SHIFTY was chosen for VOYA'S Top Shelf Fiction, as a CCBC Choice, and a Smithsonian Notable.
What's it About?
SHIFTY is a contemporary young adult novel for ages 12 & up. Fifteen-year-old Shifty drives illegally, swipes court documents and lies to San Francisco police and social workers--all in an effort to stay out of trouble. Shifty parks in a handicapped zone and fast-talks his way out of a ticket by convincing the cop that an old homeless woman is his grandmother. He drives off without a ticket, but with a new pretend grandma in the back of his van. Now his younger foster sister has very opposing views of what to do with their new fake grandma. Both funny and tender, Shifty's misadventures touch on themes of resiliency, home, and lost and found family. And it all begins with a $275 burrito!
Lynn has a new young chapter book. THE AMAZING TRAIL OF SEYMOUR SNAIL. Take a look at the pics from her book launch party.
Dec. 5-7, 2008: Lynn was on faculty at Andrea Brown's Big Sur Children's Writers Workshop Dec. 5-7, 2008.
Dec. 12, 2008: Lynn taught a Free Writing Workshop at the Menlo Park Library for Ages 12 & up.
"Lynn's writing activities allowed our young writers to mine their memories for hidden treasures. Her friendly and engaging personality created an atmosphere of fun and encouragement. I wholeheartedly recommend Lynn Hazen as a Creative Writing Teacher for kids of all ages!" --Dee Ellmann, Children's Librarian, Menlo Park Library
Teachers and librarians, if you'd like to have Lynn come for a writing workshop for author visit, please check out Lynn's SHIFTY website at www.shiftythebook.com/teachers.html
SHIFTY book launch party--That was fun. Thanks for coming!
Lynn Hazen, the author of SHIFTY, and other books co-taught "Writing For Children & Young Adults" (A one-day overview) on Nov. 1 at Stanford Continuing Studies. She'll be teaching another course at Stanford Continuing in Spring 2009. Check back later at: http://continuingstudies.stanford.edu
What people are saying about Shifty
"Witty, fast, makes you think."
-- Sam, 16.
KIRKUS REVIEWS (Aug. 15, 2008):
"Nicknamed Shifty, Soli has had to use his survival skills for so long that he has a hard time leaving the streets behind when he lands in his new foster family. When he is confronted with the realization that his new foster mother actually trusts him, he has to decide whether to take advantage of her... Soli's good intentions are thwarted by both his own poor judgment and external trials. This combination of personal flaws and situational difficulties create a realistic story that resonates. Smart writing and an engaging narrative keep the story fresh, while an interesting plot will keep readers turning the pages. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
"Soli, aka 'Shifty,' survives by his wits. His 15-year-old narrator's voice will carry readers through this chronicle of four days in the lives of his San Francisco foster family ... Hazen (Mermaid Mary Margaret) creates fully formed characters here, and through Soli's narration, the audience witnesses firsthand his resourcefulness and rationalizations ... when a cop starts to issue a ticket, he conveniently finds an elderly lady in the shop whom he calls 'Mama' and who happily accepts a lift. Soli is out of a jam. Or is he? Hazen has a gift for turning humor into poignant situations devoid of sentiment ... the realistic relationships between the four foster family members, their ability to believe in each other in a world where each of them has already had more than their share of bad breaks and Soli's survivor-humor make these characters memorable."
-- SHELF AWARENESS (Jennifer M. Brown)
"In deceptively straightforward prose, author Lynn Hazen brings Shifty's San Francisco world to life on the page. Original, telling details, a compassionate eye, and Hazen's intuitive understanding of how love and trust can save us make SHIFTY a book to treasure."
--Alison McGhee, author of several novels and picture books, including #1 New York Times bestseller SOMEDAY
"... Written with heart and compassion, SHIFTY is a fun and fast-paced read. Readers will be rooting for Soli from page one, indignant at the judgmental people he is forced to put up with and sympathetic to the hardships that he is forced to endure. Lynn E. Hazen reveals a world that most readers could never have imagined, and Soli is an optimistic and courageous character that readers will identify with..."
--TEENS READ TOO (Reviewed by: Amber Gibson)
Rating: 5 Stars
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
"...the characters have warmth, and readers will feel empathy for this makeshift family."
--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (Reviewed by Nichole King)
The Author of Shifty:
Lynn E. Hazen writes books filled with humor, heart and hope. Her middle grade novel, Mermaid Mary Margaret, was hailed “a winner” by Kirkus Reviews. Lynn’s books for younger readers include Buzz Bumble to the Rescue, Cinder Rabbit and The Amazing Trail of Seymour Snail. She earned an M.A. in Education and graduated from Vermont College with an M.F.A. in Writing For Children and Young Adults. Shifty is her first young adult novel.
Find out more about Lynn, her inspiration for writing Shifty, discussion guides, upcoming events and more at: www.ShiftyTheBook.com
You can read the opening chapter there, too. Thanks for taking a look.
Who I'd like to meet: Readers, teachers, librarians, writers of YA and children's books, booksellers, reviewers, bloggers and... am I missing anyone?
Of course I'd like to know what you think of my book.
I'm new here at My Space and I think if your profile is set to private and you want to comment--you might need to friend me first. Speaking of friends...
If you see Wired, could you tell him I'm looking for him?
Shifty is being published in Australia, too.
Take a look at the cool Shifty tag created by Bruno Herfst, the designer at Allen & Unwin (the Australian publisher of SHIFTY). They used it in the layout of the half title page inside the book. They made a different cover too.
If you'd like to order the Australian SHIFTY, please click on the link below:
You will also find a wonderful, free downloadable "Teacher's Notes" on the Allen & Unwin site. For the same Teacher's Notes/Curriculum & Discussion Guide with page numbers cited corresponding to the American version of SHIFTY, please download the free pdf from www.ShiftyTheBook.com/teachers.html.
Many thanks to Dr. Susan La Marca for creating such a thoughtful discussion guide (and to Allen & Unwin for permission to make it available for educational use).
Please visit www.ShiftyTheBook.com/teachers.html for more activities. And teachers, if you have any curriculum ideas to share about using SHIFTY with middle school or high school students, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks,
Lynn
Shifty is being published in Australia, too.
Take a look at the cool Shifty tag created by Bruno Herfst, the designer at Allen & Unwin (the Australian publisher of SHIFTY). They used it in the layout of the half title page inside the book. They made a different cover too.
