In this post, we feature author Ellen Hagan, whose popular, acclaimed titles include Watch Us Rise, co-written with Renée Watson. You can hear her speak about her new novel, Reckless, Glorious, Girl, and try her “invitation to imagine” activity. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Reckless, Glorious, Girl
- Written by Ellen Hagan
- Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
- Release date: February 23, 2021
Beatrice Miller may have a granny’s name (her granny’s, to be more specific), but she adores her Mamaw and her mom, who give her every bit of wisdom and love they have. But the summer before seventh grade, Bea wants more than what she has, aches for what she can’t have, and wonders what the future will bring. This novel-in-verse follows Beatrice through the ups and downs of friendships, puberty, and identity as she asks: Who am I? Who will I become? And will my outside ever match the way I feel on the inside? A gorgeous, inter-generational story of Southern women and a girl’s path blossoming into her sense of self, Reckless, Glorious, Girl explores the important questions we all ask as we race toward growing up.
From “Beatrice Miller’s Burning Questions” in Reckless, Glorious, Girl, by Ellen Hagan.
I’ve been studying other words for “mature”
in our big ol’ thesaurus & they include:
Evolve
Develop
Blossom
Ripen
Arrive.
Will those words every happen to me?
Read a longer excerpt from Reckless, Glorious, Girl, by Ellen Hagan.
Explore Reckless, Glorious, Girl
Listen to Ellen Hagan talking with TeachingBooks about creating Reckless, Glorious, Girl. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to author Ellen Hagan talk about her name.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Reckless, Glorious, Girl.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Ellen Hagan.
Imagination Activity with Ellen Hagan
An ode poem is a love poem, or a poem that honors and pays tribute to something that you love. First make a love list: think of all the people, places, and things that you love. Include your favorite foods, experiences, and places to visit. Choose one item on your list to write about. What do you love about it? How does it make you feel? Celebrate and honor all the small details and hold them up for all to see!
Finish This Sentence . . . with Ellen Hagan
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Ellen Hagan’s response.
“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”
A surprising thing that helps me work is waking up early and setting my timer. I try to work in 25-minute segments with no interruptions, and I try to free-write as much as possible and get the editor out of my head—just get the words on the page. That helps me the most!
“My protagonist can’t live without…”
My protagonist can’t live without her crew of best friends. For me, community and friendships sustain me in so many beautiful ways. I want that for my protagonists too—close friends who hold them up and make them feel seen and valued.
Thank you!
To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Ellen Hagan for signing a book for all of us.
More Connections to Ellen Hagan and Reckless, Glorious, Girl
- Discover books like Reckless, Glorious, Girl on TeachingBooks.
- Bloomsbury’s page about Reckless, Glorious, Girl, by Ellen Hagan.
- Buy Reckless, Glorious, Girl, by Ellen Hagan.
- Ellen Hagan on Twitter.
Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!
All text and images are courtesy of Ellen Hagan and Bloomsbury Publishing and may not be used without expressed written consent.
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