Don't Get Punk'd by Common Punctuation Troublemakers

 

by Fran Hodgkins

 If you’re like most people, your reaction of punctuation questions is either to utter a polite “ugh!” or to run screaming from the room. If you’re not like most people, though, you’re celebrating the upcoming release of the Chicago Manual of Style, 18^th edition, and feeling a bit giddy with excitement.

Alas, I fall into the second group. My family doesn’t talk about me much.  

Seriously, though, while some of us love it, for many people punctuation is a necessary evil. However, if poorly used, it can stop an editor from finishing your manuscript. Some people will take exception to that statement, saying that a good idea will find a home, no matter how poorly punctuated or grimly ungrammatical.

To which I reply: why take the chance? With publishers getting literally thousands of submissions, don’t you want to give your manuscript the best chance? You may have a purebred Golden Retriever in the dog show but should at least bathe him before he greets the judges.

So, here’s a refresher course on punctuation marks.

The period, or full stop. This dot ends a sentence. That’s its whole job. Its reason for existence. You express a complete thought, and then, boom – end with a period. Problem is, some people get a bit carried away and forget the period. They create a run-on sentence, which is two complete thoughts connected by nothing but good wishes.

I took my dog to the park my car broke down on the way.

Two things are going on: taking the dog to the part and the car breaking down. Something’s missing. A connection (such as a coordinate conjunction, like “but”), or a stop sign – a period.

I took my dog to the park. My car broke down on the way.

Periods can easily be overlooked. Folks of a Certain Age or who have old keyboards may hit the comma when they want the period. MS Word has a new quirk where it will insert periods when you don’t want them. Be wary when proofreading!

Quotation marks. These are the friendly little curly guys who tell readers when someone it talking. They always come in pairs: “ at the beginning and ” at the end. They seem innocent enough, but when end punctuation gets involved, quotation marks can be difficult to control.

In the United States, the rule is that when the period, exclamation mark, or question mark goes with the dialog, it goes “inside” the quotation mark:

She cried, “Stop, thief!”

The postal worker asked, “Did you pick up your package?”

David said, “I’ll be there eventually.”

That’s straightforward and easy to remember. But when the end punctuation does not go with the spoken words, but is actually part of the larger statement, things can get messy:

Did you hear David say, “I won’t be there after all”?

David had the nerve to say, “I won’t be there after all”!

 

A related trickster is the single quotation mark. It is used to enclose a quote within a quote. For example, David said, “I’ll be ‘sick’ and unable to attend.” Easy enough, right? But let’s move those little stinkers to the end of the sentence:

She said, “David was unable to attend because he was ‘sick’!”

There’s a lot of punctuating going on at the end of that sentence: single quote, word, single quote, exclamation point, and closing double quotes – whew!

 

Let’s wrap up with one of the most often abused punctuation marks: the apostrophe. I have heard this mark called the “Flying Comma” and I approve.

The apostrophe forms contractions. It takes the place of dropped letters, as in isn’t, let’s, don’t.

It can also form some possessives, but not all possessives use an apostrophe.

 

Wait, say that again.

 

The basic pattern is like this:

cat (singular)   cat’s (possessive)   cats (plural)   cats’ (plural possessive)

 

 

Here’s a helpful list:

Apostrophe                                                          No apostrophe

boy’s (possessive)                                           his (possessive)

girls’ (plural possessive)                                  their (plural possessive)

building’s (possessive)                                    buildings (plural)

it’s (contraction)                                               its (possessive)

 

One job that apostrophes don’t do is to form plurals.

 

 

Are you going to turn in a perfect manuscript? Alas, no—and nor should you expect to. We are not machines, so somewhere in every manuscript lurks a misplaced apostrophe or an overactive comma. We do the best we can with the tools at hand, and still our editors and copy editors find things. That’s OK (it’s their job, anyway!). Spotting and fixing these common errors can never hurt your manuscript’s changes.

And may the odds be ever in your favor!

 

Flip the Book, Not the Story

 by Sue Heavenrich

A few years ago on this blog, I wrote about “book turns” – incorporating images that require a reader to turn the book as they engage with the story. I hadn’t thought about it much until last week, when I happened upon a copy of Ursula Upside Down, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor (Greenwillow Books, May 2024). The cover art clues you in that this will be an interactive reading!

 Ursula is a happy catfish, contentedly swimming through her world. A world in which “river weeds waved from above” and “rays of sun shimmered from below.” The watery greens and blues of the illustrations are delightful. 

The language is delicious, especially the “scrumptious buggy buffets” – and the reaction of some bug buddies when one of their comrades suddenly disappears.

The real fun comes when Ursula’s view of the world is flipped upside down. 

Now the reader has to flip the book 180 degrees and turn the pages in what feels a backward direction. Like Ursula, we might be questioning is left right? Is right wrong? And which way is up? There is a rescue, another book turn, and a satisfying ending. There is also an author’s note, in which Corey Tabor explains that there really is an upside-down species of catfish that live in the Congo River basin … or are we the ones who are upside down?

This isn’t the first flip-it-around book Corey’s created. Back in 2021 his book, Mel Fell (a Caldecott Honor book) hit the shelves. If you haven’t read it, it’s a story of a young bird learning to fly. This book opens vertically which, for me, makes it hard to hold on my lap and read. But what great fun for a kid – because now pages flip up instead of right-to-left. At one point, Mel falls down, down, down into the water. Now the reader has to turn the book 180-degrees so she can fly up, up, up and back to the nest. Here’s a short 1-minute video that shows the book turn.

Want to know more about what inspires Corey’s writing and art? Check out these interviews with Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and the Brightly Editors.

Have you read any fun books that incorporate turning the book or otherwise interacting with it? Please share them in the comments!

Here are a few additional titles folks suggested:

Animal Antipodes, by Carly Allen-Fletcher

 Pick a Pine, by Patricia Toht

A Love Letter to Libraries

 by Fran Hodgkins

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in the Bath Book Bash, a celebration of children's books sponsored by the Patten Memorial Library in Bath, Maine. As I sat at my table (which was right next to Chris Mihaly!), I once again realized how much I love libraries and librarians.

As a kid, I spent hours and hours at our neighborhood library, reading my way through the picture books, novels, and nonfiction. I later went to work at that branch, as a teenage aide or "page."

If you haven't been to a library in a while, you're in for a treat. The whole stereotype of the shushing librarian is falling by the wayside. Libraries provide so much more than books -- computer access, classes, workshops, special-interest groups, story times, and interlibrary loan. My local library has recently introduced access to a streaming platform! What can your library and librarian do for you, as a writer?

First, of course, libraries are great for research. Wait, what? In this day of the internet, why go to a library? Because librarians are the original search engines. If you need to find a certain book, or facts, or even a story that you recall from many years ago, your librarian is the ideal resource. Trained librarians know how to find information and resources that we mere mortals, armed with Google or Bing, struggle to find. And they'll get you the good stuff, too: none of this inaccurate nonsense from "Joe's Big Website of Facts or Are They Opinions?" Librarians have noses like bloodhounds when it comes to accuracy. They also love a challenge. You need a book by an obscure author, which was published in Boston in 1914? On it. (One of my favorite library memes shows a book display of books that all have red covers, and the caption is "I don't remember the title, but it was red." -- even with that meager tidbit of info, your librarian will do their utmost to find that book.

Next, librarians love books. They read all the major review journals to decide what to order for this library. As a result, they can tell you what books are coming out that will be good comps for your manuscript. They can get you a book you need even if it's in California and you're in Massachusetts. They can also be your secret weapon -- because they are well versed in what books are available, they can tell you whether there's a topic that needs to be covered. That can give you ideas for new topics to research and write about.

Another reason to love libraries? They are a bulwark against the storm of book banning. They are our allies, making sure that the works we create get into the hands of the readers who need them. Books don't just inform, they connect us. They make us feel less alone in a world that can feel cold and uncaring. They open our eyes to the possibility of our future. How many kids, I wonder, decided on their career after reading a book? 

I can't say it was one book that influenced me to become a writer, but all of them that Mrs. McLaughlin handed to me over that giant oak circulation desk all those years ago. She's been gone for a long time, and that neighborhood library is gone, too. 

The places and faces have changed, but the librarians are still there, ready to help.  

Thank you all, librarians!

📕📕📕📘📘📘📗📗📗📙📙📙📕📕📕📘📘📘📗📗📗📙📙📙📕📕📕

 

Books and Poems to Engage Kids in Democracy ~Christy Mihaly

Hello GROG readers. Welcome back to another school year ... and another federal election. 

So here's another post about ways to encourage civic engagement in our young people. How can we support kids in understanding the basics about how our government functions (or is designed to function) and in developing the skills they need to engage in the work of democracy?

I have some ideas. And I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Books!

Let's start with books. My first dive into the pond of writing civics books was a picture book about the First Amendment, published in 2020. Since then I've written one about the Supreme Court and several civics-oriented series for the educational market. 

This month, my picture book about Congress comes out. 

I know, I know: "What? A picture book on Congress, are you kidding?" But when publisher Albert Whitman asked if I'd like to write a book about Congress, I said yes (because that's what writers do). Then I started agonizing about how to approach this tricky topic. 

 I came up with an informational tale about Alice, whose mother is newly elected to Congress. Alice is upset that Mom is moving to DC and disrupting the family -- what's so great about Congress, anyway?

Accompanying Mom to work, she meets the legendary ghost cat of the Capitol (who turns out to be a bit snarky), and embarks on a historical tour of the building with guides both spectral and living. Alice learns about Congress's history and functions, and past crises it has weathered. She comes to understand the central importance of Congress and to appreciate the work her mother is doing. Kirkus calls it timely, and "at least in spots, refreshingly frank." And who am I to argue with Kirkus?? 

This year has seen many new children's books on voting and civics. Here are some recommendations: 

The Day Madear Voted, by Wade Hudson, illus. Don Tate. 

An engaging picture book about a Black family going to the polls for the first time in 1969. 

 

Leo's First Vote!! by Christina Soontornvat, illus. Isabel Roxas. 

This fun picture book tells the story of a classroom election along with the exercise of the franchise by Leo's dad, a new U.S. citizen. It includes  solid information about voting. 

Ida B. Wells Marches for the Vote, by Dinah Johnson, illus. Jerry Jordan. 

This much-needed picture book biography tells the important story of suffragist Ida B. Wells.

 

I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference, by Mark Shulman, illus. Serge Bloch. 

This creative picture book focuses on the importance of making choices. It includes nonfiction back matter about voting requirements.

Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote, by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau. 

This middle grade nonfiction book provides insights into the history of voting rights (and discrimination) in the United States.

Archived GROG posts also include my roundup of older picture books encouraging civic engagement and a review of a middle grade biography of Pauli Murray. 

Books like these can help kids and adults talk about what the government does, how it sometimes doesn't work the way it should -- and, importantly, what we can do about it.

Getting Engaged

Giving kids books is a great start. Books can facilitate meaningful conversations about important political issues. They can also help inspire kids to engage in civic activism. And we can do more.

This month, for a couple of bookstore events with OUR CONGRESS, I'll not only read from the book, but also talk about who represents us in Congress. We'll provide lists of names and addresses and templates to facilitate the kids writing letters to their members of Congress or state and local representatives. We'll also talk about the elections, and how people are weighing their choices. I'll have "Your Vote, Your Voice" stickers from the Secretary of State's office to hand out. It's a start!

Well-versed in Civics

I also continue to experiment with ways to use poetry to help kids build a democratic community. I wrote about this in my earlier post, Poetry month and civic engagement. I find that introducing young (or older) writers to simple poetic forms helps get the thoughts and words flowing. And that's a good starting point for broader discussions about freedom of expression, and the corresponding responsibility to listen to others. 

In working with fifth-graders in a series of workshops, we started with haiku and moved to Fibonacci poems (one of my favorite forms). We asked students to write from different perspectives. In one session, they paired up to write poems from opposing points of view. Then we wrote poems in two voices, and read them together. Here's the model that the teacher and I read together: 

Writing poems together facilitated self-expression, listening, and empathy. In our final session, we had a lively conversation about an upcoming school board vote on the school budget, with students sharing and listening and considering different sides of the discussion. It was a joy to see the kids modeling the skills we all need for constructive dialog.

As my friend Kathy Halsey put it: 

Creating Poems + Exploring Free Speech = Classroom Engagement.

So in this important election season, let's use our words to engage our youngest community members in civic conversations ... and let's make them proud to participate in their democracy.

Dancing in the Storm: A Middle Grade w/ Disability Representation: Craft Chat with Amie Darnell Specht & Shannon Hitchcock by Kathy Halsey

The GROG is excited to feature DANCING IN THE STORM, a realistic middle grade novel, as our first past after our summer hiatus. I've known Shannon since some of her earliest books and was excited to meet co-author Amie Darnell Specht through our craft chat. We’ll be discussing co-authoring, secondary characters, and writing about disabilities. In Amie’s case, it is a rare genetic disorder, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP).

DANCING IN THE STORM Book Review 

DANCING IN THE STORM, a realistic, contemporary middle grade book, features the typical pursuits of changing friendships, sports, and first crushes through the lens of main character Kate who discovers at age 12 that she has FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva) a rare musculoskeletal condition with no cure. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as Kate is a competitive gymnast who can’t imagine not being a part of her school team. With this disorder comes the wish to have her old life back, or at least for others to see her without thinking she's inspirational or to be pitied. She wants to have her new normal to be accepted as "her normal".

I welcomed the opportunity to explore more children’s literature that focuses on disability representation. DANCING IN THE STORM is a solid choice to expand our experiences and knowledge of the challenges and joys that disabilities bring. This middle grade novel's authentic voice comes from author Amie and co-author Shannon Hitchcock. Having a seamless voice with 2 authors is not easy, and this duo does it well.  Kate’s character mirrors many of the same experiences and feelings Amie discovered coping with her disorder. FOP develops bone in areas of the body where it is not normally present such as ligaments, tendons, and skeletal muscles. 

The novel has an engaging epistolary style with Kate writing penpal emails to the fictional Amie Specht, her 35 year old mentor who also has FOB. With her mentor’s help, Kate sees she is able to find a new normal by keeping a “flexible mind” in an “inflexible” body. Her friends, family, and classmates also have adjustments to make, too, in their relationships to Kate. How family, friends and classmates navigate mixed feelings adds even more depth to this story. 

With her support system finally in place, Kate also conquers her fear of speaking when gives a motivational speech for her entire middle school and a call for action to raise funds and awareness for FOP.

As a former 7th grade English teacher and school librarian, I wholeheartedly recommend this book for school and classroom libraries as well as a class read aloud that will engage multiple audiences. While Kate’s story centers on a specific disability, it speaks to the universal experience we all have coping with the ups and downs of life, especially those tender, turbulent  middle school years.

Craft Chat with Amie Darnell Specht & Shannon Hitchcock

Kathy: Amie and Shannon, what are your tips for writers who have never written a book together before? What are the benefits of joint authorship? Are there any drawbacks?

We didn’t know each other very well and so we got to know each other by filling out this character worksheet: https://www.novel-software.com/character-questionnaire/. The worksheet served two purposes. It was a great conversation starter and it also allowed us to start developing our characters. 

Amie: benefit to joint authorship: I had never written a book before so Shannon was able to guide me through the process. 

Shannon: The benefit to me is that I wasn’t starting with a blank slate since much of the book is drawn from Amie’s life. The drawback to collaborating is it is a slower process since every decision requires two people to come to consensus. 

Kathy: I know from Amie's Author Note that much of this book is autobiographical. How did you weave in the fiction with the information from your life?

Amie: I changed most of the names and ages of characters that are inspired by real people. The timeline of the book differs from my life as well. I was diagnosed with FOP at four and a half rather than twelve like our main character. When I would tell Shannon about my life, (like managing my high school’s gymnastics team), she would often say we could use that in our plot and just change it to middle school.  

Kathy: Have you done any author visits together? What are you finding that readers like most about this middle grade?

Amie: We had a joint book launch and we’ve spoken to a book club. Due to my disability, travel is hard for me and so our joint in-person appearances are limited. We’d love the opportunity to connect virtually though and recently appeared on the Reading With Your Kids podcast. You can listen to us here: 

https://readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com/how-fantasy-and-realism-can-educate-and-inspire-young-readers

Amie: I find readers are very curious about what it’s like to live with a rare genetic disorder and I’m always honest in my replies.

Kathy: It's refreshing to read a book where siblings support each other as Chris and Kate do. I like the secondary cast of characters and the themes of diversity. How many secondary characters do you recommend a middle grade book have? How do you flesh out secondary characters, making them more than just the main character’s sidekick?

Amie: We don’t have a recommendation for how many secondary characters a middle grade book needs. It truly depends on the story. 

Shannon: I will share an anecdote though from a critique I had with Richard Peck on my book, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. He pointed out that two of my characters were similar and recommended that I combine them. So… my advice is to be sure each of your characters is unique and that your story has a definite need for every one of them. To quote Richard Peck, “I’m afraid you have too many characters auditioning for a part in your novel.”

Amie: I combined characters as well. In Dancing In The Storm, the character Mindy is a combination of a lot of my friends. Izaak is a combination of my husband and other guys I have been friends with. 

Kathy: What would you both like readers to take away about the challenges of FOP and other genetic disorders? Genetics and DNA are mainstream topics, and we see advertisements from 23andMe and companies like them. What are your thoughts on gene testing as a "gift"? (I had genetic testing and counseling a few years ago when we discovered Lynch syndrome in our family. I had complicated feelings about it. One of us tested positive for it, while four of us have had various forms of cancer.)

Amie: A big problem with genetic disorders is there are so many of them and even the same disorder presents itself differently from person to person. This is a quote from page 49 of our book. “…just like no two zebras have identical stripes, no two people with FOP experience it exactly the same way.”

I have used 23andMe for fun, but it doesn’t take the place of genetic counseling. 

Shannon: The only genetic testing I’ve done was to determine if I had any of the genetic markers for breast cancer. This was done by a simple blood test at the doctor’s office. 

As for a takeaway, I hope young readers stretch their empathetic muscles and step inside the shoes of someone whose life experience is different than theirs. And if we’ve done our jobs well, they will also see that people with disabilities have a lot to offer as friends and colleagues. 

Author Contact Information

Amie Darnell Specht worked in tech support for a large computer company for many years. She and her husband live in North Carolina with lots of pets. She has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), and this, her first novel, is heavily influenced by her story. 

Visit amiespecht.com for more information.

Instagram: @amiespecht

Shannon Hitchcock was born and still lives in North Carolina and grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of four previous acclaimed novels for children, including Flying Over Water and Ruby Lee & Me. 

Visit shannonhitchcock.com for more information. 

Instagram: @hitchcock_shannon