Back To School

While the calendar and the increase in traffic near my local high school are dead giveaways that school is back in session, the other is a quick perusal of my inbox.  When school starts, I receive a flood of questions from readers who are either assigned one of my young adult books in class or who chose it as part of their summer reading. 

Some of the questions are great.  Other questions, however, are not so great.  Yes, when you ask me, "Who is the protagonist of the book?" I'm well aware that you haven't read the back cover, let alone the book.  However, I was a student once upon a time and buried under the homework of a million different classes, so I have sympathy.  I know the panic that sets in the day before a book report is due when you haven't the foggiest notion what to write, especially when you also have a math test the next day.

That being said, sending me e-mail while you're in panic mode isn't the best way for you to solve the problem.

First off, book reports have due dates.  My inbox doesn't, so when I'm traveling or on deadline, it's easy for me to get a few weeks behind on reading and responding to e-mail.  By the time I see your e-mail, it's quite possible your book report will be long overdue.  Second, if I answer one person's book report questions I'd feel obliged to answer them all, and I don't have time to write, walk my dog, AND answer book report questions.  (And when the dog's gotta go, she's gotta go.)  Finally, there are a lot of questions I can't answer, even if I want to answer them.  "What are examples of symbolism in Sticky Fingers?" is a question only you, as a reader, can answer.

That being said, I don't want to leave you stuck the night before you have homework due.  Here are a few suggestions for getting that report done:

   1)  If you're writing about a specific book of mine, go the main page of my Niki Burnham website and click on the link for that book.  There is an excerpt (which you should have already read, since you have the book and read the whole thing) and a section called Behind The Scenes.  The Behind The Scenes might be helpful to you. 

   2)  You can go to the About Niki page of my site to find out more about me.  Any of the biographical information that you see there is fine to use in your report. 

   3)  There is a page on the site called FAQ with answers to common questions about each book, about my writing process, and about where I get my ideas.  

Hope you find that helpful!  Again, as much as I wish I could explain themes and motifs, if I took the time to answer every e-mail I receive about book reports, I'd miss my own deadlines, and they rival the world's biggest homework assignment when it comes to pressure.

However, if you think this is rather uncool of me and that an author should simply write your book report for you (because believe it or not, students who've e-mailed me in the past asked for this)  I urge you to check out author Pete Hautman's website.  He's the author of several phenomenal books you may have already read, such as Godless, Blank Confession, and Hole In The Sky.  Pete has an entire page of book reports ready to go, right here.  I think you'll get a better grade if you follow my suggestions, rather than going for Pete Hautman's reports, but that's your call.  Good luck!

And P.S.:  Consider reading one of Pete's books.  

Book Club Discussion Questions: Royally Crushed

Since the release of Royally Crushed, which includes all three books in the Valerie Winslow trilogy, I've received a number of e-mails asking me to post discussion questions for book clubs and reading groups who've selected the book.  I've also received several e-mails asking for ideas for book report topics.

First, I want to say THANK YOU for choosing Royally Crushed for your book club or book report!  Second, here are the promised questions.  Feel free to add your own in the comments.  I'd love to see what topics have captured your interest.

Book Club Discussion Questions:  Royally Crushed

1)  In an early scene in Royally Jacked, Valerie and her friends are smoking behind Wendy's.  Cigarettes come up again later in the story.  While we often see characters smoking in fiction, it's not usually in a romantic comedy meant for teens. Is it ever appropriate for teens to smoke in fiction?  Does the fact that Royally Crushed is comedy change your answer?

2)  The entire series (Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over) is told in Valerie's point of view.  How might the story have changed if some scenes were written in Georg's point of view?

3)  It's clear in the early chapters of Royally Jacked that Val thinks of herself as open-minded; she even states that she doesn't care whether a person is gay or straight.  However, Val has obvious issues with her mother's sexuality.  Is Val as open-minded as she thinks?  Do her issues stem more from the divorce itself than from the fact her mother is gay?  Would her distrust of her mother have been any different if her mother left her father for a man?

4)  Schwerinborg is a fictional German-speaking country.  Did it seem real to you?  What about the descriptions made it seem that way?

5)  Who is the better match for Valerie in the long run, David or Georg?  Is she better off alone?  What makes you feel that way?

6)  In Spin Control, Valerie's mother and Gabrielle drop her off at a PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meeting without telling her about it first.  Was this appropriate?  Was it a valuable meeting for Valerie?  Were the situations and reactions of the others attending the meeting reflective of the real world?

7)  Royally Crushed is a lighthearted romantic comedy, yet the characters deal with some serious issues in the story (divorce, relationships, sexuality, politics, media.)  Is it appropriate for such issues to appear in a romantic comedy, or should these issues always be addressed in a serious manner?

8)  How does the media change the nature of Valerie and Georg's relationship?  Do you think they should be more open with their friends at school?

9)  How does Valerie's relationship with each of her parents grow and change over the three books?  There are times where she's confused about each of their actions, times when she's angry, and times when she appreciates them.  Are her reactions appropriate?

10)  Some of the communication between Valerie and her friends is via e-mail.  Many YA books have e-mail exchanges between characters.  Does it change the nature of the story when some interaction between characters is in person and some is online, and they can't see each other's faces?  What do you think of e-mail exchanges in fiction?

11)  The author wrote a bonus short story, Reality Check, for readers of Royally Crushed who wanted to see more of popular character Jules Jackson.  What do you think of "bonus" chapters in books?  What about the new trend of publishers posting prequels to popular series?

Book Report Time

You probably came across today's blog because you did a Google search using the term "Book Report" and then either "Niki Burnham" or the title of one of my books.  Since I can only assume you typed in those phrases because you're actually writing a book report, I hope you find today's blog useful.

I decided to write about book reports because I can pretty much guess what time of year it is by the subject lines that pop into my e-mail inbox.  If I'm getting e-mails with headers such as, "Help! Book Report on YOU!" or "Royally Jacked Questions" or "Sticky Fingers--Very Important!" I know that it's the week before Thanksgiving (when many book reports seem to be due), one of the last two weeks in February (ditto) or the week before April break.  Such is the cycle of the school year and projects.

While I am truly flattered that you chose one of my books for a report (I'm going to assume you chose it, because if you were assigned the book and didn't want to read it, I don't want to know), and I am glad you took the time to find my website and e-mail me, it's not the best way for you to get information for a book report. 

First off, book reports usually have a due date.  My inbox doesn't, so when I'm traveling or on deadline, it's easy for me to get a few weeks behind on reading and responding to e-mail.  By the time I see your e-mail, it's quite possible your deadline will be long past.  Second, if I answer one person's book report questions I'd feel obliged to answer them all, and I don't have time to write, eat, AND answer book report questions.  (I'll admit it, it's mostly because I like to eat.)  Finally, there are a lot of questions I can't answer, even if I want to answer them.  "What's the theme of Goddess Games?" is a question only you, as a reader, can answer.  And I couldn't begin to tell you about symbolism.  Again, these are for the reader to interpret.

That being said, I don't want to leave you frustrated!  There are a few things you can do to help with your reports:

   1)  If you're writing about a specific book, go the main page of my website and click on the link for that book.  There is an excerpt (which you should have already read, since you have the book and read the whole thing) and a section called Behind The Scenes.  The Behind The Scenes might be helpful to you. 

   2)  You can go to the About Niki page of the website to find out more about me.  Anything that you see there is fine to use in your report.  There is more biographical info on the Press Kit page, but that requires downloading a PDF file.

   3)  There is a page on the site called FAQ with answers to common questions about each book, about my writing process, and about where I get my ideas. 

   4)  You can always search this blog by clicking on the keywords at the bottom of posts.  That will bring up all the other posts on that topic.  To help you, I put the titles of all my books in the keywords at the end of this post.  Click the one you want, and it will bring up every blog about that book.

Hope you find that helpful!  Again, as much as I wish I could explain themes and motifs, if I took the time to answer every e-mail I receive about book reports, it would mean that no more books of mine would be published, because I wouldn't have the time I need to write them and would miss my own deadlines.  Which, in turn, means I would not eat.  (Did I mention that I like to eat?)  I work hard to meet or beat my deadlines, just as I know you work hard to turn in your book reports when they're due.

However, if you think this is rather uncool of me and that an author should simply write your book report for you (because admit it, some of you who have e-mailed me in the past were hoping for this!)  I urge you to check out author Pete Hautman's website.  He's the author of several phenomenal books you may have already read, such as Godless, Blank Confession, and Hole In The Sky.  Pete has an entire page of book reports ready to go, right here.  I think you'll get a better grade if you follow my suggestions, rather than going for Pete Hautman's reports, but that's your call.  Good luck!