Thought for the Day:
“The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”
~ Bobby Knight ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
HERE is a cute graphic post to help you know filler words you can cut easily.
Suzanne Purvis is HERE at Fiction University to help you punch up your prose with rhetorical devices. This is really good.
Sometimes theme is hard for authors to identify. The post HERE from Reedsy will be a big help with this issue.
Last week I offered a gently-read ARC of Tricia Springstubb‘s sweet book, Cody and the Heart of a Champion, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler, to one of you. This week’s winner is AGARDENOFBOOKS2. I don’t know anything about this person except that I read her/his blog. He/she reviews a wide variety of books and posts often. You can check out the reviews HERE. Congratulations, AGARDENOFBOOKS2. I will get your book out to you soon. For the rest of you, I have another giveaway this week, so please keep reading.
I’d like to tell you about On Snowden Mountain by Jeri Watts today. I saw this book listed for review from the Tulsa Book Review, and it sounded like it was right up my alley — middle-grade historic fiction — so I requested it right away. And look at that gorgeous cover! I love it and I was not disappointed with this book at all. Here is the review I wrote for the Tulsa Book Review.
Ellen’s father went off to fight against Hitler and left her to take care of herself and her mother, who had fallen into one of her deep sadnesses. At twelve years old, this is no easy task. Soon she runs out of food and the store won’t extend credit. She has no choice but to contact an aunt she hardly knows. Ellen is shocked when Aunt Pearl shows up, packs a few of their things, and takes Ellen and her mother to a tiny town in the mountains. There Ellen meets people who help shape her life — Russel Armentrout, the Skunk Boy; Mr. Pritchert, mailman; Miss Spencer, town teacher; Moselle Toms, town gossip and troublemaker; and Mrs. Armentrout, an old friend of Ellen’s mother and expert healer with herbs. Ellen learns important lessons about her family and about herself.
Jeri Watts has written a compelling story filled with fully-formed, credible characters, each of whom has a complete backstory alluded to by the author, but without taking over Ellen’s story. Watts’s writing is gorgeous and will transport readers to another time and place. This book deserves readership far beyond it’s intended middle-grade audience. Don’t miss it.
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. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Adding this to my TBR list. I love a good MG!
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Can’t beat a good MG. Good luck in the drawing.
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This could be my mom’s story with the exception that she and her 4 siblings were taken to a concentration camp instead while their dad was fighting for Germany. going to add it to my TBR as it may help me understand better what my mom went through. I shared on twitter, pinterest, facebook, and tumblr.
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Wow. That’s quite a story! Thanks for the shares. Good luck in the drawing.
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Another history buff here. I look forward to reading this. Thank you for finding these wonderful books for those of use who know that no matter the audience, good writing is good writing.
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This is a good one. Thanks for your kind comments. Good luck in the drawing.
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Thanks for writing advice. My question is: How can you write realistic dialog in a MG book without fillers? Cildren in that age group use like, you know, I mean and other forbidden constructions when they speak. If course different voices will vary their use .
Thanks for sharing. I love “Always in the Middle” blog contributions!
Beth Schmelzer
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Good question. I think you have to slip a few of those fillers in for authenticity, but probably far fewer than one would hear in real life. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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I really enjoyed your review. I read this book in August and loved the relationship between Ellen and Russel, as they helped each other through tough times. And I loved the setting, time period and plot! Will wait to share my review.
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Glad you like the review. I look forward to reading your thoughts on the book.
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Sounds like a great story. I just read Keep Calm and Carry On, Children by Sharon Mayhew about kids who had to leave London and go to the countryside during the war. It was really good too.
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Thanks for the heads up on that book. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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I got an ARC of this at SLJ Day of Dialog and forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me and for such a great review. I just pulled it out of the pile to read.
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I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the comment.
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I love these kind of stories about families set in the past. The characters you described have me hooked. I will look for this one in a few months when I hope to have fewer books on my TBR pile (I have a plan!). For now let someone else win the giveaway.
All three links were helpful today. I’m guilty of using too many words and the first graphic helped convey what needs to be done.
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Ah, Greg, aren’t we all guilty of using too many words? Glad you like the links. Thanks for the comment.
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This sounds like a lovely story, but I think I’ll step aside since I really need to focus on reading the books already in my possession and on my TBR list. Thank you for the review, and for the excellent links!
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Thanks for reading and commenting. Always nice to see you here.
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I love HF and this one sounds like a book I will really get into. The cover is very appealing and I like the title too. Your review has made me add it to my list. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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I love the cover too. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Nice to see you here. Good luck in the drawing.
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Adding this to my list – you always share the most incredible books, Rosi!
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Glad you like the books I choose. Thanks! Good luck in the drawing.
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Good review of what sounds like another terrific read. Today’s events particularly remind me of that era and how it developed and the disruptive force it wreaked on so many lives.
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There certainly are some similarities. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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