Thought for the Day:
“I’ve failed over and over and over in my life and that is why I succeed.”
~ Michael Jordan ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
C. S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive has a terrific post HERE to help you effectively show emotions in your characters.
Rebecca Luella Miller at Rewrite, Reword, Rework has an excellent post HERE on Adding tension during the editing process.
K. M. Allen has a good post HERE on ways to use action beats in your writing. It helps.
Last week I offered a gently-read ARC of Camp Shady Crook by Lee Gjertsen Malone to one of you. This week’s winner is our very own Greg Pattridge, host of MMGM! Congratulations, Greg. I will get my book out to you soon. If you don’t know Greg, what cave have you been living in? Seriously, though, the link to his wonderful blog, Always in the Middle, is HERE. Check it out. I have another giveaway this week, so please keep on reading!
I ran across a book called Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker on the list of books available for review from the Seattle Book Review. What an unusual name! So I read a little about it and chose it for review. It’s such a rich and complex book that my short review (remember, I am limited to 200 words) doesn’t really do it justice, but I just don’t have it in me to rewrite it today, so I hope it’s enough to grab your interest so you will get hold of a copy. Here is the review I wrote for the SBR.
Zenobia has recently moved to Maine to live with her aunt and her aunt’s wife. Zen had lived with her father after her mother had died when Zen was five. Her father had never accepted who Zen was because she had been born in a boy’s body. Now she will start at a new school where no one knows her or that she is transgender. Fortunately, her aunts are very supportive, and they have a good friend, a transvestite, take Zen clothes shopping to help her fit in better. At school, Zen finds a person who does not identify by gender at all, Arli, who has a small group of friends who, for one reason or another, don’t quite fit in. Someone hacks the school website making threats to some in the group. Zen, who happens to be a computer whiz, helps find the hacker.
Author Lisa Bunker has written a book that will be a welcome addition to the LGBTQ canon in middle schools. The characters are well-rounded and face problems that are very real and important. The writing is quite wonderful and the story compelling. This book deserves wide readership.
I have a gently-read ARC of this book for one of you. All you need do is be a follower or subscriber (it’s free!), have a U.S. address, and leave a comment below. If you would like extra chances, please share the link to this post on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet and let me know you have done that. If you are reading this in your email, please click HERE to get to my blog, then click on the title of the post, and leave a comment. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Your links sound really good. I’ll come back to check them out. This sounds like a great story with lots of interesting characters. I admire you for being able to review it in 200 words.
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This is a great story. I hope you get a chance to read it. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Sound like a great addition to the world of MG novels.
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It is indeed. Thanks for stopping by adn commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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I think you did an excellent job of describing this book in only 200 words.
Please don’t include me in the giveaway. I’m so far behind on my reading, I’ll never catch up! Now I’m off to check out that link about showing emotions in characters. Thanks!
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Hahaha! I know about being so far behind on reading that we will never catch up. Thanks for the comment.
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The links were good, especially the first one on emotions. Thanks for sharing them.
I read and reviewed this heartfelt story a while back so don’t include me in the giveaway. That and the fact I just won last weeks prize. Thanks so much! The story has great characters and shows friendships can come in all shapes and sizes.
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It is a great story, Greg. Glad you like the links. Thanks for the comment.
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This is a book that is already on my TBR and I can’t wait to read it. I shared this post on twitter, facebook, pinterest, and tumblr, keeping my fingers crossed for the chance. Thank you for sharing with one of us!
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Thanks for sharing, Danielle. Good luck in the drawing.
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What an intriguing story. This book sounds character driven with a compelling plot. It deserves wide readership. I have several LGBTQ books in my TBR pile, so I will pass on this one. I’m behind in my reading. Excellent review.
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It does deserve wide readership and will help people be more inclusive, I hope. Thanks for the comment.
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I have a copy already, but great review! I thought Bunker’s discussion (somewhere, I can’t remember!) about how LGBTQIA+ people tend to surround themselves with similar individuals helped me to understand this book a bit better. I was worried that my students, who might never have met anyone like the characters in the book, might be confused by the sheer number of different characters, and reading that interview made sense of the cast.
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I will try to find that interview. I think people always try to find those who mirror themselves. It si a great comfort. Thanks for the comment.
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Thank you for sharing this poignant story with us. {No need to enter me in the giveaway as I will read our library’s copy}. Also, I will set aside some time to read your links on writing. Happy MMGM!
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Thanks for stopping by! I use my library a lot too. I hope they have this book.
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This sounds like an important book for anyone who cares about someone dealing with the world’s treatment of people who don’t fit into their narrow vision. Thank you for finding and featuring it.
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You’re welcome. It is an important book. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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I loved Bunker’s previous book, Felix Yz, and I am extremely excited to try Zenobia July! I already bought a copy, so I’ll pass on the giveaway, but thank you so much for the excellent review!
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I haven’t read the author’s other book. I will try to check it out. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Enjoy Zenobia July!
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You did a great job letting us know about this book in 200 words. Sounds like a wonderful book. Thanks for sharing- I hadn’t heard of it before.
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It is quite a wonderful book, Jess. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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