ELIZA BING IS (NOT) A STAR by Carmella Van Vleet

This story about a girl with ADHD and her struggles with friendship is a great read! I might be a little bit biased on this one since Carmella is one of my critique partners and I had the chance to read this book in draft form, long before it was published. But Eliza is such an engaging character I was so glad to get a chance to read more about her!

Description from the publisher...

How will Eliza make it through the sixth grade? Her ADHD tends to complicate things. . . .

Eliza Bing stuck with taekwondo and earned her yellow belt even though her family expected her to quit. She’s tough enough to break boards with her bare hands! Next up: middle school, and hopefully a best friend. The school play turns out to be the perfect opportunity to befriend confident, stage-obsessed Annie. But can their friendship survive the spotlight?

The joys and sorrows of middle school come to life in this funny and heartfelt sequel to Eliza Bing Is (NOT) a Big, Fat Quitter, recipient of the Christopher Award and four child-voted state award nominations.

Eliza Bing is (Not) a Star, written by Carmella Van Vleet, was published by Holiday House in 2018.

Why you want to read this book… 

It’s a story about determination and friendship. Eliza is a great character with lots of personality. I really liked how she worked so hard to achieve her goals in taekwondo and how she gradually came to enjoy performing. Eliza’s parents and brother are part of the story too (no dead or banished parents in this story) as well as the family dog.

Opening:

Master Kim once said a good martial artist focuses his or her mind on the lesson at all times. But a million cupcakes says he’s never sat through Mr. Roddel’s lab safety lecture. Sorting socks would be more exciting.

If you’re a writer… 

This is a great novel to read if you’re studying voice or character. Eliza has a definite personality.

I didn’t understand how punching slowly in the air would help me break my board. All I knew was that my gold-belt test was in less than three weeks and I wasn’t sure if I had a fire in my belly or a swarm of butterflies.

If you’re an educator…

It’s so refreshing to read a story where a character with a medical condition is shown as they navigate their life, rather than a story that is focused on the condition. Eliza has a lot of issues with her friends and friendships, and I think many kids will be able to connect with this character as she tries to cope with changes in her friendship and learns about herself along the way. A great book for a middle grade book club!

Mom liked to say you should try a decision on for size like a coat. That way you can walk around in it for a bit and see how it feels.

If you’re looking for more to read, check out the list of fabulous middle grade books over at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday on Greg Pattridge's blog.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter

The book I’m featuring today is by my friend and part-time Ninja, Carmella Van Vleet! It’s a great story about taekwondo and not giving up. Carmella also has a very cool “Black Belt in Kindness Club” on her website that kids can join when they do something nice for a friend.

Today’s Pick: Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter

by Carmella Van Vleet

Holiday House, 2014

From Amazon:

In this uplifting novel about determination and the rewards of hard work, a preteen girl struggling with ADHD must stick with a summer taekwondo class to prove that she’s dedicated enough to pursue her true passion: cake decorating.

My Take:

Eliza’s personality really shines in this story. It’s fun reading about the trouble she gets into and how she tries to get herself out if it. I also enjoyed the fact that her parents and family were in the story and supporting her, even though Eliza solves her own problems. (None of that “dead parents” syndrome common in many middle grade books.)  It was great to read a story where the main character has a disorder (ADHD), but where coping with it isn’t the main focus of the story.

As a writer, I think this would be a great book to study if you’re working on creating a unique character voice. It’s also interesting that the book is organized in short sections rather than chapters, which fits with Eliza’s personality and her ADHD.

Opening Line:

“I was peanut butter, and Tony was jelly.”

Quotes:

“Mom says decisions are like coats because they weigh on your shoulders.”

“But I found out wanting to do something isn’t anywhere near being able to do something.”

Other Info:

Carmella Van Vleet is a full-time writer who lives in Ohio. She writes non-fiction as well as fiction. Eliza Bing is (Not) a Big, Fat Quitter is her debut middle grade novel.

In an interview with Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl, Carmella gave this advice for writers: “One of the most important things you have to remember is not to compare yourself to other writers.”

Carmella talks about writing non-fiction for middle graders in an interview for Middle Grade March. 

Non-fiction books by this author include:

Great Ancient EGYPT Projects: You Can Build Yourself

Amazing BEN FRANKLIN Inventions: You Can Build Yourself

Seven Wonders of the World: Discover Amazing Monuments to Civilization with 20 Projects

Explore Ancient Greece!: 25 Great Projects, Activities, Experiments

Amazing Arctic & Antarctic Projects You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series)

Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects

Writing Club: A Year of Writing Workshops for Grades 2-5

For more, visit Carmella Van Vleet’s website. 

You can find more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday books by checking out Shannon Messenger’s blog! Shannon is the founder of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday and the author of the middle grade novels, Keeper of the Lost Cities and Exile (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2).

Thoughts on Book Covers

I've been thinking about book covers lately. I like to say the cover doesn't matter when I'm choosing what to read, because now I mostly discover books based on reviews or descriptions from other bloggers or publishers. But I don't totally ignore the front cover. It's a clue to what's inside. And when I'm browsing at the bookstore or library, I rely on a book's cover to catch my eye, even before I read the jacket flap.

When my daughters were reading middle grade books, they definitely made decisions based completely on the front cover. One daughter often rejected books because they had "bad covers", though she could never quite explain what that meant. The other one was more drawn to covers with subject matter that reflected her interests--books with animals or fantastical creatures.

The cover gives that important first impression. If I feel like the story is wildly different than what I expected from the cover, I feel a little disappointed. I like covers that hint at the mood or emotion in the story. How do you feel about covers? Do you "judge a book by its cover"?

One of the reasons I've been thinking about covers is because four of my writing group friends have books coming out soon! It's interesting how a unique cover captures the tone and feeling of the story.




Carmella Van Vleet has her middle grade debut with ELIZA BING IS (NOT) A BIG FAT QUITTER! (Holiday House Books) on February 14, 2014. This is a funny and touching story of a girl with ADHD who must prove to others (and herself) that she can stick with something to the very end.

Here's the Amazon blurb:

In this uplifting novel about determination and the rewards of hard work, a preteen girl struggling with ADHD must stick with a summer taekwondo class to prove that she s dedicated enough to pursue her true passion: cake decorating.

Even if I hadn't read early drafts of this one, I could totally tell from the cover that it's going to be humorous and about an ordinary kid in an interesting situation.




Christina Farley has recently revealed the cover of her debut YA novel, GILDED (Skyscape), which is scheduled for publication in early March. Here's some more info:

When sixteen-year old, Jae Hwa, is uprooted from her home in L.A. to Korea, she thought her biggest problem would be fitting in with her classmates and dealing with her dismissive grandfather. But she was wrong. A Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she’s next.

This cover really sets the tone for this mythological adventure! Christina shares her thoughts about the cover over at YA Books Central. And you also have a chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite.




S.J. Laidlaw, author of AN INFIDEL IN PARADISE has a second book coming out in March 2014, THE VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD  (Tundra Books). Doesn't this mysterious cover get you asking questions? Here's the blurb:

 Seventeen-year-old Luke's older sister, Pat, has always been his moral compass, like a voice inside his head, every time he has a decision to make. So when Pat disappears on a tiny island off the coast of Honduras and the authorities claim she's drowned - despite the fact that they can't produce a body - Luke heads to Honduras to find her because he knows something the authorities don't. From the moment of her disappearance, Pat's voice has become real, guiding him to Utila, where she had accepted a summer internship to study whale sharks. Once there, he meets several characters who describe his sister as a very different girl from the one he knows. Does someone have a motive for wanting her dead? Determined to get to the bottom of Pat's disappearance, Luke risks everything, including his own life, to find the answer.



And last but not least, here's a book that I just know will be funny from the title and cover! Debbie Ridpath Ohi, created the cover and illustrations for NAKED! (written by Michael Ian Black, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers), which is scheduled for April 29, 2014.

Cool Blog Quote: Sometimes It's Not You

Today's quote is from a post one of my writing buddies made at MiG Writers on disappointment:
 

"But there are politics, bad timing and subjective judges and sometimes things simply don’t go in our favor. It’s not a reflection of us..."

 Carmella Van Vleet, Grace in the Face of Disappointment, MiGWriters, Monday August 13, 2012.

It's so important to remember that in the writing business, there are a lot of things beyond your control. If you haven't yet gotten where you want to be, it's not necessarily because you've written a bad story or a bad query letter or because you're a terrible writer. It might just be bad timing. So what I can I do to not get dragged down by disappointment?

I can't just have faith that someone will "discover" my talent. I'm going to do everything in my power to reach my goals.

• I'm going to keep writing new stories and sending them out on submission.
• I'm going to keep reading good books and learning from other writers.
• And I'm going to keep learning about how to be a better writer and how to promote myself and my writing in this crazy changing business.