Thought for the Day:
“THE GREATEST TEACHER FAILURE IS.”
~ YODA ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Jill Hedgecock wrote a terrific post HERE for The Creative Penn that gives you a way to use visual inspiration for your writing.
HERE is another post on getting rid of filler words and phrases. It’s worth your time.
Grammar Girl has a very helpful post HERE about Why Dumbing Down Your Language Isn’t Always Dumb.
Every now and then, I get an email from a publicist offering me some ARCs in exchange for honest reviews. I recently received a stack of books from Candlewick Press, and I hope I can get through all of them in a timely manner. I have read a couple of them, but I have much more work to do. The first one I picked off the stack is the second in a series about a dog named McTavish. I reviewed Good Dog, McTavish, the first book in the series, HERE. Today I will tell you about the second in this fun series, McTavish Goes Wild written by by Meg Rosoff and illustrated by Grace EastonGrace Easton. This is the review I wrote on Goodreads.
McTavish has a return appearance in this sweet second book in the series. I, for one, hope this is a series with lots of books. McTavish was rescued by the Peachey family in the first book, Good Dog, McTavish, but it was clear that McTavish thought of himself as the rescuer of the family, and with good reason. That theme continues here. The Peachey family is going to go off on a camping trip, and Betty and Mom are excited, Dad is apprehensive, Ollie would be happy if the camping place had dancing and lots of girls, and Ava is only interested in reading esoteric philosophy books, a stack of which she takes along. The first couple days of being at the beautiful camp ground with a river for swimming and a mountain for climbing are wasted with a lot of complaining, worrying, and stick-in-the-mudness, until McTavish takes over and leads the family on what seems to be a wild goose chase, but that’s not really what it is. It is McTavish to the rescue.
Author Meg Rosoff has a great franchise going with the McTavish books. The characters are believable and properly flawed, the writing is crisp, and the story is fun, funny, and compelling. That along with the cute illustrations by Grace Easton will keep the youngest of independent readers happily engaged. This is a real winner.
I have a gently-used 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 
This sounds like a fun book for the younger readers. I have none in that age group to share this book with so will skip entering the drawing this time.
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It is fun. Thanks for stopping by.
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I agree with Tudy that this sounds like a great story for younger readers. I’ll pass too this time as sadly I don’t have anyone to read it with..
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Yup, it is great. Thanks for the comment.
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Thanks for this post, Rosi. I love animal books–especially rescue animal stories. The cover art is so cute, and I think the objects drawn there might give a clue about the family’s adventure. Thanks for sharing this one for MMGM!
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I read the first book too and remember loving it (books with dogs are some of my favorites). Thank you for letting us know about another McTavish book! I also hope this becomes a series. I shared for extras on facebook, tumblr, pinterest, and twitter because I know I will love this book.
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Thanks for the shares. Good luck in the drawing.
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I love that one of the characters is “only interested in reading esoteric philosophy books”! Sounds like a cute book 🙂
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It is cute, and that character is terrific. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Sounds like a perfect series to entice middle graders to read. I could see this one being rad out loud, too. I hate to pass on this giveaway but will have to given the number of books still on the pile to read. I will pursue a copy when time allows in the next six months. I enjoyed all the links especially the one on filler words and phrases. I’ve seen a few of those creep into my own writing.
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Yeah, filler words are a bane of my existence. Thanks for the comment.
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This sounds like a fun read! I can see my students enjoying it. Animal stories are a big hit with them! Thanks for sharing and for a chance to win. 🙂
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It is so much fun. The quirky characters are great. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I passed on this book because I have several dog books waiting reviews and selected other books from Candlewick.. Sounds like a very entertaining dog story! You write enticing reviews!
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This is worth your time, and it doesn’t take much time. You will like it. Thanks for the comment. Good luck inthe drawing.
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What a neat-sounding book! A plot about a dog bringing a family together is neat enough, but one from the dog’s perspective is quite unique! I’ll pass on the giveaway, but thanks so much for the review!
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You are welcome. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I know I just won, but since my granddaughter is an animal lover, she’d like this one too. thanks for entering me.
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You are welcome. Good luck in the drawing.
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I love a good dog story, and you’ve made this on sound great. I’ll have to find a copy now and find out how great it is myself. Thanks for the review.
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You will like it. It’s worth finding. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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This one sounds sweet! I didn’t know about this series. I’ll have to check it out.
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Very sweet. You and your kiddoes will like it. Thanks fro stopping by. Good luck in the drawing.
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