Thought for the Day:
“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
~ Golda Meir ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
I am a staunch defender of the Oxford comma. My opinion is it is never wrong to use an Oxford comma, but it can be disastrous to not use one. HERE is a great (and fun) article from The Guardian on that topic.
Names, names, names. Always a quandary. Jaq D. Hawkins wrote a good post on names HERE for Chris The Story Reading Ape’s Blog. Check it out.
Writer’s Digest has a terrific article HERE about writing great query letters that has links to tons of great example letters.
I read an actual adult novel this week. I do that sometimes, but not as often as I’d like. I want to mention it here. It’s been on the NYTimes bestseller list for a year and a half, but I just got around to it. The book is WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens. It’s a terrific book and I recommend it to all my adult readers. I know I’m a little late to the party, but it’s never too late to recommend a good book.
Last week I offered an ARC of THE MULBERRY TREE by Allison Rushby to one of you. This week’s winner is AGARDENOFBOOKS2, a mysterious person who runs a terrific blog and reviews all kinds of books. You can check it out HERE. I have found some wonderful books there. Congratulations! I will get your book out to you soon. No giveaway this week. I have donated the nice hardback copy I received to the school.
This week I want to talk about COUNTING TO PERFECT by Suzanne LaFleur. I don’t know how I waited so long to get this book up on my blog. And that cover! Oh, my goodness! It’s amazing. I reviewed the book last summer for the Tulsa Book Review and gave my copy to the school long ago. Somehow it fell off my blog radar, but, as I said earlier, it’s never too late to recommend a good book. Here is the review I wrote for the TBR.
Cassie’s life has changed in some very big ways, but she didn’t really have anything to do with those changes. Her older sister, Julia, with whom Cassie had always been very close, had an unplanned baby during her senior year. After years of total support from her family, Cassie finds herself at her swim meets with no parents or sister cheering her on. More than that, one of her best friends and swim team member is no longer allowed to come to Cassie’s house. While Cassie loves her little niece, Addie, she misses the way things were. Julia decides she and Addie are going on a road trip, and Cassie is invited along, but it is to be a secret from their parents.
There are not a lot of sister stories in middle-grade books, so this is refreshing. Also, having an intact family is a welcome change. That said, this book seems to be stuck in the 1960s in terms of the reactions to the teen pregnancy, even though it has a contemporary setting. Author Suzanne LaFleur is a masterful writer with great style, well-rounded characters, credible dialogue, and a compelling story. Young readers will like this.
No giveaway this week. I donated my hardbound copy to the school library. But check back next week. I expect to have a giveaway then. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
I’m so glad your granddaughter’s school library has a copy of such a lovely sounding book. Thank you for all your recommendations.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for always reading and sharing my link.
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That cover is amazing and the story sounds intriguing, so I appreciate the heads up! I’ll be on the lookout for this one. Many thanks, and happy MMGM!
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You’re welcome. It’s always nice to see you here.
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I agree with you about the cover, Rosi–it’s lovely. I also wanted to thank you for the meaningful Golda Meir quotation at the top of your post. Thanks for sharing all of this valuable info with us for MMGM!
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You are welcome. I’m always pleased to hear people enjoy the things I post.
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Just added to my TBR–first time I’ve seen this gorgeous book. Thank you for letting me know about it.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for always reading and commenting.
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What a great spring or summer read! I love the plot, storyline and characters. Love road trips — and this one is a tad different! Will check this out at my library. You’re right– it is a great cover!
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It is pretty unique. I think you will enjoy it. Thanks for the comment.
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I’ve read this author before! I will have to check this one out.
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I haven’t read anything else by this author. I will have to check out her other books. Thanks for stopping by.
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How did I miss this one? Thanks for putting it on my radar for a read this year. I also love the cover. Thanks especially for the query letter link. I always struggle getting them just right.
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Yes, this book needs to be on your radar. You will like it. Thanks for your kind words.
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Thanks for the thoughtful review. FYI, your link to “Where the Crawdads Sing” (which I’ve heard about) goes to the WD article. I knew you’d want to know!
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Thanks so much for the heads up on the link. I did fix it. And thanks for the comment. Always nice to see you here.
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Love the cover. And the road trip sounds fun. Thanks for the link to the Writer’s Digest query article. Will check out the examples. Those letters are always so hard to get right.
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Good examples, for me, are always the best help. Queries are difficult. Thanks for stopping by.
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Nice review. You are right — there aren’t many sister stories out in the literature for young people. I don’t have a sister, but from friends who do, it makes for interesting histories that should inspire stories!
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Always nice to see you here.
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I love that cover! Definitely adding this to my to-read list. It sounds like “The Penderwicks” a bit. I’m eager to see if that’s the case. Thanks for the review!
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You are welcome. I didn’t think of The Penderwicks books while reading this, but maybe… Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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This sounds like a good book. And I love the cover, too.Thanks for telling us about it.
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You are welcome. Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
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I am reading Where the Crawdad’s Sing right now! I just started it last night and I am halfway through. I am late to the party too- but I have had a lot of other reading on my plate and I am just now getting to it. I am really enjoying it so far. Glad to hear you liked it.
Counting to Perfect sounds like a good book. I read Love, Aubrey by this author and was very touched by it. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention. 🙂
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I tried to fix it but I missed it- Crawdads, not Crawdad’s. 🙂
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No worries! It’s hard to get in and fix something once it’s posted. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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I’m a fan of the Oxford comma too. In fact, me and two other coworkers had a discussion about it just the other day (one of them isn’t a fan and it was an entertaining conversation).
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As I said, and as i keep telling people when we get into it, you can never be wrong to use it, but Boy Howdy, you sure can be wrong! 😉
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