I always enjoy supporting my fellow SCBWI-Carolinas writers, particularly those who live in Charlotte. Today I'm bringing you Chrystal D. Giles' debut novel, TAKE BACK THE BLOCK (2021: Random House Books for Young Readers).REVIEWI spent the morning of my eleventh birthday carrying a sign that read WE WERE HERE FIRST.How do you like that for a dynamic… Continue reading TAKE BACK THE BLOCK: A MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY
In 2018 I read Nancy Johnson's article on Writer Unboxed encouraging writers to figure out what their novel's big question is. I saved it on my desktop and went back to it several times as I wrote Half-Truths. That question is in my mind and shaping the sequel. So, it's no coincidence that after I… Continue reading For Black Girls Like Me: A Review and a Giveaway
After watching Colby Sharp's YouTube recommendation of Barbara Dee's newest book, Maybe He Just Likes You (Simon and Schuster), I knew I wanted to read it. As I mentioned to Ms. Dee when I connected with her on Facebook, it's a book that I both love and hate. I love it because it is written so well.… Continue reading Maybe He Just Likes You- A Review and ARC Giveaway
Browsing a recent Recorded Books catalog, I was pleased to find Wonderland (Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 2018), by North Carolina author, Barbara O' Connor. I hope one of your students, children, or grandchildren will enjoy it as much as I did. REVIEW The book opens with10-year-old Mavis Jeeter leaving Hadley, Georgia for the same reason she's left so… Continue reading Wonderland: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway
Some of you may remember my review of Sandra Warren's book, We Bought a WWII Bomber: The Untold Story of a Michigan High School, a B-17 Bomber and The Blue Ridge Parkway. After she wrote and published it, I challenged her to use her research to write an historical novel. She knew the story inside and out--so she… Continue reading She Started it All- A Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won Behind These Hands from last week's blog. ******** Nikki Grimes' sequel to Bronx Masquerade, BETWEEN THE LINES (Penguin Random House, 2018), combines narrative and free verse in a moving book about teens whose lives are changed through poetry. The audio book published by Recorded Books is narrated by different actors; each eloquently expresses… Continue reading Between The Lines: A Review and Audio Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Rosi Hollinbeck who won BACKFIELD BOYS from last week's blog. Rosi is my California counterpoint since she reviews and gives away books too. You might want to follow her blog! Many of my faithful blog followers have read about how Rebecca Petruck has mentored me while I've written Half-Truths. She's guided me through… Continue reading Boy Bites Bug: A Review and an E-Book Giveaway!
Cleopatra Edison Oliver is a fifth grade force to be reckoned with. Her superpower is the art of persuasion and she is convinced that she can not only create and market personalized hair clips ("Tell the world who you are!") to every girl in her grade, she's sure that her idol, talk show host, Fortune… Continue reading Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power: A Review and Giveaway
With the publication of TANGLED LINES (Seek, 2016), Bonnie Doerr completes her eco-mystery series that began with ISLAND STING (2010) and STAKEOUT (2012). All three middle grade books star "detectives" Kenzie Ryan and Angelo Sanchez figuring out an ecological crime that threatens their beloved Florida Keys. Since many of you tell me you appreciate it when I interweave book reviews… Continue reading Tangled Lines: A Review and an Autographed Giveaway!
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