Welcome to Wonderland #2: Beach Party Surf Monkey -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Writing is so difficult that I feel that writers, having had their hell on earth, will escape all punishment hereafter.”

~ Jessamyn West ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Writer’s Rumpus has a good post HERE about the hard work of revision. 

Steven Pressfield always has good advice, but the post HERE may have the best advice for writers. 

For those of us who write picture books, the post HERE by Melissa Manlove of Chronicle Books will be invaluable. 

Last week I offered a copy of Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade by Jordan Sonnenblick. Our winner this time is Joyce Moyer Hostetter! If you don't know Joyce, what cave have you been living in? She is a prolific writer from North Carolina, author of award winning books such as Blue and Healing Water and others. I'm so thrilled she reads my blog! Congratulations, Joyce. I will get your book out to you this week. Yes, for the rest of you, I do have another giveaway this week, so keep reading.

I mentioned a few weeks ago when I reviewed another Chris Grabenstein book that I would be reviewing Welcome to Wonderland #2: Beach Party Surf Monkey soon. This is the week and here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

P. T. and Gloria are back in this sequel to Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel and are still trying to save the Wonderland. This time they face a formidable opponent, Mr. Conch, and his nefarious daughter. Conch has built a huge resort next door and covets the very land Wonderland sits on. A movie is being filmed in town, and all the hotels and motels compete to be the setting for the film. P. T. and Gloria put on a presentation that wins the contract, and the games begin. 

Author Chris Grabenstein has a wicked sense of humor, and it populates every

Chris Grabenstein

page in this silly middle-grade novel. How can anyone not love a book that has a surfing monkey at its core? All the characters are fully-rounded and fully funny. Even the bad guys aren’t all that bad and will leave readers laughing. And of course there is poop. It’s a Chris Grabenstein book. And middle-graders love a little poop humor. Illustrator Brooke Allen adds to the fun with lots of cute cartoonish illustrations scattered throughout to support the story and keep wondering young minds pulled in. This one is a winner. 

I have a gently-read paperback for of this for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Greg Pattridge's blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways. He has graciously agreed to take over temporarily for Shannon Messenger while she is running around promoting her latest book. Thanks, Greg, and go forth and sell books, Shannon!

A Visit from Shannon Wiersbitzky

Thought for the Day:

“Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.”  

~ Paul Theroux ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Getting the details right is so important. HERE are some good resources and tips from Marianne Knowles at Writers’ Rumpus to help you out. 

Janice Hardy always has important posts. This is no exception. HERE she talks about three words that will kill your manuscript. 

Stasia Ward Kehoe has a helpful post HERE on Adventures in YA Publishing. It is Four Essential Elements for your First Five Pages. 

My daughter Maggie and I are on a cross-country trip and in Colorado visiting family right now, so the lovely and talented Shannon Wiersbitzky, author extraordinaire, is sitting in for me for two weeks. Take it away, Shannon!

#MGGetsReal

Shannon Wiersbitzky

Hello to all The Write Stuff readers! I’m thrilled to be here both this week and next while Rosi is on holiday. I feel like Mom has left for the weekend and now its my job to ensure that everyone behaves and nothing gets broken. 

I want you to think about a book. A specific book. You probably read it when you were a child. The very first one that shook you to the core or stopped you in your tracks. 

Why did it move you? 

My guess is that it did one of these things: 

• you found yourself (at last!) in one of the characters, it spoke to your reality
• it discussed a topic you’d never seen in a book
• it opened your eyes to something that you’d never thought about before
• it dealt with a topic that was considered taboo for kids

For me, that book was Z FOR ZACHARIAH by Robert C. O’Brien. I remember a teacher in elementary school reading it aloud. And I remember sitting spellbound on the carpet. It was a story about nuclear war and a young girl who believes she may be the last person alive. 

Over the years, I’ve tried to piece together why the story was so powerful to me. When I was a little girl, US and Russian relations were often high tension. The possibility of nuclear war was discussed on the news. I certainly would have seen it and been aware of the topic. Perhaps my parents expressed worry in their own conversations. 

The thing is, I don’t ever remember anyone actually talking about what it might mean for me. But the book did. And in the story, that meant real situations of life and death. 

As adults, we sometimes shy away from introducing kids to books like this. I’m not sure why. We want children to hold onto their innocence I suppose. To live in the world of happily ever after, even as they’re coping with much tougher topics in school, in their families, their communities, or even trying to make sense of what they see on television. 

Kids live in a complicated world. And they aren’t ignorant of that fact. Yes, give them magic and fantasy, but also give them more. Kids need books that deal with a wide variety of “real” subjects. Which is why myself and four other authors have started a movement. #MGGetsReal aims to highlight books for middle graders that deal with these tough topics. 

My own book, WHAT FLOWERS REMEMBER, deals with Alzheimer’s.  

After her adopted grandpa, Old Red, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, thirteen year old Delia takes it upon herself to save his memories, and includes the entire town in the process.

The other books being highlighted in #MGGetsReal include:

JUST A DROP OF WATER by Kerry O’Malley Cerra

A tale of two boys; one Christian, one Muslim, and how their friendship is tested in the wake of September 11.

THE LAST CHERRY BLOSSOM by Kathleen Burkinshaw

The story of Yuriko's life--a 12 year old girl--during the last year of WWII in Hiroshima. A family secret is revealed right before her world ignites and becomes a shadow of what it had been.

RUBY LEE AND ME by Shannon Hitchcock

Sarah Beth’s new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek is the first African American teacher at their all-white school. But she just may be the exact person to help Sarah answer all her questions. 

COMFORT by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

When Ann Fay returns home from the polio hospital, she assumes life will get back to normal. But Daddy is different since the war and everything is falling apart. 

We invite you to join us. 

On Facebook

On Pinterest

On any social media using #MGGetsReal

Share with teachers and librarians you know. Read. Write Reviews. And speak up! Share books that you believe fit our mission. 

We look forward to connecting with you! 

P. S. from Rosi -- If you are not familiar with Shannon's wonderful books, I reviewed them HERE and HERE.

Mayday -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.”
~ Boris Pasternak ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Maybe the best two minutes you will spend this month can be found HERE. 

Anne R. Allen’s Blog has a must-read post that is full of links to help you right size your book. Click HERE for this great, rich post. I will be spending a lot of time in the “Too Much of a Good Thing?” section. 

Kathy Temean at Writing and Illustrating has great stuff to share with writers. Her post HERE is about intruder words and how to avoid them. Very worthwhile.

Last week, I offered a gently-read ARC of Joyce Moyer Hostetter's Aim to one of you. I had more hits on this post than I usually get in a month and more commenters than on any other post I've written. This week's winner is Donna Earnhardt. Congratulations, Donna! I will get the book out to you soon. And thanks for spreading the word. Those extra chances always help. For the rest of you, please keep reading. I have another wonderful book to give away this week. 

I first ran across Karen Harrington early in 2014 when I read her debut novel, Sure Signs of Crazy. If you missed my review, click HERE. There is also an interview with Karen there, so if you missed that post the first time, do check it out. I loved that book and was very excited when I was able to get her second book, Courage for Beginners. I was NOT disappointed. You can find my review of that one HERE.  I had a nice email from Karen a few months ago telling me she had a new book coming out, Mayday. Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear about it. More than that, she offered me an ARC. I think I liked it even better than her earlier novels. I must say, though, I would love to carve out a few days and read all her books again. They are just so good. Here is the review of Mayday I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review, although I added a little extra because their word limit is hard for me and I had a lot to say about this one.

Wayne Kovok is young, but already his life is divided into Before and After. In

Karen Harrington

Before, his mostly-absent dad is a jerk, his mom doesn’t smile much, and Wayne has learned to spout interesting facts to distract his mother, to fill in uncomfortable moments, and to dazzle pretty Sandy Showalter at school. When Wayne’s Uncle Reed is killed in Afghanistan, Wayne, his mother, and his retired drill-sergeant grandfather drive to the funeral. Wayne and his mother fly home and their plane crashes. Most passengers die and Reed’s flag is lost. Wayne and his mother survive, but After really begins when Wayne wakes up and finds an L-shaped scar across his face, his throat injured so he cannot speak, and Grandpa has come to live with them. Mom gets a new boyfriend and the scene where the boyfriend takes on Grandpa in a put-down contest is terrific. Wayne learns much about himself and his family as he searches far and wide for Reed’s flag.

“In the hour I’d known him, he’d already kept his promises. He made my mother smile and not wear her I need to watch English movies face. And he even stood boot to boot with Grandpa.”

Author Karen Harrington writes books that are full of heart with great characters readers will care deeply about and stories that are memorable and important. This is no exception. Her writing is lyrical and difficult topics are deftly handled throughout, and there are many difficult topics. This warm, wonderful coming-of-age book deserves readership far beyond a middle-grade audience. I Don't miss this one. It is simply too good. 

I have a gently-read paperback for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

Aim -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Not a wasted word. This has been a main point to my

literary thinking all my life.”  

~ Hunter S. Thompson ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Angela Ackerman has a good one HERE called Let’s Get Sensory: Powering Scenes Using the 5 Senses. 

Dr. John Yeoman has a fun and useful post HERE called How to Shape Great Stories with Word Games. 

Alex at Ride the Pen has some terrific ideas HERE about enriching your story with subtext. Warning: he uses a lot of bad words, but has good advice. 

Last week I offered a gently-read paperback of Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan to one of you. This week's winner is Helen! Congratulations, Helen. I will get the book out to you soon. For the rest of you, stay tuned. I have another wonderful book to give away.

Back in 2011, I reviewed a book called Healing Water: A Hawaiian Story by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. I loved that book (even though I called it Healing WaterS with a big, fat S when I reviewed it HERE). It was so different from anything else I had read. If you are not familiar with it, please check out the review. Anyway, when I heard Joyce had a new book coming out this year called Aim, I was really excited. When I was able to get my hands on an ARC, I was doubly excited. I was not disappointed. It's such a wonderful book. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

Junior Bledsoe has much on his plate. His father’s a drunk, his granddaddy, who shares Junior’s bedroom, is a cranky, mean old man, World War II is looming, and the spinster next door is his teacher. Junior doesn’t see much reason to stay in school. He could be earning money so Momma could have something nice now and then. Junior has watched his father take apart and repair engines as long as he can remember. He’s sure he can do the same. His father goes out one night and is found dead in the morning. Now school really seems useless. Junior needs to find out how his father died. He learns a lot about his family and himself as he tries to discover what really happened.

“There we were, just sort of floating above the river—a grand

place to be on a school day, up at the height of the trees,

with the river below us, washing on downstream.”

Perhaps the true test of good fiction is that the reader must believe every word. That is the case with this wonderful story. Joyce Moyer Hostetter’s writing is

Joyce Moyer Hostetter

spectacular. She’s done excellent research and takes readers to another time and place and creates characters of great complexity and richness. The voice of young Junior Bledsoe is pitch-perfect in this first person narrative. Aim deserves a much wider readership than a middle-grade audience.

Joyce is a very prolific author and all her books deserve your time and attention. Please check them all out. She also has a newsletter about reading and writing that she and Carol Baldwin put out called Talking Story. You can see it by clicking HERE. It always has good things in it.  

Aim won't be out until October, but you can win an ARC here. I have a gently-read copy for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

A Bird on Water Street -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

 “When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.” 

~ Raymond Carver ~ 

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Editor has a great post on how to get your manuscript squeaky clean before you send it out. Click HERE to read it. 

Good post HERE on How to Write a Book from Start to Finish. 

Anne R. Allen is becoming a fixture here with all her great posts. She has one that shouldn’t be missed by blogging writers. Click HERE for 9 great tips to entice readers to your blog. 

When we were last here, I offered my gently read ARC of The Life and Times of Benny Alvarez to one of you. This week's winner is Carol Baldwin. Congratulations, Carol. You can find out more about Carol, a writer and teacher of writing, by visiting her blog by clicking HERE. She and fellow writer Joyce Moyer Hostetter produce a not-to-be-missed enewsletter called Talking Story. You can read an issue and sign up for future issues by clicking HERE. Carol, I will get your book out to you this week. If you are not Carol (and, therefore, not the winner) stay tuned. I have another great giveaway this week.

I flew to Minnesota last week to attend my brother-in-law's memorial service. It was a real celebration and something of which George would have approved. All that flying around gave me the opportunity to chip away at my staggering TBR pile. Right on top, I had Elizabeth O. Dulemba's book, A Bird on Water Street. I won this book on Kirby Larson's blog and am grateful I did. I think it is terrific, and I'd like to tell you about it. 

Jack, 13, lives with his mother and copper-miner father in a small Southern Appalachian town that has been ruined by the mining company and its cavalier handling of the lands. They are not much better about handling the safety of their employees. The company has done so much damage to the area -- land, water, and air -- that other than people and pets, there are no living things for miles around. No trees, no birds, no bugs, no frogs, no fish that can be eaten -- nothing. Jack loves reading about (and dreaming about) living in a place that is rife with flora and fauna. He also dreams of not becoming a miner, something his father plans for Jack and assumes he will accept. But Jack

Elizabeth O. Dulemba

has a plan of his own.

After a bad mining accident and a deep-cutting layoff, the men strike. Things are tough at home and only get tougher. The strike goes on for months and months, putting all kinds of pressure on the family. But then Jack discovers something quite wonderful. 

Elizabeth deftly tells a coming-of-age story woven into a historical novel about an important topic. Middle-schoolers will love the story and characters, and all the while they will be learning important lessons about the environment without even knowing it. I think high-schoolers and adults will enjoy this as well.

When I won the book, Elizabeth inscribed and signed it. I am offering this signed, gently-read copy to one of you. All you need do is have a US address, be a follower or subscriber (it's easy and free -- look in the right-hand column), tell me whether you subscribe or follow, and leave a comment. Next time I post (which may not be for two weeks -- we are going to Utah to see our daughter in Twelfth Night at the Utah Shakespeare Festival), I will draw a name from the hat and one of you will receive this wonderful book. If you want extra chances, Tweet about the giveaway with the link, post the link on Facebook or your own blog, and tell me what you've done. I will give you extra chances. 

Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and some giveaways. You can find it by clicking HERE.