The Mystery of A Nubbins is a new 339-page self-published middle-grade novel for kids ages 8-12 that mixes mystery, fairy tale, folklore and old-fashioned wholesome adventure, written and illustrated by W.S. Wiist. It’s the story of two brothers in the early 1980s who run into a mysterious boy while they’re trying to build forts. While…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. La, la, la, la! Yes, holiday book season! It’s that time of year when it’s almost mandatory to sit with a good story, a mug of something warm, and perhaps a child nearby or just the child in you. (Aww.) Reading during this season makes all your…
Happy Monday! (Or Tuesday or whenever you’re reading this.) Here’s my book list for September. Flora and Ulysses by Kate Dicamillo (Middle Grade fiction, 2013). Flora’s parents are divorced and the situation has made Flora a cynic. Enter squirrel-turned-superhero (because of an unfortunate vacuum incident) Ulysses, whose superpower is misspelled poetry. But will it be…
How varied is your reading list? I feel like mine should be full of books about rainbows and unicorns and butterflies since I write children’s books. It’s not. Kids don’t stick to books about rainbows and lollipops, and neither do I. So I read a variety of books. And I get something valuable from each…
A new writer, Kurt Christiansen, popped up on Facebook recently in a group I follow (Middle Grade Fiction Writers). What caught my eye, besides the cover of his book, was this, “13 years in the making, a hundred drafts and revisions, and it’s finally complete and ready to share.” In his photo he looked elated….
Before I share my reading list, I need to update (and apologize for) a couple of books on last month’s list. The first book is Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman. It got great reviews on Amazon. But frankly, I don’t know why. It was disjointed, rambling, boring. I expected SO much more from this…
Valentine’s Day is coming this week. So happy hearts and flowers and anything that makes your heart go pitter-patter! Did someone say, “Books”? The quickest way to my heart is a stack of unread books. Here’s my stack of books to fall in love with (for kids) this month: The Last Bear by Hannah Gold….
How are you? I read (can’t remember where!) that by this point in January, people can tell what kind of person they are by how they’re tackling their new year goals. If you still have a foot in the game, bravo! If efforts are meh, quickly look for the smallest, most infinitesimal thing you can…
Hello! I hope you’re able to make time to read as we slip into the final month of 2023. Before getting into my reading list, I have some recommendations for you now that I’ve finished the books from November’s list. The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz. Loved it! It was the…
How’s your writing going? That is, if you are writing. If you’re not, how’re you doing with your Bucket List? I now have an outline, character sketches, and first pages written for my new Middle Grade story idea. It’s been a long time since I’ve started a novel. But just like Halloween, the scary part…
