Pitch Madness B-12: MG: CONFESSION​S OF A SIXTH GRADE SIREN

Genre: Middle Grade

Word Count: 35,000

Pitch:

In a nautical New England town, Lolly Salt has until her twelfth birthday to uncover a family secret, battle a bitter sea witch, and reverse the spell that turned her and her sisters into sirens.

Excerpt:

Some Things about Sixth Grade that Make it Difficult to be a Siren:

1)      School starts at 7:30AM, and you have to show up on time and stay awake for algebra, even if you were up causing shipwrecks until 4AM the night before.

2)      No matter how hard you try to stay organized, you’ll end up using your school bag to collect trinkets from shipwrecks, and then you’ll never be able to find your homework.

3)      You have to change into sneakers for gym class, and there is a good chance that everyone in the locker room will see the scales on your feet.

4)      By the time you get home, do your homework, and cause a shipwreck, there’s no time at all for extracurricular activities. You can basically forget about gymnastics.

5)      The boy you like may decide to join the sailing team, and then you’ll be in the awkward position of having to lure him to his doom.

* * *

This is how it happens: My sisters and I walk together through the storm, raincoats and boots thrown hastily over our pajamas. The rain soaks us, but we don’t care. It’s like we’re in a trance. We can see but not speak. We know where we are, but we can’t feel anything at all.

When we arrive at the cliffs, we start the song. It’s the same song every time, and we have no idea where we learned it. But we know it as sure as we know our own names.

Mr. Boddy is found in the Billiard room on the floor the pool balls surround him, an empty beer stein beside him. There are no apparent wounds, but a bottle cork and a fake-gemmed earring is found among the balls.