MMGM: Orion Poe And The Lost Explorer

About The Book: Eleven-year-old Orion lives with his stodgy grandfather in eastern Maine, where nothing exciting ever happens. But then a series of strange events draws him into the mystery of a lost explorer, and Orion is swept up in a whirlwind of adventure that takes him to the top of the world. To survive he must outwit a scheming treasure hunter, team up with a gang of flimps, and take on a tyrant with an anger management problem. Can Orion solve the mystery and get back home alive? And just what are flimps, anyway?
Orion Poe is about to find out. Join him as he laughs, cries, bluffs, and shoots his way to the heart of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of exploration. Along the way he discovers that the world is far bigger—and stranger—than he ever imagined.

First Line: If you read what Mr. Lumpkin wrote in the newspaper about my adventure at the the top of the world, you only got half the story.

What Others Are Saying: "Orion is a smart, fun-loving boy whose bravery and humor marks him a timeless hero alongside Huckleberry Finn. Recommended for any young reader who loves adventure.
       A wild, imaginative adventure that explores the ends of the world." —Kirkus Reviews

"Summerhouse delivers a rousing story filled with action and tense moments, but Orion's idiosyncratic voice lightens the overall tone." —Publishers Weekly

"The atmosphere created by the author, Will Summerhouse, is current yet the storytelling feels timeless. He has given Orion a clear confident voice, which matches the action that takes place and also adds believability."   —The Children's Book Review (You'll have the opportunity to win a copy at this link.)

Bloggers Weigh In:

The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Kristi's Book Nook

Miss Marple's Musings

What I Thought: Summerhouse begins his adventure by telling us that the official news story about the adventure left out exciting details. The reader immediately wants to know what really happened. I came to enjoy Orion's voice and appreciated learning historical information along the way. This is a non-stop adventure and I recommend it as a wonderful read-aloud and educational opportunity to address geology, oceanography, climatology and meteorology. Summerhouse effectively uses information about Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin's disappearance during his ill-fated expedition in 1847, to create his story.

About The Author: Will Summerhouse
Website
Facebook
Twitter


Who: An adventurer himself, Will was born in northern Maine, but has traveled all over the world. He currently resides in Chicago and when he isn't writing adventures he reads them. He is working on a sequel to Orion's first adventure.

MMGM Newbery Classic: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

Originally published 1973

Published: September 16th 2008
ISBN: 1416971394
Genre: Middle grade, historical fiction
Publisher: Aladdin
Themes: history, slavery, Civil War, pirates, fear, struggle
Add it on: Goodreads, / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book: One day, thirteen-year-old Jessie Bollier is earning pennies playing his fife on the docks of New Orleans; the next, he is kidnapped and thrown aboard a slave ship, where his job is to provide music while shackled slaves "dance" to keep their muscles strong and their bodies profitable. As the endless voyage continues, Jessie grows increasingly sickened by the greed, brutality, and inhumanity of the slave trade, but nothing prepares him for the ultimate horror he will witness before his nightmare ends -- a horror that will change his life forever.

First Line: In a hinged wooden box upon the top of which was carved a winged fish, my mother kept her tools of her trade.

Great Description: "I ducked and heard a sharp chuckle, its human familiarity overcoming the sound of the speaking ship, the creaking masts, the great thunk and slap of the sails, the breathing sea." (47)

What Other's Are Saying: "Fox has woven a spellbinding tale of suspense and survival that will horrify as well as fascinate..."—Library Journal (starred review)

"A story that movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history, with all the violence, inhuman conditions, and bestial aspects of human nature -- exposed but never exploited in Fox's graphic, documentary prose."—Booklist (starred review)

Bloggers Weigh In:

Mugglenet.com 

Nerd Fighters

Bequest of Wings

Girl Detective

What I Thought: I am currently reading several books by Paula Fox. One of the things I am admiring about her writing is how she is able to pack so much meaning into a single sentence. One of my favorite lines conveys an image, much like poetry. "The birds disappeared, their last cries lingering in my ears the way a strands of light cling briefly to the masts after the sun has vanished." I not only hear the birds in the distance, I see the sky and that I am standing on the deck of a ship. Amazing, writing. No wonder it won the Newbery Award in 1974. 

About The Author: Paula Fox

I write to find out. I write to discover, over 

and over again, my connections with myself, 

with others. Each book deepens the question. 

It does not answer it.   —Paula Fox

Who: "In the past few years Paula Fox has been rediscovered as the author of six novels, at least two of which, Desperate Characters and The Widow's Children - both published in Britain for the first time this month - have a cliam to a place on the list of 20th-century American classics. Fox is already well-known as the author of two dozen much-loved and generously garlanded children's novels. Yet until they were recently reissued in the US with specially commissioned introductions and much fanfare, the last of her adult novels had been out of print since 1992. Most of the earlier books had been unavailable for decades. Jonathan Franzen has, notoriously, ranked her above Roth, Bellow and 

Updike and others have compared her with Kafka, Chekhov and Flaubert." —The Guardian

Paula Fox is my current woman author of study. I am reading her memoir and best known novel.

What Paula Fox books have you read?

MMGM: What I Came To Tell You by Tommy Hays

Published: September 24, 2013
ISBN: 1606844334
Genre: Middle grade, contemporary
Publisher: Egmont, USA
Themes: friendship, family, place, home, loss
Add it on: Goodreads, / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About the Book: Since his mother died earlier this year, Grover Johnston (named after a character in Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel) has watched his family fall to pieces as his father throws himself into his work rather than dealing with the pain. Left to care for his younger sister, Sudie, Grover finds solace in creating intricate weavings out of the natural materials found in the bamboo forest behind his North Carolina home, a pursuit that his father sees only as a waste of time.

But as tensions mount between father and son, two unlikely forces conspire to lead the Johnstons on a new path -- a presence that seems to come to Grover in his darkest moments and new tenants in the rental house across the street who have come from deep in the Carolina hills and plopped themselves right into Grover's life. The families seem so different but become increasingly intertwined, bound together in unexpected ways. Until one devastating disaster threatens to tear them apart.

Tender, touching, and utterly compelling, What I Came to Tell You, the first middle-grade novel from critically acclaimed Asheville author Tommy Hays, is a story of grief, love, and hard-won redemption.

First Line: Before their mother became Buddhist, she would take Grover and his sister to the First Presbyterian Church downtown.

What Others Are Saying: "Though the book spans just a few months, it's packed with incident and complex connections between a range of characters. Hays is especially strong at depicting the network of people, old and young, who help Grover and his family move through their grief and, along the way, save his beloved forest." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"Hays’ story is filled with touching honesty and youthful wisdom, all of which help undergird Grover’s own discovery of the healing power of family, love, and art." —Booklist Review

Bloggers Weigh In:

Pen and Prose

The Reading Life

Vicki Lane Mysteries

What I Thought: "What I Came To Tell You," is the kind of book that starts out quiet, builds slowly, ends too soon and leaves an emotional punch that stays with you long afterward. This would be an excellent book to read-aloud, because it may begin too slowly for some middle grade readers. These types of books are few and far between and often lost in the action-packed fantasy and non-stop humor books that fill our middle grade shelves. The characters alone are worth the trip to Asheville, North Carolina, where the book is set. As an educator, I see several wonderful tie-ins for integrated curriculum: art-weaving, math-grids, literature-Wolfe, science-nature and conservation. I still have a great desire to create my own weaving of twigs, grasses and leaves. I highly recommend this book because of it's themes and opportunities for dialogue. 

Photo by Michael Mauney

About The Author: Tommy Hays

Website

Facebook

Interview with Jo Maeder

Who: Executive Director of the Great Smokies Writing Program and Lecturer in the Master of Liberal Arts program at UNC Asheville. He teaches in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Murray State University.

His adult novel, The Pleasure Was Mine, was a Finalist for the SIBA Fiction Award in 2006, and has been chosen for numerous community reads, including the One City, One Book program in Greensboro and the Amazing Read in Greenville, SC. The novel was read on National Public Radio’s “Radio Reader” and South Carolina ETVRadio’s “Southern Read”. His other adult novels are Sam’s Crossing, which has been recently re-released, and In the Family Way, winner of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award.

A member of the National Book Critics Circle, he received his BA in English from Furman University and graduated from the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. He lives in Asheville with his wife, Connie, and their two children, Max and Ruth. —Authors Website

Be sure to stop by the other MMGM book reviewers. You can find them in my sidebar...

And last, but not least, I have a giveaway going on over at Goodreads!

 

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpoole This Weeks MMGM

Published: January 8, 2013
ISBN: 0385742096
Genre: Middle Grade fiction, historical fiction 

Publisher: Delacorte Books
Themes: adventure, friendship, loyalty, bravery,
Add it on: Goodreads, / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book: At the end of World War II, Jack Baker, a landlocked Kansas boy, is suddenly uprooted after his mother’s death and placed in a boy’s boarding school in Maine. There, Jack encounters Early Auden, the strangest of boys, who reads the number pi as a story and collects clippings about the sightings of a great black bear in the nearby mountains.
      Newcomer Jack feels lost yet can’t help being drawn to Early, who won’t believe what everyone accepts to be the truth about the Great Appalachian Bear, Timber Rattlesnakes, and the legendary school hero known as The Fish, who never returned from the war. When the boys find themselves unexpectedly alone at school, they embark on a quest on the Appalachian Trail in search of the great black bear.       But what they are searching for is sometimes different from what they find. They will meet truly strange characters, each of whom figures into the pi story Early weaves as they travel, while discovering things they never realized about themselves and others in their lives.

First Line: If I'd known what there was to know about Early Auden that strangest of boys, I might have been scared off, or at least kept my distance.

What Other's Are Saying: “This multilayered, intricately plotted story has a kaleidoscopic effect, blurring the lines between reality and imagination, coincidence and fate.” —Publishers Weekly

"This story of a poignant friendship of two heartbroken boys shifts quickly among genres...moving into territory more often claimed by high fantasy quests, heroic epics, wilderness adventures, and even mysteries. The incorporation of these familiar tropes give the book broad and fascinating appeal, and those that trust Early—and Vanderpool—to lead them through the treacherous woods will be pondering and debating the surreal experience for some time to come." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books


Bloggers Weigh In:

Peaceful Reader

Kid Lit Geek

Hope Is The Word

What I Thought: Once again Vanderpool has blown me away with her ability to weave an intricate plot anchored in place and oozing with voice. Jack says, "I wouldn't know. What with the waving wheat and the brilliant sunsets..." implying he never a needed to see "beyond" his horizon. The reality is Jack didn't have a choice whether to "venture beyond his own horizon" and Vanderpool shows Jack's loss of place and the fragile hold he has on his emotions. 

      The author uses carefully crafted sentences to create an ethereal voice when talking about pi. "Before the stars had names, before men knew how to use them to plot their courses, before anyone had ventured beyond his own horizon, there was a boy who wondered what lay beyond." Notice the word choices: before, beyond, ventured, wondered. They all create a sense of mystery, and through repetition the empty space is emphasized. We soon learn both boys are lost, and it's the quest that reveals their own sense of place, where they belong in the world.   

About The Author: 

Clare Vanderpool

Website

Facebook

Hornbook Article

Who: Clare Vanderpool, recipient of the 2011 Newbery Award, is a resident of Wichita, Kansas. She has a degree in English and Elementary Education and enjoys reading, going to the pool with her children, the television show Monk, and visiting the bookstores in her town. —Goodreads

Celebrating TEEN Read Week: Listening For Lucca by Suzanne Lafleur

In support of ALA's Teen Read Week I'll be highlighting a new TEEN read each day. Happy reading!

Published: August 16, 2013
ISBN: 0385742991
Genre: Middle grade
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Themes: family, mystery, friendship, history, time travel
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book: "I'm obsessed with abandoned things." Siena's obsession began a year and a half ago, around the time her two-year-old brother Lucca stopped talking. Now Mom and Dad are moving the family from Brooklyn to Maine hoping that it will mean a whole new start for Lucca and Siena. She soon realizes that their wonderful old house on the beach holds secrets. When Siena writes in her diary with an old pen she found in her closet, the pen writes its own story, of Sarah and Joshua, a brother and sister who lived in the same house during World War II. As the two stories unfold, amazing parallels begin to appear, and Siena senses that Sarah and Joshua's story might contain the key to unlocking Lucca's voice.

What Others Are Saying:  Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, June 17, 2013:  “LaFleur (Eight Keys) offers an enticing blend of history, mystery, and family, perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2013:
"Tender and brave, Siena is a heroine to be admired... All is well in this lovely and magical tale."

What I Thought: What I loved most about this book were the characters. Sienna is wonderful and I found myself relating to her. Even better, her family members all had their own kind of quirk. There wasn't a character that sat flat on the page. Even going into the past the characters were substantial. A wonderful story with heartwarming connections that stay with you after the book has ended.

About The Author: Suzanne LaFleur

Website

Facebook

Who: I grew up outside Boston in Newton, and later Natick, MA. During the school year I went to Catholic school, did a lot of homework, and read a couple books a week. During the summer I read a couple books a day and spent hours swimming and playing outside at our local pool or beach. I was very much a planner, dreamer, and writer, creating plays and shows for my siblings and the neighborhood kids to be in and filling up entire notebooks with novels. I always read late into the night and slept with a book under my pillow.
I went to college in Lexington, VA at Washington and Lee, where I studied English and European History; I went to grad school in New York City at The New School, where I studied Writing for Children.

MMGM: The Pirates Eye by Gus Bass

Published: April 1, 2012

ISBN: 1847152287
Genre: fantasy, pirates, loyalty, friendship
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Themes: middle school, fantasy, friends, family, magic
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*
About the Book: After the successful defence of Castle Grotteskew from the evil clutches of Fulbert Freakfinder, life returns to normal for Stitch Head, until his master, Mad Professor Erasmus, leaves the castle to accept the prestigious Lifetime of Mad Professoring Award ...and doesn't come back. At last, Stitch Head is free to start a new life, and decides to live his dream and set sail for an almost-life on the high seas...But all is not as it seems, and soon Stitch Head, the Creature and Arabella find themselves racing across the waves in an attempt to rescue the professor from the clutches of a mysterious enemy...

First Line: It was the night that everything changed.

What Other's Are Saying: "Bass brings his readers on such a fast, fun, funny journey that sometimes you forget to draw breath and the design of the book and the plays with typeface and font, add to the entertainment rather than distract from it.
     There is no doubt that Guy Bass and Pete Williamson make a great team with Williamson’s illustrations always just on the right side of humorously gross. A very enjoyable read." —Inis Magazine, Book 1

"The story appeals to readers of all ages. It is dark but humorously well written and has lovable monsters for characters. One of the most striking things about the Stitch Head books is their illustrations by Pete Williamson. The characters and settings are eerie but beautifully drawn nonetheless and really help to bring the story to life. The gothic theme continues throughout the book as each page is designed to look like the page of an old book with its shaded edges and pretend creases."— Press Gang Review

Blogger's Weigh In
Cover 2 Cover
Books, Bonnet's And Full Frontal Blogging
Book Twirps

What I Thought: I loved this fun off-beat adventure. It's about an under-dog character who learns courage. This is a wonderful fantasy full of outrageous over-the-top word play and humor mixed with a little harmless horror. The illustrations add depth and dimension pushes it close to a graphic novel. 

Illustrator: Pete Williamson
Website
Facebook
Interview
Twitter

Who: Pete Williamson is a London-based artist, animation designer, and creator of twelve children's books to date. This site provides a showcase for his extensive work in all these areas, as well as comprehensive art galleries, regular updates and exclusive previews on all Pete's upcoming projects and information on how to commission art and design work.

Author: Guy Bass
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Interview

Who: Guy Bass is an award winning writer, author, and stuff. In 2010 he won the Blue Peter Book Award for Most Fun Book With Pictures for Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things and has twice won the Portsmouth Book Award (Shorter Novel) for his Dinkin Dings series. Guy grew up dreaming of being a superhero – he even had a Spider-Man costume. The costume doesn’t fit anymore, so Guy now contents himself with writing children’s books and drawing the occasional picture. He has written plays for both adults and children, including three series of children’s plays for The Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. He also created the MUNGLERS TRUMPS cards – and draws in almost every birthday card he sends.

In times past, Guy has been a theatre producer, a surly temp, and has acted his way out of several paper bags.

Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog, yet. Ask him questions, book him for an event, or just tell him how brilliant he is here – guy@guybass.com  —Website

Check Out The Other Books In The Series:

 

This made a great birthday gift for my grandson! We added an awesome brass spyglass and a book about real pirate stories. 

Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, Month of Giveaways and MMGM Review Wrapped Into One Awesome Post!!

First the MMGM weekly review.

Published: May 2, 2013 

ISBN: 0399257861

Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy, adventure
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Themes: pirates, travel, friendship, loyalty
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book:  
This highly anticipated sequel to Rodkey's much-praised debut is funny, heartfelt, and action-packed. Don't miss it! After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. 
But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies — against which our heroes only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue.
They're going to need help.
But who can they trust?
Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side…or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple? —Goodreads

First Line: I hung my head over the side of the Thrush and watched the prow carve the seawater into a hissing spray.

Photo Credit: The World of Dot

Cover Love:  llustrator: Iacopo Bruno
Website
Sketch Blog
Linked In
Illustration Blog
Interview

Who: "Iacopo Bruno was born in La Spezia, Italy, in 1964. He graduated from artistic high school and from the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, and in 1989 he moved to Rome where he began collaborating with Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, illustrating the Urania, Gialli Mondadori and Asimov series.
    "In 1996 and 2000, his entry was selected for the international illustration competition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. In 1998, he opened up a studio in Milan and he now collaborates with the major Italian publishing houses. Over 400 titles have featured his illustrations in Italy and abroad. He is a founding member of Chinino, for which he develops and produces children’s publishing projects. He has illustrated successful series, such as Ulysses Moore, Century and Criptoanimali, with Il Battello a Vapore.    "Bruno has served as art director for Atlantyca Entertainment publishing projects since 2008. In 2009 he opened DOT graphics and illustration studio with Francesca Leoneschi." —Dream Farm, Atlantyca

What Others Are Saying: "Egg’s narration, fresh and funny as ever, keeps readers engaged with the increasingly complicated plot.
     "Occasionally gruesome, often funny and full of suspense, this one is sure to win Egg some new fans." —Kirkus Reviews

"The plot follows a classic adventure arc but remains nonetheless surprising: the characters never quite behave in expected ways, making unpredictable choices . . . Even though the world is fictional, the portrayal of the Native tribes and their culture and interactions with Egg and Pembroke may make for some interesting comparisons to Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island."—The Bulletin

Bloggers Weigh In:

Vblog by Looking Glass Library

Bookworm Lisa

Laurisa White Reyes

The Hopeful Heroine

What I thought: Having four son's and now five grandson's, I'm always on the lookout for a good adventure series. Pirates. Are you kidding me, who can resist them after Jack Sparrow, am I right? As a writer, author and grandmother there are a few other things I look for in an exceptional middle grade fiction. The character has to be believable and I have to care. Egg is the perfect protagonist, thrown into insurmountable problems, quirky and an underdog. This is a page turner, you want to know what's going to happen next. I recommend this a great read-aloud! The pirate jargon is too fun not read aloud. 

About The Author: 

Geoff Rodkey

Twitter

Website

Chronicles of Egg

Who: Geoff Rodkey is the Emmy-nominated writer of such hit films as Daddy Day Care, RV, and the Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas.

He grew up in Freeport, Illinois and began his writing career on his high school newspaper. While in college, Geoff was an editor of both the Harvard Lampoon and the Let's Go travel guide series. His early writing credits include the educational video game Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, the non-educational MTV series Beavis and Butt-head, and Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect.

Geoff's debut novel, Deadweather and Sunrise, is the first book in the middle grade adventure trilogy The Chronicles of Egg. The final volumes in the series, New Lands and Blue Sea Burning, will be published by Putnam in 2013 and 2014. Geoff currently lives in New York City with his wife and three sons. They do not have any pets, mostly because the whole experience with the goldfish was just too upsetting.

Okay, now for the give-away!! This is a big one so don't miss out on some of these goodies!!

a Rafflecopter giveawa

Looking for more ways to win?? Here are all the blogs participating in the blog hop.

MMGM: The Circle by Cindy Cipriano

Date Published: June 1, 2013 

ISBN: 1922200042
Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Themes: friendship, family, home, loyalty
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes And Noble/ *Indie Bound*

About The Book: Calum Ranson is sure of three things: his cousin Finley is alive, Calum will find him, and no one knows Calum and his family are Sidhe. No one until Laurel shows up at his mother’s bookstore wearing a dark clan’s mark.
      When Calum learns the details surrounding the disappearance of Laurel’s brother, he suspects the evil Hobayeth clan. Calum and Laurel work together in the Realm of Man and the Otherworld to rescue her brother – revealing a connection between Calum and Laurel that may cost Finley his life.—Goodreads

  

First Line:Calum Ranson was sure his cousin Finley was alive, and knew he would be the one to find him. 

What Others Are Saying: “The Circle is full of magic and mystery. Readers will be engrossed in faerie realms, charming characters, and a state of wonder and imagination. The Circle is for those who delight in reading fantasy and exploring mystical worlds.” — LibraryGames.com

"Though the story sometimes gets bogged down with details that don't have any real bearing on the plot, it does help set the stage for a second novel young fantasy lovers will look forward to. An underlying message of the importance of family ties and friendship help round off the solid fantasy novel." —Boys and Literacy

Other Bloggers Weigh In: 

Shannon's View From Here
The Daily Harrel
A Tiffyfits Reading Corner

What I Thought: Cipriano is a gifted storyteller. She weaves a tale using actual Gaelic faery folklore. I loved learning the new words and what they meant. She created a believable world that exists within our own and was able to address real middle grade issues while leading the reader through a fantasy adventure. It started slow, telling us about the characters and setting up her world.The details were enough to keep me reading but may bog down a less skilled reader. It would be a great read aloud. Since the main character, Calum Ransom is a boy it brings an interesting perspective rarely used in fantasies about the world of the Fae. This is a great adventure and promises to be a fun series. 

About The Author: Cindy Cipriano
Website
The Sidhe Series
Twitter
Interview on Writer And Authors
  
Who: Cindy Cipriano lives in North Carolina and has taught middle school science since 2001. She was named a North Carolina Outstanding Science Teacher in 2009 by the North Carolina Science Teachers Association. In 2012, Cindy received the Burroughs Wellcome Fund PRISM award for innovative teaching. Cindy has a M.Ed. and is a National Board Certified Teacher. She is also a North Carolina Certified Environmental Educator. Cindy is a member of the Drawbridge Writers Group, and the Triad Writers Group. Cindy enjoys speaking at conferences and is available for conference presentations, book club meetings, or other author visits.

MMGM: A Week With Fiona Wonder by Kelly Huddleston

Caution: This book is actually YA. I believe depending on the upper middle grade reader, it could be appealing to them. This book deals frankly with real issues: single parenthood, healthcare, economics, class, etc. There is profanity, but it is not superfluous. 

Date Published: Feb 1, 2013

ISBN: 0615722822
Genre: Upper Middle Grade, contemporary fiction
Publisher: Open Books
Themes: friendship, family, home, cultural diversity, class, healthcare
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

About The Book: It is exactly one week until sixteen-year-old Mercy Swimmer is to play out a dream scenario: to spend an entire week with movie star Fiona Wonder, the prize awarded to the winner of a contest staged by a teen magazine.
Mercy is kind and compassionate and always tries to see the best in everybody, even when those around her do not respond similarly. For example, her mother’s snippy, hot-tempered friend Nikki is a kleptomaniac who constantly belittles her boyfriend. Her best friend Valerie has anger issues and a weight problem. Beautiful but cold Lady Redding, Valerie’s mother, feels entitled to everything even as others go without. And Mercy’s mother, a severe asthmatic who works two menial jobs in a “dead mall”, seems to care more about Fiona Wonder and Mercy’s upcoming week with her than the pressing issues in their own lives.
       Everything is on track for Mercy’s upcoming week with Fiona Wonder, but when her mother’s asthma flairs up, Mercy’s world turns upside down and she is faced with a decision that will ultimately challenge her own capacity for compassion.
        A Week with Fiona Wonder shines an intense light upon the dire consequences of social exclusivity and suggests the alternatives of inclusion, empathy and, indeed, mercy.

What Others Are Saying:  "An ageless lesson told in a wonderfully contemporary way. Highly recommend!"—Susie Duncan Sexton, author of Secrets of an Old Typewriter: Stories from a Smart and Sassy Small Town Girl

"As the novel progresses and Mercy's frustrations with the people around her increase, however, another side of her character begins to emerge, one which surprises and disturbs her. She's sucked into new feelings of hurt, anger and vengeance, and before she knows it, it's too late - there can be no return to innocence. As Mercy herself tells us, 'No one knows what goes on inside a black hole unless you're actually in one, and if you're in one then you're already gone.' "  —Gregory Heath author of The Entire Animaland Thoughts of Maria

Some Blogger Reviews:Belle's Book Bonanza
Charles Ray's Ramblings
Minding Spot

What I Thought: Whenever I find a book with reviews across the board high and low, it almost always turns out there are many issues at play. And more often than not, I find myself drawn in with a desire to discern the writers intent, what is he/she really trying to say. That was the case with this book. 
     At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I'm going to  say, I get it. One of the biggest complaints about the book was that the title was misleading, the book addresses the week before the appointed movie star prize. Most Americans, especially teens, are caught up in the daily lives of celebrities. They focus on them, schedule their lives around their performances and clamor to read the latest gossip. The author is shinning a light on the underbelly of all that hero worship, the realities that face the majority of Americans. The 99%, struggling everyday to stay ahead of the bills, put food on the table and take care of their families. 
     The book follows Mercy, a fifteen year old who is faced with the daily tension of healthcare issues, poverty, prejudice and neglect. Each page is full of tension of her everyday life. Many reviewers said they found the book depressing, I see that. I saw something deeper, an amazing teenager dealing with adult issues, a young girl forced into adulthood and responsibility and then almost exploding under the pressure. You may not "like" the characters, their selfish self-preservation. There is no argument that they are real, complicated and all of them are scratching their way to survival in a world of high housing costs, skyrocketing tuition, low income, joblessness, lack of healthcare, etc. It becomes clear why the thought of a future and what that will look like is a luxury, only the rich can afford. 
    I applaud Huddleston for taking this head on. It is rare that anyone speaks honestly about the lives many of American teenagers face everyday of their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the brash honesty, no punches were pulled here, characters difficult to like, let alone connect to. I believe this perspective is important to give voice to.

About The Author: Kelly Huddleston
Website
Google+
Interview on Moronic Ox
Twitter
Facebook
Online Article Worth Reading
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Who: 
Kelly Huddleston is the author of the novels A WEEK WITH FIONA WONDER, ALONE IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS and THE PERFECT PEARL. Her work has been called original, accomplished and well-crafted.

Five Reasons I Wrote The Book- If you don't read anything else about the book, read this!

Next Week: Back to strictly fun with Cloneward Bound by M.E. Castle the second book in the Clone Chronicles.

Please stop by the other MMGM bloggers, you can find their links in my sidebar.

Classic MMGM: How To Steal A Dog by Barbara O'Conner

Date Published: March 20, 2007

ISBN: 0374334978
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Themes: Homelessness, family, persistence, conscience, values

About The Book: Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don’t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you’re in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.
Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing-dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is “borrow” the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected. —Goodreads 

First Line: The day I decided to steal a dog was the same day my friend Luanne Godfrey, fount out I lived in a car.

What Other's Are Saying: "Though set inside a heavy topic, this novel's gentle storytelling carries a theme of love and emphasizes what is really right in the world." —School Library Journal

"It's puzzling why Mom doesn't seek outside help for her desperate family, and the appearance of wise Mookie, a sort of transient deus ex machina, verges on excess. Yet in the end, this is truly Georgina's story, and to O'Connor's great credit, it's Georgina herself who figures out what's right and does it. The myriad effects of homelessness and the realistic picture of a moral quandary will surely generate discussion." —Booklist Online

Book Bloggers Weigh In:

Sweet On Books

Awesome World (Kids Review)

ReadKiddo.Com (James Patterson's)

Awards: Parents' Choice,ALA Book Links Lasting Connections 2007, Bank Street College Best Books of the Year 2007, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices 2008
International Reading Assoc Notable Books for a Global Society 2008
NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies 2008

South Carolina Book Award for Children's Book Award (2009), Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee (2011)

What I Thought: I applaud O'Conner for her courage and honest writing. Most of the negative reviews are concerned the subject matter too negative or unpleasant for nine to eleven-year-olds. I have to say that I found that view misguided in light of statistics, especially in the South where O'Conner lives, homeless levels are the highest with mother's and children being the fastest growing group. In just the last three years since the book was published, homelessness has increased by 33%. (See USA Today) That said, I think O'Conner's book is an important look at realities that 1in 45 children face in this country. It's a reality that can't be ignored. An excellent read-aloud that presents difficult questions that children today are dealing with. With 46.2 million living in poverty in 2011 and much more now, it is an unavoidable reality that children are either dealing with personally or know someone who is.  

About The Author: Barbara O'Conner

Website

Blog

Who: "She's author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia, How to Steal a Dog, The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis, and The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester. She has been awarded the Parents’ Choice Gold and Silver Awards, the Massachusetts Book Award, the Kansas William Allen White Award, the South Carolina Children's Book Award, the Indiana Young Hoosier Award, the South Dakota Children's Book Award, and the Dolly Gray Award, among many honors. As a child, she loved dogs, salamanders, tap dancing, school, and even homework. Her favorite days were when the bookmobile came to town. She was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and now lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts, a historic seaside village not far from Plymouth Rock. —Macmillan

Her Newest Book: