Jubilee -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“I have written a great many stories and I still don’t know how to go 

about it except to write it and take my chances.” 

~ John Steinbeck ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

We all get a lot of writing tips. Some are great and helpful, some — not so much. Anne R. Allen has a terrific post HERE on Stupid Writing Tips. Check it out. 

Some great reminders in the article HERE on Bookfox that will tell you 25 Terrible Ways to Start a Novel. 

Writers Helping Writers always has great stuff. I don’t post links to their posts as often as I should, but I try to spread the love a little. Anyway, they have a TERRIFIC post HERE on inner conflict by Michael Hauge. Don’t miss this one. 

I hope all of you had a spectacular Thanksgiving. I had a lovely day with my daughter's family and she did most of the cooking! Then my 15-year-old grandson and I hopped in the car and drove to Seal Beach (south of L.A.) to visit friends. It was a great weekend, but the drive was ridiculous (pouring rain through the Grapevine -- yuck!), and I am ready to sleep for a week. It was a great weekend, though. So much fun!

Last week I promised one of you an ARC of The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachen. This week's winner is Susan Olson, a North Carolina writer and blogger and lover of time travel stories. She blogs HERE at Time Travel Times Two and always has great reviews. Check it out. Susan, I will get the book out to you this week. Now you won't have to wait for the library! For the rest of you, I have another giveaway so please keep reading.

As I have said before, I keep my eye open for certain authors when I am choosing books for review. When I saw that Patricia Reilly Giff had a new book coming out, I snagged it for review for the San Francisco Book Review. This is the review I wrote for them of Jubilee, her latest book, a middle-grade novel. 

Judith is called Jubilee by her Aunt Cora who took her in when Jubilee’s mother dropped her off like a load of laundry when she was quite small. Jubilee hasn’t spoken a word since that time, communicating only through drawings and gestures. She and Aunt Cora live on an island, which Jubilee loves to explore while watching the wildlife. When she starts fifth grade, she is no longer in a special class but is in a regular class with a new teacher who has some different ideas about learning. It is there Jubilee meets Mason, who is sloppy and talks too much, but he doesn’t mind that Jubilee doesn’t talk as the other children do. They become fast friends. On Aunt Cora’s birthday, she receives a card from Jubilee’s mother, and Jubilee discovers her mother is nearby. She decides to go and see her.

When Patricia Reilly Giff has a new book out, it is cause for celebration among

Patricia Reilly Giff

readers. This lovely, lyrical book has everything a reader would want — strong, believable characters, an interesting setting, and a well-crafted story full of conflict and drama. This will surely garner readers beyond the intended middle-grade audience.

I have a gently-read hardback 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.

The Poet's Dog -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“You have to write at least a hundred pages of crap before your

writing starts getting good. So you may as well start now.”

Joe Haldeman

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

A couple years ago, a writer friend mentioned he had decided to enter contests. He thought his work was good enough to garner some notice. I thought about that and decided to do the same. I looked for small, local contests that wouldn’t receive several thousand entries (like the Writer’s Digest contests) and ended up winning or placing in a half dozen contests or so. Honestly, I didn’t keep track. I ended up with probably $300 in winnings and some nice certificates to hang on my wall and remind me some people think I write some pretty good stuff. HERE is a post that will give you some hints about doing what it takes to win contests. Hope Clark has a great newsletter (free) that always has some contests listed as well as a wealth of other writing information. If you don’t receive it, check HERE to get on her list. She also has a newsletter that has lots more information in it, but you either need to pay a small fee or buy one of her books (they are good, fun mysteries) to get that one for free. Some of the contests that sent me money were from her newsletter! Check it out. 

I found a really, really great post at Adventures in YA Publishing HERE that lists 30+ Words to Watch Out for as You Write. Everyone will benefit from this. 

It’s always nice to get some advice from those who have gone before you on this frustrating journey of writing. HERE are tips from 29 published writers. 

We had a great weekend in NYC. My daughter Maggie was magnificent in Richard III at Bridge Productions (if you are near NYC, go see it!). My daughter Sara and granddaughter Gracie saw Lion King and Mathilda and loved them both. The three of us saw School of Rock. The kids performances were outstanding! I also saw Something Rotten. Hysterical! I loved it. Anyway, I'm back and thanks for being patient while I took some time off. 

Two weeks ago, I offered a gently-used copy of Leslie Connor's outstanding book, All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook to one of you. This week's winner is Tudy! Congratulations, Tudy. I will get the book out to you this week. I do have another giveaway this week, so please stay tuned.

When I saw a new book by Patricia MacLachan on the list of review books, I snagged it right away. Especially with the title -- The Poet's Dog -- I just had to have it. I was NOT disappointed. Here is the review I wrote for the Manhattan Book Review. 

Two young children, Nick and Flora, are lost in a blizzard, having left the car where their mother had to leave them to go and get help. A dog, Teddy, comes upon them and, speaking softly to them, leads them to a cabin in the woods where Teddy had lived with his master, a poet named Sylvan. But Sylvan is gone. Yes, the children understand the dog as he speaks to them. Teddy had been told by Sylvan that only poets and children can understand dogs when they speak. Now Teddy knows this to be true. The children and Teddy stay together in the cabin for several days as the blizzard rages around them. They help each other to keep the fire going and to find and cook things to eat. 

Patricia MacLachlan reminds readers why she won a Newbery Medal. This

Patricia MacLachllan

enchanting story has a very old-fashioned, folktale feel to it. The characters are absolutely charming, the writing is spare and lyrical, and the story satisfies in every way. Younger middle-grade readers will especially enjoy being able to read such a rich story on their own, but everyone reading it will be equally charmed.                        This is truly a story of love, friendship, hope, and redemption all packed into a coming-of-age novel that will capture readers’ hearts. The characters are rich and complex, the setting is unusual and will fascinate young readers. The writing is superb and the storytelling is terrific. This book deserves a wider readership than the middle-graders for whom it is intended. A real winner!

I have a gently-read ARC 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.

The Boxcar Children Beginning -- Review and a Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~Teddy Roosevelt~

A Gift for My Writer Friends:

For a stellar blog post about parental voyeurism and a nice shout out to MOI!, click HERE. 

If you click HERE, you will find a terrific guest post on Criticism at the wonderful blog The Bookshelf Muse.

You will find a simply lovely poem about a garbage man if you click HERE. Yes, you read that right, a lovely poem about a garbage man. I highly recommend it.  

 

On my last post, I offered copies of Calvin Coconut: Extra Famous and Season of Change to one lucky winner. Tonight my grandson, Gehrig, picked (cue the follow spot!) Jill Haugh as the winner. WooHoo for you, Jill. I will get the books out to you this week. If you are not familiar with Jill's blog, I had a little nut-tree, you are in for a treat. Check it out. In fact, if you check out the first of the Gifts for My Writer Friends, you will see one of her great posts. Her blog can by found HERE, and it's always worth a look.

For the last week and a half, we had the pleasure of a good, long visit from one of our kids -- a former exchange student from Hamburg, Germany we hosted 28 years ago. Our little Sonni is now a most wonderful woman, wife, and mother of three. She brought the whole family, and we had a spectacular visit. The last evening they were here, we had the quintessential American experience and went to a minor league baseball game complete with a win for the home team and fireworks after the game. It was there Sonni and our two daughters, Maggie and Sara, recreated a photo taken in 1985. I think it is perfect. Sara absolutely nailed the expression, didn't she? Ah, the memories! I couldn't help sharing. Anyway, this is all leading up to a very simple blog post for tonight. I just don't have the time or energy to come up with something brand new for tonight, so I'm linking to a review I wrote a while ago.

Tonight, I am giving away a copy of one middle-grade book for younger middle-graders -- a hardcover copy of The Boxcar Children Beginning written by Patricia MacLachlan -- a new addition to the series from the 1940s written by Gertrude Chandler Warner. The publisher contracted with Patricia MacLachlan to write a prequel to the original series. I was particularly interested in reading the Boxcar Children because one of my critique partners told me how much my novel reminded her of the series. Not a bad comparison, as far as I'm concerned. There have been about a bazillion copies of Boxcar Children books sold! Anyway, if you click HERE, you can read the review I wrote some months ago for the Sacramento Book Review of this book.

That's it for me tonight. I need sleep! If you'd like to win this book, please be a follower and leave a comment. If you aren't a follower yet, just check the right side of this post and become one. Easy Peasy! The giveaway is for U.S. addresses only please.

If you aren't reading Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog where so many Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday blogs are listed, you might just want to check it out. Click HERE to join the fun.

Double Giveaway -- The Truth of Me and Kicking In the Wall

Thought for the Day:

Writing is like giving yourself homework, really hard homework, every day for the rest of your life. You want glamorous? Throw glitter at the computer screen.
~Ketrina Monroe~

A Gift for My Writer Friends:

For a real horror storyabout agents and self-publishing, click HERE.

Click HERE for a terrific post on Chapters.

You can read a really fun article on getting rid of writer's block if you click HERE.

I know I have been absent for a week. Sometimes life gets in the way and sometimes we need a little break. Anyway, I'M BACK!!! But just a head's up -- I might disappear again for a week in June. Family reunion and travel plans might get in the way of blogging.

When I was last here, I offered a copy of the sweet Ivy in the Shadows by Chris Woodworth. And the winner is (drumroll, please) Barbara Watson!! Congratulations, Barbara. I will be sending the book along to you this week. For those of you who don't know Barbara, she is a teacher, writing, and freelance editor who does great editing work. You can find out more about her and her work by clicking HERE.

I reviewed a new book by Patricia MacLachlan recently for a review in the Sacramento Book Review. She is a prolific writer and probably most famous for her Newbery-winning Sarah, Plain and Tall. The book I reviewed is called The Truth of Me, and it is simply a lovely book.

Robbie is an only child. He has longed for a sibling, but it's clear that won't happen. His rather self-absorbed musician parents travel too much and have made it clear they don't need or want another child in their lives. Robbie often thinks they'd rather have one less child in their lives. They did get him a dog, however, a sweet hound named Eleanor, but Robbie calls her Ellie, and Ellie is his best friend. Well, he has another best friend. His grandmother Maddy is also his best friend. Not many kids have a grandmother for a best friend, but Maddy is pretty special.

When Robbie's parents go off to play concerts in Europe for the summer, Robbie is able to spend that time with Maddy, and he is able to take Ellie with him. It turns out to be a very memorable visit. Spending time with his grandmother allows Robbie to learn some truths about his mother that helps him understand a lot of things.

Maddy isn't much of a cook, but her neighbor, Henry, the local doctor, loves to cook and spends nearly every evening with Maddy and Robbie, cooking up wonderful things. But Maddy, who communes with nature as few others can, wants to take Robbie camping in the nearby woods. Henry has no interest in camping, so it is just Robbie, Maddy, and Ellie. While camping, Maddy shows Robbie how to relate to wild animals in a magical way she has. But while some of those animals are in camp, Maddy suffers a bad injury just as a large bear comes on the scene. Maddy can't be moved. It is up to Robbie and Ellie to take care of Maddy and get help, all while making sure she is safe.

Patricia MacLachlan

"It is beautiful at the top of the hill. The sun is setting, leaving a rose sky. We set up the tent together in a clearing. Maddy builds a small campfire in a stone pit, and we eat our food. There are two logs to sit on. I stare at the logs, remembering Maddy's story about eating corn bread with a bear, both of them sitting on a log."

I love The Truth of Me and think most kids fourth through sixth grade will as well. It's a little book, but has so much depth and so much truth in it. The writing is beautiful and the story is one to which many of us and of the kids out there can relate. You can win my ARC of this sweet book by being a follower (please help me reach 100!!) and leaving a comment. As a bonus, I am also giving away a copy of Kicking In the Wall: A Year of Writing Exercises, Prompts, and Quotes to Help You Break Through your Blocks and Reach Your Writing Goals by Barbara Abercrombie. This is another book I reviewed recently and, honestly, I have way too many writing books already, so you can win them both. Just be a follower and leave that comment. If you want more chances, post the link to this post on Facebook or Tweet it and let me know. I'll put your name in an extra time.

Don't forget to check in with Shannon Messenger for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday book reviews. Just click HERE to get to her wonderful blog.

For the giveaway, it is for U.S. only. Sorry, but I just can't afford to send books out of the country. Hope you understand. But do leave a comment please. I love to hear from my readers.