Uncategorized

THE INFINITE QUESTIONS OF DOTTIE BING — Review

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”
~ E.B. White ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

It would be nice if we all had an unlimited travel budget, but most of us don’t. So how can we write about places we’ve never been? HERE Helena Fairfax has a guest post on A Writer’s Path on How to Research a Place You Haven’t Actually Been To.

Every book needs some humor mixed in with the tension caused by trauma-filled action. HERE Mark Goldblatt has a good article in Writer’s Digest that will help you with Balancing Humor and Trauma in Middle-Grade Fiction.

This is something I hadn’t really thought about before — Birth Order and Character Development. HERE is a post by Gwen M. Plano at Story Empire Blog that explores that topic.

I am happily busy this week working on my classes and watching the Wimbolden tennis tournament. It is my favorite of all the tournaments. I get a little royal watching in and lots of great tennis from up-and-comers. And since I’m so busy and don’t have much to write about this week, I will share the rest of the teenage mutant metaphors I shared with you two weeks ago. Enjoy!
His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a tumble dryer.
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly like a bowling ball wouldn’t.
McMurphy fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a paper bag filled with vegetable soup.
Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.
Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.
The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot oil.
The thunder was ominous sounding much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during a storm scene in a play.
Even in his last years, Grandad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long it had rusted shut.
The plan was simple, like my brother Phil, but unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

One thing one can almost always say about kids is that they ask more questions than you can shake a stick at. When I was reading through the list of available books from the Seattle Book Review choices, I ran across one called THE INFINITE QUESTIONS OF DOTTIE BING by Molly B. Burnham. First, I liked the name Dottie Bing, and second, the questioning aspect sounded so kid-like, I had to have it. It’s an awfully sweet book, and I enjoyed it. And isn’t that cover inviting? Here is the review I wrote for SBR.

Dottie is full of questions, and she doesn’t mind asking whoever can help find the answers. When her recently-widowed grandpa shows up, he has a coffee can he takes everywhere and treats as if it were his late wife, Ima. Dottie doesn’t mind giving up her room to Grandpa for a while, but it looks like he will stay and stay. Dottie decides since Ima always wanted a treehouse, Dottie will build one. Her best friend Sam helps, and they get help from Miles who had been something of a bully. The treehouse project brings the three together as they learn about friendship and to trust each other. When Grandpa gets involved in the project, things get pretty tense.

Molly B. Burnham

Author Molly B. Burnham has written a compelling story about both kids and adults dealing with loss and grief as well as learning about trust and friendship. There is a lot going on in this story, but it is deftly handled by Burnham. The situations and dialogue are believable, and the characters are well-rounded and complex, although the kids seem a little younger than the ten-year-olds they are supposed to be. Younger middle-graders will really like this book.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.

Unknown's avatar

Published by rosihollinbeck

22 thoughts on “THE INFINITE QUESTIONS OF DOTTIE BING — Review”

  2. Oh no! I’m definitely a pedant! lol! Enjoy the tennis, Rosi, I’ve never really adjusted to Wimbledon moving to July :). Dottie Bing sounds a sweet book, thanks for sharing! I hope the classes are going well! Have a great week 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Hi Rosi. I looked at it on Amazon. This sounds like a really good book. Thanks for the review. By the way, I was gonna check out all about humor and trauma and your 2nd link doesn’t seem to work. Have a great week.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. What a sweet story and I always like plots that have grandparent(s) included. The name, Dottie Bing, is perfect. I’ve added this one to my future read list.
    I always like summer because I can leisurely read your links in one sitting. I enjoyed them all today, especially the one by Mark Goldblatt. Thanks for finding these.

    Like

    Reply

  8. I hadn’t seen this book before, and it looks like an excellent read, Rosi! The “infinite questions” and the name “Dottie Bing” are definitely both intriguing (so I guess that title is a success!), and the story itself sounds gentle and sweet.

    I’m glad you’re enjoying Wimbledon right now, and the quote and meme are both excellent—I happen to be a grammar pedant but not about that particular issue! (I send text messages in full sentences with Oxford commas and everything…) Thanks so much for the wonderful post, as always!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I think the title is a real winner too. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for your continued and complete use of the Oxford comma! I am a big fan. Thanks for your very thoughtful comment.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Thanks for your links, mutant metaphors, and book rec! I’ll be adding Molly’s book to my list. In case you’d like a recommendation, I just read SIMON SORT OF SAYS by Erin Bow. It is a master class in writing humor and trauma. Cheers!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Can’t wait to read post on Birth Order. My WIP is titled A BEFORE B, a MG book about close cousins born 3 days apart. One is a leader; one is a follower. Then there is a crisis in their relationship…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment