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Sally Murphy, Australian author

Readalong Post #12: 10 Things You Can Do With Roses are Blue

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Welcome back to my Readalong.  (If you’ve just dropped in for the first time, I have been running a Readalong here for  the past three weeks, reading (or rereading) and talking about my previous three verse novels, in anticipation of the release of my brand new one, Worse Things, this Friday (only two more sleeps!).

Today, before I move on from Roses are Blue, I wanted to share ten simple things you can do while reading it, after reading it, or possibly even if you haven’t read it.  These are not teaching notes – you can find those here or here.  These are ways any reader can explore the book in fun or interesting ways – though if you are a teacher, you could adapt them for classroom use. So, here they are.

    1. Read it. I’ve said this for the previous two books, as well as eleventy million times to the teachers I train at university, the kids I talk to in schools and at festivals, in fact anyone who will listen – the best thing you can do with a book is read it, just for its own sake. Follow up activities can be wonderful, but sometimes a reader just wants to read a book, or to have it read to them. Roses are Blue is perfect to read on your own, or aloud to someone else.
    2. Blue roses? They’re not a thing are they? In fact, breeding a blue rose is a life goal for some flower enthusiasts.  Use a search engine, to see if you can learn more about why blue roses are rare, and who is trying to cultivate them.
    3. Speaking of blue roses – why not make one of your own. This video shows you how to make a lovely red rose. Use blue paper and you’ll have a blue one!

4. Make a Mothers Day Card. Roses are Blue is a story about mothers and daughters, and is set in the lead up to Mothers Day. Coincidentally, it’s Mothers Day next week – so now is a perfect time to make a card. Maybe a bunch of blue roses too!

5. Examine the cover. Unlike Pearl Verses the World and Toppling, Roses are Blue has only had one cover design, so instead of posting about the different covers, I made the one it has into a digital jigsaw. See if you can beat my time of 3 and a half minutes. You’ll find it here.

6. Compare it. If you have read another of my verse novels, take a few moments to decide which you like best – and why. And I have a giveaway. If you post on Instagram, Twitter or my Facebook page with a photo of one of my books, and a line or two saying why it’s your favourite, I will post a signed bookmark to the first 10 people. Tag your post #readwithsally and send me a message so I can arrange to post it.

7. Paint something. Amber loves painting – and so did her mum. Grab a sheet of paper and some paints – or pencils or crayons or textas – and just create something.

8. Share it. If you loved Roses are Blue, lend it to someone – or, if you borrowed it from a library, encourage your friend to borrow it when you return it.

9. Write a roses are red poem. The original poem – and song  – was roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you’ but for years and years people have had fun writing silly versions of this poem, or writing similarly serious ones. Here’s my attempt:

  • Roses are red
  • Violets are Blue
  • Actually they’re purple
  • But nothing rhymes with purple.

I’m sure you can do something better!

  1. Read it again! If you love a book, you can read it twice. Or three times. Or a zillion times. And lots of books get better on the rereading, because you notice thing you didn’t notice the first time.

Thanks so much for reading along with me. I hope you’ll drop in Friday – and beyond – as I celebrate the release of Worse Things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Readalong Post #11: The Story Behind Roses are Blue

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As with both Pearl Verses the World and Toppling, I’d like to share a bit about the process behind the writing of Roses are Blue. While the first two came out within a year of each other, Roses are Blue came four years after Toppling – which seemed an age at the time. Little did I know that it would six years after Roses came out before my next verse novel would be published. Now THAT has seemed an interminable age.

Back to Roses are Blue – the four year gap is representative of the struggle to write my third verse novel.  The first two were really successful – winning awards and critical acclaim, and selling well, which was amazing, but also did lead to some (mostly self-imposed) pressure to keep producing work of that quality. Additionally, I had found writing and talking about such difficult topics emotionally draining, and I was really keen that my next verse novel would be lighter and, dare I say it, fluffier. So I tried to write a verse novel from a cat’s perspective (literally fluffier). I really liked that story (and still do), but my publisher didn’t, and it is languishing in my metaphorical bottom drawer.

But I was still determined to keep writing verse novels, and was keen, because the mothers in my novels are often key figures, to write a story about mothers and daughters.  The daughter character, who later revealed her name to be Amber, started talking to me very quickly – wanting me to write all about her different mum. But when I started writing I had no idea just what it was about her mum that would be different. When I realised what it would be – that Mum is not just different from other mums, but that, as the result of a terrible accident, she is really different than she was a year ago – I knew I had a story. But what I didn’t know as whether I could tell it. I had been looking for a lighter topic and had, somehow, found myself writing one that was anything but light.

But  I listened to Amber and I wrote the story and thought that, although it was sad, it was an important story. But my publisher was not keen – because it was too sad. This surprised me – I was, after all, known for writing sad stories. My previous two sad stories had won awards.  I was not impressed. But they were right (publishers usually are!). The story I had written was lacking the most important ingredient  – hope. I knew in my heart that there was hope for Amber (and her mum) at the end of the story – but somehow it was not there on the page.  Those who read that first manuscript were left unsatisfied.

It took a lot of rewriting to find a way to put that hope there for the reader – and Amber – to find. One of the threads that was strengthened to give that hope was the story of Leroy,  a minor character initially, who because more important in subsequent drafts, and who, I think, helps to demonstrate why Amber has some of the feelings she does.

The story went back and forth a bit before it was finally accepted but eventually  I got it right and it was accepted and then published. One of the bonuses of this delay was that, by the time it was accepted, the up and coming illustrator Gabriel Evans  (pictured with left) was available, and given the task of bringing Amber and her world to life, which he did so beautifully.

Roses are Blue was published in 2014, and is still in print. Little did I know then that it would be SIX years till my next verse novel was released – but now, that six years is just days away from being up. I’m excited!

 

 

 

Readalong Post #10: Introducing Roses are Blue

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It’s Poetry Friday, and also day one of the third week in my Readalong. This week  I am delighted to invite you to read along with me (or, if you can’t easily get hold of a copy, just learn a bit more about) Roses are Blue.  Firstly, here’s the beautiful cover, featuring the illustrative genius of Gabriel Evans.

In the last two weeks I have introduced each book by sharing the book trailer but, I don’t have one for Roses are Blue. So, instead I thought I might offer an insight into the book by quoting from the excellent review librarian Debra Pearson wrote of the book when it was included in the The IBBY Collection of Books for Young People with Disabilities in 2015. 

In this verse novel for young readers, narrator Amber Rose struggles to reconcile the two sharply-divided parts of her life: before and after a terrible accident.

You can read the rest of Debra’s thorough review here.

To further introduce you to the story, here’s a clip of me reading the opening pages:

And a little glimpse inside:

In my next few posts I’ll share a bit more about this verse novel. If you have a copy, I’d love if you would read along with me – and even ask me some questions. If you’d like to buy a copy, ask your local bookstore. It is also available online. And if you’d like to chat about the book, share a photo of it on your bookshelf or anything else, use the hashtags #blueroses or #readwithsally, and tag me on Instagram,Facebook or Twitter.

This week’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Christie at Wondering and Wondering (now isn’t that an excellent name for a blog!). Head there to see what other poetry goodness is on offer around the blogosphere and to check out Christie’s very celever bird poem, inspried by Thoreau (and that hashtag: #ThoreaulyInspired – so clever!)

 

Readalong Post #9: 10 Simple Things to do with Toppling

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Thanks again to everyone who’s been reading along with me. Today’s post is the last focusing on Toppling – and tomorrow we move on to Roses are Blue. And that means that it will  just ONE WEEK until the release of Worse Things. I am so excited about introducing my newest book-baby to the world.

For today, though, I want to share some things you can do with  Toppling. These aren’t teaching notes – you’ll find more formal teaching ideas here and here. Rather than replicate those, the following ten ideas are more simple things you can do on your own, with your family, or in a classroom. So, here’s the list:

  1. Read it. The number one thing you can do with any book is simply read it. On your own, with a friend, at the same time as the author (as with this readalong). In bed, on a couch, out in the garden, or out loud in the classroom (teachers remember no one is ever too old to be read TO). And sometimes, just reading the book is all that’s needed  – no worksheets, comprehension questions or anything.
  2. Journal about it. Although I’ve said in number one that comprehension questions are not always necessary, sometimes it is nice to have time to really reflect on a book – either as a whole or, after each reading session. Grab your journal – if you haven’t got one, now’s a good time. Any notebook or exercises will do – and a pen and just write about your reactions to what you’ve just read. How did it make you feel? Which bits di you like? Which bits annoyed you? What do you think will happen next?
  3. Vote for the best cover. As I posted about here, Toppling has had three different covers and two different tiles, in the three countries it’s been published in. After you’ve read the book, have a look at the three covers and decide which one you prefer. If your friends or classmates have read it too, you might set up a poll.
  4. After you’ve decided which of the published covers you like best, you might like to design a fourth cover. What do you think should be on it? You might borrow ideas from the published covers, or you might have a better idea. If you post it on Instagram or elsewhere online, send me a message and I’ll tell you what I think.
  5. Write a review. A book review can be long and detailed, or it can be really short. There are reviews of Toppling here at Goodreads, and also here and here to give you some ideas.
  6. Grab some dominoes and set up a topple of your own. It doesn’t have to be as big as this one:

Got no dominoes? Maybe you could try a book topple instead!

Or be creative. What else could you topple? Maybe don’t waste your biscuits, but this is pretty epic:

 If you do set up a topple and post it anywhere online, let me know and I’ll watch and comment. – here’s one here:

  1. Play a game of dominoes. Although John in the book doesn’t ever play the actual dominoes game, there’s no reason you can’t. Don’t own any dominoes? You can print some out here. You can make them stronger by gluing them to some cardboard.
  2. Write a poem. On page 15 of Toppling John writes a poem introducing his best mate Dominic. It’s basically a list poem. On pages 18 and 19 he shares shorter poems about his other three friends. Read these to get some ideas, then write a poem introducing yourself or one of your friends.
  3. One of the questions I am most often asked about Toppling is what happens next. After you’ve read it, why not write a new chapter? You get to decide what happens next.
  4. Ask the author (that’s me!) a question. You can post it in the comments below, email me through this contact form, or ask the question on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I love questions – they keep me on my toes.

I’d love to hear how you go with any of these activities – or if you have better ones to suggest.

Thanks for reading along with me.

Readalong Post #8: A Trio of Toppling Covers

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Last week, as part of my Readalong, I posted about the two different covers – and titles – that Pearl Verses the World had when it was published in Australia and the UK. That topic drew a lot of reaction, with comments on my own Facebook page being universally in favour of the Australian cover, but the dozens of comments on the SCBWI West page more divided, though still mostly in favour of the Australian one.

This week, I thought it might be fun to repeat the process by looking at the covers for Toppling which had not two, but three different covers – in Australia, the USA and the UK where, again, the title was also changed.

First, the Australian cover:

I love Rhian Nest James’ illustrations and the cleverness of having John and his four friends balanced (precariously, in Dominic’s case) on top of the domino. Readers who know the story will also pick out Ky looking up, and Lily and Miss Timms to the left. Very clever, right down to the choice of the number of dots on the domino.  Another thing I love is the way the Walker Australia team designed the cover so that, while it’s different than Pearl Verses the World, its design links my two books visually.

But, when the book was published in the US, Candlewick decided to change the cover:

 

Although they kept the font and colour palette, you can see that the illustration is new, commissioned for this edition.  It’s a lot simpler – the focus is squarely on John, the viewpoint character, and his connection with dominoes, as well as the challenges he is facing keeping everything in order.

Lastly, Walker UK created a very different cover. Having change the title of Pearl Verses the World to simply Pearl, it was felt that the books would be better linked if names were also used in the title of this book. So, Toppling became John and Dom, and the cover  used a similar design to the one for Pearl:

Everything is different than the Australian and US covers: the font, the illustrations, the colours and layout, and there’s the addition of a tag line.  There’s not a domino in sight either. I do like this image, but I must confess I mourned the loss of the title, and the dominoes. although of course they are featured in the story, which remained unchanged.

So, three covers, two titles. I’ll admit the Australian version is my favourite – but I’m curious to know which you prefer? Leave a comment, if you like.

Readalong Post #7: The Writing of Toppling

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Welcome back to my Readalong. On Friday I shared the opening chapter of Toppling and the wonderful book trailer. Today I’d like to chat about why and how I wrote Toppling.

I talked last week about the writing of Pearl Verses the World and how it flowed as if Pearl was telling me her story. After I’d written Pearl and, amazingly, got word that Walker Books would publish it, my thoughts turned to what to write next. I’d found the verse novel form such a satisfying way to write, that I knew I wanted to write another one. But writing about Pearl had been emotionally draining, so I wondered if I could write something a little lighter.

I started with two things – a character and a hobby. I wanted to use a male main character to make sure I focused on using a different voice. I decided I wanted my boy to be one of those kids who  isn’t sporty or super smart or super popular or super anything really. At the time my own kids were, among other things, spending time making up domino topples. We seemed to have acquired over the years several sets of dominoes and, although no one ever played the game,  we had a lot of fun setting up domino topples. Maybe not quite as good as this world record topple:

So I had a kid who loved domino toppling, and that was about it. I didn’t know what  the conflict was going to be, but as I ran through ideas, I decided that if Pearl Verses the World was about a girl who felt she didn’t have any friends, then this new character should have a group of friends. And, when I started writing and introducing those friends, I knew that this is where the conflict would come from. Because, very soon, it emerged that John’s best friend had a problem, which meant John had a problem too. In the book John claims that Dominic is his best friend ‘not just because his name sounds like domino’,  but I have a confession to make: I chose the name because it sounded a bit like domino.  And it is more than his name that is like John’s hobby – because poor Dom is in danger of toppling, metaphorically.

It was at about this point that I realised this story was not going to be lighter  than Pearl Verses the World and, as I wrote and discovered that Dominic was very sick, I wondered whether this was a story I could handle.  And I spent a lot of time worrying about the ending – both for the sake of my characters and for my young readers.

I won’t give a spoiler and tell you how it ends, but I can tell you that there is some hope in my ending, because this is how I believe stories should end. With hope. Not neatly wrapped up, but with some sign of good to come, at the very least. But I’ll also tell you that this ending has led to a lot of questions. I’ve had letters and emails, and kids in schools and festivals all over Australia ask me what happens next.  And the answer is, I would only be sure of that if I wrote a sequel – which isn’t planned.

Back to the writing. I found the writing process perhaps less straightforward than for Pearl Verses the World, but, as with Pearl, I did feel that the main character, in this case John, was leading me through the story and sharing events with me. My job was to shape the words. When I didn’t know what would happen next I stopped writing for the day and, when I sat down the next day, I always knew what was next – although, as I’ve already said above – I did have a tousle over where and how to end it.

Eventually though I settled on the ending and, after rewriting and editing, off it went to Walker Books who, once more, said yes.  And, a year after Pearl was published, Toppling was too. That was ten years ago. And what a ten years it has been!

 

Do you have questions? I’d love to answer them. Comment below. Or post them on my social media – Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (#toppling or #readwithsally) , and I’ll answer them there. Thanks again for being part of my Readalong.