April 12, 2012 - Disaster topics in MG Fiction

KarenninaPosa Here we go! How's everyone tonight? #mglitchat -9:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk Welcome to #mglitchat. Tonight we'll be talking about Disasters, what makes them so popular? -9:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @rachelgrinti are you doing double duty?? #mglitchat #2012 debuts -9:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa I've been watching Titanic specials today in anticpiation of 2nite's chat! ;-) #mglitchat -9:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin How timely! Have you all been watching @titanticRealTime tweets? #mglitchat -9:01 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KristineAsselin I hadn't seen those- what r they? #mglitchat -9:01 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat #2012debutes Yes! 2 twitter chats at once! I am going to try not to go crazy! -9:01 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @KristineAsselin I don't know if I could do that,. watch the realtime tweets of titanic. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa @rachelnseigel Great to put one in the mood, right? Titanic heads the list of disasters that come to mind for tonight's chat. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti You can see my typing is already deteriorating! #MGLitChat -9:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa And there have been so many Titanic fiction and non-fiction books this year. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets RT @rachelgrinti: @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat #2012debutes Yes! 2 twitter chats at once! I am going to try not to go crazy! -9:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #Mglitchat I think disaster stories are appealing because kids love the danger and the action that comes with it. And it's easy 2 imagine. -9:03 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Every April, the kids talk about the Titanic in school. Even the 1st graders. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa @rachelnseigel Care to list a few for tonight? #mglitchat -9:04 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson Hi all, love this topic of course, it's kind of embarrassing to admit how much fun I had writing my disaster stories #mglitchat -9:05 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz Though not a disaster story, per se, I have to admit that my MG son LOVED the disaster that ensued in Ingrid Law's Scumble. #MGlitchat -9:05 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa Gotta think of MG, but there were many YA this year- Distant Waves, Watch that Ends the Night.... #mglitchat -9:05 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti Kids at the library are always coming in asking for the I SURVIVED series from Scholastic. #MGLitChat -9:05 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa There was a Dear America a few years ago about Titanic. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz And so did I. ;) #MGlitchat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @rachelgrinti That series is a big seller for me too! #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets @rachelnseigel and they really happen. #disastersinMG #mglitchat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @rachelgrinti I have to ask. What's the draw to disaster books? #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin Lots of Titantic books out...has anyone read any good ones? #mglitchat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti They have Titanic, Shark Attack, Hurricane Katrina, etc. #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @love8rockets Yes- that's absolutely one reason that they r popular. #disastersinMG #mglitchat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @KarenninaPosa ust finished reading a bunch of middle grade Titanic stories. My fav -Dangerous Waters An Adventure on the Titanic #mglitchat -9:06 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Reading about disasters is a safe way to experience scary events. Kids can put the book down & breathe if it's too much #mglitchat -9:07 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @AnshaKotyk I think they're fascinating. Especially ones of survival. Kids want to know they can survive awful things. IMO. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti I think it's partly that the tension and story is obvious. They may have heard about the event. Or scared of sharks, ships etc. #MGLitChat -9:08 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @rachelgrinti I think they appeal on a similar level to the dystopian with YA. #MGLitChat -9:08 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson Kids tell me they like the excitement and thinking about what they would do if they were in the story #mglitchat -9:08 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @KristineAsselin True. I really liked Hatchet for that very reason. There was so much determination and hope in it! #MGlitchat -9:09 PM Apr 12th, 2012

loritayseastep When I was that age I loved anything that made me think, What would I do if that happened to me? #Mglitchat -9:09 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @elissacruz I loved My Side of the Mountain when I was a kid. #MGlitchat -9:09 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa How scary can MG disaster books be? How much is too much? Titanic had a lot of deaths. How is this dealt with for young readers? #mglitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson tricky part of writing disasters for MG-how to deal with death, esp. if disaster involves major loss of life #mglitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @rachelnseigel You know, I can't remember if I ever read that one! Probably did, but I can't remember the story right now. #MGlitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @KristineAsselin One new nonfiction is by @mstewartscience #mglitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin Also stories where kids are the heroes or help adults in disaster situations. Can't think off the top of my head... #mglitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @elissacruz More survival than disaster- he ran away to live by himself up in the mountains. I read it in grade 5. #MGlitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @elissacruz But what I liked was imagining how I'd cope in his situation... #MGlitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets RT @deegarretson: Kids tell me they like the excitement and thinking about what they would do if they were in the story #mglitchat -9:11 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @Deborahkops I'll have to pick @mstewartscience 's up! Thanks for the tip! :) #mglitchat -9:12 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa RT @rachelnseigel: @elissacruz But what I liked was imagining how Id cope in his situation... #mglitchat -9:12 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin I think you have to be honest, but maybe not deal with the gory details "on camera". You can't avoid talking about deaths. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #mglitchat James Cameron's new special asks what would you do differently in Titanic... interesting question 4 kids 2. -9:13 PM Apr 12th, 2012

loritayseastep A teacher once told me that it's fine for the story to include death as long as it's focused on life. #Mglitchat -9:14 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets #mglitchat Our whole family loved HATCHET. That book has been an inspiration. -9:14 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk clicking over to read syno. RT @love8rockets: #mglitchat Our whole family loved HATCHET. That book has been an inspiration. -9:15 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey never liked disaster stories as a kid if they weren't true. seemed too easy for a fiction author to make things bad, then better #MGlitchat -9:15 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #Mglitchat how about Will Hobbs? He writes amazing disaster books, though maybe considered more YA? -9:15 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Sorry I'm late. Topic? #mglitchat -9:15 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @rachelnseigel Most kids would probably say women shouldn't get to leave boat first! #mglitchat -9:15 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Disaster books! #mglitchat -9:16 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @Deborahkops LOL! Probably! #mglitchat -9:16 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin I read a great YA disaster recently--more potential disaster, not real life. Mike Mullens' Ashfall. Def YA, but well done. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Ooooh ... Books that fail. (Sorry, bad joke) #mglitchat -9:17 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @KarenninaPosa one of the Titanic ones I read would be hard for some kids, boy's best friend dies while he lives #mglitchat -9:17 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis What other kinds of disasters are out there? I'm wondering if there are eco-disaster books? #mglitchat -9:18 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 Heard a researcher give his take-home message of the Titanic disaster. "Teaches us that anything man-made will eventually fail." #mglitchat -9:18 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets RT @Deborahkops: @KristineAsselin One new nonfiction is by @mstewartscience #mglitchat -9:18 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey but i would have devoured a book like SECRET OF THE YELLOW DEATH @ discovering yellow fever. does that count as a disaster book? #MGlitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @KDuBayGillis Like volcano stories? #mglitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa @deegarretson That would make me cry too! #mglitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Problem with disasters is that there are only so many events that are truly disasters. The rest are just bad luck. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets RT @loritayseastep: A teacher once told me that it's fine for the story to include death as long as it's focused on life. #Mglitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson Roland Smith has a series about about a kid who travels with his weather-chaser father #mglitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @delzey I think that can definitely count. It has the same feel -- danger that can't be controlled. #MGlitchat -9:19 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @KDuBayGillis Boston is known for the weirdest disaster, the molasses flood of 1919. My book on it came out in Feb. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @deegarretson Storm Runners #mglitchat -9:20 PM Apr 12th, 2012

story_queen I have written a disaster story or two...but they didn't start out that way. #badwriting #mglitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin What defines a disaster book? Is it contemporary? Fiction? Nonfiction? Historical? Is there a definition for the genre? #mglitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey pompeii! RT @AnshaKotyk: @KDuBayGillis Like volcano stories? #MGlitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @rachelgrinti The real message that is portrayed then is that HOPE perseveres even under the worst of circumstances. #MGlitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Sticky topic! RT @Deborahkops: @KDuBayGillis Boston is known for the weirdest disaster, the molasses flood of 1919. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @Deborahkops now that sounds intriguing! #mglitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @Deborahkops MUST check out that. No wonder you said "sticky" earlier! #mglitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz It seems to me that there are monumental disasters (aka Titanic), and personal disasters (aka Hatchet). Both work, right? #MGlitchat -9:21 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @AnshaKotyk Yes -- what comes out of the at kind of situation, how people survive and rebuild. #MGlitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis I think they are trickling down to MG- they seem to fall under Apocalyptic or Post Apocalyptic. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @AnshaKotyk @KDuBayGillis Know of good books on Pompeii? Such a great subject. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @KristineAsselin no strict definition-I guess anything that gets out of control of humans and can cause major disruption #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @Deborahkops @AnshaKotyk @KDuBayGillis There's a Magic Tree House. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin Shout out to @Deborahkops Her book on the Molasses Flood is wonderful. It's a weird disaster, and really interesting for kids. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @delzey Oh yeah, biological disasters are the best. Especially a combination of natural agent & failed engineering. Crichton-like #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA Hello MGlitchat. I'm late. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets “@deegarretson: Roland Smith has a series about about a kid who travels with his weather-chaser father #mglitchat” Sounds like fun. -9:22 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @Deborahkops I read archaeological texts on Pompei but fiction would be cool. er hot? #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @KDuBayGillis It invites bad puns! #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

story_queen @KristineAsselin Maybe NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS? #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss Oy. I just had a disaster. I stumbled into the wrong chat and started talking about MG novels. Iz my face redddd. :{ #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @delzey @AnshaKotyk I'm thinking like the BP oil spill/explosion. I think @KateMessner's EYE OF THE STORM fits eco-disasterish. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @kellandrewsPA *waves* #MGlitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey and 21 BALLOONS was okay, but it sent me straight to books about krakatoa. (i love the sound of that word, krakatoa) #MGlitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @Deborahkops I couldn't help myself. ;) #mglitchat -9:23 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @WriterRoss I believe that qualifies as personal disaster. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @KristineAsselin Aw, thanks! #mglitchat -9:24 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf "Disaster books are a literary genre involving detailed descriptions of major historical disasters, ..." #mglitchat -9:24 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @Deborahkops Roman Mysteries Pirates of Pompeii by Carol Lawrence is an MG set right after the eruption #mglitchat -9:24 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf "... often based on the historical records or personal testimonies of survivors." #mglitchat -9:24 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Wikipedia #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA I have a historical disaster I wanted to write. I wasn't sure if it was marketable. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss Are we talking real life disasters or could-be real life disasters? If latter, something like LIFE AS WE KNEW IT freaked me out. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @AnshaKotyk Very embarrassing. I deleted my tweets! #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @WriterRoss lol #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa @AniProf So we're counting only real-life based disasters? Dystopian for MG doesn't count, right? #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @AniProf Ah, Thanks for the definition. :) #mglitchat -9:25 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @WriterRoss You can delete tweets?? #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

loritayseastep @kellandrewsPA Sounds awesome! Write it! #Mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @love8rockets HATCHET = Classic. So, so good. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @AniProf so I write made-up disasters, hmmm...what to call them? #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA It's not a well-known one, sort of an eco-disaster from the 1940s. Seemed kinda depressing #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @WriterRoss loved LIFE AS WE KNEW IT but feels more "what if" than disaster to me #MGlitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @deegarretson Thanks! #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Right. Dystopian fiction doesn't count. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @AnshaKotyk Oh yes you can. Thank goodness. I change my mind about my thoughts. Often. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @delzey I see it as disaster- it hasn't occured yet, but it's possible, and it's about the survival in and aftermath of one. #MGlitchat -9:27 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf http://t.co/YPH6KB0X #mglitchat -9:27 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @AniProf made up disasters - thrillers? #mglitchat -9:27 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @AniProf KarenninaPosa Though tonight, we can still talk about made-up disasters. Might as well! #MGlitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @delzey True, true. That's a What If that I pray never become a genuine disaster story for the earth. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf I'd say yes, those are thrillers. RT @deegarretson: @AniProf made up disasters - thrillers? #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @WriterRoss @delzey Me too! #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

Deborahkops @WriterRoss @AnshaKotyk That's how I "edit" my tweets. Copy, delete, paste & improve, hopefully. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @AniProf Just out of curiosity, why doesn't dystopian count? #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #Mglitchat do we count epidemics as disasters or thrillers? -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @deegarretson Disaster still seems right. But adventure works too if it's contemporary, realistic disaster and not scifi #mglitchat -9:28 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa So let's talk market... what's it like for MG disaster books? Are editors open/looking/blah? #mglitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

stein_valerie @KristineAsselin #mglitchat my? Too. What is definition? My Wip is around WWI. Disastrous, but is it disaster? -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @rachelnseigel but i think a potential disaster doesn't have the same impact as something that HAS happened in the past #MGlitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @love8rockets they are good and very quick reads #mglitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf If true, then disasters. RT @rachelnseigel: #Mglitchat do we count epidemics as disasters or thrillers? #mglitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @AniProf Yeah, thriller works for made-up disaster #mglitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @delzey I don't know- scared the crap out of me just knowing it could happen! ;-) #MGlitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa I'm wondering this too. RT @KristineAsselin: @AniProf Just out of curiosity, why doesnt dystopian count? #mglitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @delzey I think it can have the same impact. Maybe especially if it's something that could happen. #MGlitchat -9:29 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @stein_valerie That's historical, but not disaster #mglitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa @KristineAsselin @AniProf Environmental dystopian could count- earth flooding, volcanic eruptions, etc... #mglitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry @elissacruz I agree, & w/ natural disaster or wilderness survival, the deaths are less personal than a Hunger Games scenario. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz Hmm, I suppose Sarah DeFord Williams' Palace Beautiful could be considered a disaster/epidemic story. #MGlitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin I think "disaster" can bridge other genres. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KarenninaPosa @KristineAsselin @AniProf Sociological should count- I don't think. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis Ok, have to ask, has any author delved into 9/11 as a disaster for this age group? #mglitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Definitions, folks. For example, could we call all speculative fiction fantasy? #mglitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @elissacruz Yep. Disasters are equal opportunity destroyers. All sizes, shapes and forms. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @rachelnseigel it's a question of plausibility. the sun could send a solar flare that wipes us out, but it hasn't happened yet... #MGlitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @KarenninaPosa Dystopian is science fiction. It's usually about a society that developed after some kind of disaster or event #mglitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin What about something like FEVER by Laurie Halse Anderson? Historical epidemic? historical disaster? #mglitchat -9:31 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf RT @KarenninaPosa Dystopian is science fiction. Its usually about a society that developed after some kind of disaster or event #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey (that might make a horrifying disaster story, but how do you tell the tale of the planet getting wiped out & make it believable?) #MGlitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk So you could call all disaster stories survival stories, but not all survival stories are disasters... I'm just playin' ;) #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @elissacruz I don't think so -- it's contemporary with a historical mystery. Oh, genres are confusing! #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis In Canada there is Eric Walters' "We all Fall Down" which was really amazing! #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Good point. RT @kellandrewsPA: Dystopian is science fiction. Its usually about a society that developed after a disaster or event #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @rachelnseigel I think that's fair. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @RosanneParry True. The death in Hatchet was so impersonal, for example, that I barely blinked when it was discussed. #MGlitchat -9:32 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Dystopian future = Science fiction. Dystopian present or past = Alternate history. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @kellandrewsPA LOL. That could be, too, though I think I'd still include it on a list of books about epidemics. #MGlitchat -9:33 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @delzey True, but I think the genre could include plausible disasters. #MGlitchat -9:33 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 #mglitchat What about LORD OF THE FLIES? Disasters abound. -9:34 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @delzey It may not be quite as real as something that ppl have lived through, but it's interesting to think about. #MGlitchat -9:34 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @KristineAsselin I disagree that epidemics are same as disasters. Fever 1796, Breath by Napoli are historical not disaster novels #mglitchat -9:34 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin Dystopian=Post apocalyptic? What if it's about the disaster that causes the society to go there... #mglitchat -9:34 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Plausible disasters is speculative fiction. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @kellandrewsPA So are we defining disasters as those caused by nature? #mglitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets RT @KDuBayGillis: Ok, have to ask, has any author delved into 9/11 as a disaster for this age group? #mglitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @rachelnseigel Will look for it. thanks! #mglitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Thank you- that just helped me with an article I'm writing! ;-) #mglitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @coachhays64 survival, and semi-adventure, but LOTF i think is a social allegory #MGlitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry @elissacruz Yes, & firmly in a kid POV which is focused more on immediate survival and less on dwelling on what he can't fix. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @kellandrewsPA Ok, so disaster is bigger, more powerful than epidemic. Natural disaster or man-made disaster. Not biological? #mglitchat -9:36 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis I wonder if it's still too raw for a lot of people to want to write about it? #mglitchat -9:36 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @coachhays64 Crashes/shipwrecks are usually accidents, not disasters. Or was Robinson Crusoe a disaster novel? Is so, cool #mglitchat -9:36 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @KristineAsselin reminded me of first M.P. Haddix bk I read: RUNNING OUT OF TIME. Time-travel,mass diptheria breakout, kid hero? #mglitchat -9:36 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @rachelnseigel I don't know about that. I mean, human error played major part in Titanic. Iceberg was just sitting there. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis check him out- he's hugely popular with MG/early YA readers in Canada, and covers a lot of current events. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @WriterRoss Oooh, that sounds like a good one! #mglitchat -9:37 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @rachelnseigel I think it has to have scale. Chernobyl was not natural but it had the scale of disaster #mglitchat -9:37 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @KDuBayGillis 9/11 may be too raw and perhaps too politically charged still #MGlitchat -9:37 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry @rachelnseigel @kellandrewsPA I don't think so. Some are man-made. Triangle factory fire, mining accidents, famine etc. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @KDuBayGillis I did compile a list of 9-11 books (some are PBs, some non-fiction): http://t.co/c6eLQiQq #MGlitchat -9:38 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @RosanneParry @kellandrewsPA I've read a few that were good on Triangle Factory Fire- anyone read Margaret Peterson Haddix one? #mglitchat -9:38 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin So "Disaster" has to have scale. Lots of deaths, destruction on a large scale. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @RosanneParry Exactly. There are some good things to learn as a writer from that book, methinks. #MGlitchat -9:38 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf @kellandrewsPA Chernobyl was a disaster, IMHO. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @KDuBayGillis 9/11 would be very tough to write about #mglitchat -9:39 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @elissacruz So glad you shared link. I can't think of ANY as we talk and type. Will link to you after chat. Thank you! #mglitchat -9:39 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @rachelnseigel Exactly, I think so. Lots of kids in MG genre directly affected right now. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey as was 3 mile island RT @AniProf: @kellandrewsPA Chernobyl was a disaster, IMHO. #MGlitchat -9:39 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @WriterRoss You're welcome! #MGlitchat -9:40 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @KristineAsselin RUNNING OUT OF TIME/by Haddix: was a -fantastic- book. #MGLITCHAT -9:40 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @WriterRoss @KristineAsselin That was very cool! I loved it! #MGLITCHAT -9:41 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Book events can be disasterous, but not a disaster book. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @delzey 3 mile island was an accident, not a disaster. Not that huge in effect. Chernobyl was a disaster. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @Deborahkops g'night Deb! See you next week (conf!) #mglitchat -9:41 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #Mglitchat how about Halifax Explosion? Roaring Brook Press did a non-fic about it earlier this year. -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz I should mention that some of those 9-11 titles were passed to me by other members of From the Mixed-Up Files. Can't take credit. #MGlitchat -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @kellandrewsPA Lived not too far from 3 mi island as a kid. i remember it #mglitchat -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis @elissacruz Good list! You are always on top of it. #mglitchat -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa It's good if readers can look up history and connect it to curriculum. A plus for real-life based disaster books. #mglitchat -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Disaster ... Hurricane Katrina ... Columbia spacecraft ... Etc. #mglitchat -9:42 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss I am of the age that when I think "disaster," I think of those mid-70s movies a la Towering Inferno, Poseidon Adventure, etc. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa @Deborahkops It's a unique event, nonetheless. Truly bizarre. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey so "disaster" can flexible, like the boston "massacre" only killed 6 people but fired up the colonies #MGlitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @AnshaKotyk Me too -- cover of Inquirer. I think they won Pulitzer. Very scary but nobody died, right? #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Would you consider the Challenger explosion 2 b a disaster? #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @AniProf You know I'm feeling old simply because I remember too many disasters.sheesh. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @kellandrewsPA I think we can put catastrophic accidents in the disaster category, don't you? Disasters aren't all just natural. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss (cont) Way larger than life with humans followed to personalize the tragedies and joys... #mglitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @KDuBayGillis Thank you. That's what happens when you pull a group of awesome people together. #thatgoesforourmglitchatteamtoo #MGlitchat -9:43 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Yes. RT @rachelnseigel: @AniProf Would you consider the Challenger explosion 2 b a disaster? #mglitchat -9:44 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson just a heads up-if you write a disaster and have even a minor named character die, some kids will ask why you had them die! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @deegarretson and how do you answer?? #mglitchat -9:44 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @coachhays64 That's a good term, catastrophic event, that fits Triangle Fire, Challenger explosion. Another sub genre! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Apr 12th, 2012

stein_valerie @AniProf #mglitchat Disaster - has long-term impact and involves loss of life and property? You named 2 right there. -9:45 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @kellandrewsPA so the stories i read of fallout and genetic mutations on PA farms weren't true? #MGlitchat -9:45 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Thought ... If too many books can be labeled "disaster" then the label is meaningless. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf I'm finding that's what's happening with "speculative fiction" now. Term has too widely expanded. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry I think a disaster may be an element of a story but define the whole book. Tornado in Wizard of Oz or Wilder's Long Winter #mglitchat -9:46 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @delzey It was a huge environmental and cultural event, but more like Cuban Missile Crisis -- a gut check on nuclear power. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @AnshaKotyk I tell them that sometimes people die saving others, and it's important to know there are brave people out there. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf @rachelnseigel Agreed! #mglitchat -9:47 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @RosanneParry I would never have called WOO a disaster book- always thought of it as fantasy. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf We can blame publishers- something in a particular cateogry becomes popular- like Hunger Games, and suddenly #mglitchat -9:48 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Side discussion topic: Why do we worry about genre labels? #mglitchat -9:48 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf all sorts of books get that label. #mglitchat -9:48 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @rachelnseigel I agree, the tornado in Wizard, was the catalyst not the underlying plot #mglitchat -9:48 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @rachelnseigel @RosanneParry But it's true that a disaster starts off the whole adventure! #MGlitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Good question- had this talk a great deal. a)it's a marketing tool for publishers b)adults like it because it helps #mglitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @AniProf I used to not worry about them. But it's harder to sell a hard-to-define book. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AnshaKotyk @AniProf I think humans like to categorize things. it makes survival easier. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss So is disaster more plot-driven (earth vs man) than say... something er.. man v man (Holocaust, political genocides)....? #mglitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf them to figure out how to sell a book to a kid. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf c) I think it just gives us comfort to be able to define or label things- books or otherwise. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin @WriterRoss Me Too! All those old 70's "Disaster" movies! #mglitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @elissacruz but its not about surviving the disaster #MGlitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf @rachelnseigel But do kids worry about genre labels? #mglitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @elissacruz @RosanneParry It does, but I think a disaster novel should have the disaster b part of underlying plot- not device #MGlitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry @rachelnseigel Right but the disaster serves a useful purpose. tornado, flood, earthquake all common experiences #mglitchat -9:50 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Not until adults teach them to. Especially not at MG. They know they like certain kinds of books. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets “@KristineAsselin: @WriterRoss Me Too! All those old 70's "Disaster" movies! #mglitchat” And me. -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @kellandrewsPA That reminds me, I keep meaning to read Countdown by Deborah Wiles. #MGlitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

stein_valerie @AniProf #mglitchat Good point. If we define "disaster" and write story around it, we don't have to label it, do we? Or do we? -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA I doubt kids go out looking for "disaster books" -- they want exciting books where adventures happen #mglitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin I think sometimes definitions are hard. "You know it when you see it" might work. #Disasters. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti @AniProf I've seen kids tend to say something like "I like adventure books" when what they want is quest fantasy for example. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @elissacruz Oh you should! It's excellent. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Apr 12th, 2012

delzey @AniProf i think kids only think in larger general terms: true, not true, sports, funny, serious, realistic, fantasy... #MGlitchat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @RosanneParry It's part of the same arguement we have about whether time-slip counts as historical fiction. ;-) #mglitchat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 Agree, definitely a disaster. RT Yes. @rachelnseigel: @AniProf Would you consider the Challenger explosion 2 b a disaster? #mglitchat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @KristineAsselin "There's got to be a morning after..." <g> #mglitchat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti That doesn't mean the labels aren't useful, but can be situational in use when it comes to talking to kids. #MGLitChat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Disaster book recipe: (a) What led up to event, (b) the event, (c) the aftermath. #mglitchat -9:52 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson watching those 70s disaster movies are great to see how they deal with pacing, adding in tiny bits of humor to break tension #mglitchat -9:53 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel #Mglitchat Interesting bit of trivia- Michael Chrichton re-branded himself as "thriller" writer because he didn't like the sci-fi label. -9:53 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Kids don't think about labels too much. They just want excitement, whether it's from disaster books, adventures, fantasy, etc. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz Okay, quick! Give me some more disaster book titles! Because clearly I haven't read very many. #MGlitchat -9:53 PM Apr 12th, 2012

stein_valerie @WriterRoss @KristineAsselin #mglitchat Thanks for sticking THAT in my head!!! <g> -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @coachhays64 I wonder, was the Columbia explosion a disaster? It doesn't loom in imagination, yet the same losses happened. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Labels are mostly for the adults: how to pitch, where to shelve, etc. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @rachelnseigel I didn't know that! makes sense though, I've always thought of his books as thrillers #mglitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @deegarretson Then he did a good job! ;-) Technically his early work was sci-fi, but he was afraid it would limit his audience. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA For Challenger, part of what made it a disaster compared to an equally fatal bus crash was its part in national identity #mglitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 About the character's response/reaction to the disaster, then? RT @delzey @elissacruz but its not about surviving the disaster #MGlitchat -9:54 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @deegarretson Ironically, his agent also says he doesn't represent sci-fi writers. (Also represents Robin Cook) #mglitchat -9:55 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Question: Do disaster books need to teach a lesson? #mglitchat -9:55 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @stein_valerie I'm sorry. I think I sang that song for two years straight. <g> #mglitchat -9:55 PM Apr 12th, 2012

love8rockets Thank you #MGlitchat see you next week, my battery is fading. -9:55 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @AniProf Most MG has a lesson in it somewhere- trick is not to be didactic or preachy. #mglitchat -9:55 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @AniProf Do any MG books need to teach lessons? Not exactly, but they usually do if the characters grow as they should #mglitchat -9:56 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @elissacruz Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor, in the Hatchet vein, 2 eskimo boys #mglitchat -9:56 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss @AniProf As I wrote b4, I think I could most connect to disaster story that zooms in on a cast of characters, balancing story #mglitchat -9:57 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson @AniProf not necessarily a lesson, more a coming of age in sense MC realizes ability to take control of his/her survival #mglitchat -9:57 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @kellandrewsPA In my book, yes it was. The same tragic disaster, just on different ends of the mission. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Apr 12th, 2012

AniProf Gotta run. As always, such a pleasure to chat with like minded souls. #mglitchat -9:58 PM Apr 12th, 2012

WriterRoss Not MG per se but Allan Wolf's THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT (speaking of the Titanic disaster). #mglitchat -9:58 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @coachhays64 I think there have been a lot of disasters through history that just don't get same coverage. #mglitchat -9:58 PM Apr 12th, 2012

RosanneParry @rachelnseigel Yes, I tend to favor the more elastic definitions. #mglitchat -9:59 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @WriterRoss I read that- love the different perspectives, but felt too cluttered to me. Too many voices. #mglitchat -9:59 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa RT @deegarretson: not necessarily a lesson, more a coming of age in sense MC realizes ability to take control of his/her survival #mglitchat -9:59 PM Apr 12th, 2012

debbieduncan @WriterRoss I'm listening to THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT. It's brilliant. #mglitchat -9:59 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KristineAsselin G'night all! Great chat as usual! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Apr 12th, 2012

coachhays64 @AniProf Have a great, non-disastrous week. #mglitchat -10:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelnseigel @RosanneParry And an elastic definition can be helpful! #mglitchat -10:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz @deegarretson Ooh, I'll have to look that one up. Thanks! #MGlitchat -10:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA @coachhays64 I agree that they are part of the same story, and not a different one. #mglitchat -10:00 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KDuBayGillis Plug for next week's #mglitchat...talking animals! (which, if done poorly, could fit in the disaster category, no?) -10:01 PM Apr 12th, 2012

kellandrewsPA Good night #mglitchat. Looking forward to the talking animals! #mglitchat -10:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

deegarretson good night all-one more good MG Titanic book - White Star - A Dog on the Titanic by Marty Crisp #mglitchat -10:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

KarenninaPosa Thanks, everyone, for a great time! Tonight was definitely not a disastrous chat. ;) #mglitchat -10:02 PM Apr 12th, 2012

rachelgrinti Good night all! #MGLitChat -10:03 PM Apr 12th, 2012

elissacruz I'm off also. I had a lovely time, as usual! See you next week, mg tweeps! #MGlitchat -10:04 PM Apr 12th, 2012