September 6th, 2009
August 24th, 2009
http://bit.ly/9Irpd
This debut novel for upper elementary and middle school-aged readers tells the story of Vonlai Sirivong who is twelve at its opening and sixteen at its conclusion. In between we witness his first frantic escape with his family from their native Laos, then in the hands of the dreaded Pathet Lao. We follow them to refugee camps in Thailand before they finally gain admittance to the United States. Escaping the Tiger is a deeply felt story, simply told. Vonlai’s relationship with his older sister Dalah, and his shifting role relative to his parents, constitute the heart of this story. As he forges a place for himself despite the gritty conditions of the camp, playing soccer and waiting for an endless series of papers that bring in turn food, education, and finally freedom, he comes to understand what really matters in life. Manivong has created a believable protagonist, and she does not shy away from depicting the difficult living conditions in the Na Pho refugee camp. There are many threats to Vonlai’s family, including the near-rape of his sister. Nor does the story default to an undilutedly happy ending—instead we come to care about characters who make unexpected decisions, or who are left behind. Based on the author’s husband’s own experiences, this is a vivid and lovingly drawn tale of people caught in the crossroads of history and struggling to retain both dignity and hope.
BIBLIO: 2010, HarperCollins, Ages 10 to 14, $15.99.
REVIEWER: Uma Krishnaswami
FORMAT: Middle Grade
ISBN: 978-0-06-166177-8
Edited to add:
And now this from Linda Sue Park!
http://lsparkreader.livejournal.com/616
How will I ever top this day?
June 16th, 2009
June 14th, 2009
Now three more big things on my list before Escaping The Tiger comes out:
1. Launch website
2. Debut book trailer
3. Write another book (that really should be #1, but procrastinating is my favorite pastime)
P.S. The novel's up at AMAZON*, but there's no picture yet.
*relevant because Harper bought this book in Dec. 07, and I can now officially say things are moving along! ~golf clap~
June 2nd, 2009
May 30th, 2009
here:
LauraManivong.wordpress.com
: )
May 27th, 2009
May 21st, 2009
May 18th, 2009
Looking for a literary agent can feel like a full time job. Here's how I did it.
Blog by Laura Manivong
Hope it helps!
May 13th, 2009
http://lauramanivong.wordpress.com
There's not much to look but if someone could throw a comment my way at the wordpress site, I'd like to experiment with categorizing stuff.
I'm extremely proud that I was able to get my tweets to show in the sidebar. You gotta understand...I've worked in TV for 20 years and I can't even hook up a VCR (guess I should be saying DVD Player these days).
Thanks!!
April 27th, 2009
December 12th, 2008
The biggest full moon of the year graces us tonight.
Raise a glass and say cheers to Lon Chaney Jr.
photos courtesy of http://PDPhoto.org
December 11th, 2008
image in public domain
On this day in history, year 1719, the US first recorded this marvel.
Marvel more: http://tinyurl.com/5huegt .
December 8th, 2008
The William C. Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author. The winner will be named Jan. 26, 2009 during the Youth Media Awards at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
A Curse Dark As Gold
Elizabeth C. Bunce
published by Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic
(9780439895767)
This supernatural novel retells the story of Rumpelstiltskin, setting it at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and centering it around the life of Charlotte Miller. When the bank wants to repossess her mortgaged mill, Charlotte strikes a bargain with the mysterious Jack Spinner, (a creature who knows the art of turning straw into gold), but then discovers she must free her loved ones from a generations-old curse.
See more on my pal, my peep, my fellow canine enthsusiast, my neighbor, my CP, my inspiration (yeah, I'm fond of her):
elizabethcbunce.livejournal.com
elizabethcbunce.com
Graceling
by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Absolute Brightness
by James Lecesne (HarperTeen/Laura Geringer Books)
Madapple
by Christina Meldrum (Knopf, an imprint of Random House)
Me, the Missing, and the Dead
by Jenny Valentine (HarperTeen)
December 7th, 2008
November 18th, 2008
So I lamented (ever so briefly) yesterday about self-promotion, but hey, I got through it and someone noticed. Jon Bard, managing editor of Children's Book Insider, has taken a liking to the "elevator pitch" for ESCAPING THE TIGER.
www.write4kids.com/blog/2008/11/18/child
Jon offers a great service to writers of children's literature through:
http://write4kids.com
http://write4kids.com/blog
November 17th, 2008
http://community.livejournal.com/kidlit_
Thanks to crcook.livejournal.com for her wonderful interview.
October 28th, 2008
What is critical for me to know?
What seems to be readers' favorite part of your websites?
And what do you like about other authors' websites?
What about including an excerpt of work to be published (I'll check with my editor, too.)?
Guess I need to buckle down and write some content, but I'm relying on you pros to help me avoid any disastrous moves.
Thanks for any words of wisdom you can provide.
October 22nd, 2008
Tracy Marchini ( www.tracymarchini.com ) has worked as a literary agent's assistant at Curtis Brown, Ltd. for over two years, and has spent a significant amount of time answering Laura Manivong’s newbie questions. Before joining Curtis Brown, she worked as a freelance children's book reviewer for BookPage and as a correspondent for the Taconic Press. She’s also well-known for being the only second grader in her class to write a book report on a book she penned herself. So Tracy understands both the authoring side of books, as well as the literary agency side.
Without further ado, here’s Tracy Marchini “On Both Sides Of The Box: The First Picture Book.”
( ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BOX: THE FIRST PICTURE BOOK )Thank you Tracy, for dropping by!
October 19th, 2008
Because it's the first day evah that I've felt the need to post TWICE in ONE day.
What, you ask, is the reason for this urgency to post?
Well, I bought a new bottle of mouthwash today. It expires October 2010. October 2010!
How, you ask, is this relevant?
Because by October 2010, my book, Escaping The Tiger, will have been out for the better part of the year!
Can I get a golf clap, please?
So if all you 2010 debut authors want to make your publication date not seem so far away, just take a jaunt down the medicine aisle, or even the canned goods aisle, and see the year of your book debut in print. It's truly exhilarating!
