Delilah Dusticle

"Delilah Dusticle"

York, A. J. (2013). Delilah Dusticle [Kindle version]. Author published. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BOXRDDE

Genre: Fantasy, Short Story (Children’s/Middle-Grade)

Delilah is no ordinary girl. She has powers. Delilah Dusticle can eliminate dust better than anyone can. Others are envious and Delilah receives several others to clean in glorious places all over the world but her heart keeps her working as a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house. You see, Delilah is in love with Charlie Fenchurch-Whittington III and there are a handful of obstacles that keep her from him. When Delilah’s heart breaks, her powers seem to break too. Can she get them back? Will she ever be happy again?

Reaction: the fantastical aspects of the story intrigued me. While, they were not the focus of the story, I found the talking armor and bear head to be charming. Perhaps it sparks my fondness of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast…

Delilah is likable enough but lacks depth in some ways. I look forward to seeing her character grow as the series continues.

The unlikely friendship and other relationships featured in Delilah Dusticle are ones that readers can learn from. York offers readers a message that friends understand each other, offer support, and see the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. 

There are a few instances of unfinished words and typing errors, apparently these are due to formatting issues in the Kindle App (some devices seem error free). However, York’s descriptive language evokes visuals that balance out these small mistakes. The descriptive language is refreshing to see in a middle-grade story as readers in this age range often crave richer vocabulary as they venture away from transitional chapter books. 

*I received this short story free from the author in exchange for an honest review. To see my interview with the author, A. J. York, visit: http://randiesreviews.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-j-york-author-interview.html

A. J. York: Author Interview

Randie’s Book Reviews’ first AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

A.  J. YORK

Jen York is the author of Delilah Dusticle.

Delilah Dusticle has special powers, she can completely eradicate dust. With her quiver pouch of special dusters Delilah can run up walls and reaches places others just can’t. As a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house Delilah’s unusual skills soon lead to her being promoted to Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. Until one day a broken heart leads to her powers taking an expected turn.

This is the first in a series of touching and funny stories about Delilah Dusticle. Follow her on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and adventure.

Excerpt:

A suit of armour standing beside her in the hall coughed and shot out a puff of dust from its helmet. “Staff are not permitted to fraternise with the family and any shenanigans would lead to instant dismissal,” wheezed the armour.

“Don’t I know it,” said Delilah who then waved her duster at the falling dust cloud making it vanish in mid-air. For good measure she selected her dandelion duster and polished the armour, who was very ticklish and kept giggling. She then made her way to the staff kitchen for dinner.

To see my review of Delilah Dusticle, click HERE.
 
*FREEBIE ALERT! A. J. York is hosting a promotion event this weekend: May 18, 19, and 20, 2013 (THREE DAYS!) for this short time, Delilah Dusticle will be FREE on Amazon! You do not want to miss this great deal!

From the Author:

“First let me introduce Grumpy Stone. I found him on a beach in my home town in Essex, England.  Grumpy has become my writing mascot. It is more fun to look at a picture of him than one of me. Promise.”
 
About A. J. YORK: 

“Well I grew up in the UK, but was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. My childhood influences were a mix of Pippi Longstocking and The Flumps. I have always enjoyed making up characters and their life stories, therefore I jumped at the chance to study theatre at the University of Brighton. I later trained as a drama teacher and I have a Masters degree from Goldsmiths. I have gone back to my roots and I now live in Gothenburg, where I am writing the Delilah Dusticle series. People have told me they love reading my stories and I hope you have fun reading them too!”

 

~THE INTERVIEW~

Randie: Tell us something about yourself. Any odd quirks or hobbies?

A.J. YORK: “I have a thing about light shops, I like to peer into light shop windows at night and see their displays. I really love looking at all the different kinds of lamps, lampshades and coloured strings of lights, from chandeliers to retro shades and from Christmas lights to lava lamps. To me these shops are like light art installations.”

Randie:  What book(s) are you currently reading?

A.J. YORK: “I am reading Simon and the Oaks by Marianne Fredriksson. It is a gorgeous story about a Jewish boy living in Sweden during the war. I am reading it in Swedish, so it taking some time.”

Randie:  Is there one book you identify with (or identified with as a child or teen)?

A.J. YORK: “As a child and teen I loved musical theatre more than books. This perhaps is why I ended up studying drama at university.  If Grease was a book, I would have read it.”

Randie: What were your jobs/interests before you started writing?

A.J. YORK: “When we moved to Sweden I had just finished a Masters in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths University of London. I was lucky to be offered work at the international school and helped set up an educational programme with an English speaking theatre. This was all very enjoyable, but I was starting to have ambitions of running my own project. Back in England I had worked on educational projects, so I was confident I had the skills to set out on my own. Delilah Dusticle turned out to be the project I was looking for. It has been very exciting being the writer, administrator, publicist and project co-ordinator.”

Randie: Describe your book in six words or less.

A.J. YORK: “Delightful, magical, fun, charming, heart-wrenching and heart-warming.”

Randie: What audience were you hoping to reach with Delilah Dusticle?

A.J. YORK: “I had written the book for middle grade, but adults have enjoyed the story too.”

Randie: Tell us about one of your characters.

A.J. YORK: “Mrs Fenchurch-Whittington is the lady of the house and Delilah’s employer.  She comes from a humble background and marries into the family for love. She works hard to fit in and to make friends with those at the ladies club, but discovers it is all superficial.  I think the challenge in life is to be who you are rather than what you think the world thinks you should be. This is something Mrs Fenchurch-Whittington begins to understand at the end of the story.”

Randie: What was your inspiration for Delilah Dusticle?

A.J. YORK: “Delilah came to me while trying to clean a beautiful apartment that we were renting.  The building is from the turn of the 20^th century and had a room off the kitchen where the maid would have slept. We were tackling floor to ceiling high bookshelves with dusters and I was hugely unsuccessful, as I had dust all over me and I even broke the hoover! My mind just wondered over to who the maid would have been and how she must have had special abilities that clearly I do not have.”

Randie: Why a series?

A.J. YORK: “After I wrote the first story I found the second story beginning to play in my head. I have now written the second story, but it is undergoing lots of revisions. I have the third story written down now in note form.”

Randie: Delilah Dusticle has an artistic cover. Who designed it? Explain that process.

A.J. YORK: “I am lucky as my partner Gavin Childs is a teacher and an artist too. After he read Delilah Dusticle he came up with some lovely illustrations. As it is set in Post War London Gavin looked at the Art Deco movement for inspiration on what style to use. He also designed the Dustbuster logo and is creating a series of cartoon style illustrations for the second installment.”

Here is a taster of what is come:

Randie: If a reader enjoys Delilah Dusticle, what other books would you recommend?

A.J. YORK: “This is an interesting question. Hmm, it depends on what it was about Delilah Dusticle that the reader liked. I have had feedback that readers like the setting of Post War London. There are many great stories from this period. If you are looking for great stories about a female protagonist then I would recommend Pippi Longstocking, she is much feistier than Delilah, but has special powers too.”

Randie: Do you have any writings in the works or unpublished?

A.J. YORK: “In between writing Delilah a character called Eliza Bluebell keeps appearing in my mind. We are still working on her story :0)”

Randie: Do you write multiple books concurrently or one at a time?

A.J. YORK: “It has to be one book at a time or I would be surrounded by unfinished projects. I write notes for future books as things occur to me, so I don’t forget anything.”

Randie: If you could change one thing about your writing, what would it be?

A.J. YORK: “I would change that I could conquer all my grammar demons. I have read books about grammar but I still struggle. Luckily my super grammar talented friend and journalist Anna Davidson edited the book.”

Randie:  How do you manage “writer’s block” or deadlines?

A.J. YORK: “Delilah’s story rolled into my head like waves and I did not suffer writers block once. After I finished I looked into what I could do and I researched the traditional publishing route. I am far too impatient to wait two years and have Delilah sit in a slush pile or perhaps not be looked at all. So I looked into the world of indie writers and liked what I saw. All the deadlines are set by me and I enjoy it too much that I rarely miss one.”

Randie: In what ways has your experience as a drama teacher both supported and hindered your writing process?

A.J. YORK: “All stories whether written or performed are from the observations of the creator. My background in drama means that I have plenty of experience in storytelling and character development. However, I have to consider that the action is expressed very differently when it is written. In drama something can be said with a gesture or a pause in conversation, in writing it is said with a selection of words. I pay special attentions to this and how to add subtext, so the reader can literally read between the lines. I find comedians are the best at observation and storytelling. They have observed something in our everyday lives, create a story around it and then present it us. We laugh and think of course that is so true.”

Randie: Any helpful tips or suggestions for aspiring writers?

A.J. YORK: “I am still an aspiring writer, learning something new every day and focusing on producing the best I can. I did a lot of research when starting the first book and read that I should read plenty of books in my genre, keep up to date with the industry, look at other authors and so on. I did do this, but I started to get distracted and felt swayed by other authors writing styles. That is when I decided to ignore all this advice and just concentrate on my story.  So my advice is to pick and choose your advice carefully.”

Randie: What can readers expect from you in the future?

A.J. YORK: “In September, readers can expect the second installment Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure, which is twice as long, humorous with lots of twists and turns.”

Thanks for having me on your blog Randie!

For more information about A. J. York, visit her website: www.ajyork.com

and Facebook book page: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle

Just Juice

Hesse, Karen. (1998). Just Juice. New York: Scholastic Press.

Literary Genre: Realistic Fiction (Chapter Book)

The Faulstich family is going through a hard time. Pa has difficulty keeping work and is depressed. Ma is pregnant and has gestational diabetes. Juice is in trouble with the truant officer because she does not go to school as she should. Markey and Charleen (Juice’s older sisters) worry about Juice. Juice, Markey, and Charleen pitch in to care for the two little ones, Lulu and Turtle. They barely have enough food to eat, so when Pa gets a letter saying they have to pay taxes or lose their house, he keeps it a secret from Ma.  It seems like the Faulstich’s are doomed. Can Juice get her family through these hard times and deal with her own secret?

Hesse successfully captures the essence of a family’s bond and love. Throughout all these hardships, the Faulstich’s encourage one another, support each other, and remain hopeful that things will get better. The language has some slang that might stump some young readers in the beginning but it allows the reader to visualize the characters. Hesse also does a nice job of addressing the challenges that people with reading disabilities face in their day-to-day lives. My only criticism is that there is not a sequel.

Coraline -spoiler alert-

Gaiman, Neil. (2004). Coraline (Kindle Edition). D. McKean. New York: HarperCollins e-books

Literary Genre: Fantasy (Chapter Book) 

Coraline Jones just moved into a new large house with her mother and father. The house is so large that the Jones’ share it with others. Coraline is an explorer and her parents are always busy on their computers, so it isn’t long before she starts to explore the house and meet her neighbors. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, “both old and round,” live in the flat below Coraline’s family with a number of Highland terriers. A crazy old man who is training mice for a mouse circus occupies the flat above Coraline’s family. After several rainy days, Coraline becomes bored. She counts ever door in her flat and stumbles upon a door that leads to a creepy parallel world.

In this creepy parallel world, Coraline has an “other mother” and “other father”. Her “other” parents and “other” neighbors resemble the real parents and neighbors only they are taller, thinner, and have black buttons for eyes. The “other mother” is the creator of this world and she very much wants Coraline to have black button eyes and remain with her forever. Although, this other world has better food, magical toys, a talking cat, and more attentive parents, Coraline does not wish to stay this other world. The “other” mother hides Coraline’s real parents in an attempt to lure Coraline but Coraline reverses the roles and challenges her “other” mother instead. With the help of the talking cat, and the ghosts of three children trapped in the shadows of a magical mirror, Coraline manages to escape her “other” mother’s creepy world with her parents and the souls of the ghost children. However, when the “other” mother’s bony hand follows her into the real world Coraline must face her “other” mother alone. Is she successful? You must read this magically creepy tale told from Coraline’s perspective to find out.

When I first started reading this book, I really struggled with how creepy it was. I could only read a few pages at a time and I even had some nightmares about my own son encountering his “other” mother. When, the Coraline discovers that her parents are missing through the magical mirror, it felt more like a scene from an episode of Criminal Minds not a scene from a children’s book. But once, Gaiman introduced Coraline’s challenge, the story transformed into an adventure and I was then able to root for Coraline. The guidance Coraline receives from the talking black cat reminds of Binx, the talking black cat from the movie, Hocus Pocus. Coraline is most definitely a memorable piece of literature. Coraline has a distinct honest voice that readers will be able to relate to. The book reads almost like a fairy tale, the language is descriptive enough for readers to visualize the unfolding tale, yet simple enough for younger readers to understand. The creepiness of the text is in part due to Gaiman’s amazing ability to make this “other” world seem possible, which is a critical element of quality fantasy. Coraline’s story is full of action, believable characters, creativity, and extraordinary elements which paired with Gaiman’s language and McKean’s black ink sketches makes a captivating realistic fantasy that interests readers.

Heartbeat

Creech, Sharon. (2004). Heartbeat. New York: Scholastic, Inc. (partnered with HarperCollins Publishers) Literary Genre: Poetry (Chapter Book) Twelve-year-old Annie loves “running running running”. Especially barefoot running. She likes to feel her bare feet hit the soft earth and the wind on her face. Running is the glue that bonds Annie to many of the important people in her life. Her mother and grandfather were both runners. Her best friend, Max runs barefoot with her nearly every day, but he runs to escape his life. Max is moody, disadvantaged, and maybe even a little jealous of Annie’s family. Max’s grandfather died and his father left. Annie, on the other hand, has a loving, growing family. Annie’s mother is expecting a baby and her grandfather’s health and memory is unstable, so he moves in with Annie and her parents. Although Annie’s grandfather is losing his memory, there are moments when he shares his life experiences and wisdom with both Annie and Max. As one life is starting and another is ending, Annie gets to thinking about who people are and how they become who they are. Max sees running in track as his ticket out of the small town where the story takes place and Annie’s reluctance to join the track team seems to cause some tension in their friendship. While running is a major theme of this novel, Annie is also an artist. At school, Annie is given an assignment to draw the same apple for 100 days. Annie takes the assignment more seriously than her classmates do and she starts to view the apple (a symbol for life) from different perspectives. The baby’s birth brings change and resolution to the novel. Annie is trying to understand herself and those around her, but everything is changing. Will Annie learn to accept these changes and understand those around her? Read to find out. Sharon Creech writes this touching story in free verse poems. This format paired with strategic repetition allows the reader to feel the rhythm of Annie’s story. From the “thump-thump, thump-thump” of the running to the “a-whoosh-a-whoosh-a-whoosh” of the baby’s heartbeat, Creech’s utilization of onomatopoeias bring the story to life. The flow of the verses also lends itself well to developing Annie’s voice. Heartbeat is without a doubt quality poetry/children’s literature. The novel portrays emotion, insight, and a fresh viewpoint. Creech’s effective usage of language and poetic devices gives Annie a sincere voice that readers can connect to. I absolutely loved this novel! I was intrigued by the realness and complexity of the relationships between Annie and the other characters. **Related Links: -Visit the Author's Website at http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html -For running tips visit http://www.kidsrunning.com/krasktraining.html -A Literature Circle Guide (For Teachers) http://teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/heartbeat_t.pdf **Podcast Review:

The Jacket -spoiler alert-

Clements, Andrew. (2002). The Jacket. H. McDavid. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Literary Genre: Realistic Fiction (Chapter Book) 

It was a hectic Thursday morning and Phil is rushing down the school hallway looking for his brother, so he can give him his lunch money. Finally, he spots his jacket and calls for his brother but his brother doesn’t hear him. When Phil catches up to him, he realizes it is not his brother and accuses Daniel of stealing his brother’s jacket. They get into a scuffle and a teacher escorts them to the principal’s office. The principal allows each boy a chance to state his side of the story, then she calls Daniel’s mother to verify that he received the jacket as a gift. Daniel’s mother shares that a friend of Daniel’s grandmother provided the gift. When the principal shares the name of the grandmother (Lucy), Phil realizes that he made a mistake and apologizes because Lucy is his family’s cleaning lady and his mom must have given away the jacket. Daniel feels embarrassed and refuses to take the jacket back.

Phil starts to feel guilty. He starts thinking that maybe he accused Daniel of stealing because he is black. Phil starts to notice that he gets along with other African American kids in his school but he does not have any black friends. As he walks home, he starts to count the number of black people he sees in his neighborhood and he thinks that they look out of place, as if they do not belong. Phil is concerned that he is “prejudiced” without knowing it. He talks to his mother, who brushes it off but warns Phil not to bring it up to his father. Phil notices that Lucy calls everyone in his family by their first name except for his father. Lucy calls him Mr. Morelli and his father uses a “different” tone of voice when speaking to Lucy and Phil understands why, his father is “prejudiced” too. When Daniel doesn’t come to school the next day, Phil is worried that it his fault and comes up with a plan to make it right. In the end, Daniel is thankful for Phil’s effort and it seems they might even become friends. McDavid’s black and white pencil illustrations place emphasis on the book’s overall theme of racial prejudice.

At first, I was not sure if I was going to like this book or not. It is difficult to find a book that focuses on prejudice or racism without it being too preachy. Clements has an amazing ability to capture the essence of a child’s mind. Phil’s thoughts are honest and not preachy. Readers, regardless of ethnic background, would be able to relate to and connect with Phil’s thoughts and feelings. When Phil is describing the change in neighborhoods as he runs to Daniel’s house it reminded of driving down University Avenue in Des Moines. You can see the ratio of white people to black people change as you go from the east to the west, but just as Phil realizes, you will see that black people’s houses can also look like white people’s houses. I would definitely say that this book is a quality example of realistic fiction. Clements shares a story that engages readers to the point where they really care about the outcome. The plot is definitely a situation that could happen to any reader and requires problem solving. One thing that I really liked about the ending is that allows readers to know that they have control over their lives and can change things that need to be changed. Phil felt like he was unconsciously “prejudiced” so he decided to reach out to Daniel to let go of those prejudices, it would have been easier for him to stay the same, but he decided to do better.