Thought for the Day:
“There are no first drafts in the library.”
~ Marsha Diane Arnold ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
I’m always on the lookout for articles on character, but the article HERE on Writers in the Storm by Sarah “Sally” Hamer is a very different take. How To Use Traits to Create Character Arcs will get you thinking.
We always want to keep our readers guessing. HERE is a GREAT article on Story Empire Blog by Sue Coletta on How To Master the Art of Misdirection. Don’t miss this one.
Tiffany Yates Martin at Fox Print Editorial always has good, thorough posts. HERE she discusses Understanding Evil Characters (and Writing Them Real). It’s really hard to write great protaganists, but this will get you on your way.
My family trip to Scotland and England was great, except I got the mother of all colds and was sidelined for a few days. Still, we went to wonderful places, saw amazing sights, and had fabulous family dinners every night, including two nights when our former exchange student, Sonni, came from Hamburg to join us. We had spectacular blue sky days, and never needed the umbrellas we hauled all over the place. Other than the family time, my favorite things were the Churchill War Museum and Hampton Court Palace. Oh, and high tea at The Original Maids of Honour. Very fun.
This meme is to remind travelers to take enough books. I actually ran out and had nothing to read on the last leg of our trip. I probably should have posted last weekend, but I was still sick when I got home and needed rest. AND the R key on my laptop stopped working. How weird is that? I shut down the laptop and took it to the Geek Squad the next morning. The guy there fired it up, and, of course, the R key worked just fine. He said it is always a good idea to shut down and restart for any problem. It never occurred to me that what appeared to be a hardware problem could be fixed that way.
If you are a regular reader of MMGM, you are probably familiar with Carol Baldwin and her eponymously titled blog, Carol Baldwin’s Blog. Carol has taught writing for years, and this month her debut novel, HALF-TRUTHS was published. Even though it is listed as a young adult novel, I feel it is a fine book for sophisticated, older middle-grade readers. It really falls into that Tween category I’ve written about. Here are my thoughts.
Anna Katherine (Katie), 15, lives in a small, rural town in North Carolina, and the Korean Conflict and antics of the KKK fill the headlines. Katie reads the local paper and hopes that someday she will be able to write for newspapers. The owner of the paper encourages Katie and even publishes a small article by her. It gives Katie the impetus to suggest that her family allow her to move to Charlotte to live with her father’s parents so she can get a better education. Though she doesn’t state it, she hopes her wealthy grandparents will help her pay for college. She knows it will be hard to change to a new school. Her prior visits to her grandparents allowed her to make some friends in Charlotte, so that will make the transition easier. What she doesn’t foresee is the complicated family issues she faces and the racism that is rampant in the 1950s South in the city. While racism has existed around Katie, it is much more prevalent in a place with a servant class within the household in which she now lives. Katie becomes friends with Lillian, a Black servant, and the two of them discover some family secrets that could really blow up both their lives.
Carol Baldwin has clearly done her homework. The trip back to the South in the 1950s, through her detailed research, will transport young readers and give them a real taste of the time and place. Carol’s choice of Katie telling her own story through first-person point of view is a good one that will keep her young readers engaged while Katie and Lillian work at solving their family mystery. Themes touch on peer pressure, racism, civil rights, women’s rights, and more. For those who love historical fiction, this is a gem.
Carol has generously offered a paperback copy to give to 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 US 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 an extra chance. And please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
This sounds like a terrific book.
Love your flow chart. And thanks for the links.
Re: shutting and restarting your computer to solve the R key problem, for years that has been Rajan’s advice to me when my computer acts up. Amazing results every time. Who would think?
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Thanks, Elizabeth. I hope you have a chance to read Half-Truths. Rosi’s summary is perfect and captures the essence of my book! And yes–shutting down and restarting helps my phone too! Carol
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You would like this book. I don’t know how you would get it in Portugal. Maybe as an ebook. Glad you like the meme and the links. Thanks for the comment.
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Rosi, if it is available on Amazon.es, I can get it with no problem. I can also get Kindle books on Amazon.com so I’ll look for it. 🥰
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Hope you find it. Thanks for the comment.
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Thanks for this great review, Rosi. I think 8th grade is the sweet spot for Half-Truths; unfortunately there is not a “upper middle grade” category. I am honored to be featured on your blog–part of my dream come true! Your summary was excellent.
I”mm glad you had sunny skies in Scotland and Ireland–but sorry about the cold. They are beautiful GREEN countries!
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You’re welcome. Nice to see you reply to all the comments. Not many authors do. There used to be a Tween category. I don’t know why publishing did away with it. Thanks for writing such a great book!
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Tween is a category that is sorely missed!
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I’m glad you had a good trip. Yes, shutting down a computer and restarting it can fix problems. I’m glad you enjoyed Carol’s book so much. I hope to get to it this summer.
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I hope you enjoy it Natalie!
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It just never occurred to me that what seemed like a hardware problem could be fixed by that. Lesson learned. I hope you get to Carol’s book too. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Oh, I’m glad you reviewed this terrific historical novel. I agree that it’s a suitable Tween book. In addition to being an engagin story there is much wisdom to draw from Kate’s story. Half-Truths offers many conversation possibilities for the dinner table, book clubs, or the classroom. I do hope schools will pick it up.
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It is a great book for the classroom. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I know you have a copy, so I won’t put your name in the drawing.
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Thank you, Joyce. YOu know that is my hope too!
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I’ve been hearing such good things about Carol’s book, and it’s wonderful to read your review as well. It sounds fantastic! And your trip looks and sounds like so much fun! Scotland is on my list. Glad to have you back!
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Scotland is beautiful. I hope you get there. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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Your trip with family sounded great. Fun, unforgettable times with family are the best. Thanks for the links. I’ve saved them for viewing later in the week. I’m glad Half-Truths with an older MC would also be appropriate for upper middle grade readers. I do hope time allows for a future read as historical novels are always appealing to me. Happy MMGM!
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Thanks, Greg. It’s appropriate for 13 and up. I hope you get a chance to read it!
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Family time is the best. Enjoy the links. You will like Carol’s book when you get to it. Thanks for reading and commenting. Good luck in the drawing.
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Skimmed your review, as I have a copy to review. Look forward to reading Carol’s book!
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I think you will enjoy it, Patricia. Thanks for the comment.
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Carol’s book sounds terrific. I liked reading your comment about it being a book for tweens because sometimes this age group is overlooked. Kudos to her for writing her debut novel, a proud moment I’m sure.
Hope you feel better soon, Rosi. I’m glad your cold didn’t get in the way too much. How long was your plane flight?
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Thanks for commenting, Pete. I agree that this is a group that is overlooked. Rosi’s review nailed my book. I hope you’ll ask your library to order a copy!
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We flew 5 hours to NY where Maggie met us, and then it was about 8 hours to Edinburgh. It seemed longer! I think your senior center listeners might like Carol’s book. Good luck in the drawing. Thanks for the comment.
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Thanks for the review. Happy MMGM
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Thank you for stopping by, Brenda!
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You’re welcome. Good luck in the drawing.
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Glad you had a good trip, Rosi! What a shame you picked up a bad cold, but it looks like you had a fabulous family holiday despite it! Thanks for sharing the lovely photo! Glad the weather was dry too (you were lucky!). I agree with you about Half-Truths, older middle grade could certainly read it (I started on adult books when I was 9, although I enjoyed them more at 10!). Glad you got home safely, thanks for all the links, and have a great week!
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Thanks for such a lovely comment. It is good to be home. Glad you like the links. Thanks for stopping by.
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