THE THINGS WE MISS — Review

Thought for the Day:

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”


~ Maya Angelou ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

Sarah Allen on Sarah’s Smorgasbord has such an entertaining and useful post HERE on Writing a Satisfying Self-Destructive Villain. You really don’t want to miss this one. And the examples are terrific.

How do you come up with good ideas for stories? We all have our ways, but we can always use more ways. HERE is a good article from Ryan Lanz with 6 Unique Ways to Think Up Story Ideas. Enjoy.

I ran across a post HERE by Lynette M. Burrows on Writers in the Storm that will help you Unlock the Secret to Vivid Writing Through Sensory Details. She has a lot to say, and it’s all helpful.

I’m going to be taking a holiday break until after the first of the year. I have a lot of stuff going on, and it’s all fun. On Friday, I will fly to Florida. My daughter Maggie is in Jupiter, Florida where she is the musical director for and performing in a regional production of ONCE. I absolutely love the music in that show, and, of course, I love seeing Maggie perform. It’s a long way to go but who knows when she might do the show again. Her show closes next Sunday, and she will fly back with me and stay until Christmas. When we get back, my sister and brother-in-law will be here from New Mexico, and they will be staying until the 20th. So I will be happily busy with family and holiday things until after the first. I want to wish all of you a happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and New Year. Did I miss anything? See you in January.

Last week I offered a gently-read ARC of THE FLICKER by H. E. Edgmon to one of you. This week’s winner is our beloved MMGM host, Greg Pattridge. Congratulations, Greg! I will do my level best to get to the post office with your book before I leave, but that’s not a promise. It’s a hope. In any case, you will get it soon. If any of you are not familiar with Greg, check out his blog HERE. It is great.

I ran across THE THINGS WE MISS by Leah Stecher on a list of available review books, looked it up online, and it sounded like an interesting concept and a fresh take. I was intrigued and asked for a copy. I’m really glad I did. I was captured by this story and had trouble putting it down. I would be giving it away, but one of my young trick-or-readers snagged my copy. Here is my review.

J.P. has a lot of hard things going on in her life. Her dad died suddenly a few years ago. Her grandfather, Pop Pop, had cancer and went through chemo a couple years ago, and now the cancer is back. J.P.’s mother is beautiful and successful, while J.P. is, well, fat. It’s hard enough to be in 7th grade without all that, but J.P also has bullies to deal with. If it weren’t for her BFF, Kevin, it would be impossible. What if J.P. could escape for a little while? When she finds a magic portal that allows her to “skip” three days at a time, she thinks it solves her problems, but what is she really missing?

This is a great concept for a middle-grade book. Kids will really relate to J.P. and Kevin. As best-friend characters go, Kevin is a spectacular best friend. And even though J. P. is playing with magical fire, it’s hard not to root for her all the way. She really has a lot on her plate. Author Leah Stecher clearly is in touch with her inner child. Her writing is terrific as she tells this story through J.P.’s point of view. The dialogue is perfect for the age, the situations are believable (with a nod to the magic), and the story is very compelling. This will keep young readers (and older ones!) engaged throughout.

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