August 2, 2012 - Death in Middle Grade Fiction

 

KDuBayGillis @barbaraoconnor Happy you'll join us!!! #mglitchat -8:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Signing in to talk about death in middle grade books. #mykindoffun #mglitchat -8:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

barbaraoconnor I'm joining you! But be patient. I'm new at this. :-) #mglitchat -8:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @kurtisscaletta Happy the death in your WIP will lead you to #mglitchat tonight! -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating We're talking death in middle grade books tonight - drop by! #mglitchat -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket Yay #mglitchat time. *waves* hi!!!! -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Ok, folks, it's 9 pm. Time for #mglitchat! -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

barbaraoconnor *waves back* #mglitchat -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Really excited about tonight's #mglitchat ! Feels wrong to say that about a chat dealing with death....but, hey. It's where it's at! -9:00 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Tonight's topic...death in MG novels. Let's start by sharing examples of MG books that touch on death. And go! #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop @jjhoutman We'll miss you- you could add expertise on methods of accomplishing death. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Mockingbird. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Best of recent: SEE YOU AT HARRY'S. Just got it out from library again. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters Death? Yuck! If I didn't love all ya'll @ #mglitchat so much, I'd sit this one out. *waves* Also, hello newcomers! -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Yes, SEE YOU AT HARRY'S. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Each Little Bird that SIngs, Bridge to Terebithia #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes YES! RT @ixtumea: Mockingbird. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea RT @JenniferCEstes: YES! RT @ixtumea: Mockingbird. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler Charlotte's Web. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis I just read Sharon Creech's WALK TWO MOONS last week and that deals with the death of a parent. As I'm sure you all know. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor Hello #mglitchat! I have cookies and lemonade, since those are often at funeral receptions, I've noticed. -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

barbaraoconnor I agree about SEE YOU AT HARRY'S. love #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea TENNYSON also dealt with dead. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina Joining #mglitchat for a short while tonight. *waves* -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop Mercy Lily - (Lisa Albert)- death of a parent, MC has a role. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes My fave growing up: BEAT THE TURTLE DRUM by Constance Greene. First POV, little sis dies near end. Still a fave. lIttle known? #mglitchat -9:02 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea But then again most of the earlier Disney movies had dead in them too. Bambi for one. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Wasn't that YA? #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket @KDuBayGillis the death of Yorik Mortwell. It was my first MG read dealing directly and heavily with death. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @KDuBayGillis Gregor the Overlander--each of the Underland Chronicles touches on every icky, from death to giant bugs. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @LaurelSnyder I reviewed it when I did MG. I'd think it's more upper MG? #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters Any book involving orphans automatically qualifies. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder But also-- Harry Potter. Or Westing Game? Death can operate as an idea, or it can precede the story. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis I've heard it said that in MG, that death (maybe murder specifically) should happen off-screen. Agree or disagree? #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor Bridge the Terebithia was one of the first I read. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop My Louisiana Sky (Holt)- Grandma dies, she's been the one to hold the family together. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes I'm most intrigued in the handling of the aftermath of death in MGs..... #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Homecoming #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

barbaraoconnor So, maybe Polly Horvath #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea There were alot of Cybils nominated books that I read that dealt with death. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Seems like that is a popular premise with not only mg books but yas too. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @KDuBayGillis II think off-screen is my personal preference? #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @KDuBayGillis Also just finished Wonderstruck and cried my eyes out for the last few pages. It tackles death/loss head-on. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Interesting one! Tho Mom doesn't die for real until end, tho we never know that. I <3 that series! RT @LaurelSnyder: Homecoming #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

chihuahuazero @KDuBayGillis Depends, but I wouldn't shy away from murder. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

michaelascotto House With A Clock In Its Walls #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Hugo. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Doesn't Jordan Sonnenblick have a funny death book? #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @JenniferCEstes Beat the Turtle Drum was great. Destroyed me. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Death in first pages. Murder, at that. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea I loved Mockingbird and how the protagonist ended up overcoming death and solved the bk's issue. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating Does animal death count here? Wonder if human vs animal death is handled differently, and what it opens up, emotion wise.. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @JenniferCEstes Right, but she's been sort of dying since Dicey's Song. In a way? #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @dianezahler Yay! So glad others know that one! #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @JenniferCEstes That's very true about The Graveyard Book, and yet the story was so hopeful. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop Kindred Souls (Patricia Maclachlan) Grandpa is failing, eventually dies. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @LaurelSnyder Yes, very true....#mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor And Where the Red Fern Grows. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Or I mean being able to rise above a death. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @michaelascotto Oh, yes! And Blue Figurine! All Bellairs. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

chihuahuazero @JenniferCEstes Yeah. Makes a point about death. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @KDuBayGillis I've read both action-y MG w/ deaths on screen, and those that focus on loss more than the actual death. Both work. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina The One and Only Ivan #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @LaurelSnyder GIRLS, DRUMS, AND DANGEROUS PIE. Illness, but I don't think sib actually dies. Maybe a friend character does. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @ixtumea Oooh, HUGO. Good one. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Oh, yes, ANimal books! Charlotte. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes So, who is writing an ms where death factors in? (Or is it too early in the chat to ask that???) #mglitchat #overeager -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea RT @LaurelSnyder: Oh, yes, ANimal books! Charlotte. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @Jess_Keating Well, in Charlotte's Web, Charlotte is more human than most humans. So I don't know if you can analyze that way. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone Bread in the oven. Any volunteers to clean up my kitchen? #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @CDaleyAuthor Wow. Just teared up at that mention. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @MLConklin @KDuBayGillis I TOLD you you'd love it! Wait--didn't I? It doesn't matter--I'm claiming credit! #claims #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @KDuBayGillis That is a tough one. I would agree off screen. Just jumping in for a few minutes. Hi everyone. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @JenniferCEstes I have a murder that happens offscreen. ;) #mglitchat #overeager -9:07 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @elliefalcone I made brownies and am STILL waiting for someone to clean up... sigh. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea There's a fourth grade book too that deals with death. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @JenniferCEstes I'm waiting for notes right now on my draft. Book opens with kid going to meet dying Gma. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis I think it depends on what the core of the story is. Diff between death of another child or of an adult? #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @dianezahler Very true. I'm thinking more the human-animal bond stuff. Rontu in Island of the Blue Dolphins = bawling! ;-) #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea A movie was made of it. It's set in the South. Winn Dixie. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes There's death in mine but the issue is in reverse. (ghostly things) #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @Jess_Keating That's a good point...there's all kinds of death in MG. Friend, pets, parent, sib...what else? #mglitchat -9:08 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti Whoops, I'm late! #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra *waves* hello everyone, I'm coming in a bit late. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @Jess_Keating Oh, god, Old Yeller... #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @JenniferCEstes My MS has a very clear and obvious threat of death to a MC, part of the ultimate choice another MC faces. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Wait. That wasn't dead. The mother left. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @LaurelSnyder Yeah, I cried with Charlotte's Web. And I don't like spiders. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes I have death in mine (father off screen, ghostly stuff on...) #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters Hi @SpencerToday! @SpencerToday has a new picture. Let's all admire it!! #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @elliefalcone LOL #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Still the main character had a really hard time with that. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @KDuBayGillis I think some of the first encounters kids have with death is often that of pets, wild animals found, etc. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder I wonder if anyone's written a book where a kid fixates on their own death? Hmmm. Kids do, you know... #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk I love Charlotte. Still hate spidersRT @CDaleyAuthor: @LaurelSnyderYeah, I cried with Charlotte's Web. And I don't like spiders. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @LaurelSnyder Westing Game built around death masterfully. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes In revisions, coming to find out that MC's dad's death is bigger than I'd thought.... #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @CDaleyAuthor @LaurelSnyder Gregor the Overlander made me cry for COCKROACHES! Seriously. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @ilanawaters Oh Ilana. :) #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @LaurelSnyder: I wonder if anyone's written a book where a kid fixates on their own death? Hmmm. Kids do, you know... #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop @ixtumea Interesting point. Sometimes the "missing" person, the one who left, creates more loss than death. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @MLConklin Yeah, talk about being hit with an emotional truck. I didn't even have pets at the time. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina A death in my ms is part of the backstory. I only mention it briefly to develop an understanding of my MC's current actions. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone My second story had the mother dead and the mc mourning. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @CDaleyAuthor @LaurelSnyder I read Charlotte's Web as an adult and still got pretty emotional… #mglitchat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf Just how touchy can it be to make death the main theme in a MG novel? #MGLitChat -9:10 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea RT @LaurelSnyder: I wonder if anyone's written a book where a kid fixates on their own death? Hmmm. Kids do, you know... #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Brownies are still warm #mglitchat *shares* -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket RT @PBWorkshop: @ixtumea Interesting point. Sometimes the "missing" person, the one who left, creates more loss than death. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @LaurelSnyder Good question. I know a number of YAs that deal with that but not MGs. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes @LaurelSnyder Sounds like a Lisa Yee character. I bet Alvin Ho does/would. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KatApel @KDuBayGillis @AnshaKotyk I'm just flitting in to mention @sallymurphy's 2 verse novels; Pearl Verses the World, & Toppling. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder Really? How do you know this? #curious Are you teacher? Parent? #inquiring mind is inquiring. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder My first book had a death in it, as backstory... but writing a death scene is weird. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @JenniferCEstes YUM! #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

chihuahuazero @LaurelSnyder @ixtumea When I was in elementary school, my biggest fear was to be shot. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Ooh! Half Magic is a death book, in a way. I'd forgotten. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @MLConklin @LaurelSnyder I need to read that. Didn't you have a giveaway today for that? #mglitchat -9:11 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes *steals plate* my precious. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Little Princess, Secret Garden #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @JeanGiardina Perfect use Jean. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @chihuahuazero Mine was NUCLEAR WAR #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating I recall a JKR interview where she said she felt she handled HP folks death too swiftly. Only realized after her own mum passed. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Yes! RT @LaurelSnyder: Little Princess, Secret Garden #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford Late but reporting, and excitedly catching up on what I've missed. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea I do know as a former first grade teacher I had one of my student's who used to draw paintings with crosses on everything. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone Just so I'm clear: are we talking all death or just the mourning of parents? #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop @JeanGiardina Yes! One and Only Ivan has it all- handles it so well. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

michaelascotto Island of the Blue Dolphins; The Cay -- two elementary school standbys #mglitchat -9:12 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters Parent. Former freaky kid. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler How about death as comic: the aunts in James & the Giant Peach? #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder OMG, I love those books! *fan girl squeal* #mglitchat But, um, not the death parts. -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk Loved both of these as a kid! RT @LaurelSnyder: Little Princess, Secret Garden #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Found out he found his mother dead and someone threw a blanket over her body. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Oo, good distinction! Both? RT @elliefalcone: Just so I'm clear: are we talking all death or just the mourning of parents? #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @AniProf I think Death is fair game. We write to share truths, and death is a part of life. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor What if the main character dies? Does a secondary character pick up for the end? #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @dianezahler: How about death as comic: the aunts in James & the Giant Peach? #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Another little first grader that would write in her journal about being afraid her mother would die. She had a brain tumor. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @chihuahuazero @LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Was your family in a firing squad? At that age, my biggest fear was forgetting my lunch. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @JeanGiardina A death in mine is a catalyst for my MC. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @elliefalcone I think it's all types of death. Previously pets, friends, etc, came up too :) #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

chihuahuazero @ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Nah. I was imaginative. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @ilanawaters I taught in the inner city in LA county during the Rodney King riots. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @Alhelenexandra @LaurelSnyder I know right? It's that kind of book. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters Baltimore. SO... kinda. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Once I became aware of "death", I always worried that someone I loved would die. My bro was severe asthmatic and it was scary. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @dianezahler YES! SUMMER OF THE GYPSY MOTHS...aunt passes and what the MC and her friend do with the aunt. Well, hilarious. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @chihuahuazero @LaurelSnyder I was positively convinced a tornado would swoop down & suck me up while I waited at the bus stop. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes I think I loved "death" books because it helped me figure out how I felt or would feel or at least not alone. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes "One plate to rule them all, one plate to find them..." #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ilanawaters @chihuahuazero @LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Mine was being killed/drowned by sharks #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @ilanawaters We had a number of bomb threats too and had to practice what to do if someone came on campus, shooting. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes @elliefalcone All death is fair game. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @ilanawaters: @elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes "One plate to rule them all, one plate to find them..." #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @chihuahuazero As a kid I was afraid of the house catching on fire. @mikegrinti was afraid of nuclear war and drive-by shootings. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @KDuBayGillis Oo, I'll have to read. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @Jess_Keating Ah. Came to the party late. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra Absolutely RT @MLConklin: @AniProf I think Death is fair game. We write to share truths, and death is a part of life. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk Lived in B-more for 7 years. I hear ya. RT @LaurelSnyder: @ilanawaters Baltimore. SO... kinda. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @CDaleyAuthor @LaurelSnyder Yes I did! My first ever giveaway this week--closed now, winner announced next Monday :) #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder Cool. I'm still a freaky kid...and I'm 32! #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @MLConklin Totally agree Melanie. @AniProf #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder It's tricky. Because you don't want to avoid it, since kids are aware, but you don't want to overdramatize it in a serious book. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf Should books where death is a main theme have a happy ending? Or could it be a true tragedy? #MGLitChat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @chihuahuazero @LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Thought maybe you lost a family member that way or something. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Teaching in the inner city was very interesting. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes A fine line, for sure... #mglitchat @LaurelSnyder -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @SpencerToday Another great use. It's quite the inciting incident for any main character. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @ilanawaters I did. My sister was murdered. I grew up around violence too. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder In my first book, the death element we added (mother) came into the story late, because it felt too fluffy. SO death=gravity. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @Alhelenexandra @MLConklin @AniProf plus, kids deal with it a lot. Some parents, friends or classmates. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @AniProf I think in MG you have to always have a sense of hope at the end. YA can be more bleak. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf What I'm getting at is, just how far can one push the death theme in MG? #MGLitChat -9:16 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @ixtumea Oh dear God. That must have been horrifying for the kids--and you! #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @AniProf I think with any mg book the key is offering hope at the end. Doesn't need to be happy, exactly. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @ilanawaters One reason why that one Lee and Lowe book about a gang member who was in elementary school really got to me. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @AniProf I think that's an interesting question. Again, GYPSY MOTHS, I would think true tragedy, but not. Made me think. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @KateMilford: @AniProf I think with any mg book the key is offering hope at the end. Doesn't need to be happy, exactly. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop @ilanawaters Plenty of kids have been living with violence around them- loss to gunfire, abuse, etc.They need frames to process. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder Baltimore is violent? #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone Wot she sed RT @JenniferCEstes: @AniProf I think in MG you have to always have a sense of hope at the end. YA can be more bleak. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket @CDaleyAuthor the MC can die and come back as a ghost. :) #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina .@JenniferCEstes Agree. Books are laboratories for facing our fears. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @AniProf I guess it depends on what you mean by "pushing it." Can you clarify? #mglitchat -9:17 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy Gah - sorry I'm late to #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Being a parent of a tween, it's interesting to hear what his fears are. #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Holy cow, YES. RT @ixtumea: Being a parent of a tween, it's interesting to hear what his fears are. #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters Watch the Wire. :) #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @CDaleyAuthor @MLConklin @AniProf Yes. I volunteer with kids who've lost a parent (in a therapy setting). it happens all the time.#mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @KateMilford @AniProf There are limits to violence that will be acceptable for MG. #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Does anyone have feelings about treatment of death in contemp v. fantasy MG? #mglitchat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf @KateMilford Pushing it, glorifying in death, reveling in the demise of a character. #MGLitChat -9:18 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @ixtumea Oh no! I'm so sorry. This must be a hard chat for you. *hugs* #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @PBWorkshop This is true. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @KDuBayGillis Contemporary vs Fantasy, that's a great question... I'm thinking the 'take' on death is different. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf For example, necrophilia in MG? #MGLitChat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KDuBayGillis I think you can do almost anything in fantasy, as long as it isn't too graphic. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes @AniProf Nooo! Teens need hope too. So do us adults! #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @LaurelSnyder Great point about gravity. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Randy_Sexton RT @KDuBayGillis: Does anyone have feelings about treatment of death in contemp v. fantasy MG? #mglitchat -9:19 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf And please, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just trying to see where the boundaries lay. #MGLitChat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @AniProf Gentle kisses, but any more an it's YA necrophilia. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @akossket Lol, true. But I wonder if that would come off as disingenuous. Then again, R.L. Stine was able to pull it off. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @ilanawaters Yes, we do! But in YA, you can get away with a more ambiguous ending than in MG. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @KDuBayGillis I have characters self-immolate and get eaten by monsters in fairy tale retellings. Seems to go over okay... #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

chihuahuazero @KDuBayGillis @Randy_Sexton Personally, death in fantasy tend to be more of a way of life. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @JoanneLevy No problem--welcome! Saw your book on a blog--looks cool. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone If you've never experienced it, it can be overwhelming to read it, but if you've been through it it will feel like salve. Maybe. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop @AniProf More often I see secondary characters (or MC) "shutting down, almost denying, needing to come to terms. (not reveling) #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Kids are resilent though. I learned that from being a first grade teacher. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Death in fantasy can be more vivid or gruesome, but in the end we grieve for characters we love. #mglitchat #dobby -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @JenniferCEstes This is true. People want their MGs wrapped up, generally. Though some great books don't. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @MLConklin @aniprof There's the question of how it's presented, sure. But that's a question of handling. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters Also, this is @Alhelenexandra's second chat EV-AH! Let's all make her feel welcome and/or embarrassed! ;-) #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Wer.d RT @LaurelSnyder: @JenniferCEstes This is true. People want their MGs wrapped up, generally. Though some great books don't. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ilanawaters Haha - thanks, Ilana! #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone How many of yinz have written out a death scene? I have an almost death and it was hard. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @JenniferCEstes I agree; I think it could be almost harder to get readers to mourn in fantasy, bc we're one more step removed. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @dianezahler Thinking kids can distance themselves in fantasy MG v. contemp. Might not put themselves in characters' shoes. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @JenniferCEstes I cry every time I think about Dobby. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @PBWorkshop @ilanawaters The boundaries of this violence needs to exist in MG, but should be tempered. YA can get more graphic. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop Here I go again...if it is HF it may be necessary to deal with rather severe circumstances, show cruelty (concentration camps). #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @JenniferCEstes Well, ambiguity is okay. I just hate when folks think sad endings are the only way to go. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf So a Hannibal Lector style MG character wouldn't cut it. True? #MGLitChat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis I guess it depends on if there's a purpose for the death, like it adds to the MC's motivation or is the motivation. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Yikes.Never. Not yet. RT @elliefalcone: How many of yinz have written out a death scene? I have an almost death and it was hard. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Bec_AS Popping in: My fav childhood book was A SUMMER TO DIE by Lois Lowry (sis dies)-I cried so much I read it again right away. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy My book is light paranormal, but since it's about ghosts, there's a lot of death. Much of the interactions include closure. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @JenniferCEstes @laurelsnyder Also, sometimes wrapping things up neatly is disingenuous. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Agreed!!RT @ilanawaters: @JenniferCEstes Well, ambiguity is okay. I hate when folks think sad endings are the only way to go. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @elliefalcone I'm struggling with it right now. Have to decide whether to shut the door on that room or not. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket @KDuBayGillis in my exp fantasy tends to explore other aspects of death while contemporary keeps it real. They both work for me #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Randy_Sexton RT @ilanawaters: Also, this is @Alhelenexandra's second chat EV-AH! Let's all make her feel welcome and/or embarrassed! ;-) #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters If I'd love to see what led to THIS tweet. @AniPro, did you get your hand slapped away again? #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @Bec_AS Oh wow, I totally forgot about that book and it was one of my faves! The scene where she eats all the peas! #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf Interesting. Sounds as if the death of a human would be seen as far worse than the death of an elf or a fairy. #MGLitChat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @jenniferCEstes @laurelsnyder Very often, stories involving death can't be wrapped up all neat-like, b/c repercussions continue. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

dianezahler @KDuBayGillis Absolutely. So the deaths can be violent, even almost ridiculously so -- it doesn't have the same resonance. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters It is nearly impossible to sell MG with a sad ending. Far more often a book ends happily in a way that feels off. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone Heck, I cried when one of the dragon riders died in a Pern book. The way Anne described the dragon weeping broke my heart. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @LaurelSnyder You have small kiddos, what do you hear/see on this subject? #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone I'm tearing up now just thinking about it. Dangit. Something in me eye. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @eliefalcone I've got several in the forthcoming book. One's an onstage double gun death. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @KateMilford One reason why I loved SEE YOU AT HARRY'S. Wasn't over with tragedy. It was the dealing with it that stayed w/me. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @JoanneLevy Yeah, because your MC is a medium :) It'd be awkward if there wasn't death #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @LaurelSnyder You mean that literally? The door. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ixtumea Oh, we talk about death all the time. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder That's a shame. You'd think, as good writers, we'd be able to pull it off. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters That was sort of my beef with GYPSY MOTHS. I wanted mourning at the end. Never really got it. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Waits, and wonders.... #intrigued RT @elliefalcone: @LaurelSnyder You mean that literally? The door. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @JenniferCEstes Exactly. It's disingenuous to suggest that the dealing with it doesn't go on for a long, long time. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea I think with mg it's ok to address death/abandonment. It's always fascinating to hear a child's take on it. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JuliaDraw Reminded of Tuck Everlasting by @anitasilvey post yesterday-a beautiful piece almost solely surrounding the concept of mortality. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @AniProf No necessarily. Charlotte was a spider, and her death was a pretty big deal. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @JeanGiardina @JenniferCEstes Great way of putting it! "Books are laboratories for facing our fears." #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @elliefalcone Well, like, it's the last scene. She can get back and find the gma dead, or I can write that scene. I can't decide #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @elliefalcone I found the last death scene I wrote a little overwhelming. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @JenniferCEstes I really, really need to find time to read that one. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @CDaleyAuthor Charlotte was a mother. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @AniProf Yes! Human deaths are seen as more real. In Buffy, vamps got dusted left and right; no one cared. Sorry...off-topic. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea Tuck Everlasting was haunting. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

kkilpatrick7 Love, Aubrey and Umbrella Summer are both great books. They both deal with Grieving the death of a family member. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes @KateMilford HARRY'S killed me. Reading as a parent made it doubly tough. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @LaurelSnyder Man, tough call. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @KDuBayGillis: @JenniferCEstes @KateMilford HARRY'S killed me. Reading as a parent made it doubly tough. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @LaurelSnyder Oh. Had to make that decision myself. Write both and see what happens. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf @ilanawaters Actually, Buffy is a great example. #MGLitChat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes @KateMilford And the fact that the death was "on-screen". YIKES. Would love kids' reactions to HARRY'S. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @JoanneLevy I think ghosts are a perfect way to introduce young readers to the ideas about death. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford I almost think I get a better scene out of her mom telling her. But I'll try it both ways. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk Yes! This is why it was such a deep blow. RT @LaurelSnyder: @CDaleyAuthor Charlotte was a mother. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf I also wonder if a book with death is read differently by boys and girls. #MGLitChat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @ilanawaters @AniProf But....but...DOBBY! #mglitchat Create endearing characters, and if they die, we will care. -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea I do know I was surprised when I read HUNGER GAMES outloud to 10 yr old. We had some interesting discussions. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @AniProf Probably depends on how emotionally connected the reader gets to the elf or the fairy (or the human) in the fantasy. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @SpencerToday They are scary. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @kkilpatrick7 Yes to LOVE, AUBREY. That was another really tough one. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @LaurelSnyder I get that. Talking about death is often just as hard as facing the reality of it, isn't it? #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ixtumea I've noticed young kids reading it (9-10) and wondered how they handle all the violence and death #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf True. RT @coachhays64: @AniProf Probably depends on how emotionally connected the reader gets to the elf or the fairy... #MGLitChat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone :) me too. RT @JeanGiardina: @JoanneLevy I think ghosts are a perfect way to introduce young readers to the ideas about death. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @JenniferCEstes @ilanawaters @AniProf DOBBY! Great, I need tissue. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters I just want to say that not only is #nalitchat kicking our butts, trend-wise, but so is #chicklitchat. *headdesk* #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @JeanGiardina And the whole "grandma's doing ok, even though she's not around" thing - I think it's comforting. #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

PBWorkshop Oops- going early, but nothing sinister has occurred to me or to supporting cast. I'll check the archives for further insights! #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder I didn't cry for DObby. But part of this isn't about the character so much as the world. Kids are transported by fantasy. #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @Alhelenexandra It really helped to discuss it. Scenes that I thought would be too much? Weren't for him. Know some others #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf Dobby was more human than many of the human characters. #MGLitChat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @CDaleyAuthor Me too. Every time I read Dobby's scene I'm secretly hoping it magically changes so he can live. OYE. #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @JenniferCEstes @AniProf I knew someone would mention something like this. Yes, Dobby. May he RIP. *sniff* #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford Death's another one of those subjects where I think adults forget how much kids can handle. They're already thinking about it. #mglitchat -9:29 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @Alhelenexandra who couldn't believe I actually read it outloud to him. But this 1 person wouldn't let her kids read Winn Dixie #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @JoanneLevy @JeanGiardina YES. Love this message. Comforting, yet still open to mystery. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford Yes, because you have two people experiencing the loss, maybe? ALso this is complicated by time travel issues. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @AniProf Totally agree William. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @Jess_Keating I felt that way about Dumbledore. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @Alhelenexandra Because of the mother 'leaving'. She didn't have her kids read that chapter. I feel you can only shelter #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford YES. This is what I was saying. I read Bellairs now and think, "WHoa!" But as a kid I had no issue. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @Alhelenexandra so much. But that's just me. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @AniProf You bring up good points. I think it would be. Is that sexist? #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @LaurelSnyder Stupid time travel, effing everything up like it always does. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @elliefalcone Sirius for me. So many, really. *sigh* #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf There seems to be a difference between death being a natural element in a story, and its being glorified. #MGLitChat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @Jess_Keating Yep. Dobby's death was a bigger deal to me than even Dumbledore's. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @LaurelSnyder Also because the difficulty of finding words to talk about a thing that's difficult to think about. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford STUPID TIME TRAVEL INDUCED MEMORY LOSS/CONFUSION. ACK! #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ixtumea I have low tolerance for violence/horror personally, so was surprised to see my 9-year old students reading Hunger Games #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @KateMilford As a teacher, I totally agree that we don't give the kids enough credit for what they can handle. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KateMilford Yes, and kids are amazingly adaptable. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @CDaleyAuthor @JenniferCEstes @AniProf *hands over box* #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf No, just true. RT @ilanawaters: @AniProf You bring up good points. I think it would be. Is that sexist? #MGLitChat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @AniProf I think it's rare to have death glorified in mg the way it (arguably) can be in ya. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford In a way my first person POV screws me either way. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ixtumea But good for you for discussing it with your son, and not over-sheltering. Some kids are so much tougher than me #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Do you think kids cry when reading some of these titles the way we do as adults? I do think they're tougher. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ixtumea @Alhelenexandra I just recommend reading it together or at least let child know he/she can discuss subjects that bother them. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @Jess_Keating @elliefalcone OMG, yes, I was angry when Sirius died. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @Jess_Keating Yeah, because I think kids really do wonder (and worry) a lot about death, even if they can't express it. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @ilanawaters It would only be sexist if someone says to the boy: You mother died quit crying like a girl. Maybe? #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @SpencerToday I think they already think everything's life & death. Question is, how to handle it when they turn out to be right? #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Funny, not me. Remained convinced he would not be dead. #alas RT @elliefalcone: @Jess_Keating I felt that way about Dumbledore. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf @KateMilford Which means there IS a limit to how much death can be developed as a theme in MG. #MGLitChat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @ilanawaters @JenniferCEstes @AniProf Thanks love. *honk!* #mglitchat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @CDaleyAuthor Me too. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @KDuBayGillis I cried at very little as a kid. Even now, it's rare for a book to make me cry. But then, I'm not a mom (1/2) #mglitchat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @KDuBayGillis Know what's weird? (offhand) Lion King when I was a kid? I never cried. Now? Mufasa's death guts me. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @kdubaygillis (2/2) so I think maybe I don't think about it the same way. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket DITTO ---> “@CDaleyAuthor: @Jess_Keating Yep. Dobby's death was a bigger deal to me than even Dumbledore's. #mglitchat” -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf How about books where the theme of death was inappropriate in a MG novel? #MGLitChat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @KDuBayGillis Definitely not. DD (10yo) is much less weepy than I, though is sad at same stuff. Just not...as intensely. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ixtumea Yes. I think lots of kids can handle it (better than me) #mglitchat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone If I recall correctly, I cried as a kid when reading about death. It's been so long ago though. *cough* #mglitchat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @AniProf I think you could easily tell a story about a kid who obsesses about death unhealthily in mg. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JoanneLevy @Jess_Keating My four year old already talks about when I die and what will happen. Concern starts young. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AniProf @elliefalcone But you're only 21! #MGLitChat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @akossket I think it has something to do with Dobby's near unconditional love/loyalty. Something like a dog, almost. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes TURTLE DRUM was the only book that ever made me cry. Which is why I read it 9K times in one month. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @aniprof What I'm talking about has more to do with the way ya occasionally presents perfection as death or deathlessness (1/2) #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @elliefalcone Damn. Sensitive father of the year award there, then! >.< #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes As a child, I mean. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Feature | Block elliefalcone @AniProf Don't flame me for this folks but I thought the beginning of the Graveyard Book was a bit much. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @CDaleyAuthor @JenniferCEstes @AniProf LOL. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @KateMilford I avoid anything with death in it when I read, and I think that started after I had kids #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @KDuBayGillis I think they see things totally differently. I think they worry about abandonment. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @aniprof which has more to do with the teenage concern with physical fears and physical perfection. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis @JoanneLevy @Jess_Keating It really is amazing how young they start thinking about it. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @elliefalcone When I read GRAVEYARD I couldn't believe it was MG... #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @aniprof You could write that story for a mg reader, but I question whether that kid would find it relevant at age 11 or 12. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @akossket @CDaleyAuthor @Jess_Keating B/c he was so young (relatively, for an elf), and innocent. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @KDuBayGillis I don't think they necessarily get the death thing, just being left behind. Less empathy and more "what about me?" #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @KateMilford @KDuBayGillis As a father of a 5yo and 7yo, my tear ducts have opened a lot more since having kids. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

thereadingzone Late!! What's tonight's topic? #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina As a kid, I was terrified of loss. And death was the biggest LOSS of all. It helped me to see MCs struggle and conquer it. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes B/c Dobby was like a child. That's why it was so....awful. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @KateMilford Not true. I read your dedication. So sweet. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @elliefalcone I respect that. I, on the other hand, being a morbid human, loved it. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder I was tougher as a kid than I am as a mom. Far tougher. @KateMilford: @kdubaygillis #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @ilanawaters @akossket @CDaleyAuthor *sniff* #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @JenniferCEstes Thank you. Me either. It was the first time I ever read an MG and said NO! out loud. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk The beginning did throw me ...RT @JenniferCEstes: @elliefalcone When I read GRAVEYARD I couldn't believe it was MG... #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @Jess_Keating Same with me. Stoic as a kid. Blubbering mess as an adult. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos RT @SpencerToday: @KateMilford @KDuBayGillis As a father of a 5yo and 7yo, my tear ducts have opened a lot more since having kids #Mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis @JoanneLevy @Jess_Keating Both my little ones speak often of death. A lot of questions. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Yup. *grabs tissues* RT @LaurelSnyder: I was tougher as a kid than I am as a mom. Far tougher. @KateMilford: @kdubaygillis #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder I grew up with a brain tumor (tmi?) So death was something I had in my thoughts. Doctors, hospitals. It COULD happen. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @spencertoday @kdubaygillis Am I not going to want to write about morbid stuff anymore?? NOOOOO!!! #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @KateMilford Which is odd for me because I'm quite morbid. I thought I'd love it. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @KDuBayGillis I think the older we get, the more we realize the beautiful doom of it all. :) #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder As a mom to 2 healthy boys I cannot fathom or accept the idea of death. I had to stop watching law and Order when I had kids. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @KDuBayGillis I don't think death is a real concept to them yet. As adults, we know it is a possibility all the time. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos @LaurelSnyder I was a softy as a kid, now just a pile of squish ones. My kids frequently state I am crying.... #Mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @thereadingzone Death in MG. Mostly about books we've read that have death in them. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford You'll likely go through a phase of feeling more... tender? But it'll recede. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @LaurelSnyder No way. Wow. So glad you are with us! #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters I feel the opposite. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @ilanawaters especially as you get older. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos RT @AnshaKotyk: The beginning did throw meRT @JenniferCEstes: @elliefalcone When I read GRAVEYARD I couldnt believe it was MG... #Mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes 4 kids. 2 had serious hospitalizations, that made me question survival. Everything connecting kids = death makes me cry. 1/2 #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder No! I'm so glad you are okay! #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @SpencerToday @CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis @JoanneLevy @Jess_Keating Same here. They can have charming ?s too. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @KDuBayGillis @laurelsnyder Indeed! #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ConceptVisual Hollywood Pipe Dream/ Fame=Drugs http://t.co/if9XmGlT #Whitney Houston #Micheal Jackson #Elvis Presley #Justin Beiber #Lady Gagga #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Yet, it remains a thing I seem to explore in writing. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @LaurelSnyder I can not watch certain movies anymore. Having young kids has made a huge impact. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone Can we kill spam? #mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder So.. based on this chat, I think we can say that death is a different thing for everyone, how they process it at different ages. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Do we see any gaps on this theme in MG? Something that hasn't been done or fully explored yet? #mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos I still haven't read hunger games because I can't think of kids in that serious violent situation. Maybe when we are all older? #Mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

BigfootandGray Hello, everyone! I'm just gonna read all of your tweets for now... Someday I'll feel comfortable tweeting back. :) happy Writing! #mglitchat -9:40 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

mj_staal Sorry I'm late to the chat. Fascinating topic! I sometimes wonder if kids view death differently b/c of the world today. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @KateMilford @KDuBayGillis No I think you will be fine. It just has more of an impact on you. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @LaurelSnyder Yes, and that there's a huge gulf between how we as adults and writers approach it and how children likely read it. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

thereadingzone I was softy then and I'm a softy now. I've always been a crier when it comes to books. But I'm affected by different things now #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Thinking about MG that addresses kids who have lost parents in war, etc. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @LaurelSnyder Wow. Holy cow. So glad you are here today. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy Yes, please. RT @elliefalcone: Can we kill spam? #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @KDuBayGillis Are there any books with MC's facing their own death?? #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @mj_staal Glad you made it. Can you elaborate on what you mean by that? #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @AniProf I used death in my book to snap the MC from a romanticized vision of the outlaw life. He changes as death is at his home #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra When death is part of MG, how much should beliefs about the afterlife, God, etc. come into it? #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Good question! RT @Jess_Keating: @KDuBayGillis Are there any books with MC's facing their own death?? #mglitchat -9:42 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford Which we can't possibly guess at. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

whbeck RT @Jess_Keating: @KDuBayGillis Are there any books with MC's facing their own death?? #mglitchat A fav of mine is WAYS TO LIVE FOREVER. -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone A personal question: How many of us obsess about or think about death often? Quite often? *raises hand* #mglitchat -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

kristinlgray @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat My 11 y/o son finished Where the Red Fern Grows today w/o a tear…I cried reading the plot summary online! -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @Jess_Keating I haven't yet read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, but that is YA. Not sure if there is an MG equiv. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @LaurelSnyder Sounds about right. Plus different settings. Is the kid living in a country at war? #mglitchat -9:43 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @whbeck Ooh, I haven't read this yet - thanks! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

mj_staal @rachelgrinti Of course...wars, 9/11, school shootings...death is in the news far more than when we were kids. Everyday life sad! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @LaurelSnyder ...and different experiences. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @elliefalcone I did as a kid. Now I just obsess about to do lists and whether people think I sound stupid when I talk. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @KDuBayGillis Me too. I am drawn to the stories of soldiers returning home and wonder who is *not* on that plane. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @KDuBayGillis That's what I'm thinking.. we see it quite a bit in YA; either in a 'sad' sense or in a 'warrior' sense.. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis I was just thinking that. Or kids living in a country at war. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Something, 4 sure.! RT @Alhelenexandra: When death is part of MG, how much should beliefs about afterlife, God, etc. come in? #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @whbeck @Jess_Keating I haven't read that one. Will put it on my list! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos There was one I read as kid 13 is too young to die. Lupus. Sobbed. Haven't re read lately. #Mglitchat -9:44 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder Anne. Frank. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @elliefalcone *raises hand* All the time? #mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @elliefalcone Yes, but mainly from the perspective of waiting for the other shoe to drop and who will it be. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @KateMilford My twin. Re: sounding stupid. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford BTW, a book that deals with a kid's response to looming death in a really wonderful way is NOAH BARLEYWATER RUNS AWAY. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos RT @LaurelSnyder: Anne. Frank. #Mglitchat -9:45 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @elliefalcone Definitely when I hear about shootings, or about people I know diagnosed with cancer. Not daily. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @KDuBayGillis: @elliefalcone Yes, but mainly from the perspective of waiting for the other shoe to drop and who will it be. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating YES. RT @LaurelSnyder: Anne. Frank. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @mj_staal So you've seen a change in the media and the way we discuss death. That does affect how kids see things. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford @elliefalcone I worry about that so much you'd think it was death. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @LaurelSnyder Yes. Of course. Anne Frank. Wow. Perfect example of girl dealing with the possibility of her own death. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder My dad gave my Hassidic Tales of the Holocaust as a gift when I was about 12. I survived. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @KDuBayGillis @Jess_Keating Read TFIOS last weekend and cried non-stop. I don't know of a MG book that deals with that topic. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

mj_staal @elliefalcone *hand up* I know some of that stems to books I read as a child like, You shouldn't have to say Good-bye. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @LaurelSnyder I've never read Anne Frank - I can't do holocaust stories. I feel like such a horrible Jew, but can't handle it. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @mj_staal Though I don't think the world itself is worse, or full of more death and war. We do have access to so much news. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @kristinlgray @KDuBayGillis In ten years, he will cry. I think boys in this age group suppress emotions for the most part. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KDuBayGillis And soooo many kids have read that, gotten the idea, and not been destroyed. Kids are tougher than we remember #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

SpencerToday @KDuBayGillis Short visit for me. Thanks for hosting and the great topic. Time to put the 7yo to bed. :) #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating @JeanGiardina Did you catch @whbeck's suggestion -- called Ways to Live Forever! Sounds sort of similar :) #mglitchat -9:47 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

storytimefun #mglitchat I lost my Dad and my som recently ~ I am very sensitive to death/dying in literature, movies, and tv. Very painful -9:48 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor A kid committed suicide when I was in middle school. He was pretty popular, and it wrecked a lot of people. #mglitchat -9:48 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos RT @mj_staal Though I dont think the world itself is worse, or full of more death and war. We do have access to so much news. #Mglitchat -9:48 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KateMilford Curious: for those who have written death scenes, how did you approach it? What were your main concerns in handling it? #mglitchat -9:48 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

kristinlgray @coachhays64 @kdubaygillis Probably so. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @CDaleyAuthor Awful. Middle school. So sad. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @Alhelenexandra Ooo--this is a good question, and one so rarely explored in a non-dogmatic way. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @storytimefun I'm so sorry. This must be a bad topic for you. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @SpencerToday Thanks for joining us! #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

LaurelSnyder @KateMilford Believability, honestly. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Jess_Keating Have to leave a tad early tonight, guys - but thanks so much for another great chat!! #mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

jenfos Goodnight folks....great talk. #Mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @CDaleyAuthor Sorry to hear that. There was a suicide attempt in my junior high but luckily the girl is doing well now. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JeanGiardina I think so many kids have been affected by war in the past decade...there has to be a need for this sort of story. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

storytimefun “@KateMilford: @LaurelSnyder Yes...huge gulf betwn how we as adults & writers approach it & how children likely read it. #mglitchat” Agreed! -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KateMilford For me, probably handling it in a dignified manner that also works in the overall story. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @KateMilford I was worried that it would be too graphic. Gma falls down stairs and mc watches it happen. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @storytimefun So sorry to hear that. Hopefully there are books out there to help with healing process. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @storytimefun Very sorry for you loss. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @JoanneLevy @LaurelSnyder If that makes a horrible Jew, sign me up. Can't handle it either. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

martinejoelle #mglitchat It's probab most common answer but I always think of Bridge to Terabithia. Reader grieves w/ character. Skillful K. Patterson. -9:52 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

GaaraKazekage99 what is #mglit ???? #mglitchat -9:52 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @KDuBayGillis @storytimefun Not kidlit, but A Grief Observed by CS Lewis is good, IMO. #mglitchat -9:52 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

martinejoelle RT @KDuBayGillis: Don't forget...#mglitchat tonight at 9 pm eastern. Topic: death in MG. Weird to say, but it should be fun! -9:52 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @ilanawaters Yes. I was raised in a very dogmatic environment, but I'm wondering how "normal" kids question the afterlife #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @KDuBayGillis Agree. We have MG readers right now for whom war has been a part of their entire lives. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @storytimefun I am so sorry! *hugs* #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket @Jess_Keating agreed. His loyalty was touching. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @martinejoelle I need to re-read TEREBITHIA. I don't remember feeling sad as a kid reading it. Curious how I'd react now. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @ilanawaters I've always felt like I *should* read it, but just can't do it. Haven't seen Schindler's List, either. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

coachhays64 @KateMilford Challenge was to address the violent deaths without being too graphic or gratuitous. Dad kills to defend his family. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @Alhelenexandra I didn't know him that well, but it was tough on some of my friends who did. Totally out of the blue. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

CDaleyAuthor @JoanneLevy @ilanawaters Um, yeah, Schindler's List is rough. I saw it once and can't bring myself to see it again. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Brownies? #mglitchat -9:54 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk @JenniferCEstes I could use a brownie right about now. ;) #mglitchat -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes I'm like Chandler on Friends, resorting to humor in uncomfortable situations. #mglitchat -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin @JoanneLevy @ilanawaters I only could watch Schindler's List once, and I shut my eyes so much it made viewing difficult. #mglitchat -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra @CDaleyAuthor I was surprised by variety of reactions to the attempt at my school. Shock sadness anger people calling her selfish #mglitchat -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis An 8 yo girl I know of saw her father beaten to death by her adopted brother. I think of what her story would be like to tell. #mglitchat -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

mj_staal @JeanGiardina @KDuBayGillis I forgot the #mglitchat...this is why MG books dealing with death are so important! -9:55 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Again, I think MG kids think about/are aware of death far more than we parents would like to believe. Cuz it's scary for us. #mglitchat -9:56 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters @JoanneLevy I can't see why you should. You know what happens. It's not like reading it would change anything. #mglitchat -9:56 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

rachelgrinti @KDuBayGillis Oh wow. :( Yeah, I always think it's important to have books about the things kids face every day. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes That's why books that deal with death -- in whatever way -- continue to matter. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

AnshaKotyk RT @JenniferCEstes: That's why books that deal with death -- in whatever way -- continue to matter. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @KDuBayGillis Holy crap. My bros. ex and her bro. witnessed a family member being murdered. She's still affected by it. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina @Alhelenexandra @CDaleyAuthor I think all of those reactions are fair game. The msg should be that there is no right way to deal. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis Just a quick note for folks who have to leave. Next week's topic is sports in MG. Hope you can join us! #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

ilanawaters I'm outtie, tweeps. See you next time, I hope. Thank you, hosts, as always! *steals rest of brownies* #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

HallowKey Easier to read: Taste of Blackberries #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @ilanawaters Good point. Thanks! #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Ooo, sports in MG! My second favorite topic! #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

elliefalcone @ilanawaters Toodles! #mglitchat -9:58 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes @ilanawaters Next week I'll bring chocolate chip cookies! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes Second only to death?!? #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

MLConklin RT @KDuBayGillis: Just a quick note for folks who have to leave. Next week's topic is sports in MG. Hope you can join us! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes RT @KDuBayGillis: @JenniferCEstes Second only to death?!? #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

akossket #mglitchat was fun tonight. Lots of books to read. Thanks everyone. Time for me to go. :) -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JeanGiardina Thanks for a great hour of conversation! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JoanneLevy @JenniferCEstes agree - death isn't going away and kids will always wonder and worry. #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

JenniferCEstes Sad, but true. *eats brownie* RT @KDuBayGillis: @JenniferCEstes Second only to death?!? #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012

Alhelenexandra Thanks everyone for the great discussion. Lots to think about. Goodnight everyone! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Aug 2nd, 2012