The Class System

This week Publishers Weekly took note of "the Class of 2k7," a grass-roots movement of writers whose first novels for young people debut next year. They're hoping that as a group they can gain marketing and review attention that debut novelists don't usually enjoy.

I was ahead of the curve on this news, but only because I'm in writers' groups with the 2k7 class president, Greg Fishbone (The Penguins of Doom), and member Karen L. Day (Tall Tales).

So today I pondered the question: What do those two middle-grade novels have in common? They both have young female narrators, they're both contemporary, and...they'll both be printed on paper. That's about it. 2k7 is a very diverse class.