WHAT HAPPENED THEN — Review

Thought for the Day:

There is a difference between a book of two hundred pages from the very beginning, and a book of two hundred pages which is the result of an original eight hundred pages. The six hundred are there. Only you don’t see them.

~ Elie Wiesel ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

There are plenty of articles about what to do when writing, but only a few about what NOT to do. HERE is a great article by Anne R. Allen with 12 Ways Not To Start a Novel. There is good advice and great reminders in this one.

I have featured some articles by Susan Breen in the past. She has great content. HERE is an interesting article by her from Writer’s Digest on What Writing Mysteries Taught Me About Fiction Writing. It’s a good one.

I love words, but weird words just make my day. If you haven’t seen Tara Lazar‘s wonderful book, ABSURD WORDS, you should really check it out. It’s for kids, but don’t let that stop you. It’s fun and pretty darned useful. And, just for fun today, HERE is a great article from Mental Floss by Cat DiStasio about 11 Real Words That Sound Totally Fake.

I arrived home late on Tuesday and almost feel rested up and back to normal. Italy was fantastic. For our week-long tour, my daughter Sara, my grandson Gehrig, and I stayed in an old, small renovated castle on top of a big hill (or small mountain) in central Italy. There were cooking lessons every day as well as visits to wonderful historical sites, an olive press, a couple of wineries, and more. Our tour group was only ten, and we made some great new friends. Another group of twelve joined on the second day, but our little group of ten was pretty tight. The people who worked there were incredible. They took such good care of us and made the week so much fun. I highly recommend Edible Tours. But the real adventure was still before us. In May, we had reserved an apartment in Rome for a three-night stay, but as our tour ended, and we headed toward Rome, we still hadn’t heard from the VRBO host about how to get the keys. We reached out, and a couple hours later received a message cancelling our apartment. He said the bathroom was broken. It was a 3-bathroom apartment, so we felt we should have the choice to stay and make do with two bathrooms, but he would not respond to us. I called VRBO, and they were not very helpful. They told us to find another place to book, and they would pay the difference. Sara got busy and found a listing. She reserved it, and we thought we were okay. But when she contacted them to get instructions to get keys, they also cancelled. It turns out that the Rome Marathon was being run the day after we were to arrive, and there were very few hotel rooms available. Sara found us a place, but it was massively expensive, and VRBO offered us a partial reimbursement. We are still fighting with them. Despite all that, we did enjoy our time in Rome. People there are lovely, the historic sites are amazing, and the food is spectacular.

I found WHAT HAPPENED THEN by Erin Soderberg Downing on the list for the Los Angeles Book Review earlier this year. Downing’s name sounded familiar, and I found I had read an earlier book by her, JUST KEEP WALKING, and had really liked it. You can see my review of it HERE. This book has a really intriguing premise, and I liked it very much. Here is the review I wrote for LABR.

Avery and her parents are going to a private island in Crooked Lake. They have been invited by Aunt Robbie, Avery’s mom’s sister. There are other family members there — people Avery hadn’t met before. Her cousin Jax is her age, and they become friends quickly. Avery’s mom and Jax’s dad are twins. There is one more family — Aunt Di’s. Another aunt had mysteriously died on the island in childhood. The island has a big house and several cabins, all in disrepair. Robbie tells the family their mother left the island to her, but she wants the family to help put things in order. Robbie has ALS, and she wants the family to have a great summer together before selling the island.

Author Erin Soderberg Downing cleverly tells this story in three voices in alternating chapters. The voices are Avery, Jax, and the old diary of an aunt. The voices are all believable for the ages of the characters, and the family dynamics and drama are riveting. There is a true mystery here, and Downing gives readers a plethora of clues that lead to the satisfying denouement. The writing is great, and the story will engage readers all the way through.

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