Please welcome author Julie Mata to GreenBeanTeenQueen! Her second book in the Kate Walden Directs series is Bride of Slug Man, is out this month!
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With rumors spreading in school and between sets, Kate finds herself juggling more than just call times and rewrites. And judging from the whispers Kate hears about Tristan Kingsley,she suspects that he isn't interested in having a fellow film-buff friend; he just wants to prove himself as the best filmmaker in school by winning the Big Picture Film Festival. Kate vows to enter too, and tries to focus on just making the best movie she can.
But between the cut throat popularity contest, a bully situation that goes from bad to worse, and several on-set mishaps, Kate is going to need all the movie magic she can get to make sure Bride of Slug Man hits the big screen.
Pluckyā¦not Perfect
by Julie Mata
Can I admit to a tiny pet peeve? Itās certain āmean girlā
and āmean boyā characters in childrenās books. You know the onesāeverything
they do and say is mean and their nasty behavior is usually aimed at the main character.
They appear to have no role other than to cause problems for the MC. In
contrast, the MC is the sympathetic āgood kidā who sometimes suffers from
terrible flaws like being too
generous or too concerned about their
friends and family.
Hereās my peeveāI raised two girls, hung out with a lot of
middle school-age kids, and none of them fit either of the āgood kid/bad kidā
descriptions. I saw nice kids who had bad days and said mean things, even to
their friends. I also saw kids whoāyesāwere more troubled, who had issues, but were
still capable of kindness, humor and friendship.
In other words, they were real kids. When I sat down to
write about Kate Walden, I wanted her to be a strong, likeable, funny
character, but I also wanted her to be real. In Kate Walden Directs: Bride of Slug Man, Kate has already finished
one movie to great acclaim. All the kids at school want to be in her next
project. Suddenly, a cute new boy shows up who also likes to make movies, and
they become rivals. Kate struggles with spiteful feelings. She makes bad
assumptions and nurses a grudge. Really,
couldnāt that be any of us on a bad day? Luckily, Kate learns from her
mistakes, which is what I think parents should hope forānot that our children
will be perfect āgood kids,ā because thatās a huge expectation to put on
anyone, but that they will learn from their stumbles and grow emotionally as
they grow physically.
Letās face itāmiddle school years can be tough. Innocent childhood
is receding and adulthood looms on the far horizon like a scary gray fog. Like
a lot of kids at that age, Kate worries about her social standing and what
other kids think of her, but sheās also a plucky girl whoās not afraid to
pursue a big dream. Hopefully, middle grade readers can relate to her character
and maybe even see some of themselves in her humorous antics and social
misfires.

Twitter: @juliehmata
Follow along on the Bride of Slug Man blog tour!
Monday, May 18
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GreenBeanTeenQueen
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Wed. May 20
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Once Upon a Story
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Thurs, May 21
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Read Now, Sleep Later
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Fri, May 22
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Curling Up with a Good Book
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Tues, May 27
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The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
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Wed, May 28
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BookHounds YA
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Thurs, May 29
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The Brain Lair
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Fri, May 30
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Kid Lit Frenzy
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Want to win a copies of the Kate Walden Directs books? Fill out the form below to enter!
-Contest thanks to Big Honcho Media and Disney-Hyperion Books
-One entry per person
-US Address only please
-Ages 13+
-Contest ends May 28
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