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One Time — Review

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.”
~ Victor Kiam ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

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 Penny Sansevieri at Anne R. Allen’s blog.

Has anyone ever said your characters were flat? The Writer has a really good article HERE by Yi Shun Lai called How to Fix Your Boring Characters.

M. L. Davis at Uninspired Writers has a good post HERE to help you avoid all kinds of clichés in your writing.

Well, I didn’t get much done last week. I was nailed to my chair watching the most astonishing history being made before our very eyes. The House Managers were brilliant and focused in their indictment of the former president and his horrific behavior that led to so much death and destruction. It was hard to watch, but it should have been. It certainly was a lesson for the ages. As I watched my Sunday morning news shows, I was heartened to see Boris Johnson declare that our democracy is healthy and strong. I’m glad others perceive things that way. I also feel like this was one step toward healing our country, even if the senate didn’t have the strength to do their job. Our new president simply kept his head down and worked through it all, obtaining enough vaccine for everyone in the country to be vaccinated. This isn’t the end, but at least I think it is the beginning of the end. So keep your masks on, get your shots when you can, and we will get through this. As for the meme, I just needed a little levity this week.

Last week I offered a gently-read paperback of Because of that Crow by Beverley Brenna to one of you. This week’s winner is Danielle Hammelef. Congratulations, Danielle! She always shares my link on social media for extra chances, and I really appreciate that. Danielle, I will get the book out as soon as I can get to the post office.

This week I would like to tell you about a really sweet book I reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review. When I saw the name Sharon Creech on the authors of available books, I knew I was in for a treat. I had read some of her books years ago and loved her writing. So I chose One Time from the list, and I was not disappointed. Isn’t that a pretty cover? Here is the review I wrote for SFBR.

Gina Filomena has quite an imagination and a great sense of style, but some kids make fun of her. New neighbors move in next door and they have a boy, Antonio, who is Gina’s age. They will be in the same class. Their new teacher, Miss Lighthouse, is very creative and fun. She doesn’t have a lot of rules, and she gives the class interesting writing assignments that won’t be graded. It’s a very different classroom, and soon all the students seem to be having a better time than they have ever had in school before. Antonio is a favorite in the class, but one day he doesn’t show up. Because Gina is his neighbor, everyone expects her to know what happened, but she doesn’t know anything. Another day, Miss Lighthouse is gone and a sub comes in. That is when the children really learn to appreciate what a wonderful teacher they have.

Sharon Creech

Author Sharon Creech has written a sweet, highly imaginative book that will delight young readers. Her writing is gorgeous, the characters are well-developed and engaging, and the story is unique and compelling. This book deserves to be read well beyond the designated middle-grade audience.

I have no giveaway this week since I will donate the nice hardback copy I got to the school. Don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.

Published by rosihollinbeck

20 thoughts on “One Time — Review”

  4. I’ve read a few of Creech’s books and can tell why they are popular. I hope you are having a great week and thank you for the comp titles article link.

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  6. I’ve read several of Sharon’s books beginning with Walk Two Moons. Her writing always flows in the best way possible. I will be sure to get my hands on a copy of ONE TIME. Such an intriguing story line!
    Enjoyed the links especially the one on comp titles and fixing boring characters. I’ve had some of the same problems they described. Anyway, thanks for always being a part of MMGM.

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  8. Sharon Creech is really an excellent author—I have mixed feelings about her most popular book, Walk Two Moons, but some of her others, like Heartbeat, The Boy on the Porch, and The Unfinished Angel, are fantastic! I’m glad to hear her newest book falls into that latter category. I applaud you watching the impeachment—I am not as nearly well-informed, but I did hear that, because of the 57 votes to convict, this was the most bipartisan impeachment in history (surprisingly). The quote made me laugh and is quite true, and I love the meme and the useful links! Thanks for the great post!

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