Photocopy those pages, just for this exercise, if you don’t want to mark up your book. He wasn’t on the ordinary side of the canyon with Dad. dialogue:“When I woke up for the first day of second grade, the fog was hanging over the lake like a dream that hadn’t fully disappeared into my subconscious upon waking…”When we’re writing in the voice of a kid character, that voice has to be believable. "—School Library Journal, starred review For parts of the book I was on Caleb’s side and other parts I was on B.G.’s side. Check out my new #VirtualVisits page for info & message me w/any ?s! “We’ve never seen any.” He splashed around in the shallows.“Why did you get the nickname Pixie?” I figured it was okay to ask since we’d been talking about names earlier.“I picked it out.”“Why?”“I have a brother now. "Reminiscent of now-classic works by Katherine Paterson, Natalie Babbitt and Lois Lowry, The Season of Styx Malone brings the darkness of fear and trauma into the bright sun of summer days.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review "A summertime romp filled with trouble-making, camaraderie, and substance. This is so very interesting! Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. These lines of dialogue are from Caleb:“I said, I don’t want to be ordinary. So unless your character happens to be a ridiculously precocious/pretentious seven-year-old, this doesn’t work. and try to create that same sort of balance in a written conversation. This book has it all—humor, adventure, discussion worthy themes, and scenes that had me reaching for the tissues. Styx promises the brothers that together, the three of them can pull off the Great Escalator Trade--exchanging one small thing for something better until they achieve their wildest dream. The Season of Styx Malone begins with brothers Caleb and Bobby Gene inadvertently trading their baby sister for a bag of fireworks which sets into motion the Great Escalator Trade orchestrated by the one and only Styx Malone. Caleb learns that being “extraordinary” is not a bad thing. Writing believable dialogue can be one of the trickiest things about crafting a middle grade novel. The Season of Styx Malone. “I’m on my way to meet Kayla for ice cream. Would you rather have two-thirds of nothing and a big problem on your hands, or would you rather have fifty percent of a whole lot, problem-free?”“No relation. This week's mini-lesson is from guest author Jess Keating, whose newest title is OCEAN SPEAKS, a picture book biography of ocean cartographer Marie Tharp. It was SO much fun listening to @KateMessner read "Over and Under the Rainforest" in today's webinar! https://www.keelyhutton.com/virtual-visits. Nothing else is happening while that boring conversation takes place. She’s my friend from camp, which I attend every summer for six weeks. I am inspired! All rights reserved. The Season of Styx Malone is a really good book for Read Aloud because of what Caleb, the main character, learns. And as far as I can ascertain it isn’t getting talked about half as much as it should be. Caleb longs to venture beyond their small town, but their dad likes the family to stay close to home. Capturing the Tide:Three Tips from Writing Real Women Feeling daunted at the thought of distilling someone’s entire life into ... Good morning, and welcome to Teachers Write! It isn’t historical fiction. Back in school, some of us heard the questionable advice “said is dead” from teachers who wanted us to use more vivid dialogue tags. Today, we're going to talk about dialogue -- and how to make it more interesting. But Caleb dreams of venturing beyond their ordinary small town. Thirty-One Educators Connecting Students and Books. This week's mini-lesson is from guest author Linda Urban, who writes picture books, chapter books, and novels for kids! I love how Caleb and B.G. “Me too.”At this point, who isn’t bored? Skip over the small talk.Info dump dialogue:“Hi, Tom,” said Jesse. THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE by Kekla Magoon is up for discussion as today's Heavy Medal Finalist. Sometimes writers try to use dialogue to deliver information that the reader will need later. This book really touched my heart. Teachers & librarians - I'm offering a very low-cost virtual author visit on October 1st for any classes that would like to participate! Then, take a passage from your own writing, or imagine a new conversation between some characters you make up (Kids at a soccer game? Neighbor, friend, mediator. The Season of Styx Malone is a really good book for Read Aloud because of what Caleb, the main character, learns. Thank you!! I am ridiculously excited about this event tomorrow - can't wait to chat with some wonderful readers! I’m Caleb Franklin and this is my brother, Bobby Gene.”And these are from Styx, who’s older and more worldly“Actually, I’d like to make you a more attractive offer.”“But I’m bringing all the expertise. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Pixie Styx?“You’re a freak,” I informed her.“I’m original.” She enunciated each syllable.“Freak.”She grinned, as if she knew that secretly I was thinking: No one would ever call Pixie “ordinary.”“What?”She grinned wider. You can hear the characters’ voices and imagine them interacting, which is a result of that balanced mix of dialogue and action. It was so much fun to connect with your terrific readers this afternoon! Ten–year–old Caleb and his eleven–year–old brother, Bobby Gene Franklin, build a connection with 16–year–old foster child, Styx Malone. Can you sort the lines by character just by the way they talk? If their undistinguishable voices and speech patterns keep up, readers won’t be able to tell them apart. The words being spoken aren’t the only problem. Yay!! Take at look at what my fifth graders had to say about this extraordinary book: I think that The Season of Styx Malone is a great Read Aloud because of the way Caleb thinks of the word extraordinary as “extra” ordinary. Log in, Fencing, Hoops, and a Family Wedding: Distinguished Writing Styles, Condors, Honeybees, and Women in Space: Distinguished Informational Books, Guest Blogger Post: FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON, A Mountain in Maine, a City of Light and the USSR: Distinguished Settings, Speaking Up, Choosing Lanes, and World War II Reflections: Distinguished Themes, Della, Ware, and Bob the Dog: Distinguished Characters. Caleb’s misunderstanding of this word influences the plot of the book, and eventually leads to the big “aha” moment at the very end. “Kinda bored.”“Yeah,” said Jesse. We used to be best friends with Mia, too, but Mia didn’t go last year, and the three of us grew apart. Get five different colored highlighters or colored pencils, and use them to highlight the following elements in those dialogue sections: Color 1 – Characters’ dialogue in quotes It’s a mistake that almost anyone could make. If they have phones or other cameras available, challenge them to take a photograph and write a poem about ... Good morning, and welcome back to Teachers Write! Kate is represented by Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency: And speaking of dialogue tags… sometimes, less is more. It has its ups and downs, and it pulls you from one side to another. Consider this rewrite:“Hey, can you come over later?” asked Jesse.“Nope. However well-intended this was, it can lead to passages like this:“He’s here!” Kim shouted.“I’ve been waiting all day,” Tim exclaimed.“Not as long as I’ve been waiting,” Dad chuckled.“I hope he likes the surprise party,” Tim worried.“He’ll love it,” Kim asserted.When you’re using dialogue tags, said is often your best bet because it doesn’t call attention to itself, interrupting the flow of the dialogue. Photocopy those pages, just for this exercise, if you don’t want to mark up your book. Because I did.This dialogue hums right along. Here’s what this book is not. http://bit.ly/3k6Y3PD Caleb Franklin and his big brother, Bobby Gene, have the whole summer ahead of them to explore the woods behind their house in Sutton, Indiana. “You know you like me.”“Shut up,” I said. Copies for our first Breakfast Club title arrived today! I LOVE this book! This book teaches a really good lesson on friendship. Into this atmosphere comes “The Season of Styx Malone”. View all posts by Kim Doyle (Contributor 2019-2020). From the description of the Great Escalator Trade (page 46) and the plan to do the same to get the Grasshopper to his bravery and nonchalance about the moped accident, Styx Malone is an epic character, and as it turns out, a really great friend, too. Recommended for grades 3-7. We want dialogue to sound like real people talking – but we want real-people talk at its most dramatic, its wittiest, its funniest, and its most interesting. Styx is sixteen and oozes cool. That’s ... Good morning, and welcome back to Teachers Write! It doesn’t brood, though it isn’t afraid to tackle serious issues. You might notice I didn’t ask if you were keeping a writer’s notebook. )Talking-and-nothing-else dialogue:Take another look at that so-authentic-it’s-boring example with Tom & Jesse above. This ... Good morning, and welcome back to Teachers Write! #Homeschooling families are welcome, too! Studying dialogue in a mentor text like this is one of the best ways to get an ear for how it works.So here’s your assignment for today. Copy and paste all of one character’s lines into a blank document. Astronaut pals making plans for the day?) This book teaches a really good lesson on friendship. Fifth grade teacher connecting with students one book at a time. Get five different colored highlighters or colored pencils, and use them to highlight the following elements in those dialogue sections:Color 1 – Characters’ dialogue in quotesColor 2 – Dialogue tags like he said, she asked, etc.Color 3 – Action that’s happening while the characters talk.Color 4 – Internal thoughts from the narrator.Color 5 – Other description mixed in with the dialogue.When you finish, take a look at the balance. Choose a few dialogue-heavy pages of THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE to mark up. This is a great book because it is like a roller coaster. “Shut up,” she said. Please tell your Breakfast Club readers that I said hi! JEAN: The Season of Styx Malone (2018) by Kekla Magoon is another story that had me questioning the relationships. It’s common enough to be mostly invisible, so the focus is on the story – not your impressively varied dialogue tags. Here are some of the common pitfalls.So-authentic-it’s-boring dialogue:“Hi, Jesse,” said Tom.“Hey,” said Jesse.“What’s up?” asked Tom.“Not much,” said Jesse. #librarylife #librariesrock @FollettLearning @KateMessner @LcisBobcats. I'm so excited that you'll be writing with us this summer. Then Caleb and Bobby Gene meet new neighbor Styx Malone. Caleb’s friendship with his brother goes through some hard times because of Styx’s influence but in the end he realizes this: I was wrong about my brother. I never thought about all the things to consider with dialogue before. Copy and paste another character’s lines into another document. conversation, but it goes on so long that it feels boring? But sometime you don’t need dialogue tags at all. We use incomplete sentences and language that’s more casual. 2020 Kate Messner. There was no grand puff of smoke or anything, but he appeared as if from nowhere, right in our very own woods. View all posts by Kim Doyle (Contributor 2019-2020). Even with spicier dialogue, it can help a lot if characters are doing something while they’re talking – especially if the conversation goes on a while.Complete-sentence-or-bust dialogue:“Hey, can you come over later on?” asked Jesse.“I can’t come over because I have to clean my room,” said Tom.“Do you really have to clean it today?” Jesse asked.“My mom said I have to or I’m grounded for the weekend,” Tom said.“That is a real bummer,” said Jesse.Real people don’t talk like this. Here's a link where you can learn more & sign up! If you’d like to share what you wrote for today, feel free to visit this post on my blog (www.katemessner.com/blog).