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UP FOR GRABS — Review

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
~ Colin Powell ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Ever heard the term “implied dialogue?” I don’t think I had, so when I saw the post HERE from Louise Harnby, I was intrigued. This is pretty useful.

We think about our characters a lot, but do we think about our character relationships enough? HERE K. M. Weiland has a GREAT post: Hot Tip for Character Relationships: The Relationship IS a Character.

I have a sense of humor. Really, I do. But when it comes to writing funny, I don’t do too well. HERE is a fabulous post from Rebecca Colby called Show Them the Funny: Writing Humorous Picture Books. This may be about picture books, but I think a lot of this translates to writing in general.

In spite of squeaking shoes, I have watched a lot of great tennis this week. In fact, I have the men’s final on as I am writing this. Yesterday, I watched probably the most exciting match I have seen in years as 19-year-old Coco Gauff, my absolute favorite player, came back from one set down to the woman ranked number one in the world to beat her handily and win Coco’s first (of many, I’m sure) major. I have been working on my writing polishing a couple of manuscripts that I have started submitting. I received copies of an anthology in which I had three poems published only to find the first (and I think best) poem was badly misprinted. Sigh. But I will keep on keeping on and hope things go better in the future. My classes start again at Storytellers Academy in another week, and I’m looking forward to being busy with that. Life is good.

I am always on the lookout for sweet books when I am looking at the lists of books available for review, but I have to admit when I find one that is both short and sweet, I can’t help myself. When I saw UP FOR GRABS by Michelle Mulder on the review list for Seattle Book Review coming in at a mere 160 pages, I signed right up. I love a book I can get through in one sitting. It’s funny because when I was young, I wanted the longest books I could find. Now I want to read as many as I can. Anyway, I thought this book was a real gem. Here is the review I wrote for SBR.

Frida is only eleven, but she and her older brother, Zac, have lived in seven countries. She never feels like she is from anywhere until their grandmother dies and leaves them her massive house filled with stuff in Victoria, British Columbia. But Zac makes it clear he has no interest in keeping the house or most of the stuff. His plan is to sort it out, sell what they can, and get back to traveling with some time spent at the small house he has bought for them. Frida makes a friend, Hazeem, in the neighborhood, and he helps her with the mystery of a hidden painting and to thwart a nosy neighbor who takes to breaking and entering.

Michelle Mulder

Michelle Mulder has written a fun and very compelling story that young readers will relate to on many levels. It is filled with mystery and excitement and showcases problems kids of Frida’s age face with fractured families, an all-too-common occurrence. The writing is excellent and the dialogue is snappy and true to the ages of the characters. It’s nice to see a good, platonic friendship between a boy and girl this age. Don’t miss this sweet story.

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

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Published by rosihollinbeck

22 thoughts on “UP FOR GRABS — Review”

  2. I’ve never heard it called “implied dialogue.” I’ve always thought of it as a condensed version of a conversation that imparts information more quickly and succinctly than if it were actual dialogue. So it’s nice to know it has a name. Thanks for sharing that link!

    Your comment about short books is interesting, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I’ve seen comments from teachers/librarians/reviewers saying that publishers are putting out too many books over 300 pages for MG. It’s too offputting for kids, and that Kate DiCamillo’s shorter books should be a model for authors. So I’m pondering this as a revise my MG novel in verse.

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    1. Glad you like the link. I’ve written two novels — one long and one short. I’ll be interested to see if I can get either one published! I think novels in verse, even if they have a long page count, are great for quick reading. Thanks for the comment.

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  3. I so agree with you about short books, well especially lately. I want to read all the books and sometimes the longer ones seem daunting in terms of the amount of time I have available. This sounds like an interesting book, going to add it to the TBR list.

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  4. I was in hog heaven between the US Open and the start of the football season. We also stream our son’s team’s games (he’s a football coach at Division 2), and I enjoyed it all.

    Reading your review reminded me of students I taught who changed schools frequently within the US.

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  5. This looks like an interesting title, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to find a copy. Paperbacks just don’t hold up well in a school library. I’m all for houses crammed full of interesting stuff as long as I’m not the one cleaning them out! Thanks for the review.

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  7. I enjoy these type of friendship stories. Short books area also a plus for me. I’ll be looking for this one. Thanks for posting your review on this week’s MMGM.
    Great links as always. Read through them all this morning and jotted down quite a few notes. Have a fantastic week!

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  8. A massive house filled with stuff! That sounds like an adventure right there! Congratulations to Michelle! And to you, also Rosi on your poems being published. I’m sad for you that the one poem was badly printed. Every space and line break matters with words in general, and poetry, in particular. But you are so upbeat! I like that about you. “Life is good.” Oh, and yay, Coco! I didn’t watch the match but enjoyed seeing her on the news.

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  9. When I was younger, I also wanted longer books but now I want shorter (under 350 pages) – purely because there are so many books I want to read! What a shame about the misprint of your poem, but congratulations on having three poems published in one anthology!!! That’s fantastic! Best of luck with your classes, and glad you enjoyed the tennis! Thanks for the links and book recommendation!

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