Geoff Rodkey's Blog

Will there be a movie version of We’re Not From Here?

Maybe!

First, I have to not screw up the screenplay.

Then a whole lot of other things have to go right.

But it’s possible!

Here’s a Deadline article with more information.

WE’RE NOT FROM HERE is the story of a family of humans who immigrate to an alien planet after Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war…only to discover that the aliens who invited them have changed their minds about opening their society to a species that just blew up its own planet.

It’s funny, scary, entertaining, and has a lot to say (metaphorically) about real-world debates over immigration and refugees.

But don’t take my word for it! Check out this starred review from Kirkus…

Or this starred review from Publishers Weekly…

Or this very thoughtful review from School Library Journal’s Betsy Bird…

Or these kind words from the award-winning, bestselling, generally amazing Katherine Applegate and Adam Gidwitz:

If you’re a teacher or librarian, there’s a lot about the book that’s discussion-worthy. This educator’s guide from Random House has some great suggestions. I also explain one of the book’s most unique elements in this post at Nerdy Book Club, and there’s a ton of information about both the origins and the message of the book in this interview at MG Book Village.

If you’d like a physical copy of the educator’s guide, drop me a line and I’ll get one in the mail to you ASAP.

Want to order the book on line? Check out Indiebound, McNally Jackson, Books of Wonder, Barnes&Noble, or Amazon.

I have a new book on the way! And OH MY WHAT A PRETTY COVER:

WE’RE NOT FROM HERE is about a family of humans who immigrate to an alien world after Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war…only to discover that their intergalactic hosts are having second thoughts about opening their society to a species that just destroyed its home planet.

I promise it’s funnier than you might expect from such a heavy premise.

But it’s also got more on its mind than just jokes. The story has echoes of real-world debates that seem even more urgent today than when I started writing it in 2015.

You can preorder it now from Indiebound, McNally Jackson, Barnes&Noble, or Amazon, and look for it in stores on March 5, 2019.

The first review of STUCK IN THE STONE AGE is in, and Publisher’s Weekly thinks it’s worth your time!

“…this two-for-one tale is as smart as it is entertaining…”

“Jam-packed with both writing advice and jokes…”

“…this madcap tale also serves as an instruction manual for children thinking of writing their own books…”

Check out the full starred review here!

Learn more about the book here! 

AND OH, HEY, LOOK: a second review just came in from Kirkus, who also gave it a star! You can read the full review here, or just enjoy this fancy graphic the publisher created to highlight a quote from it:

If you’re a kid (or know a kid) who either loves to laugh OR has any interest in creating stories of your own, you might really dig this book. It comes out on March 6th, and you can preorder it at Powell’s, Indiebound, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Books-A-Million, or Amazon.

The first review of STUCK IN THE STONE AGE is in, and Publisher’s Weekly thinks it’s worth your time!

“…this two-for-one tale is as smart as it is entertaining…”

“Jam-packed with both writing advice and jokes…”

“…this madcap tale also serves as an instruction manual for children thinking of writing their own books…”

Check out the full starred review here!

Learn more about the book here! 

If you’re a kid (or know a kid) who either loves to laugh OR has any interest in creating stories of your own, you might really dig this book. It comes out on March 20th, and you can preorder it at Powell’s, Indiebound, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Books-A-Million, or Amazon.

It’s a comic novel for middle graders!

It’s a how-to guide that can help kids create awesome stories of their own!

It’s illustrated by the amazing Hatem Aly!

It’s the first in a new book series by the amazing STORY PIRATES, whose nationwide shows feature improv comics acting out stories written by actual kids!

It’s got a premise–that a brilliant scientist and a much less brilliant janitor find themselves battling angry cavemen and a dyspeptic saber-toothed tiger in 10,000 B.C. due to a malfunctioning time machine–that was cooked up by the I’m-embarrassed-to-admit-he’s-funnier-than-me 11-year-old Vince Boberski of Memphis, Tennessee!

Actually…I think Vince might be 13 by now. But he was 11 back when he submitted the contest-winning idea that led to our collaboration! The book business moves reaaally slowly. But I digress. Back to the hype:

STUCK IN THE STONE AGE IS ALL OF THESE THINGS AT ONCE! It’s like the Swiss Army knife of books!

And if you’re a kid (or a kid at heart!) who wants to A) laugh a lot, or B) learn how to tell awesome stories of your own, at any length and in any genre, you should check it out.

Plus, IT’S GOT A COVER!

Most books do. I realize that. But the cover was JUST REVEALED TODAY! You can read more about it here on super-librarian Betsy Bird’s blog!

OR you can watch the LIVE FACEBOOK BROADCAST (okay, it’s not live anymore, but it was at the time) of the cover reveal at the Drama Book Shop in NYC!

Or you can click this link to preorder the book!

Or look for it in stores when it comes out on March 20th! It’s a really cool project, and a ton of fun whether you’re interested in learning how to write cool stories of your own, or you just want to laugh and not learn anything at all.

Here’s that cover again, only bigger. (Nice! Right? Hatem Aly is awesome.)

Are you (or do you know) an elementary- or middle-school-aged kid who likes to write stories?

If so, the always amazing Story Pirates arts and education group is looking for a kid-generated story idea for their new book!

It’s going to be a mystery, it’s going to be funny, and it’s DEFINITELY going to be awesome, because it’ll be written by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline West, creator of the Books of Elsewhere series!

If you’ve got an idea for a mystery, click this link to submit it — and if your idea gets chosen, you’ll not only get the unique thrill of seeing Jacqueline turn it into a book-length story, you’ll earn $500 cash and a Story Pirates performance at your own school! (Just make sure you get your submission in fast, because the deadline is JULY 21st!)

In case you’re wondering how I know so much about this particular project, it’s because Jacqueline’s mystery is the second installment in the new STORY PIRATES PRESENT book series that pairs up kid writers with professional authors…and I wrote the first one! It’s a science fiction comedy called STUCK IN THE STONE AGE, it’s based on an idea from the truly hilarious 12-year-old Vince Boberski of Memphis, Tennessee,and it’s coming to a bookstore near you on March 20, 2018! (That’s me and Vince on the right. Vince is the one who still has hair.)

STUCK IN THE STONE AGE is a ton of fun to read — and if you’re an aspiring writer, there’s a whole section at the back of the book that’ll help you write stories of your own! It’s called the STORY CREATION ZONE, and if you’re into that kind of thing, it’s as much fun as the story itself!

You can preorder STUCK IN THE STONE AGE now at Powell’s, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or Indiebound.

And if you enter the contest before July 21st, you could find yourself having as much fun as Vince looks like he’s having in this video the Story Pirates took of the day they announced that we’d picked his story for the first book! Check it out:

If you’ve read THE TAPPER TWINS GO VIRAL (or even if you haven’t), you might enjoy watching the fully assembled, 96-second epic supercut of all the FURRY MENACE videos referenced in the book, now available on Youtube via the good people at Little Brown Young Readers.

And if you haven’t read THE TAPPER TWINS GO VIRAL, what are you waiting for?

Get to it!

In the meantime, enjoy the video:

In honor of THE TAPPER TWINS GO VIRAL, the funniest and also last (at least for a while) Tapper Twins book, you are all cordially invited to…

The ABSOLUTELY BEST BOOK PARTY EVER!

Tuesday, April 4 at 6:00pm at Books of Wonder on West 18th Street in NYC!

What makes this such a great book party, you ask? I will tell you.

FREE PIZZA! 

(See that pizza place next door to Books of Wonder in the photo? Convenient, isn’t it?)

But even better and MUCH MORE RARE than free pizza are…

FREE CALVIN THE CAT MASCOTS! 

We will be raffling off a select number of the stuffed Calvin the Cat mascots used as props in the photos for THE TAPPER TWINS TEAR UP NEW YORK!

Like this one!

And this one! 

But not this one. Because it’s a hot mess.

The Calvin mascots we’re raffling off are all in excellent condition, I promise. How many will we be giving away? I don’t know. It depends on how many people show up for the book party.

I’ll see you there! (Right?)

In honor of TAPPER TWINS GO VIRAL, the funniest and also last (at least for a while) Tapper Twins book, you are all cordially invited to…

The ABSOLUTELY BEST BOOK PARTY EVER!

Tuesday, April 4 at 6:00pm at Books of Wonder on West 18th Street in NYC!

What makes this such a great book party, you ask? I will tell you.

FREE PIZZA! 

(See that pizza place next door to the store in the photo? Convenient, isn’t it?)

But even better and more crazy-rare than free pizza are…

FREE CALVIN THE CAT MASCOTS! 

We will be raffling off a select number of the stuffed Calvin the Cat mascots used as props in the photos for THE TAPPER TWINS TEAR UP NEW YORK!

Like this one!

And this one! 

But not this one. Because it’s a hot mess.

The Calvin the Cat mascots we’re raffling off are all excellent condition, I promise. How many will we be raffling off? I don’t know. It depends on how many people show up for the book party.

I’ll see you there! (Right?)