B1: MG CONTEMPORARY WITH SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS: LINETTE DOUCET AND THE LOUP GAROU

Title: Linette Doucet and the Loup Garou

Age Category: Middle Grade

Genre: Contemporary with Supernatural Elements

Word Count: 37,000

Pitch: Howls from the cane fields don’t scare eleven-year-old homeschooler Linette. Armed with a camera, her neighbor, and her stinky, old dog, she stalks the legendary loup garou to beat her nemesis in a filmmaking contest.

First 250 Word of Manuscript:

If there was one thing in this world Linette Doucet craved more than green apple snowballs in August, it was winning. Anything. Everything. Even with no prize at stake, strictly bragging rights, she had to win.

A few feet away, the librarian scanned books for checkout behind a massive desk. Linette wasn’t even in line yet, just standing off to the side hugging a stack of cryptozoology books against her chest. The other kids from her homeschool group hovered around, while she waited for her mama to stop talking to Theresa’s mom and gather her flailing brother, Cody, from the kid’s section. But Linette barely saw any of them.

Make a movie and show it to the group next week. Best movie wins. Easy peasy.

But no theme? No guidelines?

She should have been elated. She could make any kind of movie she wanted! But while her brain was usually a stocked pond full of ideas, this time . . . nothing.

“Linette, did you hear me?” Theresa’s light brown face sagged with disappointment. Words continued to draw out of Theresa’s mouth, one at a time, slow and methodical. T-Fred something-or-other probably. Linette still wasn’t listening.

“Is she gonna do it?”

Linette found Renee standing tall over her in that ridiculously soft blue sweater (Linette fought all during group not to reach out and pet her) and designer jeans that had probably been ironed. Who irons jeans?

“Do what?” Linette asked.

Theresa and Renee exchanged doubtful glances.