Mary Margaret and her family are off for a fun-filled vacation of riding and relaxing at a dude ranch! Mary Margaret instantly loves horses, and spends the rest of her time at the ranch trying to prove to Kansas, the tough older girl who teaches, that she is a real rider and is ready to get out of the kiddie corral! Can Mary Margaret prove to Kansas that she can truly ride? Or will Mary Margaret just end up getting hurt-or worse, for this chatterbox-ignored? Author Christine Kole Maclean has created a funny and sweet story that will be favorites of kids ages 8-10!
2 comments:
Hello, Claire. I'm glad you like the Mary Margaret books. She's a fun character to write because she doesn't hide her emotions. You asked me in an email to answer some questions, so I'll try.
1. What's it like to be an author?
Most of the time it's fun, like when the writing is going well or when I hear from readers like I heard from you. That's the best part. But making stuff up all day--not just random stuff, but stuff that has to make sense within the story--is also hard work. Sometimes it's like putting together a giant puzzle when you don't even have all the pieces.
2. Tell us about the Mary Margaret books.
I got the idea for MM AND THE PERFECT PET PLAN from a situation that was going on in my own family. My daughter (then six) desperately wanted a pet, but her dad is allergic to pet dander. I never expected that book would evolve into a series, but I just finished my fifth book about MM. MARY MARGARET MARY CHRISTMAS will come out in September, and MARY MARGARET, RUNNING SCARED (which takes place at Halloween) will come out in the summer of 2009. You can find out more about my books here. You can also visit Mary Margaret's site. I'll answer the other questions in my next post.
3. What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?
My advice isn't very original, I'm afraid. Read and write--a lot! Writing is like anything else: You have to practice if you want to be good at it. Also, develop a writer's sensibility--look at the world through a writer's eyes. When you do this, you start to see ideas for stories or essays everywhere. Finally, believe you can do it. Because you can. It takes determination and perseverance, but you can do it.
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