Lynn E. Hazen
Author of Buzz Bumble To The Rescue
About the Author
Image credit: photo credit: by Sonya Sones, 2008
Works by Lynn E. Hazen
Buzz Bumble the Rescue 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Education
- Vermont College of Fine Arts (MFA, Writing for Children & Young Adults)
San Francisco State University (MA, Education)
University of California Davis (BS, Applied Behavioral Sciences) - Occupations
- teacher
children's book author
young adult book author - Short biography
- Lynn E. Hazen, M.F.A., M.A., writes books filled with humor, heart and hope. Kirkus praised her young adult novel, SHIFTY, as "a realistic story that resonates.” SHIFTY was chosen as VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction, a CCBC Choice, and a Smithsonian Notable. Lynn’s younger books include: MERMAID MARY MARGARET (a middle grade novel which Kirkus called “a winner”), CINDER RABBIT, THE AMAZING TRAIL OF SEYMOUR SNAIL, and BUZZ BUMBLE TO THE RESCUE. Lynn gives writing workshops and author talks at schools, libraries and conferences. She teaches writing classes at Stanford Continuing Studies. www.LynnHazen.com
Members
Reviews
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Shifty is the kind of kid that I have always admired, gutsy out of necessity, but a kind soft heart just looking for a place to call home. And given a chance and a little extra room, he will most of the time make the right decision even if it seems unusual to the rest of us.
Ms. Hazen has given a voice to foster kids and the majority of the people who care for them, not only those in San Francisco but all over the country.
Shifty is a kid that might work on the nerves of show more teachers at school even though you can’t call him bad. He is just resourceful and probably more “street wise” than the majority of his teachers, but only because he has had to be for so long.
As this story starts, Shifty is finally in a foster home that is as close to normal as he can remember, and includes Mother Martha, little sister Sissy, and baby Thaddeus (aka Chance) two other hard to place foster kids. Sissy barely speaks at first due to prolonged physical abuse, and Baby Chance is a newborn crack addicted baby that required almost all of Martha’s time. The antics of Shifty with tagalong Sissy are “haha” funny and engaging because of his ingenuity and guts, and will have you laughing right up to the end. And that is an important aspect in this book, which would otherwise depress you because of the plight of not only these kids and their circumstances, but also because of the pressures that are regularly placed on the foster parent trying to just do the “right thing” all the time.
I would recommend this book not only to adults who need to be enlightened but also to middle schoolers and up who need to see how the real world operates for some kids. Understanding usually brings about compassion. Thank you, Ms. Hazen for giving us a look into the foster care system with an eye towards hope. show less
Shifty is the kind of kid that I have always admired, gutsy out of necessity, but a kind soft heart just looking for a place to call home. And given a chance and a little extra room, he will most of the time make the right decision even if it seems unusual to the rest of us.
Ms. Hazen has given a voice to foster kids and the majority of the people who care for them, not only those in San Francisco but all over the country.
Shifty is a kid that might work on the nerves of show more teachers at school even though you can’t call him bad. He is just resourceful and probably more “street wise” than the majority of his teachers, but only because he has had to be for so long.
As this story starts, Shifty is finally in a foster home that is as close to normal as he can remember, and includes Mother Martha, little sister Sissy, and baby Thaddeus (aka Chance) two other hard to place foster kids. Sissy barely speaks at first due to prolonged physical abuse, and Baby Chance is a newborn crack addicted baby that required almost all of Martha’s time. The antics of Shifty with tagalong Sissy are “haha” funny and engaging because of his ingenuity and guts, and will have you laughing right up to the end. And that is an important aspect in this book, which would otherwise depress you because of the plight of not only these kids and their circumstances, but also because of the pressures that are regularly placed on the foster parent trying to just do the “right thing” all the time.
I would recommend this book not only to adults who need to be enlightened but also to middle schoolers and up who need to see how the real world operates for some kids. Understanding usually brings about compassion. Thank you, Ms. Hazen for giving us a look into the foster care system with an eye towards hope. show less
This is a story of art validated and finally appreciated. Seymour Snail has created art all his life; but is too shy to show anyone. When his friends accidentally find his art, they tell him it is so wonderful he should get a job as an artist. This sounds great to Seymour, so he sets out for the city. Unfortunately, he discovers that jobs for artists are a lot harder to find than he expected and he ends up working as an errand boy for nasty Mr. Stinkbug, an art gallery owner. Happily, the show more marvelous slime trails he has made across the park are discovered and he becomes a world-famous artist.
Some people will really like this story. Some people won't. I didn't. What mainly bugged me about this story is that Seymour's success is so criticism-free. Although he does say that he has been "practising all his life" there's no hint that he needs any outside opinions to improve his art. His friends think everything he does is perfect and his problem in finding a job isn't that his art needs work; it's that no one will look at it. As soon as someone "discovers" him, he's famous overnight. Now, this is a beginning chapter book and there's not a lot of space to talk about artistic struggles, but this story just puts me in mind too much of the people who regularly bug me at the library, wanting us to buy their self-published "masterpiece" because they are such a creative person and have been creative all their life. But they're too creative and have too much genius to join a critique group that actually critiques anything!
Verdict: On the other hand, this is a story about perseverance and belief in artistic vision. The plot is well-constructed and the characters are funny and perfectly drawn out in the illustrations. Kids who like Katie Speck's Maybelle series, slightly icky bug stories and drawing will probably enjoy this.
ISBN: 978-0805086980; Published May 2009 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library show less
Some people will really like this story. Some people won't. I didn't. What mainly bugged me about this story is that Seymour's success is so criticism-free. Although he does say that he has been "practising all his life" there's no hint that he needs any outside opinions to improve his art. His friends think everything he does is perfect and his problem in finding a job isn't that his art needs work; it's that no one will look at it. As soon as someone "discovers" him, he's famous overnight. Now, this is a beginning chapter book and there's not a lot of space to talk about artistic struggles, but this story just puts me in mind too much of the people who regularly bug me at the library, wanting us to buy their self-published "masterpiece" because they are such a creative person and have been creative all their life. But they're too creative and have too much genius to join a critique group that actually critiques anything!
Verdict: On the other hand, this is a story about perseverance and belief in artistic vision. The plot is well-constructed and the characters are funny and perfectly drawn out in the illustrations. Kids who like Katie Speck's Maybelle series, slightly icky bug stories and drawing will probably enjoy this.
ISBN: 978-0805086980; Published May 2009 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library show less
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Abandoned on a Greyhound bus just days after he was born, Soli has a lot working against him. Luckily, this plucky 15-year-old seems to have found a real home at long last.
His foster mom, Martha, is a shining example of a woman whose heart is in the right place. Though she does not have much money, she dedicates her life to taking care of Soli, a sweet little girl named Sissy, and Thaddeus, a baby boy born addicted to cocaine. Martha has always show more seen the good in these kids, and she doesn't believe that people should be defined by labels like "foster kid" and "crack baby."
The social workers and people who run the foster care system never give Soli the benefit of a doubt, filling his files with untrue information about how dangerous and suspicious he is. However, Soli doesn't conform to their low expectations. He loves his foster family and never shirks his responsibilities as a big brother and son.
Perhaps driving Martha's van without a license isn't legal, but Soli is a good driver and his intentions are pure - he drives to buy groceries or pick up Sissy when Martha cannot. Still, driving without a license is risky business. Driving home bag ladies, escaping tow trucks, and having tomatoes thrown at Martha's white van are par for the course. Anything to avoid being stopped by authorities, where he might get in serious trouble for driving sans license.
Soli's biggest dilemma right now is Sheila, the new social worker who is determined to shut Martha down. Sheila is just looking for any little slip-up to file a complaint against Martha, so Soli and Sissy are on their best behavior. Martha is the mother they never had and they will do anything to remain living with her. Who knows what kind of family they might be placed with if they are thrown back into the system?
Written with heart and compassion, SHIFTY is a fun and fast-paced read. Readers will be rooting for Soli from page one, indignant at the judgmental people he is forced to put up with and sympathetic to the hardships that he is forced to endure. Lynn E. Hazen reveals a world that most readers could never have imagined, and Soli is an optimistic and courageous character that readers will identify with. After reading SHIFTY, you will want to adopt a foster child yourself, providing a loving home that all children deserve. show less
Abandoned on a Greyhound bus just days after he was born, Soli has a lot working against him. Luckily, this plucky 15-year-old seems to have found a real home at long last.
His foster mom, Martha, is a shining example of a woman whose heart is in the right place. Though she does not have much money, she dedicates her life to taking care of Soli, a sweet little girl named Sissy, and Thaddeus, a baby boy born addicted to cocaine. Martha has always show more seen the good in these kids, and she doesn't believe that people should be defined by labels like "foster kid" and "crack baby."
The social workers and people who run the foster care system never give Soli the benefit of a doubt, filling his files with untrue information about how dangerous and suspicious he is. However, Soli doesn't conform to their low expectations. He loves his foster family and never shirks his responsibilities as a big brother and son.
Perhaps driving Martha's van without a license isn't legal, but Soli is a good driver and his intentions are pure - he drives to buy groceries or pick up Sissy when Martha cannot. Still, driving without a license is risky business. Driving home bag ladies, escaping tow trucks, and having tomatoes thrown at Martha's white van are par for the course. Anything to avoid being stopped by authorities, where he might get in serious trouble for driving sans license.
Soli's biggest dilemma right now is Sheila, the new social worker who is determined to shut Martha down. Sheila is just looking for any little slip-up to file a complaint against Martha, so Soli and Sissy are on their best behavior. Martha is the mother they never had and they will do anything to remain living with her. Who knows what kind of family they might be placed with if they are thrown back into the system?
Written with heart and compassion, SHIFTY is a fun and fast-paced read. Readers will be rooting for Soli from page one, indignant at the judgmental people he is forced to put up with and sympathetic to the hardships that he is forced to endure. Lynn E. Hazen reveals a world that most readers could never have imagined, and Soli is an optimistic and courageous character that readers will identify with. After reading SHIFTY, you will want to adopt a foster child yourself, providing a loving home that all children deserve. show less
Fifteen-year-old Shifty lives with his foster mother Martha, who also cares for little Sissy and baby Chance. Shifty has led a checkered life in foster and group homes since he was abandoned as an infant at a bus station. Living with Martha and Sissy appears to be the most stability he's had, but Shifty continues to rely on his street smarts to stay just ahead of potential trouble. The contortions Shifty goes through to protect Martha from a suspicious social worker or evade the police when show more he drives without a license are believably in line with the upbringing and perspective he's had. show less
Awards
You May Also Like
Statistics
- Works
- 8
- Members
- 384
- Popularity
- #62,947
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 12
- ISBNs
- 16
