Congratulations to Linda Andersen for winning Kathy Wiechman's ARC of NOT ON FIFTH STREET. ****** It is my pleasure to host Kathleen Burkinshaw on her TLCB Blooming Anniversary Tour. What has life been like for you since The Last Cherry Blossom was published? This past year has had wonderful, surreal moments as well as frenzied,… Continue reading Life After Publication: A Conversation with Kathleen Burkinshaw and a Great Giveaway!
Congratulations to Kathleen Burkinshaw who won the Audio CD, MADE YOU UP. ******** A very long time ago, a baby boy is born with a withered foot. His father, obeying the rules of his people, leaves him out in the open, presumably to die. A mother wolf adopts him and treats him like one of… Continue reading The Wolf's Boy: A Review and Autographed Giveaway
If you have a middle school reader who enjoys history and art, then this novel which fictionalizes the early life of Leonardo da Vinci will be just the book for him or her. This is the first in "The Life and Travels of da Vinci" series and it is obvious that the author, Catherine McGrew… Continue reading Leonardo the Florentine- A Review and a Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won CALL ME SUNFLOWER from last week's blog. This week I'm taking on a difficult topic: life after death. I have recently read two middle grade books which include references to eternal life. Although not the central theme of Avi's THE BOOK WITHOUT WORDS or Jonathan Auxier's SOPHIE QUIRE, protagonists in… Continue reading Avi, Auxier, Life after Death, and "Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard" Giveaway
Reminiscent of the 2010 Newbery medal winner MOON OVER MANIFEST, Barbara O'Connor's latest middle grade novel, WISH (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016) is the story of a young girl who feels abandoned by her parents, is forced to live with strangers, and searches to understand her past. Like MOON, it tugs on the reader's heart strings and shows the… Continue reading Wish: A Review and Audio CD Giveaway
This blog post is courtesy of Augusta Scattergood who gave me a copy of Linda Williams Jackson's debut middle grade novel, MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON (Houghton Mifflin, 2017) and Vijaya Bodach who recommended Donald Maass's book, The EMOTIONAL CRAFT of FICTION (Writer's Digest Books, 2016). Since Half-Truths is on hold right now while I'm waiting for feedback from my readers,… Continue reading Midnight Without a Moon: A Review, ARC Giveaway, and Focus on "The Emotional Craft of Fiction"
As promised last week, here is the follow-up interview with Bonnie Doerr, author of three eco-novels for middle grade students. CAROL: When you wrote Island Sting, did you have any idea that there would be two more books? BONNIE: Island Sting is a rework of Kenzie’s Key. The publisher of Kenzie's Key went out of… Continue reading Bonnie Doerr: On Book Series, School Visits, and Story Lines
Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won LONGBOW GIRL from last week's blog. I had promised you would hear the results of Sydney Kirsch's NaNoWriMo experience. But in typical "I-want-it-to-be-better" mode, Sydney wasn't quite satisfied with her guest post and is continuing to tweak it. Stay tuned, you'll read it soon! ***** As many of you know,… Continue reading The Lions of Little Rock: A Review
Congratulations to Sandra Warren who won my ARC of BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD. In this week's post, Monika Schroeder provides some behind the scenes information about writing her newest middle grade novel AND offers an autographed copy as a giveaway. CAROL: I’m curious about the backstory behind this book. It’s very different than your previous… Continue reading Behind the Scenes with Monika Schroeder and an Autographed Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders and Karen White who won copies of AIM from last week's blog. Thanks to everyone who left comments. ****** In August I featured Susan Campbell Bartoletti, a faculty member at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. Her keynote was so packed with information that it was impossible to give you everything she said. In… Continue reading Be Light Like a Bird: A Review and ARC Giveaway