BLOG TOUR/GIVEAWAY: Penumbras by Braden Bell
ABOUT THE BOOK
Conner
Dell didn't meant to blow up the school bus.
Or
the bathrooms.
In
fact, he only wanted to go to sleep and possibly dream about Melanie
Stephens.
But
explosions had a funny way of happening when Conner and his friends
were around.
***
Conner
Dell wants to be good--he really does. But he is terrified that he
might be turning into a Darkhand, especially when new powers start to
surface. What's worse, the Stalker is following Conner, but no one
else seems to be able to see him. The Magi think he might be
hallucinating, the guilt of what happened in the Shadowbox keeps
weighing on him, and his relationship with Melanie Stephens is
complicating things. Even for a Magi, Conner knows his life is
anything but normal.
Note: I will be selling both Penumbras and The Kindling through my website for a steep discount--$9.99 (plus s/h)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
REVIEW
Some writers just seem to have a gift when putting together their books. Bell is one of those kind of writers. This book is fabulous full of great characters, an action-packed plot, and a powerful theme. Middle school can be such a difficult time for students, parents, and teachers alike. Bell's experience as a middle school teacher shines through as he highlights the struggles of Conner, Melanie, and Lexa. The three kids as new Magi face challenges beyond the normal middle school variety. After their experiences in the first book (The Kindling), all three face the repercussions of those experiences (I recommend you read the first book before you read this one, otherwise a lot of things will not make sense). Conner struggles with the awful things he experienced in the Shadowbox. Melanie faces opposition at home as well as her own academic tendencies. Lexa deals with feelings of jealousy and pride. All must continue their training because it is clear that the Darkhands have no intention of leaving them alone.
I think one of the things I especially love about this series is the role that the teachers play in helping Conner, Melanie, and Lexa continue to develop their skills and talents. In so many children's books, teachers are the enemies and clueless about the students, that is not the case in this book. In addition, there is enough action in the book to satisfy the most picky middle grade reader. The themes of light and dark, friendship and loyalty shine through bright and clear. That ending though is a heart-wrenching one and yet not surprising considering the character of those involved. Like most second books in trilogies, this one ends with a cliffhanger. I really wish I didn't have to wait until next year to read the next book. But for now I can highly, highly recommend this one.
INTERVIEW
Q:
Tell us about Penumbras.
A:
Penumbras
is the second volume in The Middle School Magic series. The first
installment, The
Kindling came out
last summer. I am currently working on the third volume, which will
hopefully come out next summer.
Q:
“Penumbras” is a somewhat unusual title. Can you explain it?
A:
A
penumbra is a vague, shadowy, area, neither fully light nor dark. The
Kindling,
the first book in the series was about the sparking of new and
exciting powers. This particular book follows the characters as they
confront the complex consequences of those initial events and
confront the shadowy places in their own hearts.
Q:
How did you get the idea for this series?
A:
One
night during a sky-splitting spring thunderstorm, my kids came home
from a church activity and told me about a man they had seen driving
home. He had a black cape and was walking across people’s yards in
the storm. Wondering about who he was and what he was doing triggered
the idea for the book.
Q:
What is your background?
A:
I am a middle school choir and theatre director at a small private
school. I’m the father of five children and the husband of one
wonderful wife.
Q:
Speaking of that background, is it a coincidence that a middle school
theatre and choir teacher has such a prominent part in the book? How
about the students and other teachers in the book? Are they based on
anyone specific?
A:
Well, writers write what they know! Dr. Timberi is admittedly similar
to me in some ways. However, that’s not because he’s modeled on
me. Rather, it’s because he is someone I would like to be. As far
as the other characters, in the very beginning, I did sort of model
their voices on some specific people—but that changed within a few
pages of the first draft and they quickly become their own unique
characters.
Q:
Beyond
the characters, are there any other events based on real life
experiences?
A:
There is a sad scene towards the end between Dr. Timberi and one of
his students. While it is not an exact replication, being a theatre
director means I have dealt with disappointed and/or angry students
(and parents!) for many years. I tend to have a pretty thick skin.
However, there are occasional times when this gets to me. This scene
was actually inspired by a particularly difficult confrontation with
a student of whom I was quite fond. I wrote the scene as a way of
working through the incident—and ended up keeping it. The only
other thing that might be based in reality is the degree to which
teachers truly do care about their students. I don’t think the
students often realize just how much teachers and other adult figures
care about them and what they would do to protect and help them.
Q:
What is your favorite thing to do, besides reading or writing?
A:
My wife and I love to watch old movies, or adaptations of literary
classics. Nearly anything by the BBC! I also love working in my yard.
EXCERPT
CHAPTER
ONE
SHADOW
PUPPETS
Conner
Dell didn’t mean to blow up the school bus.
Or
the bathrooms.
In
fact, he only wanted to go to sleep and possibly dream about Melanie
Stephens.
But
explosions had a funny way of happening when Conner and his friends
were around.
It
all started on the annual seventh grade science trip to the Sea Lab
at Dauphin Island, Alabama. Fifty-four thirteen-year-olds on a
five-day field trip. What could go wrong?
Especially
when three of them happened to be Magi.
#
For
a fraction of a second, Conner thought he saw shadows slithering
along the base of the cinderblock walls. Tensing, he blinked and
looked again.
Nothing.
He was alone in the darkness of his dorm room.
Well,
except for his friend and fieldtrip roommate, Pilaf.
Across the room,
Pilaf disturbed the darkness by turning his flashlight on and digging
through a giant floral print suitcase. Fishing a book out, Pilaf
hunched over, tucked the flashlight under his chin, and read.
“What are you
reading?” Conner asked.
“Sorry. Did I
wake you up?” Pilaf squeaked. “I couldn’t sleep. I guess I
slept too much on the bus.”
“No worries.”
Conner burrowed into his sleeping bag. He didn’t like messing with
sheets on these trips. The springs of the ancient bed creaked beneath
him. “I’m not sleepy either.” Lexa? Can you hear me? Conner
reached out in his thoughts, wondering if his twin sister was awake
in her room on the girls’s floor. Head-talking was a cool benefit
of being one of the Magi—a secret group of warriors who used the
power of Light to battle evil.
No
answer from Lexa. Her allergy medicine must have knocked her out.
Melanie?
He tried Lexa’s best friend, Melanie Stephens—also one of the
Magi-in-training. Conner listened for her response, trying to ignore
the backflip in his chest that came when he thought of her. No
answer. Melanie had taken something for motion sickness on the bus.
She must be knocked out too.
Conner jerked up as
something skittered across the ceiling right above him. No doubt this
time. He grabbed his own flashlight, raking the beam across the
ceiling tiles as someone whispered his name.
Coooonnerrrrrr.
“What?” Conner
pointed his flashlight at Pilaf, who looked up from his book,
blinking behind his thick glasses. Pilaf’s blinks always reminded
Conner of the way a light on a computer blinked when it processed
data.
“What?” Pilaf
squinted back at him.
“Why did you call
me?” Conner asked.
“I didn’t.”
Pilaf looked down at his book.
On edge now,
Conner lay back down, scanning the room for more shadowy movement,
his fingers ready to snap his flashlight back on at any second.
Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r
D-e-l-l-l-l-l.
A whispered,
hissing sort of growl sounded in his head as a flicker of movement
caught his eye. He whipped his head around in time to see a shadowy
tail vanish under Pilaf’s bed. Flipping his flashlight on, he
investigated the space under the metal frame.
Nothing
there.
“What are you
doing, Conner?” Pilaf managed to blink and stare at the same time.
Trying
to protect you from slithery shadow monsters that could slurp your
soul like a slushie, Conner thought. How could he keep the
flashlight on without alarming Pilaf? Out loud, he said, “Uh, it’s
a game. Flashlight tag. You’re it.” He shined the flashlight at
Pilaf.
“How do you
play?”
“Well . . . one
person’s it and he shines a flashlight all over the room.”
“That’s all?”
Pilaf blinked until Conner wondered if he was broadcasting the
telephone book in Morse code. “It seems kind of pointless.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Conner said. “You’re right. Lame. How about shadow puppets?” He
slipped his hand in front of the flashlight, wiggling his fingers
until the shadow resembled a horse.
“Cool!” Pilaf
shouted.
A knock at the door
interrupted them and a tired-looking science teacher poked his head
in, glaring beneath tousled red hair. “What’s going on in here?”
“Sorry, Mr.
Keller,” Pilaf said. “We slept on the bus ride, so we’re not
tired. Conner’s making shadows with his hands. Look, a horse!”
“Neeeiiiiggghhh.”
Conner threw in sound effects as a special feature.
Apparently
unimpressed with great art, Mr. Keller frowned. “Get some sleep. We
have a full day tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Conner swallowed his depression at the thought of a five-day science
class. Five days of plankton, ocean salinity, salt marshes, and beach
ecology. Five days of science, 24/7. At least they were close to the
beach. That might be fun.
“Do another one,”
Pilaf whispered as the sound of Mr. Keller’s footsteps retreated
down the hall.
“Okay, but be
quiet this time.” Conner opened his fingers, making a snake’s
mouth, complete with a flickering tongue.
It
seemed so real that Conner thought he heard a hiss. Unsettled, he
dropped his hands, but the hissing noise continued, twisting into
words.
Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r
D-e-l-l-l-l-l—
Trying
to squash the sound, Conner raised his voice. “Here’s another
one.” He cupped his hands on top of each other, stuck his thumb up,
and opened his fingers slightly.
“Wow!”
Pilaf yelled. “A wolf!” He giggled as Conner opened the mouth and
growled. “Little pig, little pig let me come in.” Conner prayed
that none of the other seventh-grade boys heard he’d been doing
Three Little Pigs shadow plays. That would not be cool.
Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r
D-e-l-l-l-l-l—
The
weird voice came louder. Conner dropped his hands away from the
flashlight.
The
wolf head stayed there.
Fighting
panic, Conner switched the flashlight off, but the wolf head
remained, darker than the darkest shadows on the wall.
It
stretched and grew bigger, becoming life-sized within seconds. It
turned and stared at Conner, a three-dimensional head sticking out of
the wall like some kind of freaky hunting souvenir.
The
wolf growled, then jumped off the wall, and sailed across the room
toward Conner.
GIVEAWAY$50 Amazon or Visa Gift Card
Ends 8/10/2013
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Comments
Post a Comment