It’s back-to-school month for a lot of kids. I was just talking to a friend, and we decided we were lucky to have been part of the generation of kids who didn’t have to go back until after Labor Day. Far more civilized. Of course, we got our summer start later, but all that faded…
I just finished reading A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Roman Young. It’s a fun story about 11-year-old Pearl who wants to save her small library in her equally small New York neighborhood. After the library loses the head of its claim to fame—the statue of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay—the…
Hello Friends, In honor of the last days of National Ice Cream Month, I have an EASY no-churn ice cream recipe for you. Did you know: In 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month. Sunday, the 17th was National Ice Cream Day. What a cool president—haha. (Fun fact: He pretty much put…
It’s short story time. This one is an origin story about a character in the middle grade novel I’m currently working on. I hope you enjoy it. On the fringes of a small village in Scotland, on the downward slope of a hill, a Highland cow struggled to give birth to her second calf. Dunsmuir,…
• Lemon custard ice cream in a sugar cone • Walks without jackets • Kites on the beach • Squeals of laughter in the surf • Bicycles with baskets carrying picnics—or puppies • Twilight at 9 pm • Planning get aways • Sunglasses and sunscreen • A long list of books to read • Time…
It’s Independence Day! Hello! Hope you’re having a safe and sane holiday. I want to acknowledge the day but with a nod to the “independence” part. Have you noticed how pretty much every main character in a middle grade novel is asserting their independence? Independence from controlling relatives (Harry Potter). Independence from the ideas of…
With summer here, the kids are home, safe under your roof, and all yours for at least a couple of months. When my kids were little, I loved having them to myself for the summer. No school schedules, no book reports or homework…just lots of time to do whatever we wanted to do. On the…
Plaude couldn’t be bothered unfolding her gossamer fairy wings. The heavy sky threatened rain. Of course, it did. “One shade darker today, as expected,” Plaude noted. She walked in her satin slippers, sinking into mud. “Ugh. I just don’t have the energy.” Perry and Cosmo, her best friends, joined her, walking to the ancient…
Back in the day—even way before my day—bakers made hand pies with savory meat or vegetable fillings or with sweet jammy fruit fillings. The whole purpose of a hand pie is to allow someone to shovel food into his or her mouth while walking or painting fences or ploughing fields. Such a great idea. I…
Good books are a balm to a troubled soul. I’ve been reading a lot lately. Today’s book review is of a middle-grade fiction novel called Wonderland by Barbara O’Connor. (There’s an interview with her, too!) Ms. O’Connor has a long list of books and a long list of awards for said books. The first book…
