
I just finished this one (now it is the
editor’s turn):
"Summer on the Moon" is set in this instant in America. The
economy is tanking… People are scared… But for Socko Starr, and his
mother, Delia, being worried about money is just business as usual.
They are living in a cramped city apartment, Socko trying to dodge
the notice of the local gang leader, Rapp, when Socko’s great
grandfather makes them an offer. “The General” will buy them a house
if they agree to take care of him so he doesn't have to go into a
nursing home. “The General,” who Socko has never met, turns out to
be a crotchety, bossy old man, who thinks it is a great joke to
“play dead” to shake up his great-grandson—and that isn’t the only
surprise when the mother and son start their new life.
The house Delia buys seems like a great bargain. What she doesn't
know is that “Moon Ridge Estates,” the half-finished subdivision the
house is in, is going bankrupt. When Delia, Socko and The General
move in, they are the only people who live there.
So, what is it like to be the only kid in a sprawling subdivision
of unfinished houses? It's great! Socko suddenly has turf of his
own—far more than the gang leader, Rapp, could ever imagine. He
turns the empty swimming pool into his own personal skate park,
skeletal houses become giant jungle gyms. Then Livvy and her family
move in. Livvy says she "owns" Moon Ridge Estates. It is her
father's project. But who knows what will happen if Moon Ridge goes
bust? Livvy, Socko, and an odd assortment of adults have to pull
together to save Moon Ridge.
Things look like they’ll be okay—and then Rapp, the nightmare
Socko thought he had left behind, comes after him.
How does it end? All I'll say is that it ends with a splash (like
a car makes when it flies into a swimming pool)!
Another one from the neighborhood:
This is the book I should be working on right now, and I’ll get
to it soon—I promise!
So many readers have written to me about the ending of “The Big
Nothing,” asking, “What does Jemmie say to Justin when he tells her
that he wrote that song for her?” Just for the record, I didn’t
include it because I don’t think readers would have liked what she
had to say. She appreciated the song, but she hasn’t yet figured out
that she LIKES Justin. It will take her another book to realize that
she does. I’ve also got to bring Duane home from Iraq. And what’s up
with Ben and Cass and Anna and Mica? I hope to get all of that in
too so stay tuned.
Also on the drawing board...
Every chapter book writer wants to try their hand at a picture
book. Why should I be any different? I have three
picture-books-in-the-works.
“The Dog at the Door” is about a stray dog that shows up at a
boy’s house one morning and won’t go away. The boy’s father says,
“We don’t need a dog.” And I guess he’s right. Nobody needs a dog.
But as the boy points out, “Sometimes a dog needs you.”
“The Hat” is about what happens when Eddie Cooper—an ordinary
kid—finds an old fedora in the closet: “The hat’s been waiting—most
of the time in the dark—waiting for someone to put it on.” And what
happens when Eddie puts it on? Plenty. I’ll hurry up and finish
writing it so you can read it.
“The Wild Party” is about turning an ordinary yard into a place
where wild things like to hang out, and yes, even party.
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