The Florid Sword

This week, your librarian read chapters 29-34 of North! Or Be Eaten. This excerpt is another great one to read aloud. The Florid Sword, that mysterious swashbuckler, has some pompously magnificent monologue. Grab a friend and subject them to a rousing performance. And if you're feeling inspired, make Andrew a Florid Sword comic book drawing (or oil painting) and send it to him; I bet it'd make his day.

The Florid Sword leapt from the roof of the cobbler’s building, bounced off the canopy, flipped through the air, and landed graceful as a cat behind Sneem. He wore a black cape, black boots, and black gloves, and had black hair that hung to his shoulders. Everything about him was black as coal, including his mask. The whites of his eyes shone. He thrust his narrow sword and put a grisly end to the Fang. Janner caught the white flash of his teeth when the man smiled.“To be sure, Sneem, thou fiend, the Florid Sword hath run you through like unto a bolt of iron lightning piercing the watery depths of the Mighty Blapp, may she run wide and muddy all the days of mine own life! Flayed by my blade! Aha!”Glag sputtered in outrage from the tower platform. The Florid Sword spun, and his cape whooshed in a graceful circle. He unslung a bow from his shoulder, notched an arrow, and let it fly. First there was a thonk, then a moan, then the sound of Glag’s body crashing through the roof of the boathouse.“And thou!” cried the Florid Sword as he slung his bow over his shoulder again and glared at the hole in the roof. “Glag, the fallen foul fool! Fah!” He straightened and flourished his cape, then yanked his blade from Sneem’s limp body and wiped it on a patch of the creature’s leather armor.Podo, Tink, and Janner never moved. All three of their mouths hung open. Janner made out a bright red symbol on the front of the man’s black shirt. An F and an S curled and swooped like thorny vines across his chest....“What was that all about?” Tink asked.“The Florid Sword,” Podo said with admiration. “Never heard of him.”—From chapter 31, "In the Alley of the Roundish Widow."
Did you have a favorite excerpt from this week's reading—or from anywhere else in the series? Share it in the comments!Thoughts? Questions? Crazy speculations? Come on over to the forum and strike up a conversation! 

An interview with Brock Eastman

You may have caught Andrew's Family Fiction interview a few months back, but the interviewer, author Brock Eastman, just posted a fuller version of that interview on his website. Click here to read some little-known details about the Igiby kids, Andrew's reaction to your reaction to the end of the series, his writing soundtracks, and how faith and light and darkness and music all coalesce into one epic story. Thanks for a great interview, Brock.And May the Fourth be with you.

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 29-34 in North! Or Be Eaten. Join us on Friday for an excerpt—and to share one of your own.

By the Light of the Hanger Moon

This week we read chapters 22-28 of North! Or Be Eaten. Here's my favorite excerpt. Read it aloud. Try to picture Claxton's filthy brown snake-beard and the flashing whites of his eyes in his dirty face, and Podo's arched eyebrow and steely gaze. And while you read, growl a little.

The leader turned to his clan and raised his voice. “Stranders!”“Of the East Bend!” they answered.“Quick hands! Long beards!” he cried.“And sharp daggers!”“No law!” shouted the leader.“No law!” They raised their cups and roared with laughter.“Now then, clan,” the man said, raising a hand, “it’s time we got to know our new friends. My name is Claxton Weaver. I’m a thief, a wanderer, and a swinger of steel. I don’t like Fangs, I don’t like strangers, and I don’t like rules. These are my people, and this is my camp, and we’d just as soon toss ye into the river as let ye have another scrap of our meat. So you’d better think of somethin’ that ye have or somethin’ you can do for me that’ll help me understand why I should let ye keep breathin’.”The Stranders’ good cheer vanished, and they scowled at the family. Oskar stopped midchew and looked up at the man. Leeli, Nia, and Janner froze as well. The only sound was Tink’s lips smacking as he ate his meat, aware of nothing but his hungry belly.Podo considered the man for a moment and said, “Aye. Well. We’ve got food. We’ve got weapons, as you can see. I’m willin’ to let ye have the lot of it if you let us go safe and hale, Claxton Weaver.” Then the old pirate’s voice deepened and his nostrils flared like a mad horse’s. “But if you decide that’s not enough, then ye need to know that my name’s Podo Helmer, and I roved the Strand before you were born, with the likes of Growlfist and the Pounders. Don’t look so surprised, laddie. I crept the West Redoubt with Yule Borron by the light of the Hanger Moon. I’ve sailed the Mighty Blapp a hundred times, from here to the edge of the map, and I can fight with hands, teeth, and even me eyebrows if it comes to it. Do you understand what I’m sayin’?”Claxton Weaver stood aghast, his face so wretched and alarming that even Tink stopped chewing his meat. Nia pulled Leeli close. Janner’s body tensed, and he wished his sword were at hand because he feared he would soon need it. The Stranders around the fire sat still as stone....Claxton’s eyes flitted to Janner and Tink, then Oskar, considering Podo’s threat. “Ye crept the West Redoubt?” he asked. “Really?”“By the light of the Hanger Moon.”—From chapter 22, "The Stranders of the East Bend
What was your favorite excerpt this week? Whether it was from the book club reading or another section, share it in the comments!This week in the forum, we've been talking about names, making decisions, and what Andrew might write next. There are a ton of other great topics just waiting for you to discover them, too. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

The Right Kind of Tears

Last Monday, while we were reading about Nugget the brave, a pastor in Sioux City was writing an article about that very passage (chapter 15). Leeli and Nugget reminded him of his daughter's first experience with grief. His article is wise and tender-hearted, and I commend it to you.Thanks, Pastor Kevin, for sharing your musings on sadness and hope.

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 22-28 of North! Or Be Eaten. Join us on Friday for an excerpt, and to share a favorite snippet of your own.

Is it worth it?

This week's reading—chapters 15-21—included so much deep emotion. Nugget and the dragons woke up wells of grief and remorse and longing which spilled out all over the pages. It was so hard to pick an excerpt this week—but here's this one. Oh, beautiful ache.

He was only twelve, but he knew enough to realize that the way before him would be hard. Is it worth it? he asked himself. Was it worth losing his old life in order to learn the truth of who he was and who he was becoming?Yes.Like the pluck of a stringed instrument, the first edge of the sun broke loose and poured light over the world.—From chapter 18, "Old Wounds and New Healing"
Was there a passage from this week's reading that spoke to you? Please share it with us! And as always, feel free to post an excerpt from elsewhere if you're reading at a different pace.p.s. Stop by the forum before you go. :-) We'd love to hang out with you awhile.

Scarorn the Cloven

Here is a fearsome combination of man and bull. Emmett discovered him wandering the Blackwood and learned that his name is Scarorn.Emmett, thanks so much for braving the Blackwood to bring us this drawing!Scarorn the cloven

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 15-21 of North! Or Be Eaten. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own!ps. Andrew's been lurking about the forum again... can you spot him? There's a new thread in the Book 2 forum as well. Stop by and join the fun!

Fierce affection

Dear readers, this week's excerpt includes a wee spoiler. The farther we get into the series, the harder it is to avoid them. If you're brand-new here, though, we don't want you to feel like you're on the outside. You're welcome here. I will try not to post too many spoilers.But I love this passage.

It was at this moment that Peet the Sock Man leapt from the rim of the gully at top speed, his arms spread wide like wings. Janner watched his uncle with awe.His socks had long since fallen away in shreds, cut to pieces by the talons at the ends of his reddish forearms. Peet’s white hair trailed behind him; one of his eyebrows lay flat and low, the other arched like a curl of smoke; and in Peet’s eyes blazed a single purpose: Protect. Protect. Protect.What struck Janner most about his uncle in this moment was not the graceful leap through the air or the deadly, mysterious talons, but that amidst all the danger and panic, Artham P. Wingfeather’s gaze was fixed on him with what Janner knew to be a fierce affection.There in the gully of the gargan rockroach, with toothy cows below and Fangs of Dang approaching, Janner felt safe.—From chapter 8, "A Thorn of Contempt."
Do you have a favorite paragraph or so that you'd like to share with us? The above is from this week's reading (chapters 8-14), but you're welcome to share something from another part of the series if you like.We're looking forward to meeting you—be sure to stop by the forum for some tea and discussion. :-) 

A family portrait

Hannah sent in this great drawing of Podo, Nia, Leeli, Kalmar, Janner, and Artham. There's so much personality in their faces and postures. And Hannah, those wings are gorgeous. Guys, can you imagine Artham flying into battle, dual-wielding longswords? Awesome.The Wingfeather Family

This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 8-14 of North! Or Be Eaten. Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share a favorite scene of your own! 

The stories are true.