TRASHED — Review

Thought for the Day:

“Keep working on a plan. Make no little plans. Make the biggest you can think of, and spend the rest of your life carrying it out.”
~ Harry S. Truman ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Naming of characters can carry a lot of water for writers. HERE Becca Puglisi of Writers Helping Writers has a great article called 7 Tips for Finding Perfect Character Names. Enjoy!

Get the ending right. Satisfied readers mean future readers. HERE Janice Hardy helps you solve 5 Common Problems With Endings.

I just finished a book by Gayle Forman (NOT NOTHING — review to come soon) that was great. So when I ran across the article HERE by her in Writer’s Digest on Balancing a Compelling Story With Life Lessons in Middle-Grade Fiction, I needed to read it. It’s a good one.

Meet Mango. I went to the Sacramento SPCA shelter this week to see a little terrier that showed up on one of the adoption sites. It was actually my second trip in two days. I met a little dog on the first trip, but we didn’t connect. I thought the second trip would be a bust too because they didn’t have the dog I had seen on the site. But since I was there, I asked if they had any small dogs I could look at. One had just come in. She had been surrendered by the owner who was moving to a place that didn’t allow animals. She actually surrendered two dogs. Mango is a six-year-old, Maltese/Miniature Poodle mix. I really wanted a younger dog, but she was so forlorn. She had lost her owner and her life-long dog buddy (the dog buddy had already been adopted), had been in and out of a foster home, and then back to the shelter, all in about a week. I couldn’t leave her there. She is having trouble adjusting. She hasn’t eaten in a couple of days, and she spent a lot of time hiding behind the couch, but I hired a guy who does in-home dog training, and he got her out from behind the couch and helped us be more comfortable with each other. He’s confident she will eat when she’s ready and will get comfortable soon. He will be back mid-week to help with training Mango to use the dog door and to train me to be the best owner possible for Mango. She is very sweet and likes to cuddle and LOVES to take walks. I think we are going to be fine.

Last week, I offered a paperback of THE HAUNTING OF LAKE LUCY by Sandy Deutscher Green to one of you, and this week’s winner is Patricia Tilton. Congratulations, Patricia! I will get your book to you soon. If you don’t know Patricia, she is a children’s writer who often contributes to MMGM and has a blog well worth reading. You can see it HERE.

This week I want to tell you about a book I should have reviewed long ago. I gave it to someone, and it fell off my radar. I liked it a lot, and I feel bad about waiting so long to review it, but, as I too often say, it’s never too late to review a good book. The book is TRASHED by Martha Freeman. It is a middle-grade mystery, a really good one. I love the cover. And who doesn’t love a good mystery? Here is my review.

Arthur lives above Universal Trash, a used-goods store, with his Mom, Dad, and little sister, Ramona. Their grandparents, who started the store, live nearby. Ramona’s pet mouse dies, and suddenly Arthur has a roommate — a mouse ghost named Watson. Grandma is on an extended vacation, and Grandpa is cranky. Arthur finds an old cup, and his grandfather tells him it was stolen long ago. Then Arthur discovers there have been other thefts, but he doesn’t tell anyone (except Watson) because he really wants to solve the mystery himself. Shortly after Grandma comes home, she discovers her pearl necklace is missing. Veda, Arthur’s best friend, stops coming around after Grandpa makes some racist remarks. Arthur has a lot of things to solve. Is he up to it?

Martha Freeman has written a fun mystery populated with interesting, believable characters and set in and around a junk store which contributes greatly to the story, being a good place to find mysteries. Arthur is a terrific main character — a little flawed, but learning and showing growth. The writing is excellent. The dialogue is snappy and just right for the various characters. Middle-graders will love this fun mystery.

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