Yesterday, I posted my review of Serendipity Market. The book's author, Ms. Penny Blubaugh is this blog's Author of the Month. She lends answers to questions I sent her through her website. It was so nice of Ms. Blubaugh to answer back. Visit her site and learn of the new book she wrote, Blood and Flowers. Here's hoping it's going to be available in Manila.


Where do you get the idea of merging old tales with new?

I've always loved fairy tales, especially the dark and scary ones. And I've always loved fairy tale retellings because the tales themselves, coming out of the oral tradition, are usually pretty bare bones. They leave a lot of room for interpretation, which makes them fun to play with. I think the Lizard's Tale was the first story that I did in this vein. I enjoyed looking at something as well-known as Cinderella from a new perspective -- and that poor Lizard! He never wanted to be a footman. Talk about being forced into a new persona!


How has writing Serendipity Market changed you as a person, librarian, writer?

It was a seminal book for me because it was *my first book*! The first time my name was on a cover. It was huge. It changed me from a writer who hoped to get published to a writer who was published. But when this happens it gives you a whole new set of things to worry about! At first you just want to get a book done. Then you want to get it published. Then you worry -- will it ever happen again? And then reviews start to come in. There's joy at the good ones, despair at the bad. It's a huge tangle of emotions. This all taught me that rejection cupcakes are always a valid option!

As a librarian the book opened doors for library programs with teens outside of my own space, and I love that.


Who has made the greatest impact on your writing life?

I think my whole MFA at Vermont College was life-altering. Several of my advisors, especially Chris Lynch, Chris Raschka and Ron Koertge were particularly amazing. Ron Koertge and I still chat on a regular basis and whenever I'm writing I hear him saying, "Take it out. You don't need it." Great for cutting out the unnecessary in any piece of writing.

Top 5 recommendations for teens.

I'm going to cheat. Here are 5 for girls, 5 for guys and 5 graphic novels. It's a fluid list -- it changes all the time because there are a whole lot of great books out there. So these are just some I've read or re-read and enjoyed.

Girls: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins; This Thing Called the Future by J. L. Powers; the Maggie Quinn From Hell series by Rosemary Clement-Moore; Star Crossed by Elizabeth Bunce; The Boneshaker by Kate Milford.

Guys: Inexcusable by Chris Lynch; The Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge; Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones; On the Devil's Court by Carl Deuker; Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford.

Graphic Novels: Smile by Raina Telgemeier: The Amazing Screw-On Head by Mike Mignola; Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies by Art Spiegelman; The War at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks; Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale. (Plus 1 more -- City of Spies by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan.)

Not necessarily the best of the best, not necessarily from the canon of YA lit, just some things I've enjoyed recently.

Thank you Ms. Blubaugh! Looking forward to reading Blood and Flowers.

Once in a while I stumble upon a book that turns out to be a good read. Penny Blubaugh's Serendipity Market, her first novel for young adult readers, is one of those reads that gave me a warm, feel good feeling in the end. Its cover does not promise much- a row of tassels in varying colors. What is exciting about that? But instincts told me it's going to be a quiet and powerful book.

It begins with Mama Inez who woke up one morning feeling the earth in a state of imbalance. Something was wrong in the world and she needed to set things right. She prepared ten invitations and sent these out using her magic. Thanks to Tobie's breath, all invites, paper birds that flew great distances irregardless of time and space, reached its intended recipient.

"You're invited to the Serendipity Market at the end of the world. Saturday next. Bring your story, bring a talisman. Help us balance the world's spin." So it is said in the letter. Oh, what would I give to get such an invitation! All but one agreed to go to the end of the world where the Serendipity Market stands and under Mama Inez's tent, a storytelling feast!

What worked

The very idea that stories need to be told to put the world back in order glued me to the book instantly. As a storyteller, I have seen and experienced the magic of storytelling to heal and to bring communities together. I know what you're talking about, Ms. Penny Blubaugh! Stories are essential for living. Storytelling affirms this relevance of stories. The stories told at the end of the world, in the Serendipity Market, under Mama Inez's tent were devoid of any form of media or technology. At center stage, there stood the storyteller with his or her story. The crowd listened. There's response. There's connection. Storyteller and listeners were given the opportunity to celebrate milestones, to revel in the nobility of sacrifices great or small, to ruminate on the complexities of being human, and to savor the little triumphs of everyday.

Storytelling in Serendipity Market was not a contest or a competition. It should never be in the first place.

The stories of the eleven storytellers were taken from the old folk literature, retold in new perspectives; its motifs and themes were seen from fresh eyes; and the voices from which the telling came from were firm and strong. Blubaugh knows her folk literature alright, but it is her craft and characterization that worked wonders. She has a sensitive ear for language and she puts this to good use. All eleven storytellers had a voice uniquely their own. My personal favorites are Lizard Man from a retelling of Cinderella; Prince Zola (who would have thought?) from the newer version of The Princess and the Pea; and Vachel, the merman.

In the end, Mama Inez puts together the talismans from each teller in a jar forming the image of a person. Nothing fancy, these talismans, just bits and pieces of objects that represented each story, each teller. Each of them brought home a ring as token of the time spent under the tent telling stories.

What did not work

Nine stories make for a good number but I wish the tenth teller made it to the market as well.

Congratulations to Hubert Fucio for winning the 2012 Alcala Prize!

Below is a sample of his art work for Russell Molina's Anong Gupit Natin Ngayon (2012 Salanga Prize). This is Fucio's and Molina's second win who both won the Alcala and the Salanga prizes respectively in 2003 for Sandosenang Kuya (A Dozen Brothers).

Don Rokusek of Follet DESTINY discuss the management of digital content for school libraries. I find the podcast a helpful content for school librarians who are considering and studying possibilities of putting ebooks in the library collection.

Here is a recent online discover: TeenLife

TeenLife is a website for teens, parents, educators and allied professionals working with/for teens. The website is pretty impressive. It has contents on Summer Programs, College Life, Gap Year, Volunteer Activities and Career/Vocational Guidance. You may wish to sign in as member and get freebies, like newsletters.

For March/April 2012 issue, TeenLife has a neat write up on community services teens could do. This article is connected to "Senioritis", an affliction common among high school students. They slack and turn truants by the last term. The article suggests strategies to hold students up and finish the school year with good, if not decent, marks. Field trips and changes in seating arrangement are included in the tips, but there are more creative ways a teacher can do.

If you are parent of a teen, visit TeenLife's website. Happy reading!