Cover Reveal for Skeleton Tree by Kim Ventrella

Happy Wednesday, Kim Ventrella! Welcome to Watch. Connect. Read.! Thank you for dropping by to reveal the cover for your debut novel and to finish my sentences.

  

Thanks for having me, Mr. Schu. I love your blog, and I’m SUPER excited to be here!

I am super excited that you're here today. Congratulations! 

Skeleton Tree’s cover has everything I could have asked for: whimsy, mystery and one super snazzy skeleton. I love all of the details around the edges, like the spade, the camera and the watering can. Secret: Stanly uses all of these items in the story when he’s uncovering the bones. My favorite part of the cover is probably Miren’s smile. It’s so mischievous!

Stanly and Miren are a typical brother and sister, in that they don’t always get along. Miren can be super annoying, like when she messes up Stanly’s stuff or ruins his plans, but, in the end, Stanly would do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

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I wrote Skeleton Tree sitting cross-legged in a dog bed, while my dog sat on the couch looking over my shoulder. It’s true, I’m not a huge fan of chairs, especially the ones that you can’t sit cross-legged in. I started with a question, “What would happen if a boy discovered a finger bone growing in his backyard?,” and I went on from there. Pretty quickly the story took me in places I wasn’t expecting, but that’s the beauty of writing. It’s like uncovering an ancient fossil inch by inch. You never know what you’re going to get until the very end.

On September 26, 2017, Skeleton Tree will be released!!! I will probably celebrate by kissing my dog on the mouth, eating fancy chocolates and sneaking into bookstores so I can spy on my book.

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Libraries are doorways to magical worlds. And, the best part is that anyone can go through them. There are no walls, no restrictions, no cost. Like the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, children can step inside and be transported by the power of story. And stories are more important now than ever. They provide escape, understanding and the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what you love most about middle grade literature. Great question! I love the fact that middle grade stories address important issues, but always with a big dose of whimsy, wonder and heart.

Look for Skeleton Tree on September 26, 2017.