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Book to Share: The View from Pagoda Hill, by Michaela MacColl

1/30/2023

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I realized something lately. I have a deep love for stories told from family history. Some of my favorite stories are ones mined from past generations of the authors’ families: The Year We Were Famous, by Carole Estby Dagg; The Star That Always Stays, by Anna Rose Johnson; and today’s featured story, The View from Pagoda Hill, by Michaela MacColl. It makes sense, as I love digging into family history. I also think there’s something very intrinsically human about desiring stories to be remembered. What did we invent the alphabet for, if not to record our stories to be remembered by those who came after us?
The View from Pagoda Hill is the story of Michaela Macoll’s great-great-grandmother, a half-Chinese, half-American girl growing up in Shanghai and later upstate New York in the late 1800’s. Ning, or Neenah, as she is later called, gets the worst of both worlds, in a sense. In China, she is too tall, too Western, with too big feet (compared to the bound feet of her peers). So her mother sends her to join her father’s family in New York—where she is too Chinese for her new neigbors and family. The story and style reminded me of Little House on the Prairie, or Anne of Green Gables (particularly the latter as regarded Neenah’s relationship with her grandfather and step-grandmother). It’s also a perfect book to pair with either of those stories, to tell a more full story of our world and country at that time. (I find the advice to read more rather than less to avoid accepting old cultural norms is sound and good.)
My favorite part about this story is that despite all the tragedy Ning/Neenah lives through (particularly the pervasive feeling of being unwanted), there is an abiding sense of hope. Perhaps because it’s based on a true story, I found that hope to be believable and real. Even two years after reading the story for the first time, it’s that hope that still has me recommending it to my daughters and friends, dipping into it for a re-read, and thinking about its characters and scenes. The mark of a truly excellent book!
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Book to Share: The Mitchells: Five for Victory, by Hilda Van Stockum

1/8/2023

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With so many excellent new additions to the world of middle grade literature, it's sometimes hard to take a step back and look around my own shelves at the books that have been there for ages and ages. It's quite unfair, really--these neglected titles were the books that made me fall in love with middle grade fiction in the first place, back when I was actually the age of their target audience.

Last year I came across quote from C. S. Lewis: “It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in
between.”

I had to stop and think. When was the last time I had re-read a book for my own pleasure, and not to read it to or with my children? It had been a long time. And as much as I adore sharing books with my kids, a little something had been lost in my own reading life. So I started reading a lot more old books--classics and old favorites. Today's pick for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the latest: a very old favorite, from my beloved (and small) favorite category in the middle grade genre: big family stories.

​Originally published in 1945, Hilda Van Stockum based ​The Mitchells: Five for Victory off her family's own experiences during the Second World War. In the book, Mr. Mitchell leaves to serve in the military, and the five Mitchell children left at home jump in to do their part by starting a "Five for Victory" club at home--helping their mother, primarily, but also collecting scrap metal, helping their neighbors, and tending a victory garden. The usual big family chaos and heart ensues, and I found myself smiling even more at all the antics as a mother of a large family than I did as a kid in one.


Having read a lot more modern books lately, however, meant I had a shock or two remembering how parents in the 40's were fine with giving their children a lot of freedom (oh, how convenient for authors wanting their characters to have adventures). I was also surprised to see how Hilda Van Stockum didn't shy away from showing that Mrs. Mitchell was often very stressed and worn out. No perpetually cheery and affectionate Mrs. Cleaver here. Mrs. Mitchell's husband is, after all, risking his life in an actual war, which is a pretty fair cause for lots of stress--so I was kind of relieved to see that her toddler's whining frustrates her, or that she's exasperated when the baby eats the fake cherries off her hat. She's not perfect, by any measure, but she's very loving and very real.
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And the Mitchell children really are just delightful. They're a true to life, trouble-making, affectionate, crazy, quarreling, forgiving big family. They take care of each other, and it's beautiful to see.

Have you re-read any old favorites lately? How did your perception of the books change if you'd read them originally as a child and then as an adult?

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!

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Interview with author Haley Stewart

1/5/2023

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​Everyone, please welcome Haley Stewart to our corner of the internet today! Haley is the author of several books; most recently, her adult non-fiction Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life and her early reader "Sister Seraphina Mysteries," The Pursuit of the Pilfered Cheese and The Curious Christmas Trail. All three were among my favorite books from 2022. I am so excited to host her today so you can all get to know her a little better.
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​FEH: Hello, Haley! Can you tell us a little bit about your recent books and any new projects you're excited about?

HS: Sure! In the spring, my new book from Ave Maria Press was released: Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be. It explores what we can learn from Jane Austen's wonderful novels about cultivating virtue: what virtue (and vice) look like, how we might develop the virtues (and what holds us back), and how the people God places in our lives can help us to become more holy. Austen is such a brilliant novelist but she's also a moral philosopher diving into the big questions of life and what it means to be a good person. And I tell plenty of personal anecdotes along the way about how much she has taught me! The other big project I'm excited about are my new series for young readers, The Sister Seraphina Mysteries.
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They're about an order of mouse nuns (the Sisters of Our Lady Star of the Sea) who live in an abbey underneath G.K. Chesterton's house in England. They run a school for village mice and, inspired by Chesterton's Father Brown mysteries, start solving local crimes. In the first book, The Pursuit of the Pilfered Cheese, the sisters (and two eager students) ride their tiny bicycles to London to investigate the theft of the prize cheese meant for the school fundraiser. And in the second book (my favorite of the series), The Curious Christmas Trail, Sister Seraphina and her friends must find Sister Dymphna, one of the senior nuns, who has started wandering off and becoming disoriented. All the excitement takes on Christmas Eve on the night of the Nativity Play and the Christmas feast!

FEH: I loved all your insights in Jane Austen's Genius Guide to Life. Even though I'm a diehard Austenite and have read most of her books multiple times, your focus on virtue and vice made me think about aspects of the stories I'd completely missed. Was this something you naturally made the connection with while reading, or was there a moment that pointed you in that direction?
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HS: I've been really interested in Austen as a moral philosopher since taking a wonderful class with Dr. Margaret Watkins my senior year at Baylor University. We read all of Austen's novels through a philosophical lens. Ever since, I've been really interested in what Austen can teach us about vice, virtue, and what it means to live a good life. 

FEH: I read that you got the idea for your mouse nuns book in a dream. I think that's every author's, well, dream! What was your process like bringing that from the seed of an idea to a full fledged plot?

HS: I let the idea simmer for several months and then I just decided to try it out. I started out with one character in mind and then a second. Pretty soon I had a full cast of characters! I started writing without knowing how the mystery would unfold or who the villain might be. I just followed my little mice around from scene to scene. I love writing but it's usually a bit of a slog to get through a book project. For these books, the whole process was a joy!

FEH: How does your faith influence your creativity?

HS: This is a hard question to answer because it's hard to imagine any way it doesn't influence my creativity. Everything from the kind of art I want to create to what I think it means to be a creative are all connected to my faith!
FEH: I'm not mean enough to ask you to name your favorite book, but are there particular books that inspired you? If you could write a book that was *like* any book, what would it be?

HS: For fiction I'm always inspired by Madeleine L'Engle. I love the way her books explore complicated ideas of faith, science, and relationships without being preachy. I'm also hopelessly devoted to both Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen's characters. They are so life-like!

FEH: Okay, and a few super quick questions just for fun! Would you rather live in Narnia, Middle Earth (at peace), or Pemberley?
HS: Oh my, what a difficult choice! It's hard to pass up Middle Earth, but I'm afraid that I'm a Pemberley sort of person. 

FEH: Favorite ice cream?
HS:Coffee!

FEH: Favorite Doctor of the Church?
HS: St. Hildegard of Bingen

FEH: Last book you binge read?
HS: Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin

FEH: Pumpkin spice or apple cider?
HS:Very basic pumpkin spice.

FEH: Thank you so much for the interview, Haley! I loved learning a little bit more about you and your books. 

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My Top Five Middle Grade Novels of 2022

1/2/2023

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Welcome to 2023! Usually, middle grade books make up the large bulk of my reading, but last year I read more non-fiction and adult fiction than usual. What my list lacked in quantity, however, it made up in quality. Some incredible middle grade literature is being published these days. Even though I re-read a lot of old favorites of classic children's literature, I'm deliberately only including new books on this list; the first three were published in 2022 and the final two are slated for 2023, so you can add them to your TBR list!
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​1. Miraculous, by Caroline Starr Rose. This one stood out for its incredible character development and old-fashioned style. I could have imagined writing L. M. Montgomery writing a story like this.
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2. The Star that Always Stays, by Anna Rose Johnson. I'm happy to see that books with old-fashioned feel are making a comeback! This debut novel by Anna Rose Johnson is everything I love in historical fiction: funny, atmospheric, and unhurried. It reminded me so much of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series.
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3. My Own Lightning, by Lauren Wolk. I have learned so much about writing from reading Lauren Wolk's middle grade books. This is the sequel to her Newbery-acclaimed Wolf Hollow, but I loved this about a hundred times more; Wolf Hollow impressed and moved me, but I found it very tense and stressful. This lacked none of the drama, but was a gentler, more enjoyable read for me.
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4. What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski. As I mentioned in my review of this book, I normally don't read a lot of books with modern, technology-driven vibes. This was the exception to the rule—it's told via podcast transcripts and texts and emails—and I loved it. It releases next week, so you still have time to pre-order!
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5. The Labors of Hercules Beal, by Gary D. Schmidt. This doesn't come out until May, and the ARC is freshly closed for me. I wish you could read it now, because it's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I rarely do this, but I'm re-reading it again right now—actually I'm reading it aloud to my husband. We're both writers, and Gary D. Schmidt's writing is worth studying. The stand-out element here is the way Schmidt's prose seems so simple and straightforward, yet you catch your breath once at the beginning and never let it go all the rest of the novel. ​
(Also, it's set on Cape Cod, which is one of my favorite places in the world.)
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​Finally, a shout out to two early readers—not quite fair to count them in the same category as MG novels, but I loved them just the same: The Pursuit of the Pilfered Cheese, and The Curious Christmas Trail, both by Haley Stewart. Good, sweet, and very fun ​mysteries for the earliest readers. 

What were your favorite MG reads in 2022? What are you looking forward to in the new year?
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Book to Share: The Enchanted Sonata, by Heather Dixon Wallwork (Guest post by Lucy Hough)

12/4/2022

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Hello, friends, and happy second week of Advent! Things have been pretty crazy around here (pretty much all the appliances in my house decided to break in the same week), so my teenage daughter Lucy came to the rescue with a guest post. I asked her to talk about her very favorite Christmas book, and one of her favorite books of all time: The Enchanted Sonata, by Heather Dixon Wallwork. Without further ado… Here's Lucy's review!

Hello, everyone! Have you ever had a hard time answering the question, "What's your favorite book?" Impossible, I know, right? But if I had to answer that question, The Enchanted Sonata, by Heather Dixon Wallwork, would probably be at the top of the list.

 What makes music... Magic? A musician magician has turned all the children in the far off land of Emperia into toys, using his music and a rosewood flute. His goal: the defeat of the young soon-to-be-Emperor, Prince Nikolai. The prince's only chance is to defeat the magician...while in the form of an unrecognisable, eight foot, walking, talking, nutcracker. His only hope: Miss Clara Stahlbaum, a young pianist from our world.

I love the world building, the food, and the characters (I may have a fictional crush on Nikolai). This is one of the few books that I can say is, for certain, in my top three favorite books. Filled with adventure, romance, and chocolate, The Enchanted Sonata is a book that will last in your soul like a song you can't get out of your head. 

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys Artemis Fowl (for the cleverness) and Frank Cottrell Boyce books (for the humor), or just for anyone who likes a good Christmas-y story—especially anyone who likes music. It would be most appreciated by ages eleven and up (although I'm reading it aloud to my younger siblings, and my seven-year-old brother is loving it).

Thanks, Lucy! For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, visit Always in the Middle.

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Interview with Rachel Dodge, author of The Secret Garden Devotional

12/2/2022

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The Secret Garden Devotional JustRead Blog Tour 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Secret Garden Devotional by Rachel Dodge, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Secret Garden Devotional Title: The Secret Garden Devotional 
Author: Rachel Dodge 
Publisher: Barbour 
Release Date: December 6, 2022 
Genre: Devotional

Devotional Inspiration from Mary Lennox's Beautifully Mysterious Secret Garden

The Secret Garden Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the themes of faith, family, contentment, wisdom, and joy in the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, cherished by generations of readers. 

Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s guiding hand in your life as you are becoming His new creation. With themes of growth, spiritual nourishment, God's love and care, and His transforming power, this beautiful chapter-by-chapter devotional includes original artwork throughout. Each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, and prayers perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Dodge

Rachel Dodge is the bestselling author of the award-winning Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. Rachel's newest book is The Secret Garden Devotional! Rachel teaches college English classes, gives talks at libraries, teas, and book clubs, and is a writer for the popular Jane Austen's World blog. She is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to grow closer to Jesus through prayer and the study of God's Word. A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel enjoys books, bonnets, and ball gowns.

Connect with Rachel by visiting racheldodge.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.


TOUR GIVEAWAY

(2) winners will receive a signed copy of The Secret Garden Devotional and a hardcover illustrated copy of The Secret Garden along with a bookmark and stickers.

The Secret Garden Devotional JustRead Giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 30, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on December 7, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours

Thanks for following along with the blog tour for this book! Rachel kindly agreed to join us for an interview to discuss The Secret Garden Devotional. Welcome, Rachel!

FEH: One of my favorite things about all your devotionals is the way they changed my thinking about the so-called "secular" books I love; each of them now has the opportunity to become an encounter with God. Do you think the authors of these particular books (The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women) intended this, or is it something you foster in all the books you read?  
RD: I don’t personally think the faith lessons and themes that I focus on in my devotionals were necessarily planned out by these authors, but I do believe each author purposefully wove beautiful lessons in and through their novels. Unlike didactic literature that’s meant to teach young people moral lessons, the lessons in these novels are subtle and natural; it never feels preachy. The stories are relatable and the characters are just like you and me. They have fears and failures, dreams and successes, and loves and losses.   Personally, I always see another layer (or two or three) in everything I read, whether the author put it there on purpose or not, so that’s probably why writing devotional books based on classic novels is my favorite thing to do. I love to analyze books and find ways to apply lessons from them to my own life. I believe there’s a link to the Gospel in almost every story, even if the author didn’t put it there on purpose. I love to find that link and share it with others.  

FEH: Is there a specific scene or character in The Secret Garden that most speaks to your own faith?  
RD: The “robin who showed the way” is so special to me because of how he helps Mary blossom and learn to play and run like a child. He is her first friend! Then he shows her the key to the garden… and finally the door to the garden. I see such a parallel between the robin and the people in my life who showed me the way to knowing Jesus personally and mentored me and encouraged me in my faith. My “robin” was a girl named Joy I met my freshman year in college. She and several other older girls showed me the way to Jesus and I’ll always be thankful. The seeds they sowed and the example they set made all the difference in my life as a young woman, and there has been lasting fruit in my life, in my work, in my marriage, and in my children’s lives because those senior girls taught me the “good way” and showed me how to walk on God’s paths. (Proverbs 22:6; Jeremiah 6:16)  

FEH: This question is just for fun! I've been reading lots of Jane Austen lately, and I know you share my love for her stories. If you could give your book to any of her characters, who do you think would need or appreciate it the most?   RD: I’m sure Mary Bennet would really enjoy the religious aspect of my books and possibly read them out loud to the family in a very serious, monotonous tone. Everyone listening would yawn and Lydia would probably make a snide remark! But in all seriousness, I think Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Anne Elliot would enjoy my devotionals. They tend to be interested in personal growth and take their faith seriously.  

FEH: As you wrote this devotional in a chapter-by-chapter format, was there any chapter in which you struggled to find a connection to faith? Or was there one in which you wished you didn't have to limit yourself to word count?   RD: The chapter when Mary explores the house on a rainy day was a bit hard for me to figure out at first, but I realized as I prayed that the chapter was all about Mary’s loneliness and her desire for companionship and family, which fits perfectly with the Biblical picture of God’s family when we become children of God. I wrote about how we were made for companionship and fellowship, and how there’s a reason we long for closeness with others. Later in the novel, when Mary and Colin explore together, I was able to come back to that topic and talk about how our rainy days in life don’t have to be lonely days when we are part of God’s family in the Body of Christ. I always love to see how God leads me when I can’t figure out the theme of a chapter! He comes up with the best ideas!  
As for a chapter where I had lots and lots to say, I probably could have written about the parallels between the key, the door, and the garden and the Good News of Christ for several days. It’s just so neat to think of how we are separated from the “garden” of eternal life with God by our sin (the locked door), but the good news is that the key of faith in Jesus opens that door into the kingdom of God forever. Wow!! Even now, I feel like I could go on and on. It’s a really beautiful concept!  

FEH: I heard you say that you never envisioned yourself as a writer. How did you stumble into this vocation?  
RD: I’ve always had a passion for writing and have always written—whether it was papers for English class, letters, journal entries, articles, web site and marketing content, Bibles studies, and so forth. I can’t seem to help but write. I’m built for it. Words tend to flow out of me. I feel weird when I don’t write. But as far as being an author, I said I would never try to publish a book. I guess God had other plans!   
I did always have a heart for devotional writing and for classic books, but my journey toward being an author is all God’s doing. I asked the Lord to consecrate my writing to be used for His glory about 10 years ago, without even knowing what that might mean or where it would lead. A few years later He opened the door to write devotional books based on my favorite classic novels through a series of really fun God stories.   
I of course work really, really hard at writing, but I have seen God do things I could never ever do in my own strength. It’s been a dream come true because I never planned to write these lovely books, but it’s become my favorite thing to do! Only God can truly bring out in us the dearest desires of our hearts—because sometimes we don’t know what they are until He shows us.  

FEH: Do you have any other devotionals based on classic books in the works?  
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RD: To date, I’ve written Praying with Jane, The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and now The Secret Garden Devotional. I would love to write more devotional books based on classic books if God wants to open the doors to do more! I have a few projects I’m currently working on that are very dear to my heart.  
​This spring, I can’t wait to share the audiobook versions of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and The Secret Garden Devotional. I had the great pleasure of narrating them myself, and I hope readers will enjoy hearing me read to them!    


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Find Your Cheerleaders

11/25/2022

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Last Sunday, my three oldest daughters and two of their cousins sat around their grandfather’s kitchen table, snacking on chips and salsa while my oldest, Lucy, read aloud from a story she’s been writing. It’s straight-up fan-ficton; a blend of Keeper of the Lost Cities, the Chronicles of Narnia, Star Wars, The Lunar Chronicles—and at least a few more, but I can’t keep them straight. All the cousins and a few friends have been working on this saga for months, along with their own, original, works. But this is their special project that fills their fandom-loving hearts with joy. It’s a lovely thing to see. 

While Lucy read her work, she was stopped frequently by bursts of laughter and exclamations. “Oh no! Lucy, how could you!” “Yes, yes, yes!” “Ha, this is so good.”

Mark and I were a room over, just listening. This moment, clearly, was the highlight of these girls’ day. It was also certainly the highlight of ours. What would most artists and writers give to be gathered around a table, chips and salsa at the ready, with a team of people just ready to appreciate you? 
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I used to wonder that so many artists and creators of the past seemed to know each other. C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien were friends?! John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rosseti and Christina Rosseti all hung out together? Amazing. What a coincidence. 

Except... clearly it’s not. Clearly when creative people come together and encourage one another selflessly and generously, amazing things happen. Perhaps if C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien weren’t friends, The Lord of the Rings would never have happened. Perhaps In the Bleak Mid-winter wouldn’t exist if the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood hadn’t let Dante Gabriel’s sister hang around.

In my own life, I’ve certainly seen this dynamic at play. I might never have buckled down to writing if my sister-in-law hadn’t asked one day, “Why do we all keep talking about writing and never actually write anything?” The family critique group that we formed with me, my husband, his sister, and his mother was exactly the encouragement I needed to write a new chapter every week on what seemed then like the impossible task of writing my first novel. Attending my first SCBWI critique group meeting (and many after), the encouragement and solid critiques of professional writers helped me believe that maybe I could succeed as well. Participating in smaller sub-groups of determined writers helped me stick to the task when success wasn’t coming as quickly as I’d hoped. I honed my skill, and hopefully helped my friends hone theirs as well (many of them are published or award-winners now, so I’d like to think my encouragement made a difference to them!). My groups of “cheerleaders” have changed throughout the years, as we all had different needs and schedules and responsibilities. But they’ve always remained there for me in different ways, and that support has buoyed me up through difficult rejections and first drafts that just didn’t work and the months of teething or colicky babies when nothing got written at all.

If you don’t have your group of cheerleaders yet, consider this your invitation to GO FIND THEM. Join a writers’ group (check SCBWI if you write for children, or ask at your local library). Find friends on the internet who could form a virtual group. Leave a comment here, and maybe just the right person will see it! Just find them.
 

Do you already have a group of friends who encourage you through thick and thin? Let us know how you came together, or share your experience of times they’ve helped you out the most!

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Book to Share: What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

11/20/2022

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Anyone who's been reading my reviews long knows that I lean old-fashioned in my reading. Give me the historicals, the old-fashioned fantasies, the "timeless" contemporary stories, and I'm in book heaven. Today I'm reviewing something totally different from my usual taste in books—but I have to mention all that because it speaks to how dang good this book is.

What Happened to Rachel Riley? is thoroughly, decidedly contemporary. The story is told through transcripts of a podcast recording, emails, and texts. Any reader who has ever complained, "Why don't the kids have cell phones? Everyone has cell phones now!" will find herself totally satisfied here. As you might guess from the previous paragraph, I am not one of those readers. But Claire Swinarski pulled me into her story so masterfully that I didn't care. I enjoyed the novelty of the unique style without ever finding it gimmicky. I felt I knew each and every character, and the sense of place was clear and vivid—and considering the style, I found this particularly impressive.

Before I go on, here's the publisher's description:

In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that's Where'd You Go Bernadette? with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school. 
Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why.
As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley?
With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain of: If you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer. 

Here's another thing about me: I'm generally unenthusiastic about "issue" books. I find that poorly developed plots often hide behind the issue being discussed, weakening both the story and the message itself. Again, I'm saying this because that's not the case here. What Happened to Rachel Riley? is a story about sexual harassment—but first and foremost it's a story. If you think about it, lots of great books are issue books, but we forget about that because they're just telling the character's story. In this case, Anna's journey as a character and her drive to solve the mystery will keep you totally engrossed throughout.

I'd like to note that while this book is advertised for ages 8 and up, I think I'd generally wait until readers are the age of the protagonist or so (12-13). I was very comfortable handing it to my young teens, but parents will know best what is appropriate for their child—it's worth a pre-read because 1) you'll love it, and 2) it's such a perfect book for creating meaningful and important conversations that you might as well make a parent-child book club out of it, like I did with my daughters. 

What Happened to Rachel Riley? comes out early in the new year, but you can pre-order it now! Thanks to the author for providing me a review copy.

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!
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Quick Lit: What I'm reading in November

11/15/2022

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Here's my read-before-Advent book stack for November! 

Three re-reads, two non-fiction, and one I've been meaning to read forever. 

The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found, by Karina Yan Glaser, was the one I've been meaning to read—somehow I'd fallen behind on the series without realizing it until the latest book came out and my children scolded for me for beginning it without catching up. This was lovely, as expected! My favorite, favorite part (and skip ahead if you don't want spoilers) was when the children sat at the bedside of an elderly friend who was dying. Death is so, so hard but its hardness seems to make many people overlook the beauty of a happy death. I'm very blessed that my children have been able to be present at wakes and funerals and one death bed, and I'm happy to report that they cherish these memories and were not traumatized (that's not to say they aren't still grieving, but that is a very different thing). But children are very often sheltered from both the hardness and the beauty of death—I was so glad to see it handled sensitively but honestly here. Brava.

Online Marketing for Busy Authors, by Fauzia Burke. Oof. All the things I really need to learn before I get a book published, because we can all admit I've been flying by the seat of my pants for a bit. This book is well-structured and encouraging, as well as full of good sense.

I've just begin Tranquility by Tuesday, by Laura Vanderkam, and I already am gleaning so much wisdom. Her 168 Hours was life-changing for me in terms of time-management and mindset. This follows along the same vein, but with the focus being on contentment and calm rather than productivity alone.

When choosing books for my November reads, I had to go with comfort over everything else, and that's why I pulled from my three favorite authors for re-reads (I don't usually re-read this much in a month). Heaven to Betsy is the first Betsy-Tacy high school book, and Jane of Lantern Hill is one of L. M. Montgomery's most overlooked titles (also the rare story not set on Prince Edward Island). Pure comfort-y goodness. And besides being my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice is on my curriculum for my high school daughters, so we've been reading through it together (it's been a blend of read-aloud, read alone, and audiobook). I LOVE sharing favorite books with my teenagers. This is such a fun stage in our homeschooling journey. I've been loving it so much that I'm planning a post on read-aloud with teenagers, so stay tuned.

Okay, now I need your help: I need recommendations for good December reads! We read lots of picture books as a family during Advent (lots of Jan Brett this year as part of Read Aloud Revival's Christmas school), and I'll be reading the devotional Waiting for the Light. I'd love to add a new-to-me novel to the stack—do you have any you really love? Classic, contemporary, mystery, history—I'm pretty open! Please share your favorites!

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Review: The Secret Garden Devotional, by Rachel Dodge

11/13/2022

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Do you remember the first time you read The Secret Garden? I was about nine, I believe, and I can still recall the spine-tingling spookiness of Misselthwaite Manor, the delight in meeting Martha and Dickon and the wonderfully irascible Ben Weatherstaff, the wonder at Mary's discovery of the garden and passion for growing beautiful things. Even though Mary was quite horrid by all accounts, I was rooting for her from the start--perhaps because when I was nine, I was rather horrid by all accounts, too. 

I knew then that I loved the book. Re-reading it as an adult, I realized just how much it had impacted me. Is it really Mrs. Sowerby's advice that my children hear whenever I tell them to go outside if they're sick or grumpy? Did Mary and Colin's encounter with "The Magic" influence the way I'm always on the lookout for the wonder in God's creation? Did Mary's transformation from sour and unlikable to strong and comforting impact my ability to think I could change, too?

I'll never really know all these answers. Obviously I was formed by many things in life, and even if I was just counting books you'd definitely have to throw several L. M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott titles onto the pile. I do know, however, that The Secret Garden changes me for the better every time I read it, and brings me closer to God as well.

This last re-read of Burnett's classic was made even more meaningful by the addition of guided meditations by Rachel Dodge, in her lovely The Secret Garden Devotional. She breaks the book down chapter by chapter and explores the various themes raised by the author, connecting them with our own lives and relationship with God. She points out so many details I would have missed otherwise, using quotations from the story and selections from scripture to guide your experience of The Secret Garden and turn it from mere pleasure reading to a further encounter with the Divine. 

And I can't forget to add that the illustrations by Anastasia Nesterova are absolutely adorable. I want an edition of The Secret Garden itself illustrated by her!

This would make a lovely gift for an older middle grade reader, a teen, or any adult who loves this beautiful story. Until tomorrow, you can get an extra 20% off if you pre-order it through this link (provided to me by the author), so it's a perfect time to order it as a Christmas gift.

Thanks so much to Rachel Dodge and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for this review.

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday recommendations, check out Always in the Middle!
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