Thought for the Day:
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is fun to read — an article HERE entitled The First Hundred Words are the Hardest was published 100 years ago in Writers Digest.
I had a query critique recently, and the person critiquing said I need to find more recent books to compare mine to. HERE is a good post on just that topic from Anne R. Allen.
Has anyone ever said your characters were flat? The Writer has a really good article HERE called How to Fix Your Boring Characters.
I usually offer a list of books I’ve read throughout the year for late holiday shopping. The truth is, I haven’t had a chance this year to go through everything to compile a list. Sorry, but I’m afraid you are on your own. And I hope you all have Happy Holidays, relaxing family time, and a Happy New Year. I won’t be around for three weeks so I can have some family time as well. My grandson comes home from college on Friday and my daughter comes home from the East Coast on New Year’s Day. So, I will see you next year.
Last week I offered a gently-read copy of McTavish Goes Wild written by Meg Rosoff and illustrated by Grace Easton to one of you. This week’s winner is Stephanie@Fairday’s Blog. Stephanie Robinson is one of the partners, along with Jessica Haight, who wrote The Secret of Fairday Morrow and run the blog The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow. Click HERE to see it. It’s worth your time. Stephanie, I will get your book out to you soon. For the rest of you, I have another interesting book to give away. Please keep reading.
Candlewick Press sent me a stack of books recently and War is Over by David Almond and illustrated by David Litchfield was one of these. I hope I can get to the rest soon. Candlewick books are always a treat. Here is the review I wrote on Goodreads for this book.
Young John is confused about how he can be at war when he is only a child. And how can the children in Germany be at war? They are only children. Around him, his schoolmates often play at war, but John is not comfortable with that. The teacher takes all the children to tour the munitions factory where John’s mother works, a factory that seems to grow with every passing day. On the way, the children see a man who is speaking out against the war. He is dragged off, but John admires him and picks up some things he has dropped — a picture of a German child as well as a white feather which he finds out is something given to people seen as cowards. This begins a series of events that makes things very difficult for John.
Author David Almond has written a thought-provoking book that harkens back to the War to End All Wars — WWI — that happened just 100 years ago. The powerful illustrations by David Litchfield complete this story. It may be a bit too dark for the intended elementary school readers, but the message is an important one and there is hope.
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 
I love the historical novels. Thank you for finding another.
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You’re welcome. Good luck in the drawing. Thanks fro reading and commenting.
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I read this book a while ago and I just loved it, but then again. I love almost everything David Almond writes. I had aged it for middle school age kids, not elementary because I agree, it is too dark for kids under 9. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for sharing your thoughts as well. It’s a bit of a hard book to categorize. I will have to read more of Almond’s books.
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I agree that Candlewick publishes excellent books–some of my favorites recently came from this house. Thanks for sharing this book with a reader–I shared on tumblr, pinterest, facebook, and twitter. Merry Christmas!
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Thanks for always sharing my link. I appreciate it. Good luck in the drawing. Merry Christmas to you as well.
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I love that we’re still working to get those first one hundred words right…after one hundred years! Thanks for sharing that.
This book sounds lovely and super important, but I will regretfully step aside as my TBR pile is a bit of an embarrassment at the moment. Thank you, and happy reading!
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I was fascinated to find that article. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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This looks like a terrific book. Count me in and I’ll share it now on FB. Happy break–I’m there with you!
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Thanks for sharing my link. I appreciate it. Good luck in the drawing.
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I love historical fiction. Happy Holidays!
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HF is my favorite genre. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing. Happy Holidays to you as well.
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You mentioned that it may be a little dark for elementary age students. My nephew has become interested in the past wars over the last year or so – WWII mostly, I think it may be the planes he likes, but he’s really into the history of it and has learned quite a bit. What age would you recommend the book for?
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I never taught younger kids and my kids were really sophisticated readers, so placing an age for this book might be a little off. I would say at least 10 years old or maybe 11. I also think it would be good to have an adult who has read the book to discuss questions he might have. I hope that’s helpful. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Enjoyed your review! I am looking forward to reading this WW I story after reading your comments. Candlewick has some really great MG novels released in 2020. Will make sure I put some distance between our reviews. We probably will have some overlaps. Happy Holidays!
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I always enjoy reading your reviews and will look forward to some crossover. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing. Happy Holidays to you as well.
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This sounds like a great book! I know very little about WWI, so it’s great that this book can provide kids with more perspective on the war. Thanks so much for the review!
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You’re welcome. There are not a lot of books about WWI for kids, so this is a welcome addition to the kids’ book canon. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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McTavish Goes Wild sounds like a great book and I am so happy to have won a copy. Thanks, Rosi!
War is over also sounds great. I do love HF!
Wishing you a wonderful break and Happy Holidays!
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You’re welcome! I will try to put it in the mail this week. HF is my favorite genre. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing. Happy Holidays to you as well.
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Historical MG fiction has always been a favorite of mine. When it is done well (like this one surely does) it stays with you for a long time. World War I and John, the MC, has me anxious to read this one. Thanks for featuring on this week’s MMGM. I will let someone else win who can get to this book sooner than I could with my upcoming reading schedule.
Have a happy and joyous holiday with your family, Rosi!
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This looks VERY interesting. Thanks for posting.
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Sounds interesting!
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Hi great readiing your post
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