Memorable First Lines

I was thinking about some of my favorite children's books & how their first line drew you in the story. Sometimes action, sometimes setting. Here are a few:

" Where's Papa going with that ax?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
CHARLOTTE'S WEB E.B. White

Today, Monday, Wanda Petronski was not in her seat. But nobody, not even Peggy and Madeline, the girls who had started all the fun, noticed her absence.
THE HUNDRED DRESSES Eleanor Estes

A wild, ringing neigh shrilled up from the hold of the Spanish galleon. It was not the cry of an animal in hunger. It was a terrifying bugle. An alarm call.
MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE Marguerite Henry

I come from a family with a lot of dead people.
EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS Deborah Wiles

The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it.
BLACK BEAUTY Anna Sewell

Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tidewater dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego.
THE CALL OF THE WILD Jack London

I remember the day the Aleut ship came to our island.
ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS Scott O'Dell

A column of smoke rose thin and straight from the cabin chimney. The smoke was blue where it left the red of the clay.
THE YEARLING Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Squire Trelawney,Doctor Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow Inn, and the brown seaman, with the saber cut, first took up his lodging under our roof.
TREAURE ISLAND Robert Louis Stevenson

Quirky Pony

Here is a picture of Lilac, the naughty, but lovable pony. She looks sweet, but if you look closely into her eyes...don't be fooled by the long, batting eyelashes... she's plotting her escape.

Shhhh. Don't Tell. I love research!

I really do, love research, that is. It's like a mystery, following the winding road of facts & myths. Sorting it all out & putting a story together. Meeting people, listening to their stories, visiting new places. FUN!

I've been gone the past few days researching info for my new book. The historian I met with gave me bundles of new, intriguing information. I have more people to contact & cannot wait to meet w/ them. What's so amazing, way back when...this event was TOP SECRET & CLASSIFIED. Really, really, really. How cool is that??? I've always loved spy stories..but, this isn't a spy story, but more like a revealed secret story.

There are so many important factors in a good book. I won't bore you with what you already know (characters, theme, structure, etc. etc.) BUT, the unforgettable books have the story. A remarkable story. A story you keep thinking about. Whether the story scares you, makes you cry, makes you laugh, makes you mad, makes you reach down in your soul, makes you open your heart, it should change you...the reader. That's why I love to read!

I'll post some pictures later from my trip. Maybe I'll post them & see if you can guess where they were taken.

Miss Mouse Visits School

Here's one of my Newfs, Miss Mouse visiting a school in Maryland. We both had a terrific time. I spoke about historical fiction & THE WRECK OF THE ETHIE. The Mouse held court receiving many ooohs & aaaaahs ( & hugs) from the children. The Media Specialist was organized, efficient & fun. I'll give the day an A+!!