Janet Fox

Oct 22, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Janet Fox |Soman Chainani |Iacopo Bruno |Louis Sachar

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied. Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school.

Jun 11, 2024 | janefriedman.com | Janet Fox |Jane Friedman

Today’s post is by author and book coach Janet S Fox. Let me just start with: I do not condemn “telling.” There’s a place for it in every story, and that’s mainly in the interstices between scenes. But there’s a reason we must show things when we are in scene and not tell: readers attach to clear actions and emotions. And that’s key to pulling the reader into your story.