Thought for the Day:
“Instead of waiting for inspiration to start writing, start writing to find inspiration.”
~ Robert Lee Brewer ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Jan Fields at the Institute for Writers always has good posts. HERE she gives us 4 Planning Tools to Use for Successful Revisions.
Janice Hardy has a good Narrative Nugget about openings HERE that is worth your while. She mentions one of my pet peeves. I’ve been reading a lot of books lately with unlikeable main characters. I don’t know why that is a thing now, but I hope it ends soon.
And if you want more from Janice Hardy on openings, HERE is a Fiction University post with 5 Common Problems With Beginnings.
I got home from my trip last Saturday, but I was so exhausted from the last day of driving, I couldn’t do anything on Sunday but rest. So no blog post. I had to fight really hard, gusty crosswinds for half the drive home, and then a drenching, windy storm the rest of the way. I felt like I’d had a day-long double arm-wrestling match. But otherwise, the trip was fun. I visited three major league parks I hadn’t been to before — Chase Field in Phoenix for the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies, Minute Maid Park in Houston for the Astros vs. Blue Jays, and Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX to see the World Series Champion Texas Rangers take on the Astros. It was a lot of fun. I’ve now been to 13 of the 30 major league parks, and I hope to see games in all the other parks by the end of next summer. I hope to hit at least 7 more parks this year if the travel schedules are kind to me. I also saw an almost total eclipse of the sun. I met my three sisters in Texas to visit our cousins, and we were a few miles west of the optimal viewing area, so there was a tiny sliver of sun that wasn’t covered, but it was still pretty cool. The sky noticeably darkened and the birds stopped singing.
Anyone who has read my blog for a while knows I love MG historical fiction, especially when baseball is involved. Thanks to author Jennifer Bohnhoff, I received two baseball-themed books for review. THE BATBOY AND THE UNBREAKABLE RECORD by Robert Skead tells the story Richie Goodwin, a sixth-grader living in Cincinnati in 1938. His father breaks his leg and will be unable to work for a couple of months. It’s the end of the school year, and Richie has plans to play a lot of baseball, go to some Reds games, and attend Boy Scout camp, but now he will have to get a job and help the family out. Richie’s mother has found an ad for a job for a boy, and she takes Richie to the job interview. It turns out to be a dream job — batboy for the Reds! Richie brags about it at school, setting off the school bully who doesn’t believe Richie. They get into a fight, and both boys are in trouble. Richie has a problem with following rules and with his bad temper, which leads to him losing his dream job. But this is a story of second chances and redemption, a story kids will relate to and enjoy, especially those who love baseball. It also tells the story of a remarkable baseball record set by an amazing Reds pitcher.
Author Robert Skead has really done his baseball homework, and there are fun facts embedded in the story, and there is good back-matter with discussion questions, some ideas about how to deal with bullying, and a section on fact vs. fiction in the story.
I have a gently-read paperback copy for one of you. All you need to do is be a follower (it’s free and easy — see the top, right corner of the post) with a U. S. Address, and leave a comment. If you share the link to this post on social media, please let me know in your comment, and you will get extra chances. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
Middle Grade + baseball + historical fiction is exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks for sharing this!
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Sounds like this one is right up your alley. Good luck i the drawing. Thanks for the the comment.
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I recently discovered Jennifer. I read her book Code: Elephants on the Moon about a French girl who learns that her mother and a friend are working undercover against the Nazis. It was a compelling read.
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Sounds good. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I’m glad you had a good trip despite the windy trip home. This sounds like a great story for baseball lovers. I’m going to let someone else win as I can’t get a grip on my TBR list.
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Yeah, I know about the TBR pile. I’m afraid one day my kids will find me knocked out by a collapsed pile of books! Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Middle grade historical fiction is exciting to read and as someone who loves sports, this novel will be fun to read. Thank you for sharing with one of us! I shared on tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Thanks for sharing my link. I appreciate it. Good luck in the drawing.
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Historical fiction is always on top of my list of must reads. This baseball book only adds to my anticipation of reading it soon.
Glad you had a great trip although I’m sorry you had to sit through watching the dreaded Rockies team. They keep getting worse every year.
Great links as you can’t go wrong with Janice Hardy. Happy MMGM!
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Glad you like the links. I hope the Rockies organization spends some money soon and builds a good team. Denver deserves that. You have such a beautiful stadium. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Enter my name–one of my reviewers might enjoy reading this book. Glad you’re back safe and sound!
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I think one of your reviewers and you would like this. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Sounds like you had a great trip to the ball parks! Good to see you continuing your love of the game with this fun review.
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Yup. I’m having fun and will hit the road again next month for more games. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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I liked reading your review of these books. Thank you.
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Thanks for reading and commenting. That’s so nice to hear.
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Hi Rosi! I agree that unlikeable main characters aren’t enjoyable to read. What’s the point?!
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I have trouble understanding why editors choose to publish such books. Maybe my characters are too likable! Thanks for reading and commenting.
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This sounds really cool! I like the way the author pulled the different elements together into a historical novel and has included other facts along the way. Sounds like a fun read. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your review!
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It is a fun read. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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