Lincoln's Spymaster -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life 

that is less than the one you are capable of living."

~ Nelson Mandela ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends: 

Beth Stilborn at By Word of Beth has a great post with lots of terrific links all about character names and titles. Check it out HERE. 

Some thoughts on writing from John Steinbeck. Worth the time. Click HERE. 

I took a nonfiction workshop a couple years ago through the Highlights Foundation. Peggy Thomas was on the faculty, and it was a terrific workshop. Peggy writes about nonfiction at her blog Anatomy of Nonfiction. She has a great post on Using Fair Assumptions in Nonfiction HERE. If you ever work in this genre, this is really worth your time. 

Last week I offered an ARC of Connect the Stars by David Teague and Marisa de los Santos. The winner this week is Joanne Fritz. Congratulations, Joanne! I will be getting the book out to you this week. If you don't know Joanne, you should check out her blog HERE. She is a writer with a fascinating and inspiring "About Me" on her blog. Every once in awhile I go to her blog and read her "About Me" just for inspiration. Seriously. Right now she is running a giveaway there for a fun book. Fear not. I have another giveaway this week, so read on!

My grandson is a history buff and his special area of interest are anything related to Lincoln and the Civil War. When I saw this book as an option for the San Francisco Book Review, I knew I had to get it. Here is my review for them of Lincoln's Spymaster: Allen Pinkerton, America's First Private Eye by Samantha Seiple.

Allan Pinkerton was a barrel maker. In an effort to get free wood, he visited a small island. There he found evidence of strange goings-on. After some investigation, he helped uncover a counterfeiting ring. This was his first step on a long journey through law enforcement and building of the greatest detective agency. As Pinkerton built his detective business capturing many outlaws, including train robbers, he came to know leaders in the railroad business. It was one of these, Samuel Felton, who hired Pinkerton to uncover a plot to destroy his railroad. In the process of doing so, Pinkerton discovered a plot to assassinate Lincoln before he could take office. In foiling that plot, Pinkerton sealed his future as an integral part of Lincoln’s inner circle in Washington D.C. throughout his administration, extending even to being a war spy during the Civil War.

“The information in Pinkerton’s reports to McClellan was not just collected by his spies. He also interrogated deserters, prisoners of war, refugees, and runaway slaves.”

Samantha Seiple has found a subject who will absolutely fascinate readers

Samantha Seiple

young and old in this well-written biography. The fast-paced story is told through clear, crisp prose and illustrated with great choices in very early photographs which emphasize the non-fiction aspect of the book. Readers will love this fresh take on Pinkerton.

I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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.

Halloweensie Special Edition

This is a special edition of The Write Stuff. Every year, writer and teacher Susanna Leonard Hill runs a Halloween writing contest on her blog, and every year I mean to enter but never seem to get my little story done on time. She calls the contest the Halloweensie Contest "because it's not very long and it's for little people." The story must be under 100 words not including the title, contain the words "dark," "haunt," and "costume," or some form of those words, and can be rhymed or not. Then we are to post our entry on our blogs and post the link on her blog. It's fun and there is still time to enter. Check out Susanna's blog HERE. So this year, with fingers firmly crossed, I am entering my own little rhyming story, The Halloweensie Party. (93 words) I hope you enjoy it.

The Halloweensie Party

Little witches dance and sing.

Around them darkest bats take wing.

Their cauldron sits on crackling flames.

The little witches chant some names.

“Oscar, Wilma, Hank, and Jean,

come join us for Halloween!

Costumes can be fun or scary —

pirate, ghost, or glittered fairy,

mummy, bear, or wolverine —

all of them are pretty keen.

We’ll bob for apples, sing some songs,

dance until we hear twelve gongs.

Midnight calls all monsters home.

No more will the creatures roam 

or haunt the night for one more year.

Naught ‘til then for you to fear.”

For some reason, two notices did NOT go out this week and there is another post with the usual review and giveaway. Please check it out HERE.

Connect the Stars -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the 

way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well 

put that passing time to the best possible use.”

~ Earl Nightingale ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Erika Wassall has written a great post on Kathy Temean’s Writing and Illustrating blog on villains. Check it out HERE. She has great examples and good information.

Suzanne Warr has a guest post at Author’s Think Tank Blog about common novel problems she finds in her editing work. You can find it HERE. It’s an important one for writers and a good read. 

Kimberly Griffiths has a great post HERE on setting, something that is so important in making stories come to life. 

Last time I posted, I offered an ARC of Walter Dean Myers's last book, Juba! A Novel to one of you. This week, Carol Baldwin is the winner. If you don't know Carol, she is a writer from North Carolina who blogs about writing and books at Carol Baldwin's Blog (HERE) and also has a fascinating newsletter with author Joyce Moyer Hofstetter called Talking Story (HERE). Congratulations, Carol! I will get the book out to you this week.

Some of you may remember one of my middle-grade favorites last year was Saving Lucas Biggs by David Teague and Marisa de los Santos. Imagine how excited I was to learn the two had written another middle-grade book. Connect the Stars came out last month. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

Audrey knows when someone is lying. She is never wrong. It’s a gift or maybe a curse for this 13-year-old girl. When she realizes her best friend has not only lied to her but hung her out to dry, it’s almost more than she can bear. No point in having friends if you can’t trust them. Aaron, also 13, remembers everything he has ever read or heard. Everything. He may know a lot of facts, but that doesn’t mean he really understands anything. Both of these kids find themselves at a wilderness camp with about a dozen other kids and a very scary

Marisa de los Santos

camp guide. Some want to be there, some don’t. Some are angry, some are sad, some are lost. But something happens that forces everyone to work together, and everyone is changed by it.

“The place was oddly beautiful, like almost everything soft had been peeled away to reveal the Earth’s bone structure, which was as stark as truth.”

David Teague

Marisa de los Santos and David Teague have written a taut, exciting story that will draw kids (and anyone else lucky enough to get their hands on the book) in and keep them turning pages. The dual points of view and beautiful writing make this story a real standout and a very satisfying read. This should become a middle-grade classic.

I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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. 

Juba! A Novel by Walter Dean Myers -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, 

caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, 

self-loathing,and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.”

~ Robert De Niro, actor ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends

The Writer’s Circle post on useless words is a really good one. The word THAT is one we could all use far less and be better writers for it. Check out the post HERE. 

I have been suffering from the most mind-boggling writer’s block for so long. This post (HERE) on Adventures in YA Publishing by Jen Larsen says it all. It is a real day brightener. 

The ladies who brought you The Emotion Thesaurus and other writing books are starting a new venture. There is an announcement HERE about it, and it also has several great checklists for writers. This is worth a look. 

My blogging may become a bit sporadic over the next couple of months. We bought a house this week which we will close on early November, then make a slow move before we put our present house on the market. We have nearly fifty years of stuff we have collected to sort through and downsize. We will be moving closer to our grandchildren and into a more manageable home. Anyway, while my intention is to blog every week, there may be Sundays I simply don't get to my blog. But rest assured, I will be back.

Last week, I offered a copy of The Looney Experiment by Luke Reynolds to one of you. This week's winner is Helen. Helen is an occasional artist who lives in the mountains of New Mexico. Congratulations, Helen! I will get your book out to you soon. For the rest of you, I have a most interesting book this week and a giveaway.

It was a sad shock in July of 2014 when it was announced that Walter Dean Myers had died. I really liked the books of his I had read, and I knew he had legions of young fans. When I ran across his last novel on the list of choices from the San Francisco Book Review, I had to grab it. I'm glad I did. It's a great example of historical fiction called Juba! A Novel. Here is my review.

Juba lives with Stubby, another young black man, in a room they rent from a white man in New York City. It is 1842 and neither has much in the way of future prospects, but both have dreams. Stubby wants to be a great chef and Juba a dancer. Mostly they help their landlord in his smoked fish business, but it is barely enough to keep body and soul together. Juba dances wherever and whenever he gets a chance, making very little money doing it, but his fortunes change a bit when Charles Dickens attends a performance. Dickens is dazzled by Juba’s fast, intricate footwork. When Dickens returns to England, he writes about Juba which leads to what seems to be a great opportunity for Juba to work in London. But is it?

“I ended up with a ‘yes,’ and Mr. Pell said he was glad and that he thought I would be glad as well. He set up a time for me to meet the other performers.”

Walter Dean Myers brings the true story of Juba to life for modern readers with

Walter Dean Myers

a first-person narrative based on impeccable, deep research. The voice is so real, readers will forget this is historical fiction and will come to believe they are reading a diary. Adding to the realism, it is illustrated with maps, photographs, and reprints of handbills and newspaper ads, stories, and drawings. 

I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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 Looney Experiment -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“I have often thought that this [East of Eden] might be my last book.

I don't really mean that because I will be writing books until I die. But

I want to write this one as though it were my last book. Maybe

I believe that every book should be written that way.”

~ John Steinbeck ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

If you write for middle graders, you sure don’t want to miss the guest post for The Writer’s Dig HERE by Luke Reynolds, 7th-grade teacher and author of The Looney Experiment. It is very good advice. 

Janice Hardy posted a good article on character development HERE. As always, this is well worth your time. 

A.J. Steiger has a guest post on Adventures in YA Publishing about when to break writing rules. Click HERE to read this excellent post.

Last week I offered an ARC of Cynthia Levinson's new book, Watch Out for Flying Kids. Cynthia offered a signed bookplate and a clown nose to the winner as well! How fun is that? This week's winner is Sue Heavenrich, a science and environmental issues writer for both adults and children and a blogger extraordinaire. She regularly posts to THREE blogs -- Archimedes Notebook, Sally's Bookshelf, and The Marcellus Effect -- all of which are worth visiting. I always learn something when I read her blogs. Click on any of their titles to see them. Congratulations, Sue. I will get the book out to you this week. I do have another giveaway this week, so please keep on reading.

A few months ago as I was choosing books for review for the San Francisco Book Review, I ran across a book called The Looney Experiment by Luke Reynolds and was attracted by the title. I read a little about it and requested it. I am so glad I did. It is an absolutely terrific book. Here is the review I wrote for SFBR.

Atticus Hobart’s life isn’t so good. He can’t bring himself to speak in public. He hears voices in his head. He’s in love with the most beautiful girl in school, and he’s sure she doesn’t know he exists. The school bully, Danny Wills, has too much power and is completely protected. Danny’s father is the baseball coach, and his mother is school board chairperson. He can call Atticus “Fatticus” all he wants and beat him up with no qualms. Just when Atticus thinks things can’t get worse, his father leaves and his English teacher is replaced by the strangest, oldest teacher on the planet. But this teacher, Mr. Looney, introduces Atticus to new ways of looking at things and, perhaps most important, new ways of looking at himself. Just as Attius seems to be getting his balance, something happens to threaten it all.

“Then you grow up and realize that’s all load of crap. Your 

parents decide they’re going to get divorced; you get bulled 

at school because you’re a mime compared to everyone else; 

and you’ve got the World’s Worst Name.”

Luke Reynolds has written a story that will resonate with a lot of young people,

Luke Reynolds

both boys and girls. The premise is surprisingly fresh, the characters real and believable, and the writing is simply terrific. This book deserves readership far beyond the middle-school audience for which it is intended. Don’t miss this amazing book.

I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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. 

Watch Out for Flying Kids -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn 

the faucet on before the water starts to flow." 

~ Louis L’Amour ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Write Practice has an interesting post on Point of View. Most writers know a lot of what’s HERE, but there are some new things. 

Writers Helping Writers is such a good blog. Everyone should read it all the time. I don’t mention it here nearly enough. A guest post by PK Hrezo on voice (click HERE) is really worth your time. Don’t miss it. 

K. M. Weiland has a really important post on paragraph mistakes and how to avoid them. Check it out HERE. 

I am a little brain-dead tonight as I write this. It was another baseball tournament weekend. On Saturday our boys did not play well and were soundly beaten in one game and barely squeaked a win in the other putting them in 5th position of six teams. That meant an 8:00 am game today, which they won handily. Then we had to wait around for a second game at 12:45, which they again won handily. That meant we would play for the championship at 5:30. More sitting around waiting and then a bit tougher game, but still they won handily. It was a very fun and exciting day, but we were gone for fourteen hours today and I am tired! So if there are typos and such, please be kind.

Last week I promised one of you an ARC of The Safest Lie by Angela Cerrito. This weeks winner is Kim Aippersbach. Congratulations, Kim! I will get your book out to you this week. Kim is a writer, reviewer, and now a Cybils judge. You should check out Kim's blog Dead Houseplants (Don't you love that title?) HERE. I have another great giveaway this week, so please keep reading.

I recently read and reviewed an amazing book by Cynthia Levinson, author of We've Got a Job, a MG non-fiction about the 1963 Birmingham Children's March. Her new book is really a stunner. It is Watch Out for Flying Kids and here is my five-star review for the San Francisco Book Review. 

When most people think of a circus, they probably think of a big tent and clowns and wild animals, but there is another kind of circus people should know about. Fortunately, Cynthia Levinson has written a marvelous new book to tell the story of the social youth circus. Basically that means putting young people together who normally would be on opposite sides of something— class or race or politics or religion — then teaching the kids performance skills that require trust and cooperation. One of these circuses is in St. Louis, Missouri and one is in Israel.

Readers are introduced to members of the companies and some of their instructors through very insightful profiles and photographs. The St. Louis circus, Arches, visits and works with the one in Israel, Galilee Circus. The young performers are further challenged by language differences, being homesick, unfamiliar foods, and even acts of violence in the area.

“The Arches couldn’t tell who was Jewish and who was Arab. 

All of the Israelis looked and sounded foreign to them.”

A great deal of extra information is presented throughout in sidebars that

Cynthia Levinson

enhance this inspiring story, a story of courage, perseverance, and, most of all, hope. It will appeal to children as young as 9 and to people as old as 109 and deserves a broad readership.

I have an ARC of this wonderful book I would be happy to send to 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 Safest Lie -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"You can fix anything but a blank page." 

~ Nora Roberts ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I have been saving this one for quite awhile. So just in time for Halloween writing: Adventures in YA Publishing has a great post up called How to Write Scary by Gretchen McNeil. I know I would like to be better at writing scary. Click HERE to give it a read. 

Aerogramme Writers’ Studio has a post by Patti Frazee called Who is Your Boo Radley? Finding Characters Who Motivate You to Write. Click HERE for a very worthwhile post. 

Rachelle Gardner has a great post on creating a compelling book title HERE. This is something a lot of us struggle with. I know I do.

Last week, I offered a gently-read ARC of The Girl in the Torch by Robert Sharenow to one of you. It was nice to see poet Liz Steinglass pop in and leave a comment, and it was her name that popped out of the hat. Congratulations, Liz! If you aren't familiar with Liz or her work, hop on over to her page HERE and check it out. Liz, I will get your book out to you this week. For the rest of you, I do have another great giveaway this week.

When I choose the books I review for the San Francisco Book Review, I always

keep my eyes open for good historical fiction. Even though I reviewed one last week, I can't resist reviewing another this week. Angela Cerrito wrote a wonderful middle-grade historical that came out this summer called The Safest Lie. Here is the five-star review I wrote. 

Life in the Warsaw Ghetto is almost unimaginable, even for those living it. Nine-year-old Anna Bauman is shocked each time she sees the number of people begging for crumbs from those who have so little. Her mother tells her she must become someone else and begins teaching her Catholic prayers and the life history of a girl named Anna Karwolska, who Anna is to become. Soon a young woman smuggles Anna out of the Ghetto and to a Catholic orphanage.  There for three years, she witnesses the huge sacrifices the nuns make to shelter and protect children from the despicable acts of Nazis. From the orphanage she is moved to a Polish farm family, always keeping her secret, always being Ana Karwolska, always praying to rejoin her parents.

“I must not forget being Anna Bauman. Remembering my real self is a bright flame of truth inside me.”

Angela Cerrito has written a powerful story in honor of and based on the life of

Angela Cerrito

Irena Sendler, a woman who worked with the resistance to save thousands of Jewish children. Cerrito traveled to Poland to meet with Sendler and to research for this book. All that work shows. This is historical fiction at it’s very best and deserves readership far beyond its targeted middle-grade audience.

I have a very 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 Girl in the Torch -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

"Don't quit. It's very easy to quit during the first 10 years. Nobody cares whether you write or not, and it's very hard to write when nobody cares one way or the other. You can't get fired if you don't write, and most of the time you don't get rewarded if you do. But don't quit."

~ Andre Dubus ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

WritinGeekery has quite an interesting post HERE entitled Rock Your First Chapter, No Excuses. It’s a good one. 

The Writer’s Circle has a good article HERE on words you should banish from your writing. Yes, BANISH! 

Janice Hardy has a great post HERE on what it really means to start with action.

Last week I was able to have some great giveaways and have three winners to announce. The two lucky people who will receive signed copies of Water Runs Through This Book by Nancy Bo Flood are @dmsfiles and Nancy. Congratulations to both! I will be contacting you for addresses and how you would like your books signed. And, for your listening pleasure, Susan will be receiving a CD of Stripped Down by the beautiful and talented Maggie Hollinbeck! Nancy is a loyal reader, Susan is a time-travel expert and blogs HERE,and @dmsfiles can be found blogging HERE. Both blogs are worth your time. I have another giveaway, so keep reading please!

I recently won a whole box of middle-grade books and a Starbucks card (Thanks, Greg!!!) from the very generous Greg Pattridge who writes and blogs

about middle-grade writing and reading at Always in the Middle HERE. He has great reviews and discusses the writing process. Don't miss it. Anyway, in that box of books was one I had already read and really enjoyed. I'm happy to share it here. It's called The Girl in the Torch by Robert Sharenow. I have to admit, this book has really stayed with me since I read it a couple months ago. I do love historical fiction and this one has a compelling story and wonderful characters, but that's not why it has stayed with me. One of the first rules of writing for children is that the main character has to solve his/her own problem. I don't think I am giving too much away, but I would love to know if Sharenow had any push back on that. His main character, Sarah, does a lot of things along the way to help herself, but ultimately some wonderful adults step in to bail her out of her biggest problem. I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has read this book and what you think about this. If you haven't read the book, it's really good. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

It is early in the 1900s, and 12-year-old Sarah lives in a small village when her father is killed by powerful men. She and her mother take what little they have and buy passage to America to start a new life where Jews are not persecuted. During the voyage, Sarah’s mother becomes quite ill, and when they arrive at Ellis Island, she dies, leaving Sarah with no one. A search for some relatives in New York comes up empty, and Sarah is put on a ship to return to her homeland, but she jumps overboard and swims to Liberty Island. She scavenges food during the day and sleeps in the crown at night, trying to figure out a way to get to the mainland and find a way to live. But there is a night guard between her and freedom, and when he falls and is injured, there is no one to help him but Sarah. Thus begins an odd partnership.

“She hadn’t been bathed by anyone since her mother had done

it when she was a little girl. Her mother had a much gentler hand. 

But it felt nice to be taken care again, even if it was by a tough 

old Chinese woman she barely knew.”

Robert Sharenow has written a terrific story with complex characters and interesting relationships set in a time and place young readers will find

Robert Sharenow

fascinating. The writing is lovely and the story compelling. This is a winner.

I have a very 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.

Water Runs Through This Book -- Review and TRIPLE Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man 

contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”  

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

GREAT post on commas HERE. The comma is the most misused punctuation in America. 

Anne R. Allen has some fun Tips for the Care and Feeding of Your Muse HERE. 

Barbara Kyle has a guest post on The Writing Desk HERE on the Anatomy of a Page-Turner. Very instructive.

Last week, I promised one of you a gently-read copy of Out at Home by Cal Ripken, Jr. and Kevin Cowherd. This week's winner is Molly. Congratulations, Molly! She is a semi-retired teacher and an aspiring writer and reviews middle-grade books at My Cozy Book Nook. Check it out HERE. If you didn't win, take heart. I have THREE giveaways this week. Keep on reading.

I am really pleased to tell you about a new book by Nancy Bo Flood. Nancy is one of the most talented and generous writers I know. I have reviewed two of her books on my blog -- a MG poetry collection called Cowboy Up! (review HERE) and a marvelous picture book, The Hogan that Great-Grandfather Jack Built (review HERE). I simply love her work. It is so original and so beautiful. Her poetry is stunning. Her new book, Water Runs Through This Book, is unlike anything you might have ever read. Here is the five-star review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

People can live a very long time without food or shelter, but they can only live two or three days without water. The only more critical element for life is oxygen. Our brains are mostly water. Our bodies are two-thirds water. Water connects all people. Nearly 70% of the Earth is covered by water, and rivers were the first thoroughfares. Water shapes the land. Even as people explore the moon and other planets, the key they look for is evidence of water. Water is life. But most don’t think about water very much until they don’t have it. This precious resource needs to be protected. For some peoples, water is a necessary component for ceremonies and rites. Water is sacred.

“Wilma Mankiller was an activist and the first female chief of the 

Cherokee Nation. For Wilma, ‘going to water’ meant home, 

family, and a healing place of prayer.”

Nancy Bo Flood is a teacher, poet, and writer. In this book, Flood uses both prose and poetry to

Nancy Bo Flood

accompany the spectacular photographs by Jan Sonnenmair to tell the story of this important resource in a way young people will understand and be engaged. Flood’s prose is succinct and lovely to read, and her poetry is spare and lyrical. This wonderful book will be appreciated by middle-grade readers, their parents, their teachers, and more. 

I read a wonderful interview with Nancy recently at Jennifer Wolf Kam's blog, and I think you will enjoy it as well. If you click HERE you can read it. Nancy has generously offered TWO signed copies of her book for giveaways this week! See. I told you she is generous! Thanks, Nancy. But I promised you a TRIPLE giveaway, so I am not done yet.

I am sure I have mentioned our daughter Maggie who is an actor in the national

tour of Once. She is also a singer/songwriter and released her second album last weekend. It is called Stripped Down (it's all acoustic). She not only wrote most of the songs, but did the photography for the cover, did all the design, and recorded the tracks herself! We are so proud of her. This album has three covers and eight of her own songs. I love it and have decided to share it with you.HERE is a link to her album and you can listen to a sample song and hear why I want to share her work. You can, of course, order a copy of her album if you like and help a starving artist. I have decided to give away a copy of her album as well. I'll bet I can even get her to sign it for the lucky winner. 

To win any of these wonderful prizes, 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.