"Hilarious . . . Readers with a finely tuned sense of the absurd are going to adore the Technicolor ride." —Booklist
"Fantasy done to a clever, grotesque, nonsensical turn." —Chicago Sun-Times
"A work of mischievous imagination and outrageous invention." —Time Out Chicago
"One of the more singular young adult fantasies—or fantasies, period—I've run across . . . Funny, bizarre, action-packed, and even thoughtful, and stocked with a gallery of larger-than-life characters." —Green Man Review
Monday, July 10, 2017
Speaking about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at with Nerd Camp 2017 with Aaron Zenz at Western School District, 1400 S. Dearing Rd., Parma, MI. Details TBA. November 4-5, 2017
Speaking about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the 2017 YALSA Symposium (Hyatt Regency Louisville, 311 South 4th Street, Louisville, KY) in the session Ready, Set, Action!: Fostering Literacy, Creativity, and Empowerment through Teen Filmmaking and Theater Programming. Details TBA. Saturday, November 18, 2017
Speaking about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the National Council of Teachers of English conference in St. Louis at the America's Center Convention Complex, Room 266, in the session Geeking Out, Tuning In: Using Fandom to Encourage Engagement, Creativity, and Community (Session #3490190). 10:30 am - 11:45 am. Friday, January 12, 2018
Deadline for submissions to the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Saturday, February 3, 2018
The SAN ANTONIO, TX screening of the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Details TBA. Saturday, February 10, 2018
The MINNEAPOLIS screening of the sixth annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! At the Minneapolis Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall) in Pohlad Hall. On-site book sales by Addendum Books. 3-5 pm. More details TBA. February 23-24, 2018
The UTAH screenings of the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! More details TBA. Sunday, March 11, 2018
The CHICAGO screening of the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! At the Harold Washington branch of the Chicago Public Library. 1:30-3:30 pm. More details TBA. Saturday March 17, 2018
The OAKLAND, CA screening of the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! At the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library (5366 College Ave, Oakland, CA). On-site book sales by Books Inc.. 3:30 pm. More details TBA. Sunday, March 18, 2018
The SAN FRANCISCO screening of the seventh annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! At the San Francisco Public Library main branch (100 Larkin Street) in the Koret Auditorium. On-site book sales by Books Inc.. 4-6 pm. More details TBA.
I am interviewed by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal’s Fuse #8 blog. Check it out if you want to read about my opinions on Zork, my life in the convent, and why The Jeffersons is superior to Catcher in the Rye. Many in the comments section deem this the “Best. Interview. Ever.” Dare you disagree? I am interviewed by the lovely Senfaye on A Maze Of Books. Read it if you’re curious as to why I chose to end the interview by saying “I hate you”—and why when Senfaye asked “What’s your favorite food?” I replied “Your skull.” It’s scandalous! I am interviewed by Amy Alessio for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Read about my experiences as a junior high school science teacher—in particular, of how the entire faculty was mysteriously menaced by a obscene note-writing student known only as “The Foggy Wiener.” I also talk about my participation in Japan’s violent “Naked Man” Festival, and how I discovered the President of the ALA is a whimsical hobo. Order of Odd-Fish Week on Murphblog. Check out Paul Michael Murphy's monster five-part interview with me! Part One, the road to publication; Part Two, on writing; Part Three, I reveal the thing I will always find funny; Part Four, the "lightning round"; Part Five, a Create-Your-Own-Odd-Fish-Specialty contest (entries are in the comments section); and I judge the winner of the contest. I am interviewed by Melissa at the Book Nut blog. I talk about the difficulties of getting The Order of Odd-Fish published, my high school friend who was the inspiration for Jo, the idea of an “urban Narnia,” and the origin of the All-Devouring Mother character. Melissa also posted a glowing review here.
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. I founded a film festival in which kid filmmakers create weird short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. Now in its 6th year, it screens annually in 12 cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and many others! The movies the kids create are weird, funny, and impressive. Learn more about the film festival here.
It's a mixtape for The Order of Odd-Fish. Listen to a stream of the songs I chose for an imaginary "movie soundtrack" for Odd-Fish, and read why I chose them. Lots of different stuff: French ye-ye, Kinshasa street bands, pseudo-classical, puzzling blippity-bloopity music, and more.
Hoo man oh nelly, Jessica’s good! When I was first told that Audible was producing an audiobook for The Order of Odd-Fish, I kinda wanted to be the reader myself. Not anymore. Jessica nailed it. She’s a terrific actress, with a million voices and accents—how does she keep track of them all and keep them consistent? She did a much better job than I ever could’ve done. (I especially like her languid, flirtatious Aunt Lily.) Jessica’s comic delivery and timing makes me laugh out loud at my own book—which either means I’m an incredible narcissist, or that Jessica Almasy has got the goods. She’s got the goods!
In Part Five of Odd-Fish week, Paul proposes a contest: for you to make your own specialty for the Order of Odd-Fish! Prize is a personalized, autographed hardback of Odd-Fish from me, plus a CD of the Odd-Fish mix tape / soundtrack, and—Paul’s idea—if you’re a writer, a “first-pages” critique from me. (For what that’s worth!) Some contestants have already submitted their invented specialties in the comments section. The competition is stiff!
Thanks, Paul, for hosting such a fantastic Odd-Fish week on your blog! I’m looking forward to meeting you in real life.
Katie’s ending reveals that the bubble gum monster is a force of chaos who works for neither side. Probably impatient with the endless squabbling of both the moneymen and the strange ship monsters, he ties them all up, probably just to get them to calm down and talk reasonably about their problems. But the bubble gum monster learns that lone wolves are soon running dogs. The droid 5-0-6 saves the day with his inimitable style. But I’ll let Katie tell the story, with her great drawings and—wait a second! Is her bubble gum monster a cyclops—just like the moneyman whose shell was broken? Suddenly new levels of gnostic meaning open before me. WHAT ARE YOU TELLING ME, KATIE?! I have a feeling you’re toying with us all.
The bubble gum monster also figures prominently in Alex Hait’s ending. Alex is an extraordinary artist: the battle scene is marvelously unhinged, especially his many-limbed space ship. But I particularly love his bubble gum man, who grins maliciously as he wraps up Carziperes, Diploziperes, and Zarzit in a huge bubble (which also seems to make the monsters fall asleep). Look at his feral glare in the last frame. What does he intend to do with the three monsters now that they are wrapped up in his bubble? The story ends, and our imagination is left to supply the horrifying denouement. Alex, like Katie, realizes that some questions are better left unanswered.
