SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: NATSUMI’S SONG OF SUMMER
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: robertpaulweston.com
CITY: London, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 332
www.zorgamazoo.com http://www.writersunion.ca/ww_profile.asp?mem=2012&L=
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Dover, England; immigrated to Canada; married Mariko Weston (a theatrical set designer and artist).
EDUCATION:University of British Columbia, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Presenter at schools.
MEMBER:Writers’ Union of Canada, Society of Authors, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators & Performers, National Association of Writers in Education.
AWARDS:Journey Prize nomination, 2005; Fountain Award nomination for Speculative Literature, 2005; E.B. White Read-Aloud Honour designation, 2009; Silver Birch Award, 2010; California Young Reader Medal and Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination, Mystery Writers of America, both 2011; Deutscher Jugendbuchpreis (German Youth Book Prize) nomination, 2013.
WRITINGS
Author of television scripts for Powerpuff Girls Z (animated series), produced by Cartoon Network, 2006-07. Contributor to periodicals, including Crimewave, Postcripts, New Orleans Review, and On Spec.
Zorgamazoo was adapted for audiobook, read by Alan Cumming, Penguin Audio, 2011.
SIDELIGHTS
Canadian writer Robert Paul Weston attracted critical attention with his first book-length work, the whimsically titled children’s novel Zorgamazoo. A graduate of the University of British Columbia’s M.A. program in creative writing, Weston received award nominations for several of his short stories for adults, and in Booklist Ian Chipman cited his fiction debut as “a natural descendant” of the works of Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl, writers known for their eccentric approach to writing for children.
Illustrated by Spanish artist Victor Rivas Villa, Zorgamazoo follows an imaginative girl’s amazing adventures as she escapes her home and explores the tunnels running below through the surface of the Earth, where she meets the inhabitants of a secret underground city and ultimately travels to the moon. A classic picture-book heroine, Katrina Katrell is bereft of parents and currently in the care of a detestable relative. Joining Katrina is Morty the zorgle, a shy creature searching for his missing brother. The two companions must choose a side in the battle between the magical and the mundane after they discover a plan to extricate all whimsy from the world.
In Booklist, Chipman cited Weston’s use of “bouncing, fanciful rhymes” in telling the “atmospheric” tale in Zorgamazoo. Quill & Quire critic Ciabh McEvenue noted the book’s “Seussian language and at-times challenging wordplay.” Zorgamazoo is “written in a form virtually unseen since the days of epic poetry,” wrote Horn Book critic Shoshana Flax, the reviewer citing Weston’s “well-constructed” story with its “fully realized characters and plenty of humor.” Recommending the illustrated novel to children who “enjoy a little nonsense,” School Library Journal reviewer Laurie Slagenwhite added that Zorgamazoo is salted with “suspense and dashes of humor.”
Weston and Villa also teamed up on Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, another zany tale told in verse form. Puggly is a commoner from the Land of Spud who is chosen for a token prominent role at the Centenary Ball of the Kingdom of Spiff. The ball will be a major event in fashion-conscious Spiff, whose residents are obsessed with appearances, unlike the more relaxed Spudites. Although Spiffers are intensely competitive and extravagant, their princess Francesca prefers comfy clothes and reading to shopping and showing off. When both the princess and Puggly are ridiculed on the night of the ball, they leave the party in shame, but later team up to concoct a clever revenge.
“Weston’s climax is as tidy as his verse,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer in appraising Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the narrative as “presented in couplets that use a full range … of fanciful fonts and typography strange.” Kathleen Isaacs, writing in Booklist, gave Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff satisfactory marks. She suggested that Weston’s “couplets beg to be read aloud” in a “playful language and satisfying story [that] have extensive middle-grade appeal.”
Weston’s self-illustrated Dust City is a longer, more intricate story populated with multiple figures from European folklore. Its young protagonist-hero is Henry Whelp, the son of the Big Bad Wolf. Because his father has been wrongfully imprisoned as a result of the Little Red Riding Hood affair, Henry is in foster care. Sympathetic Jack—of Jack and the Magic Beanstalk fame—loans him some special beans that help Henry make his escape. In the course of exonerating his father, the younger wolf discovers that an evil corporation is plotting to unleash a genetically modified fairy dust that will cause all walking, talking animal-beings to revert to their primitive state.
In Dust City “Weston has created an amalgam of fairytale familiars,” remarked Melissa Moore in her Voice of Youth Advocates review, adding that the story’s “fast-paced plot keeps things moving.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor characterized the tale as “a noir caper with racial overtones” into which “Weston deftly tucks his fairy-tale tropes.” School Library Journal reviewer Beth L. Meister thought that Henry’s quest to both clear his father’s name and alert the public is plausible. “Its urgency and obvious parallels to real drugs ring true in spite of the imagined setting and characters,” observed Meister.
Weston published Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms in 2018. Springtime is young Sakura’s favorite season because the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. She particularly loves it when her grandmother, Obaachan, tells her stories while sitting underneath the cherry trees. Almost abruptly, Sakura and her family move from Japan to America, leaving Obaachan behind. This move presents new problems for Sakura, including learning a new language and making new friends. Eventually, Sakura makes friends with Luke, who teaches her many things and helps her adapt to her new life.
Booklist contributor Amina Chaudhri described the story as both “thoughtful” and “heartwarming.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated that “Weston addresses the difficulty of moving to a new country and the loss of a loved one with warmth and compassion.” A contributor to Publishers Weekly noticed that Saburi’s illustrations, styled with “sweet, doll-headed figures” and a “toylike landscape,” resemble Japanese woodblock prints. The same reviewer found Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms to be a “wistful, low-key tale.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2008, Ian Chipman, review of Zorgamazoo, p. 98; November 1, 2010, Ian Chipman, review of Dust City, p. 63; February 15, 2013, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, p. 79; January 1, 2018, Amina Chaudhri, review of Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms, p. 105.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 1, 2010, review of Dust City, p. 155; April 1, 2013, Kate Quealy-Gainer, review of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, p. 397.
Canadian Review of Materials, September 12, 2008, Myra Junyk, review of Zorgamazoo; January 3, 2014, Susie Wilson, review of Blues for Zoey.
Horn Book, November 1, 2008, Shoshana Flax, review of Zorgamazoo, p. 717.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2008, review of Zorgamazoo; October 1, 2010, review of Dust City; December 1, 2012, review of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff; October 15, 2013, review of The Creature Department; December 15, 2017, review of Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms.
Publishers Weekly, December 10, 2012, review of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, p. 62; November 27, 2017, review of Sakura’s Cherry Blossoms, p. 59.
Quill & Quire, October 1, 2008, Ciabh McEvenue, review of Zorgamazoo.
School Library Journal, January 1, 2009, Laurie Slagenwhite, review of Zorgamazoo, p. 122; February 1, 2011, Beth L. Meister, review of Dust City, p. 121; April 1, 2013, Erica Thorsen Payne, review of Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, p. 146.
Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2010, Melissa Moore, review of Dust City.
ONLINE
Robert Paul Weston website, http://robertpaulweston.com (May 17, 2018).*
BIO/CONTACT
I was born in Dover, England, but did most of my growing up in Canada, in a small burg called Georgetown, Ontario. Since then, I’ve spent time living in Canada, the US, Japan, Switzerland, and the UK (which is where I’m writing this).
Once upon a time, my father was an immigration officer at the Dover-to-Calais hoverport. I like this because it implies there was a time when we thundered around in giant amphibious cruise ships. Also, I like the word “hoverport.”
I have been employed in a host of strange occupations, all of which I eventually eschewed in order to tell stories for a living. Or try. Included among my oddest jobs are: editor with a small-press literary magazine (odder than it sounds); trampolinist (not as odd as it sounds); dub-script writer for imported Japanese cartoons (odd). There have been a lot of parenthetical asides in this paragraph.
Now for my best shot at professionalism. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. I’ve published short fiction in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. My stories that have been nominated for the Journey Prize and the Fountain Award for Speculative Literature. Enough of this.
I live in London, England with my far more talented wife.
If you’d like to contact me, you can Twitter at me any time you like. You can also find me (less frequently) on Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook.
For rights inquires, please contact my literary agency, Westwood Creative Artists.
Robert Paul Weston
Rob is the author of the award-winning children's novel, Zorgamazoo. In previous lives, he has been a trampolinist, a lifeguard, a computer programmer, a script reader, a production coordinator, an English teacher, the editor of a small-press literary magazine, and a dub-script writer for imported cartoons.
Genres: Urban Fantasy
New Books
May 2020
(hardback)
Natsumi's Song of Summer
Series
Creature Department
1. The Creature Department (2013)
2. Gobbled by Ghorks (2014)
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Novels
Zorgamazoo (2008)
Dust City (2010)
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff (2013)
Blues for Zoey (2014)
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Picture Books
Sakura's Cherry Blossoms (2018)
Natsumi's Song of Summer (2020)
Robert Paul Weston is the author of several internationally award-winning books for children and young adults, including Zorgamazoo, Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff, The Creature Department, and Sakura's Cherry Blossoms. He lives in London, England and can be found on Twitter @rpWeston or at his website, www.RobertPaulWeston.com.
Robert Paul Weston
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Robert Paul Weston
Born 21 October 1975 (age 44)
Dover, England
Occupation Writer
Nationality British/Canadian
Genre Young adult fiction, short stories
Notable works Zorgamazoo
Website
robertpaulweston.com
Robert Paul Weston (born 21 October 1975) is a British-born Canadian children's writer. His debut was the award-winning novel-in-verse, Zorgamazoo. His short fiction has appeared in literary journals in Canada, the UK and the United States.
His second novel, a dark fantasy for young adults entitled Dust City, was published in October 2010. The story is narrated by the son of the wolf who killed Little Red Riding Hood.
Contents
1 Personal life
2 Prizes and honours
3 Works
3.1 Novels
3.2 Short stories
4 References
5 External links
Personal life
Robert Paul Weston was born 21 October 1975 in Dover, England.[1] He graduated from Queen's University in 1998 with a BA in Film and Sociology. From 2002 to 2004, he worked in Japan as a high school teacher.[1] In 2006, he completed an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Weston currently lives in London, England.
Prizes and honours
2011 California Young Reader Medal (for Zorgamazoo)[2]
2010 Silver Birch Fiction award (for Zorgamazoo)
2009 Shortlisted, E.B. White Read Aloud Award (for Zorgamazoo)
2009 Children's Literature Association Notable Books for 2009 (Zorgamazoo)
Works
Novels
Zorgamazoo (2008) Penguin/Razorbill
Dust City (2010) Penguin/Razorbill
The Creature Department (2013) Penguin/Razorbill
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff (2014) Puffin
Blues for Zoey (2015) Flux Books
Short stories
"Mourning Sickness", On Spec, No. 62, Winter 2005
"The Light Switch Method", Kiss Machine, No. 10, June 2005
"Thinking of Alice", Crimewave Magazine, Vol. 9, Fall 2006
"Stop Plate Tectonics", On Spec, No. 68, Spring 2007
"Paris, France (Somnumbulitis)", The New Orleans Review, Vol. 33, No. 1, Fall 2007
"Hummingbirds and Pie", Postscripts, Vol. 12, Autumn 2007
"Salve", Postscripts, Vol. 14, Spring 2008
Weston, Robert Paul NATSUMI'S SONG OF SUMMER Tundra (Children's None) $17.99 5, 12 ISBN: 978-0-7352-6541-7
Poetry and art harmoniously evoke the simplicity of a summer friendship set in Japan.
Natsumi, a young peach-skinned girl with straight, dark hair, was born in lotus season. Her name means “the sea in summer,” and summer seems to run through her veins. She loves the heat, the outdoor activities, “the cool bursts / of plum rain, heavy and sweet.” Eye-catching illustrations, done in a seasonal palette of pinks, greens, blues, and purples, capture the flora and fauna of these few months—especially the cicadas. Natsumi is intrigued by these fleeting flyers and seeks them out when they arrive. On her birthday, her cousin Jill, a girl with brown skin and curly hair, comes on a plane to visit, and Natsumi worries whether they will be friends, whether Jill will like Natsumi’s world. Long stalks of bamboo and swaying paper lanterns intersect the page here to denote Natsumi’s anxiety. But in fact, Jill and Natsumi fit together like sun and summer, eating watermelon on the beach; dancing, kimono-clad, in a festival; and watching fireworks. But will Jill be frightened by the unfamiliar, buzzing cicadas? Their friendship unfolds page by page as they build a summer of memories together. Weston tells this sweet story in a sequence of tanka, a traditional Japanese poetic form that builds on haiku with an extra couplet. Weston explains the form in the backmatter and provides information about the cicada’s significance in Japanese culture.
Immersive illustrations and rich poetry urge young readers to slow down and appreciate nature. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 8th Edition APA 6th Edition Chicago 17th Edition
"Weston, Robert Paul: NATSUMI'S SONG OF SUMMER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2020. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A619127734/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=606230f9. Accessed 22 June 2020.
Natsumi's Song of Summer
Robert Paul Weston, illus. by Misa Saburi.
Tundra, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7352-6541-7
Weston writes his tale in elegant tanka, a form defined in his author's note--it's a haiku-like poem with two additional lines of seven syllables each. Natsumi's summer pleasures include "sun, the heat, the cool bursts/ of plum rain, heavy and sweet." This summer, her cousin Jill, whom she has never met, comes to Japan to share in those enjoyments. They become fast friends, but Natsumi hesitates before showing Jill the cicadas whose calls fill the air: "Insects frightened some people./ What if Jill was frightened, too?" In Saburi's digital art, the two cousins are wide-eyed, doll-like figures; Jill, with dark brown skin and black hair, peers into the tree branches as pink-skinned Natsumi worries. Fortunately, Jill loves the cicadas, and when she learns that the insects wait for years before emerging "to meet their friends," she spots the parallel: "Just like us," she tells Natsumi. Saburi's thick black lines recall traditional Japanese woodblock prints, and she portrays the creatures and summer flowers that Natsumi treasures in rich detail. In the collaborators' (Sakura's Cherry Blossoms) handling, Natsumi's cross-cultural friendship with Jill centers on a shared love of natural life and models openness to new experiences. Ages 3-7. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 8th Edition APA 6th Edition Chicago 17th Edition
"Natsumi's Song of Summer." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 13, 30 Mar. 2020, p. 65+. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622904648/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=3739a008. Accessed 22 June 2020.