Looking for an updated Beezus

Cindy From Oregon

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Hello! I've been searching for comp titles for my ms, and have just run into a real block in finding the book that establishes what kind of kid my MC starts out to be. She's practical, willing, a caretaker - she's Beezus. Should I worry that an agent I'm querying isn't familiar with Beezus? Is that too old-fashioned an example?

Thanks for any opinions!
 

cornflake

practical experience, FTW
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Any agent who reps kids' lit who isn't familiar with Ramona and Beezus should immediately hang up his or her pencils and find another line of work. Beverly Cleary is still alive, btw, and her last Ramona book was published around 2000 I think.

That said, you probably do want more current comps, because it shows you know the current market and read widely within it.
 
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Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others
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Comp titles should be from within the last five years, or so I'm told. I suck at finding them.
 

Cindy From Oregon

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I've been reading samples for months and can't find any comp titles that are really "comp". My story is mostly contemporary, with a magic/fantasy element, and every comp I look at is too much fantasy. I'm looking for a comp that happens in the real world, but has something extraordinary happen in that real world. No tornado, or magical wardrobe, or special school that takes my MC out of her real world, or offers her any guidance or support. She's on her own, with parents and bullies to contend with as well.

So I gave up on comps and now I'm trying mashups. Currently the best I can do is Beezus (my favorite, yet mostly overlooked character) meets Spiderman. Ordinary kid, real world, suddenly has powers to learn about and use, while keeping it secret and trying to live a normal life. I'm thinking it's not a main character, but a strong secondary character - like Beezus, but updated.