Friday Feedback: Starstruck, Grade School Pals, and the William Tell Overture

probably a few years before I actually
read Regarding the Fountain to them...
aren't they cute? 

When my boys were younger (just a few short years ago -- how did they fly by so fast?), I read aloud to them every night. I can still remember the feeling of choosing a book together, diving into the story, chatting as things unfolded. 

One of those books was Kate Klise's Regarding the Fountain, a delightful, watery mystery told in faxes and letters (with Sarah Klise's charming illustrations). Those were the days before I could imagine the reality of being a published author myself, and was still writing only women's fiction.

Fast forward till now and imagine my star-struck glee when I extended the offer to a bunch of Algonquin Young Readers cohorts to join me for Friday Feedback, and quickly received an email from Kate Klise (!!!) saying she'd be happy to oblige!

This is Kate Klise! Isn't she lovely?
She's my new BFF. Sorry all you old BFFs, but
she's Kate Klise, after all... 

In case you live under a book-less, library-less rock, Kate Klise is the award-winning author of more than twenty books for young readers, including Regarding the Fountain, Dying to Meet You, and Stand Straight, Ella Kate. Most of her books are illustrated and designed by her sister, M. Sarah Klise. You can read all about the Klise sisters at their website: www.kateandsarahklise.com (or, you know, click on their names where I just linked to it). 

Anyway, Kate (and Sarah!) have a new young reader series, THREE RING RASCALS, coming out from Algonquin YR, and the first book, Three Ring Rascals: The Show Must Go On, comes out this fall!

Kirkus Reviews has said of the first book, "Entertaining... children will agree the book is smart and wonderful."

And if it's not awesome enough that Kate's here giving feedback, she also has a song for us all. So, without further ado, I give you the awesome Kate Klise:

Whenever I go to a high school reunion, the people I spend the most time with are my friends from grade school. These are the kids I grew up with; the pals I learned to read with and stood next to at First Communion—after we nearly killed each other playing dodge ball. These are also the only people in the world I’ve ever sung songs with in a loud voice.

Now let me be clear: I am not a good singer. I have no business singing in public, and my good sense usually keeps me from doing so. But when I get together with my old elementary school friends, I find myself singing—really singing. We rarely leave a reunion without belting out our grade school greatest hits: “Erie Canal” and “Old Polina.”

This is a long way of asking: Am I crazy to want to include song lyrics in a new series I’m working on for 7-to-10-year-olds?  The first book in my Three-Ring Rascals series will be out in September. It’s called The Show Must Go On! I wrote the climactic scene as a song that can be sung to the tune of “Erie Canal.” (Will young teachers even *know* this song?)

The second book in the series, The Greatest Star on Earth, will be out in spring 2014. I’m writing the pivotal scene in that book so that it can be sung to the tune of the William Tell Overture, also known as the Lone Ranger Theme.

(Am I insane? Is this a bad idea? Please tell me.)

By the way, this is a circus-themed series for early independent readers that I pitched as “Downton Abbey” meets Doctor Dolittle. My sister Sarah’s illustrations are as adorable as you can imagine. Oh, and we’re going to run a fun feature on a new website where kids can apply to join the circus by writing us a letter, filling out a job application, and getting a letter of recommendation from a friend or relative. (He he he. Diabolical, eh?) You can read all about it here. 

http://www.threeringrascals.com/join-the-circus.html

Okay, so here’s the excerpt.

Now, remember: Try to sing these words to the tune of the William Tell Overture:

When you’re sick
     When you’re sad
          When you’re feeling blue
When there’s ick
     And it’s bad
          And you think life’s through
When you’re down
     In the dumps
         And the smiles are few
Call our naaaaaaaaame! We’ll be there for you!

When you’re worried   
     And you’re stressed        
          And you feel left out
When you’re hurried
      And distressed  
          And you want to shout
When you scurry
     To be best
         But you’re full of doubt

Call for our naaaaaaaaame! We’ll be there for you!

                    (Refrain)

  We’re two mice and a crow with a show we hope will make the sadness go away.

  We’re two mice and a crow with a show we hope will help to save this lousy day.

  We’re two mice and a crow with a show we hope will make the badness go away.

  We’re two mice and a crow with a show who really only want to say . . .

Can Three-Ring Rascals help our friend today?
Can Three-Ring Rascals make this end okay?

*        *        *

Okay, Kate here again. I don’t expect nine-year-olds to know the William Tell

Overture. But will teachers know it? (Is it in the new Disney “Lone Ranger”

movie?) Will teachers sing it? Might this be a fun way to combine reading,

writing, singing, research (about classical music) and a performance?

This is the kind of thing I would’ve loved as a kid—dressing up like a mouse or a

crow and belting out a silly song with my classmates--but is this precisely the sort of fun, subversive learning that Common Core is determined to stomp out?

Please tell me. And let me see what you’re working on this summer. And tell me if you agree that nothing beats catching up with old pals from grade school.

-Kate Klise (& Gae Polisner)

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