WHAT GOES UP.
(Random House Children's, October 2018) WHAT GOES UP, on Amazon and Goodreads. What goes up . . . comes down on Robyn Tinkerbell Goodfellow's roof! Will a rogue NASA satellite crush her house before Robyn can set things right? Robyn Tinkerbell Goodfellow (yes, that's actually her name) has a target on her roof. Well, not a real one, but everything seems to land there: paper airplanes, lost kites, socks, cats, and once even a skydiver! In the town of Calliope, Robyn and her magnet roof are famous--for being weird. That wasn't such a big deal . . . until now! A rogue NASA satellite is falling out of orbit and is going to hit Earth. NASA says it will probably land in the ocean, but Robyn knows better--that satellite is headed for her roof. To make matters worse, Robyn discovers that she doesn't just have a fairy middle name. When her class reads A Midsummer Night's Dream, she learns that Robin Goodfellow is a fairy! Which means if the satellite flattens her, everyone will laugh at her name in the news stories. Robyn realizes what she needs to do: find her long-lost dad so he can help her change her name and protect her from the satellite! Both surprising and relatable, this middle-grade novel will have readers wishing they could move to the small town of Calliope, laugh with the larger-than-life characters, and race against the clock to save Robyn from NASA's mistake. Excerpt: "Crouching down, Grandma hurried across the lawn and waved for me to follow. For a second, I thought she was going to do a Ninja-Su roll behind a bush, but she didn't stop until she reached the fence. I got there a few seconds later, dragging the super-long hose behind me. Grinning, Grandma took it from me, wiped off the nozzle on the end, and twisted it to the setting she wanted. Snorting a little from keeping her giggles quiet, she found a knot-hole in the wood the right size and poked the nozzle through. “Grandma, are you sure this is—” She put her grubby finger on my lips. “Trust me, little accomplice.” Once it was all set up, we sat together on the back step in the late afternoon sunshine. “Shouldn't you be inside getting ready for the next party?” I asked, hoping the reminder would send her inside in a panic and far away from Mrs. Cuthbert. “It's all ready.” I slapped at the little flying bugs that tickled my ankles. Trust Grandma to pick today to get organized. Mrs. Cuthbert's back door slammed. Her muttering and cussing were loud enough to hear, even over the birds squabbling for spots in the shadiest trees. The smile on Grandma's face made my stomach knot up from nerves. With one hand over her mouth to hold in the chuckles, she tiptoed down the steps to the tap. She counted down from ten, marking off the numbers with her index finger in the air before screwing the tap round a dozen times as fast as she could. All I could do was watch in horror as Grandma's plan came together." 
The Phantomime:
This book is currently featured on Storybird. A young girl is the only thing standing between a troupe of ghost actors and certain exorcism. "Limping a little, I picked a seat close to the door and whacked at the dust on it. A smoke signal of particles billowed up to choke me. I moved a few rows down, leaving the dirt where it was. “You can't sit there,” said Will. “Sure I can. It's very comfortable.” I folded my arms and leaned back in my seat. “That's only because spider's nests are soft.” I probably broke several records getting out of that chair and up to the front of the theater. On the way, I invented a new dance I called “the Arachnophobe.” It involved flailing arms, stripping off my coat, slapping at my body, and shaking out my hair. As I leaned against the piano, I did my best to look casual, even though that ship had sailed. I glanced around, not keen on the distance between me and the door. “My mom knows I'm here. She'll know where to look if I turn up missing.” “Are you planning on going missing?” Will asked. “I don't know, am I?”" |
|
The Fake:
This book is currently featured on Storybird and was written in collaboration with my writing partner, Natalie Bahm.
Claire is secretly finishing paintings for her ailing artist father and her new friend Grayson is trying to steal them.
Grayson:
"I had to talk to someone, get some words out before I they exploded inside me. I went to Edie's door, but the music was up so loud she didn't hear my knock. I paced the hallway, my room, and stopped in the library to pull out my phone. By now I knew Claire's number by heart.
“Hi, Grayson.”
“Hey. I—uh—” Now that I had her, the flood of words turned into a drought. What could I say? My mother gets her kicks using me against my sister? Or maybe, I'm a thief, a low-life, and you should hang up now? After a choking pause, I managed, “Are you busy?” "
This book is currently featured on Storybird and was written in collaboration with my writing partner, Natalie Bahm.
Claire is secretly finishing paintings for her ailing artist father and her new friend Grayson is trying to steal them.
Grayson:
"I had to talk to someone, get some words out before I they exploded inside me. I went to Edie's door, but the music was up so loud she didn't hear my knock. I paced the hallway, my room, and stopped in the library to pull out my phone. By now I knew Claire's number by heart.
“Hi, Grayson.”
“Hey. I—uh—” Now that I had her, the flood of words turned into a drought. What could I say? My mother gets her kicks using me against my sister? Or maybe, I'm a thief, a low-life, and you should hang up now? After a choking pause, I managed, “Are you busy?” "
The Wrong Side of the River:
Our first book on Storybird was called The Wrong Side of the River. You can read the entire thing here.
Julian is forced to take sides against his secret crush Romy when their tiny town goes to war over the location of a new super-awesome park.
“Good evening, people of Montague! As you all know, we are gathered here to vote on the location of the new park which has been made possible thanks to the generous donation from the late Mr. Grant Goodwin.” The Mayor tipped his head forward, adding an extra chin to the two he already had, and muttered quickly, “Godresthissoul.”
Everyone around us bowed their heads and whispered, “God rest his soul,” too. Except Sage, who heard it wrong and said, “Got Hester’s Soul,” instead. I don’t think anyone but me noticed, though.
Our first book on Storybird was called The Wrong Side of the River. You can read the entire thing here.
Julian is forced to take sides against his secret crush Romy when their tiny town goes to war over the location of a new super-awesome park.
“Good evening, people of Montague! As you all know, we are gathered here to vote on the location of the new park which has been made possible thanks to the generous donation from the late Mr. Grant Goodwin.” The Mayor tipped his head forward, adding an extra chin to the two he already had, and muttered quickly, “Godresthissoul.”
Everyone around us bowed their heads and whispered, “God rest his soul,” too. Except Sage, who heard it wrong and said, “Got Hester’s Soul,” instead. I don’t think anyone but me noticed, though.