound program is a year-long seventh grade interdisciplinary program that incorporates most subject areas through hands-on exploration of the history, culture, nature, and environment of Lower Merion and Colonial America. I was there to talk to them about DEADWOOD, which has elements of the outdoors, science, and history in a very similar setting, and I was lucky enough to be there when the teachers shared the recruitment video with the current students. I was ready to sign up — I love how hands-on and direct their experience with nature and the world was.

The kids spend the year observing nature in the local parks and immersing themselves in local history, and they were in the process of writing their second historical novel, this one set in Revolutionary Era America (the first was set among the Lenni Lenape). It was wonderful to see how the nature-based and experiential curriculum brought the subject to life — wonderful kids, wonderful teachers.

Golden-Era Art Nouveau Illustrators on Deadwood

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:02:00 -0500

Yesterday I had the honor of helping teach a young writers’ workshop at Ludington Library (more thoughts about it on Operation Awesome). Gail McCown, the librarian who created the program, gave me a copy of By a Woman’s Hand: Illustrators of the Golden Age (Dover, 2010) — a wonderful gift based on my love of classic fairy tales by Andrew Lang and George MacDonald.

Shawna Tenney, the artist who created Deadwood’s beautiful cover, captured Hannah and Martin perfectly, but this book started me thinking how my story might have looked if Deadwood had been published in 1919 instead of now. Fortunately, I found Golden Era illustrations that pictured Hannah and Martin as I imagined them in Art Nouveau glory.

Martin is despondent after his confrontation with Nick over the Spirit Tree.

Helen Stratton, who illustrated my childhood edition of The Princess and Curdie; she also illustrated an edition of The Princess and the Goblin, but my version was Arthur Hughes.
“The desire to fight with him was gone.”
Heroic Legends, n.d.

Hannah flees from the Spirit Tree.

Helen Stratton
“It was an old soldier.”
“The Red Shoes,” The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, 1899

Hannah in the witch’s garden

Florence Harrison, of whom little is now known, not even her nationality (either Scottish or Australian)
“She stood on inner ground that budded flowers.”
“From House to Home,” Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rosetti, n.d.

Dr. Blitzer visits Deadwood Park.

Blanche Fisher Wright, illustrator of the iconic Real Mother Goose and sister of the one half of Fisher-Price Toys (clearly a talented family and friends to children)
“The Wind,” The Peter Patter Book, 1918

Hannah wonders if the Spirit Tree can hear her.

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, the most popular Australian illustrator of her time.
Moonrise, Elves and Fairies, 1916

Hannah communicates with the Spirit Tree

Elenore Plaisted Abbott, who studied at the Drexel Institute, now Drexel University, one of my freelance clients, and lived in Philadelphia
“Rustle and shake yourself, dear tree, / And silver and gold throw down to me”
“Cinderella,” Grimm’s Fairy Tales, 1920

The only way forward is to go forward

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:30:46 -0500

Lately news from the publishing industry is making me dizzy. It’s hard to know what will happen next, so the only way to move forward is just keeping moving forward. That’s why I’m so glad DEADWOOD, my MG modern fantasy is finding readers now (and the paperback is on sale at Amazon for $8.81; ebook at $3.99!) while I keep writing and pursuing publication.

More thoughts at Operation Awesome »

Young Writers' Workshop in Bryn Mawr

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:22:00 -0500

I’m looking forward to working with the students at the Writing Workshop at the Ludington Library in Bryn Mawr on March 2. It should be a fun day with lots of creative ideas flowing. Thanks to Ms. Gail of the Lower Merion Library System for inviting me to work with the young writers in what we hope becomes an annual event.

Interview on Project Mayhem

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:41:10 -0500

Interview on Project Mayhem:

Dee Garretson, the versatile writer of middle-grade adventures WILDFIRE RUN and WOLF STORM, as well as the adult historical mystery GARGOYLE IN THE SEINE, asked me some tough questions about DEADWOOD for Project Mayhem. Thanks, Dee!

Must-watch trailer for Landfill Harmonic, a documentary about a...

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:25:32 -0500

Must-watch trailer for Landfill Harmonic, a documentary about a children’s orchestra in Paraguay that plays instruments recycled from trash in landfill where they live. Amazingly talented kids, beautiful music, and a strong reminder that we too easily throw away things — and people — with value.

Interview on Enchanted Inkpot

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:05:20 -0500

Interview on Enchanted Inkpot:

Fantasy writer Cindy Pon (author of Silver Phoenix and Fury of the Phoenix, Greenwillow/Harper Teen) interviewed me about Deadwood for The Enchanted Inkpot, and she asked some interesting questions. Find out why Prince Charles talks to plants and what my favorite pastry is!

Interview on Middle Grade Matrix by Dianna Winget

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:30:00 -0500

Interview on Middle Grade Matrix by Dianna Winget:

Dianna Winget, author of A Smidgen of Sky (Harcourt 2012) interviewed me for her blog, Middle Grade Matrix.

Here’s what Winget’s critically praised middle-grade debut is about:

Whether she likes it or not, ten-year-old Piper Lee DeLuna is about to get a new family. Four years after the plane Piper’s daddy was flying disappeared, her mama is getting married again. The way Piper sees it, Mama’s being flat out disloyal. Besides, who needs a stepdad—or a bratty stepsister, for that matter—when she and Mama are doing just fine on their own?

But when Piper Lee hatches a plan to get the wedding called off, everything spirals out of control. And by the time Piper realizes just how much damage she’s done, it could be too late to fix things.

Thanks to Dianna for hosting me.

Operation Awesome: The Blank Page

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 09:03:54 -0500

Operation Awesome: The Blank Page:

Some reflections on the blank page as Operation Awesome gears up for our first New Year’s Revisions Conference…

Review from Jen's Book Page: "A nice mix of heart and humor"

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:27:02 -0500

Review from Jen's Book Page: "A nice mix of heart and humor":

I appreciate this thoughtful review from Jen Robinson at Jen’s Book Page, who called DEADWOOD “a nice mix of heart and humor.”

Give this one to middle grade readers who enjoy magical realism, or to anyone for whom the idea of talking with an ancient, enormous tree is irresistible.

Read the whole review here.

Guest Post: Creating a Neighborhood Park

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:07:00 -0500

By Kate Galer

Upon reading Kell Andrews’ book, DEADWOOD, thought a lot about the importance of trees, parks, and open spaces in our lives, from childhood to old age. What follows is a little bit of the story of a park in my neighborhood, Linwood Park (rhymes with “Brynwood”!)

When I moved to Ardmore eleven years ago at the age of 32, I went into a kind of shock. I had moved to the suburbs from the neighborhood of Mt. Airy in Philadelphia, but there were fewer trees here, no great wooded parks within spitting distance, and where were the trails? A mild panic set in as I yearned to get back to the great Wissahickon woods that I had spent my whole life up to that point exploring. The parks within walking distance from my house in South Ardmore were all playgrounds, pool, playing fields, and basketball courts.

So when the opportunity came up a few years ago for Lower Merion Township to acquire a one-acre parking lot a few blocks from my home and turn it into a park, I jumped on the bandwagon. I could help with this! I could rally the troops! We could have a nice park with trees and flowers and no playground equipment! We could use our imagination

I always knew parks were good things, especially in a very dense neighborhood, such as Ardmore where many residents have little to no yard. There is research to support the value of open space and tree cover on decreased crime and increased health and well being, not to mention increased property values. I also knew how being in parks made me feel (great). But until I got involved in the development of what is now called Linwood Park, I did not realize the effect a park could have on a whole neighborhood, on individuals within the neighborhood, and how people would express their love of a place.

I am now the President of the Friends of Linwood Park, an all-volunteer organization comprised of a bunch of people in the neighborhood who have a deep feeling for Linwood and only want to see it become better over time. As the president, I spend a lot of time at the Park and a lot of time listening to people’s stories about the park and channeling resources and love to Linwood.

Here are a few Linwood stories:

Sean and his Tree:

In January of 2012, a neighbor’s son and beloved 7^th grader, Sean King, unexpectedly passed on. This was a shock to the school and neighborhood community. On the bitterly cold eve that Sean died, an impromptu candle light vigil was held at Linwood with around 50 children and adults gathering, both in silence and also speaking about Sean. After that, people started to say there should be something permanent at the park for Sean. So we raised some money and last spring planted a beautiful and strong pagoda dogwood in memory of Sean. Again, many gathered at the park and helped plant the tree. Mary, Sean’s mother, put some of Sean’s ashes in with the tree. The tree thrives. People have told me they just come to the park and touch the bark. Others have told me every time they go by the park and see the tree they think of Sean. A memory stone appeared under the tree. We decorated the tree with Christmas balls and Mary put some of Sean’s favorite Star Wars ornaments on the tree. Mary said that the park has gone from a place she drives by to a place she loves. Next month, on January 13^th, the anniversary of Sean’s passing, Sean’s friends will gather at the park for another candlelight vigil held in his memory. As the years go by, the tree will grow and be able to be seen from all angles of the park. It will always be Sean’s tree.

First Steps:

Imagine the joy felt by park users when they went onto the Friends of Linwood facebook page and saw a video that was uploaded by a park friend of their child’s first steps. Just shy of one and Harrison had taken his first steps ever at Linwood Park!

Tying the Knot:

In August of 2010, just a few short months after Linwood had opened and was pretty barebones on the plants, a couple got married there. The bride had learned how to ride her bike and then drive a car on the parking lot that used to be where the park was built. Her parents still lived two blocks away, so they said their vows at the park and just as it started to drizzle, played kazoos as the wedding party paraded back down the street for the reception.

A few weeks ago, on a balmy Fall day, I stopped and chatted with that bride, her groom, their new baby and a couple of proud grandparents as they walked through the park.

Hoop it Up:

The second Wednesday in the Spring and Summer months brings Hoop Jam to Linwood Park. A local hula hooper, Leah Troiano, donates her time, hoops, and energy to have a big hula hoop party at the Park. There are so many different people and levels of hoping expertise and everyone is welcome. Last summer, a couple of around sixty-year-old women came to a hoop jam. They said they didn’t know how to hula hoop, but were willing to try. I pointed them in the direction of Leah. Leah immediately started to teach them. It was like watching movie stills. First, the one woman could barely keep up the hula hoop, then she got it a few times, then next thing I look over and she is hooping away!

The power in all these stories is about the space. Without the communal, public, accepting space of Linwood Park, these things would not have happened the way they did. These are just a few stories that stand out. Everyday there are kids running along the wall, finding bees and bugs in the garden, playing hide and seek with friends, and gathering acorns like human squirrels below the big old oaks that line the perimeter of the park. There are old ladies and young men sitting on the benches reading or thinking. There are people driving by and feeling a sense of calm as they see a haze of purple Muhlenberg grass peeking over a mound of artemesia. There are solar lights twinkling in the trees in the back of the park and twinkling lights lining the path into the park, prompting a few young girls to call it “Sparkly Park.” There is a place for a neighborhood, often divided by school and political boundary lines, to come together and breathe.

I still go back to the Wissahickon, sometimes by myself, sometimes with the kids or the husband or friends. This past Thanksgiving Day, I met my oldest and dearest friend who was in town from Colorado for the holiday on Forbidden Drive with a few other women for a run through the park. We met at 7:30 am, while most of our kids were still asleep and before the madness of the day began. As I texted my friend a couple days later, “ the Thanksgiving run was the perfect way to start the day.” And she texted back, “my favorite time in Philly was the run!” It was as perfect as a park could be.

About the writer: Kate Galer, M.Ed, is a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area and a lifelong hiker in the Wissahickon. She works with children with autism with a special interest in using the outdoors for sensory-based teaching. Kate is the President of the Friends of Linwood Park and chair of the Lower Merion Township Environmental Advisory Board.

"Normal, everyday people" in all their diversity

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 10:45:00 -0500

"Normal, everyday people" in all their diversity:

This week an article in the New York Times about the lack of Latino characters in children’s fiction, was much buzzed about in the children’s book world.

At Bayard Taylor Elementary in Philadelphia, a school where three-quarters of the students are Latino, Kimberly Blake, a third-grade bilingual teacher, said she struggles to find books about Latino children that are “about normal, everyday people.” The few that are available tend to focus on stereotypes of migrant workers or on special holidays. “Our students look the way they look every single day of the year,” Ms. Blake said, “not just on Cinco de Mayo or Puerto Rican Day.”

Young readers need books about kids who are like them and kids who are very different. Sometimes they want to recognize themselves in a character and sometimes they want an escape. It’s wonderful when they can do both in the same story.

Many of my MG and YA writer friends feature diverse characters of all kinds, and I would love to see more of these books in the hands of readers. Getting published is always challenging, and it’s more challenging for these stories, from urban fantasy to romance, commercial to literary.

DEADWOOD is a middle-grade contemporary fantasy with two main characters — Martin, who is Puerto Rican, and Hannah, who is white. I hope they fit Ms. Blake’s idea of “normal, everyday people” who find themselves in an extraordinary situation, and that young readers can relate to them both.

treeandtwig: What a creative way to save a treasured tree....

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:36:31 -0500

treeandtwig:

What a creative way to save a treasured tree. Martin and Hannah would be proud.

restfulmuses:

“This old horse chestnut tree was falling down and the town council decided to fell it. But the people of Bideford, Devon, UK had different ideas and rose up in rebellion against their council. In the end a local sculptor, John Butler, came to the rescue and sculpted a helping hand to hold the tree up, and the council held off with their plans to fell it.” via: http://www.save-our-green.com/

Praise from Tree Tenders

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:31:17 -0500

I was excited today to hear from Barley Van Clief, project manager for Tree Tenders, the tree education program at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Barley had been patient enough to answer my questions about trees and tree care for DEADWOOD, and now here’s what she said:

“I totally enjoyed Deadwood from cover to cover. As one person who truly believes that people communicate with trees and vice versa, I got a real kick out of the concept that the beech tree used carved graffiti letters to ‘message’ its ambassadors! I also appreciated the biology lessons embedded in the story.”

I was relieved that Barley didn’t object to the fantastical elements of the story, which were my own invention! She does great work with Tree Tenders, which offers hands-on tree care training for the Philadelphia region, covering tree biology, identification, planting, proper care and working to create greener communities.

Big Day Today! E-book, pitch contest, more!

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 08:35:47 -0500

Today’s a big day — official release day for DEADWOOD, which means the Kindle version is available! You can also order the paperback through your local bookseller, or buy online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, or IndieBound.

Also, the Operation Awesome Mystery Agent returns at 10 EST! Get your one-line pitches in!

And also my wonderful cousin Bridget delivered her new baby this morning! Great news all around.

Reading List for Urban Parks

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:15:00 -0500

Deadwood takes place in an urban park inspired by Wynnewood Valley Park in Lower Merion, PA, and Wissahickon Valley Park (pictured right) in Philadelphia, so I asked Kate Galer, an open-space, education, and urban park activist, for some resources. Kate, one of the forces behind the establishment of Linwood Park, a pocket park in Ardmore, PA, supplied this reading list.

General Resources

Edens Lost and Found: How Ordinary Citizens are Restoring our Great American Cities by Harry Wilan and Dale Bell with Joseph D’ Agnese. 2006

The book written with the documentary on PBS. With Edens Lost & Found, award-winning filmmakers Harry Wiland and Dale Bell herald an exciting sea change in the relationship between ordinary citizens, environmental groups, and government. From across America they gather evidence of a new spirit of cooperation among neighbors, planners, architects and builders, city officials, and government agencies. Indeed, as urban issues have become undeniably urgent problems that demand answers, people from disparate backgrounds and political leanings are joining forces to recast life in American cities. As citizens take action where government has failed, they are finding support, encouragement, and help from their neighbors. Conversely, as progressive-minded government agencies and organizations explore nontraditional solutions, an energized community rallies to the cause.

Neither exclusively top-down, nor grass roots, we are in the midst of an unprecedented movement that unites efforts from every quarter in a common cause. Focusing on Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle — four cities that face vastly different challenges — Edens Lost & Found highlights the remarkable power of hope, pride, ingenuity, and chutzpah that characterize this era of collaboration. Bioengineering concepts — now increasingly understood by many to offer the most effective, cost-efficient solutions — are playing a central role. Working with — rather than in opposition to — nature is leading to such innovations as rooftop and urban gardens, restored parks, transformed vacant lots, the re-greening of city streets, and eco-friendly watershed management. Edens Lost & Found shows how working to reshape the land also transforms the relationships people have to one another.

Public Parks: The Key to Livable Communites by Alexander Garvin. 2011.

Everything that anybody (whether they are citizen activists, or public officials, or professional landscape architects, architects, and planners) needs to know about the critical role public parks play in creating livable communities. Millions of dollars are being spent on restoring parks and creating new ones. Planner Alexander Garvin explains the rationales for their existence, the forms they take, their value, ways to pay for and govern them, and the ingredients that make successful parks, providing the first single definitive source of wisdom about them. 250 color photographs and plans.

Parks, Plants, and People: Beautifying the Urban Landscape by Lynden B. Miller. 2009

An internationally renowned public garden designer, with 27 years’ experience and an artist’s eye, Lynden Miller has changed the face of New York City’s public places by providing a connection with nature for neighborhoods, rich and poor. Parks, Plants and People describes the elements of successful public space and tells how to design, improve and maintain year-round plantings, how to advocate for increased public funding and how to attract private dollars.

She calls on the general public, gardeners, urban designers, architects, landscape architects and public officials — everyone who cares about the quality of life in urban areas — to create and support well-planted parks and gardens as essential urban oases that reduce crime and have positive effects on the economic welfare of cities and their citizens. Miller demonstrates the power of plants to soften and civilize public life and proves that beautiful public spaces, planted and maintained to high standards, have the power to transform the way people behave and feel about their cities. Her motto is: Make it gorgeous and they will come. Keep it that way and they will help. 150 color; 50 black & white photographs.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature- Deficit Disorder. Richard Louv. 2006.

Richard Louv was the first to identify a phenomenon we all knew existed but couldn’t quite articulate: nature-deficit disorder. His book Last Child in the Woods created a national conversation about the disconnection between children and nature, and his message has galvanized an international movement. Now, three years after its initial publication, we have reached a tipping point, with Leave No Child Inside initiatives adopted in at least 30 regions within 21 states, and in Canada, Holland, Australia, and Great Britain.

This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book — and this grassroots movement — were launched. It includes:

101 Things you can do to create change in your community, school, and family.
Discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
A new afterword by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.

This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children.

Wissahickon-Specific Resources

Metropolitan Paradise: The Struggle for Nature in the City by David Contosta and Carol Franklin. 2010

Four paperback volumes packed into a beautiful hardcover case, Metropolitan Paradise is the definitive book on the relationship between natural and urban environments.

Sacred to the Lenni-Lenape and to many early Europeans who settled in the area, the Wissahickon Valley has all the elements of “paradise” recognized in many cultures — the dramatic gorge with high cliffs, twisted rocks, dark hemlocks, sparkling water and the bountiful rolling terrain directly to the north beyond the city boundaries. Ironically, this paradise is part of a large, old North American urban region, suffering from all the troubles of the modern metropolis.

The Wissahickon Valley is a microcosm of changes in the American landscape over the past 400 years. The lessons of its history, present treatment and future possibilities, are both universal and unique. The book is both a local journey and, by extension, an exploration of how to resolve the crises of a collapsing natural world.

Today cities are exploding into complex, densely packed, multi-dimensional organisms. With six billion people on the planet and a projected nine billion within 50 years, almost everyone will be living in a megalopolis. This book is the story of a struggle to establish and maintain connected natural systems in one metropolitan area. The preservation and restoration of this valley is offered as a possible model for the world’s cities.

Sustaining natural lands within the matrix of an increasingly pervasive urban landscape is crucial. These places are our “canary in the mine.” If they cannot succeed, all wildness is imperiled, impoverishing all life and ultimately threatening human survival. This book is the authors’ contribution to a remarkable and widespread effort to restore the Wissahickon Valley and to envision a bold and imaginative future.

The Wissahickon Valley within the City of Philadelphia

Francis Burke Brandt (Author), Philip B. Wallace (Photographer), Rau Studios (Photographer), Henry V. Gummere (Photographer). 1927. Still available on Amazon.

A fine old book with lots of black and white photographs and titles to chapters such as “The Wissahickon from a Motor Car.”

The quote on the title page is “…tongue in tress, books in the running brooks,

Sermons in stones, and good in everything.” - As You Like It

Children’s Picture Book

The Curious Garden – by Peter Brown. 2009.

Written and illustrated by Peter Brown and inspired by the High Line, The Curious Garden tells the story of Liam, a young boy who discovers a hidden garden atop an abandoned railroad structure. As he helps the garden thrive, he inspires others in his city to look for little patches of green among the concrete, until the whole city begins to blossom. Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

About the writer: Kate Galer, M.Ed, is a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area and a lifelong hiker in the Wissahickon. She works with children with autism with a special interest in using the outdoors for sensory-based teaching. Kate is the President of The Friends of Linwood Park and chair of the Lower Merion Township Environmental Advisory Board.

First Review for DEADWOOD! And it's from a 9-year-old!

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:17:07 -0500

First Review for DEADWOOD! And it's from a 9-year-old! :

I have my first review of DEADWOOD, and I’m honored that it’s from a smart and thoughtful 9-year-old! The daughter of my Operation Awesome writer friend Kristal Shaff swiped her copy and wrote a review.

Here’s a selection:

“It seemed like it was really happening, and I was in the book with them. My favorite character was probably Hannah, because she was brave and she kept on trying no matter what. She believed in herself. I like that it was hard to figure out the answer to their problem.”

I know writers aren’t supposed to reply to reviews, but I’m breaking that rule. Thank you, Kira!