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.

Out at Home -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, quick, and generally congenial readers on earth. They accept, almost without question, anything you present them with, as long as it is presented honestly, fearlessly, and clearly.”

~ E.B. White ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The GROG post HERE is great for those of us who need to cut words. That would probably be all of us. 

Janice Hardy has a great post HERE on Setups — good and bad — and infodumps. It’s terrific. 

Bryan Collins has a terrific post on The Wicked Writing blog with 7 Tips for Starting Your Story with a Bang. Check it out HERE.

Last week, I promised a gently-read hardback copy of Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin to one of you. This week's winner is Greg Partridge. Congratulations, Greg! If you don't know Greg, please check out his wonderful blog, Always in the Middle, HERE. Greg is a middle-grade teacher, reader, and writer and always has something interesting on his blog. Greg, I will get the book out to you this week. Worry not. I have another giveaway for you this week.

It has been another all baseball weekend. Yesterday our grandson's team had one win and one (close) loss. Today they played THREE games to end up coming

up a little short in the championship game. It was really exciting the whole way, but tired I am. If you see a typo or two, please understand. In honor of all that baseball, This week I'd like to tell you about a book in Cal Ripken, Jr's All Stars series, Out at Home. This series is written by Ripken and Kevin Cowherd, a sportswriter. I reviewed one of the other books in the series, Squeeze Play, HERE. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

Mickey Labriogla may be the coach’s kid, but he has earned his spot as catcher with his solid play behind the dish. He knows how to call the game, his arm is strong and accurate, and he is tough enough to block the plate against anyone. When the Orioles, having a great season, have their pitcher go down to injury, it seems the season may be lost. But when Coach brings in a pitcher who throws hard and fast and hits his spots, it seems their prayers are answered—until the team gets a whiff of the new pitcher’s arrogance. He calls himself Zoom, insists on calling his own pitches, shows up late, and more, and Coach turns a blind eye. When the team finds itself in a championship game against Zoom’s former team, things get really interesting.

“Zoom stalked around the mound for moment, trying to compose himself. The Orioles could tell he was furious. So could the next batter for the Rays, who dug in nervously, then quickly stepped out, took a deep breath, and dug in again.”

This is the fifth book in the middle-grade series written by Cal Ripken, Jr. and

Cal Ripken, Jr. 

former sports writer Kevin Cowherd. Each book stands completely on its own, focusing on a different member of the team. The writing is excellent, the story compelling, and everything about it is believable. Young baseball fans will love this as well as the rest of the series.

I have a very 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

Kevin Cowherd

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.

Ruby on the Outside -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“First I got really grumpy, and then got very determined to write 

things that were so good that not even the stupidest most irritating 

gatekeeper alive could reject them.” 

~ Neil Gaiman on rejection ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Editor’s Blog has a great post HERE on compound words. This is not to be missed. 

Augusta Scattergood has a terrific post on setting HERE. Make sure you check out all the wonderful links on this one. It is chock full of great links. 

The Write Practice has one of the best post HERE I’ve seen on Show, Don’t Tell. It’s very clear. 

I know I've been gone for awhile longer than I expected. My trip east with my grandson was fine. Gehrig declared it a success as we sat in the 7th row by third base in Citizen's Bank Park and watched the Phillies wallop the Braves 12-2. It's always fun when the home team wins. Last Sunday I had every intention of posting, but Gehrig had a baseball tournament and ended up playing late for the championship and winning! It made for a long but exciting day. I was just too worn out to post. I might not be here one of the next two weekends for the same reason. Everything pretty much takes a backseat to my grandkids, as it should.

I promised a hardback copy of Blue Birds by Carolyn Starr Rose last time I was here. Our winner this time is Janet Smart. Congratulations, Janet! I will get your book out this week. If you don't know Janet, she is a children's writer and blogs at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch, (Don't you love that title?) which you can find HERE. For the rest of you, I have another give away for this post, so please keep reading.

The book I'd like to tell you about is Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin. I love this book and think it is really an important one. I hope all of you will have a chance to read it. Here is the review I wrote  for the San Francisco Book Review.

When you are eleven years old and ready to start middle school, everything, absolutely everything is a big deal. But if that is your life and your mother is in prison and you don’t have a best friend, it is much worse. This is the life Ruby Danes has — her mother in prison and Ruby has a chance at a new friend, Margalit, who could become that best friend. But when Margalit tells Ruby her brother is dead, his name triggers something in Ruby. She does some research and finds something that makes it seem everything will fall apart.

“I can’t remember anything specific from before my mom went to prison. We don’t talk about my real dad, but I know my mom was really young when she had me.” 

Nora Raleigh Baskin has written a really important book that speaks for a segment of our society that is badly underrepresented, but please don’t let that scare you away. This book is well-written with a compelling plot, great characters, and a message that will resonate with young people and more. While this book is marketed to upper middle-graders, it deserves a much broader audience. This story speaks to problems many young people face and may help readers be more understanding and

Nora Raleigh Baskin

compassionate. This is a touching, moving story that readers will really enjoy.

I have a very 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.

Blue Birds -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“The business of the poet and the novelist is to show the sorriness underlying the grandest things and the grandeur underlying the sorriest things.” 

~ Thomas Hardy ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Adventures in YA Publishing has a terrific post HERE on making any scene more interesting. Check it out. 

K.M. Weiland has a terrific post HERE about writing a good character arc. It’s one of the best I’ve seen. 

HERE is a post by agent John M. Cusick about how to write the dreaded query. It’s a good one. 

First of all, a heads up. I may be taking a couple weeks off. Next Saturday, our grandson, Gehrig, and I will be flying to the east coast. There, Gehrig will attend The Ripken Experience, a week-long overnight baseball camp that will, hopefully, give him a leg up and a confidence boost as he starts high school. If you want to know more, click HERE to see the camp he will be attending. I will be able to attend his games every afternoon, but otherwise it's hands off -- let the boy breathe and grow. After his week in camp, we will attend a couple of major league games in Baltimore and Philadelphia, see Liberty Hall and Valley Forge before coming home. During the week I will be doing some touring, writing, and will have a short visit with our daughter who is in the national tour of Once, now in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center. I might get to posting for my blog, but I might just relax and not worry about it. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, please don't cross me off your list. I will be back. 

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Last week I promised one of you a copy of Ranger in Time: Danger in Ancient Rome by Kate Messner. Our winner this week is Jenni Enzor. Congratulations, Jenni! Jenni writes YA and MG and is a regular on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays. You can find her blog HERE. Jenni, I will get your book out to you this week. For the rest of you, I have another great giveaway, so stay tuned.

This week I will review Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose. Back in 2012, I reviewed Caroline's debut novel May B. If you missed that review, click HERE. It is a lovely book, as is her new book. I am always a little wary of books in verse, but the truth is I seem to fall in love with them as I read them. Here is the 5-star review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review. 

Alis is twelve when her family sails from teeming, dirty London to the new world. It is 1587. They land on the island of Roanoke and expect to find English soldiers, including Alis’s beloved uncle, who had come before, but there is no one. All they find is some burned buildings and bones. At the same time, Kimi, a young girl of the Roanoke tribe, sees the settlers and is reminded of the deaths of her father and sister. Both girls have lost loved ones, yet they meet in the woods and find a way to become friends, each lacking a girl her own age to befriend. As animosity heats up between the English and the Roanoke, can these two girls survive the hostility and find a way to stay friends?

“But I am like a moth

dancing near a flame.

Thought there is danger,

I’m drawn ever closer.”

Caroline Starr Rose truly has a way with words. She tells this story in the voices

Caroline Starr Rose

of the two girls written in beautiful, lyrical free verse. The voices are distinct enough to not need it, but they are set in two different fonts. The story is compelling and filled with a range of emotions from longing, to sadness, to loneliness, to hope. This book should not be missed.

I have a very 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.

Ranger in Time:Danger in Ancient Rome -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know ten dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” 

~ Ernest Hemingway ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Editor’s Blog has a great post HERE on dialogue tags. It is full of excellent reminders. 

The Write Practice has lots of good posts. The one HERE on Why You Should Write What You DON’T Know is very good. 

Have you heard of EasyBib? If you do any research for your writing, you might want this free program. The folks at Group Blog have a great overview HERE. I’m going to check this out. 

Last week I offered a hardback copy of The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey. This week's winner is Natalie Aguirre. Congratulations, Natalie! If you don't know her, Natalie is an aspiring MG and YA fantasy writer and an attorney. She shares the blog Literary Rambles with another writer. If you aren't familiar with Literary Rambles, click HERE and check it out. They do reviews, agent and author interviews, and often have giveaways. It's a terrific blog. I do have another giveaway this week, so please keep on reading. 

This week I have a true middle-grade book that is really designed for the younger middle-graders. I tend to gravitate toward the older MG books, but when I read a good one, as this is, for the younger set, I am surprised how engaging these are and wonder why I don't pick up more of them. I love that I can read one in a couple hours and feel very satisfied. This one, Ranger in Time: Danger in Ancient Rome by Kate Messner is very engaging and I think kids will gobble it up. I mean, combining time travel and Ancient Roman history is just too good to pass up! Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Ranger has been trained as a search and rescue dog. He is a golden retriever and the family he lives with has two young children to keep him busy and happy. He found a first aid kit in the back yard that has magical powers. When it glows, Ranger pulls the strap around his neck and is transported to a place and time where someone needs his help. In this adventure, Ranger finds himself in ancient Rome at the Coliseum. There he meets a young boy, Marcus, and a new gladiator-in-training, Quintus. Ranger isn’t sure which of them needs his help, but at first he is busy dealing with the strangeness of the blood-filled sand and wild animals he finds in the underground area of the Coliseum. Can Ranger figure out his mission and safely get back to his family?

“Once, Villius stopped to watch him. Marcus thought he saw 

a flash of admiration in the manager’s eyes. But it was 

only there for a moment before he turned and walked away.”

Kate Messner has clearly done her research to make this story a good picture of a historical time and place that will be really interesting and fun for younger

Kate Messner

middle-graders. The characters are well-rounded, the story exciting, and the setting fascinating. Readers should not miss the author’s note, glossary, sources, and further readings at the end. 

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.

The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) -- Review and Giveaway

Thought for the Day:

“There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children’s book.”

~ Philip Pullman ~

 Gifts for My Writer Friends:

I know some of you write picture books or want to. I have several PB manuscripts I’m working on in addition to my novels. I just ran across a series of ten short blog posts by Josh Funk that are quite good on this topic. These will be especially good for beginners, but there are always things to learn even if you’ve been at it awhile. The first one is HERE and you can click right through them at the bottom. 

Angela Ackerman has a guest post HERE at Writers in the Storm you won’t want to miss. It is What Type of Secret Does Your Character Keep? Great stuff. 

Want to punch up your action scenes? Click HERE for Alex Limberg’s guest post on Fiction University to help you with that.

Last week I promised one of you a hardback copy of Random Body Parts by Leslie Bulion. Our winner this week is Patty Hawthorne. Congratulations, Patty! Patty is a writer who works mostly in science articles for kids magazines. For the rest of you, I have another terrific giveaway this week, so please keep reading.

This week I have a really funny book for your summer reading pleasure. The book is The Tapper Twins Go to War (with each other) by Geoff Rodkey. This is not the first time I've written about Geoff Rodkey's books. He is a very prolific author and I've reviewed two of his earlier books -- Deadweather and Sunrise HERE and New Lands HERE. I think I like this one even better! Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Claudia and Reese are twelve-year-old twins who live with their parents in New York. They are bright and attend a private school. One day, someone announces a foul smell in the cafeteria. Reese tells everyone his sister farted and calls Claudia Princess Farts-a-Lot. Needless to say, she is embarrassed and angry. Claudia thinks long and hard how to get back at her brother, and what she comes up with is masterful. Let’s just say it involves a dead fish, and when Reese’s favorite backpack is ruined, it’s on. The stakes are raised, reinforcements are called in, and battles are waged.

“Unfortunately, The Cheese Incident (which, if this were French class, I would call //L’Affaire du Fromage//), had a major and completely accidental side effect: it brought Xander into The War as an enemy combatant.”

This incredibly funny story is told as an oral history by the siblings. Claudia acts as editor, and her editorial comments are worth the price of admission. Geoff

Geoff Rodkey

Rodkey, a former screenwriter, has his pacing down to a science. He seems completely and comfortably in touch with his middle-school self. The voices of the two characters telling the story are absolutely pitch perfect. The language is today and the emotions shown by the characters are perfectly pre-pubescent. The situations are believable, while at the same time outrageously funny. Kids are going to gobble up this new series. Adults will enjoy this too.

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.