More From Kathy Dawson

Kathy's talking about using details as a way to establish voice. She's looking for passages that use detail masterfully.

She looks for action, rhythm, intrigue and adventure.

Action, for her, really means perfect pacing. Too keep up the pace of your novel, she suggests, go through a draft and delete everything you can. Young readers must be hooked, hooked fast, and stay hooked until the end.

Rhythm, she says, is another way to refer to voice. This is important whether you write from frist or third person point of view. It's just as critical in novels as in picture books.

She's reading from Pretties by Scott Westerfeld as an example of effective use of repetition.
She's also reading from My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe, and Saint Iggy by K.L. Going, also as examples of good use of rhythm.