Interview with Author Maureen McQuerry

Maureen McQuerry is a writer and teacher living in Richland, Washington. She is the author of Nuclear Legacy, (IP award winner) and Student Inquiry, and her new YA fantasy novel, Traveler's Market, released in July with Idylls Press. It is the second in the Wolfproof Trilogy.



What inspired you to write Traveler’s Market?
It’s the sequel to Wolfproof and follows naturally from the first adventure when characters from Celtic myth get involved in the lies of three middle school students. Traveler’s Market explains why these mythic figures choose Timothy James Maxwell. It also begins the quest for the Stone of Destiny, an important piece of Timothy’s own destiny. The more I researched British and Celtic mythology, the more intrigued I became with the legends. The battle scene at the market is based on the legendary Battle of the Trees.

The character of Nom the rat catcher was inspired by a “skunk exterminator” who helped us get rid of a skunk family under our porch. During a trip to NY’s Central Park, I was intrigued by the gates and their inscriptions. The Hunter’s Gate became the portal to the market. So many details come together to inspire and build a story.

Why did you choose the fantasy genre?
Fantasy is the most popular genre for middle grade and YA audiences. One reason is that fantasy allows us, the reader, to be the hero that slays the dragon. It reminds us that we are all more than meets the eye. I think that’s a powerful message for all readers, but especially for middle grade students who are trying to fit in and decide who they are. G.K. Chesterton says: “Fairytales are more than true, not because they tell us there are dragons, but because they tell us the dragon can be defeated.” We know there are dragons in the world, but it also important to know that even the most unlikely person can be the one to defeat the dragon. The best fantasy is ennobling. That’s why we love the Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. It’s the ancient battle of good against evil.

How does your experience as an educator influence your writing?
My students inhabit my stories. Not actual students, but bits and pieces of many of them. Because I worked with gifted kids for many years, the protagonists of the Wolfproof Trilogy, Timothy, Sarah and Jessica all fit into that category. Timothy especially finds himself an outsider in school. The things that fascinate him, words, puzzles, inventions don’t always resonate with his friends. In fact, when Timothy wants to think of just the right word, he pictures Scrabble tiles and adds up the points. I’ve had students tell me that the dialogue is very realistic. I guess it’s because I still have their voices ringing in my ears.

I also believe that middle grade students deserve beautiful writing. While plot and action are important, beautiful language, interesting vocabulary should be part of the books they read. It is difficult to find literary middle grade fiction. I wanted to write some.

Can you mention some of your favorite YA books?
Once and Future King—TH White—King Arthur, Merlin and the round table.
Peace Like a River---not marketed YA but with a compelling YA narrator—great storytelling!
Hobbit—Tolkein of course!
I Capture the Castle—Romance, growing up and figuring out who you are.
Dark is Rising series—Susan Cooper

What book are you reading now?
Summer! Such a great time to read and I read three books I want to mention.
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt set in historical NY has a touch of magical realism, Alfred Tessla who invented the radio and a flying machine.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli—the story of Max, born looking like a old man who becomes physically younger as he ages, is poignant.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle—Hamlet, dogs and a mute boy all rolled into one beautifully written, sad story.

Do you have any advice for young writers?
Yes! Write! Don’t put off writing because you don’t feel inspired. If people waited to be inspired books would not be written. Don’t put off writing because you don’t think you’re not old enough to publish. There are plenty of publishing opportunities for young writers. See the student writers tab on my website http://www.maureenmcquerry.com/ for some suggestions.

Write every day. Every time you write you get a little bit better.

Read! The best writers are readers. Read a wide variety of genres and styles. Stretch yourself. And read like a writer. Go back and see how a writer does something you admire. How do they make the character so real? How did they manage to scare you, make you laugh or cry.

Some of the best advice comes from a writer I admire, Jane Yolen. B.I.C. Butt in Chair!
Many people have great ideas, but the hard work is showing up every day and putting those ideas on paper when there are so many other things that call for our attention.


Thanks again to Maureen McQuerry for appearing, courtesy of Provato Marketing, for other stops on the blog tour please check Provato Events.

Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls

Rock 'n' Roll Camp For Girls is a very informative book about starting bands, writing songs, and so much more. It contains many inspiring stories of aspiring artists and already successful ones as well. Good advice on instruments, recording songs, and taking chances is scattered throughout the book. It really reaches out and speaks to any girl that loves music. Step by step, the book walks you through everything you need to do to really rock out and have fun.

This book was straight to the point and I really learned a lot about music and the music industry. I thought the author's themes of being true to yourself and chasing your dreams were very motivating for teens. Not every single chapter interested me but overall the book was a success. I would definitely recommend this to any aspiring musician, singer, or songwriter. Not every chapter will apply to everyone, but it is easy to pick out the parts that interest you. This book sent out a good message and holds a lot of good advice.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Richmond, Virginia USA

The Order of Odd Fish by James Kennedy

This novel is both fantasy and comedy. I consider this book a comedy because some portions of the story are so ridiculous they are actually funny. The main character is Jo Lauroche, who lives with her Aunt Lily in the California desert. Lily is not Jo's true aunt, but no one knows who Jo is actually related to and Lily has a large, mysterious gap in her memory. Therefore, Lily has raised Jo. Lily used to be a famous actress, and she still throws a big Christmas party every year for her old Hollywood friends. One year, violence suddenly erupts at the party, directed at Jo. Jo and Lily are protected by a Russian colonel and a giant, talking cockroach. Multiple villains, including the one responsible for the violence at the party, begin chasing Jo and Lily. While on the run, Jo, Lily, the cockroach, and the colonel wind up in Eldritch City. Lily then regains her memory and remembers Jo's dark origin. They join the Order of Odd-Fish, which is a group of knights that find useless information. There, Jo learns about her fate while exploring Eldritch City and making friends and enemies.

I liked this book. It was ridiculous but that made it funny. At some points it was too weird to be funny. The plot was very simple. The emphasis of the story was on the outrageous setting and characters. To read this book, it is probably best to like satire and comedy.

Reviewer Age:14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States

The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner

Leo North is a gifted child. Though it is not apparent, his magical gifts must be suppressed under the laws of the kingdom. Leo lives in Malonia, a land ruled by the worst of kings who puts all his people under worry and strain. Leo's life has no prospects and appears bleak until he find a plain blank book in the snow. From the first time writing appears in the book, Leo is thrown into the minds of others and his life begins to change. Through the black book he is shown the life of Aldebranan, an exile who has similar yet stronger powers than Leo. This opens Leo's eyes to the hidden world just out of his reach. He must balance experiencing these secrets with striving for a normal life in the broken down kingdom he lives in. Leo's life becomes even more stressful when his brother falls critical ill and Leo is taken to fight the war. When everything goes wrong and you can't live another day, anything seems possible.

This was a very complicated book. It took me a while to get enthused about it as it is rather slow to start. However, once it became riveting and exciting, it was very hard to put down. The Eyes of a King was a creative and intriguing read which provoked a lot of thought. Leo is faced with decisions and situations which would be terrifying in reality. Watching them unfold in his life
was extremely confronting. I felt that I really related to this book and it both made me cry tears for the characters and be truly happy when things went their way. I found a few errors in the text, more than in most books and I often found myself lost with unnecessary complications with
how the story was written. The Eyes of a King was written by a girl of only fourteen years old and was her first novel. Knowing this, it was an exceptional debut and I will expect great things to come from this young author.

General mature content
Rating: 8

Reviewer Age: 14

Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne, Victoria. Australia

The Magician

When Nicholas Flamel, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty flee from Ojai, California, and the unpleasant John Dee, they end up in Paris. (They get there by passing through a leygate that was opened by The Witch of Endor.) They have lost the very important book of Abraham the Mage to John Dee and the Dark Elders, except for two key pages. Unfortunately, a certain disturbing character called Niccolo Machiavelli teams up with John Dee to hunt them down in order to obtain the above mentioned remaining two pages of the book of Abraham. The book is important because it has extremely dangerous secrets -- it could destroy or heal the world. All that is necessary to obtain that dangerous secret are the two missing pages. There is also the minor detail that without it (the book), Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel waste away, aging a year each and every day. Perenelle happens to be on Alcatraz Island, guarded by a sphinx, and alone besides said sphinx except for a few ghosts. Her escape of the island is quite remarkable. Luckily, the group of Nicholas Flamel, the Twins, and Scatty has help. In Paris, they find assistance in Joan of Arc and the Comte de Saint-Germain, an alchemist, magician, and rock-star. This is truly a story full of adventure, surprises, and big explosions.

If you are searching for a book full of action, suspense, adventure, and supposedly long-dead famous people, then this is the book for you. The book was full of interesting people and places, as well as special powers, such as the fact that Sophie learned the second element-- fire Magic. It was a pretty good read, but it was not excellent. The book was well written, and the language used was interesting, but some of it just was not compatible with the rest of the story. For instance, the characters’ feelings sometimes did not seem real, mainly Josh’s and Sophie’s. Josh keeps feeling hurt that he was not awakened while terrifying monsters are after him. Sophie is pretty oblivious to Josh’s feelings throughout the entire story. It seems to me like Josh has his priorities backwards. The book was not a hard read, but it was not an enormously easy one, either. There were some pretty interesting scenes, such as when Saint-Germain lit up the Eiffel Tower with his fire magic. This series will not be the next Harry Potter, but it is still a worthwhile read. I would recommend this book, but it would be wise to read The Alchemyst (the first book in the series) before this one.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, SC USA

Untamed by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast

Zoey started off on the wrong path. Her friends won't talk to her, some mysterious ghost-like thing is out to get her, and the one friend who does talk to her has visions of Zoey dying. Zoey has been marked; she is a vampyre. She's living in the House of Night school. Zoey is trying to pull everything together again like it used to be, but it's hard when she starts disagreeing with everyone about having war with humans, and when she starts seeing her old friend Stevie Rae again. Zoey just needs to calm down and try to deal with everything at once.

Untamed is okay. It didn't capture my attention right away. Since it is in a series, I had no idea what had happened or was happening at the time. It was difficult to follow along with but I often found myself drifting off while reading this book. Some of this book kept me entertained or was exciting, but overall I didn't really enjoy reading this book. I would not recommend this to anyone who hasn't read the first three books because the beginning is hard to understand.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Midlothian, VA USA

Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

Paula, though a young girl of seventeen, is a scholar. She is very intelligent and loves to learn. So when her father needs someone to accompany him to Istanbul for his trading business, she is the perfect person. Being her father's secretary may be unorthodox, especially in the Muslim culture of Istanbul, but when Paula discovers that her father is trying to bid for a valuable religious artifact, she becomes even more excited. What she doesn't know is that The Other Kingdom, a magical realm that Paula and her sisters used to visit, has a quest for her, involving the artifact called Cybele's Gift. Paula must face riddles and puzzles, pirates and sea chases, true love and betrayal in order to complete the challenge set before her.

Cybele's Secret was an interesting book. At first, I didn't like it. In the beginning it was slow-going, because the writing was thick and flowery, which made it a chore to read. But as I continued and the plot presented itself, I started to get into the novel. I really liked the protagonist Paula, because she didn't let the barriers of her time stop her from pursuing her one true love: learning. The book could have been a lot shorter, but the ending tied up all the loose ends nicely. It even had a bit of romance, which made the book a lot better. All in all, a good read. Also, make sure you read its companion novel, Wildwood Dancing, which was actually written first.

Reviewer Age: 16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Falling Man by Don Delillo

Falling Man by Don DeLillo is a horrific, yet brilliant novel about the moments, days, and years after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Readers dive into the lives of a group of New Yorkers: Keith, who worked in the north tower and survived the attack, his wife, Lianne, unable to free herself from such haunting memories, and their son, Justin, who searches the skies for Bill Lawton, the man who said he will attack again. Readers also branch out into the lives of others in close proximity to the family, and we see how September 11 permeated through all of us. DeLillo provides a powerful and unmitigated vision of a most-terrifying day in history through the scope of ordinary people; a scope shared by all who remember that day and how it chilled us to the core.

DeLillo is magnificent in his use of vivid imagery to recount the events of that fateful day. His reference to organic shrapnel, pieces of suicide bombers lodged into victims, is far more than eerie. His ability to allow readers such a strong imagination of the scene paves the way to one of the strongest themes of the novel: the intertwining of reality and imagination. Such an attack on the World Trade Center seemed like something we could only visualize in a movie. However, the raw reality of the events crosses over into something that was once considered unbelievable. DeLillo takes this idea and brings it into the lives of Keith and his family. Their exchange of dialogue suggests that after 9/11, anything is possible. Though the title may not seem to fit initially, it is the only title that works for this novel. The iconic photo of The Falling Man was one of the few things that seemed to be forgotten from that day. The media shied away from publishing it, and the public was content to turn a blind eye. However, the hundreds who jumped from the burning towers may be the best image to accurately characterize that day because it brings the imaginative to life. DeLillo recognizes the power of The Falling Man, and he has produced a lasting image that no one will forget.

Frightening images and sexual references. Recommended for advanced readers only.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota United States

Breaking Down by Stephenie Meyer

The fourth and final of Stephanie Meyer's amazingly intriguing and beautiful vampire romance novel, Breaking Dawn, is one that really delivers. Meyer's gave all and more than what was expected in this highly anticipated end to a wonderful story. The book is cleverly divided into three parts. The first and last part from Bella's point of view, and the second part from Jacob Black's. In the first section, Edward and Bella finally tie the knot and have their one night of attempting pleasure. By the end of the first part of the book, an unexpected bomb shell is dropped that could mean happiness, pain or both, for the blissful newlywed couple.

For the first time in the saga the point of view is changed in the second part of Breaking Dawn to that of adored werewolf and best friend of Bella's, Jacob Black. In this part we get a good look into the minds of all the wolves and this is a crucial tool when the next big event occurs. In Jacob's part Meyer skillfully includes a split in the headstrong pack. And once again at the end of Jacob's part another bomb shell is dropped. This one could mean the end of a friendship or the start of a relationship.

In the final part, we are back in Bella's point of view. All the loose ends are tied up and the predicted confrontation with the elusive Volturi occurs, to a scale that is unimaginable. I must emphasize that so much more goes on in Breaking Dawn but I will let you find all that out for yourself.

I love Breaking Dawn to pieces!! Stephanie writes in such a way that makes it feel like you are truly in Bella's place, living the unreal things that she is. Being an avid fan of the Twilight Saga I had been counting down until the release date of this book and upon reading it I was gladly not disappointed. Meyer wields her magic until the very end, making a 780 page book mystifying, page turning, and fascinating until the very last word. Girls are left drooling at Edward and his brothers and relating or feeling slightly awestruck towards Bella and her sisters' in law. Out of all the books in the Saga, the original Twilight is my favourite but Breaking Dawn certainly gives its position a run for its money. I would definitely recommend Breaking Dawn and the whole Saga to any teenage girls.
Sexual References
Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Melbourne , Victoria Australia

Kasumi by Surt Lim

Kasumi is a self-taught magician. She loves to do magic tricks for everyone. On her way to transfer into an elite high school for celebrities and people with high connections, she goes into a forest with her father. In the forest she follows a firefly to a tree in the very middle of the forest. While climbing the tree, she accidentally falls, and should have been killed, but the firefly saves her. She passes out, and wakes up in her new home. When she gets to the school, she meets the super cool student body president, Ryuuki. She tries to talk to him, and angers his fan club. They give her a challenge: impress Ryuuki with her magic, or forever leave their high school. The magic show goes horribly wrong, in the process, Kasumi discovers she can turn invisible when she holds her breath, and the "firefly" might have something to do with it.

This manga is an awesome read. The words and illustrations work together perfectly to give off an amazing effect. The storyline is rich and full of detail. It kept me interested until the end. The illustrations are very detailed and precise. The characters are very defined and have their own separate personalities; none of them do anything out of character. I really enjoyed reading this manga and cannot wait to read the next one in the Kasumi series.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Shippensburg, PA USA