Pitch Wars Blog Archive

PW #101: MG Fantasy: FOLLOW ME

Manuscript Status: Finished! Mentor Name: Kara Seal Mentee Name: Ashley Martin Title: Follow Me Category: Middle Grade Genre: Fantasy Word Count: 51,200 Pitch: Deep inside the wood, cats can talk and white rabbits wear waistcoats. But when Alivia searches the forest for her missing mother, she finds the roots of her family tree tangled in secrets. Now she must fight for a crown she never wanted – or risk losing her mother forever. Excerpt: The Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #120: MG Contemporary: OPERATION MAGIC

  Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name:  Jessica Vitalis Mentee Name: Heidi Stallman Title: OPERATION MAGIC Category: MG Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 46,000 Pitch: After eleven-year-old Dakota’s dad cancels their daddy-daughter trip so he can hang out with his new family, she decides only magic can change his mind. But her BFF Shannyn declares she’s too old for make-believe, leaving Dakota to go it alone. When Jessie, an outcast with a dangerous secret, hijacks her spell Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #121: MG Contemporary: RULES FOR RUNNING AWAY

Manuscript status: Finished Mentor Name: Brooks Benjamin Mentee Name: Rachel Sarah Title: RULES FOR RUNNING AWAY Category: MG Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 30,000 Pitch: One devastating secret. Two kids on the run. Three hours to uncover the truth. When you’re running away to find the father you never knew, remember to bring enough change for the bus. Excerpt:  It’s not stealing. More like borrowing. I glance over my shoulder to the living room. I’m alone. Pulling two Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #122: MG Fantasy: QUEST FOR THE KALEVALA

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Juliana Brandt Mentee Name: Julie Artz Title: QUEST FOR THE KALEVALA Category: MG Genre: Fantasy Word Count: 60,000 Pitch: Eleven-year-old Kai and his annoying nerd-sister only agree on one thing: moving to Helsinki equals epic disaster. But when they discover a mysterious book of Finnish folklore, the squabbling siblings must overcome their rivalry and protect the book’s ancient secret before their dad’s power-hungry boss uses it to tear the earth—and their Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #123: MG Contemporary: BRIGHTLY

Manuscript status: Finished Mentor Name: Brooks Benjamin Mentee Name: Caroline Thompson Title: BRIGHTLY Category: MG Genre: Contemporary Word Count: 36,000 Pitch: Thirteen-year-old Sam lives for swimming. Or she did, until she nearly drowned in a car crash. When Sam is paired with Echo, a therapy dolphin, they quickly form a bond. But t​he more time they spend together, the more Sam worries she’ll never overcome her fear of water and swim again. Excerpt:  I tug the dark Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #124: MG Realistic Fiction: HOW TO BURY A BULL

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Lisa Lewis Tyre Mentee Name: Alex Block Title: HOW TO BURY A BULL Category: Middle Grade Genre: Realistic Fiction Word Count: 34,000 Pitch: Six, maybe seven hours tops. That’s how long eleven-year-old Little Bit figures she has to get that dead bull gone before her daddy gets home. She’ll need every one of her rag-tag friends to make it happen, ‘cause if she doesn’t, someone will pay, most probably her Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #125: MG Supernatural Thriller: THE UNFORTUNATE ONES

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Stacey Graham Mentee Name: Phil Hickes Title: THE UNFORTUNATE ONES Category: MG Genre: Supernatural Thriller Word Count: 38,000 Pitch:  Archie Miles thought battling his allergies was bad. But when he disturbs the restless Victorian spirits at his uncle’s church, he’s threatened by something far worse. Now he must fight to protect his uncle – and his only chance of help is six feet under. Excerpt:  Saint John The Baptist church can be found Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #126: MG Spooky Mystery: A GHOULISH AFFAIR

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Cat Scully Mentee Name: Sean Steinle Title: A GHOULISH AFFAIR Category: Middle Grade Genre: Spooky Mystery Word Count: 30,000 Pitch: When 11-year-old Pen Waters gives a ghoul her sock in exchange for a glittering pocket watch, she unwittingly invites herself to become his next meal. Saved from the ghoul’s sleepwalking spell by 11-year-old Jack, a boy who lives in an art museum, the two team up to investigate the creatures. Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #127: MG Animal Adventure: OLIVE UNNEEDED

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentors: Fiona McLaren and Dionne McCulloch Mentee: Joe McCourt Title: OLIVE UNNEEDED Category: Middle Grade Genre: Animal Adventure Word Count: 49,000 Pitch: Olive the Sheltie can’t make her humans happy. After failing to impress them as a Retriever dog, Police dog, Guide dog – even Cadaver dog – she sets out for Scotland to become a Herding dog. When she’s captured and used as bait in a dog-fighting ring, Olive risks her life Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago

PW #128: MG Mystery: THE FLYING GARZINIS

Manuscript Status: Finished Mentor Name: Cat Scully Mentee Name: Kendal Snow Title: THE FLYING GARZINIS Category: Middle Grade Genre: Mystery Word Count: 63,000 Pitch: Elsie doesn’t believe in magic—or curses. But when the strongman goes missing and fires threaten to destroy her parents’ trapeze troupe, she must uncover the truth behind a decades-old circus curse and a mysterious falconer who makes everything around him change shape, including Elsie’s own memories. Nancy Drew meets Something Wicked Read more…

By brendaadmin, ago