This book came from seeing

those

roadside

memorials people set up after someone has died. Sometimes you see them on lawn; more often

they’re by a road to mark the site of

sometimes pictures, candles, candles, a

stuffed stuffed

personal animal. animal.

notes, notes,

site of a fatal accident. Often there is

there is a cross and fl owers, sometimes pictures, balloons, balloons, personal

fatal accident. Often cross and

Thinking about the outpouring of grief Thinking

about the outpouring of grief that went into creating these shrines made me want to write

the story of one young person who has died--but I wanted to tell her story indirectly, through the voices of the people who are left behind.

30

Most of my books are science fi ction or fantasy. Remembering Raquel is not--meaning Raquel never comes back, meaning Raquel isn’t there to tell her own version of her life. You have to get to know her and what happened to her through the words of those who remember her: classmates, family, neighbors, witnesses to the accident, even the woman who was driving the car that killed her. Some of these stories will seem contradictory because--as with all of us--different people react to her differently. Each one of us is too complicated for any one person to ever describe us in our entirety. From http://www.vivianvandevelde. com/bookDetail.cfm?BookId=44

Title/Author: Skullduggery by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue Overview: Mystery Tweaker: When a professor is conked on the skull after fi nding a skeleton, the skullduggery has only just begun. Brian and Roni fi nd themselves dodging dynamite, fi ghting a condo development in what may be a burial ground, and standing up against city hall in a race against time to solve the mystery.

Media

Title/Author: Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog Overview: Fantasy/Romance Tweaker: First Line—“People call me spooky.” Morgan can see everyone’s future but her own. According to the newspaper “Cam can do anything” on the football fi eld or classroom. Morgan and Cam’s childhood friendship has turned to romance. They seem to be the perfect couple

by Cyn Balog www.mimame.org

owers, or

or Title/Author: Moribito II:

Guardian of Darkness by Nahoko Uchashi

Overview:Adventure/Mystery/Fantasy

Tweaker: A fi erce warrior, Balsa journeys through the haunted caves to the land of her birth to track down her father’s killer and clear the name of her beloved teacher. Within the caves she battles the spirit to save two lost nds herself pulled kingdom on

the haunted caves to the land of her birth to track down her father’s killer and clear the name of her beloved teacher. Within the caves she battles the spirit to save two lost children and

children and fi nds herself pulled intointo the politics of

of the caves which hide both the future and the past.

the edge of destruction. The twists and turns of

and turns of the plot mirror the labyrinthlabyrinth of the caves which hide both the future and the past.

the politics of a kingdom on the edge of destruction. The twists the plot mirror the

Title//Author: Elephant Run by Roland Smith Overview: Historical Fiction/Survival Tweaker: As bombs rain on London, Brian’s mother sends him to what she hopes will be safety on a Burmese plantation. Brian barely knows his father and only faintly remembers life amidst the elephants and people of Burma in the jungle clearings. The war fi nds their plantation and Japanese soldiers capture, threaten and imprison Brian’s father as he hides in the secret passageways of the house.

Title/Author: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Overview: Romance/Fantasy The romantic relationship does

The romantic relationship does have some adult moments. have some adult moments.

Tweaker:Tweaker: As Grace is dragged from her tire swing by

from her tire swing by a pack of hungry wolves she does not struggle or cry. One of the wolves looking in her eyes remembers what it was to be human and stops the pack from killing the child. As Grace grows she watches for the

pack

of hungry wolves she does not struggle or cry. One of the wolves looking in her eyes remembers what it was to be human and stops the pack from killing the child. As Grace grows she watches for the

Sometimes you see them on a school’s they’re by

school’s lawn; more often road to mark the

until they discover Cam was switched as a baby and is not a human, but the son of the king of fairies. Morgan and Cam try to fi ght the forces of magic but as the deadline of his sixteenth birthday approaches Cam begins to lose his humanity.

Spring 2010