by David Lubar
Tanks for Your Contribution
I love visiting aquariums. Soon after I went to the amazing one in Boston, this idea came to me. I think it might actually have been inspired by the remoras, even though they don’t suck blood, and by seeing signs for upcoming exhibits. I’ll admit I thought about having the kid end up as fish food. And I’ll bet some of you expected that, as you read the story. But I gave him a break.
The Girl Who Covered Her Face
The ending came from my “what if” file. The idea of unbearable beauty then led me to think about famous faces. After I seized on Helen of Troy, the rest fell right into place. It almost didn’t make the collection. I wasn’t sure whether the story was just a bit too dark and disturbing for a Weenies book, since there are many younger readers in my audience. (If you’re one of my older readers, and able to handle disturbing stories, I put the tales that are definitely not suitable for the Weenies books into a collection called Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge.) I also contemplated an even darker ending, where she tries to destroy her face, but it didn’t feel right.
Lucidity
Like Cole, I’d read an article about lucid dreaming. That gave me the basic idea for the story. I thought it would be fun to write about a kid who gets obsessed with trying to know when he is dreaming. Unlike Cole, I don’t have terrible friends who play pranks on me. But I have the sort of mind that thinks up pranks (even though I don’t play them on my friends), so that gave me the idea for the ending. Speaking of which, the final line, where Benjie flies off (implying Cole is actually dreaming), was a last-minute addition. Until then, the story ended with the fairly weak and unsatisfying line, “Cole had a feeling the nightmare was just beginning.” As I was looking for a better line about Cole, the idea to have Benjie fly off hit me. I hope that wasn’t too much of a leap.
Bangs in Your Eyes
The beginning and the ending came to me pretty much together. (This is rare. If I know the opening, it usually takes a bit of thought, or a bit of writing, before I know the ending. And if I know the ending, I have to think a while before I know how things should start.) In this case, the idea of exploding faces and the actual explosion of the calculator arrived on the same bus.
The Talk
This story was born of my own hazy memories. I recall a day when the girls were called to the auditorium, to get a talk about things that applied only to them. I don’t know if schools still do that. As I was putting together the collection, I was a bit worried that this story might be seen as implying that only the boys were lectured about becoming adults. That was definitely not my intention. For that matter, I have no idea what the girls in this story were told. And I’m happy to keep it that way.
Same Bird
My friend Josh, who likes to read my stories to his kids when they go camping, told me the following anecdote:
After reading your stories by the campfire, we all took a hike the following morning. My son kept finding feathers and collecting them, each time announcing “same bird.” I said “This feels like a Weenies story. A boy is walking along finding feathers that he thinks are all from the same bird. As he continues, he finds a beak, a foot, etc. Eventually the bird reconstitutes in his hands and flies away.” To which my daughter added, “But first he pecks out the boy’s eyes.”
That’s the sort of moment that would make any parent proud. Interestingly enough, I had an idea in my “what if” file about a kid on a hike who sees a dead bird, and then, a moment later, sees an identical one. But I liked this version better. As you can see, I gave it a slightly darker spin. I hope Avi and Isabel approve.
Haunting Your Thoughts
This came straight out of my files. “What if a house was haunted in a way where it did whatever each person living there feared the most?” (Some of my what-ifs are fairly long and rather specific, like this one, while others are a lot shorter.) I like to scatter classic horror forms throughout these books. I’ve written plenty of ghost stories, and I’ve touched on most of the other traditional monsters, as well. But a while back, I realized that I’d never written a haunted-house story. The what-if came to me when I was looking for an idea to fill this gap.
Differnet Explorer
Fairly often, when I try to type “different,” I end up typing “differnet.” The typo struck me as an interesting word. I realized it could mean a different type of Internet. Which led me to write about an Internet that is mostly far too familiar, but also different in one mind-numbing way that will make your head spin.
Healed
I’m not sure where the idea came from. I also wasn’t sure whether to use the story. It’s tricky writing about sick kids. But I’ve also heard from a lot of kids who’ve told me my stories helped them get through a tough time (as well as several adults who let me know they’d read my books while undergoing serious medical treatments), so I decided to take a chance.
Stunt Your Growth
When I see kids running around a mall, my first instinct is to trip them. I can’t do that, of course. It would be wrong, and mean, and I’d get in trouble. But I can throw one of them down a cliff in a story. That feels even better.
Urban Girl
There are all sorts of urban legends and campfire stories about ghosts who appear to travelers and then disappear right after the traveler brings the ghost back home. I took that basic idea and combined it with the question, “what if an urban legend met another urban legend?” This is a very rich playing field for stories.
The Principle of Discipline
It is sometimes difficult for a school to get rid of a bully. Naturally, I thought about what would happen if a principal decided to make it easy to get rid of them. I’m often asked why I write about bullies. The answer is simple. Stories require conflict. (At least, the sort of stories I like to write.) Bullies are definitely a source of conflict. If you want to read a book that tells the story from the viewpoint of both the bullies and the victims, check out my novel Flip. It’s a lot of fun.
Fwosty
As I look for new ideas for stories for these collections, I’m always searching for areas I haven’t explored. I’ve written plenty of vampire stories, and I plan to write plenty more, because they are such a great subject, but I also like treading new ground. That’s why, as I mentioned above, I wrote a haunted-house story. I was thinking about that one day, when I realized I wanted to write about a killer snowman. I might also have been influenced by those great Calvin and Hobbes snowman cartoons that are wonderfully dark and twisted.
Serves You Right
I guess I was looking at the children’s items on a menu when this idea hit me. It’s hard not to notice that kids usually get stuck with the same three or four things while the adults get tons of choices. I suspect the half-clever names they give those foods on the menu don’t make them taste any better. And, in case you’re wondering, I’m just as bad as the dad in the story. I don’t like to stop once I’m on the road.
Blood Donors
In one of my first chapter books, The Vanishing Vampire, the main character discovers he not only can turn himself into a bat but he can also become a swarm of insects. I think this was on my mind when the idea for “Blood Donors” hit me. I like how this one starts out as one character’s struggle but ends on a much larger scale.
Abra-ca-Deborah
As I mentioned earlier, I was a magic geek in my youth. I even participated in several competitions. I didn’t win first place, but I guess the judges felt sorry for me because they gave me a special trophy for humor. Unfortunately, there is a bias in magic, as there is in many areas, against women. As the father of a brilliant and amazing daughter, I am a huge fan and supporter of talented young ladies. The original “what if” idea was “what if a witch had a passion for stage magic?” The idea to put her in a competition sprung naturally from that, given my own experiences.
The Quilty Clown
As I mentioned earlier, these Weenies collections give me great freedom to expe
riment in all sorts of ways. I decided it would be interesting to try to write a story from the viewpoint of an infant. As for the quilted clown, someone gave my daughter one when she was very little. (It went right into a closet.) And I know a lot of people find clowns scary or creepy. (I’ve explored this in other stories, such as “Mr. HooHaa!” from The Curse of the Campfire Weenies.) Making the viewpoint character so young was a great exercise. I felt the story was scary enough to earn the coveted position as the closer for the collection.
* * *
So, this is my eighth collection. The Weenies books, all together, contain more than 250 stories. Yikes. That’s a lot. I feel extremely fortunate that I can share my stories with the world. I’m pretty sure there will be another collection or two (thanks to you, my readers, who’ve played a large part in making these books so popular). But I want to take my time, catch my breath, and give my inner artist a chance to daydream and dawdle. So it might be a while before you see number nine. Meanwhile, if you’ve read all eight Weenies collections and are eager for more of my work, please check out my other books. Some of them are also pretty warped and creepy.
READING AND ACTIVITY GUIDE
Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
Ages 9–12; Grades 4–7
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
The questions and activities that follow are intended to enhance your reading of Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies, the eighth book in David Lubar’s popular anthology series. The guide has been developed in alignment with the Common Core State Standards; however, please feel free to adapt this content to suit the needs and interests of your students or reading group participants.
WRITING AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
I. Short Storytime
A. Go to the library or search online to find a definition of short story as a literary form.
(Hint: visit http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/litweb10/glossary/S.aspx.) Make a list of authors considered to be masters of this genre. With friends or classmates, discuss favorite short stories you have read.
B. Start a reading journal for Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies. For each story you read, use the journal to record some or all of the following:
• The main idea or concept of the story.
• A description of the main character.
• Favorite quotations.
• Situations in which the main character is in crisis and what advice readers might offer.
• New vocabulary words and/or a list of invented words.
• Sketches inspired by the novels.
• Questions readers would like to ask the author or characters from the novels.
II. Warped Wordplay and Paranormal Poetry
A. Go to the library or search online to find definitions for the following types of literary wordplay: Spoonerism, anagram, portmanteau word, and pun. Create a list or diagram of stories from the Bleacher Weenies collection that employ each of these types of wordplay.
B. The story “Parasites” begins with a real childhood rhyme which the author interprets in a creepy new way. Write down a familiar nursery rhyme, jump roping chant, or ditty sung to you by a parent or grandparent. Then, write 15–20 words or phrase expanding or reinterpreting this rhyme in a warped and creepy way.
C. In 1845, acclaimed writer of macabre poems and stories, Edgar Allan Poe, published one of his most famous works, “The Raven,” which begins with the lines:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Use your imagination to write a creepy ending to this verse. Then, go to the library or search online to read Poe’s finished poem.
(Hint: visit http://www.poemuseum.org/works-raven.php.) Compare Poe’s first stanza with yours, and with the first stanzas completed by friends or classmates. Discuss how this exercise gives you insights into creativity and imagination.
D. “Dominant Species” is a story about sand, a seemingly dull topic. How does the author use wordplay to make dry scientific facts creepily exciting? Think of a word that seems boring to you. Try anagramming the word or employing another type of wordplay until you come up with an exciting way to write a short story on this topic. Write a paragraph describing your story.
E. Go to the library or search online to find a definition of the literary term point of view and its subcategories limited, omniscient, first-person, second-person, and third-person. What viewpoints does David Lubar use in the book? What types of narrators (adult, child, human, nonhuman) does he employ? Select one story from the collection and rewrite the first page from a different viewpoint than the one used by the author. Do you find this exercise easy or difficult? Write a short essay explaining why choosing the point of view is an important task for authors and why this might be particularly critical for writers of scary stories.
WRITING STORIES: THE BIGGER PICTURE
A. A feature that makes the Weenie anthologies special is the author’s notes which follow the stories. David Lubar offers insights into his story inspirations and how he grows each idea into a complete tale. Among Lubar’s favorite story starters are the words, “What if…?” Make a list of 6–12 “What if” sentences of your own. Circle the two sentences you feel show the most potential for turning into a short story. If desired, write the complete story.
B. In his April 1848 essay for Graham’s Magazine, “The Philosophy of Composition” (pp. 163–167), writer Edgar Allan Poe wrote: “There is a radical error, I think, in the usual mode of constructing a story … I prefer commencing with the consideration of an effect.” Write a short essay explaining what you feel Poe means, and whether you believe David Lubar would agree or disagree with this statement and why.
C. In his afterword, David Lubar discusses the particular challenges of two stories: “Healed” (“It’s tricky writing about sick kids”) and “The Quilty Clown” (“Making the viewpoint character so young was a great exercise”). Write down several topics or viewpoints that might present particular writing challenges to you. Challenge yourself to write the opening paragraph for one of those stories.
D. Make a five-columned chart with the following headings: Supernatural; Dreams and Mind Games; Greed and Selfishness; Creepy Creatures; Parents and Kids. Write the title of each Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies story in the column (or columns) that describe their key themes or features. Do most titles fall into one or into multiple categories? Do you think there should be additional columns in the chart and how might you title them? How does this exercise help you better understand David Lubar’s process of creating a creepy story anthology?
E. David Lubar chose “Bleacher Weenies,” but which story would you choose to headline this collection? Design a new cover for this Weenies book based on your selection. Would you also change the order of the stories? Write a short explanation for your choices. Include a revised table of contents noting your revised story organization. (Hint: If you have kept a reading journal per exercise 1.b, above, it might be a helpful reference.)
F. The story “Same Bird” was inspired by a story a friend told the author. Have you had a curious, funny, or scary experience that might make a fantastic story starter? Write a letter to David Lubar, describing your experience and why you think it might serve as inspiration for a story in a ninth Weenies collection.
Supports Common Core State Standards: W.4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1; W.4.3, 5.3, 6.3, 7.3; SL.4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1; SL.4.4, 5.4, 6.4, 7.4; RL.4.1–4, 5.1–4, 6.1–4, 7.1–4; RL. 4.6, 5.6, 6.6, 7.6.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Strikeout of the Bleacher Weenies is David Lubar’s eighth Weenie story collection. Have you read other Lubar anthologies, or other story collections? Have you read other scary books? Did you begin reading this book with certain expectations? Explain your answer.
3. In “Swing Round,” Sarah tells her friends, “It’s okay to lie in the name of science.” Is this true? Do you think the author is making a larger point about scientific behaviors in the real world? In what other stories do a lack of research, ill-preparedness or idle curiosity cause scary results?
4. “Frozen in Time” and “Two Timers” are time-travel tales. Compare and contrast these stories in terms of the method of time travel, the characters’ attitudes toward being able to time travel, and the results of their time-travel journey. Would you like to try time travel? Why or why not?
5. In “A Word or Two About These Stories” at the back of the book, David Lubar admits to being a “magic geek” as a kid. Do you think this admission adds insight into your reading of “All the Tricks” and “Abra-ca-Deborah”? Do you have a hobby or special interest about which you would like to write a short story? What element of your obsession would you be certain to include in your tale?
6. “EnDANGERed” and “Urban Girl” feature supernatural characters. In what ways does the author challenge traditional views of demons? Are the demons in these stories good or bad?
