Thought for the Day:
“The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the alone.”
~ Donna Tartt ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Kris Maze has a fun post HERE on Writers in the Storm that will show you 9 Writing Productivity Tips I Learned from Knitting.
Once in a while, I need to give my brain a kick in the pants with a good writing prompt. Writer’s Digest has a post HERE with 100 Creative Writing Prompts for Writers. (I don’t know who else they would be for!)
The always entertaining Kristen Lamb has a great post HERE called The Wound: How Pain Can Deepen Our Fiction. Her posts are always worth your time.
I haven’t mentioned my classes at Storytellers Academy lately, but I am hard at it. After talking to one of the people with the company, I decided to back off from the third class and concentrate on just two classes. It’s good advice, and I am feeling like I can really get much more out of the two than I would have if I had tried to continue with the third. I also signed up for a mentored critique group with Tim McCanna. That will give me three in-depth critiques from him along with input from two other students. I am learning a great deal from my Rhyming Picture Book class and really so, so much in my Character Design class (basically an illustration class). I have also joined an almost local critique group that meets by Zoom. One member is on the East Coast, although I think she used to live here. The critique groups I had been in kind of fell apart during the pandemic. I’m looking forward to the coming year with all this going on. It’s nice to be busy with writing again.
I may be on a little roll with survival books here. This slim volume got a little lost in my stack of books that needed to be featured on my blog. I read and reviewed it last fall, and then it got buried. But, as I often say, it’s never too late to review a good book. I Survived The Galveston Hurrican 1900 by Lauren Tarshis is part of a series of books that, I’ll bet, middle-graders must love. They are short and exciting and very compelling. Here is the review I wrote for the Seattle Book Review.
Charlie Miller is eleven. It’s 1900, and he lives with his parents and little sister, Lulu, in Galveston, Texas. It is a big, thriving city on a long, narrow island just off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Charlie often entertains Lulu with magic tricks he’s learning. Charlie’s biggest worry is a bully, Gordon Potts. Charlie certainly doesn’t worry about storms, because the local weather expert says hurricanes cannot get to Galveston. No one worries when a big storm starts to brew on September 8, but they are all wrong, and a huge hurricane hits the town, killing thousands. Charlie and his family go to the Potts’ house, a big mansion where many take shelter. But can they survive the storm? And can Charlie survive Gordon Potts?
Lauren Tarshis has written over twenty books in her exciting middle-grade I Survived series. They are all well researched and extremely realistic, although they are fiction. This book is no exception. All the characters are well-drawn and engaging. Charlie is a good kid and a fine protagonist for this story. He is someone readers will root for. Middle-grade readers will love this book, even reluctant readers.
I have a gently-read paperback 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 Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Oh, you are going to ❤ Tim McCanna. Have fun!
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He’s a great guy. Thanks, Donna. Good luck in the drawing.
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Mystudents loved the I survive series. I think there was one on the Hurricane of ’38 on LongIslNd which redefine the Bays and inlets.
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I’ve only read a couple in the series, but I like them very much. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the drawing.
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Sounds like a good book. Count me in! Maybe one of my grands would like it.
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You are in, Carol. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m sure I’d love it. Survival stories are great, and I love the fact it happens in 1900. I hope there’s good information on what life was like in 1900 in the south. As always, thank you for finding such interesting books and sharing them.
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I’m sure you would, Nancy. Good luck in the drawing.
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Lauren has great books in her “I Survived” series… (I don’t need a copy, Rosi) – I like the way she puts the reader right into the event.
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There is a real immediacy to the stories. she writes. Thanks for stopping by.
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I love survival stories! Thank you for the chance to read one set in a hurricane which is new to me. I shared: https://yesreaderwriterpoetmusician.tumblr.com/post/676826160234102784/i-survived-the-galveston-hurricane-1900-review
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Thanks as always, Danielle, for sharing my link. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m so happy you are having such a great time with the Storyteller’s Academy. I haven’t studied in a while, and there are so many changes in the kidlit field.
I haven’t heard of the Galveston Flood in 1900. This is a great piece of historical fiction as well as a survival book. I’ll pass, because I have so many books in my pile. And one you recently sent has arrived. Thank you!
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Yes, I’m having fun and learning a lot. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Such an enjoyable series for young and old. I’ve read many of the titles but not this one. I’ll have to pass on the giveaway but have forwarded your review to several friends who are teachers.
Thanks for the links. I actually had time to read them in one sitting (thank you Presidents!). I especially enjoyed the Kristen Lamb post.
Great news getting connected with a critique group and your classes with Storyteller’s Academy. Hope we hear more about your experiences.
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Thanks for sharing my review! I got two new followers this week. Maybe it was because of you. Glad you like the links. Kristen Lamb’s posts are always so much fun. Thanks for stopping by, Greg.
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I’ll pass on the giveaway, since I live in Portugal, but it sounds like a good book for that age group. Good luck with your classes. I loved your opening quote.
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So glad you are able to leave comments now. Always nice to hear from you.
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Glory Hallelujah! I was able to comment on your post! ?? ________________________________
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Love your quote today. Book sounds very interesting and I’m thrilled that I can actually get it at my library.
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Glad you’re getting so much out of the classes. This sounds like a great book but I really want to get to the ones I have on reserve on Libby that I keep marking to deliver later. I’ll let someone who can read it sooner than me win.
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This was last week’s, so the drawing is already over. Good thing you didn’t want to be in the drawing!
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