Reviews of Glory Be and Yankee Girl plus a Book Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~Hans Hofmann, painter~

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Click HERE for a fun little article telling about odd jobs some great authors had before they got their big breaks.

Randy Ingermanson has a terrific post on making your characters sound different from each other in dialog. Click HERE to read it. 

Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman have sage advice about the difference between Conflict & Tension. Not to be missed by writers. Click HERE. 

We have a WINNER! Nancy will be receiving a copy of The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones very soon. Congratulations, Nancy, and thanks for being a reader of my blog. I'll be sending out the book this week. If you did not win, stay tuned. There will be another giveaway at the end of this post.

I have spent the past couple of days in the Deep South of the 1960s thanks to the wonderful time machine called Books. When I recently attended the Highlights workshop, one of our instructors was Augusta Scattergood, author of the widely acclaimed Glory Be. It was an absolute treat to spend time with her. She is a lovely and gracious person. A few weeks ago, Carol Baldwin wrote about a book, Yankee Girl, on her wonderful blog called (wait for it) Carol Baldwin's Blog! If you missed her review (and giveaway that I did NOT win - 8-{ ), you can check it out HERE. After reading about it, I decided it needed to go right near the top of my TBR list. So this weekend, I was going to be spending a lot of time in a car (winter baseball tournament), so I took them both along and read them. Both are set in Mississippi in 1964 and have some things in common, but also have many differences.

Yankee Girl is set in Jackson, MS against the backdrop of the the beginning of school integration.

Alice Anne Moxley has just moved to Jackson because her father, an FBI agent has been transferred there to help with the expected violent reactions to the integration. Alice, a transplanted Yankee, is not welcomed in her new school. The kids pretty much shun her and refer to her as a Yankee, clearly a terrible insult. But Alice has no idea how bad in could be until Valerie Taylor, daughter of an African-American clergyman, comes into her class. Author Mary Ann Rodman, herself the daughter of an FBI agent who moved to Jackson in 1964, pulls no punches in this book and uses the vernacular of the local citizens in her fine book. It is a true coming-of-age story steeped in the history of its setting. This is a terrific read for anyone from middle grades on up.

Augusta Scattergood

Glory Be is set in a small town in Mississippi, also in 1964. Gloriana Hemphill is eleven, but very close to her twelfth birthday. All of her birthdays since she could swim at a very young age have been celebrated with a party at the community pool. Glory is upset that no one seems interesting in helping her plan for her party, especially that her older sister Jesslyn is too busy to care. Now it is less than two weeks before that auspicious day, and Glory hears the pool is going to be closed. The official story is it is closing for repairs, but it is well-known around town it is being closed to avoid having it integrated. A new girl in town, Laura, is visiting for the summer from way up north in Ohio with her mother who has come to help set up a free clinic for the poor in town. Being with Laura is a real eye-opener for Glory, and the time and happenings in the town set Glory on a path to a fast spate of growing up. The writing is simply terrific, as is the story. I was absolutely transported by this book. I recommend it highly. I promise you will not regret this choice for your precious reading time. 

I borrowed Yankee Girl from the library and Augusta Scattergood autographed her book to my granddaughter Gracie, so I cannot give either of these wonderful books away. However, I promised a giveaway, so here you go. Anna Staniszewski wrote a very funny and clever book called My Very Unfairy Tale Life. I have a gently-read copy I am offering to one of my U. S. readers who is a follower (it's free and easy - check to the right) and leaves a comment on this post, so do that. If you post my link on some social media or tweet it, let me know and you will get your name in the hat an extra time.

Review of Dark of the Moon and Giveaway of The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones

Thought for the Day:


“I want to live other lives. I've never quite believed that one chance is all I get. Writing is my way of making other chances.” ~Anne Tyler~

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:

If you write YA, Tween, or MG do not miss this incredible post from the folks at Adventures in YA Publishing. Click HERE to see it. 

 

Click HERE for a wonderful, thought-provoking post by Morgan Mussel at First Gates about Neil Gaiman’s thoughts on many things. 

Anne Allen wrote a fantastic post on organizing research. See it by clicking HERE. 

Last post I offered a copy of the extraordinary Carrying Mason to one of my readers. The winner this week is Joyce Moyer Hostetter. Joyce has published some wonderful books, and I reviewed her latest, Healing Water on this blog sometime ago. You can read my review by clicking HERE. You can read more about Joyce and her books on her home page. Just click on her name. Congratulations, Joyce. I will get this right out to you. 

I recently posted about the amazing Whole Novel: Historical

Fiction workshop through the Highlights Foundation. If you missed that post, you can click HERE to see it. One of the instructors was Tracy Barrett, author extraordinaire and expert on Classics and the

ancient and medieval worlds. We each received a copy of her latest book, Dark of the Moon, a retelling of the myth of the Minotaur. She has written a ton of books, both fiction and non-fiction, all while raising a family and teaching Italian full time at Vanderbilt University, a job from which she recently retired (clearly an early retirement -- Tracy looks much too young to be retiring!). If you click on her name, it will take your to her site and you can check out her books. 

I read Dark of the Moon on my plane ride home from the workshop and it sure made the day go by quickly. On the island of Krete, young Ariadne, She-Who-Will-Be-Goddess, is coming into her womanhood and spends most of her time either alone or with her mother, She-Who-is-Goddess, when she isn't spending long hours training to take her place as goddess when the time comes. She has

Tracy Barrett

no friends. All the other young people are afraid to look directly at her or speak to her. The only friend she has is her brother, Asterion, and he is not like anyone else and is kept in a cell beneath the palace of the Minos. Ariadne loves Asterion, but he can be monstrous, and his behavior is the root of the myth of the Minotaur. 

Much of the story is told from Ariadne's point of view, but this story is not only Ariadne's. Nearly half the story is told from the point of view of another character. Each year, a tribute is sent to Krete to right on old wrong against the Minos (uncle of Ariadne). This year, the king of Athens had been told he was to include his own son as part of the tribute and the wrong would be forgiven. The son he sends is Theseus, and we hear his story in his own words. The king's daughter, Prokris, also is sent to be a wife to Minos. Ariadne meets the king's son and their relationship complicates both their lives as well as that of Prokris. This is much more than a retelling of a myth. It is a surprising and unexpected story based on myths.

For those who enjoy mythology, this is a must read. The language has a formality to it that keeps the reader firmly grounded in the ancient time. The characters are all well-drawn and the story  compelling. The writing is spectacular. Tracy told me she thought my 12-year-old grandson would enjoy the book, but I'm not sure he is quite ready for this very rich, complex story. I'll let his mom read it and make that call. But I highly recommend this. I can't wait to find time to read time to read her other novels. I'm particularly interested in Anna of Byzantium and the four books in the Sherlock Files series. 

I can't give away the copy I have of Dark of the Moon. It's signed for my grandson. But I do have a wonderful offering for this week. For one of my lucky readers, I have a brand-spanking-new copy of The Adventurous Deeds of Deadwood Jones by Helen Hemphill. I reviewed this quite awhile ago on my blog. You can see that review by clicking HERE. This is a great, rollicking story and I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy it. If you are a follower or if you become one (it's free and easy - check the column to the right) and if you leave a comment, your name will go into a drawing for this terrific book. 

Don't forget to check Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday offerings. Click right HERE to visit.

Poetry Craft and a Review and Giveaway of Carrying Mason

Thought for the Day:

"Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads." ~Marianne Moore~

Some Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I love this post by K. M. Weiland on strengthening character voice. Click HERE to see it. 

Click HERE for one of the best posts on that old bugaboo Show Don’t Tell that I’ve ever seen. 

Darcy Pattison has a terrific post on Point of View: Techniques for Getting Inside a Character’s Head. Click HERE to see it.

Annnnnd! We have a winner. Last week I promised to send out copies of Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf and Jump Start Your Creativity to one lucky reader who left a comment. The winner is Helen! Congratulations, Helen. I will be getting those books in the mail to you this week. And there is another giveaway this week, so stay tuned.

I have been spending time on poetry lately and delving into some books on the craft. I've found a couple I'd like to mention here. I don't spend enough time talking about craft and hope some of you will find this useful. 

The first book is really a book for kids -- A Crow Doesn't Need  A Shadow: A Guide to Writing PoetryFrom Nature by Lorramel Ferra. I will be passing this along to my granddaughter, a future writer and illustrator. There are some wonderful exercises and prompts in this one for any poet, no matter how old. I'm enjoying it. The writing is lively and it has many good examples and ideas.

If you are like me (and I'm not asking anyone to confess to that), you need to know the words for, well, just about everything. So when I found The Poetry Dictionary by John Drury, I had to have a copy. It really has shown me a lot of forms of which I was not aware, and it has solid examples for all of them. I like it. You might, too.

 

 But the best of the bunch, in my mind, is Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston. I am only about halfway through this one, but I've already been inspired to write some of the best stuff I've written. Really. I'm very excited about this book. It is simple and straightforward and chock full of excellent examples. Unfortunately, it has gone out of print, but there are plenty of used copies for sale. I've been using a library copy, but ordered a copy of my own before I finished the first section. This is one that will end up in tatters held together with tape, if you know what I mean. 

Now for a short review and the giveaway. Last March I reviewed a book by Joyce Magnin, Cake: Love, Chickens, and a Taste of Peculiar. I really liked that book. If you missed my review, you can click HERE to see it. I had the pleasure of interviewing the author, and she mentioned she had another book out, Carrying Mason, which I hadn't read at the time. I had a chance to read it last summer, and I liked it even better than the first. I don't know why I have waited so long to review it here.

Luna is thirteen years old and lives with her parents, three sisters, and a brother in a small town. It’s a

full house, but, for the most part, a happy one. Until, that is, Luna’s best friend Mason dies when hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Luna and Mason had a very special bond. It affects the whole town, but Luna more than anyone. Anyone except Mason’s mother, Ruby Day. Mason had taken such good care of his mother. She is somewhat developmentally delayed and, while some are cruel to her, many in the town look out for her. But she needs more than that. When Luna visits Ruby Day, she finds mildewed clothes in the washer and dirty dishes in the sink and realizes Ruby Day hasn’t bathed in too long. Luna decides it is up to her to take care of Ruby Day. She convinces her parents to let her move in with Ruby Day and promises she will keep up with her school work and will go to college when the time comes. She does remarkably well in her new role, but is faced with her greatest challenge when a relative shows up and insists she should take Ruby Day away. Luna is in for the fight of her life.

Readers will cheer for Luna and appreciate the difficulty of her situation. Most will imagine what it is

Joyce Magnin

like to take on such responsibility and will be interested in the idea of living away from their family. They will learn the kind of strength of character it takes for such a task and will also learn they have that kind of strength within themselves. 

I am offering my gently used paperback copy of this wonderful book to one of you. All you need do is be a follower (easy peasy on the right part of this page) and leave a comment. If you tweet the link to this post or post it up on the social media of your choice and tell me about it, I will give you an extra chance. 

Please check out Shannon Messenger's blog for more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday book reviews. There is always a lot to see over there. Just click on her name to go there.